The Daily Spark

A proposed graphite mine in western Alaska is moving forward without legally required consultations with nearby Inupiaq communities, according to Grist and Alaska Public Media. Canadian company Graphite One plans to mine one of the world’s largest graphite deposits in the Kigluaik Mountains for batteries and strategic minerals, despite objections from the tribal governments of Teller, Brevig Mission and Mary’s Igloo.

The project, fast-tracked under the federal FAST-41 program, has accelerated permitting and environmental reviews. Tribal members say the process has marginalized their input, violating free, prior and informed consent under the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Residents also raised concerns about infrastructure, environmental risks and impacts on hunting and fishing grounds. Federal and state officials have provided limited oversight, leaving communities responsible for monitoring potential violations.

Seneca artist Marie Watt has received the 2025 Heinz Award for the Arts and will create a site-specific work for the Obama Presidential Center, according to ICT. Watt, known for her blanket towers, sculptures, textiles and prints, is participating in a retrospective exhibit, “Storywork: The Prints of Marie Watt, From the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation,” at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at Portland State University through Dec. 6.

The Heinz Award includes a $250,000 unrestricted cash prize, which Watt said will support her studio operations and creative experimentation. She is collaborating with artist Nick Cave on a multimedia textile installation, “This Land, Shared Sky,” merging Indigenous and Black traditions for the presidential center. Watt described the project as a community-centered work and said the commission recognizes her multi-decade career exploring cultural intersections through art.

Sacramento State celebrated the grand opening of the Wileety Native American College on Sept. 24, according to The State Hornet student newspaper. The college, the first of its kind in the California State University system, aims to support Native students through Native-based education, leadership training and community engagement.

Annette Reed, dean of WNAC and a citizen of the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation, canceled her retirement to lead the college. The first cohort of 34 students will study majors of their choosing while completing a minor in Native American studies with a focus on tribal leadership. Speakers, including President Luke Wood and tribal leaders, highlighted the importance of a campus space that affirms Native identity. Reed said the college provides a place for students to feel at home and build connections across the university community.

Simone Senogles, 54, a founding member of MMIW 218 and operations director for the Indigenous Environmental Network, died unexpectedly Sept. 20 in Bemidji, Minnesota, according to the Bemidji Pioneer. Born into the Migizi (Eagle) clan, Senogles carried the names Chinoodinikwé and Miskomakwakwe and had a long-standing connection to Red Lake Nation. Over 25 years, she led initiatives on food sovereignty, environmental justice and Indigenous women’s rights, including directing the documentary “Regaining Food Sovereignty.”

Senogles also helped create the first U.S. Indigenous Feminist Organizing school and served on the governing board of Grassroots Global Justice. Her wake was Sept. 25, with traditional services Sept. 26 in Red Lake led by spiritual leader Naabek Liberty.

Colleagues remembered Senogles for her mentorship and community presence. “It’s our responsibility to reciprocate that good energy that she put out into the Earth and into the communities that we work to uplift, to continue to embody all the positive things that Simone was like,” MMIW 218 organizer Audrianna Goodwin told the Bemidji Pioneer.

The Spirit Lake Tribal Council announced in a press release that essential services would continue despite the federal government shutdown, which began Oct. 1 after Congress failed to pass funding legislation. According to the council’s statement, BIA law enforcement, Indian Health Service clinical care at the Spirit Lake Health Center and Bureau of Indian Education schools will remain operational under federal contingency plans.

Chairwoman Lonna Jackson-Street said the Tribe has reviewed budgets and identified programs that may need supplemental tribal funding to keep services in place. “Our first priority is the safety and wellbeing of the Spirit Lake people,” Jackson-Street was quoted as saying. The council noted that some programs, such as grant reimbursements, new federal awards and communication with furloughed staff, may be delayed until funding is restored.

California Assembly Bill 831 bars non-casino tribes and companies from offering online sweepstakes games, a move that critics say favors wealthy, mega-casino tribes and limits economic opportunities for smaller or rural tribes, according to Charlie Wright, chairman of the Kletsel Dehe Wintun Nation. Wright, writing in CalMatters, said his tribe and other non-gaming tribes are confined to a flat $1.1 million annual stipend from the revenue sharing trust fund, which has not increased in 25 years.

Wright argued Bill 831 extends inequity into digital gaming by blocking smaller tribes from participating while well-resourced tribes prepare to dominate the market. He cited Washington state as an example of a more equitable model, where tribes can lease unused gaming machine rights to each other, ensuring broader participation in gaming revenue streams. The legislation, he said, undermines the unity and opportunity voters intended when legalizing tribal gaming more than two decades ago.

