Good Morning NUNAverse,
On Friday, President Joe Biden issued the first Indigenous Peoples’ Day proclamation from a President in United States history. “Since time immemorial, American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians have built vibrant and diverse cultures – safeguarding land, language, spirit, knowledge, and tradition across the generations,” Biden said in the proclamation. “On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, our Nation celebrates the invaluable contributions and resilience of Indigenous peoples, recognizes their inherent sovereignty, and commits to honoring the Federal Government’s trust and treaty obligations to Tribal Nations.”
Also on Friday, President Biden restored two sprawling national monuments in Utah, reversing a decision by President Donald Trump that opened for mining and other development hundreds of thousands of acres of rugged lands sacred to Native peoples and home to ancient cliff dwellings and petroglyphs. The Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante monuments in southern Utah encompass more than 3.2 million acres — an area nearly the size of Connecticut — and were created by Democratic administrations under a century-old law that allows presidents to protect sites considered historic, geographically, or culturally important. Restoring the monuments’ boundaries and protections restores their integrity, upholds efforts to honor the federal trust responsibility to tribal nations, and conserves the lands and waters for future generations, Biden said.
A Harvard University analysis of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) pandemic relief funding showed that 30 tribes received more than half the $20 billion set aside for tribes, according to a report in Tribal Business News. The study by scholars with the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development (HPAIED) shows the distributions to more than 600 federally recognized tribes and tribal bands were vastly inequitable, largely because of formulaic choices made by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The Harvard Project team conducted the research using publicly available numbers on USAspending.gov, an open data source of federal spending information. A dozen tribes each received more than $200 million, according to the analysis, including three — Navajo Nation, Cherokee Nation and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma — that each received more than $1 billion.
The Indian Health Service announced last week that Black Natives in the Seminole Nation, known as the Freedmen, will now be eligible for health care through the federal agency, which previously denied them COVID-19 vaccinations and other care. The shift in policy comes as the Biden administration and members of Congress are pressuring the Seminole and other tribes in Oklahoma to desegregate their constitutions and include the Freedmen, many of whom are descendants of Black people who had been held as slaves by the tribes, as full and equal citizens of their tribes under post-Civil War treaty obligations.
Keep reading for a full news update.
Indigenous Peoples Day
Goodbye, Columbus? Here’s What Indigenous Peoples’ Day Means To Native Americans
NPR, Emma Bowman, October 11
This year marks the first time a U.S. president has officially recognized Indigenous Peoples’ Day. President Biden issued a proclamation on Friday to observe this Oct. 11 as a day to honor Native Americans, their resilience and their contributions to American society throughout history, even as they faced assimilation, discrimination and genocide spanning generations. The move shifts focus from Columbus Day, the federal holiday celebrating Christopher Columbus, which shares the same date as Indigenous Peoples’ Day this year. Indigenous Peoples’ Day advocates say the recognition helps correct a “whitewashed” American history that has glorified Europeans like Italian explorer Christopher Columbus who have committed violence against Indigenous communities. Native Americans have long criticized the inaccuracies and harmful narratives of Columbus’ legacy that credited him with his “discovery” of the Americas when Indigenous people were there first.
Biden Issues First-Ever Presidential Indigenous Peoples’ Day Proclamation
Native News Online, October 10
President Joe Biden already has the first-ever Native American presidential cabinet secretary in his administration with Deb Haaland, a tribal citizen of the Laguna Pueblo, serving as the secretary of the Department of the Interior. On Friday, he made another first when he issued the Indigenous Peoples’ Day proclamation. No other president of the United States has issued an Indigenous Peoples’ Day proclamation. “Since time immemorial, American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians have built vibrant and diverse cultures — safeguarding land, language, spirit, knowledge, and tradition across the generations. On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, our Nation celebrates the invaluable contributions and resilience of Indigenous peoples, recognizes their inherent sovereignty, and commits to honoring the Federal Government’s trust and treaty obligations to Tribal Nations.”
