{"id":8311,"date":"2021-02-26T15:05:17","date_gmt":"2021-02-26T20:05:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=8311"},"modified":"2021-02-26T15:19:48","modified_gmt":"2021-02-26T20:19:48","slug":"cronkite-news-state-of-indian-nations-remains-strong-despite-numerous-challenges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/02\/26\/cronkite-news-state-of-indian-nations-remains-strong-despite-numerous-challenges\/","title":{"rendered":"Cronkite News: State of Indian Nations remains &#8216;strong&#8217; despite numerous challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\r\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bfzoDS3wzbk?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">National Congress of American Indians: <a href=https:\/\/youtu.be\/bfzoDS3wzbk>State of Indian Nations #SOIN2021 &#8211; February 22, 2021<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n<div class=\"h3-responsive font-weight-bold\">State of tribal nations \u2018strong\u2019 despite crises, but feds need to help<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"date\">Friday, February 26, 2021<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"byline\">By Sarah Oven<\/div>\r\n<DIV class=source>Cronkite News<\/DIV>\r\n<DIV class=source-website><A \r\nhref=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/\">cronkitenews.azpbs.org<\/A><\/DIV>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nWASHINGTON &#8211; The state of Indian nations is strong, but the federal government still needs to &#8220;come to terms with the right of tribal Nations to chart their own course and their rightful place,&#8221; a tribal leader said Monday.<p><\/p>\r\n\r\nNational Congress of American Indians President Fawn Sharp, in a wide-ranging <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/02\/22\/national-congress-of-american-indians-state-of-indian-nations\/>State of Indian Nations address,<\/a>\r\nalso pointed to long-running problems of disrespect for tribal sovereignty and of missing and murdered Indigenous women, as well as new challenges posed by the <a href=\/covid19\/>COVID-19 pandemic<\/a>.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThe federal response to the pandemic on tribal lands illustrates the problem, said Sharp, who criticized what she called the bungled coordination of state and Indian health departments, saying tribes need a &#8220;single federal office and point of contact&#8221; for vaccine help.<p><\/p>\r\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"375\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" allow=\"autoplay\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/playlists\/1217729161&#038;color=%23ff5500&#038;auto_play=false&#038;hide_related=false&#038;show_comments=true&#038;show_user=true&#038;show_reposts=false&#038;show_teaser=true\"><\/iframe><div style=\"font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/indianz\" title=\"indianz\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;\" rel=\"noopener\">indianz<\/a> \u00b7 <a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/indianz\/sets\/national-congress-of-american-indians-state-of-indian-nations-soin2021\" title=\"National Congress of American Indians | State of Indian Nations #SOIN2021\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;\" rel=\"noopener\">National Congress of American Indians | State of Indian Nations #SOIN2021<\/a><\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Indianz.Com Audio: <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/02\/26\/national-congress-of-american-indians-state-of-indian-nations-soin2021\/>National Congress of American Indians | State of Indian Nations #SOIN2021<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nShe said COVID-19 has hit Indigenous communities particularly hard, and the federal government &#8220;simply must do better. The lives of our people and the future of nations are at stake.&#8221;<p><\/p>\r\n&#8220;Tribal nations should also be able to obtain covid-19 vaccine supply from both the Indian Health Service and the states, not one or the other,\u201d Sharp said.<p><\/p>\r\n\r\nIn the congressional response, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, acknowledged the challenges faced by Native Americans but also pointed to recent successes, including passage of \r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/116\/bills\/hr2733\/BILLS-116hr2733rh.pdf\">Savanna&#8217;s Act<\/a>\r\nand the \r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/116\/bills\/hr2438\/BILLS-116hr2438rh.pdf\">Not Invisible Act<\/a>. Those laws aim to strengthen the federal response to violence against Native Americans, particularly Indigenous women.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n&#8220;Unfortunately, too many missing or murdered indigenous women have never received justice or resolution,\u201d Murkowski said. &#8220;I agree with what tribal leaders have said that the MMIW crisis spans multiple policy domains, jurisdictions and regions. And so, the response must be multi-pronged.&#8221;<p><\/p>\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"qme\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/NCAIECWS2021?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#NCAIECWS2021<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SOIN2021?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#SOIN2021<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/StateofIndianNations?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#StateofIndianNations<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/GD0w5g09ZI\">pic.twitter.com\/GD0w5g09ZI<\/a><\/p>&mdash; National Congress of American Indians (@NCAI1944) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NCAI1944\/status\/1363943107478380544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 22, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nSharp did acknowledge hopeful signs in the early days of the Biden administration. Those have included a presidential memo directing federal agencies to \r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/presidential-actions\/2021\/01\/26\/memorandum-on-tribal-consultation-and-strengthening-nation-to-nation-relationships\/\">increase consultation<\/a>\r\nwith tribes and the nomination of Rep. Deb Haaland, D-N.M., to be the next secretary of Interior.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nSharp hailed Biden&#8217;s &#8220;historic nomination of Congresswoman Deb Haaland as the first Native person to lead the Department of Interior, which more profoundly impacts the daily lives of Native people than any other federal agency.&#8221;<p><\/p>\r\n\r\nHaaland, an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Laguna and a &#8220;35th-generation New Mexican,&#8221; according to Sharp, has a &#8220;centuries-old connection to and reverence for&#8221; the land that would serve her well as secretary, Sharp said. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee is scheduled to hold a \r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.energy.senate.gov\/hearings\/2021\/2\/hearing-to-consider-nomination-of-the-honorable-debra-haaland-to-be-the-secretary-of-the-interior\">confirmation hearing<\/a>\r\nfor Haaland Tuesday.