The Daily Spark

A Colorado-based youth horsemanship group will end its portrayals of Native American culture, including a reenactment of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, according to The Denver Post, which quoted a letter by the Westernaires Board of Directors saying it will halt “all programs that teach and portray Native American dancing, riding or history in all our performances.” The letter cited  concerns about how Indigenous communities have been represented.

The decision follows years of criticism and renewed concerns raised by Native participants and community members. The group had previously ended its Native dance program in February amid outside pressure. Board members said they will evaluate programming with cultural awareness and listen to community feedback. Critics have said past performances included Native-inspired regalia and reenactments that perpetuated stereotypes.

Native Americans from multiple tribes gathered at the Illinois Capitol for the fourth annual Native American Summit, where participants met with lawmakers and raised awareness about issues affecting Native communities, according to Capitol News Illinois. Organizers said the event focused on building relationships with elected officials and ensuring Native concerns are represented in policy discussions. Participants were also recognized on the Senate floor.

According to Capitol News Illinois, priority issues discussed included education, housing, health care and the creation of a Native American Caucus in the state legislature. Attendees said the event also emphasized cultural connection, with traditional drumming, singing and dancing held on the Capitol steps. Speakers said the gathering provides an opportunity to share Native culture while engaging directly with policymakers.

Ten years after protests began near the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe reservation, the Dakota Access Pipeline continues operating and transporting between 500,000 and 750,000 gallons of crude oil per day, with plans to exceed 1 million gallons, according to reporting by ICT. Tribal leaders said the resistance that drew thousands to camps near Cannon Ball, North Dakota, in 2016 has shifted to ongoing legal challenges and advocacy efforts.

Officials with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe said they continue to seek information about pipeline conditions and potential leaks, while raising concerns about environmental risks to their water supply. The tribe formally rejected a federal environmental impact statement in January, according to ICT. Leaders said limited resources and a lack of communication from federal agencies and pipeline operators have complicated their efforts to monitor and challenge the project.

On April 16 a man charged in the disappearance of Navajo grandmother Ella Mae Begay pleaded guilty to robbery as part of a second agreement with prosecutors, according to The Associated Press. Preston Henry Tolth, 26, could face up to five years in federal prison, with credit for three years already served, under the proposed agreement. During a hearing in Phoenix, U.S. District Judge Douglas Rayes asked Tolth if he was guilty. Tolth was quoted as responding, “Yes, your honor.”

According to The Associated Press, the agreement includes protections from future murder or manslaughter charges related to Begay’s 2021 disappearance. Prosecutors said Tolth admitted to using force to take Begay’s pickup truck and leaving her on the side of the road. Family members said they oppose the agreement and plan to ask the judge to reject it at a hearing scheduled in May.

An alternative high school in Portland, Oregon,  is focusing on Native culture and community to support student success, according to KOIN. Many Nations Academy, operated by the Native American Youth and Family Center, serves Native and other BIPOC students with a focus on cultural teachings, hands-on learning and academic preparation. Educators said the approach reflects broader gains in Oregon graduation rates, including among Native American students.

Principal Jay Hosteen said the school works to ensure students feel a sense of belonging while preparing them for life after graduation. Through partnerships, students access technology, project-based learning and support services. Students also participate in cultural activities and community-based classes, including one where they help decide how to distribute grant funding. School leaders said cultural identity and connection are key parts of student growth and achievement.

North Dakota Health and Human Services announced that Vincent Roehr and Douglas A. McMillan have joined the agency to support the Rural Health Transformation Program, according to an agency statement. Roehr will serve as tribal liaison, working to ensure tribal perspectives and sovereignty are integrated into the program and helping tribal nations access funding opportunities. He is an enrolled citizen of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation and has worked in nonprofit leadership, higher education and state government roles.

McMillan will serve as a rural health care adviser, focusing on improving operations, workforce recruitment and technology use in rural facilities, according to North Dakota Health and Human Services. He has more than 40 years of experience in health care administration, including serving as chief executive officer of Cody, Wyoming Regional Health. The program is a five-year initiative aimed at strengthening rural health care across the state.

A class action lawsuit filed in the United States Court of Federal Claims alleges the federal government failed to protect oil and gas payments owed to more than 10,000 Native American restricted-fee landowners in Oklahoma, according to Native Oklahoma. The case involves citizens of the Choctaw, Chickasaw, Muscogee (Creek), Seminole and Cherokee Nations with allotments governed by the Stigler Act. The lawsuit states more than 3,000 landowners received no payments from production on their land.

