Nothing like a snow day on launch day

If a tree falls in a forest...does anybody know my power's out?! And what's up with the federal-tribal recognition process?

A picture of Indigenous Wire’s big launch. Is Ruby not considered a rez dog?

Here I am sitting in a dark home, lit up by warm candles, LED lanterns and children’s laughter...never-ending giggling, in fact. It was a snow day, complete with an ongoing power outage, in southern Maryland here on Piscataway lands. I was meant to do more social media, prep interviews, do some behind-the-scenes maintenance. Instead, I got to spend an extra day with my family, extending our holiday break.

It was a good day, and I even include the copious amounts of shoveling in that assessment. How could I complain? Our snowman is smiling. He’ll be gone soon enough, but many more Indigenous stories are left to tell.

For instance, as a part of the state of Maryland’s formal recognition of three Piscataway-related tribes in 2012, the tribes were forced to agree not to do gaming. To be recognized by the state, which they desperately wanted, they had to trade away a portion of their sovereignty. The federal government has still not recognized any Native tribes in Maryland, despite plenty of historical evidence that these people were here at contact and long before.

What’s up with that? The truth is that recognition of Indian tribes across the U.S. is arbitrary and highly political. Talk of reforming the recognition process is perennial in D.C., but action less so. Still, some tribes make headway. Why and how? We’ll look into some answers to those questions in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, the snow day launch laughs continue….

Any magic in his cap?