WINNER! Deb Haaland was just elected to Congress, representing the great state of New Mexico! In this beautiful year of women storming into office, the lawyer and single mom shares the historic milestone—of being the first two Native American women elected to the House—with Sharice Davids, who was also victorious in Kansas tonight. With my … Continued
On October 16, 2018, Valerie Davidson was sworn in as the Lt. Governor of Alaska. Valerie “Nurr’araaluk” Davidson, JD, Yup’ik, is an enrolled Tribal member of the Orutsararmiut Native Council. Ms. Davidson is a long-time advocate for Native health issues and brings many years of expertise to this position. […] Lt. Governor Davidson was the … Continued
In 1869, the Peace Policy of President Grant forcibly mixed religion and the federal government’s policies regarding Indian reservations. Disregarding any possible religious views of Indians, services to Indian reservations were given to Christian missionary groups. These services included schools, health care, and the distribution of rations. As a result, young Indians were required to … Continued
The European conquest of North America was made possible by the epidemic diseases the first explorers, missionaries and traders brought with them. During the sixteenth century the Indian death toll from European diseases was in the millions. There were an estimated 18 million Native Americans living north of Mexico at the beginning of the sixteenth … Continued
The San Bernardino County Museum in Redlands, California, has a display on early California Indians entitled Life in a Rock Shelter. The earliest peoples in southern California lived a hunting, fishing, and gathering way of life. Archaeologist William Wallace, in his chapter of post-Pleistocene archaeology in the Handbook of North American Indians, sums it up … Continued
In 1881, the Squaxin of the Puget Sound area in Washington would have described John Slocum has having a bit of an inclination toward alcohol and a well-known fondness for gambling. One day he became ill and died. Upon dying, he went to heaven where he was met by angels who told him that because … Continued
The Fort Dalles Museum in The Dalles, Oregon, has a collection of American Indian artifacts on display in the dining room of the Surgeon’s Quarters. The stone tools shown appear to be primarily pestles and manos used for processing seeds and grains. Included in this batch of stone tools are some hammer stones which have … Continued
The Cahuilla homeland in California was bounded on the north by the San Bernardino Mountains; on the south by the northern Borrego Desert; on the east by the Colorado Desert; on the west by the present-day city of Riverside. The designation Cahuilla is said to mean “masters” or “powerful ones.” As a tribal designation, Cahuilla … Continued
In major museums, only a small fraction of the artifacts held by the museum are on display and interpreted for the public. Most of the museum’s artifacts are in vaults where they are available only to researchers. The Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History maintains a Visible Vault in which visitors can view hundreds … Continued
Peggy Flanagan, a Minnesota state representative running for lieutenant governor The historic number of women running for office this year brings with it other opportunities to make history. Like the possibility of the first Native American woman elected to Congress or as a governor, the New York Times’ s Julie Turkewitz reports. In all, there … Continued
