~Est. 1987 • OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE HOPI TRIBE • NEWS SOURCE FOR THE HOPI PEOPLE~

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Volume 30

WEDNESDAY

May

18, 2022

Number 10

83˚/ 45˚

Sunny

~Est. 1987 • OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE HOPI TRIBE • NEWS SOURCE FOR THE HOPI PEOPLE~

Hopi Tribal Budget Oversight Team Hosts Hopi

Village & Community Presentations on the

2023 General Funding Budget Process

2022 Hopi High

School Varsity

Basketball...

PG 9

Harriet

HonhongvaStealla Retires

after 35 years...

PG .5

COLUMN

Page 15

LARRY’S CORNER

Is it Spring Time yet?

More on Page 2

Picture by Romalita Laban/HT

Hopi Tribal Council Meets

with Hotevilla Village

members regarding

issues and updates

HOPI TUTUVENI

PO BOX 123

KYKOTSMOVI, AZ 86039

1110-01600-7460

-More on pg. 4

COMMUNITY

Page 6

Village of Tewa files lawsuit to

hold insurrectionist...

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Hopi Tutuveni May 18, 2022

Hopi Tribal Budget Oversight Team Hosts Hopi Village & Community

Presentations on the 2023 General Funding Budget Process

SURVEY – Hopi Budget Oversight Team (BOT)

Village Presentations – May 2021

To help develop the Hopi Tribe’s 2023 General Fund budget process, BOT is

seeking inputs or comments from the general public. Your participation is very

crucial to determine the best method to plan a recommended budget for approval

by the Hopi Tribal Council. Please answer questions and provide input below.

1. Village affiliation: ________________________________.

2. List five “essential services” you feel are your Village’s priority?

(1) _____________________________________________________

(2) _____________________________________________________

(3) _____________________________________________________

(4) _____________________________________________________

(5) _____________________________________________________

3. Provide input and/or comments for both BOT and Hopi Tribal Council.

____________________________________________________________

All pictures by Romalita Laban/HT

By: Romalita Laban, Managing Editor

Kykotsmovi, Ariz. – Friday, May 13,

2022 ended the week during which the Hopi

Tribal Budget Oversight Team (BOT) hosted three Hopi Village & Community Presentations on the 2023 General Funding budget

process.

Below is list of dates, times and locations

during which the BOT presented:

First Mesa Villages (Walpi, Sichomovi,

Tewa, Polacca and Spider Mound) presentation was held on Monday May 9, 2022 from

6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at the First Mesa Youth

Center, located in Lower Polacca, Ariz.

Second Mesa Villages (Sipaulovi, Mishungnovi and Shungopavi) presentation

was held on Tuesday, May 10, 2022 from

6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at Sipaulovi Elderly/Youth

Center, located in the Lower Sipaulovi Village Housing and Administration Office

compound in Second Mesa, Ariz.

Third Mesa Villages (Bacavi, Hotevilla,

Kykotsmovi and Oraibi) presentation was

held on May 11, 2022 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.

at the Bacavi Community Center located in

the Village of Bacavi on Third Mesa, Ariz.

Hopi Tutuveni was present at the Second Mesa Villages and Third Mesa Villages presentation with plans for attending the

Moenkopi Villages (Upper and Lower) presentation scheduled for Monday, May 16,

2022 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at the Lower

Moencopi Community Center in the Village

of Lower Moencopi.

CDC procedures were adhered to at the

presentations observed. For further details,

about the presentation the public has been

notified to call (928) 734-3461.

Hopi Tutuveni will be providing a follow

up article regarding information presented

and provided to the public at all presentations and for now is providing depictions of

attending participants and a few slides and

information provided.

____________________________________________________________

BOT thanks you for providing your comments and input.

Hopi Tutuveni May 18, 2022

Hopi Tribal Council 2nd Quarter Session

March 1, 2022 Month of May 2022

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

1. Discussion/Possible Action – Letter dated July 30,

2021 Re: Request to rescind Executive Order #011-2021

and directs the Drought Task Team to reach out to Hopi

ranchers and Navajo Accommodation Agreement signers

to work on identifying alternatives for addressing drought

issues on Hopi lands. / Letter dated August 16, 2021 Re:

Executive Order #011-2021 Range Mitigation and Livestock Reduction – Albert T. Sinquah, Tribal Council Representative, First Mesa Consolidated Villages – TABLED

2. Action Item #006-2022 – Approval to incorporate

quarters #169 and #170 into the Moencopi Day School

P.L. 100 - 297 Tribally Controlled School Grant – Author/

David Talayumptewa – Tribal Council Representative,

Village of Kykotsmovi – TABLED

3. Discussion of a motion to vacate judgment in the

Flagstaff v. Hopi Tribe case – Fred Lomayesva, General

Counsel, Office of the General Counsel - TABLED

NEW BUSINESS

1. Action Item #042-2022 – Hopi School System’s

Hopi Board of Education submits its adopted Bylaws to

the Hopi Tribal Council for approval – Author/LeRoy

Shingoitewa, Chairperson, Hopi School System Hopi

Board of Education - **Time Certain – May 3, 2022 –

1:00 p.m."

2. Action Item #043-2022 – To provide Hopi Tribal

Council consent to a new 2.0± acre Sublease between the

Bureau of Indian Affairs Hopi Agency, as Sublessor, and

the Hopi Tribe Board of Education, as Sublessee, on the

existing Hopi Junior Senior High School BIA Leasehold

#608-13-00 for the Hopi School System Central Administration Office modular and appurtenances – Author/Mi-

cah Loma’omvaya, Realty Officer, Hopi Office of Real

Estate Services

3. Action Item #044-2022 – Approval of the FY 2022

– 2026 Tribal Transportation Improvement Plan (TTIP)

– Author/Michael Lomayaktewa, Director, Hopi Department of Transportation

4. Action Item #045-2022 – Intergovernmental Agreement between the Hopi Tribe and the Northern Arizona

Council of Governments – Author/Donovan Gomez,

Transit Administrator

5. Action Item #046-2022 – Pandemic Emergency Assistance Funds – Author/Elizabeth Nasewytewa, Supervisor, Hopi Family Assistance Program

6. Initial discussions and to obtain directions to formulate the FY 2023 General Fund budget development

and to request Tribal Council to appoint a representative

to Budget Oversight Team – Eugene Talas, Chairperson,

Budget Oversight Team **Time Certain – May 3, 2022 - 9:00 a.m.

7. Presentation on Arizona Public Service (APS) electrification census work – Janet Dean, Public Affairs Manager, APS Northeast Division - **Time Certain – May 4,

2022 – 9:00 a.m.

8. Presentation of Blue Stone proposal on ARPA Planning and Implementation Process – Jamie Fuller, Chairman/CEO, Blue Stone Strategy Group - **Time Certain

– May 23, 2022 – 9:00 a.m.

9. Presentation on Information Technology Policy and

use of equipment– Robert Collateta, Jr., Network Manager, Office of Information Technology - **Time Certain

– May 23, 2022 – 11:00 a.m.

10. Presentation of Enrollment Ordinance No. 33 by

Tanya Monroe, Director, Hopi Office of Enrollment –

Rosa Honani, Tribal Council Representative, Village of

Sipaulovi - **Time Certain –May 25 – 26, 2022 – 9:00

a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

11. Discussion and action - Letter dated April 15, 2022

Re: Hopi Tribal Goals and Objectives - Dale Sinquah,

Tribal Council Representative, First Mesa Consolidated

Villages

12. Discussion and possible action - Letter dated April

15, 2022 Re: Preliminary out brief by Office of Justice

Services on an evaluation of Hopi Law Enforcement’s

Service – Dale Sinquah, Tribal Council Representative,

First Mesa Consolidated Villages

13. Discussion and possible action – Letter dated April

15, 2022 Re: To address the matter of Building Communities, Inc. – Dale Sinquah, Tribal Council Representative, First Mesa Consolidated Villages

14. Discussion and possible action - Letter dated April

22, 2022 Re: Discussion on Representative Wallace Youvella, Jr.’s concern on the BASALT Project – Rosa Honani, Tribal Council Representative, Village of Sipaulovi"

15. Discussion and possible action – Letter dated

March 31, 2022 Re: Village of Shungopavi’s request for

information regarding land lease, including ownership of

the property comprising the Hopi Cultural Center – Craig

Andrews, Vice Chairman, The Hopi Tribe

16. Discussion and possible action – Memo dated

April 15, 2022 Re: Directive Regarding Executive

Director’s Budget– Craig Andrews, Vice Chairman,

The Hopi Tribe"

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Hopi Tutuveni May 18, 2022

Hopi Tribal Council Meets with Hotevilla Village Members Regarding Issues and Updates

Hotevilla village residents attend the Council meeting at the Veteran’s Center on April 7, 2022

(photo by Carl Onsae/HT)

By: Carl Onsae, Assistant Editor

Kykotsmovi, Ariz. – April 7, 2022 at the Hopi Veteran’s Memorial Center (HVMC)and during a Time Certain

scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on the Hopi Tribal Council Session Agenda, Item 9. listed on the agenda as “Hopi Tribal

Council’s meeting with members of Village of Hotevilla,

Re: Letter dated January 25, 2022 from Vernita Selestewa

regarding Lease with Cellular One, CARES Funding and

Water Tank Issue” was addressed by Council.

The Time Certain was scheduled after Vernita Selestewa, a Hotevilla village member, wrote a letter to Lillian

Gomez, Acting Community Service Administrator (CSA)

Hotevilla Village, the Hotevilla Village Board, and the

Hopi Tribal Council to request time to hear from Village

of Hotevilla members, regarding their concerns about

various issues and to have the problems addressed accordingly.

In Selestewa’s letter presented to the Hotevilla Village

Board and the Acting CSA, prompt response to three

main issues was requested. The issues were the CellOne

tower lease, the water tank issue, and the CARE’s Act

funding. According to Selestewa, the Village of Hotevilla

Leadership had not answered any requests for information about the problems plaguing the minds of the village

members.

Selestewa hoped to receive an answer or response

from the Acting CSA or Village Board and continued the

wait up through the meeting day. Selestewa stated, “The

letter went to Tribal Council and Hotevilla Acting CSA,

but there was no response from the Acting CSA, only

from the Tribal Council.” The letter was addressed to the

Hotevilla Acting CSA, Hotevilla Board/Advisors, and the

Hopi Tribal Council.

During the scheduled Hopi Tribal Council Session

Hotevilla village residents sit outside the Hotevilla Youth and Elderly center for their update

meeting, due to not having access to the building on May 2, 2022 (photo by Carl Onsae/HT)

Time Certain, the Village of Hotevilla members began

expressing their concerns, some of which were addressed

in the letter that Selestewa wrote. Approximately 40 plus

Hotevilla Village members/residents and enough Hopi

Tribal Council Members to establish a quorum were present at the Veteran’s Memorial Center when the discussions began. More village members continued arriving

throughout the session to witness what Selestewa and the

Tribal Council had to say. The meeting started with warm

welcomes from the Tribal Council to all the Hotevilla Village members.

Of primary concern to Selestewa was the issue of the

“CellOne” tower lease which resulted in more questions

about the matters surfacing, such as why the lease hasn’t

been approved? Or why was this issue not presented to

the village members? While the discussion and questions

were still in the air, Lillian Gomez, Acting CSA for the

Village of Hotevilla, answered that they are in talks with

the leasing agency. And that the “CellOne” tower lease

was to be put on hold because the Hotevilla “Patrimonial Village Board” had written to the “CellOne” leasing

agency to place a hold on all lease agreements until they

could seek legal advice.

Micah Lomaomvaya, Reality Officer - Hopi Tribe Realty Office, provided some context to the issue and from

the perspective of the Realty Office. Lomaomvaya informed those present that the Realty Office had received

a letter from the Village Patrimonial Board of Hotevilla notifying them that they would seek legal advice on

this situation regarding the lease. The letter informed the

Realty Office that it was to halt any work on all leases

concerning the “CellOne” tower at the Village of Hotevilla. Lomaomvaya then explained to those present that

he sought guidance from his superiors, who then, in turn,

directed him to forward the issue to the Office of General

Counsel. Lomaomvaya explained further that the Hopi

Reality Office is still willing to sit and talk with the Hotevilla Elected Village Board to complete the lease agreement. The agreement has not yet been approved.

Selestewa then began addressing the water issue to

Tribal Council. Further discussion resulted in information sharing that the village is currently being serviced

via one water tank, which needs repair. The Acting CSA

notified the group that the issue would be addressed accordingly and through the “proper channels.” Although

this issue seemed to be one of the Village member’s primary concerns, there didn’t seem to be any real solution

or resolution provided at the session.

