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As tension increases in Ukraine, Native leaders in the U.S. are speaking out to condemn the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The statements come as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has asked nations around the world to speak out against the occupation of his nation.
On social media, Navajo Nation president Jonathan Nez said Navajo citizens stand ready to defend their country, but prayed the situation did not escalate further.
(Related: What now? Pandemic. Social unrest. And war)
In Oklahoma, the Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation Chuck Hoskin Jr. said his nation knows how important the right to self-determination is, citing that Cherokees have been denied that right historically.
And many Indigenous members of Congress called the attacks unprovoked.
U.S. Rep Tom Cole, Chickasaw Nation, urged U.S. lawmakers to do “everything in our power to punish Putin” for their acts …. while Rep. Markwayne Mullin, Cherokee, said “the world is watching” the violence unfold. Cole and Mullin represent Oklahoma.
And in Minnesota, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, White Earth Nation, said she was praying for the children who are scared, and for those who care for them. — Aliyah Chavez, Indian Country Today
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The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear Texas v. Haaland, a case seeking to overturn the Indian Child Welfare Act.
The high court said Monday morning it would take the case reviewing the 1978 federal law. Many call the Indian Child Welfare Act a gold standard for child welfare policy.
A federal appeals court in April upheld the law and Congress’ authority to enact it. But the judges also found some of the law’s provisions unconstitutional, including preferences for placing Native American children with Native adoptive families and in Native foster homes.
“The far-reaching consequences of this case will be felt for generations,” stated the National Indian Child Welfare Association in a statement. “In a coordinated, well-financed, direct attack, Texas and other opponents aim to simultaneously exploit Native children and undermine tribal rights.”
ICWA has long been championed by tribal leaders to preserve Native families and cultures involving Native children, and it places reporting and other requirements on states. READ MORE. — Indian Country Today
A body found in the Verde River is believed to be a suspect in the shooting of a tribal officer, said police in central Arizona.
The body has not yet been formally identified but personal items show the man may be Valentin Rodriguez, 39, said the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office and Yavapai-Apache Nation Police Department in a Friday statement.
Rodriguez has been a suspect in the Feb. 9 shooting of Yavapai-Apache police Sgt. Preston Brogdon. Bailey Brogdon said she expected her husband to make a full recovery.
Brogdon was shot after officers responded to reported gunfire on the Yavapai-Apache Nation in the Verde Valley area. The suspect got out of a vehicle and fled while shooting at officers, tribal officials said in a statement.
An arrest warrant was issued for Rodriguez and a federal criminal complaint charged him with assaulting two tribal officers and discharging a firearm in a violent crime.
On Friday around 4 p.m., a father and son were fishing when they spotted the body, authorities said. The cause of death is not yet known. — Associated Press
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed legislation aimed at ensuring more effective coordination among law enforcement agencies when it comes to cases involving missing or slain Native women.
Aside from creating a new position in the state attorney general’s office that will focus on cases involving missing Indigenous victims, the measures will boost data collection and education as well as provide grant funding to improve reporting of missing persons cases.
A large group of family members whose loved ones have gone missing or been killed flanked the governor as she pulled out a special pen and signed the legislation during an emotional ceremony at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque.
Lujan Grisham shared a long embrace with relatives of Shawna Toya as the tears flowed. Toya, a mother of four from Jemez Pueblo, was found dead last year in Albuquerque, and her family is pushing authorities to reopen her case. They said her death has turned their lives upside down. READ MORE. — Associated Press
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On Monday’s ICT Newscast, a delegation of Native Hawaiians is accepting ancestral remains from a German museum, and we meet the 2022 Oklahoma ‘Mother of the Year.’ Plus, he is a face you might recognize. A First Nations physician is running to be the Canadian Medical Association president.
Watch here:
The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race begins March 5 in Anchorage but the road to the race has been fraught with obstacles: bad weather that derailed training plans, a pre-Iditarod race that was postponed, an unexpected illness that took a musher out of competition, and a moose attack during a training run that hospitalized several dogs from a rookie musher’s team.
As of Feb. 22, 49 mushers are scheduled to compete in the continent’s premier sled dog race. Among the competitors are five past Iditarod champions, several top Alaska Native mushers, and leading mushers from other prominent races.
Mushers and dog teams have been putting training, strategy and stamina to the test in a succession of winter races, before they begin the storied race that will take them over 1,000 miles of flatland tundra, treacherous inclines, blizzard-prone summit passes, steep gorge descents, and frigid river overflow.
Four Alaska Native mushers expected to compete in the Iditarod this year. READ MORE. — Richard Arlin Walker, Special to Indian Country Today
The shortest month was not short of news.
Catch up on the stories that made headlines this last month. Here are the ICT stories you should read up on.
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From social media:
- Tribal leader laments climate, mascots, election changes: Shannon Holsey, president of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians, delivered the State of the Tribes speech in Wisconsin.
- What now? Pandemic. Social unrest. And war:A proxy fight over the future of oil and gas; One alternative is to use this as the moment to move beyond fossil fuels.
- Monache man on Death Row maintains his innocence: Douglas Stankewitz says evidence shows he didn’t commit 1978 murder but questions remain.
- Detroit police break up Indigenous sugarbush, later apologize: Indigenous organizers say the apology is not good enough. Police say they broke up sugarbush because organizers didn’t have the proper permits.
- School official suspended over remark about Native people:Native lawmakers in Kansas call for Randy Watson’s resignation, which he does, but the commission that appointed him rejected it.
- Purse company shows off Native American roots.
- Menominee Tribal Police:Check your wallets for counterfeit bills.
- State’s first Native American poet laureate settling into new role.
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. icteditors@indiancountrytoday.com.
