National Native News

Antonia Gonzales
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Daily, five-minute newscast featuring the latest headlines and breaking news from Native and Indigenous communities anchored by Antonia Gonzales (Navajo) with reporters and storytellers from around the globe.

  1. 5h ago

    Tuesday, July 21, 2026

    The western Canadian province of Alberta is grappling with the divisive political issue of separation from the rest of Canada. Indigenous leaders in Alberta are opposed to the idea. And as Dan Karpenchuk reports, the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations recently weighed in on their side. Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak made her position known during the three-day annual gathering in Ottawa of the Assembly of First Nations. She told delegates to the meeting that any movement by Alberta to separate from Canada is illegitimate without the consent of First Nations. Chief Nepinak says First Nations have always stood for Canadian unity and they want Prime Minister Mark Carney to know that. “We have made it clear that any proposal to separate from any province or territory from Canada is fundamentally illegitimate and unconstitutional without the explicit prior informed and collective consent of First Nations. We need to make him call it what it is because Albertans need to know that if they vote to separate from Canada, that they’re not taking the land with them.” The chiefs from across the country expressed their overwhelming opposition to Alberta separation. Nepinak says First Nations chiefs want the federal and provincial governments to protect treaty rights from the threats posed by Alberta separatism. They passed a resolution asking Ottawa to ensure constitutional procedures that impact First Nations only go ahead with consultation and the consent of affected groups. They say that the Alberta government has failed to recognize or engage First Nations on the issue, adding that treaty rights would be fundamentally affected by such constitutional change. Alberta Premier Danelle Smith says she supports a stronger Alberta staying in Canada. Recently, an Alberta court quashed the approval of a pro-separation petition. The judge found that the province’s chief electoral officer did not properly fulfill his duty to consult with First Nations – and also failed to consider a previous court ruling that said separation would violate treaty rights. The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) is criticizing a new White House report that it says misrepresents Native history and ignores the sovereign status of Tribal Nations. The report, “Saving America’s Story“, was released earlier this month and calls for changes in how American history is presented in museums and public institutions. In a statement, NCAI Executive Director Larry Wright Jr. says the nation’s history cannot be told truthfully without acknowledging Tribal Nations, the realities of land dispossession, forced removal, federal Indian boarding schools, and other documented chapters of U.S. history. “Tribal Nations are sovereign governments with a unique political relationship with the United States. This distinction is foundational to the U.S. government’s relationship with Tribal Nations and should never be minimized or mischaracterized. America’s story begins with Tribal Nations. It cannot be told truthfully without us.” NCAI is urging federal leaders, museums, educators, and the public to reject efforts to revise the documented history of Tribal Nations and instead support accurate historical scholarship and implementation of federal Indian boarding school recommendations. (Courtesy Bureau of Indian Education) New federal data shows graduation rates are rising at Bureau of Indian Education schools. Some tribal schools credit career training, virtual classes and more accurate student records. But Crow Creek Sioux Chairman Peter Lengkeek says severely underfunded schools still depend on the government to fulfill its treaty promises. Swinomish Tribal Chairman Steve Edwards and La Conner Mayor Marna Hanneman mark the day with an inaugural slurp. (Courtesy Swinomish Senate / Facebook) The Swinomish and Squaxin Island tribes in Washington state sued the federal government last week over changes to the Endangered Species Act. Swinomish Chairman Steve Edwards called the rule “anti-science”, saying weakened habitat protections threaten Chinook salmon and treaty fishing rights.   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, July 21, 2026 – Native in the Spotlight: Laura Tohe

