INDIAN GIVER is published quarterly by First Nations to share the impact of the Native-led projects and initiatives we invest in and to celebrate the strength and future of Native communities. The phrase INDIAN GIVER entered the English language under historical circumstances that distorted its meaning within Native American culture, where it never carried the negative cargo we know it by today. The true meaning signifies a willingness to care, an expectation of sharing; and a cultural commitment to reciprocity that was not to be questioned. Indian giving was and is the future wealth of society.
Current Issue
Highlights from First Nations, Gratitude for You
Dear Friends,
Welcome to the September 2024 issue of Indian Giver, First Nations’ quarterly newsletter.
In this fall issue, we spotlight Apache Stronghold, a nonprofit organization waging the fight of its life to protect Oak Flat, a sacred Apache site in Arizona, from being destroyed by a proposed copper mine. You will also discover how the Kwiyagat Community Academy, the first Colorado charter school on an Indian reservation, plans to grow its Ute language program. And you will learn about a derelict fencing cleanup operation on Modoc Nation homelands that is making it easier for migratory deer and elk to pass through.
In our Donor Spotlight, you’ll get to know Ariel Segall, a First Nations Legacy Society donor who has left a legacy of her own at MIT with her chocolate truffle business. And 2024 Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellow Audrey Etsitty shares her love of horses and her determination to teach horsemanship from a Diné perspective.
Thank you for your continued support of First Nations. We hope you have a great start to the new, cooler season!
The September 2024 Indian Giver features:
Apache Stronghold v. United States: The Ongoing Battle to Save a Sacred Apache Site. For more than two decades, Apache Stronghold has been fighting to save Oak Flat, a sacred Apache site outside Phoenix, close to the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation, from destructive copper mining. After a 6-5 loss in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Apache Stronghold has taken its fight all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Plan to Grow More Ute Language Teachers. In 2021, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe opened the Kwiyagat Community Academy (KCA), the first Colorado charter school on an Indian reservation. More Ute language teachers are needed to instruct the school’s 60 Native American students in grades K-4, and school administrators are working hard to recruit qualified teachers, one intern at a time.
Modoc Nation Builds Safe Fencing for Deer and Elk. The Modoc Nation removed about 26 miles of derelict fencing, mostly barbed wire, to make it safer for migratory deer, elk, and other wildlife to pass through its homelands. And it is working. According to video from the tribe’s game cam, an increasing number of pronghorn and mule deer are passing through more frequently.
Knowledge Makers, Knowledge Sharers. Audre Etsitty (Diné) loves horses and started performing in rodeos when she was only 9. Now at 34, with years of training, riding, roping, conditioning, and management of horses under her saddle, Etsitty has become an independent horsemanship consultant, with a twist. She delivers equine education from an Indigenous perspective.
Meet the Donor with a Passion for Chocolate, Technology, and Native Issues. Ariel Segall started a chocolate truffle business at MIT and grew it into a legendary student club still active decades later. She has a keen interest in Native issues, specifically Indian boarding schools, because her parents were both teachers. Segall is a Legacy Society Donor who has pledged to name First Nations as a beneficiary in her will.
Read the full issue here.
