Native communities on edge: What you need to know this week
Unlawful arrest charges, two reservation murders under FBI investigation, volatile ICE activity in Minneapolis — and a story about Miss Rodeo North Dakota that offers a moment of pride and visibility
Oglala Sioux Tribe demands release of tribal members in ICE custody
OST president warns federal officials of legal consequences for treaty violations, unlawful detention and deprivation of civil rights
By Darren Thompson, Special to Buffalo’s Fire
Oglala Sioux Tribe President Frank Star Comes Out sent official correspondence to the federal government Tuesday in regard to four tribal members who were recently detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The OST members were reportedly placed in ICE custody last week during a surge of immigration raids being conducted throughout Minnesota.
Chief deputy charged with unlawful arrests of Spirit Lake citizens to make court appearance Jan. 16
Travis Carlson was arrested in July following an investigation into the Benson County Sheriff’s Office
By Jolan Kruse
The former Benson County Sheriff’s chief deputy who was arrested last summer on charges related to unlawful arrests of Spirit Lake citizens will make his next court appearance Jan. 16 at a felony dispositional conference.
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe distances itself from former chair’s endorsement of Kristi Noem
Following recent immigration actions by ICE, Chairman Sitting Bear emphasizes Janet Alkire’s support for former South Dakota governor was solely her own
By Brian Bull
In yet another turn of events highlighting the on-again, off-again relationship U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem has had with tribes, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is clarifying that any past endorsement of her for the position she now holds was limited to the previous tribal chair.
Minneapolis Native community gathers in prayer after intense week of ICE activity
NDN Collective founder calls for tribal nations to work with city and state partners to ban ICE
By Darren Thompson, Special to Buffalo’s Fire
After a week of unrest related to ICE activity in Minneapolis, hundreds of people gathered in prayer on Sunday at Pow Wow Grounds on Franklin Avenue — the birthplace of the American Indian Movement. Chief Arvol Looking Horse, the 19th generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe of the Sioux Nation, traveled to Minneapolis from the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation to lead prayers and to offer support to the community and to the family of Renee Good, the mother of three who was fatally shot by ICE on Jan. 7.
FBI investigating two weekend murders on North Dakota reservations
Suspects apprehended in both cases
By Jolan Kruse
The FBI is investigating two separate murders that occurred last weekend on two North Dakota reservations, the Spirit Lake Reservation and the Turtle Mountain Reservation.
Minneapolis Indigenous community organizes around ICE activity
‘We are under attack right now from our federal government’
By Darren Thompson, Special to Buffalo’s Fire
Indigenous community leaders in Minneapolis organized a press conference on Friday to address safety concerns arising from the increased activity of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Since Wednesday, when ICE agent Jonathan Ross fatally shot Renee Good, an unarmed 37-year-old mother of three, confrontations between ICE and Native people have been reported in Southside neighborhoods.
Miss Rodeo North Dakota 2026 begins her reign as traveling ambassador
Jaylynn Hicks is first Native to hold the title in 40 years
By Brian Bull
With the determination and focus of a cowgirl lassoing a runaway calf, 24-year-old Jaylynn Hicks landed the title of Miss Rodeo North Dakota after three successive attempts.
The Daily Spark – quick, must-read micro stories to start your day
Our Daily Spark feature delivers news summaries each day to give you a quick overview of current events in Indian Country. The format prioritizes brevity, providing key updates in short, digestible summaries. This makes it a valuable resource for quickly grasping important developments on a broad range of issues affecting Indigenous communities.
Here are some of the stories you may have missed this week:
I am a "white elder" that was born in Oak Ridge, TN where the atomic bomb was created by the military in the 40s. I am 77, and for the past 15 years I have pulled heavy metals out of my body with Homeopathy chelation/drainers. Due to the effects on my brain in youth (and now), I was not able to pass algebra in order to graduate high school in 1966. The military offered me a chance to take the civil service test, so I could go to Washington, DC and work for the gov't. It was my education. I share this so you understand who I am and why I have joined Buffalo Fire; and I support you with my money(money is energetic and I attach Love to it). I do this so that during this Spiritual Manifestation, you...and your Documentors, will record what is taking place now on earth, and what is going to happen in the future...without bias. The bias part is going to bee difficult for Buffalo's Fire. Humans on earth are just beginning to recognize that earth planet shifted into the 4th Dimension, sometime during the 70s. It was when information from the East on auras, crystals, chakras, and color and light became known by those in the West. Due to what the military was doing to the American Indian at that time, you would have been distracted, and you might not have even noticed. But I did...notice. When covid happened, the world as it was turned upside down. Earth planet is equipped to turn it upright, but it is going to take time. As you and I go forward, I say a prayer for all hu-mans, animals, land, forest trees, and so on....that humans can bee open to the shift in the world and the planets above us. I did not vote for trump. I would have voted for Kennedy, and he moved over to trump's efforts to get rid of what has been placed in the world by "evil"...there's just no other description for me to use. I ask, along with the Documentation, that you and your people watch, listen, and try to understand what is happening in the world we live in during this time. No longer is the world we live in only the US. It is the world that is going to come together (the Avatar Meher Baba shared last century that the East and the West would come together), but it also means those that live in the US are going to come together. Is trump going to do that? Is he not the first human to make sense about what has happen? I see him as God's joker, and my prayer is that he will do what God is asking of him during this time. I also see others (like Kennedy) as heros, within this tale. These humans are changing what is...what has been for 100s of years. Is it going to happen? If it does, are you going to document it without prejudice? Thank you for allowing me to share these thoughts with you this new year of 2026. It is a year of change. Stand fast and strong on your laws and create new laws to help this shift in the US identity, so that it is all inclusive to us going forward. There are many impostures in the US currently. Also, still in the military, that must bee recovered from capture. The capture took place after WWII, and the Nuremberg Trials. The WHO and the UN are now being eliminated by trump; especially this is seen in the elimination of the NGOs. Its very complex and one must study the past without prejudice. Can you do it? Can you document it? It is my prayer. I am so very thankful for your people and whatever help you can give to the world as it proceeds. If one wants to prep for what is to come, there are 3 individuals I can suggest you read: Avatar Meher Baba, Carl Jung, and Rudolf Steiner.
The ICE custody situation with OST members is legally murky territory because tribal sovereignty creates jurisdictional complexities that federal agencies consistently mishandle. When tribal citizens are detained during broad immigration sweeps, it raises questions about whether ICE agents are properly verifying citizenship status or just profiling based on appearance. The memorandum from OST President Star Comes Out citing treaty violations is significant because it invokes the government-to-government relationship that theoretically protects tribal members from arbitrary federal action. Back when I was working on reservation legal issues we saw similar cases where federal law enforcement would detain tribal citizens assuming they wereundocumented, completely ignoring the fact that Indigenous peoples have unique legal status under federal law.