National Native News

Photo: The perch at North Slope Borough’s bowhead whale census, April 16, 2019. (Ravenna Koenig / Alaska’s Energy Desk) Scientists and Alaska hunters have been counting bowhead whales passing by the northernmost American town, Utqiagvik, for the past two months. It is part of a once-in-a-decade effort to evaluate the health of the whale population up north – and support subsistence in the area. The Alaska Desk’s Alena Naiden with our flagship station KNBA reports that so far, the number of whales seems to be on the rise. When bowhead whales pass Utqiagvik on their way up north, it’s a good time to count them. Every 10 years, scientists and local hunters team up to carry out the census for bowhead whales that migrate between the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort seas. Biologist John Citta says the data helps ensure that the bowhead population is healthy. It’s also used to set subsistence harvest limits in the years to come. “We do it for the whaling captains, and we do it in collaboration with them.” First, they build a perch on the sea ice, right on the edge with a stretch of open water, or lead. Observers have been climbing the perch and counting the whales passing by since the beginning of April. The visual count is only the first step of the census. But so far, Citta says the final estimate might be around 20,000 whales or more. “There are a lot more whales out there now than what there used to be, and we suspect the populations continue to grow, but we just don’t know that for certain yet.” Citta says the bowheads might be thriving because the sea ice in the Arctic is declining. Whalers in the Arctic have been involved in the bowhead census since the early 70s. That’s when the International Whaling Commission counted whales for the first time. Retired whale biologist Geoff Carroll co-led subsequent counts. “We were able to show that there’s plenty of bowheads to support the subsistence hunt.” That initial count only included whales passing through the stretch of open water. But hunters knew that some animals traveled far from shore or under thick ice. Throughout the years, the census has included acoustic and aerial surveys that account for those whales. This year, the acoustic part of the count is also happening. “It turns out that bowhead whales really talk a lot.” The International Whaling Commission expects the final estimate in 2029 to decide whether to renew the region’s current subsistence whaling quota. A state of emergency was declared this week, on the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Reservation in South Dakota. It was issued by the tribe’s president Kathleen Wooden Knife. The declaration states it is “due to threats posed by widespread methamphetamine and illicit drug use, trafficking, and related gun violence, which poses risks to public safety, community health, and tribal welfare.” The tribe is seeking increased patrol and investigation from federal agencies, cooperation from the community in reporting crimes, and urgent action to address law enforcement gaps. According to the Office of the President, this follows previous declarations issued in 2019 and 2024. (Photo: Cherokee Nation) Twelve bike riders from the Cherokee Nation left this week from Tahlequah, Okla., for Cherokee, N.C., to participate in this year’s Remember the Removal Ride. The cyclists will join riders from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians for the ride, which official begins next week. The ride spans about 950 miles along the northern route of the Trail of Tears in Georgia and ends in Tahlequah on June 21. The ride honors Cherokee ancestors who were forced to march the route in the late 1830s. Cyclists will visit several Cherokee gravesites and historic landmarks. Their journey can be followed on the Remember the Remove Bike Ride Facebook page.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

A group of tribes want the U.S. government to explain how it historically funded boarding schools for Indigenous children. As Jimmy Romo reports for the Mountain West News Bureau, the tribes recently filed a lawsuit aiming to force the country to reckon with the past. The Wichita and Affiliated Tribes of Oklahoma, along with the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California, filed the lawsuit in a Pennsylvania federal district court. It seeks to hold U.S. agencies responsible for the Indian boarding school system. Native children suffered horrific abuse and neglect in these schools, and many never made it home. According to the complaint, boarding school operations were funded by Native Nations trust funds. Those funds contained proceeds from the sale of tribal land — land that the U.S. government forced tribes to sign away. The trust, plaintiffs say, was meant for the collective benefit of Native Nations. It is estimated that the government used $23 billion, in today’s money, to run the boarding schools. The tribes are asking the courts to force the U.S. to give a breakdown of how the funds were used. The U.S. government has yet to respond to the complaint. Oak Flat protest in Washington, D.C. in 2015. (Photo: Wendy Kenin / Flickr) The Apache Stronghold, a coalition of Apache people, other Native people, and their allies, say the group’s fight will continue to protect Oak Flat in Arizona. This after the U-S Supreme Court Tuesday, declined to hear the group’s lawsuit Apache Stronghold v. United States. The case seeks to stop the government from transferring Oak Flat, a site sacred to Apache and other Native people, to Resolution Copper, which plans to turn the site into a mining crater. In a statement, Dr. Wendsler Nosie Sr. of Apache Stronghold said they’ll never stop fighting and that nothing will deter them from protecting Oak Flat from destruction. He goes on to say while the decision is a heavy blow, their struggle is far from over and they’re urging action from Congress while they press forward in the courts. Resolution Copper welcomed the decision, and in a statement said “the mine is vital to securing America’s energy future, infrastructure needs, and national defense with a domestic supply of copper and other minerals.” And says the project will create jobs and boost the economy. Attorneys for the Apache Stronghold say “they’ll do everything in their power to ensure that the Apaches can continue worshiping at Oak Flat as they have for generations.” The FBI says it will add resources in 10 states including New Mexico to tackle unresolved crimes, with a focus on those related to missing and murdered Indigenous persons. But not everyone is convinced it will have a significant impact. More from Roz Brown. The agency said 60 agents will be deployed to Albuquerque to investigate unsolved crimes. Darlene Gomez, a tribal attorney, has spent her career advocating for missing and murdered Indigenous women. When it comes to investigations, she said accountability can be lacking. “When the Department of Justice or President Trump enacts legislation or (a) special task force, we very rarely see any of the data that comes out of what those task forces were supposed to accomplish.” Prior to the FBI announcement, the Trump administration scrubbed an online report from the Not Invisible Act Commission, mandated by bipartisan legislation and signed into law by President Donald Trump during his first term. Gomez has a friend who’s been missing for 24 years, so she is encouraged New Mexico recently adopted the “Turquoise Alert,” a system to help locate missing Indigenous people, similar to an Amber Alert for missing children and already operational in California, Colorado, and Washington. Nonetheless, Gomez worries New Mexico is backsliding on its commitment to locate the missing. “I feel like New Mexico was once the premiere state in the country working on murdered, missing, Indigenous women and relative topics, and we were making huge, significant strides. Now we are down at the bottom again.”   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

(Photo: Hannah Habermann / Wyoming Public Media) Colorado is joining the Eastern Shoshone Tribe in Wyoming in designating bison as wildlife. Wyoming Public Radio’s Olivia Weitz reports. Earlier this year, the Eastern Shoshone Tribe reclassified bison from being livestock to wildlife in an effort to manage the species less like cattle and more like big game. On Thursday, Colorado’s governor signed the Protect Wild Bison bill, which creates a dual wildlife and livestock designation. Conservation groups say it makes killing bison that cross into Colorado from other states illegal. Jason Baldes is Eastern Shoshone and heads up the Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative. He says Colorado’s move shows growing public support for bison restoration “And the importance of people allowing this animal to exist. and not be commodified, but really have an opportunity to exist on the landscape.” Jim Magagna with Wyoming Stockgrowers says if a similar bill were to be introduced in Wyoming, his group would oppose it. “ I think we’re a long way from that. I can’t say it’ll never happen. Things do change, but I’m not, not aware of any pressure, significant, to do that in Wyoming.” Colorado’s bill goes into effect in January next year. A Montana-based Indigenous group says it’s increasing membership this year in a new way – a traveling conference. Western Native Voice recently held the last of about a dozen conferences it has hosted since March in tribal communities across the state. Kathleen Shannon reports. The group offers programs to attendees that focus on leadership development, civic engagement and education, and public policy advocacy. Denise Juneau, Montana’s former state superintendent of public instruction and a conference keynote speaker, says Native legislators made a lot of headway in this year’s session. “There was a sense of pride in seeing what got accomplished through the 12 Native legislators who got elected from all these different communities, and I think really a glimmer of hope about what can happen when people get engaged.” Bills that passed include updates to the Montana Indian Child Welfare Act and a new approach to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) crisis, as well as reauthorization of Native language preservation programs and formal recognition of Indigenous Peoples Day. Juneau, an enrolled member of the Mandan Hidatsa Tribes of North Dakota, credits her own success in part to growing up with parents in the State Legislature and Tribal leadership. “Being in those seats of power and speaking truth to power, and being engaged at that level really makes a difference for your community, for your state, for the country and for the people who are around you.” Yellowstone Peoples Executive Director Shane Doyle is a member of the Apsaalooke Nation. He says there’s a common misconception that Tribes across Montana were historically in conflict, when evidence shows they were largely friendly. “Despite the enormous and remarkable language diversity here in Montana, the Tribes were all able to coalesce over generations and create their own sign language, and it just is a testimony to their stable relations.” A large Lakota camp, thought to be on or near Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in 1891. (Photo: John C. H. Gabriel / Library of Congress) U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda (D-HI), have reintroduced the Remove the Stain Act. The bill seeks to revoke the Medal of Honor awarded to soldiers for their participation in the Wounded Knee Massacre on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota in 1890, where U.S. soldiers slaughtered hundreds of Lakota adults and children. Twenty soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor. Congress has rescinded Medals of Honor before, and the bill would do the same taking a step toward righting a wrong in history, according to a statement by Sen. Warren. “We cannot be a country that celebrates and rewards horrifying acts of violence against Native people, Congress must recognize how shameful this massacre was and take an important step toward justice for Lakota people.” The legislation has been introduced before and is supported by a number of tribes and Native organizations.     Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Photo: Navajo Code Talkers gather in Church Rock, N.M. in 2010. (Antonia Gonzales) Today is Memorial Day, and across the U.S., parades, ceremonies, and similar events are being held to honor those who served and died for their country. That includes an observance from a Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) activist in Oregon. Kimberly Lining is the founder of MMIW Search and Hope Alliance. She says she’s collecting names of fallen Native soldiers … not just in combat, but also those who struggled at home. “Last May I lost a very close friend of mine. He took his own life. And it was very sad and very tragic. He was like a brother to me. And this year I thought I need to get more involved and bring more awareness to that. and I’d also like to bring more awareness to the Indigenous fallen service members, how they became so engrained into our military.” Lining is hoping to present names of Navajo Codetalkers. Being Navajo, Hopi, and Mexican, she says it’s a way to honor the men who used their native language to radio in troop movements during World War II. “And I think it’s important that more people know about that. And those who gave their life and service to that. and It’s more than just outside non-Native communities. The native peoples have had such a big role in service to this country, and fallen for this country. And I just want to bring it to the surface, and start conversations. Not just about history, but how to Indigenous languages across the board.” Lining says the completed project will be a video slideshow that she’ll make available on her social media channels, including that of her organization, MMIW Search and Hope Alliance. Acclaimed Indigenous chef Sean Sherman (Oglala Lakota) is expanding his nonprofit to Montana. Yellowstone Public Radio’s Ruth Eddy has more about his plans in Bozeman. “So we’ve got ground elk, onions, delicata squash. We just chopped it up real fine. It’s got sumac, cedar and salt in it “ Chef Rob Kinneen (Tlingit) with the nonprofit Indigenous Food Lab is grilling at the kitchen of Fork and Spoon in Bozeman. The social enterprise restaurant run by the Human Resources Development Council (HRDC) serves pay what you can meals five nights a week but also rents out its commercial kitchen. Tonight the kitchen is being used for a pop-up dinner as a taste of what’s to come in Bozeman, as Sean Sherman’s nonprofit starts using the kitchen regularly sometime in the near future. “Our goal is to try and get food access to tribal communities all across the state, and that’s what we’re hoping to do right here in this building” Sean Sherman’s restaurant in Minneapolis was named James Beard’s best restaurant in America in 2022. Owamni highlights Indigenous ingredients by removing colonial ingredients like dairy, wheat, flour, cane sugar, beef, pork, and chicken. Tonight’s seven-course pop up does the same. The elk skewer is plated on top of a dark red circle of sauce made from currents, topped with fresh ramps, and drizzled with a pine syrup, as Sherman explains. “We harvested this pine cut it all up and then we’re going to cook it down with some maple syrup and some water and just let it simmer for a long time till the water starts to evaporate but it’ll absorb a lot of this pine flavor” This is the only Bozeman pop-up on the calendar for the time being, but Sherman says he hopes a restaurant in Bozeman isn’t too far away. Sherman says their first step is improving native food access, and making educational videos. Megan Vincent was one of 80 guests at the pop up. She is a culinary arts teacher at a highschool in Lewistown. She said the food was amazing, and the braised bison and wild rice flan were favorites. “I want to figure out that dessert. I really want the dessert recipe, to see if I can make that with them. I think the idea of making desert taste that good without using those standard ingredients like sugar and dairy would be an amazing experience.”     Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Photo: Bison from the city of Denver’s herds are in a pen waiting to be loaded onto a trailer. This year, the city donated 23 bison to tribes. (Courtesy Denver Parks and Recreation) Bison are being restored to tribal lands across the Mountain West and the Great Plains. As the Mountain West News Bureau’s Rachel Cohen reports, a herd managed in Colorado is playing a big role. A few bison jumped into a grass-lined trailer. They were heading to the Kiowa Tribe in Oklahoma. The bison are part of two herds that live in mountain parks owned by the City and County of Denver. And the city gave these 10 away so the Kiowa Tribe could start its first herd in over 150 years. Bison were hunted to near-extinction in the 1800s. Rick Williams (Oglala Lakota and Northern Cheyenne) was at the bison transfer in March. He says it included a ceremony and songs for a safe journey. “The buffalo were a sacred animal to us. You know, we knew that they provided all of our economy and our lifestyle and everything that we needed to survive.” Denver’s donation is part of a larger effort to give surplus bison from conservation herds – and national parks – to tribes to restore cultural and environmental connections. Over the past seven years, Denver has given 140 bison to 10 tribes. That includes the Northern Arapaho in Wyoming and the Northern Cheyenne in Montana. Carol Picket Hull executes the One-Foot High Kick at Arctic Winter Games, April 1982. (Courtesy Alaska State Library / Arctic Winter Games Team Alaska Collection) Carol Pickett Hall was remembered at an Anchorage memorial ceremony as someone who was more than an athlete, but also a person who worked hard to build the Native Youth Olympics into the success it was today. The Iñupiaq athlete died at the age of 61 at her home in Seward, Alaska on May 5. As Rhonda McBride from our flagship station KNBA tells us, friends and competitors alike say she embodied the spirit of traditional Native games. Carol Pickett Hull was only 5 feet 4 inches, but became a giant in her sport, when she set a new world record for the One-Foot High Kick at the 1989 World Eskimo Indian Olympics. That’s when she jumped with 1 foot, to kick a tiny ball, suspended 7 feet in the air. “Tiny little powerhouses.” That was how Nicole Johnson described herself and Carol, when they met as teenagers. “There’s nothing that could stop us, our height, our weight, our ages. Nothing stopped Carol from doing what she loved to do.” “When she won the One-Foot High Kick, she was asked if she wanted to go for the record. She had this infectious excitement. Yes.” Reggie Joule is a ten-time gold medalist in the blanket toss. He says Carol and her teammates came along at a time when men dominated the games. But that soon changed. “They were coming onto this scene with this energy but also with this hunger.” A hunger for the strength and spirit of their culture, which Carol tried to embody. Her 1989 record would stand at WEIO until last year, when Emily King, a Canadian from Whitehorse, would surpass Carol’s record by an inch … a memorable moment for Greg Nothstine, a longtime competitor and game official. “Carol was out there being her biggest fan and said, ‘You can do it. You can do it.’” Over the years, Carol Pickett Hull seemed to be an endless source of encouragement. She coached. She officiated and became one of her sport’s biggest cheerleaders. When she first entered the scene, the games were held in small gymnasiums. Today the statewide Native Youth Olympics draws thousands of athletes and their fans, a reminder of how a little encouragement can go a long way. A map of the process of forced displacement, 1830–1838. Oklahoma is depicted in light yellow-green. And on this day in 1838, the infamous forced march of thousands of Cherokees from their land began, a 1,000-mile trek towards Oklahoma that became known as the Trail of Tears. U.S. troops were armed with rifles and bayonets, and many Cherokee died from starvation, illness, or hypothermia. The estimated 25 million acres they were forced to relinquish in the southeast were taken by white settlers. The Trail of Tears memorial at the New Echota Historic Site in Georgia, which honors the Cherokees who died during the forced displacement by the U.S. government.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

May is Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) Awareness Month, where community groups, tribal leaders, and advocates highlight the disproportionate levels of violence directed at Native people. Among the events held this month was the fifth annual Poetry in the Park event in Springfield, Oreg., which was sponsored by Illioo Theater, the University of Oregon’s Native American and Indigenous Studies Department, and the university’s Indigenous Women’s Wellness Group. Marta Clifford is an elder with the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, and an organizer of the event. She says she was inspired to hang red dresses from the trees in Heron Park, after seeing an installation by First Nations artist Jaime Black. Clifford says the color red is very significant. “Many tribes believe that is the color that the spirits can see, and it is a traditional color now for this program of missing and murdered Indigenous women. And people. All people.” Clifford says all of the poems shared at the event were by Native writers and artists. And most of the readers are current Native or Indigenous students at the University. (Photo: Brian Bull) One of them, Pachimio Feliz, is from the Yurok Tribe of California. He says the MMIP crisis hits home because he’s friends with the family of Emmilee Risling, a UO Native student leader who went missing in the fall of 2021. “She disappeared just a few feet from my village. I know the family, I know it’s definitely a lot of hurt and suffering’s happening right now back home on the Yurok reservation and the Hoopa reservations. A lot of missing people, a lot of unsolved cases, too.” One student, Ericka Grunlose, is with the Colville Tribe. She recited a poem titled, “I Am 10 Years Old”, and is about a young girl who’s kidnapped, raped, and murdered by a non-Native man with “the gentlest smile”. “I actually cried the first time I read this. Because, it just…I just felt it, and as another Native women myself, I just really felt it in my heart. They asked me if I wanted to switch my poem, but I talked with my mom, and I felt like I was strong enough today to come out here and read this poem.” Another student, Mykeisha Yepa of the Jicarilla Apache Tribe, read “Helen Betty Osborne” by Marilyn DuMont. It’s based on the 1971 abduction and murder of a 19-year-old Cree woman. It took 16 years for her four suspected killers to be tried, with only one serving time. “The poem definitely resonated with me because the metaphor of open season. and how powerful it is and how much women are preyed upon, and I guess it’s like a hunting season for women.” After the final reading, an honor song was given in the memory of MMIP as well as the friends and families affected. Roses were handed out to the participants, and people who may be grieving or otherwise affected by the MMIP crisis were invited to talk with the students. “Indian Time #2” is among the works featured at the new Native Elements Art Festival + Market. (Photo: Zoe Urness) And this week is the Native Elements Arts Festival and Market at the Santa Fe Botanical Garden and Convention Center in New Mexico. One hundred and sixty Native American and Indigenous artists are expected to be featured at the market. A new honor, the “Native Elements Distinguished Achievement Award”, will be presented. The event will benefit the botanical garden, the Institute of American Indian Arts Scholarship Fund, and the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

