The Daily Spark
Small sparks from Indian Country, built to catch fire
Lawmakers introduce bill to expand and strengthen Shadow Wolves border unit
U.S. Reps. Juan Ciscomani of Arizona and Tom Suozzi of New York introduced bipartisan legislation aimed at strengthening the Shadow Wolves, an all-Native American tactical unit within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to AZ Free News. The Shadow Wolves Improvement Act would allow ICE to convert Shadow Wolves positions from the expected service to the competitive service hiring structure.
The Shadow Wolves operate primarily on the Tohono O’odham Nation and specialize in tracking drug smuggling and human trafficking across tribal lands along the U.S.-Mexico border. A 2024 Government Accountability Office report cited staffing shortages tied to retirements and recruiting challenges under the current hiring system. Supporters of the bill said the change would expand recruitment pools, improve retention and allow the program to grow to other border-adjacent tribal nations. A companion measure has advanced in the U.S. Senate, according to AZ Free News.
Sacred Pipe Resource Center to host New Year’s Eve sobriety celebration
Sacred Pipe Resource Center will host a New Year’s Eve sobriety celebration on Dec. 31 with a full evening of activities, according to event information shared by the organization. The family-friendly event begins at 6 p.m. and includes refreshments, door prizes, community games, casino-style games, a talent show and a grand prize drawing at 11 p.m.
The agenda also features a design-a-horse-mask contest, interactive games played by phone, cash prizes during casino games and the talent show. Organizers said prizes will be awarded throughout the night, with a PlayStation 5 listed as the grand prize. Participants must be present to win.
The event is described as a sobriety celebration focused on connection, culture and community. Activities for children are included. The celebration will take place from 6 to 11 p.m. at Sacred Pipe Resource Center.
Internship program gives Native students experience in municipal government
Gilbert, Arizona, is providing Native college students with hands-on experience in local government, according to Your Valley Independent. The Native American Management Internship program partners with tribal communities and Native students to offer exposure to municipal operations, including policy, public safety, community resources and administration.
Gilbert currently has two interns in the program: Erica Kleinman and Rose Starlin Jacket. Kleinman is a biology major at Northern Arizona University and a citizen of the Navajo Nation. Jacket is an English major at Arizona State University with tribal affiliations to the Navajo Nation, Hopi and Ute. Gilbert officials said the internship aims to strengthen relationships with tribal communities while preparing Native students for future leadership roles in government and public service.
Trump signs Wounded Knee memorial bill into law
President Trump has signed the Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act into law, legislation introduced by U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota, according to KXLG. The law places 40 acres at the site of the Wounded Knee Massacre into restricted fee status to be held jointly by the Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.
Rounds said the legislation ensures the land will be preserved for future generations and allows the history of Wounded Knee to continue to be told. The bill was first introduced in June 2023 and later reintroduced in January 2025. It passed unanimously in the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and cleared the full Senate on Dec. 11, according to KXLG. Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Chairman Ryman LeBeau and Oglala Sioux Tribe President Frank Star Comes Out previously testified in support of the bill.
Citizen Potawatomi Nation launches foreign trade zone to help companies manage tariffs
Citizen Potawatomi Nation has established one of the first active foreign trade zones in Indian Country at its Iron Horse Industrial Park in Shawnee, Oklahoma, according to KOSU. The foreign trade zone operates on 700 acres of trust land and allows companies to import, export and store goods with deferred or eliminated duties through a secured Customs and Border Protection facility located inside a warehouse.
Vedrana Milakovic, director of economic planning and development for Citizen Potawatomi Nation, said companies use the zone for duty deferral and duty elimination. They can import large quantities of products from China or export goods to Mexico without duties when bonded carriers are used. Milakovic said the foreign trade zone provides stability for both tribal revenue and businesses navigating fluctuating tariffs. The Iron Horse Industrial Park recently received the Harvard Project on Indigenous Governance and Development’s Honoring Nations award, which recognizes excellence in tribal governance.
James Smith Cree Nation reaches $713.8M settlement over complex land claims
James Smith Cree Nation has reached a $713.8 million settlement with the federal government related to a collection of complex land claims, according to CBC News. The settlement involves the Chakastaypasin, James Smith and Peter Chapman bands in Saskatchewan. Each band has already received an advance payment of $50 million.
The settlement addresses the forced amalgamation of the three bands in 1902 and supports their efforts toward de-amalgamation. Chakastaypasin Band Chief Calvin Sanderson said in a news release that the agreement marks an important milestone toward restoring the band’s status as an independent First Nation recognized by Canada. James Smith Cree Nation Chief Kirby Constant said in a statement that the settlement is a step toward acknowledging broken agreements and the lasting impacts of forced amalgamation.
