The Montana Legislative Session from an Indigenous Perspective

Today we will hear from Patrick Yawakie-Peltier, co-Founder of Red Medicine LLC, an Indigenous civic engagement service based in Montana. Patrick was present throughout Montana's legislative session this year, advocating for and against policy that will impact the state's tribal members. Patrick will share with us his personal experience in the session as an Indigenous person and community advocate, and also his calls for improved engagement and approaches in our state legislative process. Patrick shares messages intended for tribal members to gain information and entry points for advocacy, and also for non-Native folks to gain valuable insight and perspective. Like many of our episodes attempt to do, I hope that no matter your demographic, you can gain some insight about others or even yourself through these conversations…as I believe, whether you agree with someone or not, it benefits us to be more informed about the challenges, and humanized perspectives of those we share our world with.

This episode also shares some context and introductory information on Montana's unique tribal communities and a few specifics that contribute to the field of Indian Law. We encourage you to continue your research on these topics. Below are a few links for starting points.

LINKS:

Red Medicine LLC on Facebook

People's Food Sovereignty Program

Native American Influences on U.S. Government

Montana Indigenous Tribes: Their History & Location (from Office of Public Instruction)

Montana Indian Education for All - curriculum & information for all ages

Info on Indian Child Welfare Act: National Indian Child Welfare Association

Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968

American Indian Movement: AIM

"The 1950's plan to erase Indian Country" piece from American Public Media

Land Status of Indian Country in Montana: Policy Basics

House Bill 163 to extend task force for MMIP - Missing & Murdered Indigenous Persons

Indigenous language revitalization

What the session means for Indian Country: Char-Koosta News article

Article on funding for internet access for rural and tribal communities

This episode is made possible with support from Headwaters Foundation, working side-by-side with Western Montanans to improve the health of our communities. Headwaters is committed to supporting the health and sovereignty of Native Americans through their grants and partnerships. Learn more at www.headwatersmt.org, or find them on Instagram and Facebook.

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