The Wrap: In memory of Native comic artist Jeffrey Veregge

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Beloved comic artist Jeffrey Veregge, from the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, passed on last Friday at the age of 50.

His wife, Christina Veregge shared on Facebook that he passed that morning unexpectedly from a heart attack, while in the hospital battling lupus. Well known for his work with Marvel, crafting breathtaking comic art with a Native twist, Veregge called himself the #NDNGeek.

“For 1025 days, he fought lupus like the superhero we knew him to be,” she wrote. “The strength, faith, determination and courage he showed while being in the hospital for a total of 925 days was an inspiration to us all. He fought so hard for his family and his 3 children, who were his absolute pride and joy. He will be missed more than words can express. This world was a better place because of him.”

A career in comics

From a young age, Veregge spent countless hours drawing and reading comics. He shared those experiences and lessons learned in an advice piece for Native artists everywhere published in ICT.

“The following are tips, advice from a guy who has spent 4 decades getting to where he wanted to be,” Veregge wrote in the article first published in 2016. “I am someone who has stumbled, who has failed and who has doubted himself in spite of his achievements. But it was a result of these roadblocks that made me [a] better artist and allows me to be the comic artist I am today.” READ MORE. — Nika Bartoo-Smith, ICT

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the governing Liberal party released Canada’s 2024 federal budget on Tuesday, April 16, under the title “Fairness for Every Generation,” including a $2.4 billion investment in Artificial Intelligence and $1 billion toward the launch of a national school food program.

The budget, announced in the House of Commons by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland, received a mixed response from Canada’s three national Indigenous organizations – the Assembly of First Nations, the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and the Métis National Council.

The biggest line items in this year’s budget for Indigenous peoples were nearly $2 billion in health funding and $1.8 billion to support Indigenous communities’ efforts to reduce the number of children in foster care.

Other notable investments include more than $240 million toward post-secondary education for First Nations, Inuit and Métis students. This is on top of the $487.5 million over 10 years invested in Inuit and Métis post-secondary education strategies in the 2019 budget.

The budget also includes a significant investment in Indigenous languages and culture, including more than $290 million toward Indigenous-led efforts to reclaim, revitalize, and strengthen Indigenous cultures and languages.

In addressing some of the realities of the changing climate, the budget also includes investments in response to climate change emergencies and food security, adding another $175 million for First Nations Emergency Management and Preparedness to combat increasingly frequent climate disasters, particularly wildfires, in addition to $260 million provided in the government’s 2023 Fall Economic Statement.

Food security was addressed with $124 million to support Nutrition North Canada and the Inuit Nunangat Food Security Strategy, which prioritizes local food production and community food programs. The budget also includes $40 million to support access to traditional foods and help eradicate food insecurity.

Another $388 million is budgeted to support Indigenous entrepreneurship and tourism, to unlock new clean energy opportunities and to support the Strategic Partnerships Initiative, a national strategy that provides a way for federal partners to coordinate their efforts, reduce administrative burden and pool resources in support of Indigenous communities.

Funding ‘not fair’

The Assembly of First Nations held a press conference in Ottawa on Wednesday, April 17, the day after release of the budget, with regional and community chiefs joining National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak to talk about the funding.

“We welcome and appreciate new investments proposed for First Nations health, children, education, and for the new business loan guarantees program for large projects,” Woodhouse Nepinak said. “However, analyzing the budget proposals for housing, policing, roads, and water fall far short of closing the long-standing infrastructure gaps that create so many difficulties for First Nations people.” READ MORE. — Miles Morrisseau, ICT

Adam Becenti, Diné, former tribal affairs director for Oregon Department of Human Services, will step into the role of Tribal Relations Program manager, ending a five-month vacancy, according to a Friday morning announcement from the City of Portland’s Office of Government Relations.

“I feel like this role is me just giving back and holding true to my commitment to my community,” Becenti said in an interview with Underscore + ICT. “One of the most exciting things about this [role] is to be able to create awareness and bring visibility for Native people, for tribes and for the urban Indian community.”

Becenti’s maternal clan is Tsi’naa jinii, Black Streak Wood People, and his paternal clan the Tsé Nahabiłnii, Sleep Rock People. He grew up in Gallup, New Mexico and moved to Portland eleven years ago. An active community member, Becenti is often spotted at events around Portland. From presenting at ATNI conferences to attending the inaugural Native and Indigenous bike ride and the Native American Heritage Month Portland Trail Blazers game,

Becenti shows up for his community.

He has held multiple roles serving the Native community in the city and beyond. Most recently, he worked for five years as tribal affairs director at the Oregon Department of Human Services. Before that, Becenti served as the community engagement specialist at the National Indian Child Welfare Association for just over three years.

Becenti attended the University of Colorado Boulder for his undergraduate education, earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology and ethnic studies. In 2013, he earned a master’s in public policy at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor, before making his way to the Pacific Northwest.

Through government-to-government engagement with Native nations across Oregon and relationships with the urban Native community in Portland, the tribal relations program aims to promote culturally grounded work to improve programs and services for Native people living in Portland, according to the city’s website.

“As tribal relations program manager, Becenti will develop a strategic vision for the city’s work with sovereign tribes and Portland’s urban American Indian and Alaska Native communities, facilitate government-to-government relations, and inform programs, policies and decision-making to create a welcoming and inclusive city,” according to a press release. READ MORE. — Nika Bartoo-Smith, ICT

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TULSA, Okla. — In a year in which “Killers of the Flower Moon” created buzz for the Osage Nation, the tribe’s chief said food sustainability is “No. 1 on the list” of its economic development efforts.

Osage Nation Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear spoke Thursday, April 18, during the first State of Tribal Nations event hosted by the Tulsa Regional Chamber.

“We have 2,000 head of cattle … nearly 300 bison, greenhouses, and we are doing our best to be prepared for anything that is coming in the future,” he said.

The event at the Renaissance Tulsa Hotel and Convention Center also brought the Cherokee Nation chief and representatives of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.

“(Oklahoma) tribes have gotten into industries I never thought we would be able to. I mean, the gentleman to my right,” said Cherokee Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., gesturing to Standing Bear, “refers to Martin Scorsese as ‘Marty’ and Leonardo DiCaprio as ‘Leo.’”

Scorsese, director of “Killers of the Flower Moon,” bringing the film production to Oklahoma resulted in a nearly $40 million economic impact for Bartlesville and Pawhuska in the heart of the Osage Nation.

Standing Bear said that since he was first elected in 1990 as the assistant principal chief, the Osage Nation saw many opportunities for economic development but “have not been able to capitalize on all of them.”

The tribe has put efforts into health, food provision, scholarship programs, education and “recently have been concentrating on Career Tech,” Standing Bear said. The Osage Nation is looking to the Tulsa Chamber to facilitate better business partnerships in the area, he said, and Hoskin agreed.

Hoskin said the greatest economic development for the Cherokee Nation has been health care.

“What we want is a world-class system of wellness,” he said, adding the government in the past was “short-changing our people” when it came to health care. READ MORE. — Felix Clary, ICT