Tribal nations are filling gaps while a USDA food distribution program struggles

Sep 4, 2024
Back in February, the USDA told tribal leaders it was consolidating the FDPIR supply chain from two warehouses serving tribes all over the country to just one.
"There’s challenges in rural areas to buying food," said Mary Greene Trottier, director of the Spirit Lake Tribe's Food Distribution Program. "That’s why FDPIR exists in the first place."
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

How the Dawes Act cratered Native American wealth for generations

Under the Dawes Act of 1887, Native Americans lost more than 90 million acres of tribal land, which were sold to non-Native citizens.
Above, a 1911 advertisement for lands sold by the United States Department of the Interior.
Courtesy Library of Congress

What unburied federal data tells us about Indigenous households' finances

Mar 26, 2024
Nine years of unpublished data show that American Indian and Alaska Native households report greater financial stress and less security.

UN forum set to focus on economic rights of Indigenous peoples

Apr 25, 2022
Tribal law experts say corporations working in Indigenous territories should seek consent rather than mere consultation.
Activists protest against the the Dakota Access Pipeline in Washington, D.C. in 2017. The pipeline, said University of Colorado professor Kristen Carpenter, is a prime example of the importance of affirmative consent by Indigenous people.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

New lender aims to boost access to credit for Native farmers, ranchers

Dec 20, 2021
Indigenous agricultural producers say they've had it with the federal government's loan programs.
The Native American Agriculture Fund’s financial institution will support the tribe-owned community banks that many Indigenous producers use.
Cavan Images via Getty Images

Native agricultural coalition takes up priorities for the next farm bill

Dec 6, 2021
Tribal agricultural leaders say they would like to see more lending to agricultural producers and more autonomous control over federal funds.
Native farmers and ranchers haven’t had equal access to federal support, one expert said. Above, corn and soybeans grow in Iowa.
Scott Olson via Getty Images

USDA looks at ways to help restore Indigenous foodways

Nov 25, 2021
The agency is partnering with groups aiming to add more buffalo to tribal diets and to create an heirloom seed repository, among others.
"It’s very important to get buffalo back into our diet and back into the plates of our community members," said Jason Baldes of the InterTribal Buffalo Council. Above, an American bison, sometimes called buffalo, circa 1930.
Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images

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How employer vaccine mandates are playing out in one tribal economy

Nov 12, 2021
During the pandemic, many tribal governments’ strict public health orders have clashed with the more relaxed approach of nearby communities.
A woman shows her arm after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, with the words "For the ♡ of Native People" drawn on. While Indigenous Americans are vaccinated at high rates, that's often not the case for communities surrounding reservations.
Karen Ducey via Getty Images

Were tribal government COVID relief funds fairly distributed?

Oct 21, 2021
The American Rescue Plan earmarked $20 billion for tribal governments. But the allocation formula favored a handful of tribes.
Though the American Rescue Plan set aside more than $20 billion for tribal governments, more than half of the money was given to 30 tribal entities. Above, the bill enrollment for the American Rescue Plan before its signing ceremony in March.
Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

Native-led nonprofit shows how pandemic is changing philanthropy

Aug 9, 2021
The fund aims to minimize paperwork and get grants out the door quickly to support community members.
Nez Perce tribal members paddle on the Snake River in a canoe they carved as part of a culture and environmental learning project supported by the Potlatch Fund.
Courtesy of Potlatch Fund