A weeklong journey through the under-documented region, which now has new protections.
Indigenous Affairs
Posted inArticles
Tribal nations celebrate new monument near the Grand Canyon
How decades of Indigenous advocacy led to the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni-Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument.
Posted inArticles
A bumpy, interesting ride in ‘The Unknown Country’
The film’s exploration of ‘Middle America’ is at its best when it lets Lily Gladstone take the wheel.
Posted inJuly 1, 2023: Waiting for Water
‘The fight for our lives’: Arizona’s water regime limits the Hopi Tribe’s future
A 45-year legal saga leaves the tribe fighting for their economic ambitions through water access.
Posted inJuly 1, 2023: Waiting for Water
How private interests benefit from tribal water settlements
When power players like mining and agriculture are involved, tribal nations, usually the senior-most water-rights holders, often must fight obstruction.
Posted inJuly 1, 2023: Waiting for Water
Decades after the Colorado River flooded the Chemehuevi’s land, the tribe still doesn’t have its share
Nearly all of the tribe’s water remains in the river and ends up being used by Southern California cities.
Posted inJuly 1, 2023: Waiting for Water
The Trojan horse of Native theater
Larissa FastHorse’s ‘The Thanksgiving Play’ made Broadway history. That’s a good thing — right?
Posted inJuly 1, 2023: Waiting for Water
Let’s talk about Indian romance novels
If you’ve ever gawked in disbelief at a hunky white man in redface, this one’s for you.
Posted inJuly 1, 2023: Waiting for Water
Treaty rights, bison and the country’s most controversial hunt
Last winter’s harvest in the Yellowstone region illustrates the complexity of bison restoration.
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The long road to access at Willamette Falls
The second largest falls in the U.S. have been inaccessible since industrialists dammed them and lined the river with paper mills 150 years ago. Four tribes are working with PGE to plan public access.
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Supreme Court keeps the Navajo Nation waiting for water
The court case was the Nation’s bid to accelerate decades of fruitless negotiations and secure water for its reservation.
Posted inAugust 1, 2023: In the Line of Fire
The Supreme Court upheld ICWA. Now what?
ICWA policy and federal Indian Law experts break down the court’s Brackeen v. Haaland ruling — and what it means for families.
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Despite the law meant to keep Native American families together, they’re being broken apart
A mother used the Indian Child Welfare Act to win back her parental rights. Then they came for her second child.
Posted inJuly 1, 2023: Waiting for Water
How Arizona squeezes tribes for water
A High Country News/ProPublica investigation shows that Arizona goes to unusual lengths in water negotiations to extract restrictive concessions from tribes.
Posted inJune 1, 2023: Seen and Unseen
Is Harriet Hageman an ally of Indian Country?
The rookie congresswoman says she wants to advance tribal autonomy.
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Oak Flat development is on pause. What that means for tribal nations
The U.S. Forest Service has told a federal court it is not sure when it will move ahead with the review process.
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Dispatch from the scaffolds: Native fishing culture on the Columbia River
An Indigenous fisherman describes how to hook a salmon, the meaning of life and his faithful dog Sturg.
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At U.N. forum, Indigenous leaders say colonialism and market forces are destroying the planet
To make change, leaders say the U.N. system needs to do a better job elevating Indigenous voices.
Posted inMay 1, 2023: Reemergence
The artist and the harpooner
In Micah McCarty’s art, the past and future are one, and the whales never left.
Posted inMay 1, 2023: Reemergence
Alaska Natives are underserved by emergency translation services
A FEMA contractor’s incompetence in Alaska Native languages highlights a systemic problem.