National Native News

The Washington state nonprofit Wild Fish Conservancy recently issued a notice of intent to sue the Alaska Department of Fish and Game over its management of the chinook fisheries in parts of Southwest Alaska. It is the latest action from the group, following previous lawsuits and petitions, as the Alaska Desk’s Katie Reuther reports. The nonprofit organization Wild Fish Conservancy released a lett...

The Rappahannock Tribe in Virginia is taking another step toward energy independence with a new solar installation at its environmental education center. Twenty-eight rooftop solar panels have been installed at the Rappahannock Lodge on Cat Point Creek, the tribe announced Monday. The system can generate up to 12.32 kilowatts of electricity, helping reduce the facility’s energy costs. The tr...

Voting rights advocates in Alaska are celebrating the number of Indigenous voters who went to the polls last Tuesday, as the state continues to count ballots. The Alaska Desk’s Alena Naiden from our flagships station KNBA has more. Michelle Sparck is the director of Get Out the Native Vote, a statewide voter education organization. She says the organization partnered with tribes, Native corp...

Grassroots leaders are celebrating historic victories for Native candidates in Tuesday’s election. They hope Lt. Gov. and U.S. Sen.-elect Peggy Flanagan (White Earth Band of Ojibwe), D-Minnesota, will bring her state and the nation a specific type of leadership allies say is sorely needed. Mike Moen reports. Flanagan, and Mary Peltola (Yup-ik) if she wins her race in Alaska, will be the firs...

Unofficial results show the Navajo Nation has elected its first woman to the tribe’s top seat. KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio has more. Navajo Nation Council Speaker Crystalyne Curley now has another title: president-elect. “And to the little girls that are out there, shíyázhí, anything is possible.” Curley and her running mate, former state Rep. Chris Deschene, D-Arizona, won by little mo...

Former U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo) has become the first Native female governor in a historic victory in New Mexico. KUNM’s Jeanette DeDios (Jicarilla Apache and Diné) reports. Hundreds gathered at Route 66 Casino to witness history being made as Haaland gave her victory speech. Haaland pointed to the significance of holding the celebration on Pueblo land. “I remember...

Today is Election Day, with many voters across Indian Country turning out at the ballot box in many states. Brian Bull recently talked to Underscore Native News colleague Nika Bartoo-Smith (Osage & Oneida Nation), who is a joint reporter with Underscore and ICT, and asked her what the nationwide midterm ballot looks like in terms of Indigenous candidates. “County seats, city council seat...

The national chief of Canada’s Assembly of First Nations is warning Prime Minister Mark Carney not to abuse his majority government to pass new legislation on major projects. As Dan Karpenchuk reports, Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak says the proposed new law could affect the rights of the country’s First Nations. Nepinak first issued the warning in September and again more recently as the issue is before...

Volunteer observers are heading to several states including South Dakota polling places to help protect Native voting rights. Four Directions Native Vote is sending at least 75 lawyers and law students to more than 40 polling locations statewide. Laura Hatch has details. The nonpartisan effort will cover all nine of the state’s reservations and Rapid City, which has a large Lakota population...

Indigenous high school students in Nebraska are getting a head start in a challenging job market. Chrystal Blair has more. For many young people, landing that first job can be difficult without prior work experience. A Nebraska program is helping Indigenous students overcome that hurdle by providing hands-on training, career exploration, and mentorship while they are still in high school. The late...

Native allies are deploying observers to polling sites in states like North Dakota in an effort to overcome potential barriers at the ballot box as voters prepare for the November 3 midterm election. Judith Ruiz-Branch reports. Native American Rights Fund volunteers in its first midterm election protection program aim to help voters overcome potential barriers at the polls and document recurring p...

First Nations leaders met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and provincial and territorial leaders in Ottawa Monday, in a historic gathering focused on Indigenous rights and economic development. The meeting marked the first dedicated gathering of its kind in more than two decades. Leaders agreed to explore creating a First Nations Sovereign Wealth Fund, allowing Indigenous communities to s...

Sales of handmade Native American crafts and jewelry are estimated to generate $1 billion annually. A Navajo-owned shop in Old Town Scottsdale has opened a second location in a Southwest city also known for its art scene. KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio has more. Santa Fe, New Mexico is widely considered the nation’s third-largest art market behind New York City and Los Angeles. Hence why owners of the...

After bison were nearly driven to extinction in the late 1800s, Native nations across North America have been working to restore them to their ancestral lands. A nonprofit on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation recently celebrated a milestone in its own bison reintroduction efforts. Delainey LaHood-Burns has more. Hundreds of people gathered in the Stronghold District of South Dakota’s Badlands to w...

More than 7,000 delegates are expected to attend the Alaska Federation of Natives Convention over the next three days. AFN President Ben Mallott says Dr. Rosita Worl will speak to the theme of this year’s gathering, “Rooted in Our Land: Rising in Our Voices”. “Her life has been amazing. Her knowledge and subsistence management policy education is a treasure for our state.”...

Two major gatherings of Alaska Native people are taking place in Anchorage’s Dena’ina Civic & Convention Center this week: the Elders & Youth Conference and the Alaska Federation of Natives Convention. The Alaska Desk’s Alena Naiden from our flagship station KNBA has this story. This year marks the 60th anniversary of AFN. “It was born out of this tremendous movement for...

Photo: Volunteers remove weeds and debris from the Seven Generations Children’s Teaching Garden at the Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center on September 10, 2026. (Brian Bull) Volunteers come to Seattle’s Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center throughout the year to tend to plants that are traditionally important to Native people. Brian Bull (Nez Perce) of Underscore Native News and KLCC repor...

The 43rd annual Statewide Elders and Youth Conference got underway Sunday at the Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center in downtown Anchorage, Alaska. Hosted by First Alaskans Institute, the gathering brings together Alaska Native Elders, youth, and community leaders to celebrate Indigenous cultures, strengthen relationships, and discuss challenges facing their communities. This year’s t...

Photo: Jason Smith and Kremena Doust at their ranch on the Warm Springs Reservation on September 30, 2026. (Brian Bull / Underscore Native News) A Native-owned horse ranch on Oregon’s Warm Springs reservation that has been struggling to recover from this summer’s wildfires is now getting ready for a challenging winter, as Brian Bull of Underscore Native News and KLCC reports. Since early September...

Photo: Navajo pro bull rider Cody Jesus sits on a bull named Dead Red as he prepares for his first ride on home turf after recently being acquired by the team on October 8, 2026. (Emma Bradford) An Arizona-born bull rider from the Navajo Nation recently celebrated a homecoming. KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio has more from Desert Diamond Arena in the Phoenix metro. Nicknamed the “Pride of the Nav...

A college student near her hometown of Point Lay, Alaska made a startling discovery last month: A baby walrus sandwiched between two carcasses, as Alaska Public Media’s Casey Grove reports. Violet Anniskett (Iñupiaq) was helping with a walrus survey on Alaska’s northwest coast. “And I saw the stomach like move, and I was like wait. Take a step closer and his eyes opened-up.&#8221...

Photo: Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, D-Minnesota, connects with a student during an Indigenous Peoples Day event on Monday, October 12, 2026. (Courtesy Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan / Facebook) Indigenous Peoples Day celebrations in Minnesota gave educators a chance to spark curiosity for Native history. As Mike Moen reports, Minnesota is rolling out enhanced learning opportunities in K-12 schools and state...

The investigation into the death of a 19-year-old Alaska Native college student in January is still ongoing. As Rhonda McBride from our flagship station KNBA reports, Anchorage Police say they have taken some unusual steps. Kelly Hunt’s teachers remember her as a strong student with a bright future. They say she hoped to return to Shaktoolik one day to become a teacher or work in health care. Last...

The Kitt Peak National Observatory is hosting a special family night tomorrow for the Tohono O’odham Nation, whose tribe views sacred the mountain that hosts over two dozen research telescopes. And as KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, a science center there has been renamed in southern Arizona. Long before the National Science Foundation looked to the starry sky, O’odhams like Jacelle Ramon-Saub...

Photo Courtesy Stewardship Utah / Instagram Rural Native American voters in Utah often face long distances, unreliable mail service, and changing election rules ahead of the November 3 midterm election. As Mark Richardson reports, the challenges are especially acute in rural San Juan County. The Navajo Nation covers about one-third of the county’s land, with more than 6,000 people in that portion...