The Daily Spark

The Office of Indian Economic Development is accepting applications through grants.gov until Aug. 28 for a $1.5 million cooperative agreement under the NATIVE Act, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Interior. Funding is annual, subject to appropriations and can continue for up to five years.

The agreement will provide technical assistance for Tribal Tourism Grant Program and Office of Native Hawaiian Relations applicants. 

Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Billy Kirkland said tribal tourism displays communities’ cultures, histories and traditions while creating jobs and strengthening local economies. 

Cherokee Nation opened the School of the Seven Directions Cherokee Immersion Middle School in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, Aug. 17, a $30 million investment in Cherokee language revitalization, according to reporting by Indian Gaming. The school year begins Aug. 27.

Cherokee Nation said the more than 66,000-square-foot school near the Durbin Feeling Language Center will serve grades four through eight in 16 classrooms. Signage is entirely in Cherokee, and English will not be spoken there.

Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. was quoted as saying, “This middle school is one major step closer to our goal” of revitalizing the Cherokee language, culture and traditions. The campus will hold traditional ceremonies, and its courtyard and specialty classrooms will be available to Durbin Feeling Language Center and Greasy Immersion School students.

Mary Peltola advanced from Alaska’s Tuesday U.S. Senate primary with 48% of the vote, compared with 43% for Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, with 324 of 403 precincts reporting late Tuesday, according to reporting from ICT. The November contest could affect control of the U.S. Senate. 

If Peltola, a Yup’ik woman, wins, she could become the first Native female senator, though she might end up sharing the title. Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan (White Earth) is leading in the polls against the Republican candidate, according to the ICT reporting.

Alaska’s system sends the top four vote-getters among 16 Senate candidates to November’s general election. ICT reported that Sullivan was third and appeared set to advance. 

Peltola raised about $18.5 million, compared with about $11.7 million for Sullivan. The Democrat, a former U.S. representative, first won Congress in a 2022 special election after longtime Republican Rep. Don Young died.

Joe Nelson, Peltola’s ex-husband and Tlingit leader from Juneau, called the contest “a real race.”

Buffalo Plains Recovery, based in Rapid City, South Dakota, announced in an Aug. 13 press release that it was selected for a $1.54 million award through the South Dakota Digital Health Modernization and Technology Grant Program. The funds will be used to build a modern, technology-driven treatment environment in western South Dakota.

The grant is intended to improve patient care, strengthen medical and clinical operations and better connect patients with the services they need throughout recovery.

Buffalo Plains Recovery serves Rapid City, the Black Hills, and surrounding communities, offering a continuum of care that includes 24-hour medically supervised detoxification, residential treatment and outpatient services. CEO Ryan Letterman said the funding will give the team the tools and infrastructure needed to deliver exceptional behavioral health care.

“Technology may operate behind the scenes, but ultimately this investment is about people,” Letterman was quoted as saying. He noted that the investment will help people enter treatment when they are ready, giving them excellent care close to home and the support needed to build lasting recovery.

Ten bills authored by California Assemblymember James C. Ramos (D-San Bernardino), a member of the Serrano/Cahuilla community and the first Native American elected to the state Legislature, have been approved by the California Senate Appropriations Committee, according to reporting from Native News online. The bills are now headed to the full Senate for consideration before the Aug. 31 deadline marking the end of the 2025-26 legislative session.

The legislative package covers issues important to Californians, including education, public safety, tribal rights and inclusion. Ramos hopes the bills will pass the full Senate and reach Gov. Gavin Newsom before the session concludes.

“It’s a robust package that I hope to get to the governor for his approval this year,” Ramos was quoted as saying. “The bills touch on education, public safety and clarifying tribal rights and inclusion.”  

Former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, Yup’ik, is seeking the Senate seat held by Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan on Tuesday, when 17 Native candidates will appear on Alaska primary ballots, according to reporting from ICT. Voters may choose among 16 Senate candidates outside their party under the state’s ranked-choice system.

Peltola raised about $18.5 million, compared with $11.7 million for Sullivan. Major polls show the candidates neck and neck.

Peltola first won a 2022 special election after Republican Rep. Don Young died following nearly 50 years in office, then lost her 2024 reelection bid to Nick Begich. If elected, she could be the country’s first female Native U.S. senator.

Her campaign said she would lower costs, defend subsistence fishing rights and expand a federal business development program that grants preferences to tribes in federal contracts. 

The traveling Smithsonian exhibit “Americans” will make its South Carolina debut Saturday, Aug. 22, at University of South Carolina Lancaster’s Native American Studies Center, according to reporting from WIS News 10. 

