The Daily Spark

The Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho business councils denounced Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray’s calls to examine electoral boundaries on the Wind River Indian Reservation following a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling, according to reporting by WyoFile. Gray argued that certain legislative and county voting districts may be unconstitutional because race was considered when the boundaries were drawn. The tribal councils said the proposal threatens Native voting rights and representation. 

Gray’s concerns focus on House District 33 and Fremont County Commission districts tied to a 2010 federal court ruling that found the county’s at-large election system diluted Native voting strength. The Northern Arapaho Business Council said the Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais does not overturn earlier federal rulings tied to Fremont County. Tribal leaders said returning to an at-large voting system could reduce fair opportunities for Native representation in elected office.

Native American students in California may be undercounted by as much as 90% because of how schools collect racial and ethnic data, according to reporting by CalMatters. Under the current system, students who identify as both Native American and Hispanic are counted only as Hispanic, while Native students who identify with another race are categorized as “two or more races.” Assembly Bill 1581 would allow students to list tribal affiliation and identify as Native American alongside another race. 

According to CalMatters, Assemblymember James Ramos, a member of the Serrano/Cahuilla Tribe, said the bill would help create a more accurate picture of Native American students in California schools. Advocates said a more accurate count could increase access to cultural services, tutoring and Native-centered curriculum. Celestina Castillo, a descendant of the Tohono O’odham Tribe, said the current system makes Native students feel invisible in schools.

Southwest tribal communities continue to focus on the Sin Nombre strain of hantavirus after an Andes strain outbreak on a cruise ship drew international attention, according to reporting by ICT. The Sin Nombre strain was identified in 1993 after cases in the Four Corners area. It cannot spread person to person. The Andes strain is the only known hantavirus strain that can spread person to person, health officials said. 

Dr. Laura Hammitt, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health’s Infectious Disease Program, told ICT the risk to the general public from the cruise ship outbreak is low. She said people in areas where Sin Nombre circulates should continue keeping mice out of homes and safely cleaning droppings and nests. The Navajo Epidemiology Center recommends airing out sheds or animal stalls, using masks and gloves and spraying droppings or carcasses with bleach-water before removal. 

The Native American Community Clinic announced this week that its new health clinic and affordable housing development in south Minneapolis is expected to open in September. According to MPR News, the $55 million project includes the 83-unit Wihinaphe Apartments above a 30,000-square-foot health center along the American Indian Cultural Corridor. Partners involved in the project include the city of Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Wellington Management and UnitedHealth Group.

According to MPR News, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said the city contributed funding through the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, housing revenue bonds and Great Street Grants. Hennepin County Commissioner Angela Conley said combining housing with health care services could help support mental health, sobriety and overall well-being. Dr. Antony Stately, president and executive officer of the Native American Community Clinic, said the campus was designed as an Indigenous-centered healing space featuring artwork by Native artist Marlena Myles.

The John Neihardt-Black Elk Hike will celebrate its 10th anniversary May 30 at the Sylvan Lake Trailhead in South Dakota’s Black Hills, according to the Nebraska Examiner. The annual hike to Black Elk Peak commemorates the journey Lakota medicine man Black Elk and writer John Neihardt took to the summit decades ago, where Black Elk shared the vision later documented in the 1932 book “Black Elk Speaks.” The event also marks the 2016 renaming of the mountain from Harney Peak to Black Elk Peak.

According to the Nebraska Examiner, the hike will be led by members of the John Neihardt Foundation and descendants of Black Elk. Myron Pourier, a great-great grandson of Black Elk, said the event reflects the relationship that led to the publication of “Black Elk Speaks.” Organizers said the hike will begin with a program featuring Pourier and Walt Duda, a longtime leader of the Neihardt Foundation.

Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in south Minneapolis transferred a double lot and triplex house to the Indigenous Protector Movement, an Indigenous-led organization focused on advocacy and community safety, according to reporting by MPR News. Church leaders and organization members said the transfer followed three years of relationship building between the two groups. Indigenous Protector Movement co-founder Vinny Dionne said the organization was initially cautious about the proposal because of the history between churches and Indigenous communities. 

According to MPR News, the church began reparations work five years ago and later voted unanimously to move forward with the property transfer. Indigenous Protector Movement CEO Rachel Dionne-Thunder said the acquisition will help connect Indigenous community members to land in south Minneapolis and provide more space for the organization’s services and programs. The organization plans to move onto the property in the coming months.

