Good Morning, NUNAverse,
Organizations that participate in get-out-the-vote efforts on Montana’s reservations are asking a judge to temporarily block two laws they say are part of an effort to disenfranchise Native voters. Last year, the Republican-controlled Montana Legislature passed a bill to end Election Day voter registration and another to prohibit the paid collection of absentee ballots. Western Native Voice and Montana Native Vote sued to overturn the laws in May 2021, saying the laws would harm their efforts to ensure Native peoples can vote. On Wednesday, they asked for an injunction to block the laws from taking effect until the case is decided. The American Civil Liberties Union said the groups, along with four Montana tribes, are hoping the injunction can be in place in time for the June primary. The lawsuit names Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen — the state’s chief elections officer — as the defendant. She has said her office will defend the measures after campaigning on promises to improve election integrity with voter ID laws and registration deadlines.
The Navajo Nation on Tuesday reported 93 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and one death, the first in four days. The latest numbers pushed the tribe’s totals since the pandemic began to 43,241 cases with 1,594 known deaths. Based on cases from December 24 – January 6, the Navajo Department of Health issued an advisory for 61 communities due to the uncontrolled spread of the virus. This week, tribal President Jonathan Nez issued an executive order mandating all employees to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination booster shot by January 24. If an employee is not fully vaccinated and doesn’t get a booster shot, the employee is required to submit a negative COVID-19 test result at least once every 14 days.
Dallas Goldtooth, known for his role in the hit FX television series, Reservation Dogs, slowly swivels in his chair to face the camera in a recent TikTok video. As he looks at the audience, a voice-over announcer says, “When people refuse to get vaccinated but also talk about protecting future generations, that’s stupid.” The Dakota and Navajo actor joins other influencers — people who have earned the community’s trust — in a two-phase public outreach effort by nonprofit organizations IllumiNative, the Urban Indian Health Institute, and 13 Native groups in states including Alaska, Minnesota, and California. The goal is to overcome COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. The latest phase of the For the Love of Our People campaign is using $900,000 from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to focus on family and generational pride to encourage vaccinations. Grassroots organizations in COVID-19 hotspot states were each given $30,0000 as part of the outreach.
The city council in a South Dakota reservation border community voted Monday to allocate $9 million toward the construction of an urban Native community center in a move that was seen as groundbreaking. But the enthusiasm was tempered by strings attached to the funding and questions whether the deal would resolve a thorny land dispute. The council voted 7-3 in favor of the $9 million allocation but stipulated that the money was contingent on the Department of the Interior signing off on a locally negotiated plan to clear up some deed irregularities on land parcels that were once part of the Rapid City Indian Boarding School. Any potential negotiated solution by law must include land, however, meaning the $9 million allocation alone would not qualify for approval.
Keep reading for a full news update.
Boarding Schools:
Tribal Leaders Weigh In On The Catholic Church’s Effort To Engage Over Indian Boarding Schools
Native News Online, Jenna Kunze, January 12
An increasing number of Catholic organizations are joining the discussion about Indian boarding schools. But what role do they have to play in the pursuit of truth and healing, and who is their participation serving? In November, Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, and Bishop James Wall of Gallup, New Mexico, chairman of its Native American Affairs subcommittee, sent a letter on behalf of the organization to all U.S. bishops, encouraging them to initiate truth and healing discussions with local Nations. The letter also encourages bishops across the country to comply with the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative, launched in June by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City also recently launched a project aimed at understanding its own history with the Catholic Indian boarding schools in Oklahoma. Oklahoma hosted the greatest number of Indian boarding schools in the country—at least 83, according to data collected by the Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition, the group at the helm of the truth-and-healing work associated with those schools.
Rapid City Puts Up $9 Million For Native Center
Indian Country Today, Stewart Huntington, January 12
The city council in this South Dakota reservation border community voted Monday to allocate $9 million toward the construction of an urban Native community center in a move that was seen as groundbreaking. But the enthusiasm was tempered by strings attached to the funding and questions whether the deal would resolve a thorny land dispute. The council voted 7-3 in favor of the $9 million allocation but stipulated that the money was contingent on the Department of the Interior signing off on a locally negotiated plan to clear up some deed irregularities on land parcels that were once part of the Rapid City Indian Boarding School. Any potential negotiated solution by law must include land, however, meaning the $9 million allocation alone would not qualify for approval. More work needs to be done, said City Council President Lance Lehmann.
