National Native News

History was made in the National Hockey League (NHL) Friday night in Buffalo, N.Y. The Toronto Maple Leafs had the first overall pick of the NHL draft and they selected Gavin McKenna (Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin First Nation), only the second Indigenous player to ever be drafted at the top spot. Dale McCourt (Frog Lake First Nations) was taken number one by the Detroit Red Wings in 1977. More from Dan Karpenchuk in Toronto. Although the draft was in Buffalo, fans in Toronto watching on the big screen at the Scotia Bank Arena went wild after the announcement that their team was choosing McKenna, born in Whitehorse, Yukon. That kind of enthusiasm from the crowd has largely been missing in Toronto, as the team suffered one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history: ending up in 28th place and missing the playoffs. The next day, McKenna, the star rookie, got to meet the Toronto media for the first time where he was asked about his immediate plans. “Yeah, I’m going to the Jays game tonight. I’ve never been to a baseball game, so obviously a Blue Jays fan, so I’m looking forward to that and yeah I dunno know, I think just kind of hanging out, chillin’ out. I think Dev Camp starts out pretty quick so I gotta make sure I’m ready for that. Yeah, just hanging out.” McKenna has been on the radar of NHL scouts since he was fourteen years old. When he jumped to the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) Medicine Hat Tigers, over two seasons he racked up 97 and 129 points consecutively. At the end of the 2024-25 season, he ended up winning rookie of the year, WHL player of the year, the Canadian Hockey League David Branch Player of the Year, and an Under 18 world championship gold medal. He then committed to playing for Penn State in NCAA hockey during his draft season. Analysts say he has a high-end hockey IQ with an ability to manipulate defenders and is often compared to such greats as Artemi Panarin and Patrick Kane. Fans and owners in Toronto are hoping that with the McKenna one of the longest Stanley Cup droughts in franchise history could soon be over. Timinah Ellenwood-Parrish, left; his aunt Andria Scott, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) Education Department administrative assistant; and Desiree Coyote, CTUIR Family Violence Services (FVS) coordinator, walk during an MMIP Week event on May 6, 2024, around the Nixyáawii Governance Center campus in Pendleton, Oreg. (Courtesy CTUIR / Facebook) The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) is holding a special summit next week organized by its Family Violence Services (FVS) program. Desiree Coyote is the FVS program manager. She says she is particularly excited for this biennial event, given the quality of speakers and topics. “I am really happy to be able to get Marisa Cummings to attend, she’s done a lot of federal work in regards to Violence Against Women Act, and she’s got many years when it comes to jurisdictional issues and collaboration.” Another session led by Jordan Battle and Arianna Sessoms addresses domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking in the workplace. “There isn’t a lot of meaningful policies or practices around addressing those in the workplace. So I’m excited that, Jordan and Arianna is going to be here to talk about how the federal government is ensuring that there’s technical assistance and training for us at the Umatilla Indian reservation, but for other agencies who receive state and federal funding.” Coyote says it is important to address these pervasive issues in Indian Country, to keep them in the forefront for vulnerable people. “When it comes to domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, for the U.S. overall, the overrepresentation of population definitely lies with communities of color and tribal nations specifically. Research actually so shows that the Indigenous community on this land, are five times more to have lived through these types of experiences, the intimate partner violence and sexual assault.” The 2026 Tribal State and Federal Summit titled Beyond Policy: Shaping Behavior and Culture will be held July 7-9 at the Wildhorse Resort and Casino in Pendleton, Oreg.     Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Tuesday, June 30, 2026 — The Menu: Native food and America’s origins, a tribal vineyard, and a cafe’s uninformed Indigenous branding misses the mark  

U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola receives standing ovation from delegates at the 2025 Alaska Federation of Natives Convention. She is expected to be one of the candidates to appear at this year’s convention in October. (Photo: Matt Faubion / Alaska Public Media) The Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) will celebrate the anniversary of its 60th convention this October. Rhonda McBride from our flagship station KNBA has more on plans for this milestone gathering. “Rooted in Land and Tradition, Rising in Our Voices.” That’s theme for this year’s AFN Convention. AFN President Ben Mallott says it reflects six decades of advocacy and the power of collective voices. “We have taken our convention, over 60 years, and have made it in, I think, the state’s largest meeting, with a broadcast of over 100,000 viewers. That’s a powerful tool for our community.” In 1966, about 400 Native leaders from across the state gathered above an Anchorage storefront on Fourth Avenue to fight for their ancestral lands. This first gathering laid out the groundwork for the passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) in 1971 — still the largest lands settlement in U.S. History. Today, the convention draws thousands of people, along with state and national leaders. Mallott says this year’s keynote speaker is Dr. Rosita Worl, president of the Sealaska Heritage Institute and a longtime AFN board member. Mallott says Worl has dedicated her life to advancing Native causes. “It’s Rosita. Dr. Worl, she’s an icon. She’s a legend. She has built Sealaska Heritage Institute into the institution it is now in Juneau, and she’s also one of our strongest advocates for subsistence.” Mallott says this fall’s convention will also feature candidate debates for the U.S. Senate, U.S. House, and Governor’s races — and will be part of an extensive Get-Out-The-Native-Vote campaign. AFN will be held for three days at the Dena’ina Center in Anchorage, Alaska starting on October 22. On January 9, 2007, members of the Navajo Nation, faced with the devastating health and environmental effects of yet another coal-burning power plant, staged a peaceful demonstration in Window Rock, Ariz., on the day that returning Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley was sworn in. Peaceful demonstrators were forcibly stopped and blocked from attending the inauguration by the Navajo Nation Police. (Photo: Carlan Tapp / Palace of the Governors Photo Archives) An exhibit at the New Mexico History Museum in Santa Fe, N.M. highlights the successful campaign by three Diné women to stop a coal-fired power plant on the Navajo Nation. KUNM’s Jeanette DeDios (Jicarilla Apache and Diné) talked with one – Sarah Jane White – and photographer Carlan Tapp (Wacomico/Anglo). “A Question of Power” features 40 black and white photographs by Tapp as well as video and audio interviews with residents on the Navajo Nation between 2004 and 2011. They include tense confrontations between tribal members and authorities over plans by the Dine’ Power Authority to build the Desert Rock plant on the Navajo Nation near Farmington, N.M. Robin Jackson is the executive director for Diné Citizens Against Ruining the Environment (C.A.R.E.), a nonprofit that works with Navajo communities on energy and environmental issues. “President (Richard) Nixon had declared that certain parts of the U.S. would be sacrificed for energy production in order to meet energy needs for some of the bigger cities like Los Angeles or Phoenix and others.” In the wake of the 1973 oil crisis, Nixon announced Project Independence that included expanding nuclear development, including lands inhabited by Native Americans. A 2010 research article identified 37 Navajo communities with high rates of certain diseases and conditions associated with coal power plants. The growing number of children with asthma was one of the reasons Sarah Jane White became involved. “So I went around the schools too, and I found out just how many children were having respiratory issues.” She says the majority of the Navajo people opposed Desert Rock and wrote letters to then Navajo President Joe Shirley Jr. She says plant owners tried to get her to stop protesting against Desert Rock by offering her sons jobs. White was joined in her fight by Lucy Willie and Molly Hogue. Tapp was drawn to their compelling story. “The thing I thought, I have got to keep really good notes on this for some reason. I don’t know why.” Tapp traveled with White, Willie, and Hogue to different communities on the reservation, and he says that it was eye opening. “I could not believe it. People without electricity, people without running water.” Tapp’s photographs and interviews also helped in the fight against Desert Rock. Ultimately, the Desert Rock Energy project was officially canceled in 2011 due to the continued opposition. With the closure of another plant, the San Juan Generating Station in 2022, Jackson says you can see the difference in the air. There is still one active power plant on the Navajo Nation scheduled for decommissioning in 2031.     Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Monday, June 29, 2026 — First Nations group works to reclaim thousands of sacred items from Swiss collector

Communities across the country are marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. In Alaska, organizers say they are using the milestone to tell a broader story — one that includes Alaska’s history, its people, and Native contributions to America’s pastime. The America250-Alaska Commission’s “Week of Dreams” begins Saturday and runs through July 4 with events in Anchorage and Fairbanks celebrating Alaska’s connection to baseball. Opening ceremonies at Mulcahy Field will include Alaska Native Heritage Dancers, a parade of athletes, and recognition of the Knock Down and Skin ‘Em Club from St. Paul Island, believed to be Alaska’s oldest baseball team. One of the organizers is Olga Zacharof of St. Paul Island. For more than a decade, Zacharof has helped organize community softball games on the island. She and her husband, Dimitri, recently expanded those efforts to Anchorage, bringing together Unangax families through the sport. Zacharof says the game has long brought families and community members together in St. Paul, and she hopes being a part of this week’s events will do the same. “I hope to make our people proud. I hope to make the Aleut people from the Pribilofs proud. And how lucky I am to be able to represent us in that light.” Former Major League Baseball pitcher DJ Carrasco will also be in Alaska for the celebration. Carrasco now serves as director of Native Nations Baseball, an organization working to increase opportunities for Indigenous youth in baseball and softball. Carrasco says Native Nations Baseball is about more than teaching the game. “Native Nations is a resource not only in the sport but like holistic health and wellness belief and nutrition. We believe in the holistic development of an actual person. A good person, how to be a good teammate.” The week’s events continue Monday at the Alaska Native Heritage Center, where Carrasco, Zacharof, and former Knock Down and Skin em’ team members will discuss Native representation in baseball and their work with Indigenous youth. The program will also feature a demonstration of Miachee, a traditional Indigenous ball game from Southwest Alaska, led by Sugpiat artist Andrew Abyo. According to the America250-Alaska Commission, Alaska chose baseball as the focus of its commemoration to highlight the state’s contributions to American history and culture while inspiring future generations to learn about Alaska’s past. Events continue through July 4 in Anchorage and Fairbanks. A bill that would change the dynamic between the feds and tribal nations on the cleanup of abandoned mines moved forward this week. KNAU’s Chris Clements has more. The Legacy Mine Cleanup Act got a House committee hearing Wednesday with bipartisan support in Congress and the backing of the Navajo Nation. It would create a new office within the U.S> Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to better track mine sites that need cleanup. And it would prioritize cutting edge cleanup methods like one backed by the company DISA Tech, which involves harvesting uranium mine waste so it can be reused. But that cleanup method has faced pushback from environmental advocates, who say it is still experimental, uses too much water, and does not fully clean up contamination. National Parks Service (NPS) employee testing for elevated radiation levels at the Orphan Mine Site on and below the South Rim in Grand Canyon National Park. (Courtesy NPS) Besides looking into new remediation methods, the bill would also give tribes more funding for cleaning up abandoned hard rock mines. The federal government estimates there are about 140,000 such mines in the U.S.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Friday, June 26, 2026 — Native books to keep young readers engaged this summer

The U.S. is celebrating 250 years since the Declaration of Independence, but some Native Americans in the Mount Rushmore state are turning their focus to a different anniversary, as South Dakota Searchlight’s Meghan O’Brien reports. Ben Jones is South Dakota’s state historian. He also chairs the state’s America 250 commission. He wants it to be an inclusive celebration. “There was just a strong desire personally, and I think among all the members of the commission, that we include everybody and everybody who lives in South Dakota to be a part of this.” But as July 4 nears, Trina Lone Hill (Oglala Sioux) is not planning to celebrate. “For me personally, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence is like a slap in the face.” Lone Hill is a former historic preservation officer for the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Now, she serves on its tribal council. The founding of the country meant lost land, language, and culture for Indigenous people. So Lone Hill’s focus is on the 150th anniversary of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, the week before Independence Day. The conflict on June 25, 1876, was a major victory for the Northern Cheyenne, Arapaho, Lakota, and Dakota people. It happened during the United States’ encroachment on their land, after the discovery of gold in the Black Hills. Lakota people know the conflict as the Battle of the Greasy Grass. Representatives of several tribes are working with the National Park Service to commemorate the anniversary at the battlefield in Montana. Lone Hill will be one of more than a dozen speakers at the three-day event. U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) holds a press conference on Monday, June 1, 2026, in Tucson., Ariz. The Indian Health Service (IHS) is preparing to close one of its three locations in Arizona. The agency says this is part of a plan to modernize operations and improve health outcomes. As KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, state Democrats are raising alarm. More than 28,000 patients depend on the Tucson, Ariz. area office, especially members from the Tohono O’odham Nation and Pascua Yaqui Tribe. It mostly handles administrative work, but is expected to merge with the IHS Phoenix office. That location is already responsible for 180,000 patients in Arizona, Nevada, and Utah. “Consolidating one to another, you’re going to have a disruption of service. Any cut is going to cause a delay.” State Rep. Brian Garcia (Pascua Yaqui/D-AZ) is concerned. So too is State Sen. Sally Ann Gonzales (Pascua Yaqui/D-AZ), who also chairs the Indigenous Peoples Caucus. “I’ve never been to that clinic, but I know that some of our members do, and I used to represent Tohono O’odham and it’s in their San Javier District, so it’s disheartening to learn of its closure.” Arizona state Democrats sent a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy earlier this month, urging him to halt the looming closure. The agency did not comment on the letter. Mark Cruz testified Wednesday before the U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee. The nominee to lead the IHS appeared before a U.S. Senate committee Wednesday. Mark Cruz (Klamath Tribes) answered questions from lawmakers on the Senate Indian Affairs Committee during his confirmation hearing to become the next IHS director. Cruz currently serves as senior advisor for Native Affairs at HHS. He told senators he would focus on strengthening tribal consultation, improving health care access, and addressing workforce shortages across Indian Country if confirmed. His nomination now moves forward in the Senate confirmation process. IHS provides care to about 2.8 million American Indians and Alaska Natives.     Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Thursday, June 25, 2026 — First Nations challenge Alberta’s separation drive

It is billed as “the world’s longest and toughest snowmachine race”. Next year, the Iron Dog Race plans to add three checkpoints to its over 2,000-mile course. As KOTZ’s Desiree Hagen reports, a new race route, announced earlier this month, has been several years in the making and crosses through two national wildlife refuges. The new route adds the communities of Huslia, Shungnak, and Ambler. Rick Paquette is the executive director of the Iron Dog. He says it will not add miles, but would traverse through new terrain. He says the race has been working on permitting for the route for a while. “This isn’t something like overnight that happened, you know what I mean. This was over seven years in the making, this is a really big deal, and we’re super excited to do this.” Why did it take so long? The proposed race route passes through federally protected land, more than 100 miles of it (79 miles on Koukuk, 34 miles on Selawik) through the Koyukuk and Selawik National Wildlife Refuges. Both refuges rejected the initial request, citing similar reasons: the race would be a public safety problem, require more budget and staff than available, and not align with the refuges’ purpose or mission. A letter from Selawik Wildlife Refuge said that a portion of the proposed route would also violate the Wilderness Act and the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (ANILCA) through 1.3 miles of trail. The managers of the refuges were unavailable for comment. Iron Dog also submitted a special use permit through Kobuk Valley National Park, but changed their race route to a section of the Kobuk River that does not fall under park service authority, according to a representative from the Western Arctic Parklands. Race organizers appealed the rejections in June 2025 and reached out to the office of U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK). A press release from the senator said he and his team played a “key role” in advancing the new route and drafted an appeal that “highlighted inconsistencies” preventing the route’s expansion. “Obviously anytime you have a bunch of different organizations that you’re trying to collaborate with and get one final answer on, it’s extremely difficult. I think, new administrations, and definitely, Sen. Sullivan’s office really helped push this over and help us get to the goal line on this.” Paquette says Sullivan’s office helped with letters of support, and with multiple organizations, including the Bureau of Land Management. And it paid off. In December, Sara Boario, Regional Director of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, overturned the previous denials, allowing for the new race routes. Boario’s office did not respond to questions from KOTZ news. Paquette says there are challenges with a race this large, which passes through 23 mostly remote checkpoints. “It’s a beast to put on this race logistically, and there’s always struggles with fuel and getting equipment out, and getting, you know, resources out there.” Both Ambler and Shungnak have experienced prolonged fuel shortages in the last several years, often in winter when storms can ground fuel planes. Still, Paquette says Iron Dog is prepared for those challenges. “We do our best to make sure we get all the resources for the communities that we need to put a strong race.” Paquette says Iron Dog has several programs that the new race communities will benefit from, including free helmets and free life jackets for local youth. Last year, Iron Dog established the Iron Pup program, which fosters young racers. Iron Dog also founded the Make it Run program that partners with schools and engineers to encourage technical and mechanical training. Paquette says there is also economic benefits to the new communities. “There’s gonna be publicity, there’s gonna be people going through these areas, you know. We send resources up there, spending money, and, you know, giving a chance for these folks to see this incredible race.” The Iron Dog race typically begins in early February. A date has not been set for next year’s race.     Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Wednesday, June 24, 2026 — Affordable housing progress misses Native priorities

Photo: A panoramic view of Monument Valley. (Gabriel Pietrorazio) The nation’s 575 federally recognized tribes are now eligible for conservation grants from the National Park Service. And as KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, a new digital tool is designed to help them navigate the bureaucracy. The Land and Water Conservation Fund has been around since 1964. “It receives about $900 million each year from offshore oil and gas royalties – not taxpayer dollars – to support conservation and outdoor recreation nationwide. And yet, I had never heard of the program.” Starlyn Rose Miller is from the Little Shell Chippewa Tribe of Montana. She is with the nonprofit Wilderness Society, which launched the new online hub. “Tribal governments are so busy. We thought if we could put a hub up designed in partnership with Indigenous-led orgs, agencies, nonprofits, that it could be helpful.” The fund has aided more than 47,000 projects in nearly every county nationwide. Bethel siblings Vjosa Pellumbi, left, and Drini Pellumbi pose after winning the top prize at the UAF College of Business and Security Management’s Arctic Innovation Competition held at the 8 Star Events Center in Fairbanks on April 18, 2026. (Photo: Sarah Lewis / UAF) High energy costs are a fact of life in remote, rural Alaska with few easy answers. A brother and sister team from Bethel, Alaska recently won top honors at an innovation competition hosted from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. As KYUK’s Evan Erickson reports, they are committed to being part of the solution. Fraternal twins Drini and Vjosa Pellumbi have more in common than the same birthday. So far, their education and career paths have followed side by side. The brother and sister graduated from high school with college credit gained through the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program (ANSEP) and are currently studying mechanical engineering at the University of Alaska Anchorage. The Pellumbi twins are busy advancing a prototype of a device that attaches to home boilers and aims to reduce heating costs in cold-weather climates. Drini Pellumbi says their device essentially takes heat that would have been wasted by the boiler and just repurposes it to heat incoming water. Their Arctic Heat Recovery System design earned the top prize and $21,000 at the Alaska Innovation Competition hosted by the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The same day, Vjosa Pellumbi said the pair celebrated their 20th birthday. “It was such a whirlwind of emotions, because during the finals of that competition, we still had finals for our semester course, and you know we’re taking rigorous engineering courses, so stresses were high. It was just, it was a lot of good news that day.” This summer, the Pellumbis are both in Washington, D.C., interning with a wildlife conservation nonprofit. In their off-hours, they are plugging away at their prototype. Drini says the heat recovery concept is nothing new, but that it’s so far been focused on large-scale commercial applications. “On my table right in front of me we have a couple thermocouples and sensors. We’re in two separate apartments, but we take turns, whose room carries all the junk. I guess a lot of people just don’t see a profit margin in developing it for Alaskan citizens, like residents, to use. We’re not really in it for the profit, we’re in it because it’s clean, it saves oil, it saves money, it saves pollutants from entering the atmosphere. Hopefully it’ll be good all around.” Friends and family in Bethel – where fuel prices have recently spiked due to the war in Iran – are eager to be the first to test the device. The Pellumbis say it has the potential to save homeowners thousands of dollars per year. They say the money they earned at this year’s Arctic Innovation Competition is going directly into making the heat recovery system a reality. The second-generation Albanian-Americans credit their mother for pushing them to apply together for the competition. Vjosa says the parallel paths her and her brother have taken come down to family ties. “Within Albanian culture, one of the core values is being very family-oriented. So I guess that’s always been why we’ve gravitated towards doing the same things, because we’ve always been close.” Both say they could end up specializing in different engineering fields down the road. But for now, they say they’re enjoying being a team as long as they can.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Tuesday, June 23, 2026 — Descendants reflect on Greasy Grass anniversary

Roseburg Schools and the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians have announced a partnership to help preserve the tribe’s ancestral language, as KLCC’s Brian Bull reports. Starting this fall, both Native and non-Native high school students can take the Takelma language for official language credit. The last known speaker died more than a century ago, but linguists and audio recordings from the Smithsonian Institution have helped revive it. Lindsay Campman, a spokesperson with the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua, says the tribe has deemed language as important to its citizens. “And that continues to make our people strong. It’s a link to have something in common with your ancestors who lived a very, very different life centuries ago. But being able to speak that same language that they did, that’s a powerful connection.” The Cow Creek Band is also partnering with Roseburg Schools on a statewide program to improve Native students’ attendance and is gifting the district half a million dollars towards renovating Roseburg High School’s sports complex. Myles Lewallen, left, his client Indigenous Design Studio + Architecture founder Tamarah Begay, and his co-counsel Jake Curtis testify before the Budget and Finance Committee on June 17, 2026. (Courtesy Navajo Nation Council) The Navajo Nation Council has paused its public hearing into the ZenniHome scandal until next month, but in testimony last week, a key witness made a bombshell allegation against her ex-business partner. KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio has details. Tamarah Begay is the founder of Indigenous Design Studio and Architecture, which hired the now-bankrupt ZenniHome as a subcontractor to make 160 modular homes for the Navajo Nation. Zenni built only 18 after getting $24 million. “I am not a thief, and I am not a criminal.” But under oath, Begay leveled an accusation against ZenniHome CEO Bob Worsley. “He went ahead and actually forged my name under HozhoniHomes and submitted that to the state of Arizona.” That 2023 filing created an LLC, naming Begay’s firm as a member. Her legal counsel clarifies they have not “seen any documents with her signature forged,” but insists this entity was formed “without her consent and against her express direction.” Neither Worsley nor his attorney, who signed off on the LLC, immediately responded to KJZZ’s request for comment. (Courtesy Lomakatsi Restoration Project) Nine tribal members have graduated from a forestry and wildland firefighting training program in southern Oregon that blends modern fire management with traditional Indigenous knowledge. The graduates completed 18 weeks of paid training through the Tribal Ecological Forestry Training Program, operated by the Lomakatsi Restoration Project. Participants learned wildland firefighting, forest restoration, fuels reduction, chainsaw operation and cultural burning practices. For thousands of years, Indigenous communities across the West used carefully managed burns to improve forest health, encourage the growth of important plants and reduce vegetation that can fuel large wildfires. Many of those practices were restricted after federal fire suppression policies took hold. Today, tribes and land managers are increasingly looking to traditional fire knowledge as a tool for reducing wildfire risk. Program leaders say the training not only prepares Native youth for careers in forestry and firefighting, but also helps reconnect participants with cultural traditions tied to caring for the land. The program serves tribal communities in Oregon and northern California, where increasingly severe wildfire seasons have threatened forests, wildlife habitat and rural communities. Organizers say graduates leave with industry certifications and hands-on experience that can lead directly to employment in wildland firefighting and natural resource management. As fire seasons grow longer and more intense across the West, supporters say Indigenous knowledge and the next generation of Native fire practitioners will play an important role in protecting forests and communities.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Monday, June 22, 2026 — Rebecca Nagle’s ‘First America’ amplifies Native voices amid the din of America 250 celebrations

For many Native people, the version of California history taught in school does not tell the whole story. For Brad Munoa, a citizen of the Pechanga Band of Indians, the inspiration for “People of the West”, a new ten-part docuseries came after learning about a California history presentation at his son’s school. Munoa says Native American history received only a brief mention, while much of the focus was placed on a version of California history that overlooked Native voices and experiences. That moment sparked an idea. “So I wanted to make a series that would reach the youth in a compelling, cinematic way. Dramatic recreations, beautiful animations when we couldn’t depict something in real life. One of the biggest archival libraries of stills and videos of California history that I think exists on the planet. We put that all together in 10 1-hour episodes. I’m telling you, it’s amazing.” Munoa says the series, which took over two years to create, also touches on his family’s own experiences. One scene was inspired by the love story of his grandparents. He says his grandfather was afraid to tell his future wife that he was Native because of the prejudice Native people faced at the time. Years later, watching actors bring that story to life on screen left him in tears. “I just started crying and sobbing. I explained that story was from my family history specifically. It was an honor to have them portray it.” Munoa says the series is not just about the past. He hopes Native youth see themselves reflected in stories that have often been overlooked and that viewers leave with a deeper understanding of California’s first peoples.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by People of The West (@peopleofthewestseries) While the project has generated interest, Munoa says it has not yet been picked up by a streaming service. He says that is intentional. “We made the whole thing on spec without preselling it to a studio ahead of time. When you do that, yes, you get funding, but you also get oversight. And the studios get to determine final cut and get to suggest taking things out, adding stuff in. We wanted to tell the story without those handcuffs. So we made the whole thing on spec without preselling it. Now that we have it, we’re trying to find distribution. “I just want everybody who watches the series to come away with a new profound understanding of history from a native perspective. I’m almost 100% sure that if they just watch with an open mind, it will inform all of their decision making going forward in a good way, so that we can build a better future for our kids.” Completing the project came with sacrifices. Munoa says work often took him away from his family. Now that the series is finished, he says he’s looking forward to making up for lost time and being more present with the people who supported him throughout the journey. “My wife has shouldered a lot of the responsibilities at home in her effort to support me, but she’s been neglected, my kids have been neglected. They call me the dad from Hook as a joke. You know before he goes to Neverland in Hook, he’s consumed with work and on his phone, he’s missing baseball games and stuff. So I want to balance that all back and be there with my kids and wife, and tend to my land on the reservation.” The ten-part series makes its world premiere June 20 at Hollywood’s famed Chinese Theatre as part of the Dances With Films festival. Munoa says he hopes audiences leave the theater with a deeper understanding of California’s Native peoples and the stories that helped shape the state.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Friday, June 19, 2026 — Native Playlist: Kalyn Fay and Logan Staats

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument has been the target of U.S. Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT). He has been looking to undo a Biden-era resource management plan, meant to focus on conservation and consultation with tribes. That effort has failed for now. KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio has more. Using the Congressional Review Act, lawmakers on Capitol Hill could’ve killed the plan with a simple majority vote from the Senate floor, but that 60-day window has closed. Erik Stanfield is senior anthropologist with the Navajo Nation Heritage and Historic Preservation Department. “Some people think it’s a win – and I suppose in some sense it is, but I don’t feel excited about it, because I do think there’s more coming. We’ve just thrown away something that could be another weapon.” He helped shape this years-long process. An executive order could still downsize the national monument – significant to Navajos, Hopis, Zunis, Utes, and Paiutes. Together, they formed an inter-tribal coalition. “Having to respond to this really strengthened the coalition. It bonded the group a little bit better, we organized and that’s going to persist.” FBI agent Christopher Dotson explains Operation Ballistic Backlog. (Photo: C.J. Keene / SDPB) Authorities are looking for methods to close gaps preventing justice from being served when violent crimes happen on reservation settings. Now, the FBI, ATF, and tribal law enforcement are doubling down on these efforts. South Dakota Public Broadcasting’s C.J. Keene reports. They are calling it Operation Ballistic Backlog – and it falls under the ongoing effort Operation Steadfast Promise which is aiming to solve cases that have troubled reservations and Native communities for decades. To put it simply, firearms leave something of a ballistic fingerprint which can be traced if and only if prior uses of that firearm are documented into an ATF database. At the Rapid City FBI branch office, agent Christopher Dotson goes into detail. “In South Dakota, Operation Ballistic Backlog is an initiative that is unique to the Pine Ridge Reservation. This initiative came about when we recognized an opportunity to work with our partners with the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety who had hundreds of firearms in their custody that we could help test against evidence found at various crime scenes. This cache of weapons could be tested and entered into the ATF’s national integrated ballistic network – known as NIBIN. Dotson is the special agent in charge of the Minneapolis Field Office, which covers Minnesota and the Dakotas. “What makes this initiative exciting is the potential to connect these guns to unresolved crimes on the Pine Ridge Reservation and elsewhere.” This comes as the FBI announced a new reward for information in the search for a suspect in the death of six-year-old Logan Warrior Goings, who was murdered in his Oglala family home. “Weeks later, a gun firing the same kind of ammunition used in Logan’s murder was located well away from the crime scene. Ballistic testing connected that gun to the murder of little Logan – and that is a key piece of evidence. Last week, the FBI offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for Logan’s senseless murder. Somebody out there knows something.” In total, over 500 firearms are now slated to be tested for potential links to cases across the nation.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Wednesday, June 17, 2026 — Gloves off: Native bare-knuckle boxers fight for recognition in the ring

Residents of Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska can now use four wheelers to subsistence hunt in the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve. The change was announced by the U.S. Interior Secretary during a visit last month. As the Alaska Desk’s Alena Naiden from our flagship station KNBA reports, residents of the North Slope village have been fighting for this decision for decades. Marc John Morry has been hunting caribou around Anaktuvuk Pass since he was a child, but in the summer and fall, most of the land around the village has been off limits to hunters like him. That is because residents were not allowed to use four wheelers in the majority of the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve. The all-terrain vehicles are the only way to access the roadless preserve surrounding the village. Last month the U.S. Department of the Interior announced it would restore off-road-vehicle access to the park. Morry says he is excited. “This is life changing. I only wish my grandparents were here. Now that we’re able to access the lands, we can learn ourselves and relearn what our ancestors taught us about certain areas that always have caribou.” The Trump administration has been working to expand access to hunters on off-road vehicles in protected federal lands across the country. However, a National Park Service (NPS) spokesman for the Alaska region said this action is specific to subsistence hunting in the Gates and does not apply to sport hunters. And it comes after decades of back and forth on the issue. Before Anaktuvuk Pass became a permanent settlement about 80 years ago, the Nunamiut people were semi-nomadic and moved throughout the Brooks Range. Morry says they were searching for their main food source – caribou. “We heard many stories from our elders about hunting grounds that we weren’t able to access, which they remember before we even formed a community.” The federal government established the Gates of the Arctic around Anaktuvuk Pass when it passed the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. Residents were still given the right to subsistence hunt using snowmachines and motorboats, among other traditional transportation methods, but the rule did not mention ATVs. And 40 years ago, new park guidance interpreted the law to ban hunts on ATVs because they were not used traditionally. Lillian Stone is the city mayor of Anaktuvuk Pass. She says the ban created invisible boundaries for residents relying on hunting for survival. “It was like we were prisoners in our own land for 40 years, where before that it was, we could hunt anywhere, we could travel anywhere.” Local Native corporations exchanged lands with the Park Service in the late 90s, which made additional areas within the park available for subsistence ATV hunts. Still, residents could only access about 1% of the Gates of the Arctic. Stone says residents and local leaders have been advocating for ATV access to the park for subsistence for decades – but with no progress. “We felt like it wasn’t getting anywhere, and we weren’t getting the answers that were needed.” Last year, local leadership traveled to Washington D.C. and asked the Interior Department to restore ATV access to the park. This May, the department announced the decision to do that. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum wrote in a social media post that “no one knows or cares for this land more than the people who live here.” Honored to be with the Nunamiut people in Anaktuvuk Pass to celebrate freedom & self-determination. After 40 years, we are restoring ORV use in Gates of the Arctic National Park for subsistence hunting, because no one knows or cares for this land more than the people who live… pic.twitter.com/m39PGbIP9C — Secretary Doug Burgum (@SecretaryBurgum) May 18, 2026 A department spokeswoman said in an email the old ban was inconsistent with supporting subsistence. She said NPS will consult local communities within six months to establish the new rule. Kristen Morry is an Anaktuvuk Pass hunter and a mother of two. She says the announcement means a lot for her and her children. “I have no words for what just happened, because it just makes me really emotional. … I’m excited to be out there and to no longer have to worry about when we have to stop, because I’m out there year round as well.” NPS said local hunters should contact the Gates of the Arctic for current information on using ATVs while the regulatory process is underway.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode

Photo: Pullers on Petersburg’s killer whale canoe paddle in the water at Auke Recreation Area near Juneau on June 2, 2026. (Olivia Rose / KFSK) Petersburg (Séet Ká Kwáan), Alaska’s first traditional canoe (kéet yaakw) in a century recently completed its maiden voyage. A small group of pullers paddled more than 100 miles through Southeast Alaska, following the tradition known as Journey before arriving in Juneau, Alaska for Celebration. KFSK’s Olivia Rose spoke with some of Petersburg’s pullers about the experience. Over 200 people, many wearing regalia, are gathered on a sunny afternoon at Auke Recreation Area, the former site of a Tlingit village. Ten canoes are floating near the shore, each taking turns for traditional protocols before landing on the beach. Among them is Petersburg’s killer whale canoe. Brandon Ware is the skipper. He shouts an introduction from the water. “My name is Shashanee, my English name is Brandon Ware. I am Naanyaee with the mud shark house. Gulancheesh for having us. We are so grateful to be here. Forgive me if I miss protocol. This is our first Journey in over 100 years [rowdy applause]!” The 39-foot, fiberglass kéet yaakw is Petersburg’s first in a century or so. This was its first multi-day Journey, and had its inaugural launch out of Petersburg – another big first – just ten days earlier. Soon, after introductions, permission is given and all the canoes land on the beach. Dozens of pullers from communities throughout and beyond the region are welcomed ashore. There is singing, dancing, and drumming. Friends, family and loved ones find each other in the crowd, hugging, taking pictures together, and congratulating the pullers on their arrival. Ten canoes take turns asking for permission to land at Auke Recreation Area near Juneau on June 2, 2026. (Photo: Yvonne Krumrey / KTOO) Ware says arriving feels … “…bittersweet, man. This is the most incredible feeling in the world, being able to pull up and see everyone here. I had tears in my eyes when we were coming ashore. This has been a dream of mine since I was since I was little, and to be able to see this and see it through, I can’t describe it, I can’t describe it.” Only about nine pullers signed up to paddle kéet yaakw through Alaska’s Inside Passage — including his brothers. Sagooch Billy Ware describes the moment as powerful for keet yaakw and his community. And he says coming all this way feels surreal. “I’ve crabbed and I fished in these waters all the way from Petersburg to Juneau, but being able to take the time and camp on the beach, like in sum dum underneath the glaciers, it was breathtaking. It was amazing, and it really gave you a different perspective on just how tough and durable our people were, and just the life that they lived. This has been an amazing experience.” The group did a number of traditional landings, like today’s, while making stops at villages along the way. He says the first time they did after departing from Petersburg was especially meaningful to him. “We got to do the first official landing for a canoe out of Séet Ká Kwáan in over 100 years, and I was privileged enough to do the landing introduction, and just ask for the permission to be on their land, and that was an incredibly important moment for me.” That first landing happened in Kake, a village on Kupreanof Island. The group ended up spending about three days there, waiting out some weather. For puller, Young Duane Gabe Dunham, it was the most memorable part of this Journey. “Kake was, they were wonderful hosts, and they fed us every night … and while we were there after dinner, we just, everybody got up and they shared songs, and we all danced … people from almost a half a dozen different communities just came together … and it was a really powerful thing to be able to share with my boys.” Dunham says he joined this historic paddle from Petersburg so he and his two young sons could learn more about Tlingit culture. Christian and Jacob, who tagged along on Journey, mostly aboard the safety boat. There are a couple other special moments on the 10-day Journey that stick out for Dunham, too, like when he earned a nickname from Billy and the group: “We got the Paddle Beaver over here. He chomped through two of them with the power strokes there.” “We were trying to break six knots speed in the canoe, and we nearly got there, but we were all paddling at about 110% and we’re working hard, and that’s when I broke my second paddle [light laughter].” Gooch tláa Victoria Moore paddled the canoe from Petersburg with her son, Đat xá a gutch Alex, who has autism. Like most of the pullers on keet yaakw, this was their first canoe Journey to Celebration. “He did great, I just so appreciate everybody helping me bring him to his culture and to Celebration, to my homeland here in Juneau, and, man, what an incredible to be a part of the canoe that it’s been over 100 years … that’s pretty special to me, and that my son got to join me on that Journey of, you know, making some new connections, so this is beautiful. Gualancheesh,” Over 100 years, ten days, and 100 miles later, Journey is complete for the first traditional canoe out of Petersburg. Kéet yaakw was shipped home to Petersburg after the ceremony – and the four-day Celebration wrapped up on June 6. Reporting help from Yvonne Krumrey   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Friday, June 12, 2026 — Indigenous representation during the world’s largest sporting event

Photo: Bear Butte State Park in Meade County, S.D. (Courtesy S.D. Department of Tourism) All nine tribes located in South Dakota are unifying in their call to return the public, federal lands in the Black Hills to tribal entities. Each tribe passed a resolution calling on Congress to act. SDPB’s C.J. Keene reports. Treaty rights mandate the Black Hills belong to tribes, although that treaty was broken long ago. The most important detail in this new legislative push is the focus on public, federal lands. Put simply, places where people do not live. Valeriah Big Eagle is the director of He Sapa initiatives for Rapid City, S.D.-based nonprofit NDN Collective. She says this is not about private homes in the Black Hills. “That’s the myth, that’s the misunderstanding. When they’re talking about landback in the Black Hills and we’re talking about the federal public land, essentially that is the lands that nobody is living on. It’s the federal, public lands so we can protect it from extractive activities.” Regardless of outcome, advocates say the inclusion of all South Dakota’s tribes is a historic statement of tribal unity. Joseph Brings Plenty is a tribal council representative from Eagle Butte. He says tribes have government-signed and guaranteed rights. “That’s something that needs to be remembered – the treaties still exist. That’s why we stand on this. For the United States to uphold their end of the bargain.” Brings Plenty says it is a chance for Native peoples to have a meaningful say in the management of the Black Hills. With that, Brings Plenty says healing can happen. “That’s a step forward, a positive step forward. The Black Hills are not for sale. I mean, it’s not just in a Lakota or Indian sense. We all want clean water, we all want the air to be clear, we all want housing and grandchildren. We all want a life. The more and more, as is inevitable, the cultures mesh, I think this is all important. Why lose it?” This comes on the heels of a mining effort near the Black Hills sacred site of Pe’Sla, that was ultimately defeated in court following widespread opposition from the Indigenous community. Fruit-bearing trees and shrubs line a soon-to-be park near Metlakatla’s boat harbor. The plants are part of the village’s Community Food Forest Project. (Photo: Hunter Morrison / KRBD) For many communities in rural Alaska, accessing fresh fruit can be challenging. Most of it is shipped in from out of state, and often loses flavor and more along the way. But a program in Metlakatla, on Alaska’s only Native reservation, is looking to change that. As KRBD’s Hunter Morrison reports, it’s one way the small village is trying to combat food insecurity. Near Metlakatla’s boat harbor, Gatgyeda Haayk, the village’s Community Garden Champion, strolls past a row of shrubs and small trees, which rustle with the wind. “And then those two down on the end, I believe, are cherry.” The soon-to-be budding cherry trees, planted last year, were brought to the village as part of its Community Food Forest Project. The initiative incorporates fruit-bearing trees and bushes into the village’s public landscapes. So far, Haayk says about 50 plants have taken root around town. “In like the next three years, we hope to be able to give fruit back to the community.” The program comes after Metlakatla’s tribal council passed a resolution a few years back that required all beautification efforts in the community to be edible. Not long after, the village received a three-year grant from the U.S. Forest Service to fund the project. She says the project has primarily worked with apple trees, but they have also planted plum and nectarine trees. The initiative also deals with plants native to the region, like raspberries, gooseberries, and saskatoon berries. And increasing access to fresh fruit is important, because it is so limited in the village. There is just one grocery store on the island, and the vast majority of the produce comes from out of state. “I am hoping that the community utilizes this, and then it also inspires other communities to kind of do the same thing, so that we don’t have to rely on the Lower 48 so heavily on our food.” While most of the program’s trees and bushes are still young, Haayk is focused on educating the village about the project. She noted that once the plants begin to bloom, community members can harvest the fruit free of charge — with the exception of the village’s main community garden. “It’s astounding how much food gets wasted, and it’s really a shame, because that’s a lot of energy that goes into that little piece of food.     Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Thursday, June 11, 2026 — In the parched West, tribes restore waterways to improve quality and quantity

