October 2020
October 12, 2020
Events happening on Indigenous Peoples' Day
As Indigenous Peoples' Day gains in acceptance across the United States, more and more events as being held in commemoration of the holiday. We've gathered some of the events happening today which you can join virtually.
October 2, 2020
Resolutions Submissions Process Now Open
Resolutions are now being accepted for the 77th Annual Convention & Marketplace!
October 1, 2020
Native Advocacy Organizations Release Joint Statement Recognizing Domestic Violence Awareness Month This October
September 2020
September 21, 2020
National Congress of American Indians Highlights National Voter Registration Day and Native Vote
The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) is hosting a special Taking Action in 2020 Livestream on Tuesday, September 22, 2020 to bring awareness to National Voter Registration Day and highlight the importance and the power of the Native Vote.
September 17, 2020
Haaland, Cole, McCollum Introduce Bill to Protect Indigenous Burial Sites From Unlawful Excavation, Theft
“The preservation of our Native cultures, lifeways, places, and histories for present and future generations is core to NCAI’s mission. These amendments are long overdue. NCAI is grateful to Representative Haaland and the co-sponsors of these important amendments and urges Congress to take immediate action to ensure our ancestors and sacred sites are protected.” - said Kevin Allis, CEO of the National Congress of American Indians
September 10, 2020
Statement on Kansas City Chiefs Announcement of Game Day Rituals
NCAI views the Kansas City Chiefs' announced modifications as positive yet modest initial steps in a long and ongoing educational process that ultimately will lead to comprehensive change, change that respects the humanity, diversity, resiliency, and vibrancy of tribal nations, cultures, and peoples.
August 2020
August 27, 2020
Protect ICWA Campaign Partners Applaud Lawsuit Challenging Data Collection Withdrawal in the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) Final Rule
Today we applaud the broad coalition of tribal nations and foster and LGBTQ+ youth organizations who filed a lawsuit challenging the 2020 Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) Final Rule. The 2020 Rule rolled back state foster care agency data reporting requirements and undermined the ability of tribal governments, states, policymakers, and advocates to understand the unique experiences and needs of specific populations, and establish effective interventions to keep children safe and end decades of overrepresentation of Indian children in state foster care systems.
August 26, 2020
Letter from the President: 2020 Annual Conference & Marketplace to be Fully Virtual
I am writing to update you on the status of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) upcoming 77th Annual Convention & Marketplace, scheduled to be held November 8-13, 2020 in Portland, Oregon.
August 14, 2020
NCAI and NIEA Statement on BIE School Reopenings
The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) and the National Indian Education Association (NIEA) express deep concern regarding reopening plans for Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) schools and the safety and health of all students, teachers, administrators, and community members.
August 12, 2020
The History of the Jingle Dress Dance
Throughout Indian Country, women and girls don their Jingle Dresses and mesmerize powwows as they move lightly, kicking out their heels and bouncing to the drumbeat. The dresses – also known as Prayer Dresses – are lined with rows and rows of metal cones, or ziibaaska’iganan, traditionally made from rolled up snuff can lids and hung from the dress. The cones create another melody as the dancers move, mimicking the sound of falling rain and bringing a sense of peace to the whole endeavor.
August 5, 2020
National Native Organizations Issue Joint Statement on U.S. Census Bureau Change to 2020 Census Operations
The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), the Native American Rights Fund (NARF), and the National Urban Indian Family Coalition (NUIFC) are deeply alarmed and concerned with this unwarranted and irresponsible decision. An accurate Census count is essential to ensure fair and accurate representation of all Americans, including this country’s First Americans, because Census data is used for reapportionment of congressional seats and in redistricting to elect representatives at every level of government. Ending the 2020 Census count early during a global pandemic is not only bad policy, it puts at risk the ability of our communities to access social safety net and other benefits that a complete Census count affords Americans wherever they are.
July 2020
July 31, 2020
NCAI Calls on the FCC to Honor its Trust Responsibility to Tribal Nations During Global Pandemic
Despite widespread requests from tribal nations, intertribal organizations, the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, Congress, various corporations, and national broadband advocates to extend the 2.5 GHz tribal priority filing window by 180 days, earlier today the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced only a 30-day extension of the 2.5 GHz Tribal Priority Window (TPW) to September 2, 2020.
