Native News

The Native News Project is a new initiative from MPR News.

Stay informed with the latest news about local and national Native American communities, highlighting stories and issues important to Native American communities in Minnesota and beyond.

Our coverage includes cultural events, policy updates, community stories and more to provide a platform for Native voices, perspectives and important news.

This is one of the oldest games in North America. You’ve likely never heard of it
Indigenous peoples have been playing stickball for centuries. It’s perhaps the oldest game in North America, and every summer since 1975, teams have competed in Mississippi to become champion. 
Project seeks to compensate tribal nations for national park lands
The South Dakota based Lakota People’s Law Project has established a project to solicit donations and educate people about the importance of the lands that are now national parks to Indigenous people.
Personal histories, items can be claimed by adult adoptees from Minnesota’s DHS files
Native American adoptees and advocates are asking the Department of Human Services to do more to help all adoptees claim items left in the care of adoption placing agencies by birth parents.
Leech Lake band celebrates the transfer of 11,000 acres that represent what was illegally taken
Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe leaders this week celebrated the restoration of more than 11 thousand acres that represent land illegally taken by the federal government decades ago.  
States challenge EPA rule to protect tribal treaty rights
A recently finalized federal rule would require states to consider tribal treaty rights when setting state water quality standards. A dozen states are suing to overturn the rule, claiming Environmental Protection Agency over reach.
Quality coffee, Ojibwe language and a little magic are brewing on Fond du Lac Band’s reservation
On the Fond du Lac Band’s reservation, one family is energizing the community through quality coffee. MiigWitches Brew is the only coffee shop on the reservation and one of a few Native-owned shops in the state.
‘Stars Wars’ in Ojibwe set to premiere in Canada
The all-Ojibwe version of “Star Wars: A New Hope” (Anangong Miigaading) is set to blast off Aug. 8 with a premiere in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It features a host of Ojibwe-speaking voice actors.
Red Lake Nation College mounts cultural exchange with Indigenous Brazilians 
Citizens from Red Lake and Leech Lake are now back in Minnesota after a first-of-its-kind cultural exchange to Brazil. The trip which involved students from Red Lake Nation College, the University of Minnesota and Bemidji State University was designed to encourage Indigenous communication internationally as well as within the U.S. and Brazil.