Native News

The Native News Project is a new initiative from MPR News.

Stay informed with the latest news about local and national Native American communities, highlighting stories and issues important to Native American communities in Minnesota and beyond.

Our coverage includes cultural events, policy updates, community stories and more to provide a platform for Native voices, perspectives and important news.

Woodland women bringing back Our Grandmother’s Dress
On the second weekend of July, four dancers dressed in velvet dresses held up by straps danced gracefully across the arena at the annual Bear River powwow, the dresses glistening and gleaming in the hot summer sun.
Music camp sparks creativity and friendship for Native youth
Rock the Rez is a week-long music camp for Indigenous girls, two-spirit and gender diverse youth. This summer marks the first year the music camp is in Minnesota.
MMIR office announces reward for tips in related investigations
The state’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives office announced it will reward people who come forward with information in missing persons and homicide investigations.
Loss of public media funding a blow to tribal radio stations
Tribal radio stations across the country, including three in northern Minnesota, will lose significant dollars after Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding recission.
Joy Harjo bends time with her poetry to honor her mother's death
In her book, “Washing my Mother’s Body,” Joy Harjo bends time with her poetry to return to what she deems an essential ritual of love and dignity to honor her mother’s passing.
Minnesotan taps Ojibwe culture, Anishinaabe spirit to turn wood into art
Donovan Dahmen creates large collages of wood at his home in Grand Portage. He sees his art as a way to share knowledge of Ojibwe culture and spirituality. “I believe the wood tells me what it wants to be,” he said.