Good Morning, NUNAverse,
The locations of unmarked graveyards at Native boarding schools will remain unknown to the general public, despite the Department of the Interior’s work to uncover them. The federal agency and experts in Native affairs said disclosing details of the sites could expose those burial grounds to looters and continues to be a delicate issue that requires tribal consultation and approval. U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo) launched a federal investigation last year into the long history of Native boarding schools in the U.S., which aimed to assimilate children into European and American culture. The first report from the investigation, issued last month, said more than 400 Indigenous boarding schools had been identified, and at least 500 children had been buried at 19 of them. A report on the second phase of the investigation will focus on details about the gravesites, but Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Bryan Newland confirmed in an email last week the burial sites won’t be disclosed.
Some coin enthusiasts will be able to add a quarter dedicated to the first female principal chief of the Cherokee Nation to their collections on Monday. The Wilma Mankiller (Cherokee) quarter is the third coin released under a U.S. Mint program celebrating the achievement of diverse prominent women in American history. Mankiller led the Cherokee Nation from 1985 to 1995 and is credited with boosting tribal enrollment and employment and reforming the tribe’s programs for health, children, and housing. On one side of the quarter there’s a portrait of President George Washington. The other side you’ll find the late chief in a traditional shawl. On her left is the seven-pointed star of the Cherokee Nation. Wilma Pearl Mankiller was born in 1945 in Tahlequah. The surname “Mankiller” refers to a traditional Cherokee military rank, like a captain or major.
Keep reading for a full news update.
Boarding Schools:
U.S. Department of the Interior Won’t Disclose Location Of Native Burial Sites
The Santa Fe New Mexican, Rick Ruggles, June 5
The locations of unmarked graveyards at Native boarding schools will remain unknown to the general public, despite the Department of the Interior’s work to uncover them. The federal agency and experts in Native affairs said disclosing details of the sites could expose those burial grounds to looters and continues to be a delicate issue that requires tribal consultation and approval. U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo) launched a federal investigation last year into the long history of Native boarding schools in the U.S., which aimed to assimilate children into European and American culture. The first report from the investigation, issued last month, said more than 400 Indigenous boarding schools had been identified, and at least 500 children had been buried at 19 of them. Federally supported schools made up most of those and were in 37 states, with more than 40 schools in New Mexico (the third most, behind Oklahoma and Arizona), the report said. Unmarked graves have been found at six spots, while 14 other schools had marked and unmarked sites, the report said, adding more work needs to be done and statistics will grow. A report on the second phase of the investigation will focus on details about the gravesites, the Interior Department said. But Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland confirmed in an email last week the burial sites won’t be disclosed.
Other:
Tribal Police Official Shot and Killed During Traffic Stop on Fort Apache Reservation
Native News Online, June 4
Tragedy hit the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, home of the White Mountain Apache, on Thursday during a traffic stop. White Mountain Apache police officer Adrian Lopez, Sr., 35, died as the result of the gunfire during the traffic stop. White Mountain Apache police Sergeant Lonnie Thompson, 29, was also injured during the gun battle. He was taken to a hospital in Phoenix, where he was in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries. The traffic stop occurred about 7 p.m. local time when Officer Lopez pulled over a vehicle on the reservation, according to Navajo County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Brian Swanty. During the stop near downtown Whiteriver, Arizonat, an altercation ensued between Officer Lopez and the suspect who has been identified as 25-year-old Kevin Dwight Nashio. Nashio allegedly shot the officer, who died at the scene. Nashio then stole the tribal police vehicle and fled for approximately 40 miles in a high-speed chase with officers from numerous law enforcement agencies in pursuit. Nashio crashed the police vehicle into a tree in a remote area of the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. A shootout then began, which resulted in the injuries to Sergeant Thompson. Nashio was shot and killed.
Women Are Flying Over The Colorado River Basin To Boost Advocacy For Tribal Water Management
Native News Online, Avery Lill, June 3
Lorelei Cloud felt the thrum of the propeller as she leaned back to look out the window of the small plane, flying over the Southern Ute Reservation and southwest Colorado. The rivers that sustain agriculture, ecosystems, and millions of people stretched out before her. She saw signs of long-term drought–low water in the Vallecito Reservoir, which the tribe depends on for irrigation. She also got a clear view of a logistical problem she works to solve as a member of the Southern Ute Tribal Council and the Water and Tribes Initiative. Cloud’s flight was the first in the ongoing Colorado River Basin Overflight Project. The project is a response to dwindling waterin the Colorado River system and tribal nations calling for more Indigenous leadership in water management. The project is a series of flights conducted by Planet Women, an environmental-conservation nonprofit, to photograph the basin from the headwaters in Wyoming to the irrigation canals in Southern California. The group wants to support gender equity and racial equity in environmental leadership, so it is pairing women and nonbinary pilots with passengers who are Indigenous women leaders and Native youth storytellers.
From Idaho To U.S. Open: Caldwell Local Plays Her Way To Women’s Golf’s Biggest Major
The News Tribune, Michael Lycklama, June 1
The U.S. Women’s Open stands as the crown jewel of women’s golf. The top golfers from around the world tee off for the sport’s most prestigious title in a major that has a record-setting purse of $10 million. And this year, that field includes a young professional from Idaho. Gabby Lemieux (Shoshone Paiute tribe of Duck Valley Indian Reservation), 25, played in the U.S. Women’s Open for the first time last week, a milestone for the Caldwell local and Bruneau resident. “It’s almost like a dream come true,” Lemieux said. “… It’s every woman’s dream, or every girl’s dream, to play in a major.” But her presence represents more than a personal achievement. Lemieux has broken barriers throughout her professional career, becoming the first Native to accomplish a host of feats in women’s golf. “I’m hoping I won’t be the last. I’m hoping to be the beginning,” said Lemieux. “My mentor, Notah Begay (Navajo), he was the first. Now so many young guys are inspired to be like him. I’m hoping I can be that change for one girl. She can see that Gabby, she’s Native. She can do it. Why can’t I?”
A New Quarter Honors Native Leader And Activist Wilma Mankiller
NPR, Tekella Foster, June 6
Some coin enthusiasts will be able to add a quarter dedicated to the first female principal chief of the Cherokee Nation to their collections on Monday. The Wilma Mankiller (Cherokee) quarter is the third coin released under a U.S. Mint program celebrating the achievement of diverse prominent women in American history. Mankiller led the Cherokee Nation from 1985 to 1995 and is credited with boosting tribal enrollment and employment and reforming the tribe’s programs for health, children, and housing. On one side of the quarter there’s a portrait of President George Washington. The other side you’ll find the late chief in a traditional shawl. On her left is the seven-pointed star of the Cherokee Nation. The Cherokee National History Museum in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, will host a launch event and livestream Monday morning, where some of the coins will be made available to the public. Wilma Pearl Mankiller was born in 1945 in Tahlequah. The surname “Mankiller” refers to a traditional Cherokee military rank, like a captain or major.