July 05, 2024
Guest Opinion. Leonard Peltier, a Native American activist, has been imprisoned in the USA for nearly 50 years. Much of this time was spent in solitary confinement. He is serving two life sentences for murder, despite serious and ongoing concerns about the fairness of his trial. Peltier has always maintained his innocence.
Currents
Last week, we asked Native News Online social media followers how they celebrate the Fourth of July as Native Americans. The responses were diverse, reflecting a wide range of traditions, reflections, and celebrations. From honoring ancestral resilience to participating in community events, Indian Country has a unique perspective on this national holiday.
From Our Partners
In partnership with Freddie Mac, the summit will encourage new ideas, partnerships, and investment opportunities to grow affordable housing across tribal communities Boise, Idaho (July 1, 2024) – Enterprise Community Partners (Enterprise), in partnership with Freddie Mac , will host the inaugural National Tribal Housing Ecosystem Summit in Boise, Idaho, on August 27-29. The conference is a first of its kind to bring together voices from across the tribal community to inspire new ideas, partnerships, and investments needed to grow affordable housing, homeownership, and economic development.
Opinion
Guest Opinion. Leonard Peltier, a Native American activist, has been imprisoned in the USA for nearly 50 years. Much of this time was spent in solitary confinement. He is serving two life sentences for murder, despite serious and ongoing concerns about the fairness of his trial. Peltier has always maintained his innocence.
Guest Opinion. “Rockin’ and a rollin’, splishin’ and a splashin’, over the horizon, what can it be – a free country.” This was the little tune I learned from Schoolhouse Rock when I was a kid watching Saturday morning TV. Embedded in that three-minute cartoon was an expression that gave the reason for the colonists’ revolt: taxation without representation.
Sovereignty
Native Vote 2024. The fight to hold state lawmakers accountable to voters continues. On Tuesday, July 2, 2024, at the request of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, the Spirit Lake Tribe, and individual Native voters, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated an Eighth Circuit ruling that would have given state legislators complete immunity from civil discovery.
Whitefish, a pale, silvery and green-brown freshwater fish is Native to the Great Lakes Basin and a staple in the community, food, and culture of Native tribes surrounding the Great Lakes. The Anishinaabe people have held the whitefish in high regard since creation.
Education
A new center at the University of Arizona is one of only four designated by the U.S. Department of Education to lead a collective effort to empower tribal communities across the country to revitalize and maintain their languages.
Selina Martinez is on a mission to tell the story of the Yaqui, a group of Indigenous peoples originally from Sonora, Mexico, who now inhabit regions on both sides of the United States–Mexico border.
Arts & Entertainment
Oscar-nominated Lily Gladstone is once again on the movie screen, this time in the recent film Fancy Dance , now streaming on Apple Tv+.
This week, there are plenty of events in Indian Country for everyone to enjoy. From powwows to Independence Day celebrations, here is Native News Online’s weekly round-up of arts, culture, and entertainment offerings around Indian Country.
Health
Environment
Last week, the Department of the Interior rejected a proposed 221-mile road that would stretch across federal lands to connect mineral mining areas in the state. The department said the decision would help protect the state's subsistence economy and preserve a way of life for Alaska Native communities.
The Seneca Nation of western New York is considering legal action against a municipal government after its city’s wastewater treatment plant overflowed into the Nation’s waterways for the second time this year, according to a memo from the Tribe.