Waking the spirit: A new generation to gather at Little Bighorn
Planning continues for the 150th anniversary of the Greasy Grass battle. Plus, stories from the Buffalo's Fire archive
Historic Little Bighorn gathering aims to inspire Native youth, wake the spirit
New ideas still being accepted
Clayton and Penny Waditaka recently drove across nearly 1,000 miles of prairie lands from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, in Canada to Riverton, Wyoming, to join Native allies planning for the upcoming 150th anniversary of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as Greasy Grass.
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.
Zig Jackson’s Vision: ‘Culture is the most powerful thing you have in art’
Award-winning photographer explores themes of cultural identity, representation
As an art student at the University of New Mexico in the 1990s, Zig Jackson had keys to the school’s darkrooms. He liked to spend time at night printing photos, mostly of landscapes.
Ready the skunk cabbage, it’s the great camas bake-off
Prized bulb is a traditional food that proves tricky to bake right
By Brian Bull
You won’t get much argument that camas is a vital traditional food that’s fed generations of Natives across the Pacific Northwest, Rockies and Plains regions.
Buffalo’s Fire launches paid internship for Native students
The internship is open to high school and tribal college students. The application deadline is May 15
Buffalo’s Fire is launching a paid monthlong internship program beginning June 1 for students in tribal communities who are interested in independent media. This is a remote or hybrid position, depending on the successful candidates’ circumstances. Buffalo’s Fire is based in Bismarck.
The 20-hour-per-week internship provides a rare opportunity to learn about and participate in nearly every aspect of running a non-profit media organization. Interns will move between departments at Buffalo’s Fire, spending a week at a time shadowing a specific team member. They will gain experience in social media, audience development, community engagement, fundraising and editorial tasks related to local news and our coverage of the 150th commemoration of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. They will also have the opportunity to produce an article on the commemoration.
The internship is available to one high school student, who will earn $14 per hour, and one tribal college student, who will earn $18 per hour.
To apply, please send a 500-700 word essay describing your interest in the opportunity to Managing Editor Tori Marlan, tori@imfreedomalliance.org, by May 15. Please include any relevant experience you’ve had in journalism or non-profit organizations.
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: