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The first Native American woman in space ventured out on a spacewalk Friday to prep the International Space Station for more solar panels.

NASA astronaut Nicole Mann emerged alongside Japan’s Koichi Wakata, lugging an equipment bag. Their job was to install support struts and brackets for new solar panels launching this summer, part of a continuing effort by NASA to expand the space station’s power grid.

Mann, a Marine colonel and test pilot, rocketed into orbit last fall with SpaceX, becoming the first Native American woman in space. She is a member of the Wailacki of the Round Valley Indian Tribes in Northern California.

(Previous: Nicole Mann: Continuing the legacy of carrying hopes, dreams)

Wakata, Japan’s spaceflight leader with five missions, also flew up on SpaceX. He helped build the station during the shuttle era.

Friday was the first spacewalk for both. The pair will depart the space station in another month or so. — Associated Press

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Former students of a boarding school system operated by the federal government shared their experiences, trauma and resilience in remarks to officials from the U.S. Department of the Interior on Friday in Arizona.

The former students, citizens of tribes from across Arizona, directed their comments to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, Laguna Pueblo, in Komatke, a community south of Phoenix on the Gila River Indian Community.

What they experienced – from good times with friends to the harsh reality of abuse – is what Haaland wanted to hear.

“I will listen. I will grieve with you. I will weep alongside you and I will feel the pain that you feel,” Haaland said in her opening remarks in her latest Road to Healing tour stop. READ MORE. — Noel Lyn Smith, ICT

The sun shined brightly through the large glass-paned windows at the Gila Crossing Community School, where federal Indian boarding school survivors and their descendants sat to listen and speak about their experiences.

Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland mentioned how it was the first time it’s been present during the Interior Department’s Road to Healing tour and how important it is symbolically for Indigenous people.

Stories were shared that sounded similar to those in the other tour stops. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, Laguna Pueblo, was here to listen.

Pamela Lucero, Gila River, said Haaland’s visit is an honor.

“It’s almost like her being in office opened up something new for all Indigenous people,” she said. READ MORE. — Kalle Benallie, ICT

Imagine putting on a virtual reality headset and entering a world where you can explore communities, like Missoula, except your character, and everyone you interact with, speaks Salish, Cheyenne or Blackfoot.

Imagine having a device like Amazon’s Alexa that understands and speaks exclusively in Indigenous languages.

Or imagine a digital language playground in Facebook’s Metaverse, where programmers create interactive games to enhance Indigenous language learning.

Michael Running Wolf, a Northern Cheyenne man who is earning his Ph.D. in computer science, wants to make these dreams a reality.

Running Wolf grew up in Birney, Montana, a town with a population of 150 just south of the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. He spent most of his childhood living without electricity. READ MORE.— Missoulian

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Education programs run by tribes in New Mexico rely in part on money from the state, but accessing those dollars makes it difficult to complete all of the work they envision.

Tribal leaders and advocates have long lobbied for a change. This year they want to make it happen.

Each year, tribes can apply for grants, and if their applications are approved, they must spend the money first and then submit documentation to the state for reimbursement.

On paper, it sounds straightforward. But in reality, sometimes tribes can’t spend down all the money by an artificial deadline. In fiscal year 2020-2021, 22 tribes received grants under the Indian Education Act but only two requested reimbursement for the full amount they were awarded. READ MORE. — New Mexico In Depth

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