A long-standing argument over funding for law enforcement on northwest Montana’s Flathead Reservation is over – for now. Montana Public Radio’s Aaron Bolton reports Gov. Greg Gianforte (R-MT) has signed off on funding to help county and tribal officials hash out a long-term plan. For years, Lake County and Gov. Gianforte have sparred over who’s financially responsible for prosecuting tribal members for felonies on the Flathead Reservation. Lake County has historically done that work under an agreement known as Public Law 280. But the county says it can no longer afford that service. Both the county and the state had planned to leave the agreement. That would mean federal law enforcement would take over, but federal officials have said they don’t have the resources. This session, county, state, and Confederated Salish and Kootenai (CSKT) officials hashed out a plan. The state is providing $6 million over the next two years to help transition more cases to tribal courts. CSKT Spokesperson Rob McDonald says some of that work has already started. “We have in the past 18 months or so taking on more than 150 felonies and increased our efforts to reduce the workload on the county.” But Lake County is expected to continue handling more serious felonies that require prison time. The CSKT and Lake County are required under the new law to hash out an agreement laying out the balance of cases each will take on. This month has seen many awareness events across Indian Country for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP). This included an event in Gresham, Oreg., organized by MMIW Search and Hope Alliance. Honor songs were sung with dancing – and people affected by the murders or disappearances of Native people shared their stories before an audience. Kim Lining is founder of MMIW Search and Hope Alliance. She says there was power in what people shared about their missing or murdered relatives. “The power lies in experience. So many times, people say they understand, but sometimes they don’t. And they don’t understand because they haven’t seen it firsthand from experience. So when you bring in surviving family members, family members that are still searching for their loved ones, it brings a different environment of emotion to the audience that’s listening.” While many cases remain unsolved, one outcome brought relief: Louann Aiken, a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians of North Dakota, was found alive on May 10 in Portland, Oreg., after a two-year disappearance. Lining says she verified it was Aiken, then contacted her relatives. “A lot of tears, a lot of relieved emotions. And some sadness because of the situation, she’s been missing for so long. We did offer them help if they needed help to come out and take Louanne home if Louanne chose to go home. We’re just letting them as a family kinda figure that out. And if they so choose to take us up on that, then we have offered to bring them out here so that they can travel as a family back home to North Dakota.” Lining says her organization will hit its one year anniversary in July. She says the celebration will focus on volunteers, who keep things going. Lining says while MMIW Search and Hope Alliance is largely a regional effort, they try to help with national cases. This includes the Oklahoma City case of Seneca Shemayme, whose family says he was killed in a deliberate hit-and-run last October. MMIP events will continue through May. Those who want to get involved can contact their tribes or look up community calendars.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Tribal leaders from across the country spoke out last week at a U.S. Senate hearing against recent changes within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Others are eyeing how potential cuts to the department’s Indian Health Service (IHS) could affect Native communities. The Alaska Desk reporter Alena Naiden from our flagship station KNBA has more. HHS announced in March that it would cut 20,000 health jobs and close regional offices. That was in response to an executive order from President Trump to optimize the workforce across the federal government. The senate hearing looked at how that decision could harm HHS programs that benefit Native Americans. U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) chaired the hearing. “These aren’t just federal services. They’re really critical components of the social safety net, and my view is that these programs support family stability, child development and basic dignity.” One of the witnesses at the hearing was Melissa Charlie, the executive director of the Fairbanks Native Association. The association provides a Tribal Head Start program offering educational and cultural activities. The association also receives HHS funds for emergency shelter for survivors of domestic violence. “As women leave a domestic violence situation with just the clothes on their back, they can’t afford the temporary housing, not in Fairbanks, and especially in remote Alaska.” The senate hearing focused on HHS programs that are not part of IHS, but that agency might be also facing changes. The Trump administration has proposed cutting $900 million from IHS. William Smith is a National Indian Health Board Chairman. He said the proposal would lead to closure of clinics, losses of essential staffing, and an increase in preventative deaths in Native communities. “When we talk about the budget cuts to the Indian Health Service, these are not just budget numbers, you know. These are our lives.” Smith says that the federal government has treaty and trust obligations to ensure Native people have access to healthcare. “We paid with our land, we paid with our health, we paid with our culture.” The Indian Health Board wrote letters to the HHS secretary Robert Kennedy Jr., speaking up against the cuts. Sec. Kennedy was not at the Senate hearing, but was present at two Congressional hearings that same day. Sen. Murkowski said the concerns of tribal health officials will be shared with him. (Courtesy Elderberry Wisdom Farm) A farm in Salem, Oreg. that teaches Traditional Ecological Knowledge to youth has just had some federal funds unfrozen. After President Donald Trump took office this year, many federal agencies have weathered cuts, cancellations, and freezes. That includes the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which had previously approved three grants to Elderberry Wisdom Farm. Board president, Rose High Bear, explains its mission. “The roots of traditional ecological knowledge are grounded in our spirituality. And a lot of people have forgotten their traditions, and we need to restore our own native spirituality and our relationship with our oldest grandmother, the mother earth.” High Bear says U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas (D-OR) helped restore one grant worth $750,000. Elderberry Wisdom Farm is now looking for interns to do Native stewardship practices. One will be planting trees in a lower-income area of Salem. “We have heat waves here in Salem, when you’ve got a low tree canopy, it can be 30 degrees hotter than in the more prosperous neighborhoods. So we’re really committed in a number of ways to help our ecosystem and to help our young people to get into careers that are more fulfilling to them.” High Bear says funding still remains a concern, as the internship program’s account will dry out next year.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Montana’s Native families face higher rates of separation with a disproportionate number of Native kids in foster care. A nonprofit in Lodge Grass is developing a center aimed at keeping tribal families together and out of social services. MTPR’s Victoria Traxler has more. Mountain Shadow Association recently began construction of a family healing center to support communities on the Crow Reservation. Executive Director Megkain Doyle explains addiction and behavioral health issues can break apart families. She says children from the reservation are often sent to foster care families out of state when these issues arise. The center, called Kaala’s Village, aims to change that. “That’s what Kaala’s Village is really trying to do is provide this consistent and constant relationship and connection and to help repair those places where connection and relationship are broken.” The center’s approach is based in restorative justice, which aims to address the root cause of crimes, instead of incarceration. Doyle says they hope to help break cycles of abuse and trauma. Kaala’s Village was developed from years of direct dialogue between the nonprofit and Lodge Grass community members. “They really wanted it to be a safe place for them and for their children. And they also wanted to make sure that they were gonna be surrounded by people who shared similar goals with them in recovery.” The 13-acre campus will have housing, along with a preschool and caretakers to help supervise children. Doyle says they hope to fully open by the end of 2026. Extreme heat can affect the health of pregnant mothers. As the Mountain West News Bureau’s Yvette Fernandez reports, a new study shows the warming climate is adding to that risk, and several states in the Mountain West region are leading the way. One of the most significant findings from the Climate Central study is that excessive exposure to heat can lead to premature births. The policy neutral organization’s Vice President of Science Kristina Dahl says heat incidents can have lasting effects on the baby and the mother. It’s exacerbated by their “socio-economic vulnerability.” Air conditioning in areas that are experiencing hotter summers is important. “So people who have less access to cooling, have less of an infrastructure around preventative health care, tend to be more at risk when it comes to extreme heat exposure.” Lower income women are disproportionately affected. In the Mountain West region, Utah experienced the most additional pregnancy heat-risk days during the past five years. Overall, the study shows Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico experienced among the highest number of pregnancy heat-risk days in the country. “Navajo Highways”, a new children’s television series, is helping teach kids the Navajo language. The live-action puppet series follows the summer adventures of Sadie, a young girl from an urban background who spends time with her Navajo grandmother. Through the guidance of her family and community, she explores Navajo traditions, language, and values. Lori Tapahonso is a co-producer of the show. “It is an accompaniment to any kind of immersion program but also a standalone language program that teaches children about culture and language in a fun and engaging way. It encourages families to learn together but also children can learn on their own.” The series is written and directed by Pete Sands with support from the Navajo Nation and the New Mexico Public Education Department. The series will soon be featured on First Nations Experience (FNX)’s new streaming platform.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Acclaimed Indigenous chef Sean Sherman is expanding his nonprofit to Montana. Yellowstone Public Radio’s Ruth Eddy has more about his plans in Bozeman. “So we’ve got ground elk, onions, delicata squash. We just chopped it up real fine. It’s got sumac, cedar, and salt in it “ Chef Rob Kinneen with the nonprofit Indigenous Food Lab is grilling at the kitchen of Fork and Spoon in Bozeman. The social enterprise restaurant run by the Human Resources Development Council (HRDC) serves pay what you can meals five nights a week, but also rents out its commercial kitchen. Tonight, the kitchen is being used for a pop-up dinner as a taste of what’s to come in Bozeman, as Sean Sherman’s nonprofit starts using the kitchen regularly sometime in the near future. “Our goal is to try and get food access to tribal communities all across the state, and that’s what we’re hoping to do right here in this building” Sean Sherman’s restaurant in Minneapolis was named James Beard’s best restaurant in America in 2022. Owamni highlights Indigenous ingredients by removing colonial ingredients like dairy, wheat, flour, cane sugar, beef, pork, and chicken. Tonight’s 7 course pop up does the same. The elk skewer is plated on top of a dark red circle of sauce made from currents, topped with fresh ramps, and drizzled with a pine syrup. Sherman explains. “We harvested this pine cut it all up and then we’re going to cook it down with some maple syrup and some water and just let it simmer for a long time till the water starts to evaporate but it’ll absorb a lot of this pine flavor” This is the only Bozeman pop-up on the calendar for the time being, but Sherman says he hopes a restaurant in Bozeman isn’t too far away. Sherman says their first step is improving Native food access, and making educational videos. Megan Vincent was one of 80 guests at the pop up. She is a culinary arts teacher at a high school in Lewistown. She said the food was amazing, and the braised bison and wild rice flan were favorites. “I want to figure out that dessert. I really want the dessert recipe, to see if I can make that with them. I think the idea of making desert taste that good without using those standard ingredients like sugar and dairy would be an amazing experience.” (Courtesy PBS Kids) The next season of the PBS KIDS show “Molly of Denali” will be the last for the foreseeable future. KTOO’S Jamie Diep reports. The team behind the award-winning children’s TV show will stop working on new content. The show is widely celebrated in Alaska because it features an Alaska Native lead character and showcases Alaska Native culture. This comes as the Trump administration is cracking down on federal funding. But Alaska State Writer Laureate Vera Starbard, who is a writer and story editor for the show, says that’s not the full story. While she and other writers knew the decision was in the works before the presidential election last year, she says they didn’t get the official announcement until recently. And she says she doesn’t think there’s just one reason for the decision. “What I don’t want is for a show this great and this exceptional to be put into this very polarized political lens of ‘it’s x person that did it. It’s this x action that did it.’ It’s actually a lot of sort of typical television reasons. I do think the funding atmosphere that has been tough for a while, political atmospheres, those all for sure, contribute to the much bigger reasons.” This is not the end for the show though – another season will air – but PBS is not commissioning another season of the show. “Molly of Denali” premiered in 2019 and was the first nationally distributed children’s program to feature Indigenous main characters. The show won its first Emmy Award earlier this year for an episode written by Juneau resident X̱’unei Lance Twitchell. He and Starbard were among several Alaska Native writers who contributed to the show during its run.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Photo: A ballot booth at the polling station in Wyoming Indian High School’s Tech Center in Ethete, Wyo. (Lindsay D’Addato / Flickr) A group of Democratic lawmakers are warning an election bill would make it more difficult for Native Americans to vote in national elections. Christina Aanestad reports. Democratic Senators from California, Hawaii, and Oregon are warning the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act would disenfranchise Native American voting rights. A letter sent to Secretary of the Interior says the requirement that voters use ID to register that shows the place of birth would be hard to meet, since the majority of Tribal IDs lack that data. The letter signed by more than a dozen senators representing 10 states also says the SAVE ACT would force Tribal voters who live in rural and remote locations to travel significant distances to prove their citizenship just so they can register to vote. Native communities often rely on mail-in voting because of a lack of infrastructure and transportation. The letter says the president’s executive order penalizes states that accept absentee or mail-in ballots received after Election Day, harming Native voters in states like Alaska, North Dakota, Oregon, and California that process ballots as long as they are postmarked by Election Day. In Alaska, which has 229 federally recognized Tribes, vote-by-mail polling sites can be hundreds of miles away for villages that are not on the road system, making vote by mail essential the lawmakers write. Among the signatories are U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Tina Smith (D-MN) as well as Democratic senators from Nevada and Hawaii. Pope Leo XIV during an audience with the media May 12, 2025. (Photo: Edgar Beltrán, The Pillar / Wikimedia) Canada’s Indigenous community is, for the most part, welcoming the new pope. But as Dan Karpenchuk reports, many are hoping that the new pontiff, Leo XIV, will continue his predecessor’s legacy when it comes to reconciliation. Pope Francis was praised for his historical apology to Canada’s Indigenous people for the role of the Catholic Church in the notorious residential school system. For over a hundred years, from the mid-1800’s, the government funded schools, run by churches, were aimed at assimilating Native children into white culture. Thousands were physically and sexually abused, many died. Survivors of the schools say the apology from Pope Frances was long overdue. But some, like Geraldine Shingoose, say it wasn’t enough and there needs to be more dialogue with the new pope. “Not with Indigenous leadership, or the federal government of Canada. But with residential school survivors. That needs to happen.” Meanwhile the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, says there is still a lot of work to do. “I hope that we can work on reconciliation together, continue on the hard work that the late pope had left for us to finish. And there’s lots of work to do.” Among the issues still remain are the repatriation of Indigenous artifacts from the Vatican collection, and she wants more education around the church’s role in the residential school system, and to make the world a better place. Natasha Singh. (Courtesy AFN / Facebook) The Alaska Federation of Natives will hold its annual October convention in Anchorage. Rhonda McBride from our flagship station KNBA has more. The theme this year is “Standing Strong, Standing United”. The keynote speaker is Natasha Singh, President and CEO of the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. AFN President Ben Mallott says Singh was chosen because of her commitment to unity and her extensive experience in bringing tribes together to work for common causes. Just recently, after a two-year hiatus, two major tribal organizations – Tanana Chiefs and Tlingit and Haida – announced that they were rejoining the AFN, the largest statewide Native organization in Alaska.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Photo: A post marks where Enbridge’s Line 5 crosses the reservation of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa on Friday, June 24, 2022. (Danielle Kaeding / WPR) Federal regulators said in a hearing Tuesday that data doesn’t support a Wisconsin tribe’s claims that a pipeline project will violate its water quality standards. As Danielle Kaeding reports, the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa says Canadian energy firm Enbridge is underestimating impacts from its Line 5 reroute. Enbridge wants to reroute the oil and gas pipeline after Bad River sued to shut down and remove Line 5 from its lands. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers held a hearing over the tribe’s objection to permitting the project under the Clean Water Act. The Environmental Protection Agency says Bad River didn’t submit data or studies that show water quality violations would occur, but Bad River Tribal Chair Robert Blanchard says permitting the project would cause irreparable harm. “Whatever happens upstream from our reservation will affect the waters that we and many others depend on for survival.” Enbridge’s environmental projects manager Joe McGaver disputes that. “The Line 5 project will not impact Bad River’s water quality standards. We designed the project for that to be the end result.” The tribe says the reroute would have a negative impact by filling wetlands, blasting bedrock and disrupting groundwater flows. Enbridge and its consultants say wetland impacts will be temporary and blasting won’t affect groundwater or nearby wells. Disclosure: Enbridge is a sponsor of National Native News. Mayflower Island viewed from Gastineau Channel on Saturday, March 23, 2024. (Photo: Clarise Larson / KTOO) The federal government may soon return a traditional subsistence site connected to Douglas Island in Southeast Alaska to its original tribal owners. KTOO’s Clarise Larson reports. Mayflower Island is a small, 3-acre island adjacent to Douglas Harbor and Sandy Beach. It’s near the site of the former Douglas Indian Village, which Douglas’ city government burned in 1962. The City and Borough of Juneau formally apologized for the burning last fall. At a Juneau Assembly lands, housing, and economic development meeting last week, members gave initial approval for a plan that would acquire the island from the federal government and then give it to the Douglas Indian Association (DIA). DIA officials did not respond to KTOO for a request for comment. Dan Bleidorn, the city’s Lands & Resources manager, says this is a plan that has been years in the making. “This is on the list of 2025 Assembly goals for community wellness and public safety. The goal states to support Douglas Indian Association’s efforts to acquire Mayflower Island.” The island once served as a traditional subsistence site and yielded a herring run and spawn used by DIA. DIA is currently in the process of building a cultural learning center near former site of the village. According to a spokesperson for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the property has been under the federal government’s stewardship since 1890. The island was originally reserved for the U.S. Navy to use as a naval station, but, in 1948, it was transferred to the Federal Bureau of Mines, which constructed a mineral laboratory on the site to process ore samples for research. The BLM took over the property in 1996 when Congress closed the Bureau of Mines. The U.S. Coast Guard also used the site under an agreement with the BLM, but that ended in 2023. Bleidorn says the actual property transfer is likely still a few years out. But the Juneau Assembly’s approval is the next step in moving that process along. The resolution will still need to come before the Assembly for final approval. The U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is holding a hearing Wednesday on public health and social services for Native Americans. The hearing will examine federal programs serving Native Americans across the Department of Health and Human Services. The hearing comes as the committee’s leaders, U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Brian Schatz (D-HI), recently sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., raising concerns about potential impacts on Native communities with Trump administration workforce reductions and funding cuts.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Photo: The Alaska Native Heritage Center’s new boarding school exhibit includes an interactive map. (Rhonda McBride) A new exhibit on Native boarding schools has opened in Anchorage at the Alaska Native Heritage Center. As Rhonda McBride from our flagship station KNBA reports, it reveals new research into how churches and the federal government teamed up to operate schools in Alaska. Bob Sam is a Lingít Culture Bearer from Sitka. “This is a really difficult subject we’re talking about.” Earlier this month, Sam opened a day-long summit on boarding schools at the Heritage Center to help Alaska Natives emotionally prepare for the exhibit and discussions that could awaken old traumas. Bob Sam, a Lingít elder from Sitka, is an expert on the use of Native language and culture to heal. He led a ceremony at the end of the boarding school summit to help bring closure to the historical trauma. (Photo: Rhonda McBride) As Sam shared an ancient story about how the Arctic wind tormented humans, he made the sound of the wind. “The wind can be born a whisper.” The wind never really goes away, Sam says, but once its nature is understood, it can be dealt with. National Native News host Antonia Gonzales moderates a discussion on the new research into Alaska Native boarding schools with Emily Edenshaw, president of the Alaska Native Heritage Center, and Benjamin Jacuk, director of Indigenous research at the center. (Photo: Thea Lawton) Emily Edenshaw, president of the Heritage Center, says the center’s research is part of a larger effort to bring about truth and healing from boarding school trauma by first understanding what took place. “Every single Indigenous person across the country has been impacted, either directly or indirectly, from boarding schools.” Edenshaw says the Heritage Center has gained unprecedented access to the Rev. Sheldon Jackson archives at Princeton University, where he studied before he became a famous Presbyterian missionary and, later in 1885, a General Education Agent for the territory of Alaska. History often gives him heroic status, a religious leader who brought education and even reindeer herds to help Alaska Natives. But the research reveals a darker picture, where the boundaries of church and state were crossed – in which military methodologies and religious life coalesced into schools that were run more like prisoner of war camps. The Alaska Native Heritage Center and Koahnic Broadcast Corporation held a day-long summit on Native boarding schools on May 2 to coincide with the opening of a new exhibit that looks at how the federal government and churches teamed up to educate Alaska Native children. (Photo: Rhonda McBride) Benjamin Jacuk, the Heritage Center’s director of Indigenous Research, is also an ordained minister and a descendant of Native boarding school students. “Where did all this stuff come from?” He says churches and the federal government had the same mission — to either displace or assimilate Alaska Natives. Jacuk says the records show their motive was resource extraction. “It’s really important to recognize that this version of Christianity was so interwoven with nationalism that you couldn’t pull apart being a quote American in terms of the way that they defined American or a Christian.” The summit that preceded the opening of the exhibit also brought together many survivors of boarding schools, who told of harsh punishments for speaking their Native language, as well as physical and sexual abuse. The Heritage Center says work goes on to document these stories. Disclaimer: Koahnic Broadcast Corporation, which owns National Native News and KNBA, co-hosted the boarding school summit at the Alaska Native Heritage Center. (Courtesy MHA Nation Tourism / Facebook) A new grant program in North Dakota aims to help tribes promote tourism. Mike Moen has more. A bill recently signed by the state’s governor sets aside $100,000 for North Dakota’s five tribal nations for tourism-related projects. Kiera Fox of the MHA Nation Tourism Department says her team can use it to improve signage and other needs, while promoting their history in a culturally appropriate way. “We get to tell our stories with our own voices, you know, reeducate a little bit, correct some of those misconceptions everybody has about Native Americans.” She says MHA Nation is off the beaten path. So, more visibility with signs might convince drivers to take a detour and check out sites, including a local museum and the Crow Flies scenic overlook. The bill sailed through the Legislature with minor opposition. However, the final sum is lower than the proposed $500,000. Bill sponsors say the initiative benefits regional economies, with promotion from tribal and non-tribal areas working hand-in-hand. As for Indigenous communities, Fox says having more tourists spend money locally expands their revenue base.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign

Photo: Luke Goodrich, senior counsel at the Becket Fund, speaks for his client, Apache Stronghold, on May 7, 2025. (Gabriel Pietrorazio / KJZZ) A federal court has temporarily halted the federal government’s plan to transfer Oak Flat, a tribal sacred site in Arizona, to Resolution Copper. The transfer was expected to take place as early as June. Apache Stronghold – a coalition of Apache people, other Native people, and non-Native allies – filed an emergency request to halt the transfer while the Supreme Court considers the case. That request was granted on Friday. The coalition has been fighting the land transfer for years saying the copper mine threatens religious freedom, while Resolution Copper has touted jobs and an economic impact. New Mexico and Colorado recently created alerts for missing Indigenous people. Now Arizona is poised to join them with its own “turquoise alert.” As Gabriel Pietrorazio reports for the Mountain West News Bureau, a legislative bill awaits the governor’s signature. Had the Turquoise Alert already been law, bill sponsor State Rep. Teresa Martinez (R-AZ) says it could’ve helped find 14-year-old San Carlos Apache Emily Pike. “Not only was she killed, but she was dismembered. And it breaks my heart that we in the state of Arizona didn’t even go looking for this little girl.” Another supporter is State Rep. Myron Tsosie (D-AZ) from the Navajo Nation. He remembers 11-year-old Ashlynne Mike, who also went missing. Her 2016 death aided in bringing Amber Alerts to Indian Country. “This is for Shiyázhí Emily Pike, this is for Shiyázhí Ashlynne Mike and many others who are still missing. This is for you.” Jeffrey Lazos-Ferns (Yaqui) speaks to a group of reporters about the importance of specific plants to Indigenous peoples in Arizona. Native experts in foraging for traditional food are sharing some of their recommendations. Chuck Quirmbach of station WUWM reports. In Papago Park, east of Phoenix, Twila Cassadore points to the base of a Palo Verde tree where small branches, dried leaves, and other plant matter have formed the ground nest of a desert wood rat. Cassadore says the rodent is both a source of nutrition, and knowledge. “Many of us may not think much about the desert wood rat. But as people who study environmental science and engineering, this friend of ours, also delicious friend, will tell us about climate change.” Cassadore is a traditional food forager and educator with the San Carlos Apache Tribe. She explains to a tour organized by the Society of Environmental Journalists that other researchers have found that as the planet warms, the wood rat uses larger plant material to shade or insulate its home. Twila Cassadore (San Carlos Apache), a food sovereignty advocate and educator, examines the seeds of a mesquite tree during a talk on the importance of desert plants to Indigenous peoples in Arizona. But where the rat is plentiful, as it is here in the Sonoran Desert, it can also be a source of what Cassadore calls pre-reservation food, from before the years when the U.S. government forced Native people away from their longtime homes. “They took everyone away from the landscape where they originally foraged from and hunted from.” Helping Cassadore with the effort to discover more traditional foods is Jeffrey Lazos-Ferns, a naturalist and member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe. He points to blossoms and seeds on the Palo Verde tree. “These flowers, you can make tea out of them. Also, the pods which you may be seeing some of the younger trees out here, they taste like edamame, so you can eat them fresh off the tree, or you can till them, boil them, put salt on them, or store them, for the season you actually do want to use them.” Lazos-Ferns says some larger cities like Tucson have started to plant more Indigenous plants that need less water or no fertilizer and be a source of food or medicine.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Photo: White Mountain Petroglyphs in southwestern Wyoming. (James St. John / Flickr) Protections for Indigenous rock art in Wyoming are in limbo after state lawmakers and the Trump administration took potentially conflicting actions related to them. Kathleen Shannon has more. Senate File 91, which handily passed the state Legislature, increased the penalties for any kind of petroglyph or pictograph site destruction to a $750 fine and up to six months in prison. The measure moved forward as the U.S. Department of the Interior fast-tracked energy projects through a decades-old legal review of such sites. Crystal C’Bearing, tribal historic preservation officer for the Northern Arapaho Tribe, said she used to have 30 days to comment on a project, but now has seven. “In terms of tribes, our sacred sites and our places of significance, that’s our history on the ground. It’s not in books, it’s on the land. So it’s really important for tribes to have that voice in there to protect those sites.” The original Wyoming bill included nearly $500,000 for the state’s Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources to survey and make 3D models of Wyoming’s petroglyphs, but it was ultimately cut. According to a 2024 “State of the Art” report, of the nearly 1,100 Indigenous rock art sites across Wyoming, about a quarter have been vandalized or defaced. Beyond Wyoming’s borders, C’Bearing noted her office provides legally mandated consultation on any projects in her tribe’s ancestral migratory territory, which includes portions of 17 states. She added she takes on hundreds of requests. “That 30-day window was barely enough time. Now we have to kind of prioritize those so we can push them through. But it’s a challenge.” C’Bearing emphasized the office is allowed to request more time to review projects, giving consultants some leeway. When Native-owned businesses first begin navigating the market, it can be a challenge. However, one organization is providing more than financial support to business owners. South Dakota Public Broadcasting’s C.J. Keene checks in. The Four Bands Community Fund offers support alongside loans for Indigenous-owned businesses – and these programs directly impact the lives of South Dakota’s Cheyenne River tribal members. Members like Bonnie LeBeaux, who used their resources to successfully grow her quilt making business. “Being a new entrepreneur, you’re learning everything as you go. I was taking college courses at the time for business, but the college business curriculum doesn’t prepare you for entrepreneurship.” Assistance like credit management, business planning, and loan assistance. Assistance LeBeaux says was vital to the success of her business. “It’s so easy, they’re accessible to the community. I think that’s what makes it not so intimidating. I don’t think that there’s any other programs that are able to help entrepreneurs in the hands-on way that Four Bands does.” Now, LeBeaux says she hopes to use her loan to expand her businesses workspace. The first Four Bands program was the Cheyenne River Entrepreneurial Assistance Training and Education (CREATE). Under that program, LaBeaux and other locals have managed to revitalize the Cheyenne River economy. According to Four Bands, prior to their programs less than 1% of businesses in Cheyenne River were Native owned in a community that was 75% Indigenous. A bill to create a statewide alert for missing Indigenous people passed the Arizona Legislature this week. The bill passed the House by a vote of 57 to 0. Lawmakers believe such an alert may have helped in the case of Emily Pike, a Native teen who went missing and was later found dead. The Turquoise Alert, also known as Emily’s Law, was sent to the state’s governor for approval.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Some Natives leaders in Alberta have added their voices to criticisms over separatism. As Dan Karpenchuk reports, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith (CP) has defended a pledge of a possible referendum on the issue. The idea of Alberta separatism was floated in the later stages of Canada’s national election in April. Alberta is the heartland of the Conservative party and some people appeared frustrated over a fourth Liberal term in office in Ottawa, and raised the issue that long standing grievances might lead to a move for separation. Premier Smith proposed legislation that would make it easier for citizens to call for a vote to secede from Canada. But that’s concerning to many First Nations in the province and in Western Canada. Recently chiefs of four Alberta First Nations issued a statement saying that any efforts to separate will be met with their full opposition. Here’s Troy Bossman Knowlton of the Piikani Nation. “Talking of separation is really insanity because there is no pathway to separation. You can have all the referendum you want.” And Billy Joe Tuccaro of the Mikisew First Nation threw a copy of the proposed legislation into the air when he spoke. “Bill 54 this is what we think of you. You’re garbage like that.” The chiefs say that large areas of the province are governed by sacred treaties between First Nations and the crown. and those lands are held in trust by the Crown for the benefit of First Nations and not as property of the provincial government. Those treaties were made before before Alberta entered into Confederation in 1905. Some Native leaders say for Smith make that kind of a promise without engaging with First Nations shows the lack of respect for the original inhabitants of the land. (Courtesy Asm. James Ramos / Facebook) Tribal leaders, advocates, and California state lawmakers gathered at the state Capitol in Sacramento Wednesday to raise awareness of missing and murdered Indigenous people (MMIP). Assemblymember James Ramos (Serrano/Cahuilla/D-CA), chair of the California Legislative Native American Caucus, held a press conference before hosting day-long events. Asm. Ramos says MMIP continues to gain momentum in the state. “This issue is not nothing new. This is something that’s plagued Indian reservations and tribal communities for a long time, for generations. What’s new is we’re gaining allies in this fight for bringing awareness around solving crimes against Native American people in the state of California, allies in the legislature, allies in law enforcement.” Following the press conference, a hearing was held to exploring how to end violence on tribal lands. “We want to make sure that those families that are out there going through these different crises know that you’re not alone that we’re standing side by side with you trying to get resources that you drastically need. We continue to raise that voice here at the State Capitol to ensure that California’s First People truly do have a voice when it comes to public safety.” (Courtesy Asm. James Ramos / Facebook) In the evening, a candlelight vigil was held with the Capitol Dome illuminated red to honor MMIP. (Courtesy Coalition of Large Tribes) U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Brian Schatz (D-HI) are demanding urgent action from the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Rhonda McBride from our flagship station KNBA has more. In a letter to HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy, Jr., they said the Indian Health Service (IHS) is unable to deliver quality health care services to American Indians and Alaska Natives, as required by federal law. The senators say staffing shortages and a civilian hiring freeze have made matters worse for an already struggling system. They say not only medical services are in jeopardy, but also billing, appointments, lab work and other essential tasks, even accreditation for IHS facilities. In their letter, the senators also called on Sec. Kennedy to halt any further cutbacks without first engaging in meaningful tribal consultation. Sen. Murkowski is chair of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. Sen. Schatz is vice chair. Sen. Merkley is the ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

An advocate for protecting Native American lands says he has concerns about some Trump administration initiatives. Chuck Quirmbach of station WUWM reports. Keegan King (Pueblo of Acoma) is founder and CEO of the Native Land Institute, based in New Mexico. At a recent forum organized by the Society of Environmental Journalists, King told reporters that he’s worried about President Trump trying to fast-track development of energy production on public lands, including parts of the sacred Chaco Culture National Historical Park in northwestern New Mexico. King says tribal leaders are gearing up for a long battle. “It’s going to drain a lot of resources over the next four years. So, tribes, tribal leadership are already trying to look into legal defense funds, looking at potential public lands sell-offs, and what that means for adjacent public lands to reservation communities.” Trump talks of “unleashing American energy” and argues some development restrictions drive up energy costs, and weaken national security. Keegan King says he’s also worried about the status of some National Monuments. The Biden administration with Interior Secretary Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo) expanded co-management with tribes. King urges white-led conservation groups to partner with more Indigenous ones to protect various sites, in some cases, letting the tribes lead the strategy. “All of these public lands, all of the places that we love, that you write about, are Indigenous lands at one point, and many of our tribes still go there for prayer, pilgrimage — also to recreate, to hunt, fish, like every other American.” The latest Trump federal budget proposal would reduce money for national parks, monuments, and historic sites by nearly 25% and turn some of those properties over to states. Sacred Mato Paha is now part of Bear Butte State Park in Meade County, S.D. (Photo: Jerrye and Roy Klotz, MD / Wikimedia) Lawmakers have moved to ban the interment of human remains at Bear Butte State Park in South Dakota. This ruling includes the spreading of ashes at the site. SDPB’s CJ Keene has more. The ban was previously instituted more than 20 years ago before being unceremoniously repealed in 2019. Bear Butte, also known as Mato Paha, is considered a sacred site to Indigenous people, and this ban was first put in place after consultation with tribal leaders. For those spiritual reasons, visitors are encouraged to respect the area before hiking. The mountain stands alone from the Black Hills proper near Sturgis, and the peak is about 4,500 feet above sea level. “Eagle Buffalo Star” by artist Rachel Berg hangs in the Oyate Health Center in South Dakota. (Courtesy OHC) A South Dakota clinic that serves Native Americans is hanging Indigenous art on its walls as a healing tool. Mike Moen reports. Rachel Olivia Berg is one of the artists. She has created artworks for companies in places such as hotel lobbies and jumped at the change to provide art at the Oyate Health Center in Rapid City after it put out a request. “What’s really nice about Oyate [Health Center] is art from our perspective, things we understand, things we relate to. It helps you feel like it’s your space.” The clinic-wide permanent collection includes more than 100 works of art spread throughout the center. The pieces focus on culture-specific healing, made by 50-some tribal citizens from the Great Plains area. Officials say having Indigenous symbolism throughout the campus has transformed the space, and what it means to heal inside it. Here’s Ashley Pouier, selection committee member and art museum curator. “Native people dissect that word ‘healing’ to being more of a spiritual health as well as physical and mental health.” The collection includes photography, paintings, and 3-D work. This story includes original reporting from Amy Felegy with Arts Midwest.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Photo: Hoonah Head Start students try herring eggs. (Courtesy Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska) The Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska has announced that its annual traditional food distributions were canceled this year. In March, the federal government canceled a funding agreement with the tribe. KTOO’s Yvonne Krumrey reports. For the last three years, the tribe distributed herring eggs, salmon, and black cod to tribal citizens in each of its recognized communities — from villages in Southeast to cities like Anchorage and Seattle. But the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) cancelled funding that provided the tribe’s food assistance program. A USDA notice to Tlingit and Haida said that the tribe’s community food distribution “no longer effectuates agency priorities and that termination of the award is appropriate”. Aaron Angerman is Tlingit and Haida’s food security program manager. He said the community distribution program started in 2022 to promote self-sufficiency and to reduce reliance on food shipped from the Lower 48. “Our answer to that, and then our heavy reliance on barge systems and things like that, was to turn back the clock a bit about food sovereignty, which is something that our people have relied on since time immemorial.” The tribe planned to use more than $500,000 from USDA for the distribution. The money was allocated to the tribe in January, but USDA sent Tlingit and Haida a notice in March that said the agreement had been canceled. The money was part of a program called the Local Food Purchase Assistance Agreement which was intended to encourage local governments to buy from farmers and food producers. And that aligned with the tribe’s goal to keep more traditional foods that are harvested in Southeast Alaska in the fridges and freezers of tribal members. “For us to be able to take a food that was purchased from commercial vendors, to contract those vendors who are tribal citizens, to keep not only that funding within the tribe and the region, but also take a food source that was harvested in our area and typically sent overseas to bring that food back to our people and to be shared.” The herring egg distribution is special for this reason: because of overfishing and exporting of herring and herring roe, the fish now only spawn in very limited areas. Angerman said his team is working to get more secure funding. But there’s a lot of other work they are doing to further the understanding and use of traditional foods in the meantime. “We need to work with elders and those with traditional ecological knowledge to see why and where and how we harvested previously, then to not only do that, but to teach people how to harvest themselves, how to process that food, how to put up or prepare that food.” Because, he said, if a salmon ends up on someone’s doorstep, and they don’t know how to process it, that isn’t food sovereignty. Angerman said Tlingit and Haida was able to purchase enough herring eggs to bring to some of their tribally run preschool classrooms this year, so the youngest tribal citizens can still learn about the importance of traditional food and land stewardship. And some distributions in Washington and Oregon will still happen, according to the tribe’s release. The local tribal council in Seattle used different funding sources to set aside money for distributions to reach elders outside of Alaska. Western Native Voice advocates at the Montana State Capitol. (Courtesy Western Native Voice / Facebook) On the heels of a busy Montana legislative session, the advocacy group Western Native Voice is setting its sights higher and opening a Washington D.C. office next week. Kathleen Shannon reports. The nonprofit formed in 2022 to advocate for equity and opportunity for Montana’s Native people. Since then, the group has gained members in, and collaborated with tribes across, many western states. Keaton Sunchild, director of government and political relations for the group, said it can be difficult to operate at a national level from 2,000 miles away. “Being able to be right there, be on top of the action and be able to use our voice in Washington is going to help us be a little bit more proactive.” He pointed out top issues at the national level include criminal justice funding for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People and drug crises disproportionately affecting tribal communities. Sunchild noted the national office will open May 12. Sunchild called this year’s Montana legislative session “pretty successful” for Western Native Voice, but highlighted one area of continued concern is voting rights. Gov. Greg Gianforte (R-MT) is expected to decide Tuesday on Senate Bill 490, which would add restrictions to same-day voter registration, but Sunchild has a plan for that too. “It’s a road we’ve been down before. Trying to figure out the best way forward for that, whether that

