The Daily Spark

Tribal gas stations in several states are offering lower prices than nearby competitors as fuel costs rise during the Iran war, according to an article by The Associated Press. The article says tribes in states including California, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma and Washington can often sell gas for less because they are exempt from some state fuel taxes on tribal lands. AAA reported the national average gasoline price had risen to $4.15 a gallon since the war began Feb. 28. 

According to The Associated Press, tribal gas stations also help generate revenue for Native nations and provide access to groceries and household supplies in communities with limited options. Matthew Klas, a consultant who tracks tribal businesses, said 245 tribes operated 496 convenience stores with gas stations as of 2025. Tanya Burns, CEO of Tulalip Tribes Federal Corporation, said rising gas sales on the Tulalip Reservation are being reinvested in roads, police, health care, education and housing.

More than 200 riders traveled from Chandler to Scottsdale in Arizona during the fourth annual Thunderbird Throttle charity motorcycle ride to raise awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People, according to FOX 10 Phoenix. The ride, organized by the Rez Riders Indian Motorcycle Club, is the only Native American-led event during Arizona Bike Week and ended at Casino Arizona in the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.

According to FOX 10 Phoenix, participants included members of the Rez Riders Indian Motorcycle Club, the Phoenix Indian Center and several nonprofits. The event featured live music, speakers and cultural performances focused on supporting families impacted by the crisis and raising awareness for Native youth in the foster system. Michael Tupponce, vice president of the Rez Riders Indian Motorcycle Club’s Arizona chapter, said the goal is to ensure missing Indigenous people receive the same recognition as others.

The State of Arizona, Navajo Nation and Hopi Tribe received a nearly $100,000 grant from the Resilient Energy Economies initiative to support coal-impacted communities in the Four Corners region, according to the Arizona Daily Sun. The funding will support a joint research project titled “Enhancing Four Corners Economic Resilience and Tribal Sovereignty,” focused on job creation and revenue growth following the decline of the coal industry.

According to the Arizona Daily Sun, the project includes partnerships with Harvard’s Growth Lab and the Harvard Project on Indigenous Governance and Development to conduct research and stakeholder outreach. The closure of the Navajo Generating Station and Kayenta Mine resulted in $50 million in annual revenue losses, 700 direct job losses and 3,000 indirect job losses for the Navajo Nation. The Hopi Tribe experienced an 85% revenue reduction and up to 1,900 job losses.

A new study by the U.S. Census Bureau found that tribal gaming generates more than $40 billion annually and has contributed to economic gains in Native communities, according to an article by ICT and Marquette University. The article notes that about half of federally recognized tribes operate gaming facilities, with more than 600 casino operations on tribal land as of 2019. 

According to ICT and Marquette University, poverty rates among American Indian individuals have declined from about 31% before the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act to 19.6% in 2024. Tribal gaming revenue has supported employment, community programs and tribal services. However, the report states that geographic location and state policies can limit revenue for some tribes, including restrictions on gaming operations and distance from major population centers.

The Suquamish Tribe is adjusting how it teaches and harvests traditional plants as climate change alters long-standing growing cycles, according to Underscore Native News and Report for America. Azure Bouré, a Suquamish Tribal Council member and the tribe’s traditional food and medicine program coordinator, said shifting seasonal markers have changed when plants can be gathered and used for food and medicine. Bouré teaches community members, including youth, how to identify, harvest and prepare plants through the tribe’s Traditional Food and Medicine Program.

According to Underscore Native News and Report for America, Bouré and Suquamish elder Kippie Joe said plants including maple blossoms, rosehips, nettle and cedar have become less predictable because of heat, drought and changing rainfall. Bouré said the changes have required adjustments to classes and harvesting plans, while Joe said cedar harvests are smaller and harder to time, affecting how knowledge is passed to younger generations.

A proposal to drill exploratory holes for uranium near Craven Canyon in the southern Black Hills has drawn opposition ahead of a state permit hearing, according to South Dakota Searchlight. Clean Nuclear Energy Corporation and its parent company, Nexus Uranium, applied in March 2024 to drill on state land in Fall River County as part of the Chord project. The hearing, originally scheduled to begin April 13 in Hot Springs, has been postponed, according to an April 7 notice. 

According to reporting by South Dakota Searchlight, opponents say the project threatens an area near ancient Native American rock art and could affect water resources and culturally significant sites. More than 40 people and organizations raised concerns about the drilling. The U.S. Forest Service has also received nearly 1,000 public comments on the broader project, including opposition from six tribal nations. Nexus Uranium CEO Jeremy Poirier said the company’s project would not affect Craven Canyon.

The Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation announced plans to develop a $2 billion casino resort in Las Vegas, including a hotel, entertainment venue and sports complex, according to National Today. Tribal leaders began acquiring land for the project in 2020, totaling about 23 acres, and submitted preliminary plans to Clark County in February 2025. National Today reports that Chairman Mark Fox said that the project could include a sports venue with between 15,000 and 20,000 seats and that he is seeking a professional sports team. Some tribal members have raised concerns about financial issues on the Fort Berthold Reservation, including layoffs, hiring freezes and funding challenges.

The Lincoln County School Board will decide April 14 whether to remove Siletz Valley School’s charter agreement, which would close the K-12 school at the end of the academic year, according to Underscore Native News and ICT. The school, located in Siletz, Oregon, serves 189 students, with more than 65% identified as Native. The board cited 12 compliance concerns, including financial reporting, attendance and test score performance. School leaders said they have addressed those concerns and submitted documentation for review. 

According to Underscore Native News and ICT, students, staff and community members spoke in support of the school during a March 31 hearing, highlighting its focus on cultural education, including language, drumming and Native food systems. The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians urged the district to keep the school open, stating its closure would disrupt cultural and educational support for Native students. The board’s decision will determine whether the school remains open beyond this school year.

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a case involving a Muscogee (Creek) Nation citizen, leaving in place an Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling that she must pay state income taxes despite living and working on tribal land, according to Oklahoma Voice. The state court ruled in July that Alicia Stroble is not exempt from taxation, finding that the 2020 U.S. Supreme Court decision in McGirt v. Oklahoma applies only to criminal jurisdiction under the Major Crimes Act.

According to Oklahoma Voice, Stroble argued the McGirt decision should extend to civil matters, including state income taxes for 2017 through 2019. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said the decision supports state jurisdiction, while Muscogee (Creek) Nation Principal Chief David Hill said the tribe is reviewing options, including potential federal court action. Cherokee Nation Attorney General Chad Harsha said the ruling conflicts with established law on taxation of tribal citizens living and working on tribal land.

Chief Dull Knife College Extension Service and the CDKC Cultural Center developed a coloring book for K-12 students that combines plant science and Cheyenne language learning, according to Native Sun News Today. Extension Service Director Henry Thompson worked with student interns Taibree Bearchum and Kyla Kwandibens to create the resource, which includes drawings of traditional plants, English and Cheyenne spellings and QR codes linked to the Cheyenne Dictionary.

According to Native Sun News Today, the first 25 pages focus on plant identification and vocabulary, while pages 26-36 include writing prompts that teach the plant growth cycle using Cheyenne values and traditions. Thompson said copies are available through the Extension Office at Chief Dull Knife College while supplies last, with plans to print more and update the book.

An Interior Department proposal would cancel Bureau of Land Management grazing leases for bison on federal land in Montana, potentially affecting tribal and private herds across the West. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum proposed the change in January, stating that bison are not eligible for leases because they are not used for “production-oriented purposes,” according to Inside Climate News. If finalized, more than 950 bison managed by American Prairie could be removed from tens of thousands of acres of federal land. 

The proposal has raised concern among tribal leaders and bison operators. OJ Semans Sr., executive director of the Coalition of Large Tribes, said the decision could limit tribes’ ability to expand herds on public land. The coalition, which represents more than 50 tribes, said in a protest notice that the policy could prevent tribal governments and citizens from qualifying for leases. Interior said grazing permits are limited to domestic livestock under the Taylor Grazing Act.

The Sundance Institute has announced the fellows selected for its 2026 Native Lab, which runs April 6–11 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The program will support four fellows and two artists in residence, offering Indigenous filmmakers space to develop feature and episodic projects through mentorship, script readings and roundtable discussions.

The selected fellows include Taylor Foreman-Niko, Samoan; Miles T. RedCorn, Osage and Caddo; Sabrina Saleha, Navajo; and Ashley Qilavaq-Savard, Inuk/Inuit, with Sayun Simung, Tayal, and Taylour Chang, Kanaka Maoli, participating as artists in residence. The program is led by Adam Piron, Kiowa and Mohawk, director of the institute’s Indigenous Program. Piron said the Native Lab is grounded in storytelling development approached through community and Indigeneity.