Oregon Recognizes Indigenous Peoples Day; Tribes See Hope
AP News, Jamie Hale, October 10
Oct. 11 might feel a little different across Oregon this year. The second Monday in October, long celebrated as Columbus Day, will now officially be recognized as Indigenous Peoples Day in Oregon — a recognition of the Native American communities here long before Christopher Columbus set foot in the Americas. Among tribal leaders in Oregon, the change represents overdue recognition and hope for the future, as well as a feeling that more could be done to recognize and support Indigenous communities. According to the 2020 census, there are 129,081 Oregonians who identify as full or part American Indian and Alaska Native, comprising 3.1% of the state’s population.
Tensions Persist Between Legacy Of Columbus, Native People
AP News, Kathleen Foody, October 10
Monday’s federal holiday dedicated to Christopher Columbus is highlighting the ongoing divide between those who view the explorer as a representative of Italian American history and others horrified by an annual tribute that ignores native people whose lives and culture were forever changed by colonialism. Spurred by national calls for racial equity, communities across the U.S. took a deeper look at Columbus’ legacy in recent years — pairing or replacing it with Indigenous Peoples Day. On Friday, President Joe Biden issued the first presidential proclamation of “Indigenous Peoples’ Day,” the most significant boost yet to efforts to refocus the federal holiday celebrating Columbus. But activists, including members of Native American tribes, said ending the formal holiday in Columbus’ name has been stymied by politicians and organizations focusing on Italian American heritage.
In Boston, A Legendary Marathon Confronts Its Past–And Present
Native News Online, Valerie Vande Panne, October 10
This Monday, Indigenous Peoples’ Day, will see athletes from all over the world run the 125th Boston Marathon. The marathon, typically scheduled for a Monday in mid-April, was cancelled last year due to Covid-19, and this year was rescheduled due to the pandemic. When the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) picked Indigenous Peoples’ Day for their race, local Indigenous activists were outraged. A petition asking for it to be rescheduled garnered over 41,000 signatures, and numerous meetings and conversations occurred. The culmination has led to the Boston Athletic Association publicly apologizing for running the race on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, and working to right some of its wrongs, while Native runners from across Indian Country are running in the marathon with an invigorated sense of purpose.
Celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Indian Country Today, October 9
Everyday should be Indigenous Peoples’ Day. On the calendar each year, some set a day aside in October to acknowledge the thousands of Indigenous people across the U.S. This year that date falls on Monday, Oct. 11. President Joe Biden also proclaimed the day as Indigenous Peoples’ Day and recognized their resilience and sovereignty. Indian Country Today has gathered a list of events happening on Indigenous Peoples’ Day and the week of. Some are in person, while most are virtual.
Why Native Americans Commemorate Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Native News Online, October 9
On Monday, October 11, Native Americans across Indian Country will be commemorating Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead of Columbus Day. To be clear, Indigenous Peoples’ Day is not just for Native Americans. Across the United States, 15 states and more than 130 local municipalities (counties, cities, towns, and villages) have proclaimed the second Monday of October of each year as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. It is a day to honor the fact that Native Americans were the first inhabitants of the Americas, including the current lands that are the United States of America. Further, Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a day to recognize the many cultures, languages, history, and even the future of Indigenous people across the Americas. Indigenous Peoples’ Day replaces Columbus Day, which dates back to 1892 when President Harrison made a proclamation observing a day set aside to celebrate Christopher Columbus. It has been a federal holiday since 1937.
Rally Seeks Statewide Indigenous Peoples Day, Other Measures
AP News, October 9
Native American groups are marching and rallying on Boston Common on Saturday to observe Indigenous Peoples Day and to call on state leaders to do more to support their communities. Organizers say they want Gov. Charlie Baker to make Indigenous People’s Day a statewide holiday. They also want Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park in Boston’s North End to be renamed. Mahtowin Munro, co-leader of United American Indians of New England, said state lawmakers also need to pass a number of bills long sought by local Native American groups. Among them are proposals to ban Native American team mascots, to provide for Indigenous curriculum content in the public schools, to protect sacred Native American heritage, and to improve educational outcomes for Indigenous students. Saturday’s organizers say they also want city and state officials to begin tracking public health data on indigenous people so that they can begin to address the impacts of racial injustice and economic inequality on Native American communities.
