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High Country News

High Country News

A nonprofit independent magazine of unblinking journalism that shines a light on all of the complexities of the West.

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HCN has covered the lands, wildlife and communities of the Western U.S. for more than 50 years. Get to know the West better by signing up to receive HCN’s on-the-ground reporting and investigations in your inbox.

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Indigenous Affairs

Anti-fracking graffiti on an abandoned house near Bloomfield, New Mexico, near Navajo Nation, expresses opposition to the oil and gas in the area.
Posted inArticles

Days before Trump took office, Interior approved oil and gas leases for land bought during 2019 public auction

by Chad Bradley February 11, 2025February 11, 2025

Company can begin to issue plans for drilling near Chaco Canyon buffer zone on Navajo Nation allotment.

Posted inArticles

The Indian education of Charles Sams

by B. ‘Toastie’ Oaster February 5, 2025February 7, 2025

How the first Native director of the National Park Service drew from a legacy of federal boarding schools and Indigenous teachings.

Posted inArticles

We must protect our sacred lands

by Clark Tenakhongva January 29, 2025January 29, 2025

To meet the crisis of our time and help address past wrongs, we need bold action from decision makers.

Posted inFebruary 2025: Immigrant Stories

‘This is about power’: Indigenous immigrants face a second Trump administration

by Anna V. Smith January 21, 2025February 7, 2025

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who was banned from nine tribal reservations, will oversee policies uniquely important to Indigenous people.

Posted inIssues

‘Esto se trata de poder’: Los inmigrantes indígenas se enfrentan a una segunda administración de Trump

by Anna V. Smith January 21, 2025February 7, 2025

La gobernadora de Dakota del Sur, Kristi Noem, a quien se le prohibió la entrada a nueve reservas tribales, supervisará las políticas de importancia única para los pueblos indígenas.

Posted inJanuary 2025: The West's Most Wanted

Tribal objects returned to the Northern Arapaho Tribe

by Jordan Dresser January 1, 2025January 3, 2025

After years of negotiation with the Episcopal Church, over 200 cultural items finally come back home.

Posted inArticles

Indigenous affairs stories you need to read

by B. ‘Toastie’ Oaster December 31, 2024December 30, 2024

Beyond HCN’s coverage, the beat is expanding, highlighting the complexity of Indian Country.

Tribal elders and landscape (Aaron Nesheim); cannabis leaf (Roberto (Bear) Guerra); Travel Plaza fire (Jerry Tom); maps (USGS and Flickr); documents from author’s research.
Posted inJanuary 2025: The West's Most Wanted

Legal weed entrepreneurs promised a windfall from tribal lands. Then it fell apart.

by Judith Matloff December 17, 2024December 20, 2024

The Fort McDermitt Paiute-Shoshone are still picking up the pieces from the failed cannabis cultivation venture.

Posted inArticles

How did Native people vote this election cycle?

by Anna V. Smith December 11, 2024December 12, 2024

Accurate data is hard to come by, but one poll suggests many supported progressive priorities and liberal candidates.

Posted inDecember 2024: Land as Reparations

Can Farmington hide from its legacy of anti-Indigenous violence?

by B. ‘Toastie’ Oaster December 1, 2024December 2, 2024

It’s a reservation border town problem, not just a local one.

Posted inJanuary 2025: The West's Most Wanted

What Project 2025 has to say about Native communities

by Anna V. Smith October 29, 2024December 20, 2024

The initiative focuses heavily on resource extraction of tribal lands but lacks detail on other key issues.

Posted inArticles

President Biden to apologize for federal Indian boarding schools

by B. ‘Toastie’ Oaster and Kate Schimel October 24, 2024October 25, 2024

The U.S. government hopes to assuage cynicism and begin a new chapter of healing for Native people.

Posted inArticles

Will exploratory lithium mining continue near a sacred hot spring?

by Maya L. Kapoor October 2, 2024November 7, 2024

A judge will decide the fate of Ha’Kamwe’ as the Hualapai Nation fights the drilling in court.

Posted inOctober 2024: Latino Vote

The Native vote dilemma

by B. ‘Toastie’ Oaster October 1, 2024October 1, 2024

Every election year, Indigenous people grapple with whether and
how to engage in electoral politics.

Posted inOctober 2024: Latino Vote

How do you describe a sacred site without describing it?

by B. ‘Toastie’ Oaster September 27, 2024October 23, 2024

Western journalism puts Indigenous reporters in a tricky position
where values don’t always align.

Posted inDecember 2024: Land as Reparations

‘Rez Ball’ is no easy feat, but Indigenous communities win in the end

by Jason Asenap September 25, 2024November 22, 2024

The latest Indigenous Netflix film shows the challenges of Native life through the culture of rez ball.

Posted inArticles

The Department of Energy promised Yakama Nation $32 million for solar. It’s nearly impossible to access.

by Tony Schick September 20, 2024September 30, 2024

Held up by a series of bureaucratic hurdles, the funding could expire before the government lets the tribal nation touch a dime.

Posted inOctober 2024: Latino Vote

States own lands on reservations. To use them, tribes must pay.

by Anna V. Smith and Maria Parazo Rose September 16, 2024November 22, 2024

How schools, hospitals, prisons and other institutions in 15 states profit from land and resources on 79 tribal nations.

Posted inArticles

5 takeaways from our investigation into state trust lands on reservations

by Anna V. Smith and Maria Parazo Rose September 16, 2024October 10, 2024

An investigation by High Country News and Grist reveals how public institutions benefit from extractive industries on Indian reservations.

Posted inArticles

Reservation Dogs is finally up for the recognition it deserves

by Jason Asenap September 11, 2024October 25, 2024

Producer and writer, Migizi Pensoneau, ‘brings the realness’ to Emmy voters.

Posts pagination

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