Jim Watts, right, and his son James dance in the Adams Center at the University of Montana on Saturday.(Tom Bauer/Missoulian)
It’s the longest-running student powwow in the country. The Kyi-Yo Pow Wow is going on this weekend at the University of Montana, and as usual, it’s a cultural and visual feast. “For us, this is life. There is no reconnection to the past for us. You might see it that way, but this is the life that we live,” Billy Wadsworth, lead singer of a Blood drum circle, tells the Missoulian’s Michael Moore, here.
Tobacco giant Philip Morris funds anti-Native cigarette campaign
The huge Philip Morris tobacco company has begun an extensive ad campaign urging New York state to collect taxes on cigarettes sold in Indian reservations. This story by Indian Country Today details those efforts, involving full-page newspaper ads and a website, collectthetaxny.com.
First Nations community kicks out drug, alcohol abusers
The hereditary chiefs of Ahousaht, a First Nations community on Flores Island in British Columbia, have banished a dozen drug and alcohol abusers, the Vancouver Sun reports here. The chiefs said the wrenching decision was made after many warnings, and that the 12 can’t return until they’ve sought help.
Judge halts election of new Navajo Council
Although Navajo Nation voters decided in December to reduce the size of the council from 88 to 24 members, candidates filed for 88 seats. So, according to the Navajo Times, a judge has issued a temporary restraining order to stop the election from going forward until the issue can be resolved.
Group seeks Alaska Native center in downtown Anchorage
A nonprofit called Sobermiut is trying to create an Alaska Native community center in Anchorage, according to the Anchorage Daily News. The idea is to put Native kids in touch with elders, in a setting that mirrors the dynamic found in traditional communities.
Billy Mills back in Kansas with scholarships for Native students
Billy Mills, who won Olympic gold in the 10,000-meter run in 1964, was back in Kansas last week to give out scholarships to Native students. Mills was born on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, went to the Haskell Indian School in Kansas after being orphaned, and the rest, as they say, is history. But even after his Olympic glory, he faced discrimination. Read about his talks with students in the Kansas City Star.
Gwen Florio
Tags: 1964 Tokyo Olympics, Ahousaht, Alaska Native, Alcohol abuse, Anchorage, Billy Mills, British Columbia, buffalo post, drug abuse, First Nations, Flores Island, Gwen Florio, Haskell Indian School, Kyi-Yo Pow Wow, Mohawk, Native American news, Navajo Nation, Philip Morris, Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Seneca, Sobermuit, University of Montana
