Welcome to News from Native American Netroots, a series focused on indigenous tribes primarily in the United States and Canada but inclusive of international peoples also.
A special thanks to our team for contributing the links that have been compiled here. Please provide your news links in the comments below.
Cross Posted at Native American Netroots
Jim Kent: Lakota youth journalists find success with newspaper
By Jim Kent - Lakota Times
The following column by Jim Kent appears in the current issue of the Lakota Country Times. All content © Lakota Country Times.
I've been interviewed over the years, but not too often. With both my print and radio work, I'm the person asking the questions.
So, it was a bit out of the norm to be sitting in front of a high school class while Nicky Oulette's student journalists grilled "that voice on the radio" and "that face in the paper". Okay, grilled is a blatant exaggeration. But the juniors and seniors in Little Wound School's journalism class did have an extensive interview list ranging from "where were you born" to "what's the biggest challenge in your job?"
Of course, my real reason for being there wasn't as guest speaker. My primary goal was to interview the kids about what they do - which is pretty unique. You see, besides learning how to write a newspaper story, the journalism students at Little Wound get to have their work published every other week.
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Tribes lead fight against fishing restrictions
By SUDHIN THANAWALA
Northern California Native American tribes are clashing with state wildlife regulators over plans to restrict fishing off parts of the rugged coastline from the Oregon border south to Point Arena in Mendocino County.
The tribes, including the Yurok, the state's largest, say proposals for marine protection areas along the North Coast infringe on their fishing rights.
Those proposals—currently before the state fish and game commission—were crafted under California's 1999 Marine Life Protection Act, which was aimed in part at preventing overfishing and restoring depleted fisheries.
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Senate, House consider Indians
By R.E. Spears III
In what has become something of a rite of spring, U.S. senators Jim Webb and Mark Warner have reintroduced legislation whose passage would result in federal recognition of the Nansemonds and five other Virginia Indian tribes.
Federal recognition would recognize the tribes’ sovereignty in dealing with the federal government and would qualify them for benefits provided by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and other federal agencies.
“This is a really about an affirmation of who we are,” Stephen Adkins, chief of the Chickahominy tribe, told the Associated Baptist Press last summer. “Federal recognition would acknowledge that we are a sovereign nation and were here to greet the first English settlers, who everyone agrees could not have survived without us.”
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Native American Film Festival: An Afternoon of Three Films, including "Smokin' Fish"- March 6
By Mindy Giles
California State University Sacramento’s Serna Center and La Raza Galeria Posada present an afternoon Festival of Native American Films on Sunday, March 6 from 2pm to 4pm at Hinde Auditorium on the campus of CSUS. Admission is free, donations gladly accepted.
Three original films, presented courtesy of Native American Public Telecommunications located in Lincoln, Nebraska will be screened for the first time in Sacramento. Special guests Shirley Sneve, Director, Native American Public Telecommunications and producer Luke Griswold-Tergis (Smokin' Fish) will be on hand to introduce the films and answer questions from audience members. Smokin' Fish, (2011, a work in progress) will have it’s California premiere at the prestigious LA Film Festival this coming spring
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House Passes Bill in Favor of UND`s Fighting Sioux Nickname
Brian Howell
The battle in the Legislature over the controversial UND nickname swung in favor of those who want to keep it today.
The House overwhelmingly passed a bill that says UND must keeps its Fighting Sioux nickname and logo and directs Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem to sue the NCAA if it tries to penalize the school.
Representatives who want to keep the fight alive gave their reasons. They say changing UND`s Fighting Sioux nickname would cost a lot of money plus, they say alumni contributions would take a hit along with recruitment for sports.
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‘Ambassadors’ of Reversing Diabetes Began 5,400-Mile Cross-Country Walk
By Diana Saenger
Dennis Banks, Ojibwa, took the podium and raised a bag of produce. “Fruit and vegetables are my way of life until I go to the creator,” said Banks, co-founder of the American Indian Movement, which lead the first “The Longest Walk” in 1978 and “The Longest Walk 2” in 2008. “Something is terribly wrong with our diet—the worst diet in America coming from a country with the best source of food. We have a big job, but let us show other communities that we are all in great danger.”
Echoing Bank’s warning and encouragement, Chief Harry “Goodwolf” Kindness, an Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin psychic and spiritual seer who has journeyed coast to coast four times to raise awareness of diabetes in Indian country, joined Banks to speak. “We are the ambassadors for all who have diabetes,” he said.
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U. of I. workshop aims to introduce genomics to Native American students
Sharita Forresst
Since the mapping of the human genome about a decade ago, genomic science has emerged as a tool in solving criminal mysteries, the riddles of parentage and human migration, and the puzzles of diseases.
For Native American scholars, the applications, limitations and ethical considerations of genetic research are especially salient, and a six-day workshop at the University of Illinois will offer Native American students the opportunity to explore genetic research and participate in discussions with leading scientists about issues relevant to indigenous communities.
The Summer Internship for Native Americans in Genomics, July 10-16, will introduce 20 Native American students to the theoretical and practical concepts and the methods of genomics and bioinformatics. Participants will receive hands-on training using state-of-the-art laboratory equipment and analytical programs at the Institute for Genomic Biology on the U. of I.’s Urbana campus.
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Life or limb: IHS patients endure long, painful waits for care
By Karen Ogden and Rich Peterson
Ed Simons was 12 feet up on scaffolding for a bridge construction project when he slipped.
The heavy equipment operator from Poplar managed to land on his feet, but the impact crushed his tailbone.
Five years ago, when the pain from the 1999 accident became unbearable, a specialist recommended immediate surgery.
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What is ‘Plan B’ for tribes during a federal government shutdown?
By Mark Trahant
Is there a Plan B?
That is the question tribes, Indian organizations and government agencies should be asking—and answering, because it looks more and more likely there will be a federal government shutdown early next month.
Why is this a concern now? Congress did not pass a budget for this fiscal year. Instead, the government is operating on a temporary spending law called a Continuing Resolution, an authorization that expires March 4. That measure essentially allows the government to spend money based on the prior year’s budget. But Republicans want deep budget cuts. So last week the House passed a Continuing Resolution that would last the rest of the year, but that requires cutting some $60 billion from this year’s spending.
“It is my intent—and that of my Committee—that this CR legislation will be the first of many appropriations bills this year that will significantly reduce federal spending,” Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers said in a news release. “It is important that we complete the legislative process on this bill before March 4th—when the current funding measure expires—to avoid a government-wide shutdown and so that we can begin our regular budgetary work for this year.”
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