Good Morning NUNAverse,
The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina has been pushing for federal recognition more than 100 years. On Wednesday, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs will receive testimony on S.1364, the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina Recognition Act. If enacted, the Act would grant federal recognition to the Lumbee Tribe in North Carolina and would make its tribal citizen eligible for the services and benefits provided to members of federally recognized tribes. Lumbee tribal citizens residing in Robeson, Cumberland, Hoke, and Scotland counties in North Carolina are deemed to be within the delivery area for such services. In addition to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina Recognition Act, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs will hear testimony on H.R.1975, the Pala Band of Mission Indians Land Transfer Act of 2021, H.R.2088, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Historic Lands Reacquisition Act, and H.R.4881, the Old Pascua Community Land Acquisition Act.
One of the five initiatives outlined by President Joe Biden at the White House Tribal Nations Summit on Monday is the greater Chaco Culture National Historical Park landscape mineral withdrawal. In the coming weeks, the Department of the Interior will initiate consideration of a 20-year withdrawal of federal lands within a 10-mile radius around Chaco Culture National Historical Park, protecting the area from new federal oil and gas leasing and development. The announcement was met with praise from the All Pueblo Council of Governors (APCG), collectively representing the 20 Pueblos of New Mexico and Texas. The proposed withdrawal will not apply to Individual Indian Allotments or to minerals within the area owned by private, state, and tribal entities.
Barnstable High School graduate Brian Weeden is lobbying for legislation to ban Native mascots in Massachusetts’ public schools. The bill would require about two dozen schools to abandon their current nicknames, bar the sale and distribution of materials with Native symbols, and halt construction or renovation of team logo displays. Last summer, during nationwide protests against racial injustice, opposition to Native nicknames gained momentum and spurred several schools to change their logos — including Barnstable High School, now called the Red Hawks. But according to the Anti-Mascot Coalition, a New England-based advocacy group, at least 23 schools in Massachusetts use “racist and derogatory” symbols depicting Native people and culture.
Keep reading for a full news update.
White House Tribal Nations Summit:
All Pueblo Council Of Governors Applauds Biden Administration’s Proposed Protection Of Chaco Culture National Historical Park
Native News Online, November 16
One of the five initiatives outlined by President Joe Biden at the White House Tribal Nations Summit on Monday is the greater Chaco Culture National Historical Park landscape mineral withdrawal, which in essence would bar new federal oil and gas leasing on those lands. In the coming weeks, the Department of the Interior will initiate consideration of a 20-year withdrawal of federal lands within a 10-mile radius around Chaco Culture National Historical Park, protecting the area from new federal oil and gas leasing and development. The proposed withdrawal will not apply to Individual Indian Allotments or to minerals within the area owned by private, state, and tribal entities. The announcement was met with praise from the All Pueblo Council of Governors (APCG), collectively representing the 20 Pueblos of New Mexico and Texas.
Tribes Hope Infrastructure Law Means They’ll Finally Get Clean Drinking Water
NPR, Katie Riddle, November 16
Louie Pitt Jr. has a clear memory of a day four years ago when a valve broke on the Warm Springs Reservation in Oregon. He was in a meeting with the tribal operations officer when she was interrupted by a phone call. Pitt is an elder in The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. The worst case situation he describes is still happening here. Due to an aging infrastructure system and insufficient funds to fix it, the tribes here have been limping along with inadequate water supply for years. There are frequent notices directing residents to boil water before consumption. Sometimes the water coming out of the tap is brown, and sometimes nothing comes out at all. With President Biden on Monday signing a historic $1 trillion infrastructure bill into law to fortify roads, bridges and waterways, among other things, some places stand to gain more than others. This community of 4,000 people is hoping the money will be a gamechanger. As a stopgap measure, emergency services here have repurposed an unused school as a distribution point for clean water. Water is donated, often from nonprofits around the state. The classrooms here are filled with thousands of bottles and jugs of water, neatly standing in rows like soldiers.
