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Each day we do our best to gather the latest news for you.
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At the end of a week-long paddle, the Lee-Choe-Eese Canoe Family, from Quinault Indian Nation, arrived at the homelands of the Puyallup Tribe of Indians. One of the youngest paddlers on board, KaLeah, shared a song with those on shore. She sang from the depths of her throat, holding the microphone down by her knees due to the power behind her voice.
As the last melodies of her song bounced off the cargo ships nearby and echoed across the water, Albert Ortivez-Hicks took the microphone and asked permission to come ashore. He first introduced himself in Quinault before asking permission to land, saying those aboard the canoe were tired and hungry and wanted to share their songs and dance.
Introducing each canoe family in their traditional language when asking to come ashore is an important part of protocol.
“Our young people today will never have to say I’ve never heard my language spoken, which I can say at age 70. My parents never spoke our language. My grandparents never spoke our language,” said Connie McCloud, Puyallup, Heritage Division manager for the Puyallup Tribe of Indians and canoe family captain. “Now, all our young people will have the opportunity to hear our language.” READ MORE. — Nika Bartoo-Smith, Underscore Native News + ICT
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A suspect is in custody after the sounds of gunfire rocked a South Dakota powwow Friday night.
The Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety issued a statement on Facebook saying the shooting occurred during a confrontation between several males that took place at the annual Oglala Nation Wacipi and Fair in Pine Ridge, South Dakota.
“On August 2, 2024, at about 10:20 PM, a confrontation between several males took place at the pow wow grounds in Pine Ridge. During the altercation, a 57-year-old male was shot multiple times. The suspect fled the scene on foot but was later apprehended while attempting to leave the area in a vehicle. The victim was transported to the Pine Ridge emergency room and subsequently airlifted to Monument Health in Rapid City for further treatment. The incident is still under investigation, and there is no danger to the public at this time.”
Tribal police, powwow security officers and ambulance personnel responded to the shooting, and the powwow was ended following the shooting, according to the Oglala Sioux Tribe. READ MORE. — Kevin Abourezk and Amelia Schafer, ICT + Rapid City Journal
The marijuana retailer owned by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians on western North Carolina tribal lands announced Thursday that it will begin selling cannabis products to anyone age 21 or over next month.
Great Smoky Cannabis Co. revealed the 10 a.m. Sept. 7 start date on social media. The outlet already started July 4 to sell in-store or drive-thru the products for recreational use to adults enrolled in the tribe or in any other federally recognized tribe. And it had just opened its doors in April initially medical marijuana purchases for adults.
But plans were already being developed to offer products more broadly after tribal members voted in a referendum last September backing adult recreational use on their reservation and telling the tribal council to develop legislation to regulate such a market. Those details were hammered out by the council, approving language in June that effectively decriminalized cannabis on Eastern Band land called the Qualla Boundary.
Marijuana possession or use is otherwise illegal in North Carolina, but the tribe can pass rules related to cannabis as a sovereign nation. Of North Carolina and its surrounding states, only Virginia allows for the legal recreational use of marijuana statewide.
The social media posts Thursday offered no additional information on the expanded sales.
Qualla Enterprises, the tribe’s cannabis subsidiary, had previously signaled a two-step process to expand to adult-use sales, limiting it initially to tribal members. — Associated Press
On a sunny Friday in July, the office of the Yakama Nation tribal council was packed with tribal members dressed in ribbon skirts and shirts. The sounds and sights that mark the beginning of every council meeting were present: a blessing, the ringing of a bell and hands moving up and down to the sound of the drum. But this particular meeting was special.
In the center of the council meeting area stood a maroon-framed honorary doctorate from Washington State University. The university recognized Yakama elder Patricia ‘Patsy’ Whitefoot for her dedication and fiery commitment to educating youth, and for her tireless efforts to address the epidemic of Murdered Missing Indigenous Relatives (MMIR).
“For me, it’s all about working with our students, but it’s also a recognition of our ancestors,” said Whitefoot, 75. “You know for me, the elders, our elders, and our ancestors are the ones that hold us together. They’re the ones that created the foundation that we stand on.” READ MORE. — Aislin Tweedy, Underscore Native News
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Amnesty International is calling for the release of a First Nations chief who is serving two months of house arrest, naming him Canada’s first prisoner of conscience.
Chief Dsta’hyl was arrested in 2021 for breaching a court order not to impede construction of the Coastal GasLink liquefied natural gas pipeline, and is currently confined to house arrest for contempt of court.
The chief, who also goes by the name Adam Gagnon, represents the Likhts’amisyu clan within the Wet’suwet’en Nation.
“The extraction industries have been protected by the government and encouraged to just keep raping the land,” Dsta’hyl said at a press conference, where he appeared by video from his home. READ MORE. — The Canadian Press
ICT highlighted a group of Indigenous woman thanks to a partnership with Bethel University’s journalism program in Minnesota. Students in Professor Scott Winter’s Writing for Social Change class worked with ICT editors on a series of profiles published in recent weeks. A special thank you to Scott and his class for making this a successful partnership.
- Preventable heat injuries, deaths rising in New Mexico: Lawmakers told that a changing climate means the state must transform its approach on extreme heat, air pollution, oil and gas industry.
- This Indigenous design camp for teens is the first of its kind: Two of the founders of the new camp estimate that there are only about 30 Indigenous architects total in the US.
- Sicangu Lakota citizens grow vision for future of food: The initiative is among 10 international winners of the 2019 Food System Vision Prize.
- Yellowstone National Park releases record of decision for bison management plan: Superintendent says plan strikes good balance between interests.
- Women’s health care in Oklahoma ranked one of the worst: Accessing and affording health care remains one of the biggest barriers for women in the state.
- ‘Our language is the essence of who we are’: Menominee Tribe celebrates language center opening.
- California needs to do more to prevent suicide among Native Americans, tribal leaders say.
- Cherokee Phoenix racks up 25 total honors in the IJA, Arkansas SPJ awards contests.
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.
