Good Morning NUNAverse,
Critics say the pairing of some legislative districts in Anchorage, Alaska will diminish a racially diverse neighborhood while adding a state senate seat for a predominantly white area. The decision “opens the board up to an unfortunate and very easily winnable argument to partisan gerrymandering,” said Alaska Redistricting Board member Nicole Borromeo (Athabascan). She’s one of two Alaska Native board members who voted against the pairing. Every 10 years states redraw maps of legislative districts to reflect the latest U.S. Census data. For Anchorage, it’s like a giant puzzle to figure out how to set up senate districts made up of two Congressional districts that share a border. It’s Alaska’s largest city and home to 291,000 people, or 40 percent of the state’s population.
A survey commissioned by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community shows supermajorities in all demographic groups in the state of Minnesota support increasing education about tribes and Indigenous people in the state’s public schools. Nine out of every 10 Minnesotans indicated that they support “increasing the teaching of Minnesota’s Native American history, culture and tribal government in the state’s K-12 public schools.” Ninety percent of respondents agreed with that statement, while 7 percent were opposed and 3 percent did not express an opinion. The statewide survey was conducted as a research project of Understand Native Minnesota, its philanthropic campaign to improve the narrative about Native peoples in Minnesota’s K-12 education system. The survey results show that supermajorities of support exist in all demographic groups, regardless of political affiliation, geography, age, or educational level.
Tyler Media fired Sam Mayes, a sports host at 107.7 The Franchise in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and colleague Cara Rice after a 2016 recording surfaced of the pair mocking Native peoples as being “too drunk” and intoxicated from huffing aerosols and paint. The conversation occurred during a radio station commercial break. The discussion involved host Mayes and Rice, a promotions director at Tyler who also hosted radio shows in the company’s network. They spoke about efforts by Native activists to change the name of the Washington NFL team..
Keep reading for a full news update.
Politics:
Critics Accuse Alaska Redistricting Board Of Gerrymandering
Indian Country Today, Joaqlin Estus, November 29
Critics say the pairing of some legislative districts in Anchorage will diminish the clout of a racially diverse neighborhood while adding a state Senate seat for a predominantly White, heavily Republican area. The decision “opens the board up to an unfortunate and very easily winnable argument to partisan gerrymandering,” said Alaska Redistricting Board member Nicole Borromeo, Athabascan. She’s one of two Alaska Native board members who voted against the pairing. Every 10 years states redraw maps of legislative districts to reflect the latest U.S. Census data. For Anchorage, it’s like a giant puzzle to figure out how to set up Senate districts made up of two House districts that share a border. It’s Alaska’s largest city and home to 291,000 people, or 40 percent of the state’s population. Separated from the Anchorage bowl by an 8-mile stretch of wilderness are the communities of Eagle River and Chugiak, population 36,000. The heavily Republican community of Eagle River’s two state House districts are 75 percent White and 4 percent Alaska Native. Median incomes there are $100,000 to $125,000 annually, according to the race and income figures from Demographer Eric Sandberg at the Alaska Department of Labor.
Native Mascots:
Name Of Ski Mountain Will No Longer Include Derogatory Term
AP News, November 29
A ski mountain is set to remove a derogatory term for Native American women from its name — two decades after state law eliminated the slur from names of communities and public landmarks. The mountain’s name was to Big Moose Mountain after the state banned the word from public place names like towns, mountains and lakes in 2000. But the offensive word had carried on at the ski resort because it’s a privately owned business. The derogatory word, derived from the Algonquin language, may have once simply meant “woman,” but over generations, the word morphed into a misogynist and racist term to disparage Indigenous women, according to experts.
Other:
Ninety Percent Of Minnesotans Support Teaching More Native American Content In K-12 Schools
Native News Online, November 29
A survey commissioned by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, based in Prior, Minn., shows supermajorities in all demographic groups in the state of Minnesota support increasing education about tribes and Indigenous people in the state’s public schools. Nine out of every 10 Minnesotans indicated that they support “increasing the teaching of Minnesota’s Native American history, culture and tribal government in the state’s K-12 public schools.” Ninety percent of respondents agreed with that statement, while 7 percent were opposed and 3 percent did not express an opinion. The statewide survey was conducted as a research project of Understand Native Minnesota, its philanthropic campaign to improve the narrative about Native peoples in Minnesota’s K-12 education system. The survey results show that supermajorities of support exist in all demographic groups, regardless of political affiliation, geography, age or educational level.
Sports Host Fired For 2016 Audio Of Racist Remarks Against Native Americans
Newsweek, Daniel Villarreal, November 29
Tyler Media fired Sam Mayes, a sports host at 107.7 The Franchise in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and colleague Cara Rice after a 2016 recording surfaced of the pair mocking Native Americans as being “too drunk” and intoxicated from huffing aerosols and paint.
The conversation occurred during a radio station commercial break. The discussion involved host Mayes and Rice, a promotions director at Tyler who also hosted radio shows in the company’s network. They spoke about efforts by Native American activists to change the name of the Washington NFL team. From 1933 until July 2020, the team had a name that was considered offensive to Native Americans. Mayes began the conversation by asking, “What’s the excuse for the Natives that they haven’t been fighting to get this thing changed forever?” “They’ve been too drunk to organize,” Rice responded.
Reviving Ojibwe Traditions, One Pet At A Time
AP News, Giovanna Dell’Orto, November 29
Animal neglect used to be such a problem on the Leech Lake Reservation in northern Minnesota, with basic services like sterilization out of reach for many due to poverty and remoteness, that packs of stray dogs would sometimes bring traffic to a halt on the main highway. Today, strays are rare. Kids are helping their elders in animal rescues, pet food and supplies are routinely distributed in the community and the first veterinary clinic in the main town, Cass Lake, is one final permit away from breaking ground. It’s all thanks to a yearslong and increasingly organized push by several community members to improve animal welfare that is deeply rooted in cultural and spiritual values regarding the Ojibwe people’s relationship with all living creatures. So things like promoting pet care and bringing much-needed vet services to the reservation nestled among forests and lakes reinforce the Creator’s intentions for harmony between humans and animals — a value that some say faded over the years.
Maker Of Totem Poles Allegedly Faked Native American Heritage
ARTnews, Shanti Escalante-De Mattei, November 29
According to a federal investigation, the Washington-based artist Lewis Anthony Rath misrepresented himself as a member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe in an effort to present totem poles and other crafts he made as authentic Native American artifacts. On November 23rd, a special agent from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service filed a complaint against Rath finding him in violation of four counts of Misrepresentation of Indian Produced Goods and Products, one count of Unlawful Possession of Golden Eagle Parts, and one count of Unlawful Possession of Migratory Bird Parts. The complaint followed an two-year investigation by the USFWS in which federal agents were tasked with following a lead that Rath was potentially in violation of the Indian Arts and Crafts Act, a truth-in-advertising law that prohibits misrepresenting goods as produced by Native Americans when that is not the case.