The final issue presented by Selestewa was concern

about the Care’s Act funding issued to the Village of Hotevilla and being administered by the Acting CSA. Selestewa asked questions about what was being bought

with the funds and how this benefited the village residents. Gomez answered the questions by reporting what

was purchased with the Care’s Act funds. She also stated

that she and the board approved several items bought for

the Hotevilla Community Center. More significant purchases like vehicle maintenance and construction equipment were also purchased with the Care’s Act Funds. The

purchases and maintenance were described as bought to

benefit the Hotevilla community.

Selestewa and the residents of Hotevilla expressed

wanting to have some sign of relief that all the issues being presented during the meeting were being adequately addressed and handled appropriately. The meeting

seemed to be ending with some signs of relief from those

in attendance. However, more questions included, “How

can we work together to solve all these issues that still are

a problem in the village?”

Hopi Tutuveni May 18 2022

Hopi Tribal Council Meets with Hotevilla Village

Members Regarding Issues and Updates, Cont.

Selestewa provided final statements

about the meeting by saying, "I was disappointed that the council did not give any

advice to the issues at hand, I think they

are not wanting to hold anyone responsible due to their policies in the apportions

language."

The meeting ended well into the 8

o'clock hour, and some attendees seemed

relieved after expressing their views and

concerns about the continued resolve of

the issues. Selestewa and other Hotevilla

residents left the HVMC after gathering

in smaller huddles to give each other hugs

and connect with the Tribal Council representatives one-on-one.

After the April 7th meeting at the

HVMC, Hopi Tutuveni was invited to listen to and observe an update meeting being held on May 2, 2022 between several

village members and the recently Elected

Village Board members. A quorum was

not achieved at the meeting. However,

discussions surrounded concerns about

providing an update on how the Elected Village Board members are to work

with the Acting CSA and the Patrimonial

Board. No actions were taken due to not

having a quorum; however, the discussion

continued while the attendees had to sit

outside the Hotevilla Youth and Elderly

Center since the group did not have access to the building. According to those

present, an update was needed to ensure

that the Elected Hotevilla Village Board

is working via proper channels to resolve

pending issues.

The Elected Board members notified

those present that they are working on a

resolution to halt all incoming funds to the

Village of Hotevilla Office until the village gets its affairs in order. Mary Felter,

Elected Hotevilla Board member, stated,

"We are resolving to have the tribal council take care of the money for Hotevilla

since we need to know where the money

is coming, so we can function better than

before."

At the meeting, several attending village members complained about how village services had stopped, but it wasn't

explained exactly how or why. Some

members mentioned having difficulty accessing the Youth and Elderly Center to

complete the meeting. Other village members had complained about not having a

village meeting with the Acting CSA and

demanded that she let the village residents

know what was going on at the Acting

CSA level.

Hopi Tutuveni tried to get in touch with

the Acting CSA, Lilian Gomez, to provide

her the opportunity to share her perspectives and clarify some of what is occurring

at the Acting CSA level. She informed Tutuveni staff that the Hotevilla Patrimonial

Board had instructed her not to answer

any questions.

Are you into drawing

COMICS?

Submit your comics to

consae@hopi.nsn.us

Drawing comics is a great way to show your

drawing skills and your side of Hopi Humor.

If you have the skill and the humor to draw comics

for the Hopi Tutuveni

Call 928-734-3283

To find out more information.

DISCLAIMER: Comics submitted will become property of Hopi

Tutuveni. Name of artist will be

displayed and not edited when submitted. Hopi Tutuveni has

the right to publish submitted comics.

Harriet Honhongva-Setalla Retires after 35

years of Employment with the Hopi Tribe

By: Hopi Tutuveni

Kykotsmovi, Ariz. – May 6, 2022 Harriet Honhongva-Setalla, a tribal employee

who has worked for the Hopi tribe for approximately 35 years, was provided a retirement send-off by her fellow Office of

Facilities & Risk Management Services

colleagues.

In a May 3, 2022, notification to all

Tribal Employees, Honhongva-Setalla

informed fellow Hopi Tribal employees

that she would be retiring from the Office

Manager position with the Hopi Tribe after "…many years of service to the Hopi

Tribal Government, approximately 35

years.." with her last day of employment

being Friday, May 06, 2022. She also

shared, "I have enjoyed working with the

staff of all different Programs/Departments of the Hopi Tribe. I am ready to

start another chapter of my life. I have so

many plans with a never-ending list after

my retirement. I have yet to see what I can

accomplish. I know I will enjoy staying at

home, relaxing…I will surely miss seeing all the friendly faces (even with face

masks)."

It is clear that the Hopi Tribe will miss

Honhongva- Setalla's presence dearly, as

fellow employees did not hold back on

replying to the notification with positive

words of encouragement. Many expressed

gratitude for her dedication of time and

efforts in her employment commitments

with the Hopi Tribe. She was also praised

for her kindness and respect for others.

At the send-off and while being interviewed by Carl Onsae, Assistant Editor,

Harriet shared that she is retiring from the

Hopi Tribe to pursue a much more comfortable life after giving so many years

to the Hopi Tribe and stated, "I'm excited

about retiring and getting to stay home after working in the Risk Management area

of the Hopi tribe for nearly 30 plus years."

Honhongva-Setalla stated, "I have hobbies like sewing, and I can get back into

gardening. I look forward to babysitting

since I have never baby sat before, and I

look forward to that." She has a goal of

spending more time with her grandchildren while still capable of running after

them. She also wants to do more volunteer

work with her community and watch more

ceremonial dances in time.

Honhongva-Setalla stated, "I've really

enjoyed my job. Edgar has always been

there to challenge me and has always been

there for me." She said that her best memory working for the Hopi tribe was when

she initially started with the Risk Management department and worked on boxes

until an old desk was found to use before

getting new office furniture.

In a farewell email expressing gratitude

to all the tribal employees, she stated, "In

order to accomplish your goals in working for the Hopi Tribal Government, enjoy your job, be happy, if things don't go

your way, never give up, learn from your

mistakes and go on. Take on those challenges; there is always something new to

learn. Be kind to one another, treat people

the way you would like to be treated. Uma

sosuyum haliakakyang sumi tumalayungni. Puy songka itam hita nukwut sao

yoorikyani. Ovi uma sosoyum umm katsi

yukalayani.”

Hopi Tutuveni May 18, 2022

Village of Tewa files lawsuit to hold insurrectionists,

Hopi Tribe, Hopi Tribal Council, and Cares Committee

accountable

Picture by orginal sender

Indian Country Today ran this story on APR 18,

2022 By Press Pool

Village of Tewa

The “Interim Board” (Deidra Honyumptewa,

Jayson Paymella, Roni Abeita, Valerie Nuvayestewa, Emma Cortez, Hilton Polacca, and Claude Pahona), Timothy L. Nuvangyaoma, Hopi Tribe, Hopi

Tribal Council, CARES Act Committee, Jamie

Navenma, Virgil J. Pinto, Dorma Sahneyah, Hopi

Law Enforcement, and Jim Davis are named in the

lawsuit.

The Village of Tewa Board of Directors, the governing body for the Village of Tewa, has filed a

lawsuit in Hopi Tribal Court against the individuals responsible for the insurrection that took place

at the Village of Tewa Administration Building on

September 28, 2021.

The suit describes how individuals who refer to

themselves as the “Interim Board” or “Community of Tewa Village” stormed the Village of Tewa’s

Administration Building, held individuals hostage,

purported to overthrow the elected Board of Directors, fire all of the Village’s employees, and then

declare themselves the government of the Village

of Tewa. The suit also demonstrates that these individuals were assisted in their plot and subsequent

takeover by various individuals and entities of the

Hopi Tribe. Rather than aiding the legitimate Board,

and those who were held hostage, the Hopi Tribe

has assisted and recognized the insurrectionists. The

Board of Directors has suffered greatly from this

coup d’état, which is an assault on democracy itself.

Worse yet, the Complaint sets forth that individuals within the Hopi Government conspired to

overthrow the Village of Tewa’s Board of Directors

and install a puppet regime (the Interim Board).

For example, the Complaint describes that the September 28th insurrection was instigated by, among

others, the Hopi Chairman’s campaign manger,

Deidra Honyumptewa (who is also the Chairwoman of the Interim Board), the Executive Director of

the Hopi Tribe, Dorma Sahneyah, and a member of

the CARES Act Committee, Jamie Navemna. The

Complaint also details how the Hopi Chairman then

held a campaign event with the illegal Interim Board

shortly after the coup. Eventually, the conspiracy

was complete when the Tribal Council placed the

Village of Tewa under the Chairman in the Finance

Department via Hopi Tribal Council Resolution

H-008-2022.

As described in the Complaint, the Hopi Tribe’s

assistance, and recognition of the Interim Board, is

not only egregious (given its supports of the insurrectionists), but it also violates the Village’s sovereignty. The Hopi Villages have the absolute right

under Article III, Section 3, of the Hopi Constitution to be free from interference in their internal affairs from the Hopi Government. The Hopi Constitution preserves the right of all Villages to choose

their own leadership—not to have puppet regimes

installed via a coup d’état. The Hopi Tribe has violated the Hopi Constitution by formally recognizing

the insurrectionists as the governing body of the Village of Tewa.

The Village of Tewa Board of Directors are represented by Colin Bradley Law, PLLC of Phoenix,

Arizona.

The full complaint, which was filed in Hopi Tribal

Court, can be released upon request to the Village of

Tewa Board of Directors.

Hopi Tutuveni May 18, 2022

Tutskwat Oqawtoynani 2022 Earth Day Clean Up

Submitted by Valerie Nuvayestewa

Project Coordinator, Tutskwat Oqawtoynani

May 3, 2022, First Mesa, Arizona64 volunteers gathered in the wind to clean an estimated

2.75 tons of trash on Tutskwat Oqawtoynani’s 2022 April

Earth Day Cleanup. Two half day cleanups were done, Friday April 22nd, recleaning behind, below Tewa Village, and

on Saturday, April 23rd moving from Tewa Village towards

Sichomovi Village on the back side of the mesa. Our community village cleanups started in 2016. It took us 6 years to

clean the back side of Tewa Village only. This speaks to the

enormity of trash that has been removed from behind, below

Tewa Village. Keep in mind that we have not even cleaned

the front side of Tewa yet.

Tutskwat Oqawtoynani, (helping the earth to gather its

strength), formerly know as First Mesa Annual Cleanup,

has evolved from a small family initiative to clean the entire

First Mesa Villages, Tewa, Sichomovi, and Walpi from top

to bottom, to annual community cleanup events that has attracted hundreds of volunteers over the years, not only from

other Second and Third mesa villages and our neighboring

Navajo relatives, but this year, two individuals made the

trek all the way from Rhode Island to help us out. Vital partnerships have been created with our awesome community

members, First Mesa Villages, national, local and border

town businesses, tribal programs, as well as our Traditional

Leadership here at First Mesa.

For this April Earth Day Cleanup, we received help from

CellularOne and Hopi Telecommunications Inc., to feed our

volunteers. There were donations of food and drinks from

Tara Pablo, Candice Ami, Kareesa Mahle, Loretta Nuvayestewa, Sichomovi Village, Elise Lomawaima, Leah Whitman

James, First Mesa Baptist Church, Pastor Park, and Lori Nuvayestewa. Walpi Village, CSA, Alan Chavez and their security staff helped us with traffic flow and parking and allowed

us to feed our volunteers on Saturday at Itaaki Bathhouse.

We also were surprised, yet happy to hear when we went to

dump the 150 bags of trash at the Hopi Solid Waste Landfill, Danford Wadsworth, Director of the Hopi Solid Waste

Program, informed us that we did not have to pay any fees

for the trash we brought. Yay!! We’ll take all the victories,

big and small!

New partners that have provided funding for our project

this year is Colorado Plateau Foundation, Justice Outside

and Northern Arizona Climate Change Alliance. We hope to

make more connections as we are looking at another 8-10

years of cleaning to completely clear all the trash top to bottom from First Mesa.

One of the highlights this year was seeing the land returning to its healthy state in the areas we first started our cleanup back in 2016. We had originally intended to go back and

reseed these areas where the layers of trash were removed so

we could bring back the grasses and natural plants, but we

now know that once the land is cleaned, it can and will heal

itself and we are seeing the plants and grasses returning on

their own because the land can breathe once again in those

areas that were once covered with trash. This is a huge victory within itself as we know that the health of our environment directly affects the health of the people who live there.