Photo courtesy Navajo Nation Council Over the last year, the Navajo Nation Council has been investigating what happened to the $24 million in COVID relief allocated for ZenniHome, a failed housing initiative. A week-long public hearing on the matter got off to a slow start Monday when subpoenaed witnesses failed to show up on the advice of the tribe’s justice department. KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio reports. Those witnesses included Navajo President Buu Nygren, but the tribe’s Department of Justice (DOJ) sent a same-day memo advising all government employees to not attend or testify. “The Department of Justice is not here to hinder the process and our main emphasis is that we protect the attorney-client relationship.” Acting Deputy Attorney General JoAnn Jayne says the best way to do so is in executive session. “We can advise you as to what can be disclosed and what cannot be disclosed, and so the sooner that we do that, you know, then the legislative branch can move on.” Budget and Finance Committee Vice Chair Carl Slater questions whether the DOJ is operating in good faith. “It’s very difficult to ascertain – between the politically appointed leadership of the department and the rank and file employees – what the position of the department is with respect to trying to quash this whole endeavor.” Meanwhile, Nygren himself has filed several motions to stay the public proceedings. Tlingit Master Carver Israel Shotridge, left, was known to work with family members like nephew Robert Jackson. (Courtesy Sue Shotridge) If you have spent time in Ketchikan, Alaska, you have likely seen the work of Israel Shotridge. The Tlingit Master Carver passed away in Washington state in April at the age of 75. Shotridge is being remembered for his artistry, gentleness and love of family. KRBD’s Hunter Morrison spoke with two of Shotridge’s loved ones about his life and legacy, and has this story. Shotridge’s Tlingit name Kinstaádaál (The Bear That is Standing up) is also the name of a song he wrote for and sang with his mother, Esther Shea. They were members of the Bear Clan of the Tongass Tribe. Born Howard Jackson in 1951, Shotridge was raised in Ketchikan and later changed his name. Growing up, he excelled in school and sports, but Shotridge’s passion was for the arts. Willard Jackson, his older brother, says Shotridge liked to draw at a young age. “Creativity for him came easy, but he was good at it.” After going to college in Seattle, Wash., Shotridge returned to Ketchikan and eventually began carving. His first major project was to carve a replica of the 55-foot Chief Johnson totem pole. It was the first pole in over 50 years to be carved and raised in Ketchikan, and still stands downtown today. Shotridge also met his wife Sue around that time. “He was friendly to everybody, and I just fell in love with him. He was fun to be around. We laughed. We both had the same interest in the culture, it was a fun journey.” In addition to his totem work, Shotridge carved bentwood boxes, masks, and other ceremonial pieces. In the 1990s, Shotridge and his wife moved to Washington state, where they opened their shop The Shotridge Collection, but art was not Shotridge’s only interest. He had a love for music and was also a family man who loved spending time with his children and grandchildren. His wife says this, his art, and cultural preservation, will be Shotridge’s lasting legacy. “He was the humblest and most modest artist that I ever knew.” Willard says Shotridge’s carvings, and legacy, can be found all around the globe. “You can’t go through town or anywhere else without seeing his artwork. It’s there. And every time I see it, I know it’s his.” His wife plans to return Shotridge’s ashes to Southeast Alaska next year for a canoe journey from Wrangell to Ketchikan. She says Shotridge wanted to do that, but never had the chance when he was alive.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Wednesday, June 10, 2026 — Columbia River tribes weigh in on future dredging plans  

Photo: Nahaaygm Łagyigyedm (Spirit of Our Ancestors) sits ashore One Tree Island outside of Metlakatla, Alaska. (Hunter Morrison / KRBD) Wildlife across southern Southeast Alaska is emerging from wintertime hibernation, but in Metlakatla on Annette Island, animals are not the only things waking up. Canoes are hitting the water again, marking this year’s start of a Tsimshian tradition that is tied to the village’s history. KRBD’s Hunter Morrison tagged along for a recent canoe journey, and has this story. About a dozen people are holding cedar boughs in a driveway on the outskirts of town. Seated atop a nearby trailer is a long, white canoe. David Nelson grabs his drum and begins singing. As the drumbeats echo through the subdivision, the mixed-aged crowd cleanses and awakens the vessel by brushing the cedar along its sides. The song’s lyrics honor the canoe and welcome its paddlers. It has not been performed in three years. “We believe they’re like a living, breathing thing, so we treat it as such. We say ‘hello’ to it, and when we put it away, we tell you ‘it was good to be you,’ and we thank it for doing everything.” The ceremony marks the start of the canoe’s spring and summertime journey. The 40-foot long Nahaaygm Lagyigyedm (Spirit of Our Ancestors) has navigated Metlakatla’s waters and traveled to neighboring islands since 2013. Johon Atkinson, president of the nonprofit Liwaayda, says the organization’s goal is to share Tsimshian culture and bring Metlakatla back to its canoeing roots, which dates back over 130 years. “So the whole reason why we got this canoe was to get our people in Metlakatla out on water.” While today’s canoes are often used to educate people about Tsimshian culture, Atkinson says they are still important to traditional practices. Later this month, the Spirit of Our Ancestors will be used in Metlakatla to harvest seaweed from neighboring islands. “It’s that feeling of we’re going to be on the ocean, on the highways of our ancestors. And just that feeling is so comforting. I feel complete when it is canoe season.” Minutes after its blessing, the canoe is towed to a boat launch, from which they will paddle to nearby One Tree Island. Johon Atkinson, right, and family members cleanse the Spirit of Our Ancestors with cedar boughs before the canoe’s first journey of the season. (Photo: Hunter Morrison / KRBD) Atkinson, who is joined by his son, niece, and nephew, hopes fun opportunities like these can help keep Tsimshian traditions alive for the next generation. “Having them experience this now is something that many of us adults have not experienced at their age. So the fact that they are here, learning and leading – there’s just no words on how amazing that is.” Atkinson says folks from all over the country visit Metlakatla each summer to experience the village’s canoe journeys firsthand. (Courtesy Robert Nick family) Robert Nick was a man of the Southwest Alaska tundra – and much more. He died last month at the age of 84. His memorial service was at St. Innocent Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Anchorage last week where, as Rhonda McBride from our flagship station KNBA tells us, he was remembered for a lifetime of public service. Robert Nick’s Russian Orthodox service was fitting for a man who loved the harmonies of the Slavonic choir. He was known to pass out recordings of his favorite hymns to friends and fellow singers. For Andrew Guy (Yup’ik), president of the Calista Native Corporation, Nick represents the end of an era. “He’s part of that group that came from having no electricity, no outboard, to where we are today.” (Courtesy Robert Nick family) Nick helped bring electricity to villages throughout Southwest Alaska through his work with the Alaska Village Electric Cooperative, an organization he helped found. He also ran a store in Nunapitchuk, a village near Bethel, Alaska where he grew up. Richard Jung (Yup’ik), who owned Jung’s Trading Post, in the neighboring village of Napakiak, said Nick’s leadership grew from the values he was raised in. “One of the things you’re taught is to help people. You try to do what you can for your village and your region. And he was one of those guys that did that./ He knew that he could get things done and was one of the ones that knew he had to do it. He was just a fine person.” Robert Nick was very proud that he was the first in his family to receive a Western education and graduate from high school. That achievement became a foundation for decades of service on boards and commissions that focused on a wide range of causes: health, education, housing, economic development, job training, and protecting the Yup’ik subsistence way of life. (Courtesy Robert Nick family) His niece Karen Cooke Phillips (Yup’ik) says he was tireless. “Attending meetings, after meetings, for days and hours, and for continued years.” And yet, Phillips says, his home was filled with love, a reflection of his early life. Nick was the eldest of nine children. After his father died, he took over his father’s store and helped to provide for his younger brothers and sisters – an experience Phillips says shaped his lifelong role as a father figure – not just within his family but across the region. “He has been in those arenas, leading in lots of different organizations and providing a voice for people from our region, or the lifestyle of the people of our region.” Nick had two twin passions, housing and education. He dedicated many years of his life to improving housing conditions in rural Alaska. Eventually, he became a national advocate for federal Indian housing programs and brought attention to the Third World conditions in Alaska villages. He also served on the Lower Kuskokwim School Board for two decades and became its longtime chairman. Steve O’Brien, a former school principal, remembers giving Nick a copy of Robert Rules of order to help him. “And he laughed, and he said, ‘Oh, I already have that book.’ And he reached behind from the bookshelf, and he pulled down this very worn and earmarked copy of Robert’s Rules with sticky pages and stuff. He was an expert about this stuff.” O’Brien says it is no surprise that Robert Nick was eventually asked to chair almost every board he served on. In 2014, Nick received an honorary Doctorate of Laws degree from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. (Courtesy Robert Nick family)           Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Tuesday, June 9, 2026 — Lawsuit threatens unique century-old Native Hawaiian land benefit

The University of Washington’s WWAMI medical school program just received a new $25 million endowment for scholarships and rural education support, as Alaska Public Media’s Rachel Cassandra reports. The program gets its name from the five states it serves – Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho – and educates emerging physicians in those rural states. Dr. Nick Phelps, WWAMI’s assistant dean at the University of Alaska Anchorage, says the gift will go to scholarships for 30 eligible students across the five-state class. “For the students who are accepted to receive this scholarship, it covers half of their tuition.” Phelps says those eligible to apply for the scholarships are students in two specific programs: one, a rural track, and the other, a tribal and traditional medicine track. Medical school tuition – and the debt students take on to pay it – can run in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Phelps says the scholarships change the financial equation. “Primary care practices and primary care physicians… are the bedrock of medicine, for lack of a better term. They’re also some of the lowest paid specialties for students to go into, so for somebody who really is strongly interested in family medicine, pediatrics, internal medicine, some of those other primary care specialties, they have to do a bit of an internal calculus.” Many medical students choose specialties that pay better, which has helped create a shortage of primary care practitioners, both in Alaska and across the U.S. Phelps notes that the U.S. Department of Education will soon start limiting student loan amounts that Americans can take out for higher education, including medical school. Philanthropists William and Carolyn Franke and their family gave the WWAMI program the $25 million endowment to create the Franke Medical Student Scholars Program. Phelps says he hopes that the resulting scholarships encourage more Alaska students to focus on medicine that serves rural, remote and Indigenous Alaskans. The cliffs of Black Mesa on the Navajo Nation on September 1, 2023. (Photo: Chris Clements / KNAU) An energy company is asking for preliminary approval from the feds to look into building a hydropower project on the Navajo Nation. KNAU’s Chris Clements has more. The company Nature and People First is asking for a preliminary permit from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to investigate building a pumped storage project near Chilchinbeto, Ariz. It would include two reservoirs holding a total of 20,000 acre-feet of water. Pumped storage projects generate energy by letting water flow downhill and then pumping it back up. Nature and People First tried to get federal approval for three pumped storage projects in 2021, but the Navajo Nation and the feds later said no. Critics cited concerns about overuse of aquifers and damage to the environment of nearby Black Mesa, which is considered sacred by the Navajo and Hopi tribes. If it is granted, the permit would not allow the company to disturb any land or give them permission to enter private property. Grand Exit at Celebration 2026. (Courtesy Sealaska Heritage Institute) Thousands of Alaska Natives and visitors gathered in Juneau, Alaska last week for Celebration 2026, one of the largest Indigenous cultural events in the state. The four-day gathering, organized by Sealaska Heritage Institute, brought together Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian dancers, artists, and culture bearers from across Southeast Alaska, Canada, and beyond. The event featured traditional song and dance performances, Native art, language activities, and cultural workshops. This year’s theme was “Enduring Strength”. Celebration began more than 40 years ago as a way to preserve Native cultures and pass traditional knowledge to younger generations. Organizers say the event continues to showcase the survival and persistence of Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian traditions while strengthening connections among Indigenous communities throughout the region.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Monday, June 8, 2026 — Confronting division with Pride

Photo: More than an hour after the levee was breached, channels in the Siuslaw Estuary begin to fill up with a mix of fresh and salt water on May 29, 2026. (Brian Bull / KLCC) A major conservation project near the Oregon town of Florence has achieved its goal: connecting a large swath of restored farmland to the ocean. The Siuslaw Estuary is a 217-acre expanse that is expected to accommodate the return of salmon, lamprey, and native plants as it transforms with the tides. KLCC’s Brian Bull reports. On a cool, misty morning at the estuary, Dan Kirk waves a burning bundle of sage as they walk through an old dairy farm site called the Waite Ranch. Kirk is the restoration manager for the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians (CTCLUSI). “I’ve been blessing the site almost daily, we really care about this project, and just putting as much intention and good thoughts and good feelings and gratitude as much as we can.” Besides the tribes, members of the Siuslaw Watershed Council and McKenzie River Trust gathered to witness something historic. Margaret Treadwell of the McKenzie River Trust watched a towering excavator crawl towards an earthen levee. It held back the Siuslaw River from the estuary. “It’s really exciting, I have never seen a levee breach before.” After the excavator broke apart the levee, brackish water surged in immediately. People cheered. CTCLUSI Chief Doug Barrett watched as the reformed farmland became submerged. “I kinda got goosebumps. It’s been a long time comin’.” The restoration work took nearly three years and $15 million. Barrett shared its new name. “Now it’s called haich ikt’ at’uu. Haich ikt’ at’uu is the ‘heart of the river’, and so this is a pretty awesome place now to call our home. Just awesome to see the water coming in, knowing that the salmon and lamprey could come in here and hide from all of our predators. It’s a pretty good feeling.” Four hours later, a contingent of tribal council members arrived in “Lottie” a 32-foot long canoe. After crossing through the mouth of the newly-opened channel, the group sprinkled tobacco and tule seeds into the water. Members of the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians paddle “Lottie” a 32-foot dugout canoe, towards the Siuslaw Estuary on May 29, 2026. (Photo: Brian Bull / KLCC) Jesse Beers, CTCLUSI cultural stewardship manager, lowered the remains of a salmon into the currents. “When we were in the channel there, almost brought tears to my eyes. Returned some salmon remains to let the Salmon People know it’s a good place to come again. And fatten up and be healthy. It’s just an amazing experience.” The White House has nominated a citizen of the Klamath Tribes to lead the Indian Health Service (IHS). The nomination comes after more than a year without a Senate-confirmed director at the agency responsible for providing health care to Native communities across the country. The White House this week nominated Mark Cruz of Oregon to serve as IHS director. If confirmed by the Senate, Cruz would oversee an agency that provides health care services to approximately 2.8 million American Indians and Alaska Natives through federal, tribal, and urban Indian health programs. The nomination was announced June 1. Cruz currently serves as Senior Advisor to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Native health issues. He became one of the highest-ranking Native officials in the department after being sworn into the position last year. Native health advocates say the nomination is significant because IHS has operated without a permanent director since January 2025. The agency continues to face challenges including workforce shortages, aging facilities, and growing health care demands in tribal communities.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Friday, June 5, 2026 — The life of Chief Powhatan and the fight to preserve his birthplace

Photo: Siletz tribal members Todd Logan, Joshua Rilatos, and Dylan Gorman work next to anatomic pathologist Kurt Williams of the Oregon State University necropsy team on November 18, 2025, The tribe removed the whale’s blubber, bones, and baleen for cultural use, while the OSU crew took away tissue samples for diagnostic testing. (Jens Odegaard / Oregon State University) A group of Siletz Indians in Oregon are holding a presentation this Saturday to honor a humpback whale that washed ashore in Lincoln County last fall and died. As KLCC’s Brian Bull reports, it is to help non-Natives understand the historical and cultural significance of these mammals. The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians (CTSI) sent a team in mid-November to do a traditional salvage of the whale, a common practice for coastal Native people for centuries. Lisa Norton, CTSI’s chief administrative officer, and several others will discuss whales through storytelling, in a welcoming and open space near the Amanda Trail in Yachats. Norton hopes the audience leaves with one main takeaway. “Gaining and understanding of what it meant to us as a people, as individuals. And for those who were already connected with the whale, to understand that connection a little bit deeper or maybe understand that that connection isn’t over. And that it will live on in the stories that we do tell.” Norton says CTSI’s cultural and natural resources department will eventually decide what will be done with the whale’s bones and other materials. Ḵaayák’w Brandon Gomez introduces the Wind Dancer yaakw and asks permission to come ashore at Auke Recreation Area on June 2, 2026. (Photo: Yvonne Krumrey / KTOO) Thirteen canoes bringing Alaska Native paddlers from across Southeast Alaska and Canada arrived in Juneau, Alaska Tuesday afternoon. The canoes landed in two separate groups — one in downtown Juneau and the other at a traditional Aak’w (AHK) village site, north of town, as KTOO’s Yvonne Krumrey reports. Áak’w Kwáan Elder Seikoonie Fran Houston waits on the shore at Auke Recreation Area as yaakw (canoes) enter the bay. “It’s going to be good to see family and family and family and friends, and it’s a beautiful day, so the ancestors are happy also.” Every other June, more than 100 paddlers arrive in Juneau this way to kick off Celebration, a gathering of Alaska Native people celebrating cultural revitalization. Sealaska Heritage Institute started the event more than four decades ago. They come to Celebration the old-fashioned way — paddling yaakw that were carved for this occasion. Some travel from as far north as the Yukon. “My name is Ughąts’etsӓna Ma. I’m Crow Clan. We’re from Dakwäkäda, Haines Junction, Yukon… We’re looking to celebrate now.” Ughąts’etsӓna Ma Cheyenne Sparvier-Kinney introduces her boat to the shore. Later, she reflects on the multi-day journey down Lynn Canal. “The journey was great. It was really a healing journey for a lot of us, not just our boat, but from the experiences that we’ve shared together. Yeah, it’s a healing journey for all of us.” Others, like ShaaL’aanee Brandon Ware, are from as far south as Petersburg. This was the community’s first time sending a canoe to Celebration. “Gunalcheesh for having us. We are so grateful to be here. Forgive me if I miss protocol, this is our first journey in over 100 years.” In downtown Juneau, three yaakw make their way to shore as hundreds stand watching. As the yaakw neared, Shangukeidí Casey Moats stands up to greet the crowd. “I had heard that I would never know my language, I’d never belong to a clan, I’d never have a name, I wouldn’t know my songs, and to do this means everything in the whole world.” X’ash Kugé ka Yaanasax Barbara Cadiente-Nelson is a council member and secretary at Douglas Indian Association. She was one of the original planners for the first-ever Celebration in 1982. As she watches the yaakw arrive downtown, she says that for Alaska Native culture to continue to flourish, the next generation has to be grounded in place. “When you take a look around and you see our people of all ages and our youth, we are, yeah, and the young people that are singing and dancing, that they’re connected to place, they’re understanding and growing in their responsibility as Lingít, Haida, Tsimshians.” Celebration officially starts Wednesday, with a Grand Entrance parade into Centennial Hall downtown. Over the coming days, there will be numerous events and ceremonies dedicated to honor and uplift Alaska Native culture. With reporting help from Clarise Larson   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Thursday, June 4, 2026 — Telling the full story of Route 66

New Mexico and the U.S. are one step closer to having the first female Native American governor as former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo) beat out her Democratic opponent Sam Bregman with 72% of the vote Tuesday night in the primary election. KUNM’s Jeanette DeDios (Jicarilla Apache and Diné) was among the attendees at her watch party. Old Town plaza was filled with New Mexicans young and old in support of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland, dressed in a black and white dress with bright red cowboy boots. Haaland told the crowd she would lower costs so that New Mexicans can have better access to health care, education, and safe communities. “I’ve been through hard times. I’m a single mom, I’ve lived paycheck to paycheck, I survived off SNAP and WIC. I’m over 35 years sober. These are the same struggles so many New Mexicans face today, but with the grit, creativity, and persistence that only New Mexicans know, I know a better New Mexico, as possible.” Haaland served as the 54th U.S Secretary of Interior, making her one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress. She said she will put that work into experience. “To combat [President] Donald Trump’s cuts to Medicaid, fight against rising health care costs, and take a stand, so that ICE will not be allowed near schools, places of worship, or public community spaces.” Kalika Tallou (Diné and Ute) works for the nonprofit New Mexico Community Capital and was in the crowd. She says she has heard some reservations from other Indigenous people about Haaland, but she says Haaland has a big voice in the grand scheme of things. “I feel supportive of her and her work in Washington, DC, and internationally, and across the island, and wanting to uplift and support our Indigenous women with the challenges that they’re faced with.” Haaland will face Republican candidate Greg Hull on November 3. “If I didn’t earn your vote this primary election, I want you to know I’m going to work every day to earn it now.” Hopi dry farmer Michael Kotutwa Johnson. (Photo: Lauren Gilger / KJZZ) The University of Arizona has released a new report highlighting the huge economic impact of tribal agriculture throughout the Grand Canyon State – including $750,000,000 in total economic output statewide. KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio has details. According to the study, Indigenous farms outnumber all other operations statewide. And while most tribal farms are between one and nine acres in size, they collectively manage more than 80% of Arizona’s farmlands during 2022. For Hopi dry farmer Michael Kotutwa Johnson, who is a co-author, this report is an important reminder. “The main story is that Indian people are still doing agriculture since before we were in a state… Maybe doing it in a different form, but we’re still here, and we’re still doing that, and I think that our contributions have been really unnoticed.” Including how the vast majority of Arizona farms for commodities, like sheep, goats, vegetables, and melons, are owned by Indigenous peoples. Johnson thinks that trend will continue to grow. “So I really would make the claim that in about 20 years the only real agriculture in Arizona will be on Indian reservations.”   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Wednesday, June 3, 2026 — Native child welfare notches wins in a time of adversity

