Native group

NEW YORK, August 9, 2021 / PRNewswire / – Vitech Systems Group today announced that a leading international financial services group has selected V3locity, Vitech’s native cloud administration, engagement and analytics platform, to support its continuous investment aimed at generating differentiating solutions in the market.

V3locity will enable a more agile and transparent platform and will move from its current on-premise system to a cloud native system fully managed and deployed by Vitech. V3locity delivers greater operational efficiency and solution scalability, resulting in an ever-evolving and improving digital customer experience. By relying on V3locity, the group affirms its relationship with Vitech as a long-term trusted technological partner.

“We are delighted to partner with the group to help it revolutionize its service and technology operations,” said Frank Vitiello, executive chairman of Vitech. “Their selection of V3locity confirms their commitment to finding the most advanced and innovative solution to further digitize their group insurance business and best serve the long-term interests of their clients. “

“V3locity’s transformative platform will be instrumental for the group to dramatically improve and streamline direct processing for its customers,” said Gary Sherne, Director of Revenue at Vitech. “We are excited to deploy V3locity, enabling them to engage more effectively with their data, as well as leverage their investments and recent impressive industry gains. “

About Vitech^®
Vitech is a global provider of cloud native benefits and investment administration software. We help our group insurance, pension administration and investment clients expand their offerings and capabilities, streamline operations, gain analytical insights and transform their engagement models. Vitech employs more than 1,400 professionals, serving more than 100 of the world’s most successful insurance, retirement and investment organizations. Innovative and visionary, Vitech’s market leadership has been recognized by industry experts such as Gartner, Celent, Novarica and ISG. For more information, please visit https://www.vitechinc.com.

SOURCE Vitech Systèmes Group

The road to Pebble Mine becomes more difficult.

Pedro Bay Corp., an indigenous organization in the Bristol Bay area of ​​Alaska, announced late last month that nearly 90% of its shareholders had voted in favor of conservation easements for more than 44,000 of the 92,100 acres. of company land in southwest Alaska. The deal would make lands closed to development, including the mining road proposed by Pebble Corp.

“This transaction supports the values ​​of our community members by protecting their lands, livelihoods and traditional way of life,” said CEO of Pedro Bay Corp. Matt McDaniel in a statement. “This is an opportunity that will provide our community with benefits and economic value in perpetuity. After years of reflection, the shareholders have now made an informed decision on how to manage and protect their private ancestral lands. “

A little over a year ago, on May 22, 2020, the US Army Corps of Engineers revealed that its decision record on the pebble mine project would be based on building a road north to the mine rather than a southerly ferry route across Lake Iliamna. , which had been the preferred plan throughout the public consultation process.

The new route was presented as a reduced environmental risk. But there was one big obstacle: the road required access to indigenous lands.

Three days later, the Igiugig village council issued a statement saying it would not cooperate with the Pebble Limited Partnership’s plan to use a route north via road and pipeline.

The village council of Igiugig controls the Diamond Point rock quarry, which would be needed as a port for the movement of mining materials and the export of the product.

“The PLP plan for Diamond Point presented in the [environmental impact statement] does not match our plans for Diamond Point and should not be considered an acceptable alternative, ”the board said in a statement last year.

McDaniel of Pedro Bay Corp., warned Shane McCoy, Pebble Mine Project Manager for the Army Corps, that the company “has not and will not consent to the Pebble Limited Partnership’s use of its land for the Pebble project “.

The Conservation Fund, an environmental nonprofit, is now raising funds to purchase land easements from Pedro Bay Corp. by the end of 2022. Once the transaction is completed, Pedro Bay Corp. retain ownership of the land, which will be subject to the terms of conservation easements. These will be held by the Bristol Bay Heritage Land Trust. In coordination with the company, the trust will be responsible for administering and enforcing the terms of the conservation easements in perpetuity.

The new agreement will expand a partnership between the trust, Pedro Bay Corp. and the Conservation Fund, which in 2016 established protections for more than 12,600 acres of the 92,100 acres of company land “allocated under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act,” according to the site. Group internet. In total, more than 56,000 acres of the company’s land “will balance Pedro Bay Corporation’s goals of land protection and responsible development on its lands,” according to a statement from the Conservation Fund.

