The Daily Spark

United Tribes Technical College will dedicate the Snow Country Prison Japanese American Internment Memorial on Sept. 5 to honor nearly 2,000 Japanese Americans incarcerated at Fort Lincoln during World War II, according to the North Dakota Monitor. Fort Lincoln later became the site of the college in the late 1960s.

The memorial, designed by MASS Design Group and funded by private donations and a National Park Service grant, features the names of 1,850 prisoners, a drum circle shaped like an Indigenous medicine wheel and walls made from slate tiles salvaged from the former prison buildings. The dedication ceremony begins at 1 p.m. in the Education Building courtyard and will include remarks by Satsuki Ina, whose father was imprisoned at Fort Lincoln, a blessing by the Rev. Duncan Ryūken Williams and performances by Native and Japanese American artists, according to the North Dakota Monitor.

The memorial dedication on Friday afternoon and a performance by TaikoArts Midwest’s Ensō Daiko Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 6 at 8 p.m., are among special events featured at the UTTC International Powwow at the Lone Star Veterans Arena in Bismarck.

Tribal leaders, educators and food sovereignty advocates are working to make buffalo a regular part of school meals, according to NPR. At the first Buffalo to School conference in South Dakota this summer, participants gathered for butchering demonstrations and discussions on how to overcome barriers such as processing costs and access to animals.

Lisa Iron Cloud, an Oglala Lakota woman who has taught buffalo butchering for nearly a decade, said getting traditional foods into schools is central to improving Native children’s health. “I’m trying to bring back healthier food for our kids,” said Krystal Northcott, food services director for Fort Washakie Schools in Wyoming.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently updated rules so schools can be reimbursed for serving buffalo and other Indigenous foods, creating opportunities to buy meat directly from Native producers.

The Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate will hold a groundbreaking Aug. 27 for a new 28,000-square-foot law enforcement center on the Lake Traverse Reservation, according to Yahoo News. The facility will sit next to a 25-bed detention center nearing completion, creating a centralized hub for justice services across the tribe’s territory in northeastern South Dakota and southeastern North Dakota.

The center, designed by EAPC Architects Engineers of Sioux Falls, will feature modern technology and secure operational spaces. In a statement, Chairman J. Garret Renville said the project “marks a pivotal step in the tribe’s commitment to public safety” and will foster partnerships with state and federal agencies. Chief of Police Gary Gaikowski said the facility is “something our tribe can take immense pride in, not just for our law enforcement department but for all the future employees who will serve here for generations to come.”

A federal judge ordered the closure of the Alligator Alcatraz immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades after the Miccosukee Tribe joined environmental groups in a lawsuit, according to court documents reported by El País. The lawsuit argued that the center threatened wetlands, endangered species and access to traditional hunting and gathering sites.

Federal Judge Kathleen Williams ruled that the facility, built in eight days in June along the Tamiami Trail, would cause direct harm to the tribe, whose identity is tied to the Everglades. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he would continue to defend the center, calling the judge “an activist.” Miccosukee tribal members said the ruling affirms their long history of protecting their ancestral lands. “The Everglades is meant for our tribes, it protects life, it shields it. It’s not meant to detain life,” museum guide Troy Sanders said.

Troy Littledeer, a citizen of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, received the 2025 Tim Giago Free Press Award from the Indigenous Journalists Association during ceremonies Aug. 15 at the Isleta Resort and Casino in Albuquerque, New Mexico, according to the Cherokee Phoenix.

Littledeer, the former media director for his tribe, was fired after refusing editorial interference at the Giduwa Cherokee News, according to the Cherokee Phoenix. In his acceptance speech, he said his experience reflects widespread censorship challenges in tribal media. “I wrote a story. It was a news story. Someone didn’t like it. I was censored. I was fired,” Littledeer said.

The Indigenous Journalists Association recognized his “steadfast commitment to press freedom within his tribal community” and noted that his stance came at significant personal cost.

Tribal health leaders say Native American enrollees remain at risk of losing Medicaid coverage as states prepare to implement new federal work and eligibility requirements by 2027. Although the law signed this summer by President Donald Trump exempts Native Americans from the new rules, leaders point to problems during the “unwinding” of pandemic-era protections when many eligible people lost coverage because of paperwork issues, according to KFF Health News.

In Montana, Jonnell Wieder of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes said her daughter was cut off from Healthy Montana Kids when her renewal paperwork was delayed in 2024. It took six months for the child’s coverage to be restored. “Never did I talk to anybody,” Wieder said of repeated calls to the state health department. Advocates say similar procedural errors could affect Native families as states implement the new law.

At the 30th annual Sacramento Contest Powwow earlier this month, Sage Noelle Tellez Ortiz, a member of the Ione Band of Miwok Indians, said jingle dress dancing has helped her cope with depression and anxiety. “When I started dancing more at powwow, it made such a positive change in my life,” Ortiz told the Sacramento Bee. “No matter what you’re going through, it’ll always be there to help you.”

According to the Sacramento Bee, Native youth in California experience higher suicide rates than other groups, and some are turning to traditional practices for support. Jingle dancing, which originated with the Ojibwe people, is viewed by many as a healing ceremony. Other Native youth, including Tehya Perkins of the Miwok Tribe of the El Dorado Rancheria, said powwow dancing provides a sense of safety, pride and cultural connection.

According to CBS News Colorado, the Town of Vail has settled a lawsuit brought by Danielle SeeWalker, a Húŋkpapȟa Lakȟota citizen of the Standing Rock Sioux Nation. SeeWalker alleged her First Amendment rights were violated when the town canceled her 2024 artist-in-residence position after objections to one of her past works comparing Palestinians in Gaza to Indigenous people in the U.S.

As part of the settlement, the Town of Vail agreed to fund a new art program for underrepresented and economically disadvantaged people, including Native people; host an annual powwow, free of rental and maintenance charges, organized by SeeWalker for five years; sponsor a non-public, interfaith community forum on Israel and Palestine, and provide annual cultural sensitivity training for its Arts and Public Places Department staff by an Indigenous-led organization. CBS News Colorado reported the town denied wrongdoing but said mediation led to a mutually acceptable solution.

Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College in New Town will receive $250,000 from the National Science Foundation, according to KMOT-TV. The award comes through the Tribal Colleges and Universities Program.

The college will use the funding to expand cybersecurity and research programs. KMOT-TV reported the grant is intended to help strengthen academic opportunities at the institution.

The state of North Dakota and the U.S. government have entered settlement negotiations over costs tied to Dakota Access Pipeline protests, according to the North Dakota Monitor. Attorney General Drew Wrigley confirmed Friday that discussions have been underway for weeks. He declined to provide further details but said he appreciates that both sides are open to having a dialogue.

The meetings follow a federal judge’s spring judgment awarding North Dakota nearly $28 million in damages — a ruling that the executive branch is appealing — and a joint request by the state and the U.S. Department of Justice to pause the case, granted by the 8th Circuit on Aug. 11 with a status update due by Sept. 10.

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.”

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.