  2. 1d ago

    Monday, July 20, 2026

    Pueblo leaders and environmentalists are angry that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released an environmental assessment last week with the intent of eliminating a buffer around Chaco Culture National Historical Park that has prevented oil and gas leasing. As KUNM’s Jeanette DeDios (Jicarilla Apache and Diné) reports, BLM is offering just two weeks for public comment on the report. A Biden administration order placed a 20-year ban on oil and gas development on federal lands within 10 miles of Chaco, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This upset some Navajo communities who rely on royalty payments and infrastructure from oil and gas for their livelihoods. President Buu Nygren said thousands of Navajo oil and gas allottees would be negatively impacted by the decision. But in April, the BLM gave the public one week to comment on a proposal to expand oil and gas leasing around Chaco. The current proposed environmental assessment has three options: leave the buffer intact, reduce it to five miles, or remove all protections. Brian Vallo (Acoma Pueblo), chairman for the Chaco Heritage Tribal Association, says the Trump administration is not working with Pueblo communities, despite tribes working together to create an ethnographic study on why this landscape is vital to Native cultures. The study is a first of its kind, he says, and was conducted by the Pueblos themselves. “So it really traces the ethnography of this cultural and sacred landscape from our present-day communities to the great houses in Chaco, but also everything in between, pilgrimage trails, shrines, sacred sites, springs, and other places that are significant to our continued observance and practice of our own traditions and you know, Indigenous way of life.” Vallo says the association is frustrated that the federal government is not adhering to a data-sharing agreement and not considering information from this ethnographic study, but moving forward with a draft environmental assessment. “All of humanity, the land, and the resources, the animals, the water. All of those things have connection, and that connection is maintained through the generations of those of us who are the practitioners, those of us who are the cultural leaders, and the greater Pueblo community as well.” Members of New Mexico’s congressional delegation have also condemned the BLM announcement as a move to push for more oil and gas drilling. The All Pueblo Council of Governors has continued to invite Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum to visit Chaco Canyon and hold a consultation with Pueblo members, but he has not responded. Vallo says young folks at Acoma are already mobilizing. “Young people from within our community who are going door to door with laptops and or notebooks to encourage tribal members to submit letters.” Public comment closes on July 29. The view of Namaygoosisagagun First Nation as resident evacuated across Collins Lake. (Courtesy Wayne Wastaken) Across Canada this weekend, nearly 900 wildfires were burning – from the Atlantic provinces to British Columbia. Northern Ontario is one of the regions that has been hardest hit. One Indigenous community there has been destroyed. And as Dan Karpenchuk reports, Indigenous leaders are calling on the federal government in Ottawa for more support. At least one small first nation in northern Ontario has burned to the ground by a devastating wildfire, which is one of nearly 200 alone burning in the province. Residents fled the Namaygoosisagagun First Nation by boat on Collins Lake, many having only a few minutes to gather some personal belongings, according to Chief Helen Paavola. “It was just a matter of minutes before my members would have died. And even during that whole time, there was no help.” Namaygoosisagagun, also known as Collins First Nation, is only one of ten communities, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, that have been evacuated as wildfires rip through the region. Namaygoosisagagun is now is ashes – and its residents say they face an uncertain future. The Assembly of First Nations is calling on Ottawa for help including financial support. Linda Debassige is the grand chief of the Anishnabek Nation. She says when the wildfire first approached the community, the chief herself tried to contact government officials, but they said they were not aware of the fire. “And so, had the community waited for the official emergency response activiation, this would be a recovery mission at this point in time, which is unfathomable.” Debassige says the community now needs accommodations, food, and especially a commitment to support rebuilding. One of the problems is that the Namaygoosisagagun is not federally recognized as an official Indigenous first nation. The remote first nation, more than 700 miles north of Toronto, has no road access. Debassige says the Anishnabek Nation Grand Council, which includes 39 first nations, does recognize it and is supporting members by providing accommodation, food, and clothing.   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, July 20, 2026 — Tribes sue after feds redefine ‘harm’ in Endangered Species Act, upend decades of land conservation

