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:
The North American Indian Tennis Association is hosting its annual national championship tournament in Tulsa, Oklahoma, over the holiday weekend, bringing celebrations of Native culture along with more than 100 players to the courts.
The NAITA Championship provides a culturally-centered opportunity for Native tennis players, with this year’s tournament including more than 125 players spanning ages 13-69 and representing 23 tribes.
The tournament runs May 26-28, starting with an opening ceremony on Friday that features drummers and singers who infuse the tennis courts with a vibrant atmosphere.
Singles matches begin Friday night, followed by mixed doubles and other matches held throughout Saturday and Sunday.
“Part of the goal is to get people more aware of what we’re about, and that there’s an actual North American Indian Tennis Association tournament each year,” said tournament director Jessica RedCorn, Osage. READ MORE — Ben Pryor, ICT
SUPPORT INDIGENOUS JOURNALISM. CONTRIBUTE TODAY.
Content warning: This story describes violence against women.
In August, former WNBA star and Umatilla tribal citizen Shoni Schimmel will plead guilty and be sentenced in a domestic violence case stemming from her arrest in 2021.
Schimmel is charged with felony assault and assault by strangulation, federal charges that carry a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, plus three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. Schimmel initially pleaded not guilty to both charges.
Schimmel caught the attention of Indian Country and the basketball world after she helped lead the University of Louisville to the NCAA women’s basketball championship game. She was drafted by the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream in 2014 where she was named Most Valuable Player as a rookie in the All-Star game. Schimmel last played a WNBA game for the Las Vegas Aces in 2018.
In April 2022, U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Armistead scheduled a two-day jury trial, set to begin June 14, 2022. Over the next year, the court rescheduled Schimmel’s trial four times. READ MORE — Nika Bartoo-Smith and Karina Brown, ICT and Underscore
The Biden administration has put a pause on plans to erect a copper mine in Arizona on land known as Oak Flat, a site sacred to the San Carlos Apache and other Indigenous nations in the area.
The U.S. Forest Service has told a federal court it is not sure when an environmental impact statement could be approved, an action which would set off the land swap allowing Resolution Copper, a British-Australian company owned by Rio Tinto and BHP, to continue with the development of the mine.
The statement had been promised for this spring, but the agency now doesn’t have a set timeline.
The Biden administration and the Forest Service will be using this time to further consult with the San Carlos Apache and other tribes that have voiced opposition to the project.
Located about 40 miles from Phoenix, Oak Flat sits atop the third-largest deposit of copper ore in the world. The mine could produce up to 40 billion pounds of copper over 40 years and provide 1,500 jobs and millions in tax revenue and compensation. READ MORE — Lyric Aquino, Grist
Sign up here to get ICT’s newsletter
A biweekly column from ICT with the latest news from the arts and entertainment world. READ MORE — Sandra Hale Schulman, Special to ICT
- Montana governor signs Indigenous caucus bills into law: Among a slew of bills signed by Greg Gianforte last week include instating the Montana ICWA program
- Mohawk hockey star reaches Stanley Cup Final: Brandon Montour’s Florida Panthers are headed to the final for the first time in 27 years
- ‘Every single dance … I think of a community’: From jingle dress to fancy shawl, ‘it takes a lot of strength and endurance to be a powwow dancer’
- Insuring an Arctic homeland: Gwich’in Steering Committee lobbies insurance and investment companies to prevent oil and development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
- Yale professor examines Native American history in new book
- ‘I did it’: 6 Native American students earn Ph.Ds. from UM
- San Diego Native American tribe is second in nation to own part of professional sports franchise
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.
