The Daily Spark

Universities and museums across the United States continue to hold Native American burial artifacts, sacred objects and human remains acquired without consent, according to an article in The Conversation by Kerri J. Malloy (Yurok/Karuk), assistant professor of Native American and Indigenous Studies, San José State University. 

The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 requires federally funded institutions to identify items, consult with tribes and return them to descendants and Native communities, according to Malloy. 

The University of California has repatriated thousands of remains and cultural items but still holds many more, according to a 2025 state audit cited in the article. The audit found gaps in oversight, incomplete tracking and delays that could extend repatriation timelines by more than a decade. Tribal leaders and auditors have raised concerns about the pace of returns, while institutions said they are updating plans and policies to meet legal requirements.

A new podcast, “Tending Our Roots,” launches May 1 with weekly episodes centered on Indigenous knowledge and well-being, according to program materials. Hosted by Dr. Miigis Gonzalez of the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe and Dr. Jill Fish, a lineal descendant of the Tuscarora Nation, the conversation-based series features guests including artists, scholars, knowledge holders and community leaders. New episodes are scheduled for release every Friday on podcast platforms.

The podcast highlights topics such as language revitalization, ceremony, land and creative expression, with conversations grounded in relationships to community, land and culture, according to program materials.

Roughly a dozen Indigenous treaty defenders gathered near Pe’ Sla, a sacred site in the Black Hills, early Thursday to oppose exploratory graphite drilling, according to ICT. Participants held ceremonial activities near two drill pads, while some Lakota youth taped their arms to drilling equipment. Organizers also constructed a prayer altar at the site and said law enforcement had been notified and was en route as of Thursday morning.

Treaty defenders say drilling within the two-mile buffer zone around Pe’ Sla could threaten the Rapid Creek Watershed and disrupt ceremonies. The U.S. Forest Service granted Pete Lien & Sons a permit for exploratory drilling Feb. 27, exempting the project from review under the National Environmental Policy Act. ICT reports that NDN Collective and partner organizations filed a lawsuit April 2 challenging the permit, citing potential impacts to culturally significant lands.

A Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People event is scheduled for May 5 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Sidney J. Lee Auditorium in Schafer Hall at Bismarck State College, according to event materials.

The agenda includes a meet and greet with a continental breakfast, a welcome by Mona “Susan” Power, a screening of the “Mni Giizhik” film, lunch and action breakouts, according to the schedule. Organizers said the event will include breakout sessions focused on solutions led by community, tribal, state and federal voices.

Fort Lewis College has installed its first Indigenous president as it continues a multiyear reconciliation process tied to its history as a federal Indian boarding school, according to Inside Higher Ed. Heather J. Shotton, who previously served as vice president of diversity affairs, was formally installed April 9. College officials said the institution has worked with tribal leaders to examine past harms, publishing research on abuses and holding listening sessions.

The college has expanded support for Native American students, who make up more than a quarter of enrollment, and integrated reconciliation into its strategic plan. Efforts include launching programs focused on Indigenous policy, language and culture, as well as creating spaces for reflection and engagement. Shotton said the work centers on responsibility, healing and continued collaboration with tribal nations.

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.