July 09, 2025
Opinion. Between 1492 and 1900, millions of Indigenous people across Turtle Island—a term many Native peoples use to refer to North America—died as a result of disease, violence, and forced displacement following European colonization. Scholars estimate between 4 million and 18 million Indigenous people perished during this period. By 1900, the Native American population in what is now the United States had fallen to approximately 237,000.
Currents
When conservative pundit Ann Coulter posted “We didn’t kill enough Indians” this past weekend, she wasn’t just spreading hate speech—she was launching a direct attack on tribal sovereignty and the inherent right of Native nations to exist.
From Our Partners
BRIMLEY, Mich.— On June 5, Bay Mills Community College officially received approval from the Michigan Board of Nursing to launch a Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) certificate program. The approval marks the return of LPN education to the BMCC main campus and responds to the growing need for qualified nursing professionals across the Eastern Upper Peninsula. This milestone reinstates a nursing education pathway that was last offered by BMCC in 1999.
American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association adds five new categories to the Excellence in Indigenous Tourism Awards to be held on October 29, 2025 in Choctaw, Mississippi at the 27th Annual American Indigenous Tourism Conference
Opinion
Guest Opinion. We know the news media and now, social media influencers, don’t intentionally give positive free “advertising,” and it is often very hard to have positive outcomes from remarkably ignorant and dangerous comments. But this week tribal colleges and universities and Native students received a bit of free advertising after a Fox News commentator made a genocidal remark on her social media account (in response to a college professor’s presentation about Native sovereignty) that “we didn’t kill enough Indians.” That remark unwittingly underscored the importance of tribal colleges and universities.
Opinion. Between 1492 and 1900, millions of Indigenous people across Turtle Island—a term many Native peoples use to refer to North America—died as a result of disease, violence, and forced displacement following European colonization. Scholars estimate between 4 million and 18 million Indigenous people perished during this period. By 1900, the Native American population in what is now the United States had fallen to approximately 237,000.
Sovereignty
The Muscogee Nation marked the fifth anniversary of the historic McGirt v. Oklahoma decision with a Sovereignty Day celebration held at the College of the Muscogee Nation’s STEM Building Lecture Hall. The event brought together tribal leadership, citizens, and special guests to honor the Supreme Court ruling that reaffirmed the Nation’s reservation boundaries and fortified the legal foundation of tribal sovereignty across Indian Country.
On Thursday, July 3, 2025, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren, 25th Navajo Nation Council Speaker Crystalyne Curley, and Law and Order Committee Chair Eugenia Charles-Newton signed a joint letter formally recognizing Associate Justice Eleanor Shirley as the Interim Chief Justice of the Navajo Nation.
Education
Navajo Technical University (NTU) has officially launched its new Microcredentials–Construction Trades program through its Construction Technology department. This accelerated course condenses 16 weeks of hands-on construction training into just 9 weeks, providing students with a fast-tracked path to industry-ready skills.
Native Forward Scholars Fund , the nation’s largest direct provider of scholarships to Native students, has announced the recipients of its prestigious Student of the Year Award at the 2025 Empowering Scholars Summit.
Arts & Entertainment
EAGLE BUTTE, SD— Day 2 of the Cheyenne River Youth Project’s 11th Annual RedCan Invitational Graffiti Jam has begun. The nine headlining graffiti and street artists are returning to their large-scale mural sites across the city of Eagle Butte, prepared for a busy day of painting and mentoring local youth artists.
EAGLE BUTTE, SD — The Cheyenne River Youth Project has announced that its RedCan Invitational Graffiti Jam was represented at this year’s Smithsonian Folklife Festival, with two CRYP youth artists painting alongside RedCan headliner Hoka Skenandore on the National Mall this past week. The nonprofit youth organization also has released its official lineup of youth activities, special events and performances for RedCan 2025, which kicks off Wednesday, July 9 and continues through Saturday evening, July 12.
Health
Environment
A wildfire that has been burning across Navajo Nation since last Saturday has grown to more than 9,800 acres with 0 percent containment, according to the latest announcement from Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren’s office .
A wildfire that erupted over the weekend on the Navajo Nation near the New Mexico border has grown to more than 6,200 acres, according to the latest updates.