Welcome to News from Native American Netroots, a weekly series focused on indigenous tribes primarily in the United States and Canada, but inclusive of international peoples also.
Our format will be evolving and our focus of coverage will broaden as the series develops.
News from Native American Netroots is unique as a news digest in the fact that this it is based on community contributions. Articles can be submitted in the commment thread or posted at Native American Netroots each week.
cross posted at Native Amercan Netroots
Navajo Nation May Get Cutting-edge LTE Network
By Stephen Lawson, IDG News Service
The network, backed up by a 550-mile fiber backbone and microwave links, could make the Internet bloom for about 30000 households in the Navajo Nation,
The network, backed up by a 550-mile fiber backbone and microwave links, could make the Internet bloom for about 30,000 households in the Navajo Nation, which stretches across a vast region encompassing parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Fewer than 10 percent of the homes and businesses in the Nation have broadband today, according to Monroe Keedo, IT manager for Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA), a multiservice utility that will operate the network. Mobile service is limited to 2G (second-generation) technology.
Navajo Nation bridging broadband divide with LTE
Seeking stimulus funds to bring fiber to 27,000-square mile Navajo reservation in Arizona, tribal utility plans to use 4G for last-mile broadband access.
Last Friday, one of the first live long-term evolution sites went live in the US, but it wasn’t in New York, San Francisco or any of the other major markets of the country. Nor was the cell site deployed by Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ, NYSE:VOD), AT&T (NYSE:T), MetroPCS (NYSE:PCS) or any of the other major wireless operators. Instead the ZTE base station was switched on in Fort Defiance, Arizona, in the heart of the sprawling Navajo reservation.
The Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA) has partnered with Commnet Wireless to address one of the starkest examples of the digital divide in the US: the 27,000 square-mile Navajo Nation left largely behind by the digital and broadband revolution. Building a wireline broadband network to cover 400,000 people in what is an almost entirely rural reservation the size of West Virginia would be impossible. So NTUA and Commnet have decided to tackle the problem with wireless.
Navajo Nation explores 4G with DragonWave
Canadian equipment supplier DragonWave has announced that it has been contracted by the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA) to deploy a commercial Long Term Evolution (LTE) field test across parts of the Navajo Nation. The NTUA is currently seeking funding to the tune of USD46 million to accommodate the deployment of fibre-optic infrastructure and LTE across the reservation, the largest Native American jurisdiction in the US, including a 530 mile fibre rollout and the installation of 57 LTE base stations, providing coverage of 15,000 square miles of the Navajo Nation.
Fiscal Year 2010 Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation Webinar on the Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation
Webinar on the Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation
Join us for a Webinar on March 18, 2010. Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat now!
As the Attorney General made clear at the Listening Session in October, the Department of Justice (DOJ) is committed to a sustained partnership with Tribal governments to improve public safety in Tribal communities, to ensure the security of Native women, and to build a better future for young people who are the future of Tribal communities. At the Listening Session, many Tribal leaders expressed a need to improve the Justice Department's grant-making process. The Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS) is the Department's FY 2010 solution.
OU College of Law International Human Rights Clinic Provides Opportunities for Students
By the end of the 2009-10 academic year, eight students at the University of Oklahoma College of Law will have the satisfaction of knowing that they have affected the lives of people who live thousands of miles away. These students participated in the first year of the OU College of Law International Human Rights Clinic which focused on indigenous populations in Guyana in South America during the fall semester and Panama in Central America during the spring semester.
Adding this component to the clinical education program was the idea of Professor Lindsay Robertson, Faculty Director of the American Indian Law & Policy Center and Associate Director of the Inter-American Center for Law & Culture. Robertson developed and proposed the concept for the clinic to the OU Law faculty in spring 2009. Students participating in the clinic research the conditions of a country’s indigenous population in order to develop and submit a report to the Human Rights Council of the United Nations on that country’s compliance with certain human rights commitments and obligations.
Indian leaders address Obama’s budget
WASHINGTON – Indian leaders are increasingly weighing in on President Barack Obama’s proposed budget for 2011. A general sense of satisfaction is in the air – especially given an overall federal focus to clamp down on spending – although desired areas for improvement are becoming clear.
Soon after the president released his proposed budget the week of Feb. 1, it was apparent that the administration plans to maintain and strengthen support for a variety of Indian country programs.
