Hopi native american

Gov. John Hickenlooper signed an executive order Tuesday creating a commission to discuss American Indian high school mascots. The group would include tribes, local community members and state agencies to find common ground, said Ernest House Jr., executive director of the Colorado Office of Indian Affairs. In the last legislative session, a bill carried by state Reps. Joe Salazar, D-Thornton, and Jovan Melton, D-Aurora, that would have required tribal approval for public schools to continue using American Indian mascots passed in the Democrat-led state House but was killed by a Republican-led Senate committee. “When Rep. Melton and I addressed this issue last legislative session, we met with members of the American Indian community who were concerned that their heritage was being disrespected,” Salazar said Tuesday. “With the governor’s apology for the Sand Creek Massacre last year, and this important step today, we have made small but significant steps as a state in … [Read more...] about Colorado governor creates task force on American Indian mascots

Colorado schools with mascots like “Savages” and “Reds” would have to change the derogatory American Indian symbols or face monthly fines under a bill just introduced in the Colorado legislature. At least 25 schools have such mascots. Many others have already made the switch to something less offensive, but others have not changed despite recommendations, said bill sponsor and Wheat Ridge Democrat Sen. Jessie Danielson. Her proposal would ban American Indian mascots in public schools, including colleges and universities, and give them until June, 1, 2022, to remove the mascots. If they don’t, they’d face a monthly fine of $25,000. “It’s long overdue,” Glenn Morris of the Colorado chapter of the American Indian Movement said. “There’s just no logical justification for them continuing it and it’s just a matter of privilege getting in the way of doing the right thing.” Schools like Arapahoe High School and Strasburg High School that have existing agreements about their mascots … [Read more...] about Colorado lawmakers want to force schools to get rid of American Indian mascots — or pay up

Monique Left Hand Bull testifies Wednesday in favor of a bill requiring schools with Indian mascots and images to first get tribal approval. Her daughters, LacyJay, 7, and Lucille, 8, also testified. (Lynn Bartels, The Denver Post) As expected, a bill that would require tribal approval for public schools to continue using American Indian mascots died tonight in a Republican-controlled Senate committee today. The Senate, State, Veterans & Military Affairs Committee voted 3-2 on a party-line vote against House Bill 1165, which narrowly squeaked out of the House with every single Republican and one Democrat opposed to the measure. The sponsor, Sen. Jessie Ulibarri, D-Westminster, talked about the hurtful impact of Indian mascots on Indian youth, as did several witnesses with Indian ancestry, including Lucille Left Hand Bull, 8, and LacyJay Left Hand Bull, 7. Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg, R-Sterling, asked about other mascots, including Pirates or Beetdiggers, and asked if those … [Read more...] about Senate committee kills American Indian mascots bill

Support for Representative Deb Haaland is strong among Native Americans as the New Mexico Democrat appears likely to be confirmed as the new head of the U.S. Department of the Interior. If Haaland is confirmed, she will become the first Native American woman to hold a position within a presidential Cabinet. Haaland, a member of the Pueblo of Laguna tribe, faced tough questioning during her two-day confirmation hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee this week, but words of support from West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin on Wednesday afternoon indicated her confirmation is likely. Manchin, a Democrat whose vote for Haaland was initially uncertain, commended Haaland's "commitment to bipartisanship" in his Wednesday statement. Haaland's history of working across the aisle is one of many reasons she has "unified" support from tribes throughout the U.S., according to Aaron Payment , the vice president of the National Congress of American Indians and … [Read more...] about Unified Behind Deb Haaland, Indian Country Praises Bipartisanship Amid Tough Confirmation Hearings

Later this month, a full moon will grace the skies above the Earth. The full moon in February is popularly referred to using several names, including "Snow," "Storm" and "Hunger." According to The Old Farmer's Almanac (OFA), the names that are used for the full moons in the U.S. today come from a variety of places, including Native, colonial and European sources. Often, names that originally derived from Native American groups were later adopted by European colonizers. Traditionally, these names applied to the entire lunar month in which they occurred, rather than just the full moon itself. The " Snow " moon moniker originates from Native American tribes in the northeast of what is now the U.S.—a region that typically experiences high snowfall during this month. While January is usually the coldest month of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, February tends to be the snowiest month in the U.S. Captain Jonathan Carver, who had visited the Naudowessie people in the … [Read more...] about What Is a Snow Moon? The Meanings Behind the Names of February’s Full Moon