Native American Issues
Follow the latest Native American Issues news, videos, and analysis from ABC News.
April 25, 2024 at 11:17 PM

Native American tribes want US appeals court to weigh in on $10B SunZia energy transmission project

Native American tribes and environmentalists want a U.S. appeals court to weigh in on their request to halt construction along part of a $10 billion energy transmission line
April 25, 2024 at 11:17 PM
1 month ago

Educators say they fear Oklahoma law restricts teaching 'Killers of the Flower Moon' book

Some teachers in Oklahoma say they are afraid to teach a book that is the foundation of "Killers of the Flower Moon," because of state law HB 1775
1 month ago
Educators say they fear Oklahoma law restricts 'Killers of the Flower Moon' lesson
2 months ago

Indigenous basketball league harnesses Native talent, gives hope to community

DeShawn and Sharmane Joseph started the Indigenous HOOPS league after a mass shooting impacted their community.
2 months ago
Indigenous basketball league harnesses Native talent, gives hope to community
2 months ago

Indigenous basketball team seeks to uplift mental health

Indigenous HOOPS basketball team in Washington State aims to raise awareness about mental health after a school shooting that impacted loved ones.
2 months ago
Indigenous basketball team seeks to uplift mental health
5 months ago

High school teacher on a mission to preserve Navajo language for future generations

ABC News' Linsey Davis spoke with Elfrieda Begay, a Navajo school teacher on a mission to teach students their native language.
5 months ago
Teacher wants to preserve Navajo language for future generations
5 months ago

Native American Heritage Month

A look at the numbers behind the contributions of Native American people and the distinct cultures and identities of Native American sovereign nations.
5 months ago
Native American Heritage Month
6 months ago

Members of Congress ask Biden for clemency for Native American leader convicted of murder

Nearly three dozen members of Congress are asking President Joe Biden to grant indigenous activist Leonard Peltier clemency after 46 years of imprisonment.
6 months ago
Members of Congress seek clemency for Native American leader convicted of murder
9 months ago

Biden announces new national monument to 'help right the wrongs of the past'

President Joe Biden visited Arizona on Tuesday to tout climate investments and designate a new national monument.
9 months ago
Biden announces new national monument to 'help right the wrongs of the past'
9 months ago

Filmmaker chronicles Lakota fight to regain Black Hills: ‘How can you sell a piece of yourself?’

A new documentary, “Lakota Nation vs. United States,” chronicles the promises broken by the U.S. and the Lakota fight to regain their sacred lands.
9 months ago
Filmmaker chronicles Lakota fight to regain Black Hills
10 months ago

Water crisis in the Navajo Nation

Nearly a third of Navajo Nation lacks running water. ABC News' Rachel Scott takes us inside everyday life for thousands of Americans who live without running water.
10 months ago
Water crisis in the Navajo Nation
10 months ago

Supreme Court upholds law giving Native American families priority in adoption

A white couple seeking to adopt Native American children had challenged the law.
10 months ago
Supreme Court upholds law giving Native American families priority in adoption
10 months ago

In Native American adoption case, Supreme Court explores race and tribal sovereignty

The Supreme Court will decide the future of the Indian Child Welfare Act, which dictates who can adopt Native children, after a Texas family called it unconstitutional
10 months ago
In Native American adoption case, Supreme Court explores race and tribal sovereignty
1 year ago

Searching for missing Indigenous women, tribes and lawmakers seek to raise awareness

Hundreds of Native American tribal members held a vigil to commemorate the “Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People.”
1 year ago
Searching for missing Indigenous women, tribes seek to raise awareness
1 year ago

Native American advocates protest Kansas City Chiefs name ahead of Super Bowl LVII

“There’s no respectful way to mascot us or belittle us and use us for profit,” said Amanda Blackhorse, founder of Arizona to Rally Against Native Mascots.
1 year ago
Native American advocates protest Kansas City Chiefs name ahead of Super Bowl LVII
1 year ago

