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<hr class="wp-block-separator" />
<h3>Corrections</h3>
5/10/22 (12:30 p.m. CDT) &#8211; 
<a href="https://www.buffalosfire.com/boom-or-bust-oil-industry-hits-north-dakota">Boom or Bust: Oil industry hits North Dakota</a> 
This story has been updated to note that McKenzie county was the 
fastest-growing county during the last 10 years, according to the most recent 
decennial census.
8/12/22 (12:20 p.m. CDT) &#8211; <a href="https://www.buffalosfire.com/mha-nation-decriminalizes-medical-marijuana">MHA Nation decriminalizes medical marijuana </a>
This story originally misstated that Dr. Joseph Rosado treated Darian Morsette before he passed away. Rosado did not treat Morsette; he provided a medical consultation.
The story also originally reported that Kelly Hosie’s son attended a treatment center on the Pine Ridge Reservation. The center he attended is in Indiana.
8/13/25 (1:29 p.m. CDT) &#8211; <a href="https://www.buffalosfire.com/spirit-lake-nation-responds-to-misconduct-allegations-at-sheriffs-office-calls-out-urgent-need-for-responsive-law-enforcement">Spirit Lake Nation responds to misconduct allegations at sheriff’s office, calls out ‘urgent need’ for responsive law enforcement</a>
In an earlier version of this article, Dick Horner&#8217;s first name was incorrectly spelled as Dirk. The text has been updated to reflect the correct spelling.
8/21/25 (9:27 a.m. CDT)- <a href="https://www.buffalosfire.com/bush-fellow-to-explore-culturally-attuned-investment-strategies-for-fellow-creatives">Bush fellow to explore culturally attuned investment strategies for fellow creatives</a>
This story has been updated to clarify the chronology of two projects. The Lakota Funds launched when Pourier was with the First Nations Development Institute and the Oglala Lakota Artspace was founded much later, when she was with the First Peoples Fund.

Buffalo’s Fire is committed to accurate and factual news. We will tell our 
readers when an error has been identified, the magnitude of the error, and the 
correct information, as quickly as possible.

We distinguish between corrections (for mistakes) and clarifications (for 
vague or misleading content).

If you believe a story we have published is inaccurate, please contact the 
editorial team. You can:

Email: info@buffalosfire.com

Write to The Editor, P.O. Box 1, Halliday, N.D. 58636

Once verified, we will correct the story on the website as soon as possible. 
The fact a correction has been made will be noted at the bottom of the 
corrected story and on this page.

The correction will include the correct information, a reference to the 
incorrect information, and the time and date of the correction.

5/10/22 (12:30 p.m. CDT) – 
<a href="https://www.buffalosfire.com/boom-or-bust-oil-industry-hits-north-dakota">Boom or Bust: Oil industry hits North Dakota</a> 
This story has been updated to note that McKenzie county was the 
fastest-growing county during the last 10 years, according to the most recent 
decennial census.

8/12/22 (12:20 p.m. CDT) –&nbsp;<a href="https://www.buffalosfire.com/mha-nation-decriminalizes-medical-marijuana">MHA Nation decriminalizes medical marijuana </a>

This story originally misstated that Dr. Joseph Rosado treated Darian Morsette before he passed away. Rosado did not treat Morsette; he provided a medical consultation.

The story also originally reported that Kelly Hosie’s son attended a treatment center on the Pine Ridge Reservation. The center he attended is in Indiana.

8/13/25 (1:29 p.m. CDT) – <a href="https://www.buffalosfire.com/spirit-lake-nation-responds-to-misconduct-allegations-at-sheriffs-office-calls-out-urgent-need-for-responsive-law-enforcement">Spirit Lake Nation responds to misconduct allegations at sheriff’s office, calls out ‘urgent need’ for responsive law enforcement</a>

In an earlier version of this article, Dick Horner’s first name was incorrectly spelled as Dirk. The text has been updated to reflect the correct spelling.

8/21/25 (9:27 a.m. CDT)- <a href="https://www.buffalosfire.com/bush-fellow-to-explore-culturally-attuned-investment-strategies-for-fellow-creatives">Bush fellow to explore culturally attuned investment strategies for fellow creatives</a>

This story has been updated to clarify the chronology of two projects. The Lakota Funds launched when Pourier was with the First Nations Development Institute and the&nbsp;Oglala Lakota Artspace was founded much later,&nbsp;when she was with the First Peoples Fund.