Photo: The South Dakota Board of Minerals and Environment conducts a hearing about a uranium exploration permit application on May 19, 2026, at the Mueller Civic Center in Hot Springs, South Dakota. (Meghan O’Brien/South Dakota Searchlight) A new South Dakota law requires language translation services for some government proceedings. The law does not take effect until July, but it already had a test during a hearing on a uranium drilling permit application. South Dakota Searchlight’s Meghan O’Brien explains. The new law requires translation services for contested administrative cases, like a pending case involving a permit application for uranium exploration in the southern Black Hills. State Rep. Erik Muckey (D-SD) sponsored the legislation. “Any proceeding that’s open to the public would receive or have those translation services available at no cost to the participants, so it would be covered by the state of South Dakota. We can’t turn people away from due process of law, and we need to be able to provide that, especially knowing that we already do this when it comes to the civil and criminal case law that goes before the state.” The state Board of Minerals and Environment is considering the drilling permit. Some project opponents requested Lakota interpretation services. Lakota-speaking tribes formerly controlled the Black Hills as part of the Great Sioux Reservation. There is rock art created thousands of years ago on the walls of Craven Canyon near the drilling site. The board voted in March to provide interpretation services. Board members knew the new law won’t take effect until July first, but decided to honor the intent of the law anyway. Alex White Plume is one of the two people hired to interpret spoken English into Lakota during the hearing. “I speak Lakota better than I speak English.” He grew up in Manderson, an especially rural part of the Pine Ridge Reservation. “The vast majority of the members of my community will still speak Lakota, and it’s funny to hear somebody come speak white man language amongst us, you know, cause it sounds funny.” White Plume was happy to interpret the hearing. “That was really important for the Lakota speakers to really hear their language and get a clear understanding about what the legal jargon was that the lawyers were speaking. So it’s really an important day, and to me, it was a historic day.” But the state board failed to provide a Lakota interpreter for the first day of the hearing. A state official said potential interpreters had conflicts of interest or scheduling conflicts that prevented them from accepting the role. On the second day of the hearing, the department contracted with two interpreters — White Plume and Leola One Feather. So, when Clean Nuclear Energy’s legal counsel asked a question to an executive for its parent company, Nexus Uranium … “Can you generally describe steps Clean Nuclear Energy took to evaluate the project’s potential impact on historic, archaeologic, geologic, scientific, recreational aspects of the effective surrounding land?” …Leola One Feather translated. As the hearing continued, some exchanges went without interpretation. Project opponents in the audience objected. Elizabeth Lone Eagle (Rosebud Sioux), is one of more than a dozen people who have filed official complaints against the project. “This is institutionalized racism, and you are promoting it.” She interjected after exchanges between the hearing chair, lawyers, and a witness went untranslated. “You are forbidding her from doing her job, because you want your white colonizer sanitized way of doing things.” The board did not respond and the hearing continued. The day after that exchange, Lone Eagle filed a federal lawsuit against the board, the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and the company seeking the permit. It cites concerns about the hearing’s lack of interpretation on the first day. A spokesperson for the department told South Dakota Searchlight that the hearing is adjourned until the lawsuit is resolved. (Courtesy Inuit Circumpolar Council Alaska / Facebook) Alaska Native leaders are remembering a long-time advocate for Inuit rights, James “Jimmy” Stotts, who passed away in May. As the Alaska Desk’s Alena Naiden from our flagship station KNBA reports, Stotts spent decades promoting food sovereignty and creating a unifying voice for Indigenous people across the Arctic. James “Jimmy” Stotts died late last month after a long fight with cancer. He was 78. For more than four decades, Stotts led the Inuit Circumpolar Council, an organization that represents Inuit people from Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and Russia. In his work, he fought for protecting Inuit food sovereignty and culture, and for including Inuit people in the decisions concerning the Arctic. Patsy Aamodt was Stotts’ friend and former colleague. “He cared so much for our people all across the circumpolar north, because we’re related.” Stotts was born in Utqiagvik and lived in various villages across Alaska. “He knew the importance of making sure caribou were caught…. Nobody had to explain that to him.” Stotts worked for several tribal organizations, including the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation. Rex Rock Sr., the current head of the corporation, called Stotts a mentor. “He was someone that I respected, and you always looked up to, right?” The leadership of the Inuit Circumpolar Council Alaska said in a written statement that Stotts worked to bring people across the Arctic together. Rock says that Stotts’ Utqiagvik roots helped those efforts. “We know, being whalers, that you cannot accomplish landing that whale on your own. … He knew what it took to work together to accomplish great things.” Former Alaska politician and Northwest Arctic leader Reggie Joule knew Stotts for a long time. He says Stotts was among leaders who made it their goal to educate others about the Iñupiaq way of life. “This is something that Jimmy understood really well – rise to the challenge and responsibility of being an Indigenous person. … It goes on to basics – teaching your children the things that we would like to continue to be.” Joule and Aamodt say they hope Stotts’ legacy lives on and the young people take on that mantle. (Courtesy San Carlos Apache Council) The San Carlos Apache Council has hired a forensic accounting firm to conduct an audit following recent allegations of embezzlement by the tribe’s own staffers. KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio has more. Four employees, including the tribe’s secretary, have all been placed on paid administrative leave pending this review. The staffers have been accused of cashing fraudulent checks using the tribe’s funeral assistance fund by creating hundreds of fake names for spouses or siblings, who are not enrolled. The family of each deceased relative is entitled up to $850. The team responsible for overseeing the burial expense program paid out nearly $470,000 within the last six months alone. The tribe says it remains “committed to ensuring that all funds are accurately accounted for.”   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Tuesday, June 2, 2026 — A focus on Native legal rights bears fruit

Photo: Marilyn Balluta drums for the Nuvendaltun Ch’naqa K’eljeshna – Children of Nondalton Dancers. (Jeff Chen / Courtesy The MMIWG2s Alaska Working Group) The issue of missing and murdered Indigenous people (MMIP) continues to impact families and communities across Alaska. This week, advocates, tribal leaders, law enforcement, and policymakers gathered in Anchorage for the state’s first Justice Summit to discuss solutions and next steps. KNBA’s Rhonda McBride reports. The gathering opened on an emotional note at the Dena’ina Center with a keynote speech from Abigail Echohawk, director of the Urban Indian Health Institute in Seattle, Wash. Echohawk was raised in the Interior Alaska community of Copper Center and spoke about her own trauma. “I was six years old the very first time I experienced rape. Sometimes, even now, as a person who sometimes gets triggered by the work that I do, I can close my eyes and feel the pain.” A pain that Echohawk says almost led her to take her own life at the age of nine. At the time, she did not know her father had contacted Alaska State Troopers. “We knew who the perpetrator was. The conversation that happened basically ended up like this: ‘She’s an Indian girl. We don’t have the resources, nor the time. Just keep him away from her.'” In 2018, Echohawk helped to publish a landmark study that examined more than 500 cases of missing and murdered Native women. She says the findings confirmed that more than one in five cases did not exist in law enforcement data bases. “So we actually found in this snapshot of 71 cities across the United States, that the data was not there, and it was in our minds, purposefully being held back and not being collected.” Echohawk says Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau were included in the study. She said law enforcement cited classification methods for the missing data – and what they described as “vulnerabilities in Native culture” – explanations that Echohawk says reflects systemic, racial bias. But whatever the reason, she says the lack of data has real consequences for Native communities — because it limits resources for investigations, healing and community safety. “This isn’t this isn’t a handout we’re asking for. This is justice we’re asking for.” The summit also featured breakout sessions from regional groups, who will discuss the status of MMIP cases in their region. The conference was organized by the Missing, Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit Alaska Working Group. It drew tribal representatives from across Alaska and as far away as New Zealand. Hopson II crew landed a whale on May 23, 2026 — the first spring whale for the community this year. (Photo: Chucky Panitchaiq Hopson II) Spring whaling is one of the most important traditions in Utqiagvik, but this year, unusual sea ice conditions delayed the harvest and the community did not land its first whale until late in the season. The Alaska Desk’s Alena Naiden from our flagship station KNBA reports. Chucky Panitchaiq Hopson had been whaling for about a month before he landed one this spring. “I told my crew, at our next opportunity we’re gonna take that chance. And that very same next day, we got on to that whale, and my crew didn’t hesitate to take it, to strike it.” By this point, Hopson says Alaska’s largest subsistence whaling community has typically landed 10 or more, but this year, Hopson says the ice edge is ragged, with very few flat spots for pulling up a whale. And there is a lot of young, thin ice, too weak to hold big whales. In fact, when the crews were pulling up the 50-foot whale last weekend, some of the ice broke under it – Hopson thought they were going to lose a lot of the harvest. “Once it got to the thicker ice, we were able to get it up.” Daaqsi Moore was one of the hunters who helped the Hopson crew land the whale. “People were getting frustrated, you know. People get hungry for muktuk. It was good to see everybody’s spirits flip when Chucky landed that whale.” Utqiagvik, like other coastal Arctic communities in Alaska, relies on whaling as a crucial food source and to maintain Iñupiat traditions. Andy Mahoney is a research professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute. Mahoney says that normally, young ice forms earlier in the year. Then wind storms push the new ice against the existing, shorefast ice to create ridges. By whaling season, the ice consolidates and thickens. “The key part of it is timing.” This winter was quite cold in Utqiagvik, but the Arctic overall is warming faster than the rest of the world. “In a warming Arctic, these sorts of events are going to become more likely. Conditions will be more sensitive to a sort of a mistimed storm if the ice is already thin.” Hopson says that after landing the whale, his crew spent two days processing it on the ice. Then they shared some of the harvest with the community – a little taste before the big whaling festival that usually happens later in the summer. On Thursday, Hopson was headed out to the ice again. He says he really hopes that first whale will not be their only one of the season.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Monday, June 1, 2026 — Alaska bears are the targets of a controversial management program

Photo: U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola addresses a crowd during a meet and greet in Petersburg on May 26, 2026. Peltola is running for U.S. Senate. (Taylor Heckart/KFSK) Former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola (D-AK) visited Petersburg, Alaska Tuesday in her campaign to unseat incumbent U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK). Peltola addressed a group of more than fifty people at Petersburg’s Alaska Native Brotherhood John Hanson Sr. Hall as part of a one-hour meet and greet. She encouraged residents to get out and vote this year. “So many of the things that we are working on in Alaska just become political footballs for people in the lower 48 or some administration, and we’re better than that. We’re bigger than that. We are going to put our foot down and not be used as a political football.” During her speech, Peltola emphasized supporting elders, children, and addressing affordability. Peltola’s campaign told KFSK she was not available for questions from local media during her visit. Local assembly member James Valentine says Peltola made time to talk to local leaders about a wide range of issues before the event. Valentine says he spoke with her about outmigration in the region. “Me, as a younger assembly member and a young, I guess, community leader, I asked her, and just more of stating, just my concerns about the younger generation retention in Southeast Alaska, and then she’s from Western Alaska, and I know she feels the same way.” That same day, Peltola also hosted a meet and greet in Wrangell, Alaska on a neighboring island. This week, she visited other Southeast Alaska communities including Ketchikan and Sitka – and she will be in Haines on Friday. The Senate primary takes place in August, and the general election is in November. This story was provided by KFSK’s Taylor Heckart. An aerial view of the Yukon River as it breaks up downstream of Beaver, Alaska on May 10, 2026. (Courtesy U.S. National Weather Service Alaska) The thick winter ice of the Yukon River has washed out to the Bering Sea, signaling the end of breakup season on the Yukon Delta. Last week, communities along the Yukon River experienced ice jam related flooding. For some, it was among the most severe breakup impacts in recent memory. The communities of Holy Cross and Pilot Station saw water enter homes and in some cases, cover airport runways, but as of Tuesday evening, significant ice jams close to the mouth of the Yukon gave way and the water began to recede. Mike Ottenweller is a meteorologist with the Alaska Pacific River Forecast Center. He has been part of the River Watch team doing daily aerial surveys, tracking the Yukon River’s breakup. “We watched the very last little bit of the ice run that was at one point 40 miles long, and maybe even if you go back a couple weeks, 90 miles long at some points, but we watched that clear out to the coastal areas and past those last villages and making its way out to the Bering Sea.” Overall, he says this year’s Yukon River breakup trended toward dynamic and was about five days later than average, which was expected coming out of this year’s frigid winter. Laura Havameister with the State Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management says though the flooding is receding, the recovery process is still ongoing. She points to Alukanuk, which experienced flooding on some roadways. “We could not make it into town, unfortunately, just because of that flooding. So we’re working with the city manager and with the SAR team to really understand those, those inundation areas.” From shuttling the team from the airstrip to providing on-the-ground updates, Havameister with the state says the community aspect of the operation is a powerful one. The team concluded their aerial surveys for the 2026 Yukon River breakup on Tuesday. This story was provided by KYUK’s Samantha Watson.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Friday, May 29, 2026 — The Menu: Dawn Butterfly Café, camas restoration, and the Indigenous food pyramid

Photo courtesy Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission / Facebook All eleven federally recognized tribes in Wisconsin have seats on a new committee aimed at protecting wild rice. Chuck Quirmbach reports. Gov. Tony Evers (D-WI) has announced his 24 appointees to the Wild Rice Stewardship Council. One member, Gloria Waabigwan Wiggins (Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa), works for the group Wisconsin Native Vote. Wiggins also keeps up a tribal tradition, protected by a 1983 federal court ruling, of gathering wild rice in the ceded territory of Northern Wisconsin. “I’ve been harvesting wild rice, manoomin, with my husband for say, the last 9-10 years. Our powwow, our celebration of manoomin, is in August. So that’s a very important event for our community.” Wiggins says wild rice is also part of a sacred migration story for the Anishinabe, Indigenous people of the Great Lakes region. But tribal and state officials report low production of wild rice in recent years, due to factors like windstorms and very heavy rainfall, and long-standing threats like water pollution and excessive waves from boats. Another member of the new Stewardship Council, Eric McLester, helps direct environmental policy for the Oneida Nation. He says the big picture concern is climate change. “The amount of rain, water levels. It’s important to not have huge increases or decreases in water levels. Drought certainly impacts the wild rice beds.” McLester says the Oneida have restored about 35 acres of wetlands for wild rice production in recent years. He hopes the tribal members on the wild rice council can share best practices for the resource. It’s also possible the committee will propose new regulations to protect wild rice. A First Nations family in Canada is demanding answers after 24-year-old Jaali Sutherland-Weenie died during childbirth after reportedly being diagnosed with pre-eclampsia while 36 weeks pregnant. Family members say Sutherland-Weenie, from Beardy’s and Okemasis’ Cree Nation in Saskatchewan, sought medical care in the days leading up to her death and raised concerns about symptoms linked to the dangerous pregnancy complication. According to the Mayo Clinic, pre-eclampsia causes high blood pressure during pregnancy and can quickly become life-threatening for both mother and baby if not closely monitored and treated. According to relatives, Sutherland-Weenie first went to a hospital in Rosthern before being transferred to Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital and later to the labor and delivery unit at Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon, where she died on April 26 after giving birth to her daughter. Her death is now drawing attention from Indigenous advocates and community members who say Indigenous women continue to face inequities in maternal health care and are too often dismissed when reporting pain or complications. Loved ones are calling for accountability and a full review into what happened. Community members have also taken to social media to share condolences and call for better protections for Indigenous mothers navigating the health care system. The Saskatchewan Health Authority says a review is underway. Blayne Morin, Sutherland-Weenie’s partner, said during a news conference held at Wanuskewin Heritage Park in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan earlier this week, he plans to attend her graduation ceremony next month to accept her degree on her behalf. Morin says the couple wanted to build a better life for their daughter than the ones they experienced growing up. “The family and I will be attending her congregation next month, taking her degree, and we planned so much for our baby before she made her appearance here. We didn’t want her to grow up like how we did, breaking the intergenerational trauma.” Sutherland-Weenie leaves behind a newborn daughter and a grieving family now hoping her story raises awareness about the warning signs of pre-eclampsia and the importance of timely medical care.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Thursday, May 28, 2026 — Exploring home, culture, and personal resolve with writers Joan Kane and Sherman Funmaker

Photo: Kim Etsitty aboard the 223-footlong research vessel, Nautilus, in 2024. (Ocean Exploration Trust) This summer, a Navajo high school teacher will sail the high seas on back-to-back research expeditions around the globe. KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio has details. Born in Chinle, Ariz., Kim Etsitty spends much of her year teaching science at Navajo Pine High School in New Mexico. That is, until summer recess, but Etsitty won’t be taking a break this year. “I’ll just be tired.” Because, starting in June, Etsitty will hop aboard the research vessel, Nautilus, with the nonprofit Ocean Exploration Trust. She will livestream her journey mapping the seafloor from Hawaii to Guam. Then in July, Etsitty is heading toward the Arctic with National Geographic where she will explore polar caps. Despite being at sea only a handful of times, Etsitty shares why the Diné have ties to it. “A lot of times we wear these jewelry, coral or abalone shell, and we don’t really talk about where it came from, so I was able to like tie in a lot of stories about why Navajo people wear coral and this ancient ocean that once was here, but now it’s dry land.” And she’ll set foot on Navajoland again – before the new school year begins. Iḷisaġvik College’s current campus on the northern side of Utqiaġvik, Alaska. (Photo: Ravenna Koenig / Alaska’s Energy Desk) A tribal college on the North Slope bought a piece of land last month to build a new campus. College officials announced the purchase last week. The Alaska Desk’s Alena Naiden from our flagship station KNBA has more. Iḷisaġvik College has been planning a new campus for nearly ten years. This month, the officials announced a land purchase to build it on. Justina Wilhelm is the college’s president. She says the campus will sit on a 15-acre site in Utqiaġvik, Alaska near the hospital. “So this has been a long standing vision for the college, and … I’m very very excited that we have this prime location that will be a central gathering place for our people.” Illisagvik is Alaska’s only tribal college. It offers hands-on educational programs in such areas as Iñupiaq studies, allied health, construction and education. And it serves about a thousand students, in person in Utqiagvik, and remotely on the North Slope and across the state. Right now, those programs are housed in buildings that were never meant to be a college. Wilhelm says the main building is a 70-year-old naval base two and a half miles out of town. Overall, the programs are spread out between 13 different facilities. “So we’re very excited to have this new campus to be under one roof, to all be together.” Last month, the college bought a piece of land for the new campus from Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation, the Alaska Native Village Corporation for Utqiaġvik. Wilhelm says the next step is completing environmental assessments and updating the design approved in 2018. The construction will start with administrative offices, family housing and workforce development garages. Down the road, the plan is to have more housing and a big wellness gym, she says. Wilhelm says the new campus is designed to include open spaces that inspire conversations and collaboration. One vision is a glass wall between the main entrance and cafeteria, overlooking the construction trades and community outreach classrooms. Wilhelm said the idea is that students at lunch can also observe some of the cultural and workforce programs available at the college. “As a tribal college with our language values and traditions, it’s so vital that we’re here to provide the spaces and provide the classes to allow for our traditions to carry on. … I’m very excited that when people come there, they’re going to want to be a part of there. I hope they don’t want to leave.” College officials did not share the exact timeline for the construction. They said work is ongoing to secure funding for the next steps. The college also recently opened a new campus in St. Paul, Alaska.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Wednesday, May 27, 2026 — Oil drilling vs cultural preservation at Chaco Canyon

Photo courtesy Heard Museum / Facebook The Heard Museum in Phoenix, Ariz. remembered Indigenous servicemembers, who made the ultimate sacrifice, during a Memorial Day observance. KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio has more. On this hot Monday morning, Kiowa-Comanche singer Kenneth Cozad Sr. chants a series of honor songs. Each melody is meant to pay tribute to the fallen as the Oklahoma native beats upon a drum made from rawhide. One of his patriotic tunes is called “Star and Stripes”. It is inspired by World War II Kiowa Code Talker Leonard “Red Wolf” Cozad Sr. “My grandpa, he had a thought came to him about this flag here that our folks fought for this red, white, and blue, he said.” For Cozad, he’s thankful to share his music. “Because we don’t just be singing songs, just to be singing them, there’s always has to be a purpose.” Visitors of the exhibition, “Arctic Marine Science: Sikuliaq to Shore”, can learn about various science instruments used by Sikuliaq research crews to study the environment. (Photo: James Daggett / Alaska Public Media) A new exhibit at an Alaska museum takes visitors inside an Arctic research vessel. Since opening last week, it has given guests a chance to glimpse at what it is like to study the Arctic marine ecosystem – and how Indigenous communities shape that research. The Alaska Desk’s Alena Naiden from our flagship station KNBA has more. Rachel Boesenberg is associate curator at the Anchorage Museum. She is walking under a tall crane, with deep blue all around her. “So you enter here through the stern of the vessel.” Boesenberg is giving a tour of the new exhibition called Arctic Marine Science: Sikuliaq to Shore, which brings the audience aboard a replica of the research vessel Sikuliaq. Visitors make their way onto the bridge. Here, the captain’s chair faces a ceiling-high projector screen with a vast ocean that changes from stormy swells to chunks of pancake ice. “We’re looking off the bow of Sikuliaq, which visitors at this point have walked through.” Sikuliaq is operated by the University of Alaska Fairbanks and owned by the National Science Foundation. Each year, dozens of scientists board the vessel to study the Arctic. Brendan Smith is the communications director at the North Pacific Research Board. He dreamed up the idea for the exhibition. “I said to myself, what if we bring the Sikuliaq … into the museum? How do we give people an experience that makes them feel like they’re out at sea?” The result is an immersive experience, focused on how the ship is used to study the environment, and the people who bring that knowledge to life. And there is a station with Arctic soundscapes. “That’s a bowhead whale.” Boesenberg says these are the sounds that scientists gather using hydrophones they deploy from the real vessel. Harmony Jade Sugaq Wayner is an Indigenous scholar from Naknek in Southwest Alaska. She consulted on the exhibition and suggested curators include what Arctic research means for Alaska Native people. “We see a lot of big graphs about climate change and the extent of sea ice and those big global processes, but we don’t see the joy of living our culture in coastal Alaska and river Alaska.” The exhibition runs through April 2027. Whitewater rafting on the Gallatin River in Montana in 2023. (Photo: Watts / Flickr) People working in Montana’s outdoor industry are reporting emotional impacts tied to climate change. According to reporting from Glacier Raft Company and environmental advocates, river guides are increasingly experiencing ecological grief as changing waterways affect their work and livelihoods.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Tuesday, May 26, 2026 – Border wall construction damaging sacred sites

