Northern Cheyenne pen pal program keeps elders connected during pandemic lockdown

Art Hughes

October 08, 2020 |

National Native News |

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Response Location: United States, Northern Cheyenne Tribal Nation, Montana

The Northern Cheyenne Tribe’s Elderly Program Facebook page posted a call for pen pals to keep Northern Cheyenne elders engaged and socially connected during COVID-19 lockdowns. The program started by profiling ten residents of an independent living center, posting their name, picture, and interests. The response has been overwhelming. Every two weeks each resident receives upwards of 40 letters, which are initially placed in plastic bags and “quarantined.” Letters come from all over the world and a lot of people also began sending other supplies that were noted on an Amazon wish list, like sanitizer.

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How one Native American tribe in S.D. created its own wireless education network

Nick Lowrey

October 07, 2020 |

South Dakota News Watch |

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Response Location: Lower Brulé Indian Reservation, United States, Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, South Dakota

An indigenous community has tapped into new technology to provide broadband internet access which is critical for virtual learning during the coronavirus shutdown of schools. Digital radio waves were used to broadcast a high-speed internet signal covering hundreds of miles of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe reservation. Using radio waves to access internet was only possible due to a ruling passed by the FCC in 2019 that allow radio waves to be leased. Tribal governments were given priority access to broadcast licensing.

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What a City-Sized Sharing Economy Looks Like

Lauren Kaljur

October 05, 2020 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Canada

The First Nation–Municipal Community Economic Development Initiative is a nationwide initiative to foster positive relationships, empowering First Nation and municipal leaders to talk as equals. There have been hundreds of requests and 15 pairs completed the program. The goal is to foster joint economic development, but it also initiated discussions about the impact of colonization and ensures First Nations are represented in decision-making. Pairs have cooperated on infrastructure projects, such as highway expansions and solar farms, and have a renewed sense of being connected.

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With Buffalo, Native Americans are Restoring a Wildlife Economy

Jake Bullinger

September 30, 2020 |

Bitterroot |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Wyoming

Massive herds of bison once roamed the American prairie, powering the "wildlife economy" and making Plains Native American tribes both rich and healthy. Now, indigenous tribes are bringing back what was once a cultural and economic mainstay in the indigenous culture. In doing so, members are able to renew traditional practices such as using bison for meat, making robes, and using parts of the animal in ceremonies. The eradication of bison took place in the 19th century as a tactic to force tribes off their native lands and onto reservations. The return of the animal signifies a step toward healing.

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Fighting Wildfires With Fire

Richard Schiffman

September 30, 2020 |

Wall Street Journal |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

The absence of an active "fire culture" in the American West has contributed greatly to the scale of catastrophic wildfires fueled by decades of aggressive fire-suppression tactics. In Florida, Australia, and pockets of experimentation in California, ancient practices of controlled burns – frequent low-intensity burns – minimize the buildup of dead-tree fuel on the ground. Such human-set fires have been known to go out of control. And their smoke can be a health hazard. But Native American and other indigenous cultures have shown the overall benefits of letting forests burn.

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Navajo COVID relief drives also highlight census participation

Luke Simmons Daja E. Henry

September 29, 2020 |

Cronkite News - Arizona PBS |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Navajo Nation, Arizona

Navajo Nation volunteers combine COVID relief events with efforts to ensure residents are counted by the Census. Working together, aid organizations hand out supplies like food, water, diapers, and “hygiene kits” with masks and sanitizer. After receiving supplies, residents work with a census specialist to fill out Census paperwork. The dual goals of the events, held at reservation chapter houses, are to help residents stay safe during the pandemic and increase Navajo participation in the census before counting ends. A single event can reach hundreds of the reservation’s 174,000 residents.

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Harvard medical student knocks down a big barrier to COVID-19 info

Julia Sklar

September 26, 2020 |

The Boston Globe |

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Response Location: United States, Boston, Massachusetts

A volunteer organization is helping to address a language barrier as it pertains to COVID-19 by translating and distributing public health information in the native languages of tribes. Although this is not as simple as translating word-for-word since some of the words do not exist in the local dialects and because some of the guidelines are not practical for the communities, the organization has translated the health sheets into 45 different languages and has worked with "schoolchildren in the tribe to act as conduits for the information."

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How Portland's mutual aid supports local Indigenous communities

Jessica Douglas

September 22, 2020 |

High Country News |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Warm Springs Indian Reservation, United States, Oregon

Indigenous communities in need of clean drinking water have turned to aid from a Black-led nonprofit in Portland. Don't Shoot Portland raised $16,000 dollars for water and other basic supplies for the Warm Springs Tribe, which is dealing with a high infection rate of coronavirus in addition to old and faulty infrastructure which has left much of the tribe without water. Mutual aid groups have temporarily come to the rescue of indigenous communities who have been unable to receive adequate government funding to repair old water pipes.

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The art of fire: reviving the Indigenous craft of cultural burning

Kelly Boutsalis

September 20, 2020 |

The Narwhal |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Tsilhqot'in Nation, Canada

A 3-year pilot is developing a traditional fire management program for First Nation communities using cultural burns, a practice banned for over a century. Cultural burns are used to reinvigorate the landscape so that seeds and berries grow and animals return. The low intensity, slow burns also reduce wildfire risks and other issues linked to climate change, such as infestations. Stories about cultural burns are being recorded from tribal elders to preserve the rich cultural knowledge about traditional fire management techniques. First Nations hope to be able to use cultural burns on their tribal lands.

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‘It's like paradise for us': the Cree Nation's fight to save the Broadback Forest

Sarah Cox

August 22, 2020 |

The Narwhal |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, Quebec

Canopy works to preserve the untouched Broadback Forest, which stores twice as much carbon as the Amazon and is central to the Cree Nation. The nonprofit works with 750 corporations, including fashion brands, commercial printers, and publishers to reduce the amount of packaging they use and eliminate sourcing from biodiverse, ancient, and endangered forests. They help source waste from grain and other food harvests for packaging, paper, and fabric production and enlist companies’ support of conservation initiatives. They also partner with other groups to lobby the government to protect the Broadback forest.

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