October 13, 2025
Opinion. It’s a good day to be Indigenous.
Currents
Coming up next on Native Bidaské is a special interview with Gila River Indian Community Governor Stephen Roe Lewis. This episode is co-hosted by Native News Online Editor Levi Rickert and comedian/actor Chance Rush.
From Our Partners
Litchfield Park, Arizona , is a small, charming city just 30 minutes west of Phoenix . It is home to the historic four-star Wigwam Resort and Golf Course . It is also home to several award-winning annual festivals , including the Litchfield Park Gathering . The Gathering, which is free and open to the public, is a celebration of indigenous arts and cultures. This year’s festival will be held on January 10 and 11, 2026. The festival is open daily from 10am until 5pm.
Opinion
Opinion. It’s a good day to be Indigenous.
Guest Opinion. As Columbus Day approaches, having now been proclaimed by President Donald Trump in an Executive Order for the Monday national holiday. It is a change from the alternatively proclaimed Indigenous Peoples Day since 2021. President Biden was the first President to proclaim Indigenous Peoples' Day, as a national holiday.
Sovereignty
The Oceti Sakowin Treaty Councils issue this urgent call to all Lakota people, communities, and leadership: it is time to launch large-scale emergency operations to rescue and restore the Lakota language. The Councils recognize that our language is the living heart of our Nation, and without decisive action, it stands on the brink of irretrievable loss.
Tipiziwin Tolman (Sihasapa & Hunkpapȟa Lakȟota; Wičhiyena & Tizaptaŋna Dakȟota), an enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and a descendant of the Spirit Lake Dakota of North Dakota, has been appointed to the UNESCO Ad-hoc Group 2: Indigenous Language Transmission and Resilience Building, part of the Global Task Force for Making a Decade of Action for Indigenous Languages (IDIL2022–2032).
Education
The Morongo Band of Mission Indians has broken ground on a new, state-of-the-art Morongo Elementary School that will strengthen and expand educational opportunities for tribal youth on the Morongo Indian Reservation.
A new nationwide study released by the National Native Scholarship Providers (NNSP) sheds light on the critical role that cultural affirmation, institutional support, and campus climate play in the success of Indigenous college students.
Arts & Entertainment
At the premiere of the new short film, Following Enchantment’s Line , Jock Soto, the Diné and Puerto Rican ballet dancer, could be seen gliding underneath vast blue New Mexico skies — the only time the audience saw him dance.
During the week of Indigenous Peoples’ Day (Monday, October 13), the Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) will host two special events celebrating Indigenous culture: Anishinaabe Culture Day on Wednesday, October 15, and an Anishinaabe Art and Film Series on Saturday, October 18.
Health
Environment
As morning light hit flooded communities devastated by the remnants of Typhoon Halong on Sunday, local residents snapped photos of the storm damage across western Alaska communities.
Thanks to a growing Native-led movement to restore bison, tribes like the Modoc Nation in Oklahoma are seeing extraordinary results in 2025, the Nation now has more buffalo than tribal members.