The Daily Spark

The shoe brand Minnetonka has expanded its Reclamation Collaborative to feature Native American artists, according to Midwest Living. The group includes Adrienne Benjamin of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, Lucie Skjefte of Red Lake Nation, Hannah Standstrong of White Earth Nation and Chris Nayquonabe of the Diné Nation.

The initiative brings these artists into the design process for new footwear collections, including Skjefte’s Animikii moccasin and Nayquonabe’s Nizhoni design. According to Midwest Living, Minnetonka’s efforts also include compensating and collaborating with tribal artists as part of its reconciliation work.

The Native Youth Foundation hosted its inaugural Native American Heritage Festival on Oct. 18 at Grape Day Park in Escondido, California, according to EIN Presswire. The event, held in collaboration with tribal nations and reservations across Southern California, welcomed hundreds of attendees for a day of live music, cultural demonstrations and activities celebrating Indigenous traditions.

Escondido Mayor Dane White issued a proclamation naming Oct. 18 “Native American Heritage Festival Day.” Other local officials presented awards recognizing contributors to the event. Performances included Blue Eagle Music, Wyley & Wynter Clay and the Native American Youth Band. The Native Youth Foundation said it looks forward to continuing the festival next year to celebrate Native culture and youth empowerment.

The Trump administration has finalized a plan to open Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling, according to the Associated Press. U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced Thursday that the decision clears the way for future lease sales within the refuge’s 1.5 million-acre coastal plain, an area considered sacred by the Indigenous Gwich’in people.

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy and the state’s congressional delegation joined Burgum for the announcement, which also reinstated leases previously canceled by the Biden administration. Leaders in the Iñupiaq community of Kaktovik support the plan, citing economic benefits, while Gwich’in leaders and conservation groups oppose it, saying it threatens the Porcupine caribou herd and the refuge’s ecosystem. The Wilderness Society and other groups said they plan legal challenges to the decision.

The Blackfeet Tribal Business Council authorized the culling of 18 buffalo from the Blackfeet Nation herd to support food access amid the ongoing federal government shutdown, according to KPAX. The processed meat will be distributed directly to community members.

The council’s decision is part of efforts to maintain essential food distribution programs as uncertainty continues around the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The Blackfeet Fish & Wildlife Department and the Blackfeet Commodity Office are also coordinating an elk harvest to supplement food distribution in the coming weeks.

Ten tribal nations in Michigan filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court asking justices to keep the Line 5 pipeline case in state court, according to Michigan Advance. The tribes urged the court to reject Enbridge Energy’s attempt to have a federal court decide the lawsuit originally filed in 2019 by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.

“For many years, Tribal Amici have called on the State to uphold its public-trust obligation to protect the Straits of Mackinac and the Great Lakes,” the brief states. “Michigan’s suit against Enbridge is a long-overdue course correction.”

The tribal nations include the Bay Mills Indian Community, Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Hannahville Indian Community, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community and others.

The Indian Health Service appointed Cherokee Nation citizen Clayton Fulton as its new chief of staff, according to an IHS announcement. Fulton will oversee coordination of key agency activities and support the Office of the Director in implementing IHS initiatives and priorities.

“We are excited to have Mr. Fulton join the Indian Health Service, and welcome his leadership and expertise to our agency,” IHS Acting Director Benjamin Smith was quoted as saying. “His experience working at the intersection of policy and program development between tribal nations and the federal government will only strengthen our government-to-government relationships throughout Indian Country.”

Arizona’s new Turquoise Alert system, launched in July to help locate missing people, has been used only once, despite 278 reported missing persons statewide, according to Arizona Luminaria.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety database showed 275 missing children and three missing adults under 65 since the alert began July 10. To issue an alert, agencies must determine the person is in danger or that the disappearance is suspicious and must have exhausted other resources.

The only Turquoise Alert issued so far was for a 6-year-old girl from Hawaii who was found safe within an hour, according to Arizona Luminaria. The alert was established under “Emily’s Law,” named for 14-year-old Emily Pike of the San Carlos Apache Tribe, whose disappearance and murder earlier this year inspired the legislation.