The road around the lands of Pedro Bay Corp. across state land is rugged and mountainous, hampering infrastructure. And although the first license application for Pebble Mine was denied, the company is not precluded from reapplying.

“The Corps continues to ignore our concerns, has failed in its trusted responsibility to adequately consult with our tribe, and has not performed in-depth analyzes of the impacts this project will have on our people,” the council said. in his statement regarding the first request. . The village council of Igiugig “will continue to put the welfare of our people and our future generations first, as we have done from time immemorial”.

Local tribes and other stakeholders are seeking permanent federal protections for the area.

George J. Bennett Sr., left, and Arsenio “Pastor” Credo, right, were among the hundreds of Alaskans who deployed to Vietnam during the war and were collectively welcomed into their homes at an event hosted by the Southeast Intertribal Collective for National Vietnam War Veterans Day on Facebook Live on March 29, 2021. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire File)

When many Vietnam veterans returned home after deployments to Southeast Asia, they were denigrated, cursed, called baby killers and murderers.

Today, nearly 50 years after the end of that war and on Vietnam War Veterans Day, groups across Alaska and across the country honored their sacrifice with traditional dances and the affirmation of their sacrifice.

“It was very different from when we first came home,” said George J. Bennett Sr., a veteran of the Army’s 25th Infantry Division and a host of the event. “In 1968, when I got home, some of us were actually afraid to come home.”

This empty return, returning to a country unable and unwilling to recognize the sacrifice and horror of this distant conflict, was something that weighed on many, said Justin McDonald, who helped organize the Zoom event.

“As a Native American, as a veteran myself, we were taught to hold our veterans in high regard, like our elders. It really struck me how our veterans were treated, ”McDonald said above the zoom. “It’s not just an empty gesture to say, welcome home. Say it so you know they are feeling it. Say it with emotion.

Groups sang traditional songs of honor, peace and victory in recognition of the veterans of this bitter war. Bennett mentioned the need to recognize all who served.

“He recognizes us all. He recognized all the soldiers and women who served. It takes five people to support one person on the ground, ”Bennett said. “This is called logistics. He brings people back to base camps and on Navy ships. ”

This event is as much about recognizing the veterans as it is about reconciling the bitter welcome many of them received upon their return from the war, Bennett said.

“Vietnam Veterans Day changes the perception of society and the way they see us. They approach us, they shake our hands, they thank us for our service. It means a lot. It’s heartwarming, it gives us strength, ”said Bennett. “For some of us, it gives us the opportunity to share our experiences. For some, who have had horrible experiences, we don’t want to share this. But we can share our laughs and the good experiences we have had.

Screenshot James Lindoff, veteran of the 101st Hoonah Airborne Division, talks about his experience at an event hosted by the Southeast Intertribal Collective for National Vietnam War Veterans Day on Facebook Live on Monday.

A legacy of lasting injuries

The war was brutal and bitter, the jungles and highlands of Vietnam far from the cool climates of Alaska.

“We have been tested, as many of our brothers and sisters have been tested in defense of our country and our tribes,” said Sasha Soboleff in the opening dedication. “This kind of conflict is all over the world.”

Many, including 226 Alaskan Natives and American Indians, have not returned home, according to military records.

“Sadly, many of us gave our lives. And those who have come home carry the wounds of war and it will never go away, ”Bennett said. “It is something that is ingrained in us and something that we will have to live with.”

Bennett recalled once he met another Hoonah resident and Native Alaskan soldier James Lindoff on a fire base in Vietnam.

“We were in Vietnam together. James was part of the 101st Airborne Division. I was in the 25th Infantry Division. Two different units, two different locations. His unit came to our base camp and I didn’t know he was there. One afternoon, I was walking towards the refectory. I saw this guy coming down the track in front of me. Very quickly, James recognized me. The only people who called me George McKinley were people who grew up with me in Hoonah. It was by chance that we crossed paths in Vietnam, ”Bennett said. “It was really great to see my brother. James and I grew up together in Hoonah. We fished together, we hunted together, we played ball in high school together, we partied together.

