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When two aunties visit parents in need, there is no scolding, shame or surveillance. Instead, they set themselves to the immediate tasks at hand on these southern California reservations — at times simply pitching in to fold a pile of laundry, or patting a baby to sleep with Kumeyaay lullabies.
Then there are the variety of lessons with mom and dad to nurture safe parenting that fold in traditional Indigenous teachings. Establishing family routines and healthy diets are taught alongside lessons in burning sage for cleansing, growing herbal medicines in a family’s backyard, and making basic introductions in a child’s Native language.
“As a home-based program, if both of the aunties come in, it’s not necessarily a reprimand,” said auntie Elizabeth “Lizzie” Lycett. “It’s, Let me take care of the child over here, so you can have your class.’”
Since its formal inception in 2019, My Two Aunties has assisted hundreds of Indigenous families in California’s San Diego, Imperial and Riverside counties. From its base on the Rincon Indian Reservation, the small program with a staff of three is among the many ongoing efforts in Indian Country to keep children out of foster care and ensure Indigenous families remain safe and intact. READ MORE — The Imprint
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The bill, which passed both the state House and Senate last week, would ban the use of Native American mascots and nicknames for public schools in the state. The bill would go into effect in July.
If the bill is successful, Minnesota would be the ninth state to enact a legal ban on this issue.
It is a battle that goes back to the 1960s. There are at least seven schools in the state that use Native American mascots.
The legislation is now awaiting a signature from Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
It is not immediately clear what the stance of the state’s lieutenant governor and White Earth Ojibwe citizen Peggy Flanagan is. — ICT Newscast with Aliyah Chavez
Around the world: UN panel cites Vietnam for oppression, tough new law would crack down on Aboriginal site destruction, the Guarani community in Brazil revives native bees and a Canadian university helps students take action against climate change using Indigenous knowledge
VIETNAM: UN cites violations against Khmer Krom minority
A panel of United Nations experts has accused the Vietnamese government of systematic oppression of the Khmer Krom people, citing violations of freedom of expression, association, religion, cultural and linguistic rights, and land use, Radio Free Asia reported on May 17.
The panel of seven special U.N. rapporteurs has also expressed concerns about the alleged denial of the Khmer Krom’s rights to self-determination as an Indigenous people
The Khmer Krom live in the culturally diverse Mekong Delta, which historically was a Cambodian region but which is now part of Vietnam. READ MORE — Deusdedit Ruhangariyo, Special to ICT
BOGOTÁ, Colombia — Colombians were on edge Friday as authorities searched for four Indigenous children who were on a small plane that crashed in the Amazon jungle this month but have not been found. The three adults aboard died.
The crash happened in the early hours of May 1 when the Cessna single-engine propeller plane with six passengers and a pilot declared an emergency due to an engine failure. The small aircraft fell off radar a short time later and a frantic search for survivors began.
Colombian troops found the wreckage Tuesday along with the bodies of the pilot, a guide and the children’s mother. But there was no sign of the youngsters.
The children, members of the Uitoto Indigenous community, were identified as Lesly Jacobombaire Mucutuy, 13; Soleiny Jacobombaire Mucutuy, 9; Tien Noriel Ronoque Mucutuy, 4; and Cristin Neriman Ranoque Mucutuy, 11 months. READ MORE — Associated Press
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The series “America’s Hidden Stories” on the Smithsonian Channel is on its third season. It shares secrets from buried stories in our nation’s history. On Monday, May 29, it will dive into the unsolved murders of the Osage people in the 1920s. The executive producer is Anna Davies. The program director for the White Hair Memorial Osage Learning Center is Tara Damron.
On Monday, Western states reached what’s being called a historic agreement to save the Colorado River. It provides drinking water for 40 million people across seven states and at least 30 tribal nations. ICT regular contributor John Tahsuda joins us once again with more.
Nika Bartoo-Smith is a reporter for Underscore News and ICT. Her reporting largely covers the Pacific Northwest where she’s based out of Portland. She recently filed a story called “A journey of healing,” about the mental health services in Washington state.
JUNEAU, Alaska — Alaska’s push to become a bigger player in the clean energy market is in the spotlight this week at a conference convened by its Republican governor, even as the state continues to embrace new fossil fuel production, including the controversial Willow oil project on the petroleum-rich North Slope.
At the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference in Anchorage on Tuesday, Gov. Mike Dunleavy signed a measure he successfully pushed through the legislature that would allow the oil-reliant state to cash in on the sale of so-called carbon credits to companies looking to offset their carbon emissions. Projects could include credits for improving a forest’s health through thinning or by allowing trees to grow bigger, thereby increasing a forest’s potential to hold carbon.
“This bill is going to allow us now to have conversations worldwide with individuals involved in the carbon market. Just like oil, just like gas, just like our timber, this is a commodity that can be monetized now,” he said.
Lawmakers cast the bill as allowing Alaska to have the best of both worlds — continuing to permit oil drilling, mining and timber activities while also stepping into the potentially lucrative market for sequestering carbon dioxide. But some watching Alaska’s foray into this sector wonder if the program will gain traction as Dunleavy and lawmakers have said the aim isn’t restricting emissions but generating a new revenue stream. READ MORE — Associated Press
- ‘Defending my life isn’t a crime’: Mexico prosecutors withdraw case against Indigenous woman sentenced to prison for killing man raping her. Nearly half of Mexican women have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime, government data say
- ‘This is the bare minimum’: Tucson, Arizona is the first city in the US to create a task force to explore the crisis of violence against Indigenous women
- Black Belt Eagle Scout: ‘Note-shredding guitar hero’: Indigenous musician Katherine Paul is captivating audiences on tour for new album
- Tina Turner, Magnetic Singer of Explosive Power, Is Dead at 83
- America’s farthest-north state representative is planning to leave the Alaska Capitol
- Tips for parents and teens on social media use
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