Jefferson Keel, National Congress of American Indians president and Lieutenant Governor of the Chickasaw Nation, hit that point home in testimony Feb. 25 at an oversight hearing of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs.
Lawmakers OK Navajo trust fund settlement
The Utah Legislature has signed off on a court settlement that would send $33 million to the Utah portion of the Navajo Nation for alleged state mismanagement of a reservation oil royalties trust fund.
The Senate on Wednesday approved HJR32, already approved by the House, that would end a two-decade dispute that Sen. John Valentine, R-Orem, said had embarrassed the state since before he was in the Legislature.
"We have exposure for significantly more than this amount," Valentine said in backing the settlement.
Pueblo returns to traditional name
Late last year, Santo Domingo Pueblo's tribal council quietly, and unanimously, decided to change the pueblo's name.
The traditional community, about halfway between Santa Fe and Albuquerque, is now known as Kewa Pueblo.
The name change was disclosed at a meeting of the All Indian Pueblo Council in January, according to the Alvin Warren, secretary of the state Department of Indian Affairs.
The Report of the Ipperwash Inquiry: A Roadmap to Improved Relationships and Quality of Life
The Report of the Ipperwash Inquiry sets out a road map for the Ontario government to work in partnership with First Nations and Métis to improve the quality of life for Aboriginal communities in Ontario.
Forging stronger relationships is an important step in the healing process. The tragic death of Anthony O'Brien (Dudley) George at Ipperwash Park has kindled a new relationship between Aboriginal people and our government based on respect and reconciliation.
Kim Teehee: Combating youth obesity in Indian Country
"In his address on the State of the Union, President Obama announced that First Lady Michelle Obama would be taking the lead in the Administration’s efforts "to tackle the epidemic of childhood obesity." Two weeks later, on February 9, the First Lady unveiled a nationwide campaign – Let’s Move! – to fight the epidemic and improve the health of children. An integral part of the First Lady’s campaign will be to work with American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities, where childhood obesity rates are particularly high.
While nearly one third of children in the United States are overweight or obese – a rate that has tripled in adolescents and more than doubled in younger children since 1980 – the overweight/obesity rate is even higher among AI/AN children, approaching 50%. This figure is particularly alarming given studies showing that obese children have a very high risk of developing type 2 diabetes and other associated health problems such as hypertension and heart disease later in life. Although once non-existent in youth, type 2 diabetes is increasingly being diagnosed in children, and more than 75% of the young people that have it are obese. These recent findings make the fight against childhood obesity all the more urgent because individuals that acquire type 2 diabetes as children are more likely to develop serious diabetes-related complications as adults during the years that ordinarily would be the most productive of their lives.
In support of the First Lady’s campaign against childhood obesity, on February 9, President Obama signed a Presidential Memorandum establishing an inter-agency task force "to solve the problem of childhood obesity within a generation through a comprehensive approach that builds on effective strategies, engages families and communities, and mobilizes both public and private sector resources."
Did George McGovern make us fat?
Mark Tapscott of the The Examiner shared some interesting comparisons this week between the current anti-obesity campaign led by First Lady Michelle Obama and the 1970s Senate Select Committee on Nutrition chaired by Mitchell's own George McGovern.
California Miwok hosts Dooda Desert Rock
California Miwok hosts Elouise Brown, resistance to coal fired power plant on Navajoland
Event Date: Friday March 19, 2010
Location: California Valley Miwok Tribe, 10601 Escondido Pl., Stockton, California 95212
Time: 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
The California Valley Miwok Tribe proudly presents Ms. Elouise Brown. Ms. Brown’s presentation is in regards to the resistance to coal development on Indigenous land. Ms. Brown will speak in Stockton, CA as a part of her state-wide lecture tour on the current environmental and Native resistance to coal mining initiatives on Indigenous land.
As the Paredon Oil & Gas Drilling Initiative controversy continues in Carpinteria CA. Elouise Brown, a Diné (Navajo) Traditionalist and President of the Doodá Desert Rock committee, will speak out about the dangers and the ongoing exploitation of indigenous land and people by energy companies.
This lecture will be held at the Tribal Offices of the California Valley Miwok Tribe 10601 Escondido Pl., Stockton, CA 10:00 am – 1:00 pm on Friday, March 19, 2010
This Event/Lecture is free
BACKGROUND - Doodá Desert Rock - The community of Chaco Rio in the Navajo Nation (SW of Farmington, New Mexico) has been blockading entry to the site of a proposed 1,500 megawatt coal fired power plant since December 2006. Desert Rock would be the third coal plant within a 20-mile radius in a region already suffering from extreme levels of toxic emissions.
AIM WEST-Bring the Troops Home Now
The American Indian Movement joins with the ANSWER Coalition in a major manifestation Saturday, March 20th to send a message calling on President Obama to Bring the Troops Home Now! No more deaths and destruction, bring the war home! Food, health care, shelter, jobs, education for the peoples here now! Our youth and coming generation are at stake. Honor life and Mother Earth!
AIM-WEST invites all human beings, dancers and drummers to join us at this occasion in a pre-ceremonial gathering to honor the dead, those who have died needlessly, and respect for all Veterans, Warriors and Peace Makers. Please join the lead dancer Companero Alvaro Tellez and Teocalli traditional Mexica danzantes at San Francisco Civic Center on Saturday, March 20, 10 am to 10:30 and prayer/blessing/honor song for Leonard Peltier. The rally is set to start at 10:45 am. Let us gather together for a show of solidarity among the bay area inter-tribal communities and stand for peace for all our relations!
Court denies review of uranium mining permit in NM
Lance Morgan: PACT Act a hidden power grab for states
The US Constitution has what is known as the Indian Commerce Clause. It basically states that Congress has the power to regulate commerce with Indian Tribes. Unfortunately, Congress just outsourced that power to the states.
On Thursday night, the US Senate passed what is known as the PACT Act, without even taking a vote. It was by unanimous consent. All Indian Country needed was one US Senator to object, but no one stepped up.
The PACT Act does several things. Mainly it prevents the post office from shipping Internet tobacco products, which for some tribes is big business. However, it does something else that isn’t so clear. It gives the states the power to enforce what is known as the Jenkins Act, a federal law, against tribal economic interests.
US Labor Department announces $67 million in grants for Indian tribes, tribal organizations and Ala
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration today announced approximately $67 million in grant funds for the Workforce Investment Act Indian and Native American Program.
"These grants will help organizations implement training programs to prepare workers for good jobs that pay family-supporting wages," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "Funding awarded through this competition will directly support American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian communities in both developing their local economies and preparing workers to better meet the needs of promising regional industries."
Of the $67 million, approximately $53 million is available to fund a Comprehensive Service Program for adults. Approximately $14 million is available for a Supplemental Services Program for youth. The adult program will provide quality employment and training services that prepare Native Americans to gain employment in today’s competitive workforce. Program participants will include unemployed, underemployed and low‑income individuals.
Wooing Native Americans for the 2010 Census
Michael Gray knew when he was designing his ads that if he wanted to get fellow Native Americans to fill out the census form, the message would have to be authentic and the expectations realistic.
"We sat down with focus groups on reservations and they told us one, the message can’t look like government telling us what to do, it has to be us telling us what to do," Gray said. "And two, it can’t be over promising because the government has backed out on promises before."
As the president and creative director of Montana-based G&G Advertising, a group specializing in reaching Native American audiences, Gray and his company are one of several ethnic-specific advertising companies hired by the 2010 Census.
Obama picks charities to which he'll donate Nobel prize cash award
.........About $200,000 will go to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, which is raising money for long-term relief efforts in that country after the devastating earthquake.
Six charities working to prepare students for higher education and help them pay for it will each get $125,000: the American Indian College Fund, the Appalachian Leadership and Education Foundation, College Summit, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, the Posse Foundation and the United Negro College Fund.
And two charities involved in global outreach will each receive $100,000: Africare and the Central Asia Institute.
Hart: Getting information out to tribes
WASHINGTON – When Paula Hart, a member of the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, was 13 years old, her father told her he wanted one of his 14 children to become a lawyer and one to work for the BIA.
"He was a tribal chief at the time and he said what was happening was people at the BIA were making decisions for the tribes and the tribes didn’t know about them until after the fact. He said he thought we needed an attorney down here and an Indian who could let the tribes know what was going on. I said, ‘Dad, I’ll become an attorney, I’ll do this for you,’" Hart said.