The layers of trash that we see, like peeling back the layers of an onion, can be likened to the healing of our people

in that there are layers of hurt, pain, grief, and sorrow, that

we all carry within, layers that must be peeled back to move

forward in a positive, healthy direction in our lives. We have

experienced so much loss and pain over the past two years

on the Hopi Nation and are all in different stages of healing.

So, we must begin, again, to do the hard work of clearing

the layers of “trash “on our lands and in our lives. Once we

begin moving to action, we will begin to see new growth in

all areas of our lives."

We will see, springing forth, the return of hope, happiness,

and a sincere caring for ourselves, and others. We will then,

in all honesty and humbleness, truly be able to call ourselves

Hopi, Stewards of the Land, Caretakers of this World!

For more information you may contact Valerie Nuvayestewa, Project Coordinator at h3h3imana@gmail.com,

(928)737-2272. Or follow us on our Facebook page, Tutskwat Oqawtoynani. We will be hosting three more cleanups

in 2022. The next cleanup is scheduled for June 25th where

we will be partnering with Conservation Legacy, Ancestral

Lands Hopi crew to remove bulk trash items from the sides

of the mesa.

We would like to thank the following for their support

and volunteering their time, services and/or donations to the

April Earth Day Cleanup, 2022

First Mesa Traditional Leadership

Sichomovi Village Board and Staff Hopi Solid Waste Program-Danford Wadsworth

Walpi Village Board and Staff

Alan Chavez

Tewa Village Board

Drew Lomayaktewa

Susan and Selwyn Sekaquaptewa

Carol Ovah

Hooman Mohajeri

Ryan Carl

Erin Eustace

Janice Nuvayestewa

Leon Nuvayestewa Sr.

Wayne Justin

Evangeline Nuvayestewa

Deborah Pablo

Renae Mahkewa

Brandon Pablo

Tara Pablo

Elyse Lomawaima

Maree Mahkewa

Ryan David

Lori Nuvayestewa

Loren David

Jerry Johns

Lani Lomawunu

Boisiu Dewangyumptewa

Dayton Lomawaima

Greg Yestewa

Tiah Lomawaima

Cody Honani

Kandace Lomawaima

Loretta Nuvayestewa

Maliya Gishie

Delfred Leslie

Hale Kahe

Gary Leslie-House Calls Radio Show

Allison Falkenberry

Staci Kaye

Stephen Falkenberry

Ruby Hamilton

Carliss Sinquah

Jim Tawyesva Jr.

Delano Nuvayestewa

James Surveyor

Anthony Nuvayestewa

Marissa Nuvayestewa

Aiden Nuvayestewa

Yvonne Kaye

Naquahoinom Huma

Tyrell Dewangyumptewa

Theron Huma

Wilma Dengavi

Gracie Hayah

Tracie Hayah

Hale Nasonhoya

Juwan Brown

Jefferey Martin

Chorosi Honie

Sean Dewangyumptewa

First Mesa Baptist Church

Leah Whitman James

Candice Ami

Kareesa Mahle

CellularOne-Drew Logsdon

Daniell Ami

Mike Talayumptewa

Mariena George

Hopi Telecommunications-Pam Harvey

Jordan David

Bonnie Secakuku

Colorado Plateau Foundation

Justice Outside

Seventh Generation for Indigenous Peoples Inc.

Northern Arizona Climate Change Alliance

Ivan Sidney Sr.

Hopi Tutuveni May 18, 2022

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

The Hopi Family Assistance Program is in receipt of Pandemic Emergency Funds to

provide a one-time monetary assistance to the Hopi/Tewa families with children who

are in need. This one-time assistance is to assist with specific crisis situations or episodes that occurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Therefore, invite eligible Hopi Enrolled families with children who reside within

the Service Delivery Area of the Hopi Reservation, and the trusted lands located in

Winslow, AZ and the Hopi Partitioned Lands (HPL) to apply.

Eligibility criteria:

•

Applicant must reside within the boundaries of the Hopi Reservation

•

Family with children in the home

•

Applicant must fall within the 250% income poverty threshold

•

Crisis must have been due to the COVID-19 pandemic

•

Valid State issued ID or Driver’s License

•

Verification of Hopi enrollment

•

Court Order or Relative Placement Order from Social Service

•

School Verification of children on the reservation or students who are in a

boarding school in Winslow, Flagstaff or a BIE Boarding School.

•

Notice of Delinquent bills (shut off notices, etc.)

•

Notice of Personnel Action (termination, layoff or reduction in hours)

•

Self-declaration for self-employment/statement identifying needs and;

•

Documentation of any other type of income received from other entities.

Funds are limited and on a first-come-first-serve basis. Approval and processing of

payments will take approximately 45 days.

Questions may directed to the Hopi Family Assistance Program at (928) 734-2202

Option #3.

Hopi Tutuveni wants your AD’s

Call or email us to get a quote TODAY!

928-734-3283 or

rlaban@hopi.nsn.us

Hopi Tutuveni May 18, 2022

2022 Hopi High School Varsity Basketball

Team Members Receive NTUA

Sportsmanship Award Recipients

2021-2022 HJSHS Sports

Medicine Club Update

Pictured are NTUA Sportsmanship Award Winners, Hopi High School Bruins Basketball players Owen Begay and Nevaeh Lomavaya Photo Credits: HJSHS

Pictured are many of the HJSHS 2021-2022 Sports Medicine Club MembersPhoto Credits:

HJSHS

Submitted by: Ricky Greer, Athletic

Director - Hopi Jr./Sr. High School

Submitted by: Ricky Greer, Athletic

Director - Hopi Jr./Sr. High School

Keams Canyon, Ariz. – Friday, May 13,

2022 this week, members of the Navajo

Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA) recognized two of our Hopi High School Varsity Basketball Team Members as the 2022

NTUA Sportsmanship Award Recipients.

Congrats to Hopi Bruins Basketball

players, Owen Begay and Nevaeh Lomavaya. Both players had fantastic sea-

sons, played with great determination,

and demonstrated amazing Hopi Bruins

sportsmanship during each game. We are

proud of the awesome job these two Bruins did which led to the recognition.

We also want recognize and acknowledge all the Hopi Bruins Basketball Team

members. A great job was done by all, in

demonstrating good sportsmanship and

playing with true Bruin Pride throughout

the season.

The Hopi Tutuveni Team

would like to wish all

Hopi 2022 Graduates a

big CONGRATULATIONS!

Keams Canyon, Ariz. – Thursday, May

12, 2022, the Hopi Jr./Sr. High School

2021-2022 Sports Medicine Club held

their final meeting of the school year.

Pictured are many of this year's club

members.

The HJSHS Sports Medicine Club is one

of the hardest working groups on campus.

Not only are the overwhelming majority

of members multiple sport-athletes, they

also work hard in the classroom. In addition to classroom participation, they still

make time to assist other sports programs

as Sports Medicine Club Members.

We want to express much gratitude to

this outstanding group of HJSHS Bruins.

Way to go Bruins, you are truly appreciated.

Cat got your tongue?

Call 928-734-3283 or

email: consae@hopi.nsn.us

for an AD quote

Hopi Tutuveni May 18, 2022

Vice-Chairman’s Office Meet with Local

Hopi ranchers

By: Carl Onsae, Hopi Tutuveni

Kykotsmovi, Ariz. – Monday, April 18, 2022 is the date

on which a meeting was scheduled to be conducted by the

office of the Vice Chairman with Hopi ranchers from around

the Hopi reservation. Meeting participants joined at the Hopi

Veterans Center located in Kykotsmovi, Ariz. to discuss

the issues related to drought and other problems related to

ranching on the Hopi reservation.

During the 2-hour meeting, Vice Chairman Craig Andrews asked the participants what they thought about the

drought issue and if anyone in the audience had a solution

or a partial solution to the problems that persisted in Hopi

ranching. Also, Vice Chairman Andrews asked the audience

about how to deal with the drought that has plagued the Hopi

reservation and the state of Arizona alike for many years.

Several meeting participants voiced their opinions and

stories about growing up and ranching on the Hopi reservation. The stories the individuals shared were very relevant

and vital to the topics being discussed and the problems

at hand. Although sharing took place, it didn’t appear that

specific solutions to the issues at hand were provided. The

stories were described as “just memories” by Vice Chairman

Andrews.

One participant voiced her opinion on the issue of the

drought. She stated that when she was younger and was being raised as a young girl in the Hopi ranching world, she

saw many ranchers help each other in any way possible

when they needed it. She also stated that ranchers do not

help each other in recent times and do not seem to care for

one another in the Hopi ranching world.

Several others expressed opinions and quotes while in attendance and were similar in nature and to the issues at hand.

Other verbal expressions from meeting participants included notifying about their concerns and critiques about

the Hopi tribe and departments like the Hopi Tribe Resource

Enforcement Services (HRES) and Office of Range Management (ORM). In response, the Department staff promised

help to the Hopi ranchers. Complaints expressed included

those pertaining to water well issues and windmills being

broken all the time. Other participants complained that no

one at the HRES or the ORM office could take their call

when they were in need for answers.

During the meeting, Vice Chairman Andrews reminded

the participants that the issues must have a solution. Vice

Chairman's office and department staff from HLES and

ORM were looking for some input from the patrons about

the drought issues and related issues being presented during

the meeting.

Overall the meeting discussions seemed to circle around

the ranchers having similar problems and that they were all

on the same page about needing to voice their complaints

and opinions about those problems and issues at hand. It

seemed that they just need to be heard in order to get to any

solutions, which might surface as a result of getting to the

root of the concerns and problems, via having all parties being heard.

Although several ranchers who attended the meeting had

voiced their complaints to the Vice Chairman, there were

other ranchers who live throughout the Hopi reservation

who did not know about the discussion on April 18, 2022.

Being that Hopi Tutuveni interviewed a local Hopi

Rancher, Makwesa Chimerica a rancher, farmer, and family

man, and who was one who had been affected by the news

in 2021 to reduce his livestock which was reported in the

August 18, 2021 Hopi Tutuveni publication, staff reached

out to Chimerica.

In the August 18, 2021 publication, the Hopi rancher did

specify some of the following in the excerpts below:

When Chimerica received the news that he would be required, in accordance with the order, to reduce his cattle by

100% he felt confounded by what he must do. Chimerica

stated, “When we got the letter from the [Hopi] tribe, I felt

devastated because ranching has been passed down from

generation to generation. This ranching is not about money

but it holds sentimental value to me and my family.”

Chimerica stated that he has two younger boys that he

wanted to pass this family tradition down to, and now they

have to get rid of ranching as part of their lives.

In the letter that Chimerica received, it states that all range

units on the Hopi tribe must forego “10 years” without livestock and that this decision was made with the Hopi Law Enforcement Services (HLES), Office of Range Management

and the Office of Hopi Lands Administration (OHLA), and

Hopi Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Chimerica stated, “When I heard that we can’t have any

cattle for 10 years, I think that hurt me the most, [be]cause

I have a son who is 8 years old and for him to not grow up

with the knowledge of ranching, I think the [Hopi] tribe is

wrong about this not telling us about this decision.”

According to Chimerica, his understanding of meetings

occurring in 2018 with CKP Insurance LLC was to designate to the ranchers and farmers alike, services for them as

recipients being impacted by the droughts occurring during

that year and subsequent years, as well…Chimerica also understood the situation to mean that the DNR and the Hopi

Tribe was given authority to use funds received as payment

from the drought insurance for such projects including but

not limited to; range, grazing and livestock, tribal ranches

infrastructure, earthen dams, farming and irrigation, agricultural water development, dams, reservoirs and catchments

systems, watershed planning for agriculture, agricultural

complexes, drought contingency plan (mitigation measures), area wide fencing, brand office and other approved

uses. And although, this money was supposed to improve

on the Range Units, according to Makwesa, ranchers like

himself have not seen or heard from the Hopi tribe trying to

improve their particular Range Units.

Prior to the executive order, no meetings were set up to

communicate with the ranchers in the several districts about

this decision and the executive order. Chimerica states, “The

last ranch meeting I went to was back in 2018 and during

the meeting we were told that several [Range] Units around

the Hopi reservation were to get help with improving our

windmills, water dams, etc. they promised us all this, but

they never made their promise true.”

The executive order also states that several range units

and other districts will have reduction by 30% or 50% meaning they can keep several of their livestock while others will

have to completely get rid of 100% of their livestock.

Chimerica also stated, “I don’t agree with the [Hopi]

tribe’s decision when I heard that other districts can keep

some of their livestock. There should have been a meeting

to explain why they are reducing 100% in only District 6.”