Healing Horse Ranch, located near the Fort Berthold Reservation, offers therapeutic horse rides to help participants improve confidence, mental well-being and connection to Native traditions, according to KXNET. The nonprofit combines therapy with efforts to preserve and share Native horse culture across North Dakota.

MHA Nation Tribal Council Representative Mervin Packineau said the program helps riders overcome fear and build confidence. James Baker, ranch supervisor, added that horses are sensitive to riders’ physical and emotional states, allowing participants to connect with their bodies, minds and spirits. Horses also hold cultural significance for Native communities, representing strength, resilience and adaptability. The ranch will host its second team roping event on Oct. 14, continuing its therapeutic and cultural programming, according to KXNET.

The Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center has begun welcoming residents into 24 newly constructed permanent supportive housing units, according to MPR News. The center’s CEO, Ruth Buffalo, said the housing will provide space and support services for unhoused Native community members. Residents will have access to cultural events, support groups and community meals.

Staff held a ceremonial cleansing with sage, singing and drumming to create a safe environment before residents began moving in. Corey Baesler, housing manager, said the program addresses the isolation and stigma of being unhoused while connecting residents to the larger MIWRC community. The center aims to fill all units by March 2026, with 20 units coordinated through Hennepin County and four accessible units filled directly by MIWRC.

A federal government shutdown would cut off dozens of services to tribal nations, according to ICT. Tribal communities rely on federal programs for policing, health care, food, housing and other services.

“Government shutdowns affect Indian Country more quickly and more broadly than they do every day Americans because of our direct relationship with the federal government,” Holly Cook Macarro, Red Lake Ojibwe and a tribal advocate, was quoted as saying. The Indian Health Service will continue operating with prior year funds, but other programs, including tribal police departments and housing initiatives, face immediate impacts. “Indian Country can’t afford a shutdown,” said Liz Carr, Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians and vice president of intergovernmental affairs for the Cedar Rock Alliance, during a Sept. 29 National Congress of American Indians webinar.

South Dakota will offer one police certification course each summer that prioritizes tribal recruits, Division of Criminal Investigation Director Dan Satterlee told the State-Tribal Affairs Committee on Sept. 19, according to South Dakota Searchlight. This year’s class began in August with nine tribal agency officers enrolled, Satterlee said.

Committee members also voted to support drafting legislation for the 2026 session that would formally recognize tribal officers under state law, making assaults against them chargeable as felonies. The panel unanimously endorsed a resolution urging Congress to establish a federal tribal police academy in South Dakota.

During the meeting, Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Police Chief Derris Waukazoo reported 75 arrests and 817 incidents during a recent surge patrol with state troopers. Former Chairwoman Janet Alkire said the effort showed the value of cooperation while reiterating tribal concerns about past claims of cartel activity, according to South Dakota Searchlight.

This Orange Shirt Day, the United Indian Nations of Oklahoma is calling for the United States and Canada to honor Indian boarding school victims and survivors with “honesty and action” by launching an investigation into every boarding school.

“United Indian Nations of Oklahoma calls on everyone to take part in Orange Shirt Day to honor the survivors and remember the victims of residential Indian boarding schools,” Chief and UINO Chairperson Ben Barnes was quoted in a press release as saying. “Oklahoma had more of these schools than any other state, nearly 100, filled with Native children who were forcibly taken from their families and subjected to unimaginable trauma. Yet, to this day, there has been no true accountability.”

Orange Shirt Day began in Canada in 2013 to raise awareness and educate people about the trauma boarding school victims endured. It has been recognized every Sept. 30 in the U.S. and Canada since.

The Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe Nation has regained about 2,500 acres of ancestral land in northern Wisconsin since 2019, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The land includes areas in Oneida and Iron counties, expanding the tribe’s presence beyond its traditional Vilas County reservation.

“These accomplishments reflect the commitment of our land management team to both restoring our homelands and uplifting our people,” Jessie Peterson, the tribe’s land management director, was quoted as saying. Tribal officials are working to place the reclaimed land into federal trust to protect it from taxation and future seizure. The tribe is also assisting individual members in purchasing property, with more than 30 tribal members acquiring land or homes in the past six years, Peterson said.

The Indigenous Peoples Coalition commemorated the 81st birthday of activist Leonard Peltier on Saturday, Sept. 13, at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashville, according to People’s World. Peltier, a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, was released from federal prison in February after serving 49 years and two months in prison. He is now under strict home confinement on the Turtle Mountain Reservation.

