Tribal Affairs

The Northern Cheyenne Medicinal Garden at the Sheridan Food Forest consists of about 105 different plants that the Northern Cheyenne tribe has used for spiritual, medicinal, or nutritional significance. A dedication ceremony on Aug. 31 at the Sheridan Food Forest drew around two dozen community members who wanted to learn more about the significance of these plants.

The Census Bureau has a tool called 'My Tribal Area' that provides accessible demographic information about tribal communities. It’s been around since 2016, but changes to the available data – or lack thereof – have affected how the tool has been received over the years.

A new report says forests managed by tribal communities are extremely underfunded. And that’s affecting lands that tribes in the Mountain West and beyond rely on for economic, social and cultural resources.

President Joe Biden has designated another national monument in the Mountain West. Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument covers nearly one million acres in Northern Arizona and contains thousands of culturally and historically significant sites

A new database reveals that museums and universities across the U.S. still hold the remains of more than 100,000 Native Americans, despite a federal law passed more than 30 years ago to help return their remains to tribes.

Preliminary estimates show that the life expectancy of newborns is still declining in the U.S., from 77 in 2020 to 76 last year. A main driver is COVID-19. However, life expectancy decreased much more for American Indians and Alaskan Natives, who had a life expectancy of 65 last year.

The Mountain West News Bureau’s investigation of tribal jails has won a third journalism award, gaining recognition in the 2022 National Native Media contest.

The Public Media Journalists Association selected the bureau's investigation of deaths at tribal jails as the best nationally edited news coverage for 2021.

A federal contract to investigate deaths at tribal jails went to a man who had oversight of those facilities during 6 of the deaths. Now, watchdog group Project on Government Oversight is calling on the Interior’s Office of Inspector General to investigate that contract and whether it violated rules regarding former federal employees.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland recently announced she will remove some federal oversight from tribal water rules. A memorandum that dates back to 1975 required federal approvals for tribes to change their water codes, but now that’s no longer the case.