Good Morning, NUNAverse,
A report conducted through a collaboration with the University of Minnesota said that the university’s founding board of regents “committed genocide and ethnic cleansing of Indigenous peoples for financial gain, using the institution as a shell corporation through which to launder lands and resources.” The effort draws on archival records, oral histories and other sources to examine through an Indigenous lens the troubled history between Native people and the state’s flagship university. The university stopped short of saying whether it would adopt the recommendations but thanked researchers in a statement for what they called their “truth-telling.”
Two Alaska Native organizations are suing the federal government to protect subsistence fishing rights on two of the state’s largest river systems amidst a worsening salmon crisis. Earth Justice, a nonprofit public interest environmental law organization, filed a lawsuit last week on behalf of the plaintiffs — the Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP) and Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC) — against the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in U.S. District Court asking it to reexamine groundfish catch limits for the Bering Sea and the Aleutian Islands.
Tribal leaders in Arizona said last week they hope to build on the momentum of President Joe Biden’s recent designation of a national monument in neighboring Nevada to persuade the administration to create similar protections for areas adjacent to the Grand Canyon, which they consider sacred.
While schools in New York were given until the end of the current school year to change or commit to changing any Native themed mascots, about 60 districts are still using such iconography or names. The New York Times reports that schools across the state are scrambling to either adopt new names or receive endorsement from one of the state’s recognized tribal nations so that they keep their current mascots – efforts that largely have not been successful. Schools that do not comply with the new requirements face “removal of school officers and the withholding of state aid.”
Keep reading for a full news update.
Native Mascots:
As New York Bans Native American Mascots, Some Schools Try to Keep Them
The New York Times, Jesse McKinley, April 17
New York State Expected To Officially Ban Use Of Native American Mascots At Public Schools
13 WHAM, Morgan Scott, April 13
Law:
Overturning Indian Child Welfare Act Bad For Kids, Families, Native Americans Everywhere
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Tehassi Hill, April 17
Community Leaders, Students Say Native American Regalia Bill Celebrates Culture
9 News, Marissa Solomon, April 14
Alaska Native Organizations Sue The Feds For Subsistence Fishing Rights
Native News Online, April 12
Other:
Interior Secretary Haaland & Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield To Lead Us Delegation At Un Permanent Forum On Indigenous Issues
Native News Online, April 15
On Nevada Trip, Haaland Celebrates ‘New Era’ Of Conservation
AP News, April 14
Native American Activist Takes The Spotlight In ‘On The Far End’
The Washington Post, Celia Wren, April 14
Award-Winning Indigenous Chef Sean Sherman Named To Time 100 List
Native News Online, April 13
Yale University Launches First Cherokee Language Class For Credit
Native News Online, April 12
New Report Examines U Of M History Of Mistreating Native Americans And Outlines Recommendations For Improving Relations
NPR News, Cathay Wurzer, April 11
Report: U Of Minnesota ‘Committed Genocide’ Of Native People
AP News, April 11
Tribes Want US Protection For Areas Next To The Grand Canyon
AP News, Anita Snow, April 11
New Report Urges Federal Government To Rethink How It Collects Data In Indian Country
Native News Online, April 10