News from the Northern Plains

Buffalo's Fire Sections

Education

K-12 schools, tribal colleges, language revitalization and the push for educational equity in Native communities.

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Broadview, Montana

Tribes and tech

Reservations refuse data center developments, but some worry they’re missing out on opportunities

Emergent technologies raise concerns about natural resources, exploitation and education in Montana

By Bret Anne Serbin

South Dakota universities’ Native American enrollment rises to pre-pandemic level

Makenzie Huber, South Dakota Searchlight

Tribal Education

Cutting tribal college funding a threat to learning culture, self-determination, graduates say

Mary Steurer, North Dakota Monitor

Native administrators rail against Trump’s proposed elimination of funds for TCUs

South Dakota universities’ Native American enrollment rises to pre-pandemic level

28% increase at Black Hills State accounts for much of systemwide growth in last year

Makenzie Huber, South Dakota Searchlight

Tribal Education

Cutting tribal college funding a threat to learning culture, self-determination, graduates say

At graduation on the Standing Rock Reservation, students said tribal colleges protect culture, close support

Mary Steurer, North Dakota Monitor

Native administrators rail against Trump’s proposed elimination of funds for TCUs

The administration has attacked tribal education second year in a row

ShineThe Shine series explores limitations and solutions to government transparency in Indian Country.

Legislators plan to learn about Native American health care, emergency services, disability care

Lawmakers establish task forces to study tribal Medicaid models, emergency service sustainability and disability waiver programs ahead of 2027

Makenzie Huber, South Dakota Searchlight

AIHEC conference honors TCU students with awards for art, sports, academics

Student Awards Banquet held last day of conference

By Gabrielle Nelson

‘Our future does not hinge on the limbs of federal decision making,’ keynote speaker tells AIHEC crowd

Tribal college students travel through massive snowstorm to participate in annual education conference

By Darren Thompson

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

'Native teachings continue to live on' in project-based school born out of #NoDAPL movement

By Gabrielle Nelson

White Earth tribal administrator gets boost from Bush Fellowship

Curtis Rogers sets his sights on law school

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UTTC food sovereignty coordinator restores campus medicine wheel

Students use space to relax and connect to Native culture

By Gabrielle Nelson

Sonia Ciaverelli

North Dakota tribes Indigenize latest school textbooks

New law requires schools to teach Native American history

Tribal History and Culture revised covers2

Couple with Bismarck roots seeds endowment for UTTC students with $100,000 donation

Terrence and Patricia Leier are ‘giving back for the sacrifice that the Natives made’

By Erin Hoover Barnett

Terry and Patty Leier

Leadership Growth

Educator John Little advocates for more Natives in higher ed

Bush Fellow eager to draw more young adults to college

John Little

High school students learn engineering at ASPIRE summer camps

Youth take on coding and circuit boards at United Tribes Technical College

By Gabrielle Nelson

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Five Natives named Bush Fellows

Bolstering cultural outreach and personal development among honorees’ top goals

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Trump wants to cut tribal college funding by nearly 90%, putting them at risk of closing

ProPublica found that Congress was underfunding tribal colleges by a quarter-billion dollars per year. Rather than fixing the problem, proposed federal funding cuts unveiled this week would devastate the schools, tribal education leaders say

Matt Krupnick, ProPublica

The campus of Blackfeet Community College in Browning, Mont.

Cultural Innovation

Inside the 13 Moons curriculum: How the Swinomish Tribe keeps traditions alive while teaching STEAM and helping to reduce chemical exposures

Other tribes can adapt the curriculum to their own communities

By Wendee Nicole

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Final Gathering

Bismarck Public Schools’ Indigenous Parent Advisory Committee holds final meeting of school year

Members discuss strategic plan, federal funding

Generational Healing

East Coast boarding school survivors invited to share their experiences

The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition aims to preserve their stories for future generations

By Buffalo's Fire

Humanities North Dakota gets a lifeline, but at a fraction of its former funding

Classes will continue, including a popular one on the Mandan, Hidatsa nations

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