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The Yamba Shoshone Tribe is located in rural Nevada, mostly dirt roads that make it challenging for some citizens to drop off their mail-in ballots. In 2022, the solution was unusual but it worked for the Yamba Shoshone.
“They’re not just in the middle of Nevada, but I mean it’s complete dirt roads to get there,” said Stacey Montooth, executive director for the Nevada Indian Commission.
Tribal representatives went on horseback to collect completed ballots and drive them an hour to the county seat in Austin, Nevada.
Since 2016, the Native American vote in Nevada has become stronger and stronger. Nonprofit organizations, state and tribal governments have worked together over nearly the last decade to increase the power of the Native vote. The solutions Nevada groups have found to increase civic engagement for rural and urban Native voters is direct engagement, meeting people where they’re at and ultimately, and multiple choices for how to cast a ballot. READ MORE — Pauly Denetclaw, ICT
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ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The head of the Alaska Federation of Natives has decided to leave her post after 40 years with the organization. Julie Kitka, Chugach Eskimo, told Alaska Public Media she plans to take up a new role at AFN, to be announced sometime in the near future. Kitka will be leaving the president/CEO position in 2024. A search is getting underway for her replacement.
“Julie Kitka has been a true champion for Alaska Native people through her steadfast commitment to AFN,” board Co-chair Ana Hoffman, Yup’ik, said in a statement. “Her gifts of intellect, curiosity, kindness, inclusion and creativity have established her as a statewide leader and a national resource. Her vast knowledge of our history as Alaska Native people and the foundation she’s built for the achievements yet to come, instills hope and anticipation for AFN’s next phase. Quyana cakneq, Julie,” Hoffman said as she thanked Kitka for her service.
Kitka began working for AFN in 1984 and served as special assistant for human resources, Washington, D.C. lobbyist, and then vice-president before she was elected president in 1990. In a prepared statement, the board said Kitka’s “impressive accomplishments include helping greatly expand the Native health system, advocating and pursuing policies to fulfill the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act’s vision for sustainable economies, and helping to build public-private partnerships that benefit all Alaska Native communities.” READ MORE — Joaqlin Estus, ICT
Around the World: The Tournament of Hope in Canada prioritizes mental health awareness, Western Australia council approves returning park to Indigenous name, first Māori to play at Wimbledon honored, and Tibetans protest Chinese dam project
CANADA: Tournament prioritizes mental health
This spring, young people from various communities within Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) will gather in Fort William First Nation for an exceptional community event, CBC News reported on February 14.
The Tournament of Hope, scheduled from April 12th to 16th, is orchestrated by Titus Semple, who emphasizes that it transcends the typical boundaries of a mere hockey tournament.
Marking its second year, this event will encompass not only hockey, broomball and volleyball competitions but will also function as a pivotal youth summit, with a significant emphasis on raising awareness about mental health issues. READ MORE — Deusdedit Ruhangariyo, Special to ICT
Some Republicans see it as court-ordered gerrymandering. For members of two Native American tribes, they see a chance at better representation in the state Legislature.
A judge’s order to put two Native American reservations in the same legislative district is putting six seats that usually would not be included in the 2024 election up for grabs.
The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa and the Spirit Lake Nation won a lawsuit under the federal Voting Rights Act that puts both reservations in the same district – District 9.
“We’re really, really pleased to see that the judge did see the value of having these two tribes in one legislative district,” said Nicole Donaghy, executive director of ND Native Vote. “Now, when it comes to finding candidates, I think that this process of having the ability to select somebody from your own community will certainly inspire people to want to run for office.” READ MORE — North Dakota Monitor
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On this Wednesday’s newscast, we look ahead at the South Carolina Republican primary and a deep dive into concerns surrounding the age of the presidential candidates on IndigiPolitics. ICT political correspondent Pauly Denetclaw is talking with regular contributor Michael Stopp, CEO of SevenStar Holdings.
Then we turn to Big Sky Country where poet laureate Chris La Tray is shining a spotlight on Native language revitalization in Montana. ICT education correspondent Renata Birkenbuel talked with La Tray about his work.
To close up the show, we learn about the growing popularity of Two-Spirit powwows. They are inclusive gatherings to recognize and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. One of them is the 13th Annual Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirit Powwow in San Francisco, California, believed to be the first Two-Spirit powwow in the country. Angel Fabian, executive director of the Bay Area American Two Spirits, talks with the ICT Newscast about the annual powwow and why it’s so important.
WATCH
The New Mexico Legislature has asked Attorney General Raúl Torrez to create a new task force focused on a crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people after a memorial containing the request passed in the final hour of the legislative session, which concluded on Feb. 15.
Senate Joint Memorial 2 cleared the House on Thursday morning after passing in the Senate last week.
A spokeswoman for Torrez didn’t respond to a question from New Mexico In Depth about whether he plans to act on lawmakers’ request. Unlike a bill, the memorial isn’t enforceable.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham quietly dissolved a task force dedicated to finding solutions to the crisis in mid-2023. READ MORE — New Mexico In Depth
- Don’t look for Lily Gladstone at Britain’s BAFTA Awards: Trial begins to recoup costs of policing Dakota Access pipeline protests
- Trial begins to recoup costs of policing Dakota Access pipeline protests: Much of the case appears focused on two 2016 Corps statements related to a special use permit and a ‘free speech zone’ for demonstrators
- The power of women backup singers: Athena Cloud is dedicated to teach and show women of all ages to be proud of their voices
- Biden says too many Americans are saddled with school debt as he cancels federal loans for 153,000
- Oklahoma police are investigating a nonbinary teen’s death after a fight in a high school bathroom
- It’s an election year, and Biden’s team is signaling a more aggressive posture toward the press
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