Corrections and Clarifications

Todd Hall

My elders were a group of boarding school survivors, folks decorated in combat, educated, and warriors, cowboys, and cowgirls &#8211; some of the smartest and toughest people I&#8217;ve ever known. They adored, held on to, and practiced “the old ways.” They didn’t dance around pretty adjectives or soft words to get their point across. I don’t intend to, either. It is from their teachings, their point of view, from which I speak on the current subject of the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934. 
Gather around the fire. 
The Indian Reorganization Act, or IRA of 1934, and its resulting Constitution of the Three Affiliated Tribes was, according to my tribal elders, imposed upon our people rather than accepted by them. They said the crooked federal Indian Agents had a departmental mandate that the IRA be passed and enacted at any cost.
I was told that a large majority of our Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation relatives voted “no” to the new form of government, and then there were those who chose not to vote, or simply abstained. After all, we were doing fine and dandy living along the Missouri River, living modern but in the old way, with culture and tradition remaining intact. It was only a minority who voted “yes” for the new IRA constitution. 
Our tribes were somewhat sheltered during the Great Depression that was plaguing the rest of the United States. The old-timers used to say that, despite the yes votes received, the Indian Agents still didn’t have enough “yes men” to pass the document. In retaliation, the skunks counted the abstentions as votes in favor instead. I can still recall my relatives calling the IRA “communism.” Especially the ones who fought in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. I call it a social experiment led by the Eastern Ivy League. 
Meanwhile, the Indian agents accomplished the task they set out to do, albeit under a cloud of suspicion, deceit, electioneering, and other questionable tactics. They threatened landowners to withhold income generated on my elders’ own, but restricted, Indian land if they didn’t vote in favor. My elders needed that income to feed their young families—especially those who were lucky enough to have children in their household. 
Many, including my grandparents, had kids who were stolen by the federal government and shipped off to Carlisle Indian School or some other hell hole.
I have often wondered what elders on other reservations thought of the IRA. Close to 200 other tribes also adopted the IRA form of governance. Did it fit their needs? How is it working for the ones still alive today? 
One answer came to me from men who had already journeyed to the Spirit World. It was a joint statement made by Oglala Lakota Chief Frank Fools Crow and Frank Kills Enemy on behalf of the Traditional Lakota Treaty Council. Out of respect, I call these men grandfathers, although not related by blood. They gave a speech to the Congressional Sub-Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs on September 10, 1976. It is the speech where Chief Fools Crow made the famous proclamation, “The Black Hills are not for sale.” 
Grandpa Fools Crow made the following statements, some 42 years after Congress enacted the law, in his speech regarding tribal councils operating under IRA. I was told he spoke only Lakota, as Grandpa Kill Enemy interpreted:  
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">On all our reservations today, tribal councils are operating under the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">These councils, were placed on the reservations by the U.S. government to replace our traditional councils. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">These governments are often the most corrupt around and bring out the worst in the white-man system of governments.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Councilmen in these puppet governments often represent the view of the white man because the white man indoctrinates them to act like this.  </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">These people are on the council because very few of our traditional people vote in these white-man elections. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">I am told that only 30 percent of our people vote.  </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">These councilmen do not represent the majority of the people on the reservation.</li>
</ul>
According to the current Constitution and Bylaws of the Three Affiliated Tribes, Article III, Section 2, the current Tribal Business Council structure consists of seven members. Only the Chairman of the Business Council is elected at-large by a majority of all votes cast for the office. The other six council members are elected from districts known as segments.
According to the latest report posted on the MHA Nation, or Three Affiliated Tribes, website, dated Friday, February 7, 2025, by the Office of Enrollment, there are approximately 17,554 enrolled members of the Three Affiliated Tribes. Of that statistic, it can be calculated that 12,397 of those members are of voting age. The census data shows that the total voting age population who are residents of the reservation is 3,689 members, or only 30% of the total eligible voters. In contrast, statistics show that the majority, or 8,708, or 70%, of the voting-age tribal members live off the reservation.
During the 2022 election for chairman, a contest between Tex Hall and Mark Fox was held, resulting in a total of 2,603 votes cast for the position. A measly 21% of the total eligible voters participated.  
Mark Fox won the final, tribe-controlled voting machine tally by securing 1,521 votes to Hall’s 1,082. No matter who won, it is safe to assume that the chairman of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation does not represent the majority of tribal citizens, not even close.  The total votes cast for Tribal Council seats are even more dismal. 
Take, for example, the latest primary election for the Mandaree district. It only took 63 votes to advance to the general election. That is not a knock on the candidates, but an illustration that on Fort Berthold, we aren’t even meeting the 30% threshold touted by Chief Fools Crow.  But it does raise another question about the Tribal Business Council. Who do they really represent? 
It’s evident. Tribal citizens, at Fort Berthold, and likely elsewhere, need full and immediate reform of the Indian Reorganization Act if Native people are ever to have a truly representative form of government.
Matse’ Ishiadz
Mi Agawa Dux Baga Etse’
Gowitz

