Good Morning NUNAverse,
A judicial panel has recommended the creation of five additional federal judgeships in Oklahoma because of an increased caseload due to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling regarding crimes committed on tribal lands. The Judicial Conference on Tuesday published the recommendation that Congress create three new judgeships in the Eastern District of Oklahoma, based in Muskogee, and two in the state’s Northern District, based in Tulsa. The Judicial Conference is the policy-making body for the federal court system and is chaired by the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, John Roberts.
Myron Dewey, a filmmaker and journalist who helped draw worldwide attention to the concerns of Native people fighting an oil pipeline near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, has died. Dewey (Walker River Paiute Tribe) passed away Sunday when his car crashed in rural Nevada, the Nye County sheriff said. The 49-year-old had posted footage on Twitter a day earlier from a central Nevada military installation where he and other members of local tribes have long protested the proposed expansion of a U.S. Navy bombing range. Dewey won acclaim for his live footage of the 2016 demonstrations over the Dakota Access Pipeline near the Standing Rock Reservation, which straddles the North Dakota-South Dakota border. His visuals of Native people being sprayed with water cannons in freezing weather were viewed by hundreds of thousands after appearing online and in the news.
Indigenous people and other activists calling for Massachusetts to rename Columbus Day got support Tuesday from some Italian Americans who said they too think Massachusetts should make the change. Mahtowin Munro (Lakota) spoke on behalf of United American Indians of New England and the statewide Indigenous Peoples Day campaign, saying Indigenous people have been asking for the replacement of Columbus Day since the 1970s. Heather Leavell, who co-founded Italian Americans for Indigenous Peoples Day, said her group empathizes with the feelings of Italian Americans who view the day as a symbol of their ancestors overcoming adversity. “But things are much different for us today,” said Leavell, a Bedford resident. “Our culture is celebrated, especially throughout October, which is officially recognized as Italian American Heritage Month in the commonwealth. We enjoy a level of status and recognition in society that native people do not, and we have a responsibility to use that platform we now have to ensure we are not repeating the same patterns of abuse that our ancestors endured.”
State lawmakers mandated that Native people’s history be included in Colorado curriculum in 1998. They widened that in 2004, and this became the graduation requirement: Students must take a civil government course which includes the history, culture, and social contributions of African Americans, Latinos, and Indigenous people. The law was further amended in 2019 to include other groups, too. But some say tens of thousands of students graduate each year in the state without learning what’s mandated in that single state graduation requirement. They graduate anyway — and some people say no one seems to care. Carol Harvey, a former attorney, said the Cherry Creek School District, where her grandchildren go to school, doesn’t offer a civil government course that deals with those areas despite the fact that Colorado judges have upheld the law three times.
Keep reading for a full news update.
Politics:
Panel Recommends 5 New Federal Judgeships For Oklahoma
AP News, Ken Miller, September 29
A judicial panel has recommended the creation of five additional federal judgeships in Oklahoma because of an increased caseload due to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling regarding crimes committed on tribal lands. The Judicial Conference on Tuesday published the recommendation that Congress create three new judgeships in the Eastern District of Oklahoma, based in Muskogee, and two in the state’s Northern District, based in Tulsa. In what is known as the McGirt decision, the Supreme Court ruled that only federal and tribal courts have jurisdiction over major crimes committed on tribal lands by or against Native people. The Judicial Conference is the policy-making body for the federal court system and is chaired by the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, John Roberts.
Tribes, Native American Groups Call For ‘No Changes’ To Some South Dakota Legislative Districts
KELO News, Bob Mercer, September 29
A subcommittee of state lawmakers considering boundary changes to South Dakota’s 35 legislative districts heard from several tribal governments and Native groups Tuesday. Oliver “OJ” Semans (Rosebud Sioux Tribe) and executive director for Four Directions Native Vote, presented written testimony that said several districts and sub-districts should keep their current boundaries. Scott Herman, president of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, made similar points in his testimony. “All four are well-established majority Native districts. Each was drawn either by this Legislature or the federal courts to ensure that South Dakota has met its obligations under the Voting Rights Act. Despite the substantial undercount of Native populations in the 2020 census, these districts can remain within the population deviation permitted under federal law,” Herman testified.