  3. 4d ago

    Friday, July 17, 2026

    Photo: Salmon prepared for drying at fish camp on Kuskokwim River near Napaskiak on June 21, 2016. (Rhonda McBride / KNBA) The state of Alaska is not ready to give up its fight just yet in the Kuskokwim subsistence lawsuit. It has filed a motion to appeal a federal judge’s decision to award $1.8 million in attorney fees to several Native organizations, which joined a federal lawsuit against the state over subsistence fishing rights. The case began four years ago when federal managers sued the state for failing to uphold a rural subsistence priority, required under federal law. The state ultimately lost a series of court battles, which culminated when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case. Tanner Amdur-Clark works for one of the groups which joined the lawsuit, the Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. He says the state’s appeal continues a long pattern of delay. “It’s yet another blow to Alaska Native organizations that are essentially taking money that they really should be using to be providing services and helping out folks in rural Alaska — and instead they’re having to do this, to essentially fight for their lives against the state of Alaska.” The other groups in the lawsuit are the Association of Village Council Presidents, the Alaska Federation of Natives, the Ahtna Native Corporation, and an Ahtna tribal advocacy group. Amdur-Clark says, combined, they spent more on legal costs than the court awarded them. “Eventually at the end of the day, it’s the state of Alaska and the taxpayers of the state of Alaska that are going to pay for all of this, so the court got it right the first time. We’ll continue the fight.” In a statement, acting Attorney General Cori Mills defended the state’s spending. She said it was necessary to get clarity on a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling’s impact on subsistence management. She also said the state should not be on the hook for attorney fees, because the Native groups voluntarily joined the federal lawsuit – and that the state is appealing the award, because it is “both legally impermissible and factually unreasonable.” Briana Murphy, the Chugach Regional Resources Commission mariculture liaison, harvests kelp in a bay near Port Graham, Alaska in 2026. (Courtesy Briana Murphy) A group of tribes in Southcentral Alaska partnered with a federal agency last month, as part of an effort to advance agriculture and mariculture projects. The Alaska Desk’s Alena Naiden from our flagship station KNBA has more. The Chugach Regional Resources Commission is a nonprofit that represents seven tribes. Last month, the consortium signed an agreement to establish the Chugach Region Tribal Conservation District. It’s a partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Carolyn Spencer is the environmental director with the tribal consortium. “Partnering with NRCS in this way helps us access funding for mariculture development as well as some of the agricultural streams that we’re trying to work on.” Tribal Conservation Districts are entities across Alaska and the country created to manage natural resources on Native lands with technical or financial assistance from the federal government. Jackie Kragel is the acting state tribal liaison for the program. She says these partnerships foster communication between tribes and help with work on specific projects. “For example, there’s been a couple culvert replacements to support fish passage and salmon habitat. We have different infrastructure opportunities for community gardens for food sovereignty, such as seasonal high tunnels, low tunnels, and the different irrigation systems.” The seven tribes in the Chugach Regional Resources Commission already use innovative approaches when it comes to food sovereignty, for example, through a mariculture operation in Seward that cultivates shellfish and kelp. “They want ways to access healthy food in their backyard, without having to pay the shipping costs because they’re so remote.” One project Spencer says the partnership might make easier is high tunnel construction in Port Graham. That is a covered structure that traps solar heat for growing vegetables. She says that forming a conservation district will also help tribes collaborate with other communities that might be working on similar projects.     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, July 17, 2026 – A conversation about law, advocacy, and redemption with Cherokee attorney Courtney Jordan