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

Senior Reporter

Brian Bull

This week, the Rapid City-based organization, NDN Collective, announced that it has “undergone an organizational overhaul” which includes paring down its staff and activities.
Founder and CEO Nick Tilsen, a citizen of the Oglala Lakota Nation, told Buffalo’s Fire that NDN Collective started the year with 99 staff members and $50 million in funds. However, resizing has meant reducing their workforce to 57 and their budget to roughly $25-27 million.
Since 2018, NDN Collective has been at the forefront of many presentations, rallies and demonstrations advocating for sovereignty, justice and equality for Indigenous people. They were in the headlines earlier this year when outgoing President Biden granted longtime prisoner and <a href="https://www.buffalosfire.com/leonard-peltier-today-i-am-finally-free">AIM member Leonard Peltier</a> executive clemency, which NDN Collective had long lobbied for.
The organization also held a homecoming celebration for Peltier and several hundred supporters in February, as he relocated from prison to the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians&#8217; Reservation in North Dakota.  NDN Collective provided the house where Peltier spends his days now, after half a century in various federal prisons.
Even before the second Trump Administration took office in January, Tilsen said there had already been constant attacks from right-wing opponents against NDN Collective directly, and philanthropic organizations that have partnered with or supported it.
“We&#8217;re not one of the organizations who are going to water down our messaging to fly under the radar. Quite frankly, in this moment, we&#8217;re doubling down. We&#8217;re going to keep fighting for the things that we believe in, and we&#8217;re going to keep being vocal about it, and we&#8217;re going to keep pressing forward.”
Tilsen acknowledged that some past philanthropic funders will not be part of that fight, so with NDN Collective’s reduced resources, they’ll work more strategically to navigate the current political landscape that’s seen the eradication of DEI initiatives at companies and universities, as well as the whitewashing of history at museums, monuments and national parks.
“We have two buckets of our work, there’s our place-based work that we’re doing in the Black Hills. campaigns and projects we’re engaged on with the ground,” explained Tilsen.  He said the next bucket is the movement-building work, which is training and development outside of the region.
Tilsen said that they’ll also launch the Land-Back Action Network, which will begin forming with past friends, organizers, trainers, nonprofits, businesses, and artists who’ve worked with the NDN Collective over the past seven years. He says there will be a consolidation of resources and knowledge within this network to counter some of the threats the group sees taking root both in the U.S. and globally.
“The rise of authoritarianism and democratic backsliding is a direct threat to tribal sovereignty and indigenous self-determination,” said Tilsen. “And we&#8217;re going to have to build robust networks of training people to resist.”
Tilsen said that Native people have always been scrappy and resilient, and now more people across the U.S. are feeling the brunt of what Indian Country has endured for centuries.
“And they&#8217;re getting pissed and they&#8217;re getting upset. And that&#8217;s why it&#8217;s actually an opportunity. An opportunity to work with people and build coalitions. We might not agree on every single issue, but we definitely agree that there should be a multiracial democracy that represents the people.”
As the Trump Administration continues to assert its power through the deployment of National Guard troops to “crime-ridden” cities and testing the legality of its many executive orders, Tilsen says the big lesson Americans can use now is the method of non-cooperation.
“The bedrock of our sovereignty and our struggle has often been our desire to not cooperate with the federal government when it wants to violate our rights,” said Tilsen. “We have always been able to flex, and that&#8217;s how we have the few rights that we have.”
On Aug. 27, Tilsen discussed the situation and determination <a href="https://youtu.be/AwPScShrP6g?si=XH_MGgdz7rE0wWfM">of his group on a podcast</a>, with fellow NDN Collective leadership, President Wizipan Little Elk Garriott and Vice President Gaby Strong. The group asserted that it’s not going anywhere, even if cutbacks have to be made.
Tilsen says people can also support NDN Collective by donating to its <a href="https://donate.ndncollective.org/campaign/659961/donate?_gl=1*hf4wg0*_ga*Mjg5MTc3MDAzLjE3NTY0OTU4MTc.*_ga_VZCPDFKEWR*czE3NTY0OTU4MTYkbzEkZzEkdDE3NTY1MjYxNDMkajQ2JGwwJGgw&amp;_ga=2.229963484.1974626668.1756495817-289177003.1756495817">For the People campaign</a>, and following its social media accounts for updates on its activities.

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Despite major foundation cuts, NDN Collective vows to ‘double down’

Environment Reporter

Gabrielle Nelson

Standing beneath a glass sound dome in the museum gallery, the voice of a tribal elder and flute music fills a listener’s ears. Portraits in black and white project on the wall. A group posing with carrots as large as loaves of bread dangling from their hands; the soil beneath their feet is so rich it’s black. The picture changes to a home on the Fort Berthold Reservation, half-submerged under the Missouri River. 
The MHA Interpretive Center in New Town, North Dakota, is located near the shore of Lake Sakakawea. The flooded town of Elbowoods lies some 70 miles southeast of the center. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers deliberately flooded Elbowoods and other towns along the Missouri River in the 1950s with the creation of the Garrison Dam. About 80 percent of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara people had to relocate after their home sites were flooded.
A new exhibit at the Interpretive Center tells the story of Elbowoods — its history, flooding and recovery — through pictures and memories of the tribal citizens who once called the town home. 
Kelsey Jacobson, the gallery curator, conceived the Elbowoods project two years ago. 
“We had been asked by elders, ‘Make sure that story gets told, so that it doesn&#8217;t get forgotten,’” she said. “It’s a painful story but it’s one that has to be told.”
The gallery walks through the history of Elbowoods, which was established in the early 1890s along the Missouri. The river provided the town with rich soil, perfect for growing fruits and vegetables, which is evident in the abnormally large carrots in the archive photo. Almost every household had its own garden, said Jacobson, and not your average, backyard raised planter box garden. A family could live off their harvest and often would. 
Along with produce, townspeople raised and slaughtered their own livestock and mined their own coal at a small dig site at the edge of town. They had their own school with a champion basketball team, a church, a post office and a hospital. 
The people in Elbowoods were self-sufficient. One elder said all they had to get from out of town was coffee, Jacobson told Buffalo’s Fire. 
As you walk through the gallery, stories about the thriving town shift to the somber tale of the flooding. Delphine Baker, Interpretive Center director, said her dad was born in Elbowoods and would tell her stories about what that time was like. 
“They’d park over the hill of Elbowoods and watch their hometown get flooded,” she said. “If New Town wasn’t here when I was growing up, if it went away, I’d be like, ‘Where do I belong?’”
The gallery illustrates the rapid onset of the flooding. Some people were given a day’s notice to pack up all their belongings and leave. Jacobson said one family had to leave their laundry drying on clothes lines outside. 
Uprooting one’s life on such short notice left deep scars on the community, said Baker, but instead of burying that trauma, “We want people to talk through it.”
Zane Baker, collections manager at the Interpretive Center, said that the center and the gallery create a space for people to reflect on the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara history.
“It’s all the good. It’s all the bad. It’s real,” he said. “There&#8217;s a lot of resiliency in our people and who we are today. And without these stories, without these lessons, who are we?”
Elbowoods can feel like a fictional Atlantis, said Jacobson, but hearing stories told by elders who lived there 75 years ago and seeing pictures of real people who called the town home makes Elbowoods feel close. 
The gallery is open to the public until September 2026.

