Navajo president calls for new VA medical, benefits centers at House hearing
WASHINGTON - Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren called on lawmakers Thursday to put Veterans Affairs medical and benefits centers on the reservation to help deliver services that he said Indigenous veterans have earned but often cannot access.
‘We are survivors:’ National, Arizona projects aim to uncover, preserve histories of Native American boarding schools
PHOENIX – The Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative launched an oral history project documenting the traumatic experiences of Indigenous children in the federal boarding school system. Local preservation efforts have already delved into Arizona’s history of boarding schools and resulting generational trauma.
New and upgraded health care facilities for Native Americans open in Arizona
PHOENIX – Several new and upgraded health facilities for Native Americans opened in Arizona this year and the Navajo Nation is working to improve the nursing shortage in rural communities.
‘Pumped’ hydropower plans proliferate; one in particular stirs opposition
WASHNGTON - Plans for pumped storage hydropower projects - which recirculate water on a loop to generate power - are proliferating in Arizona, but one in particular, at Black Mesa on the Navajo Nation, has drawn opposition from local groups.
A Flagstaff nonprofit helps its Indigenous community combat high rates of diabetes using holistic approaches
FLAGSTAFF – Native Americans for Community Action (NACA) combats diabetes within Flagstaff's Indigenous community using a holistic approach. It focuses on reconnecting with traditional cultural practices to manage and prevent diabetes.
Biden kicks off Tribal Nations Summit with order streamlining funding access
WASHINGTON - More than 100 Indigenous leaders gathered this week for the Biden administration's third Tribal Nations Summit, where President Joe Biden vowed to strengthen relationships with tribes and signed an executive order to improve their access to capital.
Supreme Court agrees to hear San Carlos Apache appeal on health care funding
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court said Monday it will consider a claim by the San Carlos Apache tribe that the federal government is shortchanging it on funds it needs to operate tribal health services.
Arizona teens share passions with others at White House Tribal Youth Forum
WASHINGTON - Gabriella Nakai has tackled challenges facing Indigenous communities on her own, but said being surrounded by others who share her passion helps lighten the load. Nakai was one of two Arizona youths at the third annual White House Tribal Youth Forum.
Hopi leader tells panel that red tape, financial hurdles put aid out of reach
WASHINGTON - The chairman of the Hopi tribe told a Senate panel Wednesday that promises of federal funding remain just that - promises - for smaller tribes for whom the money is inaccessible because of bureaucratic and financial hurdles.
Tohono O’odham official says immigration is a problem – but so is the wall
WASHINGTON - Tohono O'odham Chairman Verlon Jose told a House panel Wednesday that while migrants crossing his reservation are causing problems, those are overshadowed by problems from the construction of the border wall meant to stop migration.
Senators urged to step up after Supreme Court ruling on Navajo water rights
WASHINGTON - Witnesses told a Senate hearing the federal government has both a a legal and an ethical obligation to ensure water access for tribes. The Supreme Court this summer rejected a Navajo claim that the government needed to take steps to protect its water rights.
Tribal water infrastructure needs more than a one-time fix, senators told
The infusion of federal money for infrastructure projects is a welcome first step toward fixing deep problems with water systems on tribal lands, but it's only a first step, an Arizona official testified Wednesday.
