The Daily Spark

Well over a year after the initial Senate reading for a Montana water bill in early 2025, the Crow Tribe finally saw its proposals signed into law on Oct. 15.

The Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Amendments Act of 2025 provides a new framework building on the 2010 water compact between the Crow and the state of Montana. Among the major new pieces of the law are updates to the Crow Reservation public water system and a five-year extension of the tribe’s exclusive right to develop a hydropower project at a dam on the Bighorn River.

The bill stalled from early March 2025 until that November, and then didn’t see any official progress made on its passage until September 2026. President Donald Trump received the bill on his desk on Oct. 5 and signed it into law 10 days later.

For Native American Heritage Month in November, the Smithsonian Institution is offering events, resources, exhibitions and podcast episodes that dive into many unique elements of cultural preservation for Indigenous heritage in the U.S.

Some of these opportunities, like a Veterans Day event at the National Museum of the American Indian, will feature free activities that participants can join in person — such as making prayer ties to honor veterans. Other pieces of the programming will take place online only, including a virtual teach-in with a $15 registration fee to explore cultural sovereignty.

Outside Washington, D.C., the Smithsonian is also supporting live performances by an up-and-coming Cherokee musician and educator in New York City.

The Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance has opened an application for roles in a new project to build an Indigenous Food Sovereignty Toolkit. The deadline to apply is Nov. 22. The Alliance is teaming up with the Indigenous Seed Keepers Network (ISKN) and Northern Arizona University (NAU) to create the toolkit.

Indigenous growers, seed keepers, community organizers and advocates living in the U.S. are eligible to apply for the project. The Alliance is seeking six project fellows to work on the toolkit from January to December 2027. Four additional positions are open for the role of knowledge holders, and these individuals will participate in one interview to guide the project team’s understanding of community knowledge and local needs. 

The Alliance will host a Q&A information session on Nov. 5.

The National Congress of American Indians will hold a vote on expanding press freedom measures within Indian Country for the first time since 2003. 

At its 83rd annual convention in Palm Springs, California, on Tuesday, a press freedom resolution passed unanimously out of committee by a voice vote of more than a dozen NCAI members from tribal communities. The full membership will vote on the measure Thursday.

The resolution is sponsored by Jodi Rave Spotted Bear, founder of Native Media Freedom Alliance and editor-in-chief of Buffalo’s Fire.

Introducing it to the NCAI Jurisdiction and Tribal Government subcommittee, she said support for the measure would encourage tribes to expand press freedom for Native journalists and newsrooms.

The resolution also calls for NCAI to give tribes guidance on how to expand or start their open records and freedom of information laws.

The Montana Indigenous Tourism Alliance attended the Annual American Indigenous Tourism Conference in Washington state this week to share ideas from local efforts and meet other professionals working in this space.

The Alliance’s executive director, Lailani Upham (Pikuni/Blackfeet), led a session on community-led tourism developments. Her presentation focused on visitation that both strengthens local economies and protects community culture. 

Upham and her colleagues work year-round supporting Indigenous-led Montana tourism opportunities and highlighting resources that contribute to culture, identity, preservation and sovereignty.

Multiple tribes headquartered in Idaho are maneuvering to start major development projects in the Treasure Valley area near the state capital of Boise. The planned projects, which are still many months away from breaking ground, would be aimed at generating revenue and supporting the tribes.

According to Don Day, a development reporter in the Boise area, there’s a joint proposal for a 557-acre development east of Boise that involves a partnership between the Shoshone-Paiute Tribe and the Coeur d’Alene Tribe. A local developer working with the tribes has stated they are putting together a mixed-use commercial and industrial project, and nearby the two tribes are planning a casino resort.

The Shoshone-Bannock Tribe is also eyeing land near Boise for a casino, which would be their fourth development of the kind. The tribe has submitted a proposal for a casino on 157 acres near the community of Mountain Home on a parcel purchased in 2020. Both the Shoshone-Bannock casino and the joint casino put forth by the Shoshone-Paiute and the Coeur d’Alene need to clear federal and state-level approvals to get underway.

On Nov. 3 Northern Cheyenne voters will have the opportunity to fill five open seats on the tribe’s council.

The council election is separate from the tribe’s special election to replace ousted president Gene Small.

Vying for the open council seat in the Ashland District are Donna Fisher and Eugene Little Coyote. Torrey Davie runs unopposed in his re-election bid to represent the Busby District.

In the Lame Deer District, six candidates are competing for three seats on the council. The candidates are Alan Joe Blackwolf, Dana Eaglefeathers, Sven Limpy, Melissa Lonebear, Henry Speelman and Corey Spotted Elk.

Election day voting will happen in Northern Cheyenne at district polling sites from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voting will take place at the community halls in Ashland, Muddy and Birney, at the fire hall in Busby and at the Little Wolf Capitol Building in Lame Deer. 

Voters can also request an absentee ballot by submitting this form to the Northern Cheyenne Tribal Secretary.

The Northern Cheyenne Tribe's council set primary and general election dates to replace Gene Small, who was removed as president in September.