Lost in the flood: MHA Interpretive Center honors Elbowoods in new exhibit

This Saturday, an Oregon group dedicated to spreading awareness of missing and murdered Indigenous people is holding an awareness walk in the town of Independence.
Last year’s event drew 300 people to Salem’s Riverfront Park, and was largely supported by the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde.
Since then, founder Amanda Freeman’s group has become established as a non-profit and operates under the name of Ampkwa Advocacy.  She’s hoping the walk at Riverview Park &#8211; about 40 miles southeast of the Grand Ronde reservation &#8211; will build on last year’s event and reach residents and business owners who’ve not heard about the crisis.
“There&#8217;s so many local shops and farmers’ markets,” Freemen told Buffalo’s Fire. “And the majority of people in these towns have no idea about MMIW or MMIP.  So to be able to raise awareness and carry signs and drums and let people know that this is happening to our communities is really important to us.”
The <a href="https://thecommunityfund.com/">Spirit Mountain Community Fund</a> has helped cover this year’s awareness walk through a grant. The walk goes from 9am to 2:30pm on Aug. 30, and will start at 50 C Street in Independence, near the banks of the Willamette River.
“We&#8217;re also going to have an Indigenous women&#8217;s dance performance,” said Freeman. “So I think having all this will just bring people in to learn more about what we&#8217;re doing and why.”
Like last year’s event, there will be a special guest celebrity.  In 2024, rapper, actor and motivational speaker Sten Joddi participated (“Reservation Dogs” fans will remember him as <a href="https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/reservation-dogs-greasy-frybread-video-48473042">Bear’s absentee father</a>.) In Saturday’s walk, TikTok influencer <a href="https://www.che-jim.com/">Che Jim</a> will be the featured speaker.
“I&#8217;ve seen him do a lot of work around MMIP.  And he teaches while also having humor in his videos,” said Freeman. “So that&#8217;s a good approach that I like, because as Native people we rely on our humor to get through a lot of our trauma.”
Freeman’s creative conduit is photography, so she’ll likely have multiple images of the awareness walk for MMIP/MMIW to share on her social media channels after the weekend. 
“Advocacy is advocacy through art, and also just spreading awareness and being able to teach the youth about a lot of this that&#8217;s happening today,” said Freeman.
Ampwkwa Advocacy will mark its first year of operation in December. Freeman encourages anyone in Oregon who’d like to participate and support its activities to visit its <a href="https://www.ampkwaadvocacy.org/">website</a>.

