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.

Partnerships may pave the way to a more environmentally focused future in the mining industry
Tribal nations in Minnesota have long raised concerns about pollution from taconite mines on the state’s Iron Range. The mining industry has been trying to find ways to produce iron using renewable energy. The University of Minnesota is conducting a study of what it calls ‘next generation steel’ to understand the economic and environmental benefits.
‘A big Minnesota moment in New York’: The Met announces exhibition of late artist George Morrison
The Metropolitan Museum of Art will open “The Magical City: George Morrison’s New York” on July 17, a significant solo exhibition of the Grand Portage Anishinaabe artist’s work and a rare presentation at a major institution outside Minnesota.
Explainer: How the U of M system endowment, mining industry benefit from seized Indigenous land
The state holds land in trust for the University of Minnesota, generating revenue for the Permanent University Fund. The U.S. government gave the land to the state in the mid-1800s after taking it from tribal nations through treaties often signed under the threat of violence.
Operation boosts FBI resources in Minnesota for unsolved violent crimes in Indian Country
The U.S. Justice Department announced the FBI will send additional personnel to field offices in 10 states, including Minnesota, over the next six months to help investigate unsolved violent crimes in Indian Country.
Documentary about Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier opens Twin Cities film festival
The Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival opened with “Free Leonard Peltier” on Wednesday evening. The documentary revisits the case of Indigenous rights activist Leonard Peltier and the 1975 murder of two FBI agents on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.
Unsolved violent crimes in Native American communities to get more attention with FBI surge
The FBI is sending extra agents, analysts and other personnel to field offices in 10 states over the next six months to help investigate unsolved violent crimes in Indian Country.