Good Morning NUNAverse,
Blackfeet Nation Chairman Tim Davis issued a searing indictment of the federal government’s consistent and continuing failures in addressing the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) crisis. Davis chose to issue his letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and Senator Brian Schatz, Chair of the Indian Affairs Committee. The letter puts the spotlight on the Department of Interior (DOI), Department of Justice (DOJ), and the US Senate Committee on Indian Affairs that includes both of Montana’s US Senators, Jon Tester and Steve Daines. Blackfeet Nation is Montana’s largest tribe, and the state has one of the highest rates of murdered and missing Indigenous people in the United States.
On Friday, October 8, 11 members of Congress sent a letter to President Biden, United States Attorney General Merrick Garland, Director of Federal Bureau of Prisons Michael Carvajal, and Southeast Regional Director of Federal Bureau of Prisons J.A. Keller requesting the expedited release of and clemency for Leonard Peltier. Leonard Peltier, a tribal citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, was arrested and convicted for the murders of two Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in 1975. He was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences and has served more than 43 years in federal prison.
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers issued a formal apology Monday for Wisconsin’s role in Native boarding schools, joining with leaders from the state’s tribes at an Indigenous Peoples Day event. Governor Evers signed an executive order that also formally supported the previously announced U.S. Department of Interior investigation into the schools and asked that anything done in Wisconsin be conducted in consultation with the state’s tribes. Tribal representatives joined with Evers for the announcement in Oneida. Records show that Wisconsin was home to at least 10 day and boarding schools attended by thousands of Native children between the 1860s and 1970s, the governor’s office said. Additionally, hundreds of children were also sent from Wisconsin to attend out-of-state schools.
Keep reading for a full news update.
MMIW:
Blackfeet Chairman Calls Out DOJ, DOI, And US Senate Committee On Indian Affairs For “Horrendous Failings” In Murdered And Missing Indigenous Women Response
Native News Online, October 11
Blackfeet Nation Chairman Tim Davis today issued a searing indictment of the federal government’s consistent and continuing failures in addressing the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) crisis. Davis chose to issue his letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Secretary Deb Haaland, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) – chair of the Indian Affairs Committee, and puts the spotlight on the Department of Interior (DOI), Department of Justice (DOJ), and the US Senate Committee on Indian Affairs that includes both of Montana’s US Senators, Jon Tester (D-MT) and Steve Daines (R-MT). Blackfeet Nation is Montana’s largest tribe. The state has one of the highest rates of murdered and missing Indigenous people in the United States.
Politics:
11 Members Of Congress Write Letter To President Biden, Demanding Immediate Release Of Leonard Peltier
Native News Online, Darren Thompson, October 11
On Friday, October 8, 11 members of Congress sent a letter to President Biden, United States Attorney General Merrick Garland, Director of Federal Bureau of Prisons Michael Carvajal, and Southeast Regional Director of Federal Bureau of Prisons J.A. Keller requesting the expedited release of and clemency for Leonard Peltier. Leonard Peltier, a tribal citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, was arrested and convicted for the murders of two Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in 1975. He was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences and has served more than 43 years in federal prison. He suffers from diabetes and an abdominal aortic aneurysm. He is 77 years old today.
Boarding Schools:
Evers Issues Formal Apology For Indian Boarding Schools
AP News, Scott Bauer, October 11
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers issued a formal apology Monday for Wisconsin’s role in Native American boarding schools, joining with leaders from the state’s tribes at an Indigenous Peoples Day event. Evers signed an executive order that also formally supported the previously announced U.S. Department of Interior investigation into the schools and asked that anything done in Wisconsin be conducted in consultation with the state’s tribes. Wisconsin is home to 11 recognized American Indian tribes. Tribal representatives joined with Evers for the announcement in Oneida. Records show that Wisconsin was home to at least 10 day and boarding schools attended by thousands of American Indian children between the 1860s and 1970s, the governor’s office said. Additionally, hundreds of children were also sent from Wisconsin to attend out-of-state schools, the governor’s office said.
Other:
How Native Americans View Biden’s Restoration Of National Monuments Trump Shrank
PBS, William Bringham, October 11
The Biden administration recently restored the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and Bears Ears National Monument just ahead of Indigenous Peoples Day. The White House said the move protects land sacred to Native Americans and preserves cultural and scientific wonders. PBS reporters sit down for an interview with Nick Martin, editor of the indigenous affairs desk at High Country News. He is also a member of the Saponi Tribe in North Carolina.