Photo: The All Pueblo Council of Governors were in attendance at a press conference in Santa Ana Pueblo on Wednesday May 20, 2026 in support of Chaco Canyon making the list for America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. (Jeanette DeDios) The National Trust for Historic Preservation has placed the Greater Chaco Cultural Landscape on this year’s list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. The nomination came from the All Pueblo Council of Governors, which supports the preservation and cultural significance of the landscape in the face of increasing threats. KUNM’s Jeanette DeDios (Jicarilla Apache and Diné) has more. On the lands of Santa Ana Pueblo, Council members highlighted their ancestral ties to the archaeological and cultural site. Chaco features over 600 rooms built 1,200 years ago with precise geometric masonry and crafted without the use of metal tools. This endangered listing comes after the Bureau of Land Management tried last year to revoke or modify a public order, that currently safeguards over 300 thousands acres of federal land from new oil and gas leasing for 20 years. Pueblo of Acoma Gov. Charles Riley says there’s a cultural responsibility to Chaco Canyon. “When we speak of Chaco, we are not merely speaking of ruins, we are speaking of the spirits of our ancestors, who are still present, still teaching, and still carrying and asking us to carry forward what they entrusted to us.” Riley says the Pueblo of Acoma is not opposed to development. “We are opposed to development that proceeds without meaningful consultation, without honest environmental review, and without regard for places that are irreplaceable.” This year’s listing is the second time in 15 years that Chaco has been placed on the list. This is the first year that the 11 sites nominated will receive a one-time grant of $25,000 from the National Trust to help with conservation efforts. The council is asking the U.S. Department of Interior to stop the process of dismantling the public land order and make the current ten-mile buffer around Chaco permanent. They are also asking members of the public to contact their Congress in support. A number of Pueblo governors have reached out to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum through letters and invitations to visit Chaco, but he has not responded. Southern Ute Indian Chairman Melvin Baker, left, and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum ink the first-ever Tribal Energy Resource Agreement on May 11, 2026. (Photo: Lowell Whitman / Interior Department / Public Domain) A tribe from the Four Corners region has inked a historic deal with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum advancing the Trump administration’s domestic energy agenda. KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio has more. The Southern Ute Indian Tribe in southwest Colorado has entered the first-ever Tribal Energy Resource Agreement (TERA), more than two decades after Congress enacted the law. This allows the nearly 1,500 member tribe to handle its own business without obtaining expressed permission from the Interior Department. Councilman Andrew Gallegos testified before Congress last month. “Having the tribe regulate and be the one that oversees all of our compliances and makes us more sovereign as a tribe, and the economic value that it brings is the health and welfare of our membership.” That will include the leasing of energy projects and issuing of right-of-ways on the 700,000 acre reservation near Durango.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Monday, May 25, 2026 – Wide disparities persist when encountering ancestors’ remains

Photo: Alex Osif is a former coal miner who worked at the Kayenta and Black Mesa mines. (Chris Clements / KNAU) A congressional watchdog office found some miners with black lung disease face barriers in getting federal payments for their disabilities. As KNAU’s Chris Clements reports, that rings true to a former coal miner and advocate on the Navajo Nation. Alex Osif (Navajo, Hopi, and Pima) was a coal miner at the Black Mesa and Kayenta mines. He says the coal companies that are on the hook for paying miners’ benefits can slow the process down by not providing employment histories. “That’s the kinda complications I’m having, proving that the miner did work at a mine for so many years.” The lengthy process of applying for benefits is one issue identified by the US. Government Accountability Office in a new report. It also found many coal miners have trouble using the health benefits they are entitled to, like when they need money for transportation to doctors’ appointments. “The program needs to view these operators and continue to make sure that they stand up to their promise to the miner.” To help with that issue, the report says the feds need to keep track of the medical coverage coal companies give disabled miners. Tracy Day has been missing since February 14, 2019. (Courtesy Juneau Police Department) The daughter of missing Juneau, Alaska woman Tracy Day wants people to know who her mother was beyond an MMIW rallying cry. It has been seven years since Day disappeared, and the family is still searching for answers. KTOO’s Yvonne Krumrey has more. Kaelyn Schnieder says her mom was always finding new adventures for the family to go on. The house she grew up in in Sitka, Alaska was spotless and Day was taking night classes to be a nurse. Her struggles with mental health came later. “But I feel like, when she went missing, everybody was like, ‘Oh, she’s living in St Vincent. And like, she’s a mentally ill addict.’ It was just not the way I wanted people to see her, because my mom was a wonderful parent, and she wasn’t always sick.” Schneider says when she was a young child, she was the victim of child sex abuse by her friend’s father. After Day found out what had happened, she blamed herself for trusting the family. Schneider believes it triggered Day’s mental health issues. “It changed her brain chemistry, you know. So that’s, like, the best way I could explain it.” Schneider thinks that changed the trajectory of her mother’s life. Day struggled with mental illness and substance abuse, but Schneider wants people to know her mom the way she remembers her, as a dignified, even glamorous woman. “She was kind of like a diva. Like back in the day, she always had her hair done, lipstick done, nails, everything. She was always dressed so beautifully.” She was also a devoted parent and she was fun. “When she wasn’t at work, we were never bored. We would go ride our bike and we would get curly fries with cheese and milkshakes, and then we would go to the duck pond and feed the ducks. And, like, she was a good, like, playful parent.” Schneider says that even through Dayʼs later mental health crises, she always stuck around and checked in with her family. “She would not take off. She’s the opposite. She’s like, the parent that annoys you, because they’re showing up so much.” Schneider’s son was born after Day went missing. He is five years old now and she is finding herself having to explain the absence. “My son, he’s at that age where he’s starting to question, like, ‘what happened to grandma?’ And like, ‘Why is she not in your life?’ And you know, like, he always asks — it’s so horrible — He always asks, like, ‘Are you gonna disappear?’ And like, as a mom, that is just horrible. You know that knowing that my son, like, has that thought in his head, because he knows it’s a possibility.” So Schneider says, for him and for her newborn son, she will keep looking for the truth of what happened to her mom. “I really want to keep searching and talking about her case, not only for me, but also for my sons. I want them to know that people are still interested and care.”   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Friday, May 22, 2026 — A conversation with Native wellness advocates Chelsea Luger and Thosh Collins

Photo: The walls of Craven Canyon, in the southern Black Hills of South Dakota, are marked with ancient Native American petroglyphs. (Courtesy Lilias Jarding / Black Hills Clean Water Alliance) A South Dakota board is pausing a hearing on a uranium exploration project in an area considered sacred to regional Native American tribes. Meghan O’Brien of South Dakota Searchlight explains. The board was in its third day of a hearing on an application by Clean Nuclear Energy Corporation and its Canada-based parent company Nexus Uranium. The entities applied for a permit to drill near Craven Canyon, 7 miles north of Edgemont, S.D. The board went into a private session to discuss legal matters. When board members emerged, they announced the hearing would be adjourned until further notice. They did not give further details. Meanwhile, a project opponent has filed a federal lawsuit against the board, the state, and the company seeking the permit. The lawsuit alleges violations of due process, citing concerns about language interpretation and a heavy law enforcement presence at the hearing. The state board failed to provide a Lakota interpreter for the first day of the hearing, after promising to make one available. Lakota-speaking tribes formerly controlled the Black Hills as part of the Great Sioux Reservation. There is ancient Native American art on the walls of Craven Canyon near the drilling project site. Neither the state officials nor the company proposing the drilling immediately responded to South Dakota Searchlight’s requests for comment. An estimated 200 people are expected to walk in honor of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives (MMIW/R) in Lake Andes, S.D. Thursday. While it is the seventh such event, it will be the first one since its founder died. Last September, Charon Asetoyer, founder of the Native American Community Board (NACB), died. She was an advocate for preventing violence against women, and launched the first honor walk in 2018. Florence Hare is the interim executive director of the NACB. She says the walk will begin and end in Lake Andes City Park. “We’re not protesting, we’re just walking to bring awareness. We’re going to walk by the Sheriff’s Office. We’re not going to walk on his property. And then we’re also going to walk by the courthouse.” Hare says there are many unsolved cases in South Dakota and that includes the Lake Andes area. She says for years, there has been suspicions that certain parts of town were especially dangerous. This includes an old U.S. Army facility by Fort Randall Dam. “Sometimes our women would go missing, and it was because they were hanging around down there. So there is a very long history of MMIW. Our grandmothers, they would sit us down and say, ‘Don’t go by that place, it’s bad. You could go missing. They’ll take you and that’s it. You’re gone.’” Hare adds that there has been much mistrust between the Native community and local law enforcement. “We’re just in an area where there’s no oversight on law enforcement or what happens out here. It’s like the wild, wild west.” There will be mention of Asetoyer during the event, but Hare says the focus will be on the MMIW/R cases. Other events organized by the NACB will honor Asetoyer in good time, she says. As for the turnout, she expects about 150 Native people, and 50 allies. Of the 102 missing persons cases in the South Dakota Missing Persons Clearinghouse, 65 are Native people. That is almost two thirds of the total cases. And the first Native person to travel in space visited students and other guests Wednesday at the Shoshone-Bannock Hotel and Event Center in Fort Hall, Idaho. KIFI Local News 8 reports that John B. Herrington (citizen of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma), discussed his three spacewalks and visit to the International Space Station in 2022. The Native astronaut has Idaho connections and graduated from Aviation Officer Candidate School in 1984, then joined the Astronaut Corps in 1996. Herrington said he used to sit in a cardboard box and dream of going to the moon. He shared his story and took questions from Shoshone-Bannock students.  Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Thursday, May 21, 2026 – Nevada’s mining boom and Winnebago Tribe’s NAGPRA victory

Photos: Anchorage police Chief Sean Case, left, and Kelly Hunt. (Rhonda McBride / Courtesy Melvin Hunt) Anchorage Police say they are in the final stages of their investigation into the death of Kelly Hunt, the 19-year-old Shaktoolik student who disappeared in January on her way to college in Soldotna, as Rhonda McBride from our flagship station KNBA reports. Hunt’s remains were found last month in a ravine in same Anchorage neighborhood where she had been staying with a friend. Anchorage Police Chief Sean Case says the Medical Examiner’s preliminary report determined Hunt died from hypothermia and exposure, with alcohol in her system. “There’s no indication that there’s physical trauma. There’s no indication that an assault has occurred. So, most of those questions — on whether-or-not there was a homicide — those questions have been answered through the Medical Examiner’s process.” Case says Hunt was missing for more than 100 days, and due to prolonged exposure to the elements, he says it is nearly impossible to determine Hunt’s exact time of death. Before closing out the investigation, Case says police will conduct follow-up interviews to learn more about the circumstances leading up to her death. Based on the outcome of those interviews, Case says the investigation could shift back towards a criminal case. He calls Hunt’s death a tragedy, but says there is no evidence of a crime. Hunt was supposed to catch a bus from Anchorage to attend the Alaska Christian College in Soldotna, Alaska. Her friends told police she left on the morning of January 7 to meet with someone to buy alcohol and had left her purse and suitcase behind. Case says the investigation was further complicated, because her disappearance was not reported until four days later, but despite that, Case believes his police officers and detectives did a thorough job. But advocates for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People, including Antonia Commack, question police handling of the case. She says investigators are drawing conclusions too soon, without first questioning the people who last saw Hunt.” “How are you going to make that determination before you speak to those people. Because the bottom line is, she is not old enough to drink herself. Somebody furnished her alcohol and she wound up dead. That should be a crime.” The Anchorage Police Department timed their report on the Kelly Hunt case with the launch of a new online dashboard that tracks missing persons iAnchorage and the department’s homicide clearance rate. Case says the report confirms that Alaska Natives make up a disproportionate share of both missing persons and homicides, but says cases involving both Native and non-Native victims are solved at about the same rate. The Pinyon Plain Mine, as seen from the air in November 2019, is located on the Kaibab National Forest less than 10 miles from the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. (Photo: Ryan Heinsius / KNAU) The company that owns a uranium mine near the Grand Canyon wants Arizona state regulators to approve a higher arsenic level in nearby groundwater. KNAU’s Chris Clements reports at least two scientists oppose the idea. Brad Esser used to work for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. He was asked by a nonprofit that opposes Energy Fuels’ Pinyon Plain Mine mine to look into the request. “It sets the wrong incentive. You know, the response to high levels … is to try to understand what’s going on, not just simply raise the permit levels.” But Energy Fuels says the higher arsenic levels are naturally occurring in groundwater near the mine, and are not because of mining activity. Curtis Moore is a company executive. “It’s not surprising that there are elevated levels of arsenic next to this ore body. That’s why we put a mine there, because there’s an ore body there.” But Esser and another scientist argue it is more likely the mine is contributing to the high levels. “They think the mine’s ventilation shafts could be creating oxygen-rich groundwater, causing arsenic minerals to dissolve. If that’s true, Esser worries arsenic could one day reach the Havasuapi Tribe’s key source of drinking water.”     Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Wednesday, May 20, 2026 – Native Playlist: Joy Harjo and Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band

At least five Native American men were detained January by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during raids in Minneapolis, Minn. As other reports of Native Americans being mistaken for undocumented immigrants continue, federal lawmakers have introduced a bipartisan bill to improve the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)’s interactions with Native Americans when they are proving citizenship. KUNM’s Jeanette DeDios (Jicarilla Apache and Diné) has more. The Respect Tribal IDs Act would require DHS working with the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and tribal nations to create training for officers to better detect and respect current tribal IDs. U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) says ICE agents are breaking the law. “My Native American brothers and sisters, who are American citizens, are being held by ICE agents because these agents do not recognize tribal IDs, it’s disrespectful, it’s wrong, I would argue, illegal, and that’s why we need this legislation.” Luján says tribal leaders have voiced their concerns about ICE agents detaining their tribal members near their reservations. “I’ll remind you that some of the first awareness that we had about ICE agents going after Native American communities, happened in New Mexico, down in Mescalero and also on the Navajo Nation, and it’s happening in other parts of the country as well.” DHS said in a statement that ICE agents acknowledge and recognize tribal ID cards as proof of citizenship and there have been no ICE operations on tribal lands. Lujan says it is hard to collect data on the number of Native Americans who have been detained by ICE because DHS will not release the data. Meanwhile, some legal scholars are raising concerns about a case brought by the Trump administration that is before the Supreme Court and how it might undermine birthright citizenship among Native Americans. Antonia Commack, left, Abigail Echo-Hawk, Maka Monture Paki. Charlene Aqpik Apok, Tatiana Tiknor, Malia Villegas, Sabrina Dunphrey, and Jessica Black. (Courtesy Data for Indigenous Justice) A national organization called the Courage Project shines a light on acts of bravery, both big and small. This year, a group that works to bring attention to Alaska’s missing and murdered Indigenous people (MMIP) is in the spotlight. As KNBA’s Rhonda McBride tells us, Data for Indigenous Justice (DIJ) is one of sixteen organizations nationwide to receive this award. The steady beat of the drum is what you hear at many events involving DIJ and while their presence is felt more than seen, they are a force for change. Funders for the Courage Project like the MacArthur Foundation say the award was created to recognize neighbors helping neighbors, people who perform everyday acts of civic courage, that speak to the American spirit and strengthen democracy. “When I first started doing this work, people wouldn’t even meet with me.” Charlene Apok, known by her Iñupiaq name, Aqpik, founded DIJ to bring attention to missing and murdered Alaska Natives. She saw breakdowns and inequities in how law enforcement handled their investigations and pushed for a database to better track those cases and expose systemic failures. “Organizations didn’t want to talk about it. It was too hot. It was too political. It was too uncomfortable. It shouldn’t be courageous to say the things that we’re saying, and to ask the questions that we’re asking. These should be things that are expected for the safety of our people.” Doug Modig, a traditional healer, says it is never easy to speak truth to power, especially for a small organization like Data for Indigenous Justice. “Real lives are at stake her. Real people are experiencing hurt. There aren’t many people that have that courage, because it’s so rare. It reminds me of a wolverine. They’ll take on a bear, a full-grown bear.” Wolverines, Modig says, are fearless when it comes to protecting their territory. “Why don’t they just give up? They’re not going to make it, because they’re so small. But the truth is, courage isn’t about size. It’s the content of your heart.” Aqpik says heart is exactly what her team brings to their work. Their commitment has helped to uncover critical information about unsolved cases. “I’ve come to learn, with a lot of guidance from my elders, that this role is called being a story keeper.” Aqpik says it is a sacred responsibility to listen to the stories that families share. She says they are the bravest of all. Long after the marches are over and the drumbeats fade, they must live with these stories.     Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Tuesday, May 19, 2026 — Native Bookshelf: “Shards of Silence” and “That Which Feeds Us”

Photo: Diné Bizaad is the latest mobile app created by Albert Haskie, the lead developer, who is Diné and from the Navajo Nation. (Courtesy Adoonee) Across the United States, there are over 575 federally recognized American Indian tribes. According to the U.S. Census, Native North American language use fell by 6% from 2013 to 2021, but among those who spoke a Native language, nearly half spoke Navajo. KUNM’s Jeanette DeDios (Jicarilla Apache and Diné) spoke to a Diné software developer who has created a mobile app to help preserve the Navajo language. Albert Haskie (Diné) spent two years building the app Diné Bizaad with a group of Navajo employees. “I’m making it for us, and that’s the primary goal.” Haskie says he learned the Navajo language at a young age but in sixth grade he transferred to a non-Navajo language school and that it was a cultural shock for him. “I kind of always missed it and always wanted to figure out how to reintroduce it into my life, but also try to reintroduce it to a lot of other people’s lives.” Haskie says users can build their own curriculum and it includes fun tools like the word of the day. He says the app differs from other language apps because this one has richer content and a practicing Navajo speaker who consulted on every word and phrase. Diné Bizaad was independently built without collaboration of the Navajo Nation. “I’ve showed them multiple times, but they just couldn’t find anything to work with me. I was more than happy to try to figure out working with them. But the reality is, it would have probably not launched within the time I wanted it to be.” A representative from the Department of Diné Education said Haskie talked with members within the department and that they are open to working with interested parties on preserving the Diné language. Haskie says he is in talks with other tribes to create language apps for their members. Whaling captain William ‘Wiyu’ Parks, right, and his wife Crystal on their way back from Punguk Island after a 3-month-long camping trip. (Courtesy Crystal Newhall) Whaling is an essential part of subsistence hunting in Siberian Yupik culture. High school student Tracy Tungiyan in the village of Gambell, Alaska on St. Lawrence Island wanted to understand more about it, so he interviewed a whaling captain from the community, William Parks, nicknamed Wiyu. He spoke to Parks in the library of the Gambell school and asked him whether whaling is easy or difficult. “There’s a degree of difficulty in it. You got to think of how enormous the whale is. You’re in basically a wash tub compared to the size of that whale. Depending on how the whale is moving, it could be pretty straightforward, catch up to it, strike. And there’s some days where the tails are really thrashing. You can’t get close to them. “We use these harpoons that have a barrel on there. We call them Puskaan [Siberian Yupik word]. I don’t know what they’re called in English. I’ve always known them as Puskaan. It has a harpoon, buoy, line buoy, and it fires either a black powder bomb or a penthrite bomb into the whale. Tungiyan asked Parks what hunting means to him and whether it was easier back then. “That’s a good question. To me, hunting is mostly about survival, it’s about tradition, and it’s about feeding family, relatives as a community, which is the most important part of life, in my opinion. You need food to survive. “I think mostly it’s like second nature to me. I don’t even think of how important this is to me anymore, more so that it’s the way I was brought up to live. It’s a part of me. It’s been a part of me since I was two, three years old. “Back then it was- seasons were more predictable. Weather was more predictable. In a way, it was easier. Nowadays, with lack of ice, bigger storms, shorter opportunities to head out. Yeah, I think it’s more difficult now compared to back then. The windows of good weather are getting shorter. “I know that everybody that goes hunting isn’t doing it for fun or sport. They’re doing it (as a) means of trying to harvest food. It’s a part of who we are as people, as the community. Hunting is part of our nature. It’s been for thousands of years.” Tungiyan then asked him why catching a whale is so important for Gambell. “I think it’s important mostly because of the size of the catch. There’s enough to feed everybody. Just the sheer size of the whale. It’s an opportunity to feed the community, to have a community gather. Whaling has been part of our culture since the first whale swam and man saw it. It was a means of survival.” Tungiyan produced this story with former KNOM reporter Wali Rana and Alaska Public Media’s Rachel Cassandra.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Monday, May 18, 2026 – Trump administration takes aim at American buffalo

