North Dakota tribal leaders say greater sovereignty is key to protecting their communities amid uncertain federal support.
“We come from a proud people who have always stood up for our rights, for our lands, for our resources,” Steve Sitting Bear, chair of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, said during a presentation on June 3.
The comments came during the eighth annual Government to Government Conference in Bismarck. The event brings leaders of the five tribal nations that share geography with North Dakota and state officials together to discuss ways they can collaborate more effectively.
Jamie Azure, chair of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, called on leaders to do more than pay lip service to this idea, especially given the unpredictable future of federal programs under President Donald Trump’s administration.
“We ask that we get past the words — we ask that we have true partnerships moving forward because of the threats to our ways of life with potential cuts at the federal level,” he said.
The federal government is legally obligated to provide certain ongoing support to tribal nations.
The U.S. Department of the Interior, led by former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, has recommended cutting more than $1 billion in funding for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education for the 2027 budget year.
The proposal includes a more than $150 million reduction for tribal higher education. In a congressional budget hearing last month, Burgum questioned the cost-effectiveness of tribal colleges and universities compared to other institutions.
Azure in his Wednesday speech said tribal higher education institutions support Native students in ways that other schools can’t.
“It’s community — it’s not only a college,” he said.
Azure said he’s proud of how North Dakota tribes have navigated interruptions and cuts to federal support so far. For example, the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa set aside $1.5 million to support tribal citizens when the federal government shutdown temporarily suspended major safety net services, he said.
Mark Fox, chair of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, speaks during the eighth annual Government to Government conference in Bismarck on June 3, 2026. (Photo by Mary Steurer/North Dakota Monitor)
Azure said tribal, state and federal leaders must do more to promote public safety in tribal communities. He urged the state of North Dakota and tribes to improve the implementation of the Feather Alert, the alert for missing, endangered or abducted Indigenous adults created by the state Legislature in 2025.
Billy Kirkland, assistant secretary for Indian Affairs for the Trump administration, delivered the keynote address for the conference. Kirkland is a citizen of the Navajo Nation.
He said the Department of the Interior’s focus is cutting red tape that prevents tribal nations from exercising their independence.
“Indian Country isn’t a problem to be solved, but a partner to be empowered,” he said.
One priority of the Department of the Interior is working to eliminate the ongoing backlog of tribal probate cases, Kirkland said. The agency will soon establish a platform that allows people to submit and track their cases online, he said.
Another one of the Interior Department’s goals is making tribal land safer, Kirkland added. He noted that Burgum last month signed a secretary’s order establishing the Indian Country Violent Crime Task Force.
Mark Fox, chair of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, in his presentation said tribes should pursue policy changes that enable them to develop their own economies and infrastructure, and not count on the federal government for financial support.
“Never will the United States come in and put enough capital — in my estimation, somewhere around maybe a trillion dollars — into all the Indian reservations and build back what they destroyed,” Fox said. “Never, ever, ever, ever, ever are they going to do that. They’re basically going to hand feed you enough to survive.”
Sisseton-Wahpeton Chair J. Garret Renville in his presentation urged federal officials to consult with tribal leaders on policy decisions that affect their communities.
“I know this administration wants to make things more efficient, and so do we,” he said.
He applauded new federal rules implementing the Tribal General Welfare Exclusion Act, which supporters have celebrated as a win for tribal economic development. Renville said federal officials worked with him and other tribal leaders to develop the rules.
Burgum in 2018 started the first Government to Government Conference with former North Dakota Indian Affairs Commissioner Scott Davis.
This year’s conference wraps up June 4.
","featuredImage":"https://d2g6e42mls53l2.cloudfront.net/bf/20260604191030-img.jpg"},{"id":17603,"title":"Climb to the top possible with $500K MacArthur grant supporting IMFA-Buffalo’s Fire local news","link":"https://www.buffalosfire.com/growing-independent-native-media-infrastructure","date":"2026-05-27T17:55:44.642Z","excerpt":"‘Our team is strategizing in new ways’ with focus on individual, major donors and rural news expansion","content":"As the founder of the first nonprofit newsroom in North Dakota, I’ve had to figure out a lot during the last decade. And I am still learning. But neither the organization’s growth nor my accumulated personal experience at the helm of the Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance and Buffalo’s Fire would have occurred without philanthropic support.
I’m deeply appreciative of the foundation leaders who believe in our organization's mission and vision. I’m most recently awed by the steadfast commitment of the MacArthur Foundation, which awarded a $500,000 grant in April to support our work. MacArthur is an institution that supports new ideas, approaches and models to local news. That’s exactly what we need as we work to expand new growth of independent Native-led media.
MacArthur leaders listen to our stories of perseverance as we carve out a Native media space in an ever-changing journalism landscape. Silvia Rivera, MacArthur Foundation director of Local News, recently shared a summary following conversations with 75 diverse media outlets at two separate convenings. I attended one of those events at a LION Sustainability conference last September in Chicago.
