Preparing for Little Bighorn 150 and preserving community stories
From public safety planning to Native arts, water rights and local events, this week’s newsletter highlights stories rooted in remembrance, resilience and connection
For Ethan One Feather, safety and security at 150th commemoration of Little Bighorn battle is top priority
Thousands of people, many on horses, expected to attend major historical and cultural event
By Brian Bull
When one looks out across the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument near Crow Agency, Montana, one can only imagine the ferocity of the 1876 clash between Native warriors and Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer’s 7th Cavalry soldiers. You can easily envision bullets and arrows whizzing by, and horses neighing in terror and kicking up dust as fighters wrestled each other in the hot grassy brush, struggling to get the upper hand.
From the Vault
The Buffalo’s Fire team is planning our coverage for the 150th anniversary commemoration of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, which takes place next month near Hardin, Montana. We are also working on a Solutions Journalism series on press freedom in Indian Country. The series launched last month with a commentary by Jodi Rave Spotted Bear, our founder and editor in chief.
In the meantime, a new newsletter feature, “From the Buffalo’s Fire Vault,” will highlight previous reporting that you might have missed.
What a Southern Arizona tribe can teach others about tribal water rights
The monumental Gila River Indian Community Water Rights Settlement celebrates its 21st anniversary
Wednesday, Dec. 10, marked 21 years since the monumental Gila River Indian Community Water Rights Settlement secured water rights for the tribe. It was one of the largest tribal water settlements in U.S. history.
Gary Farmer: The ‘Resident Alien’ star on Route 66
From ‘Smoke Signals’ to ‘Resident Alien’ — catch up with Cayuga actor and musician Gary Farmer as he takes a breather along Route 66
By Brian Bull
True story: On the final day of the 42nd annual Indigenous Journalists Association conference, I was in my Albuquerque hotel room feeling restless and having a sudden impulse to head downstairs. The closing ceremony wasn’t for almost two hours, but my gut said, Get to the east end of the lower level now.
Honor a loved one on Buffalo’s Fire Memorial Wall
Memorial Day is almost here. Honor the memory of a relative or loved one by adding their name to Buffalo’s Fire Memorial Wall. Donate today and click the “in honor/memory of” box to share your remembrance.
Buffalo’s Fire launches Flyers Board for community notices and events
New page organizes local flyers around the newest postings, creating a digital bulletin board for gatherings, workshops, fundraisers and public notices
Buffalo’s Fire has launched the Flyers Board, a new community page designed to bring local notices, event promotions and public-interest announcements into one shared digital space. The page presents flyers as a living bulletin board, with the newest postings placed at the center and older ones arranged around them. This layout echoes the feel of a community center wall or grocery store notice board while remaining easy to browse on desktop and mobile devices.
The new feature is intended to help readers quickly find workshops, powwows, meetings, fundraisers, hearings and other community events in a format that feels immediate and familiar.
The newest flyer is located at the center of the page; scroll in all directions to see the rest. Tap or click on any flyer to view it in full screen and read a brief summary of its content. Share flyers on social media and use our submission form to send us flyers for your events — both local and from afar — and we’ll post them for all to see. We’re creating a community of engaged citizens, gathering like-minded allies and chasing change together.
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: