Good morning, NUNAverse:
The New York Times published a piece this morning highlighting the recent conflict between the Coconino County’s Indigenous Peoples Advisory Council and John Gunderman, who recently asked for a zoning change to develop about 250 acres outside Flagstaff, Arizona into a campground with 70 tepees, 12 hogans, and 43 Conestoga wagons. The local zoning board unanimously voted against the project, citing concerns about cultural sensitivities, as well as planning for fire, police, and traffic.
The piece goes on to detail the ongoing movement to change offensive names of tourist destinations and landmarks across the country, noting that “Indigenous people have been alternately esteemed, exploited, and ignored by the recreation industry for more than a century.”
The City of Seattle gets 20% of its electricity from three dams built more than 100 miles north of the city limits, on a river that is important to fish, wildlife, and Coast Salish cultures. Three tribal governments say the dams block salmon and steelhead — on which Coast Salish people have depended since time immemorial — from reaching upriver spawning and rearing habitat. The City of Seattle has agreed to study fish passage as part of the relicensing process for the dams, but opposes consideration of dam removal.
The rate of COVID-19 vaccinations in the United States continues to rise, a positive sign amid skyrocketing cases and hospitalizations after weeks of lagging inoculations. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported Sunday that 816,203 additional doses were administered, the fifth straight day the agency recorded more than 700,000 shots in arms. That brings the total number of doses administered to 346,456,669, according to the CDC numbers released Sunday. The seven-day average of administered doses is now 662,529 per day, the highest average since July 7.
According to data published Monday by the CDC, 70% of U.S. adults have had at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, about a month behind President Joe Biden’s Fourth of July goal. The goal set by Biden in May is seen by federal health officials as a crucial step toward reaching so-called herd. Health experts say that, while the milestone is a significant achievement for the nation, it should be seen as a floor, rather than a ceiling, especially as the highly contagious delta variant spreads.
On September 18 and 19, the First Americans Museum (FAM) will open on the river in Oklahoma City. James Pepper Henry, the FAM director and CEO, said in a press release: “We are thrilled to share with the public a premier venue dedicated to the history, art and cultural lifeways of First Americans in Oklahoma. We invite everyone to the long-awaited opening of FAM in September. Those who attend the Grand Opening will be among the first to experience a national treasure that will be enjoyed for decades to come.”
Keep reading for a full news update.
COVID-19:
U.S. Reaches 70% COVID Vaccine milestone For Adults About A Month Behind Biden’s Goal
CNBC, Berkley Lovelace Jr, Nate Rattner, August 2
Seventy percent of U.S. adults have had at least one shot of a Covid vaccine, according to data published Monday by the CDC, about a month behind President Joe Biden’s Fourth of July goal. The 70% goal set by Biden in May is seen by federal health officials as a crucial step toward reaching so-called herd immunity — when enough people in a given community have antibodies against a specific disease.
US Vaccinated Rate Hits The Highest Pace In Weeks
CNN, Nadia Kounang, Dakin And one, August 2
The rate of Covid-19 vaccinations in the United States continues to rise, a positive sign amid skyrocketing cases and hospitalizations after weeks of lagging inoculations. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Sunday that 816,203 additional doses were administered, the fifth straight day the agency recorded more than 700,000 shots in arms. That brings the total number of doses administered to 346,456,669, according to the CDC numbers released Sunday.
7th Circuit Sides With IU On COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate
Indiana Daily Student, Phyllis Cha, August 2
All students at Indiana University, unless they meet an exemption, must be vaccinated for COVID-19 starting next semester, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday. “People who do not want to be vaccinated can go elsewhere,” Judge Frank Easterbrook wrote in the decision.
Environment:
Battle Over Skagit River Dam Heads To Court
Indian Country Today, Richard Arlin Walker, August 3
The City of Seattle gets 20 percent of its electricity from three dams built more than 100 miles north of the city limits, on a river that is important to fish, wildlife and Coast Salish cultures. Three tribal governments say the dams block salmon and steelhead — on which Coast Salish people have depended since time immemorial — from reaching upriver spawning and rearing habitat. The City of Seattle has agreed to study fish passage as part of the relicensing process for the dams, but opposes consideration of dam removal.
Law:
United States Attorney’s Office For The Eastern District Of Oklahoma Obtains Twenty-Eight Indictments From Federal Grand Juries
Justice Department, August 2
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced federal grand juries sitting in Muskogee recently completed two separate July sessions and returned twenty-eight (five under seal) felony indictments, including six superseding indictments.
Navajo Man Sentenced To Two Years In Prison For Assault With A Dangerous Weapon in Indian Country
Justice Department, August 2
Darrin Begay, 29, and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was sentenced by a federal judge on July 27 to two years and three months in prison for assault with a dangerous weapon in Indian Country. Begay pleaded guilty on Dec. 16, 2020. According to his plea agreement and other court records, Begay had been living in an inoperable car on the property of his girlfriend’s family in Shiprock, New Mexico, on the Navajo Nation. Begay was not allowed in his girlfriend’s family’s home. The night of August 22, 2020, after arguing via text messages with his girlfriend, identified in court records as Jane Doe, Begay went to her bedroom window and threatened to break the window if she did not let him in. She relented and let him in through the window, but they argued because she did not want him there.
Tribal Sovereignty:
‘Homecoming’: 100 Years After Forceful Removal, Native American Tribe Celebrate Reclaimed Land In Oregon
Yahoo! News, Dianne Lugo, August 2
Vice-Chairman Shannon Wheeler has been dreaming about this day for years. On Thursday, more than 150 Nez Perce (Niimiipuu) people returned and blessed part of their homeland, a hundred years after the U.S Army drove them from the Wallowa Valley in eastern Oregon.
Native Mascots:
Is Travel Next In The Fight Over Who Profits From Native American Culture?
New York Times, Karen Schwartz, August 3
John Gunderman believed his vision for a campground with 70 tepees, 12 hogans and 43 Conestoga wagons in the Arizona desert off Route 66 would “invoke nostalgia that transcends to every generation.” Others disagreed.
Other:
$12 Billion Proposed For Indian Country IN Infrastructure Bill Is Needed & Welcomed
Native News Online, Aaron Payment, August 3
It is especially gratifying to see President Joe Biden lead in pushing to address the nation’s aging infrastructure with roads, bridges, water systems, schools, newer and greener energy platforms, public transit and high-speed rail, and much needed technology and broadband upgrades. President Biden’s and key members of Congress’ announcement of a compromise deal for $1.2 trillion American Job’s Infrastructure plan will bring an additional $12 billion to Indian Country and a total appropriation to Indian County to historical levels to more than $44 billion dollars in the first year of this Administration and Congressional session.
Black Elk Offers Model For Healing
Bennington Banner, Chris Mays, August 2
Inspiration for interacting with the world and reckoning with a not-so nice past can be found in the teachings of Black Elk, who lived from 1863 to 1950 and helped heal his native community. “Black Elk’s story is very similar to a lot of broad contours in the Abenaki story, the way Abenakis engaged with and survived their encounter with the new world that they faced,” said Damian Costello, author of “’Black Elk: Colonialism and Lakota Catholicism” and international expert on the subject.