Blog

Ontario is more than the name of a lake and province. Rooted in the Indigenous languages of the Great Lakes, it was recorded by Europeans as early as 1641 and has endured despite centuries of colonial renaming.

Often called a Navajo wedding basket, a Diné ts’aa’ carries teachings that extend far beyond one ceremony. Explore its center, pathway, colors, and finished rim.

Chickasaw composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate brings orchestra, language, dance and storytelling together in Lowak Shoppala’, a major work centered on Chickasaw history and living culture.

The story of Lori Ann Piestewa, the Hopi soldier whose name is carried by one of Phoenix’s most recognizable mountains.

William Pollock (Pawnee) was already gaining recognition as a Pawnee artist when he enlisted in Theodore Roosevelt’s Rough Riders. His drawings, writings, and military record preserve the story of a promising artist whose life was cut short after serving in Cuba.

Born near Four Peaks and taken from his Yavapai family as a child, Wassaja became Dr. Carlos Montezuma, a physician, publisher, and outspoken defender of Native rights and Fort McDowell land and water.

Diné scientist Reagan Wytsalucy is restoring the Southwest peach and reconnecting Native communities with a food nearly erased by forced removal.

Thirty Tribal Nations share the Colorado River Basin, and many hold some of its oldest water rights. As new rules take shape in 2026, the fight is about more than water. It is about sovereignty, culture, infrastructure, and who has the authority to decide the river’s future.

Hopi artist Filmer Kewanyama transformed his painting Spiritual Life into a large mural inside the Museum of Indigenous People’s HOOP Room. Through water, corn, pueblo architecture, color, and visual storytelling, Hopi Spiritual Life presents a contemporary Hopi artist’s perspective on culture, community, spirituality, and the natural world.

CONTRIBUTIONS closes July 31, 2026, at the Museum of Indigenous People. Explore the Indigenous technologies, food systems, ideas, and living knowledge highlighted throughout the exhibit.

Federal officials are reconsidering protections covering approximately 336,400 acres around Chaco Culture National Historical Park. The proposal could reopen federal public lands to mineral leasing and mining claims after decades of Tribal advocacy and bipartisan efforts to protect the Greater Chaco landscape.

Lacrosse returns to the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028, but its story began long before the modern Games. Indigenous nations, especially the Haudenosaunee, shaped one of North America’s oldest team sports.

The Tour de France is known as one of the world’s ultimate endurance tests. But who are the Native American, First Nations, and Indigenous cyclists who have reached cycling’s biggest stage?

Powwows have a connection to the 4th of July, but not in the simple patriotic way many people expect. For many Native communities, Independence Day became a way to keep gathering during an era when federal policy tried to suppress Native ceremonies, dances, and religious life.

Long before chile peppers traveled across oceans and transformed global cuisine, Indigenous farmers in the Americas were cultivating, selecting, and sharing them. This story explores how peppers became one of the world’s most important Indigenous food contributions.

Learn how Ojibwe inventor Olivia Poole drew from cradleboard knowledge to create the Jolly Jumper, a lasting Indigenous contribution to modern baby care today.

Modern soccer was not invented in Mesoamerica, but Indigenous ballgame traditions across Mesoamerica and Arizona reveal a much older history of formal courts, rubber ball technology, public competition, ceremony, and community. Explore how the beautiful game fits into a deeper human story of sport and meaning.

The World Cup is more than a global soccer tournament. This article explores how Indigenous and First Nations cultures were represented through ceremony, language, host Nation recognition, and Native soccer athletes whose stories stretch from early First Nations teams to MLS records and World Cup history.

Generations of "Skywalkers" (Mohawk ironworkers from Kahnawà and Akwesasne) helped shape New York’s bridges, skyscrapers, and the World Trade Center. Their story connects Indigenous skill, family responsibility, dangerous high-iron work, and the recovery and rebuilding that followed September 11.

The Skidi Pawnee Star Chart is one of the most compelling examples of Indigenous astronomy in North America. It reflects a Pawnee understanding of the sky as a source of knowledge, ceremony, order, and responsibility.