The 101st had sent a detachment to reinforce the location of the 25th ID following reports that the base was going to be hit, including Lindoff, Bennett said.

“There was almost four, five months of fighting. We were pretty busy there. We were helping special forces back then, ”Lindoff said. “It was the first time that I had to break the belt of my M-60 (machine gun) to prevent it from firing, it was so hot.”

Alaskan natives and Native Americans are joining the armed forces at a higher rate than almost any other ethnic group, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

“We have taken this oath to defend our country against foreign and domestic enemies,” Bennett said. “As Indigenous people, we fought not only for this country, but for our ancestral tribal homelands, our tribes, our clans, our families. Thank you today for being part of this great generation of individuals who have fought.

• Contact reporter Michael S. Lockett at (757) 621-1197 or [email protected]

Jason Cassell, a Sussex County native and caregiver in a group home, died suddenly on March 7 at the age of 39.

Cassell was born in Belleville before moving to Kearny and settling in Newton several years ago, says his obituary.

Cassell attended Newton High School and worked as a caregiver at a group home for Catholic charities, his memorial says. He has helped people with intellectual disabilities through activities and outings of everyday life.

Cassell previously worked in housekeeping and maintenance for Bristol Glenn and in room sterilization at Hackettstown Hospital, her obituary says.

“He has received several patient notes for his genuine care,” reads his memorial.

Outside of work, Cassell loved to play tennis and was a staunch San Francisco 49ers fan.

Cassell is survived by her parents, Roger and Pam Cassell; her sister, Heather Cassell; as well as several aunts, uncles, extended family members and close friends.

“It is clear that Jason has had a major impact on the lives of many people and this loss is devastating for all who knew him. Jason was always ready and loved to help others, ”his memorial says.

Cassell’s funeral will be at the Iliff-Ruggiero funeral home in Newton on Friday at 10:30 am.

Click here for the full obituary.

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JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – An Alaska Native cultural organization and luxury department store Neiman Marcus have settled a lawsuit over the sale of a coat with a copyrighted geometric pattern borrowed from Native culture .

The Sealaska Heritage Institute said in a statement on Wednesday that the two parties, including 10 other named defendants in addition to Neiman Marcus, had agreed to terms “to resolve all disputes between them under U.S. and Tlingit law,” said reported KTOO Public Media.

The Juneau-based institute is the cultural arm of Sealaska Corp., the Alaska Native Society for the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian peoples of Southeast Alaska.

In the federal lawsuit filed in April 2020, the institute argued that the Dallas-based retailer falsely tied the $ 2,555 “Ravenstail” coat to native artists from the northwest coast of California to Alaska by the design and use of the term Ravenstail. Sealaska said it discovered the retailer was selling the coat in 2019.

The institute in its lawsuit said the term and style Ravenstail had been associated with the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian tribes for hundreds of years. According to the lawsuit, the coat also mimics a Ravenstail dress created by a Tlingit weaver nearly a quarter of a century ago.

The lawsuit says Neiman Marcus violated federal Indian Arts and Crafts law requiring that products marketed as “Indian” be in fact made by indigenous peoples.

Neither Neiman Marcus nor his Alaska-based attorneys in the lawsuit immediately responded to Associated Press emails seeking comment.

Sealaska claimed that the Neiman Marcus dress violated the copyright of Clarissa Rizal, a master weaver who created the Ravenstail dress in 1996. Upon her death in 2016, her family obtained the rights to the dress, said the Sealaska lawyer, Jacob Adams.

In 2019, Rizal’s heirs registered the dress with the U.S. copyright office, according to the lawsuit. The copyright was then granted exclusively to Sealaska.

Adams told public radio station Juneau that the terms of the settlement were confidential, but some of its effects may become public.

“There are conditions that are met to meet the aspect of Tlingit law and the aspect of cultural requirements,” Adams said. “So in the future some things might be seen as the outcome of the settlement.”

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This story corrects the spelling of Neiman Marcus.

