Life expectancy for Native Americans and Alaska Natives declined more than any other race between 2020 and 2021, according to new data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The decline was mirrored in the overall population: The United States’ life expectancy at birth for 2021 was about 76 years, the lowest it has been since 1996. The data shows the decline in Native communities was due primarily to increases in mortality due to Covid-19 — which impacted Indigenous peoples more than any other race — as well as unintentional injuries, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, suicide, and heart disease.
The largest, most comprehensive budget in the history of the Cherokee Nation will improve lives both for Cherokees and non-Cherokees across our 7,000 square reservation miles in northeast Oklahoma. In the coming fiscal year, we will distribute more than $3.5 billion into more and better services for Cherokee citizens. The Cherokee Nation Executive and Finance Committee, a committee of the Council of the Cherokee Nation, recently passed unanimously the record-breaking 2023-2024 budget.
As a child, she learned to be her home’s cook out of necessity. Now, she’s Chef Kimberly Brave Heart…Chef Brave Heart, a member of the Oglala Lakota Nation of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, hosted a number of dishes, featuring appetizers like cold cucumbers gazpacho and steak kabobs. Brave Heart is one of several native chefs making gains in the area of culinary arts and food sovereignty.
