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 Archange Ouilmette planned to live out her life with her prized ponies on the 1,280-acre allotment of land she was guaranteed under the 1829 Treaty of Prairie Du Chien.

Faced with hostility in the area, however, and the confiscation of her ponies, the Potawatomi woman and her family were gone by 1838, dispersed to Missouri, Wisconsin and Iowa with false promises of starting a new life.

“It was death by one-thousand cuts,” said Sharon Hoogstraten, a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation and a descendant of Ouilmette. “They were unable to stop poachers on their land. They had to pay court costs for trying to stop the poachers, and their ponies were taken. It was just this kind of constant pressure.”

The Ouilmettes eventually were grouped with other Indigenous people on land west of the Mississippi River, primarily in what is now Kansas and around Council Bluffs, Iowa. Treaties had promised farming equipment, seeds and supplies necessary to begin a new life, but none awaited them upon arrival. READ MORE — Amelia Schafer and Monica Sager, Special to ICT

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The American Indian College Fund has announced its Student of the Year and Tribal College and University Honoree of the Year awardees, who include three Nebraskans.

The College Fund has been the nation’s largest charity that supports Native higher education for 33 years. This includes distributing more than $259 million in scholarships, programmatic and community support since its founding in 1989.

Michael Oltrogge was named the Tribal College and University Honoree of the Year. Oltrogge is the president of Nebraska Indian Community College, which has three locations across Nebraska in Macy, Santee and South Sioux City.

Wakinyanhotunwin Flute Player and Theresa Juarez were among the 35 student honorees. They, respectively, attend Little Priest Tribal College in Winnebago, Nebraska, and Nebraska Indian Community College. READ MORE — Nebraska Examiner

The Aunties of FX’s Reservation Dogs

Available on demand through March 31

Celebrate the talented Indigenous women from FX’s hit television series Reservation Dogs who are changing the narrative of contemporary Indigenous women on screen. Join the museum in a conversation with one of the female writers/directors and the actresses who play the comedic and sassy aunties. The discussion will provide insight into the representation of Indigenous women in the media, the importance of their stories being told in their own voices, their role in breaking stereotypes, and the power of humor in storytelling.

Panelists: Sarah Podemski, Anishinaabe/Ashkenazi, Tamara Podemski, Anishinaabe/Ashkenazi, Jana Schmieding, Cheyenne River Lakota Sioux, Nathalie Standingcloud, Cherokee Nation, and Tazbah Chavez, Diné /Nüümü/San Carlos Apache.

U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), vice chairman of the Committee, released the following statements on Patrice Kunesh’s confirmation as the Commissioner of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Native Americans (ANA). The ANA was established to promote self-sufficiency and cultural preservation for Native Americans through training, technical assistance, and grant funding for economic development, cultural revitalization, and environmental protection.

“Ms. Kunesh’s previous federal service at the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture, extensive experience in Indian Affairs, and demonstrated leadership for Native communities across the country make clear that she has what it takes to succeed in her new role as Commissioner,” said Chairman Schatz. “I look forward to our work together to support American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities.”

“Yesterday, the U.S. Senate confirmed Patrice H. Kunesh to be the Commissioner of the Administration for Native Americans under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. When Ms. Kunesh was nominated last Congress, I had the opportunity to meet with her and discuss her vision and goals for ANA. She is committed to doing her upmost to help American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian communities. And with her broad experience serving Indian country, she is prepared to lead the agency. I look forward to working with Ms. Kunesh as she assumes her new role,” said Vice Chairman Murkowski.

The ANA Commissioner is one of the most senior, Senate-confirmed, federal officials in Native policy at HHS. In addition to managing ANA programs, the Commissioner advises the HHS Secretary on matters relating to Indian Affairs.

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During the pandemic, lockdowns highlighted many vulnerabilities in tribal communities. For the Hualapai Tribe, food became even more of a necessary resource, especially because some stores are located almost 50 miles away. Since then, many efforts have been made to give food to those in need. Emergency Operations Manager and Hualapai Tribal Council Member Cheyenne Majenty plays a large role in addressing food insecurity within the tribe.

The 1973 occupation of Wounded Knee made household names out of men like Carter Camp, Dennis Banks and Russell Means. But women also played powerful roles in the occupation. They were honored recently during 50th anniversary commemorations of the seminal event in American Indian Movement history. ICT’s Shirley Sneve and Stewart Huntington were there.

A new movie takes on the issues of missing and murdered Indigenous women. Mili’s story starts with her mother’s disappearance. Her anger follows her and puts her in some bad situations. Called the “Gift of Fear,” it is set in Northern California. Carly Kohler co-wrote the script with her father Jack Kohler.

WATCH HERE

Update: March 8 
Redington and team are first to reach McGrath

Indigenous mushers Ryan Redington and Richie Diehl were each in McGrath, Alaska, for two or three minutes March 7 before continuing on in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. But that was enough time for some very special, memorable moments.

Redington, Inupiaq, the grandson of Iditarod co-founder Joe Redington Sr., was the first musher to reach the McGrath checkpoint (mile 311), winning the Alaska Air Transit Spirit of Iditarod Award. He received a pair of musher’s mitts with beaver and beaded leather by Athabaskan artist Loretta Maillelle, of McGrath, as well as a beaver hat handmade by Rosalie Egrass, also of McGrath.

“I’m going to treasure this. Thank you,” Redington said, before he and his team continued on to Takotna, where they stopped for a rest.

He said he and his team had taken some 4-hour, 40-minute rests between checkpoints and planned on taking their mandatory 24-hour layover in the village of Iditarod.

“The team’s looking good,” he said. READ MORE — Richard Arlin Walker, Special to ICT

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