Cross Posted at Native American Netroots
Welcome to News from Native American Netroots, a series focused on indigenous tribes primarily in the United States and Canada but inclusive of international peoples also.
A special thanks to our team for contributing the links that have been compiled here. Please provide your news links in the comments below.
About the Growing Up Indian Project
Journalist Steve Young-Photogragpher Devin Wagner
The seeds that became the Growing Up Indian project began in 2008 when reporter Steve Young was working on stories about suicide on South Dakota’s Indian Reservations.
During a conversation while reporting that story, a Native American gang expert suggested that most white South Dakotans had no real understanding about the poverty and violence faced by reservation youth.....
Young has written dozens of stories on Native American life for the Argus Leader in nearly three decades of work. He says two points strike him about this project.
"One, for all the years I’ve spent roaming the reservations and doing stories on everything from education, standards of justice, the Black Hills Claims issue to suicide, the legacy of Wounded Knee and Indian Health Service, I never really grasped how difficult life is for a child on the reservation," he says. "That includes the alcoholism that permeates homes and has parents holding guns to their kids’ heads. I think 90 percent of the people I interviewed, young and old, had stories of suicide within their family, and sexual abuse. I talked to too many young people who didn’t want to go home, but wanted to stay with the youth running the park programs.
"And two, I was reminded of how many smart and talented and incredibly ambitious youth there are on the reservation who, with just one person showing an interest in their lives, emerge from the poverty and joblessness and all the forces of despair, and become perhaps some of the strongest and most vibrant individuals this state produces."
emphasis mine |
Please visit navajo's diaryfor a comprehensive view on this series series and its primary purpose:
ACTION: You can help by reading and using the multi-media parts of the series to understand a little of what it's like to be young and trying to survive against all odds. Your knowledge can help us because we need your influence with policy makers and other leaders/organizers in your state.
Canada Endorses the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Canada Endorses the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Marketwire
The Government of Canada today formally endorsed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in a manner fully consistent with Canada's Constitution and laws. Canada's Ambassador to the United Nations, Mr. John McNee, met with the President of the United Nations General Assembly, Mr. Joseph Deiss, to advise him of Canada's official endorsement of the United Nations Declaration.
"We understand and respect the importance of this United Nations Declaration to Indigenous peoples in Canada and worldwide," said the Honourable John Duncan, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-status Indians. "Canada has endorsed the Declaration to further reconcile and strengthen our relationship with Aboriginal peoples in Canada."
"Canada is committed to promoting and protecting the rights of Indigenous peoples," said the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs. "Canada's active involvement abroad, coupled with its productive partnership with Aboriginal Canadians, is having a real impact in advancing indigenous rights at home and abroad." |
Please see Winter Rabbit's diary, Still Dream Obama Signs UN Declaration on Indigenous Rightsand his message to President Obama, who has yet to sign this declaration.
Native American tribes seek trade ties with Turkey
AP
Native American tribal leaders and businessmen seeking trade ties with Turkish companies have offered them tax incentives to operate in their territories in the United States, the organizer of the trip said Thursday.
Native American businessmen are increasingly seeking global business partnerships to create jobs and new businesses in their territories. They have held talks with Chinese, Spanish and Australian companies, but their tribal leaders' trip to Turkey was the first large–scale overseas exploration of new trade ties, they said. |
Native American vets unveil special monument
By Victoria Guay
More than 100 Native Americans, veterans and others gathered Saturday at the New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery to unveil a monument many say is long overdue.
The monument, developed and paid for through the efforts of the New Hampshire Intertribal Native American Council, an organization that meets once a month in Laconia, is in the shape of a drum surrounding by an arch.
Inscribed in glossy black stone are the words "Dedicated to all Native American Veterans/ American and Canadian / Who served to protect/ This land called/ Turtle Island. " |
Paying tribute to tradition: Thousands come together for 29th annual Intertribal Gathering
By Matt Drange
Past generations instill a sense of spirit in Cathy Bishop, who smiled during the 29th annual Intertribal Gathering and Elders Dinner on Saturday as she remembered the life of her grandmother.
