The Daily Spark
Small sparks from Indian Country, built to catch fire
Great Plains leaders object to ‘consultation’ process regarding Interior Department’s overhaul of federal trust obligations
Tribal leaders from the Great Plains region were invited to meet with representatives from the Department of Interior on June 12 in Bismarck, North Dakota at the Radisson hotel. While the meeting was billed as a consultation, Buffalo’s Fire talked to several tribal leaders who attended the convening. Leaders in attendance all expressed dismay because the gathering was in violation of consultation protocols.
The Interior Department called it a consultation and sought a response on how it is implementing administrative services and budget cuts for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Indian Education and Bureau of Trust Funds Administration under Executive Order 14210 and Secretary’s Order 3429. Interior began consolidating human resources, finance and IT across its other bureaus in April and is now gathering tribal input on how the reorganization should work in Indian Country. Interior Department representatives, none with any decision making power, said the consultation series will refine implementation details, but the consolidation itself is moving ahead.
Tribal leaders objected to the restructuring plans and said they had no say in the changes. They all agreed that it was too late for the DOI to call it a consultation. A number of tribal leaders sought support from each other to join in a lawsuit against the department.
Feedback from this and other sessions, listed on the Indian Affairs website, will also guide Interior’s 2026-30 strategic plan that is expected to go into effect in October 2025.
Tribes were asked how to speed funding, strengthen self-governance compacts, cut paperwork and respond to proposed fast-track energy permitting rules issued under a national emergency declaration.
No Kings demonstration planned in Bismarck for June 14
A No Kings protest against President Donald Trump and his policies is scheduled for June 14 in Bismarck, North Dakota, as part of a nationwide day of demonstrations. According to the "No Kings" website, the event will take place from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. on the grounds of the North Dakota Capitol at N. 6th Street and E. Boulevard Avenue.
The protests are organized by the 50501 Movement and other groups to oppose a military parade planned in Washington, D.C., on the same day.
BYU law professor advances Native rights with new edition of Cohen’s handbook
Michalyn Steele, a professor of law at Brigham Young University and member of the Seneca Nation of Indians, served as executive editor of the 2024 edition of “Cohen’s Handbook of Federal Indian Law,” according to the university’s website. The handbook, widely regarded as the “bible” on Native American law for courts and practitioners, underwent its most extensive revision to date, incorporating recent Supreme Court decisions including Haaland v. Brackeen, which upheld the Indian Child Welfare Act.
Steele’s scholarship on cultural sovereignty has appeared in the Harvard Law Review, and she was the Oneida Indian Nation Visiting Professor of Law at Harvard Law School during its 2025 winter term.
Lawmakers propose expansion of tribal food program
U.S. Reps. Sharice Davids (D-Kan.) and Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) introduced bipartisan legislation June 12 to make permanent a pilot program that allows tribes to source local foods for federal food-assistance packages, according to a press release from Davids’s office. The Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations Act of 2025 would replace the temporary $11.4 million pilot, which since 2018 has allowed 16 tribes to select their own suppliers for packages serving nearly 650,000 tribal members.
Participating tribes such as the Choctaw Nation and Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians have built regional food systems through the pilot. Native Farm Bill Coalition co-chairs Cole Miller and Kari Jo Lawrence were quoted as saying the legislation represents a key step toward food sovereignty, stating tribes “have shown time and time again that tribally administered programs are more efficient and effective.”
Oklahoma tribes drive $23.4 billion to state, study shows
First American tribal nations in Oklahoma contributed $23.4 billion to the state’s economy in 2023, according to Business Wire. The report, commissioned by United for Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association, was released Wednesday.
The study found that tribes directly employed more than 55,600 Oklahomans and supported a total of 139,860 jobs, generating $7.8 billion in wages and benefits. They spent $582 million on health services and provided $351 million for education, including $208 million in gaming exclusivity fees. Kyle Dean, professor of economics and director of the Center for Native American and Urban Studies at Oklahoma City University, analyzed data from 19 tribal nations. “Tribal nations serve as a significant economic force, consistently contributing to the state’s economy with increasingly transformative impact,” Dean was quoted as saying.
