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The Cultural Connections summer youth camp at the Neihardt Center seemed like any other camp on a late June morning.
Native girls and boys from elementary to high school were hustling and bustling with activities from Indigenous games to arrow-making to listening to a presenter talk about the parts and uses of a buffalo.
When lunch time arrived, the campers gathered outside to Native foods and learn more from the towering Indigenous chef wearing traditional clothing, including a gustoweh on his head.
It’s one of the things chef Anthony L. Warrior loves to do — to educate and promote Native American food revitalization and traditional food ways with Native communities. READ MORE. — Dan Ninham, Special to ICT
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Earl Barlow lived a life of service.
From the military to school districts across Montana to the Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan administrations, Barlow, Blackfeet, worked throughout his life to enhance Indian education and further Native rights.
Barlow died on July 26, 2023.
Education was at the forefront from a young age for Barlow, who was the valedictorian of his 1944 graduating class at Browning High School at the age of 16. On his 17th birthday, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in the Specialized Training Reserve Program. READ MORE.— Kolby KickingWoman, ICT
Rachael Lorenzo calls it their “auntie laugh,” a powerful chuckle that lasts long and fills any space. Aunties are prominent figures in Indigenous culture who offer comfort when one needs help.
Aunties answer the phone when no one else does.
That’s what Lorenzo, who is Mescalero Apache, Laguna and Xicana, does as founder of Indigenous Women Rising, a national fund that covers the costs of abortions – and the traditional ceremonies that follow – for Indigenous people.
Since the reversal of Roe v. Wade a year ago, demand for the organization’s services has skyrocketed. The group funded 37 abortions in 2019, 600 in 2022 and over 300 in the first six months of this year. From January to June, it’s spent more to help people than in all of 2022. READ MORE. — News21
Gamblers lost at least $415 million at the Forest County Potawatomi casino in Milwaukee over the last fiscal year, about 1.7 percent more than they lost the previous year.
Wisconsin tribes’ casino revenue is confidential, but the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel was able to calculate the figures, since the Potawatomi pay the city and county of Milwaukee 1.5 percent of its net win. The tribe paid about $5.9 million to each government entity for the year that ended June 30. That compares with $4.4 million to each entity in 2021.
The net win doesn’t include revenue generated by the casino’s restaurants, concerts and hotel. The tribe also is required to pay the state $20 million as part of its gaming compact.
The Potawatomi are preparing to deal with competing casinos opening in downtown Chicago; Waukegan, Illinois; and Beloit. The tribe last year announced plans for a $100 million renovation that includes adding 1,800 slot machines, a new bar and a new restaurant and room for high-limit gamblers with a craft bar, a kitchen featuring a brick oven, and a stage for live performances.
The country’s 519 Indian casinos raked in $40.9 billion in their last fiscal year, according to the National Indian Gaming Commission, a 4.9 percent increase over the previous year’s total of $39 billion. — Associated Press
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On the Monday edition of the ICT Newscast, the president of the American Bar Association speaks to ICT about her history-making role. An Indigenous man is working on his own sobriety while trying to help others. An update on forest fires in the west from our reporter in Montana.
Watch:
At 24 years old, Stella Standingbear is already making waves in the Indigenous music scene. She took home two awards from the Indigenous Hip Hop Awards, best female hip hop artist and best music video for “Home Runs.” She also was nominated for best collaboration on her song “Blessings” with DestroyKasmin.
“It was surreal to be recognized, especially to be the only artist recognized in three categories,” Standingbear said. “It just kind of hit me for a second that I’m creating history, being the first Lakota to win these two awards. It’s a surreal feeling, it’s truly a blessing. I’m honored.”
Music has been a major factor in Standingbear’s life. READ MORE. — Amelia Schafer, ICT + Journal Staff
- Native ‘hempsters’ follow cooperative consortium example: Organizers aim to create foundation for generational wealth.
- Indigenous language interpreters unite to fill gaps: Indigenous language interpreters are forming collectives to meet the needs of federal immigration courts or detention centers and health care providers.
- A tribal school’s fight to save its water: A Leech Lake school in Minnesota isn’t alone in its battle against contaminated water.
- Alaska agency publishes MMIP report: Advocates call the quarterly report ‘a step in the right direction.’
- Threads through time: finger weaving: Crafting technique practiced by Cherokee weavers adapting and evolving.
- Santa Fe International Film Festival to honor ‘Reservation Dogs’ co-creator Sterlin Harjo.
- An Ojibwe leader honors water by leading a walk around Lake Superior.
- Mankato city park renamed in Dakota language to ‘Mni Wašté Park.’
We want your tips, but we also want your feedback. What should we be covering that we’re not? What are we getting wrong? Please let us know. dalton@ictnews.org.
