National Native News

The online marketplace Etsy plans to ban products made out of fur as well as threatened or endangered animals. In Alaska, many Indigenous artists say they do not use the platform, but several said they were frustrated with the decision. The Alaska Desk’s Alena Naiden from our flagship station KNBA has more. Cheyenne Nelson (Aleut and Tlingit) pulls a pair of earrings from a box stacked with...

A Hualapai tribal leader is being remembered for her impact on economic development and tribal sovereignty. Louise Benson, former chairwoman of the Hualapai Tribe in Arizona, has died at the age of 83. The tribe announced her death April 18. Benson helped lead the development of Grand Canyon West, including the creation of the Grand Canyon Skywalk, a major tourism destination that supports the tri...

Actor Nathan Chasing Horse, known for his role in “Dances with Wolves”, has been sentenced in Nevada to 37 years to life in prison after being convicted of sexually assaulting Indigenous women and girls. A jury found him guilty on 13 charges, mostly involving sexual abuse. Prosecutors say he used his position as a Lakota spiritual leader to gain trust and manipulate victims over many y...

Questions are being raised about how the Anchorage Police Department responded to a missing Alaska Native college student from the Bering Sea community of Shaktoolik. After almost four months, the remains of Kelly Hunt were found in a wooded area in the city, as KNBA’s Rhonda McBride reports. Although the search for Kelly Hunt ended in a ravine where she was found last week, the quest for answers...

Anchorage, Alaska police have identified the person found deceased last week in the Spenard area of the city as 19-year-old Kelly Hunt from the Alaska Native community of Shaktoolik. Police say Hunt was discovered outdoors on April 20 near the 3500 block of Lois Drive. Next of kin have been notified. According to investigators, Hunt had arrived in Anchorage on January 6 and was staying at a reside...

The U.S. Forest Service swapped 2,400 acres of lands last month with Resolution Copper that included an Apache holy site called Oak Flat. Now, an Arizona organization is challenging that decision. KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio has the latest. Resolution Copper told KJZZ that courts at every level have consistently ruled in the mining company’s favor, adding “it is time for the meritless litigation to...

An oil and gas lease sale is scheduled in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) for June. The auction of drilling rights is mandated in federal law, but also reflects the Trump administration’s commitment to promoting energy development in the state. The response from Indigenous residents that live in or near the refuge is mixed, as the Alaska Desk’s Alena Naiden from our flagship...

Photo: An aerial view of the Santa Rita Mountains near Tucson, Ariz. during an EcoFlight trip in April 2026. (Gabriel Pietrorazio) Today is Earth Day and earlier this month, the Colorado nonprofit EcoFlight came to Arizona as part of its annual aerial educational program — Flight Across America. A cohort of college students soared through the skies for an environmental tour of endangered landscape...

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) is announcing more than $6.3 million in technical assistance funding for tribal water projects across the country. The funding, announced in Washington, D.C., will support 10 projects aimed at improving access to clean and reliable water in Native communities. The investment comes through the agency’s Native American Affairs Technical Assistance Program (TAP),...

More than 400 athletes from over 100 communities gathered in Anchorage, Alaska for this year’s Native Youth Olympic games, held April 16-18 at the Alaska Airlines Center. Among them was Mila Neely, a sophomore at Juneau-Douglas High School (Yadaa.at Kalé) in Juneau, Alaska, but for Neely, the competition went beyond physical strength. She is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, with family roots in O...

Opening ceremonies for the statewide Native Youth Olympic (NYO) games got underway at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage, Alaska Thursday. This year’s NYO coordinator, Brittany Vo, says it is impressive to watch the procession of 400 athletes from across Alaska enter the stadium, as they carry homemade banners that represent their schools and communities. “It’s just so exciting to have so muc...

Photo: Researchers and community members gather for a presentation by Robin Masterman at the Western Alaska Interdisciplinary Science Conference at the Yupiit Piciryarait Cultural Center in Bethel on April 9, 2026. (Samantha Watson / KYUK) Researchers and local experts gathered in Bethel last week to share environmental knowledge. As KYUK’s Samantha Watson reports, the conference highlighted the p...