MMIP activists hold late summer walk in Oregon to spread awareness

A changing of the guard is underway in the powwow world. The Gathering of Nations Powwow, which has been one of the largest in the country, announced an end after 43 years. Many of its tens of thousands of<a href="https://www.gatheringofnations.com/tour-operatorgroup-information/#:~:text=The%20Gathering%20of%20Nations%20Powwow,the%20world's%20largest%20tipi%20structure."> visitors and a thousand-plus dancers</a> will be looking for another powwow to attend. 
Some say that powwow is the Black Hills Powwow in Rapid City, South Dakota. 
Jessie Taken Alive-Rencountre, an enrolled citizen of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe who has attended the Black Hills Powwow for 26 years, said it has “already surpassed the Gathering of Nations.”
“It’s probably, you know, by far, the biggest powwow now in North America,” said Taken Alive-Rencountre. Her husband, Dr. Whitney Rencountre II, is the powwow eyapaha or master of ceremonies. 
Last year, the Black Hills three-day event attracted 1,250 dancers. A Native committee has organized the annual powwow for 37 years. The next gathering is scheduled October 10-12 at the Summit Arena at the Monument. Another popular powwow is the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community Wacipi which attracted 1,100 dancers in August this year.
Meanwhile, in an August 16 press release, Gathering of Nations Limited, the nonprofit organization behind the powwow, gave little reason for ending the long-running event, saying, “There comes a time.” 
Its website provides a bit more information, saying, “several factors beyond our control make long-term planning and coordination challenging.” Buffalo’s Fire reached out for further details. GON did not respond. 
Jennifer Young Bear, a citizen of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, is a champion jingle dress dancer and a past GON powwow winner. 
She has close ties to Derek Mathews, the powwow organizer, and his family. In 2006, the powwow organizers paid college tuition for her to earn a master’s degree at the University of New Mexico. She also served on the Miss Indian World pageant board from 2006-2010.
Since then, Young Bear moved back to her hometown of New Town, North Dakota, and when asked about the GON announcement she said she does not help run the powwow in Albuquerque. “I don’t have the right to say anything.” 
“Whatever they choose to do, whatever reason they have, then I support them because they’ve done it for a lot of years, and they did a good job” she said. “Does everybody 100% agree with everything they’ve done? No, but they did the best they could.”
<h3>Gathering of Nations: Legacy and controversy</h3>
The two-day event grew from a college-based powwow held in a small gym at the former University of Albuquerque to one of the largest Native American gatherings in the nation in part because they do more than a typical powwow. 
Along with featuring competitive drummers, singers and dancers — including jingle, fancy, grass and traditional — the event hosts hundreds of vendors at the Indian Traders’ Market and Indigenous musicians across genres like rock, blues and reggae. The Horse Parade, a competition where horses and riders decked out in regalia celebrate the deep connections between Native American tribes and horses, also draws large crowds. 
Since 1984, a new Miss Indian World has been crowned at the powwow every year, barring the 2020 pandemic year. Native women age 18 to 25 from regions across the country share their tribal cultures, traditions and history. The title holder serves as a role model and cultural ambassador representing Native Americans. The Miss Indian World Pageant will end along with the powwow. 
On August 16, a post announcing the powwow’s end on Facebook drew comments from powwow participants. Some vendors expressed disappointment as the gathering has been a point of good sales. One vendor who sells beadwork <a href="https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1ELfkzrbMc/">commented</a> that she’s been selling at GON since 1997 and is saddened that next year will be her last.
Still, GON organizers have faced criticism on several issues throughout the decades. Most recently, backlash<a href="https://youtu.be/o-ulVCywlfQ?si=POrFdB7JXMxMCzdd"> arose from a speech posted on YouTube</a> where Mathews spoke at the 2024 gathering. At the end of the powwow’s second day, Mathews took the mic and commanded attention by calling on everyone to find a seat. He then thanked the audience for supporting the powwow but then called out people who criticized the event on social media. 
Directing his speech toward people spreading negative comments, Mathews repeatedly asked, “What is your problem?” Raising his voice and a handheld mirror, he said, “I know where you can answer that. You know where? Look in the mirror!” 
The speech was met with some cheers from the audience and then over half a minute of silence before the emcee thanked Mathews and prepared to announce the powwow winners. 
People on social media posted memes mocking the speech, and after GON announced the sunsetting of the powwow, those memes and critiques about the powwow being too commercialized resurfaced.  
Others said it’s time for the powwow to end, expressing concerns that the organizer, Derek Mathews, is not Native and that he profits off Indigenous people. A comment on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/FOX10Phoenix/posts/pfbid02eifGUStAKmdM7sJPX5uNv59xcR85Spn5ot4LdXQBnqRgt5ntKZaCicYbMgTTa7f8l">Fox 10 Phoenix post</a> about the powwow said the prices of the powwow tickets are “extra and outrageous” and called for tribes to host the powwow instead. 
Powwow attendees pay $25 per day or $45 for a two-day ticket. In comparison, the 2024 Black Hills Powwow in Rapid City, South Dakota, costs $25 per day or $40 for a three-day pass. Both powwows give away over $200,000 in prizes for dancers and performers. 
Greg Olson, is a non-Native organizer of the For the People Powwow in Missouri. He said planning and fundraising for a powwow, especially one as big as the GON, puts a lot of pressure on the organizers.
“As someone who does a powwow, it’s a lot of work,” he said. “It’s something I work on all year.” 
Olson, who writes about Midwest Indigenous history when he’s not planning the powwow, said the biggest part of his job is raising money — around $30,000 — to keep the powwow going year after year. The GON <a href="https://www.koat.com/article/gathering-of-nations-commercialize-native-culture/64582810">costs more than $1 million,</a> according to Albuquerque TV station KOAT Action News 7. 
For the People Powwow’s budget goes towards paying for the venue and the honorariums for the emcee, the arena director and others on the powwow committee. The public attends the event for free, but dancers and performers don’t get the chance to win prize money. 
“We don’t make a profit,” said Olson. “If the powwow pays for itself, we feel lucky.”
<a href="https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/850369165">Tax returns</a> from 2012-2014 show Gathering of Nations Limited didn’t make a profit either, instead sustaining a loss all three years. The organization was categorized as a religious organization in 2015 and has since been exempt from disclosing their finances, so it’s unclear whether this is still the case. 
This is Olson’s 10th year organizing the For the People Pow Wow. He said he hasn’t received pushback from the Native community in Missouri for running a Native event.
“When you’re doing something like a powwow, at least in our world here,” he said, “it’s about who you know and who trusts you and who you trust.
<h3>‘We will always dance’</h3>
Young Bear said the Mathews family, who have organized the powwow since its founding 43 years ago, and their staff put more time and effort into the event than people realize. 
“If it’s time for them to take a break, you know, retire or relax or do whatever they need to do for themselves,” she said. “I think that’s great.”
Expo New Mexico, the powwow venue, also expressed their support in an official statement, saying they’ve “been fortunate to partner with Gathering for nearly a decade.”
“We congratulate the Mathews family for their dedication and commitment in hosting such a culturally significant event in Albuquerque, and wish them nothing but the best moving forward,” said Expo New Mexico.
In 1983, Derek Mathews, then dean of students and Indian Club adviser at the University of Albuquerque, started a powwow for students to share their cultures. He held it in a small gym at the university, according to <a href="https://www.gatheringofnations.com/history/">a video on the powwow’s website</a>. The next year, it officially took on the name “Gathering of Nations Powwow,” and the first Miss Indian World was crowned. 
Year after year, the celebration grew in size, and it was forced to move to larger venues, one being the University of New Mexico basketball arena where it stayed for 30 years. In 2017, it moved to the New Mexico Fair Grounds.
There, it will hold its last powwow on April 24-25, 2026. The theme is “The Last Dance.”  
It’s unclear why Mathews hasn’t chosen a successor to continue on this legacy and instead opted to end the powwow entirely, but Olson said powwows that aren’t tribal affiliated, like the GON, tend to be driven by the vision of one person or entity. 
“Once that person is gone, it’s really hard to pick it up and for someone else to carry it on,” he said.
The GON Powwow, and all powwow celebrations act as a gathering place for honoring Native culture and history, <a href="https://www.buffalosfire.com/standing-rock-holds-its-first-red-dress-special">fostering community and healing</a>. For the 43 years the GON was held, participants and attendees connected through their shared experiences.
Those connections opened up doors for drummers, pageant contestants and dancers, including Young Bear.
“I’m from a small, little reservation in North Dakota,” she said. “After I won the Gathering of Nations, I was asked to be on different dance trips, and I got to travel throughout the world to different places on these dance trips, to perform, to share our culture with other nations.” 
Young Bear said the powwow connected her with people and opportunities she otherwise wouldn’t have been exposed to in her hometown of New Town, North Dakota. Rather than viewing the ending as a loss, she celebrates the legacy the GON created. 
“In our belief system, there is no end,” she said. “As Native people, we will always celebrate. We will always dance.”

