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NATIONAL INDIAN EDUCATION ASSOCIATION JOB ANNOUNCEMENT
NIEA Job Description: Director of Communications

For Immediate Hire

The National Indian Education Association (NIEA) seeks a full time, in house Director of Communications to assist in creating and executing an overarching communications plan to promote and expand the influence and capacity of the organization to accomplish its mission and provide increased awareness and service to its members, its constituents, its strategic partners, its funders , its volunteers, to opinion and policy setters, and to its Native American students, families, and communities. The Director of Communications reports directly to the Executive Director and is an integral part of the core staff of the NIEA. The activities of the Director of Communications will touch all parts of the NIEA’s programs and services. Salary is commensurate with experience. Frequent travel is required.

The functions of the position, include, but are not limited to the following:

Establish and implement an overarching communications plan to promote and expand the influence, capacity, and sustainability of the organization to better accomplish its mission and to serve the education needs of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian students, their families, and their communities. This communication plan contains discrete sub plans which follow.

As part of the overarching communications plan establish and implement a media relations plan which encompasses all aspects and services of the organization. This plan requires fostering working relationships with journalists, reporters, opinion and policy setters, and all print, electronic, video, and other media.

As part of the overarching communications plan establish, develop, and implement a plan to use social media to increase the influence of the organization to provide increased awareness and service to its members, its constituents, its strategic partners, its funders and potential funders, its volunteers, opinion and policy setters, and Native American students, families, and communities.

Continue reading NATIONAL INDIAN EDUCATION ASSOCIATION JOB ANNOUNCEMENT

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LONDON.- A series of fascinating and important 19th century portraits of Native Americans by the pioneering German/American photographer, John Karl Hillers are for sale in Bonhams India and Beyond sale at Knightsbridge on 5 October 2010.

Hillers emigrated with his family to the USA from his native Hanover in 1852 when he was just nine years old. He fought on the Union side in the Civil War and re-enlisted in the army once the conflict was over. On leaving the service in 1870 he took a job as a teamster in Salt Lake City where he met the man who was to change his life, the explorer and early anthropologist John Wesley Powell. Hillers signed up as a boatman for Powell’s second expedition down the Colorado River in 1871 but was soon helping out with the photography.

By the time Powell led the first expedition by European Americans into the Grand Canyon the following year Hillers had become the team’s chief photographer.

For the next 20 years he explored and photographed the American West becoming especially well known for his sensitive and dignified images of Native Americans. For several years he worked for the American Bureau of Ethnology leaving an extensive and priceless record of a world on the brink of irrevocable change.

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ALBUQUERQUE — Tourists hurry inside a shop here to buy books about the famed Navajo Code Talkers, warriors who used their native language as their primary weapon. 

Outside, on a walk sheltered from the sun, nine of the Code Talkers sit at a table autographing the books. Each is an old man now. They wear similar caps and shirts, the scarlet and gold of the Marine Corps, and turquoise jewlery. 

One of these men, who signs his name as Cpl. Chester Nez, is distinguished from the others. Below his signature, he jots down why: 1st Original 29. 

Before hundreds of Code Talkers were recruited from the Navajo Nation to join the elite unit, 29 Navajos were recruited to develop the code — based on the then-unwritten Navajo language — that would confound Japanese military cryptologists and help win World War II. 

Of the Original 29, only three survive. Nez is one. 

The Code Talkers took part in every assault the Marines conducted in the Pacific, sending thousands of messages without error on Japanese troop movements, battlefield tactics and other communications critical to the war’s ultimate outcome. 

“It’s one of the greatest parts of history that we used our own native language during World War II,” Nez said in an interview with The Associated Press. “We’re very proud of it.” 

Nez tells the story succinctly. He is the last of the original group to be able to do so. One can hardly speak or hear and the memory of the third is severely tested by Alzheimer’s disease. 

