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Every December since 2022, the U.S. Department of Interior headquarters has overflowed with Indigenous leaders from remote Alaska Native villages in the North Slope Borough to Cape Cod in Massachusetts.

The smooth sound of leather moccasins on Georgian marble in the main lobby, and the rhythmic jingle of regalia are part of the warm atmosphere. The vibrant laughter of tribal leaders fills the space. Others greet old and new friends with a handshake or hug.

For another year, hundreds of Indigenous leaders will participate in the White House Tribal Nations Summit. President Joe Biden will host his administration’s final summit on Dec. 9. It will be a one-day event instead of the usual two. The summit is not mandatory, and in his last administration President-elect Donald J. Trump chose not to host it. These summits were intended to increase nation-to-nation engagement.

“We’re one of the three sovereigns mentioned in the Constitution — the federal government, the state governments, and the tribal nations,” Shawnee Tribe Chief Ben Barnes told ICT. “I think it’s obligatory that the federal government honors its government-to-government relationship.” READ MORE — Pauly Denetclaw, ICT

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On the ICT Newscast for November 22, tribal citizens weigh in on President-elect Donald Trump’s selection for the Interior Department.

RAPID CITY, S.D. – Mason Big Crow, the former treasurer of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, was detained on Nov. 20 on federal charges related to embezzlement.

Court documents indicate Big Crow, Northern Arapaho and Oglala Lakota, was formally indicted on Sept. 19 on charges of larceny and embezzlement.

Big Crow’s indictment states that on or about between January 2021 and March 2023 Big Crow allegedly stole an amount exceeding $1,000. And second, on or about between January 2021 and March 2023 Big Crow stole or embezzled more than $1,000 of monies, funds, credits, goods, assets or other property belonging to the Oglala Sioux Tribe.

Big Crow is currently being held in the Pennington County Jail. READ MORE— Amelia Schafer, ICT + Rapid City Journal

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Clifford Bark, a fluent Cherokee language speaker, remembers in second grade when he couldn’t copy English words on his paper the teacher wrote on the board.

“The next day, she saw we didn’t write on our paper, she lined us up and whooped us about two or three times,” Bark said.

On Nov. 5, hundreds of fluent speakers, many of them with histories like Bark, gathered in the Chota Center at the Cherokee Casino in Tahlequah for a gathering of first-language Cherokee speakers. There are about 1,500 fluent speakers today, with dozens of Cherokee children growing up learning the language in their immersion schools.

Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. announced two major language projects the tribe has launched. READ MORE — Felix Clary, ICT + Tulsa World

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The latest: screenings and a powwow on Hollywood Boulevard, a ship tells tales in Miami, and weaving collections and contests.

FILM: Lights, cameras, LA Skins Fest!

It’s a most unlikely sight – powwow dancers and drummers in the courtyard of a slick urban mall on the most famous street in Los Angeles, while new film releases screen in the iconic Chinese Theater upstairs. The LA Skins Fest brings it all together this weekend as it celebrates films and filmmakers, hosts the Annual Native Media Awards Celebration, and the 6th Annual Hollywood Pow Wow.

“As the entertainment industry continues to reshape itself, the La Skins Fest continues to grow opportunities for our community.” said Patricia Gomes, festival director. ”This year, we are expanding the festival and increasing our ability to showcase new Indigenous cinema.”

A highlight is a screening of “Vow of Silence: The Assassination of Annie Mae” on Nov. 23 that will premiere on Hulu on Nov. 26. READ MORE — Sandra Hale Schulman, Special to ICT

Listeners tuning into the first episode of “Your Two-Spirit Aunties” are greeted by a joyfully goofy ditty.

“You have reached Your Two-Spirit Aunties Podcast. Please leave us a message after the tone. Da-da-da-da,” Shilo George says in a sing-song voice.

And so begins a singular podcast journey with George and co-host Brianna Bragg, who guide the way with “laughs, truth, heart, and all things Two-Spirit.”

Airing since 2022, the podcast explores themes such as Indigequeer identity, Two-Spiritness, disability, boundaries, survivance and much more. The podcast hosts do so with a balance of humor, joy and intentionality — listeners are transported so it feels as if they are sitting in a room listening to a conversation between two friends: Shilo George and Brianna Bragg. READ MORE — Nika Bartoo-Smith, Underscore Native News + ICT

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