COVID-19 Daily News Digest – June 16, 2020
Indigenous peoples guard ‘the lungs of the planet’ for all of us
“COVID-19 is offering us an opportunity to shift away from life-blind capitalism which seeks infinite economic growth at the expense of the planet’s life support systems. Our choice is clear: we must change the way we live and relate to our living planet. Otherwise, the future of our species is not guaranteed.”
https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/indigenous-peoples-guard-lungs-planet-200610111532981.html
Give us the right to heal our people
In the face of the novel coronavirus that causes Covid-19, the Traditional Healers’ Organisation is currently working with the Department of Science and Innovation, Professor Nceba Gqaleni (a member of the Presidential Task Team on African Traditional Medicine in South Africa) and the Universities of KwaZulu-Natal, Pretoria, Mpumalanga, the Free State and the North West to seek traditional medicine solutions to the pandemic
https://www.iol.co.za/capetimes/opinion/give-us-the-right-to-heal-our-people-49401359
Northern Ontario First Nations speak out on systemic racism
“We live and experience systemic racism every day, in the attitudes of some of the people we talk to, and in the poor quality of the housing, health services, and educational system that our Chiefs, our elders, our children, our mothers, and our youths have to deal with in our daily lives,” it reads.
Federal funding of $16M will help more than 600 Indigenous tourism businesses
“This $16 million in funding will go a long way to help our Indigenous tourism operators stay in business and in turn support Canada’s tourism industry overall by providing the type of authentic cultural Indigenous experiences which are in demand by visitors domestically and globally,” he said in an ITAC news release
Albuquerque hospital used racial profiling to separate Native mothers from their newborns for days over coronavirus: report
The hospital, privately owned Lovelace Women’s Hospital, allegedly subjected pregnant indigenous women to extra testing in addition to the standard temperature check upon arrival, reported ProPublica in collaboration with local news site New Mexico In Depth. They chose the women based on their zip codes and their appearance, as well as other factors that indicated they lived in tribal areas, whether those zip codes fell within official coronavirus hotspots or not, the investigative news outlets found.
800 laptops, tablets to be given to Vancouver Island Indigenous students
“With many services, including education, being provided in a virtual environment, it is challenging to ensure some of the most vulnerable have access to technological resources and supports to continue education and connection,” said the organization in a release Monday.
Alaskan Native Tribes Face Health and Government Challenges With Fishing Season
Southwest Alaska is home to the world’s largest remaining runs of wild salmon. The fishery is also among the most economically valuable in the world, with sockeye alone generating over $300 million last year. Brown and other commercial fishermen united under the group Fishermen for the Protection of Bristol Bay decided to forego the summer season this year, to respect the desires of area tribes. But thousands have made a different choice…
The Latino Rep fighting for Navajo Nation survival amid COVID-19
The pandemic has caused a renewed attention to these issues in recent months, but it is important to recognize The Indian Health Service has faced chronic underfunding by Congress since its inception in 1955.
A bill which would provide running water to some Navajo Nation homes is currently headed to the US House of Representatives, but this comes after the death toll has already surpassed 300.
Sovereignty and safety concerns front of mind for Indigenous communities warding off COVID-19
For communities who have so far been able to stave off the spread of COVID-19, Beardy says, minimizing the potential for bringing the virus to the area is of the utmost importance. “[An outbreak] would be devastating. We don’t have the facilities even to take in quarantine. Yesterday is the first time I had a bottle of sanitizer in my hand. There hasn’t been anything like that in the community. The health facilities are also inadequate. So you bring in the COVID-19 in the area, it’ll just devastate the population.
Respecting the Land and Seeking Ancestral Knowledge after COVID-19
As COVID-19 shakes the world, it is even more evident how the industrial food production system cannot provide food for everyone, especially the most vulnerable, let alone ensure the food sovereignty of peoples. If we want to improve the food system for one that respects the land and its biodiversity, we must observe the ancestral knowledge of indigenous peoples and how they have adapted throughout the centuries, applying agroecological and regenerative practices to maintain the healthy land and ensure the survival of its peoples.
Canadian LNG Alliance launches
The LNG industry is collaborating on a new model of Indigenous participation in the natural resource sector in Canada. From the beginning, Indigenous Nations have partnered with the LNG industry in British Columbia (BC) on unique initiatives, including an unprecedented Nation-led environmental assessment process and agreements with First Nations bands in place for jobs, training, and procurement opportunities with the shared goal of working towards economic reconciliation.
https://www.lngindustry.com/liquid-natural-gas/15062020/canadian-lng-alliance-launches/
Ontario Expanding Data Collection to Help Stop Spread of COVID-19
Under these proposed changes, individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 infection will be asked additional questions about their race, income, languages spoken, and household size. Individuals can choose not to answer any or all of these questions. Individuals’ privacy is protected as it is for all information currently collected on other diseases.
New tech allows northern Manitobans to get quick COVID-19 test results
The federal and Manitoba government have been working together to provide northern Manitoba communities with GeneXpert machines which can provide COVID-19 test results in less than an hour.
Two GeneXpert machines have been installed by Indigenous Services Canada in Norway House Cree Nation and Peguis First Nation and one is on loan to Shared Health for operation at Thompson General Hospital.
Artist gives back to Northland indigenous community
“During the quarantine a lot of children are living in this building that have been quarantine, bored and frustrated so we thought that we’d also bring some of those goods and give them out to the kids in AICHO,” added Henriquez.
Survey hopes to raise concerns of Indigneous people with disabilities
“I’m hard of hearing and I’ve experienced frustration to communicate with nurses when they have masks on because I rely on lip-reading,” said the chair for the Wabanaki Council on Disability, Shelia Johnson, through an interpreter.
Johnson has seen first-hand the frustrations individuals can face when trying to be independent. She hopes the survey fills in the gaps so service workers can provide help.
New report says Montreal has ‘turned a blind eye’ to systemic racism
Progress on the report’s other recommendations has since stalled. The COVID-19 pandemic forced cancellation of the working group meetings initially scheduled to take place this spring.
Rickford praises local First Nations on COVID-19 prevention
“That just shows you how northwestern Ontario people, Indigenous or not, have taken this seriously, have played by the rules and now we’re into phase 2, despite some of these new positives. We have the confidence that we will do the right things and take the right actions, to start to move forward again.”
https://www.drydennow.com/local/rickford-praises-local-first-nations-on-covid-19-prevention
Victoria artists create indigenous heroine
Wylah is a story about a strong-willed Peek Whurrong girl from the Gunditjmara Nation, who goes on a journey to rescue her family after they are taken by the invading Red Rock Dragon Empire.
The duo, who met when Mr Pritchard taught Mr Gould animation, started work on the book in January but shifted to nightly Zoom meetings when the coronavirus hit.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/victoria-artists-create-indigenous-heroine-065220421–spt.html
Efforts to resolve systemic housing inequities in Canada stalled by COVID-19
The notice said the federal government was “focused on addressing this crisis” given the “uncertain and evolving circumstances related to COVID-19.” The notice added that appointing the council “remains a priority for the government.”
“You have a pandemic and your main policy to address the pandemic is (to say) ‘Stay home and wash your hands and physical distance.’ That is a housing remedy to a deadly virus, so wouldn’t it be top of mind and your first move to establish these two entities that are squarely looking at housing?” Farha said in an interview