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Opinion
Justice Delivered
June 30, heirs’ deadline to file for allotment land royalties
Honor Yellow Bird Woman with fulfillment of Cobell Settlement terms
Talli Nauman
Opioid Aid
16 North Dakota organizations receive $8 million in opioid grants
The funding supports prevention and treatment services
Alix Dobler
Rising Voices
Five Natives named Bush Fellows
Bolstering cultural outreach and personal development among honorees’ top goals
Brian Bull
MMIP
What caused a splash in the Missouri River the night Renzo Bullhead disappeared?
Surveillance video released through records request shows disturbance in the water
Brian Bull
Missing and Murdered
Daughter remembers Kristin Bruce as a woman ‘full of life’
Brian Bull
NCAI
Inside the NCAI Mid Year Conference: What we saw, heard and ran to cover
Teresa Trumbly Lamsam, Ph.D.
Indigenous Cinema
How ‘Dark Winds’ delivers
Brian Bull
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
Buffalo’s Fire
Jun 30
June 30, heirs’ deadline to file for allotment land royalties
Tribal Sovereignty
Jun 30
Native American Church members continue legal fight to protect Yanaguana sacred site
Climate and Indigenous Affairs
Jun 30
Tribes condemn U.S. withdrawal from Columbia Basin salmon agreement
Land Stewardship
Jun 30
Tribal leaders call on federal officials to protect Chaco Canyon buffer zone
Missing and Murdered
Jun 30
Red Sky Nation to host fourth annual MMIR powwow in Sioux City
Voting Rights
Jun 30
Montana tribal nations move to join lawsuit challenging voter registration law
Health Policy
Jun 27
HHS and IHS invite tribal input on agency changes through July
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
Meal Access
Free school meals bill advances in North Dakota legislative committee
Northern Plains
Vaccine Decline
State reports first measles case amidst declining vaccination rates
Michael Standaert
North Dakota News Cooperative
Safe Aging
North Dakota ranked No. 2 for aging in place in national study
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
Rural Veterans
Senators Push to Expand VA Transportation Grants for Rural Veterans
Housing Crunch
North Dakota faces major housing shortage as baby boomers age
Native Issues
Education
Trump wants to cut tribal college funding by nearly 90%, putting them at risk of closing
Matt Krupnick
ProPublica
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
Final Gathering
Bismarck Public Schools’ Indigenous Parent Advisory Committee holds final meeting of school year
Native Nations
Activism continues
Leonard Peltier remains defiant in AP interview, maintaining innocence and vowing continued activism
Graham Lee Brewer
Associated Press
Leonard Peltier: ‘Today I am finally free’
Proud, cheerful and emotional, Leonard Peltier thanks supporters for welcome home
Pipeline Concerns
Public hearing set for proposed pipeline in Mountrail and Ward counties
Justice Served
Leonard Peltier: ‘Today I am finally free’
Arts & Culture
Fresh Start
Sundance Film Festival to relocate to Boulder in 2027
Buffalo’s Fire
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
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’
Fashion & Heritage
Lily Gladstone’s historic Oscar gowns, celebrating Native heritage, go on display in D.C.
Opinion
Opinion
MMIP
Why Buffalo’s Fire was red for one day
Buffalo’s Fire
Opinion
Community Uprising
Cheyenne River Sioux families walk to draw attention to allegations of mistreatment at the jail
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
Opinion
Ongoing Search
Renzo is a relative to us all
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
Seeking Justice
Xia Brave Bull’s siblings recall generous, adventurous, ‘crazy’ person
Explainer
American Indian vs Native American: Which term is right and when?
Team Expansion
Buffalo’s Fire adds two Report for America journalists to cover tribal issues
Missing and murdered
Xia Brave Bull, missing since March, found dead
Health Crisis
Native health officials testify that HHS cuts have caused ‘significant harm’ to programs serving tribal communities
Podcast