July 31, 2020
NCAI Partners with Bright Path Strong and Pictureworks Entertainment to Support the Jim Thorpe “Take Back What Was Stolen” Movement
The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) is proud to join forces with Pictureworks Entertainment and tribal partners across the country to “Take Back What Was Stolen,” an initiative to restore legendary Native American athlete and icon Jim Thorpe’s status as the sole gold medal champion of the 1912 Olympic decathlon and pentathlon.
July 29, 2020
Statement on U.S. House of Representatives Passing Amendment Protecting the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and its Reservation Land
The inclusion of this amendment to protect the reservation land of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe is a welcome development, and an important recognition of tribal sovereignty by the U.S. House of Representatives.
July 23, 2020
NCAI Statement on Legislative Efforts to Diminish Tribal Sovereignty in Oklahoma
NCAI is aware of a legislative effort currently underway in Congress to disestablish or terminate the reservations of certain tribal nations in Oklahoma, and we will aggressively oppose this baseless action.
July 23, 2020
Call to artists
The National Congress of American Indians is holding its 77th Annual Convention & Marketplace on November 8-13, 2020, and is seeking artwork for the conference program cover from local Native artists in the Northwest region.
July 15, 2020
NCAI Statement on Legal Filing by Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation Regarding Illegal Taking of Nation’s Missouri Riverbed Property Rights
Today, the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation (MHA Nation) took steps to prevent the illegal taking of the Nation’s property rights to minerals beneath the Missouri River on its Fort Berthold Reservation in western North Dakota. The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) holds firm its position in support of the MHA Nation’s land and mineral rights, and has advocated for government-to-government consultation between the MHA Nation and the Department of the Interior’s Office of the Solicitor to confirm the longstanding Executive and Congressional actions declaring that the Missouri River bed within the Fort Berthold Reservation is owned by the MHA Nation.
July 13, 2020
NCAI Statement on the Washington Football Team’s Retirement of Racist Mascot
"Today is a day for all Native people to celebrate. We thank the generations of tribal nations, leaders, and activists who worked for decades to make this day possible. We commend the Washington NFL team for eliminating a brand that disrespected, demeaned, and stereotyped all Native people, and we call on all other sports teams and corporate brands to retire all caricatures of Native Americans that they use as their mascots."
July 9, 2020
Historic Win in McGirt v. Oklahoma
The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), the nation’s oldest, largest, and most representative organization comprised of American Indian and Alaska Native tribal nations and their citizens, along with the Native American Rights Fund (NARF), the oldest and largest legal organization devoted to protecting the rights of Native American tribes and people, applaud this morning’s decision in the U.S. Supreme Court case, which confirmed that the treaty-defined boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation still remain in full force today.
July 6, 2020
Great Plains Tribes Win Important Legal Fight to Protect Tribal Water and Treaty Resources
The Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Association (GPTCA), the Native American Rights Fund (NARF), and the National Congress of American Indians Fund (NCAI Fund) applaud the D.C. District Court’s decision today to vacate the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Lake Oahe easement for the Dakota Access Pipeline, and to require the removal of all oil flowing through the pipeline by August 5, 2020.
July 3, 2020
NCAI Response to the Washington Football Team’s Commitment to Addressing Name Change
WASHINGTON, DC | Today, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) welcomed the Washington NFL team’s announcement this morning of its plan to conduct a “thorough review” of the team’s name and mascot, which represents an important breakthrough for Indian Country in its longstanding effort to change the name and mascot.
July 2, 2020
NCAI Commends Leadership of FedEx in Taking Stand Against the Washington NFL Team’s Racial Slur Mascot, Calls on League’s Other Sponsors and Retailers to Join Movement
The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) commends this evening’s formal request by FedEx asking the Washington NFL team to “change the team name.” FedEx’s announcement is particularly noteworthy given that the company is the stadium sponsor of the Washington NFL team, and FedEx CEO Fred Smith owns a minority ownership stake in the team.
July 1, 2020
NCAI is here for you
We’re here for you. The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) stands with you in these uncertain and difficult times. We’re here to help. We’re here to listen. We’re here to work. We’re here to heal.
June 2020
June 30, 2020
Pride 2020: Indian Country, Black Lives Matter, and the Struggle for Equality
This year’s Pride Month has been unlike any other, as a social justice movement more powerful, diverse, and widespread than any seen in decades has swept across the United States.
June 26, 2020
NCAI Statement on the Negative Decision in Chehalis v. Mnuchin
The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) is extremely disappointed in today’s decision by the D.C. District Court in Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation v. Mnuchin.