Good Morning NUNAverse,
With President Joe Biden mandating vaccines or testing for millions of American workers, some tribes have signaled their support for the move by announcing their own mandates, many pre-dating the President’s statement, for tribal employees. Last week, Biden announced a workforce vaccine mandate that would apply to any employer with more than 100 employees or any health care facility that receives federal medicare or medicaid money. More specific details have yet to be announced for the mandate that affects up to 100 million Americans. Amid the nationwide surge in COVID-19 cases from the more contagious delta variant, some tribes have again taken aggressive steps to mitigate the spread. The Blackfeet Nation recently re-implemented a mask mandate and the Oglala Sioux Nation closed schools on the Pine Ridge reservation due to an outbreak.
The Wupatki National Monument in Arizona will get a new conservation and management plan thanks to a $1.3 million grant from Getty Foundation to the University of Pennsylvania’s Stuart Weitzman School of Design. Wupatki National Monument and its sister monuments — Walnut Canyon and Sunset Crater Volcano — are known for their exceptionally well-preserved archeological record, geographical diversity, and ancestral significance to Northern Arizona Native communities. All three monuments are units of the National Park Service, a longtime partner of Penn’s Center for Architectural Conservation (CAC).
U.S. Senators Mike Rounds and Tina Smith, members of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, have introduced legislation that would allow tribes in South Dakota and across the country to have greater control over how federal hunger programs are administered. The SNAP Tribal Food Sovereignty Act would give tribal governments the ability to administer the USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program through self-governance contracts. The bill would make sure that SNAP is run in a culturally appropriate way that promotes the health and economic well-being of tribal communities. According to a news release, approximately 25% of Native people receive some type of federal food assistance and in some tribal communities participation is as high as 80%.
Keep reading for a full news update.
COVID-19:
Tribal Governments Adopting Vaccine Mandates Amid COVID-19 Surges
Indian Country Today, Chris Aadland, September 22
With President Joe Biden mandating vaccines or testing for millions of American workers, some tribes have signaled their support for the move by announcing their own mandates, many pre-dating the president’s statement, for tribal employees. Last week, Biden announced a workforce vaccine mandate that would apply to any employer with more than 100 employees or any health care facility that receives federal medicare or medicaid money. Employees who don’t get vaccinated must get tested weekly. More specific details have yet to be announced for the mandate that affects up to 100 million Americans. Amid the nationwide surge in COVID-19 cases from the more contagious delta variant, some tribes have again taken aggressive steps to mitigate the spread. The Blackfeet Nation recently re-implemented a mask mandate and the Oglala Sioux Nation closed schools on the Pine Ridge reservation due to an outbreak.
Law:
Ojibwe Tribes Sue Wisconsin For Treaty Violations Over Wolf Hunt
Native News Online, September 22
Six tribes are suing the state of Wisconsin for its planned November wolf hunt, claiming the proposed hunt violates the tribes’ treaty rights. The Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Lac Courtes Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, St. Croix Chippewa Indians and Mole Lake Sokaogon Chippewa tribes on Tuesday filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in the Western District of Wisconsin against the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Natural Resources Board. Wisconsin’s Natural Resource Board approved a quota of 300 wolves for the upcoming November hunt, more than double the quota of 130 proposed by the Department of Natural Resources – a recommendation that is also considered by experts to be too high and not supported by scientific data and analysis, according to the legal filing.
Albuquerque Man Sentenced To 5 Years For Assault In Indian Country
Native News Online, September 22
A 32-year old non-Native man was sentenced Monday in federal court to five years for assaulting an American Indian child on the Jicarilla Apache Reservation. Patrick Duran, of Albuquerque, was sentenced for the crime of assault resulting in serious bodily injury in Indian Country. Duran, who is not an American Indian, pleaded guilty on Aug. 26, 2020. In his plea agreement, Duran admitted that on Sept. 28, 2014, he assaulted John Doe, an Indian child, by acting roughly with him and caused Doe to suffer serious bodily injury including internal head injuries, seizures and hospitalization. The incident took place on the Jicarilla Apache Indian Reservation in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, according to a news release.
Other:
$1.3M Getty Grant Will Protect And Preserve Wupatki National Monument
Native News Online, September 22
The Wupatki National Monument in Arizona will get a new conservation and management plan thanks to a $1.3 million grant from Getty Foundation to the University of Pennsylvania’s Stuart Weitzman School of Design. Wupatki National Monument and its sister monuments — Walnut Canyon and Sunset Crater Volcano — are known for their exceptionally well-preserved archeological record, geographical diversity, and ancestral significance to Northern Arizona American Indian communities. All three monuments are units of the National Park Service, a longtime partner of Penn’s Center for Architectural Conservation (CAC).
Senators Rounds, Smith introduce bill for tribal food benefits
Rapid City Journal, September 22
U.S. Senators Mike Rounds, and Tina Smith, members of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, have introduced legislation that would allow tribes in South Dakota and across the country to have greater control over how federal hunger programs are administered. The SNAP Tribal Food Sovereignty Act would give tribal governments the ability to administer the USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program through self-governance contracts. The bill would make sure that SNAP is run in a culturally appropriate way that promotes the health and economic well-being of tribal communities. According to a news release. approximately 25% of Native Americans receive some type of federal food assistance and in some tribal communities participation is as high as 80%.