Photo: Ice jam flooding in Chalkyitsik, Alaska on May 7, 2026. (Courtesy National Weather Service) Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R-AK) issued a disaster declaration Monday for two Interior Alaska communities, after they were inundated with severe ice jam flooding. The declaration covers the areas near Chalkyitsik on the Black River and Hughes on the Koyukuk River, as The Alaska Desk’s Shelby Herbert from KUAC reports. Jeremy Zidek is a spokesperson for the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. He says almost a dozen homes became flooded in Chalkyitsik, but the situation is especially dire in Hughes. The state is working to deliver emergency supplies to the community, but the water is still high. “They had water and ice on their runway. The water has gone down a little bit, but the runway is not serviceable by fixed-wing aircraft at this time. We’re looking at an alternate runway that is nearby.” He says when the flooding peaked on May 9, most of the community’s nearly-80 residents had to shelter at the Hughes Tribal Hall. Zidek says spring breakup is in full swing, and the danger hasn’t passed for many other riverside communities in the Interior. “We’re still looking at other areas of the state that could be impacted by ice jam flooding. And so, if there is a necessity to add new areas, the governor will consider the information we provide to him, and then make that determination.” In addition to activating the state’s emergency response capabilities, the Governor’s disaster declaration also opens up several assistance programs for the affected areas. The state’s public assistance program focuses on restoring essential infrastructure, and can be accessed by local governments, tribes, and nonprofits. And its individual assistance and temporary housing programs can help individuals and families recover from flood-related property damage. Zidek says the state will release more information about those programs in the coming days. A House committee met Wednesday to review President Donald Trump’s funding proposal for the Interior Department. As KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, a southern Arizona congresswoman took that opportunity to talk about the recent destruction of a sacred border wall site. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum shared that federal officials apologized to the Tohono O’odham Nation weeks after a border wall contractor bulldozed Las Playas Intaglio, a thousand-year-old archeological site along the US-Mexico boundary. “This is a super unfortunate thing that happened. There’s a series of mistakes that happened along the way – zero intention – and we’ve delivered direct apologies.” But U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) stressed words aren’t enough. “I mean, unfortunately, once it’s destroyed, you can’t undo that.” Now, Grijalva fears another O’odham cultural site of concern, a desert oasis called Quitobaquito Springs, could be damaged next. It sits just south of Ajo inside Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. “So will you commit that [the] U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service avoid Quitobaquito Springs and minimize impact by not using groundwater within five miles, and monitor those water levels closely as the border wall is being built?” Burgum replied, “Well, I – that’s a very specific thing that I won’t jump ahead and commit to.” Missing person Benjamin Stepetin, 42, stands in downtown Juneau, Alaska. (Courtesy Stepetin family) Divers are searching the murky waters of Gastineau Channel this week for the body of a Juneau, Alaska man missing for nearly a year, as KTOO’s Clarise Larson reports. Benjamin “Benny” Stepetin, a 42-year-old Juneau resident, disappeared last June. His family believes he may have fallen or been pushed into the water near the downtown seawalk. His brother, Martin Stepetin Sr., says the family hasn’t given up hope. “We just want to find our brother, you know. And we really miss our brother, and if we could get some closure to finding him, then that would be amazing.” The search, funded by the Juneau Police Department (JPD), includes divers and underwater sonar vehicles. Police are investigating the case as criminal and say some people may be withholding information. The search includes both divers and underwater vehicles with sonar technology. The team is scanning up and down the downtown seawalk, while thousands of cruise ship visitors walk above them. Martin says that his family believes their brother may have fallen or been pushed into the water along the seawalk. JPD is currently investigating the case as a criminal investigation. Deputy Chief Krag Campbell says police believe there may have been people involved in Benjamin’s disappearance who are withholding information. “Our ultimate goal is to get a successful resolution to this investigation, and if at all possible, recover or find the body and missing person for the family. So doing those things whenever we can, I think, is very important.” People can share information by calling JPD’s dispatch line at 907-586-0600 or submitting an anonymous tip through Juneau Crime Line.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Friday, May 15, 2026 – Native In The Spotlight: Washington State Supreme Court Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis

Photo: One of the drilling units located on site. (C.J. Keene / SDPB) A mining company has backed down from a legal dispute connected to a standoff over mining at the sacred Black Hills site Pe’ Sla. Many are chalking this in the win column for opposition, though others contend work is not yet finished. C.J. Keene has more. After the explosion of popular support and a courtroom battle, the company behind the proposed exploratory mining project has dropped the effort. For Lilias Jarding, executive director of the Black Hills Clean Water Alliance, it represents what can be accomplished when several organizations focus on a single goal. “Of course, water is an issue wherever a person lives. We all need, in fact, we all have the right to clean, plentiful water. We are getting congratulations from all over the country and beyond. I’m feeling a great deal of respect for the power of alliances and coalitions.” Many other organizations rose in opposition to the proposed mining, including NDN Collective, a Rapid City indigenous advocacy nonprofit, the Oglala Lakota Nation Youth Council, nine local tribes, and many community members. Wizipan Garriott, president at NDN Collective, says it is a feeling of victory. “With the result it shows the power of community organizing, coordination, and direct action in conjunction with legal action.” Garriott says distant issues involving watersheds, treaty rights, and Indigenous affairs are a matter every American should have a vested interest in. “If you believe in the Constitution, then you are required to believe in Indian treaties, and you have an ethical, moral, and legal duty to work towards honoring Indian treaties. Every single one of us has a duty to protect clean drinking water and a human right to clean drinking water. I think from a larger, moral standpoint, an injustice to one is an injustice to all.” Garriott estimates there are still well over a dozen mining claims in the Black Hills that he and other mining opponents are monitoring. The 8(a) Business Development program helps Alaska Native Corporations support like Covenant House Alaska. (Courtesy U.S. Small Business Association / LinkedIn) Alaska lawmakers unanimously passed a resolution this week supporting the role of Alaska Native Corporations in a federal contracting program, amid growing scrutiny and concerns from Native contractors. The Alaska Desk’s Alena Naiden from our flagship station KNBA reports. Alaska legislators passed a joint resolution supporting Native participation in the federal 8(a) Business Development (BD) Program. The program allows disadvantaged individuals, tribes and Alaska Native Corporations to compete for federal contracts. Haven Harris is the Senior Vice President of Growth and Strategy at Bering Straits Native Corporation and says those contracts are crucial for his organization. “We were able to give out a record dividend last year. We gave out our first special dividend ever just a month ago, and it’s all because of the benefits of federal contracting for us.” For Alaska Native Corporations, federal contracts are often their primary source of revenue and help pay dividends to shareholders and support services in their communities, but over the past year, the program has faced increased scrutiny. Native contractors say they are concerned the government is awarding fewer contracts and has not been accepting new applications into the program. Harris is also a board co-chair of the Native American Contractors Association. He says that in the past year. “8(a) contracts have been getting awarded at a lesser rate than they were previously.” Harris says no new businesses have been accepted into the program since August of last year. The Native American Contractors Association and about 50 other Native organizations signed a letter to the federal government earlier this month, asking it to resume a timely review of applications. Alaska’s congressional delegation and Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R-AK) have signaled support for the program. Harris says the legislature’s joint resolution is a helpful step. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a post on X in January that he was going to take a “sledgehammer” to 8a, which he called “oldest DEI program in the federal government”. We are taking a sledgehammer to the oldest DEI program in the federal government—the 8(a) program. pic.twitter.com/c9iH8gcqG7 — Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) January 16, 2026   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Thursday, May 14, 2026 – Native American voting rights advocates brace for diminished Native power at the polls

A senior Indigenous banker in Canada cautions the Canadian government to keep Indigenous consultation at the forefront for major projects. As Dan Karpenchuk reports, he also says there is interest from Indigenous leaders in taking part in those major energy projects. Recently Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney repeated his plan to fast track major energy projects in Canada. Last week, he said Ottawa would build quickly and “in the right way” in consulting with Indigenous and provincial partners, but some of those leaders have been critical fearing that the process of consultation will be rushed and their concerns would be brushed aside. Carney’s government wants to change parts of environmental law to make it easier to build a pipeline to the west coast, along with other energy projects. Bill Lomax is the president and CEO of the First Nations Bank of Canada. He says that early and meaningful talks with Indigenous communities is key. “We’re seeing more business acquisitions happening, joint ventures happening with companies that are servicing, let’s say, a pipeline. That kind of thing is just really taken off. We’ve seen our business grow. We’re really a reflection of our clients. And their success leads to our success.” Lomax says the bank’s commercial business was growing by 10% a year, but in the past year, it’s been 26%. He says that shows how much Indigenous businesses are becoming involved, but he warns the opportunity for their approval is there if the consultation is done right. “You need to engage with the nation early on and let them know what you are thinking about, have them participate and have them be part of the plan.” Lomax says even though some Indigenous communities will be against some projects, but he believes there are many more that would be ready to move and move quickly. The First Nations Bank of Canada is an Indigenous-owned national bank. It’s mission is to serve Indigenous people, nations, and businesses. The Alaska Native Language Center will publish a novel this summer retelling Rudyard Kipling’s “The White Seal”, the only Jungle Book story set outside India, on St. Paul Island in the Bering Sea. Two artists from the Pribilof Islands retell the story through the perspective of a young Indigenous protagonist named Sergie. KUCB’s Maggie Nelson has more. Garrett Pletnikoff is the coauthor of the new young adult chapter book “Sergie and the White Seal”. The story is an adaptation of one in Kipling’s Jungle Book, “The White Seal”, published in 1894. And actually names Pletnikoff’s great, great, great grandfather as a main antagonist. Kipling portrays Pletnikoff’s ancestors through a disparaging colonial lens — as unclean murderers of the innocent marine mammals. Pletnikoff says this adaptation is a chance to tell a different story — to portray the Unangan community and the seals as partners instead of enemies, as Kipling wrote them. “The White Seal includes violent descriptions of seal harvesting, but Kipling never mentions that these harvests were not done by Unangan free will. The Unangan people of the Pribilof Islands were subjected to forced labor.” Hannah Zimmerman coauthored the book with Pletnikoff. She says they were inspired by Unangan lore and mythology and decided to name their main character after a spiritual leader from the Aleutian chain — Sergie Soboroff. “It’s a story of Sergie, who discovers that he’s a shaman, and he has this, you know, magical ability to talk to animals, and he discovers his purpose as a conduit between the animal world, in the human world.” Zimmerman says they used Sergie’s role as a shaman to discuss topics like how colonization wiped out certain Indigenous practices. “When we read the book to fourth and fifth graders in the fall at the St Paul Island School. And I’ll never forget how, at the end of the book, one of the fifth grade students came up to me, and he was like, you know, I didn’t know Aleuts could be superheroes.” “Sergie and the White Seal” is now available through the University Press of Colorado’s website.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Wednesday, May 13, 2026 – How Indigenous knowledge built the foundation for today’s response to the hantavirus outbreak

Photo: The Cannery Hotel & Casino in North Las Vegas, Nev. (AJFU / Wikimedia) A newly filed federal lawsuit alleges two Las Vegas hotel-casinos enabled years of sex trafficking tied to convicted sex offender Nathan Chasing Horse. The civil complaint was filed on behalf of two survivors, and names Boyd Gaming, Station Casinos, and other entities as defendants. The suit alleges trafficking occurred at properties including Cannery Casino & Hotel and Santa Fe Station Hotel and Casino between 2014 and 2022. According to the lawsuit, Chasing Horse used his position as a self-described spiritual leader to manipulate and control women through coercion, isolation, and threats of violence. The complaint alleges the women were forced into commercial sex acts while hotel staff ignored visible warning signs. Attorney Alex Marcinko represents the survivors. “People like Nathan Chasing Horse don’t operate in a vacuum. He doesn’t exist without other entities allowing him to.” The lawsuit alleges hotel staff repeatedly rented rooms to Chasing Horse despite signs the women were being controlled and exploited. It also claims the hotels financially benefited from the repeated stays. “There was obvious signs of the torment these women were undergoing at these hotels, and nothing was done.” Chasing Horse was convicted earlier this year on sex trafficking and sexual abuse charges and sentenced in April to 37 years to life in prison. The lawsuit was filed under the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, which allows survivors to pursue civil claims against businesses accused of knowingly benefiting from trafficking ventures. Marcinko says the case could also raise broader questions about accountability within the hotel industry. “The hotel industry turns a blind eye to the human suffering in sex trafficking. It happens far too often.” The lawsuit seeks damages for the physical, emotional, and psychological harm the survivors say they endured. Every year, 20 to 30 Alaska Airlines employees volunteer to help Mt. Edgecumbe High School students get glammed up for prom.(Photo: KCAW/McKenney) Mt. Edgecumbe High School in Sitka, Alaska has a unique program that brings Alaska Airlines employees — known as “glam fairies” — to help students from villages across Alaska get ready for prom, as KCAW’s Hope McKenney reports. For the past fourteen or so years, volunteers with the Prom Prince and Princess program have helped Mt. Edgecumbe students get glammed up for prom. They do hair, nails, and makeup, provide jewelry, shoes, corsages, and boutonnieres, and even do alterations on the many donated suits and dresses. “So I’m really happy to be here, because I love doing hair and makeup.” Lisa Lynch is one of the many glam faeries helping in the crowded room. “So I’m happy to be able to do this for other kids whose families can’t be here to help them like that.” Alonza Topkok just finished her turn in the makeup chair. “I wanted shimmer, and I wanted glitter, and that’s exactly what they gave me.” She says her prom look is inspired by the 2001 Mariah Carey cult classic “Glitter”. She says it means a lot that people volunteer their time and donate clothes, makeup, and jewelry when she and her friends don’t have family members nearby to help out. Freshman Andrew Adams from Mentasta Lake is hovering at the entrance to the common room with his friends Calvin and Kacin. Adams went to a middle school prom a couple of years ago, but this is his first high school prom. When asked if they are all going to go up and ask those girls to dance, Adams replied, “Maybe, yeah.” Despite some nerves, Adams and his friends eventually ask one of the volunteers to help them get ready. Circling back around with them afterward, refreshed and ready to head out, they seem like they’re going to be just fine.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Tuesday, May 12, 2026 – High gas prices eat into business profits and personal budgets

The University of Arizona recognized Friday roughly 70 Native American graduates with a special celebration. As KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, an Indigenous actor was the event’s keynote speaker. Dallas Goldtooth (Diné and Mdewakanton Dakota) is arguably best known for his role in the Peabody Award-winning FX series, “Reservation Dogs”. Goldtooth plays a comedic spiritual guide to a teen living in an Oklahoma rez town. He co-founded the 1491s, an all-Native sketch comedy group that uses humor as a way to tackle stereotypes of Indigenous people and complex social issues. Native Americans make up about 4% of the university’s student body. Ice is seen held in place on the Kuskokwim River downriver from Aniak on May 8, 2026. (Photo: Samantha Watson / KYUK) The U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs says it is distributing $20 million in emergency funding to more than a dozen Alaska Native communities in response to shortages of essential supplies and urgent infrastructure needs. As KYUK’s Evan Erickson reports, the lion’s share of the funding, $16 million, is going to the Kuskokwim Delta coastal village of Chefornak to address the impacts of severe erosion, permafrost thaw, and failing infrastructure. According to a press release, the funds are intended to restore damaged wetlands, address unsafe structures, relocate at-risk homes, and reconstruct the community’s barge landing. Chefornak and 15 other communities spread across a vast swath of the state will also receive a portion of an additional $4 million that the federal government is using to purchase thousands of gallons of heating fuel, along with potable water supplies, and firewood. The press release says delayed spring barge deliveries, restricted water systems, and extreme winter conditions led to supply shortages in the communities receiving assistance. The announcement comes after Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Billy Kirkland was in Alaska to meet with tribal leaders. Kirkland appeared alongside U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) in Anchorage and Bethel as part of hearings of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on federal disaster support and the question of climate-driven village relocation. Students learn about Mark 3 pumps as part of their field day during spring training. (Courtesy Alaska DNR Division of Forestry and Fire Protection / Facebook) Alaska Native organizations and wildfire officials are preparing for another challenging fire season as communities face growing climate-related threats. Officials say dry spring conditions and warming temperatures are increasing wildfire risks in rural communities across the state. The Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection says many Alaska wildfires are caused by human activity, including escaped burn piles, campfires, and sparks from equipment or vehicles. Officials are urging residents to prepare emergency kits, create evacuation plans, and clear brush and other flammable materials away from homes and buildings. Alaska Native organizations are also working with communities on climate adaptation, emergency preparedness, and public health planning efforts tied to wildfire smoke and extreme weather. Meanwhile, tribal leaders in western Alaska are calling for stronger tribally led disaster response systems as communities face increasing wildfire and environmental threats. Some rural communities are also concerned about how major wildfires could impact subsistence activities, travel routes, and deliveries of food, fuel, and other critical supplies during the summer months. Fire officials say even a single spark can quickly ignite dry grass during spring conditions.    Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Monday, May 11, 2026 – What’s in the near future for urban elder health care?

Photo: A semi-truck carrying uranium ore from the Pinyon Plain Mine is parked near Shonto on the Navajo Nation after a collision on May 6, 2026. (Courtesy Navajo Police Department) The Navajo Police Department responded Wednesday to a crash involving a semi-truck carrying uranium ore from the Grand Canyon’s South Rim to a mill in Utah. KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio has more on the first reported incident since hauling began nearly two years ago. The accident occurred about a half mile east of Highway 160 and state Route 98 near Shonto in Navajo County. Officials say an SUV tried passing another vehicle, striking the passenger-side tire and bumper of the uranium truck bound for Blanding, Utah. The tribe’s Environmental Protection Agency, along with the Pinyon Plain Mine, which is owned by Energy Fuels, were notified. Using a gamma radiation detector, they inspected the crash site, concluding no radioactive material leaked. The collision sent two people in the SUV to a local hospital with injuries, while the truck driver was unharmed. Tracy Day’s daughter Kaelyn Schneider hugs MMIP advocate Jamiann S’eiltin Hasselquist at the Kaasei Healing Kootéeyaa on May 5, 2025. (Photo: Yvonne Krumrey / KTOO) Juneau, Alaska woman Tracy Day has been missing for more than seven years. And while her disappearance has become a rallying cry for MMIP in Juneau, her daughter also wants people to know who she was before she went missing. KTOO’s Yvonne Krumrey has more. Kaelyn Schnieder says her mom was always finding new adventures for the family to go on. The house she grew up in in Sitka, Alaska was spotless and Day was taking night classes to be a nurse. Her struggles with mental health came later. “But I feel like, when she went missing, everybody was like, ‘Oh, she’s living in St Vincent. And like, she’s a mentally ill addict.’ It was just not the way I wanted people to see her, because my mom was a wonderful parent, and she wasn’t always sick.” Schneider says when she was a young child, she was the victim of child sex abuse by her friend’s father. After Day found out what had happened, she blamed herself for trusting the family. Schneider believes it triggered Day’s mental health issues. “It changed her brain chemistry, you know. So that’s, like, the best way I could explain it.” Schneider thinks that changed the trajectory of her mother’s life. Tracy Day has been missing since February 14, 2019. (Courtesy Juneau Police Department) Day struggled with mental illness and substance abuse, but Schneider wants people to know her mom the way she remembers her, as a dignified, even glamorous woman. “She was kind of like a diva. Like back in the day, she always had her hair done, lipstick done, nails, everything. She was always dressed so beautifully.” She was also a devoted parent and she was fun. “When she wasn’t at work, we were never bored. We would go ride our bike and we would get curly fries with cheese and milkshakes, and then we would go to the duck pond and feed the ducks. And, like, she was a good, like, playful parent.” Schneider says that even through Dayʼs later mental health crises, she always stuck around and checked in with her family. “She would not take off. She’s the opposite. She’s like, the parent that annoys you, because they’re showing up so much.” Schneider’s son was born after Day went missing. He is five years old now and she is finding herself having to explain the absence. “My son, he’s at that age where he’s starting to question, like, ‘what happened to grandma?’ And like, ‘Why is she not in your life?’ And you know, like, he always asks — it’s so horrible — He always asks, like, ‘Are you gonna disappear?’ And like, as a mom, that is just horrible. You know that knowing that my son, like, has that thought in his head, because he knows it’s a possibility.” So Schneider says, for him and for her newborn son, she will keep looking for the truth of what happened to her mom. “I really want to keep searching and talking about her case, not only for me, but also for my sons. I want them to know that people are still interested and care.”   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Friday, May 8, 2026 – What Native graduates are looking forward to

