Good Morning NUNAverse,
A federal judge has thrown out a Trump-era rule that ended federal protections for hundreds of thousands of small streams, wetlands, and other waterways and left them vulnerable to pollution from nearby development. The Biden administration had already said it plans to repeal the rule and issue new regulations defining which waterways are federally protected under the Clean Water Act. Tribal nations, environmental groups, and others said the rule could lead to the loss of wetlands, damage wildlife habitat and allow businesses and farmers to pollute waterways. U.S. District Court Judge Rosemary Marquez in Arizona sided with those groups on Monday, determining that the Trump administration’s rule last year improperly limited the scope of clean water protections. Marquez said the EPA had ignored its own findings that small waterways can affect the well-being of the larger waterways they flow into.
The United Houma Nation reported major devastation suffered during Hurricane Ida on Sunday that included deaths and multiple injuries. Hurricane Ida, a Category 4 hurricane, hit land on Sunday with winds as high as 150-miles-per-hour. It is now being called one of the most powerful hurricanes to ever hit the U.S. mainland. For much of Sunday afternoon, Houma was in the eye of the hurricane. Many of the tribal citizens evacuated the area and awaited news about when it would be safe to return home. In some cases, it may be days before it will be declared safe to return home. Over a million residences and businesses were without electrical power, including all of the city of New Orleans.
After the Alcatraz prison closed in 1963, Native people began to petition the federal government to put it into “Indian land.” From November 1969 to July 1971, a group of Native people took over and occupied Alcatraz Island led by Richard Oakes (Mohawk), Mad Bear Anderson (Tuscarora), and Grace Thorpe (Sac and Fox), the daughter of Jim Thorpe. The group was called the Alcatraz Red Power Movement and was also known as the “Indians of All Tribes.” Now Indians of All Tribes and others are asking the U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and the National Parks Service to establish a cultural center on the island.
The state of Colorado is providing Native students from out of state the opportunity to attend any of its public universities and colleges at the institution’s in-state tuition rate. Beginning with the 2021-22 academic year, Colorado’s public institutions of higher education shall adopt policies to offer in-state tuition to students who would not otherwise qualify for it if the student is a member of a federally recognized tribe with historical ties to Colorado. According to the law, the benefit applies to any student who is a member of one of 48 tribes for which Colorado was the ancestral home. Because many individuals in these tribes were forced to move from Colorado, the new law seeks to rectify one adverse consequence of that history by providing them with resident tuition.
Keep reading for a full news update.
Law:
Judge Tosses Trump Rollback Of Clean Water Safeguards
AP News, Suman Naishadham, August 31
A federal judge has thrown out a Trump-era rule that ended federal protections for hundreds of thousands of small streams, wetlands and other waterways and left them vulnerable to pollution from nearby development. The Biden administration had already said it plans to repeal the Trump-era rule and issue new regulations defining which waterways are federally protected under the Clean Water Act. Tribal nations, environmental groups and others said it could lead to the loss of wetlands, damage wildlife habitat and allow businesses and farmers to pollute waterways. U.S. District Court Judge Rosemary Marquez in Arizona, an Obama appointee, sided with those groups on Monday, determining that the Trump administration’s rule last year improperly limited the scope of clean water protections. Marquez said the EPA had ignored its own findings that small waterways can affect the well-being of the larger waterways they flow into.
Politics:
Brian Pallister To Step Down As Manitoba Premier
APTN National News, Michelle Karlenzig, August 31
Brian Pallister’s tenure as premier of Manitoba will officially come to an end this Wednesday. The Progressive Conservative leader had already announced his departure in July. Pallister’s last months as premier weren’t short of controversy — especially when it came to Indigenous issues. Indigenous leaders from across the province celebrated Pallister’s resignation. A handful of people have stepped up to run for premier including former families minister Heather Stefanson and former police officer and Conservative MP Shelley Glover. The PC Party will select its new leader on Oct. 30.
Rosebud Voters Elect Scott Herman As Tribal President
Indian Country Today, Vi Waln, August 31
Rosebud Vice President Scott Herman ousted incumbent tribal President Rodney M. Bordeaux in a general election Aug. 26 that also brought in a new vice president and several new council members. In unofficial results reported by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Election Board, Herman drew 1,374 votes to Bordeaux’s 937. Bordeaux had served several terms in tribal government, as president and as a council representative for Rosebud. The election drew 2,341 tribal citizens to 22 polling places.
COVID-19:
Native American Tribes Enforce Mask Mandates Regardless Of State Bans
The Guardian, Hallie Golden, August 31
Tribal nations across the handful of US states with bans on school mask mandates have asserted their powers as sovereign nations to defy the orders, with some also implementing their own testing and vaccine directives for tens of thousands of students and faculty in schools on their reservations as COVID-19 cases surge. Under the US constitution, federally recognized tribes, such as the Navajo Nation and the Cherokee Nation, have self-governing authority, and so have been able to implement mask mandates despite the statewide bans. Jason Dropik, board president of the National Indian Education Association and the head of the Indian community school in Wisconsin, said the majority of Native communities he had heard from in states with these bans have implemented mask mandates.
