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- By Kyle Edwards
Native News Online, a national news outlet serving Indian Country as well as urban Native Americans and Alaska Natives, is creating a memorial to remember the Elders and Indigenous language speakers who have died from Covid-19. Have you lost someone to coronavirus or work with families who have? You can help us honor and remember them by sharing their story with Native News Online.
If you lost an Indigenous Elder or language speaker to Covid-19 or work with families who have (or know of someone who passed away in your community), Native News Online wants to hear from you. Together we can share the stories of all our relations taken from our communities and nations far too soon.
Native News Online's project, Remembering All Our Relations: Memorializing the Indigenous Elders We’ve Lost to Covid-19, aims to capture the loss felt throughout Indian Country. Why are we doing this? Because the loss of our Elders—the bearers of our languages and traditional ways—due to the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted all of our communities both culturally and emotionally. They are more than just a number, and the implications of this is far too great to ignore.
If you would like an Indigenous Elder or language speaker to be memorialized, here are some ways to reach us and share their story:
- Fill out our ONLINE FORM
- If you prefer to share your story orally, leave us a VOICEMAIL at this number: (616) 202-2125
- Email us at [email protected]
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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.
The 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
