This Week at First Nations: November 15, 2024

More Celebration of National Native American Heritage Month 

This week, we continue our focus on National Native American Heritage Month as we feature webinars, news, and highlights of Native cultures, our Tribal Lands Conservation Fund, and our Native Arts community partners.

Join us for our next virtual event to honor Native American heritage: Webinar 2: History and Language Revitalization: Tuesday, November 26, 2024, 10 am MT. Register here.

And, watch for more information here on upcoming Webinars 3 and 4.

Miss the November 12 Webinar on the Tribal Lands Conservation Fund? 

This past Tuesday, we shared more about First Nations’ new “Bring Back the Native” campaign and the importance of the TLC Fund in a special one-hour webinar. We thank all of you who joined us!

If you were not able to attend, you can find the recording and presentation materials here.

Gathering for GATHER

First Nations was again proud to raise awareness, understanding, and appreciation of the Native American food movement at a GATHER Film Screening last week at the Guild Cinema in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Here, First Nations’ Jackie Francke (Navajo) (left) and JoAnn Melchor (Santo Domingo Pueblo) (second from right) pose with Twila Cassadore and film director Sanjay Rawal. Twila is featured in GATHER for her work in restoring the traditional foods of the Apache people.

Celebrating Tananáwit

In our ongoing Native Arts highlights this month, we feature Tananáwit: A Community of Warm Springs Artists. This nonprofit, community-based arts organization supports Native artists from the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs through educational and economic development opportunities. Learn more about how they give Native artists workspaces, tools, supplies, and more to create their art and sell it locally.

And, tune in to hear from Executive Director Deb Stacona (Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs) about Tananáwit’s impact in uplifting Native art and culture.

Six Community Partners to Advance Tribal Nature-Based Solutions 

First Nations is happy to announce the six tribal and Native-led entities selected to receive support through the Stewarding Native Lands’ Advancing Tribal Nature-Based Solutions project. Thanks to generous funding from Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies and First Nations’ Tribal Lands Conservation Fund, $1.2 million was invested to build adaptive capacity and disaster preparation in grantee communities through traditional knowledge and stewardship.

Over 22 months, these community partners will receive tailored technical assistance to strengthen localized climate solutions, build capacity for climate-focused work, implement community monitoring, and participate in peer-to-peer learning opportunities. Learn more about the projects that will restore ecosystems and support human well-being and local biodiversity here.

What We’re Listening To: Elevating the Cherokee Language Through Song

An interview at KOSU/NPR showcases Anvdvnelisgi, a 2022 album featuring over a dozen contemporary songs sung in Cherokee by Oklahoma musicians. Kathy Sierra, a translator for the album and a teacher for Little Cherokee Seeds, a project of the Cherokee Nation, explained how in English, everything is black and white. But, in Cherokee, you see everything in color.

Cherokee Nations is a First Nations community partner through our Native Language Immersion Initiative. Listen to the interview here.

Photo of musician Agalisiga Mackey, photo credit NPR

Atux Forever Calls on Japanese Government for Repatriation, Restitution, and Recognition of Sovereignty

In further recognition of Veterans Day, First Nations shares how community partner Atux Forever is urging the Japanese government to act on the repatriation and restitution for the Attuan community, seeking measures to address historical injustices and ongoing impact from World War II. This summer, Japanese officials and two associations surveyed Atux in Alaska to recover their World War II soldiers’ remains, without involving the perspectives or input of the Indigenous Attuans. Atux Forever underscores the imperative of confronting historical wrongs with transparency, accountability, and a genuine commitment to truth and reconciliation. Read more.

REMINDER: New Grant Opportunity through U.S. Forest Service to Strengthen Forest Products 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service is making up to $34 million in funding available to support innovation and jobs in the forestry sector while supporting healthy forest landscapes. According to its news release, the agency is seeking proposals that will spark innovation, create new markets for sustainable wood products and renewable wood energy, and expand processing capacity. The funding is available through the agency’s three key grant programs that support the forest products economy. Read the full release.