We go now to Washington state where ICT has launched a five-year project looking at the impact of climate change in tribal communities. ICT’s Mark Trahant is here with a report from the Quinault Nation.

The lowly potato is not really so lowly. It’s an important food crop all over the world. But for the Indigenous people of Peru, it’s a way of life. The McKnight Foundation has this story from the Montaro Valley, about how global food systems are linked through this crop of the Andes.

All across the country, we hear news of tribal nations getting land back. Whether an outright purchase, or a donation, the movement is gaining traction. A project at the University of Kansas is putting it on a map. An idea of MacArthur fellow Sarah Deer, a fellow professor helped her create a website to quantify land back.

A slice of our Indigenous world

  • Tribal and government officials advocate for missing and murdered indigenous people in California. ICT‘s Paris Wise has the story.
  • A historic agreement has been reached to help tribes exert their river rights. The Upper Basin Tribes, which is made up of six native communities from Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah, have signed a new agreement with the Upper Colorado River Commission. Under the new agreement, tribal representatives will meet with the commission every two months to discuss water rights and Colorado River issues.
  • In North Dakota, two Native American lawmakers are voicing their frustrations after, what they say, was yet another example of racist behavior in the state. Video posted online from late April shows non-native students imitating powwow dances at the Flasher High School prom
  • In Oklahoma, tribal, state and federal authorities are dealing with the aftermath of devastating tornadoes. At the end of April, 35 twisters struck Oklahoma. Twelve of which destroyed the Chickasaw Nation town of Sulpher.
  • Four aboriginal spears that were stolen over 250-years ago have been repatriated to Australia. The artifacts were brought to England by Captain James Cook. It’s all that remain of some 40 spears that Cook took in 1770 at the time of first contact with the Indigenous people of Kamay, or Botany Bay.

Shirley Sneve, Ponca/Sicangu Lakota, is vice president of broadcasting for the ICT Newscast. Follow her on Twitter @rosebudshirley. She is based in Nebraska and Minnesota

Aliyah Chavez, Kewa Pueblo, is the anchor of the ICT Newscast. On Twitter: @aliyahjchavez.

Paris Wise, Zia and Laguna Pueblo, is a producer for the ICT Newscast. Email: paris@ictnews.org.

Stewart Huntington is a producer for the ICT Newscast.

Quindrea Yazzie, Diné, is a video production editor for the ICT Newscast. Email: qyazzie@ictnews.org. Yazzie is based in Phoenix.

Daniel Herrera Carbajal is a video editor for the ICT Newscast. On Twitter: @daniulherrrera

Pauly Denetclaw, Diné, is a political correspondent for ICT. Email her at pauly@ictnews.org

Pacey Smith-Garcia, Ute, is a production assistant for the ICT Newscast. On Twitter: @paceyjournalist.

Ebonye Delaney is the Executive Producer for the ICT Newscast. Email: ebonye@ictnews.org

Mark Trahant, Shoshone-Bannock, is ICT editor-at-large Email: marktrahant@ictnews.org

ICT is a nonprofit news organization. Will you support our work? All of our content is free. There are no subscriptions or costs. And we have hired more Native journalists in the past year than any news organization ─ and with your help we will continue to grow and create career paths for our people. Support ICT for as little as $10.