The tribe’s primary election will happen Tuesday, Nov. 24. The general election will take place Dec. 29. The new president will be sworn in Jan. 19, 2027, and will complete Small’s term, which ends in November 2028.

A resolution passed Oct. 14 and signed by Northern Cheyenne acting-President Ernest Littlemouth Sr., set in motion a special election process that is now underway. Any tribal member interested in running can file a declaration of candidacy until Oct. 23. Tribal election officials must post district voter lists in at least three public places.

Small continues to contest his removal.

Northern Cheyenne Tribal officials must appoint election judges and clerks by Oct. 23.

https://www.docdroid.com/FoYvCvK/resolution-no-doi-010-2027-special-election-pdf?

After a three-alarm fire erupted inside a south Minneapolis store on Oct. 11, the neighboring offices of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe were a mixed bag. The cause of the fire was still under investigation early in the week, Melissa Olson for Minnesota Public Radio reported. Individuals with the Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe and the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa assessed some of the damage their building sustained. 

Archives from the Native bands appeared to be safe, and so did many of the supplies the tribe gives out as part of its urban community outreach. That includes food, clothing, diapers and baby formula — but the tribal team wasn’t sure where all of those items would be stored or where they’d be handed out in the near future. 

The small group of elders who were inside the building, beading when the fire broke out, safely escaped the blaze.

Native voters in eight states will have additional support services from legal observers, and poll watchers ready to help people with any issues casting ballots.

On Wednesday, the Native American Rights Fund said lawyers, law students and other volunteers will be in Alaska, Michigan, Wisconsin, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nevada and Montana during the midterm elections.

In a press release NARF said the volunteers will document any barriers, ensure election rules are followed and provide Native voters with legal counsel if necessary.

“What we want Native people to remember is this: your vote is incredibly powerful,” NARF senior staff attorney was quoted as saying. “It can influence everything from Tribal sovereignty to Native economies to having access to clean water. If you are experiencing voting trouble, do not give up. NARF can help you make sure your rights are not compromised.”

Native voters who encounter difficulties obtaining or casting a ballot can contact NARF at 866-OUR-VOTE or vote@narf.org.

On Oct. 12, three NFL teams expressed public support for Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The Minnesota Vikings, Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams all made dedicated posts on social media about Native culture, history and recognition. The holiday’s federal status has been the subject of some controversy under the second Trump administration.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day 2026 arrived as the influence of professional sports in shaping culture has garnered significant attention. And the holiday in early October is part of the complex relationship between Native American athletes, professional leagues and the long-running exploitation of Indigenous people.

For the next generation at the intersection of Native culture and athletic achievement, the Native American Athletic Foundation offers empowerment opportunities like the annual Native All-American Football Game. This season’s player application for the game closes Oct. 19.

The Albuquerque Isotopes received an award from Minor League Baseball for the best promotion or event this season. The award recognized the team’s Native American Heritage Night, which featured jersey designs by Pueblo artists and ceremonial buffalo dances for the crowd.

More than 9,600 people attended the game on Aug. 8, the fifth largest crowd for the team this season. It was part of the growing trend of professional baseball teams doing outreach with Native American communities in response to harm caused by stereotypical mascots. Native American Heritage Nights took place this season in Boston, San Francisco, Indianapolis and other cities.

The Isotopes partnered with the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center to work with local artists on jersey and hat designs worn by the players. Three thousand hats designed by Brittney Juancho (Isleta Pueblo) were distributed to fans for free, and thousands of jerseys designed by Evone “Snowflake” Martinez (Acoma Pueblo) were sold.

“We just asked for guidance,” Isotopes GM Chrissy Baines told Native News Online before the game. “How do we do this? How do we come across as being super authentic in creating this partnership?"

Organizers with the Missoula Public Library, local Native education and grassroots Indigenous activism are bringing back the unique multiday festival known as IndigiPalooza in July 2027.

The first two festivals each brought together hundreds of Native people and supporters from across the region to celebrate culture, resistance, art and relationships to the natural landscape. The crew behind IndigiPalooza recently shared that the upcoming two-day event is intended to be the last hurrah for this particular gathering. 

A key component of each IndigiPalooza has involved educational opportunities leading up to the convening. The prior years’ classes — Indigenous Studies for Everyone and Indigenous Resistance for Everyone — are now available online. The organizers have indicated the next IndigiPalooza class will be shared ahead of the final festival.

Jemez Pueblo purchased more than 400 acres in the Santa Fe National Forest recently, taking ownership of the site of a 19th-century abandoned logging camp. The site had been put through a land conservancy process and was managed by the Girl Scouts of New Mexico Trails, which announced the sale on Oct. 8.

The $4.5 million purchase of Rancho del Chaparral, a grassland site in the Jemez Forest watershed, gives the tribe stewardship over its ancestral homeland. The Jemez people have lived there since at least 800 B.C., according to the U.S. Department of the Interior.

In a statement about the sale, Jemez Pueblo leadership said the location will have a new management plan focused on providing tribal members with an “opportunity to rediscover and explore the cultural landscape that is mentioned in the Pueblo’s tribal history.” Plans for the Pueblo at the site include outdoor recreation, education and mental health programs, retreats and community events.

