The Daily Spark

The Kiowa Apache Blackfoot Society will hold its 65th Annual Ceremonial Celebration from Aug. 1-3 at the Apache Tribal Dancegrounds near Fort Cobb, Oklahoma, according to an event flyer.

• Friday, 6 p.m.: Society flag raising and all-gourd dance program.
• Saturday: Rations, 10 a.m.; Herbert Tselee flag & cedaring, noon; Blackfoot Ceremonial, 1-5:30 p.m.; gourd dance, 6:30-10 p.m.
• Sunday: Randolph R. Whiteshield flag, 1 p.m.; Blackfoot Ceremonial, 1-6:30 p.m.; gourd dance, 6:30-10 p.m.

Outgoing Princess Anna Whitewolf will hand the crown to incoming Princess Anna-Belle Banderas. Co-hosts include the Kiowa Tia-Piah Society, Oklahoma City Pow-wow Club and Apache Tribe Princess Club. Horseshoe and 3-on-3 basketball tournaments are planned.

A new study published in the medical journal JAMA finds that official U.S. death records underestimate mortality and life expectancy gaps for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations. According to a summary by the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH), the analysis revealed that death certificates for at least 41 percent of AI/AN individuals misclassified their race, most often as “white,” resulting in a statistical erasure of Indigenous mortality data.

The study showed that AI/AN life expectancy was 6.5 years lower than the national average — 2.9 times the gap reported in official vital statistics. AI/AN mortality rates were 42% higher than the national average, compared to only 5% higher in uncorrected official data. The research highlights the need for accurate data collection and greater investment in AI/AN health, according to study lead author Jacob Bor, an associate professor of global health and epidemiology at BUSPH.

See also: American Indians in North Dakota die 22.5 years younger than white residents.

The Bismarck Documenters, powered by Buffalo’s Fire, will present at the Sacred Pipe Resource Center’s Wisdom & Watecha event on June 20 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Wisdom & Watecha is an Indigenous version of a lunch-and-learn series that encourages community members to share knowledge, stories and skills.

The Documenters program trains residents to attend and report on public meetings to improve local government transparency and accessibility. Lunch will be provided.

The event is at 925 Basin Avenue, suite 2, in Bismarck, North Dakota. For questions, call 701-663-3886 or email native@sacredpipe.net.

The annual Santee Lucky Mound Celebration will take place June 19-22 in Parshall, North Dakota. The event will feature grand entries, dance specials, contests and giveaways sponsored by various community members and organizations, according to event organizers.

Grand entries are scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with youth points beginning Thursday. The celebration will include a variety of dance specials and contest categories for all ages and abilities, along with daily flag raising and retreat ceremonies.

A diabetes program blood sugar screening will take place June 20 from 5 to 7 p.m. Vendor sign-up is closed. Camping opens June 19, with no early setup or staking allowed. Security, safety rules and a substance-free environment will be enforced.

Native Playwrights PDX, co-organized by director Amber Kay Ball, Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, and Lofanitani Aisea, is creating space for Indigenous theater makers to share modern Native stories in Portland, Oregon, according to Underscore Native News. The initiative launched its first staged reading of Aisea’s play “Fo’i Lole” on June 7. It was performed by an all-Indigenous cast.

“Fo’i Lole,” a Tongan creation story, centers femme and queer goddesses. Aisea said the story offers a platform to foster community connections. Native Playwrights PDX also plans to provide resources, host focus groups and develop new works to address underrepresentation in theater.

President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement, a 2023 plan to restore salmon populations and support tribal energy projects in the Pacific Northwest, according to the Associated Press. The agreement, supported by Washington, Oregon and four American Indian tribes, was designed to pause decades of litigation over dam impacts on salmon and invest more than $1 billion toward fish recovery and clean energy development.

Trump criticized the agreement as “radical environmentalism” that risked breaching four Snake River dams. Tribal leaders, environmental groups and Democratic lawmakers condemned the move, warning it threatens salmon recovery and tribal treaty rights. Yakama Tribal Council Chairman Gerald Lewis said the decision reflects a “historic pattern of broken promises to tribes.”

The Yurok Tribe finalized the largest land back deal in California history this May, regaining more than 47,000 acres of ancestral lands along the lower Klamath River watershed, according to Underscore Native News and ICT. The area, acquired through a partnership with Western Rivers Conservancy, includes the Blue Creek Salmon Sanctuary and the Yurok Tribal Community Forest, doubling the tribe’s land holdings.

