National Native News

Thursday, September 21 2017

A South Dakota Army National Guard helicopter helps battle a fire in this 2012 photo. Pine Ridge and other areas in South Dakota are bracing for the possibility of wildfires as drought conditions drag on (Photo: Master Sgt. Don Matthews, U.S. Army via Wikimedia CC)

The Pine Ridge reservation is among areas in South Dakota on high alert for wildfires

The American Indian Science and Engineering Society in Denver is trying to inspire more native students to pursue STEM courses

Some fisherman in Alaska have nowhere to sell their summer catch

September 20, 2017 Leave a Comment

Members of the Smith family from the Tlowitsis First Nation visit their totem pole in Albuquerque (Photo: Andi Murphy).

The Yankton Sioux Tribe condemns alleged police brutality against a 64-year-old man

An appeals court rules the Osage Nation can seek damages for unauthorized wind farm development

A stolen Canadian totem pole is rededicated at a New Mexico museum

The National Congress of American Indians criticizes British ‘New World Tapestry’ for racist depictions

September 19, 2017 Leave a Comment

Tribes are urging the U.S. government to change the name of Hayden Valley in Yellowstone National Park to Buffalo Nations Valley (photo: Wikimedia, Anusia1984)

The U.S. Interior secretary recommends scaling back Bears Ears and other monuments

The likely Republican candidate for Alabama’s Senate seat uses a slur against Native Americans in a campaign speech

Tribal leaders insist on name changes for Yellowstone sites

September 18, 2017 Leave a Comment

Spiderwoman Theater, North America’s longest-running Indigenous theater collective, celebrates its 40th anniversary this week. (photo: Spiderwoman Theater Facebook page)

A judge considers whether to toss the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation’s lawsuit over damages for lost land

North Dakota tribal leaders ask state lawmakers to act on cases of missing and murdered Native women

A look at Standing Rock a year after a crucial time in the Dakota Access Pipeline protests

Nation’s longest-running Indigenous theater collective celebrates 40 years

Reconnecting to a health lifestyle

September 6, 2017 Leave a Comment

The United American Indian Involvement organization is currently studying ways that its traditional social outreach program program is helping improve mental health among Native Americans in Los Angeles County. As we find out in our ongoing series Health and wellness: the Indigenous way, people travel long distances to participate in the Drum, Dance and Regalia program and other events that help connect them to their cultures and other people with similar values. Organizers hope the programs help improve the statistics for people vulnerable to problems like child abuse, gang involvement, and mental illness. Read more…

Health and Wellness: the Indigenous way

August 31, 2017 Leave a Comment

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds Native Americans and Alaska Natives are more likely to report their health is fair or poor compared to other groups, particularly Caucasians. Rates of diabetes, suicide and chronic illnesses are often higher in Native communities. National Native News is teaming up with New Mexico In Focus and the USC Annenberg-Center for Health Journalism this fall for a series highlighting health and wellness in Native America. PBS. The series will examine some of the ways Indigenous people in California, New Mexico and Arizona are taking control of their mental and physical health. Read more…

Appeals ruling on Muscogee man’s murder case is significant jurisdiction victory

August 10, 2017

A federal court has overturned a Muscogee Creek man’s death sentence in a major jurisdiction ruling. The ruling reaffirms the tribe’s historical reservation boundaries in Oklahoma. The case goes back to 1999, when Patrick Murphy was accused of murdering another Muscogee man. He was convicted in Oklahoma court and put on death row in 2000. Since then, he’s unsuccessfully appealed multiple times.

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