The North American Indigenous Games officially kicked off last Sunday evening in Canada with the prime minister in attendance, as thousands of Indigenous athletes from across the continent filled the main hockey arena in Halifax. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was greeted by cheers and some boos, told the stadium filled with young athletes they will celebrate not only their athletic achievements, but their identity, culture and futures as Indigenous leaders over this next week. The games bring together a mix of cultures and over 5,000 athletes, coaches and staff from across Turtle Island.
Blackfeet bring back Bison to Chief Mountain. 25 genetic descendants of a wild remnant herd of bison that was saved from slaughter in 1873, were released back to lands of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. Flathead Beacon reports it was the first time a sovereign Indigenous nation has returned free-roaming bison back to their native habitat. The momentous event came after years of efforts to restore free-roaming bison to the landscape based on the effect their noted absence has had on the ecology of the land, and on the central role of bison to the tribe’s cultural lifeways.
Those are your headlines at this hour. I’m Colette Keith in the KIPI News center.
