Good Morning, NUNAverse,
Ray Taken Alive had been fighting for this moment for two years: At his urging, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Council was about to take the rare and severe step of banishing a nonprofit organization from the tribe’s land. The Lakota Language Consortium had promised to preserve the tribe’s native language and had spent years gathering recordings of elders, including Taken Alive’s grandmother, to create a new, standardized Lakota dictionary and textbooks. But when Taken Alive, 35, asked for copies, he was shocked to learn that the consortium, run by a white man, had copyrighted the language materials, which were based on generations of Lakota tradition. The traditional knowledge gathered from the tribe was now being sold back to it in the form of textbooks. “No matter how it was collected, where it was collected, when it was collected, our language belongs to us. Our stories belong to us. Our songs belong to us,” Taken Alive, who teaches Lakota to elementary school students, told the tribal council in April.
As Harvard University acknowledges its museum collection has held the remains of thousands of Indigenous people for generations, some Native leaders say the university is acting too slowly to release those remains to tribes for burial. Per the newspaper, the draft report says Harvard is holding the remains of about 7,000 Native people, as well as at least 19 people who were likely enslaved. The Harvard Crimson quotes the report as saying that identifying the provenance of remains “might include DNA or other analysis for the express purpose of identifying lineal descendants.” But Shannon O’Loughlin (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma), CEO of the Association on American Indian Affairs, said that shouldn’t be necessary, since most of the remains have enough geographic information associated with them to determine where they’re from. “It’s a pretty simple process,” O’Loughlin said. “It is not a scientific investigation. It does not require any research or DNA evidence. In fact, the law expressly says that no additional research is necessary. The museum is supposed to use information it already has and consult with tribes, and tribes share information that they have, and repatriation happens.”
The Ho-Chunk Nation has a bright economic future, ripe with prospects to diversify its economy beyond gaming. That’s if the tribal government more clearly communicates with citizens and opens space for entrepreneurs and private companies to invest in tribal communities, Ho-Chunk officials and citizens said during a Wisconsin Watch event held on May 12. “I’d say the sky’s the limit. Because if we do provide the opportunity for a corporation to move, they have that ability, they have that agility to invest,” said Dan Brown (Ho-Chunk), executive manager at Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison and a former Ho-Chunk Nation vice president. “I think we have to have these conversations.” Bettina Warner, who in April became the tribe’s new economic diversification director, agreed. “We need to put pressure on the (Ho-Chunk) Legislature to sever ties, establish a business corporation and just start from there,” she said. “This business corporation just needs to be a self-sustainable, self-reliant entity and not be micromanaged.”
This Thursday, June 9th at 4:00PM ET, the National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA) will host a webinar detailing how tribal communities can expand high-speed internet service. NTIA recently released Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) for three programs – the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, the Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure (Middle Mile) Program, and the Digital Equity Act programs. NTIA will summarize how each of these programs impact tribes and discuss best ways to get involved. Those interested can register here.
Keep reading for a full news update.
Law:
Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Police Rescued, Detained Six In Failed Smuggling Attempt
Native News Online, Jenna Kunze, June 6
In late April, the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Police, tipped by U.S. Border Patrol agents, rescued and detained six Indian nationals in a sinking boat as they attempted to illegally enter the United States from Canada. Their smuggler, a U.S. citizen, swam to shore and abandoned his passengers, who were unable to swim and without life jackets in water temperatures just above freezing, according to the complaint filed with the US District Court for the Northern District of New York. The rescue and capture of the six citizens of India began when the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service in Quebec reported to their relatives at the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Police Department in New York of “suspicious activity” of a boat holding multiple people traveling from Cornwall, Ontario, Canada, toward the United States border. The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Police Department responded and “observed the vessel taking on water and sinking in the Saint Regis River in Akwesasne,” according to the tribe’s press release.
Other:
Kaska-Dena Designer Headed To New York Fashion Week
APTN News, Sara Connors, June 6
A fashion and jewelry designer from Ross River Dena Council in the Yukon will soon be showcasing her work at one of the biggest fashion events in the world. Natasha Peter (Kaska-Dena) will present her designs at New York Fashion Week in September. Peter, who now lives in Whitehorse, is known for mixing contemporary fashion with traditional design, such as granny hanky inspired denim jackets and heels – and her work is not going unnoticed. Peter says her newly formed business, Kaska Dena Designs, can hardly keep up with orders from across Canada and the U.S. Last month a presenter from the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada wore one of Peter’s dresses to the Juno Awards. The designer also recently made her fashion show debut on Alexander First Nation in Edmonton where Indigenous models strutted her designs on a catwalk.
