(Wind River Reservation, WY) – USA Today recently sent writer Cy Neff to the Wind River Reservation to do a profile piece on Indigenous locals, entitled “A Century of Citizenship: Views from Wind River Reservation on being Indigenous in America.”
The article discusses Indigenous dual citizenship originating from the passing of the Indian Citizenship Act a century ago (“recognizing their identity with both their tribal nations and the United States”), and aims to “learn from Indigenous community leaders about how they balance these identities a century onwards, and what gives them hope for a better future.”
Those profiled include Wes Martel (Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho descent), Reinette Curry (Northern Arapaho, Northern Ute and Pyramid Lake Paiute descent), Rhyia Joyheart (Northern Arapaho, Flathead, and Eastern Shoshone), Allison Sage (Northern Arapaho) and Fremont County Commissioner Clarence Thomas (Onk Akimel O’odham Pima, descent, married to an Eastern Shoshone Tribal member).
To read the article in full and hear perspectives from each of the individuals mentioned above, and to also see some amazing pictures/video from Dare Coulter, click the link of the article name in the first paragraph.