Currently there are about 8 ranchers on District 6 that this

executive order is affecting…Chimerica stated, “The [Hopi]

tribe should have had developed a plan for us to relocate our

livestock instead of getting rid of our cattle, at least we could

keep some of our cattle. Or try to get rid of the wild horses

first before making this decision.”

…Chimerica lastly stated, “I hope the tribe makes a decision to let us keep some of our livestock, and I hope I don’t

have to get rid of my livelihood. Like I said this has been

passed down from generation to generation, and I was hoping I would have passed this down to my son, but he will be

18 years old when we are allowed to have cattle again.”

During Tutuveni’s follow up contact, Chimerica noted

that he was not in attendance at the April 18, 2022 meeting

as he did not know that there would be a rancher's meeting

at the Hopi Veteran's Center. Chimerica stated, "No one had

told me about a rancher's meeting."

Tutuveni staff shared some of the topics which were discussed and although he was not in the meeting, he did have

some thoughts about the discussion and the complaints presented to the Vice Chairman. Chimerica stated, "I think we

should all work together and to look at the future and the

changing times. Times are changing and we should change

with it."

During the meeting Vice Chairman did express to the participants that he would take the information, gathered at the

meeting, into account and work diligently to solve some of

the issues being shared by the meeting participants.

Hopefully, this meeting will aid in some type of resolve or

partial resolve to some issues that the ranchers are having on

the Hopi reservation. Time will tell if any of what was said

in the meeting will be considered and accountability for the

promises made to those participating will be achieved from

the Hopi government side and that Hopi ranchers will also

meet their responsibilities for their interests in Hopi ranching.

Hopi Tutuveni May 18, 2022

COMMUNITY

EDUCATION

Americans’ Recognition of

Racism’s Impacts is Fading

Helping Schools and Students

Recover From Pandemic

Challenges

(StatePoint) In the summer of 2020

when calls for racial justice and the disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 were

on full display, some speculated that the

country seemed to be at a turning point for

acknowledging how much racism affects

people’s health and economic well-being.

However, a new national survey from

the non-profit RAND Corporation reveals that despite the public outcry and

mounting evidence that racism and the

pandemic are contributing to disparities between people of color and White

people, the public’s recognition of racial

inequities and the impacts of systemic

racism is fading. Indeed, in July 2020,

61.1% of respondents agreed that people

of color face more of the health impact of

COVID-19 than White people, and 57.5%

agreed that they face more of the financial

impact. More than a year later, these numbers have dropped to 52.7% and 50.3%,

respectively.

The data suggest that there has not been

a seismic shift or enduring change in perception.

“We conducted this survey because we

wanted to see whether living through a

once-in-a-century global pandemic would

spur a shift in deep-seated perspectives

and attitudes around health, systemic

racism, and equity,” Anita Chandra, vice

president and senior policy researcher at

RAND Corporation, said. “We found that

views around race and racism appear to be

extremely entrenched. Moving forward,

policies and actions that seek to address

these issues must factor in where the public is and what needs to happen for these

sentiments to evolve.”

As legislators around the country convene to tackle the pandemic and build

their priorities for 2022, researchers say

these findings must be top of mind as they

work to make change. The good news is

that of the same people surveyed about

their views on race and health, most see

the pandemic as a moment for positive

change. Changes people hope to see include:

• improving access to health care

(25.3%),

• prioritizing science in policy decisions

(11.7%),

• protecting our freedom (11.1%), and

• increasing flexibility in how we all

work (10.9%), among others.

And legislators can often look in their

own backyards for inspiration. There is

so much work being done at the community level to undo the impacts of racism

and rebuild a more equitable society that

are worth recognizing and learning from.

For example, over the past few years,

more than 200 cities, counties, and leaders declared racism a public health crisis.

Researchers say that this is an important

step that can lead to efforts for real, lasting

change centered on equity. We are already

seeing this play out in some settings, from

statehouses to city halls, where health equity is driving policy decisions.

To read more about “COVID-19 and

the Experiences of Populations at Greater Risk” survey findings, visit rwjf.org/

covidsurvey.

To read more about communities working to center equity to improve the health

of everyone, visit rwjf.org/prize.

With more than two-thirds of respondents believing the pandemic presents a

moment for positive change, researchers

say that while there’s work to be done,

there are also reasons to be hopeful.

(StatePoint) Over the past two years,

public schools have faced continual disruptions brought about by COVID-19.

Experts say that federal relief funds have

given the nation a one-time opportunity to

learn from the experience and to focus recovery efforts and resources on delivering

high-quality instruction and support for

students in ways that will accelerate their

learning and meet their social and emotional needs.

“The federal government has provided

$189 billion in resources for states and

localities targeted at education recovery.

If unchecked and unsupported, states risk

bending to the pressure of forces more

concerned with political expediency and

ideology than sound policy that helps

students,” says Jim Cowen, executive

director of the Collaborative for Student

Success. “Parents, educators, administrators and policymakers deserve credible

information about effective policies and

practices that are using these funds to accelerate student learning.”

According to Cowen, this is why the

Collaborative for Student Success, in partnership with The Center on Reinventing

Public Education (CRPE) and the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University,

launched EduRecoveryHub.org, a onestop resource that showcases emerging

practices in schools supported with Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funding (ESSER) and other federal recovery funds that can be replicated

nationwide.

From improving school facilities to easing teacher shortages, the site provides insights into the smart investments that best

ensure schools recover stronger and every

student benefits. Parents and families can

use this site to advocate for their students

and point to good ideas that meet specific needs as they talk to teachers, principals, and school board members. Educators and district staff can learn from their

colleagues about ways in which they are

overcoming the lingering challenges of

the pandemic. The site also allows policymakers to reference and compare stateby-state recovery information and access

expert analysis from diverse viewpoints.

A panel of national and state-based organizations and experts serving or representing parents, school and district leaders,

classroom educators, and the civil rights

community review and comment on specific practices they support.

“As difficult as pandemic learning

has been, our research has shown many

bright spots: schools and educators who

have gone above and beyond by making

powerful connections with students, finding creative ways to deliver personalized

learning, and working with community

partners to ensure students are healthy and

ready to learn,” says Robin Lake, director

of CRPE. “But many of these efforts are

ad hoc. The unprecedented federal investment will allow school systems to implement effective approaches -- if they pay

attention to what we know has worked.”

“The federal investment represents

a once-in-a-generation opportunity for

school districts to help students re-engage

in school, get back on track in reading and

math, and earn sufficient credits to graduate ready for college or a career,” says

Chad Aldeman, policy director of Edunomics Lab. “In the wake of the pandemic, we are seeing districts use funds in new

ways to address challenges and improve

student outcomes. These savvy, nimble investments may catch on in other communities and help propel students forward.”

Interactive and easy-to-use, the EduRecoveryHub is updated frequently. Individuals or organizations can reference these

evolving resources or share their own examples of innovative programs in education by visiting edurecoveryhub.org.

From innovative ways to address student mental health needs to work being

done to accelerate academic learning,

spotlighting education recovery efforts

across America can spark progress and

improvements in other communities.

HOPI H.E.O.C UPDATES

Hopi Tutuveni May 18, 2022

Hopi Tribe Department of Health and Human Services Covid-19 Emergency

Response May 12, 2022 Report

KYKOTSMOVI, AZ –May 12, 2022 This data is updated on the Hopi Tribe’s website

“COVID-19 Response and Resources” page.

Hopi Health Care Center – Community COVID-19 Testing & Vaccination Information

COVID-19 vaccines are available in the afternoons on Mondays and Wednesdays for the

month of March for those 5 years and older. To schedule an appointment call (928) 737-6148

or 737-6081. Appointments are required. For questions about COVID-19 vaccines please

call (928) 737-6198 or 737-6197.

COVID-19 Testing Drive-up Testing schedule: Monday, Wednesday & Friday from 8:15–

9:30 AM. Enter at the west entrance & drive around back. Mask must be worn by everyone

in your vehicle. Please stay in your vehicle at all times. To schedule for testing or for more

information please call (928) 737-6187 or 6233.

A COVID-19 Hotline has been created by the Hopi Health Care Center to assist with all

COVID-19 related questions and service requests. The hotline is open Monday–Friday from

8 AM–5 PM. To contact the COVID-19 hotline please call (928) 737-6187.

TUBA CITY REGIONAL HEALTH CARE CORPORATION (TCRHCC) – COMMUNITY COVID-19 TESTING & VACCINATION INFORMATION:

To all Moenkopi residents: Testing, and now vaccinations, at TCRHCC are being held at

the outdoor tent Monday – Friday from 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM Daylight Savings Time. Rapid and CEPHEID tests can take approximately 3 hours. Send out tests can take 2-3 days.

The address for Tuba City Regional Health Care Corporation is 167 N. Main Street, Tuba

City, AZ. For more information regarding Tuba City Regional Health Care Corporation’s

COVID-19 vaccination clinic and testing, please call 1-866-976-5941. TCRHCC now has

at-home COVID-19 test kits available for the community. To request a test kit please go

through the drive up tent from 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM Daylight Savings Time or go to the pharmacy drive up window after hours.

FREE AT-HOME COVID-19 TESTS:

You can now order free at-home COVID-19 tests from the U.S. government at covidtests.

gov by calling 1-800-232-0233 (TTY 1-888-720-7489). Only 4 tests come in an order and

only two orders per household. Orders will usually ship in 7-12 days. Please do not wait to

order your tests when you have been exposed or become symptomatic as the tests will not

arrive in enough time for you to be tested. So please order them now so that you and your

loved ones can be prepared. Households that did not place their first order of test kits, can

now place their first AND second order. They must complete the ordering process above two

(2) times to place both a first and second order (for a total of 8 test kits).

FREE N-95 MASKS

The CDC now has a resource on their website where you can see a list of local pharmacies

that have free N-95 masks by using your zip code. Click here or call 1-800-232-0233 (TTY

1-888-720-7489).

QUARANTINE AND ISOLATION CALCULATOR:

The CDC now has a Quarantine and Isolation calculator that helps determine how long

you need to isolate or quarantine.

(TABLE ON PG 5)

“CDC is recommending that moderately or severely immunocompromised 5–11-yearolds receive an additional primary dose of vaccine 28 days after their second shot.” Remember that the only vaccine that 5-17 year olds are eligible for is Pfizer.

SOURCE: Different COVID-19 Vaccines – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

SYMPTOMS, QUARANTINE, AND ISOLATION:

Watch for Symptoms - people with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days

after exposure to the virus and can range from mild to severe. The following are COVID-19

symptoms that people may experience:

• Fever or chills

• Cough

• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

• Fatigue

• Muscle or body aches

• Headache

•New loss of taste or smell

•Sore throat

•Congestion or runny nose

•Nausea or vomiting

• Diarrhea

This list does not include all possible symptoms. CDC will continue to update this list as

we learn more about COVID-19. Older adults and people who have severe underlying medical conditions like heart or lung disease or diabetes seem to be at higher risk for developing

more serious complications from COVID-19 illness.”

Currently, the local health department and HHCC are implement the previously recommended CDC guidelines which is a 10 day isolation for those who test positive and a 14 day

quarantine for those exposed to an infected individual.

(GLOSSARY ON PG. 5)

Be aware that when someone tests positive they became contagious 2 days before they

developed symptoms, or if they are not experiencing symptoms 2 days before they tested

positive not the day they received their results. If someone was less than 6 feet away from

a potential positive case for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24 hour period

they would be considered a close contact regardless of whether or not both parties were

wearing masks. For example, Molly was within 6 feet of Craig on Thursday night for 10

minutes and on Friday morning for 5 minutes. Craig developed symptoms Saturday evening,

was tested for COVID on Monday, and received their results on Wednesday. Because Molly

was within 6 feet of Craig for a total of 15 minutes over a 24 hour period within the 2 day

timeframe she is now considered to be a close contact. If you have been identified as a close

contact you may or may not need to quarantine depending on your vaccination status.

If an unvaccinated individual that is not positive is having to take care of someone that is

infected, they will need to quarantine for 14 days beginning on the infected person’s 10th

day of isolation, with that day being Day 0 and the following day being Day 1. That means

the caregiver could potentially be out of work for 24 days. If a vaccinated person that is not

positive is having to take care of someone that is infected, they will not have to quarantine

but will need to get tested 5 days from the 10th day of the infected person’s isolation. If a

vaccinated person develops symptoms while caring for an infected person they will need to

get tested as soon as possible and remain at home until they receive their results.

