Minnesota Native News

Marie: This is Minnesota Native News, I’m Marie Rock. Coming up...

Come January, there will be new leadership in the White House with a plan for Tribal Nation relationship...  

and Minnesota tribes band together to assist in fighting wildfires out West.

Reporter Leah Lemm has these stories…. 

STORY #1: PE BIDEN-VPE HARRIS ON TRIBAL NATIONS

President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice-President Elect Kamala Harris are poised to lead the nation next. During his victory speech, President Elect Biden acknowledged the diversity of supporters that helped elect him. 

Pres-Elect Biden: “...I am proud of the coalition we put together, the broadest and most diverse in history. Democrats, Republicans and independents. Progressives, moderates and conservatives. Young and old. Urban, suburban and rural. Gay, straight, transgender. White. Latino. Asian. Native American.”

In early October, their campaign released their plan for tribal nations.

They write that they plan to uphold the U.S.’s trust responsibility, strengthen the Nation-to-Nation relationship between Tribal Nations and the United States, and work to empower tribal sovereignty.

The next administration has many concrete items on the to-do list. A few of which are to:
appoint Native leaders to high level government positions,
defend the Indian Child Welfare Act, and...
Invest in Infrastructure and Clean Energy, including reliable high speed internet for Native households and support tribal efforts to shift to clean energy.

The full list can be found in the BIDEN-HARRIS PLAN FOR TRIBAL NATIONS.

Next up, tribes from Minnesota help fight wildfires out West.

STORY #2: BIA FIREFIGHTING CREW

Reporter: This summer and into fall, wildfires have spread in large parts of the country. Crews were sent to help control the fires, including a crew from tribal communities in MN. They fought the Puzzle fire in South Dakota and the Williams Fork and East Troublesome fires in Colorado.

Ferin Davis: We all represented the BIA, but we're pretty much employees of different tribal nations in Minnesota. 

Reporter: Ferin Davis is a citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band and is the Lead Environmental Scientist for the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community. They manage approximately 4,500 acres in Scott County, Minnesota, which is just located 30 minutes Southwest of Minneapolis. 

Ferin was part of the 13-member crew representing the Bureau of Indian Affairs from Minnesota that went and helped fight wildfires.

Ferin Davis: There were firefighters from Leech Lake, Fond du Lac, White Earth, Bois Forte and, I believe Mille Lacs and then us in Shakopee... This was kind of cool that the BIA was able to pull us all together and send out the first all BIA represented module since the nineties.

Reporter: Ferin points out that part of the relationship between SMSC and the Bureau of Indian Affairs is that their fire fighting crew assists with wildfires, and in turn, the BIA helps with prescribed burn operations in their community.

The first fire they were called to was in South Dakota on the Rosebud Reservation on October 3rd.

Ferin Davis: And so we were pulled there first because we're a BIA crew and BIA manages that land or helps manage that land. It was 150 acre of fire. When we got there, it was kind of cooling down, but what we did was help really kind of put it to bed. 

Reporter: Then the crew went to Colorado on the 8th, first to the Williams Fork fire.

Ferin Davis: It was getting really windy in where we're at. There are a lot of dead trees, standing, dead trees. So their concern was that these trees can fall on us while we're working. So when conditions get to be that dangerous, sometimes they'll take a step back and say, okay, we're just gonna reset, take the morning off to rehab your tools, get other things organized. We were basically waiting in our trucks, rehabbing our tools and kind of re-positioning for other things. 

And that's when the East Troublesome Creek fire started. So then that afternoon we were kind of pulled over to that fire because whatever available resources they had, they wanted to respond to that.

Reporter: I’m glad to say Ferin Davis reported that the MN BIA crew was safe.

Ferin Davis: That's always the end goal is to go home safe.

Reporter: For MN Native News, I’m Leah Lemm.

HOST INTRO:
This week on Minnesota Native News, we get a picture from the polls on election day in Indian country. Reporter Melissa Townsend has that story and more. 

STORY #1 - VOTING STORY
MORE THAN 3 million Minnesotans voted in this election.  About half of them cast their ballots early with absentee voting. And the other half voted in person on election day November 3rd.  Ahead of election day there were widespread concerns about voter intimidation at the polls - so we checked in with a few Native folks on tribal lands to see how it went when they cast their ballots.  

