Good Morning NUNAverse,
The US Food and Drug Administration authorized boosters of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines for all adults earlier today. The agency expanded emergency use authorization for booster doses of both the mRNA vaccines beyond who was previously eligible; boosters had been authorized for anyone 65 and older who was vaccinated with the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines at least six months ago and for certain adults at high risk of infection or of severe disease.
Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal Chairman Harold Frazier said Thursday he was left frustrated by President Joe Biden’s Tribal Nations Summit after he was unable to speak about the health care situation on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation. Chairman Frazier sharply criticized the format of the two-day summit, which was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has affected American Indians and Alaska Natives at disproportionate rates. It is the first summit since 2016. Biden used the summit to announce steps to improve public safety and justice for Native Americans and to protect private lands, treaty rights and sacred places. He has also touted his administration’s work on fighting the pandemic in Native American communities. But Frazier said people have faced long waits to get a bed at the local Indian Health Services clinic.
Michigan’s Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters have sent a letter to the Department of the Interior requesting an expedited decision and urgent action regarding the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians request for federal recognition. The Senators join Representatives Bill Huizenga and Raul Grijalva in urging action on federal recognition. The Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians is a sovereign nation with agreements with the federal government dating back to 1795. The Grand River Bands originally included 19 bands of Ottawa people who lived along the Grand River and other waterways in southwest Michigan. Most of the Grand River Bands’ current membership resides in Kent, Muskegon, and Oceana counties. For 27 years, the Grand River Bands have been working to gain federal recognition, and their petition has been on the “active consideration list” since 2013. Becoming federally recognized would allow the Grand River Bands access to resources such as tuition, health care, and housing assistance.
On November 11, 2021, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas filed a complaint to the United States Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights on behalf of Paola Torres and Daniel Rodriguez. They’re the parents of J.R., a 5-year-old kindergarten student who has been penalized with in-school suspension, isolated from his peers, for having long hair while attending Martinez Elementary School. J.R. wears his hair long because of his cultural heritage and religious beliefs — he’s Native and Latino. Other men in his family wear long hair and his parents have never cut his hair. Sharyland Independent School District (ISD) is a public school district based in Mission, Texas and serves parts of Mission, McAllen, Palmhurst, and Alton. Sharyland ISD’s policy requires boys, but not girls, to wear short hair. The District has denied J.R.’s religious exemption, and has asked his family to “prove” his Native ancestry and beliefs by submitting documentation of tribal membership or affiliation.
Keep reading for a full news update.
White House Tribal Nations Summit:
Cheyenne River Sioux Chairman Slams Biden’s Tribal Summit
AP News, Stephen Groves, November 18
The chairman of a tribe in South Dakota said Thursday he was left frustrated by President Joe Biden’s Tribal Nations Summit after he was unable to speak about the health care situation on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation. Tribal chairman Harold Frazier sharply criticized the format of the two-day summit, which was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has affected Native Americans and Alaska Natives at disproportionate rates. It is the first summit since 2016. Biden used the summit to announce steps to improve public safety and justice for Native Americans and to protect private lands, treaty rights and sacred places. He has also touted his administration’s work on fighting the pandemic in Native American communities. But Frazier said people have faced long waits to get a bed at the local Indian Health Services clinic.
Tribal Leaders Reflect On The Tribal Nations Summit
Indian Country Today, Kalle Benallie, November 18
The two-day Tribal Nations Summit hosted by the White House has ended, and the reaction from tribal leaders is varied. For the first time since 2016, tribal leaders from the 574 federally recognized tribes were invited to the virtual summit from Nov. 15 to Nov. 16. The COVID-19 pandemic affected the event’s original plan to be held in Washington D.C. Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis of the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona talked about his experience speaking on the policy panel about climate change impacts and solutions. Morgan Rodman, executive director of White House Council on Native American Affairs, Gina McCarthy, White House climate advisor, and Brenda Mallory, council on environmental quality chair were present. He commented on how droughts, water rights, and their water settlement are important issues to the tribe.
COVID-19:
FDA Authorizes Pfizer/BioNTech And Moderna Coronavirus Vaccine Boosters For All Adults
CNN, Jamie Gumbrecht and Jacqueline Howard, November 19
The US Food and Drug Administration on Friday authorized boosters of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines for all adults. The agency expanded emergency use authorization for booster doses of both the mRNA vaccines beyond who was previously eligible; boosters had been authorized for anyone 65 and older who was vaccinated with the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines at least six months ago and for certain adults at high risk of infection or of severe disease.