Re-testing of COVID-19 Positive Employees. Per guidance and alignment with HHCC,

CDC, state and local health departments, and OSHA workplace guidance for COVID-19

re-testing of positive or suspected COVID-19 employees before they return to work, nor

providing letters to go back to work is not recommended.

The recommended reason for not re-testing is an individual may continue to test positive

on a viral test long after they are recovered from COVID-19. These dead viral particles will

turn viral tests positive even though they cannot cause disease in others. The Hopi Health

Care Center strongly encourages employers to use the CDC’s symptom and criteria below

even if they continue to test positive. Once they meet the three criteria, they are no longer

considered infectious to others. However, if the employee was severely ill (hospitalized)

or in immunocompromised, plead advise them to visit their primary care provide before

returning to work.

The “checklist” below has been updated as of the most recent COVID-19 guidelines from

the CDC and will be used by employers to determine when an employee with confirmed

COVID-19 may return to work safely. For additional questions, please call the Hopi Health

Care Center COVID-19 hotline (928) 737-6188.

□ It’s been at last ten days since I first had symptoms or received my positive diagnosis if

I’ve not had symptoms (please note date of first symptoms: (________)

□ Overall my symptoms have improved and I am feeling better.

□ It’s been at least 72 hours since I last had a fever without using fever-reducing medicine.

If you checked all three boxes, you are no longer a considered at risk to infect others and

can go back to work!

Hopi Tutuveni May 18, 2022

HOPI H.E.O.C UPDATES

Hopi Tribe Department of Health and Human Services Covid-19 Emergency Response May 12. 2022 Report, Cont.

Hopi Tutuveni May 18, 2022

HOPI WORDS

April 20

Are you into drawing

COMICS?

Submit your comics to

consae@hopi.nsn.us

Call 928-734-3283

To find out more

Drawing comics is a great way to show your

drawing skills and your side of Hopi Humor.

If you have the skill and the humor to draw comics

for the Hopi Tutuveni

DISCLAIMER: Comics submitted will become property of Hopi

Tutuveni. Name of artist will be

displayed and not edited when submitted. Hopi Tutuveni has

the right to publish submitted comics.

PUZZLES AND GAMES

S M I S M

T U M A L

J U T P A

S P J P C

D I L T O

F T V M A

I A A A P

Y N S W V

O A P O V

H K O A I

O T A K A

T S U Q P

I Y T A B

I K A V O

Y T A L A

O Q E H I

P I I Q A

ber

N A

T I

K J

T K

U H

U F

Q A

A Y

Y I

T I

A H

N I

P H

O L

A A

V O

A U

S T

I U

V T

A U

Q Q

O A

P Y

Q I

O W

T A

R Y

H U

A M

J A

N A

O Y

P K

Wiiki’yma - Guide (Sin-

Tuwi’yta - Able (skillful)

Pö’i’yta - Debt (Have)

gular)

Yuki’at - Accomplishment

Öqala - Determined

Sivaqöpqö - Heater

Tukopna - Accuse

Alögö - Different

Hopiiqatsi - Hopi Way of

Hintsakpi - Activity

Hötsiwa - Doorway

Life

Pu’ason - Afterward

Hiihiko - Drink

Nù’okwa - Kind Hearted

Qe’ti - Back out of

Nan’ip - Each (of two)

Ngahu - Medicine

Novaki - Bakery

Tutuqayiw - Education

Muytala - Moon Light

Tuptsiwni - Belief

Töövu - Ember

Tömö - Season (Winter)

Kwusiva - Bring

Tumal’aya - Employee

Nuvati - Snowed

Pàato - Burst

Tunatya - Endeavor

Nawini - Suggestion

Pitanakts - Cap/Hat

Naatsiki - Factionalize

Tsangaw - Thank Good-

Sikiki - Car (Auto)

Qöpqö - Fire place

ness

Kansulmongwi - Chair-

Saavu - Fire wood

Kyaamuya - Winter

man Namora - Choice

Tuuqayta - Fluent

(Solstice)

Iyoho’ti - Cold (Weather)

Qalaptu - Get Over (Re-

Hihìiyà - Wow!

Kyesmismuyaw - Decem-

cover)

TICK-TACK-TOE

Hopi Tutuveni May 18, 2022

Remember the time when the weather was just

right? Where you only needed a light sweater in the

mornings, and the air would be crisp with the smell

of dew-covered leaves, the wet sand from previous

night’s moisture. The birds were chirping, and the

neighbors bid each other, “Good morning!”

I remember those days when we had that sort of

weather in early May where the air was crisp in the

springtime mornings. Good times we had here on

the Hopi reservation where our neighbors would be

out and about cleaning, dusting, and walking around

the village. I sure do miss mornings like that.

Growing up on the reservation, I saw the village

in full bloom. Hopi elderly would sit in front of their

houses to catch the morning sun before it got too

hot, and people would be raking the fallen leaves

and sticks around their homes. No one would be inside their house because it would be the perfect day

not to waste.

Here in the year 2022, it’s almost the middle part

of the year with less than one more month before

we are at the halfway mark of the year. And I know

we still haven’t got off the pandemic train and are

trying to allow the re-set button to pop back up after

we anxiously pushed it in with force. It feels like we

are starting anew, somewhat, and this year is starting to test us again with the forceful winds. Some

folks are expressing fear and doubts about this tu’ya

(sickness) that still lingers within the Hopi communities and the whole wide world, as well. Now I’m

not saying that all of us are still scared of one another, but I’m saying that this fear of being social is still

present. A question recently circling in this Hopi Cat

mind of mine is, “Will this fear ever go to go away?”

Typically in the month of May, Hopi men would

Larry’s Corner

Is it Spring

Time Yet?

be at their fields cleaning and preparing for this

year’s planting season. I know I love going outside

after a horrible winter season because you can’t do

really do anything out there but look at the snow

cover mesas and wish for more excellent weather.

But lately, this year has been full of wind, and windy

it is! Oh, I’m not too fond of the wind and what it

brings. Now I know the wind is good for cooling the

hot weather off, but this wind is something else. I

now see hills created because of the blowing sand,

and I see new valleys made by erosion. Hopi farmers don’t like the wind, they don’t like the blowing

sand, and they don’t like that they must sit inside

and wish they were outside tending to their fields.

My grandmother said that this wind is a “copycat”

of our emotions and how we feel towards one another. We’re not nice to one another, and we’re not

happy with the world today. So, this wind is copying

us, imitating how we are. So, this brings me to ask

you all; How can we work together to make it right

like before? How can we as a Hopi Tribe become

the peaceful people the white man said we are?

Now I’m not a perfect cat, I have enemies and haters, but that doesn’t make me an evil cat. It makes

me a small “star-dust-carbon-filled” mammal trying

to get by in this world.

My So’oh once said that we are not born evil, we

are taught to be evil, and that’s how we grow up.

When we see that evil is the only way to live, we

make that our way of life. So, are you evil? Are you

a good person?

During one of the Tribal Council meetings, they

talked about transparency and that it would be practical for people to know what the government is

doing for the Hopi people. But it seems lately that

Want to send Larry something? Send to: PO BOX 123, Kykotsmovi, AZ 86039

Want to send Larry email? Send to: meowatlarry@gmail.com

transparency means “not to utilize technology like

the local radio station or the local newspaper” to inform the public about their “transparency.” Could

this weather and wind be hiding something bigger?

Is the weather and wind telling us about something

to come? Are we not utilizing what is around us to

our benefit?

Times are changing, and we should change with

it; I know that sounds so cliché from like a convoluted cat spewing questions, just to take up space in

this column but let me assure you that the way Hopis think is still similar to the 1950’s way of thinking, where women were women and men were the

leaders of the Hopi society. Today, in some ways, it

is still like that, and we will always be stuck in the

past. We will never move forward with the changing

times. Yes, I know the past was great because we

loved one another. Today we can do that, and we

can love one another like in the past, too. We can

still honor the past and its accomplishment, but we

must move forward to start to see a brighter future.

History is excellent because it teaches us things, but

the past can also be wrong and wasted if we never

learn from the past.

So, my advice to you is that we can do so much by

learning from Mother Nature, and I think we Hopis

lost that way to tap into that knowledge; we are so

wrapped up in ourselves and thinking if we do certain things, we could be happy. Still, we can never

be satisfied when we try to find happiness. Happiness will come to us; naturally, we just need to keep

our minds open to let it in, but then again my advice

is just a cat’s way of thinking.

Hopi Tutuveni May 18, 2022

Job Announcement

HOPI TRIBE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

CORPORATION IS SEEKING APPLICANTS TO

FILL TWO (2) VACANCIES ON THE CURRENT

BOARD

• EXPIRATION TERM FOR HOPI/TEWA POSITION: 3-YEAR TERM ENDING JULY 2025

• EXPIRATION TERM FOR AT-LARGE POSTION: 4-YEAR TERM ENDING JULY 2026

The Hopi Tribe Economic Development Corporation is a federally chartered Section 17 Corporation,

wholly owned by the Hopi Tribe. The HTEDC is

established under federal charter provisions making

it distinct and separate from the Hopi Tribe. A Board

of seven directors governs the HTEDC. After an interview process, the Board members are appointed

by the Hopi Tribal Council.

All Directors are required to meet the qualifications set forth in the HTEDC By-laws and must pass

a mandatory background check.

Interested applicants may request a Board packet

or more information by contacting the HTEDC at

928-522-8675 or csmiley@htedc.net

The packet includes information about HTEDC,

its mission and the roles and responsibilities of a

Board of Director member.

DEADLINE FOR RESUMES IS JUNE 1, 2025

Job Announcement

HOPI TRIBE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

CORPORATION IS SEEKING AN APPLICANT

TO FILL A VACANCY ON THE CURRENT

BOARD

• EXPIRATION TERM FOR HOPI/TEWA POSITION: 3-YEAR TERM ENDING JULY 2025

The Hopi Tribe Economic Development Corporation

is a federally chartered Section 17 Corporation, wholly

owned by the Hopi Tribe. The HTEDC is established under federal charter provisions making it distinct and separate from the Hopi Tribe. A Board of seven directors governs the HTEDC. After an interview process, the Board

members are appointed by the Hopi Tribal Council.

All Directors are required to meet the qualifications set

forth in the HTEDC By-laws and must pass a mandatory

background check.

Interested applicants may request a Board packet or

more information by contacting the HTEDC at 928-5228675 or csmiley@htedc.net

The packet includes information about HTEDC, its

mission and the roles and responsibilities of a Board of

Director member.

DEADLINE FOR RESUMES IS JUNE 1, 2022

The Hopi Tribe P.O. Box 123 Kykotsmovi, AZ 86039

Ph: (928) 734-3281 • Ph: (928) 734-3283

Editorial Board of the Hopi Tutuveni

Wilma Dengavi , Gary LaRance, George Mase

Hopi Tutuveni Staff

Managing Editor - Romalita Laban

RLaban@hopi.nsn.us

Assistant Editor - Carl Onsae

Consae@hopi.nsn.us

ARTICLES:

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original articles reporting on

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items on issues related to Hopi

or of interest to Tutuveni readers.

We are especially interested

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reviews all submissions and

reserves the right not to publish

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OPINION EDITORIALS:

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INSTRUCTIONS:

All press releases, articles, letters

to the editor and Opinion Editorials electronically as a Word

document or as plain text in the

body of an email to the Managing Editor, Romalita Laban. Articles, press releases and editorials

that include photographs must

be in high resolution, 300dpi

or more and must be your own.

All photographs must include

photo credit and a caption for

each photo listing the names of

all persons included in the photo

and description of what the photo is about. (call 928-734-3283

for deadline schedule).

The Hopi Tutuveni is published twice a month, with a circulation

of 2,500 copies throughout the entire Hopi Reservation. The paper

is delivered on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month to the

following locations: Moenkopi Travel Center, Moenkopi Legacy

Inn, Hotevilla Store, Kykotsmovi Village Store, Tribal Government

Complex, Hopi Cultural Center, Hopi Health Care Center, Polacca

Circle M, Keams Canyon Store.

Hopi Tutuveni May 18, 2022

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT

Job Announcement

Hopi Telecommunications

HTEDC is seeking an Accounting Assistant.

The Accounting Assistant supports and assist the overall Accounting Department with assigned tasks and job

duties from the entities of the corporation and CFO.

Selected applicants must have: A professional, positive attitude with management, co-workers, and general

public; Ensure all communication is clear and concise;

Follow other duties as assigned by immediate supervisor

or CFO.