Wabanaki Alliance members and allies gathered last week for the third annual “Nihkaniyane: Let’s Go Forward Together” celebration to honor advocates advancing tribal sovereignty and education, according to Maine Morning Star. Executive Director Maulian Bryant said the event recognized the coalition’s growth and the relationships sustaining its work.

Honorees included John Banks of the Penobscot Nation for his lifelong environmental stewardship, Brianne Lolar of the Maine Department of Education for strengthening Wabanaki studies in schools, and Passamaquoddy citizen Emma Soctomah for her academic achievements. Bryant said each represents the passing on of generational wisdom and commitment to progress for the Wabanaki Nations — the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, Mi’kmaq Nation, Passamaquoddy Tribe and Penobscot Nation.

Members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature recently voted against a moratorium on the release of genetically engineered species into the wild and in favor of using synthetic biology for conservation, according to reporting by Grist.

Indigenous-led groups and environmental organizations criticized the decision, saying consultation policies and ethical standards must be in place before such technologies are used. “At this point, the science is new, and we don’t actually have data or evidence to suggest that it could be safe,” Dana Perls of Friends of the Earth was quoted as saying. IUCN member Susan Lieberman said the resolutions adopted in Abu Dhabi will guide policy toward evidence-based conservation that includes the rights and leadership of Indigenous peoples.

Cherokee Nation leaders opened a new Indian Child Welfare office on Oct. 14 in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, according to the Cherokee Phoenix. The 40,000-square-foot building was purchased and remodeled by the tribe to house more than 70 employees, with capacity for up to 98.

Sally Wilson, senior director of the office, was quoted as saying the new facility represents “hope, safety and belonging” for Cherokee children. The space includes offices, classrooms, visitation rooms, an indoor playroom and two outdoor playgrounds.

More than one million American Indian and Alaska Native people could lose access to food assistance if the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, runs out of funding on Nov. 1, according to ICT. A U.S. Department of Agriculture memo issued Oct. 10 confirmed current funding is set to lapse if the government shutdown continues.

Caddo Nation Chairman Bobby Gonzalez said the potential loss of funding poses serious risks for Native families already facing food insecurity. “It’s just a matter of time that those food banks start running out of food,” he was quoted as saying. Some tribes, including the Comanche Nation, are preparing to use tribal funds to provide food vouchers or expand distribution programs. SNAP benefits support 24% of Native households and help sustain small businesses on reservations that depend on the program for income.

The Vatican is expected to announce the return of dozens of Indigenous artifacts from its Anima Mundi museum back to Indigenous communities in Canada. The artifacts, including an Inuit kayak, could be returned by the end of the year, according to reporting done by Associated Press.

Negotiations for the return of the artifacts began in 2022, when Pope Francis met with Indigenous leaders to apologize for the church’s role in supporting residential boarding schools. During their visit, the leaders asked that the artifacts be returned to the community as a gesture of reconciliation.

Vatican and Canadian officials said they expect the announcement to occur in the coming weeks.

A Native journalist and her great-grandmother were inducted into Alaska Women’s Hall of Fame on October 21. Joaqlin Estus was one of Alaska’s first Native journalists. Before retiring, she worked as a national correspondent for Indian Country Today and a news director for KNBA. Estus is Lingít and lives in Anchorage.

Her great-grandmother, Matilda “Tillie” (Kinnon) Paul Tamaree, was a civil rights activist in the early 20th century. The women were nominated by different people. Estus said it’s an honor to be indicted alongside her great-grandmother.

Two other Alaska Natives, Katherine Gottlieb and the late Ada (Deluktuk) Blackjack Johnson, were also inducted into the Hall of Fame.

A recording of the induction ceremony can be found on the Alaska Women’s Hall of Fame website.

The United Nations opened funding for Indigenous representatives to attend its major gatherings of Indigenous peoples, according to Grist. The 2026 U.N. Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues is focused on ensuring Indigenous health, particularly in the context of conflict. Indigenous representatives from all over the world will discuss issues including climate change and language loss. It will take place in New York from April 20 to May 1. Another gathering will take place July 13-17 in Geneva, Switzerland.