(Photo: Stephen Hill / Flickr) A new report shows the Trump administration’s plans to repeal clean energy tax credits could increase energy bills for households, including those in Indian Country – especially in the West. The Mountain West News Bureau’s Kaleb Roedel reports. U.S. households could see their annual energy costs rise significantly by the end of the decade if Congress repeals the Inflation Reduction Act’s tax credits. That’s according to the independent research firm Rhodium Group, which estimated price changes in electricity, gasoline, and natural gas. In many parts of our region, household energy bills could jump $250 or more, which is higher than the anticipated national average. That includes Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona. Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana could see energy bills climb just over a hundred dollars a year by the end of the decade. The report’s co-author is Ben King. “If the motivation behind some of these policy changes is to try to reduce energy costs, our evidence suggests that, certainly, these policy changes pull in the opposite direction of that.” Right now, household electricity costs are relatively flat across the Mountain West compared to a year ago, according to the federal Energy Information Administration. An unusual protest in British Columbia that is seen by some as a form of justice may be going too far, authorities say. The family of a man accused of a targeted killing on the northern archipelago of Haida Gwaii has been banished from the community. More from Dan Karpenchuk. Tyson Young was charged with second degree murder after a member of the Haida Gwaii community of Skidegate was killed by a vehicle. Police say Luke Pearson was the victim of a targeted homicide. Several members of Young’s family fled after they say they were threatened by residents of the community. Then their homes were bulldozed and local businesses said anyone associated with the accused was not welcome in their shops. .The family was essentially evicted and banished from Haida Gwai. During the journey, they were prevented from sleeping, eating, or refueling in other Indigenous territories. Protestors gathered along the route with signs saying “Justice for Luke”; others followed the convoy in their own vehicles, sometimes for hours. Smogelgem is a hereditary chief of the Wetsuweten Nation – and was one of the protestors. “Our ancestors, whenever somebody was exiled from their own territories, they were expelled from their territory and as they were leaving, the neighbouring territories and all the allies are not allowed to serve them. They are expected to pass through the territory and continue on. And that’s kind of what we’re doing here. We’re upholding our old laws.” Other leaders say a number of Indigenous communities have been struggling with drug deaths – especially among young people – and this protest is indicative of the frustrations that many are feeling. Police have been monitoring the family’s journey and out of an abundance of caution, a police escort was provided. A drone’s eye view of Elderberry Wisdom Farm. (Courtesy Elderberry Wisdom Farm) A farm in Salem, Oreg. that teaches Traditional Ecological Knowledge to youth has just had some federal funds unfrozen. After President Donald Trump took office this year, many federal agencies have weathered cuts and cancellations. That includes the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which had previously approved three grants to Elderberry Wisdom Farm, as board president Rose High Bear explains. A deer at Elderberry Wisdom Farm. (Courtesy Elderberry Wisdom Farm) “The roots of traditional ecological knowledge are grounded in our spirituality. And a lot of people have forgotten their traditions, and we need to restore our own native spirituality and our relationship with our oldest grandmother, the mother earth.” High Bear says U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas (D-OR) helped restore a grant worth $750,000. Elderberry Wisdom Farm is now looking for interns to do Native stewardship practices. One will be planting trees in a lower-income area of Salem. “We have heat waves here in Salem, when you’ve got a low tree canopy, it can be 30 degrees hotter than in the more prosperous neighborhoods. So we’re really committed in a number of ways to help our ecosystem and to help our young people to get into careers that are more fulfilling to them.” High Bear says funding remains a concern, as the internship program’s account will dry out next year.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Minneapolis Police are investigating three shooting incidents that have killed five and wounded two. Most if not all of the victims are believed to be Native American. Officials have arrested a suspect in a shooting Tuesday night that killed three people in the city’s south side. James Ortley. (Courtesy Hennepin County, Minn.) The Minnesota Star Tribune says 34-year-old James Ortley was arrested Thursday, though police say other perpetrators may still be on the loose. Here’s Minneapolis Chief of Police Brian O’Hara at a press briefing on the arrest. “The United States Marshall’s Office Northstar Fugitive Task Force – assisted by FBI SWAT team – executed an arrest warrant on the 1600 block of South Fourth Street and arrested James Dwayne Ortley, age 34. This is a significant step forward in what has been an intense and fast-moving investigation into the most violent incident this city has suffered this year.” Ortley’s criminal history in Minnesota includes one conviction each for first-degree robbery, second-degree assault, illegal weapons possession, and fleeing police. Minnesota Public Radio reports that a prayer and drum circle was held at Cedar Field Park Thursday. Dozens attended the event, and local leaders called for an end to the violence. One victim has been identified as 17-year-old Joey Goodwin, regarded as a talented artist. The murders mar the beginning of American Indian Month in Minnesota. A parade and pow-wow have been canceled. Chief O’Hara calls the shootings “outrageous and senseless.” Minneapolis Police are seeking tips on the shootings, that could lead to more arrests. In southern California, a coalition of Native American tribes, community advocates, and law enforcement are holding their first-ever summit to address Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP). Danielle Bush is the program director for MMIP San Diego, which will host the summit this Saturday at the Viejas Casino and Resort. She says one of the breakout sessions will be on human trafficking. “What are the warning signs, red flags of that? And what to do if you or a loved one, or you just see someone who might be in that situation what steps you can take, because we’re trying to end that heinous crime in the community.” Another breakout session will be with regional law enforcement. “The goal of that is to educate people about the Savannah Act and about the Feather Alert, and what are your rights, and how to proceed if you have a missing relative or anything that law enforcement can provide support on and building those relationships.” The final breakout session will be on healing and support services, specifically for the tribal community. Bush says the San Diego area is close to the U.S-Mexican border, which poses challenges. “With our proximity to the border and for other reasons, San Diego is a hotspot for human trafficking. I believe third in the country, it’s up there. It’s definitely an issue in the community that we’ve been trying a multi-pronged approach to attacking.” Bush says MMIP San Diego hopes to grow its resources, so invites anyone in the southern California region to reach out and connect with the organization.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Big Wind Carpenter (@bigwindriver) And the Oglala Sioux Tribe based in South Dakota has voted to cancel its annual powwow, rodeo, and fair for 2025. This year’s Oglala Nation Wacipi was scheduled for early August. This comes after a shooting at the 2024 event which killed 57-year-old Tom Thunder Hawk August 2. Despite concerns from the family of the victim, the powwow continued after Thunder Hawk’s shooting. This year the tribal council has instead allocated a small fund for each of the nine districts to host local powwows. The event is a major economic driver for the reservation, drawing thousands of tourists from across the nation.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Photo: Red Lake Nation Embassy in Minneapolis, Minn. (Courtesy Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians) The Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians say they’re in touch with Minneapolis law enforcement after what could be gang-related shootings Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon that led to four deaths. KSTP News reports police say the shootings were three blocks apart. A 17-year-old boy, a 20-year-old woman, and a 27-year-old man were pronounced dead at the first scene. At the second, police found a man in his 30s who had been fatally shot near an intersection. All four fatalities are believed to be Native American. The Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians said it plans to keep additional security present at its apartment building and embassy “around the clock”, while Minneapolis police keep up patrols. Oak Flat Campground. (Courtesy U.S. Forest Service / Public Domain) Some Apache people and their supporters are hoping the U.S. Supreme Court will agree — soon — to hear a case involving a sacred site in Arizona that could become the largest copper mine in North America. Chuck Quirmbach of station WUWM reports. An appeals court narrowly ruled last year that the federal government could transfer the Oak Flat property east of Phoenix to Resolution Copper. Resolution, a joint venture of international mining companies Rio Tinto and BHP, wants to turn the 2,200 acres that is partly now a U.S. Forest Service campground into a mine two miles wide. That’s despite the Apache and other Native peoples using Oak Flat for sacred religious ceremonies for more than 1,000 years. For a decade, Henry Munoz served on the town council of nearby Superior, Ariz. He recently told the Society of Environmental Journalists that he supports tribal religious freedom. “I’m not Apache. But, I do know a lot about their religions and cultures. What’s happening to the Apache people with their first amendment rights is not right.” Munoz also chairs the Concerned Citizens Retired Miners Coalition. He says he usually backs mining, but worries about Resolution Copper promising to use an underground ore removal technique known as block cave. “Very destructive. What it does is devour Mother Earth, whether it be water, trees, anything in its path.” Resolution Copper says it’s committed to protecting the land and surrounding area while the mine is open and after mining is completed. The Trump administration says it would approve a land swap needed to open a mine at Oak Flat. Mining opponents have asked a lower court to block that transfer, while waiting to see if the U.S. Supreme Court will hear the case of Apache Stronghold v. United States. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum says he’s reviewing the boundaries of several national monuments. As the Mountain West News Bureau’s Kaleb Roedel reports, officials are reportedly considering shrinking at least six national monuments in the West to increase energy development on public lands. The monuments under review include Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks in New Mexico, Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante in Utah, Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni of the Grand Canyon and Ironwood Forest in Arizona, and Chuckwalla in California. That’s according to a report by the Washington Post. Kate Groetzinger is with the nonpartisan Center for Western Priorities. She says these monuments represent ecological and cultural sites that Western communities and tribes have fought to protect. “They are great recreation drivers. They really drive economic activity in really rural parts of the West that don’t have a lot of other economic activity going on.” Sec. Burgum recently said that national monuments are under review, but downsizing them is not a top priority of the agency. Such a move would build on the Trump administration’s push to further expand America’s energy security. It has announced plans to fast track oil, gas, and mining projects.     Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Photo: Alaska Native Heritage Center. (Skvader / Wikimedia) This Friday, a special event is being held in Anchorage that will bring together former boarding school students, researchers, and others for a day of remembrance and reflection. Called “Moving Beyond Boarding Schools Summit: Towards Truth and Healing”, the event will be moderated by National Native News anchor Antonia Gonzales. For her, the issue strikes home. “My mom went to boarding school hundreds of miles away. Having her mouthed washed out with soap for speaking her Navajo language. Going there and experiencing the trauma of having to cut her hair, which you know in Native culture is a big thing, with her long beautiful hair. And she tells stories about just how traumatic that was.” The Alaska Native Heritage Center and Koahnic Broadcast Corporation, which owns National Native News, are co-hosting the event. While members of the press are welcome to attend, recording will not be allowed for a four-hour block in the afternoon. “We do have people who are going to be in attendance who are traditional healers, culture bearers, elders. So there are a lot of people there to offer support, but also to allow people space so that they can feel like they can share openly.” The boarding school era is a painful one for many Alaska Natives and Indigenous communities. Both government-run schools and those operated by churches worked to remove Native culture and practices, and accounts of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse have surfaced in the years since they operated. Reine Pavlik. (Courtesy Alaska Native Heritage Center / Facebook) Skin sewing, or hide sewing, and beadwork are vital art forms in Southeast Alaska’s Lingít culture. Reine Pavlik of Yakutat in rural Alaska is blending those art forms with contemporary style. As Alaska Public Media’s Cadence Cedars reports, Pavlik sees it as a way to resist the pressure on Indigenous artists to modernize their work. Reine Pavlik sits on a bed next to a large collection of her latest work. There’s a pair of jeans with seal skin flare, a women’s suit made of deer skin and seal hide and many of the pieces include ornate beading. beading a straight line is really hard. She holds up a pair of hand-sewn moccasins. “This pair of moccasins is made with deer and moose skin.” She turns them over, revealing beadwork on the back. (Courtesy alaskasoles / Instagram) The letters read “Land Back” in an Old English typeface, which is a message for the world we live in today. Pavlik says she grew up in Yakutat surrounded by artists. She says she first learned from her mother how to sew items like pillowcases, but few members of her family practiced skin sewing on animal hides like sea otter and moose. So Pavlik learned from her aunt, Jennie Wheeler. “Making moccasins really was a way to connect to my family and my ancestors.” Now Pavlik’s community knows her for her beadwork and skin-sewn garments. She says her art is inspired by her Lingít heritage. “Using the traditional materials and using it in a modern way feels like I’m honoring my ancestors but I’m also modernizing some of the ideas that people have attached to traditional materials.” And she says she tries to only use materials from donations or thrift stores. “It’s something that our ancestors would do. They’d use what is near us and so I felt like that was a good way to honor them.” And next, she says she wants to explore new ways to pass on her skills to the next generation. The Carolyn Lewis Attneave House, home of the Clayman Institute for Gender Research. (Courtesy Stanford University) And on this day in 2019, Stanford University’s Serra House was renamed after Carolyn Lewis Attneave, a member of the Delaware Tribe. She was a globally-recognized scholar and psychologist who is seen as a major figure in creating the field of Native American mental health.     Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

A bill to formally reschedule Indigenous Peoples Day in Nevada has just been heard in the state’s Senate Committee on Government Affairs. Assembly Bill (AB) 144 would make the second Monday in October an official commemoration of Nevada’s Native and Indigenous residents. Currently it’s held on August 9. State Rep. Shea Backus (D-NV) is the bill’s sponsor and a self-described “urban Indian” who’s a member of the Cherokee Nation. Speaking to the Senate committee, she reiterated that her bill would not replace the state’s observance of Columbus Day on that same date. “AB144 will align the date to honor the resilience of our ancestors, and to uplift of the enduring legacies of Indigenous peoples, their voices, their cultures, and their connection to this land.” Backers of the bill included the Native Voters Alliance Nevada and the Sierra Club. Joshua Skaggs, legislative affairs director for the Nevada Republican Party, read President Trump’s recent statement in opposition. “You’ll be happy to know Christopher is going to make a major comeback. I am hereby reinstating Columbus Day under the same rules, dates, and locations as it has had for all the many decades before. End quote.” The bill previously passed the Nevada Assembly on a 27-15 vote. Housing And Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner. (Courtesy Oneida Nation / Facebook) More than $2 million in federal funding will go to expand rental assistance for Native American veterans at risk of becoming homeless. As Danielle Kaeding reports, Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner announced the money on the Oneida Nation’s reservation last week. The money will be made available through HUD’s Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program. The Oneida Nation has helped Native American vets under the program for the last decade. The tribe’s chairman Tehassi Hill says it’s helped meet the community’s needs for affordable and available housing. “That includes emergency housing, transitional living and a path to home ownership.” Sec. Turner says more than 500 veterans in 29 tribal communities are currently being housed under the program. “HUD-VASH delivers critical rental assistance to Native American veterans and tribal communities all across our great nation, including right here in Oneida.” One Oneida vet says the program helped him and his two sons find housing after he was evicted and ended up living in his car for several weeks. U.S. Rep. Tony Wied (R-WI) says he looks forward to working with Turner to ensure communities like the Oneida Nation have access to housing. More than 1,100 veterans have received help under the federal program. (Courtesy Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation / Facebook) All across Indian Country, people have been observing sexual assault awareness month. While April is winding down, people like Desireé Coyote want the message to continue year-round: that the community needs to unite to help prevent sexual violence – and form support for survivors and their loved ones. Coyote is the family violence services program manager for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Oregon. When she talked to National Native News on Monday, she and her community had just finished a sexual assault awareness walk. “We had about 50 folks join us, students included. Community members and employees of the tribe. So Native and non-native alike.” Coyote says another walk is taking place this Wednesday in Roy Raley Park in Pendleton, Oreg. “We’re braiding ribbons together to honor a variety of issues like sexual assault, domestic violence, missing murdered and trafficked, and whatever else the folks want to attach to that.” The FBI says from 2021 to 2023, there were nearly 26,000 reports of violent crime and roughly 8,600 incidents of sexual crimes against victims who were Native American or Alaska Native women. More events will take place on May 5, which is the Red Dress Day, a North American day of awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People. “Families want folks to remember that these are our community members. They’re our relations. And that they are not forgotten that we still hold ceremonies to be able to speak their name so that everybody can remember who our Indigenous missing and murdered are.”     Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

The weekend of Native Youth Olympic (NYO) Games wrapped up in Anchorage, Alaska Saturday. The event lets young athletes from around the state connect and showcase their skills in competitions rooted in Indigenous practices. The Alaska Desk’s Alena Naiden from our flagship station KNBA has more. With much fanfare, Daisy Vanblarcom prepares for the final one-foot high kick competition at NYO on Saturday. She hits 87 inches, which goes above her personal record – and wins her first place. The bleachers are filled with people from all corners of Alaska, but are familiar faces for Vanblarcom. She says making friends with other athletes and coaches is a part of her success. “I compete a lot better when I know everybody and when I’m comfortable around everyone.” NYO is a three-day event in which high school students participate in a dozen competitions, each representing a different Alaska Native subsistence activity or skill. Joanna Hopson is one of the coaches working to revive the games in Alaska’s North Slope. She says this helps reserved students come out of their shell. “As they’re starting to learn more of their cultural games, they’re starting to learn that courage. “They’re starting to learn what it means to be who you are, to accept who you are, where you’re at, and then to grow from that.” Anchorage athlete Anastasha Wilde took second place in a two-foot high kick competition. Like other athletes, she says she loves the community aspect of the games. “We’re participating together, not apart, and you get to connect with other people and make new friends. And it’s not about winning, it’s about beating your personal records and improving not for yourself, but like improving for the others around you.” The event started more than fifty years ago, with a few dozen participants. This year, the games brought together about four hundred and fifty athletes – a record number since the COVID-19 pandemic.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Tréchelle R.J.M. Bunn (@trechellle) An Indigenous woman in Manitoba has recently made history by becoming a First Nation’s youngest ever chief. She has also become the first woman elected to the role. More from Dan Karpenchuk. Tréchelle Bunn is a 25-year old third year law student at the University of Manitoba. She was recently named chief of the Birdtail Sioux Dakota First Nation – about 75 miles northwest of Brandon, Manitoba – after beating her opponent with nearly 69% of the vote. She’s not without some experience though. Bunn has just ended her term as the Southern Chief’s Organization’s youth chief. She says that gave her some knowledge about what to expect in everyday governance and decision making.\ Bunn says being elected to the position of chief is the greatest honour of her life. “In my previous role as youth chief of the Southern Chief’s Organization I spoke to the importance of youth in leadership. And I think this is a testament to that. I think our young people today are really leading that way. We’re entering those leadership spaces and our voices really need to be heard. And they deserve to be at every table. And I think my community really spoke to that last night the way that they voted, that they wanted someone young, and a young voice to lead our people.” Bunn says although she’s the first young leader, she won’t be the last. She has pledged greater transparency and accountability for her four year term as chief. She says she’s also heard from community members who want more of a say in the first nation’s decision making. (Courtesy Diné Parents Taking Action / Facebook) And several groups are marking today, April 28, as Autism Awareness Day for Native Americans. While Native children aren’t seen as necessarily having higher rates of autism than other groups, a 2023 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that they – as well as Alaska Natives, Pacific Islander, and Native Hawaiians – have the least access to autism resources per child, compared to others. Groups like Diné Parents Taking Action at Northern Arizona University are promoting more awareness of autism in Native Communities. This follows recent events like the 4th annual Autism Awareness Walk in Nevada, which involved the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

