Good Morning, NUNAverse,

Over the weekend, Pope Francis visited Indigenous lands in Canada for the first time, visiting the homelands of the Métis people. The Pope greeted and exchanged gifts with Indigenous leaders, including Arcand; residential school survivors Vicki Arcand and Greg Desjarlais, chief of Frog Lake First Nation; and RoseAnne Archibald, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations.

Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy will sign a bill giving state recognition to Alaska’s 229 federally recognized tribes, the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) said last week. State recognition is not expected to affect tribes’ legal relations with the state, but supporters have said it is an important symbolic statement by the state, which has historically fought efforts by tribes to exert their sovereignty.

Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan – a Citizen of White Earth Band Ojibwe – was recently targeted by a GOP opponent for lieutenant governor, Matt Birk, who referred to her as “savage.” Birk posted a video on Twitter saying that Flanagan tried to “savage” him for his remarks at a National Right to Life Council event in Georgia where he said he doesn’t believe there should be an exception in abortion bans for rape victims.

Last Wednesday, 7,470 enrolled citizens of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe (MCT) voted in a non-binding referendum on whether to remove or keep the blood quantum requirement to be enrolled in the tribe. Nearly 4,800 citizens voted “yes” to remove the blood quantum requirement to be enrolled in the MCT, and 2,629 voted “no”, according to the tribe. 

The Fond du Lac and Grand Portage Bands of Lake Superior Chippewa filed a lawsuit in federal court against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), citing the Clean Water Act. The lawsuit argues that the EPA approved recommendations to lower water quality standards, after tribes in Minnesota argued against lowering the quality standards. 

Keep reading for a full news update.

Boarding Schools:

Papal Visit: Pope Takes First Step Toward Apology

Indian Country Today, July 22

Health:

Overdose Deaths Spiked In 2020 Among Black And Native American Communities

The Hill,  Alejandra O’Connell-Domenech, July 21

Navajo Nation To Spend $1 Billion In Relief Funding On Reservation

Native News Online, Darren Thompson, July 18

Law:

Native Leaders Support Cannabis Legislation Introduced In The US Senate

Native News Online, Levi Rickert, July 23

Department Of Interior Continues Work To Remove Derogatory Word From Federal Lands

Native News Online, Darren Thompson, July 22

Alaska Will Formally Recognize Native Tribes, Likely Negating Planned Ballot Measure

Alaska Public Media, James Brooks, July 22

The Rightwing Supreme Court Has Another Target: Native American Rights

The Guardian, Nick Estes, July 21

Person Charged In September Fatal Accident Of Paiute Filmmaker Myron Dewey

Native News Online, Darren Thompson, July 20

Hualapai Leader Urges Senate To OK Water Plan, As Wells Fail In Drought

Cronkite News, Morgan Fischer, July 20

Navajo People Advocate For Bill To Recognize Same-Sex Marriage On Navajo Nation

Indian Country Today, Shondiin Silversmith, July 19

What Power Should States Have On Native American Land?

NPR, July 19

Fond du Lac And Grand Portage Ojibwe Tribes File Suit Against EPA

Native News Online, Darren Thompson, July 18

Politics:

Republican Calls Minnesota Lieutenant Governor ‘Savage’

Native News Online, Darren Thompson, July 22

State Renews Request To Toss Lawsuit Over Redistricting

AP News, July 22

Secretary Haaland Hosts White House Council On Native American Affairs Tribal Engagement Session Focused On Tribal Homelands Initiatives

United States Department of the Interior, July 19

MMIW:

Justice Lags For Indigenous Survivors Of Violence

Underscore News, Bryce Dole, July 16

Gaps Hinder Police Response To Indigenous Cases

Underscore News, Karina Brown, July 22

Impacts Of The Roe V. Wade Decision On Native American And Alaska Native Women Sexual Violence Victim-Survivors

Indianz, Strongheart Native Helpline, July 19

Other:

Mille Lacs Band Of Ojibwe To Host World Title Fight, Live On ESPN

Native News Online, Darren Thompson, July 23

Portland State University Offers Tuition Discount To Native Americans

AP News, Meerah Powell, July 23

Minnesota Chippewa Tribe Votes To Remove Blood Quantum From Enrollment Requirements

Native News Online, Darren Thompson, July 22

Blackhawks Reveal New Programs Reaching Out To Native Americans

Chicago Sun Times, July 21

Blockchain Gives Indigenous Americans Control Over Their Genomic Data

Science Daily, July 21

Tribes Open Film Studios To Lure Movie, TV Productions

Indian Country Today, Sandra Hale Schulman, July 21

Revitalizing Endangered Native American Languages

KX News, Kyara Brown, July 21

Eight Years After Murders, Native People Still Outsized Share Of Albuquerque Homeless

New Mexico In Depth, Bella Davis, July 19

Haaland Hosts Tribal Engagement Session On Land Protection

Native News Online, Jenna Kunze, July 19

With New Name And New Funding, Native Forward Aims To Double Its Impact For College Students

Forbes, Michael T. Nietzel, July 19

Native News Online Wins Journalism Award

Native News Online, Neely Bardwell, July 19

Interior Head Haaland Breaks Leg In Hiking Accident

AP News, July 18