fbpx
facebook app symbol  twitter  linkedin  instagram 1
 

With the summer upon us, it is a great time to spend time with family and friends at powwows, recreatiional activities, and other events. Don't let your fun be disrupted by unexpected accidents or unfortunate mishaps.

Follow good safety pratices so you can have the most fun:

Fireworks 

Every year, thousands of people go to the emergency room with firework-related injuries around the 4th of July. The safest way to enjoy fireworks is to attend a public display conducted by trained professionals. After the fireworks display, children should never pick up fireworks that may be left over. They may still be active.  

Sparklers

Sparklers can heat up to 1,200 degrees, cause severe burns. 

  • Make sure kids keep sparklers outside, away from their face, clothing and hair, and do not pick up used hot sparkler
  • Supervise kids while they’re playing with sparklers, and dispense used sparklers into water bucket.

Campfires 

Prevent your campfire from becoming a wildfire! Follow these tips from the National Fire Protection Agency: 

  • Check if you need a permit.
  • Select a level, shaded location away from wind, dry brush, tents and other flammable materials.
  • Campfires should be 25 feet away from anything that can burn: grass, leaves, needles. 
  • Scoop a slight hole in the cleared area to build the fire. Place a ring of rocks around it. 
  • Cut wood in short lengths. The fire should be built low. Tall, raging camp fires can create many burning embers. 
  • Never use gasoline or paper to start a fire.
  • When burning, have a hose, a bucket of water, or shovel and dirt or sand nearby to extinguish the fire. 
  • Fire must never be left unattended, and the fire must be extinguished completely before everyone leaves camp. Children should always be supervised around a campfire.

More Stories Like This

Native StoryLab - Unlock the Power of Storytelling
Native Bidaské Livestream
Chickasaw Jamie Jones Appointed to Leadership Role with California Department of Veterans Affairs
Get the Booklet: ‘Indian Boarding Schools: A Native News Online Reporting Project’
Oklahoma State University Receives $3.5M for Indigenous Foodways and Health Initiative.

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.

Levi headshotThe 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.

Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.

Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher

 
 
About The Author
Levi Rickert
Author: Levi RickertEmail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Levi "Calm Before the Storm" Rickert (Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation) is the founder, publisher and editor of Native News Online. Rickert was awarded Best Column 2021 Native Media Award for the print/online category by the Native American Journalists Association. He serves on the advisory board of the Multicultural Media Correspondents Association. He can be reached at [email protected].

July 06, 2025 Kaili Berg
A new documentary celebrating one of the greatest athletes of all time, Jim Thorpe, premieres on The History Channel on Monday, July 7. Jim Thorpe: Lit by Lightning tells the story of the Sac and Fox/Potawatomi sports icon, often called the greatest all-around athlete in history, whose accomplishments and struggles still resonate today. The documentary premieres on The History Channel.
Currents
July 06, 2025 Native News Online Staff Currents 1750
WASHINGTON — 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.
Opinion
July 06, 2025 Professor Victoria Sutton Opinion 144
Guest Opinion . Is the American flag protected by a federal statute that says the flag should be “respected”?
July 04, 2025 Judith LeBlanc Opinion 1680
Guest Opinion. This July 4th, we continue to organize for an inclusive multiracial democracy where Indigenous sovereignty is respected and everyone who calls these lands home can thrive.
Sovereignty
July 06, 2025 Native News Online Staff Sovereignty 469
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.
July 02, 2025 Native News Online Staff Sovereignty 4882
The Suquamish Tribe continues to play a significant role in the regional economy, according to a newly released economic impact study by respected economist John B. Taylor. The report outlines the Tribe’s wide-ranging contributions to Kitsap County and the state of Washington in 2023.
Education
June 27, 2025 Native News Online Staff Education 2220
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.
June 24, 2025 Native News Online Staff Education 8670
On Tuesday, June 17, Speaker Crystalyne Curley and Council Delegate Dr. Andy Nez met with representatives from the Department of Diné Education (DODE), Diné Bi Oltá School Board Association (DBOSBA), and the BIA Navajo Region to develop a unified response to the Bureau of Indian Education’s recent “Dear Tribal Leader” letter.
Arts & Entertainment
July 06, 2025 Kaili Berg Arts & Entertainment 1276
A new documentary celebrating one of the greatest athletes of all time, Jim Thorpe, premieres on The History Channel on Monday, July 7. Jim Thorpe: Lit by Lightning tells the story of the Sac and Fox/Potawatomi sports icon, often called the greatest all-around athlete in history, whose accomplishments and struggles still resonate today. The documentary premieres on The History Channel.
July 05, 2025 Native News Online Staff Arts & Entertainment 1434
After 33 years on the air, First Voices Radio will broadcast its final episode on Sunday, July 6, 2025. Founded in 1992 by Tiokasin Ghosthorse (Cheyenne River Lakota), the program has served as a vital platform for global Indigenous voices, focusing on issues central to the protection and preservation of Mother Earth—always told from the perspective of the original peoples of the world.
Health
Environment
July 01, 2025 Native News Online Staff Environment 4416
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 .
June 30, 2025 Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico Environment 2154
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.