A long fight over who pays for law enforcement services on the Flathead Reservation may be coming to an end. Montana Public Radio’s Aaron Bolton reports a bill would provide temporary state funding so local officials can hash out a long-term plan. For decades, Lake County has arrested and prosecuted tribal members on the Flathead Reservation under an agreement known as Public Law 280. But the county in recent years has said it can’t afford the work and asked that the state chip in. Lawmakers did give the county funding last legislative session, but Gov. Greg Gianforte (R-MT) vetoed the bill, saying the state isn’t financially responsible. This session, discussions between the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Gov. Gianforte’s office, and county officials resulted in new legislation that would give the county $6 million over the next two years. Lake County Commissioner Gayle Decker says the bill requires the tribes and the county to create a plan for law enforcement that doesn’t involve state resources. “We think we can come up with a Memorandum of Understanding that’ll work and it’ll help us transition into the next phase of public law 280.” The bill has passed both chambers and is nearing Gainforte’s desk. Chris Eyre, left, Zahn McClarnon, and Jessica Matten. (Courtesy AMC Networks) As season three of AMC’s detective series “Dark Winds” winds down this coming Sunday, executive producer and director Chris Eyre reflects on the evolution of Native Americans in popular culture. Eyre’s breakthrough film was 1998’s “Smoke Signals,” a feature-length movie that showed the complexity – and humor – of Native people, after decades of stereotypes. I asked Eyre if he ever saw the success of Native-produced and written series like “Dark Winds” and others on the horizon 27 years ago. “Well, before I think ‘Reservation Dogs’ and ‘Rutherford Falls,’ I was getting somewhat concerned that ‘Smoke Signals’ was just going to be a blip on the radar of yesteryear. But I think ‘Smoke Signals’ is part of that continuum of progress with Native people in front of the camera and behind the camera.” Eyre has directed several episodes of “Dark Winds” including the season three premiere that had a surprise cameo with Robert Redford and George R.R. Martin, who are also executive producers. Eyre says he loves all the characters in this intriguing and often mystical storyline, including the dynamic between Joe and Emma Leaphorn. He says compelling – and humanizing – treatment of Native people in film and television is a sign that this kind of smart storytelling has arrived. “And I don’t think it’s going to stop. I think now we’ve gotten to a place that the door is not going to close again. I think there’s too many people – Native and non-Native – but Native people that are leading the charge as writers, and directors and performers and musicians and artists and executives, that have pushed this door open, and I don’t think the door is gonna ever close again.” Season three of “Dark Winds” is wrapping up with the eighth and final episode, but even before the first episode dropped, news came that season four was greenlit. Eyre says he’s blessed to be part of this series. “I’m just want to say tune in for season four, I’m as excited as anybody to know what happens. And I’m an insider, so we’re all working really hard right now to make season four great like season three, and I’m excited to see what happens.” “Dark Winds” airs Sunday nights on AMC. It’s based on Tony Hillerman’s novels and stars Zahn McClarnon, Kiowa Gordon, and Jessica Matten.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Participants of the Sikumiut Field School observe the features of the sea ice off Utqiagvik coast in April 2025. (Photo: Alice DuVivier) The ocean off Utqiagvik is covered with ragged sea ice ridges in early April. Iñupiaq whalers build trails across the blue and white terrain to access hunting sites along the lead edge. It’s hard to imagine a better spot for studying sea ice. And that’s why a group of Indigenous knowledge holders and Western scientists gathered there earlier this month. The Alaska Desk’s Alena Naiden from our flagship station KNBA has more. The Sikumiut Field School was a week-long event that brought 20 specialists to Utqiagvik. Some were scientists working with climate models or satellite data. Others were residents from various Arctic regions who have hands-on knowledge about when the ice is safe for travel. Erin Emily Thomas is a sea ice modeler. She says she was excited to observe the ice in person and learn from other experts. “Having everyone just sitting in the same room, exchanging knowledge, figuring out, where is the missing gap of information? What should we be looking at? What’s the most critical thing to study next? I thought that was the most exciting.” Participants spent mornings in a classroom, running models and looking at data. Afternoons were spent on the actual ice. It’s important work – particularly as winter sea ice in the Arctic was at a record low this year. Thomas says that sea ice affects the whole climate system, which makes observing it now crucial. “Maybe in the near future, there will be very little sea ice to go out on. And so I think it’s really important to study this now, while we have the chance.” Savik Richard Glenn is an Iñupiaq hunter, geologist, and a former executive. He led some of the hands-on activities, including checking ice thickness, watching for changes, and looking at the way snow and ice interact. “The little pieces of evidence that give you an idea about safety, about how prone the the ice might be to movement, either breaking off and floating away or ridging up and and grounding itself into the sea floor.” Glenn said that participants asked local whaling captains for permission to use their ice trails and worked to improve them. “We tried to behave as if we were neighbors with the folks who depend on the ice for subsistence.” Organizers say they hope the workshop inspires scientists and Indigenous experts to continue to exchange their knowledge in the future. (Courtesy Oregon State University) A new species of bacteria that conducts electricity has been found on the Oregon Coast. Scientists have named it for the Native Americans who historically lived in the area. The bacteria was found in a mud flat in the Yaquina Bay estuary, and has been deemed Ca. Electrothrix yaqonensi. The original people’s descendants are now part of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, who helped the researchers come up with the name. Cheng Li was a postdoctoral researcher at Oregon State University during the research. The rod-shaped cells that make up this form of “cable” bacteria have filaments that have electrical conductivity that help optimize their metabolic processes in the muck. “The cable bacteria are able to oxidize sulfide and channeling electrons along themselves conducting like wires, and then go to the surface of the sediment and reduce oxygen. Kind of connecting the two parts together by using electrical currents, so that’s why I think is super cool, and then they’re ecologically important to the environment.” Li says it’s important to honor the original inhabitants of the land where this bacteria was found. “So I think that history, it’s really rich, and should be preserved and telling people what had happened. And I think especially more important nowadays, because we’re facing some unforeseen drawbacks on diversity, equity, and inclusiveness.” The findings are published in the journal, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.     Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Over a decade has passed since the initial proposal of a Rapid City, S.D. Indigenous community center. Now, at last, it approaches reality with a looming hearing and fundraising push. SDPB’s C.J. Keene reports. It’s a project well over 70 years in the making – a community center catering the large Indigenous population of the Black Hills, while offering other community members a place to learn and engage. Cante Heart is the executive director of He Sapa Otipi, the organization seeking to build this center. While they have six acres and $9 million in Vision Fund grant money, the work isn’t yet finished. “We do need to match the funds in order to access them, so we’re launching out capital campaign. Right now, we are raising $3 million to access those funds, and it’s primarily for construction only.” Heart says this represents a chance at community healing. “All the way back to the Winona Club for a group of grandmothers who cared about their community – who wanted a better community – because of the high tension between race relations in Rapid City. There never was a great relationship between Natives and non-Natives, so we believe it’s up to us as the new generation to create a new relationship in Rapid City. We thank all of the grandmothers and those who have created efforts to create a community center that’s been long needed for over 70 years.” The Winona Club long advocated for a center of this kind in the mid-20th century, alongside the Sioux Addition Civic Association. He Sapa Otipi seeks to at last complete that vision. “It’s really going to bring our community together and highlight that we are more alike than we are different, because we all want a better future for our children, we want a safe place for our families to grow up and raise our children. That’s something we all have in common. This place will really highlight our Lakota values and what we practice every day. It’s important that we share our Lakota ways with our community.” The plot of land is found just north of the Uptown Rapid shopping mall, and the timeframe is dependent upon funding. Yurok Nation member Chah-pekw Jonny burns dead grass to prepare the land for native seed planting at Sakari Farms in March 2022. (Courtesy Joe Whittle) Joe Whittle, a Native American photojournalist, is promoting a “Land Back” movement across the U.S. for territory ceded or taken during colonization. Whittle is a member of the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma, and descendant of the Delaware Nation. A former backcountry wilderness ranger for the U.S. Forest Service, he’s proposing that the federal government return public lands due to violating every treaty signed with Indigenous peoples. He says another reason is that traditional ecological knowledge can benefit the environment. “Data shows that Indigenous people are better and more sustainable stewards of the land than private industry or the United States government has ever been, due to how deeply embedded in U.S. politics private industry has become on public lands.” Whittle’s argument recently appeared in TIME Magazine. He’s hoping an inspired attorney might take the federal government on and force a settlement similar to the Cobell vs. Salazar lawsuit in 2009, where the government was found to have violated its trust duties to tribes. And on this day in 1701, William Penn, Proprietary and Governor of the Province of Pennsylvania and Territories, and several regional tribes including the Iroquis, jointly established what’s known as the “Articles of Agreement.” The purpose was to determine territories and form cooperation between both the Native people and the early British settlers of the territories. Penn was a Quaker fleeing religious persecution in England, who felt it was beneficial to negotiate and work with the tribes.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

A Native American law group has launched a free online resource to help Tribal Nations obtain legal information about their water rights that they might not be able to afford. As the Mountain West News Bureau’s Kaleb Roedel reports, this comes at a time when tribes face increasing water challenges. The resource is called The Headwaters Report – created by the Native American Rights Fund. The report breaks down the ins and outs of tribal water law updates what’s going on in the courts and Congress and highlights what water issues are on the horizon. Daniel Cordalis is a staff attorney with the Colorado-based group. He says some tribes will pay third-party firms thousands of dollars a month to provide them with that information. “And it’s information every tribe should have. And the cost is a barrier to getting this kind of information for a lot of Tribal Nations, and it shouldn’t be one. I think it lifts the whole tribal communities up if they’re able to have the same information.” Cordalis says safeguarding tribal waters is increasingly important in the West where drought is shrinking tribes’ water supplies, wildfires are damaging their watersheds, and population booms are straining water resources. The Headwaters Report can be found at the Native American Rights Fund website. There’s been mixed reaction from Native leaders in Canada to the death of Pope Francis. He was the pontiff that delivered a historic apology to Canada’s Indigenous people for the Catholic Church’s role in the abuses that took place in Canadian residential schools. More from Dan Karpenchuk. Known as the People’s Pope because of his non-traditional papacy, he made history with a long awaited apology. Francis died of a stroke on Monday, the day after his last public appearance on Easter Sunday. He was 88. And he left behind a legacy that will be long remembered by Canada’s Native people. He made the historic apology before an Indigenous delegation that travelled to Rome in April of 2022. Former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Phil Fontaine was there as part of the delegation. “Pope Francis relationship with Indigenous peoples is profound because he is the first pope to ever apologize for the church’s wrongdoing with our people and more importantly he asked for forgiveness for all of the church’s failures.” Canada’s Indigenous leaders had been asking for a papal apology for decades. Members of that delegation described the physical, emotional, and sexual abuse that took place at the residential schools, which were funded by the Canadian government and run by churches. There was also malnourishment, neglect, the loss of culture, and forced assimilation at the schools, which operated for more than a century. The pope also denounced the Doctrine of Discovery, a church declaration that lands being colonized belonged to no one, justifying that Indigenous lands could be seized. He said what the Indigenous people in Canada experienced was genocide. Many praised Pope Francis for coming to Canada six months later despite being in poor health. (Courtesy Navajo Nation Council) A walk for missing and murdered Indigenous people (MMIP) was held Monday in Window Rock, Ariz., ahead of the opening of the Navajo Nation Council’s spring session. The council has a task force, which is addressing MMIP. The task force led the walk focusing on missing children, and to raise awareness of MMIP on families across the Navajo Nation. Task force chair delegate Amber Crotty says children must be prioritized. Advocates were among those to join lawmakers on the walk to the council’s chamber where speakers shared personal stories and policy concerns.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

The life and legacy of Pope Francis is being remember after the Vatican announced his death Monday morning. In 2022, in Rome and on Canadian soil, Pope Francis apologized to Indigenous people for the Catholic Church’s role in the residential school system in Canada, and for the abuses Indigenous people suffered. The apology included Pope Francis saying he was sorry and asked forgiveness. The schools operated from the late 1800s to the 1990s. His apology was met with mixed reactions. Pope Francis was 88. (Courtesy Denver Parks and Recreation) Bison are being restored to tribal lands across the Mountain West and the Great Plains. As the Mountain West News Bureau’s Rachel Cohen reports, a herd managed in Colorado is playing a big role. A few bison jumped into a grass-lined trailer. They were heading to the Kiowa Tribe in Oklahoma. The bison are part of two herds that live in mountain parks owned by the City and County of Denver. And the city gave these 10 away so the Kiowa Tribe could start its first herd in over 150 years. Bison were hunted to near-extinction in the 1800s. Rick Williams (Oglala Lakota and Northern Cheyenne) was at the bison transfer in March. He says it included a ceremony and songs for a safe journey. “The buffalo were a sacred animal to us. You know, we knew that they provided all of our economy and our lifestyle and everything that we needed to survive.” Denver’s donation is part of a larger effort to give surplus bison from conservation herds – and national parks – to tribes to restore cultural and environmental connections. Over the past seven years, Denver has given 140 bison to 10 tribes. That includes the Northern Arapaho in Wyoming and the Northern Cheyenne in Montana. Four of the 2025 Champs with U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids (Ho-Chunk/D-KS). (Courtesy Center for Native American Youth) Native young people from across the country are representing their communities on a national level this year. They were picked as “Champions for Change” for 2025 by the Aspen Institute’s Center for Native American Youth (CNAY). The cohort is sharping their leadership skills while highlighting stories of impact from tribal communities. Jill Fratis from our flagship station KNBA has more. Each year, CNAY selects five inspirational youth, ages 14 to 24, from across the country, to serve as “Champs”, supporting their development through experience-based learning and tailored advocacy training. One of the “Champs” is Maiyuraq (Maiyu) Jones from Unalakleet. Jones is focusing on environmental issues. She’s studying Environmental Science at Western Washington University. She says she’s been invested in climate change and its impacts on rural communities since a young age – and has seen changes to her community through her own eyes. “I think over the time I was growing up you can’t help but see those changes in the environment. When I was a kid, I used to be able to set crab pots on the sea ice with my dad. We would go out on a snow machine, and we would set crab pots a few miles out. But the last time, I set foot on the ice, I couldn’t walk more than 10 feet before it got too dangerous to go further.” Jones and the other “Champs” took part in a recent gathering in Washington, D.C., where she heard many stories similar to hers from different areas across the country – from clean water, to subsistence, to limited resources. She says she knew that she wanted to be a voice for her region, and help find solutions. “The changes in the way to from how I grew up to now, has really led me to pursue environmental justice, and dedicate time to that. Because I think its very important that future generations are able to hunt for caribou and fish for salmon like I was able to. And to bring those things back to my community is really important to me. “ Champions for Change has been around for more than ten years. This year’s youth leaders are all in their 20s, and also are from Hawaii, Oklahoma, Michigan, and Arizona.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Photo: Michael Quuniq Donovan and his sons deploy wave buoys near Utqiagvik in 2022. The work was a part of the Backyard Buoys project co-managed by the Alaska Ocean Observing System. (Lloyd Pikok Jr.) Alaska organizations that provide weather and environmental information to mariners and subsistence hunters are bracing for reduced funding. The cuts have not been approved. But according to a draft budget memo, the Trump administration is considering slashing more than a quarter of the funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in 2026. Alaska Desk reporter Alena Naiden from our flagship station KNBA has more. The Alaska Ocean Observing System is one local NOAA program that provides coastal and ocean data to improve the safety of boaters, fishermen, and subsistence hunters. Sheyna Wisdom, executive director of the organization, says the proposed budget would eliminate the program. “It would completely shut us down. And we have projects across Alaska. We would be pulling assets out of the water.” The organization’s projects include supporting Indigenous observers who track changes in their communities, mapping whaling trails, and monitoring harmful algal blooms. In another project, hunters in Point Hope, Utqiagvik, and Wainwright collaborated with scientists to install buoys at popular subsistence locations to track wave height. The buoys then provide real-time data via an app about when it’s safe to hunt whales, seals, or walruses. Steve White is the executive director at Marine Exchange of Alaska. The organization partnered with the program to install weather stations on vessels, so that other boaters get real-time conditions from remote areas. He says losing such initiatives would be a huge hit to a state that already lacks weather reporting. “Up in Alaska, you got to have good weather information. It could determine whether you die or whether you come back, whether you should go out on a boat or not.” If the proposed changes go through, Wisdom with the Alaska Ocean Observing System says it’s unclear whether the program will have an alternative path to stay operational. Members of the Resources and Development Committee were joined by Speaker Crystalyne Curley, Eastern Navajo Agency allottees, and Navajo EPA representatives as they met with U.S. Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum. A Navajo Nation Council delegate is optimistic about meetings this week with the Trump administration in Washington. Brenda Jesus, chair of the council’s Resources and Development Committee, was among a group of Navajo representatives to hold meetings with U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, staff with the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs for Local and Tribal Governments. Jesus says the purpose of the trip was to talk with the new administration, advocate for the committee’s priorities, and urged for tribal consultation in Trump administration policies. The Navajo Nation, located in the Southwest, extends into Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. “Navajo Nation has a vast abundance of resources on our Navajo Nation and setting the stage as to Navajo Nation wants to acquire that self-governance, but we would like to continue to hold our federal partners to proper and meaningful government-to-government or tribal consultation.” Topics of discussion included the Chaco Canyon land withdrawal in New Mexico, which the committee says has stalled key infrastructure for Navajo people like water, electricity, and roads; talks including ongoing problems with abandoned uranium mines; and water access as an urgent need. The visit by the council members was made about a week after Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren attended a White House event where Nygren showed his support for boosting coal development across the U.S., an action the Trump administration is taking. Jesus says coal is a sensitive topic and the committee has not taken a position on coal development, but will be meeting on it. “We need to have a better practice going forward should we go back into the coal or the fossil fuel industry and actually maximize out the benefits that will be coming from this for generations to come.” Jesus is one of 24 Navajo Nation Council delegates. She says the current council has 18 months of service left and the work they’re doing now is setting a blueprint. “I just like to continue to have the Navajo Nation prosper just through any development on Navajo Nation and hope that it would be a return to Navajo.”   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

(Photo courtesy Center Pole / Facebook) Food banks are trying to adjust after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) cut $500 million from a nationwide emergency food assistance program. One of those impacted organizations meets a pressing need for food access within the Crow and Northern Cheyenne Tribes of southeastern Montana. Yellowstone Public Radio’s Kayla Desroches reports from Crow Agency, on a recent day in April. It’s late Tuesday morning in a gas station parking lot off interstate 90, and Center Pole founder Peggy Wellknown Buffalo directs the set up of a table, soon to be stacked with boxes of canned salmon, loose potatoes, and meat. Cars are already lining up to pick up food. “We try to be in a location where it’s easier for them to come from the housing projects and around town.” With only a few small grocery stores and gas stations located across the large swath of southeast Montana, the Crow and Northern Cheyenne reservations are considered food deserts. The grassroots non-profit Center Pole tries to fill that gap with help from the Montana Food Bank Network, and Wellknown Buffalo says the need is high. “Sometimes we stay until three, but today, a lot of people have been calling.” Wellknown Buffalo talks about her concerns going forward. Montana Food Bank Network recently learned about cuts slated for more than 70 food banks across the state, Center Pole included. Montana Food Bank Network distributes food through the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), a USDA program that directs food to low income areas at no cost. Montana Food Bank Network Program Manager Jesse Schraufnagel says they had committed to delivering food through the end of the year when they learned that one of TEFAP’s primary funding streams had been eliminated. “And as of the beginning of this month, all of those truck loads have been cancelled, so what that amounts to is 40% of our total TEFAP allocation that we’re anticipating not receiving through the end of the year.” According to records through the Montana Food Bank Network, the cuts account for more than a quarter of the total food Center Pole estimates it distributes in a year. Wellknown Buffalo says Center Pole plans to navigate the cuts to their pantry by establishing public gardens to grow food and Indigenous plants they source from the hills in the region. “We’re gonna get hit with the craziness of what our government is doing, but the ones who are gonna suffer is my people. Us. Natives.” Assemblymember James Ramos (Serrano/Cahuilla/D-CA), chair of the Native American Caucus, is insisting on a hearing to address the state auditor’s newest findings dealing with the University of California (UC) system in returning Native American remains and cultural items to tribes. A third report from the state auditor was issued this week. Asm. Ramos says the audit shows UC lacks accountability and urgency in returning remains and cultural items required by the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and its state counterpart, Cal-NAGPRA. According to the report, UC continues to hold the human remains of thousands of individuals and hundreds of thousands of potential cultural items. Ramos says it’s very disturbing to him as a Serrano/Cahuilla person, who still conducts reburials of his people, that a law implemented 35 years ago is still being discussed today, and says he will insist on a hearing. The report finds the university has not ensured the proper care and security of potential cultural items, and at the current pace, it will likely take more than a decade to repatriate all of the collections. Ramos says the ancestors of tribal Californians deserve to be interred respectfully and in the traditions of their people, and he says lawmakers need to assess or create penalties for noncompliance with the laws.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

