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- By Native News Online Staff
Summer is a busy season filled with activity. Whether attending traditional ceremonies, taking part in powwows, or spending time with relatives and friends, our days are full and meaningful.
Here are three stories you may have missed this weekend:
Sen. Murkowski Introduces Legislation to Support Native Children & Families
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, has released a comprehensive draft bill designed to improve the well-being and future opportunities of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian children.
The discussion draft builds on the findings and recommendations of The Way Forward—the final report of the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children, published in February 2024.
The proposed legislation tackles a broad range of issues, including child welfare, justice, health (physical, behavioral, and environmental), housing and homelessness, education, child care, and improved research and data infrastructure.
Native News Weekly (August 3, 2025): D.C. BriefsNative News Weekly (August 3, 2025): D.C. Briefs
The US Senate Passed FY26 Appropriations that provides $235 million for the Food Distribution on Indian Reservation Program (FDPIR) and $3 million for a FDPIR pilot program that allows Tribes participating in FDPIR to purchase traditional food from small Tribal producers.
The bill also provides $700,000 for processing and federal inspection of Tribal bison, which will help support Tribal food sovereignty by enabling Tribes to include bison raised on their own lands to be included in federal nutrition programs like school meals.
Additionally, bill provides $5.1 million for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Office of Tribal Relations, which is responsible for government-to-government relations between USDA and Tribal governments.
Photos of the 2025 Pottawaomi Gathering Friday Night's Powwow Grand Entry
Powwow dancers from Potawatomi (Bodéwadmi) nations in the United States and Canada entered the dance arena for Friday night’s Grand Entry of the 2025 Pottawatomi Gathering’s powwow at Jijak Camp, owned by the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Potawatomi, commonly known as the Gun Lake Tribe.
On Friday evening, August 1, the powwow’s Grand Entry at Camp Jijak unfolded. Hundreds of dancers—gleaming regalia filling the arena—entered during a procession that lasted approximately 45 minutes. Military veterans from multiple conflicts carried eagle staffs and tribal flags, representing Potawatomi nations across the U.S. and Canada. Among them was a veteran who identified himself as a survivor of the 1973 Wounded Knee occupation on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Reservation.
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