Native Affairs

A document with the blurred face of an elderly White man and type
Mary Pember  Feb 22, 2019 5:43PM EST

News Flash: Telling Native Stories Without Native Journalists Is Not a Good Idea [OP-ED]

Mary Pember applauds the recently aired “Frontline” investigation “Predator on the Reservation.” But the Ojibwe veteran journalist takes issue with the absence of Native people in the reporting and historical context in the telling.
Buffy Sainte-Marie. Indigenous woman with black hair in black leather jacket and shirt and scarf performs behind black microphone and stand and in front of grey curtain under red lights.
Sameer Rao  Feb 20, 2019 4:50PM EST

Celebrate Buffy Sainte-Marie's Birthday With These 5 Career Highs

The artist and philanthropist, whose work uplifts Indigenous cultural resistance, turns 78 today.
Joe Four Horns. Indigenous boy with black hair poses in front of black background.
Sameer Rao  Feb 13, 2019 4:39PM EST

Documentary Uncovers Delayed Justice for Sexually Abused Indigenous Boys

“Predator on the Reservation” documents an investigation into the institutional failure that allowed Dr. Stanley Weber to allegedly assault boys on Native American reservations.
Nathan Phillips. Black-and-white photograph of Indigenous man holding feather and other articles while wearing black jacket and glasses and surrounded by people in dark clothing
Sameer Rao  Feb 5, 2019 4:39PM EST

Read Nathan Phillips' Story, In His Own Words

The media hype around the Covington Catholic boys couldn’t stop this Indigenous activist from speaking his truth. 
Link Wray. Indigenous man with black hair in black jacket and sunglasses and white shirt holds red and white electric guitar in front of black and navy background
Sameer Rao  Jan 24, 2019 2:29PM EST

Indigenous Rockers 'Rumble' Into Music History

A new film highlights Native American artists’ influence on rock and pop music.
Nathan Phillips. Native American man with dark shoulder-length hair, wearing black shirt, with blue sky and Capitol Building in the background
Kenrya Rankin  Jan 23, 2019 9:35AM EST

Skip TODAY Show, Watch This Interview With Nathan Phillips Instead

While mainstream media rushes to center the MAGA teens who taunted the Omaha elder, watch the Indigenous leader describe what really happened after the Indigenous Peoples March.
Black and red text spells "INDIGENOUS PEOPLES MARCH" underneath two black silhouettes of birds within black circle with black feathers on white background
Sameer Rao  Jan 16, 2019 12:03PM EST

Indigenous Peoples March to Take Over Washington D.C.

Organizers say the January 18 action will advocate for policies that strengthen Indigenous communities around the world.
A Maya teen holds a portrait of herself wearing a traditional corte dress
catherine lizette gonzalez  Jan 15, 2019 4:21PM EST

WATCH: Teen Photographers Capture Generations of Maya Women and Girls

A new short documentary profiles six Guatemelan teen photographers who are tackling representation, racism and classism through their project Maya Womxn of LA.
Mountain with white snow-capped peaks behind brown foothills and green trees and blue lake and in front of blue sky
Sameer Rao  Jan 7, 2019 1:00PM EST

Alaska Native Teens Honored for Role in Historic Denali Climb

John Fresden and Esaias George assisted Walter Harper in the first recorded summit of North America’s tallest mountain.
The moon sets over sandstone formations near Round Rock December 5, 2002, on the Navajo Indian Reservation, Arizona. A third of the nation lacks access to running water.
Ayana Byrd  Jan 2, 2019 12:16PM EST

What the Government Shutdown Means for Native Americans

As federal money owed to Indian Country under treaties goes unpaid, esesential services are being shut down.
Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Meagan Good and Debbi Morgan. Black girls and women and man pose in dark clothing on black background with white text; Adam Beach, Irene Bedard and Evan Adams. Indigenous woman and men smile under blue sky with red text
Sameer Rao  Dec 12, 2018 11:29AM EST

