State trust lands generate millions of dollars for carceral facilities and programs every year, largely from extractive industries like oil and gas drilling.
South Dakota
Posted inIssues
‘Esto se trata de poder’: Los inmigrantes indígenas se enfrentan a una segunda administración de Trump
La gobernadora de Dakota del Sur, Kristi Noem, a quien se le prohibió la entrada a nueve reservas tribales, supervisará las políticas de importancia única para los pueblos indígenas.
Posted inArticles
The new film ‘Tatanka’ and the many narratives of the buffalo
Oglala Lakota Richard Two Bulls discusses his new project, which documents the restoration of the buffalo and the revival of a language.
Posted inJuly 1, 2023: Waiting for Water
The Trojan horse of Native theater
Larissa FastHorse’s ‘The Thanksgiving Play’ made Broadway history. That’s a good thing — right?
Posted inArticles
Despite the law meant to keep Native American families together, they’re being broken apart
A mother used the Indian Child Welfare Act to win back her parental rights. Then they came for her second child.
Posted inJune 1, 2022: A Legacy of Weapons and War
Idiot invasion; outhouse fail; rim-to-rim rule rupture
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inArticles
Indigenous women tackle college during a pandemic
How three Native American students took on the challenges of their first year away from home.
Posted inArticles
A tale of two teens in trouble
A comic explores the disparity between juvenile cases in Wyoming’s and South Dakota’s criminal justice systems.
Posted inMay 1, 2021: Beauty and Biodiversity in the Borderlands
Charges dropped for Black Hills protesters
After months of organizing, charges against Nick Tilsen, NDN Collective president and CEO, and all others arrested will be dropped.
Posted inArticles
A crude virus: How ‘man camps’ can cause a COVID surge
The Keystone XL Pipeline threatens to spread more than just oil through Indigenous communities.
Posted inJanuary 1, 2021: No Place Like Home
The battle for the Black Hills
Nick Tilsen was arrested for protesting President Trump at Mount Rushmore. Now, his legal troubles are part of a legacy.
Posted inArticles
How Indigenous voters swung the 2020 election
In Arizona and Wisconsin, Native turnout — which often leans liberal — made the difference in Biden’s slim but winning margin.
Posted inArticles
Tribes defend themselves against a pandemic and South Dakota’s state government
Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and Oglala Sioux Tribe’s COVID-19 checkpoints are at stake.
Posted inDecember 9, 2019: Party Favors
When disaster strikes, Indigenous communities receive unequal recovery aid
U.S. citizens recovering from natural disasters receive $26 per person, per year from the federal government. Tribal citizens? Just $3.
Posted inArticles
National parks provide an unsettling view of patriotism
Our nation’s darker past and bright ideas can both be found in the parks.
Posted inArticles
Where water is life, many on the Pine Ridge Reservation go thirsty
A pipeline’s promise is fulfilled for white ranchers while tribal communities are left waiting.
Posted inApril 29, 2019: A History of Violence
Native American athletes and fans face ongoing racism
The U.S. has seen a rise in hate crimes, but data shows that bigotry is a constant in Indian Country.
Posted inArticles
The woman in search of Indian Country’s missing
When authorities fail families, Lissa Yellowbird-Chase steps in.
Posted inArticles
Mining companies pollute waterways. Citizens pay.
Nearly 2 billion pounds of toxic waste were dumped into western waterways in 2017, and taxpayers are left to clean up the mess.
Posted inArticles
South Dakota pushes bills to prosecute ‘riot-boosting’ ahead of pipeline construction
The bills would allow the state to sue protesters — and their supporters — and use the money for pipeline-related costs.