Underscore Native News

President Biden did not mention any direct action to accompany his apology, and U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, Laguna Pueblo, only briefly referred to “a 10-year national plan driven by tribal leaders,” but nothing has been released to the public yet. “Immediately, upon the news of his apology, I want to be gracious and believe this is a step toward a different, dreamed of future,” said c’iyaals sn’eweet’c ?a ambo hasaswagilgi, which translates to “Salmon Woman Comes to Talk of Water.” “But I'm not; instead I'm angry.” Read the full story at the link below. ✍ - Nika Bartoo-Smith for Underscore Native News + ICT (formerly Indian Country Today)

If passed by Oregon voters in November, ballot Measure 117 would enact major changes to the statewide election system with ranked-choice voting. Native-led organizations endorsing the measure believe it has the potential to boost Native representation in elected office. “Tribal Democracy Project is on the executive committee for the campaign to get this passed,” said Brian Smith, Muscogee Nation, co-director of Tribal Democracy Project. “A big piece of this puzzle is to use ranked-choice voting in local elections, in the long run, which would be a more proportionate system, to essentially have a system where more Natives can get elected, particularly in rural areas.” Read the story below. ✍ - Nika Bartoo-Smith for Underscore Native News + ICT (formerly Indian Country Today)

Every election year, Indigenous people grapple with whether and how to engage in electoral politics.

In the Beaver State, Native Americans in the state House are doing work for all Oregonians. Can they hold on to what they have on Nov. 5? Read the story at the link below.

November election could boost Native representation in state Legislature. Read more at the link below.

Adam Becenti had big dreams for his first Indigenous Peoples Day as Portland’s Tribal Relations Program manager. His plans to host a panel discussion with Native journalists in a city building felt like an opportunity to demonstrate the city’s commitment to listening to Indigenous communities. But those plans never came to fruition. Less than two weeks before the day intended to recognize and honor the contributions of Native American people, Becenti was abruptly fired with little explanation. Becenti is a member of the Diné Nation, and had led the city’s Tribal Relations Program for five months. His firing has drawn a swift outcry from several of the city’s prominent Native-led organizations, who say the decision calls for a serious overhaul to a program they believe city leaders have long overlooked and underfunded. “This news has shocked the Native community and beyond,” reads a letter sent Saturday to the city by Jillene Joseph, executive director of the nonprofit Native Wellness Institute and member of the Gros Ventre or Aaniiih Nation. “Terminating the Tribal Relations Program Manager right before Indigenous Peoples’ Day is not a good look for the city and is a slap in the face to the Native community.”

The minerals beneath tribal lands are crucial to the clean-energy transition. Read more at the link below.

Under the Biden-Harris administration, tribes got more of a say in Congress and tons more funding. A Trump-Vance win could upend that. Read more at the link below.

University of Washington Press released “Alaska Native Resilience: Voices from World War II” by Holly Miowak Guise in July. UNN + ICT connected with Guise who spoke about the importance of collecting oral histories for the book and the concept of “equilibrium restoration.” “There’s so much violence… with how the U.S. and even other colonial empires have treated Native people,” Guise said. “I liked ‘equilibrium restoration’ because it shows how Native people push back and change the outcome of colonial projects. Because if colonial governments or empires can have their way, they try to completely remove Native people.” Read the story at the link below. ✍ + Luna Reyna for Underscore Native News + ICT (formerly Indian Country Today)

September 30th is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day. A federal holiday that began in Canada in 2021, today is about honoring the children who survived and were victims of Indian boarding schools. On Memorial Day, reporter Jarrette Werk joined dozens of volunteers, including descendants of Native American boarding school survivors, Native community members, allies, and former Chemawa Indian School staff and students gathered to clean up the neglected Chemawa Cemetery— the final resting place of approximately 175 of the 270 Chemawa students who died while under the care of the school between 1880-1945, as it had become an overgrown dumping ground. “In my language, we have a word ‘Gonohkwa’ that means ‘relatives,’ and ‘Kenohkso,’ that means ‘I love you.’ I’m here because I love my relatives,” Jim Wikel, Seneca-Cayuga Nation, said with a shaky voice. “This is heavy.” #OrangeShirtDay hashtag#TrushAndHealing hashtag#EveryChildMatters Reporting and photos by Jarrette Werk / Report for America https://lnkd.in/gfEd7gxf