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Budget Battle
Funding for tribal services threatened by ‘Big Beautiful Bill’
Carmen O’Leary fights to help Indigenous survivors of violence amid budget cuts
Jolan Kruse
Not Forgotten
MMIP motorcycle ride ends with prayers at Bear Butte
Benefit Ride to raise awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples
James Brugh
Rising Voices
Tribal judge aims to Indigenize the bench
Megan Treuer’s plan to improve Native justice is being realized with help of Bush Fellowship
Brian Bull
Tribal urgency
Congress and USDA have yet to act on year-old recommendations that could alleviate food insecurity among tribes
The GAO made its recommendations after visiting several tribes and tribal organizations
Brian Bull
Video
Cole Brings Plenty: 2-day MMIP commemoration kicks off
James Brugh
Education
High school students learn engineering at ASPIRE summer camps
Gabrielle Nelson
Hollywood vs Heritage
Best Native American movies, series — the ones worth watching
Teresa Trumbly Lamsam, Ph.D.
Special Feature
For the love of dentalium
Harvested in the Pacific and traded inland, dentalium shells served Indigenous peoples as valuable currency, status symbols, and sacred items for millennia, a tradition that persists.
Read our coverage.
Sovereignty, Community, Press Freedom.
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The Daily Spark
Quick stories, must reads
MMIP Crisis
Jul 16
Lawmakers urge DOJ to restore Not Invisible Act Commission report
Voting Rights
Jul 16
North Dakota tribes ask Supreme Court to keep redistricting map in place
Tribal Governance
Jul 16
Crawford sworn in as assistant secretary for tribal affairs at USDOT
Infrastructure
Jul 16
Lawmakers introduce bill to expand clean water access in tribal communities
Health
Jul 16
Indigenous Milk Medicine Week 2025 celebrates seventh year
Student Success
Jul 15
California Indian Nations College to host third annual Fire Gala in September
Tribal Governance
Jul 15
House extends Alaska Native veterans’ land allotment and expands Miccosukee land
Bismarck-Mandan
Crisis Response
North Dakota Legislature passes law aimed at tackling MMIP crisis
Alix Dobler
Rural Uncertainty
USDA upheaval brings uncertainty to farmers, rural communities
Indian Affairs
North Dakota lawmakers to review key bills impacting Native American communities
Dakota Access Pipeline
Media petition North Dakota Supreme Court for expanded access to Greenpeace trial
Education
Free school meals bill fails in the North Dakota House
Tribal consultation
Bill seeks to strengthen tribal consultation on North Dakota legislation
Northern Plains
Opioid Aid
16 North Dakota organizations receive $8 million in opioid grants
Alix Dobler
MMIP
What caused a splash in the Missouri River the night Renzo Bullhead disappeared?
Safe Aging
North Dakota ranked No. 2 for aging in place in national study
Vaccine Decline
State reports first measles case amidst declining vaccination rates
Funding Fallout
Sudden cut of ‘politicized’ FEMA grants leaves North Dakota communities in the lurch
Community Search
MMIR: Native community unites in water and ground search for Standing Rock man, last seen on train bridge
Land and oil
‘Big Muddy’: North Dakota approaches deadline in high-stakes MHA oil tax lawsuit
Native Issues
Explainer
From tradition to trend: Where to buy dentalium in today’s market
Alix Dobler
Dentalium: History and significance in Native American culture
Explainer
Harvesting Connection: Dentalium and the two ‘Indian’ worlds
Dakota Access Pipeline
Federal government appealing $28M award to North Dakota for pipeline protest costs
Safety Signal
North Dakota’s Feather Alert to roll out in August
Rising Voices
Five Natives named Bush Fellows
Missing and Murdered
Daughter remembers Kristin Bruce as a woman ‘full of life’
NCAI
Inside the NCAI Mid Year Conference: What we saw, heard and ran to cover
Education
Trump wants to cut tribal college funding by nearly 90%, putting them at risk of closing
Native Nations
Opinion
Youth Pride
Twin Buttes Powwow in North Dakota celebrates every child as a champion
Angela Gillette
Pipeline Concerns
Public hearing set for proposed pipeline in Mountrail and Ward counties
Activism continues
Leonard Peltier remains defiant in AP interview, maintaining innocence and vowing continued activism
Justice Served
Leonard Peltier: ‘Today I am finally free’
Arts & Culture
Indigenous Cinema
How ‘Dark Winds’ delivers
Brian Bull
Heritage
The journey of dentalium: Tracing ancient trade routes along the Upper Missouri
Heritage
Dentalium journey with artist Tipiziwin Tolman: from necessity to cultural icon
Heritage
Revitalizing ancestral art forms: Holly Young draws inspiration from family and community
Fresh Start
Sundance Film Festival to relocate to Boulder in 2027
Art
ND Native photographer featured in San Francisco Museum of Modern Art exhibition
Cultural Identity
Zig Jackson’s Vision: ‘Culture is the most powerful thing you have in art’
Opinion
Opinion
Justice Delivered
June 30, heirs’ deadline to file for allotment land royalties
Talli Nauman
Opinion
Community Uprising
Cheyenne River Sioux families walk to draw attention to allegations of mistreatment at the jail
Opinion
MMIP
Why Buffalo’s Fire was red for one day
Opinion
Heritage
Harvesting Connection: Dentalium and the two ‘Indian’ worlds
Opinion
Elders first
When is being ‘elder’ more than just being ‘older’?
Opinion
Cultural Preservation
A look inside the Denver March Powwow
Opinion
Due Credit
Buffalo’s Fire’s news-sharing campaign: When republishing a story avoid the ‘copycat’ syndrome
Stories you might have missed
NCAI
Urgent call to action against violence on Native women: Even when it seems there is no hope, keep fighting
Events and Announcements
Buffalo’s Fire, IMFA head to NCAI Mid Year Convention
Transit access
Largest tribal transit station in Minnesota under construction on White Earth Reservation
Disease Preparedness
Tribes prepare for measles outbreaks as confirmed cases in US surpass 1,000
Cultural Innovation
Inside the 13 Moons curriculum: How the Swinomish Tribe keeps traditions alive while teaching STEAM and helping to reduce chemical exposures
Missing and Murdered
Renzo Bullhead’s family hang on to hope and prayer as search continues
Federal Accountability
Native nations sue U.S. over use of tribal funds for boarding schools
Podcast