The Daily Spark

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 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 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.

First Nations in Manitoba are urging for improved firefighting equipment and infrastructure as wildfires force mass evacuations, according to a report by ICT. Nearly five million acres have burned or are burning across Canada, with more than 20,000 people displaced in Manitoba alone, most of them from First Nations communities.

At a June 2 press conference, Chief Goldie Bear of Mathias Colomb Cree Nation, said his community lacks basic firefighting tools, stating, “We have nothing but hoses for our garden, rakes for the lawn. Nothing to fight fire, nothing.” Grand Chief Kyra Wilson of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs also called attention to inadequate airstrips that prevented large evacuation aircraft from landing. Evacuations and air quality alerts continue as 25 active fires burn across the province.

Old Fort Niagara has launched a campaign to build a Native American education center as part of its commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, according to an announcement on the fort’s website. The hewn-log structure will reflect 18th-century Native dwellings built near the fort during the Revolutionary War and will serve as a space for storytelling, teaching and cultural workshops.

The center is expected to deepen understanding of Native history and culture, military alliances and survival during wartime. A co-chair of the fundraising campaign, Chief Brennen Ferguson, Tuscarora, Turtle Clan, was quoted as saying that the project “will support the efforts of Native staff at the Fort and help share a fuller story — one that honors the presence, contributions and strength of Indigenous Peoples.” The fort has raised $200,000 toward its goal. The fundraisers seek an additional $50,000 by early September. The center is scheduled to open in spring 2026.

The Cherokee Nation announced a $255 million plan to build a new health care facility in Claremore, replacing the 47-year-old Claremore Indian Hospital, according to Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. and Deputy Chief Bryan Warner in a statement to KTUL. The proposed Cherokee Nation Claremore Outpatient and Emergency Health Center will eliminate inpatient services and focus on outpatient and emergency care, with plans to develop partnerships for inpatient services, according to Cherokee Nation Health System CEO Dr. R. Stephen Jones.

Deputy Chief Warner said in the KTUL report that eight months of negotiations with the Indian Health Service and facility assessments showed that upgrading the existing hospital would exceed $100 million and still fall short of tribal standards. The proposed legislation, the Cherokee Nation Claremore Outpatient and Emergency Health Center Act of 2025, will go before the tribe’s Rules Committee on June 26 for consideration. Completion of the new center is expected by 2027, according to KTUL.

The University of North Dakota will celebrate Arbor Day with a tree planting ceremony on June 18 at 11 a.m. The event will take place on the north side of the Chester Fritz Library, between the library and the Nistler College of Business & Public Administration. UND President Andy Armacost, Vice President of Finance and Operations Karla Mongeon-Stewart and Associate Vice President of Facilities Matthew Kibbon will give brief remarks before planting a mix of deciduous and coniferous trees. The annual event recognizes UND’s ongoing effort to maintain healthy tree coverage on campus, according to a university press release. UND has been named a Tree Campus Higher Education Institution by the Arbor Day Foundation.

Ella Weber, a member of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, recently graduated from Princeton University, according to a report by KMOT. To her knowledge, she is the first member of the Three Affiliated Tribes to graduate from the Ivy League institution in New Jersey. Weber, who grew up in Crookston, Minnesota, said she initially planned to study astrophysics but shifted her focus to health and housing policy. She received a full-ride scholarship and will work at The Wilderness Society, a conservation organization, for the next two years.

The Santo Domingo Pueblo has developed a Draft Solid Waste Ordinance to address illegal dumping, which has become a significant issue in the community. The ordinance was presented to Tribal Council in October 2024 and opened for community comment in March 2025. Revisions are now underway before final approval. The draft defines illegal dumping as disposing of waste in unauthorized areas including roadsides, vacant lots or waterways.

Proposed consequences include a written warning for the first offense, followed by increasing fines, mandatory cleanup within seven days and community service for repeat violations.