Photo: Artwork featured as part of the Ottawa Aboriginal Coalition’s installation and community gathering at City Hall, May 4, 2026. (Courtesy The Ottawa Mission / Facebook) Across Canada this week, communities commemorated Red Dress Day with ceremonies. As Dan Karpenchuk reports, the annual day on May 5 has become a national day of awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP). On Parliament Hill in Ottawa and cities and towns across the country, people gathered for the fifteenth anniversary of Red Dress Day. They come to heal, to remember, and to honour the Indigenous people who were murdered or who have disappeared. Mary Daoust is the co-chair of the Ottawa Aboriginal Coalition. “Their voices can no longer be heard, but they can be heard through us. And that’s why we’re here today, is to speak and honour, and respect the ones that didn’t have those voices and the ones that went missing, and the ones that aren’t coming home. That we are still here and we have not forgotten them.” People took part in ceremonies and educational exhibits – and created activities to honour the lives the legacies of Indigenous people. The events also included drum groups and throat singers, a sacred fire and honour songs, and, of course, people wearing a red dress. Jenny Sawanohk is an Indigenous healer and member of the Cree First Nation. “I’ve seen violence. I’ve been in communities that have been impacted by this directly. I’ve had family members that have been victims of violence. A lot of us are in mourning. And we will be in mourning until this gets properly addressed. And we needed this day to really bring awareness and attention to it.” Vigils and marches were also held across the country. This year also marks the tenth anniversary of the launch of the national inquiry into MMIP. That resulted in an action plan with 231 calls for justice. According to the federal government, Indigenous women are twelve times more likely than non-Indigenous women to be murdered or end up missing. Billy Kirkland in Anchorage, Alaska. (Courtesy U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs / X) May is when the federal VIP season in Alaska really gets going – when high ranking federal officials tour the state to roll out new policies, hand out grants, or just simply listen to what people have to say. The Department of Interior sent some of its top people to Anchorage Tuesday for a closed-door meeting on Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP). As Rhonda McBride from our flagship station KNBA reports, they acknowledged that the number of Alaska cases has reached a crisis point. In the Cook Inlet Tribal Council’s meeting room, more than two dozen Alaska Native and government leaders looked across tables at each other. U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) led the discussion. “The two top guys in America on these issues are here in this room right now.” Those top guys were Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Billy Kirkland (Navajo) and Bryan Mercier (Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon), the head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). They came to announce the re-introduction of Operation Lady Justice, launched by Tara Sweeney (Iñupiaq) during President Donald Trump’s first administration. The initiative created a task force that brought law enforcement, data collection and justice teams together, an effort that led to a Missing and Murdered Unit within the BIA. “All of our law enforcement are working collectively on an issue not being in silos.” This renewed federal push comes through an executive order from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. Kirkland says it expands efforts to solve new and cold cases and emphasizes prevention. “It’s great that we’re focused on these cases that haven’t been solved. You know, what would be even better is that we didn’t even have to solve these cases in the first place.” A crisis U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) says needs to be addressed with urgency. “I would suggest to you that that is a crisis.” Some of the Native leaders and MMIP advocates at the meeting, like Charlene Apok (Iñupiaq) with Data for Indigenous Justice, say hope now hinges on whether funding follows — and if tribes are empowered to lead the work. “We’re hoping that we see the return on investments and that it trickles down to real changes. But I also know that no matter what, tribes in Alaska are going to keep working on this. And that gives me a lot of hope.” The gathering and the Interior Secretary’s Executive order was timed to coincide with a national day of awareness for MMIP.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Thursday, May 7, 2026 – Native Fashion Week takes root in Santa Fe

The U.S. Department of the Interior has announced a new task force aimed at addressing violent crime in tribal communities. The Indian Country Violent Crime Task Force was announced May 5, which is also Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Awareness Day. Officials say the initiative is designed to strengthen law enforcement coordination and protect families across Indian Country. The effort will be led by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services and will work with federal, tribal, and state partners to expand investigations, deploy mobile enforcement teams, and target drug trafficking and crimes against children. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum says the initiative takes what he calls a “zero-tolerance approach to violent crime” and is focused on protecting tribal communities. Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Billy Kirkland says the effort is also about strengthening coordination and accountability. In a statement, he says working closely with tribal communities will help improve public safety outcomes and prevent future crime. Officials say the task force will focus on solving missing persons and homicide cases, while using data to identify high-crime areas and direct resources where they are needed most. The initiative builds on earlier federal efforts, including Operation Lady Justice and the Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit, as concerns about public safety in Indian Country continue. Keystone Pipeline in Canada. (Courtesy TransCanada) A 650-mile crude oil pipeline through eastern Montana and Wyoming just cleared another hurdle on the way to construction. Montana Public Radio’s Ellis Juhlin reports, President Donald Trump issued a cross-border permit for the Bridger Pipeline Expansion Project Thursday. The pipeline would move no less than half a million gallons of crude tar sands oil from Canada into the U.S. daily. Its proposed path covers some of the same area as the controversial Keystone XL Pipeline, which was terminated under President Joe Biden. The Bridger Pipeline would cross major rivers including the Missouri and the Yellowstone, prompting fears about the potential for contamination of water sources. It could also run through the Fort Peck Indian Reservation and the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes. Tribal nations were not consulted as part of Trump’s permitting decision and say a pipeline in this area could violate treaty rights. Jenny Harbine, a lawyer with the nonprofit firm EarthJustice, says pipelines like these are known to break. “Crude oil spills are extraordinarily time, consumptive and costly to clean up, and I don’t know that our local communities in Montana or our regulators are prepared for that kind of devastation.” The proposal must still go through several permitting processes at the state and federal level before construction could begin, but the pipeline is fast-tracked, and supported by Republican lawmakers in Montana. Construction could begin as early as next summer. Diehtosiida, a Sámi knowledge centre in Guovdageaidnu/Kautokeino, Norway, where the 2026 Journalism Excellence Awards ceremony will take place in September. (Photo: Illustratedjc via Wikimedia) The World Indigenous Broadcasters Network (WIBN) has announced the finalists for its 2026 Journalism Excellence Award, highlighting top Indigenous reporting from around the world. Six journalists were selected from an international field, representing media organizations in Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, Taiwan, Sápmi, and Canada. The award recognizes excellence in storytelling, cultural integrity, and public accountability in Indigenous journalism. Entries were reviewed by an independent panel of Indigenous media leaders, who evaluated work based on reporting quality, innovation, and impact. WIBN Chair Shane Taurima says this year’s finalists reflect the strength of Indigenous journalism globally, with reporting grounded in community voices and focused on issues that matter most. The winner will be announced at the WIBN Conference in Sápmi, Norway in September.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Wednesday, May 6, 2026 – Tribes try to stay ahead of prediction markets on sports betting

Indigenous activists are reacting to news that President Donald Trump recently issued a presidential border-crossing permit for the Bridger Pipeline in northcentral Montana. Yellowstone Public Radio’s Kayla Desroches reports. The Bridger Pipeline would start in Phillips County, Mont. at the Canadian border and carry Alberta oil sands down through eastern Montana. Fort Peck Assiniboine Tribal member and Wolf Point city councilman Lance FourStar says he fought for years against the Keystone XL pipeline. “This was all kind of new to me. I was hoping it wasn’t real, and that it was just a rumor.” Indigenous activists and environmental groups have been rallying around the public comment period for the Bridger Pipeline’s environmental analysis. FourStar says he is disappointed by the presidential approval, but not surprised. “That sinking feeling didn’t happen this time.” A spokesperson with developer Bridger Pipeline says construction is slated to begin in fall 2027. The pipeline still needs several permits to go ahead. Kelly Hunt’s Funeral. (Courtesy Shaktoolik School / Facebook) The Norton Sound community of Shaktoolik said their goodbyes to Kelly Hunt at a memorial service this Saturday, as Rhonda McBride from our flagship station KNBA reports. She was the 19 year old whose remains were found in ravine in the Anchorage, Alaska area of Spenard two weeks ago, following her disappearance in January. Friends and family gathered in the school gym for a simple, but emotional, service, with arms held open and voices raised in song. “Where the tree of life is always blooming and the roses never fade.” Prayers to bring Kelly Hunt home were finally answered, though not in the way the community had hoped. She was last seen visiting friends in Anchorage, on her way to attend the Alaska Christian College. During the service, the lingering question of what happened to Hunt was set aside, to grieve and remember her as a young person, so was full of life and potential – qualities that Lynda Bekoalok says she cherishes. In her more than two decades as a teacher in Shaktoolik, she remembers Hunt as one of the community’s most promising students. “She was always positive and willing to jump in and help no matter where. She was always diligent in school. She always had a smile on her face.” Bekoalok says everyone at the school encouraged Hunt to go to college. The community even raised money to help her with expenses, because they were proud of how she had overcome so many challenges at an early age. Anchorage Police continue to investigate her case with no word yet on how she died. No suspects have been arrested. New footage of an ocelot in southern Arizona have captured. (Courtesy Center for Biological Diversity) The ocelot is seldom seen in the Southwest anymore. Few animals from the wild, spotted cat species still roam between the borderlands of northern Mexico and southern Arizona. But as KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, a group of tribal youth with ties to this now-endangered creature have bestowed one with an Indigenous name. Tucson high school first-year Isaac Valencia was among nearly three dozen O’odham students part of the Voices of Our Youth program, working with a tribal linguist. Then, a couple hundred ballots were cast to decide a fitting moniker through a recent online vote. “When I came up with the name, I named it an O’odham. And Himdam means traveler, like he has [an] untold story.” Himdam was first spotted in the Atascosa Highlands in 2024. More sightings of the same feline soon followed in the Whetstone, Patagonia and Santa Rita mountain ranges. The nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity shared insights about ocelots and their fragile habitat, the Sky Islands, with this group of students. For 14-year-old Valencia, who is from the San Xavier District of the Tohono O’odham Nation, Himdam’s survival is inspiring. “It makes me real proud.” And naming the rare cat means so much more.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Tuesday, May 5, 2026 – Alaska MMIW case exemplifies lingering distrust in law enforcement motivations

The online marketplace Etsy plans to ban products made out of fur as well as threatened or endangered animals. In Alaska, many Indigenous artists say they do not use the platform, but several said they were frustrated with the decision. The Alaska Desk’s Alena Naiden from our flagship station KNBA has more. Cheyenne Nelson (Aleut and Tlingit) pulls a pair of earrings from a box stacked with her creations. Nelson is an owner of Iliamna Arts based in Anchorage. She uses fur from otters, rabbits, lynx, and foxes to make jewelry. She sells her art to customers from California to Chicago, and from Canada to the Netherlands, but this might change: Etsy emailed artists like Nelson in early April to notify them it will ban fur products starting August 11. “It was like the worst case scenario … I really like being able to have my art reach people that in no other way it would have reached.” The new Etsy policy says that it will apply to fur from animals killed primarily for their pelts, to protect wildlife from extinction. It was not clear how the company would establish that animals were killed for fur and not for sustenance. There do not appear to be exceptions for Indigenous artists. Etsy did not respond to emailed questions for this story. Nelson and several others say the new policy will disproportionately harm Indigenous artists. “You’ve ostracized the entire Indigenous population that wants to share their art through Etsy.” Jamie Nurauq Stallings is Yupik and Athabaskan who makes earrings, using fur and feathers from her family’s hunts – ducks, beavers, and rabbits. She sells her art at local markets, as well as Etsy. “Historically, there’s been a lot of shame put on certain parts of our lives, like our language, and now it’s fur. … we have the highest regard for animals.” When Stallings was small, she was a part of her father’s Indigenous dance group. Between the performances, she would sit with her mom at a table, selling earrings and talking to guests. “Earrings were the one thing that we were able to share with people. … I really love that – being able to connect to people from everywhere. It’s unifying.” Stallings says she hopes the ban can motivate Indigenous artists to come together and create their own platform that sells traditional art – on their terms. Until recently, evacuees in Anchorage were staying at hotels like the Wingate, pictured here on November 14, 2025. (Photo: Matt Faubion/ Alaska Public Media) Six months after arriving in Anchorage, evacuees from Western Alaska have moved from hotels into temporary housing. Hundreds of people have been unable to return to their homes after ex-Typhoon Halong devastated villages in October of last year. Jeremy Zidek, a spokesperson for the state’s emergency response, says it gives people a chance to return to a slightly more normal way of life. “They’re cooking their own foods. They have more privacy, more room within the units. They’re also have places where they can host celebrations for their family members, or have people come over and visit and not just be in kind of one hotel room.” Evacuees stayed in five hotels around Anchorage through the winter. They received meals from various assistance teams and on-site staff helped them register for disaster relief and connected them to assistance programs. Zidek says the state will continue to help people with paperwork and bureaucracy hurdles. “We’re working with the every applicant on a case by case basis to make sure that they’re they’re not kind of lost in the shuffle, and they don’t get so frustrated that they just lose interest in pursuing this assistance that they’re eligible for.” As of April 17, 165 households have moved into temporary housing in and around Anchorage. The housing is funded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Zidek says the state and FEMA are working together to identify ways to rebuild in Western Alaska so that those who want to return home can do so as soon as possible. This story was provided by Alaska Public Media’s Hannah Flor   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Friday, May 1, 2026 – Efforts to improve Native student achievement under fire

A Hualapai tribal leader is being remembered for her impact on economic development and tribal sovereignty. Louise Benson, former chairwoman of the Hualapai Tribe in Arizona, has died at the age of 83. The tribe announced her death April 18. Benson helped lead the development of Grand Canyon West, including the creation of the Grand Canyon Skywalk, a major tourism destination that supports the tribe’s economy. According to the Hualapai Tribe, she also worked on infrastructure and water access issues for her community. Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) said in a statement: “I am deeply saddened by the passing of former Hualapai Tribal Chairwoman Louise Benson. As a dedicated leader for the Hualapai Tribe, championing critical infrastructure, and regional water security. Chairwoman Benson spent her life serving her people with unwavering commitment. My condolences go out to the Hualapai Tribe and all those who knew her.” In its statement, the Hualapai Tribe says Benson’s legacy will continue through the economic foundation she helped build for future generations. Republican Native American voters Jen Thomasik and Brandy Ross stand outside a 2024 rally for Donald Trump held in Albuquerque, NM. (Photo: Jeanette DeDios / KUNM-FM) The Trump administration issued an executive order last month that seeks to restrict mail-in voting. KUNM’s Jeanette DeDios (Jicarilla Apache and Diné) has the details on how this could impact Native American communities. The order seeks to use federal data to create a list of adult U.S. citizens in each state who would have to show proof of eligibility before voting. States would be able to review and suggest changes. But many tribal members living in rural areas rely on mail-in voting in order to participate in elections because of long travel times to polling places. Jacqueline De León (Isleta Pueblo), senior attorney for the Native American Rights Fund, says the Supreme Court is currently considering a case called  Watson v. Republican National Committee about whether or not ballots received after election day can be counted. “And we know that that is especially important in Indian Country, where mail delivery can be slow and unpredictable, that our ballots be able to be counted even if they arrive after Election Day, if they were cast before Election Day.” She says tribal nations are facing a consequential moment in history. “Protecting tribal sovereignty is something that I think every Native person needs to take seriously, and they need to make considerations when they’re voting as to which candidates are going to do that for their tribal nation.” Attorneys general in 23 states, including New Mexico, are suing to block the Trump order. Candlelight vigil for Kelly Hunt in Anchorage, Alaska. (Courtesy Data for Indigenous Justice / Facebook) Community members gathered in Anchorage this week to honor the life of Kelly Hunt. A candlelight vigil was held Wednesday at 2522 Arctic Boulevard, where family, friends, and advocates came together to remember the 19 year old from Shaktoolik. The event included traditional dance groups and songs, as attendees paid tribute and called for justice. (Courtesy Data for Indigenous Justice / Facebook) Hunt disappeared earlier this year while on her way to college. Her body was found April 20 in a Spenard neighborhood. The vigil was supported by Data for Indigenous Justice, as community members continue to call for answers and accountability. Alaska Native leaders and advocates will gather in Anchorage next month for a summit focused on the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) crisis. The Alaska MMIP Justice Summit is scheduled for May 27 and 28 at the Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center, followed by a Red Dress Gala on May 29. Organizers say the event will focus on raising awareness, sharing resources, and building solutions to address violence impacting Indigenous communities.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Thursday, April 30, 2026 – Reflecting on the milestone pipeline protest movement at Standing Rock

Photo: Fresh snow coats Monument Valley Tribal Park straddling Utah and Arizona in February 2026. (Gabriel Pietrorazio) The Navajo Nation signed an agreement with Utah last month that centers on advancing economic development and authentic Indigenous representation through cinema. As KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, it also formalizes a time-honored tradition of filmmaking on Navajoland – home to one of Hollywood’s most iconic Western settings straddling Utah and Arizona. If you ever take a road trip to Monument Valley, you will see why this legendary landscape is so much more than just a movie set. It is also a tribal park, the first to be founded in 1958 and where about 100 or so Navajos actually call home. This 17-mile dirt loop – dotted with horses and hogans – is managed by the Navajo Parks and Recreation Department. “If they say no, we tell the film production, no. But that doesn’t mean that we’re going to shut the door on you.” For Edsel Pete, who is in charge of the Navajo Nation TV and Film Office, the new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the state of Utah is all about being “film friendly”, while also caring for the environment. Scripts can be changed – the land, not so much. “As we know, film is not going anywhere, but we don’t want to just give away the resources. This is all we got, and we want to protect it.” Towering red sandstone buttes have, time and again, turned into the unmistakable backdrop for some of Tinseltown’s biggest blockbusters. From Tom Hanks in “Forrest Gump” to the final chapter of the “Back to the Future” trilogy. No matter the genre, Monument Valley has been glittering on the silver screen for nearly a century, but its popularity began with Westerns. Virigina Pearce is director of the Utah Film Commission. “Both states claim it as our own and it does get a lot of requests.” Arizona was the first state to ink such an MOU with the Navajo Nation in 2019; talks are underway with New Mexico to follow suit. “This MOU came at such a great time for us to not only look back and consider the history, but also look forward and think about how much more could we do if we work together.” James Lujan is from the Taos Pueblo in New Mexico. He chairs the Cinematic Arts and Technology Department at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, N.M. and suggests these MOUs could benefit everyone. “It’s a win for the production companies. It’s a win for the tribe, because they have people that they’re putting to work to train below-the-line crew members.” Like gaffers, camera operators, and set designers. But Lujan thinks training above-the-line talent – screenwriters, producers and directors – is even more important for representation. “Because that’s the only way we’re going to break into mainstream cinema is by taking ownership and control of our own stories.”     Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Wednesday, April 15, 2026 – Iñupiaq leaders weigh their economic future and oil drilling in the Arctic  

Photo: A voter fills in a ballot during Bethel’s municipal election on October 1, 2024. (MaryCait Dolan / KYUK) The Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) is speaking out against a proposed federal voting bill it says could create new barriers for Alaska Native voters. In a press release issued April 6, AFN urged Congress to reject the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which is currently being debated in the U.S. Senate. AFN represents more than 190 tribes, along with Native corporations and nonprofits across Alaska. Leaders say the bill would require voters to present documentary proof of citizenship — such as a passport or birth certificate — in person at a designated election office in order to register for federal elections. For many Alaska Native communities, especially in rural areas, that could mean traveling long distances, often by plane, at significant cost. In the statement, AFN says, “The SAVE Act… would disenfranchise eligible voters and recreate the very barriers our communities have fought for decades to dismantle.” The organization also raised concerns about how the bill would treat Tribal identification, noting that many IDs do not include citizenship status and could require voters to obtain additional documentation. AFN says that process could take weeks and may be difficult or impossible for some community members. The group argues the legislation is unnecessary, calling it “a solution in search of a problem” and pointing out that noncitizen voting is already illegal and rare. AFN says the bill could also restrict systems widely used in Alaska, including mail-in and online voter registration. As the debate continues in Washington, tribal leaders are calling on Congress to focus instead on improving access to voting, particularly in rural communities. A federal judge has rejected a plea agreement in the case of missing Navajo elder Ella Mae Begay. Begay, a 62-year-old member of the Navajo Nation, was last seen in 2021 at her home in Sweetwater, Ariz. and has not been found. According to the Associated Press, the judge denied a proposed deal for Preston Henry Tolth, who is accused of assaulting Begay before she disappeared. Prosecutors say the agreement would have allowed Tolth to avoid additional prison time. Begay’s family opposed the deal in court. Her niece, Seraphine Warren, told the judge, “Accountability is not time served… we still don’t have the truth.” Advocates say the case highlights ongoing challenges in addressing missing and murdered Indigenous people across the country. Arizona drivers have lots of specialty license plates to choose from – 114 to be exact. As KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, the largest tribe in the Phoenix metro area is among the latest to be featured. Back in 2023, State Rep. Teresa Martinez (R-AZ) pitched letting the Gila River Indian Community design its own plate. “Lots of people will think, ‘Oh, this is just another license plate bill.’ … It is a very big deal.” Because for each plate sold, $17 will be donated to the tribe’s transportation committee for traffic and road improvements. Commuters regularly travel through their reservation just south of Phoenix. “Especially when the I-10 is down.” Martinez’s proposal passed as part of a larger bill that included the neighboring Ak-Chin Indian Community and Pascua Yaqui Tribe. Gila River, in March, became the fifth of Arizona’s 22 federally recognized tribes to print one.     Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Tuesday, April 14, 2026 — Native in the Spotlight: cartographer Margaret Wickens Pearce  