“What emerged across both convenings was remarkably consistent: grantees are exhausted but visionary, under-resourced but ready to build, isolated yet eager to collaborate,” Rivera shared in an email to participants of those meetings. “The ideas are there. The appetite is there. What's missing is the infrastructure — relational, operational, and financia l— to make those ideas sustainable.”
That’s us, for sure, with ideas and the appetite, but definitely still working on infrastructure. At the same time, we have talented, hard-working staff who consistently do their best to not only deliver quality news about our Native communities, but also build the foundation for transparency and freedom of information in those same Native spaces.
Buffalo’s Fire was one of the first newsrooms in the U.S. to receive initial Press Forward seed funding, as announced in December 2023. MacArthur also gave us a shout-out in July 2024, “Supporting Rural Voices: New Grants for Local Newsrooms in Appalachia, Mississippi and North Dakota.”
We value those who understand the complexities of strengthening local news. As a nonprofit 501(c)(3) media organization, we have to constantly raise money. In January, we began charting a path for our first IMFA individual donor campaign in collaboration with the Solutions Journalism Network. We encourage everyone to show their support. Ann Alquist, former news director for Prairie Public Radio, is leading this effort for IMFA.
As part of the SJN cohort, we’re also publishing a series about the need for transparency and open records in reservation-based communities. Our first story, “Indian Country needs a media pillar for a just society,” helps explain the problem, insights and limitations to freedom of information when those laws do not exist.
In addition to finding new ways to financially support our idea to develop an information ecosystem that includes access to tribal records — for both local media and tribal citizens — we have been reporting news with a limited pipeline of experienced local reporters. (By the way, we have an open spot for a local reporter in Bismarck, North Dakota.) To help with fundraising, we’re also pleased to announce that Jennifer Martell has joined our team. She starts today. This marks our first experienced hire to focus on major and small donors.
As a 2026-2027 MacArthur grant recipient, our team is strategizing in new ways. Our team recently brainstormed on an expansion plan to educate our community about the power of free speech, the right to assemble and the power of the press.
The vision of the Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance is a world where independent Native media thrives. As we make the climb to building a local news infrastructure, we’re ever grateful to those who help lift us to the summit.
This is no small order, but at the Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance, we’re listening to our readers. We know what’s on their minds because they’ve filled out our surveys. We've listened to them over several years while setting up booths at local and national conferences and powwows. We’re confident in what we’ve learned, and we’re taking the next steps to expand news in rural Native communities.
We owe our growth and expansion to funders like the MacArthur Foundation, who understand our vision and our ability to act on it.
","featuredImage":"https://d2g6e42mls53l2.cloudfront.net/bf/20260527161750-img.jpeg"},{"id":17602,"title":"Supreme Court ruling robs Native Americans of ‘silent partner’ in legislative redistricting","link":"https://www.buffalosfire.com/supreme-court-ruling-native-redistricting-south-dakota","date":"2026-05-27T12:00:00.000Z","excerpt":"South Dakota won’t redraw its districts until 2031, but advocates are already worried","content":"A recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that gutted a key provision of a voting rights law won’t affect South Dakota’s legislative districts until 2031 — but Native American voting rights advocates aren’t waiting to worry.
The decision in Louisiana v. Callais dismantled guardrails protecting the electoral power of Black, Hispanic and other racial minority voters enshrined in the Voting Rights Act, a 1965 law barring racial discrimination in voting.
The 6-3 decision effectively nullified a provision called Section 2, which had required states to draw electoral maps giving racial minorities a fair chance to elect their preferred candidates.
Greg Lembrich, legal director for Four Directions, a South Dakota-based Native American voting rights advocacy organization, is concerned about the ruling.
“It’s a layer of protection that’s now been taken down by the U.S. Supreme Court and makes it that much easier to deprive minority voters of the full weight of their voting rights,” Lembrich said, “and a lot harder for voters with diluted voting rights to challenge those decisions in court.”
South Dakota has a strained relationship with the federal law. Some of the state’s redistricting changes in the last 50 years stem from requirements enforced at the federal level — and a majority of Native Americans who’ve earned seats in the Legislature have been elected from districts influenced by the law.
The Supreme Court ruling has already set off redistricting battles in some states that have multiple members of the U.S. House of Representatives. That won’t happen in South Dakota, where the state’s small population entitles it to only one member of the House.
But the Legislature is required by the state constitution to redraw its districts every 10 years after the census. When that happens next in 2031, advocates will lose the legal tools they used to create and defend Native-majority districts. Under the old Section 2 standard, a map could be challenged by showing it had a discriminatory effect — even without proving intent. Now, challengers must prove lawmakers deliberately discriminated.
“It’s very hard to prove intentional discrimination,” Lembrich said. “People who are doing something to intentionally discriminate usually don’t admit that’s what they’re doing.”