Manitoba First Nations evacuate as wildfires burn millions of acres
First Nations in Manitoba are urging for improved firefighting equipment and infrastructure as wildfires force mass evacuations, according to a report by ICT. Nearly five million acres have burned or are burning across Canada, with more than 20,000 people displaced in Manitoba alone, most of them from First Nations communities.
At a June 2 press conference, Chief Goldie Bear of Mathias Colomb Cree Nation, said his community lacks basic firefighting tools, stating, “We have nothing but hoses for our garden, rakes for the lawn. Nothing to fight fire, nothing.” Grand Chief Kyra Wilson of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs also called attention to inadequate airstrips that prevented large evacuation aircraft from landing. Evacuations and air quality alerts continue as 25 active fires burn across the province.
Old Fort Niagara plans Native American Education Center to honor Indigenous history
Old Fort Niagara has launched a campaign to build a Native American education center as part of its commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, according to an announcement on the fort’s website. The hewn-log structure will reflect 18th-century Native dwellings built near the fort during the Revolutionary War and will serve as a space for storytelling, teaching and cultural workshops.
The center is expected to deepen understanding of Native history and culture, military alliances and survival during wartime. A co-chair of the fundraising campaign, Chief Brennen Ferguson, Tuscarora, Turtle Clan, was quoted as saying that the project “will support the efforts of Native staff at the Fort and help share a fuller story — one that honors the presence, contributions and strength of Indigenous Peoples.” The fort has raised $200,000 toward its goal. The fundraisers seek an additional $50,000 by early September. The center is scheduled to open in spring 2026.
Cherokee Nation plans $255 million outpatient health center in Claremore
The Cherokee Nation announced a $255 million plan to build a new health care facility in Claremore, replacing the 47-year-old Claremore Indian Hospital, according to Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. and Deputy Chief Bryan Warner in a statement to KTUL. The proposed Cherokee Nation Claremore Outpatient and Emergency Health Center will eliminate inpatient services and focus on outpatient and emergency care, with plans to develop partnerships for inpatient services, according to Cherokee Nation Health System CEO Dr. R. Stephen Jones.
Deputy Chief Warner said in the KTUL report that eight months of negotiations with the Indian Health Service and facility assessments showed that upgrading the existing hospital would exceed $100 million and still fall short of tribal standards. The proposed legislation, the Cherokee Nation Claremore Outpatient and Emergency Health Center Act of 2025, will go before the tribe’s Rules Committee on June 26 for consideration. Completion of the new center is expected by 2027, according to KTUL.
Tree planting honors UND’s Arbor Day commitment
The University of North Dakota will celebrate Arbor Day with a tree planting ceremony on June 18 at 11 a.m. The event will take place on the north side of the Chester Fritz Library, between the library and the Nistler College of Business & Public Administration.
UND President Andy Armacost, Vice President of Finance and Operations Karla Mongeon-Stewart and Associate Vice President of Facilities Matthew Kibbon will give brief remarks before planting a mix of deciduous and coniferous trees. The annual event recognizes UND’s ongoing effort to maintain healthy tree coverage on campus, according to a university press release. UND has been named a Tree Campus Higher Education Institution by the Arbor Day Foundation.
MHA Nation member Ella Weber graduates from Princeton University
Ella Weber, a member of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, recently graduated from Princeton University, according to a report by KMOT. To her knowledge, she is the first member of the Three Affiliated Tribes to graduate from the Ivy League institution in New Jersey.
Weber, who grew up in Crookston, Minnesota, said she initially planned to study astrophysics but shifted her focus to health and housing policy. She received a full-ride scholarship and will work at The Wilderness Society, a conservation organization, for the next two years.