1990s Black and Indigenous Coming-of-Age Stories Added to National Film Registry

Their induction coincides with the NFR’s 30th anniversary. 
Indigenous man in blue and white shirt sits next to standing Indigenous child in yellow jacket and black pants holding brown stick on brown rocks in front of grey water
Sameer Rao  Dec 5, 2018 3:22PM EST

Livestream 'Dawnland' and Discussion With Indigenous Activists

Watch as the documentary’s stars, Esther Anne and Dawn Neptune Adams, join the filmmakers for a live screening, concert and panel discussion.
Kevin Hart. Black man in black and red striped shirt and black jeans sits on brown stool and speaks into black microphone in front of light pink wall with white text
Sameer Rao  Dec 5, 2018 3:14PM EST

Indigenous Critics Not Pleased That Kevin Hart Will Host Oscars

The comedian faces backlash for throwing a “cowboys and Indians” party for his son’s first birthday.
Black Panther, Black Widow, Thor, Captain Marvel and the Hulk. Black man and White women and men in multicolored superhero outfits in front of navy background
Sameer Rao  Nov 26, 2018 5:07PM EST

Jeffrey Veregge Draws On His Indigenous Roots to Recreate Marvel Superheroes

The artist and member of the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe rendered Black Panther, Ms. Marvel and other members of the Marvel pantheon in traditional formline style for an exhibit at the National Museum of the American Indian.
A man carries personal items through a flooded street caused by remnants of Hurricane Matthew on October 11, 2016, in Fair Bluff, North Carolina. The severity of the storm was felt throughout the state with flooding just as bad in Princeville, N.C.
Ayana Byrd  Nov 26, 2018 12:24PM EST

Trump Administration Downplays Damning Climate Change Report

Produced by 300 scientists, it shows that global warming—which disproportionately impacts people of color—will wreak havoc on the United States’ economy, public health, coastlines and infrastructure.
Indigenous people in multicolored clothing holding ceremonial flags and black and red and yellow flag of the American Indian Movement in front of brown rocky terrain and pink sky
Sameer Rao  Nov 21, 2018 5:08PM EST

Unthanksgiving: Indigenous People's Sunrise Ceremony Honors Resistance Over Revisionism

The annual gathering pays tribute to the original residents of Alcatraz Island and the coalition of Indigenous activists who occupied it from 1969 to 1971.
Cyril Pahinui. Brown man in black hat and light green shirt and black pants plays brown guitar in front of blue screen and plant in black shadow
Sameer Rao  Nov 20, 2018 5:13PM EST

Celebrate the Life of Hawaiian Guitar Virtuoso Cyril Pahinui Via His Music

The slack key guitar star died at the age of 68.
Moroni Benally. Indigenous man in purple sweater and blue jeans and bowtie smiles and leans against portrait of brown and red rocks in front of blue sky in brown hallway
Sameer Rao  Nov 20, 2018 3:58PM EST

Documentary Follows Gay Diné Man's Quest to Lead the Navajo Nation

Moroni Benally on his candidacy, which is chronicled in “Moroni for President”: “There were a lot of issues in terms of uneven understandings about the Navajo traditional perspective on what it means to be gay or queer.”
Crude oil pipeline construction in Jefferson County, Texas, in August 2008.
Ayana Byrd  Nov 9, 2018 11:26AM EST

Judge Halts Construction of Keystone XL Pipeline

The project is opposed by Indigenous groups who say it ignores treaties and could damage their lands.
Georginia Sappier-Richardson. Indigenous woman in gray shirt and black and yellow and blue patterned vest speaks at brown wood table in front of Indigenous boy and woman with woman in black shirt and orange and green scarf in foreground
Sameer Rao  Nov 5, 2018 2:48PM EST

Wabanaki Seek Healing and Justice in 'Dawnland'

A new documentary follows the Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission as it explores the legacy of forced child relocation policies.