The Daily Spark

Indigenous communities across Minnesota are expanding efforts toward energy sovereignty through clean power projects, according to the Minnesota Reformer. Prairie Island Indian Community has installed onsite solar arrays and geothermal systems, energy program manager Andrea Zimmerman told the Reformer. Meanwhile the White Earth Nation operates a tribal utility commission empowered to set rates and issue binding orders for utilities serving its territory, Nate Matthews, the commission’s executive director, said.

The Minnesota Reformer reports that the Trump administration’s reduction of $7 billion in Solar For All funding has stalled some initiatives, including a proposed tribal virtual utility on the Red Lake Reservation backed by Bob Blake of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa. Blake told the Reformer that up to $80 million in aid for the project is now in limbo.

More than 270 Indigenous community members and allies participated in the Remembering the Children walk on Oct. 13 in Rapid City, South Dakota, to honor victims and survivors of the former Rapid City Indian Boarding School, according to ICT.

The walk, led by the Sicangu Youth Council and Rapid City Student School Board, ended for the first time at the nearly completed boarding school memorial site. Four additional children’s deaths were recently confirmed by researchers and added to the memorial list, bringing the total number to 55, said Remembering the Children Executive Director Amy Sazue.

Elders and leaders, including American Indian Movement activist Leonard Peltier and Oglala Sioux Tribe President Frank Star Comes Out, attended the event, which organizers described as a step toward truth, remembrance and healing.

Residents in western Alaska are sharing images and updates after the remnants of Typhoon Halong brought hurricane-force winds and severe flooding to coastal villages on Oct. 12, according to the Alaska Beacon. The storm, with gusts reaching up to 107 mph, caused extensive damage in the Kuskokwim Delta and Bering Sea communities, according to local residents.

“Several houses floated miles inland — some with people still inside,” Jacqui Lang of Kipnuk wrote on Facebook. The U.S. Coast Guard rescued 51 residents from Kwigillingok and Kipnuk, where one woman was killed, two people remain missing and more than 1,000 were displaced. Emergency crews are working to restore power, repair runways and evacuate residents to Bethel as floodwaters recede, according to the Alaska Beacon.

Bismarck Documenters will be holding an orientation at United Tribes Technical College on Friday, October 17, in the Skill Center computer lab from 2:30-4:15 p.m. The Documenters program trains and pays members of the public to take notes at public meetings. The orientation is free and can be attended in person or virtually. Attendees will learn about local government, as well as the value of information gathering and sharing to strengthen communities. Visit documenters.org to create a profile and click on the Bismarck Workshops tab to register for the virtual orientation option or just come to campus and register there.

Contact Daniela, daniela@imfreedomalliance.org, or Castle Fox, castle@imfreedomalliance.org, for more information.

According to UC Merced, acclaimed chef, author and activist Sean Sherman spoke about revitalizing Indigenous cuisine during “Flavors & Stories: A Fireside Chat with the Sioux Chef” on Oct. 8 at the university’s Conference Center. The event featured drumming, storytelling and dishes inspired by Sherman’s cookbook “The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen.”

Sherman, a member of the Oglala Lakota Sioux Tribe and founder of North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems, discussed reconnecting communities with ancestral ingredients and methods. “We’re not trying to cook like it’s 1491. I’m a futurist, not a traditionalist,” he was quoted as saying. The event was part of UC Merced Dining’s Food for Thought series, which promotes conversations about food, culture and sustainability.

Alaska State Troopers have expanded the 2019 cold case list from 69 to 116 unsolved homicides following pressure from Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) advocates and others who challenged the removal of certain cases, according to Alaska’s News Source. The increase represents a 68% jump.

Charlene Apok, director of Data for Indigenous Justice, said updates have included adding victims’ names and case numbers but that location data still needs improvement. Austin McDaniel, communications director for the Department of Public Safety, said names were restored after feedback and that his office is exploring ways to include more case details while preserving investigative focus.

According to Underscore Native News, scientists monitoring the Klamath River say the ecosystem is rebounding a year after the final dams were removed. Chinook salmon have returned to spawning grounds, and wildlife such as eagles, bears and otters are appearing more frequently, said Damon Goodman, Mount Shasta-Klamath regional director for California Trout.

