The Daily Spark

A newly proposed Indigenous School of Medicine aims to drastically increase the number of Native American physicians nationwide, who currently make up just .3% of practicing doctors.

According to reporting by South Dakota Searchlight, the initiative recently received a $1 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to conduct a feasibility study. Led by physician Donald Warne, the school hopes to begin enrolling students by 2030.

The program's curriculum will uniquely prioritize holistic well-being and cultural competency over traditional, rigid teaching methods. Organizers hope this culturally supportive environment will inspire Native students and ultimately improve healthcare outcomes for Indigenous communities.

Distinct genetic mutations may help breast cancer tumors hide from the immune defenses of Native American women’s bodies, researchers found in a new University of Notre Dame study.

According to reporting by Medical Xpress, the research is the first detailed molecular analysis of breast cancer in this population. While Native American women have lower breast cancer incidence rates than white women, their mortality rates remain disproportionately high.

Researchers compared 17 tumor samples from Native American women with nearly 700 from white women, discovering significant differences in immune-related genes. The findings indicate to researchers that more research is needed. Jun Li, one of the study’s authors, was quoted as saying that the study is meant "to generate hypotheses, not change treatment guidelines."

According to reporting by KX News, the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation has joined the Together for School Meals initiative, which supports providing free breakfast and lunch to students in North Dakota.

Supporters of the measure say free school meals would improve children's health, assist families facing financial challenges and help students focus on learning. According to the KX News reporting, more than 70 organizations have signed on in support of the initiative. MHA Nation Chairman Mark Fox said access to healthy school meals helps students succeed in the classroom and supports the well-being of youth and families. The group submitted more than 57,000 signatures to the North Dakota Secretary of State's Office, and more than 49,000 were accepted, according to a spokesperson for Together for School Meals. The measure will appear on the Nov. 3 North Dakota general election ballot.

A new exhibit co-created by Ohlone youth and UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science opened this month after researchers successfully challenged federal grant cuts in court, Berkeleyside reports. The mixed-reality exhibit, “Yuutka” — meaning “The Place of the Acorn” — features virtual acorn gathering, Ohlone ecological knowledge and interactive displays designed with Indigenous youth from the East Bay Ohlone community. The project was originally supported by a $1.4 million National Science Foundation grant that was terminated in 2025 as part of broader federal cuts to grants connected to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Researchers and Ohlone youth continued developing the exhibit despite the loss of funding, eventually joining a class-action lawsuit challenging the grant terminations. A federal judge ordered the restoration of multiple canceled grants in June 2025. Vincent Medina, co-leader of UC Berkeley’s ‘ottoy Initiative, said the project aimed to ensure Ohlone knowledge was recognized as scientific knowledge rather than folklore. The exhibit is the first mixed-reality installation in the museum’s history and the first designed in collaboration with Ohlone youth.

Yakama Nation members and nonprofit groups are opposing a proposed clean energy storage project near Pushpum, a sacred site along the Columbia River in Washington, the Oregon Capital Chronicle reports. The 700-acre Goldendale pumped-hydro energy storage project would be built on the contaminated grounds of an abandoned aluminum smelter formerly owned by Lockheed Martin. Supporters say the project could help meet regional energy demand and power up to 500,000 homes, but a state review found it would have “significant and unavoidable adverse impacts” on Yakama historic sites and culturally significant plants.

Yakama leaders and groups, including Columbia Riverkeeper, called on Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson to intervene after state and federal agencies issued key permits. Elaine Harvey, a Yakama Nation member and watershed manager at the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, said the project raises concerns about sacred root grounds, migratory corridors, wildlife and possible energy use by data centers.

Twenty-four organizations, including the South Dakota-based Four Bands Community Fund, joined a lawsuit Tuesday against the U.S. Department of Agriculture seeking reinstatement of agricultural grants canceled earlier this year, Montana Free Press reports. The lawsuit challenges the USDA’s March termination of 49 Increasing Land, Capital and Market Access Program grants that supported underserved farmers and ranchers. Affected Montana projects include a nearly $9 million grant to Piikani Lodge Health Institute on the Blackfeet Reservation, a nearly $6 million award to the Chippewa Cree Tribe, and an $8.5 million grant awarded to Four Bands Community Fund.

The lawsuit alleges the USDA unlawfully canceled the grants using claims tied to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives without reviewing individual projects. The abrupt terminations caused layoffs, stalled projects, and forced operational cuts. The plaintiffs argue the USDA’s reasoning failed to recognize that tribal citizenship is a political classification under federal Indian law, not a racial classification. The lawsuit asks the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to restore the $127 million in grants and block future terminations.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signed legislation Wednesday allowing the return of about 3,400 acres of land within the Fond du Lac Reservation to the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, MPR News reports. The land, located at the Cloquet Forestry Center, has been held by the University of Minnesota for more than a century. The legislation transfers several state-owned parcels to the University of Minnesota Board of Regents and appropriates $1.3 million to release outstanding bonds tied to the property, removing the final legal hurdle for the transfer.

