Good morning, NUNAverse:
The COVID-19 Delta variant is surging among the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe in Eagle Butte, South Dakota. Currently, there are more than 60 active COVID-19 cases, and more cases are being confirmed every day, according to Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Chairman Harold Frazier. Chairman Frazier indicated there are no beds available at the Cheyenne River Health Center, which is run by the Indian Health Service (IHS). In addition, there are no beds available in the State of South Dakota for patients referred out by the IHS from the reservation, leaving Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe citizens to travel as far away as Denver and Cheyenne, Wyoming for medical care.
The COVID-19 crisis is gripping Hawaii as hospitals are overflowing with a record number of patients, vaccinations are stagnating, and Native Hawaiians are experiencing a disproportionate share of the suffering. Hawaii was once seen as a beacon of safety during the pandemic because of stringent travel and quarantine restrictions and overall vaccine acceptance that made it one of the most inoculated states in the country. But the highly contagious delta variant exploited weaknesses as residents let down their guard after months of restrictions and vaccine hesitancy lingered in some communities. Last week, the state reported a record high 1,035 newly confirmed cases.
It’s been 19 years since the New Hampshire Board of Education endorsed a prohibition on Native mascots in schools. Since then, progress toward a ban has been slow and not at all steady. More recently, a year has passed since the state Commission on Native American Affairs implored Governor Chris Sununu to take action, and did not receive a response. Advocates who have been working to end Native mascots in the Granite State for years are now hanging their hopes on a new strategy: legislative action.
Navajo Technical University (NTU) is the recipient of two grants from the National Science Foundation. One award will sustain a project that focuses on increasing the number of Native students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). That amount is $4 million, and it will benefit the Vision for Excellence at Navajo Technical University in Research and Education in STEM, a project managed through a partnership between NTU and Harvard University through its Materials Research Science and Engineering Center.
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders have been reeling from a brutal summer of rising COVID-19 cases and a resource-crippling wave of over-tourism. The crisis has brought attention to a contentious decades-old campaign for federal recognition of a Native Hawaiian government that’s gained strong political support in the past year. For both supporters and critics of a new Native Hawaiian government, the pandemic has become a platform to build their case for either much-needed economic relief or full separation from the United States. Hawaii’s four-member congressional delegation has expressed support for a federally recognized government.
Keep reading for a full news update.
COVID-19:
No Hospital Beds Available In IHS Hospitals In South Dakota Due To Delta Variant
Native News Online, August 27
The COVID-19 Delta variant is surging among the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe in Eagle Butte, South Dakota. Currently, there are more than 60 active COVID-19 cases, and more cases are being confirmed every day, according to Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Chairman Harold Frazier. Frazier indicated there are no available beds available at the Cheyenne River Health Center, which is run by the Indian Health Service (IHS). In addition, there are no beds available in the State of South Dakota for patients referred out by the IHS from this reservation, leaving Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe citizens to travel as far away as Denver and Cheyenne, Wyoming for medical care.
COVID-19 Surge Pummels Hawaii And Its Native Population
AP News, Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, August 27
The COVID-19 crisis is gripping Hawaii as hospitals are overflowing with a record number of patients, vaccinations are stagnating and Hawaiians are experiencing a disproportionate share of the suffering. Hawaii was once seen as a beacon of safety during the pandemic because of stringent travel and quarantine restrictions and overall vaccine acceptance that made it one of the most inoculated states in the country. But the highly contagious delta variant exploited weaknesses as residents let down their guard and attended family gatherings after months of restrictions and vaccine hesitancy lingered in some Hawaiian communities. Last week, the state reported a record high 1,035 newly confirmed cases.
Law:
People Of The Three Fires Gather In Michigan To Commemorate The Treaty Of 1821
Native News Online, Levi Rickert, August 29
Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi citizens gathered with state and local officials at Ah-Nab-Awen Park in downtown Grand Rapids, Mich. to commemorate the bicentennial of the Treaty of Chicago, which was signed on August 29, 1821. Ron Yob, chairman of the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians, served as the emcee of the bicentennial commemoration, which included the unveiling of a permanent historical marker and a water ceremony on the banks of the Grand River. In attendance to commemorate the bicentennial was Michigan State Rep. Rachel Hood (D) who read a proclamation from the State of Michigan and Dale Robertson, president and CEO of the Grand Rapids Public Museum.
New Campaign Promotes Native Vote Protections
Native News Online, August 28
Four Directions Native Vote and Fair Fight Action, two advocacy organizations that promote election protection, have released a 30-second video that encourages tribal citizens to call their elected officials in Congress to ask them to protect Native Americans’ freedom to vote.
The advertisement features William “Snuffy” Main (Gros Ventre Tribe), Elveda Martinez (Walker River Paiute Tribe), Dallin Maybee (Northern Arapaho/Seneca Tribe) and Don Ragona (Matincock Tribe). Each contributes to the ad with a unique message. Four Directions Native Vote has been at the forefront of protecting the Native vote. Led by OJ Semans, the organization has worked hard to get out the Native vote and filed numerous court cases to ensure Native Americans have the right to vote.
