Recently in Native News

As we step into fall and get closer to election season, we’re seeing more focus on Native American issues in news headlines across the country. We’ve compiled a few of our favorite Native American headlines from the month of September for your enjoyment. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and stay up to date with the latest headlines all year long.

Inside a New Effort to Change What Schools Teach About Native American History via Smithsonian.com

• “Students who learn anything about Native Americans are often only offered the barest minimum: re-enacting the first Thanksgiving, building a California Spanish mission out of sugar cubes or memorizing a flashcard about the Trail of Tears just ahead of the AP U.S. History Test. Most students across the United States don’t get comprehensive, thoughtful or even accurate education in Native American history and culture. A 2015 study by researchers at Pennsylvania State University found that 87 percent of content taught about Native Americans includes only pre-1900 context. And 27 states did not name an individual Native American in their history standards.”

Groundbreaking set for National Native American Veterans Memorial via American Legion

• “The National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., will host a day of events on Sept. 21 in conjunction with groundbreaking of the National Native American Veterans Memorial. The events include a webcast interview with Harvey Pratt, whose design concept for the new memorial was selected last year. Pratt is a Cheyenne and Arapaho artist based in Guthrie, Okla., and a member of Cheyenne and Arapaho American Legion Post 401 in Clinton, Okla. The memorial, located on the National Mall in Washington, will consist of an elevated, stainless steel circle balanced on an intricately carved stone drum. The design incorporates water for sacred ceremonies, benches for gathering and reflection, and four lances where veterans, family members, tribal leaders, and others can tie cloths for prayers and healing.

Climate change report: Native Americans face unique challenges via Tulsa World

• “While climate change poses common risks across the United States, some scientists say Native American tribes in the southern Great Plains face unique challenges. Higher temperatures, extreme weather events and water resource constraints could severely affect the ability of Native Americans in Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas to obtain food, water and shelter, as well as hamper their ability to preserve ancient cultural activities, according to the National Climate Assessment. In the southern Great Plains by the end of the century, temperatures are projected to increase between 3.6 and 5.1 degrees, and if greenhouse emissions are not cut, the region might endure up to 60 more days above 100 degrees than it does now, according to the report.”

Native American voters could help swing the 2020 presidential election via CNBC

• “Native American issues are in sharper focus in the 2020 presidential election cycle, particularly as Democratic contenders put more emphasis on policy proposals. The Native American electorate could end up being pivotal in seven major swing states: Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, North Carolina, Colorado and Wisconsin, according to data from Four Directions. ‘We can make a difference,’ said Renee Lenore Fasthorse Iron Hawk, a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe in South Dakota. ‘There are swing states that will make a difference. We can and have mobilized our vote when it matters.’”