Credit: Award-winning actress, musician and playwright Andrea Menard, left, performs with musical director Robert Walsh and musician Karen Shepherd in her new musical, “Rubaboo.” The show, named after a Métis stew made with leftover vegetables and meat, held its world premiere at the Grand Theatre in London, Ontario, on March 7, 2023, before launching a nationwide tour across Canada. Menard, Métis, wrote the play and co-wrote the music with Walsh. (Photo by Dahlia Katz, courtesy of Grand Theatre)

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It was a good night for a rubaboo.

The calendar said spring had arrived earlier in the week but cold winter winds were blowing off Lake Huron with a warning for freezing rain and possible snow overnight. Inside the venerable Grand Theatre in London, Ontario, however, the fire soon would be lit and the music, dance, song and story of Andrea Menard’s new play, “Rubaboo,” would be served up warm and full of flavor.

“Rubaboo” is a show that only Menard, Métis Nation, could have written and performed. She’s an award-winning actor, singer, songwriter, playwright and performer with dozens of film and television credits, and the show takes full advantage of her many talents, from her powerful vocal skills to the light-footed steps in her Red River jig. READ MORE. — Miles Morrisseau, ICT

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A treaty between the United States government and the Ojibwe signed in Washington, D.C., nearly 170 years ago will be the main focus of a new museum set to open this summer in Park Rapids, Minnesota.

But far from being a history museum, the organizers behind Giiwedinong: The Museum and Cultural Center of the North say it will teach Minnesotans, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, about the rights guaranteed to tribal members today, starting with those established in the 1855 Treaty which applies to land that includes Park Rapids.

The museum was co-founded by Winona LaDuke, who recently stepped down as the executive director of the nonprofit Honor the Earth following a sexual harassment lawsuit against the organization. READ MORE. — Minnesota Reformer

The New Mexico Court of Appeals has upheld the rape and voyeurism convictions of Native American actor and film producer Redwolf Pope.

A jury in 2020 found Pope guilty of taking photos and video of himself sexually assaulting a Seattle woman in a Santa Fe hotel room in 2017. The jurors acquitted Pope of kidnapping, which was the most serious charge against him and carried up to an 18-year prison sentence.

According to evidence presented at trial, the woman Pope was convicted of raping had asked him to give her a ride home from a party.

In an appeal filed in 2021, attorneys for Pope argued that his convictions should be overturned because the District Court had erred by not granting him a change of venue.

They also said the evidence didn’t support the convictions and the convictions violated double jeopardy rules, which prohibit defendants from being punished more than once for the same act. A panel of three Court of Appeals judges rejected each of the arguments. — Associated Press

‍The Food Sovereignty Project tells stories about traditional Indigenous knowledge and practices that honor and strengthen the relationship to the plants and animals that sustain all of us. The seven-story project was co-managed by Nicole Charley and Jackleen de La Harpe for Underscore News with generous support from The Roundhouse Foundation.

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On the Monday edition of the ICT Newscast, we continue our #RES2023 coverage with Freddie Bitsoie, a Navajo chef and anthropologist. One of Wisconsin’s most influential Indigenous leaders talks education. Long-time political advocate Dick Trudell shares optimism on what could be around the corner for Native communities.

Watch:

When Warm Springs Elder Alice Sampson goes out to the fields to dig roots for the annual Root Feast, she is careful to manage her energy. She prays and sings songs with intention, keeping herself positive.

Like many Native ceremonial leaders, she believes that the energy you create goes into the food that is harvested, cooked and eaten, and then it spreads out into the community. As a traditional food gatherer and leader in her community, Sampson knows that it is her responsibility to keep her body and heart healthy to take care of her people.

“We are supposed to do everything in a good way,” says Sampson, who grew up on the reservation, chopping wood, carrying water and swimming in the water trough that her family’s horses drank from.

Sampson, Warm Springs and Wasco, was raised by her grandparents, who were deeply involved in various tribal ceremonies. Her grandmother put her in line to be a food gatherer when Sampson was 12 years old. READ MORE.— Underscore News

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