Good Morning NUNAverse,

Concerns about voter suppression efforts are mounting in Arizona. Many say the redistricting process is being targeted to diminish Native voting power. Arizona is one of many states accused of drawing non-competitive maps and experts say the partisan gerrymandering gives Republicans an unconstitutional advantage. Coconino County Democrats Chair Ann Heitland said, in an op-ed, the draft maps crack and pack Democrats and Native voters, meaning proposed boundaries divide those voters into many districts (cracking) or they’re pushed into a few districts (packing) to dilute voting power. New maps must be drawn and enacted by January 1. Tribal leaders and Native voting rights advocates have proposed district boundaries, submitted comments, and are continuing to monitor the process closely.

A U.S. District judge has rejected a challenge by Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy’s administration to a special subsistence hunt authorized by a federal board last year. The Organized Village of Kake last year requested an emergency hunt, citing food security concerns amid the pandemic, according to court documents. A limited season of up to 60 days was granted by the Federal Subsistence Board, and the harvest was distributed to 135 households in the village, documents state. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game challenged the board’s action, raising procedural objections, CoastAlaska reported. U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason, in a recent ruling, said the state’s claims regarding the hunt must be dismissed as moot, finding there was a not a “reasonable likelihood” that the board would take similar actions in the future. She also rejected the state’s objections to the board excluding urban hunters from harvesting moose in an area of the Interior, which the subsistence board determined was needed for public safety. The Native American Rights Fund, which offered legal assistance to the tribe, welcomed the ruling.

Efforts to shore up Native political influence in New Mexico through the redistricting process got a boost on Thursday as legislators advanced a state Senate map that incorporates consensus recommendations from an array of Indigenous communities. A Senate redistricting bill from Democratic state Senator Linda Lopez of Albuquerque cleared its first hurdle with a 6-3 committee endorsement. A second committee review for the bill is scheduled before a possible Senate floor vote. The map includes recommendations for the heavily Indigenous northwestern region of the state that are endorsed by the Navajo Nation, the Jicarilla Apache Tribe, and New Mexico’s 19 Pueblos. The region ceded population to the rest of the state over the past decade, threatening to dilute Native influence in key state legislative districts. Keegan King, an Acoma Pueblo member and co-chairman of a major Indigenous redistricting alliance, urged lawmakers to back the proposal.

Keep reading for a full news update.

Law:

Judge Dismisses Alaska’s Complaint Against Subsistence Hunt

AP News, December 8

A U.S. District judge has rejected a challenge by Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration to a special subsistence hunt authorized for a southeast Alaska tribe by a federal board last year. The Organized Village of Kake last year requested an emergency hunt, citing food security concerns amid the pandemic, according to court documents. A limited season of up to 60 days was granted by the Federal Subsistence Board, and the harvest was distributed to 135 households in the village, documents state. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game challenged the board’s action, raising procedural objections, CoastAlaska reported. U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason, in a recent ruling, said the state’s claims regarding the hunt must be dismissed as moot, finding there was a not a “reasonable likelihood” that the board would take similar actions in the future. She also rejected the state’s objections to the board excluding urban hunters from harvesting moose in an area of the Interior, which the subsistence board determined was needed for public safety. The Native American Rights Fund, which offered legal assistance to the tribe, welcomed the ruling.

Politics:

Experts Say Arizona Redistricting Aims To Diminish Native Vote

AP News, Carina Dominguez, December 9

Concerns about voter suppression efforts are mounting in Arizona. Many say the redistricting process is being targeted to diminish Native voting power. The Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission is tasked with drawing fair and competitive congressional and state legislative district maps and it is deep into the process right now. The commission wrapped up draft map hearings and the public comment period on Dec. 4. Now it’s focused on redrawing the final maps and is supposed to adjust boundaries based on the public testimony heard over the past month. Arizona is one of many states accused of drawing non-competitive maps and experts say the partisan gerrymandering gives Republicans an unconstitutional advantage. Coconino County Democrats Chair Ann Heitland said, in an op-ed, the draft maps crack and pack Democrats and Native American voters, meaning proposed boundaries divide those voters into many districts (cracking) or they’re pushed into a few districts (packing) to dilute voting power. The Arizona constitution requires the commission to honor the criteria but only six of the 30 legislative districts qualify as competitive under the commission’s metrics. 

New maps must be drawn and enacted by Jan. 1. Tribal leaders and Native voting rights advocates have proposed district boundaries, submitted comments and are continuing to monitor the process closely.

Tribes Weigh In As New Mexico Redistricting Bills Advance

AP News, Morgan Lee, December 9

Efforts to shore up Native American political influence in New Mexico through the redistricting process got a boost on Thursday as legislators advanced a state Senate map that incorporates consensus recommendations from an array of Indigenous communities. A Senate redistricting bill from Democratic state Sen. Linda Lopez of Albuquerque cleared its first hurdle with a 6-3 committee endorsement. A second committee review for the bill is scheduled before a possible Senate floor vote. The map includes recommendations for the heavily Indigenous northwestern region of the state that are endorsed by the Navajo Nation, the Jicarilla Apache Tribe and New Mexico’s 19 Indigenous pueblos. The region ceded population to the rest of the state over the past decade, threatening to dilute Native American influence in key state legislative districts. Keegan King, an Acoma Pueblo member and co-chairman of a major Indigenous redistricting alliance, urged lawmakers to back the proposal.