Marie Rock who lives near the Leech Lake reservation - and is host of this newscast - voted with her husband and her son at the Cass Lake City Hall. 

ROCK: We vote in the primaries, we vote in the regular elections - it’s our big thing. We make sure we always vote. (:06)

She had heard the buzz about possible voter intimidation at the polls, but she jokes she wasn’t worried. 

ROCK: To me, if anyone tries to interfere with me I’ll go to jail, ‘cause I’ll fight them. But that didn’t happens and I kind of knew it wouldn’t. 

Overall Rock says  it was a pretty sleepy scene.

A little northwest of Marie Rock, George Strong, citizen of the Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe,  says the same was true for him 

STRONG: I just walked right in, greeted friendly and just kind of moved along the line.

He voted at at about 9 in the morning at his polling place, the Greenwood Township Hall near Tower Minnesota. He said the only thing out of the ordinary was the weather.

STRONG: It’s so beautiful!  What it’s like 57/59 degrees. It was just a picture perfect fall day. 

Strong says one of the most important issues for him this election was a return to real civic dialogue.

STRONG: That we bring some civility and talk about issues rather than create these monsters against each other. 

And finally down in southwestern Minnesota, Cheyanne St John, member of the Lower Sioux Indian Community says it was peaceful at her polling place too.  She says there were just a handful of voters at the Redwood Falls Fire Station.

ST JOHN: It was really neat because when the other voter got up and left, I noticed the greeter immediately came into the room and began to sanitize the area where that person was sitting.  I thought it was really neat they were doing things in a safe way. 

Joe Biden won the vote for President in Minnesota but as of the time of this newscast - the overall winner has not yet been announced.   

STORY #2 - BUGONAYGESHIG SCHOOL AMPS UPS WIFI FOR STUDENTS 

In other news— a story from the BUGONAYGESHIG school on the Leech Lake reservation.  The school serves 220 Native students in northern Minnesota. When they started distance learning last March, Dan McKeaon, the school’s administrator says they knew they couldn’t do online learning.

MCKEON: We knew that that wouldn’t work because there were roughly 50% of our households without reliable internet connection.  (:07)

Internet access is patchy across rural parts of Minnesota. So last spring, school buses traveled door to door handing out  paper learning packets and food to BUGONAYGESHIG families. But McKeon says that didnt’ really work very well.

MCKEON: Boy to be frank, a distance learning program that’s not online that we operated las spring - it failed pretty miserably.  There wasn’t much teaching happening and there certainly wasn’t much learning happening.  It’s just such an extraordinarily difficult to try to teach to put together a packet of things and send it on a bus to get dropped off. It’s jut no way to do it. (:22)

So after a summer of planning, the school has used federal CARES act money to connect more than 90% of their students to the internet.  

MCKEON: This summer we grouped our households into three different priority groups. (:06)

The first priority group had no internet access because they lived in a location were there is no internet access. For them, the school bought hot spots and gave families instructions on how to use them. The second priority group were families who didn’t have internet but lived in areas where they could get hooked up.  For them, the school paid for an internet subscription. And finally a third priority group had internet access, and the school took over payments for it.

MCKEON: So we just make it a blanket thing that we are going to pay for internet subscription for each household that has a BUGONAYGESHIG student. (:08)

McKeon says now almost all the families at the BUGONAYGESHIG school are connected to the internet - but they have a ways to go to engage with all their students in distance learning. 

MCKEON: To me, this process is like casting a net. And right now the network casting is catching. So to speak maybe 50% of our kids. So now it's like, okay, how do we adjust this net that we're casting so that we pull in another 10% and another 10%, so that if we have to do this all year we're engaging 90% of our kids, rather than 50% of our kids. 

Dan Mckeon BUGONAYGESHIG  school administrator says it’s a work in progress.  

For Minnesota Native News, I’m Melissa Townsend.

Marie: This is Minnesota Native News, I’m Marie Rock. Coming up…

A beadwork art exhibit in Duluth goes virtual…

Here’s reporter Leah Lemm with the story….

STORY #1: MANIDOOMINENS: STILL BEADING AFTER 10,000 YEARS

Reporter: During a year of many adjustments, including live virtual music events, working from home, schools online…. art exhibits have found a home on the web as well.

