Native American Affairs

ZenniHome founder Bob Worsley and Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren pose with employees inside a modular home following the $50 million contract announcement.
This partnership between the Navajo Nation and Mesa-based company is meant to kickstart mass-scale manufacturing to meet a severe housing demand on the reservation and help Page bounce back following the shutdown of the Navajo Generating Station.
Mar. 14, 2024
Andrew Morales (right) is showing a visitor fossils inside the Moenkopi Wash along U.S. Highway 160.
The Moenkopi Wash near Tuba City is home to dozens of tracks, from the Dilophosaurus to the T-Rex. And a ragtag group of Navajo guides greet tourists right off the roadside, directly across from a green-painted “turn here” sign.
Mar. 12, 2024
Governor Stephen Roe Lewis of the Gila River Indian Community thanks paradegoers for returning to the first Ira Hayes celebration in three years.
When President Joe Biden gave his State of the Union address Thursday, Native Americans from Arizona were special guests on Capitol Hill. It sent a clear message about the importance of Indigenous support for Democrats facing high-stakes elections this year in battleground states.
Mar. 8, 2024
stethoscope
Researchers looked at data for nearly 1,500 teens and adults enrolled in the Strong Heart Family Study. It examined risk factors for heart disease and stroke in tribal communities in central Arizona, southwest Oklahoma and the Dakotas.
Mar. 8, 2024
Woman in glasses holding knife in kitchen
Andi Murphy has been tracking the Indigenous Food Sovereignty Movement for several years. That refers to, among other things, an Indigenous community’s ability to deal with issues of health and hunger by cultivating their own healthy food, and controlling how that food is produced and distributed.
Mar. 8, 2024
Deb Haaland
This week, the Interior Department allocated $72 million to aid tribal communities in electrifying their homes on a path toward zero-emissions energy systems. Three of the 21 tribes receiving federal funding are from Arizona.
Mar. 7, 2024
A scenic overview of the Colorado River from the Navajo Bridge near Jacob Lake.
Twelve public meetings, coordinated by the Navajo Nation Water Rights Commission and Navajo Department of Justice’s Water Rights Unit, are slated all around the reservation through next Wednesday.
Mar. 6, 2024
The University of Arizona in Tucson.
More than 10 million acres were taken from Native American tribes to create the more than 100 so-called land-grant universities, including the University of Arizona. Recent reporting from Grist says those funds aren't used to help Native students.
Mar. 6, 2024
The Sinquah and Duncan families, two Valley-based hoop dancing dynasties, took to the court at halftime and performed with The Halluci Nation during ORIGINATIV night on Sunday, March 3.
For two years now, the Phoenix Suns have been exposing NBA fans to Native culture during certain home games with themed uniforms as well as Indigenous music and entertainment. Sunday was this season’s last heritage game night at the Footprint Center.
Mar. 4, 2024
Faith advocates from around the country congregated underneath the shade of trees at the Oat Flat Campground.
A federal appeals court authorized the transfer of Oak Flat, a spiritual site nestled in the Tonto National Forest and considered sacred by Apaches, to a foreign-owned mining company on Friday.
Mar. 1, 2024
A display of Navajo Mike's sauces and frybread mix at the Native Art Market in Old Town Scottsdale.
The USDA Foreign Agricultural Service recently announced a first-of-its-kind agribusiness trade mission to Vancouver, Canada, this summer. It’s aimed at spotlighting tribal products, and interest is mounting among agribusinesses in Arizona.
Mar. 1, 2024
Arizona Rep. Eli Crane in the House of Representatives.
On Thursday, an overwhelmingly bipartisan resolution passed the U.S. House to help benefit tribal entrepreneurs on reservations. And one of its co-sponsors came from Arizona's congressional delegation.
Feb. 29, 2024
Navajo Nation president's office
The proposal will mean access to piped water for tribal members living without it and settle all of the Navajo Nation’s water rights claims as well as those for the Hopi and the San Juan Paiute tribes.
Feb. 28, 2024
Desert Diamond West Valley casino
If the Legislature tries to authorize certain gambling devices related to horse racing, Arizona’s attorney general says that tribal communities could withhold money they’d normally owe the state from gambling revenues.
Feb. 27, 2024
Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project
The $366 million plan will fund solar, battery storage and hydropower projects in sparsely populated regions where electricity can be costly and unreliable. The money comes from a $1 trillion infrastructure law President Joe Biden signed in 2021.
Feb. 27, 2024
Navajo Nation
A New Mexico businesswoman is accused of defrauding the U.S. government and two Native American tribes of taxes and royalties for oil and gas her enterprises pulled from leased federal and tribal lands.
Feb. 27, 2024
A veteran from the Marine Corps League Tucson Detachment 007 holds onto a portrait of Ira Hayes while riding a float during a parade on the Gila River Indian Reservation.
The Gila River Indian Community paused its annual parade and ceremony, paying homage to Iwo Jima flag raiser Ira Hayes, for the last three years due to the pandemic. Last weekend, that tradition returned and discussions about his heroic, complicated life and legacy.
Feb. 27, 2024
Grand Canyon
The owners of a uranium mine just south of the Grand Canyon have embarked on a messaging tour of Arizona to counter what they say are inaccurate portrayals of the mine.
Feb. 21, 2024
PRL x Naiomi Glasses Wool-Blend Sweater
Naiomi Glasses is Polo Ralph Lauren's first artist in residence, using her Navajo weaving in a new collection that came out this winter. She's also a skateboarder, model and advocate for people born with a cleft palate, like her.
More from The Show’s Made in Arizona series
Feb. 21, 2024
Close-up of Josiah Enriquez constructing a ball out of hoops and sticking out his tongue
This last weekend's 34th annual World Championship Hoop Dance Contest, with deep ties to the Southwest, has been elevated to another level for audiences, both in the arena and back at home.
More tribal natural resoures stories
Feb. 21, 2024

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