The House recently passed legislation to require people to prove they are U.S. citizens when they register to vote. As the Mountain West News Bureau’s Kaleb Roedel reports, Native American groups argue if the proposal becomes law, it would make it harder for them to vote. The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act would also require people to register to vote in person. That means they could no longer register through the mail or online. That would make it difficult for many tribal members, who live on reservations that are far from cities and highways, says Jacqueline De Leon. She’s an attorney with the Native American Rights Fund and a member of the Isleta Pueblo in New Mexico. “The nearest election offices for many rural Native Americans can be over 100 miles round trip.” Voters would also have to show proof of U.S. citizenship – like a passport or birth certificate. De Leon says the bill claims that tribal members could use their Tribal IDs. “But Tribal IDs would have to have a place of location of birth on them to qualify. And most, if not all, Tribal IDs don’t have that on them.” But the SAVE Act does face long odds in the Senate where seven Democrats would have to join Republicans to allow it to proceed to a vote. (Courtesy: Wisconsin Conservation Voices / Facebook) Voter turnout from tribal communities in Wisconsin has increased in recent years, with historic numbers for the recent state Supreme Court election. Judith Ruiz-Branch reports. The Menominee reservation turnout increased by more than 80% from the spring 2023 election. Both the Red Cliff and Bad River Bands of Lake Superior Chippewa saw turnout jump more than 60%, according to Wisconsin Conservation Voices. The group works with tribal communities through its Wisconsin Native Vote program. Organizer Maria Haskins says listening sessions, roundtables, and regional dinners have been crucial in building relationships and getting people to the polls. “With people seeing their peers being more active in the polls, and becoming more informed about a lot of these issues, is what is really motivating them to go out and cast their ballot, because I think that people are realizing their vote is their voice.” Haskins says communities shared concerns at these events about issues like the opioid epidemic, which is severely affecting tribal communities, while drawing the connections of voting to their goal of tribal sovereignty. The Menominee community has seen some of the most dramatic jumps in voter turnout. In 2023, community voting increased by 75% and has seen a 220% increase since 2019. Haskins says she believes the influx reflects the increase tribes are also seeing in representation, with more Native Americans running for office. “I think that it’s a huge movement. It’s just something saying, ‘Our people deserve to have a voice in what is happening, and we deserve to have the ability to be involved.'” (Courtesy Nevada Legislature / YouTube) A bill to officially recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Nevada on the second Monday in October passed the Assembly Floor on Tuesday with a vote of 27 to 15. Executive Director of the Native Voters Alliance Nevada Taylor Patterson called its passage a victory. In a statement Patterson said with its passage, the assembly affirms the contributions, stories, and resilience of Indigenous peoples are vital to the identity of the state. Patterson thanked the bill’s sponsor Shea Backus (Cherokee), the only Indigenous legislator in Nevada, for carrying the bill forward. It now advances to the Senate. Fire curtain in the Lane Tech College Prep auditorium. (Photo: Terence Faircloth / Flickr) The Chicago American Indian Community Collaborative, a coalition of nearly 20 Native-serving organizations, is celebrating the recent passage of a bill in the Illinois House that prohibits schools from using a Native name, mascot, or logo. The collaborative says the legislation represents a significant step in addressing the needs of Native communities across the state, and encourages a shift from stereotypes to respect and cultural awareness. The bill is now in the Senate.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Photo: Casper, Wyo. (J. Stephen Conn / Flickr) A new federal effort aims to end homelessness among people released from prisons. As the Mountain West News Bureau’s Hanna Merzbach reports, communities in Wyoming and Idaho, and a tribe in Montana, are part of the initiative. One team is in Wyoming’s Natrona County. It’s the top destination for parolees in the state since there’s lots of re-entry services there, but it’s still hard to get long-term housing. “We definitely see an influx of individuals who come here for assistance and who don’t qualify for as much as they think.” But Natrona’s Kristy Oster, who’s leading the project under the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance, says people released from prisons could soon get permanent housing – and other help, like career services. So far, there’s no funding involved. But Oster says monthly meetings with federal experts keep them on track to eventually build the housing. “Is it data that’s next? Is it partnerships that, that is next? Is it getting the city together to determine if there’s land available?” Idaho’s Department of Corrections and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes in Montana are also working on similar initiatives. (Courtesy Diné College / Facebook) Police are investigating a fire on the Navajo Nation that burned the Student Union Building on the Diné College campus in Tsalie, Ariz., destroying records dating back to the 1950s and gowns for this year’s graduation. Navajo Police say the fire was reported after 2 :30 a.m. Monday. The campus is closed to the public while essential services like meals and housing have been relocated for students. Remote learning was being planned for Tuesday. No injuries were reported as of Monday. The fire is under investigation. Willie Hensley. (Photo: Steven L. Rychetnik / Courtesy Alaska Humanities Forum and Magnetic North Productions) Willie Hensley is a well-known Alaska Native leader, but a documentary that premiered this week in Anchorage gives you a chance to get to know what makes him tick. Rhonda McBride from our flagship station KNBA has this preview. Willie Hensley has worn a lot of hats, and you can see a lot of them in this film that filled with snapshots of his life, as well as something else, says the film’s producer Marla Williams. “That was really fun in this film to look at how many different hairstyles Willie has had throughout life. He’s gone from a flattop and a nerdy little side part, to long sixties sideburns and now to a ponytail all the way down his back.” The film showcases Hensley’s charisma and traditional Inupiaq humor. It’s called “Homeland“ and chronicles his rise as a champion for the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and eventually a statewide leader. “I think he’s a man of his times. He’s always current. He’s always looking forward, but he’s not stuck in his past. He uses his past to keep him moving forward.” The documentary is filled with moments that explores Hensley’s talent for walking between two worlds – that of Native culture and the modern world of business and politics. It traces his roots to a sod house near Kotzebue, Alaska. In the film, Hensley takes his daughter Priscilla to show her where he was raised as a small boy. Only a few pieces of wood and mounds of sod remain. “Not a table, not a chair, not a bed. This was home. It kept us warm on the coldest of days.” The film also takes you to a religious boarding school in Tennessee where Hensley arrived as a teenager with only a shopping bag full of belongings. His classmates didn’t know what to make of him and the care packages of whale meat and other subsistence foods he received, but were happy to have him on their football team, because he was one of the fastest on the field. “In those days, if you’re a young Iñupiaq that age, if you survive TB and chicken pox, and influenza and everything else that everybody caught, you’re pretty damned tough.” The documentary’s next showing will be in Kotzebue on April 17 and will be available on online in the future. It’s the tenth installment of the Magnetic North: The Alaska Character series, which has profiled political figures like Governor Bill Sheffield and Native leaders like Jacob Adams and carver Nathan Jackson. The series was made possible by the Alaska Humanities Forum and the Rasmuson Foundation.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Photo: This press conference in 2024 launched California’s Feather Alert System for MMIP. (Courtesy Asm. James Ramos / Facebook) Events are being planned at the California state Capitol in Sacramento to raise awareness of missing and murdered Indigenous people (MMIP) cases. May 5, on national MMIP Day, state lawmakers and tribal leaders will deliver remarks at the Capitol Park, and the Capitol Dome will be illuminated red for two nights to observe MMIP. Events will continue through the week, including a hearing involving tribal safety and a candle light vigil will be held. The Native American Legislative Caucus and its chair, Assemblymember James Ramos (Serrano/Cahuilla/D-CA), are leading the weeklong activities. Asm. Ramos is the first and only California Native American currently serving in the state legislature. He spoke at a California MMIP summit this winter about tribal advocacy and representation in the legislature to address MMIP. “Being in the state legislature and with all your support, we’ve been able to start to bring pieces of legislation forward … we continue to look at those issues moving forward and gaining allies in the state legislature and within law enforcement. Gaining allies to bring forward the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women.” During the week of activities, Ramos will present a resolution on the Assembly floor to designate May as MMIP Awareness Month. Incoming President Heather Shotton. (Courtesy Fort Lewis College / Facebook) Heather Shotton has been appointed the president of Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colo., becoming the first Native American to hold the position. The board of trustees appointed her to the leadership role on Friday. President-elect Shotton is an enrolled citizen of the Wichita & Affiliated Tribes and a descendant of the Kiowa and Cheyenne Tribes. Shotton has more than 20 years of experience in academic leadership and has been part of the college’s executive leadership team for the past three years. In a statement, she said she’s honored to lead Fort Lewis College and is committed to building a future grounded in belonging, access, and academic excellence for students. She’s been recognized for advancing culturally responsive practices and policies for Indigenous students. Her work at Fort Lewis College has included reconciliation with faculty and staff acknowledging the institution’s history as a federal Indian boarding school. Shotton officially assumes the presidency on July 1. A scene from season three, episode six of “Dark Winds”. (Courtesy AMC) AMC’s acclaimed series Dark Winds has tackled various heavy issues, which now includes clergy sexual abuse in its latest episode. National Native News’s Brian Bull has more. In the episode titled, “What He Had Been Told”, Navajo police lieutenant Joe Leaphorn has a series of visions and flashbacks while pursuing a mysterious figure through the wilderness. One involves a priest taking a young relative into an isolated space to do the unthinkable. Actor Zahn McClarnon plays Leaphorn. “There’s a lot of things I could relate to in that scene growing up, I went through some things as a kid. I’m not going to get into details but they’re very similar to how Joe was affected when he was a kid. And so it’s … I think as … human beings, we go through these painful experiences, these loss, this tragedy, joy, as an actor all I try to do is lean into that.” McClarnon says the episode’s director, Erica Trimblay, put a lot of thought and sensitivity before shooting this specific scene. “Erica made a very, very safe environment. Along with the other producers, Tina Elmo of the show, Jim Chory, and John Wirth, made a safe environment not just for me, but for the kids in the scene. It was a closed set, so people weren’t allowed on the set. It was just the directors and the actors, and the cameramen.” In recent years, accounts of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse against Native children have come out in both government-run and church-run boarding schools. Last year, President Joe Biden formally apologized on behalf of the United States for atrocities committed against government boarding school students. AMC’s Dark Winds is on Sunday nights. It’s been renewed for a fourth season. Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

It’s a doublewide trailer off the Birchwood exit on the outskirts of Anchorage, Alaska, not exactly a Las Vegas-style casino, but since the Eklutna Tribe’s new gaming hall opened in January, there are often long lines of people waiting to get in. Rhonda McBride from our flagship station KNBA reports. That could change if the state is successful in its bid to shut down the gambling operation. On Wednesday, the Alaska Attorney General asked a federal court in Washington, D.C. to issue a preliminary injunction against it. This follows a lawsuit the state filed in February, after the Interior Department approved the project in the final days of the Biden administration. The Chin’an Gaming Hall sits on a Native Allotment near the Birchwood Airport. The Interior Department under President Joe Biden said the Eklutna Tribe has sovereignty over the land, just as tribes in the Lower 48 have over reservations, where gambling is allowed. But the state is fighting that decision based on previous court cases that gave the state jurisdiction over Native allotments. Aaron Leggett, the president of the Eklutna Tribe, called this latest court filing disheartening, a sign that Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R-AK) is escalating his attack on tribal sovereignty. In a statement, he touted the success of the casino and its potential to bring jobs and economic opportunity to the region. The gaming hall is in a temporary building with fewer than a hundred electronic bingo games. The tribe plans to expand to a larger facility with more machines and restaurants. (Courtesy White Earth Tribal and Community College) Minnesota’s unemployment rate is low, but the state still faces a skilled labor shortage. Mike Moen has more. A regional college hopes to be a solution as it looks to break ground on a new training center for in-demand jobs. Data shows Minnesota has a job vacancy rate of more than 5%. That’s above the desired goal of around 4%, with the older population leaving the workforce. At White Earth Tribal and Community College, school President Anna Sheppard says not having a big enough talent pool for certain types of jobs is a problem in her part of the state. “You know, we’ve had to wait for electricians to come in, just to do work here, just because there’s not many in this area.” The school is planning a trades building on campus to develop the next generation of plumbers, electricians, and other skilled workers. It could also benefit White Earth’s plan to expand its renewable energy programming for students. The project’s cost is $15 million. Supporters hope the state will chip in, but a tighter spending mood in the Legislature, along with the impact of federal cuts, could make that difficult. White Earth Student Senate President Deidra Berg sees this planned building as a way to keep Indigenous students, post-graduation, in surrounding communities that struggle with limited wages and a lack of resources. “We are a ‘food desert’ area, and so, that’s like a really big issue here. We’d like to be able to offer our people, our students, the tools to get their education here and hopefully, stay close to home and build our community up.” The organization Fresh Energy says training students for projects like solar power development can help local economies get stronger. Campus officials say they’ve already secured land for the trades building, and the architectural renderings are complete. If state aid is slow, White Earth will try to line up grants and other support. Training could begin as early as fall of 2027. Statue of the Lane Tech College Prep mascot in Chicago, Ill. (Photo: Terence Faircloth / Flickr) An Indian mascot bill has passed the Illinois House of Representatives. The legislation prohibits K-12 schools in the state from using a Native American name, logo, or mascot. It passed by a vote of 71–40. If signed into law, schools would have until 2026 to make changes. The bill now heads to the Senate.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

(Photo: Antonia Gonzales) U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he is doing everything he can to make sure there are no cuts to the Indian Health Service (IHS). Sec. Kennedy made the brief comment Wednesday, as he was being ushered to his vehicle after a visit to a charter school in Gallup, N.M. National Native News asked Kennedy about elevating the IHS, a pledge he made during his confirmation hearing. “I’m doing everything that I can to make sure there are no cuts to the Indian Health Service.” (Photo: Antonia Gonzales) The IHS is an agency in the HHS. IHS provides service to about 2.8 million American Indians and Alaska Natives in 37 states. Kennedy’s visit comes as leaders of tribes and Native organizations across the country are calling on the Trump administration to uphold treaty and trust responsibilities. Among things leaders are concerned about are funding and workforce reductions. And they’re urging for tribal consultation. Kennedy’s visit drew a group of demonstrators who were both President Donald Trump supporters and those protesting Trump administration actions. Demonstrators included Navajo Nation citizens. Kenneth Brown says he voted for Trump and was in support of Kennedy’s visit. “He’s here to help, even for the school, the kids, the kids are people too.” Kenneth Brown. (Photo: Antonia Gonzales) Brenda Hoskie, who’s the Democratic Party Chair for McKinley County in New Mexico, was there in opposition of the visit. “I’m here in protest. You know, make sure that the trust responsibility that we have with the United States government, that’s what they need to do. It’s plain and simple – not to take things away from Indian Country.” Brenda Hoskie, right. (Photo: Antonia Gonzales) Kennedy’s visit was part of a Southwest tour. Before traveling to the town of Gallup, he met with Navajo Nation officials in Window Rock, Ariz. He also met with other tribal leaders in Arizona this week. Stay tuned to National Native News to hear what Kennedy had to say to school children – and what educators at the school say they’re doing to address healthy eating and fitness among young people. (Photo: Murray Foubister / Flickr) Members of the Blackfeet Nation filed a lawsuit against the federal government over recent tariffs imposed on Canadian products. They claim the move impedes tribal sovereignty. Montana Public Radio’s Victoria Traxler reports. State Sen. Susan Webber (D-MT) and Blackfeet Tribal Member Jonathan St. Goddard filed the suit Friday over tariffs they say impacts trade between Canada and the Tribe. Former congressional candidate and Missoula-based attorney Monica Tranel is carrying the case. “Congress has constitutional authority to do tariffs. The executive does not have the authority to impose tariff in this way, either under the Constitution or under the statutes that were invoked. And it’s unconstitutional, illegal, and it needs to stop.” The Blackfoot Confederacy’s historical territory overlaps the U.S. and Canadian border. The lawsuit says tribal members are legally exempt from tariffs. Plaintiffs say they damage the Blackfeet Nation’s cross-border trade and commerce. Tranel is asking the court to freeze Canadian tariffs or find other ways to protect tribal members specifically. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM) has signed legislation creating an emergency response to address missing Native Americans in the state – the Turquoise Alert System. The New Mexico Indian Affairs Department said in a statement the alert system marks a significant step forward in addressing the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous people. According to the New Mexico Department of Justice, there are nearly 200 missing Native Americans across the state. Provisions include, establishing a Department of Public Safety–coordinated alert system for missing Indigenous persons; triggers alerts when disappearances involve suspicious, dangerous, or involuntary circumstances; and requires coordination with media, law enforcement, and state agencies for rapid dissemination and notification. New Mexico is the fourth state to establish such an alert system for missing Native people. Vision Maker Media has launched a new YouTube channel for kids, introducing viewers to Native history, language, and ways of life with host Frankie, an animated hawk. Each month will feature a new social studies theme containing a series of short videos curated from the organization’s film archives of 50 years. April’s theme is “Rising Together”.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Photo courtesy @BuuVanNygren / X Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren is supporting President Donald Trump’s orders to boost the coal industry. President Trump held a signing ceremony Tuesday in Washington, D.C., where President Nygren was in attendance. In a statement, Nygren said he wants to “emphasize the importance of including tribal nations like the Navajo Nation in this national conversation.” The orders are aim at reversing policies that have transitioned the country away from coal production. STATEMENT FROM NAVAJO NATION PRESIDENT BUU NYGREN ON TRUMP’S EXECUTIVE ORDER SUPPORTING COAL DEVELOPMENT WASHINGTON – Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren today issued this statement on President Trump’s Executive Order Supporting Coal Development across the U.S.: “Today marks… pic.twitter.com/573zJePEzW — Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren (@BuuVanNygren) April 8, 2025 Chairman Ernie Stevens with “Supporting Each Other” Women’s honorees Delores Pigsley, Chairwoman of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, and Tracy Stanhoff, former Chairman of the Prairie Band of Potawatomi National and Founder of Ad-Pro. (Courtesy Indian Gaming Association) The Siletz News in Oregon reports that longtime tribal chair Delores Pigsley was recently honored by the Indian Gaming Association. Brian Bull reports. At the 29th annual National Indian Women’s “Supporting Each Other” luncheon in Washington D.C., Pigsley was recognized for her nearly four decades of serving as chairwoman for the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians. In those years, Pigsley helped her tribe get federally reinstated. And more recently, she helped her people get their right to harvest, fish, and hunt on their traditional lands again after 45 years. In a recent interview, Pigsley shared her happiness at negating the consent decree. “It’s … a … probably one of the most – since I’ve been on the tribal council, after restoration, I was on when the tribe was restored in (19)77. And the next one was when we built our casino and got the land in trust in Lincoln City. And this one is right up there with those.” The youngest of eight children, Pigsley credited her success with having strong mentors and friends, including others on the Siletz Tribal Council. Middle school athletes stand on the podium at the annual Traditional Games in Juneau on Saturday, April 5, 2025. (Photo: Clarise Larson / KTOO) The eighth annual Traditional Games was held in Juneau, Alaska, over the weekend. More than 250 athletes from 30 teams from across the state, the Lower 48, and Canada competed in a dozen different events rooted in Alaska Native values. KTOO’s Clarise Larson was there and has this report. 18-year-old Matthew Chagluak of Anchorage sits low on the gym floor at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Saturday morning. His neck is craned upward and his eyes are laser-focused on a ball hanging on a piece of string above him. Then, in one fluid motion, he kicks a leg up to touch the ball while balancing on one hand, successfully completing an Alaskan High Kick. “By showing grace in your events, is showing respect for not only the event, but yourself too.” Chagluak is Yup’ik, and he’s one of more than 250 athletes who came to Juneau to compete in the eighth annual Traditional Games. Many of them are Indigenous, but the games are open to participants from any background. The event opened with a cultural dance and songs. Matthew Chagluak of Anchorage competes in the Alaskan High Kick at the annual Traditional Games in Juneau on Saturday, April 5, 2025. (Photo: Clarise Larson / KTOO) Throughout the three-day event, the athletes from 30 different teams competed in a dozen different games. They’re all rooted in Indigenous hunting and survival skills. “The history goes back hundreds maybe 1000s of years, so let’s see it continue hundreds or 1000s of more years.” That’s Kyle Worl. He’s a coach and leads the program in Juneau. “It’s a way to celebrate our culture and carry on these games and introduce them to youth throughout the Southeast region and beyond.” Nathan Blake is a high school senior in Juneau. Not only did he compete, but he was also in charge of getting the crowd of family, friends and spectators excited. He says the inclusiveness of the games is one of the biggest reasons he’s drawn to them. “This isn’t just a game for one culture and one only. This is a game for everyone to come together and just be one with one another, regardless of how you look or what you do.” This year, athletes broke 12 records in different categories and age groups.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Photo: Voters cast their ballots at Old Saint Joe’s in Nome on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (Ben Townsend / KNOM) President Donald Trump recently issued an executive order to reshape U.S. elections. The order, among things, mandates absentee and mail-in ballots to be received by Election Day. It also requires proof of citizenship for registering to vote in federal elections. There’s some concern that the changes might disenfranchise voters in rural Alaska Native communities. Alaska Desk reporter Alena Naiden from our flagship station KNBA has more. Denise Louisaac is a poll worker in Dillingham who oversaw early absentee voting there for the last two presidential elections. In 2020, she says it took 10 days after Election Day for the last batch of early voting ballots to get from Dillingham to Anchorage and from Anchorage to the election office in Nome. She says the new federal voting timeline would be tight for Dillingham. “It will definitely disenfranchise smaller rural communities.” Jackie Arnaciar Boyer works for Rural and Indigenous Outreach Program. She says the new regulations might lead to a drop-in voter turnout for Alaska Native residents. “I think it’d be pretty devastating to rural vote.” In Alaska, mailed ballots can be received within 10 days after Election Day. The timeline is helpful because hundreds of communities – predominantly Alaska Native – are accessible only by air. Storms can prevent planes from coming in and out of the villages for days or weeks, and ballots often arrive late. Roy Agloinga is the president of the First Alaskans Institute. “It’s just not fair, right? I mean, to exclude an entire population because of where they live in the country, and to make it difficult for them to participate in this really important process.” The executive order also mandates people to show proof of their citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. Agloinga says that many Native Alaskans use tribal IDs because there’s nowhere in their village to get a passport or state ID. While the state division of elections does not track how many residents use tribal IDs to register to vote, Agloinga says even a small number matters. “Any number of voters that you miss in a community makes a big difference.” Alaska Division of Elections spokesperson Stephen Kirch said in an email that the division is reviewing the new executive order and will work with the state Department of Law on any potential changes to policies. Kirch said that, at this time, division staff don’t know if there will be any impact in Alaska. Photo: Jeffrey Zeldman via Flickr CC On Monday, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a resolution commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act. The act, signed into law in 1975, reshaped federal Indian policy – promoting tribal self-determination through tribal involvement and oversight of programs and services administered to tribes on behalf of the federal government. The bipartisan resolution was led by U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and vice chair Brian Schatz (D-HI). In a statement, Sen. Murkowski said of the law that tribes have raised the quality of life of their people. Tribal leaders testified last week, during a House Committee on Natural Resources field hearing, about opportunities the law has brought tribes, and successes in Indian Country – including in areas of economic development, health care, and transportation. Also on Monday, Sen. Schatz released a statement on offers made by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to senior leaders across the agency to transfer to jobs in remote areas at the Indian Health Service (IHS), as part of HHS restructuring. Schatz calls the action disrespectful. He says the IHS should instead be strengthened to meet the needs of its patients, and that tribes need to be involved in consultation. During his confirmation hearing, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he planned to elevate Indian health. Meanwhile, Sec. Kennedy is meeting with tribal leaders this week in the Southwest. According to the HHS, Kennedy is taking part in a fireside chat with tribal leaders in Arizona, and will take a one-hour hike with Navajo leaders.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Photo: Lee Miller is a Cultural ambassador at Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center on April 2, 2025. The Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska program started in 2024 to teach tourists about Lingít stewardship of the land. (Yvonne Krumrey / KTOO) The Forest Service staffing at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center in Juneau, Alaska, remains uncertain due to turmoil from the Trump administration’s federal firings. But there will be eight people working at the glacier in a different role as cultural ambassadors. They’re all Indigenous to Southeast Alaska. Employed by the local tribe, they teach visitors about Lingít history, culture, and connections to the land. KTOO’s Yvonne Krumrey stopped by a training session to see how they’re preparing for the quickly approaching tourist season and has more. At the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center, cultural ambassadors are learning how to best represent the Lingít stewardship and connection to the glacier to the roughly one million tourists slated to visit this summer. Saaní Liana Wallace sets off down the walkway toward Steep Creek. “We’ll never stop talking. Join the crowd. We’re talking about plants, so Lee, who’s been here a while, is going to show me a plant that he wants us to work on.” Cultural ambassador Saaní Liana Wallace takes a photo of a plant to identify on April 2, 2025. (Photo: Yvonne Krumrey / KTOO) They are part of the group of ambassadors who will be at the glacier when tourists start arriving in less than two weeks. The Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska program started last year, as a part of a co-stewardship agreement the tribe formed with the U.S. Forest Service. It will allow people like Shaaḵ’indax̱ Jonah Johnson to teach visitors about Devil’s Club, or as it’s called in Lingít. “S’axt” Because there’s more to it than meets the eye. “It looks like it’s just a harmful plant, but it’s really our medicine plant.” In February, a wave of federal firings left one remaining Forest Service staff member at the visitor center. In a typical summer, there are about a dozen on site. Some of the fired staff have been rehired, but there are rumors they may lose their jobs again, or accept a deferred leave offer. Forest Service officials say they aren’t able to share any plans for staffing for the summer. But while that’s up in the air, the cultural ambassadors are moving forward with their plan to staff the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area. Lee Miller is returning for his second season. He says he thinks all of the staff at the glacier will be spread thin this year. “But it’s exciting. I mean, every day is different, every person is different” Miller says he loves representing the Áak’w Ḵwaan, and bringing the joy of the natural world to visitors. “You can pass it on to them. You’re, you know, you’re coming in and you say, ‘Okay, I just saw a porcupine out on the meadow there,’ or an eagle or a heron, and, you know, just point it out to them, and they’ll ask you questions.” Miller’s family has been here for thousands of years, but he’ll be greeting people who are seeing the glacier for the first time. “Just interacting with them and watching them, you know it just — that made the whole season.” And his season begins April 14, when the first ship arrives. Margaret Katzeek brought her niece Elayna Katzeek to the Baby Raven Reads family night. (Photo: Lisa Phu/KTOO) A group of education leaders from tribal organizations testified at a U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearing last week, against the dissolution of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), and for the protection of programs that support Native students. The hearing followed an executive order President Trump signed last month to close the department. Alaska Desk reporter Alena Naiden from our flagship station KNBA has more. Rosita Ḵaaháni Worl, president of Sealaska Heritage Institute, spoke about the persistent lack of education funding, especially in Alaska, given the state’s fiscal situation. “Despite these challenges, we can confidently state that through our culture-based programs that we have integrated into schools with DOE funding, we have witnessed measurable educational achievement among Native students, as well as improvements in their social and emotional well-being.” Sydna Yellowfish is the director of Indian Education at Edmond Public Schools in Oklahoma. She says programs also help Native students who are homeless or in foster care. “These challenges such as suicide and substance abuse, most recent bullying and sexual assault, that we have worked with our students – I feel like we are obligated to address these challenges and work with our students and our families as the best that we can.” U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) co-led the oversight hearing. She says that the department’s programs help the government fulfill its trust responsibility. S