Ivy Vainio: My name is Ivy Vainio. I am a direct descendant of the grand Portage band of Ojibwe in Northern Minnesota up the North shore. We knew this was going to be the art show of the year of the century, as I always say. But since Covid hit and we can't have anybody come in, we decided to create a online virtual 3d gallery of the gallery with all of the work.

Reporter: Ivy Vainio coordinates the cultural art gallery program among many other things at AICHO.

MANIDOOMINENS: STILL BEADING AFTER 10,000 YEARS is an exhibit that has been a year in the making, and as with most events, it had to be re-thought out and adjusted for life in the pandemic.

Ivy Vainio: So when artists came in to drop off their work for the show, I'm a photographer. So I took a picture of each of the pieces and I, um, was able to go into, um, it's called art steps.com, and it's a free virtual create your own virtual gallery program.

It took me eight hours straight to put that show together. But once it's done, it's just amazing.

Reporter: In the virtual exhibit, you can go on a guided tour, scroll over one of the pieces and click on it. And it brings up a larger picture of the beadwork piece. More information also pops up about the artists, where they're tribally enrolled and a description of the work.

And it’s all laid out virtually, as it’s laid out physically in the space.

Ivy Vainio: so it's just a really cool, um, second best option for seeing it in person.

Reporter: And that’s how we’ll need to enjoy the exhibit for now. The gallery at the Dr Robert Powless Cultural Center in AICHO isn’t a standalone gallery. It’s in the same location at housing and offices, so right now the online experience is the safest route for everyone.

Wendy Savage is the curator for the art exhibit MANIDOOMINENS: STILL BEADING AFTER 10,000 YEARS. Wendy has been an artist for over 40 years and has been beading since she was 17.

Wendy Savage: I'm Wendy Savage. I'm an enrolled member of the Minnesota Chippewa tribe Lake superior band, uh, fond black reservation.

Wendy Savage: The title of the show is, uh, the Ojibwe word for, uh, beads and it's MANIDOOMINENS, which means tiny spirit berry. And the 10,000 years came from an article that I saw years ago when I was in Santa Fe at the Indian market, there was a woman who wrote something about that we've really been beating for 10,000 years.

Reporter: 10,000 years is a surprise to some, as the history of seed beads doesn’t stretch that far back.

Wendy Savage: We didn't have seed beads back then, but we didn't need seed beads because beads are made from different things. They were made from coral. They were made from shell. They were made from clay. They were made from stone. They were made from bones and horns and talon and beak and teeth. And then semi-precious gems of gold, silver, and copper.

We have always highly, highly decorated ourselves. And, uh, I think we need to know that we have been beading for 10,000 years.

Reporter: There are several styles of beadwork in the exhibit.

Wendy Savage: We have about four or five pouches beaded pouches that are, that are in the exhibition.

Reporter: There are also flat beaded pieces, many that may be incorporated into other works after the exhibit.

Ivy describes a multi-media piece that’s on display from a young person from Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe.

Ivy Vainio: It’s nothing like you'll ever see. He put LED lights into this piece and coded it to where it would light up different spots. It's a multi multimedia piece. He watercolored the back ground. And then on the top is a, uh, fully beaded, um, layered, uh, Thunderbird and the, the what's the water creature. Oh, it's the underwater pants or Mishy pest shoe. Yes. And that is, uh, also fully beaded and that's on the bottom. And then right in the middle is the Corona virus. And they're both battling COVID virus to keep us all safe.

Reporter: MANIDOOMINENS: STILL BEADING AFTER 10,000 YEARS is funded in part by a grant from Arrowhead Regional Arts Council.

Link to the virtual exhibit can be found at the American Indian Community Housing Organization website. Aicho DOT ORG. And head over to the art exhibit page. That’s A-I-C-H-O DOT ORG.

For MN Native News, I’m Leah Lemm.

Marie: This week on Minnesota Native News, we check in with two promising developments.
I’m Marie Rock
First, there’s  a new urban farm with a focus on indigenous food and medicine. 
And second, and update on  housing in the American Indian Cultural Corridor.
 Laurie Stern has both stories.

