WASHINGTON, D.C. — Fulfilling a campaign pledge, President Obama welcomed nearly 400 tribal leaders to his White House Tribal Nations Conference on Thursday and assured them that his support of Native issues is genuine and his historic summit is no mere "lip service" to Indian Country.
Rows of rundown houses sit among stunted trees on a bleak, wind-swept plateau. The nearest mountains are a faint smudge on the horizon, and a boarded-up house marks the end of the road.
Three teenage girls died here, at the Beaver Creek housing complex, in early June. All three were members of the Northern Arapaho Tribe.
Federal authorities have not said what killed them, although tribal leaders say the deaths highlight the scourge of drugs and alcohol on the reservation. And the leaders say the deaths show the price the tribe continues to pay for the slow evaporation of its culture, Native language and traditional ways.
“At this point, it seems that we’re losing it,” said Harvey Spoonhunter, co-chairman of the Northern Arapaho Business Council, the tribe’s governing body. “I think the youth, from 12 to 18, are kind of lost. They don’t know their place in the tribe.”
Ohetica Win Elyxis Gardner, 13, Winter Rose Thomas, 14, and Alexandrea “Alex” Whiteplume, 15, were all found dead on the morning of June 4. Authorities have declined to release details on the circumstances surrounding their death.
Autopsies have been performed. The FBI says the investigation is ongoing.
http://www.reznetnews.org/article/flandreau-santee-sioux-tribe/indians-voting,-reservations
Some members said they don’t care. Others don’t think their vote will matter. But Gilbert still believes that every vote matters so she spent Election Day driving folks to the polls.
“It’s a daily struggle to get through 24 hours,” Gilbert said. “OK,” she added, pausing, “you’re asking me to vote. Vote for what? … I can’t even get milk, food and now gas.”
Nevertheless, Gilbert said she has no plans to stop voting and wants others to do the same
http://www.reznetnews.org/article/feature-article/‘love-bread’
PAWHUSKA, Okla.—Indian tacos might not be a staple of the American Indian diet, but they are known throughout Indian Country as a delicious entrée. For some it’s all about the frybread. For others the chili makes the taco. However, there is one certainty for Indian taco lovers everywhere: It depends on the cook.
