The Daily Spark

The Southern Ute Indian Tribe has denied reports that it agreed to allow a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center on its reservation, according to Native News Online. In a press conference Tuesday, Tribal leaders said no agreement exists and clarified that any future consideration would require Tribal Council approval.

The clarification followed a Washington Post article citing a planning document that listed the Tribe’s land as a potential facility site. Tricia McLaughlin, spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, told the Washington Post the document was created by ICE but is outdated and unapproved. The Tribe stated it was not notified or consulted before the information was released and emphasized its commitment to protecting its members and upholding sovereignty.

Dan Ninham, Oneida, has been named one of 12 inaugural inductees to the Minnesota Lacrosse Hall of Fame, according to ICT. He is the only Indigenous citizen in the first class of honorees, which also includes two Unsung Hero award recipients.

Ninham has dedicated his career to Native education and introducing Indigenous games into physical education. “Even though I was recognized, I think there’s so many other people involved with it as well… I often reference we, and there’s a number of people involved that I believe are the part of me representing them,” Ninham said.

The Minnesota Lacrosse Hall of Fame Foundation was established in June by President and Founder Mark Hellenack. The induction ceremony will be Sept. 14 in Minneapolis, following recognition at a Premier Lacrosse League playoff game Aug. 23.

Some South Dakota counties are getting younger while others continue to age, according to South Dakota News Watch. U.S. Census data shows the age group 15-19 is now the largest in the state, making up 6.9 percent of the population in 2024. Jared McEntaffer, CEO of the Dakota Institute, said higher birth rates in reservation counties are a major factor.

In Buffalo County, home to the Crow Creek Reservation, the most common age group shifted from 25-34 in 2010 to 10-14 in 2024.The 10-14 age group now represents 10.9 percent of the population. In Oglala Lakota County, part of the Pine Ridge Reservation, children ages 10-14 make up 10.8 percent of the population.

College towns also drive the trend toward a younger population. Clay County, home to the University of South Dakota, has 22.3 percent of its population in the 20-24 age group, among the youngest averages nationwide. Meanwhile, 17.3 percent of the state’s residents are 65 or older, according to South Dakota News Watch.

The National Park Service has placed signage about Native imprisonment at Castillo de San Marcos under review, making the signage subject to removal following a March executive order by President Donald Trump, according to ICT. The order, titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” directs federal sites to emphasize patriotic messaging.

The signs, installed in 2022 in partnership with the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, document the imprisonment of Native people at the former Fort Marion. A park ranger confirmed in July that they are now under review, ICT reported. Chuck Sams, who served as National Park Service director from 2021 to 2025, said he is concerned the move reflects censorship. Michael Darrow, Tribal Historian for the Fort Sill Apache, said his tribe had not received official notice about possible removal. The review has no announced timeline.

California universities are accelerating plans to repatriate Native American human remains and cultural items following criticism from a third state audit, according to KCRA. Tribal leaders and lawmakers said progress has been slow since the 1990 Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act went into effect, requiring universities to return remains by 1995.

UC Provost Katherine Newman, speaking on behalf of UC President James Milliken, said the system has a plan to return the remains by 2028. “It gives me confidence we will meet this goal,” Newman was quoted as saying. Tribal leaders emphasized accountability and unity. “We should all come united around getting those remains back into the ground for proper reburial,” said James Ramos, chair of the Native American Affairs Committee.

A federal appeals court has temporarily blocked the transfer of Oak Flat, an Arizona site slated for copper mining, to Resolution Copper, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto and BHP, according to The Associated Press. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued the injunction late Monday, halting the land exchange that was scheduled for Tuesday. The San Carlos Apache Tribe, Apache Stronghold and other plaintiffs argued the U.S. Forest Service did not fully review environmental risks, including dam breaches and pipeline failures.

Tribal leaders said Oak Flat, or Chí’chil Biłdagoteel, has been used for ceremonies and for gathering traditional plants for generations. Resolution Copper said the project underwent extensive federal review and would create thousands of jobs and generate $1 billion a year for Arizona’s economy.

An MMIP task force is currently in the works in North Dakota. House Bill 1199, requires the creation of a task force and is also responsible for the Feather Alert, which went live on May 1 after North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong signed the bill into law.

