Jourdan Bennett-Begaye
ICT
Winter is one of my favorite times of the year. Not only do the holidays allow time for family and rest, but it’s a time to reflect on the big stories for tribal nations and the Indigenous world.
ICT’s editors got together to discuss this year’s top stories that had a national or local impact. The goal for our newsroom is always impact and stories with nuance that can’t be told anywhere else.
Here are the top 16 stories that stood out to us in 2024 because they shook the conversations happening on the ground and institutionally, the policy work, how Native societies and cultures will continue to move forward, and the door it opens for more stories to report on.
Boarding school apology
President Joe Biden’s boarding school apology was, of course, a recent event that touched just about every Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian individual in the United States.
Some may say that more than an apology is needed from the president. But what is also true is that many boarding school survivors waited for this validation and public apology.
It was a story that our entire newsroom contributed to. A true team effort. We reported from the ground at the Gila River Indian Community where Biden delivered the apology and to Canada. Indigenous media were busy days before and after this historic event.
RELATED:
— Historic Apology: Boarding school history ‘a sin on our soul’
— Historic apology: Adding our light ‘to the sum of light’
— First Nations in Canada react to Joe Biden apology
Boarding schools and repatriation
Aside from the apology itself, our newsroom and many others have been reporting on boarding schools all year.
In January, ICT national correspondent Mary Annette Pember wrote about how “boarding school policies covered up hidden deaths from tuberculosis and other diseases far beyond those students buried in school cemeteries.” A story I remember her talking about in the fall of 2023 and certainly one to read up on.
— READ: ‘Sending them home to die’
Later in the year the National Native American Boarding School Coalition launched a public database of a list of students who attended boarding schools.
The latest news was Biden announcing at the White House Tribal Nations Summit that a federal boarding schools monument will be created at Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
“By establishing a new national monument at the site of the former Carlisle school, President Biden is acknowledging the federal boarding school era, advancing healing and commemorating the resilience of tribal nations and Indigenous peoples,” read a White House news release.
Along with the boarding school history coming to light, it’s been a year of repatriation. Repatriation of ancestral remains and artifacts.
We followed the Winnebago of Nebraska lawsuit to bring two boys home who died at Carlisle.
In the fall, 11 students from six tribes were taken home. One of those stories included the Oglala Lakota daughter of Chief Charging Shield by one of our freelancers.
These stories are never easy but they need to be told.
One of the bigger stories that our newsroom worked on was looking at the new rules of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.
It was a three-part series on our website and on the ICT Newscast. It’s probably one of my favorite projects the newsroom has done.
I know many Indigenous reporters and newsrooms will be keeping an eye on this.
Read ICT‘s entire NAGPRA series:
— NAGPRA Part 1: A sea change in federal regulations
— NAGPRA Part 2: ‘A state of Gozhoo’
— NAGPRA Part 3: A model for future Indigenous exhibitsView the broadcast stories on the ICT Newscast:
— Day 1 broadcast story
— Day 2 broadcast story
— Day 3 broadcast story
Nex Benedict and Cole Brings Plenty deaths
The deaths of these two individuals, Nex Benedict and Cole Brings Plenty, spread like wildfire on social media, in Indigenous media, and on mainstream news.
Both of their cases sparked national conversations in Indigenous communities regarding bullying, Native youth advocacy, accuracy of reporting, suicide, accountability, domestic violence, and community support.
It also challenged journalism to do better. News outlets struggled with Benedict’s identity as a Native person, proper pronouns, and how to handle suicide deaths of minors with compassion. Brings Plenty’s case showed reporters and editors how nuanced missing Native people’s cases are and what more could be done.
Related:
— Nonbinary student’s death after attack elicits outcry
— ‘My child is not filth!’
— ICT’s coverage of Nex Benedict
— Lakota actor missing following domestic violence report
— ICT’s coverage of Cole Brings Plenty
Powwow shooting
Back in August, Pine Ridge experienced a shooting during their powwow. Our deputy managing editor Kevin Abourezk reported on it.
“Eagle, a longtime women’s traditional dancer, had been asked to judge the women’s dancing competitions. When the shots rang out, she was in the middle of judging the teen girl’s traditional contest. Over a dozen girls danced inside the arena.
Midway through the competition, around 10:15 pm, Eagle heard several loud pops and saw people running from the arbor. Many of the teen dancers reacted slowly, not realizing what was happening, and some even had to be pulled from the arena by their loved ones. For some, the sound of the drum and singers drowned out the gunshots.
Through the dusty haze, Eagle screamed for the dancers to run and then she ran to the arena’s west side.
— READ: A broken family, broken trust in wake of shooting
The powwow continued for the second day with metal detectors and a ban on large bags.
A lot of Native people grow up on the powwow circuit. It’s full of kids running around and playing, aunties and uncles visiting and laughing, and all good medicine. It’s supposed to be a safe place for the community. However, this could be an event that shifts Indigenous community gatherings.
Indigenous Entertainment in Hollywood
Of course, one of the highlights of the year has to be Native people being Oscar-nominated, especially Lily Gladstone.
ICT has followed “Killers of the Floor Moon” since its inception as a film to the red carpet at and inside the Oscars ceremony in March 2024.
This is one of my favorite stories we’ve covered because ICT has been covering it since 2020, which started with our freelancer Sandra Schulman reporting on Apple financing the film during the pandemic. Since then we’ve covered the big milestones but mostly republished Osage News’ coverage given its their story.
Everything surrounding this film was done impressively well. From the script to the cast, and the media coverage and connecting with the Osage Nation with care and humanity to tell an important story that is deeply entrenched in American history. Gladstone, Cara Jade Meyers, Tatanka Means, the rest of the Native cast, and the allies did so well in interviews and carrying this film from start to finish. We now have a blueprint for Hollywood and it’s only going to get better from here.
RELATED:
— Oscars Notebook: No statue for Lily Gladstone
— The Academy Awards through my eyes
Sydney Freeland, Sterlin Harjo and LeBron James’ film “Rez Ball” is one of the 2024 books. Every Native person I talked to about this film said they cried but also laughed so much in this film. Even if they weren’t Navajo, they understood much of the humor.
But what hit with the film is how Native youth suicide affects every Indigenous nation and individual in these nations, and also how strong we are and how grief is different for everyone.
— READ: ‘Rez Ball’ is a story for everyone
Summer Olympics
We’ve noticed that sports is a readership favorite. No surprise there. This year more than 50 Indigenous athletes participated in the Summer Olympics in Paris.
Read more at our Olympics Notebook by freelancer Dan Ninham. We’re looking forward to the 2026 Winter Olympics and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles on Tongva land.
Klamath Dams
“The tribes are very excited to see the salmon return after over 110 years of absence,” said Don Gentry, natural resource specialist and former chairman of the Klamath Tribes.
Our Northwest bureau in Portland reported on the dam removal since 2023 with our partners at Underscore, High Country News, and The Seattle Times.
The dam removal has been a big step in revitalizing the river and wildlife for Native nations. It’s a true example of what could be for many dams across the country.
READ:
— Undamming the Klamath
— The Pacific Northwest is littered with ‘deadbeat dams’
Stories flying off the charts: Artificial intelligence, racist comments
Two stories rose to the top of our analytics all year: “Navajo word for beautiful at center of controversy” and “School superintendent fired after racist comments.”
Artificial intelligence has been a worry and a help for much of the world but it hasn’t been talked about much in Native communities. Abourezk’s story dove into the concerns of artificial intelligence for Native nations, peoples, and businesses that’s worth bringing into future conversations.
There are stories that we call “outrage of the day” that ICT likes to stay away from. We found that if we reported on each one of these that there would be little to no time for the stories that really matter and create long-lasting change.
However, there are exceptions depending on what we see like this superintendent story. We think of the impact, the person in power, the historical context, and accountability.
ICT INVESTIGATION: Opioid crisis devastates Indigenous communities in Canada
“A months-long investigation by ICT in partnership with the Yellowhead Institute at Toronto Metropolitan University found that addiction to opiates is a growing problem for families in Canada, particularly among the First Nations and Indigenous communities and their young people,” read in Miles Morrisseau’s report. Morrisseau is ICT’s Canada Correspondent.
When ICT has the resources and right partnerships, we do investigations. This one is particularly significant since it impacts those north of the medicine line and a story that will have long-term implications.
Indigenous Māori and the British Crown
I, like many, discovered this story on TikTok or Instagram. Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke of Te Pāti Māori, the youngest member of New Zealand’s parliament, starting a haka during a session to protest a law that would reinterpret the Treaty of Waitangi.
Her strength and voice sprung from that floor to the phones of many across the world. My feed was full of her haka — and her mentor who smiled next to her while she stood.
— READ: Tens of thousands crowd New Zealand’s Parliament grounds in support of Māori rights
Indigenous peoples and allies felt empowered in this moment and, I’m sure like me, got chills every time they watched the video.
It’ll be talked about for years to come but instill strength for Indigenous peoples across the world as they fight colonialism.
All-year stories: BIA, election, 100 years of citizenship
At ICT, everyone in the newsroom will have to do political reporting at some point in their career. It’s the foundation for everything we report on. Our bread and butter as I say. Plus politics is part of our existence as Native peoples.
In March the Bureau of Indian Affairs had its second centennial. “The history, violent legacy and repugnant policies of this agency are well documented. But its branches have grown well beyond the roots, and change has come, albeit slowly. In the next hundred years, tribal leaders and advocates see a whole host of possibilities…” wrote ICT’s Political Correspondent Pauly Denetclaw in her report.
— READ: The future of the Bureau of Indian Affairs
A few months later Indigenous peoples reflected on the 100th anniversary of the Indian Citizenship Act. The irony is this was an election year, this act didn’t grant Native people the right to vote in 1924.
— READ: 100 years later: A congressional act that didn’t ensure equal justice
The last big story of the year: election. It was a consequential one. ICT kept track of Indigenous candidates as usual, watched ballot initiatives that would affect Native voters, and hosted our fourth election night show from San Bernandino, California.
— READ:ICT’s Election 2024 Coverage
You can rewatch our four-hour show below with results and analysis from our experts.Our stories are worth telling. Our stories are worth sharing. Our stories are worth your support. Contribute $5 or $10 today to help ICT carry out its critical mission. Sign up for ICT’s free newsletter.
Our stories are worth telling. Our stories are worth sharing. Our stories are worth your support. Contribute $5 or $10 today to help ICT carry out its critical mission. Sign up for ICT’s free newsletter.