News and Events

Here is a list of upcoming events and news articles you might find of interest.

• Monday, Oct. 9 Indigenous People’s Day events
• Police Militarization Is a Threat to Tribal Sovereignty
• Key Republican revives bill to strip Bureau of Indian Affairs of recognition powers
• Young Adults Are Fighting to Stop the Line 3 Pipeline in Minnesota
• Town Seal of Pioneer Choking Indian Finally Changed

Indigenous Peoples Day Events, Monday, Oct. 9:

• St. Paul: Parade starts at American Indian Magnet School field, 1075 3rd St. E., St. Paul. The next event is at Indian Mounds Park, St. Paul, noon – 1:30 p.m.  The event will include music and beats from Red Lake tribal member, Thomas X, and rock out with Corey Rae White and Kalliah, both Indigenous artists/musicians.  Speakers include youth leading the fight with Paddle to Protect and Line 3. Also welcome the Kalpulli Yaocenoxtli dance troop, youth singers and royalty/ambassadors – and so much more!
• Minneapolis: March starts at 11 a.m. from Little Earth to the Minneapolis American Indian Center , 1530 E Franklin Ave. E. Minneapolis. The Center will provide lunch, catered by The Gatherings. From 1-4 p.m. there is a Native Arts Festival. From 4-7 p.m. there will be speakers on Stopping Enbridge Line 3 and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, followed by a Round Dance and Rally at the Center. Then from 7-9 p.m. there will be more events: Opening: The Willows; Tiwakan – Strong Buffalo and JG Everest; Jake Vainio, musician; Brian Dehler, projection artist; Dakota Blue, accompanying musician/ spoken word appearance; Dakota Hoska, poet; and Taylor Rose, poet.

Police Militarization Is a Threat to Tribal Sovereignty: Ruth Hopkins, Sisseton Wahpeton and Mdewakanton Dakota, Hunkpapa Lakota) is a writer, blogger, biologist, activist and judge, wrote this Op/Ed for TruthOut. Here is an excerpt:

I’m also witnessing a growing narrative being shoveled into mainstream media by the alt right and big oil; in a recent lawsuit, Energy Transfer Partners calls water protectors and their supporters “eco-terrorists.” Proponents of Trump’s order that serves to militarize police point to a perceived need to take up arms against domestic terrorists. Anyone who fights to stop the encroachment of big oil on tribal lands may be painted a terrorist by these groups to encourage and justify their suppression, imprisonment, and even death.

Key Republican revives bill to strip Bureau of Indian Affairs of recognition powers: IndianZ reports:

A key Republican lawmaker is once again pushing a bill that requires all tribes seeking federal recognition to go through Congress. … the measure asserts that Congress — through its “plenary and exclusive” authority over Indian affairs — shall be responsible for recognizing a government-to-government relationship between the United States and a particular tribe. So, even after going through the BIA’s [Bureau of Indian Affairs] process, a petitioning group must clear more hurdles before its status can be resolved.

Young Adults Are Fighting to Stop the Line 3 Pipeline in Minnesota: Teen Vogue ran a feature on Minnesota’ Youth Climate Intervenors on Enbridge Line 3.

Rose Whipple, a 16-year-old rising junior at Harding Senior High School in St. Paul, Minnesota, started organizing in the Twin Cities area after hearing about the Dakota Access Pipeline protests. She is also part of the Santee Dakota and Ho-Chunk tribes, which motivated her to become more involved in this cause. Now Rose, along with a team of 12 other young people (all under 25 and many inspired by the Dakota Access Pipeline protests), is working to stop Line 3.

Town Seal of Pioneer Choking Indian Finally Changed: The New York Post provides an update on the Village Seal of Whiteboro, New York:

An upstate town has finally changed its controversial seal — from one that appeared to show a white settler choking a Native American man, to one merely depicting pair in the middle of a wrestling match, according to a report.

The Village of Whitesboro’s revamped logo — long the subject of criticism — also updated the costumes of men to be more historically accurate.