The Wrap: Santa Fe Indian Market
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In a time of conflict around the world, it’s fitting that the Best of Show winner at the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts’ 102nd Santa Fe Indian Market held Aug. 14-18 was a bow and arrow set called “Pueblo Revolt” by Dan Vallo, Acoma Pueblo.
In a statement, Vallo said his work is “dedicated to the 1680 warriors of the Pueblo Revolt with a depth of handcraft for protecting and honoring Pueblo communities of past, present, and future.”
The set incorporates an obsidian blade, turkey feathers, and yucca fiber cordage with knots to represent the knotted cord carried by Popé to mark the days when the Pueblos would rise up against the Spanish invaders.
The Best of Classification winner for jewelry was an unexpected horse headstall by Sarah Aragon, Navajo. Called Back in the Saddle, it is exquisitely done with Tufa cast silver and stone inlay work of Mediterranean coral, Castle Dome turquoise, Morenci turquoise, Kingman turquoise, Persian turquoise, and Carico Lake turquoise. READ MORE. — Sandra Hale Schulman, Special to ICT
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A 200-foot piece of dirt road that was punched into Katmai National Park and Preserve 10 years ago has been removed so the site can be revert to its natural state, protecting archaeological features there.
The small bit of road near Lake Brooks was built by mistake, without proper consultation with regional Native tribes and Native organizations, the National Park Service said. It wound up covering parts of two underground sod homes, sites known in Alutiiq culture as ciqluaqs and in Russian as barabaras.
Originally intended as a tool to shorten an existing service road and help keep vehicles from getting too close to an historic cabin that had been hit a couple of times by buses, the road section was never actually used, said Mark Sturm, Katmai’s superintendent. The problems it caused became apparent shortly after it was built in the summer of 2014, he said.
“It was not appropriate for us to have done that, and certainly not to have done it in the absence of having done our due diligence,” said Sturm, who was not at Katmai at the time. Construction of the road section “upset a bunch of people,” he said.
“The biggest thing that we did wrong was to have done that work without having done proper consultation and without having done proper historic preservation,” he said. READ MORE. — Alaska Beacon
During Tuesday’s Democratic National Convention’s ceremonial roll call in Chicago, where delegates expressed their support for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, South Dakota spotlighted an Indigenous voice for their roll call.
Chante’ Reddest, social media influencer and activist, listed what Harris’ presidency would mean for himself, his friends and community: more opportunities, better paying jobs, better access to health care and quality education.
“I want to say that my people, the Oceti Sakowin, are still here. The Seven Council Fires are still here,” Reddest, Oglala, Sičangu Lakota, said to applause while the instrumental to the song “What I like About You,” by the Romantics plays in the background. Each state had their own introduction music.
The American Samoa and Northern Mariana Islands, both U.S. territories, also casted their vote. READ MORE. — Kalle Benallie, ICT
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Henry Roan was a character in Martin Scorcese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” but he was a real-life Osage Nation citizen too. How does his life story compare to his portrayal in the film adaptation of David Grann’s historical book?
In the film, Roan was Molly Burkhart’s (Lily Gladstone) first husband, who struggled with alcoholism and “melancholy,” as the film described it. During the Osage reign of terror, he was murdered by John Ramsey, a man hired by Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) to stage Roan’s suicide.
In real life, Roan married Molly Burkhart, Molly Kyle at the time, when he was 15 years old, while he was on a short break from his time at the Carlisle Indian Boarding school in Pennsylvania. His great-granddaughter Margo Gray said Carlisle was like the “torture chamber” of boarding schools. She attributes his alcoholism and depression to the trauma he faced as a child and young adult. READ MORE. — Felix Clary, ICT + Tulsa World
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An at once gripping, heartbreaking and beautiful documentary made its way to the big screens this August. “Sugarcane” is a personal film that follows an investigation into unmarked graves found on the grounds of an Indigenous residential school run by a Catholic church in Canada.
When the film’s co-director, Emily Kassie, first heard about the unmarked graves uncovered at Indigenous residential schools across Canada, she knew immediately that she wanted to do a documentary. She enlisted the help of fellow filmmaker Julian Brave NoiseCat, a member of the Canim Lake Band Tsq'escen and descendant of the Lil'Wat Nation of Mount Currie.
Throughout 2021 and 2022, investigations uncovered unmarked graves across a number of Indigenous residential schools in Canada — these investigations also pointed to the abuse and mistreatment Indigenous young people faced at the hands of the Catholic church after being stolen from their homes. READ MORE. — Nika Bartoo-Smith, Underscore Native News + ICT
A leader in the national and regional tribal housing arena has passed away. Brook B. Kristovich died on July 13, 2024 at the age of 61. He was Nishga and Ingiluk Athabascan and was an enrolled member of the Native Village of Napaimute in Alaska.
Kristovich took on leadership roles in the National American Indian Housing Council as well as regional housing authorities in the Pacific Northwest and Southwest.
On his Linked In page, he said he had experience running programs on low rent, homeownership, low income housing tax credit units, and other financing. Kristovich said he was experienced in turning around troubled organizations and worked directly with tribal councils and housing boards of directors.
The National American Indian Housing Council’s obituary said, “Brook committed his career to serving the housing needs of Native Americans in Indian Country.” READ MORE. — Joaqlin Estus, ICT
- COVID-19 cases rise across Indian Country: Communities across the country are seeing elevated numbers of COVID-19 hospitalizations. Experts stress the importance of getting vaccinated.
- School superintendent fired after racist comments: A South Dakota Superintendent has been fired over racist comments aimed at Native American students made in an Office of Civil Rights Report.
- A broken family, broken trust in wake of shooting: Those who experienced the terror of an August 2 shooting at a South Dakota powwow reflect on the event that claimed one man’s life.
- Blink and it’s 50 years: A love for journalism ‘as old as I remember.’
- Apologize! Report calls for US government to own up to abusive boarding school history: The final investigative report on federal Indian boarding schools sets out recommendations for helping Native communities heal from the abusive policies.
- Indigenous leaders show up in force at Democratic National Convention.
- American Indian adults may face higher rates of heart failure.
- Peter Pan Ride At Walt Disney World Updated With New Native American Depictions; Disneyland Next.
- Mike Kellogg named publisher of Stillwater News Press.
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