Sovereignty:
Senate Committee On Indian Affairs To Hear Testimony On Lumbee Tribe Recognition Act
Native News Online, November 16
The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina has been pushing for federal recognition more than 100 years. During the last year’s presidential election, both major candidates supported the Lumbee Tribe’s effort for federal recognition. On Wednesday, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs will receive testimony on S.1364, the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina Recognition Act. If enacted, the Act would grant federal recognition to the Lumbee Tribe on North Carolina and would make its tribal citizen eligible for the services and benefits provided to members of federally recognized tribes. Lumbee tribal citizens residing in Robeson, Cumberland, Hoke, and Scotland counties in North Carolina are deemed to be within the delivery area for such services. In addition to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina Recognition Act, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs will hear testimony on H.R.1975, the Pala Band of Mission Indians Land Transfer Act of 2021, H.R.2088, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Historic Lands Reacquisition Act, and H.R.4881, the Old Pascua Community Land Acquisition Act.
Law:
ICWA Experts Say State Laws Could Protect Native Families
Gaylord News, Nancy Marie Spears, November 16
Efforts to overturn the federal Indian Child Welfare Act might not be entirely successful because of state-based laws that impose similar requirements in at least nine states, including Oklahoma. Cherokee Nation Deputy Attorney General Chrissi Nimmo said state ICWA statutes can further protect Indigenous children and their families if ICWA is ruled unconstitutional. Rising concern about the fate of the federal law stems from an appeal to the Supreme Court by a Fort Worth couple, who are foster parents of a Navajo child, challenging the constitutionality of the law. Supported by Texas, Indiana and Louisiana, they argue the law uses race-based criteria in violation of their constitutional rights under the 14th Amendment. Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, Morongo Band of Mission Indians of California and Quinault Indian Nation of Washington are all seeking to block the effort to overturn the ICWA statute. But if the court allows its own anti-commandeering argument to stand, it wouldn’t prevent states from passing or altering their own ICWA statutes, regardless of the outcome for the federal statute.
Health:
Little Shell Tribe Opens Health Clinic In Montana
Great Falls Tribune, Nora Mabie, November 16
More than 100 people gathered in Great Falls to celebrate the opening of the Little Shell Tribal Health Clinic Located at 425 Smelter Ave. NE, the 10,000-square-foot clinic serves as a one-stop-shop, offering comprehensive medical, dental, vision, radiology, pharmaceutical and behavioral health services. The tribe is also offering free shuttle services to help people access the clinic. Indian Health Service, a federal agency that provides medical care to federally recognized tribes, is expected to run the clinic initially, but Tribal Chairman Gerald Gray said he hopes the tribe can assume clinic leadership within three years. This clinic is the newest IHS facility in the region, and its the second IHS facility in Great Falls.
Native Mascots:
After Viral Video, Native Americans Offer To Help Riverside Schools
The Press-Enterprise, David Downey, November 16
Native American leaders and state lawmakers from the Inland Empire offered ideas to educators Monday, Nov. 15, for preventing another classroom incident like the one at a Riverside high school that produced a viral video and sparked widespread outrage. The ideas included boosting the hiring of Native American teachers, emphasizing ethnic studies, weaving Native American culture more prominently and accurately into history curriculum and working closely with area tribes to develop sensitive and informed teaching practices. They were shared at a meeting of the Riverside Unified School District board. Assembly Member Jose Medina, D-Riverside, whose bill to make ethnic studies a California high school graduation requirement was recently signed into law, said policies must be reinforced with robust and continuing training. The meeting was called a few weeks after the Oct. 19 incident involving the math teacher at North High was captured on a student’s video, which was shared on social media and almost instantly went viral.
