In searching for data to cite, I found the most up-to-date and relevant information, not in an energy or housing report, but in a random proposal to the FCC by the Oglala Nation. Tribal leaders were making the case for more robust cell phone towers when they mentioned the high rate of hypothermia-related deaths that could be avoided if only they had better cell phone coverage. The problem had led to people dying in cars or in homes in pockets where they couldn’t make calls.
In 2014, the year Debbie died, it was a propane shortage that led fuel prices to spike, making life more difficult for cash-strapped Natives in the Dakotas. That winter, the Standing Rock Tribe had secured just $5,194 in government heating assistance sparking a grassroots “Heat the Rez” campaign to purchase wood stoves for homes across the reservation. Later, Rob Port, a conservative blogger in Fargo, villanized the lead fundraiser and poverty-shamed tribal citizens in the process. “The Native Americans must lift themselves up,” he wrote.
Like-minded callousness surfaced in Texas, this week, from an unhinged mayor ranting about power outages to his constituents on Facebook: “Quit crying and looking for a handout!,” wrote Tim Boyd of Colorado City who has since resigned.
Again, I can’t stop thinking about Debbie. I remember when she died and the commentary had connected her passing to the frozen deaths of her Lakota ancestors on Dec. 29, 1890 at Wounded Knee. This week, someone mentioned the water that had been weaponized on protesters at Standing Rock on a subfreezing night in November. Others raised the more sordid story of the “Starlight Tours” in Saskatoon, Canada.
I know I’ve gone a bit dark in this edition of Indigenously, but these are winter days of reflection. I’m anticipating, soon, that the news cycle will be picking up at a swifter pace as we approach and pivot from the confirmation hearing of Rep. Deb Haaland for Secretary of the Interior. In case you missed it, next Tuesday, Feb. 24 is the big day. Here’s what you need to know.
Until then, stay safe and warm and check in on an elder,
Jenni ❄️
