Native administrators rail against Trump’s proposed elimination of funds for TCUs | Buffalo’s Fire Buffalo’s Fire: Native-led news covering Indigenous communities in North Dakota — tribal sovereignty, environmental justice, and cultural preservation.

Proposed federal cuts could eliminate funding for Tribal Colleges and Universities, raising concerns across Indian Country.
Leaders warn it could impact programs, tuition and student access.

Read more: www.buffalosfire.com/trump-budget...
#IndianCountry #TribalColleges #HigherEd

Indian Country needs a stronger media pillar.
Our new Shine series looks at transparency, access and press freedom in Native journalism.
Read more: www.buffalosfire.com/free-press-t...
#IndigenousMedia #PressFreedom

Press freedom, a federal exit and a fast-approaching deadline.
This week: transparency in Indian Country, Scott Davis leaves Interior and internships close May 15.
👉 Read the latest newsletter and subscribe: imfa.substack.com

Scott Davis leaves Interior Department Indian Affairs | Buffalo’s Fire Scott Davis Interior Department Indian Affairs leader stepped down April 2 after a year in Washington and is returning to North Dakota consulting

Scott Davis is stepping down from the U.S. Department of the Interior after a year in Indian Affairs — and returning to North Dakota. He says his work supporting tribal nations isn’t ending — just shifting back to the private sector.

Read more: www.buffalosfire.com/scott-davis-...
#BuffalosFire

Local News Day — April 9
Support Indigenous-led journalism at Buffalo’s Fire.
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Every reader helps expand our reach across Indian Country.
#BuffalosFire #LocalNews #IndigenousNews

Black Elk Wilderness co-management agreement signed | Buffalo’s Fire The agreement concerns the Black Elk Wilderness, a ‘place of profound spiritual, cultural, and historical importance’

11 tribes and the U.S. Forest Service signed a new agreement to co-manage the sacred Black Elk Wilderness in South Dakota.
Leaders say Pahá Sápa holds deep cultural and spiritual meaning.
Read more: www.buffalosfire.com/agreement-se...
#BuffalosFire #TribalSovereignty #BlackHills

AIHEC hand game tournament: Diné College wins | Buffalo’s Fire At the March 14–18 AIHEC conference, the AIHEC hand game tournament drew hundreds as intertribal teams carried on songs, rivalries, and rules

Tribal College students prepare months in advance to participate in the American Indian Higher Education Consortium’s annual conference, many look forward to the hand game tournament.

Read more: www.buffalosfire.com/hand-game-dr...
#AIHEC #HandGames #NativeCulture #buffalosfire

No Kings protest Minneapolis draws 200,000 at Capitol | Buffalo’s Fire At the Minnesota Capitol on March 28, Indigenous voices at the No Kings protest Minneapolis linked ICE shootings and state violence to long histories

More than 200,000 gathered at the Minnesota State Capitol for the third “No Kings” protest. Indigenous speakers said political violence has impacted Native communities for generations.
Read more: www.buffalosfire.com/indigenous-v...
#NoKings #IndigenousVoices #NativeNews #TwinCities #BuffalosFire

Two Spirit MMIP advocates push data, policy changes | Buffalo’s Fire Two Spirit MMIP advocates say police misgendering and missing identity data block justice as tribes weigh inclusive policies and face rising violence

Advocates urge tribes to strengthen protections for LGBTQ+ and Two Spirit relatives, citing gaps in data, services and policy.
“The system often fails our relatives twice,” one advocate said.
Read more: www.buffalosfire.com/advocates-pr...
#MMIP #TwoSpirit #LGBTQ #BuffalosFire

Indigenous-owned cannabis testing lab Minnesota launches | Buffalo’s Fire Aya Labs is Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate’s first scientific business venture. Profits ‘do not leave Indian Country’

Native-owned Aya Labs opens in the Twin Cities — the first of its kind in Minnesota and a new venture for the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate.
Read more: www.buffalosfire.com/sisseton-wah...
#IndigenousBusiness #NativeOwned #BuffalosFire #EconomicDevelopment

Tribal Transportation Program Safety Fund grants: $2M ND | Buffalo’s Fire Tribal Transportation Program Safety Fund grants back Standing Rock’s BIA 3400 realignment and Spirit Lake’s Oyate Walkway, announced March 19

More than $2M in federal funding is headed to Standing Rock and Spirit Lake for road and walkway safety projects — but leaders say one-time funding isn’t enough.
Read more: www.buffalosfire.com/fhwa-awards-...
#IndianCountry #Infrastructure #TribalNations #NorthDakota #RoadSafety