Health:
Navajo Nation: 93 More COVID-19 Cases, 1st Death In 4 Days
AP News, January 11
The Navajo Nation on Tuesday reported 93 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and one death, the first in four days. The latest numbers pushed the tribe’s totals since the pandemic began to 43,241 cases with 1,594 known deaths. Based on cases from Dec. 24-Jan. 6, the Navajo Department of Health issued an advisory for 61 communities due to the uncontrolled spread of the virus. This week, tribal President Jonathan Nez issued an executive order mandating all employees to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination booster shot by Jan. 24. If an employee is not fully vaccinated and doesn’t get a booster shot, the employee is required to submit a negative COVID-19 test result at least once every 14 days.
Chan Zuckerberg Initiative And Illuminative Help Native American Groups Fight Vaccine Hesitancy
The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Kristen Griffith, January 12
Dallas Goldtooth, known for his role in the hit FX television series, Reservation Dogs, slowly swivels in his chair to face the camera in a recent TikTok video. As he looks at the audience, a voice-over announcer says, “When people refuse to get vaccinated but also talk about protecting future generations, that’s stupid.” The Dakota and Navajo actor joins other influencers — people who have earned the community’s trust — in a two-phase public outreach effort by nonprofit organizations IllumiNative, the Urban Indian Health Institute, and 13 Native groups in states including Alaska, Minnesota, and California. The goal is to overcome Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy. The latest phase of the For the Love of Our People campaign is using $900,000 from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to focus on family and generational pride to encourage vaccinations. Grassroots organizations in Covid hotspot states were each given $30,0000 as part of the outreach.
Kids’ Low COVID-19 Vaccination Rates Called A ‘Gut Punch’
AP News, Lindsay Tanner, January 12
Distrust, misinformation and delays because of the holidays and bad weather have combined to produce what authorities say are alarmingly low COVID-19 vaccination rates in U.S. children ages 5 to 11. As of Tuesday, just over 17% were fully vaccinated, more than two months after shots became available to the age group. While Vermont is at 48%, California is just shy of 19% and Mississippi is at only 5%. Vaccinations among the elementary school set surged after the shots were introduced in the fall, but the numbers have crept up slowly since then, and omicron’s explosive spread appears to have had little effect. Hospitalizations of children under 18 with COVID-19 in the U.S. have climbed to their highest levels on record in the past few weeks. Many have other conditions made worse by COVID-19, though many aren’t sick enough to require intensive care.
Law:
Groups Try To Block Montana Laws They Say Hurt Native Voters
AP News, January 12
Organizations that participate in get-out-the-vote efforts on Montana’s Native American reservations are asking a judge to temporarily block two laws they say are part of an effort to disenfranchise Native voters. Last year, the Republican-controlled Montana Legislature passed a bill to end Election Day voter registration and another to prohibit the paid collection of absentee ballots. Western Native Voice and Montana Native Vote sued to overturn the laws in May 2021, saying the laws would harm their efforts to ensure Native Americans can vote. On Wednesday, they asked for an injunction to block the laws from taking effect until the case is decided. The American Civil Liberties Union said the groups, along with four Montana tribes, are hoping the injunction can be in place in time for the June primary. The lawsuit names Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen — the state’s chief elections officer — as the defendant. She has said her office will defend the measures after campaigning on promises to improve election integrity with voter ID laws and registration deadlines.
Other:
Kyrsten Sinema Meets With Tribal Leaders
Indian Country Today, Carina Dominguez, January 12
U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema met with the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona recently to discuss the infrastructure investments for tribal communities and the Jobs Act. The discussion, held virtually on Jan. 7, was an opportunity for the senator’s office to better understand how to assist tribes with accessing funds and implementing programs. Several tribes were a part of the infrastructure call including Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community, Colorado River Indian Tribes, Tohono O’odham Nation, Fort Mojave Indian Tribe, White Mountain Apache Tribe and the Hopi Tribe. Sinema says she and other lawmakers ensured there was funding, $2.5 billion to be exact, to pay for all currently authorized Indian water rights settlements.
Triple Homicide On Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
Native News Online, Darren Thompson, January 12
On the early morning hours of January 5, a triple homicide occurred in Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. On January 10, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Oglala Sioux Tribe’s Department of Public Safety released the names of three deceased victims who were shot and killed inside a home on the reservation. The bodies of Alma Garneaux, 38, Jamie Graham, also 38, and Michael White Plume Sr., 39, were found shot to death inside a home located at 554 BIA 28, Wounded Knee, according to a statement from the FBI. FBI agents from the Rapid City Resident Agency, working alongside the Oglala Sioux Department of Public Safety, developed significant leads on a person of interest believed to be responsible for the killings. The suspect’s identity has not been released to the public, and is currently being held on unrelated charges. According to a statement by the FBI, formal charges related to the homicides are pending.