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:
Big beaded earrings glinting in the fluorescent kitchen lights, Alexa Numkena-Anderson directed her small team as they began preparing the kitchen at Street Disco in Southeast Portland on the last Wednesday night of February, hours before customers would begin to trickle in for the dinner rush.
Since November, Numkena-Anderson, enrolled Hopi and a descendant of the Yakama, Cree and Skokomish nations, and her team of three have brought Indigenous cuisine to the dining scene in Portland.
At pop-up restaurant Javelina, founder and head chef Numkena-Anderson blends Indigenous comfort foods and non-colonial ingredients creating a uniquely Indigenous fine dining experience. While the menu evolves with the seasons, each iteration features some version of frybread, first foods and wild game. READ MORE. — Nika Bartoo-Smith, Underscore News + ICT
SUPPORT INDIGENOUS JOURNALISM. CONTRIBUTE TODAY.
The Spirit Lake Nation is on lockdown following an ongoing manhunt in Fort Totten, North Dakota, days after the announcement of a State of Emergency.
On April 4 at noon central time, the tribe initiated a lockdown across the 405 square mile reservation as police searched for Kolby McKay. At 3 p.m., the tribe announced an additional curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. McKay is considered armed and dangerous.
On March 27, the tribe declared a state of emergency after two people disappeared on the reservation in three months.
The emergency declaration stated that the tribe had exhausted its available resources searching for the two individuals. A majority of the reservation is open land, woodlands, and open waterways including Devils Lake. READ MORE. — Amelia Schafer, ICT + Rapid City Journal
Dozens of Indigenous elders, youth and church members filed into the former Presbyterian Church of Laurelhurst on a March afternoon. It was the last time people would enter the building as a church. As they passed an abalone shell filled with smoldering sage, each person picked up a penny from a small bowl.
Inside, attendees placed their pennies on a red cloth. Next to the cloth was a stack of papers. Once signed, they would finalize the transfer of the church to Future Generations Collaborative (FGC), an Indigenous-led organization founded to prevent fetal alcohol syndrome disorder.
On Friday, March 15, ownership of the former Presbyterian Church of Laurelhurst was officially transferred to FGC in exchange for $1, marking its historic return to Native hands for the creation of Barbie’s Village – a tiny home village and early childhood center for Indigenous families experiencing homelessness. READ MORE. — Underscore News + Report for America
Indigenous people account for roughly 60% of missing persons cases in South Dakota, which is still an undercount according to the Oglala Sioux Tribe Victim Services Department and Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate’s Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Program. In response to the current crisis, the South Dakota Attorney General’s Office appointed a Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Coordinator to address the rising numbers of missing Indigenous people.
Over a year ago, the South Dakota Attorney General’s Office announced the creation of an MMIP advisory council, and in November 2022 announced the hiring of an MMIP Coordinator. The advisory council which is now called the stakeholders committee, was created by Attorney General Mark Vargoto to work in tandem with the MMIP Coordinator and provide guidance to the current Attorney General, Marty Jackley. Both initiatives aim to address the high number of missing Indigenous people across the state, according to a press release from the Attorney General’s Office.
“We’ve been made aware of the issues here in South Dakota for years now,” said Allison Morrisette, Oglala Lakota and the South Dakota MMIP Coordinator. “These are things that can’t be fixed overnight. The purpose of the [stakeholder’s committee] is to work with the community leaders, grassroots organizations and law enforcement to develop ideas that can hopefully be implemented statewide and help long-term with MMIP and the existing victims who need to be brought home to their families.” READ MORE. — Amelia Schafer, ICT + Rapid City Journal
Sign up here to get ICT’s newsletter
On Monday’s ICT Newscast, Ross Anderson makes history being inducted into the US Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame, holding the American speed skiing record. The producer of ‘Prey’ Jhane Myers weighs in on Indigeneity. Meet the woman preserving the precious history of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate.
Watch:
Surrounded by prairie grasses and dogwood trees, a half-dozen young people ages 10 through 16 clasped hands at the Forward Stride ranch on a muggy morning last summer. The tribal youth gathered to recover from harmful experiences with drugs, alcohol and incarceration had some noteworthy guides: Dusty, Dakota, Sunny, Storm and Spirit. The snickers, snorts and stomps of this plucky group of spotted Appaloosas and paint horses echoed across this Beaverton, Oregon expanse like a drum, rhythmic and soothing.
One boy, a 10-year-old, closed his eyes as he bowed his head to pray with the others who gathered in a circle, clutching hands. They had spent much of the past hour brushing silky hides and combing caramel-colored manes before hoisting themselves into stirrups and saddles on the horses’ firm backs.
After a good ride on a horse named Rune, the boy was ready to give back to his equine guide, who he said made him happy during their time together. The saunter left the gelding horse struggling a bit with humidity and an abundance of flies. The child asked the spirits to “please make my buddy, Rune, feel better.” READ MORE. — The Imprint
- Mercury exposure widespread among Yanomami, report finds: The vast majority had contamination equal to or above 2 micrograms per gram, a level of exposure that can lead to several health problems.
- Cole Brings Plenty found dead: Missing 27-year-old Haskell Indian Nations University student and Lakota actor disappeared March 31 after alleged assault.
- Maple syrup producers adapt to record-warm winter: This year’s maple sap season began early for many producers in Upper Midwestern states, who experienced shorter seasons.
- Inuktitut album is bringing connection with Indigenous languages: Immersing the audience in songs they already love, in an ancient language creates curiosity and alliances she says.
- Swing states see newcomers: Whether the newcomers will vote Democratic this year, or whether they were disenchanted with Democratic policies in their former homes and will vote Republican, remains to be seen.
- University of Montana Native students work to create missing person database.
- ‘Rep your rez’: Native Americans from across the nation playing for tribe pride in Eastern Washington.
- Three Indigenous American tribes to get funding to manage ocean and coasts.
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.