Pro Lacrosse Season Begins As Sport’s Leaders Eye Olympics
AP News, John Kekkis, June 6
Paul Rabil had a dream that went beyond the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) he founded with brother Mike four years ago. His passion was to bring the Native sport to new heights with an eye toward getting it back in the Olympics for the first time in more than seven decades. The eight-team PLL began its fourth tour-based season on Saturday before a near-sellout crowd at an 8,500-seat venue in Albany, New York, the first stop on a 47-game slate in 13 cities across the United States. The league has a new four-year contract with ESPN that will enhance lacrosse’s global reach to more than 170 countries.
Lakota Elders Helped A White Man Preserve Their Language. Then He Tried To Sell It Back To Them
NBC News, Graham Lee Brewer, June 3
Ray Taken Alive had been fighting for this moment for two years: At his urging, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Council was about to take the rare and severe step of banishing a nonprofit organization from the tribe’s land. The Lakota Language Consortium had promised to preserve the tribe’s native language and had spent years gathering recordings of elders, including Taken Alive’s grandmother, to create a new, standardized Lakota dictionary and textbooks. But when Taken Alive, 35, asked for copies, he was shocked to learn that the consortium, run by a white man, had copyrighted the language materials, which were based on generations of Lakota tradition. The traditional knowledge gathered from the tribe was now being sold back to it in the form of textbooks. “No matter how it was collected, where it was collected, when it was collected, our language belongs to us. Our stories belong to us. Our songs belong to us,” Taken Alive, who teaches Lakota to elementary school students, told the tribal council in April.
Native Leaders Call For Harvard To Return Human Remains
GBH, Craig LeMoult, June 6
As Harvard University acknowledges its museum collection has held the remains of thousands of Indigenous people for generations, some Native American leaders say the university is acting too slowly to release those remains to tribes for burial. Per the newspaper, the draft report says Harvard is holding the remains of about 7,000 Native Americans, as well as at least 19 people who were likely enslaved. Two Native leaders said Harvard has enough information about the remains to return them, while another emphasized they shouldn’t have been collected in the first place. A fourth expressed appreciation for Harvard’s efforts so far. The Harvard Crimson quotes the report as saying that identifying the provenance of remains “might include DNA or other analysis for the express purpose of identifying lineal descendants.” But Shannon O’Loughlin (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma), CEO of the Association on American Indian Affairs, said that shouldn’t be necessary, since most of the remains have enough geographic information associated with them to determine where they’re from. “It’s a pretty simple process,” O’Loughlin said. “It is not a scientific investigation. It does not require any research or DNA evidence. In fact, the law expressly says that no additional research is necessary. The museum is supposed to use information it already has and consult with tribes, and tribes share information that they have, and repatriation happens.”
Departments of the Interior and Justice Take Important Step in Addressing Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Crisis
Dakota Radio Group, Jody Heemstra, June 6
Gregg Peterman, Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota, has been named to the Not Invisible Act Commission. United States Attorney for South Dakota Alison J. Ramsdell says of the 37 members named to the Commission, SAUSA Peterman is the only individual representing the nation’s U.S. Attorneys’ offices. Also, named to the Commission is Rapid City Police Chief Don Hedrick. The Not Invisible Act Commission was established as part of the Not Invisible Act that includes a cross jurisdictional advisory committee composed of law enforcement, Tribal leaders, federal partners, service providers, family members of missing and murdered individuals, and most importantly, survivors. The Commission will make recommendations to the U.S. Departments of the Interior and Justice to improve intergovernmental coordination and establish best practices for state, Tribal, and federal law enforcement, to bolster resources for survivors and victim’s families, and to combat the epidemic of missing persons, murder, and trafficking of Native, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian people.
Message To Ho-Chunk Leaders: Focus On Entrepreneurs
Wisconsin Watch, Ilana Bar-av and Jim Malewitz, June 6
The Ho-Chunk Nation has a bright economic future, ripe with prospects to diversify its economy beyond gaming. That’s if the tribal government more clearly communicates with citizens and opens space for entrepreneurs and private companies to invest in tribal communities, Ho-Chunk officials and citizens said during a Wisconsin Watch event held on May 12. “I’d say the sky’s the limit. Because if we do provide the opportunity for a corporation to move, they have that ability, they have that agility to invest,” said Dan Brown (Ho-Chunk), executive manager at Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison and a former Ho-Chunk Nation vice president. “I think we have to have these conversations.” Bettina Warner, who in April became the tribe’s new economic diversification director, agreed. “We need to put pressure on the (Ho-Chunk) Legislature to sever ties, establish a business corporation and just start from there,” she said. “This business corporation just needs to be a self-sustainable, self-reliant entity and not be micromanaged.”