DOJ opinion: Trump can abolish national monuments
President Donald Trump has the authority to abolish national monuments created by his predecessors, according to a May 27 legal opinion by Lanora Pettit, deputy assistant attorney general of the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel. The document, released Tuesday, reverses a 1938 opinion that had long limited presidential power to revoke designations under the Antiquities Act of 1906, according to Reuters.
A new opinion was requested by the White House as Trump considers revoking former President Joe Biden’s January national monument designations of Chuckwalla and Sattitla Highlands in California. The two sites protect over 800,000 acres of land significant to Native American tribes. Pettit wrote that the Antiquities Act’s silence on revocation implies a president may determine a monument “no longer [is] deserving of those protections.”
Native faculty at Arizona university call for removal of assistant vice provost over student safety concerns
Six Native American faculty members at the University of Arizona are calling for the removal of the assistant vice provost for the Office of Native American Initiatives, citing concerns about student safety and a harmful campus environment, according to reporting by Arizona Mirror. In a letter to the university’s president, Suresh Garimella, and other administrators, the faculty group alleged that Tessa L. Dysart has caused “severe harm” to the UA Native community since her 2024 appointment.
The faculty said it found Dysart’s actions to be unprofessional and intimidating towards students. They also criticized Dysart’s qualifications and her connection to the termination of Julian Juan, former director of Native American Student Affairs. The letter, signed by nearly 100 faculty, students and alumni, urges the university to remove Dysart, reinstate Juan and restructure Native student support services. UofA has not responded to requests for comment, according to the Arizona Mirror.
South Dakota braces for $2 billion prison expansion amid rising inmate numbers
South Dakota may spend up to $2 billion on prison construction over the next decade due to a rising inmate population, according to reporting by the Associated Press. The demand for more space is partly due to a 2023 law requiring violent offenders to serve full sentences before parole, contributing to a projected 34% increase in inmates.
State lawmakers have set aside $600 million to replace the aging South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls. The expansion is among the most expensive taxpayer-funded projects in the state’s history. Despite national declines in crime, officials have not proposed criminal justice reforms. Native Americans, who represent 10% of the state’s population, make up 35% of incarcerated individuals, according to Prison Policy Initiative.
“We might be good for a few years ... but in a couple years it’ll be full again,” Sioux Falls attorney Ryan Kolbeck was quoted as saying.
NOAA cuts hinder Alaska fisheries management, officials say
Officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries told the North Pacific Fishery Management Council that Trump administration job cuts are undermining the scientific work needed to manage Alaska’s seafood harvests, the Alaska Beacon has reported. Since January, NOAA’s Alaska regional office has lost 28 employees — roughly a quarter of its workforce — and the Alaska Fisheries Science Center has lost 51, affecting up to 30% of its operations, according to directors Jon Kurland and Robert Foy.
Services now compromised include catch-tracking IT systems and fish age analysis, which Foy said is down 40%. Research at Little Port Walter Research Station has been canceled. The cuts are linked to the Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, which has targeted NOAA operations in accordance with Project 2025. Council members expressed concern that reduced data may increase the risk of overharvesting.
Body of missing Turtle Mountain woman identified
The body of Kristin Bruce, a woman reported missing in the Turtle Mountains, was found and identified on June 6, according to an FBI Minneapolis spokesperson. Bruce was last seen on May 27, riding her bike at 10 p.m. on BIA Road 10 in Belcourt. Her bike was discovered in a ditch the following day, according to Minot Daily News.
An investigation is ongoing, but authorities do not believe there is a “threat to public safety” at this time, the FBI spokesperson said. No further details have been released.
New rules proposed to curb illegal dumping at Santo Domingo Pueblo
A draft ordinance with escalating penalties is being revised following community input
The Santo Domingo Pueblo has developed a Draft Solid Waste Ordinance to address illegal dumping, which has become a significant issue in the community. The ordinance was presented to Tribal Council in October 2024 and opened for community comment in March 2025. Revisions are now underway before final approval. The draft defines illegal dumping as disposing of waste in unauthorized areas including roadsides, vacant lots or waterways.
