Judge orders new North Dakota legislative district for 2 Native American tribes
A federal judge has ordered a new legislative district for two Native American tribes who successfully challenged North Dakotaโs 2021 redistricting map as violating the Voting Rights Act in diluting Native American votersโ strength.
Court ruling backs tribesโ effort to force lawmakers to redraw North Dakota legislative boundaries
The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied a request from North Dakota's secretary of state to delay a federal judge's ruling that found the state's 2021 redistricting map violated the Voting Rights Act in diluting the voting strength of two Native American tribes.
Survivors say trauma from abusive Native American boarding schools stretches across generations
Survivors of government-backed Native American boarding schools and their descendants have shared their experiences as U.S. officials made a final stop in Montana on their yearlong tour to confront the institutions that regularly abused students to assimilate them into white society.
60 curators, 1 show: Native Americans pick favorite pottery
Native American artists, political leaders and storytellers are the final arbiters of taste and style for a traveling exhibition of pottery from the Pueblo Indian region of the Southwestern U.S. They've plucked their favorite pieces from institutional collections in New Mexico and New York that didnโt always defer to Indigenous perspectives.
Cannabis bust on Indigenous land highlights legal divide
A federal raid on a small household marijuana garden on tribal land in northern New Mexico is sowing confusion and resentment about U.S. drug enforcement priorities on Native American lands, as more states roll out legal marketplaces for recreational pot.
Cherokee chief: Time for Jeep to end use of tribe's name
FILE - In this Aug. 22, 2019 file photo, Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., speaks during a news conference in Tahlequah, Okla. The chief of the Cherokee Nation says it's time for auto maker Jeep to stop using the tribe's name on its Cherokee and Grand Cherokee models. Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said in a statement he believes corporations and team sports should stop using Native American names, images and mascots on their teams and products. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)TAHLEQUAH, Okla. โ It is time for Jeep to stop using the Cherokee Nation's name on its Cherokee and Grand Cherokee SUVs, the chief of the Oklahoma-based tribe said. The controversy comes amid a national reckoning over the use of Native American names and images, particularly in sports.
Goade becomes first Native American to win Caldecott Medal
(Random House Books for Young Readers/Roaring Brook Press/Nancy Paulsen Books via AP)NEW YORK โ Illustrator Michaela Goade became the first Native American to win the prestigious Randolph Caldecott Medal for best children's picture story, cited for โWe Are Water Protectors," a celebration of nature and condemnation of the โblack snakeโ Dakota Access Pipeline. "I am really honored and proud," the 30-year-old Goade told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. The Newbery medal was established in 1922, the Caldecott in 1937. Goade, whose other books include โEncounter,โ is the first Native American to win in either category. The Stonewall Book Award for best LGBT literature was given to Archaa Shrivastav for โWe Are Little Feminists: Families."
Biden introduces his climate team, says 'no time to waste'
President-elect Joe Biden announces his climate and energy team nominees and appointees at The Queen Theater in Wilmington Del., Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020. The incoming Biden team will try to undo or block many of the current administrationโs initiatives. In his remarks, Biden stressed the diversity of an emerging team that he described as โbrilliant, qualified, tested and they are barrier-busting." The nominees Biden introduced Saturday had compelling personal stories that they cited as guiding them if confirmed by the Senate. Two other members of the team introduced Saturday do not need Senate confirmation.
In wake of Indians' decision, Blackhawks stay with team name
The Chicago Blackhawks are going to remain the Blackhawks and there is no sign of any change coming anytime soon. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty, File)CHICAGO โ The Chicago Blackhawks are going to remain the Blackhawks and there is no sign of a change coming anytime soon. Washington ended up dropping the โRedskinsโ name, logo and all Native American imagery. The Indians announced their decision this week, while the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs and baseball's Atlanta Braves have said they have no plans to change their name. The team announced later in July that they were banning headdresses at home games as part of their pledge to honor the Native American community.
U.S. poet laureate Joy Harjo to serve third 1-year term
NEW YORK โ U.S. poet laureate Joy Harjo will serve a third, one-year term and has launched an online project that celebrates Native American poets around the country. Her reappointment was announced Thursday by the Library of Congress, and her new term begins in September. Poetry has provided doorways for joy, grief and understanding in the midst of turmoil and pandemic,โ Harjo, the first Native American to be named poet laureate, said in a statement. โI welcome the opportunity of a third term to activate my project and visit communities to share Native poetry. It features a digital map of 47 contemporary writers, including Harjo, Louise Erdrich and Natalie Diaz.
Trump lawyer: Census could be done if not for court meddling
But the 2020 census deadline remains in flux, making it uncertain if census takers will finish counting the vast, rural state. An attorney for the Trump administration urged the panel of three Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals judges in San Francisco to suspend U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh's injunction from last month. The Trump administration says the judge's decision ignores the congressionally-mandated deadline requiring the Census Bureau to turn in apportionment numbers by Dec. 31. The Census Bureau reported that, as of Sunday, 99.6% of households nationwide have been counted, although seven mostly southern states haven't crossed the 99% threshold yet. The Trump administration is appealing that case to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Judge: Census violated order; demands mass text to workers
But the 2020 census deadline remains in flux, making it uncertain if census takers will finish counting the vast, rural state. Judge Koh wrote in Thursday's decision that the Census Bureau and Commerce Department, which oversees the agency, had violated her injunction โin several ways." โDefendantsโ dissemination of erroneous information; lurching from one hasty, unexplained plan to the next; and unlawful sacrifices of completeness and accuracy of the 2020 Census are upending the status quo, violating the Injunction Order, and undermining the credibility of the Census Bureau and the 2020 Census," the judge wrote. By doing this, the deadlines reverted back to a previous Census Bureau plan that had field operations ending Oct. 31 and the reporting of apportionment figures at the end of April. โThe decision also risks further undermining trust in the Bureau and its partners, sowing more confusion, and depressing Census participation," Koh wrote.
Only Native American on federal death row set to be executed
(AP Photo/Jonathan J. Cooper)CHICAGO The only Native American on federal death row is set to die Wednesday for the slayings of a 9-year-old and her grandmother nearly two decades ago, though many Navajos are hoping for last-minute intervention by President Donald Trump to halt the execution. The first three federal executions in 17 years went ahead in July after similar legal maneuvers failed. If Mitchells execution goes ahead as planned, it would happen on the third night of the GOP convention. There are currently 58 men and one woman on federal death row, many of whose executions have been pending for over 20 years. Several relatives had said they opposed Mitchell's execution.