Native America
More information about federal Indian boarding schools out in January
More information about the atrocities committed at boarding schools run by the federal government that were designed to eradicate Indigenous people is expected in the new year. In May 2022, the U.S. Department of Interior released a report based on the federal government’s first-ever investigation of the boarding school system in the country. It identified […]
New Mexico isn’t doing enough to end missing and murdered Indigenous people crisis, lawmakers say
Lawmakers and advocates this week said an advisory council on missing and murdered Indigenous people Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s administration announced Tuesday isn’t a good replacement for a task force disbanded earlier this year, and questioned why state officials aren’t asking for more money to confront the crisis. Asked by lawmakers Tuesday about what the […]
New Mexicans call on the state to dump millions invested in weapons manufacturer
Protestors say the Boeing Company is a key contributor to Israel’s War on Gaza. They want state lawmakers to divest more than $6.8 million of state taxpayer dollars that goes to a job training program monitored by the New Mexico Economic Development Department. Public records show Boeing has for at least four years used public […]
Frybread on Netflix, New Mexico’s latest film production explores intertribal relations
Billy Luther’s first foray into narrative feature length film territory, “Frybread Face and Me”, is a highly successful endeavor. Luther displays a talent for navigating queerness in such a delicate and artful manner that he reminds us that just because a story has queer elements, it does not necessarily mean it’s the whole story. Not […]
Lawmakers gave the attorney general $1 million in 2022 to help find missing Indigenous people
Nearly two years after state lawmakers set aside $1 million for the New Mexico Attorney General’s office to create an online portal to track cases of missing Indigenous people, and potentially give tribes grants to help in that search, the office hasn’t spent the money. Lawmakers in early 2022 considered the need so great they […]
Iowa corn harvest is almost done, climate changes delay south-central parts of the state
This year’s corn and soybean harvests are virtually complete in nearly every area of the state, with one exception: south-central Iowa. “Farmers in south central Iowa still have over 10 percent of their corn for grain crop remaining to be harvested,” the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported on Monday. That region of the state is […]
Nevada judge again rules against tribes in the state trying to stop lithium mine
A Nevada federal judge ruled against three Native American tribes seeking to halt construction of the country’s largest open pit lithium mine, but will allow them to amend their complaint against the U.S. government. In the meantime, construction at Lithium Nevada’s mine near the Nevada-Oregon border will continue. Major construction on the lithium mine is […]
Where the 2024 presidential candidates stand on Indigenous issues
WASHINGTON — Marianne Williamson, a 2020 presidential hopeful, promised before an auditorium of Indigenous leaders, elders and voters that under her administration the White House would formally apologize and atone for the horrific treatment of Native Americans by the federal government, alluding to genocidal policies enacted by the United States. In 2019, Williamson was one […]
Advocates call on the state to create a new MMIWR task force after shuttering the original
For many families of the scores missing and murdered Indigenous people in New Mexico, the onus of finding their family members and getting justice is largely on their shoulders. They sell jewelry and Navajo tacos to get the financial support for their countless hours of searching and to bring awareness to their cause. They print […]
U.S. Senate Republicans question Oklahoma judicial nominee on tribal sovereignty
Republicans on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee grilled former Cherokee Nation Attorney General Sara Hill on tribal sovereignty issues at a hearing Wednesday for Hill, nominated to serve as a U.S. district court judge in Oklahoma. Hill, who would be the first Native American woman to be a federal judge in the state, said she […]
Report: Land theft and colonization amplify the climate crisis for Indigenous peoples
For the last 20 years, Walter Ritte has been working to restore a massive, human-made lagoon along the south shore of the island of Molokai. Before Hawaiʻi become a state, before the United States overthrew the Hawaiian Kingdom, this 55-acre pond was a fish farm — one of an estimated 450 brackish, coastal coves that […]
To’hajiilee residents eager to see long-awaited water pipeline construction set to begin in 2024
TO’HAJIILEE — When the water pipeline to her community finally gets built, Shanna Chischilly won’t have to be so vigilant in making sure her 8-year-old daughter doesn’t get water in her mouth when she’s showering. Janice Platero can say goodbye to the camp bag shower she uses when the community well breaks down. Ophelia Joe […]