Proposed consequences include a written warning for the first offense, followed by increasing fines, mandatory cleanup within seven days and community service for repeat violations.
Tribal legal experts warn of precedent risks, budget cuts, and voting rights challenges
NARF and NCAI leaders urge collaboration, not just litigation, in defending tribal rights amid growing legal and political pressure
At Tuesday’s joint panel of the Native American Rights Fund and the National Congress of American Indians, held during the NCAI Mid Year Conference, legal and policy leaders outlined urgent threats facing Indian Country in the courts and in federal policy.
“We’re all bound by precedent — even if it starts with a single tribe,” said NCAI’s Geoffrey Blackwell, underscoring how litigation losses affect all Native nations. He called the Tribal Supreme Court Project a model for coordination, aimed at avoiding destructive court outcomes.
Matt Campbell of NARF warned of recent Supreme Court decisions that undercut protections for sacred sites and environmental review. “The courts aren’t always our friend,” he said,
Speakers warned that litigation remains a necessary but imperfect tool for defending tribal sovereignty — especially as federal courts issue rulings that may undermine long-standing protections.
Campbell cited two recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions: Apache Stronghold v. United States, in which the Court declined to hear a case challenging the transfer of sacred land at Oak Flat, and Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, which narrowed the scope of required environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act. Both decisions, panelists said, represent broader threats to tribal rights and environmental protections.
“Litigation is part of the toolbox,” Blackwell concluded, “but strategy starts with listening to tribal leadership — and making sure your voices shape the response.”
Overhaul of Endangered Species Act could reduce tribal consultation
A newly proposed bill in the U.S. House of Representatives would lessen tribal consultation requirements under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, according to reporting by ICT. The Endangered Species Amendment Act of 2025 would overhaul the current ESA, removing consultation requirements with federal agencies, a process through which tribal nations have exercised their voice regarding proposed activities’ impact on endangered species.
U.S. Representative Debbie Dingell criticized the bill, stating it "would strip ESA protections, making it harder to protect wildlife." While the original ESA did not explicitly include tribal consultation, Monte Mills, director of the Native American Law Center at the University of Washington, noted that various policies, including one dating back to the 1990s, incorporated it into the endangered species process.
Federal cuts impact Montana AmeriCorps
Federal funding cuts to AmeriCorps in April have impacted numerous Montana nonprofits, leading to concerns about reduced services across the state, according to reporting by Montana Free Press. The Trump administration ended nearly $400 million in AmeriCorps grants nationally, affecting thousands of members.
Montana was not among the 24 states that successfully sued to have the funding restored. As a result, Montana lost $1.2 million in grant funding and 86 AmeriCorps member positions. Such nonprofits as the Missoula Food Bank and Community Center anticipate fewer volunteers for vital programs, and Family Promise in Great Falls lost AmeriCorps support for a full-time position. The Rocky Mountain Development Council's senior volunteer programs, including the Foster Grandparent Program, are also in limbo, facing potential service interruptions if their grants are cut.
New Mexico lawmakers monitor federal public lands
New Mexico state lawmakers are closely monitoring federal actions concerning public lands, even after a provision authorizing the sale of thousands of acres was removed from a recent Republican tax and spend bill in the U.S. House of Representatives, according to reporting by Source New Mexico. On Monday, members of the interim legislative Indian Affairs Committee expressed concerns that potential federal land sales could threaten tribal sovereignty and economic development in New Mexico, home to 23 Indigenous nations.
Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballero, an Albuquerque Democrat and enrolled member of the Piro Manso Tiwa Tribe, said she anticipates that federal land sales may lead to "land grabs" impacting tribal sovereignty. Rep. Charlotte Little requested a report on the impact of proposed federal actions on Chaco Canyon and Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks national monuments and their potential effect on surrounding economic development.