Jemez Pueblo said the purchase returns the tribe back to its cultural landscape, calling the site, “a living classroom, a church, hospital and playground.

In an up-and-down series of decisions at the end of September, California Gov. Gavin Newsom officially made Native American Day a paid state holiday, formalized an apology from the state to local tribes and then vetoed two bills pushing for greater tribal involvement in natural resource development statewide.

Newsom first declared a paid state holiday to celebrate Native American Day on the fourth Friday in September, accompanied with additional legislation to issue an official apology to tribes and place a plaque acknowledging past atrocities. 

Just a few days later, Newsom went on to veto two bills that tribal advocates hoped would give them greater say in land and water decisions. Indigenous leaders rebuked Newsom for failing to concretize the sentiments behind the holiday and the apology with formal legal mechanisms to support tribal leadership.

The Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho people who defeated Lt. Col. George Custer and the 7th Cavalry in 1876 at the Battle of the Greasy Grass were honored 150 years later with an emotional display in front of thousands at the Black Hills Pow Wow in South Dakota.

On Saturday, Native American veterans, dressed in their U.S. military garments, led the grand entry, dragging Custer’s flag into the powwow arena circle. During another song, a reenactment of Custer’s Last Stand began with a person grabbing the flag and waving it around traditional dancers in the arena. 

The dancers surrounded Custer, and eventually swarmed the person, who disappeared leaving just the flag on the ground to be stomped on by the dancers for the rest of the song.

The 38th annual Black Hills Pow Wow took place over the weekend at the Summit Arena at the Monument, in Rapid City, South Dakota.

In 2006, the Eastern Shawnee Tribe in Oklahoma elected Glenna Wallace from nearby Missouri to serve as its first female chief. Now, 20 years later, she is moving on from the role after being reelected four times for her efforts to reconnect the tribe with its history and bring about improvements for the community.

In a recent KOSU interview, Wallace described the initial hesitation she encountered in the community when she became chief two decades ago. She said that upon her initial foray into the position, the small tribal community was very divided. Over time, Wallace said the Eastern Shawnee have found greater unity as well as a better understanding of their roots through her dedicated research into the tribe’s history.

Among her many contributions to the tribe was deep investigative work into the Eastern Shawnee’s homelands in Ohio. She explained how in 1831 the ancestors of today’s Eastern Shawnee Tribe became the first group forcibly removed from Ohio and sent some 800 miles south to Oklahoma. 

Wallace said the arduous journey over the course of four months — starting in September — decimated the tribe and left only about 60 people by the late 1800s. These days, she said, there are over 4,000 members of the tribe, and she hopes her successor continues the effort of reconnecting to their Ohio homelands.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced $43 million in post-disaster and mitigation funding for projects in the Pacific Northwest late last month.

Among the communities that will see local work funded are the Tununak Native Village and the Metlakatla Indian Community in Alaska and the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation in Washington State. Funds are also going to projects in Anchorage and the Oregon cities of Astoria and Eugene.

Some of the money is intended to help regions recover from previous disasters like ex-Typhoon Halong in Alaska by supporting fixes to critical infrastructure, public building restoration, road repairs and reimbursements for costs incurred by post-disaster efforts to ensure public health and safety.

Another portion of the FEMA awards will go to hazard mitigation, including reimbursements for the costs of generators and emergency power during the 2024 Slide Ranch Fire in Yakima County, Washington.

Additionally, the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program administered by FEMA is giving funds for proactive measures to protect against natural disasters. One of these projects is an effort to raise Alaska’s Chester Lake Dam 10 feet to benefit the nearby Native community of Annette Island Reserve. Raising the reservoir, FEMA stated in a press release, is meant to increase water storage capacity, reduce power limitations and mitigate concerns about potable water availability during drought conditions.

Richard Moves Camp arrived at Alcatraz Island with elder pains, wit and prayers.

“I got a pin in my back, and it’s keeping me together,” said Moves Camp (Oglala Lakota), who’d  traveled from South Dakota. “I have to oil it once in a while, and then I got a new organ transplant.”

Moves Camp spoke to a crowd of nearly 3,000 Monday at the beginning of a sunrise gathering prayer to begin Indigenous Peoples’ Day in California. There, he honored Indigenous activists who occupied Alcatraz from 1969 to 1971 and acknowledged 19 Hopi people who were imprisoned there in 1895 for refusing to send their relatives to boarding school. Several relatives from those Hopi people also spoke. 

“As we fade off into the old spiritual world, we know now that 50 years from now the great grandchildren will still be here,” Moves Camp said. “The fire will still be here. That is the prayer that was made by the ancestors. So at this time, I'm very happy to be here. I'm glad to see all the old relatives and some of the new ones.”

Indigenous Peoples’ Day is celebrated as a federal holiday every second Monday of October in cities and tribal communities across the U.S. This year, events across the country happened over the weekend to celebrate the holiday.

The first Indigenous Peoples’ Day happened in 1992 in Berkeley, California. The day is to celebrate Indigenous culture, community and share it with non-Indigenous people.

The International Indian Treaty Council, which was founded in Standing Rock in 1974, hosted the event at Alcatraz.