Lonnie Grabowska, director of the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigations, said the group is waiting for each North Dakota tribe to appoint members to the task force. The group can then meet to establish roles for the task force.

Their first meeting is likely to occur in early fall, Grabowska said.

The Department of the Interior has told the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina to continue pursuing federal recognition through Congress, according to The Assembly. Elizabeth Peace, a department spokesperson, was quoted as saying, “We anticipate the tribe will work with Congress on a path forward to be formally recognized.”

The Lumbee have been asking Congress for federal recognition for decades, according to The Assembly. The largest Native American tribe east of the Mississippi with 55,000 members, the Lumbee have had state recognition since 1885 and partial federal recognition since 1956, which does not provide financial benefits afforded to fully recognized tribes. Tribal Chairman John Lowery said legislative action is “the only clear and concise way to amend the Lumbee Act of 1956.”

The U.S. Small Business Administration announced that private nonprofit organizations in Doña Ana, Lincoln and Otero counties, as well as the Mescalero Apache Tribe, are eligible for low interest federal disaster loans after severe storms, flooding and landslides beginning June 23.

Eligible nonprofits providing non-critical services, including community centers, schools, libraries and faith-based organizations, may apply for up to $2 million in loans to repair or replace damaged property and cover economic injury. “SBA loans help eligible private nonprofits cover both physical damage as well as economic injury after a disaster, which is crucial for their recovery,” Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience, said in an SBA news release. Applications for physical damage loans are due Oct. 15 and economic injury loan applications are due May 18, 2026.

An agreement between the Muscogee Nation and the City of Tulsa will allow most tribal citizens facing municipal charges to have their cases heard in tribal court, but it does not apply to Freedmen descendants, according to The Frontier. The June deal requires citizens to present a certified degree of Indian blood for their cases to be transferred.

Jason Salsman, a spokesperson for the Muscogee Nation, said the exclusion follows a federal standard that “requires Indian blood to be considered an Indian.” Tribal citizenship cards for Freedmen list zero blood quantum, leaving them under state jurisdiction. Michelle Brooks, spokesperson for Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols, said the settlement “does not expressly include or exclude Freedmen” but follows federal court precedent. The provision affects cases like that of Marlon Drew, a Cherokee citizen of Freedmen descent, whose misdemeanor charges remain in Tulsa municipal court, according to The Frontier.

Army veterans Randy Merrill and Brian Cassidy will ride nearly 10,000 miles in the 2026 Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge to raise $10,000 for the Association on American Indian Affairs, according to Native News Online. The pair are also fundraising another $10,000 to cover travel costs such as fuel, equipment and daily essentials.

Merrill and Cassidy said the journey is both a fundraiser and a path to healing. “PTSD and pain followed us home. But we refuse to be defined by the damage,” they wrote in a joint statement. Shannon O’Loughlin, CEO of the association and a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, was quoted as saying the ride is “about healing, service, and standing in solidarity with Native Peoples.” Supporters can follow the riders and contribute at indian-affairs.org/hokaheymotorcyclechallenge, according to Native News Online.

The Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate hosted members of the North Dakota Tribal and State Relations Committee on Aug. 19 at Dakota Magic Casino near Hankinson, according to the North Dakota Monitor. Chair J. Garret Renville told legislators, “Your presence here today demonstrates respect for our people.”

The meeting marked the committee’s first session of the 2025-27 interim and its first held on the Lake Traverse Reservation, said Sen. Tim Mathern, D-Fargo, the committee’s vice chair. Rep. Dawson Holle, R-Mandan, who chairs the committee, said the group “is setting the tone that we want to be in conversation with our tribal leaders.” Officials discussed gambling, health care and tourism. Gov. Kelly Armstrong also met separately with tribal leaders. The committee plans to visit each of the state’s five tribal nations, with the next meeting scheduled in September at Fort Berthold with the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation.

The Snoqualmie Indian Tribe held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new Harvest Kitchen and Greenhouse Classroom on the Tribal Administration Campus, according to Snoqualmie Valley Info. The facilities mark the second phase of the tribe’s childcare expansion project, following the 2023 opening of the Snoqualmie Child Development Center. Together, they will serve 54 children while advancing food sovereignty and cultural preservation. Treasurer Joshua Gabel said the project will help sustain Snoqualmie lifeways and practices for future generations.

