Visit with The Dean

The Congressman is on his 25th term. I met him for the first time in 1987 when I was a young intern for Senator Ted Stevens in his D.C. office. And in 2021I was determined to visit with him before I traveled back home to Alaska from Washington D.C. and I was scheduled for a 1/2 hour visit. Although its been quite awhile since I’ve seen him in person it was good to see him in good shape. I met his second wife as well. What I didn’t know when I got to his office on the House side of the Capitol was that there is a picture printer and photographer snapping pictures of the visit. I had no idea that I would get a signed picture with him. It was a good surprise. He told me his stories of his start in Alaska and showed me a picture hanging on his wall of the little school house he taught at. And there was also a picture of a barge that he had worked on during his early days.

Although the visit was a short half hour it will be one of my favorite memories in 2021. I shared some topics I was interested in, which included Education, the By Catch in the Gulf of Alaska, and Climate changes and its effects. I shared a personal incident on the increasing strength of the wind in Southeast Alaska. My childhood home in the late eve of January 2020 the roof blew off and due to the ongoing storm the inside of the house was water damaged throughout. The tides are also increasingly getting higher and since the house is on the beach the tide comes up and under the house during the Fall and Winter months. Our hope is to build another home for my mom on the property that has been handed down through the generations in our family.

As our time wrapped up and we chatted a bit more about Alaska. And as I waited for my signed picture, a staffer came out and introduced herself. She told me about her work in policy and we chatted about current issues. Its always good to meet new Alaskans. I am grateful to the staff for arranging the 1/2 hour with the Dean and will look back on our visit often.

MMIW Workforce Initiation

On April 1st the Department of the Interior announced that it will be opening the Murdered & Missing Unit within the Bureau of Indian Affairs. “Violence against Indigenous peoples is a crisis that has been underfunded for decades. Far too often, murders and missing persons cases in Indian country go unsolved and unaddressed, leaving families and communities devastated,” said Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. “The new MMU unit will provide the resources and leadership to prioritize these cases and coordinate resources to hold people accountable, keep our communities safe, and provide closure for families.” -DOI Press Release

In Alaska, 300 Alaska Natives are in an FBI missing-persons database. And, 30% of Alaska murder victims are Indigenous people, even though they are just 16% of the state’s population.

It is time for the agencies to develop job descriptions and begin recruitment and training. The communities need people who are passionate about their jobs and willing to solve the cases, including getting out and educating the communities. Women and Indigenous woman investigators are the number one people needed to handle the cases! Woman investigators, may include Woman Veterans, retired Woman Police Officers, and Troopers. It is tiring of hearing there is back log and only one person handling a case load.

The need has been apparent and funding will be going to these cold case and investigative positions, including counseling, and forensics, just to list a few that will be needed. It will be a relief to finally be able to take on this crisis with a workforce that will be dedicated to solving cases and finding lost women so that their families and communities can move forward knowing that everything that could be done was done. And then maybe they would have some kind of peace, peace to move on with life.

The Alaska Department of Public Safety (DPS) is seeking qualified applicants to attend the DPS Training Academy beginning on February 27, 2022. Successful candidates will be appointed as an Alaska State Trooper Recruit of Alaska State Trooper, depending in their qualifications. All new employees to this job class receive high caliber training at no expense and will earn wages and benefits while attending the academy. Anchorage salary: 28.10/hour, Juneau salary: 29.50/hour, Bethel salary: 42.14/hour. -DPS website

On May 4th, President Biden announced a Proclamation on Missing and Murdered and Indigenous persons awareness day 2021. Copy link to read the full proclamation, https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/05/04/a-proclamation-on-missing-and-murdered-indigenous-persons-awareness-day-2021/

Copy this link and learn about the many career paths needed in the FBI https://www.fbijobs.gov/. The site also has information on qualifications.

Below is information for those seeking assistance on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault.

Alaska

Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault 130 Seward St., Suite 214 Juneau, AK 99801 Phone: 907-586-3650 Website: www.andvsa.org

Yupik Women’s Coalition P.O. Box 207 Emmonak, AK 99581 Phone: 907-949-6252/ 907-949-6388 Website: www.yupikwomen.org

Black SUV’s, Choppers, Guards, Gates, Cicada’s, Scooters and Uber’s

For most of the time in Washington, D.C., due to the attack, on the Capitol on January 6th also considered an insurrection, the capitol locked down. Up went fences, approximately 16,000 troops from around the country showed up to guard the White House, Capitol Building, and the Senate and House buildings and grounds!

Then the choppers hummed consistently for the next 3 months over D.C. and it became a familiar sound as I drifted off to sleep at night. The gates were 10 feet high with barbed wire. Entry in to the Senate was limited, and there was TSA type security check for everyone, including all staff.

