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The lights shone bright as the three women stepped in front of the powwow emcee stage before a crowd of hundreds, some friends, some relatives and many people they’d never met.
The smell of burgers, hot dogs and Indian tacos hung heavy in the air, while Native children chased each other through the crowds.
One by one, the women, two of them sisters, grabbed the microphone. They shared their values, their hopes, their plans for building a better community. And then they asked those gathered for their votes.
The crowd applauded.
“They knew who we were,” Trisha Rivers said.
The three women – two Winnebago and one Umonhon – are doing what few Native women have ever done in Sioux City, Iowa. They are seeking public office. READ MORE.— Kevin Abourezk, ICT
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Five Indigenous designers showed their collections to an eager crowd on Saturday, Aug. 19, in support of Indigenous fashion at the Santa Fe Indian Market Gala.
It was a star-studded night with 2020 Academy Award honoree Wes Studi, Cherokee; Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren; and actor Zahn McClarnon, Hunkpapa, among those attending the show. Actor and musician Gary Farmer, Cayuga from the Six Nations of Grand River, helped with the live auction, and actress Tantoo Cardinal, Métis and Cree, closed out the gala by wearing the final piece for designer Patricia Michaels, Water Clan of Taos Pueblo.
Viviana Vega, Pomo, a first-time attendee at the Santa Fe Indian Market, said there were too many favorites to choose from but she did like Michaels’ collection, which had some “very, very beautiful looks that I would definitely see myself in.” READ MORE. — Kalle Benallie, ICT
Inside a jail cell at Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico, Albertyn Pino’s only plan was to finish the six-month sentence for public intoxication, along with other charges, and to return to her abusive boyfriend.
That’s when she was offered a lifeline: An invitation to the tribe’s Healing to Wellness Court. She would be released early if she agreed to attend alcohol treatment and counseling sessions, secure a bed at a shelter, get a job, undergo drug testing and regularly check in with a judge.
Pino, now 53, ultimately completed the requirements and, after about a year and a half, the charges were dropped. She looks back at that time, 15 years ago, and is grateful that people envisioned a better future for her when she struggled to see one for herself. READ MORE. — Associated Press
Federal money for arts, culture and educational programs will fund the creation of two dugout canoes in Southeast Alaska.
Goldbelt Heritage Foundation, the nonprofit arm of Goldbelt, Inc., will teach Alaska Native youth how to carve canoes with nearly a quarter million dollars in grant funding from the National Park Service. The goal is to teach Tlingit culture while applying the principles of science, technology, engineering and math education to canoe making.
The National Park Service awarded the grant of $243,457 to Goldbelt Heritage Foundation on August 15, 2023.
Desiree Jackson, Goldbelt Heritage Foundation executive director, said the 4-year grant will be the start of a continuing education program that will uphold canoe stories behind the traditional use of the canoe. READ MORE. — Alaska Beacon
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On the Tuesday edition of the ICT Newscast, it’s back to school time. We’re visiting with an elementary school teacher about how to support Indigenous students.
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Keeleigh Sanders, 21, of Westville, was crowned Miss Cherokee 2023-2024 during the annual leadership competition held in Tahlequah on Saturday. The tribe also crowned a new Junior Miss Cherokee and Little Cherokee Ambassadors.
Addison Rouse, 17, of Fort Gibson, was crowned Junior Miss Cherokee 2023-2024.
Sanders and Rouse will represent the Cherokee Nation as a goodwill ambassador.
Miss Cherokee runner-up was Carolina Smith, 19, of Hulbert. She was awarded a $3,000 scholarship.
- Endangered river gains personhood in Brazil: An Indigenous leader inspires an Amazon city to grant personhood to the threatened Komi Memem River.
- MMIP task force faces ‘big ask’: MMIP task forces are given years to solve a problem centuries in the making.
- Sad farewell to Tokitae after life in captivity: Miami Seaquarium orca dies of possible renal failure as plans were being made for her return to her native Pacific Northwest.
- Former WNBA star sentenced in domestic violence case: A federal judge sentenced Shoni Schimmel to two years of probation on Friday.
- Pueblo woman’s dinosaur captures Best of Show: Some of the best Native art is in New Mexico this week for the Sante Fe Indian Market.
- ‘The internet is no longer a luxury’: $667M from USDA for rural broadband.
- Cherokee Nation launches Cherokee Film as expansion of its current filmmaking ecosystem.
- Alaska alleges ‘widespread fraud’ by Anchorage ATM business serving villages, small businesses.
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.