(Photo: Jordan Uplinger / Wyoming Public Media) Next week, Wyoming lawmakers will meet at the state Capitol to decide what subjects interim committees should focus on between now and next year’s legislative session. Wyoming Public Radio’s Chris Clements spoke with the chairman of one committee, who’s the only Native American legislator in the state. The Select Committee on Tribal Relations is set to hear updates on investigations into missing and murdered Indigenous people. And it could discuss how tribal, state and federal law enforcement manage crime on and around the Wind River Reservation. Fort Washakie Representative Ivan Posey co-chairs the committee. “The people in the federal system on a reservation really don’t have that luxury of knowing who’s been arrested or what they’re arrested for.” That’s because there’s often as many as three separate jurisdictions involved in criminal cases, including the feds. Posey is a member of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe, and says one of his priorities for the interim is to have a committee hearing take place off the reservation so that more non-tribal members can attend, too. “There’s still a lack of understanding or lack of knowledge on tribal issues.” That includes some of his fellow representatives, Posey says. Interim committee topics will be finalized on April 8. Grand Central Station in Belfast, Northern Ireland. (Photo: Brian Morrison / Translink) A conservative political party in Belfast has pulled the emergency brakes on new plans for Ireland’s Indigenous language. As Seo McPolin reports, Irish may not be arriving into the island’s newest central station anytime soon. For just a few hundred thousand quid, Ireland’s newest and now biggest public transit station was to get signage in the Irish language. Even though it’s twice as old as English, Irish has been suppressed for centuries – and it appears to be happening again. Members of the right-wing, pro-British party, the DUP, are objecting to the new signs and got a judge to halt their installation, for now. They want a debate in their assembly, which might be required under power-sharing rules created by the Good Friday Agreement. It’s the latest chapter in the long saga of a language that dates back to the Roman Empire. A former tribal assistant chief is sharing his Native culture, and food through his business. Brian Bull spoke with Jason Harris about Bow and Arrow – a food truck roaming South Carolina. Harris and his wife Melissa have both worked in tribal government and still consider themselves ambassadors of a sort. Only instead of discussing policy over the table, they share Catawba history and culture over the counter. “One of the things that we have not been good at, especially as Catawba, is we don’t share our culture as well as we probably should. So that’s kind of given us an opportunity to answer people’s questions about not only the food, that’s just a starting point. But we can actually get into other conversations. It helps bring our communities together even more.” Many visitors to the Bow and Arrow are non-Natives, so Harris feels this is a great way to connect with others. The menu has frybread as the basis for its entrees. “We have ‘The Bow’ which is a ground beef-based Indian taco with the trimmings that go with that, and then we have ‘The Arrow’ which is chicken on frybread. Then we have a bison Indian taco, we haven’t seen a whole lot of that out there in Indian Country. And then we do a strawberry dish that is my wife’s grandmother’s recipe, and it is just out of this world.” The Catawba are South Carolina’s only federally-recognized tribe, so Harris says it’s great to represent his culture and share his passion for good food at the same time. “We get to feed people. (laughs) Everybody’s got to eat! And then we get to share a little bit of our culture too, so it’s been really nice to do that.” The Harris’ black and turquoise truck roams the areas on and near the Catawba reservation, sharing Native cuisine to powwow crowds and passersby alike.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Photo: 2025 NAJS Ambassador Taylor Begay (Diné). (Courtesy Native American Jump Start / Facebook) The group Native American Jump Start has been providing grants to Native students, interns, and young workers for decades and, this year, has added an ambassador program. Kathleen Shannon reports. Nine ambassadors across the country will help spread the word on Native American Jump Start opportunities, up to 100 microgrants per year to help, among others, students at any level of higher education. Wicahpi Chaddlesone-Yankton, grant and operations coordinator for the group, said they want to highlight more student voices and half of ambassadors in the first cohort are current students. “We wanted to have our ambassadors work with their Native student centers or organizations on their campus and just help bring NAJS’s voice into a bigger light.” The group is funded by private donations and therefore will be directly affected by cuts from the Trump administration. Meanwhile, the Native American Rights fund in March sued the U.S. Interior Department and the Office of Indian Affairs over the federal administration’s cuts to the Bureau of Indian Education. O’Shay Birdinground comes from the Great Apsaalooke Nation and will graduate this spring from the University of Montana. He first used Jump Start funding to attend a conference. Now, as an ambassador, Birdinground encouraged “future Indigenous leaders” to take advantage of educational opportunities. “There are a lot of opportunities out there for education and leadership development. I wouldn’t hesitate to jump on any one of those opportunities that is provided to you.” The application period for Native American Jump Start’s education grant funding for this fall opened April 1. Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation. Tebughna School students harvest potatoes at the Tyonek Grown in 2018. (Courtesy Tyonek Tribal Conservation District) Alaska already imports most of its food, but for many tribes in rural areas, cuts to federal grants and staff by the Trump administration could make food security even tougher, including for farmers and reindeer herders. Alaska Desk reporter Alena Naiden from our flagship station KNBA has more. Spring is a busy time at Tyonek Grown, a community farm located on the west side of the Cook Inlet. Local students come to plant seeds and then harvest organic fruits and vegetables. This summer, the farm managers wanted to set up a community food forest that would include Indigenous plants. But the forest – and many more of Tyonek Grown’s plans – are now up in the air because of cuts to federal staff and funding. That’s according to Laurie Stuart, the executive director for Tyonek Tribal Conservation District that manages the farm. “The loss of those funds in the coming years is going to have a big impact on the growth that we were building.” In Alaska, nearly all produce is imported, which makes the food supply vulnerable. Some support to local producers comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The department is among many agencies that cut programs and staff in response to Trump’s executive orders. In recent weeks, the agency reinstated some of its employees, but then put them on administrative leave. Tyonek is located about 40 miles southwest of Anchorage. Produce needs to be flown in, and fruits and vegetables grown at the Tyonek farm give locals a rare chance to enjoy affordable fresh food. The USDA’s Forest Service in December awarded $900,000 to the conservation district to grow their team and set up a community food forest. “So even if we were to find that no funding was impacted right now, we’re making decisions as if it might be.” Meanwhile, about 500 miles northwest around Nome, reindeer herders are asking similar questions. For herders like Bonnie Suaŋa Scheele, interruptions in federal programs mean that it’s harder to find funds to build temporary housing for workers and corrals for holding animals. Despite the challenges, Scheele believes the herders will figure out a way to continue the practice. “We’re still here, we’re still herding reindeer. We’re still providing for communities.” Several USDA grants remain frozen or terminated.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Photo: Tali Stone. (Matt Faubion / Alaska Public Media) The Alaska House of Representatives has passed a bill that would help protect foster kids from unnecessary stays in acute psychiatric care facilities. It’s likely to become law. And if so, kids will have the right to a court hearing within seven days of entering a facility to determine if the placement is necessary. Almost 70% of foster kids in the state are Alaska Native or American Indian. Alaska Public Media’s Rachel Cassandra has more. Tali Stone was nine years old when her foster mother brought her to North Star, an acute psychiatric facility in Anchorage. Stone says during the intake, her foster mom exaggerated her behavior and lied that she was seeing ghosts. “Even the staff said, themselves, ‘I’m not sure why you’re here.’ And I was like, ‘I’m not sure either.” Stone was at North Star for four weeks, according to her psychiatric records. And over the next two years, she was admitted to North Star a total of four times, each of them several weeks at a time. Stone is one of the thousands of kids under the care of the Office of Children’s Services (OCS) in Alaska who have spent time, sometimes unnecessarily, in acute psychiatric facilities. OCS is under-resourced, with a high staff turnover rate, and a serious shortage of foster families. But Amanda Metivier, who runs the nonprofit Facing Foster Care, says that lack of placements means foster kids stay in psychiatric facilities for too long. “So, they do an intake at a hospital, they get a diagnosis, and then they linger there.” Right now, kids have the right to a court hearing within thirty days of admittance, but the bill passed by the state House would reduce that timeline to seven days. According to the bill, at the Alaska hearing, all people invested in the kid’s care would have to be there – birth parents, foster families, tribes, behavioral health care providers, and OCS. Every kid over ten would also have their own lawyer who could advocate for them being in the least restrictive setting appropriate. State Rep. Andrew Gray (D-AK) sponsored the bill. He says there’s a lot at stake. “The absolute human rights violation of [voice breaks] having your freedoms completely taken away and no one coming to help you, that alone is enough that we have to fix it.” Metivier worked with kids in foster care to help draft the bill. She says it would add a sense of urgency to the process of assessing the care. “We need to act quickly on either identifying, again, a higher level of care or different therapeutic intervention, or releasing them.” Tali Stone says she never got a hearing at all to assess whether she should be there. She says she really hopes this bill passes. She wants foster kids in institutions to know they’re not forgotten. Special Agent Hailey Evans during her 30-day deployment to New Mexico in support of Operation Not Forgotten, a four-month surge of FBI resources to Indian country. (Courtesy FBI) The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday announced increased resources to Indian Country to investigate violent crimes, including related to missing and murdered Indigenous people. According to the department, the FBI will send 60 personnel to temporary assignments over six months to support 10 field offices, including in Albuquerque, N.M., Denver, Phoenix, Portland, Oreg., and Seattle. The FBI will work with the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and tribal law enforcement. The personnel will work with the BIA’s Missing and Murdered Unit. In a statement, Attorney General Pam Bondi said crime rates in American Indian and Alaska Native communities are unacceptably high. She says by surging FBI resources and collaborating closely with U.S. Attorneys and tribal law enforcement to prosecute cases, the DOJ will help deliver accountability these communities deserve. According to the DOJ, at the beginning of Fiscal year 2025, the FBI’s Indian Country program had about 4,300 open investigations. That includes death investigations, child abuse, domestic violence, and sexual abuse investigations. U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and Brian Schatz (D-HI), committee vice chair, are leading a hearing Wednesday on Indian education. The hearing in Washington, D.C. will examine federal programs. Witnesses include leaders of the National Indian Education Association and the American Indian Higher Education Consortium. Educators in Indian Country and tribal leaders are among those who’ve been raising concerns about Indian education under Trump administration policies. Watch The Hearing   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

