Donald W. Wanatee Sr. regularly spent as many as 100 hours a week away from the Meskwaki Indian Settlement as he tirelessly advocated for Native American people and issues around the country, often sparing his last dollars to get from place to place.
When he was home, he took his kids on hikes through the Meskwaki Nation s heavily wooded settlement in Tama County, Iowa. He taught them how to grow crops and, being a hobby cartographer, how to navigate forests, said Donnielle J. Wanatee, one of his eight children. As a social worker, he understood kids needs and instilled in each of his own children a lifelong sense of individuality, she said.
The waning days of Women’s History Month brought violence against women to the forefront. While March 2021 reminded us all to celebrate the trailblazing, indelible contributions of generations of American women, the news cycle also forced us to confront the misogyny ingrained in gender-bias. On March 16, six of the eight victims killed by a white male shooter in Atlanta massage parlors were Asian Americans. The murderer claimed he committed his horrific acts because he blamed the women for his sexual frustrations. These senseless murders were echoed in racially motivated assaults across our nation. Sadly, there’s a tragic connection between the violence committed against Asian American and Native American women, because they, unlike other racial groups, are more likely to be sexually assaulted by men from a different ethnic group.
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A lawsuit challenging the Indian Child Welfare Act received a split decision in federal appeals court on April 6, 2021. The law, the lawsuit and the split resulted in a 300-plus-page decision that confounded experts and lay people alike. The decision won’t impact Alaska directly. But legal experts say Alaska should still keep an eye on the case.
The Indian Child Welfare Act, or ICWA, basically provides Tribes with an opportunity to intervene when state child welfare and adoption agencies consider whether or not to remove a Native child from a home. The children can be enrolled citizens of the Tribe or be eligible for membership status.
Alaska legislators consider state recognition of tribes indiancountrytoday.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from indiancountrytoday.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Donald Wanatee is being remembered as a dedicated advocate for the Meskwaki and for Native people more broadly.
The Meskwaki Nation has announced the death of tribal leader and Native American rights activist Donald Wanatee who passed away peacefully at his home Wednesday at the age of 88. Wanatee is being remembered as a dedicated advocate for not only the Meskwaki Nation but for Native people more broadly.
According to a statement released by the Meskwaki Nation, during the course of his activism, “Wanatee was often one of the few Native Americans in the room, whether it was a classroom, meeting room or a Rotunda, and he did not take the responsibility lightly.