In South Dakota, Section 2 caused the creation of split districts — single districts divided into subdistricts, each electing one state House member, with both sharing one at-large state senator. Districts 26 and 28, which include the Rosebud, Lower Brule, Crow Creek, Cheyenne River and Standing Rock reservations, are split districts.
The structure gives Native American voters the power to elect a candidate of their choice without stripping non-Native voters of the same opportunity, Lembrich said. District 27, which includes the Pine Ridge Reservation, has a majority Native American voting population.
Former Republican lawmaker Jim Bolin, who represented the Canton area, served on the 2011 and 2021 redistricting committees — both of which produced district maps that avoided litigation. He said lawmakers on the committees in both years went “out of their way” to include Native American voters and “ensure the Native American population would be able to win an election.”
In 2011, the Legislature expanded District 26 to include the Crow Creek and Lower Brule reservations.
In 2021, the Legislature consolidated a large urban Native population in northern Rapid City into one district rather than splitting it, and a Democrat was elected from District 32 for the first time in 18 years. The Legislature also expanded District 26 to follow Crow Creek reservation lines rather than county lines, and the voting population for Native-heavy districts was kept lower to avoid diluting Native voters.
Lembrich isn’t sure legislative leaders will feel compelled to redraw those districts dramatically in 2031. Although many of the Native Americans who have been elected to the Legislature have been Democrats, Republicans currently hold 97 of the Legislature’s 105 positions.
“Republicans consistently have a super majority in both chambers,” Lembrich said. “They don’t need the extra seats. It may not be worth the PR and the lawsuits of trying to change it.”
Bolin expects lawmakers will consider eliminating split districts from a “consistency standpoint.” But the decision will depend on lawmakers elected in 2030.“You could have a totally different group of people in the Legislature with a completely different viewpoint on how this should be handled,” Bolin said.
OJ Semans, co-executive director of Four Directions and a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, plans to keep an eye on 2031 redistricting.
“We know that if there is equal access, the turnout in Indian Country is going to improve,” Semans said. “Every time we turn around, there’s a new barrier to figure out how we’ll get by this.”
The Voting Rights Act didn’t directly affect South Dakota until 1975, when Shannon (now Oglala Lakota) and Todd counties, home to the Pine Ridge and Rosebud reservations, became subject to Section 5 of the law.
Section 5 required the approval of the federal Department of Justice before any election or voting-related changes were made to jurisdictions that fell under its purview because of a history of voter discrimination. While that section still stands, the Supreme Court effectively nullified it in its 2013 decision in Shelby County v. Holder.
Bill Janklow, who was serving as the state’s attorney general, called the law a “facial absurdity” that was “plaguing” the state. Under federal pressure, South Dakota created its first majority-Native American legislative district in 1981. Native Americans made up about 86% of the district’s voting population.
The new district, which included Shannon and Todd counties, sent two Native American lawmakers to the House: Tom Shortbull and Dick Hagen, believed to be the first Native American lawmakers living on a reservation at the time of their election, according to The Associated Press. Paula Valandra was elected to the Senate from that district in 1990.
The Legislature created its first split district in 1991, District 28, “to protect minority voting rights,” state law says, for Native American and tribal members of the Cheyenne River and Standing Rock Sioux tribes.
The Legislature then tried to dismantle its own reform by eliminating the split district, but a federal court struck down that action. Native American lawyer and lawmaker Tom Van Norman was elected from District 28A in 2000.
The Legislature then packed Native American voters into District 27 in 2001 — making it one of the most populated districts in the state, with 90% of its voting-age population being Native American — while neighboring District 26’s voting-age population dropped to about 30% Native American.
By 2005, a federal court found the 2001 map violated Section 2 and Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. The federal district court drew its own map, affirmed by the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals in 2006. Those court-ordered districts — 26A and B, 27 and 28A and B — remain the structural foundation of Native American representation in the Legislature today.
Bolin said the Voting Rights Act was a “silent partner in the room” in 2011 and 2021 redistricting.
“There was a strong feeling on the part of the Legislature that they didn’t want to get sued again,” Bolin said.
One of South Dakota’s first Native American lawmakers was not a result of the Voting Rights Act.
John P. “Pat” Flynn, a Rosebud tribal member, was the first Native American elected to the state Senate, according to his son Sean Flynn, who is a history professor at Dakota Wesleyan University and wrote his father’s biography. The Republican was elected in 1970 to represent District 25, which included Gregory, Tripp and Todd counties.
Pat survived 82 combat missions and was a prisoner in the Korean War before returning to Gregory County, where he became “a bit of a legend,” Sean said, respected by Native and non-Native residents alike.
“For him to run for office and really represent an unrepresented population at that time, that hadn’t had a voice in District 25, was important to him,” Sean said.
Sean said districts with majority-Native voting populations allow Native candidates a platform beyond being seen as a “one trick pony” concerned only with tribal issues.
