Native American Times

Native American Times Native Times is Cherokee owned and managed. Native American Times is one of the few independent Native American news outlets in the country.
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This page is a place not only for active discussion of Native American news, but also Native issues, life, culture and the occasional outburst of "NDN" humor. This page is more a personal reflection of me, Lisa Snell, the publisher of the Native American Times, than a strictly news page. I post what interests me, what makes me laugh, what makes me sad and what makes me shake my head.

08/09/2025
Tribal leaders across the country are preparing their members with information on what to do if they're approached by fe...
01/31/2025

Tribal leaders across the country are preparing their members with information on what to do if they're approached by federal law enforcement officials, as the Trump administration scales up deportation efforts.

The guidance — for members to carry their tribal identification cards with them at all times and know their rights if approached — follows what tribal leaders call concerning encounters with immigration officials.

Tribal advocates said that a history of state and federal officials not understanding tribal documents poses a threat to members.

"The history of being misidentified is long," said Judith Le Blanc, executive director of the Native Organizers Alliance and a citizen of the Caddo Nation. "Our [U.S.] citizenship is so valuable to us, and we want to ensure that it is protected."

Le Blanc said that with the Trump administration tapping other law enforcement agencies, such as the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration, for immigration duties, there is more room for distrust and confusion.
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Reported incidents have tribal members on high alert

Just days after President Trump took office, reports began reaching tribal leaders in the Southwest about encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.…

Read the story via the link below:

Tribal leaders are advising members on what to do if they're approached by federal law enforcement. The guidance follows what tribal leaders call concerning encounters with immigration officials.

What Matters in this Moment:A Note from Cheryl Crazy Bull, President and CEO, American Indian College Fund I want to sta...
01/30/2025

What Matters in this Moment:
A Note from Cheryl Crazy Bull, President and CEO, American Indian College Fund

I want to start by thanking those who have reached out in support of Native peoples. All of us at the American Indian College Fund and the students and the communities we serve are deeply touched by the outpouring of support.

Today the importance of diverse thoughts, cultures, knowledge, and perspectives are being challenged. This concerns me for our students and the potential for lost opportunities. Even more, it saddens me for what this says about our nation and what will be lost, perhaps irretrievably. When people operate from a place of fear but also wield tremendous power, it can result in irreparable harm with impact beyond anyone’s understanding.

Every American understands the impact of a lack of access to education for our children individually and in community. When people are geographically remote, diverse, or without financial means, like most of the people we serve, the impact is even more devastating.

To date, we have lost funding for two significant scholarship programs that support nearly 100 students each year with meaningful scholarships. One hundred talented, smart, innovative, forward-thinking, young Native people are now faced with limited opportunities to complete their studies because people are afraid to stand up for democratic values.

It is hard for me to imagine where I would be in my own life and career if I had not embraced my identity and the importance of sharing my voice. It has not always been easy, but it has always served me well. As an elder in my tribal community and among Native people, I must use my voice because being an elder means exercising the leadership that is needed when our people are at risk of great harm. And in my workplace, where all of my team are younger than me and because I have children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren- I listen respectfully and with care to hear the voices of our young people who willingly and passionately share the future they want for themselves and for everyone on the planet.

In the past week I have listened to tribal leaders, non-profit leaders, politicians, colleagues, and people in our communities to learn more about the environment we are in before speaking.

When I reflect on my 13 years leading the College Fund, I see clearly how the contributions of people of all ages, cultures, beliefs, and backgrounds have helped us grow as an innovative organization. We create opportunities for students to access higher education, graduate, and go on to serve their communities in the workforce. We support tribally controlled colleges and universities to meet their students’ and communities’ needs in places where their institution may be the only one offering an affordable higher education.

No country and no community can afford to throw away the talents of its children. Every one of us has a gift to give, no one person’s gift is greater than another’s, and we cannot afford to squander anyone’s talents. We believe we are all relatives. We are colleagues, classmates, family members, and community members. In short, we are all connected. That is the very definition of community.

Today we are as committed to our mission and values as ever. We will continue to close the opportunity gap with financial and other resources to ensure our students’ access to and success in higher education. We continue our commitment to supporting the tribal colleges and universities which provide an affordable higher education and skilled graduates trained to meet the workforce needs of their communities in health care, education, science and technology, trades, business, and transportation.

Whether you are a supporter, a student, or an educator, I appreciate being able to hear from you about a time when you embraced a different perspective and how it helped you grow and learn. Please share your thoughts with me at [email protected].

Biden commutes sentence for Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier, convicted in killing of FBI agents
01/20/2025

Biden commutes sentence for Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier, convicted in killing of FBI agents

With just moments left before he leaves office, President Joe Biden commuted the sentence of indigenous activist Leonard Peltier, who was convicted in the 1975 killings of two FBI agents and is serving live in prison.

10/08/2024

By GRAHAM LEE BREWER and MATT O'BRIEN MIAMI, Okla. (AP) — Shawnee Tribe Chief Ben Barnes grew up playing video games, including "probably hundreds of hours" colonizing a distant planet in the 1999 title Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri. So when that same game studio, Firaxis, approached the tribal natio...

05/28/2024

Two University of South Dakota faculty members, Megan Red Shirt-Shaw and her husband, John Little, have long included their gender pronouns and tribal affiliations in their work email signature blocks. But both received written warnings from the university in March that doing so violated a policy adopted by the South Dakota Board of Regents in December.

Read the story at the CUJ online: https://cuj.ctuir.org/2024/05/pronouns-and-tribal-affiliations-are-now-forbidden-in-south-dakota-public-university-employee-emails/

📸Megan Red Shirt-Shaw speaks at Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois, on Jan. 17, 2023.

RYAN PAGELOW | DOMINICAN UNIVERSITY PHOTO

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04/21/2024

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Redbone's hit cracked the Billboard Top 5 this month in 1974. It was a first for a band with all Native and Mexican American members — but the song itself had a quietly political message, too.

01/12/2024

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Native American Times was one of the few independent Native American news outlets in the country. No longer a print publication, the Native Times lives on through this page.

This page is a place not only for active discussion of Native American news, but also Native issues, life, culture and the occasional outburst of "NDN" humor. This page is more a personal reflection of the publisher of the Native American Times, than a strictly news page.

Please keep it civil.