Making A List. Checking It Twice. Gonna Find Out If You're 'Tribal' Or Nice

 Native Organizations Across America Stunned As U.S. Govt. Uses Keywords To Target Them & Take Down Sites & Programs 

Athabascan beadwork in Nenana (Photo, Country Journal) 

Government's Unacceptable Words
Include "Native American" 

The United States Government is targeting websites and statements by various groups around America,  looking for signs of "DEI" – diversity, equity and inclusiveness – which is currently not allowed to be mentioned in any government-related or funded material... or federally-involved programs. 

The United States Government has new rules about phrases and words that cannot be used in grants or programs. These words include (but are not limited to)…

"accessible" "at risk" "belong" "Native American" 

"cultural heritage" "disability" "diverse" "ethnicity" 

"expression" "historically" "identity" 

"indigenous" "mental health" "racial" "trauma" "tribal" 

and "women"

While searching for infractions, the government is tapping the robots on AI to find the specific keywords that alert the government to perceived problems with federally-involved organizations – by checking their websites. 

In Alaska, a group that wrote down stories of missing and murdered Native American people also has had their tales taken down.  

Native Americans (and there almost 3 million of them around the United States) have found themselves in the crossfire. On the simplest level, it's hard not to use the words "tribal," "indigenous" or "Native American" when speaking about Native Americans. 

And the term, "cultural heritage" (as in "The Alaska Native Heritage Center") is also hard to ignore.

THE HEADLINES

MARCH, 2025 

Recently, the famed Navajo Code Talkers – faithful soldiers who used the Navajo language to provide a bulletproof code that indisputably helped win World War II – were taken off the web by the Pentagon. After a tussle by the Navajo Nation, mention of the Code Talkers'  irreplacable contribution to our country – based on the very fact that they spoke Navajo – was allowed back on. 

According to a study by the New York Times,  which has been monitoring this, unacceptable words "may still be allowable on websites and materials but trigger greater scrutiny and possible adverse actions when appearing in grant proposals and contracts." Including "the termination of funding."