Native Americans
Native American news roundup Oct. 13 – 19, 2024
Indigenous Peoples Day and Columbus Day observed Monday
Some Americans this week celebrated Christopher Columbus’ October 1492 landing in the Western Hemisphere while others marked the alternative Indigenous Peoples’ Day commemorating the exploitation that began with Columbus’ arrival, which ultimately led to widespread displacement, violence, disease and enslavement.
The U.N. Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations in 1977 held the first International NGO Conference on Discrimination against Indigenous Populations in the Americas in Geneva. Attending delegates from Indigenous nations passed a resolution to recognize an “International Day of Solidarity with the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas.”
President Joe Biden in 2021 recognized Indigenous Peoples Day as a national — but not a federal — holiday. Today, more than two dozen states and many cities across the U.S. observe the day with powwows and other cultural events.
About 2,000 people gathered at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles to celebrate. VOA reporter Genia Dulot was there and filed this report:
Tribal protesters clash with police in nation’s capital
In Washington, D.C., the Indigenous People’s Day holiday brought confrontation between U.S. Park Police and protesters from the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of California, who rode across the country on horseback along a "Trail of Truth" to lobby for federal recognition that the Interior Department's Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) denied decades ago.
The tribe claims descent from the Verona Band of Alameda County, which inhabited the San Francisco Bay Area for over 10,000 years.
In 1989 they petitioned the BIA for federal acknowledgment as the “Ohlone/Costanoan Muwekma Tribe.” The BIA rejected their application, citing a lack of evidence showing the tribe had continuously operated since 1927 as the same or an evolved tribal entity previously acknowledged.
Protests involving 25 or more people on the National Mall or other National Park Service (NPS)-controlled areas require a permit, which the group had not obtained. Tensions escalated when police attempted to remove the group and their horses.
"The Department of the Interior's posture with Native peoples is on full display," the group posted onFacebook. "Was Indian Country naive to think that Indigenous leadership at the top was going to change the institutional culture, colonial legal architecture, and systems of oppression that have always been the core function of the Department?"
In a statement to VOA, the NPS said the group has since dismantled their camp and submitted a permit application, which is under review.
"However, enforcement actions were taken, including the arrest of one person on October 16 for assaulting a police officer and other violations. On October 15, USPP officers arrested nine others for similar offenses," the statement said.
Minnesota tribe is latest to sue social media companies
CBS News reports this week that the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa in Minnesota has joined four other tribes in a lawsuit against social media giants including Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube for allegedly harming a Native American youth's mental health.
The 164-page complaint alleges that parent companies including Alphabet, ByteDance, Meta and Snap violated Minnesota laws by failing to warn users about the negative mental health effects of social media, particularly for children.
“They [Native teenagers] are more vulnerable because they've struggled with mental health because of isolation and poverty on some of the reservations,” attorney Tim Purdon, a partner in the law firm that filed the complaint, said during an interview in late July. “We seek dollars from them to be paid in our case directly to tribes to help abate or blunt or help fix the public mental health crisis that has resulted.”
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Navajo president calls for VP to resign
Navajo Nation president Buu Nygren has stripped Navajo vice president Richelle Montoya of her responsibilities and is calling for her resignation.
The announcement follows months of political tension within the tribe. In April, Montoya publicly accused the administration of intimidation and sexual harassment that she alleges took place during an August 2023 meeting in the president's office.
This prompted the tribal attorney to call for an independent investigation, which is still under way.
Nygren defended his actions in a news conference Tuesday, accusing the vice president of neglecting her official duties. He also cited Montoya’s decision to support a campaign to recall him as tribal leader.
“I welcome her resignation to make room for someone who wants to be a part of this administration,” Nygren said.
The rift between Nygren and Montoya has caused significant political upheaval, with tribal leaders and community members divided over the issues, further complicating governance and stability within the Navajo Nation.
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Lakota artist cites free speech rights, sues Colorado town
Danielle SeeWalker, a Hunkpapa Lakota artist from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, is suing the town of Vail, Colorado, after her artist residency was canceled.