"Your elders are your source of life," said Bishop, who has roots in the Hoopa, Yurok, Maidu and Wintun tribes. "You learn a lot from them, so you have to show them great respect." .....
...Thousands of people turned out for the annual event at Redwood Acres fairgrounds, which honored veterans and anyone 55 and older with a free turkey and salmon dinner. Organized by the Northern California Indian Development Council (NCIDC), the gathering drew Native Americans from dozens of different tribes across the state. |
2010 Native American Music Award Winners
By Sherrill Fulghum
This week has seen a variety of music award presentations. On Wednesday the world of Country Music honoured their best. Thursday night it was Latin Music’s turn to shine with the Latin Grammy Awards. On Friday the Native American community held the twelfth annual Native American Music Awards. The show was dedicated to the troops, veterans, and teen suicide awareness.
Honouring the best of Native Americans and their music the Native American Music Awards was hosted by actor Wes Studi – Magua in the 1992 "Last of the Mohicans" and Eytukan in "Avatar" – from the Seneca Niagara Events Center in Niagara Falls, New York. The NAMMYs honour traditional and contemporary artists in 30 catagories.
Established in 1998, the NAMMYs are the first official awards show dedicated solely to music created by Native Americans. Since its inception, the NAMMYs have presented over 300 awards. |
Indian Leaders Gather In NM To Address Challenges
NPR
American Indians have won some key victories on Capitol Hill this year and should capitalize on them to start solving some of the problems that have plagued tribal communities for decades, said the leader of the oldest and largest Indian organization in the nation.
Jefferson Keel, president of the National Congress of American Indians, said tribal leaders should keep the momentum going following success such as the Tribal Law and Order Act, recently signed into law by President Barack Obama, and the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, reauthorized as part of the larger health care reform passed by Congress. |
Lawsuit Filed Against State Over Mascot
WTMJ-TV and JSOnline.com
Two men from Mukwonago have filed a lawsuit against the state Department of Public Instruction which ordered the school district to change its Indian nickname and logo.
Mukwonago - Two residents from Mukwonago have filed against the state Department of Public Instruction after it ordered the Mukwonago School District to change its Indian mascot and logo.....
..... Two men from Mukwonago have filed a lawsuit against the state Department of Public Instruction which ordered the school district to change its Indian nickname and logo.
Mukwonago - Two residents from Mukwonago have filed against the state Department of Public Instruction after it ordered the Mukwonago School District to change its Indian mascot and logo. |
Meskwaki Nation looks to wind power for the future
Environmental stewardship through taking only what is needed By Maria Scandale
For the next year, the Meskwaki Nation is going to be watching the wind. The hope is to join forces with this power, to produce renewable energy in a manner that is friendly to Grandmother Earth. A monitoring tower installed Aug. 25 will confirm whether a wind farm can be built on the nation’s land in Iowa.
The tribe, also commonly known as the Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa, recently contracted with WPCS International, design-build engineering specialists for communications infrastructure.
"We put up a meteorological tower to measure the wind for the next year. We will analyze the data and after a year we will do a final report," said James J. Heinz, executive vice president, with WPCS International Inc.’s St. Louis operations. The company is headquartered in Exton, Pa. |
Native American POV on SB 1070
By Mari Herreras
At a Nov. 9 discussion atCornell University on Native American rights, Arizona's SB 1070 came up as panelists explained the profound impact the legislation has on Native Americans living near the border:
More importantly, he added, since the bill became law, racism has become legitimized, and violence against Native peoples "is more blatant than ever." Recently, "tribal members out in the desert chopping wood have been handcuffed and beaten because they didn't have any identification on them," he said. Although the people were on their tribal land, he noted, "somehow the border patrol saw this as a legitimate way to detain people and abuse people violently." |
Open Internet Needed for All
By Michael J. Copps
Federal Communications Commissioner
...This is not about regulating the Internet.
This is about ensuring that consumers — rather than gatekeeper corporations — maintain control over their online experience.
...I am reminded as I head to the National Congress of American Indians this week in Albuquerque that less than 10 percent of Indian Country has broadband access and 30 percent of Native American households don't even have access to basic telephone service.