And she did. After earning a bachelor’s degree in political science from St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y. in 1984 and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Maryland School of Law in Baltimore in 1990, Hart joined the BIA in 1993.
New book explores Spanish conquest brutality
The Spanish conquest of New Mexico was even more brutal than has been depicted in history, a Stanford University anthropologist says in a new book.
"With heathens and infidels, it was illegal to shed their blood, so you had to figure out another way to kill them," Michael Wilcox said in an interview Thursday. "You could hang them, which happened, or you could burn them, burn them at the stake."
The assistant professor of anthropology at Stanford lays out his arguments in The Pueblo Revolt and the Mythology of Conquest, published by the University of California Press.
Since the 1880s, historians have downplayed the "Black Legend" of Spanish atrocities as anti-Hispanic, but Wilcox's book documents horrific violence in the colonial Southwest.
Top Indian footballer contemplates Redskins suit
WASHINGTON – A superstar Native American football player says he won’t pre-emptively turn down any potential draft offers from the Redskins football team. At the same time, a group of Indian litigants is pressing harder to prevent "redskins" trademarks across the nation.
In recent days, much attention in the sports world has focused on Sam Bradford, the University of Oklahoma quarterback who is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, and where he might end up when drafted into the National Football League. He’s expected to be a top 10 pick in early April.
Some analysts have predicted that the 2008 Heisman Trophy winner’s prowess on the field will make him especially attractive to the Washington Redskins, since the team has struggled for so many years and is in need of a strong quarterback.
Court denies review of uranium mining permit in NM
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - Federal appellate judges have upheld a Nuclear Regulatory Commission decision to issue permits allowing a company leach uranium at an aquifer that supplies drinking water to thousands of Navajos in northwestern New Mexico.
A panel of the 10th U.S. Court of Appeals issued a 2-1 opinion Monday that concluded the NRC took the "hard look" required by the National Environmental Policy Act.
Eastern Dine (dih-NEH') Against Uranium Mining, Southwest Research and Information Center and ranchers Grace Sam and Marilyn Morris challenged the NRC's approval of permits for Hydro Resources Inc. to do in-situ leach mining near the Navajo communities of Crownpoint and Church Rock.
Pieces of Native American History; March 1-12
Friday, March 12, 2010
During this week in 1907, Chaco Canyon was designated as a National Monument to preserve and protect the pueblo ruins in northwestern New Mexico. It was later designated a National Historical Park.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
On this day in 1907, 253 acres were added to the Pechanga Indian Reservation in California. The people petitioned the federal government for farming land because most of the reservation was hilly and brushy.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
On this day in 1861, one of Canada's most well-known poets was born on the Six Nations Reserve. Emily Pauline Johnson's work often included her Mohawk heritage.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
On this day in 1951, Army Captain Raymond Harvey led an attack during the Korean War. The Chickasaw man charged through enemy fire taking down machine gun nests when his company was pinned down. Though wounded, he refused evacuation until the mission was complete. He received the Medal of Honor for his actions.
Monday, March 8, 2010
On this day in 1991, the Bering Straits Foundation became officially incorporated. Located in Alaska, the foundation promotes the cultural enhancement and administers scholarships for Alaska Native people in the Bering Strait region.
Friday, March 5, 2010
During this week in 2007, Cherokee Nation Citizens in Oklahoma voted to clarify tribal citizenship. The vote removed descendants of black slaves, known as Freedmen. The issue is in the courts, as Freedmen seek Congressional resolution.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
During this week in 2008, Master Sergeant Woodrow Wilson Keeble posthumously received the Medal of Honor. His family, lawmakers and others attended a ceremony at the White House. The Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate man received the nation's highest military award for his actions in the Korean War.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
On this day in 1891, Congress set aside 86,000 acres for the Annette Island Reserve in Southeast Alaska. The reservation was for Tsimshian people who immigrated to Alaska from Canada a few years earlier.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
On this day in 2008, Aboriginal and church leaders in Canada started a multi-city tour in Ottawa to promote the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Indian residential schools. Participants set out to raise awareness and educate people about the schools and their impact on Aboriginal people. The commission was part of the government's settlement with former students who were abused at the schools.
Monday, March 1, 2010
During this week in 1865, the Colorado River Indian Reservation was established. The reservation spans the Colorado River and has land in Arizona and California. It is home to four different tribes with about 3,500 tribal members.