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

Director of Development

Erin Hoover Barnett

Buffalo’s Fire is linking with Prairie Public Radio at the 55th Annual United Tribes Technical College International Powwow with a live broadcast Sept. 6, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. from the powwow grounds. Staff members from both organizations will also report on additional stories from the event. 
 
Buffalo’s Fire will also be reporting on the opening of the <a href="https://summit.uttc.edu/">28th Annual UTTC Tribal Leaders Summit</a> at the Bismarck Events Center beginning on Wednesday, Sept. 3. We will then move on to the  <a href="https://unitedtribespowwow.com/">UTTC International Powwow </a>at Lone Star Veterans Arena on the UTTC campus from Sept. 5-7.
“The UTTC Tribal Leaders Summit and the International Powwow are among the largest convenings of tribal leaders and citizens and the largest celebrations of Native culture in our region, bringing Native nations and thousands of participants to Bismarck each year,” said Jodi Rave Spotted Bear, founder and executive director of the Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance and its digital news source Buffalo’s Fire.
“We are honored to showcase these important gatherings in words, images, and, thanks to Prairie Public Radio, a live radio broadcast,” she said. “We and Prairie Public are dedicated to our roles as trusted information sources on which Indigenous and rural audiences especially rely.” 
 
<a href="https://www.buffalosfire.com/staff">Brian Bull</a>, a senior reporter at Buffalo’s Fire and nationally recognized multi-media journalist, will co-host the 1-3 p.m. broadcast on Sept. 6 with Prairie Public’s director of radio Ann Alquist. Listeners can expect to hear interviews with powwow performers, judges and vendors, in addition to discussions from Alquist and Bull about powwow events, etiquette and culture. 
<a href="https://www.prairiepublic.org/">Prairie Public</a>, a nonprofit public media organization and member station of PBS and NPR, provides content and services utilizing television, radio, and digital platforms. Prairie Public is headquartered in Fargo, North Dakota, and serves the state of North Dakota, northwestern Minnesota, and southern Manitoba.

Buffalo’s Fire and Prairie Public partnering at UTTC International Powwow

August marks the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Public Law 89-110 was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on August 6, 1965. The Act is considered to be one of the most highly regarded landmark pieces of legislation regarding civil rights in the United States’ history. Section 2 of the Act prohibits state and local governments from imposing any voting policies that result in the denial or abridgement of the right of any citizen to vote based on race, color, or membership in a minority group.  
The law serves as the basis for a court case that may soon be heard and decided upon by the Supreme Court of the United States, SCOTUS. The following is an excerpt describing the case:
In 2021, the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, the Spirit Lake Tribe, and three individual Native American voters filed a lawsuit against North Dakota’s Secretary of State. They claimed that the state&#8217;s 2021 redistricting plan diluted Native American voting strength, violating Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) and 42 U.S.C. § 1983. 
The United States District Court for the District of North Dakota denied the Secretary&#8217;s motion to dismiss, which argued that private plaintiffs lacked a cause of action under Section 2 and could not use § 1983 to enforce it. The district court allowed the case to proceed, and after a bench trial, it ruled that the 2021 redistricting map violated Section 2. The court permanently enjoined the Secretary from using the map and ordered the North Dakota Legislative Assembly to adopt a remedial map. When the Assembly failed to do so, the court imposed the plaintiffs&#8217; proposed map.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit reviewed the case. The main issue was whether private plaintiffs could enforce Section 2 of the VRA through § 1983. The court held that Section 2 does not unambiguously confer an individual right enforceable under § 1983. The court emphasized that Section 2 focuses on the entities regulated (states and political subdivisions) rather than unambiguously creating individual rights. Consequently, the court vacated the district court&#8217;s judgment and remanded the case with instructions to dismiss it for lack of a cause of action.
On July 24, an application for a stay in the case was presented to Justice Kavanaugh, who referred it to the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) and granted it.  The mandate of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals case number 23-3655 was suspended pending further action and possible action. 
It has been strongly noted in the media that Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil  Gorsuch would have denied the application.  
As stated earlier, the legal question presented before the court is: 
“The main issue was whether private plaintiffs could enforce Section 2 of the VRA through § 1983. The court held that Section 2 does not unambiguously confer an individual right enforceable under § 1983.”  
It is easy to discern that three of the individual plaintiffs, Wesley Davis, Collette Brown, and Zachary S. King qualify as private individual plaintiffs. I applaud each of them for standing up for what is right, true, and just. Hoka! Giddihah! Miro’gaxx! Good Luck!  
However, I beg to question as to how, why and if the tribal governing bodies known as “Tribes” should have gotten directly involved or granted any legal standing in the case. Treaty Tribes, are supposed to be separate, sovereign and on at least an equal footing with states. Most, if not all of us in the Great Plains are Treaty Tribes. 
As a reminder, the U.S. Supreme Court states that “in 2021, the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, the Spirit Lake Tribe, and three individual Native American voters filed a lawsuit against North Dakota’s Secretary of State.”
Under this current ruling, should it stand, the “Tribes”are being reduced and classified as private entities, private corporations, or minority special interest groups. Sovereignty, however, carries significant meaning for Indian people. Whereas, private entities are not governing bodies meant to uphold the public trust.  
Native nations, such as the Spirit Lake and Turtle Mountain, are political bodies that predate the formation of the United States of America. Congress also recognizes the tribes as political bodies governed by the  Indian Reorganization Act of 1934. 
Matse’ Ishiadz, 
Mi Agawa Nux Baga Etse’ 
Gowitz