Federal officials approved a key easement Thursday allowing the Dakota Access Pipeline to continue operating beneath Lake Oahe, according to reporting by the Associated Press. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said the pipeline will remain in operation with additional conditions related to leak detection, groundwater monitoring and emergency response planning. The pipeline has transported oil from North Dakota’s Bakken oil field to Illinois since 2017 and carries about 540,000 barrels of oil per day, according to the AP article. 

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe said it will continue legal efforts to oppose the pipeline, citing concerns about water protection, sacred sites and treaty rights. The Corps said the decision followed environmental review, public input and tribal consultation.

The Department of the Interior announced May 22 that $28 million was distributed to tribal beneficiaries following the completion of probate cases through the Office of Hearings and Appeals after a probate surge event at the Fort Berthold Agency in North Dakota.

According to an Interior press release, the Indian Affairs Probate Strike Team worked with the Office of Hearings and Appeals, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Trust Funds Administration and the Land Titles and Records Office to complete the cases. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said the distributions reflect the department’s commitment to tribal beneficiaries and trust responsibilities. Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Billy Kirkland said improved coordination and systems helped move cases forward. The Fort Berthold Agency serves the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, also known as the Three Affiliated Tribes.

A hearing on a proposed uranium exploratory drilling permit in South Dakota’s southern Black Hills was adjourned Wednesday after a project opponent filed a federal lawsuit alleging due process violations, according to South Dakota Searchlight. Clean Nuclear Energy Corporation is seeking permission to drill dozens of holes up to 700 feet deep on state land near Craven Canyon. Opponents told the Board of Minerals and Environment the project could disturb Native American petroglyphs, disrupt Lakota ceremonies and threaten groundwater.

South Dakota Searchlight reports that project opponent Elizabeth Lone Eagle filed the lawsuit against the board, the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Clean Nuclear Energy and state employees involved in reviewing the permit. The suit alleges Lakota first-language speakers were denied meaningful participation during the hearing process. The department did not provide a Lakota interpreter on the hearing’s first day, though interpreters were present Tuesday. The board did not announce when the hearing would resume.

An anonymous donor contributed about $150,000 to the Indigenous Community Impact Scholarship at Montana State University Billings, expanding financial support for Native American students beginning this fall semester, according to KTVQ. The donor is a longtime supporter of the Native American Achievement Center, which serves nearly 400 Native students enrolled at the university.

According to KTVQ, the scholarship is intended for students who plan to support their tribal communities and for those facing financial barriers to attending or remaining in college. The university said many Native students travel long distances to attend school and often support family members back home. Student Ricki Campbell said the scholarship addresses challenges Indigenous students face when transitioning from small, close-knit communities to larger universities.

The North Dakota Indian Affairs office will host the 2026 Government 2 Government Conference on June 3 and 4 at the Bismarck Event Center in Bismarck, North Dakota. According to event organizers, the conference will feature speakers covering a range of topics focused on collaboration between tribal nations and government entities.

Organizers said the conference is intended to provide space for discussions, partnerships and shared commitments between tribal nations and all levels of government. According to the event description, the gathering will also highlight progress made through government-to-government collaboration and efforts to strengthen relationships between tribal and state leaders.

N8iV Beauty, a Native-owned skincare company founded by Ruth-Ann Thorn of the Rincon Band of Luiseño/Payómkawichum Indians, was named one of TIME magazine’s 10 most influential fashion and beauty companies for 2026, according to reporting by ICT. The company, founded in 2022, uses acorn oil sourced from tribal lands and Indigenous plant-based ingredients in its skincare products. TIME reported the company will expand into Nordstrom stores and more than 100 Ritz-Carlton spas this year. 

According to ICT, Thorn said the company was created after her daughter asked why Native American skincare brands were not represented in beauty stores. Thorn said she worked with tribal elders and medicine people to develop products centered on traditional plant medicine, including acorn oil and cactus extracts. TIME said N8iV Beauty became the first Indigenous beauty brand featured at Coachella and won an Allure Best of Beauty Award in 2025 for its exfoliator.

A proposed amendment to an Alaska bill would exempt some Alaska Native village corporations from state public financial disclosure requirements, according to reporting by the Alaska Beacon. The amendment to House Bill 126 was approved Monday by the Alaska Senate Labor and Commerce Committee and would limit disclosure requirements to corporations that had at least 500 shareholders when they were created. Current state law requires corporations with at least 500 shareholders and $1 million in assets to file financial documents with the Alaska Division of Banking and Securities, where the records are treated as public. 

