Category: Indigenous News
Vicious circle: Tribal broadband program hindered by lack of broadband
by Camila Pedrosa, Cronkite News January 20, 2022 Washington – Tribal advocates told a Senate panel this week the federal government’s effort to fund expanded broadband infrastructure in Indian Country overlooked a fundamental issue. Many tribes did…
Indigenous leaders hail Biden’s proposed Chaco Canyon drilling ban as ‘Important first step’
“We are most hopeful that this action is a turning point where the United States natural resource management planning philosophy focuses on the protection of all living beings.” by Brett Wilkins, Common Dreams November 16, 2021…
Biden reverses Trump cuts to national monuments, restores Bears Ears
by Diannie Chavez, Cronkite News October 11, 2021 Washington President Joe Biden restored Bears Ears National Monument to its previous 1.36 million-acres footprint Friday, reversing a Trump-era decision to cut as much as 85%…
First Native American poet laureate begins third term, releases a memoir
“Sometimes on a bad day I think nothing’s changed at all,” Harjo said. “And then other times because I have children and grandchildren and great grandchildren and ultimately they’re all our children. When I look in…
Frustrated Tribal leaders urge Biden to immediately restore Bears Ears Monument
“We have tried to be patient and respectful as we await your decision on restoration. However, the longer action is not taken, real harm, much permanent, is occurring on this sacred landscape.” by Brett Wilkins, Common…
Court stops police from blockading Line 3 protester camp
‘Huge Legal Win’ One attorney described the blockade as “an outrageous abuse of law enforcement authority serving the interests of the Enbridge corporation against its environmental opponents.” by Kenny Stancil, Staff Writer July 23, 2021 In…
Ending food insecurity in Native communities means restoring land rights, handing back control
Since the 1980s, an influx of fast food restaurants and convenience stores and an exodus of supermarkets in poorer neighborhoods across the U.S. have led to chronic disease disparities in low-income communities and racial minorities. This…
Indigenous Rights groups join Michigan Gov. Whitmer in demanding shutdown of Enbridge’s Line 5
The governor called the pipeline a “ticking time bomb” as her deadline of Wednesday, set last year for the Canadian company, fast approached. by Julia Conley, staff writer Tuesday, May 11, 2021 Indigenous rights and climate…
Native-owned SkyDance Brewing moving to its own location
by Jazz M. Wolfe, Gaylord News Monday, May 10, 2021 Oklahoma’s first Native American-owned brewing company, inspired by the recipes of the owner’s father, will open an independent location this summer. Jacob Keyes, a member of the…
‘Watershed moment’ as Haaland revokes Trump-era orders, creates climate task force
“Today’s orders make certain that the Interior Department is no longer going to serve as a rubber-stamp for the coal and oil and gas industries.” by Jessica Corbett, staff writer Friday, April 16, 2021…
Haaland announces new Missing and Murdered Indigenous Unit at Interior
The department said the new unit will “put the full weight of the federal government into investigating these cases and marshal law enforcement resources across federal agencies and throughout Indian country.” by Brett Wilkins, staff writer…
Tribes revive traditional hemp economies
A post-petroleum transition plan. by Winona LaDuke February 16, 2021 More than 20 years ago, Alex White Plume, a leader of the Oglala Lakota, planted his first hemp crop on Wounded Knee Creek, on the Pine…
‘Indian Country’ is excited about the first Native American secretary of the interior – and the promise she has for addressing issues of importance to all Americans
by Traci Morris, Arizona State University Tuesday, February 16, 2021 U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland speaks in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Oct. 1, 2018. Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images President Biden’s nomination of U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland of…
EPA awards $220 million for uranium mine cleanup on Navajo Nation
Work could start later this year following the completion of assessments for mining sites coordinated between the EPA and the Navajo Nation’s environmental agency, the federal agency said. by Haleigh Kochanski, Cronkite News Friday, February 12, 2021…
Advocates, lawmakers hail Biden pledge to respect tribal sovereignty
by Sarah Oven, Cronkite News Thursday, January 28, 2021 Washington, D.C. – Native American policy experts and Arizona lawmakers welcomed President Joe Biden’s order calling for stronger relations with tribal governments, with one saying it “goes…