Northern Arapaho

This week a candlelight vigil honors the memory of a Northern Arapaho man whose death has brought scrutiny to how police in Riverton handle cases involving the Indigenous community.

After the Roe v. Wade decision where the U.S. Supreme Court revoked abortion rights, the Northern Arapaho are asking the Wyoming legislature to protect Indigenous children as the US Supreme Court looks at the Indian Child Welfare Act.

The Department of Interior’s Derogatory Geographic Names Taskforce has voted to remove a slur from 650 geographic locations around the United States. Sq*** is a word that is a slur for an Indigenous woman.

At a Ethete powwow this summer, the University of Wyoming Stealing Culture team was honored for their work getting Alyson White Eagle Sounding Sides to London to see Chief Yellowcalf's headdress. White Eagle Sounding Sides is one of Yellowcalf's descendants and the first Arapaho to see his headdress at the British Museum in London in one hundred years.

Robert Martinez painted the original mural when he worked at Riverton High School as the Title IX Indian Education Coordinator 25 years ago. While the first piece was black and white, this one is vibrant with color and meaning.

Family Spirit has been in 150 tribal communities across 23 states, with 64 active sites as of the end of July according to a spokesperson from the organization. The program is a 63 lesson curriculum including information on prenatal care and information for kids up to three years old. That program is going away.

The pump failed last Friday and the Arapahoe Community Water system is still under a water advisory. Residents are told to boil their water for 3 minutes before use to prevent disease. Clinic will open Monday.

While tribal housing on the reservation has rules surrounding pets, the law and order code on the reservation doesn’t include provisions on aggressive dogs. Advocates have been pushing for both tribal councils to approve a dog ordinance, which will include fines and jail time for those in possession of uncontrollable, wandering dogs.

The Folk Art Mentoring grant started in 2005 and panelists who reviewed the applications included a master bladesmith, tribal historic preservation officer and a folk life specialist.

A federal investigation found alleged sexual misconduct, nepotism, and theft.