Good Morning, NUNAverse,
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Saturday gave final approval for use of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children six months through four years old and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for children six months through five years old. This announcement came after the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices unanimously recommended use of the both vaccines in this younger population. The approval followed the FDA’s amendment of the emergency use authorization for both vaccines. According to the news release issued on Saturday by the CDC, all children, including children who have already had COVID-19, should get vaccinated.
Mary Peltola (Yup’ik Eskimo), a former state lawmaker and one of the few Democrats in a massive field of candidates seeking Alaska’s only U.S. House seat, has advanced to an August special election, where she will face former Governor Sarah Palin, Republican Nick Begich, and Independent Al Gross. The four emerged from a field of 48 candidates in a special primary for the seat left vacant by the March death of longtime Republican Representative Don Young. Peltola from the rural city of Bethel, was one of just six Democrats in the race. She advanced as state elections officials announced more results Friday. Vote counts also were conducted last Saturday and Wednesday. Peltola served five terms in the Alaska House, ending in 2009, and most recently has been executive director of a commission aimed at rebuilding salmon resources on the Kuskokwim River. She said she wants to use her campaign to elevate issues of food insecurity and ocean productivity. A subsistence lifestyle — relying on fish, plants, and other wildlife — is critical in rural Alaska, including in many Alaska Native communities, where the cost of goods is high and villages may only be accessible by plane.
A Native person has been nominated to be US treasurer, a historic first. President Joe Biden’s nomination Tuesday of Marilynn “Lynn” Malerba (Mohegan Indian Tribe) comes as his administration establishes an Office of Tribal and Native Affairs at the Treasury Department, which will be overseen by the US treasurer. The treasurer’s duties include oversight of the US Mint, serving as a liaison with the Federal Reserve, and overseeing the Treasury’s Office of Consumer Policy. The treasurer’s signature appears on US currency.
Federal officials and tribal nations have formally reestablished a commission to oversee land management decisions at a national monument in Utah — among the first such joint governance agreements signed by Natives and U.S. officials. Leaders from agencies including the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service met with representatives from five tribal nations Saturday to sign a document formalizing the Bears Ears Commission, a governing body tasked with day-to-day decisions on the 2,125 square-mile (5,500 square-kilometer) Bears Ears National Monument. In 2021, President Joe Biden restored two sprawling national monuments in southern Utah — Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante — reversing a decision by President Donald Trump that opened for mining and other development hundreds of thousands of acres of rugged lands sacred to Natives and home to ancient cliff dwellings and petroglyphs.
Keep reading for a full news update.
Health:
CDC Approves COVID-19 Vaccines For Children 6 Months – 4 Years
Native News Online, June 19
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Saturday gave final approval for use of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children six months through four years old and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for children six months through five years old. This announcement came after the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices unanimously recommended use of the both vaccines in this younger population. The approval followed the FDA’s amendment of the emergency use authorization for both vaccines. According to the news release issued on Saturday by the CDC, all children, including children who have already had COVID-19, should get vaccinated.
Navajo Nation Surpasses 1,800 Covid-Related Deaths
Native News Online, June 18
The Navajo Nation on Friday announced two more deaths related to COVID-19, which brings the total number of deaths to 1,802 since tracking began on March 17, 2020. Also, announced were 1,244 new COVID-19 cases for the Navajo Nation. The overall total number of positive COVID-19 cases is now 55,844. The Navajo Nation is located on the largest geographical reservation in the United States.
Politics:
Yup’ik Candidate Advances To Alaska’s US House Election
AP News, Becky Bohrer, June 18
Mary Peltola (Yup’ik Eskimo), a former state lawmaker and one of the few Democrats in a massive field of candidates seeking Alaska’s only U.S. House seat, has advanced to an August special election, where she will face former Governor Sarah Palin, Republican Nick Begich, and independent Al Gross. The four emerged from a field of 48 candidates in a special primary for the seat left vacant by the March death of longtime Republican Representative Don Young. Peltola from the rural city of Bethel, was one of just six Democrats in the race. She advanced as state elections officials announced more results Friday. Vote counts also were conducted last Saturday and Wednesday. Peltola served five terms in the Alaska House, ending in 2009, and most recently has been executive director of a commission aimed at rebuilding salmon resources on the Kuskokwim River. She said she wants to use her campaign to elevate issues of food insecurity and ocean productivity. A subsistence lifestyle — relying on fish, plants, and other wildlife — is critical in rural Alaska, including in many Alaska Native communities, where the cost of goods is high and villages may only be accessible by plane.