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – An Alaska Native cultural organization and luxury department store Neiman Marcus have settled a lawsuit over the sale of a coat with a copyrighted geometric pattern borrowed from Native culture .

The Sealaska Heritage Institute said in a statement on Wednesday that the two parties, including 10 other named defendants in addition to Neiman Marcus, had agreed to terms “to resolve all disputes between them under U.S. and Tlingit law,” said reported KTOO Public Media.

The Juneau-based institute is the cultural arm of Sealaska Corp., the Alaska Native Society for the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian peoples of Southeast Alaska.

In the federal lawsuit filed in April 2020, the institute argued that the Dallas-based retailer falsely tied the $ 2,555 “Ravenstail” mantle to Indigenous artists from the northwest coast of California to Alaska through to the design and use of the term Ravenstail. Sealaska said it discovered the retailer was selling the coat in 2019.

The institute in its lawsuit said the term and style Ravenstail had been associated with the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian tribes for hundreds of years. According to the lawsuit, the coat also mimics a Ravenstail dress created by a Tlingit weaver nearly a quarter of a century ago.

The lawsuit says Neiman Marcus violated federal Indian Arts and Crafts law requiring that products marketed as “Indian” be in fact made by indigenous peoples.

Neither Neiman Marcus nor his Alaska-based attorneys in the lawsuit immediately responded to Associated Press emails seeking comment.

Sealaska claimed that the Neiman Marcus dress violated the copyright of Clarissa Rizal, a master weaver who created the Ravenstail dress in 1996. Upon her death in 2016, her family obtained the rights to the dress, said the Sealaska lawyer, Jacob Adams.

In 2019, Rizal’s heirs registered the dress with the U.S. copyright office, according to the lawsuit. The copyright was then granted exclusively to Sealaska.

Adams told public radio station Juneau that the terms of the settlement were confidential, but some of its effects may become public.

“There are conditions that are met to meet the aspect of Tlingit law and the aspect of cultural requirements,” Adams said. “So in the future some things could be seen as the outcome of the settlement.”

Alaska Native Corporation Sealaska has acquired New England Seafood International Limited (NESI), one of Britain’s largest seafood suppliers, the groups said on Friday.

NESI is a London-based supplier of premium quality fresh and frozen sustainable fish and seafood to retailers and major foodservice brands, according to the announcement.

“One of the biggest challenges facing humanity is how to feed, water, educate and house a growing population on a finite planet,” Sealaska COO Terry Downes said of of the agreement.

“Huge social, environmental and economic value is possible when strong, like-minded organizations join forces across the world to make a bigger difference. Solving our most pressing problems requires working together with a holistic mindset.

NESI founder Fred Stroyan will retain a stake in the company. Stroyan will also remain on the board of directors of NESI.

Key members of the company’s management team, including NESI CEO Dan Aherne, will continue in their roles. The NESI brand will remain independent and will continue its journey of three decades, depending on the entities.

Joining forces will provide the two companies with increased access to resources, broader product and category capabilities and deeper market access, according to the announcement. The expanded seafood group and improved management capacity provide the opportunity to invest more to build on successes.

New England Seafood reported a 10% drop in operating profits for full year 2019, but the group said it was satisfied with the performance “given the difficult business conditions on UK Main Street”.

In total, the group’s operating income before exceptional items and depreciation and amortization decreased to £ 5 million (€ 5.5 million / $ 6.3 million) in the fiscal year ended October 2019.

Revenue increased 4% year-on-year to £ 161million (€ 178million / $ 204million) as the company focused on growing its retail segment and its businesses. offers.

Sealaska has experienced ambitious growth in recent years. In 2017, the group acquired a majority stake in Odyssey and Tokusui Corporation of America, owners of the American frozen seafood supplier Orca Bay Seafoods. Sealaska then merged Orca Bay and Odyssey in an effort to gain efficiency and economies of scale, he said.

The new entity combined the people and factories of Odyssey and Orca, in addition to the processor of Seattle Independent Packers Corporation (IPC), in which Sealaska also has a stake.

