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By Native News Online Staff

April 16, 2023

WASHINGTON — In addition to articles already covered by Native News Online, here is a roundup of other news released from Washington, D.C. that impacts Indian Country last week.

Comment Period for Draft Bill to Update Indian Arts & Crafts Act Extended

 The deadline for comment submission to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on the discussion draft of the Amendments to Respect Traditional Indigenous Skill and Talent (ARTIST) Act of 2023 has been extended to May 19, 2023. 

Comments may be submitted to [email protected].

 The ARTIST Act would update the Indian Arts and Crafts Act to support creative economies and strengthen enforcement of current law and protections against counterfeit competition for Native artists and their works. Comments will be used to further inform the legislative process and serve as a resource for future discussions on updating the Indian Arts and Crafts Act.

The Committee will also hold a virtual listening session, “The ARTIST Act: Updating the Indian Arts and Crafts Act,” on the discussion draft on April 26 at 2:30 p.m. ET. More details on the listening session are forthcoming.

Patrice H. Kunesh to be Sworn in as Commissioner of ANA on Tuesday, April 18  

Patrice Kunesh (Standing Rock Lakota), President Joe Biden’s choice to lead the Administration for Native Americans as commissioner, will be sworn-in on Tuesday, April 18, 2023 in Department of Health and Human Services’ Great Hall of the Hubert H. Humphrey Building at 200 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC on Tuesday, April 18 at 1:30 p.m. – EDT.

The ANA is a program office within the United States Department of Health and Human Services. ANA works to promote self-sufficiency and economic opportunity for Native Americans by providing funding for community-based projects, training, and technical assistance to eligible Tribal Nations and Native organizations.

The position required the U.S. Senate’s approval. Kunesh was confirmed by the Senate on March 8, 2023.

Bipartisan Effort to Reintroduce Funding Reauthorization for Special Diabetes Program for Indians

Representatives Tom Cole (OK-R-04) and Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-D-25) announced on Wednesday they reintroduced legislation to reauthorize the Special Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI), 

Currently, SDPI serves nearly 780,000 American Indians and Alaska Natives each year and is set to expire September 30, 2023. The legislation would extend funding for the program through fiscal year 2028.

“Since 1997, SDPI has significantly improved the trajectory of diabetes in Indian Country,” Rep. Cole (Chickasaw) said. “By allowing tribes to create public health programs for diabetes prevention and treatment, they can better promote healthy living to prevent diabetes and significantly improve the health outcomes and quality of life for many Native Americans. I am proud to join my colleague in the reintroduction of this critical legislation to ensure the continuation of this highly successful and effective program.”

“As a physician, I care deeply about health equity,” Dr. Ruiz said. “Diabetes disproportionately impacts Tribal communities, and when left untreated, can lead to higher risks of strokes, blindness, renal failure, and amputations. Reauthorizing this program is important to addressing health disparities for Tribal communities. That is why I am pleased to coauthor this legislation with Congressman Cole and to approach this issue in a bipartisan manner.”

The SDPI has helped to decreased diabetes among American Indians and Alask Natives by 5.5 percent.

Bipartisan Legislation to Prepare for Inevitable End to Federal Cannabis Prohibition Introduced

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY) and Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH) reintroduced bipartisan legislation to better and immediately prepare the federal government for the inevitable end to cannabis prohibition. Titled the Preparing Regulators Effectively for a Post-Prohibition Adult Use Regulated Environment (PREPARE) Act, this bill creates a fair, honest and publicly transparent process for the federal government to establish effective regulations to be enacted upon the termination of its 86-year prohibition of cannabis. 

Joyce and Jeffries designed the PREPARE Act to provide experts across the ideological spectrum the opportunity to engage on cannabis reform and best equip lawmakers with the information necessary to establish a safe and effective federal regulatory system. Without such engagement, it is unlikely Congress can establish the bipartisan consensus necessary to enact the federal cannabis policy change Americans across the country have called for.  

The PREPARE Act would direct the Attorney General of the United States to establish the ‘Commission on the Federal Regulation of Cannabis’ to advise on the development of a regulatory framework modeled after Federal and State regulatory frameworks with respect to alcohol. Specifically, the legislation would:

• Direct federal regulators to develop a regulatory and revenue framework to ensure safe production and consumption of cannabis, which would account for the unique needs, rights and laws of each state, and present such a framework to Congress within one year;
• Build upon the Obama and Trump Administrations’ efforts to remedy the unjust consequences of the war on cannabis, particularly those suffered by minority, low-income, and veteran communities;
• Help grant medical professionals critical research access and training,
• Develop protections for the hemp industry, including cross pollination prevention efforts. 
• Help ensure that absent the physician prescribed treatment of a minor, cannabis remain an adult-only product. 

