A new project at Arizona State University will help tribes establish a program to archive the stories of their nations. The director of the Labriola National American Indian Data Center joins us to tell us about Firekeepers: Building Archival Data Sovereignty through Indigenous Memory Keeping. Alexander Soto is helping to lead the project and will engage with tribal nations in a reciprocal process of designing archives that meet their needs.

“I Am A Man: The True Story of Ponca Chief Standing Bear,” depicts the 1879 landmark trial of Standing Bear v. United States of America. It helped establish the rights for all Native Americans to be considered “human beings” under U.S. law. The upcoming film will be directed by Andrew Troy.

Comanche Nation Entertainment is an entertainment and gaming company in Oklahoma that oversees hundreds of employees, six casinos, a hotel and various travel shops. Its CEO is Mia Tahdooahnippah. She is the first female CEO of the company and the only female CEO within Oklahoma’s gaming industry. 

A slice of our Indigenous world

  • On the North Slope of Alaska where the Biden administration has given the green light to a widely criticized oil drilling project. The Bureau of Land Management said Monday it will allow three sites rich in petroleum to be drilled — that would result in around 199 total wells. The Willow project could produce up to 180,000 barrels of oil a day, create up to 2,500 jobs during construction, and generate billions of dollars in royalties for federal, state and local governments. Litigation expected from environmental groups.
  • In Wyoming, new legislation has been signed into law to protect Native children. Last week. Gov. Mark Gordon signed a bill that prioritizes the adoptive placement of Native American children with their extended families, citizens of the child’s tribe or other Native American families. This makes Wyoming the latest state to codify the Indian Child Welfare Act into state law. Similar bills currently pending in other states including North Dakota, Montana and Minnesota.
  • In Washington, U.S. Senators are fresh off of meeting with Indigenous leaders. ICT’s Paris Wise took a deep dive into the latest hearing in the Senate Indian Affairs Committee.
  • In Arizona, lawmakers are taking steps to reduce and end violence against Native people. Tribal leaders and Gov. Katie Hobbs last week announced the formation of the state’s Task Force on Missing and Murdered Indigenous People.
  • The legacy of Peterson Zah is being celebrated days after the tribal, and educational, leader died. Zah is largely credited for leading the Navajo Nation out of one of its darkest political eras, following a deadly riot incited by the tribe’s former chairman Peter MacDonald, a year earlier. Former Chairman of the Hopi Tribe Ivan Sidney spoke at the memorial about the importance Zah had in uniting the two tribes.
  • These are exciting times for Indigenous high school and college basketball teams. For the second time in the school’s history, the Santee boys’ basketball team played in the Nebraska state tournament. In Washington state, Spokane high school basketball celebrated its first championship in the school’s history. The United Tribes Technical College Women’s team in North Dakota are now the Northwest Plains District champions. The Thunderbird’s win advances them to the 2023 NJCAA national tournament in Port Huron, Michigan.

Today’s newscast was created with work from:

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

Indian Country Today is a nonprofit news organization. Will you support our work? All of our content is free. There are no subscriptions or costs. And we have hired more Native journalists in the past year than any news organization ─ and with your help we will continue to grow and create career paths for our people. Support Indian Country Today for as little as $10.