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- By Native News Online Staff
Whether attending traditional ceremonies, taking part in powwows, or spending time with relatives and friends, our days are busy.
Here are three stories you may have missed this weekend:
Special Native Bidaské: A Conversation with Leonard Peltier on His 81st Birthday
On Friday, Leonard Peltier (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians) celebrated his first birthday away from a federal prison on nenarly fifty years. Native News Online editro Levi Rickert (Potawatomi) intervied Peltiers for a special Native Bidaské.
In 1977, he was convicted and sentenced to two consecutive life terms for the deaths of two FBI agents during a 1975 shootout on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota — a case that has since become one of the most controversial in American legal history.
On his last day in office, President Joe Biden granted Peltier a presidential commutation. Peltier was released on February 18 from a federal prison in Florida and flown to North Dakota. He is confined to his home on the Turtle Mountain Reservation.
Native News Weekly (September 14, 2025): D.C. Briefs
In addition to articles already covered by Native News Online, here is a roundup of other news released from Washington, D.C. that impacts Indian Country recently.
Congress' Funding Priorities for Indian Country Released
This past week, the House Committee on Appropriations released the final Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Bill Report, indicating where Congress’ funding priorities lay for 2026.
Angeline Boulley’s "Sisters of the Wind" Lands on New York Times Bestseller List
Bestselling Ojibwe author Angeline Boulley continues to make waves in Native literature and beyond. Her latest young adult novel, Sisters of the Wind, debuted this week on the New York Times Bestseller List, marking her third consecutive book to achieve the honor.
“I’m beyond grateful, excited, and proud,” Boulley said to Native News Online on Sunday evening.
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Native News Weekly (August 25, 2024): D.C. BriefsUS Presidents in Their Own Words Concerning American Indians
Oral History Project Announces 14th Stop in Portland, Oregon: NABS Continues to Gather Crucial Stories Across Indian Country
Monday Morning: (October 6, 2025): Articles You May Have Missed This Past Weekend
With Honor and Gratitude, Indian Country Mourns Ernie Stevens, Jr. at Services on Oneida Nation
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