Northern Plains Indigenous Film Festival hits Fargo Theatre | Buffalo’s Fire Northern Plains Indigenous Film Festival Fargo runs April 17-18 with filmmaker workshops, a Gary Farmer Q&A and tickets from $10 in Fargo, ND

The Northern Plains Indigenous Film Festival is set for April 17–18 in Fargo. The event includes workshops, filmmaker Q&As and a screening of Powwow Highway with Gary Farmer.
Read more: www.buffalosfire.com/the-festival...
#IndigenousFilm #BuffalosFire

AIHEC Student Awards Banquet ends with first e-sports | Buffalo’s Fire AIHEC Student Awards Banquet closed March 18 at the Bismarck Event Center as UTTC won Critical Inquiry and Oglala Lakota College took Rocket League

Tribal college students were honored in art, athletics and academics at AIHEC in Bismarck. From E-sports to identity-focused presentations, students say it was about more than competition — it was about community and future generations.
Read more: www.buffalosfire.com/tribal-colle...
#AIHEC

The Battle of the Little Bighorn (Greasy Grass) The Battle of the Little Bighorn isn't just a 19th-century clash; it is a contemporary movement for sovereignty. As the 150th anniversary approaches, tribal nations are organizing historic horse…

The story of the Greasy Grass isn’t finished.
As the 150th nears, Lakota, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho nations are asserting sovereignty — through ceremony, movement and presence.
This is now.
Follow our coverage:
www.buffalosfire.com/battle-littl...
#GreasyGrass #LittleBighorn #BuffalosFire

Pe’ Sla drilling project ok’d for Rochford graphite holes | Buffalo’s Fire The Pe’ Sla drilling project got Forest Service approval Feb 27 for up to 18 borings near Rapid Creek Watershed, prompting calls to withdraw

Drilling approved near Pe’ Sla — one of the most sacred sites in the Black Hills.
Concerns grow over impacts to water, wildlife and Native ceremonial lands.
Read more: www.buffalosfire.com/forest-servi...
#PeSla #BlackHills #IndigenousRights

More than a thousand gather for American Indian Higher Education Consortium’s annual conference in Bismarck — Buffalo's Fire | Buffalo’s Fire Tribal college students travel through massive snowstorm to participate in annual education conference

More than 1,100 gathered in Bismarck for the AIHEC conference — even as a blizzard disrupted travel.
Some students drove through the storm after canceled flights just to be there.

Read more: www.buffalosfire.com/funding-tcus...
#AIHEC #TribalColleges #IndigenousEducation

Battle of Powder River 1876: US cavalry attacked village | Buffalo’s Fire The first battle of the Great Sioux War ‘set the tone’ for the following 20 conflicts, including the Battle of the Little Bighorn

Often overlooked, the Battle of Powder River set the tone for the Great Sioux War. A UTTC professor reflects 150 years later.
Read more: www.buffalosfire.com/tribes-to-ma...
#GreatSiouxWar #LittleBighorn #IndigenousHistory

Renzo Bullhead missing: last seen on Bismarck-Mandan bridge | Buffalo’s Fire Renzo Bullhead missing since March 16, 2025 in North Dakota; family seeks Steamboat Park video and police plan another river search after ice melts

One year after Renzo Bullhead disappeared, his family is still searching for answers.
The 20-year-old UTTC student was last seen walking from Mandan to Bismarck on March 16, 2025.
Read more: www.buffalosfire.com/family-marks...
#MMIP #BringThemHome #RenzoBullhead

Minnesota wild rice bill adds Rights of Manoomin language | Buffalo’s Fire Minnesota wild rice bill heard March 10 would name psín and manoomin and recognize wild rice’s right to exist, citing treaty duties and decline

A Minnesota Senate committee is considering a bill to describe wild rice in Indigenous languages and add protections so it can grow in its natural environment.
Read more: www.buffalosfire.com/minnesota-bi...
#WildRice #IndigenousLanguages #BuffalosFire

Helen’s Law South Dakota signed, requires interpreters | Buffalo’s Fire Law named after fluent Lakota speaker Helen Red Feather

South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden signed a law requiring translator services in administrative hearings. The legislation was inspired by Lakota speaker Helen Red Feather of Wounded Knee.

Read more: www.buffalosfire.com/on-monday-so...
#LakotaLanguage #LanguageAccess #SouthDakota #BuffalosFire

Public Law 280 cannabis: Minnesota court limits state raids | Buffalo’s Fire Public Law 280 cannabis tribal sovereignty debate sharpened after a Minnesota Court of Appeals decision tied to a 2023 White Earth Reservation raid

More than 100 leaders gathered at the Great Lakes Cannabis & Hemp Conference to discuss policy, cannabis reclassification and Public Law 280.
Read more:
www.buffalosfire.com/great-lakes-...
#TribalSovereignty #IndianCountry #CannabisPolicy #HempIndustry #PublicLaw280 #BuffalosFire

Battle of Little Bighorn 150th anniversary commemoration set | Buffalo’s Fire Battle of Little Bighorn 150th anniversary commemoration runs June 25-27 near Crow Agency, with a tribal-led encampment for about 5,000 campers

As the 150th anniversary of the Battle of the Little Bighorn approaches June 25–27, tribes pave the way for the historic celebration.

Read more – www.buffalosfire.com/tribes-plan-...
#BattleOfTheLittleBighorn #GreasyGrass #IndianCountry #IndigenousHistory #TribalNations #BuffalosFire

Markwayne Mullin DHS Secretary pick after Noem ousted | Buffalo’s Fire Markwayne Mullin DHS Secretary nomination follows Trump’s shift of Kristi Noem to a Shield of the Americas envoy role ahead of March 7 in Doral, Florida

Trump removes Kristi Noem as DHS secretary and nominates Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma to replace her.
If confirmed, Mullin — a citizen of the Cherokee Nation — would become the second Native man to serve in a U.S. Cabinet role.
www.buffalosfire.com/kristi-noem-...
#IndianCountry #NativeNews

Rodney Powassin missing: West Fargo Police cite May 7 | Buffalo’s Fire Rodney Powassin missing person report was filed June 11 after April 3 contact, with a May 7 vs May 22 last-seen discrepancy and urgent insulin needs

A daughter says she hasn’t heard from her father in nearly a year.
Rodney Powassin was last seen in West Fargo in May 2025, and police say the case remains open.
“I just want to be able to hear my dad’s voice again.”
Read more:
www.buffalosfire.com/rodney-powas...
#MissingPerson #NorthDakota

‘Beyond frustrating’: Family claims they weren't properly notified about 16-year-old’s disappearance | Buffalo’s Fire Mason Cree’s aunt learns he is missing through social media post

A family says they learned their 16-year-old nephew, Mason Cree, was missing through a Facebook post — not authorities. They say official reports also included incorrect details.
Read more: www.buffalosfire.com/family-says-...
#MMIP #IndianCountry #BuffalosFire

Draft 2026 farm bill includes 63 tribal-related provisions | Buffalo’s Fire 63 provisions of the bill are relevant to tribes. ‘Economic stability and cultural responsibility’ at stake, says co-chair of Native Farm Bill Coalition

80,000+ Native producers contribute $3.5B a year to U.S. agriculture.
The draft 2026 Farm Bill includes 63 tribal-related provisions — but gaps remain, including mediation funding and looming SNAP cuts.
What’s in it — and what’s missing?
🔗 www.buffalosfire.com/draft-2026-f...
#BuffalosFire

What is a Superfund site? How EPA cleanup works - Buffalo’s Fire Learn what a Superfund site is, how EPA cleanup works, who pays for remediation, and why nearly 200 sites affect tribal lands and Native communities.

What is a Superfund site — and how does cleanup actually work?
Buffalo’s Fire reporter Gabrielle Nelson breaks down the EPA process and why nearly 200 Superfund sites on tribal land matter for Native communities.

Read more: 🔗 www.buffalosfire.com/what-is-a-su...
#BuffalosFire #EnvironmentalJustice

Granddaughter searches for missing grandfather nearly 50 years after disappearance - Buffalo’s Fire Francis Houle went missing from the Colorado Springs area in 1979

Francis “Frank” Houle, a citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, hasn’t been heard from since 1979.
Nearly 50 years later, his granddaughter is still searching for answers.
🔗 www.buffalosfire.com/granddaughte...
#BuffalosFire #MMIP #IndianCountry

A Superfund site in Minnesota is spreading, disrupting a tribe’s way of life - Buffalo’s Fire Little progress has been made despite 40 years of cleanup on Leech Lake Reservation

After 40 years of cleanup, contamination from a Superfund site on Leech Lake Reservation is still spreading — threatening wild rice, fish and Ojibwe lifeways.
Read more:
www.buffalosfire.com/a-superfund-...
#IndianCountry #EnvironmentalJustice #BuffalosFire

MHA Nation appeals court upholds $250M withdrawal from People’s Fund - Buffalo’s Fire Ruling is a loss for transparency and justice, plaintiffs say

MHA Nation’s appeals court upheld a $250M People’s Fund transfer. Plaintiffs call it a loss for transparency; tribal leaders say no rights were violated. Chairman Mark Fox’s seat is up in November.
📎 www.buffalosfire.com/mha-nation-a...
#BuffalosFire #MHA #IndianCountry