Boarding Schools:

‘A Place Of Padlocks And Chamber Pots’: Repatriation Discussions For The 126 Natives Buried At The Only Government-Run Native Insane Asylum

Native News Online, Jenna Kunze, December 10

After a summer of returning nine ancestors who died while attending boarding school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, the Rosebud Sioux Tribe is zeroing in on another location for return: The cemetery of a former government-run insane asylum in Canton, a town of about 3,000 people in southeast South Dakota. There are 121 people buried there, according to the plot map that hung on the commissioner’s wall until the facility closed. But in 2016, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma conducted ground-penetrating radar surveys of the site and found an additional five graves that weren’t listed on the plot map, plus several anomalies that could be more graves, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer Ian Thompson told Native News Online. At least 53 different tribal nations are represented in the cemetery. Student records obtained by Lothrop’s group from the National Archives show that many of the deaths were caused by illnesses common for the time period, such as tuberculosis, but an equal number had no cause listed. The gravesites are unmarked, because the BIA had determined that stone markers “were unwarranted.” Now, the Rosebud Tribal Historic Preservation Office—with direction from the Rosebud Sioux tribal government— is seeking to return at least six more of their tribe’s relatives, plus as many of the remaining 120 as the affected tribes choose to have returned.

Other:

Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Seeks Further Support In Reclaiming Illinois Lands

Native News Online, Monica WhitePigeon, December 9

In October 2021, the Illinois House introduced a resolution in support of returning Shab-eh-nay Reservation lands back to the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation (PBPN). The Tribal Council recently updated members on the current status of this decades-long legal dispute. The Kansas-based tribe was among the original stewards of the Illinois area and from the Great Lakes region. During the late 1820s, Potawatomi Chief Shab-eh-nay and his band were allotted 1,280-acres approximately 60 miles west of Chicago in DeKalb County. While Chief Shab-eh-nay was visiting family, the treaties of the early 1830s were ignored and the reservation lands were illegally sold to non-Natives. The land is now occupied by private individuals, the State of Illinois, the DeKalb County government, and corporate entities. There are currently no federally recognized tribes in the state, but PBPN continues to fight back and claim the area. While it is still unclear how the returned lands will be utilized by the tribe, this ongoing legal battle is finally making great strides in a positive direction that will restore the tribe’s connection to Illinois and offer hope for future generations.

‘Exciting Time’ As New Editor To Lead ICT

Indian Country Today, December 9

ICT will begin 2022 with a new editor: Jourdan Bennett-Begaye, Diné. She will be the first woman to be the chief news executive for the 40-year-old newspaper and website. Mark Trahant, Shoshone-Bannock, is taking on a new role with ICT. He will be the lead correspondent for an Indigenous economics project and will work on special projects with IndiJ Public Media President Karen Michel, Ho-Chunk. Trahant will carry the title of editor-at -large. IndiJ Public Media is the nonprofit organization that owns ICT and its daily TV newscast program. 

Work Stops After Ancestral Remains Discovered In Asotin

AP News, December 9

Work has been halted at a residential construction site near the Asotin County Fairgrounds in eastern Washington where ancestral human remains were discovered. Kayeloni Scott, spokeswoman for the Nez Perce Tribe, said the tribe was notified last week when crews inadvertently found a Native American gravesite on a hillside overlooking the city. Asotin Police Chief Monte Renzelman said bones were discovered during installation of sewer lines for a new house. The property is owned by Chris Segroves, who purchased it from the city of Asotin several years ago.

Assistant Sec. Of The Interior – Indian Affairs Bryan Newland Tours Washington State Tribes; Discusses Infrastructure Law

Native News Online, December 8

U.S. Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Bryan Newland visited several Washington states tribes in a three-day tour to tout the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. While there he held listening sessions with tribal leaders to discuss their infrastructure needs. While on tour, he saw first-hand the challenges coastal tribes are experiencing related to climate change, as well as ecosystem and infrastructure degradation. Newland met with tribal leaders of the Shoalwater Bay Tribe, Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, Suquamish Indian Tribe, Puyallup Tribe and Muckleshoot Indian Tribe during his tour. The good news is Newland was able to discuss the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the largest investment in physical and natural systems in the nation’s history, includes $466 million for Tribal climate resilience and infrastructure. As the effects of climate change continue to intensify, Indigenous communities are facing unique climate-related challenges. Flooding, erosion, permafrost subsidence, sea level rise and storm surges are presenting existential threats to communities’ economies, infrastructure, livelihoods and health.