Sound of blessing
When we think of Mother Earth we think of the forces that created her and  all the creative forces inside of her  
That’s Hope Flanagan blessing a strip of land that will soon become a place of nourishment and healing. 
Hi, my name is Elizabeth Day. I'm from the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. And I worked at Native American Community Development Institute, NACDI. And one of the programs that we run is the Four Sisters Farmers Market and the Four Sisters Urban Farm.
Today is indigenous peoples day. And today, we are out here celebrating the community and the launch of the Four Sisters urban farm. 
The farm will run along the Midtown Greenway, a block north of Lake Street, between Bloomington and 18th Avenues. It’s not much to look at now, but there are vision boards posted and  visitors from the neighborhood are asked what they’d like to see. Among the choices: a rain garden, perennial grasses, medicinal herbs, walking paths, raised beds, produce to harvest,  and gathering spaces of various shapes and sizes. This is Four Sister’s Farm Manager Mel Anderson:
Why here? Wonderful question. Um, historically, this has been a site that has seen a lot of crime and unfortunately, some trafficking in the past. And so we were actually approached by the Hennepin County railroad authority about utilizing this space and trying to do something positive with it. And so we wanted to have a farm site with the four sisters farmers market, and this seemed like the perfect location.
Hennepin County, in partnership with Midtown Community Works in partnership with knack D came together with community and this this land, the sacred land to say what is it that we want to see here? How can we give back? What about food access? How can we make this a space for community to come together and heal.
That’s Hennepin County Commissioner Angela Conley, who grew up in this neighborhood. As you heard, the project is a partnership between the county and the Native American Community Development Institute. The partners are eager to hear from neighbors this fall and winter, so they can plant the first seeds and build what needs building next spring.
(singing and applause)
A mile north of the farm site, on the corner of Franklin and Cedar, hundreds of people lived in tents in what was called the Wall of Forgotten Natives. That was two years ago.  Last year, Red Lake Nation broke ground on a new housing development there. 
Groundbreaking sounds
The 110-unit complex is called mnobimadizin or good life.. Applications are now being accepted, with the first residents expected to move in at the end of this year. This is Red Lake Secretary Sam Strong.
we're gonna not only serve their housing needs, but we're also going to serve their health care needs and may be mental health or physical health. Those services will be provided on the ground floor, we'll have a wellness center, that will be providing all of those necessary services for not only the people that live in the building for the entire community, as well.

we've worked with hundreds of people since the wall, and hundreds of them are currently housed in long term housing, because we work with these individuals, and found out what was going on in their lives. And not just getting them into an apartment, but thinking about their mental health issues, their chemical dependency issues, whatever it is, that prevented them from being sustainably housed, we've learned how to deal with it, we've gotten many people off the streets. And our housing development is just a piece of that whole puzzle.
Staff at the Red Lake Embassy on Franklin Avenue are helping process applications and addressing other needs that applicants may have. As that day-to-day-work continues, Sam and other tribal leaders are trying to change the policy that has left so many community members with unmet needs. 
tell me how it's fair, that native people are the most disadvantaged, when it comes to housing, tell me it's fair, that our relatives have to be on the streets. It's not. And so we need to take a good serious look at how we form good housing policy that serves the most disadvantaged, and if it's not doing that, then we should revisit it.
Mnobinidizin is on schedule to be finished by the end of this year and will welcome new residents early in 2021. For MNN I’m LS.

Marie: This is Minnesota Native News, I’m Marie Rock. Coming up...

The 2020 Native American College Fair goes virtual…

And Lt Governor Peggy Flanagan talks about the significance of the Native vote….

Here’s reporter Leah Lemm with these stories...

STORY #1: 2020 NATIVE AMERICAN COLLEGE FAIR

Reporter: For many High School Juniors and Seniors, graduation and beyond is just around the corner. 

For seven years now, the Native American College Fair has been providing Twin Cities Native youth and their families an opportunity to learn more about colleges, universities and training programs. A representative from Saint Paul Public Schools on a video released last year... talked about what makes this college fair unique. 

Speaker 1: (00:11) They're given an opportunity to meet college representatives from colleges that offer either American Indian studies programming or specific American Indian supports on campus. So it's a little bit different than your typical college fair. 

Reporter: Last year, several hundred students attended the fair that was held at the University of MN St. Paul Student Center, but this year to protect everyone’s health, the college fair is going virtual.

The website will be live at least through the month of October, starting on Friday October 9th.

Scholarship opportunities, Videos with information provided by colleges, universities and financial aid opportunities will be on the site. 
 
As well as videos created by a variety of Native professionals and college students, and a recorded panel of college students discussing their educational experiences.
 
