A roundtable of Native American agricultural leaders at a recent U.S. Senate hearing lobbied for increased sovereignty and social justice in the coming farm bill by expanding tribes’ jurisdiction over U.S. Department of Agriculture programs. It’s called “638” authority and refers to Public Law 93-638, which gives tribes the power to manage certain federal programs that benefit their communities. The authority is administered via contracts and compacts, and has been used to delegate control of health care and infrastructure services to Native peoples in past years. It has more recently been applied to Native nutrition and wildfire management through two USDA pilot programs, created in the 2018 farm bill.
The 47th annual American Indian Council Powwow at Montana State University will be held March 31 through April 1 at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse. The powwow is free and open to all. The MSU American Indian Council Powwow is one of the largest in Montana. The powwow begins at 6 p.m. Friday, March 31, with a grand entry. There will also be grand entries at noon and 6 p.m. Saturday, April 1. Dance and drum competitions with cash prizes are offered at the completion of the powwow.
Those are your Headlines at this hour, I’m Colette Keith in the KIPI News center.