The most recent chapter in a federal civil rights case in Alaska is coming to an end. Lawyers in the case announced last week that the final member of the Fairbanks Four has agreed to settle his wrongful conviction suit against the city and four of its police officers. KUAC’s Patrick Gilchrist reports. The agreement comes more than seven years after the Fairbanks Four sued the city in federal court, claiming Fairbanks police had manufactured evidence to convict them for a murder they didn’t commit. The city will pay Marvin Roberts $11.5 million, says Fairbanks City Attorney Thomas Chard. “It was a pretty intense negotiation. And it involved a very experienced mediator that helped parties come to that.” The settlement means Roberts’ claims against the city and four of its police officers won’t go to a jury for trial, which was scheduled for December. Marvin Roberts Once all the terms are finalized, Chard says it will close out a lawsuit that’s been ongoing since late 2017. That’s when the four Indigenous men, coined the Fairbanks Four, first filed the civil rights lawsuit. They were convicted for the 1997 murder of teenager John Hartman. The four were released in late 2015 after another man, William Holmes, confessed that he and a group of men had killed Hartman. Multiple witnesses corroborated that confession. And one, Arlo Olson, said Fairbanks Police Department officers had coerced him to give a false statement against the Fairbanks Four. Mike Kramer is Roberts’ lawyer. “It’s just – happy to see Marvin finally get justice. That’s all he’s been asking for since he was first wrongfully arrested and accused back in 1997.” Roberts couldn’t be reached directly for comment, but he said through a press release from his lawyer’s office that no amount of money can make up for his time in prison. “This settlement, however, gives me freedom with my life, and most importantly, more time with my daughter and my parents, who supported me throughout this nightmare.” The other three members of the Fairbanks Four – George Frese, Kevin Pease and Eugene Vent – settled with the City of Fairbanks’ insurer in 2023. They agreed to drop their portion of the federal civil rights lawsuit for about $1.6 million apiece. Neither settlement required the city to admit fault or issue a formal apology. President Donald Trump speaks at the Utah State Capitol in 2017 before issuing a proclamation reducing boundaries for the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments. Six tribes have formed a coalition to protect Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah. As David Condos reports for the Mountain West News Bureau, the group is working to conserve tribal homelands. President Donald Trump shrunk both Grand Staircase-Escalante and nearby Bears Ears National Monument in 2017 during his first term. And some people worry history could repeat itself. Hank Stevens is a member of the intertribal coalition and part of Utah’s Navajo Nation. “With a new administration coming in, you know, there’s concerns that we’re probably gonna have the two monuments being shrunk again.” The new Trump administration issued an order to review national monuments as part of a push to expand gas production and mining on federal lands. Stevens is optimistic the federal government will collaborate with the coalition and make sure Native voices are heard. Heather Shotton. (Courtesy Fort Lewis College) A Native woman has been named the sole finalist in the search for president for Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colo. Heather Shotton (Witchita and Affiliated Tribes, Kiowa and Cheyenne descent) would be the first Indigenous person to lead the institution. According to the college, her selection comes at a critical time as the college continues to reconcile with its past as a former Indian boarding school. Shotton currently serves as Vice President for Diversity Affairs and Acting Dean of Students. She has more than 20 years of experience in higher education. The board of trustees is expected to make a final decision on the finalist on April 11.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Photo: Anti-DOGE/Elon Musk protest in Washington, D.C.’s Georgetown neighborhood on March 22, 2025. (Geoff Livingston / Flickr) The chair of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee and other Republicans are pushing back against the Trump administration’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) purge of Native Americans — quite literally — from federal government websites. Correspondent Nicolae Butler reports from Washington that even members of the president’s own party are aghast at efforts to erase First Americans from government websites. At the U.S. Capitol, Republicans are more unified than the party’s been in decades, if not a century as the party rallies around most all of President Donald Trump’s recent efforts to reshape Washington in his own image. But even members of the president’s own party are aghast at efforts to erase First Americans from government websites. Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team seem to have crossed an unwritten Republican red line when they literally erased the term “Native American” from some government sites. U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) told National Native News at the Capitol he doesn’t “know why you just do that as a matter of course.” Other Republicans are struggling to even grasp what Musk and his team did. U.S. Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) told National Native News he “hadn’t seen that, so I have no idea.” Still, other Republicans, like U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK), are confused by what DOGE did, even after we told him what was deleted from federal websites, because it’s so incomprehensible to them. “Wait, I don’t understand the question.” It’s more than just deleting the term “Native American”, which critics say is bad enough, but Department of Defense web pages honoring Navajo Code Talkers were also deleted. The administration says it restored the pages, calling it a “mistake”, but the “mistakes” didn’t stop there. Sen. Cramer said he’s no fan of DEI, but the administration went too far this time. “If it’s Native American, it’s Native American. I don’t know. You can’t — I don’t know. I mean, seems weird. I don’t know why you do that, But first thing I would do is check with local Native people to see what their preference is, because some of them don’t like it.” U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), chair of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, has been leaning on officials at the Interior Department and Health and Human Services (HHS) to ensure tribal programs aren’t caught up in this DEI purge. “We were worried about that right at the outset, right? And that was why it was important to get some assurance, some confirmation that when it came to tribes and tribal programs, they were not going to be subject to this DEI initiative. We got that assurance through Interior; we got it through HHS.” But Sen. Murkowski says other federal agencies have some catching up to do. “But we’re seeing this in other accounts, which is troubling. We’ve reached out to address this, because it’s not the way it should be.” Alaska’s other senator, Sen. Sullivan, calls the erasure of tribal references a “huge” misstep. The Republican suggests Musk and his DOGE team are in need of a history lesson. “Tribes and Native Americans are in the Constitution. Maybe some people should go reread their Constitution.” The LCB contributed to this report from Washington. In Oregon, the search for a missing Grande Ronde tribal elder continued over the weekend. 63-year-old Jonathan House disappeared in mid-March after leaving a crashed truck in the Coast Range foothills west of Junction City. As KLCC’s Brian Bull reports, prospects are dim that House is still alive. House was said to be upset when he drove off from home, and flyers say he sounded distressed in his last call to his partner on March 15. This weekend, teams with the Lane County Sheriff’s Office and the MMIW Search & Hope Alliance searched around Dancing Deer Mountain. Bill Barnard covered almost 800 acres with his drone. “The Sheriff’s Office was kind enough to share the coordinates of the last cell phone ping. Unfortunately, that indicated that he didn’t progress towards town or towards a road. It actually indicated that he headed deeper into the forest.” Kim Lining organized the volunteer search. Given the time and elements, she knows it’s looking dire for House. “We’re not going to stop looking for him. He’s out there, somewhere. We’re looking for his body, his remains. The family is very understanding and thankful, and really great.” Anyone with information on House is asked to call the Lane County Sheriff’s Office. Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Six tribes have formed a coalition to protect Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah. As David Condos reports for the Mountain West News Bureau, the group is working to conserve tribal homelands. President Donald Trump shrunk both Grand Staircase-Escalante and nearby Bears Ears National Monument in 2017 during his first term. And some people worry history could repeat itself. Hank Stevens is a member of the inter tribal coalition and part of Utah’s Navajo Nation. “With a new administration coming in, you know, there’s concerns that we’re probably gonna have the two monuments being shrunk again.” The administration issued an order last month to review national monuments as part of a push to expand gas production and mining on federal lands. Stevens is optimistic the federal government will collaborate with the coalition and make sure Native voices are heard. (Courtesy The Bow & Arrow / Facebook) When you’ve served 17 years in tribal government, what’s the next step? Well, if you’re Jason Harris, you start a food truck. NNN’s Brian Bull talked to the former Catawba assistant chief, whose business, “Bow and Arrow”, roams South Carolina. Harris and his wife Melissa have both worked in tribal government and still consider themselves ambassadors of a sort. Only instead of discussing policy over the table, they share Catawba history and culture over the counter. “One of the things that we have not been good at, especially as Catawba, is we don’t share our culture as well as we probably should. So that’s kind of given us an opportunity to answer people’s questions about not only the food, that’s just a starting point. But we can actually get into other conversations. It helps bring our communities together even more.” Many visitors to the Bow and Arrow are non-Natives, so Harris feels this is a great way to connect with others. The menu has frybread as the basis for its entrees. “We have ‘The Bow’ which is a ground beef-based Indian taco with the trimmings that go with that, and then we have ‘The Arrow’ which is chicken on frybread. Then we have a bison Indian taco, we haven’t seen a whole lot of that out there in Indian Country. And then we do a strawberry dish that is my wife’s grandmother’s recipe, and it is just out of this world.” (Courtesy The Bow & Arrow / Facebook) The Catawba are South Carolina’s only federally-recognized tribe, so Harris says it’s great to represent his culture and share his passion for good food at the same time. “We get to feed people. (laughs) Everybody’s got to eat! And then we get to share a little bit of our culture too, so it’s been really nice to do that.” The Harris’ black and turquoise truck roams the areas on and near the Catawba reservation, sharing Native cuisine to pow-wow crowds and passersby alike. (Courtesy RTÉ) It’s all aboard the victory train for Indigenous language activists in Ireland. Seo McPolin reports on signs of hope at the island’s largest integrated transport hub. It’s been a good year for Ireland’s Indigenous language. The Irish hip-hop band Kneecap is showcasing the 2,500-year-old language at high-profile festivals this year like Coachella and Glastonbury. And this week – in Kneecap’s hometown of Belfast – officials in charge of the new Grand Central Station announced plans to install signage with Irish – in addition to the “King’s English”. Irish language equality has become a political tool in the historically violent showdown between those who favor a united Ireland – and those who wish to keep Northern Ireland as part of the United Kingdom. That’s why a handful of far-right politicians are trying to suppress the new signs. More than two million people on the island, or 30% of the population, say they have some ability to speak Irish.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Photo: Ashlee Shingoose. (Courtesy Southern Chiefs’ Organization) In Canada, an unknown murder victim of a Winnipeg serial killer has now been identified. Ashlee Shingoose was identified as the fourth victim of a serial killer who murdered Indigenous women in 2022. More from Dan Karpenchuk. Until she was identified, she was known only as Buffalo Woman. Now investigators say she was Ashlee Shingoose, a 31-year old woman from St. Theresa Point Anisininew Nation. Shingoose was the first victim of serial killer Jeremy Skibicki. Officials travelled to her home community this week to break the news to her family. Investigators had searched for years to identify her. They interviewed Skibicki in prison and found a piece of clothing in his apartment that belonged to Shingoose. DNA testing confirmed that it was hers. Now officials including Premier Wab Kinew have pledged support for a new search of the nearby Brady landfill. Premier Wab Kinew talked to all the people of Manitoba. “I hope that you recognize that through the ups and downs we are moving closer to a province and to a Canada that is going to be safer because there’s going to be more trust, there’s going to be more cooperation, there’s going to be more share interest for everybody no matter where you come from in this province. And you’re seeing all leaders, from every level of government including police leadership, coming forward to say this matters and we’re going to work together.” Winnipeg Police Chief Gene Bowers says the decision not to search for the remains of two of the victims had an impact on the families and the community. He said while the past cannot be undone, we can learn and know what needs to be done. He says talks will begin about a humanitarian search for Singoose’s remains. In a rare move, six tribal nations in Michigan have withdrawn from discussions on a federal permit for the Line 5 tunnel, which the Canadian company Enbridge wants to build under the Straits of Mackinac. Interlochen Public Radio’s Izzy Ross has more. Line 5 carries oil and natural gas liquids across the Straits of Mackinac. It runs 645 miles from Superior, Wisc., to Sarnia, Ont. Along that route, its dual pipelines cross the lakebed of the Straits. Enbridge wants to replace that approximately four-mile section and move it into an underground tunnel. To build the tunnel, Enbridge needs a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which it applied for in April of 2020. As part of that, the National Environmental Policy Act requires the Corps to conduct an environmental review. Until last week, six tribes had been involved in that process as cooperating agencies: the Bay Mills Indian Community, Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi, and Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi. But the tribes say that during a meeting on Thursday, they learned that the Corps anticipated fast-tracking the tunnel permit under President Donald Trump’s executive order declaring an energy emergency. The tribes already had concerns about the process, but that was “the final straw,” according to Whitney Gravelle, president of the Bay Mills Indian Community. “What we saw time and time again is that no matter how much evidence we collected, no matter what type of comments we provided, all of that was disregarded by the Corps. Now we can do what we need to do outside of the process” including litigation of the Corps’ final decision. One problem, Gravelle said, was the Army Corps’ approach to discussions of a construction that would “cause destruction to not only the Great Lakes, but also an Indigenous people’s way of life, my way of life, for all Great Lakes Anishinaabe.” “When you’re trying to convey that type of existential crisis that you’re trying to prevent, and all you’re met with is this robotic, monotone answer, that, too, creates additional frustrations. You know they’re not really listening to you. You know they’re not hearing what you have to say. You know that they’re not even thinking about what’s going to happen to you.” The tribes wrote a letter to the Corps on Friday. “Tribal Nations are no longer willing to expend their time and resources as Cooperating Agencies just so their participation may be used by the Corps to lend credibility to a flawed [Environmental Impact Statement] process and document.” They also said the Corps’ environmental review process was weighted toward Enbridge and harmed tribal nations, ignored tribal expertise, lacked meaningful dialogue, and undermined treaty rights. The Army Corps’ Detroit District is still reviewing the letter, according to an email to IPR from spokesperson Carrie Fox. “We look forward to continued Tribal consultation on treaty rights and on impacts to historic properties. The Detroit District will consider comments from Tribes, stat

Native American students make up 11% of public school enrollment in New Mexico. Yet there are not enough resources for them to learn their Native languages. A bill passed in the recent legislative session would create new schools under a state-tribal compact to address those gaps. Reporter Jeanette DeDios (Jicarilla Apache and Diné) has more. New Mexico has 23 sovereign tribes and among those tribes eight languages are spoken, but only seven are taught in school districts. Senate Bill 13 would create a five-year pilot program with five schools prioritizing distinct Native languages of Tiwa, Tewa, Towa, Keres, Apache, Zuni, and Diné. The bill’s co-sponsor, State Sen. Benny Shendo Jr. (Jemez Pueblo/D-NM), says that many Native parents and grandparents have been conditioned to believe the only way to succeed was to speak English. “But that’s not true. I was born and raised speaking my language. It wasn’t much later, you know, that I began to learn English. So how can that be when those of us that were fluent Native speakers are able to be successful in college and all the stuff that we’re doing today?” He says a lot of Native students are struggling because they don’t feel that they belong. “And if we can really reground them in who they are, then I think it gives them that confidence for them to be able to go out and compete in the world in a way that they should be competing, not with anxiety about, ‘Who am I? Where do I belong?’” Native American students have historically reported lower achievement and graduation rates than their peers. The New Mexico Indian Education Act stresses the importance of maintaining Native languages and culture, but programs providing these opportunities are currently limited within public schools. In 2018, a ruling in the Yazzie/Martinez lawsuit determined the state had failed to provide a sufficient education to Native American students as well as those learning English, living with disabilities, or from families with low incomes. The Legislative Education Study Committee’s analysis of the new legislation suggested it could offer the state an opportunity to respond to the lawsuit. The bill does not contain an appropriation, but will provide operational and capital outlay funding for immersion schools. A shelter for victims of domestic violence in Merrill, Wisc., funded in part through a grant from USDA. A new study shows intimate partner violence disproportionately impacts Indigenous women more than any other ethnic or racial group in the U.S. Judith Ruiz-Branch reports. The murder rate for Native American women and girls is up to 10 times higher than the national average, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, yet they account for less than 1% of the population. Desiree Tody, outreach program coordinator at the Center Against Sexual and Domestic Abuse and a member of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, said violence against Native women is underreported and unaddressed. “There’s jurisdictional issues that come into play as to how things are investigated, how things are tried, and there’s always racism. There’s less attention paid to the individuals that some of these things happen to.” The Wisconsin Department of Justice created a task force to combat violence against Native women across the state after legislation which would have addressed the issues failed to pass. There are currently no upcoming task force meetings listed on the newly updated DOJ website. Poor tracking and data collection are among the many issues contributing to the epidemic among Indigenous women. During a multistate march last month, Tody read a list of names of Indigenous people from Minnesota who had died from domestic violence. No such list currently exists for Wisconsin and Tody noted she is working to change it. She emphasized the great need to address the systems in place, which continue to fail Native people. “I have three daughters that I want them to grow up as strong Native women and I want them to grow up safely as strong Native women. This is their futures on the line. This is their ability to walk down a street safely.” Research shows Indigenous women also face significant barriers when seeking help after experiencing domestic violence. A survivor of domestic violence herself, Tody works with the Center Against Sexual and Domestic Abuse to provide resources for those affected in Bayfield and Ashland counties.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Governor Katie Hobbs (@govhobbs) Tribal flags removed from a Veterans Affairs hospital in Phoenix, Ariz. are now being displayed by the office of Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-AZ). The flags were removed after new rules were issued by the Trump administration on the public display of flags throughout VA facilities. Tribal leaders strongly objected to the removal of the flags.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. S

U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) has requested the issue of violent crime be addressed on the nation’s reservations, as C.J. Keene reports. Via a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, the Senator has requested the creation of the Violent Crime Reduction Commission specifically for tribal lands. This came after several tribes addressed concern about violent crime conditions on tribal land. Sen. Rounds describes the situation on Great Plains reservation communities as a quote “public safety crisis”. Historically, reservations have seen higher-than-average rates of violent crime than the larger U.S. while contending with understaffing of law enforcement services. A report that highlighted the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous people was removed from several federal websites last month, to the disappointment of some Alaska Native advocates. Alaska Desk reporter Alena Naiden from our flagship station KNBA has more. The final report by the Not Invisible Act Commission was a joint effort of the U.S. justice and interior departments completed in November 2023. It focused on the disproportionate rates of assault and murder in Indigenous communities across the country as well as unique issues faced by Alaska Native people. President Donald Trump signed the law that mandated the report during his first term. In February, the report’s authors and advocates noticed that the link had been deleted from several federal websites, including the Department of Justice website. The reason for the removal was not immediately clear. Michelle Demmert (Tlingit and Haida) is a longtime tribal judge and the University of Alaska Fairbanks professor who was one of the report’s commissioners. She says she was deeply disappointed with its removal. “It’s like a slap in the face. It just really saddens me to have the report removed like it doesn’t even exist.” Over 18 months, the commission heard from people across the country, including Anchorage, Bethel, and Emmonak. Those stories were included in the final report. “People traveled far and wide to come give testimony about situations that involve their loved ones. They trusted us with their stories, even though it was painful for them to have to retell these stories, but they felt like this might be the one opportunity that someone hears them and takes action.” Charlene Aqpik Apok (Iñupiaq) is the executive director of the non-profit Data for Indigenous Justice. Apok attended the commission hearing that was held in Anchorage. She says she found it unsettling that the report was deleted from several websites, but she doesn’t want people to be discouraged. “We still know what was said. We still know our truth. We still know our stories, and they can’t take that away from us. Our knowledge and our truth is something that cannot be erased.” Apok also says she appreciated the report’s specific recommendations for Alaska. She says they spoke to historic violence against Alaska Native women, the landscape and structure of rural communities, and challenges with legal and public safety systems. Apok adds that despite the report’s removal, organizations like Data for Indigenous Justice will continue to document and track cases of violence against Indigenous people in Alaska. The Center for Native American Youth has announced its newest cohort of the Remembering Our Sisters Fellowship. The virtual storytelling and digital arts program, supports Native young “women and femme-identifying leaders” who are raising awareness about Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit (MMIWG2S+). During the six-month program, fellows will create digital art and storytelling projects to bring attention to the issue. Six fellows from tribes across the country including from Oklahoma, Arizona, and California were chosen for the program. Fellows will receive technical assistance, mentorship, and opportunities to share their projects.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

New Mexico joins three other states that have now created an alert system for missing Indigenous people. The bill unanimously passed both chambers on Friday and now heads to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM). Reporter Jeanette DeDios (Jicarilla Apache and Diné) has the details. The Turquoise Alert system will allow law enforcement to quickly share information about missing Indigenous people through news media, social networks, and digital highway signs without having to wait the standard 48 hours. According to the New Mexico Department of Justice, there are about 200 missing Indigenous people in the state. The bill’s sponsor, State Sen. Angel Charley (Laguna Pueblo and Diné/D-NM), shared the news on Instagram and said the system is not a tribal mandate, but will instead go through the Department of Public Safety. “It’s not going to fix our jurisdictional complexity issues, but it is going to ensure that when a Native person goes missing, that there’s an immediate, rapid response.” The alert system will coordinate with state law enforcement agencies, tribal communities, and state resources when a missing Indigenous person goes missing in order to provide quick action and public awareness. The governor has 20 days after the session ends to sign this bill into law and would take effect July 1. The number of Alaska Native language speakers has been declining over the years including speakers of Alutiiq. But a new language class that’s live streamed from the Kodiak Archipelago community of Port Lions aims to combat that trend locally. KMXT’s Davis Hovey reports. “Cama’I, Quyanaa, Taylugee, and welcome. Thank you for coming to another episode of King’s Corner.” Every Thursday students from the school in the Native Village of Port Lions discuss Alutiiq culture and language. That’s in preparation for class lessons and conversations in Alutiiq that are live streamed online twice a month. It’s the Port Lions’ students’ first time speaking their Native language within school through the Alutiiq Culture class. That includes practicing everything from weather reports to animals and place names in Alutiiq. Jess Eggemeyer II, who works for the Native Village of Port Lions, teaches the class. “I really saw a need for content that was focused on the local community and that would include current events happening in the village and at the school. A local safety bulletin, the weather forecast, as you’ve seen.” Eggemeyer says the livestream, which is called Kings Corner after the school’s mascot, is a product of Elders and the previous generation laying the groundwork for language revitalization in Port Lions and around Kodiak Island. That multi-year-long effort by multiple organizations and individuals has led to Alutiiq textbooks, digital audio recordings of Native speakers, and language courses for college students or even adults. “If we don’t teach our children now, this is how languages die and it’s unfortunately not uncommon.” Alaska Native languages in general are at risk of being lost or going extinct as Elders who speak the language are passing on. For Koniag or Kodiak Alutiiq, which is the dialect mainly spoken in the Kodiak Archipelago, less than 20 fluent first language speakers are still alive today. Eggemeyer says the class will go through the rest of this semester and he hopes to continue it this summer and next school year too. “(Sign off from show) tang’rciqamken (I’ll see you again in Alutiiq)” The U.S. Postal Service is hosting a first-day-of-issue ceremony for its Forever stamps celebrating powwows. Four stamps showcase paintings of Native dancers by Cochiti Pueblo artist Mateo Romero. They feature Women’s Traditional Dance, Crow Hop Dance, Men’s Hoop Dance, and Women’s Fancy Shawl Dance. The ceremony will be held at the Gathering of Nations Pow Wow in April in Albuquerque, N.M.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Educators and lawmakers are blasting President Donald Trump’s push to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. Among them is the vice-chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. In a release, U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) said the education department is part of the federal government’s core trust and treaty responsibility to American Indians, Native Hawaiians, and Alaska Natives. Sen. Schatz says over 90% of Native students attend public schools, who will be at the mercy of state governments that have no legal responsibility to meet needs. The elimination of the department would affect special education, language learner supports, and Title VI Indian education programs, among others. Furthermore, Native higher education would be affected including funding for tribal colleges, and programs administering federal loans and Pell Grants. President Trump’s rationale includes low academic scores during the pandemic. Neither Trump nor his staff have explained how ending the department would boost student performance. (Photo: Anne Meadows / Flickr) The Native American Rights Fund (NARF) has filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s efforts to cut U.S. Department of Education spending. Mountain West News Bureau’s Yvette Fernandez has more. The non-profit argues in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., that funding cuts are a violation of long-standing treaties between tribes and the U.S. government. Attorney Jacqueline De León is leading the legal effort. She says cuts, including layoffs of about a quarter of the staff, were made without input from tribes. “The federal government has to consult with tribes before they make changes to education, including to staffing and they have a responsibility to fulfill those education requirements separate and apart from policy decisions or politics.” The suit names two Indigenous colleges – one in Kansas and the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in New Mexico. DeLeon says a ruling could affect schools across the American Indian Higher Education Consortium of 37 tribal institutions across the country, including those in Mountain West states. The secretary of the Department of Interior is named as the defendant in the suit, and has not yet filed a response, according to court filings. Native American students in New Mexico will be able to wear their tribal regalia at graduation ceremonies this spring after Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM) signed a bill into law on Wednesday. Reporter Jeanette DeDios has more. Senate Bill 163 prevents school boards from banning tribal regalia at graduation ceremonies. The bill is a response to an incident that occurred last May in Farmington, N.M., where a Native American high school graduate was ordered to remove their graduation cap that had an eagle plume and beads. Despite some initial concerns from lawmakers, the bill passed unanimously through both chambers before being signed by the governor. Gov. Lujan Grisham says Native American students are at higher risk of being bullied and committing suicide and this bill encourages them to be proud of who they are and can help promote their well-being. “This is really about making sure that New Mexico stands on the right side of this civil rights issue and on the right side of kids.” New Mexico Secretary for the Indian Affairs Department Josett Monette (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa) says she’s excited to see this year’s graduates in their tribal regalia. “It shows New Mexico’s dedication and respect for our Native students throughout the entire state.” Monette said her department plans to create a campaign that will collect pictures of this year’s Native American students during their graduation ceremonies. Those will be shared on social media and other outlets to recognize the hard work of the students and the passing of this bill, which goes into effect immediately. And yesterday we reported on the disappearance of references to Navajo Code Talkers on U.S. military websites. We’ve learned since then that following widespread outcry, those references and webpages are back up.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.