National Indigenous News July 15

Darrell Stranger takes a look at some of the latest Indigenous news making headlines across the country. 

Transcript

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This is a looky or national indigenous news. I'm Daryl Stranger. Four First Nations in Northern Ontario are under a mandatory evacuation notice according to the Ontario Provincial Police, and one community, Nemagusa Sagagon, was being engulfed as residents fled. Members of White Sand First Nation, Lac de Mille Lacs First Nation, and Gakiji Wanong Anishinabe Nation have also been ordered to flee ahead of wildfires in the area. A number of fires around several others are being watched, including Rainy River District, Gull Bay First Nation, Pickle Lake, Ignace, and Uppsala. According to the OPP, a number of highway closures are also in place. An alert from Emergency Management Ontario says residents should leave the area and head south to Thunder Bay. Meanwhile, the OPP says those in Ignace, Crystal Lake, and the Highway 633 area should prepare for possible evacuations at a moment's notice. The 20th edition of the Native World Series is coming to Calgary. With more details on this year's event, here is Joanna Luna.

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It's the 20th anniversary Native World Series. Happening July 17th to the 19th at JC Slow Pitch Park. And we cut up with Simone Eagletale, the sister of the late Glenn Eagletale, about this event.

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This weekend is going to be our brother, Late Brothers Fourth Memorial. We have an award for the best pitcher that will be awarded on Sunday. We have over 50 teams that are entered. It's the biggest First Nation slow pitch tournament in Canada. And it started off as a dream my brother had. Long time ago, um, he really wanted to bring together athletes because of our citizen nation, powwow. We have powwow, dancing, rodeo, golf, but we didn't have anything for our baseball players. So that's when Glenn invented the World Series. So just to pivot back 20 or 21 years ago, we decided to have our own family tournament. Um, my brother put it together at the Ball Diamonds on our nation. And there was only about four teams, and we had two teams from the um Nakota Nation came and joined. And all we did was all pitch in five bucks, and every player, everyone pitched in five bucks, and the winner took all. So it was a little jackpot, and my brother really loved it. You know, he got empires to empire it and made it professional, and he was like, I think we really have something here. He's like, I want to do this every year. He's like, I want to make it an annual tournament, and he inspired to make it the biggest tournament in Indian country.

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In Calgary, I'm Joanna Luna.

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An online marketplace's decision to ban many fur products is concerning some Indigenous leaders and artists who say the policy could threaten traditional practices and economic opportunities. Etsy announced it will no longer allow the sale of products containing fur beginning August 11th. The company says the move is part of its efforts to support sustainability, but indigenous artisans and leaders say the policy does not account for the cultural significance of sustainable harvesting and the role fur plays in traditional artwork. Chief Jenny Brake of Halipoo First Nation in Newfoundland and Labrador is calling on the Assembly of First Nations to take a stand against the policy. She has introduced a resolution urging Etsy to reconsider its decision. Chief Brake says harvesting animals is part of a long standing relationship between indigenous peoples, the land, and the ecosystem. She said decisions affecting indigenous communities should involve consultation with those directly impacted. The Fur Institute of Canada says fur harvested in Canada is already subject to strict regulations. That's a look at your national Indigenous news.