Compiled by ANN TOINEETA
One Feather Intern
Association on American Indian Affairs appoints new Cultural Sovereignty Director
Dr. Crystal Miller, a member of the Walker River Paiute Tribe, has been appointed as the new Cultural Sovereignty Director for the Association on American Indian Affairs. Miller will “lead the Association’s national initiatives focused on advancing Native Nation cultural sovereignty through advocacy, policy development, education, capacity building, and direct support to Tribal Nations.”
Mary Peltola raises $7 million during the second quarter of her campaign
U.S. Senate candidate Mary Peltola, a Yup’ik Alaskan Native, has raised a record breaking $7 million for her campaign in the second quarter of 2026, “setting a new benchmark for second-quarter fundraising by an Alaska candidate for the U.S. Senate.”
New Electronic Probate System launches
The U.S. Department of the Interior has announced the launch of an Electronic Probate System, “a new digital platform designed to modernize the probate process for American Indian and Alaska Native families by replacing paper-based case management with a secure online system.”
Trump reduces boundaries for culturally significant national monuments in Utah
President Donald Trump has announced that “his administration will dramatically reduce the boundaries of Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears national monuments” in an effort to restore public access to timber harvesting, hunting, fishing, and other uses. The announcement was criticized by the Grand Staircase-Escalante Inter-Tribal Coalition and the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition for ignoring the cultural significance of the monuments.
Investigation into Gallup-McKinely County Schools found their Native American and Hispanic students are more severely disciplined
An investigation by the New Mexico Department of Justice found that Gallup-McKinely County Schools disciplined Native American and Hispanic students more severely than white students. The investigation was launched “following news reports that the district drove New Mexico’s outsized rates of expelling Native students.”
Wyoming church receives backlash over sermon calling for Native peoples to turn away from cultural practices
After a video depicting Foundations for Nations church pastor Sarah Lucas criticizing Native American traditions and customs on the Wind River Reservation went viral, they were told by the Northern Arapaho Business Council to leave the reservation.
Source: https://wyofile.com/christian-church-vows-to-fight-tribal-order-to-leave-wind-river-reservation/
Pueblo of Acoma criticizes proposal to revoke protections for Greater Chaco Landscape
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has released an environmental assessment that would “revoke federal protections for the Greater Chaco Landscape.” The Pueblo of Acoma has criticized the proposal, “calling the process rushed, inadequate, and dismissive of Tribal consultation.”
American Indian College Fund launches Reclaim Native Democracy Voting Initiative
The American Indian College Fund has launched the Reclaim Native Democracy Voting Initiative. The initiative “seeks to amplify Native student voices while encouraging civic participation in tribal, local, state, and federal elections.”
Four northern Ontario First Nations under mandatory evacuation notice
Members of the Namaygoosisagagun First Nation, Whitesand First Nation, Lac des Mill Lacs First Nation, and Gakijiwanong Anishinaabe Nation are all under a mandatory evacuation notice due to wildlife fires in northern Ontario, Canada.