The land transfer, 23 years in the making, covers 73 square miles and will be managed by the tribe for ecosystem health and sustainable forestry. Western Rivers Conservancy purchased the property for $56 million and provided $3.3 million from carbon credits to the tribe to support restoration efforts.

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes received approval from the secretary of the Interior Department to reduce water releases from the Séliš Ksanka QÍispé Dam near Polson to keep Flathead Lake full during ongoing drought conditions in northwest Montana, according to the Montana Free Press. The flow reduction is intended to maintain lake levels within 12 inches of full pool through the end of July, however it is also expected to impact downstream fisheries and electricity production for the remainder of June.

Brian Lipscomb, CEO of Energy Keepers, Inc., said required instream flows will drop by 45 percent, from 12,700 to 7,000 cubic feet per second. Even with these adjustments, the lake is anticipated to be three feet below full pool by August 31. Council Chairman Michael Dolson said the tribe supported the decision to balance resource stewardship, economic interests and community needs.

The Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana recently held a moccasin-making workshop to help preserve and share cultural traditions among its members, according to the American Press. Missy Stanford, director of the tribe’s Heritage Department said the goal of the workshop was to connect tribal members of all ages to their ancestral past through the craft of moccasin making.

The workshop was led by Caspie Abbey, from the Hidatsa, Mandan, Dakota and Crow tribes, and her husband, Donovan Abbey, a member of the Coushatta Tribe from Mandaree, North Dakota. Together they taught nearly 20 participants the history, artistry and techniques of traditional moccasin making. They emphasized the importance of passing the skill to future generations and noted the cultural significance of moccasins, which are used for powwows, special dances and ceremonial purposes.

The Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon is asking Gov. Tina Kotek to delay a funding request from Willamette Falls Trust for up to $75 million to purchase land in Oregon City, according to the Lincoln Chronicle. In a June 9 letter, Tribal Chair Cheryle Kennedy cited "serious concerns" about the proposal, including a lack of tribal consultation and the exclusion of Grand Ronde from the trust while including an out-of-state tribe, the Yakama Nation.

The Willamette Falls Trust seeks to buy 60 acres, including Moores Island and adjacent uplands, to create public spaces for cultural and educational events. The Grand Ronde tribe argued that its treaty rights and aboriginal lands make it the "tribe of record" for the area and urged further evaluation of the proposal. A spokeswoman for Kotek said the letter is under review.

The Miccosukee Tribe of Indians has partnered with the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation to acquire and conserve lands that once served as refuge during the Seminole Wars, according to  reporting by The Guardian. The initiative supports the broader effort to unite 18 million acres of state and private land into a safe habitat for at‑risk species such as black bears, Key deer and Florida panthers.

Tribal Chair Talbert Cypress told the Guardian the tribe has a “constitutional duty” to defend ancestral lands and is shifting toward greater collaboration with conservation groups after years of limited engagement. The tribe already co‑manages nearly 3 million acres in the Everglades, Biscayne National Parks and Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. They are now working to identify historically significant land.

Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee has proposed the sale or transfer of more than 2 million acres of federal land to states or other entities as part of a GOP tax cut package, according to the Associated Press. The plan directs the secretaries of interior and agriculture to sell or transfer up to 0.75% of U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management holdings, excluding national parks, monuments and wilderness areas.

Lee said the plan would target “isolated parcels” for housing or infrastructure development. Montana was excluded from the proposal after lawmakers objected. Sen. Martin Heinrich, a New Mexico Democrat, said the sales could cause people to “lose access to places they know and care about,” affecting Western economies. Conservation groups criticized the plan, warning it could set a precedent for transferring public lands to developers. Federal officials would need to consult governors, local officials and affected Native American tribes before any sale.

Thousands of people gathered in 10 North Dakota cities on June 14 as part of the nationwide No Kings protest movement opposing the Trump administration’s policies, according to the North Dakota Monitor. An estimated 1,700 people rallied at the state Capitol in Bismarck, while organizers in Fargo reported about 3,000 attendees. Smaller demonstrations took place in Grand Forks, Jamestown, Bottineau, Devils Lake, Dickinson, Williston, Minot and Valley City.

Julie Schuler, an organizer in Devils Lake, said about 80 people participated there, noting the presence of many first-time protesters. In Jamestown, 180 people gathered for prayer before marching. No major incidents were reported, though minor confrontations by counter protesters occurred in Bismarck and Fargo. Protesters across locations voiced concerns about proposed federal policies and cuts, with many sharing personal stories of how the changes could impact their lives.