Though the fair is virtual, it allows for even more colleges and students to participate - those who normally couldn’t due to distance.
 
Find the link to the virtual college fair on the Native American College Fair facebook page. //the site name is really long :(//
STORY #2: NATIVE VOTE WITH LT GOV PEGGY FLANAGAN

Next, the importance of the Native vote with Lt Gov Peggy Flanagan.

Lt Gov Peggy Flanagan: (17:01) this election year is literally the most important of our lifetime.

Reporter: November 3rd is coming up quick. Presidential election, and state and local seats are on the line. It may not be a tribal election, but non-tribal elections affect tribes and Native people, and related policies.

Here’s a portion of my conversation with the Lt Gov on the weekly Special Edition of Mn Native News. COVID 19 community conversations.

Leah:  I know growing up, I heard family members, especially native family members talk about just really not wanting to vote. 

It's not always true, but a lot of times, um, the native vote isn't one that is sought all the time or Indian country. Isn't something that's necessarily brought up in one's platform. Can you talk a little bit about the importance of the native vote?

Lt Gov Peggy Flanagan (11:04): I totally hear when folks say, you know, like I don't vote in that system, that's on our system and I can, I can feel that because these, you know, every day I get up and I walk into the Capitol and I walk into a system that was not created by us or for us, it was like literally created to eliminate us and it's heavy. 

And so, you know, we all sort of carry that with us as we're, we're living and working in a society that oftentimes was not created with us in mind.

Lt Gov Peggy Flanagan (09:33): It's been exciting to watch just the evolution of civic engagement in Indian country. 

I think for a long time, we saw especially our neighbors in South Dakota when native folks were registering and turning out to vote, they were flipping US Senate seats, congressional districts. 

And we've seen that happen here in Minnesota. We get, we have the power to influence elections when we, when we turn, turn out. So we started off sort of seeing that.

Reporter: More of my conversation with Lt Gov Peggy Flanagan can be found on our website Minnesota Native News DOT ORG, that’s M-N Native News DOT ORG, the program is COVID 19 Community Conversations.

And you can find more information about the Native Vote at Native Vote DOT ORG. Native Vote is a non-partisan initiative from the National Congress of American Indians.

On the site, you can see more data about Native Voting and learn how to register to vote.

Again that’s at Native Vote DOT ORG.

For MN Native News, I’m Leah Lemm.

A recent report from the state of Minnesota shows nearly half of Minnesota Counties that border reservations are not protecting federal rights of vulnerable Native children and their families.  Reporter Melissa Townsend has the story. 

The Indian Child Welfare Act or ICWA, passed in 1978, and the Minnesota Indian Family Preservation Act or MIFPA, passed in1985. Both laws were a response to the long, racist and traumatic history of the US and state governments forcibly removing Native children from their homes. Breaking up Native families has left deep generational wounds.

Priscilla Day, Leech Lake Ojibwe, is Professor at University of Minnesota in Duluth Department of Social Work where she trains social workers. She says that destructive practice continues today with out-of-home placements in foster care and adoption.

"We know kids who are in out-of-home care, they’re much more likely to end up doing high-risk behaviors, they’re more likely to end up in the juvenile justice system and eventually in the criminal justice system. They end up in the cycle where their children end up being removed," Says Priscilla Day.

ICWA and MIFPA require social workers to first find out if a child is a descendent of a federally recognized tribe. Then the laws require that social workers make every effort to keep that child with extended family or in the tribal community while ACTIVE efforts are made to help that family get healthy and stay together.

But a recent report from the state of Minnesota says that is not happening. One third of all Minnesota counties have not followed the laws. That includes nearly half the counties that border tribal reservations. Priscilla Day says it’s partly because of the mindset of many social workers in these counties.

Priscilla Day says "And this is true across the country, child welfare has become system that really revolves rescuing children from their bad families. And it’s structured to remove children."

She says that say of thinking is hard to shift.

"You know, it's hard to break that and, and really switch and say, how can we support these families so that they're able to parent safely."

Nikki Farago is with Assistant Commissioner in the state agency that oversees the counties making out-of-home placements. She is a descendent of the Seneca Nation. She says in her experience, some case workers think the laws are optional and others don’t know how to follow them. And there is racism at play.