  4. 5d ago

    Thursday, July 16, 2026

    Photo: “Water is life. Life is water”, said AFN Newfoundland Regional Chief Brendan Mitchell during the 2026 Assembly of First Nations. (Courtesy Assembly of First Nations / Facebook) First Nations chiefs in Canada have gathered in Ottawa for a three-day general assembly. High on the agenda for the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) is the issue of clean water. As Dan Karpenchuk reports, many of the chiefs say Ottwa’s new proposed clean water legislation appears to walk back their hard won rights. The new proposed legislation is in line with a preivous bill that failed to pass under the government of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Some chiefs are taking issue with new changes to the wording that no longer explicitly recognizes First Nations rights to clean drinking water … as a human right. The new bill was recently introduced with the aim of making sure that Indigenous people have reliable access to clear drinking water in their communities, according to Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation Chief Greg Sarazin. “We need to protect water. We need sustainable water. There needs to be legislation that ensures safe, clean, sustainable drinking water.” About 100 chiefs and community members recently held a march for clean drinking water. Brendan Mitchell, a regional chief from Newfoundland, says the issue is critical, but no longer appears to be a priority with the federal government. “Previously in meetings with the former prime minister, three times, I heard him state at a meeting like this, that no relationship was more important to him than his relationship with the Indigenous people of Canada. I’ve yet to hear our current prime minister say that.” The AFN is considering a proposed resolution that calls on chiefs to demand the right to clean water be included in new legislation. Executive chef Nephi Craig prepares a dish at Café Gozhóó in Whiteriver, Ariz., in Feburary 2026. (Photo: Gabriel Pietrorazio) The food sovereignty movement is teaching tribes to reclaim healthier and more sustainable food systems. And a new memoir penned by one of Arizona’s most popular Indigenous chefs is giving direction. KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio reports. Executive Chef Nephi Craig is in charge of Café Gozhóó in Whiteriver and is now the author of “Our Knives Will Save Us: Dispatches from a White Mountain Apache Chef”. “I’m 46 years old and 15 years into my sobriety, and I wanted to write a story that is a tool for others.” His modern, scratch kitchen inside a renovated gas station employs fellow Apaches recovering from substance abuse. “This is our legacy: To make health and healing an everyday practice, bringing back ceremonies, planting songs, cooking recipes, hunting, language – all of that great stuff. That way, it doesn’t matter if you’re in New York or on the rez.” “Dark Winds” shoots in New Mexico. (Courtesy AMC) New Mexico’s high tax incentives meant to lure film production crews are paying off – even in remote or rural communities. Roz Brown has more. After reaching a financial high mark in 2022, the state’s film industry took a hit starting the next year, after two Hollywood strikes. Now, it is showing modest gains, thanks in part to the “Uplift” program, designed to encourage film and television producers to choose more rural communities or those off the beaten path. Film Office Director Steve Graham says productions spent $325 million in the recent fiscal year – nearly a quarter in locations beyond Santa Fe and Albuquerque. “There’s a historically high mark now, from $57 million dollars worth of shooting in the rural areas. It means the uplift worked and it has spread activity across the state.” Graham says smaller towns such as Truth or Consequences and Ruidoso have shared in the windfall, along with Las Cruces – which is larger than Santa Fe, but failed to attract as many film productions until recently. The 1940 film “Grapes of Wrath” shot in New Mexico. The Uplift program benefitted from Senate Bill 12, which was signed by the governor in 2023 and increased the tax credit from 5-10%. That is in addition to the state’s 25% base film credit for expenditures on productions filmed at least 60 miles from city halls in Albuquerque or Santa Fe. New Mexico is among the top five states with the most competitive film and television tax incentives. In the past year, it has hosted 63 productions, including the hit television show, “Dark Winds”. Graham says great weather, iconic locations, robust infrastructure, world-class crews, and support from local businesses add to its appeal. “Some of the things that make it hard to shoot in larger jurisdictions, they don’t have to deal with here. Permits are inexpensive or free. Traffic is low or nonexistent. There’s places to park. It’s easy to get around.” Graham is optimistic about the film industry’s future, but he is also watching a lawsuit New Mexico joined last week to prevent a merger between Paramount Skydance Corporation and Warner Brothers Discovery. While federal regulators approved the $110 billion transaction, a coalition of attorney generals in 12 U.S. states led by California have since filed an antitrust lawsuit to block the deal. They claim it would create an illegal monopoly, stifle competition, and hurt entertainment workers. 19th Century illustration of Vitus Bering’s expedition wrecked on the Aleutian Islands in 1741. And on this day in 1741, Danish explorer Vitus Bering, sailing for Russia, sighted Alaska’s coast near Mount St. Elias during the Great Northern Expedition. The voyage marked the beginning of sustained Russian contact with Alaska Native peoples, forever changing the lives of Unangax̂ (Aleut), Alutiiq/Sugpiaq, Yup’ik, and other Indigenous communities through the fur trade and eventual colonization.   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, July 16, 2026 — Tribal leaders condemn Trump’s downsizing of Utah national monuments

