Good Morning NUNAverse,
Following the MLB Commissioner publicly showing support for the Atlanta Baseball Team’s Native-inspired mascot, imagery, and cheers, the National Congress of American Indians responded with a statement of their own, saying that “the name ‘Braves,’ the tomahawk adorning the team’s uniform, and the ‘tomahawk chop’ that the team exhorts its fans to perform at home games are meant to depict and caricature not just one tribal community but all Native people, and that is certainly how baseball fans and Native people everywhere interpret them.”
The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) issued a news release on yesterday that confirmed Pope Francis has accepted their invitation to visit Canada on a pilgrimage of healing and reconciliation regarding the Catholic Church’s handling of Indian residential schools in Canada. Pope Francis’ trip will occur after December 2021 when a group of Indigenous survivors, elders, knowledge keepers, and youth will travel to the Vatican to meet with the Pope. The press release indicates the Indigenous entourage will have the opportunity to speak to Pope Francis about the timing, focus, and themes in preparation for his future pilgrimage to Canada. The statement by the Vatican about the upcoming papal visit to Canada was brief and did not indicate whether or not Pope Francis will provide an apology on behalf of the Catholic Church to Indigenous survivors and their descendants for how the residential schools operated by the Catholic Church were run.
When Lance Cardinal was approached by the Edmonton Oilers to act as an Indigenous consultant, the Cree artist and designer knew the first thing he wanted to do was create a land acknowledgment. Cardinal worked with the National Hockey League team and Chief Wilton Littlechild, a former commissioner for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, to come up with a video briefly describing the history of the land that the club’s downtown arena sits on. In a pre-recorded video, Littlechild delivered the team’s first land acknowledgment at its home opening game on October 13. The video ends with Littlechild saying “kinanaskomitin,” or “thank you,” in Cree. The multimedia land acknowledgment is to be used before every home game and is to eventually include Cree syllabics.
One in four American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian-owned firms are supported by the tourism industry, according to a report released on Tuesday at the 23rd Annual American Indian Tourism Conference that is in session at the We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort in Fort McDowell, Arizona. The Economic Impact of Indigenous Tourism Report, released by the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA), says the Native hospitality industry supports 117,852 jobs in Indian Country. When all factors are considered, Native tourism is a $14 billion industry. The report was produced by Honolulu-based SMS Research under the guidance of the firm’s Executive Vice President Daniel Nāhoʻopiʻi (Kānaka Maoli, Native Hawaiian), who formerly managed the tourism research program for the Hawai’i Tourism Authority.
Keep reading for a full news update.
Native Mascots:
NCAI Calls Out MLB Commissioner For Giving The Atlanta Baseball Team A Pass On Tomahawk Chop
Native News Online, October 27
Prior to the first game of the World Series between the Atlanta Braves and the Houston Astros on Tuesday, Major League Baseball (MLB) Commissioner Rob Manfred met with the press and answered questions about the Braves name, chant, and fans doing the “tomahawk chop” at home games in Atlanta. Manfred defended the Atlanta baseball club. He said the Atlanta team officials have handled the local Native American community in a respectful way. The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) does not agree with Manfred.
Tribes Push Back Against MLB Claims That Native Americans Approve Of Tomahawk Chop
NBC News, David Li, October 27
Native American groups pushed back Wednesday against Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred’s claim that Indigenous communities support the Atlanta Braves’ tomahawk chop. Manfred told reporters at the World Series on Tuesday that Native Americans near Atlanta don’t mind the sight of Braves fans’ chanting in a faux battle cry during games at Truist Park in Cobb County, north of Atlanta. But Jason Salsman, a spokesman for Chief David Hill of the Muscogee Nation, said Manfred can’t base his opinion on any one stance from a Native community. Manfred said he consulted with local Cherokees. None of the three federally recognized bands of Cherokees is based in Georgia. The Cherokee Nation and the United Keetowah Band of Cherokee Indians were forcibly removed to Oklahoma, where they remain. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians remains in nearby North Carolina, and Principal Chief Richard Sneed has said for years that the tribe doesn’t support the Braves’ cheer.
Boarding Schools:
Pope Francis Agrees To Visit Canada To Discuss Healing And Reconciliation For Catholic Church’s Involvement In Residential Schools
Native News Online, October 27
The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) issued a news release on Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021 that confirmed Pope Francis has accepted their invitation to visit Canada on a pilgrimage of healing and reconciliation regarding the Catholic Church’s handling of Indian residential schools in Canada. Pope Francis’ trip will occur after December 2021 when a group of Indigenous survivors, elders, knowledge keepers and youth will travel to the Vatican to meet with the Pope. The press release indicates the Indigenous entourage will have the opportunity to speak to Pope Francis about the timing, focus, and themes in preparation for his future pilgrimage to Canada. The statement by the Vatican about the upcoming papal visit to Canada was brief and did not indicate whether or not Pope Francis will provide an apology on behalf of the Catholic Church to Indigenous survivors and their descendants for how the residential schools operated by the Catholic Church were run, where have been allegations of physical, emotional and sexual abuse.
