Good Morning, NUNAverse,
The U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration will be hosting a webinar for tribes and tribal organizations on upcoming funding opportunities. These are funding opportunities that are in addition to the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act grant funds that many tribes currently receive. The webinar will take place this Thursday, April 13 from 3:00 P.M. – 4:30 P.M. EDT. Registration for the event is open here.
Arlando Teller (Diné) was sworn in Friday as the U.S. Department of Transportation’s first-ever Deputy Assistant Secretary for Tribal Affairs. The new position was created as part of the enactment of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) that provides $550 billion for new federal investment in roads, bridges, mass transit, water infrastructure, and broadband.
This month, New York state education officials are expected to finalize new regulations which will require school districts with Native names or imagery in their mascots to drop those names — or face strict consequences.
A judge in Montana refused to dismiss a lawsuit Tuesday brought by tribes, parents, and students against state education leaders that alleges the state’s unique constitutional requirement to teach students about Native history and culture has not been upheld. The lawsuit cites an independent evaluation of the program from 2015, which found its implementation to be “very minimal” in some districts, attributing this to “the absence of accountability.”
North Dakota lawmakers have appointed Denise Lajimodiere (Ojibwe) as the state’s poet laureate, making her the first Native to hold this position in the state and increasing attention to her expertise on the history of Native boarding schools. Lajimodiere, an educator who earned her doctorate degree from the University of North Dakota, said she plans to leverage her role as poet laureate to hold workshops with Native students around the state. She wants to develop a new book that focuses on them.
Keep reading for a full news update.
Law:
Montana Judge Upholds Suit Over Native Education Requirement
AP News, Hallie Golden, April 4
Government:
Arlando Teller Becomes DOT’s First Assistant Secretary For Tribal Affairs
Native News Online, Brian Edwards, April 3
MMIW:
Family Of Native American Woman Missing Since 2021 Seeks Closure, Attorney Says
ABC News, Meredith Deliso, April 7
Man Charged In Case Of Woman Missing From Navajo Nation
AP News, Susan Montoya Bryan, April 5
Native Mascots:
NY Schools With Native American Mascots Prepare For State-Mandated Changes
Spectrum News, Seth Voorhees, April 3
Other:
Pokagon Potawatomi And Its Four Winds Casinos Donate 1,000 Easter Food Boxes To The Needy
Native News Online, April 9
US Postal Service To Honor Ponca Chief Standing Bear On A Stamp
Native News Online, April 8
Tribe Warns US Government Against Moving Ahead With Mine
AP News, Anita Snow, April 7
Gila River Indian Community To Receive $233m To Expand Water Infrastructure And Conserve Colorado River
Native News Online, Darren Thompson, April 7
Native American Chef Crystal Wahpepah Competes On Food Network’s “Beat Bobby Flay”
Native News Online, Darren Thompson, Aril 7
Ojibwe Woman Makes History As North Dakota Poet Laureate
AP News, Trisha Ahmed, April 7
Tribe, US Officials Reach Deal To Save Colorado River Water
AP News, Ken Ritter, April 6
Native Americans Say Plans For A Huge Copper Mine On Sacred Land Would Be A ‘Human Rights Violation’ And ‘Environmental Catastrophe’
Fortune, Anita Snow, April 4
Remains Of Nearly 5,000 Native Americans Will Be Returned, U.S. Says
The New York Times, Eduardo Medina, April 4
Washington Tribes, Government Get $550k Settlement To Clean Seattle Superfund Site
Native News Online, Darren Thompson, April 3