Senators look to improve services for Indigenous elders
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Tina Smith (D-Minnesota) have introduced legislation to improve federal programs and services for Alaska Native, American Indian, and Native Hawaiian elders and allow them to age in their home communities.
The Enhancing Native Elders’ Longevity, Dignity, Empowerment, and Respect (Native ELDER) Act would set up an advisory committee to improve OAA services to Native American elders, who already face worse health outcomes compared to other senior citizens.
“When meeting with Alaska stakeholders, they identified home modifications to improve accessibility and caregiver support as some of the greatest unmet needs for Alaska Native Elders,” Murkowski said.
Smith said that giving elders the tools to age comfortably and with dignity in their own homes will help keep tribal communities strong.
“I’m proud this bill will help to deliver on that promise,” she added.
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Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra speaks at a news conference, Oct. 18, 2022, in Washington. Tribes in the Great Plains say HHS has not responded to alarming rise in syphilis cases.
Feds fail to respond to syphilis crisis among Great Plains tribes
The U.S. Health and Human Services Department had failed to respond to urgent calls from Great Plains tribes about alarming rates of syphilis cases among Native Americans in the region, according to the nonprofit digital newsroom ProPublica.
The statistics are alarming: In 2023, three percent of all Native American babies born in South Dakota were infected, and the syphilis rate among Indigenous peoples of the Great Plains is higher than any recorded rate in the U.S. since 1941, the year doctors discovered the infection could be treated with penicillin.
In February, the Great Plains Tribal Leaders’ Health Board called on HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra to declare a state of emergency, to send in Public Health Services officers to help diagnose and treat cases, and to fund tribal efforts to better respond to the crisis.
So far, Becerra has not responded, but an HHS spokesperson told ProPublica that the department has received the request and will “respond directly.”
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South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem attends an event Jan. 10, 2024, at the state Capitol in Pierre, S.D. So far, five tribes have banned Noem from their reservations, and others may soon follow.
South Dakota governor now banned from five Indian reservations
This week, the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, or SWO, became the fifth Native American tribe in South Dakota to ban Governor Kristi Noem from Trust Lands of the Lake Traverse Reservation until such time that she issues a formal and public apology.
The resolution, passed Tuesday, says Noem has “made statements and undertaken actions that have been injurious toward the parents of tribal children, thus detracting from the value of their education.”
It also accuses Noem of “undermining the Tribal Council’s efforts to combat the drug epidemic.”
During a town hall meeting on March 13, Noem said she believes tribal leaders are 'personally benefiting' from drug cartels and that tribal children 'don’t have parents who show up and help them.'
To date, five tribes have banned Noem from about 17 percent of land in the state.
Dakota News Now reports that other tribes are considering similar bans.
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Dayne Hudson, member of the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, holds his eagle feather fan before the Canyon View High School graduation Wednesday, May 25, 2022, in Cedar City, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
NARF: Indigenous students deserve both recognition and religion
Growing numbers of Native American students are stepping up to assert their rights to wear feathers, leis and other cultural regalia during graduation ceremonies. While many schools across the country allow the practice, some school districts hold out, saying it violates dress codes.
The Native American Rights Fund, or NARF, has developed a pair of flyers to help students and schools navigate the issue. One flyer is designed to help students responsibly advocate for changes in school policy.
A second flyer aims to help school districts understand the cultural and religious significance of wearing eagle feathers.
“The U.S. Constitution’s Free Exercise Clause protects religious practices and recognize[s] the exercise of religion as an unalienable right,” NARF states on its website. “Wearing an eagle feather or regalia to show academic success and religious beliefs should be considered protected practices.”
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A view shows the office of TikTok in Culver City, California, March 13, 2024. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo
Tribes, advocacy group, fight Montana TikTok ban
The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, or CSKT, and the National Congress of American Indians, or NCAI, have joined in the fight against Montana’s 2023 TikTok ban on grounds that it violates tribal sovereignty.
In April 2023, Montana became the first U.S. state to ban TikTok on all personal devices operating inside the state. It cited concerns that TikTok, owned by the Chinese tech firm Bytedance, could use the platform to harvest user data and share it with the Chinese Communist Party.
In November 2023, a federal judge temporarily blocked the ban as a violation of free speech rights. NCAI and the CSKT, along with other free speech and internet freedom advocacy groups, are now urging a federal appeals court to uphold the lower court’s decision.
In an amicus brief filed Tuesday, they argued that the ban infringes on tribal sovereignty including tribes' digital sovereignty.
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