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MIAMI, Okla. — Shawnee Tribe Chief Ben Barnes grew up playing video games, including “probably hundreds of hours” colonizing a distant planet in the 1999 title Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri.
So when that same game studio, Firaxis, approached the tribal nation a quarter-century later with a proposal to make a playable character out of their famous leader Tecumseh in the upcoming game Civilization 7, Barnes felt a rush of excitement. READ MORE. — Associated Press
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The National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship, which is the highest honor in folk and traditional arts in the United States, was awarded to 10 artists, including three Indigenous artists, on Sept. 17. In recognition of each artist’s excellence, lifetime achievements, and contributions to the nation’s traditional arts heritage, they received $25,000. The head of the NEA, Maria Jackson, presented the awards at the Library of Congress. Videos of the awards ceremony and the individual artists are available at the NEA website. READ MORE. — Joaqlin Estes, ICT
The Obama Foundation has selected seven Native leaders from across Indian Country for a special program that focuses on leadership development and civic engagement.
The seven were among 205 people from 70 different nations selected for the 2024-2025 Obama Leaders program, including 100 people selected for the six-month Obama Foundation Leaders USA program.
“The initiative is designed to equip participants with the skills needed to expand their impact across public, private, and nonprofit sectors, fostering transformative change in their communities,” according to a statement released by the foundation. READ MORE. — ICT
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It seemed like such a long shot. The Environmental Protection Agency had a lot of money on the table — $4.3 billion — for just 25 projects nationwide that would reduce pollution, advance environmental justice and curb greenhouse gas emissions.
The Nez Perce Tribe — with roughly 3,500 enrolled citizens and a 770,000-acre reservation — was competing against large state agencies and major cities and counties across the country, including Washington’s King County, where Seattle is located. — Columbia Insight
- U.S. Treasury says tribally owned entities should be tax-exempt
- Workforce initiative awards eight Native nations
- Pine Ridge High School establishes its first-ever skateboarding team
- Canada has no legal obligation to provide First Nations with clean water, lawyers say
- Department of Corrections pledges to rebuild sweat lodges dismantled during prison lockdown
- The Fight to Ensure Voting Access on the Fort Peck Reservation
- Cherokee Nation Steps to Aid Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in Aftermath of Hurricane Helene
We want your tips, but we also want your feedback. What should we be covering that we’re not? What are we getting wrong? Please let us know. dalton@ictnews.org.