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

 Director of Research

Teresa Trumbly Lamsam, Ph.D.

The afternoon heat haze ripples across the powwow grounds. My son, a Southern Straight dancer, stomps the ground to see if his bells stay tight against his legs. He pauses to fiddle with his silver arm cuffs until they rest where they should. I steady the spreader atop his head while Grandpa slips a lone eagle feather into place, careful not to disturb the roach. It’s a special one, made by Joe Cheshawalla (Osage), the son of one of my grandmother’s dearest friends.
Around the arena, elders ease into folding chairs, water jugs at their feet, fanning away the heat.
Respect starts now, long before Grand Entry calls us all to the circle.
Every powwow has its own rhythm, its own way of doing things, but there are some common expectations. Whether you’re attending for the first time or grew up in the arena, these guidelines can help you step in with respect.

Powwow etiquette: A respectful visitor’s guide

MMIP Reporter

Jolan Kruse

A Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe elder was arraigned Thursday on two felony charges for threatening federal officials. According to court documents, Joseph Lafferty is accused of threatening to assault Jeri Vines, an employee of the United States Department of Interior, on May 30, and Justin Keckler, an employee at Indian Health Services, on July 21. A jury trial is scheduled for Oct. 15. The alleged threats occurred in Eagle Butte, South Dakota.
Lafferty is also facing charges in tribal court for terroristic threats and violating a court order, according to an incident report from the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. The report states that on July 21, Lafferty walked into a behavioral health center and told a staff member he was upset with the Tribal Council. Then, claiming to have a gun, he threatened to kill specific tribal council members and a federal official, according to the report.
The report is the latest of three filed against Lafferty. The first was filed after a Feb. 6 incident at the Lakota Cultural Center in Eagle Butte during a Tribal Council meeting. When the council wanted to have a closed executive session, Lafferty reportedly claimed the council members were walking off the job and violating the rights of tribal members.
He then smacked the table with a symbolic cultural “whip” and began shouting, according to the report. Council members then took the whip and restrained him. When the tribal police officer arrived on the scene, council representatives were holding Lafferty down. One council member told the officer that Lafferty had kicked him in the face.
The altercation unfolded in the Lakota Cultural Center where poster boards along the periphery of the room promoted messages of what it means to be Lakota: Ohokicilapi. Respecting One Another. Okiciyapi. Help One Another. Wotakuye. Kinship.
Some tribal members on social media had a different outlook of what occurred.
A <a href="https://www.facebook.com/100047959503726/posts/1147255273549779/?mibextid=wwXIfr&amp;rdid=qxjwQkdJmevIfYwU#">video</a> showing Lafferty smacking the whip against the table, then being restrained and kicking his legs was posted to Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
“In a display of criminalization of his traditional whipman role, Council representatives assaulted Mr. Lafferty—body slamming him against a table, leaving him hospitalized after,” according to a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/p/Tatanka-Oyate-Press-61573462203195/">Facebook post</a> by a grassroots community group.
In another post, the group said the incident sparked debate regarding respecting traditional values, freedom of speech and protesting closed executive tribal council meetings.
In the video, people can be heard shouting, “Leave him alone, he is a heart patient.”
The tribe did not respond to requests for comment regarding the incidents or closed session practices.
Tribal police arrested Lafferty and escorted him out of the meeting. He faced seven charges as a result of the incident, including aggravated assault, terroristic threats and abuse of an elder or disabled adult, according to the incident report. As a condition of his release from custody, the tribal judge asked him not to return to council meetings and to stay away from council members.
According to the second incident report, Lafferty returned to a council meeting on March 4 and sat directly behind a council member he had previously threatened. He then grabbed the council member’s leg and made a “threatening noise.” He was charged with a court order violation.
The third incident report — the one from July — states that Lafferty threatened the lives of four tribal council members and Indian Health Services employee Justin Keckler. According to the report, Lafferty also threatened Jeri Vines, a U.S. Department of the Interior employee, on May 30 at the BIA office.
A<a href="https://d2g6e42mls53l2.cloudfront.net/bf/2025/08/cheyenne_river_press_release.pdf"> press release</a> from the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe said Lafferty was arrested by tribal police on Aug. 15 and released the following day on a $500 bond. The release also includes a list of Lafferty’s charges.
The Hughes County Sheriff said the U.S. Marshals Service arrested Lafferty on Aug. 16. His first federal court hearing took place on Aug. 18.
In addition to reaching out to the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal Council, Buffalo’s Fire requested comments from the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Dakota and Lafferty’s federal defense attorney, Tim Maher. No one responded.

