May the 4th be with you! Here’s a look at what’s happening Tuesday:
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So how do we celebrate May 4 in Indian Country? Simple…pretty much like everyone else.
ICT’s Vincent Schilling walks us through the new Star Wars projects in the works, including the untitled Taika Waititi Star Wars film.
Details on how to watch the Navajo version of a Star Wars movie can be found here here.
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Disaster declaration issued for Mississippi winter storms
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — President Joe Biden issued a disaster declaration for Mississippi for winter storms that struck in February. The storms left much of Mississippi coated by ice and snow.
A White House news release said federal money is available to state, tribal and eligible local governments and some private nonprofit organizations. Those entities must also pay part of the cost for emergency work and repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the Feb. 11-19 storms.
The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians is covered by the disaster declaration.
‘Journey of the Freckled Indian’
When Alyssa London, Tlingit, was growing up, she didn’t meet her peers’ expectations of what an Indigenous person would look like.
The future Miss Alaska USA grew up in a suburb of Seattle, Washington, some 1,100 miles from her Tlingit homeland. She has freckles, brown hair, hazel eyes and, through her mother, Czech and Norwegian ancestry.
“The average American believes a Native American person looks like how Hollywood portrays us, which is the perception of the Indian with the feather and the dark, olive skin,” London said. “There’s one narrative, one depiction of what a Native person is that is prevalent in our society.”
Measured against that narrative, London said, she is considered “white passing.”
To read more about Alyssa, click here.
Massachusetts high school to retire Tomahawks mascot
NORTHBORO, Mass. (AP) — A Massachusetts high school has announced plans to retire its Tomahawks mascot.
The Northboro-Southboro Regional School Committee voted unanimously Wednesday night to accept the recommendation of a previously formed study group to retire the Algonquin Regional High School mascot, the Milford Daily News reported.
The school’s mascot has been the subject of controversy since the school’s inception in 1959. Nearly a year ago, a petition called for the mascot to be retired, citing offensive and harmful cultural appropriation. Over 5,000 people signed the online petition.
To read more, click here.
MMIWG awareness day is Wednesday
May 5 is recognized as the day to bring awareness to the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women.
Here is a list of 2021 events happening for National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls.
From social media:
The latest:
- Tribal casinos hit by economic brunt: The impact the virus is having on casinos and the communities they fund.
- Oil pipeline disputes raise tensions:Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ordered Enbridge to shut down its Line 5 — a key piece of a delivery network carrying crude oil from Alberta’s oil fields to refineries in the US and Canada.
- Bringing beavers back to the Beaver State:Oregon tribes are reintroducing a species that creates important habitat for First Foods.
- Mexico marks end of last Indigenous revolt with apology:‘For centuries, these people have suffered exploitation and abuse’
- Watch: Staying prepared for wildfire season:We’ll hear from one chairman about how his tribe is preparing for fire season.
What we’re reading:
- Anishinaabe youth crafts his own woodworking business to save for university
- Cherokee Nation announces ‘Remember the Removal’bike ride participants
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
