Indigenous news: Apache Stronghold caravan, First Lady meets with tribal youth

First Lady Michelle Obama to deliver remarks at tribal youth gathering

WASHINGTON – The First Lady will deliver remarks at the first-ever Tribal Youth Gathering.  The event will take place July 9 at the Renaissance Hotel here. This event – co-hosted by UNITY Inc., the largest Native youth organization in the country – focuses on creating a national dialogue around wellness, education, and opportunity for tribal youth.

In her remarks, Mrs. Obama will speak to American Indian and Alaska Native youth from across the country about her Reach Higher initiative, the value of education, and the importance of pursuing their dreams.

Read more at: http://nativenewsonline.net/currents/first-lady-michelle-obama-to-deliver-remarks-at-tribal-youth-gathering/

Apache Stronghold National Convoy to Washington D.C. tentative schedule

DENVER – An Apache Indian caravan is making a stop in Denver July 8 to draw attention to the land grab by a mining giant with government assistance.

According to the American Indian Movement, the caravan is making its way to Washington D.C. to expose destruction of Apache sacred and spiritual sites by the U.S. government and mining corporations.

“We’re fighting a multi-billion dollar company as well as our own Congress, so we’re facing power and money and influence,” says Wendsler Nosie, Sr., former tribal chairman and coordinator of the Apache Stronghold protest. “This action constitutes a holy war where tribes must stand in unity and fight to the end.” To which current tribal chairman Terry Rambler adds: “What was once a struggle to protect our most sacred site is now a full-on battle.”

The caravan will make its way across country to Washington, D.C., including stops in Minneapolis, Minn., on July 11 and Chicago on July 13.

Read more at: http://www.apache-stronghold.com/journey-to-washington-d-c.html

VIDEO: kids use music to combat Indian mascots

These kids have a message for the Washington pro football team, the Cleveland Indians, the Chicago Blackhawks, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Atlanta Braves, and any other sports team or school with a Native American moniker:

“We are not your mascot tomorrow or today.”

In a music video released Tuesday, 30 youths of the Title VII program at Elk Grove Unified School District in Sacramento, California, make a stand against Native American mascots, stating in harmony, “We’re not your ‘chiefs.’ We are not your ‘warriors.’ We’re not your ‘Indians.’ We’re not your ‘braves.’ We stand tall. We stand proud. Ask Natives … with no shame.”

Read more at: http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2015/07/07/video-kids-use-music-combat-indian-mascots-160986

The Foodie Traveller: revival of Native American cuisine

Travel across the United States and the cuisine doesn’t change much from state to state. It has a reputation for being sodium-filled, sweetened and glutenous (though, arguably, delicious) food. But chef Sean Sherman, known as the Sioux Chef, is hoping to redefine what we think of as “American” food.

At his newly launched Minneapolis food truck Tatanka, named after the American bison, dishes are made with ingredients that could be found living or growing locally before the arrival of European settlers.

Read more at: http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/jul/05/native-american-street-food-truck-minneapolis-us-foodie-traveller

Virginia Indian tribe finally wins federal recognition

More than 400 years after their ancestors greeted John Smith and other English settlers, Virginia’s Pamunkey Indians have won recognition from the federal government that they are a Native American tribe.

The U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs announced Thursday that the Pamunkey tribe’s decades-long quest for recognition has been approved, making the tribe of Pocahontas the first in Virginia to receive the coveted designation. Six other Virginia tribes are seeking recognition through an act of Congress.

Read more at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/a-renowned-virginia-indian-tribe-finally-wins-federal-recognition/2015/07/02/40cc0dd4-200a-11e5-aeb9-a411a84c9d55_story.html

Storytelling and healing: feminization of revolution in the modern world

In the modern world, meaning Western world, there is a lot of attention towards polarity among political movements and revolution. Many discussions from both the liberal and conservative frameworks emphasis resistance and disempowering or dismantling certain ideologies that are dominant in society. A good friend re-affirmed questions that I have been pondering and I urge all in social justice and decolonization movements to contemplate: What are the goals of revolution when resistance is no longer needed and/or accomplished? What does success after resistance look like and where do we go from there? What is necessary for successful social justice and decolonial revolution that is lacking currently in these movements? This is where many spaces lack the feminization of the revolution.

Read more at: https://matriarchalscholar.wordpress.com/2015/05/09/storytelling-and-healing-a-feminization-of-revolution-in-the-modern-world/

PBS Online Film Festival is loaded with Indigenous cred

The 2015 PBS Online Film Festival, which is currently underway, is a competition among 25 short films from public broadcasting outlets all over the country, and this year’s slate includes a significant Native presence. The winner will be determined by online voting. Viewers can vote once a day, and the festival closes July 17 — so now’s the time to make your picks and give ’em your clicks. Here are four films we noted for their Indigenous elements; you can see the full slate at pbs.org/filmfestival/home.

Read more at: http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2015/07/07/pbs-online-film-festival-loaded-indigenous-cred-160978

Photo: The “Sioux Chef,” Sean Sherman.