Alaska’s 12 Native corporations have significant investment funds. The companies, created under a federal law in 1971 called the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, employ 58,000 people worldwide, according to the Alaska Resource Development Council. They are the largest landowners in the state, and the companies’ combined revenues are estimated at over $ 8 billion (€ 6.9 billion).

The group jackpot has been invested over the past four decades in both good and bad assets. However, recent years have shown a significant increase in the sophistication of group management, in part due to an influx of a younger generation more eager to develop groups.

Last year, the Bristol Bay Native Corporation (BBNC) acquired Clipper Seafoods and Blue North Fisheries, two of the largest Pacific cod fishers and distributors on hook-line in the United States, and merged the group into a new entity, Bristol Bay Alaska Seafood.

The group, led by former Icicle Seafoods CEO Amy Humphreys, is said to have been considering further acquisitions and reviewing, among other assets, Alaskan pollock giant American Seafoods, though talks have been stalled in August.

An indigenous cultural organization in Southeast Alaska is suing luxury retailer Neiman Marcus, claiming the Dallas-based company violated copyright and protection laws for Native American arts by selling a knit coat with a geometric pattern borrowed from native culture.

In the federal lawsuit filed Monday, the Sealaska Heritage Institute maintains that the retailer falsely affiliated the $ 2,555 “Ravenstail” coat with Native artists of the Northwest Coast through the design and use of the term Ravenstail.

The plaintiffs say that the term and style Ravenstail have been associated for hundreds of years with the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian tribes. According to the lawsuit, the coat also mimics a Ravenstail coat created by a Tlingit weaver nearly a quarter of a century ago.

“For a very long time, they were seen as some kind of resource that anyone can use,” Adams said. “And it goes beyond inspiration to become outright violation.”

Representatives for Neiman Marcus did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Nieman Marcus has 43 stores in the United States, none in Alaska.

Sealaska says it discovered the retailer was selling the coat in 2019.

According to the lawsuit, Neiman Marcus violated India’s Arts and Crafts Law which requires that products marketed as “Indian” be in fact made by indigenous peoples. The Juneau-based nonprofit works to preserve and enhance the culture of the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian tribes of Southeast Alaska.

Sealaska also says that the Neiman Marcus dress infringes the copyright of Clarissa Rizal, a deceased master weaver who created the Ravenstail dress in 1996. Upon her death in 2016, her family obtained the rights to the dress, Adams said. .

Rizal’s heirs last year registered the dress with the U.S. copyright office, according to the lawsuit. The copyright was then exclusively licensed to Sealaska, according to the lawsuit.

The plaintiffs seek an injunction prohibiting Neiman Marcus or the parent companies from selling the coat, as well as unspecified compensatory, punitive and other damages.

As calls for physical distancing keep people home and away from friends and family, members of Alaska’s native community are coming together online. A new Facebook group, called “Alaska Native Virtual Gathering Place,” provides a space for joy and healing amid the uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic.

“We are going through a collective trauma right now and although we cannot physically come together, we can bring these traditions of community grief and healing into this new format,” said Vera Starbard, one of the group’s founders.

Starbard is Tlingit and Dena’ina. She is playwright-in-residence at the Perseverance Theater, editor-in-chief of First Alaskans Magazine, and writer for the PBS KIDS children’s program “Molly of Denali”.

The group was inspired by the similar “Social Distance Powwow” page, formed by people from Lower 48, she said. On Monday, the largest powwow group numbered more than 150,000 members from across the country and became a hub for sharing videos featuring dances, songs and words of encouragement.

“It’s a great and active group and it felt good to watch all these aboriginal people singing and drumming and dancing,” Starbard said.

She and ‘Gathering Place’ co-founder Erin Tripp, a Tlingit theater artist based in Juneau, started the Alaskan version after several large Indigenous events were canceled due to concerns about COVID-19. The annual Cama’i Festival and the Indigenous Youth Olympics have been suspended, as has the biennial celebration in Juneau.

“Our cultures focus more on the community than the individual,” said Tripp, Deisheetaan of Yeil H? T. “We’re not the only person going through this. It’s a shared experience. There is healing in sharing our songs, our stories, our wisdom with one another.”

