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Transit access
Largest tribal transit station in Minnesota under construction on White Earth Reservation
Tribal leaders break ground on long-awaited transit facility aimed at safer, more connected communities
Jodi Rave Spotted Bear
Disease Preparedness
Tribes prepare for measles outbreaks as confirmed cases in US surpass 1,000
Indian Country no stranger to diseases
Brian Bull
Cultural Innovation
Inside the 13 Moons curriculum: How the Swinomish Tribe keeps traditions alive while teaching STEAM and helping to reduce chemical exposures
Other tribes can adapt the curriculum to their own communities
Wendee Nicole
Missing and Murdered
Renzo Bullhead’s family hang on to hope and prayer as search continues
Nearly 11 weeks in, Bullhead’s disappearance remains a mystery
Brian Bull
Federal Accountability
Native nations sue U.S. over use of tribal funds for boarding schools
Buffalo’s Fire
Final Gathering
Bismarck Public Schools’ Indigenous Parent Advisory Committee holds final meeting of school year
Alix Dobler
Seeking Justice
Xia Brave Bull’s siblings recall generous, adventurous, ‘crazy’ person
Brian Bull
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.
Sovereignty, Community, Press Freedom.
Get the Buffalo's Fire Newsletter.
The Daily Spark
Quick stories, must reads
Cultural Preservation
Jun 4
Rice students preserve Indigenous stories through oral history archive
Indian Boarding Schools
Jun 4
Funding cuts stall boarding school digitization project
Tribal Governance
Jun 4
American Indian Caucus celebrates legislative victories in Montana
Tribal Governance
Jun 3
Six tribal programs advance in Honoring Nations 2025 awards process
Tribal Education
Jun 3
Education Department says Native history not considered DEI
Education
Jun 3
Job Corps students told to leave campus by Wednesday
Higher education
Jun 3
Indigenous students protest changes to Native affairs program at University of Arizona
Bismarck-Mandan
Crisis Response
North Dakota Legislature passes law aimed at tackling MMIP crisis
Alix Dobler
Rural Uncertainty
USDA upheaval brings uncertainty to farmers, rural communities
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
Northern Plains
Vaccine Decline
State reports first measles case amidst declining vaccination rates
Michael Standaert
North Dakota News Cooperative
Funding Fallout
Sudden cut of ‘politicized’ FEMA grants leaves North Dakota communities in the lurch
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
Native Issues
Explainer
American Indian vs Native American: Which term is right and when?
Teresa Trumbly Lamsam, Ph.D.
Missing and murdered
Xia Brave Bull, missing since March, found dead
Health Crisis
Native health officials testify that HHS cuts have caused ‘significant harm’ to programs serving tribal communities
Opinion
Community Uprising
Cheyenne River Sioux families walk to draw attention to allegations of mistreatment at the jail
Generational Healing
East Coast boarding school survivors invited to share their experiences
Voices Raised
Native university students share poetry, songs to honor MMIP victims and survivors
Explainer
Why we use ‘Murdered and Missing Indigenous Peoples’ at Buffalo’s Fire
Native Nations
Activism continues
Leonard Peltier remains defiant in AP interview, maintaining innocence and vowing continued activism
Graham Lee Brewer
Associated Press
Leonard Peltier: ‘Today I am finally free’
Proud, cheerful and emotional, Leonard Peltier thanks supporters for welcome home
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
Fresh Start
Sundance Film Festival to relocate to Boulder in 2027
Buffalo’s Fire
Heritage
The journey of dentalium: Tracing ancient trade routes along the Upper Missouri
Heritage
Dentalium journey with artist Tipiziwin Tolman: from necessity to cultural icon
Heritage
Revitalizing ancestral art forms: Holly Young draws inspiration from family and community
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.
Opinion
Opinion
MMIP
Why Buffalo’s Fire was red for one day
Buffalo’s Fire
Opinion
Heritage
Harvesting Connection: Dentalium and the two ‘Indian’ worlds
Opinion
Elders first
When is being ‘elder’ more than just being ‘older’?
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
Stories you might have missed
Team Expansion
Buffalo’s Fire adds two Report for America journalists to cover tribal issues
Reporting Excellence
Brian Bull wins prestigious Edward R. Murrow journalism awards
Honoring Lives
MMIP organization holds first annual gathering for victims’ families, advocates
Funding Cuts
Humanities North Dakota gets a lifeline, but at a fraction of its former funding
Heritage
From status symbols to marketplace staples: The resurgence of dentalium shells
Explainer
Dentalium: History and significance in Native American culture
Cultural revival
Yuhaaviatam reclaims its ancestral name
Podcast