News & Updates Archive

November 2020

November 24, 2020

The Center for Native American Youth and the National Congress of American Indians Announce the Creative Native Call for Art Winners

(CNAY) is proud to announce the winners of the third annual Creative Native Call for Art in partnership with the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI). Creative Native is a call for art launched in 2018 to support Native American artists ages 5-24. For the second year, NCAI and CNAY have partnered to expand this opportunity and platform for Native artists. The 2020 prompt focuses on the strength and resilience of Native youth: Native youth are medicine. Where do you get your strength from?

November 4, 2020

NCAI Condemns Formal Withdrawal by the United States from the Paris Agreement; Reaffirms Tribal Nations’ Commitment to the Accord

The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) condemns the United States’ decision today to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. The Paris Agreement – a global accord designed to reduce the risks and impacts of climate change – features roughly 200 countries as signatories; the United States today becomes the first country to formally withdraw from it. In response, NCAI, the largest and oldest national organization comprised of American Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments and their citizens, reaffirms its formal commitment to support the Paris Agreement.

November 4, 2020

Latino and American Indian Civil Rights Groups Analyze Turnout, Impact of Vote Choice on Arizona Election Results

On Thursday, November 5, 2020 at 4:30 p.m. EST, UnidosUS and the National Congress of American Indians will host a virtual event to discuss how and why Latino and American Indian voters voted on Election Day in Arizona. Arizona was one of six battleground states this election cycle and had a record-breaking voter turnout in this year’s primaries. Building on the American Election Eve Poll—the most accurate data on how and why voters of colors voted—UnidosUS President and CEO Janet Murguía, NCAI Chief Executive Officer Kevin J. Allis, Promise Arizona Field Organizer Alexis Rodriguez, and Latino Decisions Principal Gary M. Segura will offer a deep dive on the results of the 2020 elections in the state, examine voter turnout data and trends among Arizona’s Latino and American Indian electorates, and discuss the priorities and solutions these voters want to see advanced.

October 2020

October 21, 2020

Civil Rights Leaders Call on Congress to Ensure an Accurate, Transparent, Equitable Census

While the Trump administration rushed to end data collection early last week, the 2020 Census is not over. Civil rights leaders and census experts held a press briefing Tuesday in partnership with Ethnic Media Services to urge Congress to pass an extension to the statutory deadlines for the Census Bureau’s data for apportionment and redistricting by 120 days each, as the Trump administration requested last April. Bipartisan legislation has been introduced in both the House and Senate to extend these deadlines to provide the Census Bureau the time it needs to ensure a fair and accurate 2020 Census.

October 21, 2020

Meet the Artist Showcased in this Year’s Annual Convention & Marketplace

Each year, the National Congress of American Indians selects an artist to represent the host region of the Annual Convention & Marketplace. This year, despite the pandemic, NCAI is showcasing the Northwest region and has selected Nytom (John Goodwin) of Sequim, Washington as the representative artist. His piece Living in a Perfect World serves as the inspiration for the design and artwork for the 77th Annual Convention & Marketplace.

October 16, 2020

NCAI Calls for Immediate and Thorough Investigation of Access to Care for Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal Members with COVID-19

The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) is extremely troubled to learn Cheyenne River Sioux tribal members infected with COVID-19 are being sent from South Dakota more than seven hours away to Minnesota to access appropriate hospital care, at a time when South Dakota is reporting that almost 20 percent of the COVID-related deaths in the state have been Native people. While the State of South Dakota claims to have adequate bed capacity, Native patients are being diverted to other states.

October 13, 2020

Native Organizations Condemn U.S. Supreme Court Order Ending the 2020 Census Early and Validating an Undercount of Historic Proportions of American Indians and Alaska Natives

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court granted the Trump Administration’s application to stay a federal court order that required the U.S. Census Bureau (Bureau) to honor its commitment to complete the 2020 decennial Census count on October 31, 2020. The stay is in place until the appeals are resolved. Effectively, the Supreme Court’s order ends the 2020 Census.

October 13, 2020

The Count Must Continue: American Indian and Alaska Native Households are Still Well-Below the National Rates Indicated in the U.S. Census Bureau’s Statements About Census Completion Rates

The U.S. Census Bureau recently informed tribal nations that their reservations and communities are “completed” or are nearing “completion” of the 2020 Census. Unfortunately, the Census Bureau has not explained clearly what those statements mean. This misinformation has caused many tribal nations to mistakenly believe that all of their tribal citizens have been counted, yet Indian Country still remains undercounted.

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.

September 2020

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 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.

Subscribe to our News RSS