U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland says her agency will work to restore more large bison herds to Native American lands. Haaland issued an order on Friday for government workers to tap into Indigenous knowledge in their efforts to conserve bison. Also known as buffalo, the burly animals are an icon of the American West. Bison are culturally important for many tribes. They were driven to near extinction in the late 1800s. Haaland is also announcing $25 million to build new herds, transfer more bison from federal to tribal lands and forge new bison management agreements with tribes.
2 western Washington men have been arrested for posing as Native American artists. The two men were selling items for thousands of dollars at the famous tourist stopping spot Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle. The two men from Western Washington have pleaded guilty to impersonating Native American artists and selling their wares at Pike Place Market art galleries. Both men pleaded guilty to violating the Indian Arts and Crafts Act (IACA) by falsely representing themselves as Native Americans despite having no tribal enrollment or heritage. “When non-Native artists falsely claim Indian heritage, they can take sales away from true Indian artists working to support themselves with skills and techniques handed down for generations,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “Stores and galleries need to partner with artists to ensure those artisans and craftsmen advertised as Indian Artists truly have tribal status.”
Those are your headlines at this hour. I’m Colette Keith in the KIPI News center.
