Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced new federal protections for the sacred site called Chaco Canyon in early June. The UNESCO world heritage site, located in New Mexico near the four-corners area, is a sacred place to many pueblos and the Navajo Nation. For the next 20 years, the government will not allow any new oil and gas leases on federal lands around a 10 mile buffer zone of the park. ICT’s Aliyah Chavez was there.

Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren weighed in on the protest a few days after the blockade at Chaco Canyon. He mentioned both the action and withdrawal.

An Anishinaabe artist, storyteller, and knowledge keeper is making changes in the museum space. Hillary Kempenich is a leader in the creation of a Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics museum. She was recently awarded the Bush Foundation Fellowship.

  • The purpose of the Indian Child Welfare Act is to keep Native American children with Native American families. We start our newscast in Oklahoma with the story of Casen and Bria Tur, whose family is celebrating a recent ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court.
  • Lawmakers in Maine are backing a proposal to re-add language about the state’s obligation to tribal nations. Legislators say the state’s printed version of the Constitution should also have its responsibility to tribes. Last week, lawmakers voted to advance the proposal, which restores the state’s requirement to honor treaties.
  • An Indigenous military veteran, state senator and advocate for education has died. Tulalip citizen John McCoy served in the United States Air Force from 1961 to 1981 and helped evolve his community into an economic powerhouse. He was elected to the Washington state’s House of Representatives in 2003 until he took a State Senate seat in 2013.
  • Zach Whitecloud is joining a handful of amazing Indigenous athletes who competed on hockey’s biggest stage. Whitecloud, who is from the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation in Manitoba, played a key role in the Vegas Golden Knights’ Stanley Cup win.
  • A new social media challenge is seeing mermen surface from First Nations in Canada. Native mermen from across Manitoba have been washing up on Facebook timelines in recent weeks. The men in the portraits say the latest trend is Indigenous humor at its finest. They have been popping up in social media posts following the recent release of “The Little Mermaid.”

Today’s newscast was created with work from:

Shirley Sneve, Ponca/Sicangu Lakota, is vice president of broadcasting for the ICT Newscast. Follow her on Twitter @rosebudshirley. She is based in Nebraska and Minnesota.

Aliyah Chavez, Kewa Pueblo, is the anchor of the ICT Newscast. On Twitter: @aliyahjchavez.

R. Vincent Moniz, Jr., NuÉta, is the senior producer of the ICT Newscast. Have a great story? Pitch it to vincent@ictnews.org.

McKenzie Allen-Charmley, Dena’ina Athabascan, is a producer of the ICT Newscast. On Instagram: @mallencharmley.

Paris Wise, Zia and Laguna Pueblo, is a producer for the ICT Newscast. Instagram and Twitter: @parisiswise. Email: paris@ictnews.org.

Drea Yazzie, Diné, is a producer and editor for the ICT Newscast. On Twitter: @quindreayazzie. Yazzie is based in Phoenix.

Pacey Smith Garcia, Ute, is a production assistant for the ICT newscast. On Twitter: @paceyjournalist.

Daniel Herrera Carbajal is an intern for the ICT Newscast. On Twitter: @daniulherrrera

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