• Three or more years of accounting experience

• Knowledge in standard office procedures

• Ability to perform simple accounting reconciliation

For more information or submit resume, please contact Courtney Erickson at (928)522-8675 or email cerickson@htedc.net

Hopi Telecommunications, Inc. (HTI) in Keams Canyon, Arizona is currently seeking a qualified candidate to

join the HTI team.

CURRENT OPENING

• Customer Service Representative (CSR)

CLOSING DATE: May 6, 2022

HTI is seeking a highly motivated individual with excellent customer service skills for its Customer Service

Representative (CSR) position. Under the direct supervision of the Accountant, this role is responsible for the

day-to-day customer service duties and responsibilities

with excellent communication skills.

Requirements:

• High School diploma or equivalent

• Customer Service experience.

*Submit Job Application and/or Resume, Letter of Interest & three (3) References to the email address:

info@hopitelecom.com

To view job description please visit our website at:

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HTEDC is seeking a General Manager for the Hopi

Cultural Center.

The GM is responsible for all areas of the property operations as well as the successful coordination and directing of activities within the Hopi Cultural Center.

Selected applicants must have: A professional, positive

attitude with employees, co-workers, and general public;

Maintain product and service quality standards; and assist

employees in maintaining a seamless, positive experience

for guests in all aspects of the Hopi Cultural Center.

• Assist in preparing annual budget

• Ensures that HCC is always maintained

• Maintain product and service quality standards

• Demonstrate a proactive and enthusiastic attitude in

providing excellent customer service

• Promote teamwork and act as a positive role model

• Ability to communicate and multi-task in a fast-paced

environment

• Ability to anticipate and solve problems

• Minimum 5-year knowledge and experience in hospitality management

• Possess a four-year college degree or equivalent experience

For more information, please contact Cindy Smiley at (928) 522-8675 or email csmith@htedc.net

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Hopi Tutuveni May 18, 2022

US boarding school investigative report released

This July 8, 2021 image of a photograph archived at the Center for Southwest Research at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico, shows a group of Indigenous students who

attended the Ramona Industrial School in Santa Fe. The late 19th century image is among many in the Horatio Oliver Ladd Photograph Collection that are related to the boarding school. (AP

Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)

Kalle Benallie

Indian Country Today

The U.S. Department of Interior released its investigative report Wednesday on the Federal Indian Boarding

School Initiative. It’s being called the first volume of the

report and comes nearly a year after the department announced a “comprehensive” review.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, Bryan Newland, assistant secretary for Indian Affairs, Deborah Parker who is

the chief executive officer of the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition and James LaBelle Sr., a boarding school survivor and the first vice

president of the coalition’s board, spoke at a news conference in Washington announcing the report’s findings.

“The consequences of federal Indian boarding school

policies—including the intergenerational trauma caused

by the family separation and cultural eradication inflicted upon generations of children as young as 4 years

old — are heartbreaking and undeniable,” Haaland said

in a statement. “We continue to see the evidence of this

attempt to forcibly assimilate Indigenous people in the

disparities that communities face. It is my priority to not

only give voice to the survivors and descendants of federal Indian boarding school policies, but also to address the

lasting legacies of these policies so Indigenous Peoples

can continue to grow and heal.”

Newland led the over 100-page report, which includes

historical records of boarding school locations and their

names, and the first official list of burial sites.

The findings show from 1819 to 1969, the federal Indian

boarding school system consisted of 408 federal schools

across 37 states, some territories at that time, including

21 schools in Alaska and seven schools in Hawai’i. Some

of these schools operated across multiple sites. The list

includes religious mission schools that received federal support, however, government funding streams were

complex therefore, all religious schools receiving federal,

Indian trust and treaty funds are likely not included. The

final list of Indian boarding schools will surely grow as

the investigation continues. For instance, the number of

Catholic Indian boarding schools receiving direct funding alone is at least 113 according to records at the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions.

About 50 percent of federal Indian boarding schools

may have received support or involvement from religious

institutions or organizations including funding, infrastructure and personnel, Newland said.

The federal government, at times, paid them on a per

capita basis for the children to enter into the schools.

Approximately 53 different schools had been identified

with marked or unmarked burial sites. Specific locations

of the burial sites will not be released to protect against

grave robbing, vandalism and other desecration. The department expects the number to increase as the investigation continues.

In June 2021, Haaland announced an Interior investigation in federal Indian boarding schools to make “a

comprehensive review of the troubled legacy of federal

boarding school policies” from as early as the 19th century.

She said the initiative was created after the discovery

of 215 unmarked graves of Indigenous children by Canada’s Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation at the Kamloops Indian Residential School in May 2021.

The first volume of the report highlights some of the

harsh conditions children endured at the schools. Children’s Indigenous names were changed to English names;

children’s hair were cut; the use of their Native languages, religions and cultural practices were discouraged or

prevented; and the children were organized into units to

perform military drills.

The report cites findings from the 1928 Meriam report in which the Interior acknowledged “frankly and

unequivocally that the provisions for the care of Indian

children in boarding schools are grossly inadequate.

Examples included descriptions of accommodations at

select boarding schools such as the White Earth Boarding

school in Minnesota where two children slept in one bed,

the Kickapoo Boarding School in Kansas where three

children shared a bed and the Rainy Mountain Boarding

School in Oklahoma where, “single beds pushed together

so closely to preclude passage between them and each

bed has two or more occupants.”

The 1969 Kennedy Report, cited in the Department

investigation, noted that rampant physical, sexual and

emotional abuse: disease; malnourishment; overcrowding,; and lack of health care at Indian boarding schools

are well-documented.

It also found schools focused on “manual labor and vocational skills that left American Indian, Alaska Native,

and Native Hawaiian graduates with employment options

often irrelevant to the industrial U.S. economy, further

disrupting Tribal economies.”

Federal boarding schools first started with the Indian Civilization Act of 1819 when the government enacted laws and policies to establish and support Indian

boarding schools. For more than 150 years, Indigenous

children were taken from their communities and forced

into boarding schools that focused on assimilation. An

unknown number of religious Indian boarding schools,

funded by private and government funds, predate the Civilization Act by at least 100 years.

Native land and wealth diminished

In a major finding, the report documents the use of tribal trust and treaty funds for the federal boarding school

system as well as mission schools operated by religious

institutions and organizations. Although the total amount

of these funds used to directly fund schools is unknown,

according to an investigation by Indian Country Today,

more than $30 million in today’s

CONT ON PG. 17

Hopi Tutuveni May 18, 2022

US boarding school investigative report

released, Cont.

dollars were siphoned away during

a nine year period by Catholic schools

alone.

The U.S. also set apart tracts of Native

lands for use by religious institutions and

organizations. According to an ongoing

investigation by Indian Country Today, a

large portion of this land may still be held

by churches.

Indeed, the relationship between major

religious denominations and the federal government regarding Indian mission

schools is described as “an unprecedented delegation of power to church bodies

that were given the right to nominate new

agents, direct educational and other activities on the reservations.

Although the report makes little mention of accountability for religious organizations that operated boarding schools, it

does indicate that non-federal entities will

be given support in releasing their records

associated with the schools.

Parker said the organization's collaboration with the Interior found an additional

89 boarding schools that did not receive

any federal funding.

As part of the initiative and in response

to recommendations from the report, Haaland announced the launch of “The Road

to Healing” year-long tour. It’ll consist of

a tour across the country to allow boarding school survivors to share their stories,

help connect communities with trauma-informed support and to gather a permanent

oral history.

The report also points to the 2019 watershed Running Bear studies, funded by

the National Institute of Health. This research contains the first medical studies

to systematically and quantitatively show

that the Indian boarding school system experience continues to impact the present

day health of adult boarding school survivors.

Newland cited the need for more investigation because of the COVID-19 pan-

demic and its resulting closures of federal

facilities that affected obtaining and reviewing documents and the department’s

limited funds at that time.

The second volume will be aided by

a $7 million investment from Congress

through fiscal year 2022. Newland recommended for it to include a list of marked

and unmarked burial sites at federal Indian boarding schools — with names, ages,

tribal affiliations of the children at those

locations — an approximation of the total

amount of federal funding used to support

the boarding school system and to further

probe the impacts on Indigenous communities. Additionally, the department wants

to approximate the total number of children who attended the boarding schools.

“This report presents the opportunity

for us to reorient federal policies to support the revitalization of Tribal languages

and cultural practices to counteract nearly two centuries of federal policies aimed

at their destruction,” Newland said in a

statement. “Together, we can help begin

a healing process for Indian Country, the

Native Hawaiian Community and across

the United States, from the Alaskan tundra

to the Florida everglades, and everywhere

in between.”

Opportunity to submit stories

On Thursday, members of Congress are

holding a hearing at 1 p.m. ET, for the bill

“Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies in the US.”

Rep. Sharice Davids, Ho-Chunk, is the

lead sponsor of the bill.

The National Boarding School Healing

Coalition is requesting people who attended a boarding school or are a descendent

of a boarding school attendee to submit

their written testimonies to the House of

Natural Resources Committee by May

26. Email submissions to HNRCDocs@

mail.house.gov and CC NABS at info@

nabshc.org.

Climate limit close to being

broken, scientists warn

This story originally appeared in the

Guardian and is part of Covering Climate

Now, a global journalism collaboration

strengthening coverage of the climate story.

Damian Carrington

Environment editor

The year the world breaches for the

first time the 1.5C global heating limit set

by international governments is fast approaching, a new forecast shows.

The probability of one of the next five

years surpassing the limit is now 50 percent, scientists led by the UK Met Office

found. As recently as 2015, there was zero

chance of this happening in the following

five years. But this surged to 20 percent in

2020 and 40 percent in 2021. The global average temperature was 1.1C above

pre-industrial levels in 2021.

It is also close to certain – 93 percent –

that by 2026 one year will be the hottest

ever recorded, beating 2016, when a natural El Niño climate event supercharged

temperatures. It is also near certain that

the average temperature of the next five

years will be higher than the past five

years, as the climate crisis intensifies.

“The 1.5C figure is not some random

statistic. It is rather an indicator of the

point at which climate impacts will become increasingly harmful for people and

indeed the entire planet,” said Prof Petteri

Taalas, head of the World Meteorological

Organization, which published the new

report.

“For as long as we continue to emit

greenhouse gases, temperatures will continue to rise,” said Taalas. “Alongside

that, our oceans will continue to become

warmer and more acidic, sea ice and glaciers will continue to melt, sea level will

continue to rise and our weather will become more extreme.”

Natural climate cycles can nudge global temperatures up or down. But the Paris

Agreement requires nations to hold the

underlying rise, driven by human activities, to well below 2C, as well as pursuing

efforts to limit the increase to 1.5C. The

world’s scientists warned in 2018 that

1.5C of global heating will bring severe

impacts to billions of people.

“A single year of exceedance above

1.5C does not mean we have breached the

iconic threshold of the Paris Agreement,

but it does reveal that we are edging ever

closer to a situation where 1.5C could be

exceeded for an extended period,” said Dr

Leon Hermanson, at the Met Office.

“The possibility of surpassing the 1.5C

threshold, even if only for a year, is worrying,” said Dr Andrew King, at the University of Melbourne. “Our greenhouse

gas emissions are still at near-record highs

and until we get emissions down to net

zero we’re going to continue to see global

warming. Rapid and drastic emissions reductions are needed urgently.”

“To actually exceed the [Paris] target

we’d have to be above 1.5C even in a ‘normal’ year” unaffected by natural climate

variations, said Prof Steven Sherwood at

the University of New South Wales. “But

the report reminds us that we are getting

uncomfortably close to this target.”

The annual forecast harnesses the best

prediction systems from climate centres

around the world to produce practical information for decision-makers. It found a

higher chance of rain in 2022 compared

with the average of the past 30 years in

northern Europe, the Sahel, north-east Brazil and Australia, while drier conditions

than usual are forecast for south-western

Europe and south-western North America.

Prof Taalas also warned of especially

rapid heating at the north pole: “Arctic

warming is disproportionately high and

what happens in the Arctic affects all

of us.” The shrinking of sea ice and its

knock-on effects have been linked to extreme weather events in Europe, the North

America and Asia, including heatwaves,

floods and even snowstorms.

The forecast indicates that the rise in

Arctic temperatures will be three times

greater than the global average over the

next five years.

Hopi Tutuveni May 18, 2022

‘Metrics of economic well-being’ show Native

Americans underserved

Rows of hydropanels collect water on Dec. 7, 2021, in Warm Springs, Oregon. The massive infrastructure bill signed earlier this year promises to bring change to some Native American tribes that

lack clean water or indoor plumbing through the largest single infusion of money into Indian Country. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)

Mark Trahant

Indian Country Today

A new report by the U.S. Congress explores “persistent

structural barriers” that limit economic opportunity in Indigenous communities.

