The Milwaukee Bucks refused to play their NBA playoff game yesterday in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake, prompting all NBA playoff games scheduled yesterday to be postponed. Following this decision, players from the WNBA, MLB, and MLS followed suit in protesting their games.
Three New Mexico Pueblos – Cochiti, Kewa, and Jemez – have higher self-response rates to the 2020 Census than the state as a whole. As of August 25, 56.1% of residents have responded to the Census at Kewa, 55.4% of residents have responded at Cochiti, and 56.8% of residents have responded at Jemez, while the self-response rate for New Mexico is 54.9%.
The Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes have begun the largest ever inter-tribal buffalo transfer that will send 40 buffalo to 16 other tribes across the country. Those tribes will be able to use these new buffalo to increase the genetic diversity and overall health of their own herds, helping to restore the population that was hunted to near extinction in the late 19th century.
The only Native on federal death row was put to death yesterday after a D.C. Judge denied a last minute request for a temporary restraining order that would have halted the execution. With this execution, the federal government has carried out more executions in 2020 than in the previous 56 years combined.
Three U.S. Attorneys in Oklahoma joined Laura Rogers, Deputy Director of the U.S. Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women to announce $8 million in federal grants to combat domestic and sexual violence against Native women in Oklahoma. Grant recipients include the Chickasaw Nation, Choctaw Nation, and Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma; the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma; the Absentee Shawnee Tribe; and the Delaware Tribe of Indians.
Keep reading for a full news update.
Politics:
Navajo Nation VP To Republican National Convention: “I’m Excited To Endorse President Trump’s Reelection”
Native News Online, August 25
Navajo NationVice President Myron Lizer spoke to a national audience on Tuesday night, appearing in primetime during the Republican National Convention from Shiprock, N.M. on the Navajo Nation in a pre-recorded taped video. In the video, “I’m excited to endorse President Trump’s reelection. And Mr. President, we look forward to hosting you very soon to come visit our land we call Dine’tah,” Lizer said.
Navajo VP Praises Donald Trump On Funding, Public Safety
Indian Country Today, Kolby KickingWoman, August 25
Navajo Nation Vice President Myron Lizer opened Night Two of the Republican National Convention, endorsing President Donald Trump for the 2020 election. Speaking in pre-recorded remarks from Shiprock, New Mexico, Lizer ran through a list of accomplishments the president has achieved for Indian Country in his first term. The Navajo Nation second-in-command said it wasn’t until Trump came into office that Indian Country had a true seat at the table.
Cherokee Candidate For Oklahoma Senate Wins Runoff
Indian Country Today, Dalton Walker, August 25
Shane Jett is one step closer to being back in the Oklahoma Legislature. Jett, Cherokee, beat incumbent and two-term state senator Ron Sharp in Tuesday’s Oklahoma primary runoff to represent the Republican Party in November’s general election District 17 race. Jett received 4,611 votes, or 59 percent, to Sharp’s 3,153 votes, or 41 percent, according to the state Election Board.
National Census:
3 Pueblos Self-Response To 2020 Census Surpassed State Of New Mexico’s Rate
Native News Online, August 26
Three New Mexico pueblos have surpassed the state’s self-response rate for the 2020 Census. More than half of the residents of the Pueblos of Cochiti, Kewa and Jemez have responded to the 2020 Census. As of August 25, 56.1% of residents have responded to the Census at Kewa, 55.4% of residents have responded at Cochiti and 56.8% of residents have responded at Jemez. The self-response rate for New Mexico is 54.9%.
Native Mascots:
Here’s Why The Chiefs Are Banning Native American Imagery And Evaluating The Chop
The Kansas City Star, Sam McDowell, August 25
The aftermath of a Super Bowl title has been overshadowed by one of the most unusual and unpredictable summers in NFL history. Kansas City is not immune. Rather than an offseason defined by a championship celebration, the Kansas City NFL team has been occupied instead with real-world issues, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, deciding whether to allow fans at home games, furthering discussions with Native Americans on traditions like headdresses, face paint and the chop, as well as Black Lives Matter and voter registration.
Other:
Only Native American On Federal Death Row Executed
AP News, Michael Tarm, August 25
The only Native American on federal death row was put to death Wednesday, despite objections from many Navajo leaders who had urged President Donald Trump to halt the execution on the grounds it would violate tribal culture and sovereignty.
American Indian Lezmond Mitchell Executed By Federal Government Of The United States
Native News Online, August 26
For the first time in modern history, an American Indian has been executed by the federal government for killing another tribal member on a reservation. Navajo citizen Lezmond Charles Mitchell was put to death by lethal injection on Wednesday evening for his role in the gruesome 2001 murder of 63-year old Alyce Slim, a Navajo woman, and her nine-year old granddaughter, Tiffany Lee.
DC Judge Denies Request Of Navajo Inmate On Death Row
Native News Online, August 26
A federal judge has denied a request for a temporary restraining order that would have halted the execution this evening of Navajo citizen Lezmond Mitchell. Judge Royce C. Lambert of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia denied Mitchell’s request, which came as part of a lawsuit filed yesterday against Attorney General William Barr and several other government officials.
Native Americans Speak Out About Federal Government’s Decision To Go Forward With Execution Of Lezmond Mitchell
Native News Online, August 26
Influential Native American leaders are speaking out about the federal government’s decision to go forward with the execution, arguing that it denies the wishes of the Navajo Nation and betrays tribal sovereignty. “If the Native Nation wishes for a stay of execution, it should be given,” Shannon Keller O’Loughlin (Choctaw), executive director of the Association on American Indian Affairs said.
Tribal Citizen Killed On Turtle Mountain Reservation; BIA Officer Suspended, Family Left In Dark
Native News Online, August 26
The FBI is investigating the fatal shooting of a Turtle Mountain Chippewa man by police officers last weekend on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation in Belcourt, N.D. The man who was killed is being identified as Brandon Laducer, 35, a Turtle Mountain tribal citizen from Belcourt. He was a father to two children, a boy and a girl.
FBI: Police Fatally Shoot Man On North Dakota Reservation
AP News, August 25
The FBI is investigating after police fatally shot a man on a North Dakota Indian reservation over the weekend. The FBI responded to the shooting at a private home in Belcourt on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation late Saturday night and into early Sunday, FBI spokesman Kevin Smith said Tuesday.
$8 Million In Grants To Oklahoma To Combat Domestic Violence
AP News, August 25
The three U.S. attorneys in Oklahoma on Wednesday announced $8 million in federal grants to combat domestic and sexual violence against Native American women in Oklahoma. Federal prosecutors Trent Shores of Tulsa, Brian Kuester of Muskogee and Timothy Downing of Oklahoma City joined Laura Rogers, deputy director of the U.S. Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women, in announcing the grants in Tulsa.
Fort Peck Tribes Carry Out Largest Ever Inter-Tribal Buffalo Transfer
NPR, Savannah Maher, August 25
It’s a bright August morning in the northeast corner of Montana. Robbie Magnan, Game and Fish director for the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes, rose before dawn to round up these 40 buffalo into a corral. If you’re experiencing quarantine fatigue, these bulls can relate. They’ve endured three years of isolation and disease testing. “Most of their life they’ve been in some type of quarantine,” Magnan says.