This Week in Native American News (3/20/2020): the coronavirus (of course) and the homeless, plus some Powwow rules of etiquette
March 20, 2020 - Happy Distanced Friday!
‘We're going to work together'
SOURCE CENTER FOR ALASKA NATIVE HEALTH RESEARCH
Life is not the same during the coronavirus pandemic. Tribes have declared states of emergency, including the Navajo Nation, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Oregon, and the Oglala Sioux Tribe in South Dakota.
Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez declared a "public health emergency." The president's office said there were no confirmed cases but the declaration is a “proactive measure to help ensure the Navajo Nation’s preparedness and the health and well-being of the Navajo people."
Alaska’s troubled history of infectious disease may prove to be a strength in fighting COVID-19. Like other Native Americans, Alaska Natives had no immunity to infectious diseases common to Europeans. Alaska’s distances, isolation, and inattention from the Russian and American governments added to the ravages caused by disease.
Robert Fortuine, a former Indian Health Service physician is the author of “‘Must We All Die?’ Alaska’s Enduring Struggle with Tuberculosis.” In the book, he said tuberculosis’ “relentless spread to the far corners of the land, and its grim impact on individuals, families and society,” left deep and abiding scars on the outlook of Alaska Natives.
Alaska Natives were hit by infectious disease later than some other Native Americans. Underfunding and a shortage of medical services left epidemics raging decades longer than in other places. Alaska Natives lost at least half their population to tuberculosis, measles, influenza, smallpox, typhoid, whooping cough, and mumps.
Historically, Alaska Native children ranked among the world’s highest for rates of meningitis, pneumonia, Influenza B, and pneumococcus rates were ten times that of non-Alaska Native children. Alaska once had the nation’s highest rate of hepatitis, which led to Alaska health care providers becoming world leaders in the prevention and treatment of viral hepatitis.
Read the Full Story Here
Keep the Homeless Populations in your Prayers
Many of our ministry sites, and in particular our ministry in Phoenix, work with and help Native homeless populations. Please keep these groups in your prayers, since social distancing is rarely an option.
Read more about the difficulties of being homeless during this pandemic
Today’s History Lesson
5 Native Women Leaders Who Made History
Every year in the United States, November is designated as Native American Heritage Month. While tribes and Native communities are thankful for the chance to build connections and educate others about our cultures and histories during that time, it fails to capture the true nature of our intersectional, multifaceted identities.
Since March is Women’s History Month, let’s get to know some truly phenomenal Native women.
It’s hard to fit all the news in a little space.
To read all of this week's news, visit the LIM Magazine.
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