Independent News from the Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance

The Daily Spark

Quick Stories, Must Reads

Indigenous Tech Circle to host North America’s largest Indigenous tech conference in Vancouver

Small sparks from Indian Country, built to catch fire | Concise summaries of the most important news

Crow tribe considers enrollment reset

To combat "death by numbers," Chairman Frank Whiteclay moves to classify all 14,289 current members as full-blooded, so future generations aren't erased by colonial math

6 min readJames Giago DaviesNative Sun News Today

Reporters’ Notebook: The year that was

Buffalo’s Fire reporters reflect on their biggest stories of 2025

5 min readBuffalo’s Fire

Runaway children in the Dakotas account for majority of missing Indigenous persons reports

In September, at least 73 Native people were reported missing in North and South Dakota — 65 are children

6 min readJolan Kruse

Q&A: Kimberly Lining on what it takes to be a volunteer for an MMIP organization

MMIW Search & Hope Alliance coordinator discusses upcoming volunteer training and misconceptions about the role

10 min readBrian Bull

Traditional foods

Why you should Indigenize your holiday meals — and recipes to help you do it

8 min readGabrielle Nelson

Beyond the red suit: How Native Santas are reclaiming holiday representation

6 min readBrian Bull

Sesquicentennial

Tribes plan to ‘rock’ the Little Bighorn Battlefield during 150th commemoration

3 min readJodi Rave Spotted Bear

Oceti Sakowin Treaty Council calls for repeal of 1872 Mining Act, protection of He Sápa

1 min readJodi Rave Spotted Bear

MMIP Christmas tree shines brightly at North Dakota State Capitol

4 min readJolan Kruse

Dentalium image

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

Murdered & Missing Indigenous Peoples

D’Angelo Hunt pleads not guilty to murdering his older brother Isaac Hunt

1 min readJolan Kruse

D’Angelo Hunt indicted for voluntary manslaughter of ‘J.M.P.’ — initials match missing partner Jemini Posey

Six year anniversary of Standing Rock unsolved murder

Two boys missing from residential facility

Montana billboards demand justice for MMIP cases

Implementation of North Dakota’s Feather Alert system causes confusion

North Dakota MMIP Task Force holds first meeting

Powwow

Letting the silence speak: Behind the reporting on the Gathering of Nations Powwow

3 min readGabrielle Nelson

related stories

Look in the mirror: Powwow community reflects on ‘the Last Dance’ for Gathering of Nations

Traditional Practices

What is a memorial at a powwow?

Powwow food vendors essential to savoring the experience

Video Etiquette

Powwow dos and don’ts

For powwow vendors, art runs deeper than business

Buffalo’s Fire and Prairie Public Radio link for live coverage at UTTC powwow

Thousands gather for start of 55th annual UTTC International Powwow

Land & Water

What a Southern Arizona tribe can teach others about tribal water rights

5 min readGabrielle Nelson

Food sovereignty

UTTC student raises $12k in food drive for North Dakota and Montana

‘We need involvement’: Indigenous leaders demand change at COP30

Environmental Stewardship

‘Good fire’ at Chaa-lamali: Young Natives practice cultural burn

UTTC Tribal Summit: Cody Two Bears urges tribal nations to unite for sovereignty

Lake Stewardship

Native nations push through funding uncertainties to keep protecting the Great Lakes

Safety & Justice

He Spent Funds Meant for Native Hawaiians on Polo and Porsches. The Federal Government Failed to Stop Him.

20 min readNick GrubeProPublica

‘How do I have an ICE hold, when I’m Native American?’

Stolen Children

Nearly forgotten: The Puyallup boy buried 2,700 miles from home

Native community calls for return of MMIP report

Criminal Justice

South Dakota legislators to consider prison proposal

Emergency Preparedness

Red Thread Network provides a template for what to do if a loved one goes missing

Northern Plains

‘BlueJay’s Canoe’ tackles Native life during pandemic and wildfires

7 min readBrian Bull

Indigenous voices speak loudly at Bismarck ‘No Kings’ rally

United Tribes Legends Softball Hall of Fame welcomes three players and two teams

UTTC International Powwow flexes its cultural and economic muscle

Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe elder accused of threatening lives of federal officers

Law Enforcement

Spirit Lake Nation responds to misconduct allegations at sheriff’s office, calls out ‘urgent need’ for responsive law enforcement

MHA Nation decriminalizes medical marijuana

Native Issues

Federal Recognition

Lumbee Tribe to receive federal recognition after 70 years of state distinction

7 min readDarren Thompson

Cultural Fashion

Recent Native gatherings in Alaska brim with ‘big auntie’ energy

Cultural Revival

MHA Nation filmmaker wins award for short documentary

Standing Rock woman’s personal history inspires her to help others

North Dakota counties most harmed by SNAP cuts are those on reservations

Community Vision

North Dakota Native-led nonprofit eyes massive cultural center project in Bismarck

How search and rescue technology helps find missing people — and its role in MMIP cases

Native Nations

As Thanksgiving nears, educators work to avoid serving baloney

2 min readBrian Bull

Spirit Lake’s Incident Command Team is a model for tribal emergency response

Tribal leadership

Standing Rock Sioux Tribe swears in new leaders

Making cough syrup, building houses: Standing Rock students learn through community engagement

MHA citizens seek accountability in a suit against their Tribal Business Council

Arts, Culture & Sports

30 years after ‘Northern Exposure,’ Elaine Miles adopts a new role: community advocate

4 min readBrian Bull

related stories

Reflections on Graham Greene

Audio Interview

Reflections on Graham Greene

Community Voices

Why is Native American Heritage Month important?

Cultural Revival

‘I’m bringing my heritage out onto the runway’

Little people, ghost cars, vengeful spirits: the Indigenous supernatural crosses past and present

Tipi of Terror: Buffalo’s Fire staff share spooky Native stories

Native filmmaker aims to create global network of Indigenous storytellers

Opinion

Indigenous Innovation

AISES conference showcases ‘enormous commitment’ to build STEM community

2 min readJodi Rave Spotted Bear

Tribal citizens stuck with an act, an IRA constitution they didn’t support

Tribal Sovereignty

Supreme Court should uphold sovereign status for Native nations in Voting Rights Act case

Stories you might have missed

Services restored after crypto-mining attempt

Remains found during search for Isaac Hunt

CTUIR elder remains missing after three-day search

Missing Persons

Spirit Lake Tribe searches for Danica White: ‘She is more than a missing person’

Community unites in hope of finding Renzo Bullhead before winter

Search for missing elder gets help from AI

Governmental Affairs

Prolonged federal government shutdown spurs tribes to declare states of emergency

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