Tribal Leaders And Feds Reestablish Bears Ears Commission
AP News, Sam Metz, June 20
Federal officials and tribal nations have formally reestablished a commission to oversee land management decisions at a national monument in Utah — among the first such joint governance agreements signed by Natives and U.S. officials. Leaders from agencies including the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service met with representatives from five tribal nations Saturday to sign a document formalizing the Bears Ears Commission, a governing body tasked with day-to-day decisions on the 2,125 square-mile (5,500 square-kilometer) Bears Ears National Monument. In 2021, President Joe Biden restored two sprawling national monuments in southern Utah — Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante — reversing a decision by President Donald Trump that opened for mining and other development hundreds of thousands of acres of rugged lands sacred to Natives and home to ancient cliff dwellings and petroglyphs.
President Joe Biden Nominates 1st Native US treasurer
AP News, June 21
A Native has been nominated to be US treasurer, a historic first. President Joe Biden’s nomination Tuesday of Marilynn “Lynn” Malerba (Mohegan Indian Tribe) comes as his administration establishes an Office of Tribal and Native Affairs at the Treasury Department, which will be overseen by the US treasurer. The treasurer’s duties include oversight of the US Mint, serving as a liaison with the Federal Reserve, and overseeing the Treasury’s Office of Consumer Policy. The treasurer’s signature appears on US currency.
Other:
“Gather” Wins James Beard Award For Best Documentary
Native News Online, June 17
Last week, Gather was named the best documentary in the 2022 James Beard Foundation Broadcast Media award cycle. The full-length film, directed by Sanjay Rawal in collaboration with First Nations Development Institute and produced by Tanya Mellier and Sterlin Harjo (Seminole/Muscogee), tells the story of Native resilience through Indigenous chefs, scientists, and climate activists working towards reclaiming traditional food systems. Gather follows Nephi Craig (White Mountain Apache Nation), a chef who opened an Indigenous cafe as a nutritional recovery clinic; Elsie Dubray (Cheyenne River Sioux Nation), a scientist conducting landmark studies on bison; and a group of environmental activists from the Yurok Nation working to save the Klamath river.
Six Indigenous People Selected For Prestigious Award
Indian Country Today, Mary Annette Pember, June 19
The Bush Foundation announced the 2022 Bush Fellows in May. The 24 recipients of the prestigious award were chosen from a group of 468 applicants. Six of the winners are Indigenous. The Foundation chooses fellows from communities in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and the 23 Native nations that share the same geography. Fellows receive up to $100,000 over 12 to 24 months to pursue education and learning experiences that help them develop skills and relationships to foster large-scale change within their communities and region. The winners include Rebekah Dunlap (Fond du Lac band of Ojibwe), Erin Griffin (Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate), Bradley Harrington (Nazhike-awaasang) (Milles Lacs Band of Ojibwe), Shirley Nordrum (Red Lake Nation), Tashina Banks Rama (Oglala Lakota and Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe), and Janice Richards (Oglala Sioux).
Federal Grant Helps Comanche Housing Authority Make Vital Repairs To Native Homes
Native News Online, Andrew Kennard, June 17
A $1 million federal grant will help the Comanche Nation Housing Authority (CNHA) meet home repair needs of tribal members in five Oklahoma counties. For the eighth year in a row, the Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded a federal grant to CNHA, which is pitching in $333,250 of its own funding to the program. The funding helps the organization move beyond emergency home repairs to make vital repairs such as a new roof. The housing authority plans to complete interior and exterior repairs on at least 30 homes over the next three years. Their federal grant programs serve five counties in southwest Oklahoma: Caddo, Comanche, Cotton, Kiowa, and Tillman. Last year, CNHA repaired 96 homes under the same program, Sovo said in a statement. The grant is for Comanche families who are 80% or below the national median income, said Nora Sovo, deputy director of CNHA. Many of those families are elders and multi-generational families who don’t have extra cash to spend on home repairs and may not have insurance.