“Across metrics of economic well-being, Native Americans are disproportionately underserved, economically

vulnerable and limited in their access pathways to building wealth,” according to a report by the Joint Economic Committee, a body that includes both members of the

U.S. Senate and House.

“These long standing inequities have left Native communities much more vulnerable than their counterparts to

the negative impact of economic shocks and public health

crises.”

The report, “Native American Communities Continue

to Face Barriers to Opportunity that Stifle Economic Mobility,” was released Friday morning.

The report “puts a lot of the socio-economic conditions

of Native Americans, Alaska Natives, American Indians,

in perspective,” said Randall Akee, one of the authors of

the report and an associate professor at the University of

California Los Angeles. Akee is Native Hawaiian. “And

it really does a great job of summarizing a number of different outcomes, a number of different domains, and puts

it into a language that’s digestible and understandable for,

you know, a broad swath of the population so that it’s not

… caught up in jargonistic-type terms.”

The report looked at barriers in health, education, getting jobs, and other disparities in the labor market. The

report found that Native American households and businesses also struggle to access credit and financing on

equal terms with other Americans, hindering the growth

of these enterprises and the creation of household wealth.

“Expanding economic well-being and mobility for

Native Americans will require keeping up with trust and

treaty obligations and a broad basket of proactive structural solutions,” the report said.

The Democrats on the Joint Committee said in a news

release that more needs to be done to improve economic conditions. Republicans, led by Vice Chairman Mike

Lee, a Senator from Utah, are members of the Joint Economic Committee but did not comment on the content of

the report.

The Joint Committee’s chairman, Rep. Don Byer,

D-Virgina, said Congress must do more to promote an

economy that works for all. “As this report underscores,

there is much more to be done to remove structural barriers and ensure all Native American communities can

contribute to — and benefit from — economic growth,”

he said.

“This report from the Joint Economic Committee

shows how closely related issues of health, economic

stability, housing, and education truly are,” said Rep.

Sharice Davids, Ho-Chunk, a Democrat from Kansas

who serves on the committee. “To address the pervasive

wealth gap that Native American families face, we must

think broadly about lowering barriers to homeownership,

increasing educational opportunities, and improving access to health care.”

For example, the lack of health insurance and economic inequality has resulted in worse health outcomes.

“Combined with the chronic underfunding of tribal

health care and restricted access to hospitals and grocery

stores, this has led to disproportionately high rates of

chronic health conditions among Native communities,”

the report said. “Throughout the pandemic, Native Americans have experienced higher rates of COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and death than their white counterparts.”

The Democrats on the committee said that the next

steps involve several public policy tools, starting with

President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan, which includes an investment of more than $31 billion into tribal communities, the largest federal investment in Indian

Country ever.

Akee said the report puts a lot of the data out there in a

way that advocates can use to shape policy.

For example, both tribal governments and enterprises

were hit hard during the pandemic.

“This caused a crucial revenue source for tribes to disappear, such that in the fall of 2020, over half of tribally owned enterprises reported revenue losses of more

than 20%. As a result, enterprises have fewer revenues

to allocate to tribal governments, which results in cuts to

essential community services,” the Joint Economic Committee found. “In a survey of tribal governments, 75%

responded that they had been forced to reduce services

related to economic development because of falling revenue streams.”

Akee and other researchers are exploring the economic

impact of the pandemic.

“Communities closed off, reservations as well as counties or cities, municipalities,” said Akee. “And the dramatic change that occurred in these communities … sort

of going less to grocery stores and more to convenience

stores, and what that might have meant in the short and,

maybe even longer terms” when considering the impact

from COVID.

We are still learning what happened. Casinos closed,

revenues dropped, and at the same time there was a child

tax credit and new federal dollars designated for tribal

communities.

“I don’t think we’ve gotten the data yet to do a real

good assessment of the positive impacts that have come

from these other sorts of these investments. And I think

some of them still haven’t come to

CONT ON PG. 21

Hopi Tutuveni May 18, 2022

‘Metrics of economic well-being’ show Native Americans underserved, Cont.

fruition, some of this infrastructure stuff that's also cited here. I think we're going to see that, you know, in years

to come.”

The committee also cited the bipartisan Infrastructure

Investment and Jobs Act, including $11 billion for tribal

entities, and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

with some $3 billion in funding for the Tribal Transportation Program, $3.5 billion for the Indian Health Service

Sanitation Facilities Construction Program, and another

$2 billion in spending for broadband connectivity.

The creation of wealth is a huge topic in the report. It

said that the typical White family has more than twice

the wealth of a typical Native American family. “Because

wealth serves as an enabler of economic opportunity, this

disadvantage translates into other inequities in housing

and beyond,” the report said. “Despite a strong preference

for homeownership, a smaller share of Native households

own homes today than in 2000.”

Native households are disproportionately harmed by

lack of access to banking services, and they are more

likely to be underbanked than any other minority group

in the United States. Similarly, Native entrepreneurs are

more likely to face barriers to obtaining credit, and report a greater reliance on informal banking financing, like

credit cards, for business startup and growth.

One reason for the disparity in home ownership and

wealth is the lack of access to credit. The Joint Committee said Native American households are more likely to

be “unbanked” and suggested expanding access to Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) to

help facilitate more access to credit.

And, the report found, even when private capital reaches Native Americans, they are more likely to pay a high

premium that limits their ability to accumulate equity and

build wealth. The Center for Indian Country Development at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis finds

that loans with Native Americans as the primary borrower have an average interest rate that is nearly 2 percentage

points above the average loan for non-Native Americans.

That study found that growing up on Native tribal reservations with reduced access to banking is equivalent

to a significantly lower likelihood of having a credit report, lower credit scores and a loss in annual earnings of

$6,000.

The report identified other persistent conditions such

as poverty and health disparities. It said federal efforts

to provide health care, in exchange for tracts of land, has

“fallen short.”

“The Indian Health Service (IHS) is consistently and

chronically underfunded with the capacity to spend

$3,333 per user on average compared to $9,404 for the

Department of Veterans Affairs and $12,744 for Medicare,” the report said. “Unlike other federal health programs, IHS does not receive advance appropriations,

making it difficult to plan long-term health infrastructure

such as facility improvements and health professional

recruitment and retention. This lack of funding coupled

with the fact that tribal communities tend to be in rural,

remote or isolated locations, has led to a devastating and

dangerous lack of access to hospitals and adequate health

care.”

Nearly half of those who identify as American Indian

or Alaska Native alone are not covered by either public or

private health insurance, a rate higher than that of almost

every other group, the report said.

Other key findings:

Approximately one in six Native American families

lives below the poverty level.

In March 2022, just 59 percent of Native Americans

aged 16 and older were participating in the labor force

(employed or searching for work) compared to 62 percent

of all individuals.

Native Americans are much less likely than their

non-Native peers to graduate from high school or attend

college.

“Economic success depends not only on whether an individual received an education but on whether they got a

good enough education to lead to a well-paying career,”

the report said. “In recent decades, the economic returns

to education have increased substantially, and more education is becoming more frequently needed to achieve a

basic level of financial success.”

The hunt for data

One building block that’s often missing from economic

development in Indigenous communities is data. A report

this week from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis

says the lack of high quality data stands in the way of economic progress and tribes’ ability to implement effective

public policy.

“Unfortunately, individuals, businesses, and policymakers in Indian Country don’t have the same quantity and quality of data that are available elsewhere,” the

Federal Reserve said in the report, “An urgent priority:

Accurate and timely Indian Country data.”

The report points out three data challenges: inadequate

sample sizes, mismatched geographies, and unique data

characteristics. The problem of sample size is often a reason for data erasure, resulting in an “asterisk” to mask the

uncertainty from a small population base. Then there is

the problem with geography, matching tribal nations and

communities with economic activity that might be just

outside those boundaries.

Perhaps the most important question might be the third

challenge: What information does Indian Country need?

“For example, many tribal governments own and operate enterprises that simultaneously shape regional economic activity and provide much of tribal governments’

fiscal resources,” the Fed report said.

“Another unique feature of Indian Country is the importance of tribal affiliation and enrollment — two designations that are often not indicated in existing surveys.

And tribal communities may care about measures that

reflect Indigenous understandings of well-being and economic success but are typically not recorded in data, like

proficiency in a Native language or tribal definitions of

Indigenous wealth.”

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Hopi Tutuveni May 18, 2022

Tribes credited with

elevating

vaccinations in

rural Arizona

Denise Begaye, an X-ray technician with the Monument Valley Health Center, takes a break from COVID-19 testing outside the center in Oljato-Monument Valley, San Juan County, on April 16.

(Photo by Kristin Murphy, Deseret News via AP, File)

Terry Tang

Associated Press

PHOENIX — Mary Francis had no qualms about being

a poster child for COVID-19 vaccinations on the Navajo

Nation, once a virus hot spot. The Navajo woman's face

and words grace a digital flyer asking people on tribal

land to get vaccinated "to protect the shidine'e (my people)."

“I was happy to put the information out there and just

building that awareness and in having folks feel comfortable enough, or curious enough, to read the material,”

said Francis, who lives in Page, near the Utah border, and

manages care packages and vaccine drives for a Navajo

and Hopi relief fund.

In a pandemic that has seen sharp divides between urban and rural vaccination rates nationwide, Arizona is

the only state where rural vaccine rates outpaced more

populated counties, according to a recent report from the

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Public health experts believe the trend was mainly fueled by

a group that lost a disproportionate number of lives to

COVID-19: Native Americans.

Tribal communities were left more vulnerable to the virus because of underlying health issues like diabetes and

heart disease, as well as multiple generations sharing a

home. Cases and deaths piled on despite curfews, weekend lockdowns, mask mandates and business shutdowns.

By April 2020, the Navajo Nation — which encompasses parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah — declared

it had been hit harder by the coronavirus than any other

tribe.

The devastating loss, particularly of elders, drove a

push for vaccinations as an act of selflessness. Holly Van

Lew, co-leader of a federal Indian Health Service taskforce rolling out vaccines nationwide, credits Navajo Nation officials with constantly emphasizing that message.

“It really comes from a different perspective. Instead

of ‘You should get your COVID-19 vaccines too,’ (it's)

‘We should all as community members protect each other,’” said Lew, a clinical pharmacist at the Phoenix Indian

Medical Center.

Native Americans make up significant portions of five

of the seven counties designated as rural in the CDC report. A 2020 Census survey shows they account for nearly three-fourths of the 71,000 people in Apache County

and almost half of the 110,000 residents in Navajo County. They are an estimated 10 percent to 15 percent in three

smaller counties, Gila, Graham and La Paz.

Arizona has 15 counties total. The CDC determined

counties were rural if they either had no substantial “urban cluster” or one with a population between 10,000 and

50,000.

The overall percentage of people in those counties who

were vaccine-eligible and got at least partly vaccinated

between December 2020 and January this year was 86.1

percent. It was 69.3 percent in urban counties, the report

said.

Nationally, urban counties outshone rural ones 75.4

percent to to 58.5 percent.

A different picture emerges from the state's data. Dr.

Bob England, former Maricopa County Department of

Public Health director, said state dashboard numbers lead

to a calculation of an estimated 70 percent rate in urban

counties and a 66 percent rate in rural counties.

However, Arizona’s Department of Health Services

doesn’t receive vaccine data from the Indian Health Service, which provides health care to more than 2.5 million

Native Americans and Alaska Natives on and off tribal

land.

“If I adjust data that’s included in the CDC report but

not on the state dashboard, then you could 100 percent

say with certainty that the only reason why those rural

counties were ranked higher than urban is because of

tribal participation in vaccination campaigns,” said Will

Humble, former department director. “There’s no way it

could be anything else.”

The two rural counties in the CDC report where Native Americans have little presence were Santa Cruz, near

the U.S.-Mexico border, and Greenlee, which touches the

New Mexico state line.

Santa Cruz had an extremely high vaccination rate of

146 percent among a population of roughly 46,000. Officials say that figure is because of laborers from Mexico as

well as visitors. Seasonal workers in produce warehouses, a major industry there, got the jab through the county

and University of Arizona Health Sciences-run mobile

health units in border communities, said Jeff Terrell, the

county’s health director.

“You look at the numbers that we’ve put out there,”

Terrell said. “If you think about the vaccination sites at

the border as well. If you add that into the county — yes,

I think that was a contributing factor.”