  5. 6d ago

    Wednesday, July 15, 2026

    Photo: Soren White working at the Harry Race Pharmacy in Sitka, Alaska on July 10, 2026. (Katherine Rose / KCAW) Historically, pharmacists in Alaska have been limited in what they can do. Over the last decade they have advocated for and been granted expanded authority. Now, a new law goes further. Alaska Public Media health reporter Rachel Cassandra delved into the law, which will increase access to care by changing how pharmacists can work in the state. Soren White grew up in a pharmacy. “Both my parents are pharmacists here in Sitka.” As a young adult, he worked as a pharmacy tech, then went to school in Oregon to become a pharmacist. That included a four-year graduate program with clinical training, but when he returned to Sitka, Alaska for a job at his parents’ pharmacies, his daily work was much more limited. “Typically we’ve been really stuck behind the counter, counting pills.” A new state law expands what White and other pharmacists can do as part of their practice. Starting in next January, they will be able to test and treat certain ailments, like strep throat, urinary tract infections, or the flu. State Rep. Justin Ruffridge (R-AK) is a pharmacist who supported the bill. He says pharmacists in rural areas play a vital role. “We are the most highly accessible healthcare professional.” Data shows people see pharmacists up to twice as often as primary care providers. The law builds on other legislation that has helped increase pharmacists’ authority in recent years. The bill passed by wide margins in both the Alaska House and Senate. Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R-AK) vetoed it, saying it would expand the scope of practice too much and too fast, but lawmakers had enough support to override his veto. Brandy Seignemartin is executive director for the Alaska Pharmacy Association. She helped write the legislation and says it will change healthcare in the state. “Patients are gonna be able to walk into community pharmacies and have access to care for minor ailments, test and treat.” She says that is really important in a rural state like Alaska and it will be easier for pharmacists to set up collaborative agreements where they work with a provider. With more training, that could include specialists. For example, she says initially a psychiatrist could diagnose the patient, but then work with a pharmacist to optimize their medication, so the patient does not need to see the psychiatrist every single visit. She says the new law also opens the door to pharmacists covering other healthcare gaps, especially for Alaska’s vulnerable populations, including HIV prevention medication like PrEP and PEP and medications for opioid use disorder. It also would create a pathway for pharmacists to be able to get a DEA license so they can prescribe those medications. She thinks that will be a major game changer for the ongoing opioid crisis in Alaska. Molly from Denali at a Heard Museum meet-and-greet on July 11, 2026. (Photo: Gabriel Pietrorazio) Molly of Denali made her groundbreaking debut on PBS Kids back in 2019. The animated Alaska Native girl is the first Indigenous lead of a nationally distributed children’s series. And as KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, she made a stop in Phoenix, Ariz. If you visit the Heard Museum between now through August, you will come across an Alaskan village where you can tag along with Molly on all of her wild adventures – from flying a bush plane to riding a snowmobile, wearing snowshoes or smoking salmon. “We brought Alaska to Arizona” Patty Talahongva (Hopi) is the museum’s chief programming and engagement officer. “…and therefore the Heard Museum is the coolest place in town.” Alison Nicolosi is director of the nonprofit AZ Husky Rescue. “You never know when you’re going to find your best friend, and sometimes it might be at the museum.” AZ Husky Rescue co-founders Alison Nicolosi, left, and Veronica Reece with Marley, an adoptable dog, at the Heard Museum on July 12, 2026. (Photo: Gabriel Pietrorazio) Sadly for Heard employee Susan Taylor, Max the husky has already found a new home. “Oh my gosh, there’s one that I’m trying to adopt. He claimed me like no other.” But there are still plenty more pups – maybe enough for a pack to pull a dog sled.   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, July 15, 2026 – Native Playlist: Shub and Darksiderz

