Happy Wednesday! Here’s a look at what’s happening today:
Are you a boujee Native?
The hit song by Snotty Nose Rez Kids has more than a million views on YouTube.
ICT’s Vincent Schilling recently talked to the group, which has hit top numbers on Spotify and YouTube, by combining heritage with unapologetic music lyrics.
Read more of Vincent’s interview here.
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‘Keystone XL is dead!’
The Keystone XL pipeline project is officially terminated, the sponsor company announced Wednesday.
Calgary-based TC Energy is pulling the plug on the project after Canadian officials failed to persuade President Joe Biden to reverse his cancellation of its permit on the day he took office. The pipeline would have extended from Alberta, Canada and across Montana and South Dakota to Nebraska.
Blackfeet boxing documentary wins Emmy
ESPN’s documentary on Blackfeet boxing won a sports Emmy.
“Blackfeet Boxing: Not Invisible” won best Short Sports Documentary. It was one of nine awards for ESPN.
The documentary profiled the tribe in Montana where residents are trained to protect themselves against the violence that disproportionately affects Native women.
The documentary is available to watch on ESPN+, its subscription service.
Governor signs bill to protect Alaska Native cemetery
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy signed legislation on Tuesday to protect the graves of 32 Unangax people sent to internment camps in southeast Alaska during World War II.
After the Japanese attacked a town and occupied two islands, the military removed and relocated people from Attu, St. Paul and St. George in the Aleutian and Pribilof islands. They were put in abandoned canneries, where the lack of heat and potable water and inadequate food led to malnutrition and disease. The young and elderly died by the dozens. The law expands a marine park to include and protect the cemetery.
(Previous: Haunted by World War II internment)
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Man sentenced for illegal bear killing on tribal land
A Brainerd, Minnesota man will serve 15 months in prison, and will need to pay a $9,500 fine for trespassing, killing and removing the head of a bear on the Red Lake Nation.
Brett James Stimac, 39, was sentenced on Wednesday in federal court.
Stimac “willfully, knowingly and without authorization or permission” trespassed in September 2019, according to a Justice Department news release. Stimac killed a 700-pound black bear and removed its head before posting a picture on social media, according to the release.
The tribe does not permit non-Natives to hunt bear, one of seven clan animals of the Band, due to the bear’s cultural and spiritual importance.
To read more, click here.
Secretary Haaland celebrates Native graduates
The Interior Department released a 30-minute congratulatory video Wednesday to celebrate 2021 Native graduates across Indian Country.
The segment included a speech from Secretary Deb Haaland who highlighted the importance of education.
“I want to challenge each of you to use your education to build a better world for those who will come after you,” Haaland, Laguna Pueblo, said to graduates.
The video also features an opening prayer by Tina Abrams, Seneca Nation; a poem recited by U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo, Muscogee Nation; and an honor song from various artists.
From social media:
The latest:
- Petroglyph vandalism is not a victimless crime: Indigenous archaeologists say more protective measures and education are needed to prevent future vandalism.
- Protesters maintain blockade at oil pipeline site: Organizers of a blockade estimate some 150 protesters have been arrested as they fight Enbridge Energy’s push to replace an aging oil pipeline across northern Minnesota.
- Broken system can’t keep track of Native deaths:From medical health privacy laws to a maze of siloed information systems, it’s impossible to get a true accounting of COVID-19’s impact on Indian Country.
- Nominee for public lands boss faces opposition: One vote either way will decide if Tracy Stone-Manning will serve under Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.
- Watch: Indigenous arts and culture leader retires: We’ll hear from the man who opened the National Museum of the American Indian.
What we’re reading:
- First Native American owned hemp company in Wisconsin launches.
- What happens when the Colorado River runs dry?
- New research shows Māori Traveled to Antarctica at least 1,000 years before Europeans
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. Email dwalker@indiancountrytoday.com.
