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- By Native News Online Staff
Vision Maker Media (VMM) honors Indigenous Peoples' Day by continuing its nearly five-decade mission of sharing Native stories. For 49 years, VMM has connected audiences to Native American experiences through PBS broadcasts, community screenings, and digital platforms. As a leading source for Native media, Vision Maker Media has delivered 72% of Native American stories—covering 412 out of the 574 federally recognized tribal nations.
VMM also supports Native American and Alaska Native storytellers with essential resources, training, and opportunities to help them tell their stories authentically and successfully.
On Monday, October 13, the Native American Film Series at The Ross Theater in Lincoln, Neb. will feature Words from a Bear
Words from a Bear is a powerful film exploring the life and legacy of Kiowa writer and National Medal of Arts recipient Navarro Scott Momaday. The documentary journeys through the vast landscapes once inhabited by his ancestors, offering insight into the mind behind House Made of Dawn, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel that helped usher Native American literature into the mainstream.
Momaday passed away on January 24, 2024.
Get your free tickets at: https://theross.org/
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Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
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Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher
