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- By Native News Online Staff
Join us as we commemorate the centennial of the Indian Citizenship Act, also known as the Snyder Act, signed into law by President Calvin Coolidge on June 2, 1924. This pivotal legislation marked a significant milestone in Native American history, granting citizenship to all noncitizen American Indians born within the territorial limits of the United States.
- Bryan Newland (Bay Mills Indian Community), Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs
- Mark Charles (Navajo). Author, "Unsettling Truths: The Ongoing, Dehumanizing Legacy of the Doctrine of Discovery":
- Jacqueline DeLeon (Pueblo of Isleta), Attorney, Native American Rights Fund
- Chuck Hoskin, Jr., Principal Chief, Cherokee Nation
- Shannon Holsey, President, Stockbridge-Munsee Tribe of Mohican
- Aaron Payment (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa), vice president, Kauffman and Associates
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Photographs of the Homecoming of the Three Fires Powwow
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.
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Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher
