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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Nine years of unpublished data show that American Indian and Alaska Native households report greater financial stress and less security.
“American Indian and Alaska Native identifying households are reporting greater financial stress and lower security than other households,” said Vanessa Palmer of the Center for Indian Country Development.
RichVintage/Getty Images

The curse of “black gold”

Nov 6, 2023
We’re watching “Killers of the Flower Moon” in November.
Lily Gladstone and Leonardo DiCaprio star in “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
Apple TV+

Federal "Buy American" rules could be stalling infrastructure projects

Oct 26, 2023
Rules to boost the domestic economy now apply to broadband and water equipment. Delays and higher costs can be part of the trade-off.
The Gila River Indian Community develops projects to conserve water. Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis said federal rules requiring the use of American-made construction materials can be an obstacle.
SafakOguz/Getty Images

Less than 1% of therapists are Native American. One Texas center is working to fill the gap

Jul 20, 2023
Indigenous communities in the United States experience higher rates of mental health issues, but have a harder time accessing care. One Texas group is working to expand services and train staff to address mental health issues before they become a crisis.
Dr. Iftekhar Amin with the University of North Texas at Dallas instructs during a mental health first aid training course on June 9 at Texas Native Health in Dallas.
Yfat Yossifor for Marketplace

Native-serving financial institutions "fill gaps," but new federal rules could undermine them

May 10, 2023
Community development financial institutions are mostly concerned about a ban on extended-term mortgages and balloon payments.
When Joshua Iron Shell decided to start his own roofing business, a Native CDFI helped him get his finances in order and secure a loan.
Courtesy Joshua Iron Shell

For public good, not for profit.

Indigenous creatives are blazing trails in the gaming industry

Apr 21, 2023
Native game creators are building alternate realities where their cultures are centered and respected. But the projects still need funding.
A screenshot from Achimostawinan Games' website in April. Studios like Achimostawinan are creating interactive narratives in which Native characters aren’t defined by their relationship to colonization or genocide. 
Achimostawinan Games

Alaskan siblings challenge Native knockoffs with their own Indigenous designs

Jan 16, 2023
In Juneau, Rico and Crystal Worl draw from their Tlingit and Athabascan heritage to create designs for everyday items like playing cards.
Trickster Co. incorporates Native design into everything from apparel and jewelry to basketballs and playing cards.
Donovan Johnson

Supreme Court to hear challenge to Indian Child Welfare Act — and a lot is at stake

Nov 7, 2022
The Indian Child Welfare Act sought to address a history of cultural dispossession. Now, it's being threatened by a Supreme Court case.
Clarisse Harris, a foster parent to Native children, was raised before the passage of the Indian Child Welfare Act. Now, the ICWA — which helped facilitate those placements — is in legal peril. 
Photo illustration: Dylan Miettinen/Marketplace. Photos: Getty Images, Clarisse Harris