Goodman was quoted as saying that the river “came alive almost instantly after dam removal,” with more than 7,700 fish recorded passing the former Iron Gate Dam site between October and December 2024. Toz Soto, fisheries program manager for the Karuk Tribe, said water quality has improved as temperatures cool and harmful algae blooms disappear. However, Goodman said federal funding cuts, including the Department of the Interior’s termination of California Trout’s funding, pose challenges for continued monitoring of the river’s recovery.

New tariffs on imported materials are driving up the cost of making regalia for Indigenous artists and small businesses, according to reporting by ICT. Tin-plated jingle cones, fabric, beads and other supplies used in traditional designs are largely imported and now subject to tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.

Sharona Crane, Naongashiing First Nation Ojibwe and owner of Zazegaakwe in Ontario, said the increased costs have forced her to raise prices on her handmade jingle dresses and other Anishinaabe regalia. “I had a rough summer financially,” she told ICT. Beth Simmons, owner of Shipwreck Beads in Washington, said her company has also been affected by higher prices on imported beads from the Czech Republic, China and India.

Todd Thompson, a White Earth Band of Ojibwe member, is appealing a felony marijuana possession charge after his Mahnomen head shop, Asema Tobacco & Pipe Shop, was raided by the Paul Bunyan Drug Task Force the day after Minnesota legalized recreational cannabis in August 2023, according to the Minnesota Reformer. Agents seized marijuana, marijuana wax and cash, leading to a first-degree possession charge eight months later.

Thompson argues the state lacks jurisdiction under Public Law 280 and Minnesota’s 2023 cannabis law, which recognizes tribes’ sovereign right to regulate cannabis on reservations. A district judge rejected his motion to dismiss, but the Minnesota Court of Appeals has agreed to hear his case before trial, signaling its broader legal significance.

The Navajo Nation is strengthening its education system through tribally led curricula, language revitalization and higher education initiatives, according to The Daily Yonder. The Navajo Nation Council allocated $172,500 for a Navajo government textbook to be written entirely by Navajo scholars and published in both English and Navajo.

Wendy Greyeyes, a professor of Native American Studies at the University of New Mexico, said the initiative gives Navajo authors the opportunity to shape their own history. Rose Graham, director of the Office of Navajo Nation Scholarship & Financial Assistance, said the textbook will help students deepen their cultural understanding and foster pride in their identity.

At Navajo Technical University the Diné Studies Ph.D. program has reached record-high enrollment, with faculty noting the program embeds language, history and cultural perspective throughout its curriculum.

The Santa Rosa Band of the Lower Muscogee is establishing the Creek Heritage Center on 4.5 acres of the Jones Swamp Wetland Preserve in West Pensacola, Florida, according to the Pensacola News Journal. The center will feature a Learning Grove around a historic oak tree, offering outdoor educational programs, guided tours and hands-on experiences in nature. A greenhouse on site will grow spartina, a critical sea grass used in shoreline restoration projects, addressing local shortages of the plant.

Chief Dan “Sky Horse” Helms said the center will focus on environmental conservation and recreational opportunities, complementing the tribe’s 97-acre Cultural Center in Milton, which highlights history and culture. County support includes arborist services and integration with the Jones Creek Trail and Boardwalk. Grants from Impact 100 and the Pensacola and Perdido Bay Estuary Program are funding the project, which will also employ youth through the Oyster Corps conservation program.

Wabanaki women on the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians reservation in Maine are participating in self-defense workshops organized by Wabanaki Public Health & Wellness, according to Maine Public. The classes, led by MiMi Tarshus and Clara Porter of Prevention, Action, Change, teach participants to recognize threats, de-escalate situations and strike attackers effectively. The program focuses on Indigenous women and two-spirit people, addressing the disproportionate rates of violence against Native women.

Crisis response manager Lena Newell said the workshops also provide support for families affected by missing and murdered Indigenous women. Tribal Chief Clarissa Sabattis noted that recent federal restrictions on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, as well as budget cuts to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, may hinder efforts to combat violence. Participants, including Barbara Haynes and her granddaughter, said the training empowers them to protect themselves and challenge cycles of violence in their communities.

The University of Mary has received a $1.74 million federal grant to support Native American graduate students, according to a university statement. The funding, provided by the Department of Education’s Office of Indian Education, covers master’s degrees in school administration, special education and social work, as well as K-12 administration credentials, at no cost for eligible students.