Photo: Fresh snow coats Monument Valley Tribal Park straddling Utah and Arizona in February 2026. (Gabriel Pietrorazio) The Navajo Nation signed an agreement with Utah last month that centers on advancing economic development and authentic Indigenous representation through cinema. As KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, it also formalizes a time-honored tradition of filmmaking on Navajoland – home...

Photo: A voter fills in a ballot during Bethel’s municipal election on October 1, 2024. (MaryCait Dolan / KYUK) The Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) is speaking out against a proposed federal voting bill it says could create new barriers for Alaska Native voters. In a press release issued April 6, AFN urged Congress to reject the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which is cu...

Photo: U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks to Native American leaders gathered at Gila River Indian Community’s Wild Horse Pass Casino on April 8, 2026. (Caitlin Sievers / Arizona Mirror) Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made a stop in the Phoenix, Ariz. metro area to visit the Gila River Indian Community last week. As KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietr...

After much speculation, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren announced earlier this week that he will seek reelection later on this year. KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio has more. President Nygren became the youngest president in Window Rock after defeating incumbent Jonathan Nez four years ago. Nygren won that race by just more than 3,500 votes. In a video message on social media, Nygren picked up...

Photo: A cross and mural honor slain teen Emily Pike along U.S. 70 Route near Peridot on the San Carlos Apache Reservation. (Gabriel Pietrorazio) The FBI announced earlier this month that it is, once again, putting extra agents in the field to address a backlog of cold cases on tribal lands. As KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, this effort is part of a years-long joint initiative with the Bureau...

Photo: U.S. Department of Interior building. (Kmf164 via Wikimedia ) Tribal leaders are raising concerns about a possible overhaul of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) that could lead to more staff cuts. During a congressional hearing last week, National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) president Mark Macarro warned lawmakers a proposed reorganization could reduce positions critical to deliver...

Photo courtesy National Indian Child Welfare Association The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Indian Child Welfare Act in 2023, according to reporting by SCOTUSblog, affirming the law’s role in keeping Native children connected to their families and tribes. But nearly two years later, implementation challenges remain. Legal analysis from Cornell Law School says states are still working to fully carry...

Photo: Marcia Lowry outside the federal courthouse in Anchorage on September 8, 2025. She was lead attorney in the class action lawsuit against the Alaska Office of Children’s Services. (Matt Faubion / Alaska Public Media) Judge Sharon Gleason dismissed a federal class-action lawsuit filed against the Alaska Office of Children’s Services (OCS) Tuesday. The lawsuit was brought by a national n...

Photo: Utqiagvik coast in June 2022. (Alena Naiden) Arctic sea ice has been shrinking in recent decades, reaching record lows both in summer and in winter. A new study shows a continuation of this trend: ice is sticking to Alaska’s northern shores for less time than it used to. Researchers say this can have implications for the climate, resource development, and subsistence hunting. The Alaska Des...

Over the weekend, a Diné pro athlete from the Arizona Ridge Riders ascended to the top ranks of competitive bull riding worldwide. KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio has more. “Keyshawn just crafted his career moment, and he perches above them all and is the master of the Pit.” For the first time, Keyshawn Whitehorse from Kraken Springs, Utah won the Ty Murray Invitational after hanging onto a...

Photo: Debris sits in piles in Kwigillingok after the remnants of Typhoon Halong brought widespread devastation to the region. (Brea Paul) The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) opened $1 billion in grants for disaster management last week. The news comes after the agency terminated the program for that work a year ago, but a federal court found that termination unlawful, and ordered the a...

New funding is supporting efforts to help fossil fuel-dependent communities in our region adapt to other forms of energy. One of the projects will focus on the Four Corners region, including the Navajo Nation and Hopi Tribe. The Mountain West News Bureau’s Kaleb Roedel has more. The work is part of an effort led by the nonprofit group Resources for the Future and partner universities. The Four Cor...

Lawmakers in Washington, D.C. are proposing to update a key housing law for Tribal Nations, as communities across Indian Country continue to face severe housing shortages. Last week, U.S. Rep. Troy Downing (R-MT) introduced the American Housing and Self-Determination Modernization Act. The legislation would modernize and reauthorize the Native American Housing Assistance and Self Determination Act...