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Two words that changed the Farm Bill
The Farm Bill is one of the oldest federal funding bills. Nearly a century ago, the first iteration of it was written and passed by Congress in 1933, just a decade after Native Americans became recognized citizens on their own lands.
Since then, 18 farm bills have been passed but only one has included and applied to federally-recognized tribes, the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018, known colloquially as the Farm Bill.
It is one of the most important omnibus bills that funds everything from rural development to federal food programs and broadband access. The Farm Bill is more than just what the slang title entails. The 807-page legislation allocates $428 billion into 12 areas: commodities, conservation, trade, nutrition, credit, rural development, research, forestry, energy, horticulture, crop insurance, and miscellaneous. It’s renewed every five years.
The deadline for Indigenous nations to comment has passed.
The Farm Bill is once again up for renewal and with a push by Republicans to lower federal spending, Congress is in a tight spot and the deadline for approval is looming. However, a more pressing issue could get in the way, a partial government shutdown if Speaker Kevin McCarthy can’t rally his base to pass the fiscal year 2024 federal budget. Both omnibus legislations have deadlines of Sept. 30. READ MORE. — Pauly Denetclaw, ICT
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Australian Prime Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday he expects public support for creating a so-called Indigenous Voice to Parliament will grow after he focuses the nation’s minds on the issue by setting a date for Australia’s first referendum in a generation.
Albanese will announce on Wednesday a date for a referendum that would enshrine in the constitution an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, a collection of advocates aimed at giving the nation’s most disadvantaged ethnic minority more say on government policy.
Media speculation favors Oct. 14 as the most likely date for Australia’s first referendum since 1999.
Proponents hope the Voice will improve living standards for Indigenous Australians, who account for 3.8 percent of Australia’s population and are the nation’s most disadvantaged ethnic group.
Opponents argue that the constitutional change is either too radical or not radical enough. — Associated Press
A federal judge on Thursday approved an agreement between four tribes and state and federal regulatory agencies to revise a fishing policy covering parts of three of the Great Lakes.
The deal extends for 24 years a system overseeing commercial and sport fishing in sections of lakes Michigan, Huron and Superior covered by an 1836 treaty. Those areas are entirely within the U.S. and under Michigan’s jurisdiction.
The agreement “respects and promotes tribal fishing rights and opportunities, yet it also preserves the Great Lakes fishery and recognizes the shared nature of the resource,” U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney said in a written opinion.
He overruled objections from the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians — which refused to join the talks because it contends the state has no authority over its fishing operations — and a sport fishing coalition that argued the deal would allow excessive catches of struggling species, particularly whitefish and lake trout. READ MORE. — Associated Press
Dr. Charles A. Eastman, or Ohiyesa, (1859-1939) became one of the most well-known Native people in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
His achievements at Dartmouth College (1883-1887), Boston University School of Medicine (1887-1890), and later as a famous author, dynamic lecturer, and active Indian reformer have been documented in many publications.
Unfortunately, unlike the numerous references and information on the illustrious Dakota doctor, information is scarce about his son, Charles Alexander Eastman Jr., or Ohiyesa II. Glimpses of details, however, reveal an athlete, military veteran and counselor who strongly supported his prominent family. READ MORE. — Raymond Wilson, Special to ICT
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On the Tuesday edition of the ICT Newscast, Hollywood is on strike — experts tell us what that means for Indigenous representation, and the disruption coming from Artificial Intelligence. Bobby Wilson shares more about his role in FX and Hulu’s ‘Reservation Dogs.’
Watch:
His actions live on forever through a photo captured by Joe Rosenthal in 1945 when marines raised the American flag during the World War II battle of Iwo Jima.
A bronze statue of he and his fellow Marines stands in Washington, D.C., as a monument to the marines’ heroism during that pivotal battle. His name is Ira Hamilton Hayes, an Akimel O’odham war hero.
But after returning home, Hayes was left to fight a different battle that arose from what he saw during the battles that shook the world.
Cherokee Nation citizen Tom Holm, an author, scholar and Marine Corps veteran of the Vietnam War worked to shed light on Hayes through his book “Ira Hayes: The Akimel O’odham Warrior, World War II, and the Price of Heroism.” READ MORE.— Cherokee Phoenix
- Totem pole coming home: Ceremony marks start of journey home for Indigenous totem pole taken to Scotland a century ago.
- New Anchorage signpost incorporates Dena’ina history: In Alaska and beyond, advocates are reasserting Indigenous place names in educational displays and on official maps.
- Lifelong Blackfeet educator, dedicated public servant, dies: Earl Barlow was dedicated to improving Indigenous communities in Montana through education and public service.
- Documents linked to Quaker-run boarding schools to be digitized: The digitized records will be made publicly available in spring 2024 on a database called the National Indian Boarding School Digital Archive.
- Chef Anthony Warrior: Reconnecting with tradition: Acclaimed Nebraska chef is reaching out to share the benefits of Indigenous foods.
- Native America Calling: Disasters at every turn.
- What can Native American knowledge, and now AI, teach us about fire?
- The Indigenous tribes reclaiming travel.
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.
