Founded in 1944, the National Congress of American Indians is the oldest and largest organization in the United States that advocates on behalf of tribal governments and communities. On Thursday, the congress will elect a new president.

Three experienced Indigenous leaders are vying for the post and ICT interviewed each of them.

  • Cheryl Andrews-Maltais, chairwoman of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah)
  • Mark Macarro, the chairman of the Pechanga Band of Indians
  • Marshall Pierite, the chairman and CEO of the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana.

A slice of our Indigenous world

  • Humans are exploiting natural resources to the degree where we are reaching tipping points, risking irreversible damage to us and the planet, according to a new UN report. The study says we need to better manage the world’s resources to avoid catastrophic impacts. Data from the last 12 months show temperatures that are the hottest ever recorded.
  • Last winter a hotel manager in South Dakota warned Native Americans from staying on the property. Now a consent decree from the U.S. Department of Justice has banned one of the hotel’s owners from working and she must publicly apologize for her actions. The federal agency announced the apology last week as part of a consent decree with owners of Rapid City’s Grand Gateway Hotel.
  • As an Oklahoma advisory board on Indian Education is short seven members as the anniversary of its establishment is approaching. The council was meant to make the quality of Native education and related services more accessible and visible. However, the controversies surrounding a state review of the social studies curriculum, and its section on Native history has left potential council members unsettled.
  • A principal in a school serving Native American students refused to acknowledge Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Casey Jackson, the principal at Siletz Valley School, in Oregon, received her seventh complaint for calling students who participated in a protest cowards.” In early October, a group of young people walked out of the building after their school did not recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
  • A federal judge upheld the Biden administration’s approval of the massive Willow oil-drilling project on Alaska’s remote North Slope. U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason rejected requests by a grassroots Iñupiat group and environmentalists to reverse the approval of the project. It’s within the National Petroleum Reserve. Alaska environmentalists say the president is backpedaling on his pledge to combat climate change.

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 Pueblo, 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: @daniulherrrera

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.

Nick Parks is a Production Assistant for the ICT Newscast.On Twitter: @NickParks2002

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

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