Good Morning NUNAverse,
The federal agency that oversees schools that educate some Native people in nearly two dozen states issued an employee vaccine mandate on Thursday. The mandate covers more than 2,800 faculty and staff at 53 schools and dormitories operated directly by the U.S. Bureau of Education in states including Arizona, New Mexico, North Dakota, and South Dakota. More than 180 schools operate under the agency’s umbrella, but about two-thirds are run by tribes under contract with the federal government or through grants, including most on the Hopi reservation and neighboring Navajo Nation.
Next year Ethan Minton (Cherokee) will be headed to Orlando, Florida, to participate in swimming events at the Special Olympics USA Games. Minton, 19, loves to play sports of all sorts, but as a swimmer, he has won 16 gold medals and will represent Oklahoma at the national level. Minton’s mother, Susie, said her son deals with autism and developmental delays.
To expand its existing domestic and sexual violence advocacy services in Michigan, StrongHearts Native Helpline announced it has partnered with the Division of Victim Services at Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services. The partnership enhances the work already being done in the area of tribal domestic violence and shelter. The project is funded by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. This project will give Native victim-survivors in Michigan access to culturally appropriate advocacy 24/7 even if they call their local tribal program after regular operating hours. Currently, eight of the 12 federally recognized tribes in Michigan receive Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding through the Division of Victim Services.
Gary McKinney (Shoshone-Paiute) is one of a dozen or so tribal and environmental activists who started camping in Northern Nevada early this year, a peaceful occupation in protest of a planned lithium mine on federal Bureau of Land Management land. “I’m prepared to stay out here and oppose this mine for as long as it takes,” McKinney says, “as long as it takes.” The mine, which was given initial approval by federal land managers earlier this year, is at the site of what’s thought to be North America’s largest deposit of lithium, a metal used in lithium-ion batteries, a key component to electric cars and cell phones. To some Native people the mine would be built atop sacred land.
Keep reading for a full news update.
COVID-19:
Bureau Of Indian Education Issues Vaccine Mandate
AP News, Felicia Fonseca, September 2
The federal agency that oversees schools that educate some Native people in nearly two dozen states issued an employee vaccine mandate Thursday. The mandate covers more than 2,800 faculty and staff at 53 schools and dormitories operated directly by the U.S. Bureau of Education in states including Arizona, New Mexico, North Dakota, and South Dakota. More than 180 schools operate under the agency’s umbrella, but about two-thirds are run by tribes under contract with the federal government or through grants, including most on the Hopi reservation and neighboring Navajo Nation.
Law:
Nez Perce Tribe Resolves Litigation With Oregon Over Hells Canyon Complex Water Quality Certification
Big Country News, September 2
The Nez Perce recently reached a settlement agreement with the state of Oregon resolving their lawsuit alleging that Oregon’s 2019 Clean Water Act section 401 water quality certification for the relicensing of the Hells Canyon Complex, violated federal and state law. The Nez Perce claimed that the certification failed to adequately address toxic pollution, temperature, and fish passage in the Complex, which is located within their exclusive territory. The Hells Canyon Complex, owned and operated by Idaho Power Company, consists of three dams and reservoirs on the Snake River that straddle the Oregon/Idaho border.
Native Gang Members Sentenced To Prison For Violent Crimes In Minnesota
Native News Online, September 2
Three members of the Native Mob gang were sentenced to federal prison on Wednesday for acts of violence and distribution of methamphetamine to several communities in northern Minnesota including the Leech Lake and Red Lake Indian Reservations. Robin Lee Lussier, 32, Willard Duane Reed, III, 26, and Joshua Adam Hanks, 25, were active members of the Native Mob, a regional criminal organization established in Minneapolis in the early 1990s. According to court documents, between December 1, 2015, and January 1, 2019, Lussier and Reed led a conspiracy to distribute large quantities of methamphetamine throughout northern Minnesota, including the Leech Lake and Red Lake Indian Reservations.
Colorado’s New Law Extends In-State Tuition To Native American Students From Other States
Forbes, Michael T. Nietzel, September 2
The state of Colorado is providing Native students from out of state the opportunity to attend any of its public universities and colleges at the institution’s in-state tuition rate. Senate Bill 29, signed into law this summer by Gov. Jared Polis, states that beginning with the 2021-22 academic year, Colorado’s public institutions of higher education shall adopt policies to offer in-state tuition to students who would not otherwise qualify for it if the student is a federally recognized member of a federally recognized tribe with historical ties to Colorado, as designated by the Colorado Commission of Indian affairs in partnership with History Colorado. Approximately 200 out-of-state Native students who are enrolled in Colorado’s state colleges and universities will be the first beneficiaries of this policy as it kicks in this semester. Each one will have their annual tuition reduced by about $15,000, as will newly enrolled students who meet the criteria.
These Tribal Activists Want Biden To Stop A Planned Lithium Mine On Their Sacred Land
NPR News, Kirk Siegler, September 2
Gary McKinney (Shoshone-Paiute) wears black sunglasses and an American Indian Movement ski hat and tank top, exposing his tattooed, muscled arms. He’s one of a dozen or so tribal and environmental activists who started camping here early this year, a peaceful occupation, they say, in protest of a planned lithium mine on federal Bureau of Land Management land. “I’m prepared to stay out here and oppose this mine for as long as it takes,” McKinney says, “as long as it takes.” The mine, which was given initial approval by federal land managers earlier this year, is at the site of what’s thought to be North America’s largest deposit of lithium, a metal used in lithium-ion batteries, a key component to electric cars and cell phones. But to some Native people, especially elders, the mine would be built atop sacred land.
Other:
Early Native Americans Settlers In US May Have Be Highly-Skilled Engineers, Study Says
News 18, September 3
Believed to be hunter-gatherers, Native people are theorized to have come from parts of Asia almost 15,000 years ago. However, a new study suggests that Natives were much more than just hunter-gatherers. Poverty Point, a world heritage site located in Northern Louisiana, is believed to be occupied by these indigenous people and contains earthen ridges and mounds built from roughly 2 million cubic yards of soil and dates back to 1100 BC. Among these earthly structures is a 72-foot-tall mound that was constructed without any modern-day tools and machinery. The Washington University study finds that these works wouldn’t have been possible without extremely skilled engineers and sophisticated technical knowledge. “One of the most remarkable things that these earthworks showcase is the lack of a major erosion or failure,” Tristram R. Kidder, the lead author of the study, told Science Daily.
Cherokee Nation Citizen To Swim In Special Olympics
Cherokee Phoenix, September 2
Next year Ethan Minton (Cherokee) will be headed to Orlando, Fla., to participate in swimming events at the Special Olympics USA Games. Minton, 19, loves to play sports of all sorts, but as a swimmer, he has won 16 gold medals and will represent Oklahoma at the national level. Minton’s teammates are from different parts of the state, so he is conducting some training in Edmond. But he also trains at home, and training isn’t all swimming. Minton’s mother, Susie, said her son deals with autism and developmental delays. His love of wrestling is one way in which his condition can manifest noticeably.
Stronghearts Native Helpline Partners With State Of Michigan To Provide Domestic Abuse Services
Native News Online, September 2
To expand its existing domestic and sexual violence advocacy services in Michigan, StrongHearts Native Helpline announced it has partnered with the Division of Victim Services at Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services. The partnership enhances the work already being done in tribal domestic violence and shelter. The project is funded by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. This project will give Native victim-survivors in Michigan access to culturally appropriate advocacy 24/7 even if they call their local tribal program after regular operating hours. Currently, eight of the 12 federally recognized tribes in Michigan receive VOCA funding through the Division of Victim Services.