Indigenous People

The Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony Act was recently signed into law and bans the export of cultural tribal objects. It also increases penalties for stealing and trafficking them.

The Biden Administration has recognized some national landmarks in our region. But some advocates want to see more sites protected that are important to underrepresented groups.

Native students have the lowest college attendance rates of any ethnic and racial group. One of the biggest barriers is the cost. To tackle this, Colorado lawmakers passed a bill last year that requires state schools to offer in-state tuition to any student who is a member of a Native Nation with historical ties to the state, regardless of where they live. This fall, Metropolitan State University of Denver took this a step further, removing this financial barrier altogether.

President Joe Biden pledged to protect an expanse of land in the Mountain West that tribes have been trying to defend for decades during a speech Wednesday at the 2022 White House Tribal Nations Summit.

Every Tuesday, KUNC reporters talk with our colleagues over at the Colorado Sun about the local story they’re following. This week we spoke with Sun reporter Michael Booth.

A Colorado state panel has recommended Mount Evans, a prominent peak near Denver, be renamed Mount Blue Sky. The peak is named after John Evans, Colorado’s second territorial governor, who resigned after an 1864 U.S. cavalry massacre of more than 200 Arapaho and Cheyenne people.

In order to increase the number of Indigenous principals in Native communities and in public schools, a program called POLLEN is meeting teachers halfway by covering many of the costs.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland has announced an expansion of a National Park Service historical site dedicated to the massacre by U.S. troops of more than 200 Native Americans in what is now southeastern Colorado.

Nevada tribes are suing Elko County officials, claiming unequal voting access for the 2022 election.

A new study shows that a large number of Native American households in the Mountain West lack indoor plumbing.