Good Morning, NUNAverse,

Last week, 36 year old Buu Nygren was sworn in to serve a four year term as the President of the Navajo Nation, making him the youngest President ever for the Navajo Nation. In his inaugural address, Nygren thanked outgoing President Jonathan Nez for serving the Navajo Nation during the COVID-19 pandemic, which afflicted over 80,000 Navajo citizens and caused the death of almost 2,000. 

The United States Department of the Interior has replaced a derogatory term for Indigenous women used for centuries in five areas across the country. The Board on Geographic Names (BGN) voted on replacement names to remove the word sq— from locations in California, North Dakota, Tennessee, and Texas, the department announced.

A new report released last week shows that Native people are incarcerated at rates up to seven times higher than White people in the United States. The report, “Over-incarceration of Native Americans: Roots, Inequities, and Solutions” was released through the MacArthur Foundation and highlights the alarming incarceration disparities can be based on race and ethnicity.

Keep reading for a full news update. 

Politics:

Tribal Chairman Calls For Collaboration In South Dakota

South Dakota Searchlight, Joshua Haiar, January 12

Navajo Nation Swears In Historic President, Vice President

Indian Country Today, Kalle Benallie, January 10

Buu Nygren, Youngest Navajo Nation President Ever, Inaugurated 

Native News Online, Levi Rickert, January 10

Tom Cole Is The 1st Native American To Chair House Rules Committee

Native News Online, January 10

Law:

Five Locations Throughout The US Have Been Renamed To Remove A Derogatory Term For Indigenous Women

CNN, Alaa Elassar, January 16

US Renames Five Places That Used Racist Slur For Native Americans

BBC, Madeline Halpert, January 14

Calls For Congress To Fund Law Enforcement On Tribal Land

Daily Montanan, Blair Miller, January 14

Hawaii Stops Prosecuting Elders Who Protested Telescope

AP News, Audrey McAvoy, January 10

Natives Incarcerated At Alarming Rates, Report Shows

Indian Country Today, Kolby KickingWoman, January 10

Native Americans Are Incarcerated At The Highest Rate, New Report Reveals

Native News Online, January 10

Other:

Five Indigenous Mushers Set To Compete In 2023 Iditarod Despite Rising Costs

Indian Country Today, Richard Arlin Walker, January 13

Group Fired For Nonsensical Alaska Native Translations

AP News, Mark Thiessen, January 13

Tribal Leaders Stress Education, Water Issues In Colorado

Colorado Newsline, Chase Woodruff, January 12

Pelosi Helped SF Urban Indian Development Net $750k In Federal Funding

Native News Online, January 11

OSU Awarded $335k In Native American Agriculture Fund Grants

Native News Online, Chez Oxedine, January 11

Nominations For 2023 Native American 40 Under 40 Awards Now Open

Native News Online, January 10

The Biggest Museums In The U.S. Fail To Return Native American Remains

Anchorage Daily News, Logan Jaffe, January 13

UK One Of Largest Holders Of Native American Remains That Haven’t Been Returned To Tribes

Lexington Herald Leader, Monica Cast, January 13

LSU To Make 121 Native American Skeletal Remains Available For Return To Tribes By End Of 2023

LSU Reveille, Josh Archote, January 12

Ancient DNA Charts Native Americans’ Journeys To Asia Thousands Of Years Ago

Smithsonian Magazine, Brian Handwerk, January 12