Good Morning, NUNAverse,
Last week, 36 year old Buu Nygren was sworn in to serve a four year term as the President of the Navajo Nation, making him the youngest President ever for the Navajo Nation. In his inaugural address, Nygren thanked outgoing President Jonathan Nez for serving the Navajo Nation during the COVID-19 pandemic, which afflicted over 80,000 Navajo citizens and caused the death of almost 2,000.
The United States Department of the Interior has replaced a derogatory term for Indigenous women used for centuries in five areas across the country. The Board on Geographic Names (BGN) voted on replacement names to remove the word sq— from locations in California, North Dakota, Tennessee, and Texas, the department announced.
A new report released last week shows that Native people are incarcerated at rates up to seven times higher than White people in the United States. The report, “Over-incarceration of Native Americans: Roots, Inequities, and Solutions” was released through the MacArthur Foundation and highlights the alarming incarceration disparities can be based on race and ethnicity.
Keep reading for a full news update.
Politics:
Tribal Chairman Calls For Collaboration In South Dakota
South Dakota Searchlight, Joshua Haiar, January 12
Navajo Nation Swears In Historic President, Vice President
Indian Country Today, Kalle Benallie, January 10
Buu Nygren, Youngest Navajo Nation President Ever, Inaugurated
Native News Online, Levi Rickert, January 10
Tom Cole Is The 1st Native American To Chair House Rules Committee
Native News Online, January 10
Law:
Five Locations Throughout The US Have Been Renamed To Remove A Derogatory Term For Indigenous Women
CNN, Alaa Elassar, January 16
US Renames Five Places That Used Racist Slur For Native Americans
BBC, Madeline Halpert, January 14
Calls For Congress To Fund Law Enforcement On Tribal Land
Daily Montanan, Blair Miller, January 14
Hawaii Stops Prosecuting Elders Who Protested Telescope
AP News, Audrey McAvoy, January 10
Natives Incarcerated At Alarming Rates, Report Shows
Indian Country Today, Kolby KickingWoman, January 10
Native Americans Are Incarcerated At The Highest Rate, New Report Reveals
Native News Online, January 10
Other:
Five Indigenous Mushers Set To Compete In 2023 Iditarod Despite Rising Costs
Indian Country Today, Richard Arlin Walker, January 13
Group Fired For Nonsensical Alaska Native Translations
AP News, Mark Thiessen, January 13
Tribal Leaders Stress Education, Water Issues In Colorado
Colorado Newsline, Chase Woodruff, January 12
Pelosi Helped SF Urban Indian Development Net $750k In Federal Funding
Native News Online, January 11
OSU Awarded $335k In Native American Agriculture Fund Grants
Native News Online, Chez Oxedine, January 11
Nominations For 2023 Native American 40 Under 40 Awards Now Open
Native News Online, January 10
The Biggest Museums In The U.S. Fail To Return Native American Remains
Anchorage Daily News, Logan Jaffe, January 13
UK One Of Largest Holders Of Native American Remains That Haven’t Been Returned To Tribes
Lexington Herald Leader, Monica Cast, January 13
LSU To Make 121 Native American Skeletal Remains Available For Return To Tribes By End Of 2023
LSU Reveille, Josh Archote, January 12
Ancient DNA Charts Native Americans’ Journeys To Asia Thousands Of Years Ago
Smithsonian Magazine, Brian Handwerk, January 12