Native American Affairs

Indigenous woman led the 2019 Phoenix Women's March
The crisis of violence against Native American women has gotten more attention. But a new report from the Government Accountability Office shows we don’t actually know the extent of the problem. Gretta Goodwin is the director of Homeland Security and Justice for the GAO.
Nov. 15, 2021
The most comprehensive report to date of mortality statistics among the American Indian or Alaska Native population warns of some troubling trends.
Nov. 12, 2021
Hopi Tribe
Members of a small northeastern Arizona tribe are voting Thursday for their next chairman. One of the key differences between incumbent Tim Nuvangyaoma and David Talayumptewa is their stance on maintaining a Hopi language requirement for the job.
Nov. 10, 2021
Navajo Generating Station
The Arizona Corporation Commission voted last week to cut Arizona Public Service’s profits by more than $100 million. At the same time, it also voted to dramatically slash funding it had planned to provide to the Navajo Nation and other tribal communities.
Nov. 9, 2021
cigarette in an ashtray
Navajo Nation President Johnathan Nez signed the Air is Life Act into law Saturday. The law prohibits the use of commercial tobacco products in enclosed spaces and indoors.
Nov. 6, 2021
Amber Ortega speaks with supporters
Hia C-ed O'odham activist Amber Ortega was one of two Indigenous protesters arrested in September 2020 for physically blocking machinery at a border wall construction site near Quitobaquito Springs in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. She testified her religious and cultural beliefs compelled her actions.
Nov. 4, 2021
Indigenous woman led the 2019 Phoenix Women's March
The Government Accountability Office has released a report on the issue of missing or murdered Indigenous women.
Nov. 3, 2021
Navajo Nation COVID sign
COVID-19 cases are once again trending upward on the Navajo Nation. The reservation is now averaging about 80 new cases per day — about twice as many as it was reporting a month ago.
Oct. 28, 2021
Navajo Nation COVID signs
The U.S. is averaging less than half as many COVID-19 cases per day now as it was in early September. But in Arizona, cases have plateaued at a fairly high level. Apache County in the northeast corner of the state has been reporting the highest rate of new cases recently.
Oct. 26, 2021
Navajo Nation
In May 2020, the Navajo Nation COVID-19 Relief Fund was established to help the tribe respond to the pandemic. The fund has since raised $10.7 million, but the Navajo Nation Council recently found that more than half of that money remains unspent.
Oct. 23, 2021
Santan Mountain Casino exterior
The Gila River Indian Community broke ground on its fourth casino Tuesday.
Oct. 19, 2021
Jonah Yellowman
Conservationists and tribes were outraged when former President Trump reduced the size of Bears Ears National Monument in southern Utah, creating a major public lands controversy. But Trump’s actions may have ultimately expanded the monument.
Oct. 12, 2021
University of Arizona Old Main
The Indigenous Teacher Education Program at the University of Arizona has received $2.4 million in state and federal grants to support its mission of increasing the number of Native American teachers.
Oct. 11, 2021
Tempe City Hall
The city of Tempe has opted to celebrate Indigenous People’s Day on Monday instead of Columbus Day. The City Council passed the resolution last month.
Oct. 9, 2021
Bears Ears
President Joe Biden is restoring two sprawling national monuments in Utah, reversing a decision by President Donald Trump that opened for mining and development some red-rock lands sacred to Native Americans and home to ancient cliff dwellings and petroglyphs.
Oct. 8, 2021
Chaco
Top officials with the largest Native American tribe in the United States are renewing a request for congressional leaders to hold a field hearing before deciding on federal legislation aimed at limiting oil and gas development around Chaco Culture National Historical Park.
Oct. 7, 2021
KJZZ logo generic card
President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced his intent to nominate two women of color with ties to Arizona as chairs of the National Endowment for the Humanities and National Endowment for the Arts.
Oct. 5, 2021
Navajo Generating Station
Coal plant closures have resulted in lost jobs, depleted revenue for the tribes, and lasting environmental concerns on tribal lands. Under its proposed rate increase plan, APS would agree to pay the Navajo Nation more than $100 million over 10 years to compensate for losses.
Oct. 5, 2021
Navajo Nation
According to the National Congress of American Indians, more than 8,500 people have left the Navajo Nation reservation since the 2010 census due to the lack of jobs and economic opportunities.
Oct. 4, 2021
She Is Missing MMIW artwork
Gabby Petito’s case has captured the nation’s attention in recent weeks as the mystery around her disappearance played out in real time on the news. But for some Native Americans, it only highlights what’s not covered so insatiably by the media: the disappearance and death of untold numbers of Indigenous women.
Sep. 28, 2021

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