As VOA reported in May, SeeWalker posted a painting titled “G is for Genocide” on Instagram. It showed a near-faceless woman wearing a feather and a keffiyeh, the traditional Bedouin headscarf that has become the symbol for solidarity with Palestinians.
“It is about me expressing the parallels between what is happening to the innocent people in Gaza ... to that of the genocide of Native American populations here in our lands,” SeeWalker wrote in her post.
The town of Vail said in a May Facebook post that its decision to cancel her residency “was not made in a vacuum; after releasing her name in an announcement, community members, including representatives from our local faith-based communities, raised concerns to town staff around SeeWalker's recent rhetoric on her social media platform about the Hamas-Israel war.”
Backed by the American Civil Liberties Union, SeeWalker claims her First Amendment rights were violated and is seeking damages.
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Indigenous Peoples Day celebrated with an eye on election
As Native Americans across the U.S. come together on Monday for Indigenous Peoples Day to celebrate their history and culture and acknowledge the ongoing challenges they face, many will do so with a focus on the election.
From a voting rally in Minneapolis featuring food, games and raffles to a public talk about the Native vote at Virginia Tech, the holiday, which comes about three weeks before Election Day, will feature a wide array of events geared toward Native voter mobilization and outreach amid a strong recognition of the power of their votes.
In 2020, Native voters proved decisive in the presidential election. Voter turnout on tribal land in Arizona increased dramatically compared with the previous presidential election, helping Joe Biden win a state that hadn’t supported a Democratic candidate in a White House contest since 1996.
Janeen Comenote, executive director of the National Urban Indian Family Coalition, which is involved with at least a dozen of these types of voting events across the country, said this year it’s especially important to mobilize Native voters because the country is selecting the president. But she cautioned that Native people are in no way a monolith in terms of how they vote.
“We’re really all about just getting Native voters out to vote, not telling them how to vote. But sort of understanding that you have a voice and you’re a democracy, a democracy that we helped create,” said Comenote, a citizen of the Quinault Indian Nation.
In Arizona, her coalition is partnering with the Phoenix Indian Center to hold a town hall Monday called “Democracy Is Indigenous: Power Of The Native Vote,” which will feature speakers and performances, along with Indigenous artwork centered on democracy.
In Apex, North Carolina, about 14 miles (23 kilometers) southwest of Raleigh, the coalition is working with the Triangle Native American Society for an event expected to include a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 and a booth with nonpartisan voter information and giveaways.
While not a federal holiday, Indigenous Peoples Day is observed by 17 states, including Washington, South Dakota and Maine, as well as Washington, D.C., according to the Pew Research Center. It typically takes place on the second Monday in October, which is the same day as the Columbus Day federal holiday.
- By Genia Dulot
Los Angeles celebrates Indigenous’ Peoples Day before Columbus Day
Since 2019 the state of California officially celebrates Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead of the federally recognized Columbus Day, which falls on every second Monday in October. VOA’s Genia Dulot visited the celebration at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, that drew around 2,000 people.
Native American news roundup October 6-12, 2024
VP candidates court minorities in battleground state of Arizona
As early voting launched Wednesday in the swing state of Arizona, both vice presidential candidates – Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Republican U.S. Senator JD Vance -- were in the state to rally Latina and Native voters ahead of the November election.
Walz met with tribal leaders of the Gila River Indian Community in the Phoenix area as part of a newly announced initiative to better engage Native American voters. He talked about Democratic presidential candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris' and his own commitment to tribal sovereignty and working "hand-in-hand" with tribes on issues of importance.
"What we've always said is if the children of our tribal nations are doing well, everyone's doing well," he said. "And we need to make sure that we're not the gatekeepers, that we're there as partners to make sure things work."
Following a rally in Tucson, Vance attended a town hall event hosted by the Conservative Political Action Conference in the city of Mesa, speaking directly to women and Latinos, who have traditionally favored Democrats.
Vance cited soaring grocery prices and border-related issues such as drug smuggling, which have hit women "especially hard."