The exhibition explores the profound role American Indians have played in shaping U.S. history, popular culture, and national identity. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian developed the exhibit, and Museum on Main Street adapted it for travel.

South Carolina Humanities is supporting the state tour, which will visit six communities from August 2026 through June 2027. The exhibition highlights the enduring presence of American Indians in the nation’s identity since before the country began.

To celebrate the opening, an Indigenous vendor market will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. As part of the program, USC Lancaster Assistant Professor of History Evan Nooe will present a lecture at 11 a.m., available both in person and virtually.

The Great Plains Tribal Chairmen's Association Inc. will hold a two-day event in Rapid City, South Dakota, Aug. 19-20, calling for public safety funding amid what its leaders describe as escalating violent crime.

Lack of funding has created a “life-threatening public safety crisis,” covering only 13% of the total need, according to the press release. This has resulted in federal and tribal officers staffing shortages and affected emergency response times, drug enforcement, criminal investigations and domestic violence response across South Dakota, North Dakota and Nebraska reservations, according to the association. “People are dying. We need action on public safety now," GPTCA Executive Director A. Gay Kingman was quoted as saying. 

GPTCA chairman and Oglala Sioux Tribe President Frank Star Comes Out said public safety  funding is a treaty responsibility. 

Tribal leaders and law enforcement professionals plan to develop priorities on funding, staffing, federal responsibilities, equipment, drug enforcement, courts, detention and public safety resources. Listed participants include Gov. Larry Rhoden and BIA Office of Justice Services Director Charles Addington.

Four Directions Native Vote – Indian Country will promote voter education and election protection ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, according to reporting from Native News Online. The nonprofit says it works to protect and expand ballot access for American Indian and Alaska Native voters through nonpartisan voter education, election protection and advocacy, as Native communities face barriers to political participation. 

FDNV-IC will hold a Democracy Academy in Minneapolis on Sept. 20, followed by a two-day forum Sept. 21-22. It will then hold a Democracy Academy in Las Vegas on Oct. 11 and a forum Oct. 12-13.

The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation has proposed Section 106 changes to the National Historic Preservation Act, according to reporting from Underscore Native News.

The proposal could make tribal consultation optional, narrow the definition of historic property, let agencies decide what information becomes public and affect consultation on development affecting ceded lands across the United States. A red-lined version of the proposal excludes mountains, valleys, bodies of water and landscapes.

Crystal Miller of the Walker River Paiute Tribe said the revisions strip sovereignty and government-to-government language. The law firm Cultural Heritage Partners plans to challenge published changes during the expected 30-day public comment period after publication.

On July 15, the Uniform Law Commission, which drafts and promotes the enactment of consistent state laws, released a nonbinding model law for states that updates and clarifies child welfare protections for tribal children and families, according to reporting from The Imprint. It is a template for states without their own Indian Child Welfare Act laws.

Seventeen states have enacted stronger ICWA laws, but compliance is inconsistent nationwide. Domingo DeGrazia, ICWA supervising attorney for the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, said inconsistent interpretation has created a patchwork that can hinder advocacy.

If enacted, it would require stronger active efforts by social workers, including prioritizing tribal kin and more reunification opportunities. In Arizona, a judicial committee is evaluating a potential ICWA law and likely will incorporate the finalized model, a Department of Child Safety spokesperson said.

Final language will be released publicly in October.

Native American Bank has hired Kayla Johnson as its new chief banking officer. In an Aug. 13 press release, NAB said Johnson started working for the bank earlier in the week.

 She previously served as senior vice president of FirstBank in Lakewood, Colorado, where she oversaw $15.3 billion in portfolio exposure, serving customers in Arizona as well as Colorado, according to the press release.

 “That strong foundation in community relationships is what prepared me to take on this role at Native American Bank,” Johnson was quoted as saying. “It’s a humble honor for me to serve NAB’s mission of promoting economic independence, development and sustainability for Native American and Alaska Native communities. Collaborating with communities for both growth and sustainability is why I love this work.”

Johnson also previously served as a financial literacy instructor, taught first-time homebuyer classes and volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and Growing Gardens, which brings regenerative agriculture education and food donations to Boulder County residents.

Jasleen Kaily, a Miss Universe Canada contestant, apologized after her national costume drew cultural appropriation criticism during the 2026 Miss Universe Canada competition’s Aug. 4 segment in Windsor, Ontario, according to reporting from ¡HOLA!. The segment was meant to celebrate Canadian national identity. Kaily wore a fur jacket and skirt, fur boots described as mukluks, two braids and a large maple leaf.