The proposed change could exempt at least seven village corporations from filing reports, though shareholders would still have access to financial information. Curtis McQueen, executive director of the Alaska Native Village Corporation Association, supported the amendment, saying it would allow smaller corporations to focus on community benefits rather than reporting requirements. The bill advanced to the Senate Rules Committee and could move to a full Senate vote.

Indigenous leaders from tribes along the U.S.-Mexico border said ongoing border wall construction is damaging sacred sites and cultural areas, according to the Associated Press. Kumeyaay leaders said federal contractors have blasted and bulldozed parts of Kuuchamaa Mountain, a sacred site that spans California and Baja California, during construction of new wall segments. Tribal leaders also raised concerns about damage to cultural and archaeological sites in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. 

The Associated Press reports that the Department of Homeland Security waived cultural and environmental laws to accelerate border wall construction projects this year. The Tohono O’odham Nation said contractors damaged a 1,000-year-old geoglyph site in Arizona despite prior warnings from tribal leaders. U.S. Customs and Border Protection was quoted in a statement as saying that the site was “inadvertently disturbed” and that the agency is working to minimize impacts on cultural and natural resources during construction.

Mountain Shadow Association, a nonprofit serving the Apsáalooke Nation in Lodge Grass, received $150,000 over two years from the Montana Opioid Abatement Trust to support Kaala’s Village, a family healing center focused on addiction recovery and family reunification, according to Native News Online. The center is designed to allow parents to pursue long-term treatment while their children remain nearby instead of entering foster care.

Native News Online reports the funding will support behavioral health services for children and parents participating in Mountain Shadow’s recovery programming. Kaala’s Village will also provide workforce training in construction, agriculture, hospitality, childcare and food processing before families transition into housing and employment. Executive Director Megkian Doyle said the funding will help support a culturally rooted model of healing centered on family and community stability.

The Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation is scheduled to host a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday for the Four Bears Dock Side Den Airbnbs on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, according to an MHA Nation media advisory. Organizers said the cabins are the first tribally owned Airbnbs on Fort Berthold.

According to the advisory, the development includes eight cabins near the Four Bears Peninsula and offers amenities including lake access for fishing, swimming and boating, a community hot tub, a firepit and air conditioning. The cabins are located near 4 Bears Casino & Lodge, 4 Bears Water Park and the MHA Interpretive Center. Opening remarks are scheduled to include MHA Nation Chairman Mark N. Fox and Four Bears Councilman Robert White. The ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Thursday, May 21.

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes in Montana are combining Traditional Ecological Knowledge with Western science in ongoing climate planning efforts, according to NPR. Mike Durglo Jr., the tribes’ climate change coordinator, helped develop one of the first tribal climate action plans more than 15 years ago. The plan includes projects focused on wildfire mitigation, ecosystem restoration, water conservation and renewable energy development on the Flathead Indian Reservation. 

According to NPR, the tribes are restoring whitebark pine forests, expanding wildfire smoke monitoring systems and establishing clean air centers for reservation communities. Durglo also worked with other tribal nations, including the Blackfeet Nation, to develop climate planning strategies tailored to local environmental conditions. Tribal leaders said collaboration has become increasingly important as federal funding for some climate-related projects has been reduced.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ordered lower courts to reconsider a North Dakota voting rights case brought by two Native American tribes after a recent high court ruling that weakened the Voting Rights Act, according to the Associated Press. The case centers on a decision by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that said only the federal government can sue to enforce Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, a provision commonly used in lawsuits brought by voters and advocacy groups.

The Associated Press reports that the Supreme Court blocked the appeals court ruling in July, allowing the tribes’ preferred voting maps to remain temporarily in place. Native American Rights Fund attorney Lenny Powell told the AP tossing out the appeals court ruling was the right call. 

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented from Monday’s decision, saying she would have fully reversed the ruling in the North Dakota case.

Dozens of people gathered Monday in Hot Springs, South Dakota, to oppose a proposed uranium drilling project in the southern Black Hills during the opening day of a weeklong permit hearing, according to a South Dakota Searchlight article. Opponents raised concerns about possible groundwater contamination, impacts on tourism and agriculture and damage to Craven Canyon, an area near the proposed drilling sites that contains ancient Native American petroglyphs. 

According to the article, Clean Nuclear Energy Corporation and its parent company, Nexus Uranium, applied in March 2024 to drill exploratory holes for uranium on state-owned land near Edgemont. The South Dakota Board of Minerals and Environment is considering whether the project could negatively affect historical or archaeological sites or nearby aquifers. The hearing is scheduled to continue through Friday.