New research suggests Native Americans developed dice and games of probability about 12,000 years ago in what is now the Southwestern United States, according to NBC News. The study, published in American Antiquity, challenges earlier timelines that traced such practices to about 2,000 years ago and indicates they predate similar developments in Europe, Africa and Asia by thousands of years.

The research, led by Colorado State University doctoral student Robert Madden, found evidence of continuous dice use from the end of the last Ice Age through European contact and into the present. The dice, often made of bone or wood, were shaped and marked to produce random outcomes. Madden said the findings show Native American groups were engaging with structured games of chance, while researchers noted the games also served social and cultural purposes within communities.

StrongHearts Native Helpline will host a community chat May 6 from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Central Time in recognition of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Awareness, according to event details posted to the helpline’s Facebook page. The event will spotlight Medicine Wheel Ride’s work and the ongoing movement for justice and safety in Native communities. Registration is available through Zoom, and support is available by calling or texting 1-844-7NATIVE or visiting strongheartshelpline.org.

Medicine Wheel Ride is described as a grassroots, Indigenous, women-led motorcycle organization that raises awareness about Missing and Murdered Indigenous women, girls and Two Spirit relatives. According to the event description, the group uses long-distance rides, community events and public education to honor those who are missing or murdered while supporting survivors, families and Native communities. The organization also incorporates cultural elements such as ribbon skirts, prayer and ceremony to center Indigenous voices and experiences.

Levitt at the Falls announced its Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ All My Relatives Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ Festival has been selected to participate in Of the People: The Smithsonian Festival of Festivals, a program marking the 250th anniversary of the United States, according to Dakota News Now. Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ All My Relatives Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ Festival, now in its fourth year, is described as a multigenerational celebration of Indigenous people through performance, design and community.

Nancy Halverson, president and CEO of Levitt at the Falls, said in a statement the selection is an opportunity to share a festival centered on Native excellence. The Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage selected about 40 festivals to participate. Director Clifford Murphy said the anniversary is a time to celebrate cultural democracy and reflect on shared futures.

The state of Colorado is asking the public for help locating a cemetery at the former Teller Institute site, a Native American boarding school that operated from 1886 to 1911, according to The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. The site later became the Grand Junction Regional Center. A public meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. April 21 at the Clifton branch of the Mesa County Libraries.

Estimates reportedly suggest at least 20 Native American children were buried near the site, located by Riverside Parkway and the Veterans Memorial Cemetery of Western Colorado. Phillip Gover, senior director of Tribal and Indigenous engagement for History Colorado, said poor record keeping has made the search difficult. State law requires identification and mapping of graves before the property can be transferred, and officials say locating the cemetery will help guide memorial efforts and consultation with tribes.

A Mohawk-led cultural center in New York has acquired 600 acres of traditional homelands with support from The Nature Conservancy and partners, according to ICT. The Six Nations Iroquois Cultural Center purchased the property for $1.1 million from Paul Smith’s College. The land, located near the center’s existing campus in Onchiota, is part of the broader territory of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.

Director David Fadden told ICT the land will be used for cultural education and a future youth camp. Conservation easements will guide how the land is managed, with documents filed in both English and Mohawk and grounded in Haudenosaunee values. The Nature Conservancy said the project marks its first land return in New York and reflects efforts to expand Indigenous stewardship and access to land, according to ICT.

New Mexico officials, tribal colleges and universities criticized a proposed federal budget that would cut funding for minority-serving institutions and eliminate support for the Institute of American Indian Arts, according to Source NM. The proposal, submitted to Congress on April 3, calls for removing $354 million in discretionary funding for colleges serving Asian, Black, Indigenous and Hispanic students and ending IAIA’s $13 million budget.

IAIA President Dr. Shelly C. Lowe urged Congress to reject the proposal, saying the school plays a key role in supporting Indigenous artists and communities. University leaders in New Mexico said previous federal cuts have already reduced funding and supported programs, while U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján said he plans to oppose the proposal, according to Source NM.

Dozens of students, teachers and community members gathered March 31 outside the Lincoln County School District offices to urge officials not to close Siletz Valley School, a K-12 charter school in Oregon facing 12 compliance issues, according to an article by Underscore Native News and ICT. The article reports that more than half the students at the school are Indigenous and many are citizens of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians.

The public hearing, requested by acting superintendent Debra Barnes, addressed concerns including teacher licensure, attendance planning and required student programs. Barnes told the board the school has taken steps over the past eight months to address the issues and remains committed to meeting requirements. More than 60 people attended the hearing, with additional attendees in an overflow room. The Lincoln County School Board is expected to decide April 14 whether to revoke the school’s charter agreement.