The celebration included updates from the International Leonard Peltier Defense Committee, noting Peltier had received cataract surgery and new dental work. Attendees discussed topics such as Tribal sovereignty and social justice issues. The event concluded with a birthday song, chants of “Happy Birthday, Leonard” and a cake reading “Happy 81st Birthday, Leonard Peltier,” according to People’s World.

Two North Dakota tribes will receive federal grants to support veteran housing, according to the Minot Daily News. Turtle Mountain Housing Authority will receive $348,194 and Standing Rock Housing Authority will receive $260,256 through the Tribal HUD-VA Supportive Housing grant program.

“Across North Dakota and across the entire nation, Native Americans serve at the highest rates of any demographic group in our country’s armed forces and their willingness to serve frankly deserves the highest thanks from a grateful nation,” U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer was quoted as saying. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Scott Turner said Sept. 26, “It is an honor to see how the Tribal HUD-VASH program is creating economic opportunity and pathways to self-sufficiency for Native American veterans. Today’s funding announcement will expand the impact of this program to more Native American veterans across the country.”

The Changing of Seasons youth workshop will be held Oct. 3-5 at Wozu, 7039 Hwy 1806 in Cannon Ball, North Dakota. The event is open to those between the ages of 12 and 18 and aims to connect young people with cultural teachings.

The three-day agenda includes a welcoming ceremony, camp assignments and speakers on traditional knowledge, such as star teachings, harvesting practices and plant identification. The workshop closes with a ceremony at noon on Oct. 5. For more information or to apply, contact Ron Lebeau, culture manager at Wozu, at ron@wozu.net or 701-455-3001.

Buffalo Public Schools Indigenous Parent Advisory Council will hold elections for the 2025–2027 term on Monday, Sept. 29, 5-7 p.m. Open positions include president, vice president, secretary, two members at large, student representative, elder representative and teacher representative.

The meeting will take place rain or shine. Attendees must be present to nominate, run for or vote for candidates. A meal will be provided. Current board members available for questions include Billie Jo Beheler, Wind Spirit Spotted Bear, Valerie Siqueiros, Logan Anderson and Tamsen O’Berry. Additional details about each position will be shared in upcoming posts.

An independent audit of the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana found leadership failed to document more than $100,000 in credit card charges over a two-month period in 2024, according to Louisiana Illuminator. The review by the SJT Group of Albuquerque, New Mexico, reported 344 transactions without receipts, totaling $105,416, and noted 167 purchases with no business documentation to explain $100,254 in charges.

Tribal policy requires receipts for any purchase over $50 and expense reports for travel-related charges. In response, the tribal council said it has eliminated council credit cards and adopted new reimbursement policies. Tribal secretary and treasurer Kristian Poncho will complete a review of credit card policies by the end of September, according to the tribe’s statement. The findings follow the August 2024 resignation of former chairman Jonathan Cernek, who news outlets reported is under federal and state investigation.

The Wind River Food Sovereignty Project in Wyoming opened an elder healing garden at Trout Creek Farm near Fort Washakie on Sept. 20 with a ribbon cutting, prayer and community feast, according to WyoFile. The 30-acre farm, purchased in 2023, has been transformed with vegetable gardens, a high tunnel, transplanted native plants and circular paths designed for elders.

“This garden is a sanctuary, a place for healing, peace and connection with nature,” co-director Kelly Pingree was quoted as saying during the event. The project, founded in 2018 by Hank Herrera, is supported in part by a $36 million federal redevelopment grant awarded in 2024. Plans include expanding food production, education and access to healthy foods across the Wind River Reservation.

The Indian Gaming Association has announced the sudden death of its longtime chairman, Ernest L. Stevens Jr. Stevens, who died on Sept. 26, led the organization for more than two decades, working to advance tribal government gaming and strengthen tribal sovereignty, according to an IGA statement.

Jason Giles, executive director of IGA, said in the statement that the IGA Board and staff “are stunned and saddened” by Stevens’s passing. “Out of respect for his wife Cheryl, his lovely family and the Oneida Nation,” the statement continued, “we will issue a full tribute at the appropriate time. Please send your prayers to the Stevens family.”

Under Stevens’s leadership, Indian gaming revenues grew from $11 billion in 2000 to $43.9 billion in 2024, which IGA described as a reflection of his strategic vision and advocacy alongside tribal leaders nationwide.