“Someday, there is going to be an American Indian governor of South Dakota, and that person just might get their opportunity because of legislative districts formed under the Voting Rights Act,” Sean said. “They’ll not just represent American Indians, but they’re here to represent the broader public.”
Former lawmaker Ron Volesky is a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe who ran for governor in the 2002 Democratic primary. First elected as a Republican in 1981 to represent the Huron-area District 21, he served alongside lawmakers elected in districts influenced by the Voting Rights Act and said those relationships helped him “be a better legislator.”
Volesky was born on the Standing Rock Reservation, but was adopted as a child and grew up in Huron.
“It was very important for me to understand people who come from those types of environments, how they view certain issues, what their values and cultural norms are,” Volesky said. “I think that was not only important for me, but very important for the non-Native legislators.”
The Voting Rights Act’s impact extends beyond Native lawmakers, Lembrich said. It also helped elect non-Native lawmakers who drew wide support from Native voters, such as Democrats Larry Lucas of Mission, within the Rosebud Reservation, and Oren Lesmeister of Parade, within the Cheyenne River Reservation.
The Voting Rights Act has helped “foster a culture of political leadership” in tribal and rural areas, Volesky added, citing examples of Native American lawmakers elected from reservations.
“It had a profound effect on the Native political movement and growth in South Dakota,” Volesky said. “Without that, you may have had a Pat Flynn, you may have had a Ron Volesky, but you would not have had a Shortbull or Hagen or Van Norman or Valandra. You just wouldn’t.”
","featuredImage":"https://d2g6e42mls53l2.cloudfront.net/bf/20260526180929-image.jpg"},{"id":17601,"title":"How to log in to Buffalo's Fire and use the Memorial Wall","link":"https://www.buffalosfire.com/how-to-use-the-memorial-wall","date":"2026-05-24T17:46:40.033Z","excerpt":"Because the consequences of restricted press freedom affect our communities every day, our trauma-informed reporting is rooted in a deep, firsthand expertise. Every gift helps keep the fire burning.","content":"Buffalo’s Fire readers can sign in to manage their account, update reading preferences and, for eligible donors, create a Memorial Wall postcard honoring a loved one.
Go to www.buffalosfire.com and click the person icon in the top right corner of the site. Enter your email address. If you donated to Buffalo’s Fire, use the same email address you used for your donation.
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Once you are signed in, you will see your user area. From there, you can manage your reading preferences. Donors who have access to the Memorial Wall will also see a Memorial Wall option.
To create a Memorial Wall postcard, open Memorial Wall in your user area. Add the name of the person you want to honor. You can choose opening words, such as “Celebrating the life of” or “In loving memory of.” You can also add a date of birth, date they passed and the date you would like featured on the postcard.
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When the postcard looks right, save it as a draft or submit it for review. Please note that our team will need to publish your postcard after submission before it appears on the public Memorial Wall.
To see published postcards, go to www.buffalosfire.com/memorial-wall. Newer postcards appear near the center of the wall. You can move around the wall to view other postcards.
Each postcard has sharing tools in the lower right corner. Use the copy link button to copy a direct link to that postcard. Use the share button to open social sharing options. The direct link will bring people back to that specific postcard on the Memorial Wall.
","featuredImage":"https://d2g6e42mls53l2.cloudfront.net/bf/20260524173659-memorial-wall.png"},{"id":17600,"title":"MHA Nation charts path to self-sufficiency by leveraging natural gas, data centers","link":"https://www.buffalosfire.com/mha-nation-natural-gas-data-centers-self-sufficiency","date":"2026-05-22T13:42:25.749Z","excerpt":"Tribal leaders say natural gas, data centers and expanded infrastructure could help reduce long-term dependence on federal funding","content":"
The Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation is charting its energy future to focus on natural gas and data centers, with a long-term goal of eliminating dependence on the federal government.
The Fort Berthold Reservation, home to the MHA Nation, is a prolific oil-producing region, accounting for about 13% of North Dakota’s oil production, according to the latest figures.
But Mark Fox, chair of the MHA Nation, said that oil production won’t last forever.
“Gas has a longer lifetime than crude will have,” Fox said during remarks at this week’s Williston Basin Petroleum Conference in Bismarck. “We’re beginning to switch our focus to the usage of gas. I know many of you are doing the same, but nationally I think that’s where everything’s going.”
He said the tribe will focus its energy development on three major projects moving forward: Data centers, natural gas processing and crude oil storage.
While small communities across North Dakota are wrestling with the costs and benefits of data centers, Fox emphasized the need to attract that development to the tribal nation. He said Fort Berthold has excess power, water access, control over its own regulations and natural cooling that make it an ideal location for the facilities.
“These are the attributes that we have that make us a prime area for development,” Fox said.
While some natural gas may be used by the hyperscale data center campus Fox is seeking, the chairman said the MHA Nation also aspires to export liquefied natural gas, or LNG, all over the world. In addition, the tribal nation also seeks to export crops grown on tribal land, including within its new greenhouse that opened in December.