Sean Sherman outlines next chapter in food sovereignty work
Sean Sherman released a new cookbook, “Turtle Island: Foods and Traditions of the Indigenous Peoples of North America,” and is preparing to expand his food sovereignty work, according to reporting by the Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. The cookbook documents Indigenous foodways across North America, organizing them into regional frameworks rooted in precolonial ingredients, practices and ecological knowledge.
Sherman is also planning to open a new Indigenous barbecue restaurant called Šhotá and expand operations of North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems. The projects will be based in a Minneapolis building known as Wóyute Thipi, which will house a commissary kitchen, event space and food production for institutions. The magazine reports that the work aims to strengthen Indigenous-controlled food systems and support Native producers while increasing access to traditional foods.
Los Alamos Public Schools hosts ribbon skirt and shirt workshop
Los Alamos Public Schools in New Mexico hosted its first Ribbon Skirt and Shirt Workshop last month at Los Alamos High School in celebration of Native American Heritage Month, according to the Los Alamos Daily Post. More than 45 students and family members attended the workshop, where participants created personalized ribbon skirts and shirts both during school hours and an evening session that was open to the community.
According to the Los Alamos Daily Post, the workshop was organized with support from LAPS Native American Student Support staff member Jovita Mowrer, who said the event focused on shared learning and strengthening community connection through Indigenous cultural practices. The report said community members shared cultural knowledge and assisted with the workshop, while local businesses donated materials and district employees volunteered as seamstresses. LAPS said it hopes to make the workshop an annual activity.
AG Nessel launches criminal investigation into Native boarding schools
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel on Dec. 19 announced a criminal investigation into Native American boarding schools and other institutions that operated across the state, according to a statement from the Michigan Department of Attorney General. The department said it will seek to identify, document, investigate and prosecute instances in which criminal acts may have occurred at the institutions.
According to the statement dated Dec. 19, the Department of Attorney General is asking survivors, witnesses and others with firsthand knowledge to come forward with information that may assist the investigation. Nessel said the investigation seeks to bring truth and accountability to a painful chapter in Michigan’s history and that the office is committed to ensuring survivors’ voices are heard. The department said tips may be submitted anonymously by email or by phone at 517-897-7391.
Trump approves emergency declaration for Montana storm and flood response
President Donald Trump approved an emergency declaration for Montana to support response efforts related to severe storms and flooding that began Dec. 10 and are continuing, according to a Federal Emergency Management Agency press release. The declaration authorizes FEMA to coordinate federal disaster relief to address threats to life, property, public health and safety.
According to the release, the declaration applies to Lincoln and Sanders counties and the Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize and provide equipment and resources needed to alleviate emergency impacts. Emergency protective measures, limited to direct federal assistance, will be funded at 75% federal cost share under the public assistance program. Edwin J. Martin was named federal coordinating officer for response operations. Additional designations may be made if requested by the state following further damage assessments, according to the release.
Jury rules for NDN Collective in civil rights case against Grand Gateway owner
A federal jury ruled in favor of NDN Collective and individual plaintiffs in a civil rights lawsuit against the Retsel Corporation, owner of the Grand Gateway Hotel, according to a press release issued by NDN Collective on Friday. The jury awarded NDN Collective $1 in damages for unlawful and discriminatory actions, an amount the organization requested.
“This case was never about money for NDN Collective,” Valeriah Big Eagle, director of He Sapa Initiatives at NDN Collective, said in the statement. She said the verdict reflects longstanding concerns about discrimination faced by Native people in Rapid City, South Dakota. Nick Tilsen, founder and CEO of NDN Collective, said the case was brought on behalf of ancestors, future generations and community members impacted by racism. The lawsuit was filed in March 2022 against Retsel Corporation, according to the release.
Oceti Sakowin Treaty Council calls for repeal of 1872 Mining Act, protection of He Sápa
The Oceti Sakowin Treaty Council adopted a resolution calling for repeal of the General Mining Act of 1872 and permanent protection of He Sápa, also known as the Black Hills, during the Oceti Sakowin Treaty Conference on Dec. 17 in Rapid City, South Dakota.
“He Sápa is not for sale. It is not a resource colony,” Phil Two Eagle, CEO of Peta Omniciye Inc., said in the statement. According to the resolution, the Mining Act was enacted without the consent of Indigenous Nations and has enabled mineral extraction on Oceti Sakowin treaty lands in violation of the Fort Laramie Treaties of 1851 and 1868. The council stated that mining under the law has damaged sacred sites, water systems and ecosystems within He Sápa. Two Eagle said that He Sápa is a sacred place guaranteed by treaty and that laws imposed without consent lack legitimacy on treaty lands.
