As Native Americans across the U.S. come together on Monday for Indigenous Peoples Day to celebrate their history and culture and acknowledge the ongoing challenges they face, many will do so with a focus on the election.

From a voting rally in Minneapolis featuring food, games and raffles to a public talk about the Native vote at Virginia Tech, the holiday, which comes about three weeks before Election Day, will feature a wide array of events geared toward Native voter mobilization and outreach amid a strong recognition of the power of their votes.

In 2020, Native voters proved decisive in the presidential election. Voter turnout on tribal land in Arizona increased dramatically compared with the previous presidential election, helping Joe Biden win a state that hadn’t supported a Democratic candidate in a White House contest since 1996.

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Los Angeles celebrates Indigenous’ Peoples Day before Columbus Day

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Janeen Comenote, executive director of the National Urban Indian Family Coalition, which is involved with at least a dozen of these types of voting events across the country, said this year it’s especially important to mobilize Native voters because the country is selecting the president. But she cautioned that Native people are in no way a monolith in terms of how they vote.

“We’re really all about just getting Native voters out to vote, not telling them how to vote. But sort of understanding that you have a voice and you’re a democracy, a democracy that we helped create,” said Comenote, a citizen of the Quinault Indian Nation.

In Arizona, her coalition is partnering with the Phoenix Indian Center to hold a town hall Monday called “Democracy Is Indigenous: Power Of The Native Vote,” which will feature speakers and performances, along with Indigenous artwork centered on democracy.

In Apex, North Carolina, about 14 miles (23 kilometers) southwest of Raleigh, the coalition is working with the Triangle Native American Society for an event expected to include a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 and a booth with nonpartisan voter information and giveaways.

While not a federal holiday, Indigenous Peoples Day is observed by 17 states, including Washington, South Dakota and Maine, as well as Washington, D.C., according to the Pew Research Center. It typically takes place on the second Monday in October, which is the same day as the Columbus Day federal holiday.

VP candidates court minorities in battleground state of Arizona

As early voting launched Wednesday in the swing state of Arizona, both vice presidential candidates – Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Republican U.S. Senator JD Vance -- were in the state to rally Latina and Native voters ahead of the November election.

Walz met with tribal leaders of the Gila River Indian Community in the Phoenix area as part of a newly announced initiative to better engage Native American voters. He talked about Democratic presidential candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris' and his own commitment to tribal sovereignty and working "hand-in-hand" with tribes on issues of importance.

"What we've always said is if the children of our tribal nations are doing well, everyone's doing well," he said. "And we need to make sure that we're not the gatekeepers, that we're there as partners to make sure things work."

Following a rally in Tucson, Vance attended a town hall event hosted by the Conservative Political Action Conference in the city of Mesa, speaking directly to women and Latinos, who have traditionally favored Democrats.

Vance cited soaring grocery prices and border-related issues such as drug smuggling, which have hit women "especially hard."

"A lot of moms out there, especially Latino women in places like Arizona … are saying we don't want our kids playing on playgrounds where a bag of candy is actually disguised fentanyl or THC."

At the time of this writing, Harris was scheduled to visit Phoenix on Friday, and Trump was slated to hold a rally in Prescott Valley on Sunday.

California schools to teach Native American history, including genocide and resilience

A new California law, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom and authored by Assemblymember James Ramos, will require students to learn Native American history, including the atrocities committed against Indigenous tribes during Spanish colonization and the Gold Rush.

Ramos, the first Native Californian in the state legislature, introduced the bill to address gaps in education and ensure students learn both the tragedies and resilience of Native communities.

The law, effective January 1, 2025, mandates lessons on Native mistreatment in the fourth-grade curriculum, replacing the current optional content.

Tribal leaders support the law but advocate a more comprehensive approach, integrating not just tragedies but Native culture, language and contributions across subjects.

Ramos, a descendant of the Serrano tribe, emphasized the personal significance of the law, which aims to share the true history of California's Native peoples. Experts warn that successful implementation will require teacher training and significant funding to ensure the material is taught effectively and compassionately.

Read more:

Tribes at odds over historic site in Alabama

A legal conflict between the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and the Poarch Creek Indians over Hickory Ground, a sacred site in Alabama, has reignited tensions stemming from colonialism.

The dispute centers on the Poarch's construction of the Wind Creek Casino atop the site, which involved the removal of Muscogee human remains and artifacts. The Muscogee argue this violated the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and are appealing a 2021 ruling granting the Poarch sovereign immunity.