  6. Jul 14

    Tuesday, July 14, 2026

    President Donald Trump slashed the size of two national monuments in Utah Monday. The sites feature ancient cliff dwellings and scenic canyons, as well as coal and uranium deposits. As Chris Clements of KNAU reports, the move comes over the objections of tribal nations and conservation groups. President Trump issued proclamations that reduce Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante by about 90% each. At a signing event with Gov. Spencer Cox (R-UT), Trump said the reduction gives the land “back” to the people of Utah. Trump tried shrinking the monuments during his first term, but former President Joe Biden reversed the decision. Tim Peterson with the conservation nonprofit Grand Canyon Trust says the tribal nations that consider the monuments culturally significant were not consulted. “That lack of consultation represents a violation of federal trust and treaty obligations to tribes.” A survey of Utah residents commissioned by the trust in 2024 shows support for keeping both monuments at the size President Biden determined. Connecticut Justice Alliance (CTJA) Executive Director Christina Quaranta speaks in support of a state senate bill raising the age of arrest in CT and restricting the use of handcuffs on young children in March 2025. (Courtesy CTJA / Vimeo) Connecticut juvenile justice advocates want the state to halt plans for a new youth detention center, as Edwin J. Viera reports. The latest Re-entry, Goal-oriented, Individualized Opportunity to Nurture Success (REGIONS) center is slated to fulfill a 2018 law when the state’s last large youth prison closed. Christina Quaranta with the Connecticut Justice Alliance says that was eight years ago and the state should invest in alternatives to incarceration instead. “Opening a new facility would be taking many steps backwards. It would be the opposite of progressive and doing what’s right for young people. So, I encourage lawmakers to think about that. The barrier there, folks are like, ‘this is in state statute, this is what we have to do,’ and we really need to get rid of that barrier.” In considering alternatives to incarceration, Quaranta says the state must ask young people what they need to be engaged and have the programs and services they require, but there is a disconnect between what policymakers know needs to be done and what families and communities are asking for. Given the short legislative session this year, the state was not able to address alternatives to incarceration. At the start of the session, Quaranta wanted to see lawmakers review the state Department of Corrections budget to find ways to further alternatives to incarceration for youth, but she says the state must keep investments moving forward rather than stalling. “As folks are stopping to make policy decisions, or wait for the elections to come and go, whatever the hiccup is, the dollars need to be bound and moved because it’s an urgent issue.” State lawmakers made some youth justice progress in the 2025 legislative session by approving the Raise the Age law. The bill raises the age of arrest for children from 10 to 12 years old under certain circumstances this year. The law will raise the age of arrest again in 2028 from 12 to 14, and restrict the use of handcuffs on children under 14. The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Tribal Council. (Courtesy Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation) The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation has filed a federal lawsuit against the Kansas Lottery, alleging the state is violating tribal sovereignty by selling lottery tickets and operating lottery machines on the Nation’s reservation. Tribal leaders say the lawsuit seeks to protect treaty rights and enforce the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. (Courtesy U.S. Bureau of Land Management) In California, tribal leaders continue to oppose a federal roundup of wild horses near Mono Lake. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management says the gather is needed because of drought and overgrazing, while tribal leaders argue the horses are culturally significant and want greater tribal involvement in managing the herd. The Cherokee Nation has awarded nearly $1.9 million in public health and wellness grants to dozens of organizations across its reservation. Tribal officials say the funding will support community health programs, mental health services, and wellness initiatives throughout northeastern Oklahoma.   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, July 14, 2026 – Strengthening the tribal workforce: trade school and a new federal grant program

