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:
Assemblymember James Ramos is the first California Native lawmaker named Assembly Rules chair. He was named to his role in December.
Ramos, Serrano/Cahuilla, became the first California Native elected to the Legislature in November 2018.
The Assembly Rules Committee has primary jurisdiction over matters relating to the business of the Assembly, including assignment of bills to committees, staffing and other house procedural duties.
An event to mark the appointment was on Wednesday.
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ICT partners with Montana Free Press to increase reporting on Indigenous caucus in the Montana Legislature
ICT, formerly Indian Country Today, will share a reporter with Montana Free Press in Helena, Montana, in a partnership designed to increase the coverage of the state Legislature’s Indigenous caucus.
Montana Free Press and ICT have hired JoVonne Wagner, Blackfeet, for the inaugural shared fellowship between the news organizations.
Wagner, who is from Browning, Montana, graduated from the University of Montana School of Journalism in December. Previously, she has worked for Buffalo’s Fire, a nonprofit news organization based on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in western North Dakota.
Wagner will primarily cover the Montana American Indian Caucus for both Montana Free Press and ICT. The news outlets will work together to provide Wagner with mentorship and training to guide and develop her reporting skills. READ MORE.— ICT
A long-time visual artist and curator who works closely with tribal preservationists has been awarded the 2023 Johnson Fellowship for Artists Transforming Communities for his decades of work in art, film and writing.
Artist G. Peter Jemison, Heron Clan, Seneca Nation, was named the recipient of the fellowship by Americans for the Arts, which recognizes artists or culture bearers who work in and with rural communities to advance cultural equity.
“At Americans for the Arts, we believe that artists are the catalysts for the transformation of society and America’s communities — and Peter is doing exactly that,” Nolen Bivens, president and chief executive of Americans for the Arts, said in a statement. READ MORE. — Sandra Hale Schulman, Special to ICT
“There’s a strong comfort in a quilt,” says 69-year-old Debbie Hamilton.
It has a long lasting value where even if there’s a hole it can be repaired and used for years and years.
“They connect you with the past and it’s something tangible that people can do for one thing. The people that are making them feel like they’re helping. People that lost something can hold it, touch it, wrap themselves in it and feel a hug,” she said.
Hamilton’s quilts have given dozens of hugs.
Since 2016, Hamilton has donated 124 quilts to a Native program based in Phoenix that provides services for Native families living away from their tribal lands, specifically pregnant families and children age 5 and younger. READ MORE. — Kalle Benallie, ICT
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For the first time, an Indigenous artist’s works will be featured at the Super Bowl, gracing game tickets, displays and a massive Super Bowl mural in downtown Phoenix with images that reflect her multicultural roots.
Phoenix-based artist Lucinda Hinojos — who is Mexican-American as well as Pascua Yaqui, Chiricahua Apache, White Mountain Apache, and Pima — was chosen by the National Football League as the marquee artist of Super Bowl LVII, which will be played Feb. 12 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Her key design, unveiled publicly on Tuesday, Jan. 10, by the NFL, is what officials described as an “elaborate, deeply meaningful piece” that shows the iconic White Tank Mountains reflected in the traditional Vince Lombardi trophy, surrounded by Indigenous and Azteca dancers, corn, hummingbirds, baskets and cactus. READ MORE.— Sandra Hale Schulman, Special to ICT
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- Sexual misconduct case against Pawnee artist moves to trial: Walter “Bunky” Echo-Hawk is charged with lewd behavior with a minor and possession of child pornography.
- Using artificial intelligence to reclaim Native languages: Michael Running Wolf can speak some Cheyenne, but he wants Indigenous language learning to be more accessible, immersive and engaging. He believes AI is the solution.
- Native Hawaiians leave homelands for affordable living: According to the Census, the biggest growth of Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander populations was in Clark County, Nevada, which includes Las Vegas.
- GLOBAL INDIGENOUS: Learning from Native people to protect the environment.
- Indigenous artist featured at Super Bowl for first time: Lucinda ‘La Morena’ Hinojos is tapped as the NFL’s ‘marquee artist’ this year with works featured on game tickets, a large mural and other displays.
- Illuminative, Nielsen Reveal New Findings on the Impact of Native Content and Representation.
- Deaths of despair also affect Native American Communities, study shows.
- Five Indigenous mushers set to compete in 2023 Iditarod despite rising costs.
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.