The National Guard became part of the everyday mingle and bustle inside and outside on the grounds. It was relieving as well because it provided a sense of protection and security, for individuals, including myself. There was still some safety concerns after the attack on the Capitol and warnings to stay cautious. It was during this time that there was also a constant flow of Suv’s – the way you see it in the movies.

Spring started creeping in and it reminded me of home because of the constant short flurries of snow, and rain, and bursts of sun. On weekend adventures Uber was my choice of transportation and the welcome of food delivery service. However, cabs seem a bit cheaper and are willing to pick up where ever you maybe. Uber at one point said I was too far away for them to pick me up – I was near the National Mall. A cab showed up within minutes that day. It was getting dark. Due to the attacks it was advised to be in by dark. I heeded the message due to not wanting to run into a band of people who have an issue with minorities.

The cherry blooms burst out in April and they were lovely to see. Except it also causes my allergies to inflame, good thing I was wearing a mask, it kept the pollen from the flowers from overburdening my sinuses. The allergies were kept at a minimum. There were tons of people out on the day I went to tour Thomas Jefferson memorial and people use scooters to get around. It seems like a quick way to get around and Uber has the application, so in D.C. there are Uber scooters and bikes on all the corners. So if you ever visit D.C. there are plenty of ways to get around, and walking and taking your time to enjoy the sights is great too. Especially if you have the time to soak it in!

The month of May rolls in and there is an insect that appears every 17 years in D.C., the Cicada’s!!! These insects burrow in the ground and stay there for 17 long years. When the time comes for them to dig themselves out of their extremely long hibernation, they crawl out of a hole that has to be 65 degrees, they wiggle around for a few days and start growing wings. They are edible too. Nice fat, juicy, bugs. There was a few nice days I really wanted to sit in the park on the grass, however, I didn’t want to spend my lunch hour with uninvited bugs that can crawl at a fairly good pace and thought my coworkers probably wouldn’t appreciate it if I had passengers carried unknowingly to the office. It’s been a great and interesting 2021 spring. Google Cicada’s. Thankful for the views and the people.

Resilience

Today, across the country our many sisters will wear red in remembrance of herself. The long battle that has gone on too long – in that spirit however a strength no one has seen before. She rises to the light and forages through all the dark forces knowing generations depend on her, her spirit is relentless and eternal.

It is MMIW National Day of awareness! How did this come to be we ask ourselves? Stories, and statistics of the disproportionate pain shared across the centuries, since the founding of America. Separation. Extermination. Genocide.

I carry my own stories. That break the heart. Stories of sister cousins. I witness first hand the generational trauma’s and adverse childhood effects that keeps the cycle going. As a person who is aware of the injustices and abuses, I took a step toward healing. Healing myself. Healing my family. Healing my community. That, however, is another story I can share at another time.

For those who do not know what this National Day of awareness means to countless women and girls across the America’s. It is a primal scream that the world must wake up and humanity open its eyes to the continued abuses to the beautiful and brilliant indigenous woman across the world. No more stolen sisters! The chant!

STATISTICS

• Indigenous Womxn (girls +) murdered 10x higher than all other ethnicities
• Murder is the 3rd leading cause of death for Indigenous Womxn (Centers for Disease Control)
• More than 4 out of 5 Indigenous Womxn (American Indian & Alaskan Native AI/AN) have experienced violence (84.3%) (National Institute of Justice Report)
• More than half Indigenous (AI/AN) Womxn experience sexual violence (56.1%)
• More than half Indigenous (AI/AN) Womxn have been physically abused by their intimate partners (55.5 percent) 
• less than half of Indigenous (AI/AN) Womxn have been stalked in their lifetime (48.8 percent).
• Indigenous (AI/AN) Womxn are 1.7 times more likely than Anglo-American women to experience violence. 
• Indigenous (AI/AN) Womxn are 2xs more likely to be raped than Anglo-American white women. 
• Murder rate of Indigenous (AI/AN) Womxn is 3xs higher than Anglo-American women. 

The statistics speak volumes on this current and present day atrocity. The disparities unheartening. The rates astonishing. But the strength and courage and the spirit allows us to continue to fight battles. War torn and fragile, but like the soul, love gives the abominable female spirit glory in all her conflicts, she will not cease, until humanity listens.

Chief Seattle said, “Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.”

Consultation Redefined

A definition; a meeting with an expert or professional, such as a medical doctor, in order to seek advice. “A consultation with a homeopathic doctor”, is the Merriam Webster dictionary second definition.

To consult – an expert and seek the advice of the person who has the wisdom and knowledge, is a better fitting definition of how tribes should be sought after. We know what is best for our people and land!