4 Line 3 Protesters Arrested At Minnesota Capitol
AP News, August 27
Minnesota troopers on Friday arrested four people protesting Enbridge Energy’s Line 3 replacement pipeline project at the state Capitol. Videos posted on social media showed law enforcement officers surrounding about a dozen protesters. About 1,000 demonstrators gathered earlier in the week for a major rally calling on Democratic Gov. Tim Walz and President Joe Biden to pull permits and shut down the replacement pipeline project. Department of Public Safety spokesman Bruce Gordon told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that the arrests happened after a teepee remained on the Capitol grounds Friday after the event permit expired Thursday evening. The State Patrol, which is responsible for Capitol security, met with tribal liaisons, owners of the tepee and other group leaders “to come to an agreement for the group to voluntarily take the tepee down,” he said in an email.
Native Mascots:
New Bill Would Ban Native American Mascots In N.H. Schools
NHPR, Jenny Widden, August 27
It’s been 19 years since the New Hampshire Board of Education endorsed a prohibition on Native mascots in schools. Since then, progress toward a ban has been slow and not at all steady. More recently, a year has passed since the state Commission on Native American Affairs implored Governor Chris Sununu to take action, and did not receive a response. Advocates who have been working to end Native mascots in the Granite State for years are now hanging their hopes on a new strategy: legislative action.
Boarding Schools:
Indian Boarding Schools’ Traumatic Legacy, And The Fight To Get Native Ancestors Back
NPR, Sam Yellowhorse Kesler, August 28
After the remains of more than 1,300 First Nations students were discovered at the former sites of Canada’s residential schools earlier this year, the U.S. is now facing its own moment of reckoning with its history of Native American boarding schools. In response to these findings, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland (a member of the Pueblo of Laguna) announced a Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative to review “the troubled legacy of federal boarding school policies.” In Carlisle, Pennsylvania, efforts have been underway since 2016 to return the remains of Native children to their proper resting places. Carlisle was home to the first off-reservation Indian boarding school in the U.S. — Carlisle Indian Industrial School. Today, it’s an army barracks, home to the US Army War college for senior officers. But from 1879 to 1918, it housed Native students from tribes across America, with the express purpose of assimilating them into American culture.
U.S. Boarding Schools For Indians Had A Hidden Agenda: Stealing Land
The Washington Post, Brenda Child, August 27
Indian education in the United States and Canada originated in the same colonial project — one that imposed private property rights and Christianity on Indigenous people at a time when their lands and resources were viewed as ripe for plunder. But it’s important to note that the two school systems differed in design and scope. Canada farmed out Indian education to organizations like the Catholic and Anglican churches. Here, the federal government ran Indian boarding schools, employing teachers and staff from the Indian School Service, some of whom were American Indians. In Canada, residential schools continued for a half-century after their assimilation-model counterparts in the United States began to shutter in 1933. This is because the U.S. schools had a very specific purpose: They helped the government acquire Indian lands.
Other:
Scarce Credit Hinders Homeownership On Tribal Land
The Wall Street Journal, Ben Eisen, August 29
America’s tribal lands, home to more than a million people, are often credit deserts, lacking the access to capital necessary to make homeownership a reality for the Native Americans who desire to live on them. Traditional mortgages in the U.S. are secured by two valuable pieces of collateral: the home itself and the land on which it sits. But in Indian Country, swaths of land are held in trust, preventing lenders from staking a claim if the homeowner stops paying. There is a workaround, but it is complicated. Obtaining the necessary approvals can take years. It is one reason Native Americans are less likely to be homeowners: Some 57% of Native Americans owned homes in 2019, versus 72% of whites, according to the Minneapolis Fed’s Center for Indian Country Development.
Navajo Technical University Receives $4.4m In Grants From National Science Foundation
Farmington Daily Times, Noel Lyn Smith, August 28
Navajo Technical University (NTU) is the recipient of two grants from the National Science Foundation. One award will sustain a project that focuses on increasing the number of Native American students pursuing degrees in STEM. That amount is $4 million, and it will benefit the Vision for Excellence at Navajo Technical University in Research and Education in STEM, a project managed through a partnership between NTU and Harvard University through its Materials Research Science and Engineering Center. Since 2018 the partnership’s goals have been to increase the number of Native Americans earning undergraduate degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Cherokee Nation Expanding Role In Aerospace Sector
Native News Online, Chuck Hoskin Jr., August 28
Oklahoma has a rich legacy of innovation and success in the aerospace industry. Cherokee Nation citizen Will Rogers was one of its earliest promoters almost 100 years ago. Today, aerospace and aviation continue to help propel the Oklahoma economy, and Cherokee Nation plays a key role in this business sector. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the Oklahoma Commerce Department reports that our home state continued to draw in more aerospace and defense companies to create new quality jobs, with an average annual salary over $86,000. Statewide, it is one of the fastest-growing industries.