Politics:
White House Announces New Tribal Nations Summit Date
Indian Country Today, Kalle Benallie, October 27
The dates are finally set. All 574 federally recognized tribal nations will have the chance to take part in the White House Tribal Nations Summit in November. On Nov. 15 and Nov. 16, tribal leaders will chat with the White House on key issues, policies, and goals for Indian Country. It will commence virtually after extending it from its original date in October. Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in April that officials hoped it would be an in-person gathering, if the pandemic eased at the end of the year. Six panels and a listening session, with high-level administration officials, will center on issues prevalent to Indian Country. The conference began as a promise by President Barack Obama made during a visit to the Crow Nation in 2008, but has not been held since Obama’s last year in office in 2016.
Law:
Quapaw Addresses New Criminal Justice Center, McGirt Application
Gaylord News, Nancy Marie Spears, October 27
Members of the Quapaw Nation Business Committee and representatives from the U.S. Attorney’s Office Northern District of Oklahoma held a news conference Thursday to commemorate an Oklahoma’s district court ruling affirming the tribe’s reservation, according to a statement from the tribe.For Quapaw Nation, headquartered in Miami, Oklahoma, this means confirming what they already knew: the reservation will continue to remain intact after 188 years. Tribal leaders also addressed in the news conference strides the tribe has made in preparation for the jurisdiction transfer that has ensued after the McGirt application, including opening a $4 million courts and criminal justice center less than two years ago.
Other:
Economic Impact Study Reveals Native Tourism Is A $14 Billion Industry
Native News Online, October 27
One in four American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian (AIANNH)-owned firms are supported by the tourism industry, according to a report released on Tuesday at the 23rd Annual American Indian Tourism Conference that is in session at the We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort in Fort McDowell, Ariz. The Economic Impact of Indigenous Tourism Report, released by the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA), says the Native hospitality industry supports 117,852 jobs in Indian Country. When all factors are considered, Native American tourism is a $14 billion industry. The report was produced by Honolulu-based SMS Research under the guidance of the firm’s Executive Vice President Daniel Nāhoʻopiʻi (Kānaka Maoli, Native Hawaiian), who formerly managed the tourism research program for the Hawai’i Tourism Authority.
Mestaa’ėhehe Is Hard To Pronounce, Says Colorado Governor
CPR News, Bente Birkeland, October 27
Gov. Jared Polis is getting pushback after saying the new recommended name for a mountain in Clear Creek County, Mestaa’ėhehe (pronounced mess-taw-HAY), is too hard to pronounce as written. Polis made the remarks to the state’s Geographic Naming Advisory Board, which he created last year to re-name offensive places and landmarks, and urged members to consider an alternate spelling. Last month, the commission recommended renaming an 11,459-foot mountain south of Idaho Springs to Mestaa’ėhehe Mountain, in honor of an influential 19th century Cheyenne translator known as Owl Woman. The mountain’s current name is a racial and sexual slur against Indigenous women. Polis said he would support the new name, but that he initially considered rejecting it.
Cree Artist Helps Edmonton Oilers Craft Indigenous Land Acknowledgment
CBC, October 27
When Lance Cardinal was approached by the Edmonton Oilers to act as an Indigenous consultant, the Cree artist and designer knew the first thing he wanted to do was create a land acknowledgment. Cardinal worked with the National Hockey League team and Chief Wilton Littlechild, a former commissioner for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, to come up with a video briefly describing the history of the land that the club’s downtown arena sits on. In a pre-recorded video, Littlechild delivered the team’s first land acknowledgment at its home opening game Oct. 13. The video ends with Littlechild saying “kinanaskomitin,” or “thank you,” in Cree. The multimedia land acknowledgment is to be used before every home game and is to eventually include Cree syllabics.
Why Protecting Tribal Rights Is Key To Fighting Climate Change
Yale Environment 360, Jeremy Deaton, October 27
In an interview with Yale Environment 360, Fawn Sharp, president of the National Congress of American Indians, discusses how Indigenous people in the United States are imperiled by the impacts of climate change – including megafires, floods, heat waves, and drought – and where they are making progress. Sharp’s own Quinault Indian Nation in Washington, where she serves as vice president, is planning to relocate two seaside villages to higher ground to escape worsening floods — a move funded by revenue from a statewide carbon tax that the Quinault and other tribes negotiated for.
DNA From Sitting Bull’s Hair Confirms US Man Is His Great-Grandson
The Guardian, October 27
A sample of Sitting Bull’s hair has helped scientists confirm that a South Dakota man is the famed 19th-century Native American leader’s great-grandson using a new method to analyse family lineages with DNA fragments from long-dead people. Researchers said on Wednesday that DNA extracted from the hair, which had been stored at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, confirmed the familial relationship between Sitting Bull, who died in 1890, and Ernie LaPointe, 73, of Lead, South Dakota. The study represented the first time that DNA from a long-dead person was used to demonstrate a familial relationship between a living individual and a historical figure – and offers the potential for doing so with others whose DNA can be extracted from remains such as hair, teeth or bones.