Tribal college leaders are warning that proposed federal changes to Pell Grant eligibility and funding could disproportionately impact Native students, according to reporting by ICT. Cheryl Crazy Bull, CEO of the American Indian College Fund, said nearly 80 percent of tribal college and university students are eligible for Pell Grants, which provide up to $7,395 annually for low-income students.

The U.S. House of Representatives has proposed raising the annual credit hour requirement from 24 to 30 beginning July 1, while also reducing the maximum award by $1,000 in the fiscal year 2026 budget proposal. Dawn Frank, president of Oglala Lakota College, said the changes would especially affect non-traditional students, who make up about 60% of the college’s enrollment. Moriah O’Brien of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium added that the proposed cuts could cause students to go into debt.

Tribal leaders from the Great Plains region were invited to meet with representatives from the Department of Interior on June 12 in Bismarck, North Dakota at the Radisson hotel. While the meeting was billed as a consultation, Buffalo’s Fire talked to several tribal leaders who attended the convening. Leaders in attendance all expressed dismay because the gathering was in violation of consultation protocols.

The Interior Department called it a consultation and sought a response on how it is implementing administrative services and budget cuts for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Indian Education and Bureau of Trust Funds Administration under Executive Order 14210 and Secretary’s Order 3429. Interior began consolidating human resources, finance and IT across its other bureaus in April and is now gathering tribal input on how the reorganization should work in Indian Country. Interior Department representatives, none with any decision making power, said the consultation series will refine implementation details, but the consolidation itself is moving ahead.

Tribal leaders objected to the restructuring plans and said they had no say in the changes. They all agreed that it was too late for the DOI to call it a consultation. A number of tribal leaders sought support from each other to join in a lawsuit against the department.

Feedback from this and other sessions, listed on the Indian Affairs website, will also guide Interior’s 2026-30 strategic plan that is expected to go into effect in October 2025.

Tribes were asked how to speed funding, strengthen self-governance compacts, cut paperwork and respond to proposed fast-track energy permitting rules issued under a national emergency declaration.

A No Kings protest against President Donald Trump and his policies is scheduled for June 14 in Bismarck, North Dakota, as part of a nationwide day of demonstrations. According to the "No Kings" website, the event will take place from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. on the grounds of the North Dakota Capitol at N. 6th Street and E. Boulevard Avenue.

The protests are organized by the 50501 Movement and other groups to oppose a military parade planned in Washington, D.C., on the same day.

Michalyn Steele, a professor of law at Brigham Young University and member of the Seneca Nation of Indians, served as executive editor of the 2024 edition of “Cohen’s Handbook of Federal Indian Law,” according to the university’s website. The handbook, widely regarded as the “bible” on Native American law for courts and practitioners, underwent its most extensive revision to date, incorporating recent Supreme Court decisions including Haaland v. Brackeen, which upheld the Indian Child Welfare Act.

Steele’s scholarship on cultural sovereignty has appeared in the Harvard Law Review, and she was the Oneida Indian Nation Visiting Professor of Law at Harvard Law School during its 2025 winter term.

U.S. Reps. Sharice Davids (D-Kan.) and Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) introduced bipartisan legislation June 12 to make permanent a pilot program that allows tribes to source local foods for federal food-assistance packages, according to a press release from Davids’s office. The Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations Act of 2025 would replace the temporary $11.4 million pilot, which since 2018 has allowed 16 tribes to select their own suppliers for packages serving nearly 650,000 tribal members.

Participating tribes such as the Choctaw Nation and Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians have built regional food systems through the pilot. Native Farm Bill Coalition co-chairs Cole Miller and Kari Jo Lawrence were quoted as saying the legislation represents a key step toward food sovereignty, stating tribes “have shown time and time again that tribally administered programs are more efficient and effective.”

First American tribal nations in Oklahoma contributed $23.4 billion to the state’s economy in 2023, according to Business Wire. The report, commissioned by United for Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association, was released Wednesday.

The study found that tribes directly employed more than 55,600 Oklahomans and supported a total of 139,860 jobs, generating $7.8 billion in wages and benefits. They spent $582 million on health services and provided $351 million for education, including $208 million in gaming exclusivity fees. Kyle Dean, professor of economics and director of the Center for Native American and Urban Studies at Oklahoma City University, analyzed data from 19 tribal nations. “Tribal nations serve as a significant economic force, consistently contributing to the state’s economy with increasingly transformative impact,” Dean was quoted as saying.