Monday, March 18, 2019 – The continuing Bears Ears protection debate
New leadership at the local and federal levels is changing the discussion over the fate of Bears Ears National Monument in Utah. At a recent U.S. House committee hearing, tribal leaders heaped criticism on the Trump Administration’s decision to severely reduce the boundaries established by Barack Obama in 2016. Congressional Democrats propose legislation to include even more protected land than the original monument. Much of the monument is within San Juan County, Utah. With a new Navajo majority, the county commission rescinded previous resolutions opposing Bears Ears as a national monument. We’ll get updates on the various discussions on the size of Bears Ears National Monument.
Tuesday, March 19, 2019 – A better image of Native America through graphic design
Graphic design is much more than finding the right colors and fonts for a t-shirt. It’s about communicating a message. It’s storytelling through typography, photography and illustration. Talented Native designers are using their skills and traditional knowledge to get the message across for tribes, businesses and non-profits. We’ll hear about the intricacies of telling Native stories through graphic design.
Wednesday, March 20, 2019 –Music Maker: Khu.éex’
“Héen” means “water” in the Tlingit Language. It’s also the third album by the band Khu.éex’ and it features something that holds a lot of importance in Native culture: storytelling. Jazz, rock and funk sounds, sprinkled with spoken word, create the soil that makes the landscape of this album. In the songs, dynamic rhythm and energy crawl over deep messages about respecting culture and protecting the environment. They include the song “Shell No,” that confronts the conflict between cultural values and corporate profit. Other songs in this audible artistic collection are meant to teach listeners about the beauty of life. Some of the songs feature the Tlingit Language. We’ll hear more from the members of Khu.éex’ on our March Music Maker.
Thursday, March 21, 2019 – What makes a hate group?
The Montana Human Rights Network wants a group that attacks tribal sovereignty in the courts classified as a hate group. If so, it would be the first time a group focused solely on Native Americans reached that status. The Southern Poverty Law Center just released a report showing a steady rise in the number of hate groups in the U.S. over the past four years. They define a hate group as any organized group that “has beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, typically for their immutable characteristics.” We’ll discuss what constitutes hate and whether advocating for the elimination of the federal reservation system reaches that level.
Friday, March 22, 2019 – Telling time through seasons, stars and the moon
Before Western calendars, Indigenous ways of tracking time depended on moon cycles, stars, agriculture and animal migrations. The Ojibwe have different names for moon cycles like “Falling Leaves Moon” or “Snowcrust Moon.” The Navajo calendar names months after significant activities like melting snow and planting early and late season crops. The Aztec calendar consists of both sacred and an agriculture-based elements. As the Gregorian calendar officially turns over the spring, we’ll take a moment to reflect on Indigenous timetables.