U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, U.S. Rep. Kim Schrier, and King County Councilmember Sarah Perry were among the officials who attended. The facilities will host cultural programming, including cooking, weaving and nutrition classes, as well as Elder gatherings and seasonal events, according to Snoqualmie Valley Info.

A growing number of tribes are taking control of health care systems previously operated by the Indian Health Service, according to The Daily Yonder. Jerilyn Church, chief executive officer of the Great Plains Tribal Leader’s Health Board, said the Oyate Health Center in Rapid City, South Dakota, has expanded access, generated more revenue and incorporated cultural practices since the board assumed management in 2019. “Nobody loves our community and our relatives like we do,” Church said.

The Choctaw Nation also reported benefits from self-governance, saying it has expanded clinics and specialty services while modernizing its health system. “Tribal health program oversight has allowed Choctaw Nation to strategically determine the best usage of funds in order to maximize health outcomes of our tribal members,” said Todd Hallmark, executive director of health for the Choctaw Nation, and Melanie Fourkiller, director of self-governance, in a joint statement to The Daily Yonder.

Anthony Tamez, 25, announced his candidacy for Illinois’ Fifth Congressional District earlier this month, according to ICT. Tamez, who is Key First Nation Oji-Cree/Saulteaux and Sicangu Lakota, currently serves on the Chicago Police District Council for District 17, a seat he won in 2023. He was the second Native person elected to office in Illinois.

If elected, Tamez, a Democrat, would become the first Gen Z Afro-Indigenous member of Congress. He said his campaign will prioritize cannabis equity, data privacy legislation, health equity and protections of Native sovereignty and treaty rights. Tamez’s official campaign launch is scheduled for Aug. 22, with the Democratic primary set for March 17, 2026, according to ICT.

Tribal nations across the U.S. are scrambling to maintain renewable energy projects after federal programs and incentives faced freezes or cuts, according to reporting by Grist. The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and other Indigenous communities have relied on federal grants and tax credits for solar projects powering clinics, schools and emergency services. With the passage of the Trump administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill, many projects now risk delays or cancellation.

Tribes and consulting organizations are pursuing alternative funding, including philanthropy, short-term loans and self-funded programs. “Some of these projects, at a minimum, have stalled, or they’re having to be reworked in some way to fit within the current parameters,” said Verrin Kewenvoyouma, a Hopi and Navajo managing partner at Kewenvoyouma Law.

Rising gold prices have renewed interest in mining in South Dakota’s Black Hills, where companies are proposing open pit and underground mines near sacred sites, according to the Associated Press. The Black Hills, sacred to the Lakota Sioux people, encompass more than 1.2 million acres and are visited by millions of tourists each year.

Dakota Gold has proposed an open pit mine that could begin operating in 2029, with company officials estimating up to 250 jobs and $400 million in state taxes over the life of the project. Tribes and environmental groups oppose new mines, citing risks of chemical spills, water contamination and damage to sacred landscapes. “Our enjoyment of the Black Hills as a peaceful place, a sacred place, is disturbed,” said Lilias Jarding, executive director of the Black Hills Clean Water Alliance.

Santa Ana Pueblo is working to recover nearly 150 cultural items stolen during burglaries in the 1980s, including a century-old bowl used for breadmaking, according to the Associated Press. Federal authorities prosecuted those responsible decades ago, but many of the items were never returned. Pueblo leaders and preservation experts are now tracing artifacts through auction catalogs, sales ledgers and online postings.

Pueblo Gov. Myron Armijo said the thefts “really hurt the pueblo,” noting items such as war shields, drums and pottery were taken. One bowl was recently returned after researchers tracked it through gallery records. Investigators are also searching for a buffalo hide war shield misidentified as coming from another pueblo. “We’re not giving up,” Armijo said.

Organizers of the Gathering of Nations announced that the 2026 event will be the final year of what is billed as North America’s largest powwow, according to the Associated Press. The Albuquerque-based celebration has drawn tens of thousands of participants and spectators for more than four decades, showcasing Indigenous dancers, musicians and artisans from around the world.

In a statement shared by email and social media, Gathering of Nations Ltd. said, “There comes a time,” without providing further explanation for ending the event. The official 2026 poster carries the words “The Last Dance.” The powwow has been held at New Mexico’s state fairgrounds since 2017, but organizers did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the announcement.