“We’re going to go back to our roots of growing food, not just for ourselves, but as an ability to share that with the world, to export food as well,” Fox said. “While we’re shipping LNGs to foreign markets that are demanding to get our LNG, you’re going to see cucumbers, alright, you’re going to see strawberries, you’re going to see lettuce, all these things that are going to go overseas.”
The potential for natural gas is also important for Rainbow Energy Center, which owns and operates Coal Creek Station and is working to attract data centers for an adjacent industrial park. CEO Stacy Tschider said during the conference that natural gas is going to increase in value as a way to power data centers, rather than being viewed as a nuisance that comes to the surface alongside crude oil.
“We need to start running towards this,” Tschider said. “What we’ve seen in the transition back in the ’70s and ’80s, when we transitioned to going to coal, we’re seeing that same opportunity in data centers.”
Though natural gas is increasing in value, Gov. Kelly Armstrong hammered home the importance of pursuing enhanced oil recovery to increase the amount of crude oil that can be extracted from the Bakken and other formations under North Dakota.
“We’ve only tapped 15% of the Bakken and Three Forks. The other 85% is still trapped in the rock,” Armstrong said. “We need this to succeed, not only for our state’s prosperity and to keep energy affordable, but also for our national security.”
Even as MHA Nation focuses on new areas, the tribal nation isn’t giving up on crude oil, the source of most of the tax revenue collected from the oil and gas industry. Fox proclaimed a goal of expanding crude oil storage on Fort Berthold Reservation, like the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, to help better withstand volatile price swings.
“We have the oil under our feet. Why should all the strategic petroleum reserves be down along the Gulf Coast? We should be participating in that,” Fox said.
The chairman said the revenue that has come from energy, and oil in particular, has allowed MHA to transform its economy from one that had been focused on agriculture, government services and gambling. Today the nation has rebuilt its infrastructure, constructed new schools and community centers, expanded community playgrounds, daycare and housing, and is working to open a second casino, Fox said.
But Fox’s long-term goal is more grand. He wants to end the MHA Nation’s dependence on the federal government, which can be traced back two centuries to when the United States began expanding west of the Mississippi River. Fox said the U.S. reduced the tribe’s land holdings and put tribal citizens into small plots of land that could not be used economically.
“They violated treaties. They took the land,” Fox said.
He said every tribal nation struggles with that dependence. But he hopes the MHA Nation, with 18,000 enrolled members, will be able to leverage energy and its natural resources to change that.
“Dependency is what keeps us down, and what we’re going to do is we’re going to go ahead and get up on our feet,” Fox said. “We’re going to build into the future what we need to thrive.”
North Dakota Monitor reporter Jacob Orledge can be reached at jorledge@northdakotamonitor.com.
","featuredImage":"https://d2g6e42mls53l2.cloudfront.net/bf/20260522134110-img-2765edit.jpg"},{"id":17599,"title":"US Supreme Court sends North Dakota tribal redistricting case back for review","link":"https://www.buffalosfire.com/supreme-court-north-dakota-tribal-redistricting-case-review","date":"2026-05-21T12:04:41.085Z","excerpt":"High court orders appeals court to reconsider tribal voting rights lawsuit after recent ruling changed standards for racial gerrymandering cases","content":"
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ordered an appeals court to reconsider a North Dakota tribal redistricting case under new legal standards set in the high court’s recent Voting Rights Act ruling.
The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, Spirit Lake Nation and three tribal citizens filed the lawsuit against the North Dakota Legislature in 2022, arguing that its new legislative map shifted district lines in a way that diluted tribal representation. The tribes filed the case under Section 2 of the federal Voting Rights Act, which outlaws racially discriminatory voting practices.
North Dakota U.S. District Court Judge Peter Welte in 2023 sided with the tribes and soon after ordered that a different map be put in place.
The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals last year came to a much different conclusion. It found that the tribes didn’t have the right to bring the lawsuit because compliance with Section 2 may only be enforced by the U.S. Department of Justice. The 8th Circuit is the only federal appeals court to make this finding.
The tribes in September officially asked the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on the 8th Circuit’s decision and answer whether private citizens can bring Section 2 cases.
The Supreme Court on Monday decided 8-1 to void the appeals court’s ruling, ordering the 8th Circuit to review the lawsuit again in light of its April decision in a separate racial gerrymandering case, Louisiana v. Callais.
The court did not issue an opinion explaining the reasoning behind its decision in the North Dakota case.
North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley said the district map ordered by Welte will remain in place for this fall’s election.
Attorneys for the tribes applauded the court’s decision to vacate the 8th Circuit’s ruling.
“The Supreme Court was correct to vacate the Eighth Circuit’s decision, which wrongly prevented Native voters and Tribal Nations from vindicating their rights under the Voting Rights Act,” Lenny Powell, a staff attorney for the Native American Rights Fund, said in a statement.