Other:
Reservation Dogs’ Counters Traditionalist Native American Narratives
YR Media, Erin Threlkeld, August 21
FX’s “Reservation Dogs,” breathes new life into the typical coming-of-age story with an often-overlooked point of view. The show is an offbeat comedy. It isn’t a saddening and sobering look at the consequences of the Removal and Reform Acts. The characters do face the universal angst of loss, family dysfunction and bullies but still, make the most of their lives while aspiring for the better. They are stuck between childhood and adulthood just as their people are stuck between rural land and run-down neighborhoods. The show isn’t about educating the audience on the various Indigenous tribes nor a sermon about the federal neglect shown to reservations. It is a commentary on the experiences of marginalized people who all want a part of the American dream and the self-preservation of a culture’s youth.
Colorado’s New Law Extends In-State Tuition To Native American Students From Other States.
Forbes, Michael Nietzel, September 1
The state of Colorado is providing Native students from out of state the opportunity to attend any of its public universities and colleges at the institution’s in-state tuition rate. Beginning with the 2021-22 academic year, Colorado’s public institutions of higher education shall adopt policies to offer in-state tuition to students who would not otherwise qualify for it if the student is a federally recognized member of a federally recognized American Indian tribe with historical ties to Colorado. According to the law, the benefit applies to any student who is a member of one of 48 American Indian tribes for which Colorado was the ancestral home. Because many individuals in these tribes were forced to move from Colorado, the new law seeks to rectify one adverse consequence of that history by providing them with resident tuition.
United Houma Nation Suffers Casualties from Hurricane Ida
Native News Online, Levi Rickert, August 31
The United Houma Nation reported major devastation suffered during Hurricane Ida on Sunday that included deaths and multiple injuries. Hurricane Ida, a Category 4 hurricane, hit land on Sunday with winds as high as 150-miles-per-hour. It is now being called one of the most powerful hurricanes to ever hit the U.S. mainland. For much of Sunday afternoon, Houma was in the eye of the hurricane. Many of the tribal citizens evacuated the area and awaited news about when it would be safe to return home. In some cases, it may be days before it will be declared safe to return home. Over a million residences and businesses were without electrical power, including all of the city of New Orleans.
Indians Of All Tribes Asks Interior Department To Establish A Indigenous Cultural Center On Alcatraz Island
Native News Online, Levi Rickert, August 31
Alcatraz Island has become a symbol to Native people. It is a symbol of both struggle and hope. The affinity Native people have with Alcatraz Island goes deep. For years, the island was home to a federal penitentiary there. After the prison closed in 1963, Native people began to petition the federal government to put it into “Indian land.” From November 1969 to July 1971, a group of Native people took over and occupied Alcatraz Island led by Richard Oakes (Mohawk), Mad Bear Anderson (Tuscarora), and Grace Thorpe (Sac and Fox), the daughter of Olympic great Jim Thorpe. The group was called the Alcatraz Red Power Movement and was also known as the “Indians of All Tribes.” Now Indians of All Tribes and others are asking the U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and the National Park Service to establish a cultural center on the island.
Severe Weather Warning Issued For Heavy Rainfall On Navajo Nation
Native News Online, August 31
The Navajo Nation Department of Emergency Management has issued a severe weather warning due to the forecast of heavy rainfall that is expected to begin on early Wednesday morning. Community Health Representatives, under the Navajo Department of Health, are also providing support and assistance for elderly residents and those with health conditions. The Navajo Division of Transportation will work as quickly as possible to clear roadways and repair roads in the event of more road washouts this week.
New Translation Of New Testament Aims At Native Americans
AP News, Emily McFarlan Miller, August 31
Terry Wildman, (Ojibwe/Yaqui) hopes the new bible translation published Tuesday (Aug. 31) by InterVarsity Press, “First Nations Version: An Indigenous Translation of the New Testament,” will help Christians and Indigenous peoples read it again in a fresh way. The idea for an Indigenous Bible translation first came to Terry Wildman nearly 20 years ago in the storeroom of the church he pastored on the Hopi Reservation in Arizona. Wildman was excited to find a Hopi translation of the New Testament in storage. He wanted to hear how that beloved Scripture sounded in Hopi, how it translated back into English. But, he said, while many Hopi elders still speak their native language and children now are learning it in schools, he couldn’t find anyone able to read it. That is true for many tribal nations, he added, noting that at the same time Christian missionaries were translating the Bible into Native languages, they were also working with the boarding schools in the United States and Canada that punished students for speaking those languages.