News

“Correcting those myths and looking at the evolution of Native American identity over the last 400 years is the mission of The 400 Years Project, a pictorial collection of Native American life. It includes photo essays, text essays and a digital library of Native photographers from the mid-1800s to the present.”

“Smith held a hearing that included tribal leaders, housing experts, and fellow politicians to discuss the unique challenges in providing tribal housing.”

“‘For generations, a lack of infrastructure investment in Indian Country has left tribes further behind in the digital divide than most areas of the country,’ Haaland said…The program will prioritize the deployment of broadband to underserved households on tribal lands, according to a release. It also invites proposals that address the digital divide, including those related to telehealth, education and workforce development.”

“In the latest reversal of a Trump-era policy, the Biden administration’s Environmental Protection Agency is restoring a rule that grants states and Native American tribes authority to block pipelines and other energy projects that can pollute rivers, streams, and other waterways.”

“Work will begin in September to renovate and expand a brick building on E. Lake Street as a new home for Migizi, expected to open in 2022. A crowd of supporters, staffers, and students on Friday walked less than a mile from the site of the former building to the new site, blessing the space with burning sage and a prayer.”

“This much is true: Electronic games in more than 1,600 locations are no longer facsimiles of paper pull tabs and look and play like slot machines. Sen. Bakk uniquely knows what the games were intended to be. So, quite reasonably, he is now seeking to clarify the law in response to advances in game technology.”

“The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC)’s Understand Native Minnesota campaign launched a new podcast series today, entitled Native Minnesota with Rebecca Crooks-Stratton. Hosted by SMSC Secretary/Treasurer Rebecca Crooks-Stratton, the series features conversations with thought leaders and changemakers in Minnesota and across Indian Country.”

“’They are teaching tools. And it’s like an encyclopedia of Native culture…It changes from a place with just doodles and pictures of stuff to what’s almost akin to like a library.’”

“Electronic pulltabs were to be mere facsimiles of paper games, required to be opened like paper games, and were specifically prohibited from ‘mimicking’ video slot machines. These provisions were supported by all parties, including the state’s charities and the bars…It is disingenuous for the editors to claim that lawmakers are now attempting to ‘change the deal.’ In fact, many lawmakers know the deal has already been changed and even broken by the failure of the Minnesota Gambling Control Board to ensure that games comply with the law.”

“‘The original intent was not to have electronic pull tabs look like other gaming devices,’ Walz said. ‘We have a responsibility to our Indigenous nations who, in good faith, negotiated around those issues of pull tabs…We need to honor the spirit and the letter of how those were originally created.’”