The resolution calls for full repeal of the Mining Act, an end to mining permits and claims within Oceti Sakowin treaty territory, and a new legal framework based on treaty compliance, Indigenous consent and environmental protection.
Oklahoma AG says governor directive on tribal hunting rights violates federal law
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said in a Dec. 18 legal opinion that a recent directive by Gov. Kevin Stitt instructing law enforcement to arrest and charge Native Americans for exercising hunting and fishing rights is unlawful, according to KSWO. Drummond said federal law prohibits the state from prosecuting tribal members who hunt and fish on their own reservations.
In the legal opinion, Drummond cited federal law and a U.S. Supreme Court decision holding that state wildlife laws cannot be enforced where tribes have established comprehensive wildlife management programs. He called the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation’s enforcement policy unlawful, wasteful and harmful to the state’s relationship with tribal nations. The opinion states that tribal citizens should not be deprived of long-held rights while litigation proceeds. The legal opinion is binding unless overturned by a court, according to the attorney general’s office.
Senate panel advances bill expanding tribal lease authority
According to Tribal Business News, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on Wednesday approved legislation that would give all federally recognized tribes authority to issue 99-year leases on trust lands. The Unlocking Native Lands and Opportunities for Commerce and Key Economic Developments Act of 2025 would amend the Long-Term Leasing Act of 1955.
According to Tribal Business News, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who co-sponsored the measure with Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, said the bill would let tribes self-regulate leasing and better secure financing for infrastructure and economic development projects. The panel also received testimony on four tribal-specific bills addressing lease authority, jurisdictional barriers and land transfers affecting the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, the Shivwits Band of Paiutes, the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe.
Army Corps recommends Dakota Access Pipeline continue operating with added conditions
According to the North Dakota Monitor, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Friday released a long-awaited environmental impact statement for the Dakota Access Pipeline, recommending the pipeline continue operating with additional conditions at its Missouri River crossing in North Dakota. The Corps identified granting the easement under Lake Oahe with added safeguards as its preferred alternative.
According to the study, the conditions would include enhanced leak detection, groundwater monitoring, surface water sampling and a requirement for an alternate water supply if an oil spill affects Lake Oahe. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe said in a Friday statement that the environmental impact statement “does not remedy” its concerns related to pipeline safety or tribal sovereignty. The recommendation is not final until a 30-day waiting period required under the National Environmental Policy Act ends Jan. 20, after which the Corps may issue a record of decision.
Senate unanimously passes bill updating Native tourism law
The U.S. Senate unanimously passed bipartisan legislation on Dec. 16 to update the Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience Act, according to a press release from the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. The bill was authored by Sen. Brian Schatz, vice chairman of the committee, and updates the original NATIVE Act signed into law in 2016. The changes are intended to strengthen the program and make it easier for Native communities to access federal tourism resources.
According to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, the NATIVE Act requires federal agencies with tourism assets to include tribes and Native organizations in national tourism efforts and strategic planning. The law also provides American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian communities with access to technical assistance and resources to develop cultural and recreational tourism infrastructure, support economic development and create jobs. Schatz said the updates are aimed at helping Native communities share their own stories and expand economic opportunities.
Ute Tribe alleges state interference in bid to buy Tabby Mountain land
The Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation alleges a top Utah lawmaker interfered with its effort to buy back ancestral land in eastern Utah, according to Utah News Dispatch. The tribe sued the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration and multiple state officials, saying its nearly $47 million bid for the 28,500-acre Tabby Mountain property was the highest legitimate offer and was rejected due to racial discrimination. The agency ultimately decided in 2019 not to sell the land.
An amended lawsuit filed in November names Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz and alleges he worked with other officials to block the sale and retaliate against the tribe through new legislation. Schultz declined to comment on the lawsuit but said in a joint statement that claims presented are inaccurate, according to Utah News Dispatch. The suit seeks a court order compelling the sale and punitive damages.
Blackfeet sisters develop horse-based mental health program after brother’s death
Two Blackfeet sisters are creating a horse-based mental health program on the Blackfeet Reservation after their brother, Wyatt Mad Plume, died by suicide at age 29, according to Montana Free Press. Lynn Mad Plume, who holds a doctorate in Indigenous health, and her sister Erika Mad Plume, a clinical social worker and addiction counselor candidate, are blending equine-assisted activities with clinical counseling to offer a free alternative to talk therapy through their nonprofit, Two Powers Land Collective.
According to Montana Free Press, the sisters say the program is designed to reach community members, particularly men and youth, who may resist traditional therapy. The effort comes amid persistently high suicide rates in tribal communities in Montana. The program has served dozens of children and adults since April and recently received grant funding to continue operations. The sisters said their goal is to support emotional regulation, cultural connection and long-term mental health in their community.