Following a unanimous decision yesterday, the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education directed the University of North Dakota to terminate use of the “Sioux” nickname and logo by it athletic teams.
The board directs UND to retire the nickname and logo, effective Oct. 1, 2009. Full retirement of the nickname and logo will be completed no later than Aug. 1, 2010.
“We are mindful that there is a nearly 80-year tradition with our nickname and related logos. We honor that tradition, which has brought us national honor and distinction, as well as national championships and an outstanding record of student athletes as scholars. I want to be clear that I believe our athletes and our athletic teams — athletic directors, coaches and related staff — have used the nickname and logo with great honor and respect, and with a tremendous sense of pride,” wrote Robert O. Kelley, UND’s president, in a letter published after the board’s decision.
The decision was cause for applause for many who oppose the use of Native American names and imagery in sports.
David Gipp, a UND graduate and president of United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck, told the Grand Forks Herald that he was not sure of the board’s motivation — whether it was about the membership status of UND teams or human dignity and the institutional and educational values — but he commended its decision.
“As I have said before, letting go of the nickname and logo will lead to a better higher educational system in North Dakota — one that all of the state’s citizens can begin to take part in with pride,” he told the Herald.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Echo Hawk Approved for Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Post
The Senate Indian Affairs Committee yesterday approved by voice vote the nomination of Larry Echo Hawk for the Department of Interior’s Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs post, the Associated Press reported.
In this post, Echo Hawk will develop DOI policy on Indian affairs-related issues and make budget recommendations that affect Indian education, public safety, social health and welfare, economic development, energy development, federal recognition of tribes and other issues.
He will oversee the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), the Office of Indian Gaming, the Office of Self-Governance, the Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development (OIEED), the Office of Federal Acknowledgement, the Office of Budget Management and other offices at the Department of the Interior related to tribes, individual Indians and Indian lands.
Nominated by President Obama in April, Echo Hawk said economic development, education and public safety in Indian Country will be among his top priorities. He also said Indian health is an area that requires special attention.
Echo Hawk, Pawnee, is a law professor at Brigham Young University. He served as Idaho Attorney General from 1991 to 1995.
In this post, Echo Hawk will develop DOI policy on Indian affairs-related issues and make budget recommendations that affect Indian education, public safety, social health and welfare, economic development, energy development, federal recognition of tribes and other issues.
He will oversee the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), the Office of Indian Gaming, the Office of Self-Governance, the Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development (OIEED), the Office of Federal Acknowledgement, the Office of Budget Management and other offices at the Department of the Interior related to tribes, individual Indians and Indian lands.
Nominated by President Obama in April, Echo Hawk said economic development, education and public safety in Indian Country will be among his top priorities. He also said Indian health is an area that requires special attention.
Echo Hawk, Pawnee, is a law professor at Brigham Young University. He served as Idaho Attorney General from 1991 to 1995.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Clara Pratte Named Director of SBA’s Office of Native American Affairs
The U.S. Small Business Administration confirmed to AIR today that Clara Pratte has been appointed as the national director of the agency’s Office of Native American Affairs.
As national director, she will help ensure that American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians who want to create, develop and expand small businesses have full access to the tools available through the SBA's entrepreneurial development, lending and procurement programs, according to Cecelia Taylor of the SBA’s press office.
Before joining the SBA, Pratte worked for the Navajo Nation as a policy analyst and legislative liaison, focusing on economic and community development, housing and education issues.
As national director, she will help ensure that American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians who want to create, develop and expand small businesses have full access to the tools available through the SBA's entrepreneurial development, lending and procurement programs, according to Cecelia Taylor of the SBA’s press office.
Before joining the SBA, Pratte worked for the Navajo Nation as a policy analyst and legislative liaison, focusing on economic and community development, housing and education issues.
Gila River Utility to Utilize Smart Grid Technology
The Gila River Indian Community Utility Authority (GRICUA) on the Gila River Indian Reservation in Arizona will be utilizing smart grid technology to automate its electricity grid, according to a press release issued on May 12 by SmartSynch, a smart grid infrastructure company that is providing GRICUA with the platform.
GRICUA currently provides electric services to about one-fifth of the community’s total meter population, with some of these meters being SmartSynch commercial SmartMeters previously deployed through an existing relationship with a neighboring utility. The rest of the meters are owned by the federal government, which, as part of an agreement with GRICUA, will allow the utility to pursue new customers who want to change service providers, take over service after move-outs and provide service to all new residents and businesses resulting from new development in the community.
SmartSynch will help GRICUA manage the daily collection and delivery of 15-minute interval data from existing SmartSynch commercial SmartMeters via a dedicated Web portal. These meters will be upgraded to include power outage and restoration notification functionality. New SmartMeters will be deployed to any remaining commercial and industrial locations where GRICUA's meters have yet to be automated.