The Muscogee want the site to be restored and the remains returned, viewing the case as a defense of sacred sites and tribal sovereignty. The Poarch, meanwhile, claim they followed legal guidelines and reburied the remains, highlighting the economic importance of the casino to the region.

Both tribes have expressed interest in strengthening federal protections for sacred sites and potentially collaborating on a museum to highlight their shared Creek history.

Hickory Ground was the last capital of the Muscogee people before their forced removal in 1832 during the Trail of Tears. The Poarch Band of Creek Indians, a federally recognized tribe in Alabama since 1984, purchased the original Hickory Ground in 1980 under an agreement to preserve the site for 20 years. However, the Muscogee Nation claims that after this period, the Poarch excavated 57 Muscogee remains and thousands of artifacts to build a casino, sparking controversy over cultural preservation and respect for ancestral remains.

Read more:

Idaho state senator accused of racial slur of Native American candidate

The Idaho Republican Party has defended state Sen. Dan Foreman against allegations he told a Native American candidate to "go back where you came from" during a campaign event September 30.

Trish Carter-Goodheart, a member of the Nez Perce Tribe and a candidate for the Idaho House of Representatives, told Idaho's KTVB News that the comment came during a debate on discrimination in Idaho, which another candidate declared nonexistent.

"I basically just sat up and I said … 'Just because this isn't your lived experience does not mean that discrimination and racism don't exist today, and these are … very real experiences of so many Idahoans.'"

No recording of the event has surfaced. Foreman has denied the allegation as "patently false" and criticized media coverage of the event.

"In the final analysis, I suppose we must expect this type of behavior … It seems the more effective a conservative elected official is, the more that person is attacked by the left and most, not all, of the media," he posted on his Facebook page.

Carter-Goodheart included the quote in a news release last week, and her election opponent, Republican Rep. Lori McCann, told the Lewiston Tribune that "her statement is accurate."

"The Nez Perce Tribe refuses to tolerate this kind of hateful and divisive politics, and we ask other elected leaders in this region to stand with us in pushing back against such offensive behavior," the tribe said in an official statement.

In the final weeks of the 2024 election, Native American organizers are intensifying efforts to increase voter turnout, recognizing the impact of the Native vote, especially in swing states like Arizona and Wisconsin.

Advocacy groups like the Native American Rights Fund continue to address barriers to the ballot box, such as isolation, poor infrastructure and limited internet access, along with restrictions on in-person voter registration and early voting.

New challenges in Arizona

Arizona, home to 22 Native tribes, played a key role in the 2020 Democratic victory.

However, a recent voter registration glitch in the state may affect up to 218,000 voters, more than double previous estimates. The issue stems from an error in the driver's license database that flagged some individuals as having proved citizenship when they had not.

A recording obtained by The Washington Post revealed concerns among Arizona Democratic leaders about how resolving the error could either disenfranchise voters or spark conspiracy theories. Despite the glitch, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that those affected can still vote in federal and state elections.

Jaynie Parrish, executive director of Arizona Native Vote, said the impact on Native voters remains unclear. She stressed that Native Americans face ongoing challenges when voting, including Arizona's requirement to show proof of a physical address at the polls.

“We rely on post office boxes,” Parrish said, explaining that early voters can use a driver's license or tribal I.D. “We just have to keep reminding our community what identification they need for Election Day. Our best defense is offense.”

Voting based on issues, not party

University of New Mexico Professor Gabriel R. Sanchez said Native American voting preferences haven’t been well-studied.

“The assumption that they are overwhelmingly Democrat isn’t backed by data,” Sanchez told VOA.

His polling shows the majority of Native voters lean Democratic but not as strongly as other minority groups like Black and Latino voters. In the 2020 election, 60% of Native Americans supported Joe Biden, but this dropped slightly by 2022.

“Native voters tell us they aren’t really partisan,” Sanchez said. “They evaluate which party better addresses tribal issues each election cycle.”

As an example, in an editorial Monday in the Navajo Times, Francine Bradley-Arthur, a Navajo organizer and co-founder of Freedom House in St. Michaels, Arizona, explains why many Navajos support Donald Trump.

“In Navajo culture, life is sacred, including life in the womb,” she writes. “Trump’s administration upheld pro-life values that resonate deeply with our traditions.”

She recalls that as attorney general of California, Kamala Harris opposed “at least 15 tribal land-into-trust applications,” undermining the tribes’ ability to reclaim lost land.

The Kamala Harris-Tim Walz campaign this week launched an initiative to better engage Native communities through culturally appropriate outreach. Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan announced the program Wednesday during an October 2 event hosted by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community.

