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Tag: Indigenous

  • Trump says the US ‘needs’ Greenland for Arctic security. Here’s why

    Location, location, location: Greenland’s key position above the Arctic Circle makes the world’s largest island a key part of security strategy in the High North. But for whom?Increasing international tensions, global warming and the changing world economy have put Greenland at the heart of the debate over global trade and security, and U.S. President Donald Trump wants to make sure his country controls this mineral-rich country that guards the Arctic and North Atlantic approaches to North America.Greenland is a self-governing territory of Denmark, a longtime U.S. ally that has rejected Trump’s overtures. Greenland’s own government also opposes U.S. designs on the island, saying the people of Greenland will decide their own future. The island, 80% of which lies above the Arctic Circle, is home to about 56,000 mostly Inuit people who until now have been largely ignored by the rest of the world.Here’s why Greenland is strategically important to Arctic security: Greenland sits off the northeastern coast of Canada, with more than two-thirds of its territory lying within the Arctic Circle. That has made it crucial to the defense of North America since World War II, when the U.S. occupied Greenland to ensure it didn’t fall into the hands of Nazi Germany and to protect crucial North Atlantic shipping lanes.Following the Cold War, the Arctic was largely an area of international cooperation. But climate change is thinning the Arctic ice, promising to create a northwest passage for international trade and reigniting competition with Russia, China and other countries over access to the region’s mineral resources.Video below: Stephen Miller says ‘obviously Greenland should be part of the United States’ Greenland is also a rich source of the so-called rare earth minerals that are a key component of mobile phones, computers, batteries and other gadgets that are expected to power the world’s economy in the coming decades.That has attracted the interest of the U.S. and other Western powers as they try to ease China’s dominance of the market for these critical minerals.Development of Greenland’s mineral resources is challenging because of the island’s harsh climate, while strict environmental controls have proved an additional bulwark against potential investors. The U.S. Department of Defense operates the remote Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland, which was built after the U.S. and Denmark signed the Defense of Greenland Treaty in 1951. It supports missile warning, missile defense and space surveillance operations for the U.S. and NATO.Greenland also guards part of what is known as the GIUK (Greenland, Iceland, United Kingdom) Gap, where NATO monitors Russian naval movements in the North Atlantic. Denmark is moving to strengthen its military presence around Greenland and in the wider North Atlantic. Last year, the government announced a roughly 14.6 billion kroner ($2.3 billion) agreement with parties including the governments of Greenland and the Faroe Islands, another self-governing territory of Denmark, to “improve capabilities for surveillance and maintaining sovereignty in the region.” The plan includes three new Arctic naval vessels, two additional long-range surveillance drones and satellite capacity.Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command is headquartered in Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, and tasked with the “surveillance, assertion of sovereignty and military defense of Greenland and the Faroe Islands,” according to its website. It has smaller satellite stations across the island.The Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, an elite Danish naval unit that conducts long-range reconnaissance and enforces Danish sovereignty in the Arctic wilderness, is also stationed in Greenland. In 2018, China declared itself a “near-Arctic state” in an effort to gain more influence in the region. China has also announced plans to build a “Polar Silk Road” as part of its global Belt and Road Initiative, which has created economic links with countries around the world.Then-U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo rejected China’s move, saying: “Do we want the Arctic Ocean to transform into a new South China Sea, fraught with militarization and competing territorial claims?”Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Russia is worried about NATO’s activities in the Arctic and will respond by strengthening its military capability in the polar region. European leaders’ concerns were heightened following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Stefanie Dazio in Berlin contributed to this report.

    Location, location, location: Greenland’s key position above the Arctic Circle makes the world’s largest island a key part of security strategy in the High North. But for whom?

    Increasing international tensions, global warming and the changing world economy have put Greenland at the heart of the debate over global trade and security, and U.S. President Donald Trump wants to make sure his country controls this mineral-rich country that guards the Arctic and North Atlantic approaches to North America.

    Greenland is a self-governing territory of Denmark, a longtime U.S. ally that has rejected Trump’s overtures. Greenland’s own government also opposes U.S. designs on the island, saying the people of Greenland will decide their own future.

    The island, 80% of which lies above the Arctic Circle, is home to about 56,000 mostly Inuit people who until now have been largely ignored by the rest of the world.

    Here’s why Greenland is strategically important to Arctic security:

    Greenland sits off the northeastern coast of Canada, with more than two-thirds of its territory lying within the Arctic Circle. That has made it crucial to the defense of North America since World War II, when the U.S. occupied Greenland to ensure it didn’t fall into the hands of Nazi Germany and to protect crucial North Atlantic shipping lanes.

    Following the Cold War, the Arctic was largely an area of international cooperation. But climate change is thinning the Arctic ice, promising to create a northwest passage for international trade and reigniting competition with Russia, China and other countries over access to the region’s mineral resources.

    Video below: Stephen Miller says ‘obviously Greenland should be part of the United States’


    Greenland is also a rich source of the so-called rare earth minerals that are a key component of mobile phones, computers, batteries and other gadgets that are expected to power the world’s economy in the coming decades.

    That has attracted the interest of the U.S. and other Western powers as they try to ease China’s dominance of the market for these critical minerals.

    Development of Greenland’s mineral resources is challenging because of the island’s harsh climate, while strict environmental controls have proved an additional bulwark against potential investors.

    The U.S. Department of Defense operates the remote Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland, which was built after the U.S. and Denmark signed the Defense of Greenland Treaty in 1951. It supports missile warning, missile defense and space surveillance operations for the U.S. and NATO.

    Greenland also guards part of what is known as the GIUK (Greenland, Iceland, United Kingdom) Gap, where NATO monitors Russian naval movements in the North Atlantic.

    Denmark is moving to strengthen its military presence around Greenland and in the wider North Atlantic. Last year, the government announced a roughly 14.6 billion kroner ($2.3 billion) agreement with parties including the governments of Greenland and the Faroe Islands, another self-governing territory of Denmark, to “improve capabilities for surveillance and maintaining sovereignty in the region.”

    The plan includes three new Arctic naval vessels, two additional long-range surveillance drones and satellite capacity.

    Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command is headquartered in Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, and tasked with the “surveillance, assertion of sovereignty and military defense of Greenland and the Faroe Islands,” according to its website. It has smaller satellite stations across the island.

    The Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, an elite Danish naval unit that conducts long-range reconnaissance and enforces Danish sovereignty in the Arctic wilderness, is also stationed in Greenland.

    In 2018, China declared itself a “near-Arctic state” in an effort to gain more influence in the region. China has also announced plans to build a “Polar Silk Road” as part of its global Belt and Road Initiative, which has created economic links with countries around the world.

    Then-U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo rejected China’s move, saying: “Do we want the Arctic Ocean to transform into a new South China Sea, fraught with militarization and competing territorial claims?”

    Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Russia is worried about NATO’s activities in the Arctic and will respond by strengthening its military capability in the polar region. European leaders’ concerns were heightened following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

    Stefanie Dazio in Berlin contributed to this report.

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  • Anna Kavanaugh and Her Philanthropic Center Facilitate Public Dialogue on Historical Accuracy in Honor of Native American Experience and Resilience

    Partners from Native Americans Matter will join the event to explore the true history of the Thanksgiving holiday, offering essential perspectives on Native sovereignty, sacrifice, and survival.


    PORTLAND, Ore., November 26, 2025 (Newswire.com)
    –
    The Anna Kavanaugh Philanthropic Center (AKPC) is set to host “Reframing Gratitude: Honoring Indigenous Truth Before Thanksgiving.”

    Anna Kavanaugh is a writer, film and broadcast producer, and journalist who has long advocated for Indigenous rights and justice. The gathering will be held in a dedicated virtual symposium to honor the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday with deeper respect and truth by engaging with the historical reality and the enduring resilience of Native American nations. The holiday is for many Americans, Native and non-Native, a time for family gathering and expressing gratitude. However, it is also deemed a National Day of Mourning. For many Native American people, the day is one of grief and resistance, challenging the holiday’s origin narrative which obscures centuries of displacement, broken treaties, and violence. The Anna Kavanaugh Philanthropic Center is committed to ongoing education and supportive action in advocacy for Indigenous rights, justice, and healing.

    The event is focused entirely on historical accuracy and collective community responsibility. It is an act of determined inclusion, striving for a future that honors Indigenous sovereignty and the critical knowledge held by the original stewards of American land.

    The gathering will feature partners from Native Americans Matter who will share essential stories and perspectives. The discussion is structured to guide attendees through four critical areas of reflection, using the exact language from the event description:

    Honor Indigenous Resilience: Acknowledge and revere the enduring survival, culture, and contributions of Native American nations, past and present. We commit to elevating their stories in generations to come.

    Examine Historical Truth: Unpack and challenge the false historical narrative often taught in popular culture. We will discuss the documented historical reality that contradicts the simplified Thanksgiving origin narrative, focusing on the rapid escalation of conflict, land loss, and genocide that followed 1621.

    Reframe Gratitude: Explore how to authentically express thanks for the resources we have, while acknowledging the deep injustices and sacrifices imposed upon Native American ancestors-and the historical trauma that continues to affect their communities today.

    Observe with Responsibility: Consider meaningful ways to observe a “Truthsgiving” that incorporates elements of respect, reparations, and ongoing action in support of Native sovereignty and justice.

    The AKPC seeks to create an honest space where all people can share in the complexity of our past to build a truly inclusive future. This is a final annual opportunity to join the vital conversation. Registration is required to secure free access to the event.

    EVENT DETAILS:

    Event: Reframing Gratitude: Honoring Indigenous Truth Before Thanksgiving

    Date: Wednesday, November 26, 2025

    Time: 6:00pm-8:30pm PST

    Where: Virtual Event (Registration Required for Provided Link – Sales Close One Hour Before Start)

    TO SECURE YOUR SPOT: Click here to reserve your free ticket on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/reframing-gratitude-honoring-indigenous-truth-before-thanksgiving-tickets-1975822224461?aff=oddtdtcreator

    About the Anna Kavanaugh Philanthropic Center

    The Center focuses on global strategic planning and policy advocacy via media, films, broadcasts, writings, summits, seminars, education & awareness. Its work primarily focuses on supporting crisis relief and rescue for worldwide humanitarian, wildlife, environmental, & conservation welfare efforts.

    For more information please visit: https://www.theannakavanaughfoundation.org/ or https://www.annakavanaughofficialwebsite.com/

    Contact Information

    Christine Morgan
    Media Relations
    christinemorgan@theannakavanaughfoundation.org
    503-753-2283

    Source: The Anna Kavanaugh Philanthropic Center for Global Outreach

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  • Charges filed 5 years after man found shot dead in Native American community:

    Unconditional love. That’s what Vangie Randall-Shorty felt the moment she first held her son. She still feels it – even though Zachariah Shorty is now gone.

    “I carry him in my heart every day,” she said, while trying to find the words to describe the wave of emotions that washed over her Monday when she learned that federal authorities had charged three people in connection with her son’s killing on the Navajo Nation in 2020.

    She had waited so long for answers, telling herself with each new year that she would finally see justice for her 23-year-old son. Her wait ended as the U.S. Department of Justice announced the results of the latest deployment under Operation Not Forgotten.

    Under the operation this year, more than 60 extra FBI agents, analysts and other personnel were temporarily assigned to field offices in 10 states, ranging from Albuquerque and Phoenix to Seattle, Salt Lake City, Detroit, Minneapolis and Jackson, Mississippi. Over six months, they investigated unsolved violent crimes in Indian Country with the goal of addressing a crisis of disappearances and killings that have left Native American communities frustrated and heartbroken.

    Federal statistics show that Native Americans experience some of the highest per capita rates of violent victimization of any racial or ethnic group in the United States. Indigenous women go missing and are murdered at disproportionately high rates in the U.S. and Canada, compared with other groups, and experts say the crisis is rooted in historical wrongs. 

    At the beginning of the 2025 fiscal year, the FBI’s Indian Country program had about 4,300 open investigations, including over 900 death investigations, 1,000 child abuse investigations, and more than 500 domestic violence and adult sexual abuse investigations.

    “We will never forget the crime victims whose cases remain unsolved, and we will continue our pursuit until justice is served,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement.

    Vangie Randall-Shorty holds up a photograph of her son Zachariah Shorty during a stop in Bernalillo, N.M., Nov. 24, 2025.

    Susan Montoya Bryan / AP


    As part of its intensified operations this year, the FBI’s Indian Country initiatives netted 1,123 arrests, along with the recovery of over 300 weapons. More than 450 children who were victims of crimes were identified or located.

    FBI Director Kash Patel described Operation Not Forgotten as “a major step forward” in giving tribal communities the justice that they deserve.

    “One of the biggest problems tribal communities face is the vast amount of land to account for, requiring significant resources to crush violent crime,” Patel said in a statement.

    Work to bring more attention to the crisis has spanned decades. President Donald Trump was the first president to formally recognize the issue when he signed an executive order during his first term, establishing a task force to tackle the high rate of killings and disappearances among Native Americans and Alaska Natives. Former U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland during her tenure created a national commission to explore ways to bridge jurisdictional gaps and other challenges to curbing crime in tribal communities.

    Officials said this year’s operation marked the longest and most intense deployment of FBI resources to date to address Indian Country crime.

    Advocates say the investment should be made permanent. They fear now that cases will continue to sit on the back burner with fewer federal resources in the field.

    Randall-Shorty believes the extra resources helped in her son’s case.

    She can’t help but wonder what her son could have accomplished had his life not been taken. A father himself, Zachariah Shorty loved art and music and aspired to be a tattoo artist. She showed off some of his work, pointing to the inked treble clef on her left hand.

    Shorty was last seen at the Journey Inn Motel in the northwestern New Mexico city of Farmington, where he was out with friends to make music, his mom said. He was found days later in a field near the Navajo community of Nenahnezad. He had been shot multiple times.

    The indictments provide no details about what might have let to the shooting or how Shorty was connected to the people charged in his death. Defense attorneys say they have yet to be provided with any discovery related to the case.

    Austin Begay, 31, is charged with first-degree murder, while Jaymes Fage, 38, is accused of aiding and abetting. Both Navajo men and a third defendant, 40-year-old Joshua Watkins, also face charges for lying to investigators to conceal the killing.

    Shorty’s mom has spent the last five years attending town halls, task force meetings, prayer circles and community marches to keep the case in the spotlight and to advocate for other families. While she’s pleased that charges have been brought, she knows the next step will stir more emotions because she still misses her son.

    “My heart is heavy,” she said. “But I will continue advocating for Zach and continue being his voice.”

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  • Pope returns 62 artifacts to Indigenous Canadians as

    The Vatican on Saturday returned 62 artifacts to Indigenous peoples from Canada as part of the Catholic Church’s reckoning with its role in helping suppress Indigenous culture in the Americas.

    Pope Leo XIV gave the artifacts, including an iconic Inuit kayak, and supporting documentation to a delegation of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops during an audience. According to a joint statement from the Vatican and Canadian church, the pieces were a gift and a “concrete sign of dialogue, respect and fraternity.”

    The items were part of the Vatican Museum’s ethnographic collection, known as the Anima Mundi museum. The collection has been a source of controversy for the Vatican amid the broader museum debate over the restitution of cultural goods taken from Indigenous peoples during colonial periods.

    Most of the items in the Vatican collection were sent to Rome by Catholic missionaries for a 1925 exhibition in the Vatican gardens that was a highlight of that year’s Holy Year.

    The Vatican insists the items were “gifts” to Pope Pius XI, who wanted to celebrate the church’s global reach, its missionaries and the lives of the Indigenous peoples they evangelized.

    But historians, Indigenous groups and experts have long questioned whether the items could really have been offered freely, given the power imbalances at play in Catholic missions at the time. In those years, Catholic religious orders were helping to enforce the Canadian government’s forced assimilation policy of eliminating Indigenous traditions, which Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission has called “cultural genocide.”

    Part of that policy included confiscating items used in Indigenous spiritual and traditional rituals, such as the 1885 potlatch ban that prohibited the integral First Nations ceremony. Those confiscated items ended up in museums in Canada, the U.S. and Europe, as well as private collections.

    Negotiations accelerate on returning items

    Negotiations on returning the Vatican items accelerated after Pope Francis in 2022 met with Indigenous leaders who had traveled to the Vatican to receive his apology for the church’s role in running Canada’s disastrous residential schools. During their visit, they were shown some objects in the collection, including an Inuit kayak, wampum belts, war clubs and masks, and asked for them to be returned.

    Pope Francis dons a headdress during a visit with Indigenous peoples at Maskwaci, the former Ermineskin Residential School, Monday, July 25, 2022, in Maskwacis, Alberta.

    Eric Gay / AP


    Francis later said he was in favor of returning the items and others in the Vatican collection on a case-by-case basis, saying: “In the case where you can return things, where it’s necessary to make a gesture, better to do it.”

    The Vatican said Saturday the items were given back during the Holy Year, exactly 100 years after the 1925 exhibition where they were first exhibited in Rome.

    “This is an act of ecclesial sharing, with which the Successor of Peter entrusts to the Church in Canada these artifacts, which bear witness to the history of the encounter between faith and the cultures of the Indigenous peoples,” said the joint statement from the Vatican and Canadian church.

    It added that the Canadian Catholic hierarchy committed to ensuring that the artifacts are “properly safeguarded, respected and preserved.” Officials had previously said the Canadian bishops would receive the artifacts with the explicit understanding that the ultimate keepers will be the Indigenous communities themselves.

    The items are expected to be taken first to the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec. There, experts and Indigenous groups will try to identify where the items originated, down to the specific community, and what should be done with them, officials said previously.

    A process of reckoning with abuses

    As part of its broader reckoning with the Catholic Church’s colonial past, the Vatican in 2023 formally repudiated the “Doctrine of Discovery,” the theories backed by 15th-century “papal bulls” that legitimized the colonial-era seizure of Native lands that form the basis of some property laws today.

    The statement marked a historic recognition of the Vatican’s own complicity in colonial-era abuses committed by European powers, even though it didn’t address Indigenous demands that the Vatican formally rescind the papal bulls themselves.

    The Vatican on Saturday cited the 2023 repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery in its statement, saying Leo’s return of the artifacts concludes the “journey” initiated by Francis.

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  • Remains of Indigenous woman missing since 2020 found in Washington state; $60,000 reward offered for info

    An Indigenous woman’s remains were discovered last week in a remote part of Washington state, five years after she went missing, authorities said. An investigation into Mary Johnson-Davis’ death is still ongoing, and her tribe as well as the FBI have offered a $60,000 reward to anyone with information that leads to the identification, arrest and conviction of the person, or people, responsible.

    Johnson-Davis, 44, was last seen on November 25, 2020, walking to a friend’s house on the Tulalip Reservation, about 40 miles north of Seattle, according to the FBI. She was reported missing on Dec. 9 of that year.

    The FBI’s Seattle field office announced Friday that DNA tests had recently identified human remains that were discovered in June in Snohomish County, between Seattle and the Tulalip Reservation, and matched them to Johnson-Davis. 

    “With deep respect for the family and Tulalip community, the Tulalip Police Department is heartbroken to confirm that human remains have been positively identified as Mary Johnson-Davis, a member of the Tulalip Tribes of Washington,” said Shawn Ledford, the Tulalip Police Chief, in a statement. “This case remains an active and ongoing investigation, and the Tulalip Police Department will continue to work in partnership with the family and the FBI.”

    Mary Johnson-Davis

    FBI


    Johnson-Davis’ family said they were “saddened by the news” in a statement sent via text message by the woman’s estranged husband  to KING-TV. He sent the statement on behalf of her family and the family’s attorney, according to the station.

    “Our hearts are heavy, also because so many loving people are feeling sadness for our sister and our family. We are in disbelief that we will never see Mary again. We all wanted her to come home. She is now being brought back to us, but not like we hoped,” the statement said. “At the same time, our family finally has closure. We are at peace and now we can rest, knowing our sister has been found and will be brought home, where she is loved and will always be remembered.”

    Indigenous women go missing and are murdered at disproportionately high rates in the U.S. and Canada, compared with other groups, and experts say the crisis is rooted in historical wrongs. 

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  • 4 years on, the search for Bemidji’s Nevaeh Kingbird continues

    This October marks 4 years since 15-year-old Nevaeh Kingbird disappeared in Bemidji, Minnesota. Investigators, loved ones and advocates say they won’t give up the search. 

    “I am hoping that this year is the year that makes a difference,” said Ana Negrete with Minnesota’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Office. 

    Negrete says Nevaeh’s mother is a a fierce and relentless advocate, and the MMIR office stands beside her in the search for Nevaeh. This year, for the first time, the MMIR office is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading investigators to Nevaeh. 

    Navaeh Kingbird

    WCCO


    “This can’t be just an issue that is her family’s issue, this is a community issue,” said Negrete. “We’re hoping that this is the push that helps turn the corner in this investigation.”

    The MMIR Office launched the reward program earlier this year and say more than a dozen cases involving missing and murdered indigenous Minnesotans are eligible, including Nevaeh’s. The 15-year-old is a member of the Red Lake Nation.

    Earlier this year, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children released this age progression photo of what Nevaeh could look like now, years after her disappearance.  

    kingbird-age-progression.jpg

    An age progression photo of Nevaeh Kingbird, age 19.

    NCMEC


    “Four years later, we’re still following up on leads. We actually just last week, did another search of a wooded area near where she was last seen,” said Detective Sergeant Dan Seaberg. 

    While Seaberg says that search was not successful, he says this is a case he’s constantly working on. 

    “We really are hoping to get some answers for the family to provide that peace, and to figure out what happened,” Seaberg said.

    The detective, who has had the case for four years, thinks a tip from the public could be the help they need.

    “It’s gonna take somebody knowing something and coming forward with that information, and then us being able to put the pieces of the puzzle together to determine what happened, and to find Nevaeh,” he said.

    Seaberg says the police department was first alerted to Nevaeh’s disappearance in the early morning hours of Oct. 22, 2021. He says Nevaeh’s mother reported her daughter as a runaway. Later, Seaberg says, investigators found out she had been at a friend’s house, and left through a window. No one has had contact with her since and her missing persons case looking into her disappearance is active. 

    The Bemidji Police Department believe, at the time of her disappearance, she may have been wearing a red sweatshirt with a ‘bull’ logo, blue jeans, and black and red Nike sandals. 

    If you know anything about Nevaeh’s disappearance, please call the Bemidji police or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

    Ashley Grams

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  • Kanabec native promoted to Sergeant Major in the National Guard




































    Trailblazing Minnesota native prompted to Sergeant Major



    Trailblazing Minnesota native prompted to Sergeant Major

    02:05

    For a local public servant, Saturday was one for the books. Saint Paul Police Sergeant Jessica Stiffarm was promoted to Sergeant Major in the National Guard. 

    “To be honest, it’s kind of a surreal moment” said Minnesota National Guard Sergeant Major Stiffarm. “I never imagined that one I’d have 22 years of service in the Minnesota National Guard or be a police officer of 13 years either. But I can’t imagine doing anything different.” 

    Last year, WCCO reported on Stiffarm’s promotion to Sergeant within Saint Paul Police Department, being the second indigenous female sergeant in the department’s history.

    “For me, what drives me is people. Service to people,” said Stiffarm. “At 17 I knew I wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself.”

    Being a trailblazer isn’t easy, but she didn’t let that stop her.

    “I guess what I’d tell my 17 year-old self ‘whatever you want to do is possible through hard work and dedication,’” she added.

    Her new title is a reflection of that dedication. Stiffarm was awarded the role in the building she was first deployed out of when she was 20 years-old.

    “Literally until today, that’s the last time I was in this building for some type of ceremony for myself or promotion, so it’s pretty cool,” said Stiffarm.

    Stiffarm urges the next generation to find a mentor and grab onto everything they teach.

    Frankie McLister

    Frankie McLister, originally from Middletown, Maryland, holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism.

    Frankie McLister

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  • Flags of 11 sovereign tribal nations flown for first time at Minnesota State Capitol

    Friday morning marked an historic moment at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, with the permanent flag raising of 11 sovereign Indigenous tribal nations.

    The flags were raised during a ceremony at the new Tribal Flag Plaza. Organizers and tribal leaders say the plaza and tribal flags do not represent us against them — it represents all of us together. 

    The plaza also includes plantings selected by each tribe at the base of each flagpole. The space creates a lasting place of recognition, respect and acknowledgement of the government-to-government relationship between the State of Minnesota and the sovereign nations.

    Tribal leaders pointed out that the past of broken treaties and forced removals cannot be erased, but this sharing of space at the Capitol is the start of healing those wounds. 

    “This is history,” said Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who is also a citizen of White Earth Band of Ojibwe. “Minnesota is the second state to have Tribal Flag Plaza, second to Montana. The permanent presence of these flags here at the Capitol is a powerful reminder that the story of Minnesota cannot be told without its first peoples.”

    For many in the crowd Friday morning, the moment was a long time coming.

    “For generations our ancestors carried the vision that our sovereignty would be seen respected and honored. With these flags now flying permanently on these grounds, that vision is affirmed,” said Carlos Hernandez.

    Tribal Flag Plaza was first discussed during the 2021 Governor’s Tribal Summit. Tribal leaders praised Gov. Tim Walz and Flanagan for listening to their wishes and following through.

    “Minnesota is moving in a direction that everyone is welcome,” Walz said.

    “It empowers them in their identity as well as the ability to move forward past our traumas and work on collaboration and relationship building,” said Danielle DeLong.

    Tribal leaders say the permanent presence of these flags at the Capitol is a powerful reminder that the story of Minnesota cannot be told without its first people.

    Below is a list of the 11 sovereign nations represented at Tribal Flag Plaza, in alphabetical order, courtesy of the Native Governance Center:

    • Bois Forte Band of Chippewa: Zagaakwaandagowiniwag — “The men of the dense forest”
    • Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa: Nahgahchiwanong — “Where the water stops”
    • Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa: Gichi Onigaming — “The great carrying place”
    • Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe: Gaa-zagaskwaajimekaag — “Leech Lake”
    • Lower Sioux Indian Community: Cansa’yapi — “Where they mark the trees red”
    • Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe: Misi-zaaga’iganiing — “The lake that spreads all over”
    • Prairie Island Indian Community: Tinta Wita — “Prairie Island”
    • Red Lake Nation: Miskwaagamiiwi-Zaagaiganing — “Red Lake”
    • Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community: Mdewakanton — “Dwellers of the Spirit Lake”
    • Upper Sioux Community: Pezihutazizi Oyate — “When they dig for yellow medicine.”
    • White Earth Nation: Gaa-waabaabiganikaag — “The place with abundance of white clay.”

    Stephen Swanson

    contributed to this report.

    Reg Chapman

    Reg Chapman joined WCCO-TV in May of 2009. He came to WCCO from WNBC-TV in New York City where he covered an array of stories for the station including the Coney Island plane crash, the crane collapse on the city’s east side, 50 shots fired at motorist Sean Bell by New York Police, and a lacrosse team assault at Fairfield High School in Connecticut.

    Reg Chapman

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  • Biden makes historic apology to Native peoples over boarding schools

    Biden makes historic apology to Native peoples over boarding schools

    President Joe Biden did something Friday that no other sitting U.S. president has: He apologized for the systemic abuse of generations of Indigenous children endured in boarding schools at the hands of the federal government.See tribal leaders react to the apology in the video aboveFor 150 years, the U.S. removed Indigenous children from their homes and sent them away to the schools, where they were stripped of their cultures, histories and religions and beaten for speaking their languages.”We should be ashamed,” Biden said to a crowd of Indigenous people gathered at the Gila River Indian Community outside of Phoenix, including tribal leaders, survivors and their families. Biden called the government-mandated system that began in 1819 “one of the most horrific chapters in American history,” while acknowledging the decades of abuse inflicted upon children and the widespread devastation left behind.For many Native Americans, the long-awaited apology was a welcome acknowledgment of the government’s longstanding culpability. Now, they say, words must be followed up by action.Bill Hall, 71, of Seattle, was 9 when he was taken from his Tlingit community in Alaska and forced to attend a boarding school, where he endured years of physical and sexual abuse that led to many more years of shame. When he first heard that Biden was going to apologize, he wasn’t sure he would be able to accept it.”But, as I was watching, tears began to flow from my eyes,” Hall said. “Yes, I accept his apology. Now, what can we do next?”Rosalie Whirlwind Soldier, a 79-year-old citizen of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, said she felt “a tingle in my heart” and was glad the historical wrong was being acknowledged. Still, she remains saddened by the irreversible harm done to her people.Whirlwind Soldier suffered severe mistreatment at a school in South Dakota that left her with a lifelong, painful limp. The Catholic-run, government-subsidized facility took away her faith and tried to stamp out her Lakota identity by cutting off her long braids, she said.”Sorry is not enough. Nothing is enough when you damage a human being,” she said. “A whole generation of people and our future was destroyed for us.”The schools were designed both to assimilate Native American, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian children and to dispossess tribal nations of their land, according to an Interior Department investigation launched by Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Native American to lead the agency.Introducing Biden on Friday, Haaland said that while the formal apology is an acknowledgment of a dark chapter, it is also a celebration of Indigenous resilience: “Despite everything that happened, we are still here.”Haaland, a citizen of the Pueblo of Laguna, commissioned the investigation in 2021. It documented the cases of more than 18,000 Indigenous children, of whom 973 were killed. Both the report and independent researchers say the overall number was much higher.The report came with several recommendations taken from the testimony of school survivors, including resources for mental health treatment and language revitalization programs.Gila River Indian Community Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis noted that Biden has pledged to make good on those recommendations.”This lays the framework to address the boarding school policies of the past,” he said.Benjamin Mallott, the president of the Alaska Federation of Natives, who is Lingít, said in a statement that the apology must be accompanied by meaningful actions: “This includes revitalizing our languages and cultures and bringing home our Native children who have not yet been returned, so they can be laid to rest with their families and in their communities.”That view is shared by Victoria Kitcheyan, the chairwoman of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, which sued the U.S. Army in January seeking the return of the remains of two children who died at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania.”That healing doesn’t start until tribes have a pathway to bring their children home to be laid to rest,” Kitcheyan said.In an interview Thursday, Haaland said the Interior is still working with several tribal nations to repatriate the remains of several children who were killed and buried at a boarding school.Democratic U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, of Massachusetts, who introduced a bill last year to establish a truth and healing commission to address the harms caused by the boarding school system, called the apology “a historic step toward long-overdue accountability for the harms done to Native children and their communities.”Sen. Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican who is vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, also commended Biden while saying it reinforces the need for a truth and healing commission.”This acknowledgment of the pain and injustices inflicted upon Indigenous communities — while long overdue — is an extremely important step toward healing,” Murkowski said in a statement.As Biden spoke Friday, tribal members rose to their feet, with many recording the moment on their phones. Some wore traditional garments, and others had shirts supporting Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.There was a moment of silence, the formal apology and then an eruption of applause.At the end of Biden’s remarks, the crowd stood again. There were shouts of, “Thank you, Joe.”Hall, the boarding school survivor in Seattle, and others have long been advocating for resources to redress the harm. He worries that tribal nations will continue to struggle with healing unless the government steps up, and he sees a long road yet ahead.”It took a lifetime to get here. It’s going to take a lifetime to get to the other side,” he said. “And that’s the very sad part of it. I won’t see it in my generation.”___Associated Press writer Matthew Brown in Billings, Montana, contributed to this report.

    LAVEEN VILLAGE, Ariz. (AP) —

    President Joe Biden did something Friday that no other sitting U.S. president has: He apologized for the systemic abuse of generations of Indigenous children endured in boarding schools at the hands of the federal government.

    See tribal leaders react to the apology in the video above

    For 150 years, the U.S. removed Indigenous children from their homes and sent them away to the schools, where they were stripped of their cultures, histories and religions and beaten for speaking their languages.

    “We should be ashamed,” Biden said to a crowd of Indigenous people gathered at the Gila River Indian Community outside of Phoenix, including tribal leaders, survivors and their families. Biden called the government-mandated system that began in 1819 “one of the most horrific chapters in American history,” while acknowledging the decades of abuse inflicted upon children and the widespread devastation left behind.

    For many Native Americans, the long-awaited apology was a welcome acknowledgment of the government’s longstanding culpability. Now, they say, words must be followed up by action.

    Bill Hall, 71, of Seattle, was 9 when he was taken from his Tlingit community in Alaska and forced to attend a boarding school, where he endured years of physical and sexual abuse that led to many more years of shame. When he first heard that Biden was going to apologize, he wasn’t sure he would be able to accept it.

    “But, as I was watching, tears began to flow from my eyes,” Hall said. “Yes, I accept his apology. Now, what can we do next?”

    Rosalie Whirlwind Soldier, a 79-year-old citizen of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, said she felt “a tingle in my heart” and was glad the historical wrong was being acknowledged. Still, she remains saddened by the irreversible harm done to her people.

    Whirlwind Soldier suffered severe mistreatment at a school in South Dakota that left her with a lifelong, painful limp. The Catholic-run, government-subsidized facility took away her faith and tried to stamp out her Lakota identity by cutting off her long braids, she said.

    “Sorry is not enough. Nothing is enough when you damage a human being,” she said. “A whole generation of people and our future was destroyed for us.”

    Manuel Balce Ceneta

    Attendees listen as Interior Secretary Deb Haaland speaks before President Joe Biden at the Gila Crossing Community School in the Gila River Indian Community reservation in Laveen, Ariz., Friday, Oct. 25, 2024.

    The schools were designed both to assimilate Native American, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian children and to dispossess tribal nations of their land, according to an Interior Department investigation launched by Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Native American to lead the agency.

    Introducing Biden on Friday, Haaland said that while the formal apology is an acknowledgment of a dark chapter, it is also a celebration of Indigenous resilience: “Despite everything that happened, we are still here.”

    Haaland, a citizen of the Pueblo of Laguna, commissioned the investigation in 2021. It documented the cases of more than 18,000 Indigenous children, of whom 973 were killed. Both the report and independent researchers say the overall number was much higher.

    The report came with several recommendations taken from the testimony of school survivors, including resources for mental health treatment and language revitalization programs.

    Gila River Indian Community Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis noted that Biden has pledged to make good on those recommendations.

    “This lays the framework to address the boarding school policies of the past,” he said.

    Benjamin Mallott, the president of the Alaska Federation of Natives, who is Lingít, said in a statement that the apology must be accompanied by meaningful actions: “This includes revitalizing our languages and cultures and bringing home our Native children who have not yet been returned, so they can be laid to rest with their families and in their communities.”

    That view is shared by Victoria Kitcheyan, the chairwoman of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, which sued the U.S. Army in January seeking the return of the remains of two children who died at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania.

    “That healing doesn’t start until tribes have a pathway to bring their children home to be laid to rest,” Kitcheyan said.

    In an interview Thursday, Haaland said the Interior is still working with several tribal nations to repatriate the remains of several children who were killed and buried at a boarding school.

    Democratic U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, of Massachusetts, who introduced a bill last year to establish a truth and healing commission to address the harms caused by the boarding school system, called the apology “a historic step toward long-overdue accountability for the harms done to Native children and their communities.”

    Sen. Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican who is vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, also commended Biden while saying it reinforces the need for a truth and healing commission.

    “This acknowledgment of the pain and injustices inflicted upon Indigenous communities — while long overdue — is an extremely important step toward healing,” Murkowski said in a statement.

    As Biden spoke Friday, tribal members rose to their feet, with many recording the moment on their phones. Some wore traditional garments, and others had shirts supporting Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

    There was a moment of silence, the formal apology and then an eruption of applause.

    At the end of Biden’s remarks, the crowd stood again. There were shouts of, “Thank you, Joe.”

    Hall, the boarding school survivor in Seattle, and others have long been advocating for resources to redress the harm. He worries that tribal nations will continue to struggle with healing unless the government steps up, and he sees a long road yet ahead.

    “It took a lifetime to get here. It’s going to take a lifetime to get to the other side,” he said. “And that’s the very sad part of it. I won’t see it in my generation.”

    ___

    Associated Press writer Matthew Brown in Billings, Montana, contributed to this report.


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  • Here’s what is open and closed on Columbus Day 2024/Indigenous Peoples Day

    Here’s what is open and closed on Columbus Day 2024/Indigenous Peoples Day

    Columbus Day Parade coming to streets of NYC


    Columbus Day Parade coming to streets of NYC

    01:59

    Columbus Day, also called Indigenous Peoples Day, may be a federal holiday, but it’s also one of the nation’s most inconsistently celebrated days, according to Pew Research.

    Even though the event, which falls annually on the second Monday in October, is one of the nation’s 11 federally recognized holidays, it’s not observed by some businesses, states and institutions, especially amid a push to shift recognition away from explorer Christopher Columbus and instead honor the original inhabitants of North America via Indigenous Peoples Day.

    As a result, Columbus Day isn’t as widely marked as it once was. Still, the day remains a federal holiday, meaning that some types of services and businesses will be shuttered on Oct. 14 this year. 

    Here’s what to know about what is open and closed on Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples Day. 

    Is today a federal holiday? 

    Yes, Monday, Oct. 14, is a federal holiday, which means that federal offices will be closed and federal workers have the day off. 

    Are banks open today on Columbus Day? 

    Some banks will be closed to commemorate Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples Day, with Oct/ 14 counting as a holiday for the Federal Reserve system. Among those that will be closed are Bank of America and Wells Fargo. 

    Some banks, however, say they will remain open on Oct. 14, including Chase, which says its branches will remain open, and TD Bank.

    Is mail delivered on Columbus Day?

    No, the U.S. Postal Service observes Columbus Day as a holiday, which means there will be no regular residential or business mail delivery. Its retail branches will also be closed. 

    However, the USPS says that its Priority Mail Express will still be delivered in some regions for an additional fee.

    Is the stock market open on Columbus Day?

    Yes, the stock market is open on Monday, Oct. 14. The New York Stock Exchange does not observe Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples Day as a holiday, nor does the Nasdaq.

    Is Walmart open today? 

    Walmart tells CBS MoneyWatch its locations will be open during their regular hours on Columbus Day. 

    Is Target open on Columbus Day?

    Target says its stores will be operating on Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples Day with its regular store business hours, although those hours vary by location. Local hours can be found at Target.com’s “Find a store” feature.

    Is Costco open today?

    Costco is closed for seven holidays each year, but Columbus Day isn’t one of them, which means the retailer’s doors will be open on Oct. 14. 

    Is Chick-fil-A open on Columbus Day? 

    Chick-fil-A’s restaurants are open on Oct. 14, but “they may have limited operating hours,” a spokesperson said. “Please check with your local restaurant for specific hours of operation.” 

    Aimee Picchi

    Aimee Picchi is the associate managing editor for CBS MoneyWatch, where she covers business and personal finance. She previously worked at Bloomberg News and has written for national news outlets including USA Today and Consumer Reports.

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  • Indigenous Peoples’ Day: Voicing issues effective Native Americans

    Indigenous Peoples’ Day: Voicing issues effective Native Americans

    Monday marks a celebratory day for Native Americans. Indigenous Peoples’ Day is being celebrated across California. For the last seven years, Francisco Dominguez, a Davis radio host, has been using his platform to voice issues impacting Native Americans.”That history must be told because the native people are the true people. The original people of this land,” Dominguez said. For centuries, the U.S. celebrated Christopher Columbus as the explorer who discovered the Americas, but for the Indigenous peoples who inhabited the Americas long before Columbus ever arrived.The holiday means something more dark.As a result of advocacy by Native American activists, many states, including California, now observe the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day.”It’s about making things better. Turning things around to have productive lives. There’s a lot of problems. There’s no doubt about that,” Dominguez said. Dominguez’s show airs on KDVS 90.3 FM every other Thursday from 5 to 6 p.m. His show covers Native American issues, as well as Chicano issues, immigration and politics. “Whether it be water rights — there’s a lot of issues over oil, oil pipelines, and missing and murdered Indigenous women. So we bring up a lot of awareness to these issues,” Dominguez said. Dominguez has been covering Native American issues for decades. Some of his photographs are featured at Sacramento State University and the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Click here to learn more. Dominguez says Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a time to celebrate, but most importantly, consider the history of the U.S. and how it has treated Native people.”People have had to struggle a lot, you know, just to maintain their culture. It’s important to have people remember what happened here. And people are still alive, and they’re still moving forward,” Dominguez said.

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

    Monday marks a celebratory day for Native Americans. Indigenous Peoples’ Day is being celebrated across California.

    For the last seven years, Francisco Dominguez, a Davis radio host, has been using his platform to voice issues impacting Native Americans.

    “That history must be told because the native people are the true people. The original people of this land,” Dominguez said.

    For centuries, the U.S. celebrated Christopher Columbus as the explorer who discovered the Americas, but for the Indigenous peoples who inhabited the Americas long before Columbus ever arrived.

    The holiday means something more dark.

    As a result of advocacy by Native American activists, many states, including California, now observe the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

    “It’s about making things better. Turning things around to have productive lives. There’s a lot of problems. There’s no doubt about that,” Dominguez said.

    Dominguez’s show airs on KDVS 90.3 FM every other Thursday from 5 to 6 p.m.

    His show covers Native American issues, as well as Chicano issues, immigration and politics.

    “Whether it be water rights — there’s a lot of issues over oil, oil pipelines, and missing and murdered Indigenous women. So we bring up a lot of awareness to these issues,” Dominguez said.

    Dominguez has been covering Native American issues for decades. Some of his photographs are featured at Sacramento State University and the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

    Click here to learn more.

    Dominguez says Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a time to celebrate, but most importantly, consider the history of the U.S. and how it has treated Native people.

    “People have had to struggle a lot, you know, just to maintain their culture. It’s important to have people remember what happened here. And people are still alive, and they’re still moving forward,” Dominguez said.

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  • Watch never-before-seen video of missing Montana mom Jermain Charlo released exclusively to

    Watch never-before-seen video of missing Montana mom Jermain Charlo released exclusively to

    Police in Missoula, Montana, have released security camera video showing 23-year-old Jermain Charlo, who has been missing for more than six years. The video was released exclusively to “48 Hours” to help generate leads.

    Charlo disappeared in Missoula in the early morning hours of Saturday, June 16, 2018. Missoula Police detective Guy Baker, who has been leading the search for Charlo, says the security camera video shows the last known images of her before she vanished.

    Baker tells “48 Hours” contributor Michelle Miller that searches for Jermain Charlo have “come up empty-handed.” Miller reports on Charlo’s disappearance and the search for answers in ” in “Where is Jermain Charlo?” airing Saturday, Oct. 12 at 10/9c on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.

    Jermain Charlo surveillance
    Jermain Charlo is seen on surveillance video walking down a street in downtown Missoula on Friday, June 15, 2018. A man is walking a few paces behind her.

    Missoula Police Department


    Just before midnight on Friday, June 15, 2018, Charlo is seen on video walking down a street in downtown Missoula. A man is walking a few paces behind her. In a second excerpt, Charlo is socializing outside a local bar called The Badlander. The same man is standing behind her. Just before midnight, Charlo and the man leave the area and disappear into the night.

    Jermain Charlo surveillance
    Surveillance video released by Missoula police shows Michael DeFrance standing behind Jermain Charlo, highlighted, at left.

    Missoula Police Department


    Baker, the lead detective on the case, says “Jermain walks out of view, so maybe somebody saw something that never thought about contacting us. So, if anybody has any information about that night or any aspect of this investigation, I encourage them to call me.” 

    Six years later, with no arrest and no publicly named suspects, authorities are hopeful the release of the security video will lead to new clues about Charlo’s disappearance.

    Police have identified the man with Charlo that night as Michael DeFrance. He’s her ex-boyfriend and the father of their two sons. The couple had an on-again, off-again relationship. According to Charlo’s family, the couple broke up for good in 2017, but there was tension between them.

    Police believe DeFrance was the last person to see Charlo before she disappeared in the early morning hours on Saturday, June 16, 2018. When Baker interviewed DeFrance, he told him he dropped Charlo off around 1 a.m. near a food market in downtown Missoula.

    DeFrance said Charlo told him she was going to meet a friend named Cassidy. Police never found anyone named Cassidy, but they did learn Charlo had been visiting Missoula regularly because she had been dating a man named Jacob who lived in that neighborhood.

    The couple had recently begun dating and had been in communication in the hours prior to her disappearance. Jacob was out of town in a different state the weekend Charlo vanished. When Jacob spoke with police, he told them he had tried to call Charlo shortly before 1 a.m. on June 16 and thought it was strange the phone rang several times and then went to voicemail. Jacob told police he thought someone purposely ended the call.

    According to authorities, phone records determined that the call was silenced by someone.

    Jacob also told police that the day before Charlo disappeared, she told him DeFrance had been yelling at her, asking her if she was dating anyone and that he wanted to get back together with her.

    Police say Jacob cooperated with the investigation and he was never considered a suspect in Charlo’s disappearance.

    Police discovered the morning Charlo disappeared her phone was pinging from 2 a.m. to 10 a.m. approximately 14 miles from downtown Missoula in an area known as Evaro Hill on the Flathead Reservation. 

    Charlo lived on the Flathead Reservation and is a member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes. She loved nature and animals. Her dream was to attend the Institute of American Indian Arts.

    In Montana, Indigenous persons make up only about 6% of the population, but 24% of the state’s active missing persons cases.

    Jermain Charlo has not been found. The investigation into her disappearance remains open and active.

    There have been numerous police and community searches for Charlo throughout Missoula and the Flathead Reservation since her disappearance in June 2018.

    Jermain Charlo billboard
    On Highway 93, enroute to Missoula, Montana, it’s hard to miss this billboard and Jermain Charlo’s haunting gaze. 

    CBS News


    Jen Murphy, an educator in Montana who came up with the idea to put Charlo’s missing poster on a billboard, has joined several searches. “They’re heartbreaking. Every little step that you take … it’s a grid search, so you can’t be any farther than an arms-length apart … so that you don’t miss anything. So, grid searching a mountain with trees that are right next to each other is almost impossible.”

    Charlo’s disappearance is just one of many unsolved cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women known as MMIW.

    “I feel like we’re all of the human race and should be looked for the same. It’s not like we’re asking for special treatment, we’re just asking for the same treatment. We’re not going to stop looking for our people. We’re not. Our lives matter,” says Murphy.

    Police wanted to know what happened to Charlo’s cellphone. Turns out DeFrance provided an answer. He told police he had her phone and attempted to get into it after she disappeared, and that he then got rid of it.

    DeFrance, who had been working as a truck driver, told Baker he disposed of Charlo’s phone in Idaho at mile marker 94 on Highway 12. Law enforcement searched the area, but never found the phone.

    “Why would you get rid of the cell phone if someone was around to give the phone back to ’em?” says Baker.

    DeFrance has not been named as a suspect in Jermain Charlo’s disappearance. “48 Hours” requested an interview through his attorney. The request was declined.

    Baker’s work phone number is on Charlo’s missing poster billboard. He wants people to call him with any information about her disappearance. While the searches for her haven’t turned up any new information, Baker believes someone knows what happened to Charlo.

    Charlo’s family believes she is no longer alive. Authorities are investigating the disappearance as a no body homicide.

    HAVE INFORMATION?

    If you have any information about Jermain Charlo’s disappearance, contact Missoula Police detective Guy Baker at 406-396-3217.

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  • Judge orders US government to leave Wisconsin reservation roads open

    Judge orders US government to leave Wisconsin reservation roads open

    Morning headlines from Sept. 27, 2024


    Morning headlines from Sept. 27, 2024

    03:10

    MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday ordered the U.S. government to temporarily leave roads open on a northern Wisconsin reservation, giving non-tribal homeowners hope that they can maintain access to their properties for a while longer. 

    U.S. District Judge William Conley’s preliminary injunction is the latest twist in an escalating dispute between the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, the town of Lac du Flambeau and scores of non-tribal property owners who rely on the roads to access their homes. 

    The tribe granted easements in the 1960s allowing public access to about 1.3 miles (2 kilometers) of reservation roads. The easements allowed non-tribal people to move onto the reservation and build homes there. 

    The easements expired about a decade ago and the tribe and the town have been unable to negotiate new ones. According to Conley’s injunction, the tribe has asked for up to $20 million for the right-of-way.

    The tribal council in January 2023 warned the town and the homeowners that they were now trespassing on the reservation. The tribe that month barricaded the roads, allowing the homeowners to leave only for medical appointments. The tribe opened the roads that March by charging the town for monthly access permits. 

    Conley’s injunction said the arrangement has depleted the town’s entire road budget for 2024. The tribe has threatened to block the roads again if the town doesn’t make a payment in October. 

    The U.S. Department of Justice sued on the tribe’s behalf in May 2023 seeking damages from the town for trespassing. More than 70 homeowners have joined the lawsuit in hopes of establishing access rights. 

    Conley’s injunction orders the U.S. government to do nothing to block the roads while the lawsuit is pending. The judge stopped short of applying the injunction to the tribe, noting it’s unclear whether forcing the tribe to abide by the order would violate its sovereign immunity. But he ordered the Department of Justice to share the injunction with the tribe and tell tribal leaders that he expects them to leave the roads open. 

    Myra Longfield, a spokesperson for the U.S. attorney’s office in Madison, didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Tribal spokesperson Araia Breedlove and the town’s attorney, Derek Waterstreet, also did not immediately respond to emails. 

    The Associated Press

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  • Boyfriend of Navajo mother of 3 is sentenced to life in prison for her murder:

    Boyfriend of Navajo mother of 3 is sentenced to life in prison for her murder:

    After family members of a slain Navajo woman described their grief in a federal courtroom, the judge on Monday sentenced her boyfriend to life imprisonment for first-degree murder in a case that became emblematic of what officials call an epidemic of missing and slain Indigenous women.

    Five years after Jaime Yazzie was killed, her relatives and friends cheered as they streamed out of the downtown Phoenix courthouse after U.S. District Court Judge Douglas L. Rayas handed down the sentence for Tre C. James.

    Yazzie was 32 and the mother of three sons when she went missing in the summer of 2019 from her community of Pinon on the Navajo Nation. Despite a high-profile search, her remains were not found until November 2021 on the neighboring Hopi reservation in northeastern Arizona. At the time, the FBI offered a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for Yazzie’s disappearance and/or death.

    James was convicted last fall in Yazzie’s fatal shooting. The jury also found James guilty of several acts of domestic violence committed against three former dating partners.

    Yazzie’s three sons, now ages 18, 14, 10, and other relatives attended Monday’s sentencing, along with several dozen supporters. Another dozen or so supporters stayed outside to demonstrate on the sidewalk, chanting and beating drums.

    yazzie-crop-gymghltagaablym.jpg
      Jaime Yazzie 

    KPHO-TV


    “There is no sentence you can impose that will balance the scale,” Yazzie’s mother, Ethelene Denny, told the judge before the announcement. Denny detailed the pain the family has suffered from the moment Yazzie disappeared, through a desperate 2 1/2-year search and the ultimate shock and heartbreak when her remains were found.

    Denny told the judge she researched the right words to use, as English is her second language, CBS affiliate KPHO-TV reported.

    “Looking through dictionaries, I wanted to have that powerful wording and everything to say my statement,” Denny said.

    Federal prosecutors also played an earlier recorded video statement from Yazzie’s father, James Yazzie, who has since died.

    “It’s not right,” the elder Yazzie said in the video, who was clearly ailing and had trouble speaking. “Taking my daughter away and taking my grandkids’ mom. It hits me right in the heart.”

    Leona Yazzie, Jamie’s older sister, got emotional seeing the video, KPHO-TV reported.

    “To see him again, it brought joy to my heart, but my heart is still breaking and being put back together,” Yazzie said.

    The FBI hailed the sentence.

    “Today’s sentence underscores the fact that Jamie Yazzie was not forgotten by the FBI or our federal and tribal partners,” FBI Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Jose A. Perez said in a statement. “Our office is committed to addressing the violence that Native American communities in Arizona face every day and we will continue our efforts to protect families, help victims and ensure that justice is served in each case we pursue.”

    Yazzie’s case gained attention through the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women grassroots movement that draws attention to widespread violence against Indigenous women and girls in the United States and Canada.

    The U.S. Interior Department’s Bureau of Indian Affairs characterizes the violence against Indigenous women as a crisis.

    Women from Native American and Alaska Native communities have long suffered from high rates of assault, abduction and murder. A 2016 study by the National Institute of Justice found that more than four in five American Indian and Alaska Native women – 84% – have experienced violence in their lifetimes, including 56% who have been victimized by sexual violence.

    “We got justice for Jamie. We did it,” Yazzie’s family and friends chanted outside the federal courthouse in Phoenix after the sentence was handed down, KPHO-TV reported.

    Navajo Woman Killed
    Supporters of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women movement wait outside the U.S. District Court in Phoenix, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024, during a hearing where Tre C. James was sentenced to life imprisonment in the fatal shooting of his girlfriend Jamie Yazzie on the Navajo Nation in 2019.

    Anita Snow / AP


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  • WTF Fun Fact 13752 – Top of the Totem Pole

    WTF Fun Fact 13752 – Top of the Totem Pole

    Many people think the top of the totem pole is the most important. This belief is flat-out wrong. The bottom is often the most significant. Understanding this is crucial to appreciating totem poles properly. Let’s explore why people misunderstand totem poles and why the bottom matters more.

    Totem poles come from Indigenous cultures in the Pacific Northwest. They are intricate carvings representing family crests, legends, or important events. These tall structures tell stories, and each figure on the pole has a purpose. People often believe the figure at the top holds the most importance. However, this is a big misconception.

    The top figure is often the least important. Carvers place the most significant figures at the bottom. This positioning keeps them closer to the people who view the pole. The bottom figures usually represent the family’s main totems or the most powerful animals and spirits. This placement ensures they receive the most attention and respect.