Continue reading Original Navajo Code Talker still tells his story

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Language-Learning Provider Helps Promote Native American Language Use among Younger Generations

ARLINGTON, Va., Aug 24, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Rosetta Stone Inc. /quotes/comstock/13*!rst/quotes/nls/rst (RST 17.37, -0.36, -2.03%) , a leading provider of technology-based language learning solutions, announced today the release of the Navajo-language version of Rosetta Stone(R) software for use by Navajo in language revitalization. Though Navajo is the most-spoken Native American language north of Mexico (still spoken by more than 100,000 people), its use and fluency among younger generations is in dramatic decline. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, only 50 percent of Navajo ages 17 and under were able to speak their native language at all in 2000. Rosetta Stone Navajo software will be available for use in Navajo Nation schools, homes and chapter houses in an effort to help reverse this decline.

“We’re excited that the Rosetta Stone Endangered Language Program can play a role in encouraging younger generations to use the Navajo language,” said Marion Bittinger, manager of the Endangered Language Program. “We’re optimistic our work with indigenous groups will be a step toward reversing the tide of global language extinction.”

The Navajo software will be sold through Navajo Language Renaissance, a nonprofit group of Navajo educators from the tri-state area of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. In December 2007, with the endorsements of the Department of Dine Education and the Navajo Board of Education, the project was launched in Window Rock, Arizona. More than one hundred Navajo contributed to the project by providing language expertise, photos, audio recordings and logistical and cultural support. Development of Rosetta Stone Navajo was made possible through a Rosetta Stone company grant, and all proceeds from the sale of the software will go toward future initiatives to revitalize the Navajo language.

Continue reading Rosetta Stone Endangered Language Program Releases Navajo Language Software

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For Immediate Release:
Thursday, July 29, 2010

(Albuquerque, NM) ––On July 9, 2010, a New Mexico state court awarded $304,000.00 to AMERIND Risk Management Corporation [AMERIND] after finding that Brown & Brown Inc. [B&B, Inc.], the world’s seventh largest insurance agency by Business Insurance magazine, breached a contract to market AMERIND’s newly created tribal workers compensation insurance program, known as the Tribal Employee Injury Protection Program (TEIP).

After marketing the TEIP Program for only a few months, Brown & Brown of Washington abruptly notified AMERIND that it would no longer market the TEIP Program, claiming that the contract was not binding because Brown & Brown Inc.––its corporate headquarters based in Florida––had never approved it. According to Kent Paul, AMERIND’s CEO, “Brown & Brown of Washington’s breach of its commitment caused financial harm and jeopardized the TEIP Program.”

Bernalillo County District Court Judge for the Second Judicial District of New Mexico, Clay Campbell awarded damages to AMERIND for the breach. Brown & Brown Inc. has indicated that it plans to appeal Judge Campbell’s decision to the New Mexico Court of Appeals.

AMERIND continues to provide the TEIP Program to Indian tribes throughout the United States. “The TEIP Program has become very successful. It goes to show you what Indian tribes can do when their backs are against the wall––they move forward, and find ways to succeed,” stated Kent Paul.

About AMERIND

AMERIND is a multi-tribal federal corporation. Tribes united to create AMERIND in 1986 to protect themselves, their treasuries and their enrolled members from unforeseen or catastrophic financial loss.

AMERIND is owned by a vast majority of federally recognized tribes – keeping their money working in Indian Country rather than profiting non-Indian organizations. Utilizing sound risk management principles, including risk sharing and education, AMERIND protects life and property from the devastation of fire, natural disasters and other unforeseen events.

AMERIND is headquartered on the Pueblo of Santa Ana while serving almost 450 tribes located in the State of Alaska and 27 other states.

To learn more about AMERIND, attend the 24th Annual Member Meeting and Expo, Oct. 19-21, 2010, in Atlanta, Georgia or visit us online at: www.AMERINDRisk.org.

Contact: Patrick Murphy (800) 352-3496 or Nancy Harjo Serna (800) 352-3496

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FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP)— President Barack Obama has signed a bill he says will address the unique public safety challenges facing American Indian tribes.

Obama signed the Tribal Law and Order Act on Thursday.

