Drums and protest songs echoed across the South Dakota prairie on Monday as hundreds of people marched to Wounded Knee. That was to honor the activists who revived the Indigenous fight against injustice 50 years ago by occupying the sacred site. ICT’s Shirley Sneve and Stewart Huntington were there.

The Fire Generation Collaborative is a diverse group of emerging leaders who are aiming to transform the world through fire. They are working to influence international policy and governance projects, community-focused research, and media campaigns around cultural fires, prescribed burning, and community resilience. The organization’s executive director is Ryan Reed and their team are expanding opportunities to get involved. 

Lawmakers across the country are in session. There are many bills to watch affecting Native communities. ICT regular contributor John Tahsuda is back with this update. He is a principal at Navigators Global. 

A slice of our Indigenous world

  • A problematic and long running television ad is being retired by the National Congress of American Indians. This anti-pollution commercial, running since 1971, shows a man in Native-style clothing shedding a single tear at the sight of smokestacks and litter.
  • Advocates in Nevada are continuing their efforts to block a major lithium mining project. Last week, four environmental groups sought an emergency court order to temporarily halt further construction at sacred site Thacker Pass.
  • A key ally of Native communities has died. James Abourezk made history as the first Arab American to be elected a U.S. Senator in the 1970s. While he wasn’t Native himself, the Democrat grew up on Rosebud homelands in South Dakota. As a member of Congress, Abourezk became the first chair of the Senate Indian affairs committee.
  • In New Mexico, Indigenous women want to block the nomination of James R. Mountain for state’s tribal relations. James R. Mountain has been nominated by the state’s governor to lead its Indian Affairs Department. That idea is facing heavy resistance due to a rape charge against Mountain 15 years ago. The prosecution ultimately dropped the charge due to insufficient evidence and the court records were previously sealed.
  • A tribal basketball program is connecting hundreds of children to their community. Over 200 Zuni students are expected to participate in this year’s basketball league hosted by the Zuni Youth Enrichment Project.

Shirley Sneve, Ponca/Sicangu Lakota, is vice president of broadcasting for the ICT Newscast. Follow her on Twitter @rosebudshirley. She is based in Nebraska and Minnesota.

Aliyah Chavez, Kewa Pueblo, is the anchor of the ICT Newscast. On Twitter: @aliyahjchavez.

R. Vincent Moniz, Jr., NuÉta, is the senior producer of the ICT Newscast. Have a great story? Pitch it to vincent@ictnews.org.

McKenzie Allen-Charmley, Dena’ina Athabaskan, is a producer of the ICT Newscast. On Twitter: @mallencharmley.

Paris Wise, Zia & Laguna Pueblo, is a producer for the ICT Newscast. Instagram and Twitter: @parisiswise. Email: paris@ictnews.org.

Drea Yazzie, Diné, is a producer/editor for the ICT newscast. On Twitter: @quindreayazzie Yazzie is based in Phoenix.

Pacey Smith Garcia, Ute, is a production assistant for the ICT newscast. On Twitter: @paceyjournalist

RipLey-Simone Kennebrew is an intern for the ICT Newscast. On Twitter: @ripleysimoneken

Daniel Herrera Carbajal is an intern for the ICT Newscast. On Twitter: @daniulherrrera

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