Other:
Some Italian Americans Join Push To End Columbus Day
The Enterprise, Katie Lannan, September 29
Indigenous people and other activists calling for Massachusetts to rename Columbus Day got support Tuesday from some Italian Americans who said they too think Massachusetts should make the change. Mahtowin Munro (Lakota) spoke on behalf of United American Indians of New England and the statewide Indigenous Peoples Day campaign, saying Indigenous people have been asking for the replacement of Columbus Day since the 1970s. Heather Leavell, who co-founded Italian Americans for Indigenous Peoples Day, said her group empathizes with the feelings of Italian Americans who view the day as a symbol of their ancestors overcoming adversity. “But things are much different for us today,” said Leavell, a Bedford resident. “Our culture is celebrated, especially throughout October, which is officially recognized as Italian American Heritage Month in the commonwealth. We enjoy a level of status and recognition in society that native people do not, and we have a responsibility to use that platform we now have to ensure we are not repeating the same patterns of abuse that our ancestors endured.”
Colorado Students Aren’t Supposed To Graduate Without Learning About Indigenous History And Culture. Are They?
CPR News, Jenny Brundin, September 30
State lawmakers mandated that Native people’s history be included in Colorado curriculum in 1998. They widened that in 2004, and this became the graduation requirement: Students must take a civil government course which includes the history, culture and social contributions of African Americans, Latinos, and Indigenous people. The law was further amended in 2019 to include other groups, too. But some say tens of thousands of students graduate each year in the state without learning what’s mandated in that single state graduation requirement. They graduate anyway — and some people say no one seems to care. Carol Harvey, a former attorney, said the Cherry Creek School District, where her grandchildren go to school, doesn’t offer a civil government course that deals with those areas despite the fact that Colorado judges have upheld the law three times. “My concern is — [the] civil rights are being violated of these students,” she said.
Indigenous Filmmaker’s ‘Every Breath’ A Fight For His People
AP News, Sam Metz, September 29
Myron Dewey, a filmmaker and journalist who helped draw worldwide attention to the concerns of Native people fighting an oil pipeline near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, has died. Dewey (Walker River Paiute Tribe) passed away Sunday when his car crashed in rural Nevada, the Nye County sheriff said. The 49-year-old had posted footage on Twitter a day earlier from a central Nevada military installation where he and other members of local tribes have long protested the proposed expansion of a U.S. Navy bombing range. Dewey won acclaim for his live footage of the 2016 demonstrations over the Dakota Access Pipeline near the Standing Rock Reservation, which straddles the North Dakota-South Dakota border. His visuals of Native people being sprayed with water cannons in freezing weather were viewed by hundreds of thousands after appearing online and in the news.
Congressman Horsford Secures Nearly $470,000 To Create Economic Opportunity For Native Americans With Disabilities
Steven Horseford, September 29
Nevada Congressman Steven Horsford has announced his office secured $469,858 to support Project INPUT, a program run by the Moapa Band of Paiutes Tribe that provides education or training to help Native people with disabilities become employed, start a small business, or get the education or training needed to become economically self-sufficient. “I’m proud to announce that my office has worked with the Department of Education to secure nearly $470,000 to help the Moapa Band of Paiutes Tribe create economic opportunity for Native people with disabilities in Clark County,” said Congressman Steven Horsford. “As we work to Build Back Better from the pandemic, we must break down the structural barriers that Native Americans and people with disabilities have long faced. I thank the Moapa Band of Paiutes for their dedication to Project INPUT, and I look forward to watching this grant award change lives across Clark County.”