Photo: U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks to Native American leaders gathered at Gila River Indian Community’s Wild Horse Pass Casino on April 8, 2026. (Caitlin Sievers / Arizona Mirror) Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made a stop in the Phoenix, Ariz. metro area to visit the Gila River Indian Community last week. As KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, Sec. Kennedy touted tribal health accomplishments a year into President Donald Trump’s second term. Kennedy briefly took the stage at Wild Horse Pass during the annual Tribal Self-Governance Conference. “ We’re going to make Indian Country healthy again. Thank you all very, very much.” In his speech, Kennedy talked about making progress on key issues like food sovereignty, chronic disease, and federal dietary guidelines. He, along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) literally flipped the food pyramid upside down. Tackling staffing shortages and aging infrastructure throughout the entire Indian Health Service (IHS) was another topic. Yet, the now defunct Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) terminated a dozen leases for IHS facilities. This decision was seen as a costs-saving measure to shore up funds tied up in federal office space. And according to data from Stanford’s Big Local News, the U.S. cancelled 121 IHS contracts totaling over $8 million last year. The federal government is encouraging tribes to partner with data centers. That could mean leasing land or, as the Mountain West News Bureau’s Hanna Merzbach reports, selling power. At a U.S. Department of Energy webinar, Ken Ahmann with Colusa Indian Energy said that is where the big bucks come in. “ Potentially billions of dollars into the coffers of tribes.” His company provides energy infrastructure to data centers on tribal land. He says these partnerships can be good for tribes that have land and resources to power big projects like the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. Paul Bemore is the chair of the tribe’s utility board. “Tribes that are casino-dependent really need to look at other ways to build their economies, and I think data centers is one of those opportunities.” Though Bemore says people may be wary about how this will impact the environment. Other tribes have expressed concerns about data centers draining precious water supplies. The Native Youth Olympic (NYO) games begin this week in Anchorage. The games kick off Thursday at the Alaska Airlines Center, bringing together hundreds of student athletes from across the state. Now in its 54th year, NYO celebrates traditional Alaska Native games rooted in survival skills, strength, and endurance. Events include the one-foot high kick, seal hop, and wrist carry — all designed to test both physical ability and mental toughness. Ann Lawrence is from Point Hope, Alaska and a cultural advisor for Cook Inlet Tribal Council. She says watching the children reunite every year brings her joy. “I love watching the kids participate. You see the friendship has grown over the years. Some of them that have started out as freshman, are graduating from high school, and they’re very involved, and it just warms my heart that these kids know that what they’re doing here is something that they can share with their future relatives. Maybe as they become parents, grandparents, I think is so important.” The games run through Saturday and are free and open to the public.     Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Monday, April 13, 2026 — Tribes confront growing data center development pressure  

After much speculation, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren announced earlier this week that he will seek reelection later on this year. KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio has more. President Nygren became the youngest president in Window Rock after defeating incumbent Jonathan Nez four years ago. Nygren won that race by just more than 3,500 votes. In a video message on social media, Nygren picked up his signature, black open crown hat. “And I will be tossing my hat into the race for Navajo Nation president. Let’s keep building on the momentum that we’ve built so far.” Since his inauguration, the sitting president has faced considerable scrutiny. A special prosecutor has called for his immediate resignation over alleged ethics violations that included the misuse of public funds, while Navajo Nation Council delegates continue trying to oust him. (Courtesy Mircea Brown) The nonprofit tribal organization Sealaska Heritage Institute has published a new book that presents Tlingit Raven stories for the first time in the original language with English translations. The 860-page volume brings together 50 stories by seven Tlingit storytellers born in between 1870 and 1915 across Southeast Alaska. As KCAW’s Hope McKenney reports, the stories were transcribed from recordings of oral performances and include some of the oldest known recordings of these stories told in Lingít. The book is currently available through Sealaska Heritage Institute’s website. Geiger says they also hope to make the original audio recordings of these stories available in the near future. 75-year-old Ḵ’ashgé Daphne Wright grew up listening to her aunt Katherine Mills tell her stories of Raven, a cultural hero, world-maker, and trickster figure among the Tlingit of Southeast Alaska. “I can just remember we’d be sitting in the kitchen, around the kitchen table, and it was maybe in the evening, with everyone just kind of sitting around and just listening, and just kind of a warm feeling. And just listening to my aunt’s voice.” Wright says reading this book, which features stories from her aunt, is like hearing her aunt’s voice again. “I miss her so much, you know. And I miss my mother … And so it just means so much that there’s something here and an actual physical book that has her stories in it.” This volume has been more than four decades in the making. It is the fifth in a series of books from Sealaska Heritage Institute called the “Classics of Tlingit Oral Literature,” and is the first in the series to be exclusively focused on Raven. Will Geiger is a research specialist with the Southeast nonprofit. “The intention of this series is to present standout examples of the Tlingit oral tradition in a written form, so that people who whether you do speak Lingít or not, you’re able to appreciate the depth and the artistry and the history.” This book features a transcribed version of the original recording on the left hand page and an English translation on the right. Geiger says Raven is one of the most developed characters in the Tlingit oral tradition, with stories ranging from sacred to humorous. “Mostly, he appears in the form of a person. And he can change forms … He turns into a woman, a little hemlock needle … and a raven.” For Lgeik’i Heather Powell Mills, a Lingít language teacher in Hoonah, hearing or reading these stories in the original language leads to deeper understanding. “Hearing our language is it’s like medicine to us… to have a strong connection to the land, to understand where you come from, in order to know where you’re going.” Mills says she’s grateful these stories were recorded and preserved for future generations. “We don’t have the time we used to have. I think this is a great way for us to learn. It was their dream for us.”     Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Friday, April 10, 2026 – Money management during economic uncertainty and the rise of Buy Now Pay Later  

Photo: A cross and mural honor slain teen Emily Pike along U.S. 70 Route near Peridot on the San Carlos Apache Reservation. (Gabriel Pietrorazio) The FBI announced earlier this month that it is, once again, putting extra agents in the field to address a backlog of cold cases on tribal lands. As KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, this effort is part of a years-long joint initiative with the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). Under Operation Not Forgotten, more law enforcement personnel will be filtering through nearly a dozen FBI field offices with close ties to Indian Country. Agents are being sent to cities like Phoenix, Ariz., Billings, Mont., Albuquerque, N.M., and Denver, Colo. Kevin Smith is with the FBI Phoenix Field Office. “A lot of our state is tribal territory. Right now, we’re set for 14 agents.” The FBI is handling 4,100 active Indigenous criminal cases nationwide. Smith says Arizona’s share is in the hundreds – including two high-profile ones for San Carlos Apache teen Emily Pike and 8-year-old Navajo Maleeka “Mollie” Boone. “Every case is unique, and every case takes the time that it takes.” The Alaska Supreme Court heard arguments last month on whether prisoners can be forcibly medicated with psychiatric drugs — without a court hearing and the right to a lawyer. In the state corrections system, Alaska Native people are incarcerated at about twice the rate of white Alaskans. Alaska Public Media’s Rachel Cassandra has more. Prisoner Mark Andrews is housed at Spring Creek Correctional Center in Seward, Alaska. (Photo: Anne Hillman / Alaska Public Media) The Alaska Supreme Court heard arguments this month on whether prisoners can be forcibly medicated with psychiatric drugs — without a court hearing and the right to a lawyer. In the state corrections system, Alaska Native people are incarcerated at about twice the rate of white Alaskans. Alaska Public Media’s Rachel Cassandra has more. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) brought the case against the Department of Corrections (DOC) on behalf of a prisoner, Mark Andrews. He says he has been unjustly drugged with powerful psychotropic medication for most of the last seven years, without due process or access to legal counsel. The Department policy currently allows prisoners to be drugged against their will if they are gravely disabled or are in imminent risk for harming themselves or others. Doron Levine is a lawyer for the ACLU. He argued at the hearing that the policy infringes on rights protected by the state constitution. “Few things are more personal than someone’s body, and arguably, nothing is more personal than a person’s mind. It’s the locus of a person’s identity, and it’s a last refuge of freedom for people who are incarcerated.” Under department policy, prisoners have the right to hearings every six months with department staff. And they have the right to appeal the decision to a department committee. The ACLU argues that Andrews did not have sufficient access to hearings or an appeal. Justice Jennifer Henderson questioned Kimber Rogers, the attorney representing DOC. Justice Henderson says the facts seem to suggest that the prisoner was denied the rights promised in the department’s policy. Justice Henderson: “How do you respond to that?” Kimber Rogers: “Your Honor, I agree that there were definitely some problems, and Mr. Andrews’ hearings, but I don’t think that that’s important.” Henderson: “There were more than some problems. There were long periods of time where there were no hearings, for example.” Rogers: “Well, Your Honor, I would dispute that actually.” The ACLU lawyer argued that there should be a hearing in a courtroom because DOC staff may be biased to protect the institution over the person, but Rogers says a hearing inside prison is the best approach. When the Supreme Court issues a ruling, the decision could apply to the approximately 22 Alaska prisoners who are being forcibly drugged.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Thursday, April 9, 2026 — Roller derby skaters don’t let anyone push them around  

Photo: U.S. Department of Interior building. (Kmf164 via Wikimedia) Tribal leaders are raising concerns about a possible overhaul of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) that could lead to more staff cuts. During a congressional hearing last week, National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) president Mark Macarro warned lawmakers a proposed reorganization could reduce positions critical to delivering funding and services to tribal nations. He says the plan is moving forward without meaningful consultation. Macarro told lawmakers, “this action has been done without consultation with tribal nations and without consideration of the impact it will have on the delivery of programs and services.” A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found workforce reductions have already caused delays and left gaps in services across Indian Country. Federal officials say the changes are intended to improve efficiency, but tribal leaders warn the impacts could be far reaching. Native children playing outside at the Iselta Head Start. (Photo: Jeanette DeDios / KUNM-FM) The Pueblo of Isleta could lose federal funds for its Head Start program because online betting and prediction markets are hurting the tribe’s gaming revenues. U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-NM) met with tribal leaders last week to discuss the importance of preserving early education programs on sovereign Native lands. KUNM’s Jeanette DeDios (Jicarilla Apache and Diné) has more. At the Isleta Head Start, which serves children ages three to five at the pueblo, the program offers both educational and cultural learning like traditional dancing and language learning. Native American communities must do a 20% non-federal match for their Head Start programs in order to receive the remaining 80% of their budget from the federal government, so Isleta Pueblo uses revenues from its casino gaming for the match. But tribal officials say that is now at risk because online gaming platforms use federal regulatory loopholes to offer gambling-like services nationwide, while avoiding state gaming compacts under which tribal casinos must operate. Charles Jojola , 1st Lieutenant Governor for the Pueblo of Isleta, says that every gaming Pueblo has similar concerns. “Coming into our state, unregulated. They’re not sharing any of their revenues. What people gamble, what they make, they’re walking away, you know, from the state with all that money. And as far as Indian tribes go, you know, we’re required.” The Trump administration has eased Biden-era regulations on prediction markets. Rep. Vasquez introduced an amendment to prohibit sports betting using prediction market models. He also co-sponsored another bill that would prohibit members of Congress and the administration from entering into contracts. He says if they do not prohibit this it is going to lead to corruption issues. “Because now you’re able to make predictions or bets on things like world events, on legislation, passing on what the President is going to do tomorrow, on what the Supreme Court case is going to decide on a case that they have before them.” Councilwoman for the Pueblo Eulalia Lucero says this will directly impact the Pueblo’s children. “This is the forefront of the foundation of their future, and it’s developing their knowledge, their awareness, so that they can be stronger as they go into the next phases of education.” Vasquez says that online gaming is a clear violation and overstep of the rules that currently exist and it will be one of his top priorities this year.     Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Wednesday, April 8, 2026 – Tribes scramble to save critical healthcare funding

Photo courtesy National Indian Child Welfare Association The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Indian Child Welfare Act in 2023, according to reporting by SCOTUSblog, affirming the law’s role in keeping Native children connected to their families and tribes. But nearly two years later, implementation challenges remain. Legal analysis from Cornell Law School says states are still working to fully carry out ICWA’s requirements, including placement preferences and coordination with tribal governments. And according to the National Indian Child Welfare Association, tribal leaders say the law is critical to protecting Native children and preserving cultural identity, and are calling for stronger enforcement nationwide. D. John Sauer is sworn in by then-Attorney General Pam Bondi with President Donald Trump one year ago this week. In the U.S. Supreme Court showdown over the 14th Amendment last week, justices sharply questioned the Trump administration’s lawyer for invoking Native American history to challenge the birthright citizenship of immigrants. KNBA’s Rhonda McBride reports on why his argument faced resistance. In defending President Donald Trump’s executive order against birthright citizenship, U.S. Solicitor General John Sauer compared Indian tribes to foreign governments. He argued that the U.S. Constitution treats tribes as sovereign nations and that when the country was founded, tribal members and their children were not considered citizens, much like the children of foreign diplomats, a standard Sauer says should be applied to immigrants. Justice Sonia Sotomayor challenged Sauer’s reasoning. “You’re using some pretty obscure sources to get to this concept. The Indian Tribes were analogized to foreign diplomats. So what do we do with that?” Sauer replied, “I think with the Indian Tribes, we think that’s a case that strongly supports us.” But Bob Anderson (Chippewa), an Indian Law Professor at Harvard, says that comparison does not hold. “The Indian law case just doesn’t fit with anything that they’re trying to do. And they were really trying to make it apply and I think they failed.” Bob Anderson took on the subsistence rights case of Katie John when he was an attorney for the Native American Rights Fund in 1985. (Photo: Rhonda McBride) Anderson says those doubts about Sauer’s case appeared to cut across ideological lines. “It seemed to me that the conservative members of the court recognized that. I was surprised that they seemed to be so much in alignment with the opponents of the Trump administration.” Justice Neil Gorsuch, widely regarded as an expert on Indian Law, pressed Sauer on Native American citizenship. “Do you think they’re birthright citizens?” Sauer responded, “No. I think the clear understanding that everybody agrees in the congressional debates is that the children of tribal Indians are not birthright citizens.” Justice Gorsuch eventually got Sauer to agree that by today’s standards, tribal Indians are birthright citizens, but then Sauer walked that back. “I’m not sure. I have to think through that.” Based on Sauer’s arguments, Anderson says Native Americans should not worry about their citizenship status. “No, there’s no way that this case could affect the citizenship of Indian tribes, because Congress passed the separate law in 1924, automatically making all tribal members in the United States citizens as well as their children.” The 1924 law passed decades after the 14th Amendment – to close the loophole that had left Native Americans without automatic citizenship. The law, however, did not affect their tribal government-to-government status under the Constitution. AIHEC CEO Ahniwake Rose. (Courtesy Ahniwake Rose / LinkedIn) Leaders from tribal colleges and universities are calling on Congress to increase federal funding, saying current support falls short of what is needed. The American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) says tribal colleges receive significantly less funding per student than other public institutions, despite serving communities with high financial need. AIHEC President and CEO Ahniwake Rose says, “A flourishing tribal higher education sector strengthens the entire nation.” Leaders are urging lawmakers to fully fund tribal college programs, saying the federal government has a trust responsibility to support Native education.     Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Tuesday, April 7, 2026 – Alutiiq Museum tells tale of Alaska Native children sent to Carlisle Indian Boarding School  

Photo: Marcia Lowry outside the federal courthouse in Anchorage on September 8, 2025. She was lead attorney in the class action lawsuit against the Alaska Office of Children’s Services. (Matt Faubion / Alaska Public Media) Judge Sharon Gleason dismissed a federal class-action lawsuit filed against the Alaska Office of Children’s Services (OCS) Tuesday. The lawsuit was brought by a national nonprofit working for foster care reforms. Attorneys for the organization alleged Alaska foster children are at risk of harm because of systemic problems that violated federal laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act and federal child welfare protections. They pointed to high caseloads for caseworkers and an inadequate hiring and training process. About two thirds of kids in out-of-home care in the state are Alaska Native, but Gleason wrote that the attorneys did not prove that any of the foster youth represented were actually harmed. Gleason also questioned the reliability of the evidence presented. Marcia Lowry is attorney and executive director of A Better Childhood, which brought the suit. She calls the dismissal “quite disappointing”. “We did do a trial that involved a lot of evidence that, I think, was largely undisputed about how high the caseloads are in Alaska, about the lack of placement resources for children, about the failure to basically make attempts to remedy that situation.” She says a lot of children in Alaska are not getting benefits they are entitled to under federal law. Lowry says A Better Childhood is not sure yet of its next steps but is considering an appeal. “We have seen dysfunctional child welfare systems really, really change and provide good services to kids, but we have seen that only as a result of litigation.” OCS declined an interview for this story. In a written statement they said they are pleased with the court’s decision and the verdict is an opportunity for the office to continue advancing its work. This story was provided by Alaska Public Media’s Rachel Cassandra The U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Gabriel Pietrorazio) The U.S. Supreme Court last week spent two hours hearing a landmark case that could upend birthright citizenship. A 19th century ruling on the citizenry of tribal members was at the heart of the Trump administration’s defense. KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio has this report. This was the exchange during oral arguments when U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch pressed Solicitor General John Sauer, who presented the government’s case. Sauer: “Yes, yes, so a tribal Indian for example gives up allegiance to…” Justice Gorsuch: “Are tribal members born today birthright citizens?” Sauer: “Uh, I think so – on our test, yes – if they’re lawfully domiciled here. I have to think that through, but that’s my reaction.” Gorsuch: “I’ll take the yes, that’s alright.” In an 1884 majority decision, the justices ruled John Elk, a Winnebago man living in Omaha, was not a U.S. citizen in spite of the 14th Amendment – codifying birthright citizenship. “My mother was probably not a United States citizen when she was born in 1923 in Oklahoma.” Bob Miller, who is Eastern Shawnee and with Arizona State University’s Indian Legal Clinic, has been teaching this very precedent of Elk v. Wilkins for three decades now. “I disagree completely with the argument that that’s analogous to undocumented immigrants and them having children here.”   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Monday, April 6, 2026 – What the ‘conversion therapy’ court decision means for LGBTQ2+ protections  

Photo: Utqiagvik coast in June 2022. (Alena Naiden) Arctic sea ice has been shrinking in recent decades, reaching record lows both in summer and in winter. A new study shows a continuation of this trend: ice is sticking to Alaska’s northern shores for less time than it used to. Researchers say this can have implications for the climate, resource development, and subsistence hunting. The Alaska Desk’s Alena Naiden from our flagship station KNBA reports. Andrew Mahoney is a research professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute. In January, he and his colleague published a study in the “Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans”. It focused on the ice that attaches to the shores of Alaska’s northern coast, called landfast ice. They found that over nearly three decades, the landfast ice in Alaska’s Arctic is forming later, breaking up earlier, and not reaching as far offshore. “So it’s sort of shrinking in time, and it’s shrinking in space as well.” Mahoney previously looked at the landfast ice in Chukchi and Beaufort seas in a study published in 2014. At that time, the Chukchi Sea seemed to experience more ice loss, while the Beaufort Sea seemed more stable. This year’s study showed that that has changed. “Now we’re starting to see changes in the Beaufort Sea, that the Beaufort Sea of today is not the Beaufort Sea of the 1970s. Mahoney says that while landfast ice is only a small fraction of the overall ice cover, it is the type of ice most people come in contact with. Indigenous communities have used it for millennia to hunt – like whalers in Utqiagvik in spring. “A large fraction of the community, at any one time might actually be out on the land fast ice actively whaling, and the success of that whale hunt is in part related to how accessible and how stable and safe the land fast ice is.” He added that the oil and gas industry also uses landfast ice to build seasonal ice roads to connect to facilities. His team’s study was funded by the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, with the interest of oil and gas development near shore. And when landfast ice breaks up earlier in spring, coastal communities lose a shield protecting them from the open water and waves. “There’s a lot of erosion affecting these communities. Most of it happens in the fall, but we could start to see more erosion happening in the springtime if landfast Ice keeps breaking up earlier.” The Arctic has been warming four times faster than the rest of the world. The recent landfast ice decline might be related to the overall thinning of Arctic sea ice due to climate change. But more research is needed to better understand the process behind it. Orlando Carroll was elected chairman of the White Mountain Apache Tribe on April 1, 2026. (Courtesy Orlando Carroll for WMAT Chairman) It was just election day for the 15,000-member White Mountain Apache Tribe. As KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, a new chairman has been named and hopes his administration can help change course. The tribal radio station first announced official election committee results late Wednesday. Whiteriver school board member Orlando Carroll won the seat by 80 ballots. Over 4,200 votes were cast in that race. The chairman-elect celebrated with supporters. “You are the core of the Carroll administration.” Carroll promises stability and a brighter future after the tribe had two different sitting chairmen within in recent weeks.     Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Friday, April 3, 2026 – Juno Awards reach new milestones for Indigenous representation