Friday, November 22, 2024

National Native News

Alaska’s long election season has finally come to an end.

In his steady march to unseat U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola (Yup’ik/D-AK), Nick Begich III has crossed the finish line.

Rhonda McBride from our flagship station KNBA has more on the final vote count.

As early and absentee ballots trickled in after election night, Rep. Peltola was never able to close the gap between her and her Republican challenger, Nick Begich. And under Alaska’s ranked choice voting system, Begich could not get past the required 50% threshold to win.

That is, until the Division of Elections added the second choice ballots from two other candidates in the race to the totals.

“So in round three, we have an unofficial winner, Nick Begich with 51.31% of the vote over Mary Peltola with 48.69%.”

After the final count, Peltola issued a statement thanking Alaskans for the honor of serving.

She also thanked her campaign and Congressional staffers for their support and achievements.

“You’ve lifted me up during difficult times. You achieved generational wins for Alaska. You brought so many new people into the Alaska political process. You amplified Alaskans’ voices across the country. And you made fish a national issue.”

Alaska historian Steve Haycox says Peltola was once a student of his, who went on to make history herself as the first Alaska Native to represent the state in Congress.

“That will serve as an important precedent in Alaska history as it goes forward.”

Haycox also says, although Peltola only served one full term – and the last part of the late Congressman Don Young’s term – he says it’s too early to write Peltola’s political obituary.

“I cannot imagine that her public career is over. I think she’ll be back.”

Haycox says Nick Begich’s win was also historic.

He now fills the Congressional seat that his grandfather Nick Begich, Sr. held.

(Courtesy The Dairy Arts Center)

Some Native artists say a great way to honor National Native American Heritage Month is to support Native arts, but some in Wyoming say there are barriers to their exposure and success.

Kathleen Shannon reports.

Some new programs and exhibits support Native art in the region, including a Native Arts Fellowship from the Wyoming Arts Council and a permanent establishment in Boulder, Colo.’s Dairy Arts Center dedicated to Native arts called the Creative Nations’ Sacred Space.

Bruce Cook (Haida/Arapaho) is a fellow this year and was awarded a startup challenge grant from the Wyoming Innovation Partnership to help emerging Native artists become established creative professionals.

“We just closed the Homeland Show for the welcoming back of the Arapaho and the Cheyenne to their homelands. And we’re going to continue on that theme with bringing emerging artists from the reservation down there to get them a show and professional development. ”

(Courtesy The Dairy Arts Center)

Cook, who’s based on the Wind River Reservation, is a celebrated wood carving artist in the Haida tradition and has been expanding his ledger-painting work in the Arapaho tradition.

His work will be on display at Scarlow’s Art and Coffee in Casper, Wyo. through the end of the month.

Cook says there’s not a lot of opportunity for Native artists in the area.

Business was easier in Seattle, he says, where he was represented by a gallery. But in Wyoming, the road for Native art to be accepted, recognized, and funded has been more difficult.

“There’s a lot of sales of beadwork within the reservation. But it’s not really being seen outside the reservation. As far as the arts scene in Wyoming, it’s pretty nonexistent.”

With fellow artist Robert Martinez (Northern Arapaho), Cook co-founded the Northern Arapaho Artists Society and this was the second year they ran a Native arts market in Jackson.

He reminds supporters of arts in the West that Native artists are “alive and well, creating art”.

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