The Daily Spark

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.

Members of Congress introduced bipartisan legislation that would require Department of Homeland Security personnel to recognize and properly handle tribal identification documents during immigration enforcement activities, according to ICT. The Respect Tribal IDs Act was introduced by Reps. Sharice Davids, Don Bacon and Teresa Leger Fernández, along with Sen. Ben Ray Luján.

The bill would require DHS, in coordination with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and tribal nations, to create standardized training on tribal citizenship, tribal IDs and protocols for interacting with enrolled tribal members. The legislation follows reports of Native Americans being questioned, delayed or detained after officers failed to recognize tribal identification as proof of U.S. citizenship. National Congress of American Indians Executive Director Larry Wright told ICT the legislation would help prevent confusion and improve interactions between federal agents and tribal citizens.

Summer Wildbill, a citizen of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and a student at New York University, is helping develop a financial literacy app for Native youth in partnership with Nixyáawii Community Financial Services and Cayuse Native Solutions, according to Underscore Native News and ICT. The app, called NativeCents, is intended to help young people better understand saving, investing and financial decision-making.

Wildbill said the project grew out of her own experience adjusting to college life in New York and recognizing gaps in financial education. According to Underscore Native News and ICT, the app will include lessons focused on emotional relationships with money and financial goal-setting. Dave Tovey, executive director of Nixyáawii Community Financial Services, said the project aligns with the organization’s efforts to expand youth financial education within the Umatilla community. Wildbill said she hopes the app will launch by the end of the summer.

The Mescalero Apache Tribe and the Pojoaque, Sandia and Isleta pueblos filed a lawsuit against prediction market platform Kalshi, alleging the company enables sports gambling on tribal land in violation of tribal gaming compacts and federal law, according to reporting by Source NM. The lawsuit alleges Kalshi allows users 18 and older to place sports-related wagers in New Mexico, despite tribal gaming compacts limiting gambling at tribal casinos to people 21 and older.

According to Source NM, the lawsuit argues Kalshi should have created a geofence to block use of the platform within tribal boundaries. Tribal leaders said the platform diverts gaming revenue used to fund schools and other tribal services. Sandia Pueblo Gov. Stuart Paisano was quoted in a statement as saying that the markets provide “an end-run around regulation of gaming on our lands.” The lawsuit follows similar litigation filed last year by the Ho-Chunk Nation in Wisconsin against Kalshi.

A federal appeals court ruled Thursday that the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act applies in the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska’s effort to recover the remains of two boys who died at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School more than a century ago. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court decision and found the tribe is entitled to seek repatriation of Samuel Gilbert and Edward Hensley under federal law.

According to reporting by ICT, the Winnebago Tribe filed suit in 2024 after the U.S. Office of Army Cemeteries denied the tribe’s request to return the boys’ remains. The court ruling sends the case back to a lower court for further proceedings. Winnebago Chairman Coly Brown said the decision “brings joy to the tribe,” while Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition policy director Ponka-We Victors-Cozad called the ruling “a step forward” in efforts to return Native children buried at boarding schools to their tribal communities.

Racing Magpie selected three collaborative projects to receive $10,000 grants through its Spring 2026 Sinew Fund, according to a Lakota Times article highlighting the recipients. The fund supports Oceti Sakowin visual creatives working on artist-led, community-based projects in Lakota communities across the United States.

The recipients include the “Ma Lakota Project,” led by Amanda Takes War Bonnett and Jennifer Young Bull Bear, which will host workshops on traditional crafts on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Another funded project, “Creative Regenerations,” led by Donald Montileaux and Keith BraveHeart, will guide students and staff at Rockyford School in creating a ceramic mural installation. “Sovereign Selfies,” led by Adonica Little-Hamilton and Teslah Knight, will create an interactive art installation featuring Oceti Sakowin design elements at the Black Hills Powwow.