The complaint also alleges more than 7,000 landowners who do receive payments lack federal protections such as recordkeeping and systems to track or earn interest on funds, according to Native Oklahoma. Stephen Hampton, an enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation, was quoted as saying, “We’ve seen oil and gas companies take what’s ours while the government stands by and does nothing.” Attorney Jeffrey Nelson of mctlaw said the case seeks accountability and proper payments under federal law.

A Nevada judge sentenced “Dances With Wolves” actor Nathan Chasing Horse to life in prison Monday after a jury convicted him of 13 charges, mostly related to sexual assault, according to The Associated Press. Prosecutors said Chasing Horse used his reputation as a Lakota medicine man to prey on Indigenous women and girls over many years. He was accused by three women, including one who was 14 when the assaults began. He was acquitted on some charges. 

During sentencing, victims and their families told the court they continue to suffer trauma and struggle with their faith after the abuse. Chasing Horse denied the allegations and was quoted as telling judge, “This is a miscarriage of justice.” Additional charges are pending in Canada, where prosecutors said they will assess next steps after U.S. appeals are exhausted.

The North Dakota Department of Transportation will bring its free non-driver photo ID program to four tribal nations in May, according to KFYR. Agency staff will take photos and verify documents on-site, then process applications overnight and mail IDs within five days. The IDs can be used for voting.

Events are scheduled for Spirit Lake Nation on May 4 at The Blue Building, 816 3rd Ave. N., Fort Totten; May 5 for Standing Rock Sioux Tribe at the Sioux County Courthouse, 303 2nd Ave., Fort Yates; May 18 for the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation at Northern Lights Wellness Center, 710 East Ave., New Town; and May 19 for the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians at Sky Dancer Casino, 3965 Sky Dancer Way NE, Belcourt. All events run  from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Applicants must provide a certified birth certificate, Social Security card and proof of a North Dakota residential address, along with any court-issued name change documents.

A statewide council focused on Native American education in Oklahoma could be discontinued after Gov. Kevin Stitt vetoed legislation to extend its existence, according to reporting by Oklahoma Voice. House Bill 3006 would have continued the Oklahoma Advisory Council on Indian Education for five years, but the veto leaves the council set to expire July 1 unless lawmakers act. 

The 18-member council, established in 2010, provides recommendations to the Oklahoma State Department of Education on issues affecting Native students and tribal history instruction. Stitt said the council is redundant and dormant,, while tribal and education leaders said it provides a key forum for collaboration. Lawmakers previously overrode a similar veto in 2023 and could consider doing so again.

Indigenous leaders and researchers are working to revitalize cultural fire practices across the Pacific Northwest, drawing on traditional knowledge and new research, according to reporting by OPB. Joe Scott, an elder from the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, demonstrated traditional fire-carrying techniques during a cultural burn in Southern Oregon, reflecting practices used by ancestors to steward the land. 

Researchers, including Glenn Jones of Oregon State University, are studying fire history in the region and found evidence that forests burned more frequently in the past than previously believed. Indigenous leaders and experts said cultural burning has long been used for ceremony and land management, but the practice declined following colonization and fire suppression policies. Organizers of recent cultural fire exchanges said the effort aims to reconnect communities and restore traditional practices.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has terminated a federal program aimed at helping new and minority farmers, including Native producers, gain access to land and funding, according to reporting by South Dakota News Watch. The Increasing Land, Capital and Market Access program, launched in 2022, was set to distribute $300 million to 49 local nonprofits and agricultural groups nationwide. 

Boyd Gourneau, chairman of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, said the program could have supported tribal efforts to expand farming opportunities and local food production. Advocates said the program addressed barriers to land access and financing, while USDA officials cited concerns about spending and alignment with agency priorities in ending it. Democratic lawmakers and agricultural groups have raised concerns about the impact on beginning and underserved farmers.

Opponents voiced concerns over Enbridge’s permit applications tied to its Line 5 pipeline reroute during a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources public hearing, according to reporting by the Wisconsin Examiner. The permits, which address streambank erosion control along a 41-mile reroute, are among the final approvals needed for the project around the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians Reservation. 

Speakers at the hearing raised environmental and legal concerns, including potential impacts to waterways and questions about permit eligibility. Members of the Bad River Band and others argued the reroute could threaten the watershed and treaty rights, while Enbridge representatives said the proposed work is intended to stabilize streambanks and prevent erosion. Additional public comments on the permits will be accepted through May 2.

