The Wrap: Indigenous professor honored
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Indigenous traditional healing methods rely on spirituality and ceremony as a means to recover from maladies such as addiction, trauma and suicide. These methods have generally not been recognized by mainstream mental health professionals as legitimate evidence-based practices.
This mindset, however, is beginning to change, thanks to the work of researchers like Joseph Gone, a citizen of the Aaniih-Gros Ventre Nation and an anthropology professor at Harvard University who also teaches at Harvard Medical School’s Department of Global Health and Medicine.
American Psychologist, the journal for the American Psychological Association, announced March 11 that Gone had won the award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Applied Research for his “extraordinary contributions to the application of psychological knowledge for American Indian peoples.”
The association, with more than 133,000 members, including scientists, educators, clinicians and consultants, is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the U.S. READ MORE. — Mary Annette Pember, Indian Country Today
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The San Francisco Giants’ stadium, Oracle Park, will now sell three craft beers from a brewery owned by the Yurok Tribe. It’s the first partnership of its kind with a Major League Baseball franchise.
Linda Cooley, CEO of Mad River Brewing Co. Inc., said the partnership represents the Yurok Tribe’s sovereignty being taken seriously and having a positive relationship with a professional sports team.
Mad River Brewing CEO Linda Cooley signing the agreement with the San Francisco Giants. (Photo courtesy of Linda Cooley)
“It’s one of those things that you think is never going to happen. We’re never going to be at that level of recognition or taken seriously. Seems like we're either tokenized, or only considered for casinos or funny memes,” the Yurok tribal citizen said.
Around late summer in 2021, the brewery began looking to other avenues to take the company and saw how the baseball team embraced diversity. READ MORE. — Kalle Benallie, Indian Country Today
Land managers have scheduled two more public meetings and extended the comment period on a proposal that would prohibit oil and gas development on federal land surrounding a national park in New Mexico that tribes consider culturally significant.
The Bureau of Land Management made the announcement Friday, saying the deadline for comments has been pushed back to May 6 to allow more time for people to comment.
U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland traveled to northwest New Mexico in November to announce the plan. She cited the significance of the area to many tribes from the Southwest that trace their roots to the high desert outpost.
A World Heritage site, Chaco is thought to be the center of what was once a hub of Indigenous civilization.
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Officials with the New Mexico pueblos and Arizona tribes that are connected to Chaco have said they believe Haaland’s actions represent more meaningful steps by the federal government to permanently protect cultural resources in northwestern New Mexico.
The Navajo Nation is among the tribes that support increased protections, but top tribal officials have called for a smaller area around Chaco to be set aside as a way to limit the economic impact on families who rely on revenues from oil and gas leasing. — Associated Press
In continuing to offer prayer for the repatriation of southern resident orca Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut from the Miami Seaquarium to her home waters of the Salish Sea, Lummi Tribal citizens and the Bellingham, Washington community gathered Sunday, March 20, at the sacred site of Cherry Point — named Xwe’chi’eXen in the Lummi language.
Lummi Tribal citizens Ellie Kinley, left, and Raynell Morris, president and vice president of the non-profit Sacred Lands Conservancy known as Sacred Sea, lead a prayer for the repatriation of southern resident orca Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut — who has lived and performed at the Miami Seaquarium for over 50 years — to her home waters of the Salish Sea at a gathering Sunday, March 20, 2022, at the sacred site of Cherry Point in Whatcom County, Wash. (Photo by The Bellingham Herald)
Led by enrolled Lummi Tribal citizens Ellie Kinley and Raynell Morris, president and vice president of the non-profit Sacred Lands Conservancy known as Sacred Sea, the group prayed with songs from the Bob Family singers.
Morris explained how in Xwlemi Chosen, the language of the Lummi people, orca are called “qw’e lh’ol’ me chen,” meaning “our relations who live under the water.” READ MORE. — Natasha Brennan, McClatchy Northwest
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Coming up on Monday's ICT Newscast, women in Indian Country are making historical impacts, bringing different perspectives and winning awards.
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March was full of big news in Indian Country.
Catch up on the stories that made headlines this last month. READ MORE.
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- Tribal leaders make case for critically needed water projects: 'This is a critical time in the Colorado River Basin. We are facing a mega-drought and Arizona is Ground Zero.'
- Wet’suwet’en is ‘the same fight’ as Standing Rock: Hereditary chiefs, land defenders and allies help Wet’suwet’en fight pipeline projects and financial institutions.
- 7 Washington tribes break ground on wellness center: 'It is essential to have us all together in the spirit of healing and for the youth to feel supported everywhere they turn.'
- Alaska Native settles with city after rape report ignored: 'It’s been a long, painful journey today, but I’m healing and trying to move forward.'
- Time to retool census? Some think so after Black, Hispanic, American Indian and other minority residents missed.
- Montana’s long road to make good on Indian Education for All.
- Health Board CEO Says Racism is a Threat to Public Health.
- Manitoba Indigenous group stuns judges on Canada's Got Talent.
We want your tips, but we also want your feedback. What should we be covering that we’re not? What are we getting wrong? Please let us know. icteditors@indiancountrytoday.com.