Mark Gaber, senior director for redistricting at the Campaign Legal Center, said he believes the decision affirms private citizens’ ability to bring suits under Section 2.
“Today, the Supreme Court agreed that courts cannot slam the courthouse doors on plaintiffs seeking equal representation,” Gaber said in a statement.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the lone dissenting justice in Monday’s decision. In a note included with the decision, Jackson wrote she sees “no basis for vacating” the 8th Circuit’s ruling. Jackson said the high court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais did not touch on the question central to the Turtle Mountain case — whether private citizens can file suit under Section 2 — so there are no new legal standards that would change how the 8th Circuit analyzes it.
Jackson wrote that she would instead reverse the 8th Circuit’s ruling.
Welte’s map remained in placewhile the tribe’s request was pending before the high court.
The North Dakota Secretary of State’s Office also must finalize maps by the December before an election year, according to legal documents the state filed in the lawsuit.
Attorneys for the state have previously said they agree with the 8th Circuit’s decision dismissing the tribes’ case, and have maintained that the Legislature’s 2021 map is not discriminatory.
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais makes it much harder to challenge district maps for alleged racial discrimination.
Previously, courts had interpreted Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act to forbid states from adopting any maps that reduce minority groups’ voting power, whether deliberate or accidental. The Supreme Court in Louisiana v. Callais found that in order to be found in violation of Section 2, there must be sufficient evidence that a state chose the map with the intent to discriminate based on race.
The Native American Rights Fund, Campaign Legal Center and other groups condemned the previous decision as a blow to voting rights.
North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley told the North Dakota Monitor previously that he supports the ruling, saying it “strengthens North Dakota’s position that the Constitution is colorblind.”
","featuredImage":"https://d2g6e42mls53l2.cloudfront.net/bf/20260521120049-redistricting.jpg"},{"id":17598,"title":"For Ethan One Feather, safety and security at 150th commemoration of Little Bighorn battle is top priority","link":"https://www.buffalosfire.com/lbh-security-little-bighorn-150","date":"2026-05-20T16:43:44.896Z","excerpt":"Thousands of people, many on horses, expected to attend major historical and cultural event","content":"When one looks out across the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument near Crow Agency, Montana, one can only imagine the ferocity of the 1876 clash between Native warriors and Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer’s 7th Cavalry soldiers. You can easily envision bullets and arrows whizzing by, and horses neighing in terror and kicking up dust as fighters wrestled each other in the hot grassy brush, struggling to get the upper hand.
Today, the battlefield serves as a place of quiet remembrance for those who fought and died. But when the battle’s 150th anniversary draws thousands of people to the site between June 25 and 27 for commemorative activities, Ethan One Feather said he and his security team will be ready for anything..
“We could have runaway horses,” he told Buffalo’s Fire. “Mass overcrowding. There's a term we use called bottlenecking, where a lot of people are funneling through a small point, a gate or something like that.”
One Feather’s full-time job is captain of adult corrections for the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, a position of great responsibility that he gained by rising through the ranks over six years. He said it’s the kind of work that has helped him prepare for his role as head of security at the Little Bighorn event. “You have unruly, combative inmates occasionally, you have to de-escalate, you have to talk them down,” he said. “There's large gang fights, stuff like that. So I've worked with a lot of that type of stress, just being under pressure a lot.”
One Feather said he’ll be meeting with Crow Agency officials to coordinate law enforcement actions in case any are necessary during the event. And he’ll also reach out to correctional facilities in Cheyenne River, Eagle Butte, Pine Ridge and Standing Rock to see if they’ll offer some staff to help provide security.
“Right now, we're shooting to have around 20 to 30 staff per shift,” One Feather said. He’d like to have 24-hour security during the entire event.
Of special interest to him will be recruiting veterans to help. One Feather said he is working with his own tribe, the Rosebud Sioux, and the Oglala Sioux Tribe, to bring in as many vets as possible, “because they have a lot of experience, they have a lot of training, and a lot of organizational skills that I can really utilize in this operation.”
One Feather said besides arranging arrest authority with Crow Agency, he’s also going to make sure his security team is adept at using tasers and handcuffs and ready to perform CPR in a medical emergency.
As Montana is an open carry state, One Feather is looking into that privilege for the veterans as well. But guns will be prohibited from the planned tipi encampment, as well as drugs and alcohol, One Feather said.
“What I'm thinking we're going to be dealing with is the occasional intoxicated person or anyone that's carrying a weapon or trying to bring a weapon into the encampment area or around it,” he said, explaining that these are the kinds of incidents that security deals with at the annual Rosebud Fair. “And our remedies for that were strictly [to] remove the weapon if safe. If not, then we'll have to call the local PD and have them assist us in removing this individual or possibly taking them to our jail or facility. It’s the last thing we want to do.”
