In opioid settlement, Native American tribes prove themselves as a legal force

Feb 3, 2022
The deal marks a shift in how tribes are treated when they seek financial restitution from corporations in the courts.
Cat Lane / 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

How can the U.S. government better distribute funding to tribal governments?

Nov 4, 2021
A Harvard policy paper out this week on the government's pandemic relief effort calls on the Treasury Department to create a dedicated tribal affairs office.
The U.S. Treasury was widely criticized for how it distributed COVID relief funds to tribal governments.
Alastair Pike/AFP via Getty Images

Tribes plan for COVID relief spending, brace for challenges

Jun 7, 2021
The American Rescue Plan provides $20 billion in aid, but problems with the previous CARES Act rollout have made tribes vigilant.
The American Rescue Plan includes $20 billion for tribal governments. But hitches in the aid provided by the CARES Act in 2020 prevented full and effective use of the funds.
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Relief for Native Americans will go beyond expanded vaccine distribution

Mar 16, 2021
Tribal governments were already making a successful push to vaccinate people, but these resources will help with even more.
When it comes to vaccinations, several Native American communities across the country have successfully sprung into action, including the Navajo Nation.
Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images

Washington's NFL team is dropping its name and logo

Jul 13, 2020
There was a financial imperative for the name change, as sponsors and retailers threatened to pull their money and stop selling team merchandise.
After pressures from sponsors and retailers, the NFL franchise is changing its name.
Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images
The National Gallery of Art in Washington is currently closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images

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COVID-19 has closed tribal casinos and cut off other vital revenue sources

Jun 15, 2020
Tribal leaders say COVID-19 closures have had a devastating economic effect.
The Northern Arapaho Tribe’s Wind River Hotel and Casino, located on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming, has been closed since mid-March.
Savannah Maher

Native American tribes, facing COVID-19 surges, need more medical, financial aid

May 8, 2020
The federal government sent billions of dollars in aid this week, but tribes say it’s not enough.
COVID-19 cases in the Navajo Nation are expected to peak in the next week or two.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

App connects users with native-owned businesses

Feb 17, 2020
A business incubator and new app aim to help struggling Native American businesses expand their reach and find new customers.
Heather Fleming runs Change Labs, a native business incubator.
Laurel Morales