That's not just unacceptable, it's a national disgrace. America cannot afford to have a digital divide between haves and have-nots or between those living in big cities and rural areas or tribal lands.
The conversation about bringing broadband to every corner of the country and protecting consumers and their access to the open Internet is an important one — one that should not occur just in Washington, D.C. |
Lakota LLEAPs to the Leading Edge of Second Language Education
AScribe Newswire
The revival of the Lakota language opens a new chapter in 2011, as two institutions of higher learning in the Great Plains initiate undergraduate degree majors for teachers of Lakota as a second language-making Lakota the first Native American language to achieve this kind of professional recognition.
Beginning in January 2011, the University of South Dakota (USD) School of Education (Vermillion, SD) and the Sitting Bull College (SBC) Education Department (Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Fort Yates, ND) will each offer a two-year Lakota Language Teaching and Learning curriculum, as a degree major for a Bachelor of Arts in Education at USD or Bachelor of Science in Education at SBC.
This two-year curriculum will be taught, administered, and evaluated over the four-year grant period by LLEAP, the Lakota Language Education Action Program. The program was conceived by the Lakota Language Consortium in partnership with USD and SBC. This coordinated program systematically addresses the problem of how to generate high-quality teachers of an important Native American language - teachers who have deepened their own fluency in the language through college-level study, and who understand how a second language is taught and learned. |
Obama to hold second Native American conference
President Barack Obama will play host to Native American leaders at a White House conference on Dec. 16.
The president has invited the leaders of each of the 565 federally recognized tribes to the event, the White House announced Monday. It would be Obama's second conference with American Indians. Obama first met with tribal leaders last November. |
Vt. Commission on Native American Affairs to hold public hearings
The Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs has its first meeting Tuesday in Newport. The group is tasked with establishing a process for state recognition of tribes and its holding a series of public forums around the state to get input.
Mike McCune spoke with Luke Willard, chairman of the commission and a member of the Nulhegan Abenaki Tribe in Orleans County.
Willard explained that federal arts and crafts law prohibits non-federally recognized and non-state recognized tribal members from selling their crafts as native-made or Abenaki-made |
American Indian Heritage
KQED proudly celebrates the richness and diversity of the greater San Francisco Bay Area by commemorating November, American Indian Heritage Month. During the month of November, KQED Public TV 9 schedules a special lineup of programs focused on American Indian themes and issues. These programs are highlighted in a guide along with listings of community resources and local events.
2010 American Indian Heritage Guide(PDF) |
2010 American Indian Heroes
Michael Samuel Duran
Indian Health Center of Santa Clara
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Nathan Costello
Advocate and Volunteer for the Bay Area American Indian Community
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Marvin Paddock
Friendship House Association of American Indians of San Francisco
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Aurora Mamea
San Francisco Native American Health Center
Follow link to read full biographies |
President Obama Proclaims Day After Thanksgiving "Native American Heritage Day"
"National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month is a time to honor the great contributions that American Indians and Alaska Natives have made. It is a time to celebrate the accomplishments of Native people and it is an opportunity to educate the general public on Native people of yesterday and today," said Cheryl A. Causley, Chairwoman of the National American Indian Housing Council. "For many Native people, the home is the center of our family and it is where we find the preservation and nurturance of our culture, heritage and Native language. A healthy home translates into healthy families, vibrant cultures, and a clean environment."
American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month also provides an opportunity for Native people to reflect on their own lifestyles and contributions to their families and communities. The National Indian Health Board believes that a culture of health fortifies quality healthcare thus creating healthy lifestyles and environments. |
Tule River Native American Celebration Day
National Native American Heritage Month was celebrated at the Tule River Indian Reservation on Friday at the Eagle Mountain Casino Tent next to Eagle Mountain Casino.
Over 300 people attended the celebration of their Native American heritage. Tule River Tribal Chairman, Ryan Garfield, gave a welcoming speech to start the evening festivities. The Eagle Rock singers and dancers performed on stage, with Johnny Nieto dancing in the colors of Porterville High School, before the Tule River Native Veterans Post 1987 ceremonially posted the Colors. |
Danny Franco, Sr. and Dennis Banks |