Sovereignty:
Michigan Senators Join Call For Federal Recognition Of Grand River Bands
Native News Online, November 18
Michigan’s U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters have sent a letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior requesting an expedited decision and urgent action regarding the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians request for federal recognition. The Senators join Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI) and Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) in urging action on federal recognition. The Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians is a sovereign nation with agreements with the federal government dating back to 1795. The Grand River Bands originally included 19 bands of Ottawa people who lived along the Grand River and other waterways in southwest Michigan. Most of the Grand River Bands’ current membership resides in Kent, Muskegon, and Oceana counties. For 27 years, the Grand River Bands have been working to gain federal recognition, and their petition has been on the “active consideration list” since 2013. Becoming federally recognized would allow the Grand River Bands access to resources such as tuition, health care, and housing assistance.
Health:
Urban Indigenous Collective Helps Provide Health And Wellness Services To Native Americans In NYC
ABC7, Sandra Bookman, November 18
New York City has the largest population of indigenous people in the country and Channel 7 is shining a spotlight on one local Native American who is trying to make a real difference in her community. Sutton King has always been connected to her Native American heritage. Born in Wisconsin, she’s descended from Menominee Chief Oshkosh, who’s credited with making sure his tribe wasn’t forced to leave their land. King believes lessons learned as a young girl, jingle dress dancing in the pow wow circle to help heal the sick, was preparation for what would later become her life’s work. She moved to New York at 18 for college, eventually earning a master’s degree in public health from NYU. Now, she has founded the nonprofit Urban Indigenous Collective to help provide health and wellness services to the more than 100,000 Native Americans living across the five boroughs.
Other:
Native American Kindergarten Student Punished For Having Long Hair
Native News Online, Darren Thompson, November 18
On November 11, 2021, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas filed a complaint to the United States Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights on behalf of Paola Torres and Daniel Rodriguez. They’re the parents of J.R., a 5-year-old kindergarten student who has been penalized with in-school suspension, isolated from his peers, for having long hair while attending Martinez Elementary School. J.R. wears his hair long because of his cultural heritage and religious beliefs—he’s Native American and Latino. Other men in his family wear long hair and his parents have never cut his hair. Since he started school, he has been targeted and placed in in-school-suspension, denying him the opportunity to learn with his peers. He has spent over a month isolated at school, and has fallen behind in his school work. Sharyland Independent School District (ISD) is a public school district based in Mission, Texas and serves parts of Mission, McAllen, Palmhurst, and Alton. Sharyland ISD’s policy requires boys, but not girls, to wear short hair. The District has denied J.R.’s religious exemption, and has asked his family to “prove” his Native American ancestry and beliefs by submitting documentation of tribal membership or affiliation.
Other:
Indigenous Airline Takes Off
Indian Country Today, Kalle Benallie, November 18
The first 100 percent Indigenous woman-owned airline launched its first scheduled flight on Aug. 16 after a delay from the pandemic. The flight departed from Vancouver International Airport, where it was welcomed by Musqueam and Qualicum First Nations. The airline first asked the Musqueam people to do business on their lands. Musqueam cultural knowledge keepers, Thelma and Art Stogan, greeted them with a celebratory water salute, blessing and cedar brushing. The flight headed west, across the Strait of Georgia, the arm of the Salish Sea, to Qualicum Beach Airport. There, it was welcomed by Qualicum Chief Michael Recalma with a blanketing ceremony and welcome song from local cultural representatives. Fraser hopes her airline will make an impact for Indigenous communities.
USC To Name Building For Tribal Historian Joe Medicine Crow
AP News, November 18
A University of Southern California building that had been named for a former president who was a eugenicist will be renamed for the late Joseph Medicine Crow, a USC graduate who became the tribal historian for the Apsáalooke (Crow) Nation and published influential works on Native American history and culture. The Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow Center for International and Public Affairs will be dedicated in a ceremony in spring 2022. USC President Carol L. Folt also announced Thursday a scholarship program for Native American students in his name. The landmark building, which has a distinctive tower topped by a globe, was previously named for Rufus von KleinSmid, who was USC’s president from 1921 to 1947. His name was stripped last year because of his support for California’s eugenics movement, which led to a 1909 state law that forced sterilization of people deemed “unfit.” Medicine Crow, who died at age 102 in 2016, was raised by his grandparents in a log home on the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana, hearing stories during his childhood from direct participants in the Battle of Little Bighorn. A member of the Whistling Water clan, his grandfather trained him to be a warrior.