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.

Benita Long disappeared. So why wasn’t she added to this missing person database?
A federally funded database helps track long-term, missing-person cases. Yet an NPR investigation finds that even in states legally required to use it, more than 2,000 people haven’t been added.
Indigenous playwright debuts new play on the national stage
Playwright Rhiana Yazzie’s, “The Other Children of the Sun,” is based on the Navajo creation story. During times of significant change for the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., Yazzie says it’s a strong statement for Indigenous people and stories to be seen on stage.
Tribal nations are concerned that Trump's cuts have the potential to violate trust responsibilities
Tribal leaders across the United States are scrambling to respond to a directive from President Donald Trump and Elon Musk to close more than a quarter of Bureau of Indian Affairs offices, which provide vital services to Indigenous communities. 
Klobuchar, Smith call for answers about potential Indian Health Service office lease termination
U.S. Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar are pressing for answers regarding the potential termination of the Bemidji Area Indian Health Service’s lease, underlining treaty obligations and concerns for disruptions in health care services.
Leonard Peltier remains defiant in AP interview, maintaining innocence and vowing continued activism
More than 50 years after a shootout on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation landed him in federal prison, Leonard Peltier remains defiant. He maintains his innocence in the deaths of two FBI agents in 1975. President Joe Biden commuted Peltier's life sentence so he could return to the Turtle Mountain Reservation, his tribal homeland in North Dakota. 
Bois Forte Band of Chippewa set to open cannabis dispensary on tribal land in northern Minnesota
A tribal nation in the far north part of the state is set to open its first cannabis dispensary. Bois Forte will be the sixth tribal nation in the state to open a cannabis dispensary.   
Last Chance exhibit: A reckoning on water at the Minnesota Marine Art Museum
The Minnesota Marine Art Museum’s “A Nation Takes Place” reexamines marine art by highlighting the overlooked histories of Indigenous and Black peoples. Plus an exhibit curated by Ojibwe poet Heid E. Erdrich and one featuring photographer Shelly Mosman.
Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier welcomed home after release from prison
After nearly 50 years of incarceration, Native American political activist Leonard Peltier has been released from prison. Former President Joe Biden commuted his sentence in January before leaving office. In 1977 Peltier was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of two FBI agents. 
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