Good Morning NUNAverse,
On Sunday, more than three dozen people left Backus, Minnesota on a 160-mile walk to raise awareness about the controversial Line 3 tar sands oil pipeline that’s currently being constructed in the northern part of the state. Organizers plan to make the trek over the next two weeks to Wisconsin Point, a 229-acre freshwater sand bar that sits on Lake Superior in northern Wisconsin near the Minnesota border. This isn’t the first organized walk to oppose construction of the Enbridge, Inc. Line 3 replacement project. Last month, dozens of people walked approximately 235 miles from Backus to the Minnesota State Capitol grounds in Saint Paul. They were joined on August 26 by hundreds of other walkers to participate in a rally at the Capitol that included more than 1,000 people. Their collective voice was to demand that President Biden and Governor Walz honor treaties that both the federal and state governments have with tribes.
Two lawyers are demanding the removal of two courthouse murals in Columbia, Missouri that show a white man pointing a gun at a Native man, shirtless Black men chained by their ankles, and white men being hanged and whipped. County commissioners are seeking public input on the lawyers’ request, which comes as communities around the country reconsider historical statues and murals in the context of present day values. The murals were painted by Sidney Larson in 1994.
Carmaker Tesla has opened a store and repair shop on Native land for the first time, marking a new approach to its years long fight to sell cars directly to consumers and cut car dealerships out of the process. The white-walled, silver-lettered Tesla store, which opened last week, sits in Nambé Pueblo on tribal land that’s not subject to state laws. The electric car company can only sell and service its vehicles freely in about a dozen states, while it faces restrictions in others. Some, like New Mexico, ban Tesla from offering sales or repairs without going through a dealership.
Keep reading for a full news update.
Politics:
Election For Hopi Chairman To Be Rematch
Indian Country Today, Felicia Fonseca, September 15
The race for Hopi chairman will be a rematch of the last general election. Tribal council member David Norton Talayumptewa was the top vote-getter in Thursday’s primary with 298 votes, followed by current Chairman Tim Nuvangyaoma with 291 votes, according to unofficial results. The two will face off in the Nov. 11 general election. Nuvangyaoma beat Talayumptewa in the 2017 general election by more than 325 votes. Turnout for Thursday’s primary was low with 945 votes cast. The ballot didn’t feature the candidates for vice chairman because only two people are running, meaning both current Vice Chairman Clark Tenakhongva and Craig Andrews automatically move on to the general election.
Redistricting: Protecting The Native American Vote In New Mexico
KRQE, Curtis Segarra, September 16
The Citizen Redistricting Committee is collecting public input to give each New Mexican a fair chance to choose their elected officials. In New Mexico, that also means ensuring that our state’s minority groups are represented. Tribes make up a key population in our state at 12.4% of New Mexico’s population, according to the latest Census Bureau data. That’s an increase of about 20% from 2010. If New Mexico seeks to give proportional representation to its Native people, that population group should make up a majority of voters in five state senate districts and at least eight state house districts. Currently, Native people make up a majority in only three senate districts and six house districts. That means right now, the population group is underrepresented.
Other:
Rising Model Quannah Chasinghorse’s First Met Gala Was Filled With Meaning
Vogue, Christian Allaire, September 14
During New York Fashion Week, there was one breakout model in particular ruling the runways at Gabriela Hearst, Prabal Gurung, and Jonathan Simkhai: Quannah Chasinghorse. The 19-year-old Indigenous model (Hän Gwich’in / Oglala Lakota) is taking the fashion world by storm and providing much-needed representation for Indigenous people in the process. To cap off her week, Chasinghorse attended the Met gala for the first time and documented her experience exclusively for Vogue. “It was amazing to be able to be there and represent Indigenous people,” says Chasinghorse. “Before I got to the Met, I was listening to Native music and artists to help me feel more empowered, and I was extremely excited to show the world the beauty of native indigenity.”