"Implicit bias is absolutely at play or explicit bias. It's the reason that the Indian child welfare act was passed in the first place. And here we are 42 years later and we still have the highest removal rate of Native children in the country. It’s simply unacceptable," says Nikki Farago.

Now for the first time, those non-compliant counties will be financially penalized. In 2021, those counties will receive half of their previous levels of state funding for out-of-home placement services. Nikki Farago with the Minnesota Department of Human Services says, this is a financial incentive to follow the law.

Nikki Farago says, "I haven’t seen focused attention on ICWA compliance until now. So the funding source clearly has been a motivating factor for counties. I also think there are many people within counties who welcome this opportunity to have this focus."

Farago says her priority is to offer good training for county social workers.

"What we can get at with training is increased understanding at the outset and better practices at the outset before we see a need for corrective action," according to Nikki Farago.

This past January Priscilla Day and her UMD Colleague Jeri Jaskin, White Earth Ojibwe, began offering a 20-hour training on ICWA and MIFPA for social workers new to the field. Day says it’s like a light bulb comes on for them.

"We hear that every training that we do, they're like, “I wish I, would've known this earlier. I’m gonna do things differently from now on.” And that’s the whole purpose of training," says Priscilla Day.

Day and Jaskin would like to expand this training to all social workers.

"We’re hoping to be able to get fully funded because all workers need training," says Priscilla Day.

The cuts in funding to non-compliant counties create a surplus of 660-thousand dollars in state money. Right now that money is slated to go into the state’s general fund. The state legislature would need to act to divert the money toward training to help county social workers follow the law and help Native families heal and stay together.

Marie: This is Minnesota Native News, I’m Marie Rock. Coming up...

Indigenous Lotus builds community and encourages strength and healing through yoga and mind-body connection, and will be hosting a retreat in October.

Plus... a reminder to fill out and be counted in the 2020 US census. 

Here’s reporter Leah Lemm with these stories.

STORY #1: INDIGENOUS LOTUS AND THE MIND-BODY RETREAT

Reporter: Indigenous Lotus, an organization focused on motivating indigenous people to live healthier lives will hold a mind-body retreat in Prior Lake in October. Victoria Marie is the founder of Indigenous Lotus.

Victoria Marie: My name is Victoria. Um, I am Sisseton Wahpaton Oyate. I am the founder of Indigenous Lotus and I'm also a yoga instructor, um, and a mama. (01:18) I just knew I wanted to help people and, um, help them come back to our, you know, their bodies and present moment.

Reporter: Indigenous Lotus classes and workshops, such as Elders yoga, a Yoga 12 step recovery focused on addiction relapse prevention, and soon, Integrative Wellness Life coaching to help apply wellness practice to all areas of life. 

And the retreat is another way to practice connection and community.

Victoria Marie: (02:31) the main purpose of the retreat is for community and support and building positive relationships with, you know, our fellow community members. (02:48) we wanted to really think about all the issues we're facing, um, since a pandemic.

Reporter: Victoria and those she works closely with put a lot of thought into what this year’s retreat would look like.

Victoria Marie: (03:13) we decided that this is going to be, um, completely feminine led. We are going to kind of address the lateral violence that happens. We're going to talk about the importance of sisterhood. Um, and along with that community support, so many of our people are, um, going through really tough times. There's been a lot of relapses, um, substance abuse issues, alcohol, um, and so trying to bring everybody together, um, and allow them to leave with that knowledge of how else can I heal? How else can I cope with these things? 

Reporter: Victoria has her own journey that has lead her to embracing mind-body connection and yoga. And she encourages others to give the practice a try.

Victoria Marie: I always think about all those things. I went through, teenage mom, being abused, having all these issues going on. And then all of a sudden finding that strength to be like, I am not this, you know, I am not my surroundings. I am not this stigma or these statistics. I am a human being. I'm a mother and I have all this power and I'm going to do something and make a difference, make a change for even one person. But especially for myself, how can I heal me? How can I heal my inner child? My mission is to go and learn all these tools and bring it back to my community. 

Reporter: The 2020 Indigenous Mind-Body Retreat is October 10th & 11th ing Prior Lake at the Mystic Lake LINK Event Center. They will also have a video conference for those who can’t attend in person.

Find out more about the Mind-Body retreat and other upcoming opportunities at INDIGENOUS LOTS DOT COM. 

