This Week in Native American News - August 26, 2016
If you're heading to North Dakota... you might want to know what's going on
Protesting the pipeline in Washington. Photo credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images
There has been a lot of news about pipelines and protests, and it can get a little confusing to sort things out. So, here's a succinct and informative article on the basics to bring you up to speed on the Dakota Pipeline.
Want more information: check out some of these articles.
If you're heading to South Dakota... Your map may be incorrectly labeled
PHOTOGRAPH BY HTURNE/ALAMY
Just like Alaska's Mount McKinley, the highest peak east of the Rockies is getting a new name. Former known as Harney Peak, the Black Hills lookout will henceforth be known as Black Elk Peak. The name goes from commemorating an army officer, accused of massacring Natives in the mid-1800's, to honoring a revered Oglala Lakota holy man, Nicholas Black Elk. The name was officially changed August 11. Read the full story here.
There are three other mountains that could get a name change in the near future.
If you're heading to LA... Watch for this Native Street Art
You won't see the above-pictured street art because Jaque Fragua's first art piece has already been painted over, but you could catch a glimpse of one of the more than 1,000 pieces he has since created.
Trained at the Institute of American Indian Arts, Fragua has taken to the streets as a "professional vandal" to raise awareness and inspire hope. He's also created his own non-profit, Flower Hill Institute, "to create opportunities through agriculture and arts and crafts for the next generation of Towa-speaking Americans to engage with society in a dynamic and positive way."
"Electricity, running water, all these things we take for granted as human beings connect back to the land," Fragua says. "Beyond the myth of the romantic Native American, or the mysticism with spirituality and culture, Native people have been the stewards of this land for millennia. Indigenous land is all the land. Who better to talk to about how we can harness nature, be in tune with it, and use it for the greater good, right?" Read the full story here.
If you're heading on an anniversary tour of the National Parks... Enjoy yourself AND be educated
Shoshone tipis in what is now Yellowstone National Park
This year celebrates the 100-year anniversary of the National Parks Service, and while some Americans are taking a round-the-country victory lap, a large piece of the National Parks history is being forgotten.
Relationships between the National Parks and Native tribes has improved drastically in the last 20 years, but a lot of the Native American history is still not highlighted or has been completely removed. This 53-minute podcast highlights some of the history you might not get elsewhere.
Some of the missing history can be seen at the National Museum of the American Indian, but you still don't get the whole story.
OR, you can read this book: Indian's Country, God's Country: Native Americans and the National Parks
If you're heading to the beach for a last minute vacation... Try these reads
For the kids: Little Whale by Roy Peratrovich Jr.
Alaska Native-written chapter book for young readers about the Tlingit, the Native people of southeastern Alaska
For the Adults: The New Trail of Tears: How Washington is Destroying American Indians
Author Naomi Schaefer Riley examines the role that government has played on Native Americans, both historically and in the present day. (Disclaimer: I have not read this book, but regardless of where the author stands, knowledge fuels movement and change.)
For everyone: Red: A Haida Manga by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas
Yahgulanaas trained under master carvers, but his brief exposure to Chinese brush techniques with Cai Ben Kwan encouraged a departure from the typical expressions of the Haida art form and the development of a new genre of narrative art called "Haida manga," which blends North Pacific Indigenous iconographies with the graphic dynamism of Asian manga. It offers an empowering and playful way of viewing and engaging with social issues as it seeks participation, dialogue, reflection, and action. (Taken from wikipedia)
We try to share the best of the best, but that means there are really interesting articles we have to leave out. Check out more articles here.