Biden announces 'long overdue' investments in Indian Country

President Joe Biden said his administration is ushering in a "new era" as he spoke at the White House Tribal Nations Summit.
1 year ago
Biden announces 'long overdue' investments in Indian Country
1 year ago

Cherokees ask US to make good on promise: a seat in Congress

The country’s largest Native American tribe, the Cherokee Nation, wants the U.S. government to fulfill a near 200-year-old promise and seat a delegate to Congress.
1 year ago
Cherokees ask US to make good on promise: a seat in Congress
1 year ago

Native American model brings representation to fashion world

Quannah Chasinghorse is one of the most in-demand models and also advocates for Native American rights.
1 year ago
Native American model brings representation to fashion world
1 year ago

Indigenous groups keep pushing for justice for victims of boarding school abuses

Indigenous groups say there is more work to be done to rectify the pain caused by boarding schools that erased their culture.
1 year ago
Indigenous groups fight to preserve native language
1 year ago

Indigenous families seek justice for boarding school abuse as graves of children uncovered

Hundreds of thousands of Indigenous children over the span of 150 years were taken from their families and made to live in U.S. boarding schools. Some never came home.
1 year ago
Native families seek justice for boarding school abuse as remains of children found
1 year ago

Native American creators pave the way for more Indigenous stories, representation in Hollywood

Hollywood has seen a proliferation of authentic, Indigenous stories, ushering in a new age of Native American representation both on screen and behind the camera. 
1 year ago
Native American creators expand breadth of Indigenous Hollywood representation
2 years ago

Report outlines federal 'abuse' of Native children at boarding schools

More than 500 American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian children died in federal Indigenous boarding schools across the country, a report finds.
2 years ago
Report outlines federal 'abuse' of Native children at boarding schools
2 years ago

Native Americans facing disenrollment fight to remain with tribe

After being disenrolled from the Nooksack tribe in 2016 after a former tribal chair questioned their ancestral lineage, the Rabang family fights to preserve their family history.
2 years ago
Native Americans facing disenrollment fight to remain with tribe
2 years ago

Sacred land returned to Native tribe in Virginia

Sacred land in Virginia will be returned to the Rappahannock Tribe. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland will be in attendance at the celebration.
2 years ago
Sacred land returned to Native tribe
2 years ago

Biden signs executive order to improve safety, justice for Native Americans

The president also announced new initiatives to protect tribal lands at the tribal nations summit.
2 years ago
Biden signs executive order to improve safety, justice for Native Americans
2 years ago

The jingle dress: The story behind a Native American dance and its power of spiritual healing

A Navajo photographer and his daughters took the "jingle dress" dance on a journey across the country to bring spiritual healing and bring attention to indigenous issues.
2 years ago
The story behind a Native American dance and its power of spiritual healing
3 years ago

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland runs Boston Marathon to mark Indigenous Peoples Day

"I run because my ancestors gave me this ability," Haaland wrote.
3 years ago
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland runs Boston Marathon to mark Indigenous Peoples Day
3 years ago

215 bodies discovered at former residential school for Indigenous children in Canada

A 2015 report said the schools were a component of "cultural genocide."
3 years ago
215 bodies discovered at former residential school for Indigenous children
3 years ago

Why Native American children have higher rates of disability

More than 3 million children in the U.S. had a disability in 2019.
3 years ago
Why Native American children have higher rates of disability
3 years ago

As Deb Haaland creates unit to investigate missing and murdered Native Americans, a look at why it's necessary

As Deb Haaland creates a unit to investigate missing and murdered Native Americans, a look at why it's necessary.
3 years ago
Deb Haaland to create unit to investigate missing and murdered Native Americans
3 years ago

For Native Americans, the fight against mascots is much bigger than sports

The changing names of the Cleveland Indians and the Washington Redskins is a win for Native Americans, but there's still much more to be done, leaders say.
3 years ago
For Native Americans, the fight against mascots is much bigger than sports
3 years ago

Haaland makes history as Department of the Interior nominee

Haaland would be the first Native American to serve in the Cabinet if confirmed.
3 years ago
Haaland makes history as Department of the Interior nominee