Fellow contestant Karisa Haverkamp wore a feathered headdress and a red handprint associated with awareness of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Ashley Callingbull, a Plains Cree woman from Enoch Cree Nation, was quoted as saying, “We should know better.” Kaily said the disrespect was never her intention, and Haverkamp apologized for “hurt and offence.” Miss Universe Canada says it plans to have clearer guidelines for future national costumes.

Fort Mojave and Chemehuevi Indian Tribes filed suit July 28 against the Bureau of Land Management’s approval for Cadiz Inc.’s plan to pump groundwater from under the Mojave National Monument, according to reporting from ICT. The filing returned the plan to court.

BLM’s July 8 approval lets Cadiz convert a natural gas pipeline to transport water from an aquifer system within the monument. The project seeks to extract more than 50,000 acre-feet yearly for 50 years, or 2.5 million acre-feet, according to Cadiz.

The suit says BLM violated multiple laws and regulations by granting the right-of-way for the Northern Pipeline, threatening ecological, cultural, sacred and historic resources on federal public lands. Chemehuevi Chairman Daniel Leivas told ICT depletion would affect wildlife in the area and the tribe’s way of life.

The Senate confirmed Mark Cruz, a member of the Klamath Tribes, as Indian Health Service director within the Department of Health and Human Services on Friday, approving him in a 51-47 vote, according to reporting from Underscore Native News. The White House nominated Cruz in early June for a four-year term. The position had two acting directors since Roselyn Tso resigned Jan. 17, 2025.

Cruz testified before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs June 24. The director oversees health care for about 2.8 million American Indians and Alaska Natives from 575 federally recognized tribes under federal treaty and trust responsibilities.

Cruz said in testimony that he would seek to improve care through advance appropriations, fewer staff vacancies, modernized electronic health records and improved purchased/referred care.

After burning nearly 137,000 acres, the Kaiser Canyon fire on Confederated Tribes of the Colville lands was 52% contained more than three weeks after it began, according to reporting from Underscore Native News. Highway 155 reopened at noon Aug. 6 with speed limitations.

Jason Devcich, Colville Agency incident commander, said air quality could reach hazardous levels in Omak, Nespelem, Keller, Grand Coulee and Coulee Dam because of this and neighboring fires.

Kris Baumgartner, operations sections chief, said four hotshot crews are working 30 miles from Mill Creek to North Star Creek and Trail Creek. Residents in Nespelem can expect crew presence for the next few weeks.

Native News Online reports that Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who is White Earth Ojibwe, won Tuesday's Democratic U.S. Senate primary over U.S. Rep. Angie Craig. 

With 79% of votes counted, Flanagan led Craig 58.8% to 39.7%, prompting The Associated Press to call the race. More than 206,000 early and absentee ballots had been cast before Election Day, a Minnesota midterm primary record, as the competitive Senate contest drove turnout.

Outside groups spent about $17 million to benefit Craig's campaign or oppose Flanagan. Flanagan was quoted as saying in her victory speech, “This campaign has always been about the many versus the money.”

In November, Flanagan will face former sportscaster Michele Tafoya in the race to succeed retiring Sen. Tina Smith.

If elected, Flanagan would be Minnesota's first White Earth Ojibwe U.S. senator.

The U.S. Department of Education is expected to award $41.3 million through the Alaska Native Education Program to 26 Alaska grantees, after funding due July 1 was delayed more than a month, according to reporting from the Alaska Beacon. Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said grantees told her office they had not received the money, prompting her to press Education Secretary Linda McMahon for its release.

McMahon agreed to expedite the funds Congress appropriated earlier this year, Murkowski said. The program supports tribes, tribal organizations and school districts with majority Alaska Native enrollment.

The grant office did not explain the delay or say when the money would be dispensed. Rosita Kaaháni Worl, president of the Sealaska Heritage Institute, said the organization had not received its funds, noting that federal support is critical because the programs improve Native education.

New Mexico’s congressional delegation introduced the Chama Basin Watershed Protection Act on Aug. 6 to prohibit uranium mining across the Chama Basin Watershed in response to a Canadian company’s proposed exploratory drilling project near Canjilon, according to reporting from Source NM. Democratic Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján and Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández sponsored the bill.

Gamma Resources Ltd. seeks to drill as many as 12 exploratory uranium boreholes, up to 500 feet deep. The company’s application has faced backlash since March, according to the Source NM reporting. Lawmakers cited potential uranium contamination affecting ranchers, tribes and acequias.

Luján said he would not allow a foreign company to threaten Chama Valley communities. The United States Forest Service is reviewing Gamma’s application. Gamma has not filed for a state permit.