Native America
Senate confirms first tribal member in history to lead National Park Service
The U.S. Senate approved by voice vote late Thursday the nomination of Charles F. Sams III as the first confirmed National Park Service director since 2017. Sams, an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation near Pendleton, Ore., will be the first tribal member to lead the Park Service in the […]
ABQ officials to begin radar work and plan for a memorial at boarding school gravesite
Listen to the KUNM show Let’s Talk New Mexico hosted by Source NM reporter Shaun Griswold Changes could be coming to 4-H Park in the area that was used to bury students and staff from the Albuquerque Indian School. Another memorial will be placed in the area of the park where the gravesite is […]
What should be done with the Albuquerque boarding school grave site?
The boarding school era was a dark time in U.S. history, and the Albuquerque Indian School was the second-largest school of its kind in the country. So much of the history is left untold. People who survived the worst era of students being abused for speaking traditional language are no longer alive. But the effects […]
Billions coming to help tribes access clean water
The $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill signed by President Joe Biden yesterday will include full funding for efforts to provide clean water to tribal nations. Over the next five years $3.5 billion will head to the Indian Health Services water and sanitation construction program to pay for tribal clean water projects. On top of that, the […]
ABQ City Council struggles over Environmental Planning Commission appointment
The Albuquerque City Council will consider a historic appointment to the city government’s Environmental Planning Commission next month. But the person up for the job is opposed by some councilors, who are questioning her qualifications. If appointed, Jana Pfeiffer (Diné) would be the first woman and the first Native person to ever serve on the […]
Indigenous traditional knowledge to be included in US efforts against climate change for first time
For the first time in history, a presidential administration has committed to incorporating traditional Indigenous knowledge into the scientific, technical, social and economic advancement of the United States. President Joe Biden pledged on Monday during the opening of the White House Tribal Nations Summit to be the first president to work with the tribes to […]
Indigenous leaders in New Mexico celebrate federal efforts to protect Chaco
The Biden administration’s announcement to begin the process that could impose mineral extraction protections around Chaco Culture National Historical Park was celebrated by Indigenous leaders in New Mexico on Monday, Nov. 15. “Pueblo leadership is charged to protect our language, songs and lifeways so that we may maintain our sacred trust and instill the gifts […]
Biden signs executive order to address violence against Indigenous people
President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Monday addressing violence against Indigenous communities. “These efforts are a matter of dignity,” Biden said during the opening ceremony for the White House Tribal Nations Summit. “That’s the foundation of our nation-to-nation partnership.” The executive order directs the departments of Justice, Interior, Homeland Security, and Health and […]
Biden looks to blocks energy leases in New Mexico’s Chaco Canyon as tribal nations summit meets
President Joe Biden on Monday said the administration will move to prevent oil and gas development for two decades near Chaco Canyon, an area in northwestern New Mexico that’s culturally significant to the area’s Native American communities and important for biodiversity. The plan was formally announced during the White House Tribal Nations Summit, the first […]
CRT opponents upset over NM education proposals ignore Yazzie/Martinez ruling
A nearly six hour public meeting and more than 1,400 written comments show that New Mexicans care about social studies and the direction of education reform in the state. Somehow present but forgotten by most who spoke in email and during the online meeting on Friday is the Yazzie/Martinez lawsuit that drapes over all education […]
Apsáalooke honor Tomb of Unknown 100 years later
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY, Virginia — The mid-Atlantic air is in the crisp 40s at 7 a.m. Dew sits on cars and the cool air is refreshing to the lungs. The grass, white steps and walkway to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier sparkle when the golden sunrise hits them. It’s quiet at the Tomb of […]
FBI specialist translates info about MMIWR and hate crimes into Navajo
FBI agents in the Four Corners are adapting to Indigenous community needs by adopting traditional language specialists for field work that asks people for tips to help solve crimes. Melinda Nakai (Diné) is an outreach specialist with the federal agency. Born in Gallup, N.M., she is also the first certified Navajo language translator with the […]