Recently in Native News

As we continue our mission to keep you abreast of the top stories concerning Native life from across the country, Partnership With Native Americans has compiled our favorite stories from the month of August for your enjoyment. Stay up to date with more articles by following us on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Why it’s taboo in Navajo culture to view the solar eclipse via 12 News Arizona

• According to traditional beliefs, viewing the eclipse could result in health and spiritual problems. Navajo beliefs warn against eating, sleeping or being out in the sun while a solar eclipse is happening. “You’re not supposed to be out in the sun because nature does change, the atmosphere, the lighting, everything changes,” said Carlos Begay, a Navajo culture and language teacher at Page High School. “It’s a time that the sun or the moon is changing itself. When it’s changing, it’s a time that you’re supposed to be reverent.”

Navajo Code Talker’s life told in film via The Durango Herald

• “Sam Sandoval, the last surviving Navajo Code Talker from Shiprock, has much to say about his life, his tribe and justice. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Sandoval said, he enlisted to fight for two nations: the Navajo Nation and the United States. Sandoval, 93, visited Cortez on Monday for a screening of a film about his life, “Naz Bah Ei Bijei: Heart of a Warrior.”

‘Rumble’ Celebrates Rock ‘N’ Roll’s Native American Roots” via NPR

• “In 1958, the guitar riff known as “Rumble” shocked audiences… and its influence is still heard today. Behind that song was a Native American musician named Link Wray, who went on to inspire legions of rock ‘n’ roll greats. He’s featured in a new documentary called Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked The World, which aims to finally give Native American musicians their due.”

Carson Sees ‘Moral Duty’ To Give Native Americans A Chance At Prosperity via Daily Inter Lake

• “Ben Carson, secretary of housing in the Trump administration, visited Polson on Monday afternoon and said there is a “moral duty” to ensure Native Americans have the same opportunity to prosperity as others. At the Department of Housing and Urban Development, our mission is to ensure that all Americans have access to safe and affordable housing,… there is also “special responsibility” to Native Americans “who govern themselves on their tribal lands” and preserve their heritage and culture.”

VMFA exhibit opens the dialogue of Native American art in the past and present via Richmond Times-Dispatch

• “Art can be one of the greatest learning tools, and to explore the rich history of Native Americans, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts will open the exhibit “Hear My Voice: Native American Art of the Past and Present”… at the Evans Court Gallery… and will feature 56 works from 35 Native American tribes, which explore the way Native American art shares history and tradition while also being diverse in style, medium and subject. The exhibit includes pieces from 400 A.D. to modern day.”