For the counties with high Native populations, outreach

included some unique strategies. The IHS taskforce collaborated with federal, state and local partners on vaccine

clinics and radio and print ads in Native languages. They

also met people where they lived. Public health nurses

went door-to-door in tribal communities and vaccinated

entire families, Van Lew said.

Organizations like the Navajo and Hopi Families

COVID-19 Relief Fund have hosted vaccine drives with

T-shirts and gift cards. They created TikTok videos,

newspaper ads and even “influencer” posters for social

media. The influencers are trusted tribal members like

professional golfer Notah Begay III, who is Navajo, said

Wendy Atcitty, the fund's program manager for public

health education.

“One of the most important steps of regaining the

health of our communities is getting a COVID-19 vaccine!" reads a quote on a poster of a smiling Begay. “I

received mine and I feel great!”

Tribal vaccine drives faced plenty of resistors. No one

knows that more than Hector Begaye, who was hesitant

to get vaccinated but had to so he could work for the Navajo and Hopi Families COVID-19 Relief Fund.

Even with all the incentives, he can't convince everyone.

“All we can do is share our personal stories and encouragement and acceptance,” Begaye said. “In this line of

work, as much as we want people to be boosted, we can’t

force it down their throat.”

Hopi Tutuveni May 18, 2022

Reclaiming ancestral

homelands beyond

state borders

The Kaw Nation’s Sacred Red Rock called “Iⁿ ‘zhúje ‘waxóbe, was a place of cultural ceremony and gathering for the Kaw people prior to removal to Oklahoma in 1872. The stone was moved from

the Kaw’s homelands near the Kansas River and Shunganunga Creek, just outside Topeka, to Robinson Park in Lawrence, Kan., as part of Lawrence’s 75th anniversary celebration in 1929, and was

fitted with a plaque celebrating the pioneers of Kansas. (Photo provided by James Pepper Henry)

Nancy Marie Spears

Gaylord News

Tribes across the nation are increasingly buying back or

being gifted back property in their ancestral homelands, either to build economic sustainability or to manage cultural

preservation sites.

Muscogee (Creek) Nation citizen Galen Cloud said he

was filled with sobering thoughts the last time he visited his

tribe’s homeland. As he drove the 10 hours from Okmulgee,

Okla., to Oxford, Ala., – complaining about traffic, he recalled how his ancestors had to walk that distance against

their wills.

“You think about it and you're filled with madness, and

then you just feel the pain and then you just hate to imagine

what all they went through, just to get here,” Cloud said.

Cloud has served since January as a Muscogee Nation

councilman. Before that, as historic preservation officer for

Thlopthlocco Tribal Town, he gained a deep insight into a

history he said few know about.

Cloud said if someone went to Muscogee Nation’s ancestral homelands in Alabama or Georgia, and looked for Muscogee people, they wouldn’t find many.

“There's no one down there, because we all are here in

Oklahoma now,” Cloud said. “It's really important that we

go back and let people know that we are still thriving. We are

still here. There are still people who think that we still live in

houses without running water.”

Muscogee Nation and several of its ceremonial tribal

towns ended up in Indian Territory, which became Oklahoma in 1907. Since before Cloud became a member of the

Muscogee Nation Council, the tribe’s principal and second

chiefs along with Oxford’s mayor have worked to protect

ceremonial lands in Oxford, where the ceremonial town of

the Arbeka people was located pre-removal, according to

RaeLynn A. Butler, Muscogee Nation’s Historic and Cultural Preservation Department manager.

Cloud said the city officials met with ceremonial folks

whose ancestors were from the Arbeka Tribal Town, and

then Muscogee Nation, to protect one of the largest ceremonial town’s lands around Oxford.

“When we were forcibly removed from there, the Arbeka

people just had whatever they could carry,” Cloud said. “The

main thing they brought was the fire that still burns today.”

James Pepper Henry, Kaw Nation vice chairman and director of the First Americans Museum, was involved in the

early negotiations that led to his tribe purchasing ancestral

homelands in 2002 near Council Grove, Kan.

He said the small purchase of land two decades ago is a

drop in the bucket for true recovery of Kaw Nation’s homelands.

“That land we purchased was the last vestige of our reservation lands in Kansas,” Pepper Henry said. “The Kaw

Nation had 22 million acres in Kansas, and starting from

around 1815, then through a subsequent series of treaties,

our lands had shrunk to less than about 100,000 acres.”

Council Grove, now home to the Kaw’s Allegawaho Memorial Heritage Park, was the last place the Kaw people

lived before they were forcibly removed in 1873 to what is

now Kaw City, Okla., situated on the Arkansas River northwest of Ponca City.

“From 1850 to 1970, we went from 22 million acres to 10

acres of land,” he said. “That 10 acres was our cemetery in

Oklahoma.”

Pepper Henry said his mission as both vice chairman and

citizen has been raising awareness about the Kaw or Kanza

people, where Kansas got its state name.

“We're virtually invisible there,” Pepper Henry said.

“They see the name Kanza here and there, but they don't

make that connection that this is a real, living, breathing

group of people that still exist.”

Something still disconnected from the Heritage Park is the

Kaw’s Sacred Red Rock, called “Iⁿ ‘zhúje ‘waxóbe,” which

will soon be returned to its rightful location, Pepper Henry

said, thanks to a $5 million grant from the Mellon Foundation, a private foundation that supports humanities projects.

Another Oklahoma tribe reclaiming homelands in Kansas

is the Shawnee Tribe. According to a news release from the

tribe, the Kansas State Historical Society has returned the

0.52-acre Shawnee Indian Cemetery to the Shawnee people.

Osage Nation Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear

said his tribe is making progress toward establishing economic growth in its ancestral homelands, having purchased

28 acres in Osage Beach, Mo., for a hotel and casino resort.

Osage Beach is the location of what was the largest Osage

village before removal in 1808 to present-day Pawhuska,

Okla.

Osage Casino CEO Byron Bighorse said the project will

bring an estimated $60 million investment to the region, including new jobs, tourism and revenue to the Lake of the

Ozarks community.

“Phase one includes construction of a casino, sports bar,

restaurant and meeting space,” Bighorse said. “It also includes a hotel, which will have general hotel rooms, suites,

a fitness and exercise facility, a pool and hot tub and a pool

bar.”

Standing Bear said in his eight years as principal chief,

the tribe has purchased back about 55,000 acres in Oklahoma in addition to the reclamation of 160 acres of ancestral

homelands in Kansas. The Osage had lost 90 percent of their

Oklahoma land after removal, from nearly 1.5 million acres

to under 150,000, he said.

“When I ran for office, I said this administration would

be built on three pillars: land, our language and our cultural

history,” Standing Bear said.

Wyandotte Nation Chief Billy Friend said the Wyandotte

people haven’t been able to visit a church on ancestral homelands due to the pandemic and travel restrictions, making the

land reclamation the tribe’s been able to accomplish all the

more important.

The church where Wyandotte ancestors once learned to

read, write and worship was given back to the tribe from

Methodists in Upper Sandusky, Ohio. The tribe in 2015

purchased 16 acres of ancestral homelands in what is now

Brownstown, Mich., and then, Friend said, in 2018 began

efforts to reclaim the church in Ohio, which came to fruition

in 2019.

Friend said the Wyandotte people will visit the church in

July for the first time since the pandemic began. Not visiting

these past two years, he said, has been difficult.

“I think it's had a really big impact on many of us and

especially those that are getting older, to not be able to go

back and relive that experience or have that experience for

the first time,” Friend said.

Hopi Tutuveni May 18, 2022

US reckoning with

role in boarding

schools

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland at the Interior Department's press conference on its federal boarding school investigation in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, May 11, 2022. (Photo by Jourdan

Bennett-Begaye, Indian Country Today)

Felicia Fonseca

Associated Press

Deb Haaland is pushing the U.S. government to reckon with its role in boarding schools like no other Cabinet secretary could — backed by personal experience,

a struggle with losing her own Native language and a

broader community that has felt the devastating impacts.

The agency she oversees — the Interior Department

— released a first-of-its-kind report this week that named

the 408 schools the federal government supported to strip

Native people of their cultures and identities. At least 500

children died at some of the schools, but that number is

expected to reach into the thousands or tens of thousands

as more research is done.

“We are uniquely positioned to assist in the effort to

undercover the dark history of these institutions that have

haunted our families for too long,” she said Wednesday

during a news conference. “As a pueblo woman, it is my

responsibility and, frankly, it’s my legacy.”

The U.S. government hasn't been open to investigating itself to uncover the truth about boarding schools that

operated from the late 18th century to the late 1960s. It's

possible now because people who know first-hand the

persistent trauma caused by the boarding school system

are positioned in the U.S. government.

Still, the work to uncover the truth and create a path for

healing will rely on having financial resources in Indian

Country, which the federal government has chronically

underfunded.

Tribes will have to navigate federal laws on repatriation to take Native children who died and are buried at

former boarding school sites home, if desired, and might

have no recourse to access burial sites on private land.

The causes of death included disease, accidental injuries

and abuse.

Boarding school survivors also might be hesitant to recount the painful past and trust a government whose policies were to eradicate tribes and, later, assimilate them

under the veil of education. Some have welcomed the

opportunity to share their stories for the first time.

Haaland, the first and only Native Cabinet secretary,

has the support of President Joe Biden to investigate further. Congress has provided the Interior Department with

$7 million for its work on the next phase of the report,

which will focus on burial sites, and identifying Native

children and their ages. Haaland also said a year-long

tour would seek to gather stories of boarding school survivors for an oral history collection.

A bill that's previously been introduced in Congress

to create a truth and healing commission on boarding

schools got its first hearing Thursday. It's sponsored by

two Native American U.S. representatives — Democrat

Sharice Davids of Kansas, who is Ho-Chunk, and Republican Tom Cole of Oklahoma, who is Chickasaw.

“Working with the Interior, knowing that there are representatives in the federal government who understand

these experiences not just on a historical record but deep

within their selves, their own personal stories, really

makes a difference,” said Deborah Parker, chief executive of the National Native American Boarding Schools

Healing Coalition and a member of the Tulalip Tribes.

More than two decades ago, Assistant Secretary of

Indian Affairs Kevin Gover issued an apology for the

emotional, psychological, physical and spiritual violence

committed against children at the off-reservation schools.

Then in 2009, President Barack Obama quietly signed

off on an apology of sorts for “violence, maltreatment

and neglect inflicted on Native Peoples by citizens of the

United States.” The language was buried deep in a multibillion-dollar defense spending bill.

The proposed commission would have a broader scope

than the Interior's investigation to seek records with subpoena power. It would make recommendations to the federal government within five years of its passage, possible

in the U.S. House but more difficult in the U.S. Senate.

Starting with the Indian Civilization Act of 1819, the

U.S. enacted laws and policies to establish and support

Native American Boarding Schools. The goal was to civilize Native Americans, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians. Religious and private institutions often received

federal funding and were willing partners.

Capt. Richard Henry Pratt described the essence of

the federal boarding schools in a speech he gave in 1892

where he said, “Kill the Indian and save the man.”

Minnesota resident Mitch Walking Elk ran away multiple times from boarding schools he attended in the late

1950s and early '60s because “my spirit knew it wasn’t a

good place for me,” he said.

Boarding schools aren't the only thing that has led him

to distrust the federal government, even as it seems willing to uncover the past. In 1864, Walking Elk’s ancestors from the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes were attacked

in the Sand Creek Massacre. At least 200 people were

killed, and victims’ bodies were mutilated.

“I have reservations about what's going on right now

because I don't trust them,” said Walking Elk. “If Deb

Haaland makes too many waves, the far right, the extremists will manufacture something to put the brakes on

this.”

Boarding school survivor Ramona Klein testified before Congress on Thursday, describing seeing her mother

cry as her children got on a big, green bus for boarding

school, being scrubbed with a stiff brush once there, and

sleeping under a scratchy wool Army blanket. She put

on a large rubber hand when she spoke of being touched

at the school at night “like no child’s body should be

touched.”

“Being in that boarding school was the loneliest time

of my life,” said Klein, a member of the Turtle Mountain

Band of Chippewa in North Dakota. “It has made it difficult for me to trust other people, including the people

on this committee, with my emotions, my thoughts, my

dreams and my physical being. And how could that not

be the result?”

Republican Rep. Jay Obernolte of California said Congress would need to consider the financial investment in

the proposed commission and whether those who serve

would do so as a public service or be compensated.

“I’m not opposed to investing substantial taxpayer resources in this commission, but I think we need to be explicit about what those resources are,” he said Thursday.

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.