Good Morning, NUNAverse,
The Vatican recently responded to Indigenous demands and formally repudiated the “Doctrine of Discovery,” the theories backed by 15th-century “papal bulls” that legitimized the colonial-era seizure of Native lands and form the basis of some property laws today. A Vatican statement said the papal bulls, or decrees, “did not adequately reflect the equal dignity and rights of Indigenous peoples” and have never been considered expressions of the Catholic faith.
The largest holder of Native remains – a federally-owned power company in Tennessee. – is taking steps to complete the decades-long repatriation of more than 14,000 ancestors who were unearthed in dam construction projects across the Tennessee valley from the 1930s through the 1970s.
American Indians and Alaska Natives face a “disproportionate burden” of oral health disease in the U.S. from childhood onward, a crisis with roots in structural racism and exacerbated by lack of access to healthy food and housing stability, a joint research effort has found. The situation was outlined in a report compiled by CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, a nonprofit group based in Boston, in collaboration with the Society of American Indian Dentists, the National Indian Health Board, and Southern Plains Tribal Health Board.
Keep reading for a full news update.
Health:
American Indian, Alaska Native Communities Face ‘Disproportionate Burden’ Of Poor Oral Health
USA Today, Marc Ramirez, April 1
Native Mascots:
Students At Spokane Indian Reservation School Vote To Keep Native American Mascot
The Seattle Times, James Hanlon, March 29
Panel Exploring Changes To State Seal Ready To Resume Work
AP News, Mark Pratt, March 27
Law:
New Mexico Governor Signs Bill Expanding Voter Access
AP News, March 30
New Mexico Court Upholds Native American Actor Convictions
AP News, March 28
Government:
Rep. Zinke Tells Interior Secretary Deb Haaland: “It’s Not Cowboys And Indians”
Native News Online, Levi Rickert, March 30
Senate Committee on Indian Affairs to Conduct a Hearing on Tribal Energy Development
Native News Online, March 28
Other:
Alaska Natives Rescued Navy Crew In 1955. Their Medals Have Arrived
AP News, Mark Thiessen, April 1
The Largest Holder of Native American Human Remains is Preparing to Return Thousands of Indigenous Ancestors
Native News Online, Jenna Kunze, April 1
Native Americans Used Horses Far Earlier Than Historians Had Believed
The Hill, Saul Elbein, March 31
After The Spanish Conquest, Horses Transformed Native American Tribes Much Earlier Than Historians Thought
Science, Andrew Curry, March 30
Vatican Rejects Doctrine That Fueled Centuries Of Colonialism
AP News, Nicole Winfield, March 30
Vatican Rejects Doctrine Of Discovery
Native News Online, March 30
TVA To Return Ancestral Remains Of Native Americans
AP News, March 29
Dartmouth Conducts Review Of NAGPRA Compliance
Dartmouth, March 28
Clash Over Building Atop Native Burial Sites Angers N.Y. Tribes
The New York Times, Jay Root, March 27