NCAI Notes Working on Consent Zoom discussion March 3, 2021  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZFqa7cZCJE

This zoom panel was amazing. The work here is to have a unified definition of “Consent” as it pertains to Consultation with tribes, and then to update policy and standards.   

The panel guests were, Colette Routel, Kim Teehee, Michael Connor, and Fawn Sharp. Consent in the past has not worked very well and now the tribes are looking to redefine what it means to tribes across the nation and to educate the agencies.

The panel – agreed that is not just a procedural – such as a ‘check off the box’ process, but would like to implement actual robust dialogue, that is actually collaborative and cooperative between agencies. Real engagement and nation to nation decisions made together.

Is there a structural way to revise the old definition?

• Reframe the model
• Internal Collaboration
• Define a uniform consensus understanding
• Periodic check in
• No third party – it can harm actions
• Free, prior and informed
• Substantive due process

Educational

Once it’s envisioned and agreed upon the people can manifest it to reality.

• Political equals, as sovereigns
• Training of staff and agencies for consistency
• Tribal Liaisons – build trust and understanding
• Inherent rights – violations set
• Tribes set the agenda
• Iterations to build on basics of fundamental understanding
• Procedural due process

In the past, consent has been not understood by agency heads and therefor limited if at all – tribes voices were muffled and has not been productive. Now is the time to make appropriate changes and restructuring of what consent means, or should mean, and then educate.

The Marshal Trilogy was discussed in some detail in the beginning of the panel discussion.

• Duty to provide services
• Duty to protect
• Duty to protect resources

*My notes are the jest of what I jotted down and was not verbatim, nor transcribed.

Using Social Media to Educate

Do you like to write, make short video’s, tik tok, tweet, Instagram? These are numerous social media tools that can enable you to reach many people and sharing your story, insights, perspective, even research backed up by science. Lately, I appreciate the many indigenous individual sharing their stories and cultures on social media. It is an amazing and colorful world that we live in.

The clips, often, are not very long, and, just being able to visually see a few pictures, or speaking on a certain topic and letting the viewer know what is being done can be very informative. Because social media can reach around the world, people that had zero inclination or knowledge of a certain issues, crises, indigenous knowledge on living cultures, can be shared.

Complexities of issues can often be hard to explain, however, a quick picture and explanation can open eyes, and plant a seed, and, initiate further exploration, which, in turn magnifies the world is full of such diverse peoples, unique and connected with their homelands. It is a great opportunity to share. So please do! Haw’aa!

Honored Hero’s of the Past

Walking through the Capitol we came upon a plaque with a list of names. These names were the people who gave their life in the September 11th attack on our Nation. This aircraft in particular was headed toward the Nations Capitol. Congress was in session this day bustling with staff, Capitol police, interns, fellows, congressmen and women, and tourists young and old. Due to heroic actions by passengers the plane fortunately did not hit the Capitol but all the passengers and flight went down in a field in the outskirts of the city.

They were honored and a plaque bears their names in remembrance and memory for their sacrifice and for their heroism in saving the Capitol, saving the lives and giving their own to the greater good. May their souls rest easy and in peace.

Our Forests Must Thrive

First, let’s start with the Why? Why we need to move towards green, clean, and renewable energy. I researched the science and will not get in to depth (disclaimer), I am not a scientist but research science studies and reports. I will only be explaining in terms of how the current cycle is out of balance, and out of control in very simple terms. However, I can leave some links. And, if there were any blessing in the pandemic its that the planet had some time to take a breath from all the carbon that is put into the atmosphere.

The Science the amount of co2 in the air is far to high a percentage and the use of Fossil Fuel contributes immensely to the cause. The global average atmospheric carbon dioxide in 2019 was 409.8 parts per million (ppm for short), with a range of uncertainty of plus or minus 0.1 ppm. Carbon dioxide levels today are higher than at any point in at least the past 800,000 years.

Deforestation – why this is important to understand, and how it pertains to Alaska and the Tongass Forest! Trees, forests, capture carbon from the air and transform it back into oxygen. This is very basic understanding and its importance in Alaska and on the world scale. These forests currently have high above‐ and below-ground carbon density, high tree species richness, and a high proportion of critical habitat for endangered vertebrate species, indicating a strong potential to support biodiversity into the future and promote ecosystem resilience to climate change. 2.27.20 MN data

Maintaining a healthy Tongass Forest provides jobs, and other economic, social and recreational benefits for communities – but most important the forest takes carbon out of the air and exchanges it to oxygen. Being active as an individual in the community – such as on, boards or councils, in providing sustainable management of the Tongass will provide the positive impacts of its ecosystems which in turn affect the people and society.