The grant will provide $500,000 annually for the first three years and $120,000 annually for the final two years. Applicants must be tribal descendants or enrolled members of a tribe, meet admissions standards and commit to working in North Dakota schools where at least 11% of students are Native American. The University of Mary’s Native American Education Leadership Program has received five federal grants since 2016, totaling more than $7.1 million, and has supported over 120 Native American scholars, the university said.

North Dakota Native Vote will hold a candidate training online on Oct. 16 and 17, offering two half-day sessions from 12-4 p.m. The sessions will cover campaign strategy, public speaking, storytelling, understanding systems of power and ways to support other campaigns, according to an announcement by the organization.

The training aims to encourage more Native Americans to run for office and serve in elected roles in North Dakota and beyond. Robert Bird Horse, a Hunkpapa Lakota from Standing Rock, will lead the sessions. Nicole Donaghy, executive director of North Dakota Native Vote, said the program is designed to be accessible and to promote leadership and representation for the state’s Native communities. Registration is available online at bit.ly/NDNV2025.

The University of South Dakota will celebrate Native Heritage Day on Nov. 1 as its football team hosts the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks, according to USD Athletics. USD’s Coyotes will wear custom helmet decals designed by Sadie Red Wing (Spirit Lake Dakota) featuring the word Sungmanitu, Lakota for Coyote, and symbols representing the Oceti Sakowin, or Seven Council Fires.

Red Wing said the design highlights balance, abundance and strength, while John Little, director of Native Recruitment & Alumni Engagement, emphasized the importance of Native representation. Players, including defensive tackle Kainen White (Cherokee), said the helmet inspires pride and encourages recognition of Native culture. USD Native Student Services will also host a morning admissions program and honor Native alumni, students and staff during the game.

A volunteer-organized “No Kings” rally will take place Oct. 18 from noon to 2 p.m. at the North Dakota State Capitol in Bismarck, according to event organizers. The demonstration is part of a nationwide movement that describes itself as peaceful and committed to nonviolent action.

Organizers said the “No Kings” events call attention to opposition against dictatorship and emphasize democratic values. Participants are encouraged to de-escalate potential confrontations and to act lawfully during the event. Weapons of any kind, including those legally permitted, are not allowed at the rally, organizers said.

Montana marked its first official observance of Indigenous Peoples Day on Oct. 13, joining more than a dozen states and at least 200 cities that officially recognize the holiday, according to Montana Free Press.

The observance follows the passage of Senate Bill 224 earlier this year. Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte signed the bill into law in the spring, establishing the day as a state holiday alongside Columbus Day.

State Sen. Shane Morigeau, who sponsored the bill, told the Montana Free Press the holiday represents respect and empowerment for Indigenous youth. Marsha Small, cofounder of Indigenous Peoples Day Montana, said the day is meant to foster unity and healing. “This isn’t a political stunt,” Small was quoted as saying. “This is about communities working together for a better horizon.”

Indigenous Peoples’ Day is observed on the second Monday of October to honor the cultures and histories of Native American people. This year, the day falls on Oct. 13, according to National Today. The observance encourages reflection on tribal roots and the experiences that have shaped Indigenous communities.

The first recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ Day began in 1989 when South Dakota became the first state to adopt the holiday. Today, 14 states and the District of Columbia celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead of Columbus Day. More than 130 cities across the country also recognize the holiday, which highlights Indigenous contributions, resilience, and sustainable ways of life.

Oct. 10 marks the five-year anniversary of Savanna’s Act. The act is named after Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, the 22-year-old Fargo mother who was murdered by her neighbors in 2017.

Greywind was a citizen of Spirit Lake Nation. Her case caught national attention, with Native advocates calling out the need for awareness and policies to address MMIP.

The act was signed into law in 2020 with the goal of improving the federal response to MMIP. Both of North Dakota’s senators, John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer, co-sponsored the act. The act required the Department of Justice to establish new guidelines in MMIP training, engagement with tribal leaders and data entry. The bill also authorizes the Department of Justice to provide MMIP grants to tribal and state governments.

“Savanna’s Act was born out of heartbreak, but also out of strength,” Spirit Lake Nation Chairwoman Lonna Jackson-Street said in a press release. “Five years later, we continue to honor Savanna’s memory by putting action behind our words. “Here at Spirit Lake, her legacy is alive in the systems we’re building, the families we stand beside, and the voices we refuse to let fade into silence.”