Fond du Lac Band Chair Bruce Savage said community members were “delighted” by the decision, while University of Minnesota President Rebecca Cunningham called the transfer “the right thing to do.” Under agreements still being negotiated, the university will lease back the land and continue operating the Cloquet Forestry Center for an initial 30-year term. The return stems from recommendations included in the University of Minnesota’s 2023 TRUTH Report.

Residents on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation may begin feeling the effects of federal nutrition cuts more sharply by October, when changes tied to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act move through food distribution systems, South Dakota Searchlight reports. Signed by President Donald Trump on July 4, 2025, the law cuts $186 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program through fiscal year 2034, expands work requirements to people up to age 64, and shifts part of future benefit costs to states beginning in fiscal year 2028.

Feeding South Dakota has already absorbed a 1.5 million-pound reduction in U.S. Department of Agriculture food supplies connected to earlier cuts to the Emergency Food Assistance Program and the Local Food Purchase Assistance program. Lawmakers denied a recent request from Feeding South Dakota CEO Lori Dykstra for up to $5 million during the 2026 session. Meanwhile, Oglala Lakota County has a 29% food insecurity rate, according to Feeding America data, prompting tribal and community organizations on Pine Ridge to step up local food programs and food sovereignty efforts.

The Missouri River Festival carnival is scheduled to run May 29 through June 7 in Bismarck, according to promotional materials shared by organizers. The event will include rides, games, food vendors and family activities throughout the week. Hours vary by day, with opening times ranging from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and closing times between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m.

According to event materials, unlimited ride wristbands will cost $32 and are valid for one person for one day. Organizers said attendees who bring one canned food item can receive a $2 discount on a wristband, limited to one discount per wristband. Promotional materials also list “Buddy Night Specials” on Tuesday, June 2, and Thursday, June 4, offering two wristbands for $40. Gate admission is listed as $5 and includes one free ride. Grandparents and children ages 6 and younger will receive free admission.

Indigenous model, actress and land protector Quannah ChasingHorse will receive the Amplifier Award at the inaugural Hollywood Climate Summit Leadership Recognition Ceremony on June 3 in Beverly Hills, according to an article in Native News Online, which says the award recognizes “a cultural leader using their platform and influence to advance climate action and environmental justice for the next generation.” The ceremony will take place at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Samuel Goldwyn Theater during the opening day of the seventh annual Hollywood Climate Summit.

ChasingHorse, a Han Gwich’in and Sicangu/Oglala Lakota land protector from Eagle Village, Alaska, has used her public platform to advocate for Indigenous representation, land protection and environmental issues. According to the article, Hollywood Climate Summit Executive Director Heather Fipps said this year’s honorees represent leaders helping move climate discussions toward action across entertainment and media industries.

Identical twin sisters Kate Beane and Carly Bad Heart Bull, citizens of the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe and Muscogee Creek, reflected on their educational journeys and leadership roles in Minneapolis during an interview with ICT at the Indian Land Tenure Foundation conference in Prior Lake, Minnesota. The sisters dropped out of high school in El Cerrito, California, at age 15 before later earning advanced degrees and returning to work in Native-led organizations and institutions in Minnesota. 

Beane told ICT that reconnecting with the Dakota language and understanding its ties to the land helped both sisters “feel centered” and better understand their place in Minnesota. Beane now serves as executive director of the Minnesota Museum of American Art, while Bad Heart Bull is executive director of Native Ways Federation. The sisters also helped lead the 2018 effort to restore the Dakota name Bde Maka Ska to a Minneapolis lake formerly known as Lake Calhoun.

The Cherokee Nation is using opioid settlement funds to build a residential and intensive outpatient treatment center in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, that will incorporate Cherokee cultural practices into addiction recovery, according to KOSU. The tribe, which was the first tribal nation in the United States to sue opioid manufacturers in 2017, recovered about $150 million through settlements tied to the opioid crisis. Tribal officials said the new 45,000-square-foot facility will include 100 inpatient beds, outpatient services, a stickball court and garden space for traditional foods. 

Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said the tribe wanted to take an active role in opioid litigation after missing earlier tobacco settlement lawsuits. Juli Skinner, senior director of the Cherokee Nation’s behavioral health center, said the facility will be the first addiction treatment center fully operated by the Cherokee Nation. Tribal officials said the center is expected to open next year and will provide services at no cost for tribal citizens.

Leaders from the Red Lake Nation and renewable energy organizations gathered May 15 near Blackduck, Minnesota, to break ground on the Makwa Solar Array, a planned 3-megawatt solar project that tribal officials said will help reduce electric costs for community members, according to MPR News. Red Lake Nation Chair Darrel Seki Sr. said the project was first discussed about 11 years ago and is intended to benefit tribal households. The project is being developed by the Indigenous-led company Solar Bear and funded through grants and support from the Red Lake Nation. 