To learn more about smart grid technology, the U.S. Department of Energy has a Web page devoted to the topic: http://www.oe.energy.gov/smartgrid.htm
GRICUA currently provides electric services to about one-fifth of the community’s total meter population, with some of these meters being SmartSynch commercial SmartMeters previously deployed through an existing relationship with a neighboring utility. The rest of the meters are owned by the federal government, which, as part of an agreement with GRICUA, will allow the utility to pursue new customers who want to change service providers, take over service after move-outs and provide service to all new residents and businesses resulting from new development in the community.
SmartSynch will help GRICUA manage the daily collection and delivery of 15-minute interval data from existing SmartSynch commercial SmartMeters via a dedicated Web portal. These meters will be upgraded to include power outage and restoration notification functionality. New SmartMeters will be deployed to any remaining commercial and industrial locations where GRICUA's meters have yet to be automated.
To learn more about smart grid technology, the U.S. Department of Energy has a Web page devoted to the topic: http://www.oe.energy.gov/smartgrid.htm
Yvette Roubideaux Sworn in as IHS Director
The Indian Health Service has a new director. Dr. Yvette Roubideaux, M.D., M.P.H., a member of the Rosebud Sioux, was sworn in on May 12, less than a week after she was confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
As IHS director, Roubideaux will administer a $4 billion, nationwide program that provides health care to approximately 1.9 million American Indians and Alaska Natives.
Roubideaux previously worked for IHS as a clinical director and medical officer at the San Carlos Service Unit on the San Carlos Apache Indian reservation and as a medical officer at the Hu Hu Kam Memorial Indian Hospital on the Gila River Indian reservation.
She recently served as assistant professor of family and community medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine and has conducted extensive research on American Indian health issues.
You can find out more about Roubideaux in the IHS Director’s Corner on the IHS Web site.
As IHS director, Roubideaux will administer a $4 billion, nationwide program that provides health care to approximately 1.9 million American Indians and Alaska Natives.
Roubideaux previously worked for IHS as a clinical director and medical officer at the San Carlos Service Unit on the San Carlos Apache Indian reservation and as a medical officer at the Hu Hu Kam Memorial Indian Hospital on the Gila River Indian reservation.
She recently served as assistant professor of family and community medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine and has conducted extensive research on American Indian health issues.
You can find out more about Roubideaux in the IHS Director’s Corner on the IHS Web site.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Seminole Museum Earns Coveted National Accreditation
It took about five years plus a whole lot of introspection and some big changes, but the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum has received its national accreditation from the American Association of Museums.Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki, with its main branch located on the tribe’s Big Cypress Reservation and a smaller facility in Okalee, became the first tribally operated museum to earn accreditation this spring. The National Museum of the American Indian, operated by the Smithsonian Institute, was accredited this spring as well.
The main facility, which opened in 1997, is the steward of more than 11,000 artifacts and archives that the tribe started collecting more than 20 years. The campus, visited by people from all over the world, is made up of three buildings, totaling over 5,000 square feet of space, and includes four galleries. Read more in American Indian Report.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
DOJ Asked to Investigate Tribes' Treatment of Freedmen
Several prominent Democrats, some of them members of the Congressional Black Caucus, have asked Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate five Indian tribes for allegedly violating the civil rights of Freedmen, African Americans descended from freed slaves who were once owned by or who lived with Indian tribes.
Last May, in a statement issued to the Tulsa World, Obama said:
“Tribal sovereignty must mean that the place to resolve intertribal disputes is the tribe itself. Our nation has learned with tragic results that federal intervention in internal matters of Indian tribes is rarely productive . . . This is not a legacy we want to continue.
However, speaking directly to the Cherokee Nation issue, Obama also expressed opposition to unwarranted tribal disenrollment and described discrimination anywhere as intolerable.
According to the Associated Press, in a letter dated April 30, lawmakers asked Holder to investigate the “illegal expulsion” of Freedmen for the Cherokee, Seminole, Chickasaw, Choctaw and Creek nations.
The issue has placed the Obama Administration in the middle of a battle between traditional Democrats -- African Americans and Native Americans.
Two years ago, the Cherokee Nation voted to amend its constitution to restrict tribal membership to blood descendents and the Congressional Black Caucus tried to restrict federal funding to the tribe -- a move that was not supported by then-candidate Barrack Obama.
Last May, in a statement issued to the Tulsa World, Obama said:
“Tribal sovereignty must mean that the place to resolve intertribal disputes is the tribe itself. Our nation has learned with tragic results that federal intervention in internal matters of Indian tribes is rarely productive . . . This is not a legacy we want to continue.
However, speaking directly to the Cherokee Nation issue, Obama also expressed opposition to unwarranted tribal disenrollment and described discrimination anywhere as intolerable.
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