June 27, 2025
ANCHORAGE — On Feb. 12, 2023, Chante Tran (Yup’ik) awoke in the middle of the night to an unmistakable sensation. She rolled out of bed and grabbed a cloth to stem the flow of amniotic fluid between her legs — her water had broken. It was time to meet her baby.
Currents
U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), vice chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee, Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), ranking member on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), ranking member of the Finance Committee, released the following statement on Republicans’ proposed budget reconciliation bill that harms Tribal communities:
From Our Partners
(Hales Corners, WI) — Turning a passion into a successful business is no small feat, but for Matthew Schofield, an enrolled member of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, the shift from social services to masonry was a natural evolution fueled by his love for the craft. Today, his company, Allen Remodeling, stands as a testament to resilience, adaptability and the power of mentorship.
Calling all former Brainerd Indian School Students! We would love to add your story to our archives.
The Nature Conservancy is seeking former students of the Brainerd Indian Training School, located in Hot Springs, SD. The site of the former school now sits within the boundaries of the Whitney Preserve, currently owned by The Nature Conservancy. The school was operational from 1946-1989. We are asking former students, teachers, and staff to share their stories. There is not a lot of public information about the school or its history, since it was privately run, and not a governmental school. Of special urgency are students who attended the school prior to 1970. Time is of the essence as these former students age. If you are formally interviewed for the research, you will be compensated for your time. You may remain anonymous if desired.
Opinion
Guest Opinion. Twenty-three years ago, Congress confronted a hard truth: Indian Country faced systemic financial exclusion — and Native-led solutions were the key to change. At a Senate hearing prompted by The Native American Lending Study , witnesses like Elsie Meeks of First Nations Oweesta Corporation and Roger Boyd of the U.S. Treasury’s CDFI Fund called for a new federal commitment to Native-controlled lenders.
Guest Opinion. The U.S. Senate has added an attack on Tribal Sovereignty to it’s Big Ugly Budget.
Sovereignty
Muscogee Nation Principal Chief David Hill and Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols have announced a settlement agreement between the City of Tulsa and the Muscogee Nation, ending ongoing litigation in favor of forward-looking cooperation.
On June 17, the Native Nations Center for Tribal Policy Research—partnering with Tana Fitzpatrick, associate vice president for tribal relations at the University of Oklahoma, and the OU Center for Faculty Excellence—hosted the latest session in its Ethical Tribal Engagement Series at the OU Health Sciences Center. The event drew nearly 70 in-person participants and more than 120 virtual attendees.
Education
Native Forward Scholars Fund , the nation’s largest direct provider of scholarships to Native students, has announced the recipients of its prestigious Student of the Year Award at the 2025 Empowering Scholars Summit.
On Tuesday, June 17, Speaker Crystalyne Curley and Council Delegate Dr. Andy Nez met with representatives from the Department of Diné Education (DODE), Diné Bi Oltá School Board Association (DBOSBA), and the BIA Navajo Region to develop a unified response to the Bureau of Indian Education’s recent “Dear Tribal Leader” letter.
Arts & Entertainment
SULPHUR, Okla. – Downtown Sulphur was once again a flurry of activity June 7 as the vibrant sights and sounds of the annual Artesian Arts Festival attracted thousands of art patrons and families.
A new illustrated children’s biography is bringing national attention to the story of Jordan Marie Brings Three White Horses Whetstone, a professional runner and passionate advocate for Indigenous rights.
Health
Environment
Charles F. “Chuck” Sams III, the former director of the National Park Service, has been named by the University of Oregon School of Law as the first Oregon Tribes Scholar-in-Residence and Senior Fellow with the Native Environmental Sovereignty Project. The position is part of Oregon Law’s top-ranked Environmental and Natural Resources Law (ENR) Center. A native of Pendleton, Oregon, Sams is Cayuse and Walla Walla and is an enrolled tribal citizen of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. He brings more than 30 years of leadership in natural resource management, conservation, and sustainable stewardship. Currently, he serves on the Pacific Northwest Power and Conservation Council as Governor Tina Kotek’s appointee and Co-Chairs the Oregon Environmental Restoration Fund. Sams made history under the Biden Administration as the first Indigenous Director of the National Park Service. In that role, he advanced agency-wide priorities focused on climate resilience, Tribal sovereignty, and the future of public lands nationwide. “We are tremendously honored to have Chuck Sams join our community and advance our school’s commitment to the Oregon Tribes,” said Dean Jennifer Reynolds, who collaborated with the ENR Center and campus partners to bring Sams to Oregon Law. In his new role, Sams will contribute across multiple areas: sharing expertise in and out of the classroom, mentoring students, guiding research on Tribal co-management of lands and resources, and building stronger partnerships with Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities throughout the Pacific Northwest. “I am thrilled to have such a visionary thinker with national stature contributing to our innovative research,” said Mary C. Wood, Philip H. Knight Professor of Law and Faculty Director of the ENR Center. One of Sams’ first engagements at Oregon Law will be co-presenting in the widely attended Oregon Law Perspectives webinar series. Alongside Professor of Practice Howard Arnett, he will lead a session titled “Treaties, Trust, and Tomorrow: Navigating the Legal Landscape of Native Lands” on August 8, 2025. One of Sams' first endeavors is participating in the popular Oregon Law Perspectives webinar series, where, with Professor of Practice Howard Arnett , he will co-present "Treaties, Trust, and Tomorrow: Navigating the Legal Landscape of Native Lands" on August 8, 2025. Learn more about Oregon Law Perspectives .
The Department of the Interior today announced a new step toward strengthening U.S. energy independence by proposing expanded access to Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve. A draft analysis released for public comment recommends adopting a new alternative from the 2020 management plan that would reopen up to 82% of the 23-million-acre reserve to oil and gas leasing and development—advancing the Trump administration’s goals of energy dominance and regulatory reform.