What individuals can do to lessen the carbon foot print is to use less fossil fuel and use battery operated vehicles, no more coal burning, or co2 emissions, and prevent old growth clear cutting – because old growth trees draw out a certain amount of co2 out of the air. Because there is such a high density of co2 in the air at present, the needs to be 40 million trees planted just to draw out enough co2. The amazon forest is losing the battle from greed. If we humans want to continue to live on the planet we need to begin the reversal of destroying large forests.

There are so many people that are disconnected with the importance and think that nothing is happening which is a horrible denial. This is science and not bureaucracy. Working across jurisdictional boundaries is essential in providing the best practices in forest health. People tend to confuse the two. We are literally fighting for the life of the planet, human lives, and the future. Research if you do not understand, fight for your life and the lives of others, and fight for our earth to continue to provide for all humans to be able to have the human experience.

https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/trends/ff.html

https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-atmospheric-carbon-dioxide#:~:text=The%20global%20average%20atmospheric%20carbon,least%20the%20past%20800%2C000%20years.

Representation, Recognition, & Healing for First Nation’s Commence

March 15 Senate vote! Feeling like I was hallowed ground, well I guess I was. Waited in anticipation for the big Senate Vote the people from across the North America and likely across the world! The final step by the Senate in support for the first Native American and Indigenous Woman to lead the United States of the Department of the Interior Deb Haaland.

The day prior, I had spend the day in meditation about the vote. And in thought how this will be healing for indigenous people who lost so much in the past few centuries and how genocide was suppose to wipe the indigenous people from their own lands from history. But destiny had other plans! I felt earths energy all day. Stirring, changing, preparing, purifying and wiping away that old energy. It was blowing consistently about 9 and some gusts, but consistent.

On the morning of the 15th it was calm as I rushed to work I was saying prayers in my mind. The earth lives and provides us of all we humans need and has been around for billions of years. The earth also has its own resonance, own energy, a living globe, in which we humans are connected too. Indigenous people know and feel this relationship with the earth. It greatly disturbs our connected spirits when the energy that sustains us is stifled. Although our minds have been repressed and strangled, our spirits have not. That has endlessly strengthened us and our purpose. We are here! And today marked a significant day in history.

As the votes came in, I sat and counted, watched who voted. One by one. In the end the Alaska Senators voted to confirm Deb Haaland. My pride permeated the spaces I was in, my peace fell over my being and beyond. Now, my prayers are for continued support for our lands, waters, air and food. Lets keep working hard in a good direction!

Many people across the country prayed for this day. It has come. Haw’aa!

A Holy Man

Walking through Emancipation Hall I was drawn to this full body statue. And I wanted to know more about him…

Po’pay led a Rebellion against Spaniard colonists in 1680 in what is now the State of New Mexico. That rebellion kept the colonists out for over a decade.  

Po’pay was one of forty seven medicine men sentenced to die by hanging. However, four medicine men were sentenced to death; three of those sentences were carried out, while a fourth prisoner committed suicide. The remaining men were publicly whipped and sentenced to prison. When this news reached the Pueblo leaders, they moved in force to Santa Fe, where the prisoners were held. Because a large number of Spanish soldiers were away fighting the Apache, Governor Treviño was forced to accede to the Pueblo demand for the release of the prisoners. Among those released was a San Juan (“Ohkay Owingeh” in the Tewa Language) native named “Popé“.^{[8] Wikipedia}

Shortly after his release Po’pay’s lead his first successful revolt against the Spanish, the Pueblo expelled the colonists and kept them out of the territory for twelve years. The Pueblo suffered abuses from Spanish overlords, soldiers, priests, and their Mexican Indian allies, many from Tlaxcala. In particular, the Spanish suppressed the religious ceremonies of the Pueblo. The effects of violence, forced labor, and European diseases (against which they had no immunity) reduced the Pueblo population to about 15,000 by the latter years of the 17th century.^{[2] Wikipedia}

Po’pay was described as a “fierce and dynamic individual…who inspired respect bordering on fear in those who dealt with him.^[4]

Today, Po’pay’s likeness stands in emancipation hall in the U.S. Capitol. The artist, Cliff Fragua, was the first American Indian artist to have a statue placed in the Statuary Hall. The statue, slightly larger than life size, shows Po’Pay holding a knotted cord in his left hand, the signal for the initiation of the revolt. In his right hand is a bear fetish and behind him a pot, both symbolizing the Pueblo world and religion. On his back are the scars from the whipping he received as a consequence of his observing Pueblo religious ceremonies. Herman Agoyo of Ohkay Owingeh said: “To the Pueblo people here, Po’pay is our hero. Tribes were on the verge of losing their cultural identity when the Pueblo revolt brought everything back on track for our people.”^[14] It is one of two statues presented by New Mexico to the National Statuary Hall Collection. It is currently displayed in the Capitol Visitors’ Center.

A granddaughter of New Mexico will soon be a Cabinet Secretary and once again oversee the lands of the grandmothers.