i n t he new s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointing Mary Simon (Inuk) as Canada’s first Indigenous governor general. Photo: Wikimedia.
U.S.: New Legislation Requires Tribal Consent May
New Washington State legislation seeks to require consent of local Tribes before any projects occur on Indigenous land. The Climate Commitment Act additionally mandates that 10 percent of all carbon tax revenue will go to Washington Tribes, and public funding will be available for Tribes forced to relocate due to rising sea levels.
U.S.: Passamaquoddy Reacquire Pine Island May
The Passamaquoddy Tribe has partnered with the Maine chapter of The Nature Conservancy to buy Kuwesuwi Monihq, also known as Pine Island. The return of this island secures the reinstatement of traditional hunting and fishing grounds.
U.S.: Papscanee Island Returned to StockbridgeMunsee Tribe May
Papscanee Island in New York, once owned by a land conservation group called Open Space, is being returned to the Stockbridge-Munsee Tribe. The island holds historical value for the Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican Peoples.
Australia: Government Must Protect Youth from Climate Crisis May
Eight teenagers sought to prevent the environment minister of Australia from expanding the Vickery coal mine in New South Wales. In a landmark decision, the federal court of Australia found that the environment minister had a duty to protect young people against future harm from climate change.
U.S.: Yurok Tribe Reclaims Ancestral Territory in Northern California Spring/Summer
The Yurok Tribe has partnered with The Trust for Public Land to reacquire more 2 • www. cs. org
than 2,000 acres of ancestral land surrounding Ke’pel Creek. Tribal members will be able to hunt, fish, and hold ceremonies on this land without facing intrusions from tourists, park rangers, or loggers.
U.S.: 18,000 Acres Returned to Tribes in Montana June
The U.S. Department of the Interior has returned 18,800 acres of land to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation in Montana. The lands were already in the bounds of the reservation and are now being restored to Tribal leadership, making this a milestone in efforts to reinstate ancestral lands to Indigenous Peoples.
transportation finances is a monu- mental step for self-determination and self-governance for Cherokee Nation communities.
Mexico: Zapatista 421 Squad Sends Delegation to Galicia June
The Zapatista 421 Squad, mostly made up of Indigenous Peoples who are protesting inequality in southern Mexico, landed in Galicia, Spain to mark the 500th anniversary of the Spanish Conquest and will begin its tour of Europe.
U.S.: Saami Council Blocks Controversial Harvard Engineering Project June
Australia: Indigenous Mirrar Peoples Regain Ownership of Town of Jabiru Jabiru, a town built in 1982 to support a nearby uranium mine on the edge of Kakadu National Park, has been transferred to its local and traditional owners, the Mirrar Peoples. Mirarr leaders plan to transform the local economy away from mining into tourism.
The Saami Council, which represents regional Saami Peoples in northern Scandinavia and northwest Russia, successfully petitioned Harvard Uni- versity to shut down its controversial Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment. The Saami Council argued that the project, which seeks to combat climate change by artificially blocking the sun’s rays, would damage natural systems.
U.S.: Cherokee Nation to Self-Govern Tribal Transportation
Canada: Indigenous Peoples Reclaim Traditional Names on Passports
June
June
The Cherokee Nation has become the first Tribe to secure the right to plan and finance road improvements and projects without federal permission or oversight. Having autonomy over
People of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis backgrounds, especially those who were forced to change their names in residential schools, can now reclaim their traditional names on passports
June