‘Truly Heartbreaking’: Native Americans Heartbroken Over Sale Of Sacred Cave With 1,000-Year-Old Paintings
The Hill, Jenna Romaine, September 15
The Osage Nation has called Tuesday’s sale of a Missouri cave filled with Native artwork from over 1,000 years ago “Truly Heartbreaking.” The cave and an additional 43 acres of land surrounding it near Warrenton, Mo., was auctioned off by Selkirk Auctioneers & Appraisers to an unidentified winning bidder for $2.2 Million. Known as the “Picture Cave,” the site was used for sacred rituals and burials by the Osage people. It also houses numerous hieroglyphics and Native artwork, “making it the largest collection of Indigenous people’s polychrome paintings in Missouri,” the auction site reads. Guest auctioneer Amelia Jeffers wrote on Facebook, “Sold! Hammered at $2M and contracted for $2.2M (with the buyer’s premium).
Treaty People Organize Walk Across Northern Minnesota To Oppose Line 3
Native News Online, Darren Thompson, September 15
On Sunday, more than three dozen people left Backus, Minnesota on a 160-mile walk to raise awareness about the controversial Line 3 tar sands oil pipeline that’s currently being constructed in the northern part of the state. Organizers plan to make the trek over the next two weeks to Wisconsin Point, a 229-acre freshwater sand bar that sits on Lake Superior in northern Wisconsin near the Minnesota border. This isn’t the first organized walk to oppose construction of the Enbridge, Inc. Line 3 replacement project. Last month, dozens of people walked approximately 235 miles from Backus to the Minnesota State Capitol grounds in Saint Paul. They were joined on August 26 by hundreds of other walkers to participate in a rally at the Capitol that included more than 1,000 people. Their collective voice was to demand that President Biden and Governor Walz honor treaties that both the federal and state governments have with tribes.
Tesla Builds 1st Store On Tribal Land, Dodges State Car Laws
AP News, Cedar Attanasio, September 15
Carmaker Tesla has opened a store and repair shop on Native land for the first time, marking a new approach to its years long fight to sell cars directly to consumers and cut car dealerships out of the process. The white-walled, silver-lettered Tesla store, which opened last week, sits in Nambé Pueblo on tribal land that’s not subject to state laws. The electric car company can only sell and service its vehicles freely in about a dozen states, while it faces restrictions in others. Some, like New Mexico, ban Tesla from offering sales or repairs without going through a dealership. In January, the company struck a deal with Michigan to resolve a 2016 lawsuit, a symbolic victory that allowed it to sell in the backyard of the nation’s largest carmakers.
Lawyers Push For Removal Of Missouri Courthouse Murals
AP News, September 15
Two lawyers are demanding the removal of two courthouse murals in Columbia that show a white man pointing a gun at a Native man, shirtless Black men chained by their ankles, and white men being hanged and whipped. Gary Oxenhandler and Rusty Antel say the artwork in the Boone County Courthouse, which was painted by Sidney Larson in 1994, has been “personally and professionally upsetting,” The Columbia Missourian reported Tuesday. County commissioners are seeking public input on the lawyers’ request, which comes as communities around the country reconsider historical statues and murals in the context of present day values.
Unseen Images From An Epic Exploration Of Alaska Native Culture Are Finally Seeing The Light
Native News Online, Tamara Ikenberg, September 15
Faces framed with thick fur, and adorned with traditional vertical-line chin tattoos. Kayak-makers concentrating on their craft. Mountainside island dwellings teetering on the skinniest of stilts. These glimpses into Alaska Native culture were captured in 1927, when photographer Edward Curtis traveled to Nome and the Bering Sea to visually and journalistically chronicle the lives and customs of the Indigenous people of areas including Little Diomede Island, King Island, Nunivak Island, Hooper Bay, King Island, and Cape Prince of Wales. In collaboration with the tribes who welcomed him into their communities, posed for him, and shared stories, language, songs, and traditions, Curtis composed myriad photogravures while in Alaska, many of which are included in The Alaskan Eskimo, the 20th and final volume of Curtis’ epic life’s work: The North American Indian.