Good Morning NUNAverse,
The Indian Health Services (IHS) this month announced a $46.4 million investment into behavioral health programming across Indian Country. Since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, preexisting health conditions among American Indian and Alaska Native populations have made them more susceptible to COVID-19, and the outcomes more severe than their white counterparts, according to data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In response, IHS is funding $46.4 million towards tribal behavioral health programs aimed at domestic and sexual violence prevention, substance misuse, and suicide prevention. Tribal organizations working within those fields can apply for a portion of the funding.
President Joe Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law last week, which will deliver $550 billion dollars in federal investments over five years. The money will go to support roads, mass transit, rail projects, renewable energy and improving broadband. The funding package clears more than $180 million over five years for water and wastewater projects in Alaska. That’s in addition to $3.5 billion for Indian Health Services sanitation facilities to make improvements to water and sanitation – including in rural Alaska Native communities. The funding package includes about $410 million for renewable and green energy projects.
Two Arizona men face federal charges [The%20Independent]for climbing and entering protected cliff dwellings considered sacred by many tribes. Levi Lee Watson and Shayne McKenna Brunt are accused of trespassing at Montezuma Castle, which was home to indigenous people as far back as 1100 AD. Montezuma Castle is a five-storey high residence, which features 20 rooms, that is built into a limestone cliff by the Sinagua people. The two men have been charged with misdemeanor trespassing, unlawfully entering an archeological and cultural resource, and unlawfully disturbing a cultural resource, according to a complaint filed in Arizona federal court.
Electa Hare-RedCorn pulled back the husk from the ear and studied the multi-colored kernels, seeing much more than corn. For the Pawnee woman, this corn represents history and heritage, food and family, culture and community. It connects to the blessings recited each spring in Pawnee, Oklahoma, prayers for the seeds about to be returned to Nebraska to be planted in their native soil. On a recent Wednesday, varieties of corn that two decades ago had disappeared from the Great Plains were laid out across a community college gym floor in Hastings. The harvested ears of blue, red, yellow, white, and multi-colored varieties were neatly arranged in grids meant to replicate the central Nebraska gardens in which they had grown.
Keep reading for a full news update.
Health:
IHS Announces $46.4 Million Available For Tribal Behavioral Health Programs
Native News Online, November 22
For the population that has borne the brunt of COVID-19–Indigenous Peoples–Indian Health Services (IHS) this month announced a $46.4 million investment into behavioral health programming across Indian Country. Since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, preexisting health conditions among Native Americans and Alaska Natives have made them more susceptible to COVID-19, and the outcomes more severe than their white counterparts, according to data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In response, IHS is funding $46.4 million towards tribal behavioral health programs aimed at domestic and sexual violence prevention, substance misuse, and suicide prevention. Tribal organizations working within those fields can apply for a portion of the funding.
Law:
Arizona Law Allows Indigenous Students Greater Cultural Expression At Graduation
Cronkite News, Chad Bradley, November 22
In April, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed legislation that public schools cannot prohibit Indigenous students from “wearing traditional tribal regalia or objects of cultural significance at a graduation ceremony.” The bill specifically includes eagle feathers or eagle plumes. Cultural regalia includes hair buns, rug dresses, woven sashes, moccasins, beadwork and turquoise jewelry, including bracelets, belts and necklaces. The Arizona bill, House Bill 2705, was introduced in early 2021 by Rep. Arlando Teller, D-Chinle, who later resigned from the Legislature to work for the U.S. Department of Transportation. The bill was championed by Rep. Jasmin Blackwater-Nygren, D-Red Mesa, a fellow Navajo, and passed in April. At the Capitol on Sept. 1, Lourdes Pereira, who is Hia-Ced O’odham and Miss Indigenous Arizona State University for 2020-21, stood at Ducey’s side as he signed legislation that included HB 2705.
Climbers Charged For Scaling Native American Protected Site
The Independent, November 22
Two Arizona men face federal charges for climbing and entering protected cliff dwellings considered sacred by many Native American tribes. Levi Lee Watson and Shayne McKenna Brunt are accused of trespassing at Montezuma Castle, which was home to indigenous people as far back as 1100 AD.
Native Mascots:
Wild To Celebrate Native American Heritage Day With Custom Warmup Jerseys
NHL, Jessi Pierce, November 22
The Minnesota Wild will celebrate Native American Heritage Day when they host the Winnipeg Jets on Friday at Xcel Energy Center. Partnering with the local Prairie Island Indian Community, Wild players will wear custom Native American Heritage hockey jerseys during warmups to be auctioned off to support the Minnesota Wild Foundation. The auction will go live Friday and run through Dec. 6. National Native American Heritage Day takes place the day after Thanksgiving and honors American Indians across the United States by celebrating the vibrant cultures, traditions, and heritages while recognizing the many contributions Native Americans have made. The jerseys, commemorating the Native American culture and tradition, are meant to reflect and highlight the Minnesota Native American community. A Dakota tribe emblem and inscription on the logo honor that community.
Other:
Infrastructure Bill To Provide Much-Needed Support To Rural And Native Villages
KNBA, Tripp Crouse, November 22
President Joe Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law on Monday, November 15. The Senate passed the $1.2 trillion dollar bill in August. Thirteen Republicans — including at-large Alaska Congressman Don Young — joined the majority of Democrats to pass the bill . The infrastructure funding package will deliver $550 billion dollars in federal investments over five years. The money will go to support roads, mass transit, rail projects, renewable energy and improving broadband. The funding package clears more than $180 million over five years for water and wastewater projects in Alaska. That’s in addition to $3.5 billion for Indian Health Services sanitation facilities to make improvements to water and sanitation — including in rural Alaska Native communities. The funding package includes about $410 million for renewable and green energy projects.
Native American Chicagoans Share What Thanksgiving Means To Them
CBS Chicago, Marissa Parra, November 22
Thanksgiving is often thought of as a time fo food and family, but for many Native Americans, Thanksgiving is a reminder of the loss of their land and their people in the centuries that following the Mayflower’s arrival in New England. WHen asked what they do on Thanksgiving, he said they ignore it. Native Americans make up less than 3% of the entire city, which actually still makes Chicago the third largest urban native American population in the country. The American Indian Center has been fighting for recognition for Native American Chicagoans for years. Illinois is one of the few states in the country that has neither federal nor state recognized Native American tribes, land or reservations. Melodi said her own journey surrounding Thanksgiving and next steps for Native American Chicagoans has evolved from one of anger to one of nuanced celebration of life.
Long Thought Extinct, A Native Corn Re-Emerges
Flatwater Free Press, Lori Potter, November 22
Electa Hare-RedCorn pulled back the husk from the ear and studied the multi-colored kernels, seeing much more than corn. For the Pawnee woman, this corn represents history and heritage, food and family, culture and community. It connects to the blessings recited each spring in Pawnee, Okla., prayers for the seeds about to be returned to Nebraska to be planted in their native soil. On a recent Wednesday, varieties of corn that two decades ago had disappeared from the Great Plains were laid out across a community college gym floor in Hastings. The harvested ears of blue, red, yellow, white and multi-colored varieties were neatly arranged in grids meant to replicate the central Nebraska gardens in which they had grown.