The Daily Spark

Native Forward Scholars Fund, the largest direct provider of scholarships to Native students, received a $50 million gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, the organization announced. The contribution marks Scott’s second major gift to the fund and is the largest single award to date in Indian Country.

The Albuquerque-based nonprofit has supported more than 22,000 scholars from over 500 tribes across all 50 states since 1969. According to Native Forward, scholarship requests increased 35% this year. CEO Angelique Albert, a member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, said the unrestricted funding will help the organization expand services and ensure students “not only enroll, but thrive and graduate.” Board Chair Lillian Sparks Robinson, a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, said the award reflects growing recognition of Native Forward’s impact and will strengthen its ability to reach more scholars.

Law enforcement is investigating a stolen vehicle incident that occurred on Oct. 2 near St. Michael, North Dakota, on the Spirit Lake Reservation, according to a news release from the Spirit Lake Tribe. The Bureau of Indian Affairs received a call about a stolen vehicle in Devils Lake just before 7 p.m., and minutes later a BIA officer arrived at the scene of a single-vehicle crash.

Authorities have made contact with one of the two suspects, who is cooperating with investigators. The second suspect, Winfield Chaske III, remains at large with active warrants in tribal and state courts. The tribe said there is no active threat to the community and urged residents to remain vigilant. Residents are asked not to approach Chaske and to contact Fort Totten Police at 701-766-4231.

The Lower Sioux Indian Community is developing a “seed to wall” program that grows, processes and builds with industrial hemp, including the use of hempcrete, a concrete-like insulation, for housing on the reservation, according to reporting by ICT. The program combines tribal hemp farming with construction of affordable, energy-efficient homes, according to Brooklyn Lindsey, director of innovation at the nonprofit Ivory Innovations.

Danny Desjarlais, the tribe’s hempcrete project manager, said the program provides jobs and strengthens the community while addressing a housing shortage. Hempcrete is fire and mold resistant and provides natural insulation. The tribe is also hosting the 13th International Hemp Building Symposium on the reservation from Oct. 3-5.

The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe held a “Paint the Town Red” event in September in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, to raise awareness of missing and murdered Indigenous people. According to reporting by South Dakota Searchlight, the event featured a display of red dresses and T-shirts along the main street, a commemorative walk and speakers sharing stories of lost loved ones.

Jolee Two Dogs Clark, a tribal citizen, displayed photographs of her 20-year-old daughter, Ahmyli Clark, who was killed in June, and her 23-year-old son, Miles Phillips, who was shot in July 2022. Jessica Grazier, domestic violence advocate for the Sacred Heart Center, said organizers could not hang shirts and dresses for all affected. The event offered a space for the community to pray, mourn, and access mental health and spiritual resources.

Native, Inc. will host a community event on human trafficking on Oct. 7 from noon to 2 p.m. in Bismarck, in partnership with the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation Victim Services Unit and the North Dakota Human Trafficking Task Force. The event aims to educate community members on recognizing signs of trafficking and connecting people to resources. It includes participation from the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Office of Juvenile Services.

A light lunch at 12:10 p.m. will be followed by a community awareness training led by the Human Trafficking Task Force. Welcome, introductions and prayer are scheduled for 1 p.m.

The event takes place at 2403 E. Thayer Avenue. For more information, contact Native, Inc. at 701-595-5181.

Wendy Danicourt has been named chief executive officer of Heartview Foundation, according to an Oct. 1 news release from the organization. She will assume the role Nov. 3, succeeding Kurt Snyder, who announced his retirement earlier this year after 23 years with the foundation.

Heartview Foundation, based in Bismarck with facilities in Dickinson and Cando, is North Dakota’s oldest private, nonprofit alcohol and drug treatment program. Danicourt brings more than 20 years of leadership in behavioral health and addiction treatment. She most recently served as CEO of Danicourt Group and has held senior roles at Walmart Inc., Brave Health, Riverside Recovery of Tampa and Operation PAR Inc.

Darrell Nitschke, board president, said in the release that Danicourt’s “experience and dedication to this field will be a tremendous asset to Heartview and the communities we serve.”

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.