Boston Honors Indigenous Marathon Runners
Indian Country Today, Kalle Benallie, October 8
Ellison “Tarzan” Brown and other historic Indigenous runners will be honored at the 125th Boston Marathon on Oct. 11, which unintentionally falls on Indigenous Peoples’ Day. It was canceled last year due to the pandemic and rescheduled from it’s normal date in April because of resurging COVID-19 cases. The Boston Athletic Association has since apologized and set out to honor Indigenous people in various ways. Brown’s grandchildren Anna Brown-Jackson and Michael Monroe Sr. will accept a banner on behalf of their family. Three-time runner up and a former American marathon record holder Patti Catalano Dillon, citizen of the Mi’kmaq tribe, will be the official starter of the Men’s and Women’s Open Races. In 1981, she set a then-American record of 2:27:51.
Biden Is First President To Mark Indigenous Peoples’ Day
AP News, Zeke Miller, October 8
President Joe Biden on Friday issued the first-ever presidential proclamation of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, lending the most significant boost yet to efforts to refocus the federal holiday celebrating Christopher Columbus toward an appreciation of Native peoples. The day will be observed Oct. 11, along with Columbus Day, which is established by Congress. While Native Americans have campaigned for years for local and national days in recognition of the country’s indigenous peoples, Biden’s announcement appeared to catch many by surprise. In a separate proclamation on Columbus Day, Biden praised the role of Italian Americans in U.S. society, but also referenced the violence and harm Columbus and other explorers of the age brought about on the Americas.
Law:
Biden On Signing National Monument Proclamations: “This May Be The Easiest Thing I’ve Done As President”
Native News Online, Levi Rickert, October 8
President Joe Biden, saying “this may be the easiest thing I’ve ever done so far as President,” signed proclamations that restore the original boundaries of Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante and Northeast Canyons, and Seamounts National Monuments in a White House Rose Garden ceremony on Friday. Dressed in tribal regalia, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo) introduced the president of the United States, who thanked her for all of her hard work related to the monuments. After Haaland introduced the president, he thanked her for work related to coming up with recommendations on whether to restore the national monuments. Biden acknowledged the strong ties Native Americans have to Bears Ears National Monument in Utah. In signing the proclamations, President Biden fulfilled promises he made during the 2020 presidential election to overturn the actions taken by then-President Donald Trump that drastically reduced the size of the national monuments. In the case of Bears Ears, Trump reduced the size by 85 percent.
Biden Restores Bears Ears, Other Monuments Cut By Trump
AP News, Matthew Daly, October 8
President Joe Biden on Friday restored two sprawling national monuments in Utah, reversing a decision by President Donald Trump that opened for mining and other development hundreds of thousands of acres of rugged lands sacred to Native Americans and home to ancient cliff dwellings and petroglyphs. The Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante monuments in southern Utah encompass more than 3.2 million acres — an area nearly the size of Connecticut — and were created by Democratic administrations under a century-old law that allows presidents to protect sites considered historic, geographically or culturally important. Restoring the monuments’ boundaries and protections restores their integrity, upholds efforts to honor the federal trust responsibility to tribal nations and conserves the lands and waters for future generations, Biden said.
Politics:
Standing Rock Election Commission Reviews Potential Fraud Claims; Validates Election Of The Tribe’s First Female Chairperson In Over 50 Years
Native News Online, Darren Thompson, October 9
On Friday October 8, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s (SRST) Election Commission hosted a hearing to hear complaints of potential irregularities in the general election results that was held on September 29, 2021. The general election was held throughout the Standing Rock Indian Reservation to elect a new tribal chairperson, vice chair and other tribal council positions. The contest for chairperson is between Janet Alkire and Ira Taken Alive, the tribe’s current vice chair. On the morning of September 30, the SRST’s Facebook page posted preliminary results of the election that declared Ira Taken Alive was the winner by three votes, 759 to 756. On October 4, the SRST’s Facebook page posted official results of the 2021 general election and declared that Janet Alkire was the winner by 67 votes, 829 to 762.