“Once again Indian Country applauds both Representative David Joyce and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries for their tremendous leadership in preparing the way for plant medicine to help heal the trauma of this nation. Central to this sacred effort is having the original healers of our country – it’s Indigenous people – at the genesis of this journey,” Tom Rodgers (Blackfeet Nation), Acting President of the Global Indigenous Council said. 

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After years of planning and countless hours of work by master artisans from Indigenous groups across Alaska, 12 totem poles are about to be raised along the waterfront in Juneau, Alaska.

Importantly, several bronze masks will also be mounted nearby during the ceremony.

The two projects, known as Kootéeyaa Deiyí, or Totem Pole Trail, and Faces of Alaska, honor the five major Native groups of Alaska.

Both projects are the result of years of work by the private, nonprofit Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI). Founded in 1980 to perpetuate and enhance the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian cultures of Southeast Alaska, its goal is to “promote cultural diversity and cross-cultural understanding through public services and events,” SHI explains. It also conducts social scientific and public policy research that promotes Alaska Native arts, cultures, history, and education across the state.

“SHI continues its efforts to make Juneau the Northwest Coast art capital, and I think people will be amazed to see these installations,” Rosita Worl, president of SHI, said in a statement. “We can’t wait to unveil them to the public.”

The ceremony, which will be open to the public, will be held on Saturday, April 22, at Heritage Plaza by the Sealaska Heritage Arts Campus on Seward Street in Juneau.

Don’t worry if you can’t travel to Juneau on short notice; the event will also be live-streamed on SHI’s YouTube channel.

Totem Poles’ Importance

The totem pole, or kootéeyaa in Lingít, gyáa’aang in X̱aad Kíl, and p’tsaan in Sm’algya̱x, is one of the most widely-known art forms of the Indigenous societies of the Pacific Northwest of North America. While its exact origins are unknown, scholars have traced the earliest known examples of this artform to the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian of Southeast Alaska, Haida Gwaii, and northern British Columbia, according to SHI.

“The carved figures depict crests, spirits, and designs that symbolize the rich history of clan origins and migrations, as well as significant ancestors who made lasting contributions for their descendants,” SHI continues. “Carved exclusively of red cedar, totem poles are raised on important occasions such as marriages, the construction of a new clan house, or the transfer of historic names and titles from one generation to the next. ‘Shame poles’ were also carved if an individual or clan grievously offended another clan.”

The Totem Pole Trail

During the totem pole ceremony on April 22, 12 of the planned 33 totem poles will be raised on what will be known as Totem Pole Trail.

That initiative, which was launched in 2021, has come to fruition thanks to a $2.9 million grant from the Mellon Foundation. Importantly, the grant also provided funds that allowed apprentices to be mentored by each of the artists.

“We discovered through this process that there aren’t a lot of master artist Northwest Coast totem pole carvers. SHI’s Native Artist Committee considers a person a master artist totem pole carver if he/she has carved at least five totem poles,” Worl said. “With the limited number of master totem pole carvers, the mentor-apprentice arrangement became a vital component of the project.”

The totem poles will serve as an entry point from the waterfront to Heritage Square, which encompasses the intersection of Seward and Front Streets in Juneau, as well as the surrounding area. Each totem pole will feature a corresponding storyboard that identifies the clan, crests, and information related to the artwork, according to SHI.

The Faces Of Alaska

The Faces of Alaska art installation at the Sealaska Heritage Arts Campus will feature bronze masks that represent Alaska’s five major Native groups, including the Inupiat, Yup’ik, Alutiiq, and Athabascan. The fifth group will be a combination of the Southeast tribes, Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian, because their cultures are similar, according to SHI.

Master artists from each of those groups were selected to create four-foot monumental bronze masks, which are representative of their region’s artistic traditions. The masks, which will be positioned on pedestals, will provide a “centerpiece for discussion and education” on Alaska’s different cultural groups, SHI continues.

“I saw Juneau and Southeast Alaska as the gateway to the rest of Alaska, and I wanted to introduce visitors and residents to the other Indigenous groups of the state,” Worl said. “Additionally, other groups of Alaska Natives have settled in Juneau and Southeast Alaska, and I wanted to make them feel welcome in our region.”