This Week at First Nations: April 21, 2023
Strengthening Economies Through Green Jobs: Spotlight on Hōlani Hāna
This week, First Nations staff traveled to Hana, Hawaii, for a site visit to community partner Hōlani Hāna. With support through First Nations’ Green Jobs in Indian Country project, the Hōlani team is fostering local economic opportunities, as well as revitalizing the cultural practice of hale building. We’re looking forward to featuring Hōlani Hāna in our Green Jobs in Indian Country publication, being released this summer, and continuing to raise awareness about their great work. Mahalo Hōlani Hāna!
Every Day is Earth Day – Join us in Calling for Native-Led Solutions to Climate Change
First Nations believes that climate solutions lie with the genius of highly resilient peoples who understand the relationship man has with Earth. As our country devotes Saturday’s Earth Day to think of our Earth and what’s needed to save it, we encourage readers to reflect on our lands and the original stewards, and learn about the importance of saving our planet with Native-led approaches. Read our new blog post by First Nations’ Development Officer Marisa Page.
Indigenous Partnership Selects First Six Community Partners
With First Nations’ Indigenous Partnership to Advance Native American Communities and Producers project ramping up, we’re honored to highlight the first six community partners that will receive funding and technical assistance to advance conservation, policy, advocacy, outreach, and education. The selected partners will use the support to highlight the experience, knowledge, and resources of Native farmers and ranchers and their work in conservation and advancing conservation and agri-business strategies within their communities. Read more about the community partners and their projects.
Reminder: Apply Soon for the 2024 Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellowship
First Nations will award 10 two-year fellowships of $75,000 each to outstanding Native knowledge holders and knowledge makers engaged in meaningful work that benefits Indigenous people and communities. Apply here by May 17, 2023.
Questions about the application process? Get answers in our second Q&A webinar, April 27, 2023. Register here.
Native Nonprofit Day is May 19, 2023 — Join the Celebration!
Launched last year by Native Ways Federation, Native Nonprofit Day is a giving initiative aimed at increasing support for Native-led organizations nationwide. Organizations, foundations, and individuals are invited to help raise awareness. Promotional materials, social media graphics, and an opportunity to sign up for updates and resources about the celebration can be accessed here. First Nations will continue to share information leading up to the event, May 19!
GATHER Screening Comes to Portland Next Month
The Portland Oregon Women Entrepreneur Roundtable will host a screening of First Nations’ James Beard Award-winning documentary GATHER, May 2, 2023, at 6 pm Pacific. Held at the Aladdin Theater in Portland, the event will also feature discussions with Indigenous chef Nephi Craig, featured in the film, and First Nations’ President and CEO Mike Roberts. Celebrate the beauty of traditional agricultural knowledge and Native food systems. Learn more and reserve a spot.
Tribes: Get Assistance on Applying for EPA Climate Pollution Reduction Grants
The Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals and NDN Collective will host a webinar next week on how tribes, specifically, can utilize U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Climate Pollution Reduction Grant funds to create plans that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Tribal guest speakers will discuss projects they are considering and present additional resources and opportunities. The webinar will be held Wednesday, April 26, 2023, at 12 pm Mountain. Learn more and register.
Unseen: Missing, Murdered Indigenous Women in California Part of Nationwide Crisis
A new report from CBS Bay Area delves into the growing number of missing or murdered Indigenous women across the U.S., and especially in California, which is home to the largest Native American population in the country. The coverage looks at why Indigenous women are so vulnerable, and underscores the state’s legacy of its brutal treatment of Native Americans. Watch the video.
How Acorns Carry Cultural Knowledge
As part of an Underscore News series on food sovereignty, an Indigenous writer reflects on a convening with more than 40 fellow members of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians at the first modern-day intertribal acorn camp. In learning to make acorns into San-chvn-tuu-’i’ or “juice of the acorn,” the writer explores how “bringing back traditional ways of processing food while in community represents an intentional effort to reconnect to that way of life and enact food sovereignty. For us, that means asserting our right to gather healthy and culturally appropriate food in the ways we see fit.” Read the article here.
Photo credit Jessica Douglas, Underscore News