"A lot of moms out there, especially Latino women in places like Arizona … are saying we don't want our kids playing on playgrounds where a bag of candy is actually disguised fentanyl or THC."
At the time of this writing, Harris was scheduled to visit Phoenix on Friday, and Trump was slated to hold a rally in Prescott Valley on Sunday.
California schools to teach Native American history, including genocide and resilience
A new California law, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom and authored by Assemblymember James Ramos, will require students to learn Native American history, including the atrocities committed against Indigenous tribes during Spanish colonization and the Gold Rush.
Ramos, the first Native Californian in the state legislature, introduced the bill to address gaps in education and ensure students learn both the tragedies and resilience of Native communities.
The law, effective January 1, 2025, mandates lessons on Native mistreatment in the fourth-grade curriculum, replacing the current optional content.
Tribal leaders support the law but advocate a more comprehensive approach, integrating not just tragedies but Native culture, language and contributions across subjects.
Ramos, a descendant of the Serrano tribe, emphasized the personal significance of the law, which aims to share the true history of California's Native peoples. Experts warn that successful implementation will require teacher training and significant funding to ensure the material is taught effectively and compassionately.
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Tribes at odds over historic site in Alabama
A legal conflict between the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and the Poarch Creek Indians over Hickory Ground, a sacred site in Alabama, has reignited tensions stemming from colonialism.
The dispute centers on the Poarch's construction of the Wind Creek Casino atop the site, which involved the removal of Muscogee human remains and artifacts. The Muscogee argue this violated the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and are appealing a 2021 ruling granting the Poarch sovereign immunity.
The Muscogee want the site to be restored and the remains returned, viewing the case as a defense of sacred sites and tribal sovereignty. The Poarch, meanwhile, claim they followed legal guidelines and reburied the remains, highlighting the economic importance of the casino to the region.
Both tribes have expressed interest in strengthening federal protections for sacred sites and potentially collaborating on a museum to highlight their shared Creek history.
Hickory Ground was the last capital of the Muscogee people before their forced removal in 1832 during the Trail of Tears. The Poarch Band of Creek Indians, a federally recognized tribe in Alabama since 1984, purchased the original Hickory Ground in 1980 under an agreement to preserve the site for 20 years. However, the Muscogee Nation claims that after this period, the Poarch excavated 57 Muscogee remains and thousands of artifacts to build a casino, sparking controversy over cultural preservation and respect for ancestral remains.
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Idaho state senator accused of racial slur of Native American candidate
The Idaho Republican Party has defended state Sen. Dan Foreman against allegations he told a Native American candidate to "go back where you came from" during a campaign event September 30.
Trish Carter-Goodheart, a member of the Nez Perce Tribe and a candidate for the Idaho House of Representatives, told Idaho's KTVB News that the comment came during a debate on discrimination in Idaho, which another candidate declared nonexistent.
"I basically just sat up and I said … 'Just because this isn't your lived experience does not mean that discrimination and racism don't exist today, and these are … very real experiences of so many Idahoans.'"
No recording of the event has surfaced. Foreman has denied the allegation as "patently false" and criticized media coverage of the event.
"In the final analysis, I suppose we must expect this type of behavior … It seems the more effective a conservative elected official is, the more that person is attacked by the left and most, not all, of the media," he posted on his Facebook page.
Carter-Goodheart included the quote in a news release last week, and her election opponent, Republican Rep. Lori McCann, told the Lewiston Tribune that "her statement is accurate."
"The Nez Perce Tribe refuses to tolerate this kind of hateful and divisive politics, and we ask other elected leaders in this region to stand with us in pushing back against such offensive behavior," the tribe said in an official statement.
Native American vote could swing the election — but in which direction?
In the final weeks of the 2024 election, Native American organizers are intensifying efforts to increase voter turnout, recognizing the impact of the Native vote, especially in swing states like Arizona and Wisconsin.
Advocacy groups like the Native American Rights Fund continue to address barriers to the ballot box, such as isolation, poor infrastructure and limited internet access, along with restrictions on in-person voter registration and early voting.
New challenges in Arizona
Arizona, home to 22 Native tribes, played a key role in the 2020 Democratic victory.
However, a recent voter registration glitch in the state may affect up to 218,000 voters, more than double previous estimates. The issue stems from an error in the driver's license database that flagged some individuals as having proved citizenship when they had not.
A recording obtained by The Washington Post revealed concerns among Arizona Democratic leaders about how resolving the error could either disenfranchise voters or spark conspiracy theories. Despite the glitch, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that those affected can still vote in federal and state elections.
Jaynie Parrish, executive director of Arizona Native Vote, said the impact on Native voters remains unclear. She stressed that Native Americans face ongoing challenges when voting, including Arizona's requirement to show proof of a physical address at the polls.
“We rely on post office boxes,” Parrish said, explaining that early voters can use a driver's license or tribal I.D. “We just have to keep reminding our community what identification they need for Election Day. Our best defense is offense.”
Voting based on issues, not party
University of New Mexico Professor Gabriel R. Sanchez said Native American voting preferences haven’t been well-studied.
“The assumption that they are overwhelmingly Democrat isn’t backed by data,” Sanchez told VOA.
His polling shows the majority of Native voters lean Democratic but not as strongly as other minority groups like Black and Latino voters. In the 2020 election, 60% of Native Americans supported Joe Biden, but this dropped slightly by 2022.
“Native voters tell us they aren’t really partisan,” Sanchez said. “They evaluate which party better addresses tribal issues each election cycle.”
As an example, in an editorial Monday in the Navajo Times, Francine Bradley-Arthur, a Navajo organizer and co-founder of Freedom House in St. Michaels, Arizona, explains why many Navajos support Donald Trump.
“In Navajo culture, life is sacred, including life in the womb,” she writes. “Trump’s administration upheld pro-life values that resonate deeply with our traditions.”
She recalls that as attorney general of California, Kamala Harris opposed “at least 15 tribal land-into-trust applications,” undermining the tribes’ ability to reclaim lost land.
The Kamala Harris-Tim Walz campaign this week launched an initiative to better engage Native communities through culturally appropriate outreach. Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan announced the program Wednesday during an October 2 event hosted by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community.
"Vice President Harris has been a fierce advocate for tribal sovereignty, working to secure funding for health care, education and economic development that truly empowers our communities. … And let's not forget her running mate, who I have the privilege of knowing a thing or two about," Flanagan told reporters during a press call later in the day.
Flanagan, a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, was elected alongside Governor Tim Walz in 2018 and reelected in 2022. Native American voters are mindful that if the Harris-Walz ticket succeeds, she would become the first Native American woman to serve as a state governor.
VP candidates’ debate
On October 1, vice presidential candidates Walz and JD Vance debated key topics like immigration and abortion. Native commentators expressed disappointment on a Facebook discussion hosted by Native News Online, noting the debate overlooked issues crucial to Native voters, such as tribal sovereignty and climate change.
Judith LeBlanc, Caddo Tribe member and director of the Native Organizers Alliance, said she was disappointed Walz didn’t highlight his work with Flanagan.
Aaron Payment, former chair of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, pointed out that Native voters in swing states can help Democrats win.
"Are candidates concerned that if they start talking pro-Indian, then all of a sudden they're going to be considered radical or … in the back pocket of American Indians?" Payment asked.
Trump's proposal
The candidates did discuss Trump’s plan to open federal land for housing construction. LeBlanc criticized this proposal in a Native News Online editorial, calling it an overreach and warning that it could lead to seizing tribal lands for development.
During the Facebook discussion, Levi Rickert, editor of Native News Online, shifted focus to the Montana Senate debate between Jon Tester and Republican Tim Sheehy.
Sheehy has faced criticism for past racially charged remarks about the Crow Tribe.Tester confronted Sheehy, telling him to apologize for his comments. Sheehy admitted his remarks were insensitive, blaming them on military culture.
Payment noted that Sheehy's support has increased in Montana, but with Native Americans making up 6.4% of the vote, it could still swing.