Oregon’s horse racing authority acknowledged the Oregon Department of Justice’s opinion, but the Flying Lark isn’t folding just yet.
B. ‘Toastie’ Oaster
B. ‘Toastie’ Oaster (they/them) is an award-winning journalist and a staff writer for High Country News writing from the Pacific Northwest. They’re a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Email them at b.toastie@hcn.org or submit a letter to the editor.
Follow @toastie@journa.host
Posted inArticles
The first answer for food insecurity: data sovereignty
A new report shows tribal communities have adapted to meet the needs of their people in ways that state and federal governments can’t.
Posted inFebruary 1, 2022: Essential
Humble suckers: Pacific lamprey have survived 5 mass extinctions but are now under threat
Cooperative efforts between tribes and non-Native institutions are helping conserve the under-researched Devonian darlings.
Posted inFebruary 1, 2022: Essential
Tribes call out Oregon’s reckless gaming regulation
Using horse-racing laws, a shadowy state agency and a billionaire push for a private casino that threatens tribes’ self-sufficiency.
Posted inJanuary 1, 2022: Water Rights and Responsibilities
Indian Country deserves better than Facebook
Social media has helped undo centuries of colonial disconnection, but Native communities need a much better platform.
Posted inDecember 1, 2021: Visions of Wildness
What would a healthy Klamath River look like?
An illustration of a complex ecosystem that could exist again.
Posted inArticles
‘Our food from this land’
A new Native American restaurant plates a contemporary take on precolonial gastronomy.
Posted inNovember 1, 2021: The Radioactive Waste Next Door
How tribal leaders want Chuck Sams to lead the Park Service
The Umatilla leader would be the first Native person in charge of the agency, which has a thorny history with tribes.
Posted inArticles
7 questions about Freedmen answered
Descendants of those enslaved by Native tribes are gaining political momentum. Here’s a primer on the issues surrounding Freedmen and tribal recognition.
Posted inArticles
Marilyn Vann becomes the first person of Freedmen status in Cherokee Nation government
A retired engineer and Freedmen activist, Vann joins the tribe’s Environmental Protection Commission.
Posted inArticles
After the Palisades Tahoe name change, where is the Washoe Tribe looking next?
‘This whole thing, it’s decent. It’s a decent thing to do.’
Posted inArticles
Federal judge allows excavation work on Native massacre site
The decision could shape the way electric vehicles are powered.
Posted inArticles
Klamath River issues explained
Confused about what’s happening on the Klamath? Dams, salmon, irrigation and more.
Posted inSeptember 1, 2021: Where Wolves May Tread
Will Klamath salmon outlast the dam removal process?
Their future comes down to a race between paperwork and a fish disease.
Posted inArticles
What tribal sovereignty means for Freedmen citizenship
Is Congress coercing the Choctaw Nation into doing away with discriminatory policies?