Navajo elder and leader Peterson Zah died last week at age 85. He led the nation as chairman in the 1980s, and was elected Navajo’s first president after its government reorganized in the 1990s. To many, he was a role model and mentor, including to Jaynie Parrish. We have the interview she did with him in January 2022, after he had just been honored by the Grand Canyon Trust for his service.

The 1973 occupation of Wounded Knee made household names out of men like Carter Camp, Dennis Banks and Russell Means. But women also played powerful roles in the occupation. They were honored recently during 50th anniversary commemorations of the seminal event in American Indian Movement history. ICT’s Shirley Sneve and Stewart Huntington were there.

The National Indian Education Association held its annual Hill Week in Washington, D.C. last week. It’s an opportunity for Indigenous leaders to advocate for educational priorities. NIEA members and attendees heard from current members of Congress, and other Capitol Hill Representatives. NIEA policy director Julia Wakeford recounts this year’s Hill Week.

Organizers from the annual IndigiPop X are celebrating a successful event in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma last weekend. Dacoda McDowell-Wahpekeche has the latest.

  • In California, allies of the sacred site Oak Flat are gearing up for another day in court. On Tuesday, the Ninth Circuit Court will hear arguments in the case: Apache Stronghold v. the United States. Oak Flat, which is located in southeastern Arizona, is currently under threat of being destroyed to mine for copper ore. The court is expected to hear the case in front of a full panel of 11 judges. Aside from the courts, the Apache people have also fought in the U.S. Congress to get legislation passed to stop the mining.
  • A mountain lion known as P-22 was buried on his ancestral homelands in the Santa Monica Mountains in a private ceremony earlier this month after being euthanized. His return ceremony was done in part by several Native people and included a private gravesite, songs, prayers and sage smoke. In a statement, “The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County,” who had held P-22’s remains in a freezer after his death, called the burial a “historically significant ceremony.”
  • In New Mexico, lawmakers are celebrating a soon-to-be law that increases early childhood education for Native students. House Bill 148 passed the New Mexico House and Senate earlier this month with unanimous approval. It mandates that the state’s early childhood and education department work with tribes to provide funding for programs using a tribe’s cultural teachings — and doing so on their tribal lands. This will ultimately result in cultural education being taught in tribal head start programs around New Mexico. The bill will now head to state governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s desk to be signed into law.
  • In Australia, officials are dealing with the fall out of an Indigenous child who spent 45 days in solitary confinement. The 13-year-old boy, referred to as Jack, reportedly spent 60 days in custody. He was being held while awaiting trial for fighting another 13-year-old. Jack’s detention included six days in an adult prison and several stints in juvenile solitary confinement — the longest being 22 consecutive days. Data shows Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders were 12 times more likely to be imprisoned than non-Indigenous Australians. It is estimated that 90 percent of juvenile detainees are Indigenous youth in the country’s northern region.
  • The third annual Native American Writers Seminar has an open call for applications. Starting in June, the month-long intensive program helps to develop emerging Native writers for TV and film. And it also provides a gateway for Indigenous storytellers who want professional and creative mentorship. The seminar is presented by the Native American Media Alliance in partnership with the Cherokee Nation Film Office. This year’s early deadline to apply is March 27th.

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

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

Virginia Rigney, Chickasaw, is a video editor for the ICT Newscast.

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