COVID-19 Daily News Digest – June 29, 2020
Indigenous Farmers Harvest Water with Small Dams in Peru’s Andes Highlands
“The women and men have planted more than 10,000 queñua trees in the different communities as part of their plan to harvest water,” she tells IPS in Ayacucho, the regional capital. “These are techniques handed down from their ancestors that we have helped revive to boost their agricultural and animal husbandry activities, which are their main livelihood.”
Celebrating the Indigenous health-care workers among your friends and family
“I got into this line of work because there is a need for Indigenous healers, especially in city centres. My goal is to change the stigma that’s set out for our peoples. We can be successful. We can do great things together.”
https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/indigenous-health-care-workers-submissions-1.5624112
Coronavirus: Kids Help Phone provides lifeline to Indigenous youth struggling during pandemic
Kids Help Phone has provided counselling services to youth for over three decades, offering free 24/7 support by phone, online chat and text message in English and French. Last year, the organization launched a new program, called “Finding Hope”, specifically aimed at supporting Indigenous youth. At the start of the year, Kids Help Phone was receiving more than a thousand text messages per month from Indigenous youth. And that was before the COVID-19 pandemic sparked the biggest mental health crisis the organization has ever seen.
MASKING IN GLORY: ALASKA NATIVE ARTISTS MAKE MUSEUM-WORTHY MASKS THAT REFLECT, PROTECT THEIR CULTURE
“What a way to document what artists are doing in a time like this,” Worl said. “I’ve really just discovered that now is the time for artists to really step into our role as people who speak up in our community and represent human needs.”
It’s serious art for a crucial cause, but Alaska Natives are adding plenty of playfulness to the way they’re making masks and motivating others to get on board.
Housing project for Indigenous elders, youth set to open in September
The $4.7-million housing complex — known officially as Kikekyelc: A Place of Belonging — was originally scheduled to be operational by June, but a suspected case of COVID-19, which turned out to be unfounded, shut down the construction site for two weeks earlier this year.
Seanna Proulx, LMO manager of Indigenous youth and housing, said following that, the number of workers allowed on the site at any given time was reduced due to the pandemic and the project was delayed about a total of four weeks.
Manitoba First Nations Police Facilities Reopening To Public
Although screening measures will be in place, MFNPS detachments will be opening its doors for the public July 2.
All staff have been directed to screen the public for possible COVID-19 and anyone looking to enter any of the facilities will be asked the following questions prior to being admitted inside.
https://www.portageonline.com/local/manitoba-first-nations-police-facilities-reopening-to-public
Aboriginal Domestic & Family Violence specialists issue plea for urgent action
A new report examining the views of 16 Aboriginal Domestic and Family Violence specialists in NSW found that Indigenous women and children are being “put at further risk of violence” and death due to the social isolation measures around the pandemic.
“For so many of our Indigenous clients, the focus has been on keeping everything going, keeping the family together and keeping up with home-schooling. People losing their jobs has also been a really common feature. We are seeing that women are having to choose between leaving a domestic violence situation to be safe or having a roof over their heads and food for her children,” Johnstone says.
Indigenous communities draw on nature, tradition for healing during pandemic
Benson found Indigenous communities have not slowed down at all, but have been focusing on the traditional ways of being, going back to and diving deeper into their cultures.
That is one aspect of why the Indigenous community closures are lasting longer than the provincial plan to reopen. Each reserve has a web page where you can find the details on these closures. The Indigenous epistemology has created such a reverence for their elders. The knowledge and wisdom of one elder is invaluable and would be lost forever if COVID-19 were to invade their community.
Racism has deep roots across all sections of society, including academic institutions
Research is embedded in a global system of imperialism and power where Indigenous communities have often been the subjects of study by non-Indigenous researchers. Indigenous peoples are the most researched group in history, but arguably have received little direct benefit in return.
INDIGENOUS BUSINESS COVID-19 RESPONSE TASKFORCE LAUNCHES NEW RESEARCH FINDINGS
A survey led by the Indigenous Business COVID-19 Response Taskforce has found an urgent need for additional liquidity financing and support services for Indigenous businesses. When asked how long their business could continue to operate if no further supports were made available, just under half (44%) of Indigenous businesses indicated that, without support, they were likely to fail after 3-6 months. 10% of businesses predicted operations could not last more than a month without support, and 2% indicated that the business had already closed.