Anyone in the group can post to the thread. The organizers have also set up a series of recurring events to strengthen the consistency of people. These include nightly shows scheduled at 7 p.m., as well as games for prizes and more.

Upcoming livestreams will feature guests like frontman Stephen Blanchett on Monday, who many may know from the band Pamyua, and North Slope’s own Cordelia Qiġ? Aaq Kellie on Friday.

“Vera and Erin contacted me and asked if I would like to participate in the rally, sharing songs and stories,” said Napiryuk Polly Andrews, of Shevak, whose name Cup’ik means “to sharpen.” Andrews was one of the first guests on the nighttime show.

When social distancing began in Alaska, she had just returned home after visiting Chefornak, where her children shared their first dance ceremony with the community which is the hometown of her husband, singer and songwriter Aassanaaq “Ossie “Kairaiuak.

“The ceremony, which had been performed from ancestral times among our Yup’ik / Cup’ik people, was performed to honor our children’s accomplishments and our connection to the land and culture,” said Andrews. “This ceremony brought together the communities of Chefornak, Toksook Bay, Tununak, Nightmute and Shevak. When we were all together in this space, drumming and dancing, you could feel the joy and strength of our Alaskan natives resonate strongly.

It was a feeling of wholeness and connection and strength that was old. With the announcement of the first COVID case in Alaska and the announcement of the closure of gathering places in our state, we knew we were among the last to gather and dance for an unforeseen amount of time. “

When she returned to Anchorage, she felt it was a gift she needed to keep going. So she accepted the invitation.

“One thing my husband has wisely said in the past (is): ‘with being rooted in culture comes with responsibility’. Part of our responsibility as Aboriginal people is to share our cultural gifts and values ​​with others, ”said Andrews.

On an hour-long live broadcast on Friday, Andrews shared stories from his family, sang songs and talked about the challenges of adapting to life in quarantine. His video has since been viewed over 300 times and has inspired many conversations.

“Our songs, dances, stories and ancient practices translate into the health and well-being of our Indigenous communities,” she said. “Our paths are our resilience. And in times of challenge and adversity, this is how we heal together. During this time, our community has been challenged to explore creative ways to continue our healing practices – to practice the ancient value of coming together in different healing ways. And with that, our indigenous community overcame the challenge and created a space for our songs, dances and stories to connect with people’s hearts.

The practice of seclusion or distancing is no stranger to many Native Alaskan cultures, Starbard said. But the foundations remain collective.

“We came together during harvest, we came together while preparing food. We came together to raise children and we came together to chat, drum, dance and share stories,” Andrews said. . “An example of our gathering in Yup’ik culture was qasriq, a multi-purpose gathering place. Young boys learned skills such as making tools and listening to stories about the hunt. Various men and elders in the community taught the young boys in the qasriq. This place was also used as a gathering place for dance ceremonies. This unifying value – and the collective nature of our people – is inherent in each of us. We were all like this in the past. In many areas where we come from – our villages – we may not be strong economically, but we are strong culturally. And that’s what keeps our people alive. “

Regardless of other changes over time, these values ​​are always expensive.

“Every Native Alaskan culture has traditional gatherings throughout the year, and they are an integral part of our sense of connection to each other as clan members, tribal members, families,” said Starbard. “We have always known in our cultures that physically coming together to celebrate, mourn, commemorate is the healthiest way to ensure strong relationships.”

These gatherings can be virtual now, instead of being physical, she said, but their healing power remains, even in difficult times like these.

“Particularly because we live in such a digital age, it’s possible for all of us to still connect in different ways while maintaining our physical distance,” said Tripp. “That’s not to say it’s not difficult. It always is. But I’ve seen many wonderful and creative ways to use the Internet to connect with friends, loved ones, their community or even off the internet, like those videos you see of people singing together from their apartment windows. It reminded me that we are not alone and that we are all in the same boat. “

You can join the Alaska Native Virtual Gathering Place by searching for it on Facebook and submitting a request. Live broadcast schedules are posted to the group and updated regularly by admins.

Shady Grove Oliver can be contacted at [email protected]