The additional votes came from the Long Soldier district. On September 30, 517 total votes were counted for the Office of Vice Chairman with only 449 total votes counted for the Office of Chairperson; a difference of 68 votes. In other words, the additional votes counted came from one district, for one office—the Office of Chairperson–for one candidate, Alkire.
Boarding Schools:
A Closer Look At The Experiences Of The Meskwaki People At The Indian Training School At Toledo, Iowa
Native News Online, Andrew Kennard, October 8
Wanatee is a citizen of the Meskwaki Nation, a sovereign government of Indigenous Meskwaki people based in a settlement in Tama County, Iowa. Her mother Adeline attended a federal boarding school that was part of a system created in the late 1800s to assimilate Indigneous peoples in the United States. During that era, Native children were taken from their homes, often forcibly, and sent to Indian boarding schools as part of a government effort to strip them of their cultural identity and assimilate them into white Euro-American Christian culture. Indian boarding school students’ diets lacked “quantity, quality and variety,” according to a 1928 report to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior. Dorms were overcrowded, disease was prevalent and students received substandard education and medical care, according to the Meriam Report. The report also said that students above fourth grade spent half of their day maintaining their schools. Like many other Indigenous students of the boarding schools, Adeline Wanatee was forbidden from speaking her native language, according to a 1978 book she contributed to as well as the book Boarding School Seasons by Minnesota University professor Brenda Child.
Other:
Tribes Got $20B In ARPA Relief Funding. Half Of It Went To Just 30 Tribes.
Native News Online, October 8
A Harvard University analysis of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) pandemic relief funding showed that 30 tribes received more than half the $20 billion set aside for tribes, according to a report in Tribal Business News. The study by scholars with the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development (HPAIED) shows the distributions to more than 600 federally recognized tribes and tribal bands were vastly inequitable, largely because of formulaic choices made by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Tribes that were already wealthy, especially those with gaming, benefited due to inequitable Treasury Department formulas.The Harvard Project team conducted the research using publicly available numbers on USAspending.gov, an open data source of federal spending information. The federal government uploaded complete and detailed tribal ARPA funding to the website on Oct. 6.
A dozen tribes each received more than $200 million, according to the analysis, including three — Navajo Nation, Cherokee Nation and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma — that each received more than $1 billion.
Other:
Lincoln Statue Graffitied, Demand For Return Of Native Land
AP News, October 10
An Abraham Lincoln statue at a Vermont museum has been vandalized with the number “38,” which police say they believe is a reference to the execution of 38 Native Americans ordered by the former president in 1862. Police said an employee at the Bennington Museum arrived Sunday morning to find a large banner that read “LAND BACK” had been put up between two light poles at the entrance to the museum’s courtyard. The Lincoln statue in the courtyard had reddish spray paint on its face and hands, along with the number “38” painted on its chest, police said. Officials said it is expected to cost several thousand dollars to repair the statue and remove the paint. Police said they believe the vandalism is a reference to the Dakota 38, who were executed after the 1862 Dakota War, which was also known as the Sioux Uprising of 1862.
Murals Showing Attempted Lynching, Other Scenes To Come Down
AP News, October 9
Elected officials have voted to remove two courthouse murals in Columbia that show a white man pointing a gun at a Native American man and an attempted lynching. The Columbia Daily Tribune reports that the Boone County Commission made the decision Thursday after lawyers raised concerns. The murals, painted by Sidney Larson in 1994, will be placed in storage. The murals depict multiple scenes from Columbia’s history, including when Southern guerrillas terrorized Union loyalists in 1864. Another scene shows a white man being punished for stealing a cow. Three shirtless Black men also are shown chained by their ankles as they carry a plank.
After Denying Care To Black Natives, Indian Health Service Reverses Policy
The New York Times, Mark Walker, October 8
The Indian Health Service announced this week that Black Native Americans in the Seminole Nation, known as the Freedmen, will now be eligible for health care through the federal agency, which previously denied them coronavirus vaccinations and other care. The shift in policy comes as the Biden administration and members of Congress are pressuring the Seminole and other Native tribes in Oklahoma to desegregate their constitutions and include the Freedmen, many of whom are descendants of Black people who had been held as slaves by the tribes, as full and equal citizens of their tribes under post-Civil War treaty obligations.