STORY #2: 2020 CENSUS REMINDER

Reporter: Next, the Census Bureau is still collecting data for the 2020 census and there is still time to answer. Lt Gov Peggy Flanagan recently stressed during a conversation with Northern Community Radio, the financial implications of each and every person’s response to the census.

Lt Gov Peggy Flanagan: It's incredibly important that for every person counted. We remind folks that it means about $2,800 per year or $28,000 until the next Census. Um, for, you know, these federal dollars that come into the state. I do not want to forfeit those investments in our communities, especially in Indian Country and in tribal communities where we are the most undercounted group 10 years ago, we can't let that happen again.

Reporter: Moreover, Lt Gov expressed the importance of Native voices to be counted and heard.

Lt Gov Peggy Flanagan: People need to know that we're still here. So, um, it makes sure that if you haven't filled out your census, you go to 2020 that gov, or you can call (844) 330-2020…. we deserve to be seen and heard and valued and counted.

Reporter: Again, that’s 2020 CENSUS DOT GOV or call 844 330-2020 to fill out the census.

For MN Native News, I’m Leah Lemm.

This week on Minnesota Native News, a top COVID-19 federal health official, Dr. Deborah Birx, recently visited Minnesota, and talked about her experience with the Fond du Lac tribe in Duluth. We also hear about an online native film festival that features some Minnesota native creators. 

Here’s Cole Premo with more. 

BIRX VISIT

As August drew to a close, the White House’s coronavirus task force coordinator, Dr. Deborah Birx, visited Minnesota and met with both state and tribal officials. 

BIRX: “Good afternoon, it’s really a privilege to be here in Minnesota.”

At a news conference in St. Paul, Dr. Birx said she’s impressed with how Minnesota has responded to the pandemic using a data-driven approach, including the state’s comprehensive testing that has been implemented in long-term care facilities. 

However, Birx says she’s concerned with the rate of positive cases the state is seeing in the Twin Cities and surrounding counties. 

BIRX: “This state has gone from two, to five, to now nine counties over 10 percent. That trend is worrisome this late into this summer.”

To combat rising cases, Birx is urging Minnesotans to continue wearing masks and socially distance during the pandemic, even if many may be feeling “fatigue” to all the guidelines.  

BIRX:“There really needs to be a common sense adaption to everyone’s personal lives..”

In her visit to Minnesota, Birx also stopped in Duluth and met with tribal officials of the Fond du Lac of Lake Superior Chippewa. 

BIRX: “They were really terrific… I was impressed by their ability to support institutions for isolation within their community, really ensuring they have the resources to prevent outbreaks.”

Dr. Birx said Fond du Lac’s efforts -- and the efforts of tribes across the nation -- is a good thing to see, given that Native Americans are disproportionately affected by COVID-19 in the country. 

Birx says Native Americans, who were already suffering from health disparities pre-pandemic, are more likely to suffer life-threatening complications due to COVID-19, compared to other racial and ethnic groups nationwide. 

BIRX: “We know… across the country still, the No. 1 group that has the most fatalities are our native americans, so we need to focus resources to fit their needs,” Birx said. 

In Minnesota, about 620 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed among the native population in Minnesota so far. Thirty-three of those cases resulted in death. 

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In other news, a film festival for indigenous-made films is now underway. 

Vision Maker Media’s First Indigenous Online Film Festival will run through October 5, and features five genre categories with over 30 films.

Some of the films featured include “The Boxers of Brule”, a documentary following a girls boxing team in the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe in South Dakota, and “Rustic Oracle”, a dramatic feature about a family searching for a girl who vanished from their small Mohawk community in Canada. 

A bit closer to home, one of the films featured is a creation of youth at Nay Ah Shing School of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, and directed by Red Lake Nation  band member and artist, Jonathan Thunder. It’s called “Powwow Highway: The Lego Movie”, which is dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the film, Powwow Highway. 

It’s a stop-animation short produced as part of an animation workshop... youth took on roles of animators, actors, co-directors and set designers. 

MOVIE SOUND

The sets are creative, with lego characters driving through various landscapes.

MORE SOUND

Vision Maker Media, a Lincoln, Nebraska-based organization, was founded more than 40 years ago with a mission to engage and empower native storytellers to share their voice and stories with the world. 

For more information on the film festival, check out visionmakermedia.org. That’s visionmakermedia.o-r-g. 

I’m Cole Premo.