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

True story: On the final day of the 42nd annual Indigenous Journalists Association conference, I was in my Albuquerque hotel room feeling restless and having a sudden impulse to head downstairs. The closing ceremony wasn’t for almost two hours, but my gut said, Get to the east end of the lower level now.
Five minutes later I was zipping past IJA staff setting up for a silent auction, and what looked like the wrapping up of a wedding rehearsal (the bride and groom wore matching sneakers). I then paused at a doorway, looking out onto an unloading area with a few trucks and caterers darting about.
And suddenly Gary Farmer came into view.
You see, I had originally played phone tag with the TV and film actor back in 2009. At the time, I was a Wisconsin Public Radio reporter working with NPR on a series of Native American features that tied in to the PBS series, “We Shall Remain.”  My attempts to connect with Farmer were sporadic, given our busy schedules, my looming deadline, and the number of people I had already scheduled for interviews. This included comedian Charlie Hill, actress Elaine Miles and a representative of a Wisconsin tribe seeking federal recognition.
Alas, Farmer wasn’t to be one of my sources. The NPR series finished before we were able to connect, and I had to move on to the next project. Every so often when I heard of his latest movie or his band Gary and the Troublemakers’ latest gig, I’d throw out an invite via email or Instagram. This went on for 16 years.
So here we were then, pausing in the doorway of the Isleta Resort &amp; Casino, staring at each other in disbelief.
“Brian!” said Farmer, recognizing me by my conference name tag. “Hey, how ya been?”
<h2>Gary Farmer the journalist</h2>
Five minutes later, we did an impromptu interview in the resort’s grand ballroom. The stage was already set with his band’s  instruments, and a few audio technicians were prepping for a sound check. But Farmer was quick to mention his appearance tonight wasn’t just about his music.
“We got employed by the Indigenous Journalists Association, which I used to be a part of,” he said, leaning back in his chair and adjusting his dark porkpie hat. “I used to publish Aboriginal Voices Magazine, I had the Aboriginal Voices Radio  and I wrote the license for the Aboriginal People’s Television Network, which is a sponsor here this week.”
“So you’re not just an act, you’re actually a former journalist?” I asked.
“I was more of a publisher,” Farmer shrugged, as a sound technician gave him a thumbs-up on the microphone levels. However, he said that while he was with Aboriginal Voices Radio, he convinced the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission that Native content was for the public good in Canada. “Each broadcaster had to give us 4% of their annual budget to ‘the public good,’” he said.
Farmer — who is of Cayuga, Mohawk and Tuscarora heritage — said this experience led the Aboriginal People’s Television Network to reach out to him for help in getting licensed for major broadcasts.
<h2>Loving the Alien</h2>
Audiences know 72-year-old Farmer best from his many TV and film roles, including “Smoke Signals,” “Skins,” “Dead Man” and, more recently, the sci-fi comedy series “Resident Alien,” where he plays Dan Twelvetrees. His character is the adoptive father of Asa Twelvetrees, both members of the Ute Tribe in Colorado, where much of the story takes place. The series just wrapped after four seasons, with high critical acclaim.
“It was a real family,” Farmer said fondly about his experience on the show. “Showrunner Christopher Sheridan, he&#8217;s a human being, and you can see it. There&#8217;s not a lot of human beings out there in my business. They&#8217;ve got other interests, mostly financial.”
Farmer credits Sheridan’s heart, intelligence and open mind for creating a series where Native people weren’t stereotyped or used as background actors (Season 4’s sixth episode, “Soul Providers,” features Harry the alien marveling at the power and connectedness of a powwow.)
“I suspect we might make a feature film at some point,” Farmer said.
<h2>Hard times ahead for Native representation</h2>
Another Native-themed series that starred Farmer, “Reservation Dogs,” ended its run after three seasons in 2023. With “Rutherford Falls” canceled in 2022 after two seasons and NBC recently passing on a series that would have been set at a Native American center in Oakland (but filmed in Portland), there doesn’t appear to be as many shows with Natives on either side of the camera these days.
“I&#8217;m a little insecure about it all,” said Farmer. He sees recent actions by the Trump Administration against DEI initiatives and removal of references to slavery and genocide in museums as a sign of cultural and political suppression.
“Because my livelihood has been film and television and theater for 50 years, and with basically a fascist regime coming in, they&#8217;re gonna control content any way they can, and they&#8217;ve got a lot of power, obviously.”
Farmer says he does see people fighting back against Trump’s policies; not just Natives, but Americans in general.
“We just got to wait and see,” he said.  “I&#8217;m in my latter years of performance, so it&#8217;s not going to affect me much. I think I can sustain, I can always drive Uber or something. Get a newer car.”
Joking aside, Farmer added that he’s done his work but he’s concerned most for the young Native performers, producers and writers.
“We just got to get together and figure out how we can have our own television network and create our own content for our own network,” said Farmer. “Don&#8217;t rely on these private broadcasters as fickle as they are, depending on the politics. We know our politics. Earth first.”
Checking the time, I realized Farmer needed to get ready for his gig in front of nearly 400 journalists, and I needed to change ahead of the event. We shook hands, and agreed to try and connect a little sooner than 16 years next time. By the time I was back and dressed for the banquet, Farmer and his band were already in place, ready to regale the IJA with a night of hard-driving R&amp;B. My ever-reliable instinct said it’d be a great show.