The Miss Indian World title concluded after 41 years at the Gathering of Nations powwow, where the final titleholder, Dania Wahwasuck, made her last appearance, according to reporting by ICT. Wahwasuck, who is Prairie Band Potawatomi and Pyramid Lake Paiute, addressed the crowd before handing off her crown and sash on stage. Nine former Miss Indian World titleholders joined her as attendees watched the closing moment.

Wahwasuck thanked supporters, including Melonie Matthews, and her mother during her remarks. Organizers also recognized a team of five women who coordinate the program. Some attendees expressed interest in continuing a similar program outside of the Gathering of Nations, while Wahwasuck said in a video message that advocacy does not require a title.

Alannah Acaq Hurley, a Yup’ik leader and executive director of United Tribes of Bristol Bay, has been named a 2026 recipient of the Goldman Environmental Prize, according to reporting by Tribal Business News. Hurley was recognized for leading a tribally driven effort that contributed to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2023 veto of the proposed Pebble Mine in southwest Alaska. Acting on behalf of 15 tribal nations, she helped organize a coalition of tribes, commercial fishermen and national partners to block the massive open-pit mining project.

The decision protects the Bristol Bay watershed, a roughly 25 million-acre ecosystem that supports sockeye salmon runs and a regional economy tied to commercial fishing and subsistence lifeways. The prize, established in 1989, is awarded annually to grassroots environmental leaders from six global regions. The 2026 cohort, which is the first composed entirely of women, was honored on April 20 in San Francisco during Earth Week.

Native students and educators are reviving the traditional game of stickball at Harvard University, using it as a way to build community and reconnect with culture, according to a report by WBUR. James Walkingstick, a Cherokee Nation citizen and academic engagement coordinator at Harvard’s Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, helped organize games on campus after seeing historic stickball artifacts on display. 

Participants gather in Harvard Yard to play and share knowledge about the game, which has long held cultural and diplomatic significance in many Native communities. Terry Scott Ketchum, director of Native American Studies at East Central University, said the sport has historically been used to resolve disputes and strengthen relationships. Players and educators said the effort reflects a broader revitalization of the game. For Ketchum, playing the game openly on a university campus acts as a “liberating space” and the “first step of healing.”

Community members and advocates from Native communities across the country gathered in Carlton, Minnesota on April 23 for a three-day conference focused on ending sexual violence, according to reporting by MPR News. The annual “Restoring the Sacred Trails of Our Grandmothers Conference” is hosted by the Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition and marked its 19th year. 

Nicole Matthews, CEO of the coalition, said the event comes at a time of "turmoil" and reduced resources for advocates. She noted that recent Department of Justice funding cuts have left some programs with "half the staff that they had a year ago," even as they see "an increase in needs from the community."

The conference included discussions on how leadership is "caring for the people who are caring for the people," as well as an annual Honoring Survivors Powwow to connect with the community, dance and honor the victims.

U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff introduced legislation to ratify a water rights settlement between the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, the United States, the Coachella Valley Water District and the Desert Water Agency, according to a joint statement. Companion legislation was introduced in the House by Reps. Ken Calvert and Raul Ruiz, according to the statement. The agreement, finalized in May 2025, resolves longstanding water rights issues and supports water management in the Coachella Valley.

The legislation would ratify the tribe’s federally reserved water right of up to 20,000 acre-feet per year of groundwater from the Indio Subbasin, along with surface water rights in Tahquitz Creek, Andreas Creek and Whitewater Ranch, according to the statement. It would also establish a $500 million settlement trust fund to support water infrastructure, groundwater augmentation, water management and related costs, and place 2,742 acres of Bureau of Land Management land into trust for the Tribe.

A federal judge in Phoenix has rejected a plea agreement that would have allowed a man accused in the 2021 disappearance of Ella Mae Begay to avoid additional prison time, according to reporting by the Associated Press. Preston Henry Tolth, 26, will face trial on charges of carjacking and assault. A trial date has not been set.

Under the agreement, Tolth would have been released after serving three years in exchange for pleading guilty to a single robbery count. Begay, 62, disappeared from Sweetwater, Arizona, on the Navajo Nation. Family members opposed the deal during court testimony, urging accountability and answers. A prosecutor said the case was weakened after a judge ruled Tolth’s confession inadmissible, according to the Associated Press. Tolth has not publicly commented.