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The Assembly of First Nations — the national representative for First Nations across Canada — has a “predatory culture” that subjects women employees and others to offensive contact, assault and abuse from the chiefs, elders and knowledge keepers in charge, according to a shocking investigative report released at the assembly’s annual meeting.
The report, titled simply, “AFN Resolution 13 Panel Final Report,” was released quietly Wednesday, July 12, without any formal discussion at the AFN’s Annual General Assembly meeting in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
The release brought an immediate and often-emotional response from those in attendance and others watching the gathering online. Dozens of traditional healers, helpers and other mental health workers were on site, and many of those who spoke in response to the report were smudged during their testimonies.
“A predatory culture has become so pervasive and threatening within the AFN that female employees and leaders share information with each other about men who are unsafe to be around,” the report concluded. READ MORE — Miles Morrisseau, ICT
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Decades after many other rich countries stopped forcibly sterilizing Indigenous women, numerous activists, doctors, politicians and at least five class-action lawsuits say the practice has not ended in Canada.
A Senate report last year concluded “this horrific practice is not confined to the past, but clearly is continuing today.” In May, a doctor was penalized for forcibly sterilizing an Indigenous woman in 2019.
Indigenous leaders say the country has yet to fully reckon with its troubled colonial past — or put a stop to a decades-long practice that is considered a type of genocide.
There are no solid estimates on how many women are still being sterilized against their will or without their knowledge, but Indigenous experts say they regularly hear complaints about it. Sen. Yvonne Boyer, whose office is collecting the limited data available, says at least 12,000 women have been affected since the 1970s. READ MORE — Associated Press
A senior Interior Department official who has had a key role in negotiations over the shrinking Colorado River plans to step down from the job next week.
Tanya Trujillo told the department of her intention to resign as assistant secretary for water and science about six weeks ago and her last day is Monday, she told The Associated Press. Trujillo, who has served in the role since June 2021, said it made sense to leave now as the Biden administration gears up for a reelection campaign.
“It’s a normal transition time, either committing to staying to the end of the (presidential) term or leaving before the campaign really gets fired up,” she said. “I am really, really proud and happy about all the accomplishments that we put into place and made.”
The Interior Department declined to offer further comment on her departure. READ MORE — Associated Press
A fascination with watching his cowboy father make his own hat out of necessity led artist and clothing designer Lehi Thunder Voice Eagle Sanchez to build a growing family business that makes classic Navajo hats with upcycled and sustainable materials.
Sanchez, Diné/Totonoc, started with an old hat he found with the traditional rounded top and flat brim, working with his father to embellish it with leather, coins and feathers.
It was an immediate success.
“This was the first,” he told ICT recently, gesturing to a large, weathered, black felt hat sitting on his desk in the design studio for the Thunder Voice Hat Co. in Long Beach. “When I found this hat, I took it to my dad and we worked on it. And then from there, everybody else wanted a similar hat. At the time, it was only me and another guy who wore a hat like this.” READ MORE — Sandra Hale Schulman, Special to ICT
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Abenaki tribes in Vermont worked for decades to gain recognition from the state and their efforts paid off beginning in 2011. Today, four tribes are recognized by the state, but is only part of the effort to restore the presence of the area’s original inhabitants. Chief Don Stevens of the Nulhegan Band spoke with ICT’s Stewart Huntington about the work.
From writing to performing, Dakota citizen Bobby Wilson is almost always telling everyone something. Bobby spoke to ICT’s Vincent Moniz about the upcoming and final season of “Reservation Dogs.”
Indigenous movie stars were front and center at the Cannes Film Festival in May to promote the upcoming film “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Some of them used the moment to highlight Indigenous fashion. Designer Patricia Michaels has been producing one-of-a-kind couture for the last 20 years.
WATCH:
A remembrance of life memorial for the late Tim Giago, Oglala Lakota, is set to be held this weekend in Rapid City, South Dakota.
Giago died at the age of 88 on July 24, 2022.
He was the founder of the Lakota Times in 1981 and the paper ultimately became Indian Country Today; before its present iteration of ICT.
Giago had a long and distinguished career, leaving an indelible impact on Indian Country.
The memorial is Saturday, July 15 at the Canyon Lake Senior Activity Center and will be held from 2 p.m. to around 6 p.m. All are welcome.
Related: Memories: Tim Giago ‘made us all better’
‘Don’t be afraid to stand up,’ the legacy of Tim Giago
ICT at 40: ‘We reported like Indians, from the ground up’
- Transcript: Vice President Kamala Harris’ visit with ICT: The vice president met with ICT’s Aliyah Chavez in the Gila River Indian Community
- Preserving the sacred knowledge of El Popo: Moisés Vega sees the volcano as a father and giver, and people living in the surrounding area share his thoughts: The volcano would not hurt them because it is part of their communities
- MMIP family members question FBI’s ability to address crisis: New Mexico’s Not Invisible Act Commission members ask what resources federal investigation agency needs but don’t get many clear answers
- Biden is showcasing new NATO member Finland as he closes out his Europe trip
- Deadly flooding is hitting several countries at once
- Senators call for Supreme Court to follow ethics code like other branches of government
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