Dentalium image
Special Feature

For the love of dentalium

Harvested in the Pacific and traded inland, dentalium shells served Indigenous peoples as valuable currency, status symbols, and sacred items for millennia, a tradition that persists. Read our coverage.
Opinion
MMIP
Why Buffalo’s Fire was red for one day
Buffalo’s Fire
Article image
Vaccine Decline
State reports first measles case amidst declining vaccination rates
Michael StandaertNorth Dakota News Cooperative
Article image
Heritage
Revitalizing ancestral art forms: Holly Young draws inspiration from family and community
Alicia Hegland-Thorpe
Article image
Dentalium: History and significance in Native American cultureExplainer
Harvesting Connection: Dentalium and the two ‘Indian’ worlds
Sovereignty, Community, Press Freedom.
Get the Buffalo's Fire Newsletter.
The Daily Spark
Quick stories, must reads
Bismarck-Mandan
Indian Affairs
North Dakota lawmakers to review key bills impacting Native American communities
Dakota Access Pipeline
Media petition North Dakota Supreme Court for expanded access to Greenpeace trial
Education
Free school meals bill fails in the North Dakota House
Tribal consultation
Bill seeks to strengthen tribal consultation on North Dakota legislation
Meal Access
Free school meals bill advances in North Dakota legislative committee
Workforce Strain
Bill proposes repeal of immigration office amidst workforce crisis
Northern Plains
Community Search
MMIR: Native community unites in water and ground search for Standing Rock man, last seen on train bridge
Land and oil
‘Big Muddy’: North Dakota approaches deadline in high-stakes MHA oil tax lawsuit
Rural Veterans
Senators Push to Expand VA Transportation Grants for Rural Veterans
Housing Crunch
North Dakota faces major housing shortage as baby boomers age
Tourist Impact
Trump policies leave North Dakota summer tourism prospects uncertain
Health
Shocking disparities: American Indians in North Dakota die 22.5 years younger than white residents
Native Issues
Heritage
From status symbols to marketplace staples: The resurgence of dentalium shells
Opinion
Heritage
Harvesting Connection: Dentalium and the two ‘Indian’ worlds
Explainer
Dentalium: History and significance in Native American culture
Cultural revival
Yuhaaviatam reclaims its ancestral name
Voices Rising
UN forum pushes governments to act on Indigenous rights
Traditions
‘Who are you calling an elder? I am just older’
Native Nations
Pipeline Concerns
Public hearing set for proposed pipeline in Mountrail and Ward counties
Justice Served
Leonard Peltier: ‘Today I am finally free’
Bismarck, North Dakota
Unprecedented TribalEcon Summit features trade history, vendors in North Dakota capital
Peltier Freed
International pressure, stateside push leads to act of clemency for AIM icon Leonard Peltier
Opinion
Lost Opportunity
Senate confirmation hearings for Interior secretary gloss over Native issues
Arts & Culture
Art
ND Native photographer featured in San Francisco Museum of Modern Art exhibition
Cultural Identity
Zig Jackson’s Vision: ‘Culture is the most powerful thing you have in art’
Fashion & Heritage
Lily Gladstone’s historic Oscar gowns, celebrating Native heritage, go on display in D.C.
Sundance Film Festival
‘Endless Cookie’ animated documentary satisfies the appetite for the unseen, unknown
Wounded Knee
Johnson reintroduces bill to protect Wounded Knee Massacre site
Historic Injustice
Indian boarding school history won’t go away
Opinion
Opinion
Cultural Preservation
A look inside the Denver March Powwow
Opinion
Due Credit
Buffalo’s Fire’s news-sharing campaign: When republishing a story avoid the ‘copycat’ syndrome
Opinion
Ongoing Search
Renzo is a relative to us all
Opinion
Justice Now
Trump should grant Leonard Peltier a full pardon, toss home confinement
Opinion
Kristi Noem’s Homeland Security confirmation skirts tribal controversies in her home state
Opinion
Sovereignty Concerns
North Dakota’s Tribal-State legislative address raises concerns, questions
Stories you might have missed
Climate Change
Warming winters bring uncertainty to Indigenous maple traditions
Help us report
What is an elder? Tell us what it means to you
Investigative Support
MMIP advocates and lawmakers react to FBI’s latest ‘surge’
Team Growth
Meet Brian Bull: Veteran reporter joins the Buffalo’s Fire news team
Alert Debate
“Feather Alert” bill for MMIP cases debated in North Dakota Legislature
Tribal Energy
New bill could strengthen tribal energy independence
Education Advancement
Empowering Native futures: Native Forward celebrates 55 years of impact
Podcast
Pandleton image