On the Tuesday edition of the ICT Newscast, we meet the National Native American Law Enforcement Association’s Police Chief of the Year. An upcoming film covers the importance and history of buffalo. And we get an early look at a first-of-its-kind Indigenous People’s Day celebration.

As Chief of Police for the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe in New York, Matthew Rourke faces some unique challenges. Not the least of which is the international border that runs right through his Nation. He was recently named Chief of Police of the Year by the National Native American Law Enforcement Association. ICT’s Stewart Huntington caught up with the chief and asked him about the honor.

“The American Buffalo” is a two-part, four-hour film that explores the significance of buffalo, past and present. ICT’s Paris Wise has this interview with consulting producer Julianna Brannum.

Next month, cities and tribal nations across the United States will celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day. There will be pageants, parades and celebrations of all kinds … and the message is simple: that Native people are still here. Autumn Rose Williams works with the Indigenous art space, Cahokia and is one of the coordinators for this year’s Indigenous Peoples Day celebration.

A slice of our Indigenous world

  • The first independent assessment of damage caused by former President Donald Trump’s border wall has been released. It found that over a four-year period, federal agencies constructed roughly 450-miles of barriers — expediting construction by waiving environmental and other laws.
  • The U.S. Government Accountability Office consulted with several agencies and groups for the report, including the Tohono O’odham tribe in Arizona and the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians in California. Damage included a Tohono O’odham burial site that was blasted, as well as saguaro cactuses that were killed.
  • Vance Franklin Myers of Oakhurst, CA was sentenced last week to three years probation and a $10,000 fine for removing archeological resources from public lands. According to court documents, the 35-year-old excavated Native American cultural artifacts and human remains on U.S. Forest Service land.
  • The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition recently released a new interactive map showing every boarding school it has identified. The map includes 115 schools not previously listed, for a total of 523. The database is part of the group’s mission to help relatives heal from the trauma of the era.
  • In Kosovo, a Navajo woman is set to begin her third year as a professional basketball player. After playing college ball at San Jose State, Analyss Benally wanted to keep her career going. She played in Romania, then Albania. Kosovo is her third pro team. She recently took time to shoot scenes for the upcoming Netflix series Rez Ball about a high school hoops team on the Navajo Nation.

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.

McKenzie Allen-Charmley, Dena’ina Athabascan, is a producer for the ICT Newscast. Instagram: @mallencharmley.

Paris Wise, Zia and Laguna Pueblos, is a producer for the ICT Newscast. Email: paris@ictnews.org.

Stewart Huntington is a producer for the ICT Newscast.

Quindrea Yazzie, Diné, is a video production editor for the ICT Newscast. Email: qyazzie@ictnews.org . Yazzie is based in Phoenix.

Daniel Herrera Carbajal is a video editor for the ICT Newscast. On Twitter: @daniulherrrer

Pauly Denetclaw, Diné, is a political correspondent for ICT. Email her at pauly@ictnews.org

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

Jack Orleans is an Intern for the ICT Newscast. On Twitter @JackOrleans5

Demi Dupavillon is an Intern for the ICT Newscast. On Twitter @DemiDupavillon

Mark Trahant, Shoshone-Bannock, is ICT editor-at-large and executive producer of the ICT Newscast Email: marktrahant@ictnews.org Trahant is based in Phoenix.

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