The U.N. Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Peoples will help fund attendees’ transportation, accommodations and registration fees for either gathering. It’s calling for applicants who are actively engaging with promoting Indigenous rights, can demonstrate their contribution to the community and require financial support. Applicants need to provide a resume, a copy of their passport and a letter of recommendation from a community leader. They can fill out this form to apply by October 31. Additional information can be found in the U.N.’s call for applications.

SciTech Daily reports that a team of Dartmouth University researchers have found an intricate system of raised agricultural beds in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula along the Menominee River. The formations cover more than two-thirds of a survey area at Sixty Island archaeological site, signs that early Native communities practiced intensive farming to grow corn, squash, beans and other crops in an area typically deemed cold and with too brief a growing season to sustain large crops.

“The scale of this agricultural system by ancestral Menominee communities is 10 times larger than what was previously estimated,” lead author Madeleine McLeester, an assistant professor of anthropology at Dartmouth, was quoted as saying. “That forces us to reconsider a number of preconceived ideas we have about agriculture not only in the region, but globally.”

The team’s findings are published in Science and build on previous work done at the request of the Menominee Tribe.

A search for 23-year-old missing Spirit Lake citizen Jemini Posey is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 25. Posey’s sister, Jade Frier-Posey, encourages volunteers to show up in support. Posey was last seen by her boyfriend in January 2024. Her sister describes her as outgoing, cheerful and an incredible mother to her baby girl, now two years old.

“She is missed by a lot of people and we aren’t going to give up until we have justice for her,” Frier-Posey said.

A flyer with details for the search can be found on Facebook. A GoFundMe has been set up to help fund search efforts for Posey and care for her baby.

National Geographic highlighted the North Dakota Badlands as one of its 25 “Best of the World” must-visit destinations in 2026. Picked for their stunning scenery, adventurous excursions and rich history, the list also includes Québec, Canada; Beijing, China; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to name a few.

The magazine says travelers should visit the Badlands for its "otherworldly landscape” that stretches on “seemingly forever.” It suggests visiting the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, which opens July 4, 2026, and is located just outside of Medora, North Dakota, as well as the Three Affiliated Tribes National Park, which is adjacent to the Fort Berthold Reservation. The park is run by the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation and not yet fully open to the public.

With the federal government shutdown now in its third week, schools on Native reservations are already seeing grant money dry up, affecting a multitude of programs and services for students and their families.

IdahoEdNews.org reports that school districts on nontaxable federal land — which includes military bases — aren’t getting grants from the Impact Aid Program.

The National Association of Federally Impacted Schools says nine Idaho school districts and charters in fiscal year 2024 received roughly $9 million in Impact Aid basic support payments.

One affected district in Idaho, Lapwai, relies on the Impact Aid program for a third of its annual budget. Superintendent David Aiken told IdahoEdNews he’s worried about what a continued impasse in Congress could mean in the long term.

“What I’m really concerned about more than the government shutdown is the layoffs,” Aiken was quoted as saying. “The threatening of the layoffs at the U.S. Department of Education.”

Most federal money is still flowing in Idaho, including to the state’s Department of Education. But ImpactAid is one of the few federal programs that allocates funds directly to Idaho schools.

Adding to the frustration is the lack of communication during the shutdown. Impact Aid staff are employed through the U.S. Department of Education and not able to respond to messages while furloughed. Its website currently states that no emails or voicemails can be responded to while the shutdown continues.

Young Indigenous leaders helped distribute $720,000 in grants to address food insecurity in tribal communities, according to the Associated Press. The funding came from Newman’s Own Foundation and Novo Nordisk and was organized by Native Americans in Philanthropy.

Twenty-one Indigenous youth, ages 16 to 24, designed the selection criteria, reviewed applications and chose two dozen recipients for the Indigenous Tomorrows Fund. “Funders can listen to Native youth to know where they should direct resources,” Savannah Baber, program manager at Native Americans in Philanthropy, was quoted as saying. The initiative aims to expand next year’s funding to $1 million to continue supporting projects promoting food sovereignty and wellness.