One Feather had never been to the Little Bighorn site until this year, when he went out to scout the area. “I kind of learned about it growing up from my grandmother and people talking about it,” he said. “I didn't really take an interest to it too much, but as I got older, I wanted to know more about my heritage and where I came from and our history.”
One Feather invites people who are able and willing to help keep visitors safe during the three-day event to reach out to him. He’s seeking 10 security volunteers from tribal programs and plans to provide training in security procedures, crowd control, First Aid and CPR.
One Feather said he’s excited to get out into the crowd and interact with fellow Natives: “Try to help show them that law enforcement and corrections aren't always the bad guys.”
Additional safety and security will be handled by National Park Service staff.
Spokesperson Naaman Horn told Buffalo’s Fire in an email that the park service will keep off-site parking areas and the shuttle system to and from the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument operating efficiently, as no private vehicles are allowed.
“We are also preparing for summer heat, possible medical needs and maintaining access for emergency responders,” wrote Horn. “Protecting the site’s cultural and natural resources is also a priority so the event remains respectful and meaningful for everyone.”
Horn added that all visitors should plan ahead and expect large crowds: “Bringing water is encouraged, and refill stations will be available throughout the park.”
There will be no food service on-site, so visitors should also bring their own food. Horn also said following directions from National Park staff and law enforcement will keep lines and movement efficient. “Most of all, we encourage visitors to recognize the significance of the site and approach the event with respect for the history and the communities connected to it.”
","featuredImage":"https://d2g6e42mls53l2.cloudfront.net/bf/20260520163030-lbbnm-facebook.jpg"},{"id":17597,"title":"Cutting tribal college funding a threat to learning culture, self-determination, graduates say","link":"https://www.buffalosfire.com/sitting-bull-college-graduates-oppose-proposed-cuts","date":"2026-05-18T15:39:02.591Z","excerpt":"At graduation on the Standing Rock Reservation, students said tribal colleges protect culture, close support","content":"
New graduates of Sitting Bull College said proposed funding cuts to tribal colleges could mean losing schools where tribal citizens are best able to thrive.
At the college, Lakota traditions are part of everyday life, said Deanna Milda, who on Thursday graduated with a bachelor’s degree in social work.
Students participate in smudging ceremonies, learn traditional songs and take classes where the Lakota language is integrated into the curriculum, she said.
“We’re able to normalize our culture again and not feel othered,” said Milda, one of roughly 80 Sitting Bull College students to walk the stage. Many students wore beaded graduation caps.
Milda, who spent most of her childhood living on the Standing Rock Reservation, said attending the college allowed her to stay connected with her family and her community.
Schools like Sitting Bull College depend on federal subsidies for a large part of their budgets. The U.S. government provides this funding as part of its treaty obligations to support tribal nations.
The federal government is considering slashing this support, however.
The Department of Interior has proposed cutting more than $150 million in funding for tribal higher education for the 2027 budget year.
It’s the second year in a row that the federal government has proposed downsizing its support for tribal colleges and universities.
Dallas Goldtooth, a writer, actor and activist, delivered the ceremony’s commencement address.
Sitting Bull College isn’t just a school, said Goldtooth, who is of Mdewakanton Dakota and Dine heritage. “It is an act of sovereignty.”
Sitting Bull College was founded in 1973 by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s council. Leaders wanted tribal citizens to have the opportunity to pursue college degrees in the community.
The establishment of Sitting Bull College and other tribal colleges was an important step in tribes’ ongoing pursuit of self-determination, Goldtooth said.
“Sitting Bull College was not supposed to exist — but it exists because this tribal nation decided to invest in it,” he said.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, North Dakota’s former governor, was questioned this week by a congressional committee about the proposed cuts to tribal colleges and universities.
Burgum called the amount the federal government is spending per student at some tribal colleges “way out of whack.”
“I’m not sure we’re giving a high-quality experience,” he added.
Burgum said other schools are providing good educations to a large number of Native students without the same kind of subsidies from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. He pointed to Arizona State University, which as of 2025 had more than 3,000 Native students, as one example.
During Sitting Bull College’s ceremony, student speaker Jalyssa McLaughlin said small tribal colleges offer support that larger schools can’t. She graduated with an associate degree in business administration.
At Sitting Bull College, classes are small, so instructors are able to form closer relationships with students, she said. McLaughlin said teachers there notice when students are struggling and need extra help.
“If I was to go to another college, I wouldn’t have gotten that,” she said.
","featuredImage":"https://d2g6e42mls53l2.cloudfront.net/bf/20260518153313-img.jpg"},{"id":17596,"title":"Buffalo’s Fire Seeks General Assignment Reporter in Bismarck","link":"https://www.buffalosfire.com/buffalos-fire-seeks-reporter-in-bismarck","date":"2026-05-15T20:47:56.000Z","excerpt":"We are expanding our team and looking for a dedicated journalist to cover vital issues across tribal communities in the Northern Plains","content":"Buffalo’s Fire is calling on passionate journalists to join its mission. As a Native-led nonprofit news outlet dedicated to covering issues crucial to Native communities in the Northern Plains, we announced an opening for a full-time General Assignment Reporter based in Bismarck, North Dakota.