  7. Jul 13

    Monday, July 13, 2026

    What does it mean to have a constitution? That is a question tribal leaders are going to grapple with this week in southern Arizona during a two-day seminar. KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio has more. Up until Congress passed the landmark Indian Reorganization Act, tribes were not seen as sovereign. That all changed in 1934. Dave Beeksma is from the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa in Wisconsin. “But there are going to be some conditions. So, what the U.S. government did, was they provided these boilerplate templates. [In] some cases, these were literally fill-in-the-blank constitutions.” He is also director of the Native Nations Institute at the University of Arizona. “We the people of – state your tribe – are constituting a constitution to do x, y, and z. That created some challenges for us over the next 90 years.” Which is why the institute is helping tribes review these outdated texts. The U.S. Constitution has been amended 27 times. Such reform is something Thomas Jefferson encouraged. “The Cherokee Nation does something like that right now. They have a provision every 20 years where they can look and decide whether or not to have essentially a constitutional convention. Our constitutions should be like nature. They should be like our world. They should be like our communities. They should be able to grow.” (Courtesy New Mexico Native Census Coalition / Facebook) The 2030 Census is still nearly four years off, but a growing distrust of government has those planning to help with the New Mexico count worried about fairness and representation. Roz Brown has more. The count is conducted every ten years by the U.S. Census Bureau and relies on a vast network of partners and community organizations like the League of Women Voters to help. State Demographer Robert Rhatigan says New Mexico has had a constant problem with undercounting of first-generation immigrant families and Native Americans, primarily because addresses are missing from the Census Bureau’s address list. “Those reasons include non-standard addressing, field work limitations; there’s the language and cultural barriers, and distrust of the federal government. The Hispanic community in particular, and that is a big part of it.” Rhatigan says census undercounts can prevent tribal communities and other groups from receiving federal funding. He notes the state’s financial investment in a program called the Local Update of Census Addresses for the 2020 Census was highly successful – adding more than 100,000 previously overlooked addresses. He believes the state could see more gains if some $300,000 are allocated by the state legislature for the 2030 Census. Compared to other agencies, the Trump administration’s staff cuts to the Census Bureau have been minimal. About 300 workers, or 25% of the Bureau’s employees, were laid off during broader federal downsizing, but Rhatigan worries it still could be detrimental. “That 25% of staff represented well north of 50% of the institutional knowledge, folks who’d been through two or three censuses. So that’s a huge loss.” In 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the first Trump administration could not include a question about citizenship on the 2020 census form, but there are new efforts in Congress to add a similar question in 2030. States with a majority of Democratic voters argued such a question would discourage legal and illegal immigrants from responding and make the population count less accurate. Rhatigan says there also are efforts underway by Congressional Republicans to limit the Census Bureau’s contact strategies. “The policy in 2020 was six knocks on the doors. They wanna limit that to two contacts. That would be extremely problematic, and it would almost certainly depress the count in New Mexico more so than in other states.”   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, July 13, 2026 – Tribal solar projects shine on without much federal support

