i n t he new s Canada: W̱SÁNEĆ First Nations Recover Island February
The W̱SÁNEĆ First Nations will recover SISȻENEM, an island in British Columbia that forms part of their territory and is culturally important. The transfer of land title to the First Nations community will give them the power to protect biodiversity, culture, traditions, and Indigenous rights.
On May 2, the EZLN set sail for Europe for a mission of solidarity and rebellion. Photo courtesy of Voices of Movement Twitter page.
Canada: Magpie River Is First Canadian River to Receive Personhood February
The Magpie River is the first river in Canada to receive legal personhood, following precedent set in Ecuador and New Zealand. Personhood was granted after a decade of demands by the local municipality of Minganie, the Innu Council of Ekuanitshit, the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, and several environmental groups following irreparable damage caused by the Hydro-Québec dam.
U.S.: Lower Sioux Indian Community Recovers Land February
On February 12, 114 acres of land near Redwood Falls, Minnesota, were returned to the Lower Sioux Indian Community after 20 years of legal battles.
U.S.: Indigenous Mobilization Halts Fracking Project March
A fracked natural gas terminal project was cancelled due to the opposition of Indigenous communities and local organizations in Brownsville, Texas. The proposed Annova LNG terminal would have destroyed wildlife and put Esto’k Gna sacred sites and lands at risk.
Canada: First Bachelor’s Degree of Indigenous Language Fluency Offered March
The University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus, located in the territory of the Syilx Okanagan Nation, became the first university in Canada and one of the first in the world to offer a 2 • www. cs. org
bachelor’s degree in an Indigenous language. The Bachelor of Nsyilxcn Language Fluency program is designed to work along with Nsyilxcn speakers and promote a deeper understanding of language, culture, and customs.
U.S.: North Dakota Bill Requires Schools to Teach Native American History April
With a vote of 72-21, ND Senate Bill 2304 passed requiring Native American history to be taught in North Dakota’s elementary and secondary schools. The bill was authored by Rep. Ruth Buffalo (D) (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation).
Canada: Madawaska Maliseet Receive Compensation of $145 million April
The Madawaska Maliseet First Nation will receive $145 million CAD from the federal government over a disputed land claim of 15.78 square kilometers. The original dispute started in 1966, but the claim was not validated until 2017. It has taken an additional four years of negotiations to arrive at a settlement.
India: Indigenous Peoples Gain Seats in Tripura April
The newly formed Tipraha Indigenous People’s Regional Alliance party from the State of Tripura in northeast India has won seats in a recent election, defeating India’s ruling party, BJP, and giving Indigenous Peoples there the right to their own political decision making.
U.S.: Missing & Murdered Unit Created in Bureau of Indian Affairs April
United States Secretary of Interior, Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo), announced the formation of a new Missing & Murdered Unit within the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services to address the epidemic of missing and murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives.
Mexico: Zapatistas Set Sail to Europe May
A delegation of two men and five women from the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) departed for Spain from Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo, Mexico, on May 2 for a mission of solidarity and rebellion. The voyage marks the anniversary of the 1519– 1521 Spanish Conquest, 500 years after Hernán Cortés and his men invaded Mexico.
Mexico: Government Apologizes to Maya Peoples May
May 3 marked the anniversary of a 1901 battle that ended one of the last Indigenous rebellions in North America. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador issued an apology in Tihosuco in the Maya township of Felipe Carrillo Puerto, the headquarters of the rebellion, for centuries of brutal exploitation and discrimination.
