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What kind of story does the data tell about Indigenous communities?
That, dear reader, is a trick question. Any answer is complicated and nuanced. And this is especially true because there is no shared definition of race or ethnicity (on the other hand, tribal citizenship is clear. You are either a member or not.)
The federal standard is set by the Office of Management and Budget – Directive No. 15 – and it’s under review. The standard has been used for the past 25 years and, as Karin Orvis, chief Statistician of the United States, said at the White House last June, that definition “provides minimum standards that ensure our ability to compare information and data across Federal agencies, and also to understand how well Federal programs serve a diverse America.”
There are two primary screens, race and ethnicity. The OMB aggregates data for five major racial categories: white, Black, Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. Then “ethnicity” the additional method used to count Hispanic or Latino. READ MORE.— Mark Trahant, ICT
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Tribal citizens fighting plans for an enormous copper mine on land they consider sacred say they are increasingly worried U.S. officials will publish an environmental review paving the way for the project even as they await a federal appeals court ruling in the case.
A U.S. government attorney said during last month’s hearing of a full panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that the final environmental impact study for construction of the mine at Oak Flat, Arizona, could be published this spring.
San Carlos Apache Tribe Chairman Terry Rambler said during a visit last week that U.S. Forest Service officials confirmed plans to push forward on publication of the environmental analysis. That step would kick off a 60-day period culminating in a land swap allowing the project to go forward. READ MORE. — Associated Press
North Dakota lawmakers have appointed an Ojibwe woman as the state’s poet laureate, making her the first Native to hold this position in the state and increasing attention to her expertise on the troubled history of Native American boarding schools.
Denise Lajimodiere, a citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band in Belcourt, has written several award-winning books of poetry. She’s considered a national expert on the history of Native American boarding schools and wrote an academic book called “Stringing Rosaries” in 2019 on the atrocities experienced by boarding school survivors.
“I’m honored and humbled to represent my tribe. They are and always will be my inspiration,” Lajimodiere said in an interview, following a bipartisan confirmation of her two-year term as poet laureate on Wednesday. READ MORE. — Associated Press
A new short film, “Lily Gladstone: Far Out There,” follows the Blackfeet/Niimíipuu actress on a journey back to her reservation after being away for three years.
During the years she’s been away, she’s been acting up a storm in a number of acclaimed films, including “Little Chief” and the recent “Fancy Dance.” Now she’s preparing for the release of a monster-budget film by one of the biggest directors in Hollywood, Martin Scorsese, with “Killers of the Flower Moon,” in which she co-stars with Leonardo DiCaprio.
In the meantime, “Lily Gladstone: Far Out There,” features the rising actress in the PBS’ American Masters program, part of an “In the Making” series now available for streaming. READ MORE.— Sandra Hale Schulman, Special to ICT
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On the Tuesday edition of the ICT Newscast, what is the state of tribal colleges and universities? Cheryl Crazy Bull explains. South Dakota Sen. Shawn Bordeaux weighs in on his state’s failure to pass its own Indian Child Welfare Act.
Watch:
A great amount of information is available on the interesting and significant lives of Dr. Charles A. Eastman, Ohiyesa, and his wife, Elaine Goodale Eastman. Charles was a famous author, dynamic lecturer, and active Indian reformer, while Elaine was also a noted author and reformer.
However, John Eastman, an older brother of Charles, has not been adequately recognized for his accomplishments and efforts to help Native people for more than four decades. READ MORE. — Raymond Wilson, Special to ICT
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- Indigenous scientists honored in France for horse research: A multicultural research team used both tribal and Western perspectives to challenge the dominant narrative that horses came from colonizers.
- Judge orders man held in case of missing Navajo woman: Ella Mae Begay’s disappearance from her home on the Navajo Nation has helped raise awareness about missing person cases and unsolved slayings in Indian Country.
- Nathan Chasing Horse sex abuse charges upheld: A judge has tossed a drug trafficking charge against the ‘Dances With Wolves’ actor but upheld the sweeping sexual abuse charges.
- The next act in the fight against Line 3?: A museum on treaty rights.
- A serving of ‘Rubaboo’ brings crowds to Canada theaters: A new play by Métis performer/writer Andrea Menard is launching a nationwide tour.
- Bison herd coming to Grand Portage as food sovereignty effort continues.
- Free COVID testing will fade with US health emergency in May.
- Researchers reveal U’s painful past with Minnesota’s Indigenous people.
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.