  8. Jul 10

    Friday, July 10, 2026

    “Navajo Highways”, a children’s show using puppets to teach youth the Diné language, recently won Emmys gold. KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio caught up with the creator and has more. After just a single season that included six episodes and a Christmas special, “Navajo Highways” won one regional Emmy award for informational-instructional content and another for best set design. “I really wanted it for the crew – the crew who believed in me – and I wanted them to feel validated that I wasn’t just some crazy kook that came up with the puppet show, you know.” Utah-based creator Pete Sands, who films in Moab, says he is still awestruck, even weeks after coming back from the La Jolla ceremony. “I guess I’ve been out of the artist world, living in my own bubble for so long. Dipping a toe back into it, I was like, ‘Yeah, I kinda like my Utah life, keeping to myself.’ And our culture is still alive.” The Star Princess in Ketchkan, Alaska, May, 2026. (Courtesy Carnival) An Alaska cruise ship recently set sail powered by liquid natural gas (LNG), the first cruise vessel in the state to do so. The Alaska Highway ferry system, which serves as the state’s public transportation network, hopes to follow suit, but operational and funding challenges have created obstacles, as Mark Moran reports. The Alaska cruise ship industry leaves a sizable carbon footprint with its emissions. The maiden Alaska voyage of the Star Princess this spring was powered entirely by LNG, which the industry says is “as clean as it gets.” Harly Penner, president of Seaspan Energy, which fuels giant, clean-burning ships, says using LNG in large vessels reduces potent and toxic emissions, like nitrogen (NOx) and sulfur oxides (SOx). “Those are the carcinogens that live in our port and most important to the people in those port communities. The NOx, the SOx, and the black carbon are greatly reduced.” At this point, Alaska Marine Highway still has no ferries operating on natural gas or any other alternative fuel, but they say the fleet will be designed to do so in the future. The agency is reliant on state funding for any upgrades, which has dwindled in recent years. Penner says engine, scrubber, and emissions technology on large vessels will continue to evolve, and believes LNG is the most effective way to reduce emissions among large fleets. Companies must measure the costs of retrofitting ships to run on LNG while balancing the pillars of environmental, social, and economic sustainability. “If you knock one of those pillars out, you really have a hard time making that sale in the boardroom. And one of those pillars is financial viability. Like, if you’re not financially viable, it’s hard to make a sustainable decision on that.” Data from the International Maritime Organization estimates that in the next three years, between 1,600-1,700 vessels will be powered completely by LNG. This introductory video from the ongoing exhibit “Nation to Nation” at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian was named in the White House report. On the heels of America’s quarter millenial, the White House is questioning the world’s largest museum and its depiction of the U.S. being founded on stolen Indigenous land, as Judith Ruiz-Branch reports. The nearly 200-hundred page report was quietly published over the holiday weekend. It criticizes exhibits in the Smithsonian Institution for reinforcing narratives that the U.S. government forcibly pushed Indians from their ancestral lands. The White House argues these interpretations place too much emphasis on racial injustice while downplaying the nation’s founding ideals and accomplishments, but Native scholars like Dan Lewerenz contend land dispossession and treaty violations are essential parts of the American story. “I think it’s important to remember history accurately. A part of that is remembering for purposes of the Declaration of Independence, Indians were sort of used as a propaganda tool by the colonists.” Lewerenz argues the United States has long used American Indians to serve its interests and agendas. The report was issued as part of President Donald Trump’s effort to reshape how federally supported institutions are presenting American History. Experts say it sets the stage for further heightened debate over how U.S. history is told and who gets to be included. Although North Dakota’s history also involves a painful past for Native people, Lewerenz says the state has made strides in repairing past harms and improving relations with Indigenous people. He says efforts like the Government to Government conference and policies to improve Tribal programs all point to a growing partnership. “Tribal sovereignty and the ability of tribes and tribal members to govern their own communities and live by their own ways has sometimes been respected and sometimes not. But tribes have to remain hopeful.” As part of the newly unveiled Theodore Roosevelt Library in Medora, N.D., a medicinal garden marks a renewed dedication to Tribal alliance. Library trustees say the monument does not ignore Roosevelt’s racist views on Indigenous people, but confronts history honestly with a call to honor and commit to a more vibrant future.   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, July 10, 2026 — New report: Native student discipline disparities persist at New Mexico school district

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5
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About

Daily, five-minute newscast featuring the latest headlines and breaking news from Native and Indigenous communities anchored by Antonia Gonzales (Navajo) with reporters and storytellers from around the globe.

Information

  • Creator
    Antonia Gonzales
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    304
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Koahnic Broadcast Corporation - All rights reserved - Contact nola@nv1.org for permission
  • Show Website
    National Native News