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\r\nSharp also welcomed Biden&#8217;s decision to rejoin the Paris Climate Accords, after the &#8220;past four years (when) the United States has been derelict in its own duty to act&#8221; on \r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/presidential-actions\/2021\/01\/27\/executive-order-on-tackling-the-climate-crisis-at-home-and-abroad\/\">climate change,<\/a>\r\nand his decision to reverse the Trump administration&#8217;s OK of the Dakota Access Pipeline through tribal lands.\r\n<p><\/p><div class=\"mt-1 mb-1\"><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\" data-ad-layout=\"in-article\" data-ad-format=\"fluid\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8411603009680747\" data-ad-slot=\"6394965691\"><\/ins><script>(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/script><\/div><p><\/p>\r\nBut tribal governments &#8220;demand and deserve&#8221; to be treated like sovereign nations when the federal government is weighing projects that affect tribal communities, Sharp said, specifically citing the proposed copper mine at Oak Flat in southeastern Arizona.<p><\/p>\r\n&#8220;We demand and deserve a standard in which we come together as equal governmental partners working hand-in-hand to develop the laws and policies that advance the federal government&#8217;s trust and treaty obligations, or otherwise impact tribal nations and our citizens,&#8221; Sharp said.<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cWe have the right as Sovereign Nations to say yes or no and that right must be respected,\u201d she added.<p><\/p>\r\n<figure>\r\n <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" data-attachment-id=\"8315\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/02\/26\/cronkite-news-state-of-indian-nations-remains-strong-despite-numerous-challenges\/fawnsharp-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/26\/fawnsharp-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;ILCE-7M3&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1571935939&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;116&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;12800&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.00625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"fawnsharp\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/26\/fawnsharp-1024x683.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/26\/fawnsharp-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"fawnsharp\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8315\" \/>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Fawn Sharp serves as president of the National Congress of American Indians and as president of the Quinault Nation. Photo by <A href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kevin_Abourezk\">Kevin Abourezk<\/A> <A href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kevin_Abourezk\"><I aria-hidden=true class=\"fab fa-twitter\"><\/I><\/A>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nWhile Biden had ordered increased consultation with tribal governments, Sharp said that&#8217;s just a first step. The order must be &#8220;real, permanent teeth&#8221; by giving tribes the power to consent to construction and other activities being done on Native lands, she said.<p><\/p>\r\n&#8220;If the United States is truly committed to embracing our shared future with courage, it must formally acknowledge and reckon with the wrenching pain its failures continue to cause our tribal Nations and communities,&#8221; Sharp said.<p><\/p>\r\n<STRONG>For more stories from Cronkite News, visit <A href=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/?utm_source=referral&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=client\">cronkitenews.azpbs.org<\/A>.<\/STRONG><p><\/p>\r\n<HR><EM>Note: This story originally <a href=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/2021\/02\/22\/state-of-tribal-nations-strong-despite-crises-but-feds-need-to-help\/\">appeared on Cronkite News<\/a>.  It  is published via a <A href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative  Commons license<\/A>. Cronkite News is produced by the <A href=\"https:\/\/cronkite.asu.edu\/\">Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication<\/A> at <A href=\"https:\/\/www.asu.edu\">Arizona State University<\/A>.<\/EM><HR>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"h4-responsive\">Related Stories<\/div>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/02\/23\/a-new-and-better-chapter-president-joe-biden-at-national-congress-of-american-indians-ncaiecws2021\/\" title=\"\u2018A new and better chapter\u2019: President Joe Biden at National Congress of American Indians #NCAIECWS2021\">\u2018A new and better chapter\u2019: President Joe Biden at National Congress of American Indians #NCAIECWS2021<\/a> (February 23, 2021)<BR><a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/02\/23\/native-america-calling-the-state-of-indian-nations\/\" title=\"Native America Calling: The State of Indian Nations\">Native America Calling: The State of Indian Nations<\/a> (February 23, 2021)<BR><a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/02\/22\/national-congress-of-american-indians-hosts-winter-session\/\" title=\"National Congress of American Indians hosts winter session\">National Congress of American Indians hosts winter session<\/a> (February 22, 2021)<BR><a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/02\/22\/national-congress-of-american-indians-state-of-indian-nations\/\" title=\"National Congress of American Indians: State of Indian Nations\">National Congress of American Indians: State of Indian Nations<\/a> (February 22, 2021)","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The federal government still needs to \u201ccome to terms with the right of tribal nations,\u201d National Congress of American Indians President Fawn Sharp in the 19th annual State of Indian Nations.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8315,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,20,1,14],"tags":[891,42,283,157,5,46,708,88,223,53,211,138,197,7,1072,43,213,91,1198,220,44],"class_list":["post-8311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-environment","category-indian-trust","category-national","category-politics","tag-apache","tag-arizona","tag-climate-change","tag-consultation","tag-coronavirus","tag-cronkite-news","tag-dakota-access-pipeline","tag-deb-haaland","tag-fawn-sharp","tag-joe-biden","tag-lisa-murkowski","tag-meetings","tag-mmiw","tag-ncai","tag-oak-flat","tag-sacred-sites","tag-scia","tag-senate","tag-soin","tag-sovereignty","tag-women","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/26\/fawnsharp-scaled.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-2a3","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8311"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8311\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8315"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}