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The Wilma Mankiller quarter, slated to begin circulating in 2022, will feature an image of the Cherokee chief, wrapped in a traditional shawl with the seven-pointed star of the Cherokee Nation to the right and “Cherokee Nation” written in the Cherokee syllabary below her name.
The wind is at her back as she gazes into the future.
The selection of Mankiller, who was the first woman elected principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, was announced in June by the U.S. Mint. Her quarter – which was designed by noted Mint sculptor Phebe Hemphill, who also sculpted several Code Talkers $1 coins – is the third coin of the American Women’s Quarters program. READ MORE. — Nancy Marie Spears, Gaylord News
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A suspect wanted in connection with a Dec. 26 hit-and-run crash that left a bicyclist dead on tribal land near Tucson has turned herself in, authorities said.
Yvette Garcia, 35, surrendered to Pascua Yaqui police on Tuesday night and was taken into custody on suspicion of homicide, the FBI said Wednesday. It was unclear Wednesday if Garcia has a lawyer yet who can speak on her behalf.
Before Garcia turned herself in, a $5,000 reward was being offered by the FBI and Pascua Yaqui police for information about her whereabouts.
FBI officials said they still were trying to locate the vehicle involved in the crash although they know the make and license plate.
Information on the woman who was killed in the crash has not yet been released by the FBI. — The Associated Press
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The Governor’s Office on Tribal Relations will be hosting the 27th Annual Indian Nations and Tribes Legislative Day at the Capitol, at the Senate Lawn, on Jan. 12.
It will be in person and start with a Joint-Protocol Session hosted by the House of Representatives. Tribal leaders will have floor privileges to join their representatives during the session.
There will also be a luncheon and a workshop for Native youth called Native Youth Know, which 150 youth attendees will hear from former NASA astronaut John Herrington and other special guests.
“This is a special day where we acknowledge and pay tribute to the rich culture and history of American Indian peoples. Native peoples’ abundant contributions to our government and society should be celebrated and Indian Nations and Tribes Legislative Day allows us to do just that,” Kristine FireThunder, director of the Governor’s Office on Tribal Relations, said.
Severe winter weather temporarily delayed the planned evictions set for this week for some of the more than 60 former Nooksack tribal citizens who were among hundreds disenrolled from the tribe.
Despite at least five pleas from federal agencies to delay the actions while a civil rights investigation is completed, the tribe was set to begin evictions or the hearing process on Tuesday, Dec. 28, for some of the 61 former tribal citizens and two of their children who are enrolled members living in 21 federally funded homes on Nooksack tribal land.
But record cold temperatures and snow delayed the process for at least two families this week – one that had been ordered to vacate by Tuesday and another that had an eviction hearing scheduled for the same day.
Gabe Galanda, a citizen of Round Valley Indian Tribes and the attorney for the families facing eviction, said the hearing was rescheduled for next week. READ MORE. — Chris Aadland, Underscore.news and Indian Country Today
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Vision Maker Media is having an open call for their 2022Public Media Fund for film and television program proposals that represent “any combination of cultures, experiences, and perspectives of Native Americans and Alaska Natives.”
Post-production, production and research and development are the three areas of program funding available.
“Native filmmakers, directors, and producers have an impact on the conversations that are happening around the country and in our communities,” says VMM Executive Director Francene Blythe-Lewis (Diné, Sisseton-Wahpeton, Eastern Band Cherokee). “And, the Public Media Fund ensures that we are engaging Americans with quality films and programming that addresses relevant and important issues about Native Americans and Alaska Natives.”
The deadline for submissions is Feb. 11 by 5 p.m. CST. Selected proposals will be notified in the spring.
Visit the website for more information.
- Making history, remembering the past:Coverage around the world on Indigenous issues for the week ending Jan. 2, 2022.
- Judge rules DAPL documents are public:The records became entangled in three lawsuits.
- A $31.5B settlement over treatment of Indigenous children: It’s the largest settlement in Canadian history, Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller said.
- Climate Change: Navajo Nation faces drought, fires, flooding: Dry conditions pose problems for crops, livestock and water supplies.
- Tribes concerned about plan to power nuclear lab:The All Pueblo Council of Governors adopted a resolution to support the preservation of the Caja del Rio.
- WATCH: A nexus of change in 1972: We’re taking a look back at last year’s deadly attacks on the US Capitol. Plus, find out why 1972 was a game changer for Native people and policy
- Who Gets to Investigate? How Reporters of Color are Shut Out of Investigative Journalism.
- Havasupai tribe, at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, will block tourism until June.
- Prayer vigil and rally for Nick Patterson marks two-year anniversary of disappearance.
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