Good morning, NUNAverse:
The U.S. House of Representatives voted 415-14 yesterday to make Juneteenth, or June 19, the 12th federal holiday. The bill now goes to President Joe Biden’s desk, and he is expected to sign it into law. Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas — two months after the Confederacy had surrendered. It’s the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was created in 1983.
The United States Mint has unveiled candidate designs for quarters that will honor Wilma Mankiller in 2022. Wilma Mankiller is one of five women who will start appearing on quarters next year as a part of the American Women Quarters Program that “celebrates the accomplishments and contributions made by women to the development and history of our country,” according to the U.S. Mint.
Indian Country Today reports on the ongoing relationship between the camp erected by those protesting the Enbridge Line 3 construction along the Mississippi River near Solway, and the Clearwater County Sheriff Darin Halverson. Earlier this week, Halverson escorted about 50 water protectors from the camp out to Highway 40 where they were issued citations for trespassing on an Enbridge Line 3 work site, and one water protector was arrested at his own request – a significantly different, and more peaceful, interaction between protestors and law enforcement than the large police presence and more than 100 arrests at an Enbridge pumping station in nearby Hubbard County earlier this month.
The Indian Health Service (IHS) will received an additional $1.8 billion from the American Rescue Plan to combat COVID-19 in Indian Country. The funds are in addition to an investment of more than $4 billion that was announced in April 2021. Of the allocated funds, $420 million will be spent to deal with mental wellness and substance abuse and prevention. The remainder of the funds will be spent on other health-related expenses incurred during the pandemic.
A pre-Inka gold ornament that was purchased in 1912 by George Gustav Heye, the founder of the Museum of the American Indian—Heye Foundation (the predecessor institution to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian) is on its way back to Peru. The Preuvian ambassador to the United States took possession of the “Echenique Disc” this week in Washington, D.C. after a memorandum of understanding was signed the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian and the Peruvian government.
Keep reading for a full news update.
COVID-19:
NEWSLETTER: Virus Outpaces Vaccines, A Sobering Milestone, A New Variant: What To Know About COVID-19 This Week
CNN, Tara John, June 16
U.S. Buys 200 Million Additional Doses Of Moderna’s COVID Vaccine
Axios, Jacob Knutson, June 16
The Biden administration has purchased an additional 200 million doses of Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine, the biotech company announced Wednesday.
How COVID Vaccines Work Against The Delta Variant
Aljazeera, June 16
The Delta variant of coronavirus is a source of serious concern as lab tests have shown it is more contagious and resistant to vaccines compared with other forms of COVID-19.
Law:
Congress Approves Bill To Make Juneteenth A Federal Holiday
AP News, Kevin Freking, April 17
The United States will soon have a new federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery.
The House voted 415-14 Wednesday to make Juneteenth, or June 19th, the 12th federal holiday. The bill now goes to President Joe Biden’s desk, and he is expected to sign it into law.
Indian Health Service Receives An Additional $18 Billion From American Rescue Plan
Native News Online, June 16
Indian Health Service (IHS) will received an additional $1.8 billion from the American Rescue Plan to combat Covid-19 in Indian Country. The funds announced on Wednesday are in addition to an investment of more than $4 billion that was announced in April 2021 .
Environment:
Sheriff, Protesters Keep Peace At Enbridge Site
Indian Country Today, Mary Annette Pember, June 17
Clearwater County Sheriff Darin Halverson spent a lot of time in the sun. By the time folks occupying the Fire Light camp finished their ceremonies and broke camp, his clean-shaven head was a bright shade of red.
U.S. Interior Secretary To Visit Acadia National Park On Friday
Portland Press Herald, Eric Russell, June 16
U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland will visit Maine on Friday to talk with state and tribal leaders about the Biden administration’s support for public lands.
Native Mascots:
Editorial: Debate On Native American Team Names Needs TO happen In public
CT Post, Hearst Connecticut Media Editorial Board, June 16
The Legislature needs to go about its business in public. That’s not what’s happening this week.
Readers could be forgiven if their eyes glaze over at the mention of a budget implementer bill, something that represents lawmaking at its most arcane.
Other:
CCAC Meeting Images for the 2022 American Women Quarters Program – Wilma Mankiller
U.S. Mint, June 17
‘Targeted For Violence’: The Dangers LGBTQ+ Native Americans Face
The Guardian, Hallie Golden, June 17
The last time Fochik Hashtali* spoke with her close friend Poe Jackson, he was telling her about his plans to start a mental health group for transgender people in Slab City, a section of southern California known for its community of squatters.
Oracle Should Excavate For Native American Remains Before Construction Begins | Opinion
The Tennessean, Mark Tolley, June 17
Tennessee Ancient Sites Conservancy (TASC) is proud that Oracle Corporation has chosen our wonderful city for its new office campus.
Nashville is a remarkable place to live and do business, and has been down through centuries.
National Museum Of American Indian Returns Pre-Inka gold Disc Held Since 1912 To Peru
Native News Online, June 16
A pre-Inka gold ornament that was purchased in 1912 by George Gustav Heye, the founder of the Museum of the American Indian—Heye Foundation (the predecessor institution to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian) will make its way back to Peru.
Native Americans To Feds: Own Up To America’s Indian School History
VOA News, Cecily Hilleary, June 16
In late October 1912, 15-year-old Agnes White, left her home on the St. Regis Mohawk reservation in northern New York to begin five years of vocational training at the Carlisle Industrial Indian School in Pennsylvania. She would never see home again.