A Growing Push To Eliminate Native American Mascots In Massachusetts Schools
Boston Globe, Julia Carlin, November 16
Barnstable High School graduate Brian Weeden is lobbying for legislation to ban Native American mascots in the state’s public schools, a divisive issue that has stirred debate in Massachusetts and across the country. The bill would require about two dozen schools to abandon their current nicknames, bar the sale and distribution of materials with Native American symbols, and halt construction or renovation of team logo displays. Last summer, during nationwide protests against racial injustice, opposition to American Indian nicknames gained momentum and spurred several schools to change their logos — including Barnstable High School, now called the Red Hawks. But according to the Anti-Mascot Coalition, a New England-based advocacy group, at least 23 schools in Massachusetts use “racist and derogatory” symbols depicting Native American people and culture. They include the “Aztecs,” “Indians,” and “Chieftains,” and their jerseys bear caricatures of Native American people.
Mason City School District Drops ‘Mohawk’ Mascot, Name
AP News, November 16
Mason City schools will drop the mascot “Mohawks” in favor of a brand that doesn’t exploit Native American tribal symbols and imagery. The Mason City Board of Education voted Monday to retire the “Mohawk” name and mascot and begin the search for a new mascot in January. Officials plan to have a new mascot and name selected by July 1. The move comes after the Meskwaki Nation in Iowa and the St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Council of Akwesasne, New York, objected to the Native-themed mascot. Calls for such changes have grown more insistent across the country in recent years, leading schools and professional sports teams to drop offensive names and mascots that either pull from or pervert Native American culture.
Other:
USDA Protecting, Empowering Indigenous Foodways
Indian Country Today, Carina Dominguez, November 16
The United States Department of Agriculture announced new initiatives Monday marking its commitment toward Indian Country and tribal self-determination. The USDA announcement coincided with the kickoff of the virtual White House Tribal Nations Summit. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the USDA Indigenous Food Sovereignty Initiative and a joint secretarial order, between the USDA and the Department of Interior, regarding tribal co-stewardship of federal lands and water. The Food Sovereignty Initiative includes partnering up with tribal organizations on seven projects for federal food programs and promoting traditional foodways. Among the programs announced is a tribal seed saving project with Indigenous Seed Keepers Network. The tribal relations office wants to provide seed cleaning mills and create two regional seed processing hubs. The agency is aiming to create seed bank policies that are informed by local Indigenous communities.
First Native American Restaurant In Northern California Opens: Wahpepah’s Kitchen In Oakland, CA
Native News Online, Nanette Iron Eagle Deetz, November 16
On an unusually warm and sunny November day, between 300-500 diners attended the grand opening of Indigenous foods restaurant Wahpepah’s Kitchen in Oakland, California. The long awaited grand opening had been anticipated for weeks and was preceded by a mainstream media coverage uplifting chef and owner Crystal Wahpepah. Crystal Wahpepah is a native of Oakland, California. Wahpepah’s Kitchen is the first woman-owned restaurant featuring Native American cuisine in northern California, and possibly the entire state. Wahpepah is an enrolled citizen of the Kickapoo Nation of Oklahoma who grew up in East Oakland. The restaurant’s opening represents the culmination of all her hard work, dedication, and experience over the many years she has been cooking and serving Indigenous food at powwows and events throughout California and throughout Indian Country.
Native American Education In Spokane Public Schools: ‘there’s A Lack Of Trust’
Seattle Times, Jim Allen, November 15
During a recent class at Grant Elementary School, several Native American students held up identifying signs that reinforced a point that the general population has seldom understood. Not one of the signs read “Native American.” Instead, they identified the children as members of the Spokane, Colville, Assiniboine and other tribes. For Tamika LaMere, the director of the Native Education program at Spokane Public Schools, this was a teachable moment for the students and their guests. Of the 547 federally recognized tribes, 130 are represented by almost 2,000 students in Spokane Public Schools. Based on the statistics collected by the state superintendent of public instruction, Native American students need help — in the classroom and out. To that end, LaMere and her assistants focus on the latter, providing cultural enrichment through traditional activities such as drumming, singing and cooking.