As the use of native plants becomes more widespread, Indigenous communities could lose out.
Indigenous Affairs
Posted inApril 2024: Epic Journeys
How states make money off tribal lands
Ten states own 1.6 million acres of land within 83 tribal nations’ reservations. How did they get there?
Posted inMarch 2024: Fertile Ground
Can affordable housing for Indigenous communities work?
The question looms large as Denver breaks ground on its first affordable housing project for Indigenous people.
Posted inJanuary 11, 2024: The Creatures in Our Midst
How solar geoengineering is clouding issues of tribal consent
‘Move fast, break things’ approach runs into issues of tribal authority.
Posted inJanuary 11, 2024: The Creatures in Our Midst
Washington’s solar permitting leaves tribal resources vulnerable to corporations
Tribal officials say the process threatens cultural resources and what remains of healthy Indigenous foodways.
Posted inJanuary 1, 2024: January 2024
How 3 Indigenous women are leading the way on climate change
These experts bring knowledge and justice to the climate conversation.
Posted inArticles
2023 in Native environmental news
The beat’s biggest news that you might have missed.
Posted inArticles
‘Frybread Face and Me’ shows the complexity of Indigeneity
Billy Luther’s new coming-of-age film shows characters grappling with city life juxtaposed against the reservation.
Posted inArticles
Lower Snake River dams closer to coming down with new agreement
After decades of litigation, the historic initiative among states, tribes and the federal government signals a dramatic change for the region.
Posted inArticles
Washington works to reconcile its history of Indigenous boarding schools
An all-Indigenous committee will identify the state’s responsibility of rectifying harm caused to boarding school survivors and their descendants.
Posted inDecember 1, 2023: December 2023
The Endangered Species Act’s complicated legacy in Indian Country
The landmark law has served as both sword and shield.
Posted inArticles
First direct cash assistance program exclusively for Indigenous parents launched
The Nest, a Washington nonprofit program, seeks to serve Native people during and after pregnancy.
Posted inArticles
Cultural fire is good fire, and California needs more of it
Indigenous land stewards say cultural fires are key to building a fire-resilient landscape.
Posted inArticles
States opposed tribes’ access to the Colorado River 70 years ago. History is repeating itself.
Records shed new light on states’ vocal opposition in the 1950s to tribes claiming their share of the river.
Posted inArticles
An Indigenous slur persists in Fresno County despite renaming efforts
When the feds remove offensive names, local jurisdictions don’t have to follow along.
Posted inArticles
The state of tribal co-management of public lands
As National Public Lands Day approaches, Indigenous leaders discuss working with agencies to manage dispossessed lands.
Posted inArticles
Remembering Charles Wilkinson, a true friend to Indian Country
The professor and leader leaves a legacy in Indigenous advocacy.
Posted inSeptember 1, 2023: Food Justice
The long tail of toxic emissions on the Navajo Nation
Communities contend with ongoing air quality issues tied to gas and oil wells.
Posted inArticles
EPA to investigate claims of civil rights violations in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
Tribes and environmental justice groups say management of the Delta harms traditional food systems and causes pollution.
Posted inSeptember 1, 2023: Food Justice
Native mental health providers seek to heal boarding school scars with informed and appropriate treatment
As more visibility is brought to the legacy of U.S. boarding schools, Indigenous mental health providers and social workers feel that therapy must address the unique trauma carried by survivors.