Duties include:
Experience and qualifications:
Deadline to apply: May 30, 2026
Starting Salary: Negotiable depending on experience, median salary $52,100
How to apply: Send cover letter, resume, and three of your best stories to Tori Marlan, managing editor, tori@imfreedomalliance.org.
","featuredImage":"https://d2g6e42mls53l2.cloudfront.net/bf/20260515204947-xjjc5rxjjc5rxjjc.png"},{"id":17594,"title":"Historic Little Bighorn gathering aims to inspire Native youth, wake the spirit","link":"https://www.buffalosfire.com/greasy-grass-150-planning-gathering","date":"2026-05-13T13:51:09.552Z","excerpt":"New ideas still being accepted ","content":"Clayton and Penny Waditaka recently drove across nearly 1,000 miles of prairie lands from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, in Canada to Riverton, Wyoming, to join Native allies planning for the upcoming 150th anniversary of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as Greasy Grass.
On May 8, organizers called Clayton Waditaka to the front of the conference room at the Wind River Casino & Hotel to honor him as a relative and acknowledge the long trip his family made to participate in planning the Greasy Grass victory activities landing in about six weeks. For nearly a week, from June 22-27, the allied tribes of the Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho will camp in southeastern Montana for a celebration symbolizing the unity and perseverance of the tribes in the 21st century.
“Wopila, and welcome to the circle,” Oglala Sioux Tribe President Frank Star Comes Out told Waditaka. The Oglala president has taken an active role with others to ensure the allied tribes have properly planned their roles when they gather to camp on several land areas designated for participants.
One of the main tipi campsites will be on Real Bird family land, which lies adjacent to the Greasy Grass battlefield site. The largest camping area will be located south of the battlefield on about 200 acres held by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.
The historic resistance of 150 years ago was led by the Hunkpapa Lakota leader Sitting Bull, who is the subject of a recent documentary by the same name. Sicangu actor Michael Spears, who plays the famous Hunkpapa leader, told the Riverton planners and organizers that the film relied on Lakota oral tradition and the participation of Native historians and Hunkpapa elders, resulting in Native narrative control of the documentary.
Spears said events like the upcoming anniversary allow everyone to understand the purpose of the battle, “where they're fighting for the men and the women, the kids to live, to not be colonized, to still be Lakota, to still have an identity.”
Leading up to the battle, the village of the Teton Sioux and their allies was attacked by the 7th Cavalry led by Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer. For more than a century, allied tribes have kept the story of their rout of the U.S. military. In commemoration of that day, tens of thousands of Natives are expected to camp and celebrate near the battlefield in Crow Agency, Montana.
Star Comes Out told the Riverton audience that plans for the event are not set in stone and that the organizers were still accepting ideas. At present, there are two stages for speakers: one at the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Park Service sitet and one on Real Bird land, where the Crow family hosts an annual reenactment. Three battle reenactments are scheduled for June 26-28.
Meanwhile, during the May 7-8 meeting hosted by the Northern Arapaho of the Wind River Indian Reservation, organizers hammered out dozens of details related to the upcoming anniversary, including logistics on camping sites, parking, security, speaker agenda, waste management, communication operations, youth activities and about seven long-distance horse rides leading to Montana.
More volunteers are needed for food preparation. So far, no one has signed up for the food-meal committee. It is expected there will be at least two main cook camps while each band also plans to cook for their respective camps.
Organizers plan to have at least two more in-person planning meetings between now and June, likely at Standing Rock and in Billings, Montana. In addition, Zoom calls are expected to take place every Friday until events start in June.
“It’s really beautiful we’re all coming together,” said Christopher Eagle Bear, a Little Big Horn event organizer from the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in South Dakota. “It’s a catalyst for a movement.” He sees the moment as more than people coming together; he sees the door opening to “wake up the spirit” of Native people.
Spears said,“It's always a privilege to come to events like this where changemakers come. And that's what's happening. Across Indian Country there's always plenty of work to be done and a lot of creative ideas and solutions that are yet to be discovered.”
While most of the Little Bighorn organizers are located in South Dakota, which the majority of the Oceti Sakowin population calls home with nine Indian reservations, other allies exist in Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Oklahoma and seven Dakota reserves in Canada.
“I give you a thank you from the bottom of my heart, me and my wife,” Clayton Waditaka told all who honored him with a song and blanket. He said he was grateful and humbled at the invitation to join planning sessions. He expects to attend the final planning meetings before arriving with fellow Dakota relatives from Canada to the Little Bighorn battle site.
","featuredImage":"https://d2g6e42mls53l2.cloudfront.net/bf/20260513145047-clayton-waditaka.jpeg"}]