The measure provides for the appointment of special U.S. attorneys to ensure violent crimes in tribal communities are prosecuted. It also revamps training for reservation police, expands the sentencing authority of tribal courts from one to three years, addresses jurisdictional issues and improves the collection and reporting of Indian crime data.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, who authored the bill, says millions of American Indians have lived far too long with unacceptable levels of violent crime.

Tribes hailed the signing as a reaffirmation of the federal government’s trust responsibility to ensure their communities are safe.

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7th Annual NNALSA Job Fair

Denver, Colorado

Location: TBD

Greetings!

The National Native American Law Students Association will hold their annual Job Fair this year in Denver, Colorado.

NNALSA invites you to join us for this distinct opportunity to meet and interview with a diverse group of Indian Law-focused law firms, government and tribal agencies, and non-profit organizations. The Job Fair is not limited to Indian Law organizations. A variety of legal employers are being recruited by your Job Fair Team!

Interviews: Interviews will be held from 8 am – 12 noon and 1 pm – 5 pm on Thursday, August 26 and from 8 am – 12 noon on Friday, August 27. Employers will contact you directly to schedule interviews. Some employers may elect to conduct interviews outside these times on these dates. Please plan accordingly.

http://jobfair.nationalnalsa.org/   to register for the 2010 NNALSA Job Fair and upload your application materials (General Cover Letter, Resume, Unofficial Transcript, and Writing Sample are all required in PDF format). If you are unable to attend the Job Fair, you may still submit your resume for resume collection only.

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Ask Elouise

July 7, 2010

Dear Indian Country

This is the twelfth letter in a series of open letters that I’m sending to Indian Country. The purpose of this letter is to update you about the settlement and to answer your most relevant questions.

As I reported in the last letter, the House of Representatives voted to pass the “American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010” (“the Tax Extenders Bill”) before the Memorial Day holiday which included a provision authorizing the Cobell settlement. Unfortunately, on June 30, 2010, I learned our settlement would not be considered in a new version of the Senate Tax Extenders Bill. The new version failed to pass and the Senate could possibly consider it again in July. There is still a chance that we may be re-attached to that Bill, but the future of the Tax Extenders Bill is uncertain.

Following the failure of the Senate to pass the Tax Extenders Bill, our allies in the House of Representatives rallied to include our settlement on the war supplemental bill funding the Iraq and Afghanistan wars then being considered. This bill was passed by the House on the evening of July 1, 2010. The Senate did not consider the bill and is now on recess until Monday, July 12, 2010. We are urging our allies in the Senate to pass the war supplemental with the Cobell settlement.

The parties agreed to extend the settlement until July 9, 2010, so yet another extension is required if we are to give the Senate a chance to pass legislation. I will consult our attorneys and allies on the Hill about that extension over the next few days.

Continue reading Ask Eloise: Cobell Settlement, July 7th

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July 6, 2010,

Washington, DC- Colin Kippen has been selected by the National Indian Education Association (NIEA) board of directors to serve as its new Executive Director.  He will undertake the leadership of NIEA, the largest Indian education organization. 

NIEA was incorporated in 1970 as a membership-based organization with a mission to “support traditional Native cultures and values, to enable Native learners to become contributing members of their communities, to promote Native control of educational institutions, and to improve educational opportunities and resources for American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians throughout the United States.”    

Currently, Mr. Kippen is the Executive Director of the Native Hawaiian Education Council, which assesses and coordinates innovative education programs for Native Hawaiians and makes policy recommendations to governmental entities to improve the education and well being of Native Hawaiians. 

As an advocate for American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians, Mr. Kippen has worked in a number of venues. He has served as Senior Counsel to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs in the U.S. Senate, Deputy Administrator for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs in charge of protecting and expanding Native Rights, Chief Judge of the Suquamish Indian Tribe on the Port Madison Indian Reservation in Western Washington, Appellate Judge for several Indian tribes in Washington and Oregon, and trial attorney and prosecutor in King County, Washington. Mr. Kippen is also a former member of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation and Act (NAGPRA) Review Committee, including serving as its Chairman.

Continue reading National Indian Education Association Selects New Executive Director

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