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Greetings, relatives.
A lot of news out there. Thanks for stopping by ICT’s digital platform.
Each day we do our best to gather the latest news for you.
Okay, here’s what you need to know today:
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will soon issue an Environmental Impact Statement that will help set the direction for some 28 million acres of Alaska lands. The impact statement will offer options with varying degrees of protection from development such as mining. Dozens of tribes are weighing in on the side of conservation.
The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act protects some Bureau of Land Management lands, which are sometimes called “D-1 lands” after the section of the act that mandates them.
As Officer Suzanne Little of Pew Charitable Trusts explained in a recent article, “D-1 public land orders can be lifted only by the secretary of the interior following recommendations from a BLM resource management plan or an environmental impact statement.”
Under the Trump administration, BLM finalized five management plans recommending the “lifting of all D-1 protections from BLM-managed land in areas across Alaska,” Little said. The issue includes Alaska lands in Western Interior, Seward Peninsula and Bristol Bay regions, as well as in Southcentral Alaska and in eastern Alaska. READ MORE. — Joaqlin Estus, ICT
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ICT is proud to present ‘Groundbreakers in Education,’ a special issue featuring top stories from 2023.
This digital flip book celebrates the many Indigenous leaders, educators, students, and change-makers who are overcoming barriers, discovering innovative solutions, and shaping the future of Native education.
Cherokee Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. met with Tahlequah’s mayor Thursday to sign the kind of agreement he thinks could begin to resolve strife over tribal license plates.
The agreement, one of 30 the Cherokee Nation has entered into with Oklahoma municipalities on reservation land, ensures revenue sharing from traffic citations issued to tribal citizens, giving the city all but $30 of every ticket written by a tribal police officer.
The McGirt v. Oklahoma ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2020 affirmed tribal sovereignty over tribal citizens in much of the state, a decision that has also set precedent in civil matters such as traffic citations. READ MORE. Felix Clary, ICT + Tulsa World
U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, is asking a congressional subcommittee to conduct field hearings about the lack of adequate law enforcement on Native American reservations.
Johnson made the request Monday in a letter to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies.
“As I speak with leaders from South Dakota’s nine tribes, it is clear the number one concern facing Indian reservations is the dismal state of law enforcement,” Johnson wrote.
Tribes in South Dakota depend largely on the federal government to fund and support their law enforcement activities, based on treaties dating to the 1800s. The Oglala Sioux Tribe is currently suing the federal government over its allegedly insufficient support. READ MORE. — South Dakota Searchlight
An assistant professor of education leadership at Kansas State University and a citizen of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma earned a national human rights education award for work to improve Indigenous education.
Alex Red Corn, executive director of the Kansas Association for Native American Education, was chosen by Human Rights Educators USA to receive the O’Brien Award created in 2015 to honor the late human rights and legal educator Edward O’Brien.
“Just as our ancestors have always done, we are persistent in asserting our rights to exist as a people,” Red Corn said. “Our persistence must triumph over the pernicious status quo we are constantly enduring, because our future depends on it, so we press on.”
Human Rights Educators USA, a collaborative network dedicated to human rights education in America, said Red Corn was nominated by the Kansas National Education Association. In 2023, Red Corn also received the National Education Association’s Wilma Mankiller Memorial Award. READ MORE.— Oklahoma Voice
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On the Tuesday edition of the ICT Newscast, tribal colleges get a boost for clean energy. A documentary short on the life of Ho-Chunk artist Truman Lowe wins a regional Emmy, and we meet one of the makers behind the film.
Watch:
Diné law professor Derrick Beetso is the new board chairman of IndiJ Public Media, the national nonprofit news organization that owns ICT, formerly known as Indian Country Today.
Beetso, a professor and director of the Indian Gaming and Tribal Self-Governance Programs at Arizona State University, was elected on Nov. 20 to succeed Karen Lincoln Michel, Ho-Chunk, who will continue as a member of the board.
Michel, who is the CEO of IndiJ Public Media, resigned as chairwoman to separate her dual role as CEO and board chair.
Also elected on Nov. 20 was Natasha Affia Moore, an enrolled Atka Aleut tribal member based in San Francisco and a product equity strategist in Reality Labs at Meta. Moore was elected to fill the remaining term of Wayne Ducheneaux II, who resigned as a board member and as board treasurer on Nov. 8. Moore was elected to succeed Ducheneaux as board treasurer. READ MORE. — ICT
- First Native Hawaiian woman confirmed as federal judge: Judge Shanlyn A.S. Park’s confirmation marks a historic step forward in representation for Indigenous people and continues Democrats’ efforts to expand the number of women in federal judge positions.
- Michigan commission approve Enbridge’s Line 5 tunnel project: Environmental activists and tribal nations have called for a shutdown to the pipelines out of concern for a potential oil spill in the Great Lakes.
- 5 reasons why COP 28 are worth your attention: The negotiations, called Conference of Parties, are nearly two weeks long and in their 28th iteration in Dubai.
- Folk singer‘s lost story finds renewed interest: PERSPECTIVE: Mysterious ‘60s protest singer/writer Peter La Farge penned songs of injustice.
- Indian gaming, land protections at summit’s forefront: The 2023 White House Tribal Nations Summit is Wednesday and Thursday.
- Exposure to metals may increase heart failure risk among American Indians.
- Haskell receives grant to empower local Native American entrepreneurs, business students.
- Tantoo Cardinal celebrated at Canada’s Walk of Fame anniversary gala.
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.