    Bottom Figures: The Real MVPs

    Consider the Haida totem poles. The Haida are a Native American tribe from the Pacific Northwest. Haida poles often feature the most crucial figures at the base. For example, the “Wasgo” or sea-wolf appears at the bottom. The sea-wolf symbolizes strength and bravery. Placing it at the bottom highlights its importance to the Haida people.

    The Tlingit people also follow this practice. The Tlingit often carve their most important clan crests at the bottom. A bear or raven at the base signifies respect and honor. This positioning shows that these animals play a crucial role in their cultural stories and beliefs.

    Another example is the Kwakwaka’wakw totem poles. The Kwakwaka’wakw carve poles that tell family histories. The most critical ancestors or animals are at the bottom. This placement ensures that viewers first see the most important elements of the family’s story.

    Totem Pole Misunderstandings

    Why do people get it wrong? Western culture often values the top position. People assume the highest point signifies the most importance. In many hierarchies, like corporate structures, the top position means power and authority. This mindset leads to the misunderstanding of totem poles.

    Movies and media also perpetuate this myth. Hollywood often shows the top of the totem pole as the prime spot. This depiction misleads people into thinking that the top is the best. Understanding totem poles requires setting aside these assumptions.

    The term “low man on the totem pole” is misleading too. It implies that being at the bottom means less importance. In reality, being at the bottom of a totem pole often means holding great significance. This phrase does a disservice to the true meaning and cultural importance of totem poles.

    Embracing the Correct Perspective

    We need to respect and understand Indigenous cultures better. Recognizing the true structure of totem poles is a start. This knowledge honors the cultural practices and beliefs of the tribes that create these poles.

    Next time you see a totem pole, take a closer look. Start at the bottom and work your way up. Appreciate the figures at the base. They are often the key to understanding the story and significance of the pole. Respect the carvers’ intentions and the cultural meanings behind each figure.

    — WTF fun facts

    Source: “Totem Pole” — The Canadian Encyclopedia

    WTF

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  • Indigenous voices advocate for more equality in Canadian broadcasting | Globalnews.ca

    Indigenous voices advocate for more equality in Canadian broadcasting | Globalnews.ca

    The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) is currently immersed in the first phase of reshaping the Canadian broadcasting landscape through the implementation of Bill C-11, known as the Online Streaming Act. As the two-week public hearing unfolds, diverse voices are emerging, with Indigenous media players hoping the bill will result in more equal opportunities.

    Ryan Moccasin, owner of The Feather Entertainment, expressed optimism about the ongoing renaissance in Indigenous storytelling. “Our voices are being lifted by the industry,” he remarked. “We have seen success with shows like ‘Reservation Dogs’ and ‘Little Bird.’ It is an upward trajectory, and I see a lot of people that look forward to the stories we have to share.”

    However, Moccasin stressed the need for increased funding and capacity building to support newcomers striving to break into the industry. “I see a lot of people interested in the industry,” he noted. “More funding and more capacity building is what we need to support all of those trying to break into the industry.”

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    Kerry Swanson, CEO of the Indigenous Screen Office, emphasized the pressing need to move away from the perpetual struggle for funding. “We shouldn’t be constantly in this precarity proving why we should receive this funding,” Swanson said. “Making the case for our existence should not be our continual battle.”

    Mike Omelus, executive director of APTN, voiced support for the commission’s proposal regarding contributions from online undertakings to support the Canadian broadcasting system. “APTN also supports the commission’s proposal that online undertakings make an initial base contribution,” Omelus said. “All undertakings, including foreign ones, should contribute in an appropriate manner to support broadcasting policy objectives.”

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    While the bill identifies Canadian content through three pillars – English, French, and Indigenous content – some Indigenous creators find this distinction limiting. Moccasin expressed concerns, stating, “They talked about the difference between Indigenous content and Canadian content, well they are the same thing.”

    The hearings, hosting a total of 122 speakers, continue until the end of next week. The government’s objective with the Broadcasting Act amendments is to support Canada’s creative industries and make Canadian music and stories widely available and accessible in the digital age.

    The CRTC’s phased approach aims to modernize Canada’s broadcasting framework and ensures online streaming services, such as Netflix, Disney+, and Spotify, make meaningful contributions to Canadian and Indigenous content. The commission emphasizes the importance of public participation in shaping these crucial decisions.

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    As the debate unfolds, Indigenous creators like Moccasin remain determined to secure a more inclusive and supportive environment for their stories. The hope is to ensure that Indigenous content receives the recognition and backing it deserves within the broader scope of Canadian content.

    &copy 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

    Jeffrey Meskens

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  • Fifteen Years Later—Justice for a Sacred Site

    Fifteen Years Later—Justice for a Sacred Site

    It’s been 15 years since government officials destroyed my people’s sacred land. Wielding chainsaws and bulldozers, they uprooted our millennia-old traditions and reduced our holy site to overturned earth and scattered rubble. That senseless attack can never be undone. But recently, we finally received some justice for what we lost.

    I was a young woman when I first visited Ana Kwna Nchi Nchi Patat, known in English as the Place of Big Big Trees. It is a beautiful and sacred spot, nestled beneath the snow-capped peaks of Mount Hood in Oregon and surrounded by ancient, old-growth trees. Since time immemorial, my people have journeyed to this place to pray, meditate, perform religious ceremonies, gather medicine plants, and honor our ancestors who are buried there.

    However, in 2006, the government proposed adding a turn lane to the nearby U.S Highway 26—part of a plan to ease travel between Portland and tourist attractions like Mount Hood. Our tribal members soon alerted government officials to the religious significance of the land and pleaded with them to add the turn lane in a way that still preserved our sacred site.

    Our pleas fell on deaf ears. Two years later, government officials unleashed bulldozers on the site, cutting the ancient trees, desecrating ancestral burial grounds, and destroying a centuries-old stone altar. They did this even while admitting there were ways to add a turn lane without harming the site. It was harrowing. To see those trees fallen and the land ravaged by machinery was to see the very soul of my people crushed.

    We initially tried to negotiate with the government to restore the site, but we were unsuccessful. We then went to court with the help of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, arguing that the government’s actions had violated our rights under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). Over the course of a decade the federal courts sided against us, ruling that the government would not be held accountable for destroying our sacred place, and that its actions did not burden our ceremonial, cultural, and religious ways of life.

    It felt like a nightmare that wouldn’t end. My people spent years in a legal odyssey that never should have begun. We tragically lost those who fought alongside us, like my dear friends Chief Johnny Jackson and Michael Jones, who passed away without seeing a resolution.

    With nowhere left to turn, we appealed last year to the Supreme Court, hoping to receive justice for what we had lost. We wanted the Court to make clear that Native sacred sites deserve to be treated with the same dignity as any traditional house of worship.

    Views of Mount Hood National Forest, a mountain and river wilderness area located only an hour and half drive from the city of Portland, as seen on Sept. 29, 2020, Oregon.
    Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images

    And recently, with the Court about to consider our case, the government finally backed down. After negotiations with our attorneys at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, the government decided to settle our case. It has promised to take concrete steps to restore our site to its original condition—replanting a grove of native trees, paying to rebuild the sacred stone altar, and recognizing the historic use of the site by Native Americans.

    While the heartbreak of that destruction will remain a dark chapter in the history of my people, this settlement comes as a bright ray of hope. The Place of Big Big Trees will never be what it once was, but it brings me peace to know that we’ll be able to gather there once again as we’ve done throughout our history.

    I pray that the next time the government considers committing another injustice against Native sacred land, it will remember what happened at Ana Kwna Nchi Nchi Patat. Holy places like ours shouldn’t need four walls and a steeple to be protected from government bulldozers.

    Carol Logan is a spiritual practitioner of the Clackamas and Kalapuya Tribe. She was joined in her lawsuit by Wilbur Slockish, Jr., hereditary chief of the Klickikat and Cascade Tribes of the Yakama Nation, descendent of Chief Sla-Kish, signatory of the 1855 Treaty with the United States.

    The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own.