According to MPR News, the project follows similar renewable energy efforts by the White Earth Nation, including the Pine Point Resilience Hub, a solar and battery project designed to provide backup power for a school and elder gathering center during emergencies. Corrie Grosse, a sociologist and environmental studies professor at the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University, said tribal renewable energy projects reflect broader efforts toward energy sovereignty and self-determination.

A three-day event planned for Sept. 16-18 near Cannonball, North Dakota, will commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Dakota Access Pipeline protests with music, speakers and discussions centered on environmental and Indigenous issues, according to reporting by KFGO. The event, called “People of the Sun,” is organized by Indigenized Energy, a Native American-led nonprofit solar energy company founded after the 2016 protests. Organizers said the gathering will include actors Mark Ruffalo and Shailene Woodley, musician Taboo of the Black Eyed Peas and the band Mumford and Sons.

Indigenized Energy founder Cody Two Bears said the event is intended to celebrate work that grew from the #NoDAPL movement and focus on future energy sovereignty efforts. The conference will include awards recognizing tribal clean energy leadership, workforce development and mentorship. Organizers also plan to showcase ongoing solar energy projects at Standing Rock, including infrastructure tied to buffalo processing and herd management.

The Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho business councils denounced Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray’s calls to examine electoral boundaries on the Wind River Indian Reservation following a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling, according to reporting by WyoFile. Gray argued that certain legislative and county voting districts may be unconstitutional because race was considered when the boundaries were drawn. The tribal councils said the proposal threatens Native voting rights and representation. 

Gray’s concerns focus on House District 33 and Fremont County Commission districts tied to a 2010 federal court ruling that found the county’s at-large election system diluted Native voting strength. The Northern Arapaho Business Council said the Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais does not overturn earlier federal rulings tied to Fremont County. Tribal leaders said returning to an at-large voting system could reduce fair opportunities for Native representation in elected office.

Native American students in California may be undercounted by as much as 90% because of how schools collect racial and ethnic data, according to reporting by CalMatters. Under the current system, students who identify as both Native American and Hispanic are counted only as Hispanic, while Native students who identify with another race are categorized as “two or more races.” Assembly Bill 1581 would allow students to list tribal affiliation and identify as Native American alongside another race. 

According to CalMatters, Assemblymember James Ramos, a member of the Serrano/Cahuilla Tribe, said the bill would help create a more accurate picture of Native American students in California schools. Advocates said a more accurate count could increase access to cultural services, tutoring and Native-centered curriculum. Celestina Castillo, a descendant of the Tohono O’odham Tribe, said the current system makes Native students feel invisible in schools.

Southwest tribal communities continue to focus on the Sin Nombre strain of hantavirus after an Andes strain outbreak on a cruise ship drew international attention, according to reporting by ICT. The Sin Nombre strain was identified in 1993 after cases in the Four Corners area. It cannot spread person to person. The Andes strain is the only known hantavirus strain that can spread person to person, health officials said. 

Dr. Laura Hammitt, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health’s Infectious Disease Program, told ICT the risk to the general public from the cruise ship outbreak is low. She said people in areas where Sin Nombre circulates should continue keeping mice out of homes and safely cleaning droppings and nests. The Navajo Epidemiology Center recommends airing out sheds or animal stalls, using masks and gloves and spraying droppings or carcasses with bleach-water before removal. 

The Native American Community Clinic announced this week that its new health clinic and affordable housing development in south Minneapolis is expected to open in September. According to MPR News, the $55 million project includes the 83-unit Wihinaphe Apartments above a 30,000-square-foot health center along the American Indian Cultural Corridor. Partners involved in the project include the city of Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Wellington Management and UnitedHealth Group.

According to MPR News, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said the city contributed funding through the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, housing revenue bonds and Great Street Grants. Hennepin County Commissioner Angela Conley said combining housing with health care services could help support mental health, sobriety and overall well-being. Dr. Antony Stately, president and executive officer of the Native American Community Clinic, said the campus was designed as an Indigenous-centered healing space featuring artwork by Native artist Marlena Myles.

The John Neihardt-Black Elk Hike will celebrate its 10th anniversary May 30 at the Sylvan Lake Trailhead in South Dakota’s Black Hills, according to the Nebraska Examiner. The annual hike to Black Elk Peak commemorates the journey Lakota medicine man Black Elk and writer John Neihardt took to the summit decades ago, where Black Elk shared the vision later documented in the 1932 book “Black Elk Speaks.” The event also marks the 2016 renaming of the mountain from Harney Peak to Black Elk Peak.

According to the Nebraska Examiner, the hike will be led by members of the John Neihardt Foundation and descendants of Black Elk. Myron Pourier, a great-great grandson of Black Elk, said the event reflects the relationship that led to the publication of “Black Elk Speaks.” Organizers said the hike will begin with a program featuring Pourier and Walt Duda, a longtime leader of the Neihardt Foundation.