News

“‘Indian Country must have a unified voice in advancing federal policies that increase access to nutritious foods in our communities…’ said Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community Vice Chairman Cole Miller, Co-Chair of the [Native Farm Bill Coalition].”

“Out of nearly 7,800 ballots cast, 64 percent of voters said the ‘blood quantum’ requirement should be removed from the tribe’s constitution, which was adopted under pressure from the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs in the early 1960s. In a second referendum question 57 percent said individual bands or reservations should be able to determine their own membership requirements.”

“Voters of the Red Lake Nation returned Darrell G. Seki, Sr. to the chairman’s position, according to unofficial results…Seki has served as chair of the Red Lake Nation since 2014. He will now enter his third term in office.”

“The Catholic Church has accompanied the Indigenous people ‘since the very beginning,’ said Shawn Phillips, director/pastoral minister of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Office of Indian Ministry and at Gichitwaa Kateri in Minneapolis…Phillips recently describe[d] a national conference focused on Indigenous people that will be held in Bloomington, Minnesota, in July 2023.”

“Gov. Tim Walz has appointed Tadd Johnson to the University of Minnesota Board of Regents, the first Native American to be appointed to the Board since it was established more than 170 years ago. Johnson, 65, is a member of the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa who lives in Duluth. He retired last month as the University of Minnesota’s first senior director of American Indian Tribal Nations relations, a job that he said came about in 2019 when he complained to new President Joan Gabel that the University needed to do more to consult with tribes. He’s also a former professor, tribal attorney and tribal court judge. He still serves as senior advisor on government affairs for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe.”

“‘Our idea is you take that same concept around a business incubator, break it up into individual buildings and spread it across the region where the business incubator makes sense.’”

“Chief Executive Melanie Benjamin welcome the three to the new Band Assembly on Tuesday at a ceremony at the Grand Casino Mille Lacs Convention Center.”

“Native American community members lead sessions designed to help teachers better understand Native culture and history…Darlene St. Clair, associate professor at St. Cloud State University, helped found the workshop and has been organizing and leading summer training sessions for more than a decade. It’s meant to address a dearth of educator preparation to teach Native content.”

“As an institution of higher learning, the university has a vital role in digging for the truth and owning up to its role in history. That begins with having solid information about what occurred and knowing the effects of dispossession of land. The story won’t be complete until then.”

“The photos were initially being stored by the Star Tribune and discovered in a box simply titled ‘Indians.’ After their discovery, MHS staff sorted the photos into the corresponding decades during which they were taken. Some photos were published previously, while others have never been seen by the public.”