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. Remember to scroll to the bottom to see what’s popping out to us on social media and what we’re reading.
Also, if you like our daily digest, sign up for The Weekly, our newsletter emailed to you on Thursdays. If you like what we do and want us to keep going, support and donate here.
Okay, here’s what you need to know today:
MINNEAPOLIS — The Institute of American Indian Arts, located in Santa Fe, New Mexico, chalked up 23 awards to lead all tribal colleges in wide-ranging competitions at the 40th annual American Indian Higher Education Consortium in Minneapolis earlier in March.
Tribal college students cheered, sang and shouted with glee as Emcee Branden Bowstring announced place winners first-through-fourth in at least 20 events held over the course of the annual conference. Competition proved fierce and fiery, as about 800 students and their instructors from 32 schools filled the huge banquet hall.
Students Kendrick Whiteman Jr., Northern Arapaho, and teammate Wakinyan Ghost Dog, Oglala Sioux Tribe, cleaned up in the film categories to lead their IAIA championship team with a total of 14 golds. READ MORE — Renata Birkenbuel, ICT
SUPPORT INDIGENOUS JOURNALISM. CONTRIBUTE TODAY
Mnicouju Lakota actor and Haskell Indian Nations University student Cole Brings Plenty is missing from Lawrence, Kansas following allegations of domestic violence.
According to the Lawrence Police Department, officers responded to reports of a female screaming for help early on Sunday, March 31, but the suspect fled before officers arrived. Investigators identified Brings Plenty as the suspect and he was shown on traffic cameras fleeing the city after the incident, according to police.
The 27-year-old was last seen heading south on Kansas Highway 59 in a white 2005 Ford Explorer with Kansas license plate 368PXB.
As a domestic violence situation, the Lawrence Police Department is unable to provide further details. The department has submitted an affidavit to the district attorney for Brings Plenty’s arrest. READ MORE — Amelia Schafer, ICT + Rapid City Journal
Rosalie Nez traveled more than four hours from Coal Mine Canyon, on the Navajo Nation, to the Phoenix area in hopes of getting answers to what happened to her brother Emerson Nez, who she says died in a fraudulent sober living home in 2022.
“Emerson was on his way to recovery,” she said.
Nez shared her story during a town hall meeting hosted Tuesday night by the advocacy group StolenPeopleStolenBenefits about the fraudulent sober living home crisis.
Nez said she attended in hopes of connecting with anyone who may have known Emerson or heard anything about his death. She said the family didn’t know he had died until about six weeks later, when a police officer delivered the news at her sister’s home in Tuba City. READ MORE — AZ Mirror
Around the world: Groundbreaking for a new center dedicated to Indigenous youth in Calgary, Indigenous firm secures major mining deal in Australia, Indigenous Filipinos resist mining
CANADA: Indigenous youth center
On a crisp, sunlit morning in Forest Lawn, individuals from Calgary’s Urban Society for Aboriginal Youth embarked on the initial stages of building a long-awaited youth center. They note the project has been in development for 15 years, CBC reported on March 26.
“[It’s] truly a dream come true,” said Leeanne Ireland, the executive director of the nonprofit organization, speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony on March 25, according to CBC.
From completing an initial feasibility study to finding the right location, Ireland said bringing the youth center to life has been a long journey, but one that will be worth it in the end. READ MORE— Deusdedit Ruhangariyo, Special to ICT
Sign up here to get ICT’s newsletter
On this week’s IndigiPolitics, we learn about the races where the Native vote will be key in the upcoming elections, including Arizona, where former Navajo Nation president Jonathan Nez is running for Congress. ICT political correspondent Pauly Denetclaw is here with regular contributor Holly Cook Macarro.
His artwork is bringing Mississippi Choctaw heritage to the world stage. MacArthur genius fellow Jeffrey Gibson has an exhibit at the prestigious Venice Biennale showcasing his multimedia work. Shirley Sneve and Sandra Schulman have this report. Gibson’s exhibition at the U.S. Pavilion opens April 20 and runs through November.
Law students from around the country are fresh off excitement in the annual moot court competition. The Native American Law Student Association created the event to allow students studying federal Indian law to argue a case in a mock setting. Reporter Robyn Iron covered the event where hundreds of soon-to-be Native lawyers competed.
WATCH
“The Bears on Pine Ridge”
A new documentary on the Native American Youth Suicide Epidemic will be premiering at the 2024 Phoenix Film Festival on April 5, 6 and 7.
The 86-minute documentary by Noel Octavio Bass “delves deep into the devastating youth suicide epidemic affecting Native American communities, especially those residing on Native reservations,” a press release states.
Bass partnered with Oglala Sioux Tribe’s, ‘Sweetgrass Project’, which serves as the sole suicide prevention organization on the Pine Ridge Reservation.
The film follows Lakota elder Yvonne “Tiny” DeCory, who helped start The BEAR Program, “where teenage survivors of suicide come together to find hope, resilience, and the power to inspire,” the press release says.
More information and a trailer can be found on the documentary’s website. Full release of the documentary take place this summer in July.
- The acronym that keeps Indigenous advocates up at night: Native leaders say equating ‘Indigenous peoples’ and ‘local communities’ threatens hard-won treaty rights
- Comedy troupe takes on Canada and US: The ‘Red, White and You!’ sketch and stand-up comedy show, that consists of mostly Indigenous comedians, have performed in Canada and California. They are heading to Boston and New York City for their last shows
- The Academy Awards through my eyes: REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: It was Oscar night in Los Angeles and all the stars were there, including Lily Gladstone. Take a walk with me, my camera and notebook
- Trump’s events aren’t drawing big protests this year. Instead, Biden is facing public ire
- US braces for retaliation after attack on Iran consulate — even as it says it wasn’t involved
- What to know about next week’s total solar eclipse in the US, Mexico and Canada
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.
Like this story? Support our work with a $5 or $10 contribution today. Contribute to the nonprofit ICT. Sign up for ICT’s free newsletter