"Vice President Harris has been a fierce advocate for tribal sovereignty, working to secure funding for health care, education and economic development that truly empowers our communities. … And let's not forget her running mate, who I have the privilege of knowing a thing or two about," Flanagan told reporters during a press call later in the day.

Flanagan, a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, was elected alongside Governor Tim Walz in 2018 and reelected in 2022. Native American voters are mindful that if the Harris-Walz ticket succeeds, she would become the first Native American woman to serve as a state governor.

VP candidates’ debate

On October 1, vice presidential candidates Walz and JD Vance debated key topics like immigration and abortion. Native commentators expressed disappointment on a Facebook discussion hosted by Native News Online, noting the debate overlooked issues crucial to Native voters, such as tribal sovereignty and climate change.

Judith LeBlanc, Caddo Tribe member and director of the Native Organizers Alliance, said she was disappointed Walz didn’t highlight his work with Flanagan.

Aaron Payment, former chair of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, pointed out that Native voters in swing states can help Democrats win.

"Are candidates concerned that if they start talking pro-Indian, then all of a sudden they're going to be considered radical or … in the back pocket of American Indians?" Payment asked.

Trump's proposal

The candidates did discuss Trump’s plan to open federal land for housing construction. LeBlanc criticized this proposal in a Native News Online editorial, calling it an overreach and warning that it could lead to seizing tribal lands for development.

During the Facebook discussion, Levi Rickert, editor of Native News Online, shifted focus to the Montana Senate debate between Jon Tester and Republican Tim Sheehy.

Sheehy has faced criticism for past racially charged remarks about the Crow Tribe.Tester confronted Sheehy, telling him to apologize for his comments. Sheehy admitted his remarks were insensitive, blaming them on military culture.

Payment noted that Sheehy's support has increased in Montana, but with Native Americans making up 6.4% of the vote, it could still swing.

The largest dam removal project in U.S. history was completed Wednesday, marking a major victory for tribes in the region who fought for decades to free hundreds of miles of the Klamath River near the California-Oregon border.

Through protests, testimony and lawsuits, local tribes showcased the environmental devastation due to the four towering hydroelectric dams, especially to salmon, which are culturally and spiritually significant to tribes in the region. The dams cut salmon off from their historic habitat and caused them to die in alarming numbers because of bad water-quality conditions.

Without the tribes' work "to point out the damage that these dams were doing, not only to the environment, but to the social and cultural fabric of these tribal nations, there would be no dam removal," said Mark Bransom, chief executive of the Klamath River Renewal Corporation, the nonprofit entity created to oversee the project.

Power company PacifiCorp built the dams to generate electricity between 1918 and 1962. But the structures halted the natural flow of the waterway that was once known as the third-largest salmon-producing river on the West Coast. They disrupted the life cycle of the region's salmon, which spend most of their life in the Pacific Ocean but return to the chilly mountain streams to lay eggs.

At the same time, the dams produced only a small fraction of PacifiCorp's energy at full capacity — enough to power about 70,000 homes. They also didn't provide irrigation, drinking water or flood control, according to Klamath River Renewal Corporation.

Since breaching the dams, salmon regained access to their habitat, water temperature decreased and its quality improved, said Michael Belchik, senior water policy analyst for the Yurok Tribe.

But tribal advocates and activists see their work as far from finished, with some already refocusing their efforts on revegetation and other restoration work on the Klamath River and the surrounding land.

Here's a look at just a few of the many tribal members at the center of this struggle for dam removal:

'I really felt an urgency'

When Karuk tribal member Molli Myers took her first major step into the fight for Klamath dam removal, she was six months pregnant, had a toddler in tow and was in a foreign country for the first time. It was 2004 and she had organized a group of about 25 tribal members to fly to Scotland for the annual general stockholders meeting for Scottish Power, PacifiCorp's parent company at the time.

For hours, they protested outside with signs, sang and played drums. They cooked fish on Calton Hill over a fire of scotch barrels and gave it out to locals as they explained why they were there.

"I really felt an urgency because I was having babies," said Myers, who was born and raised in the middle Klamath in a traditional fishing family. "And so for me I was internalizing the responsibility to take care of their future."

The initial trigger for her to act came two years before that when she saw some of the tens of thousands of salmon die in the river from a bacterial outbreak caused by low water and warm temperatures.

"Looking back on it now I wonder where would we be if that hadn't happened," said Myers, 41. "Looking back on it now I can say, 'Was this our creator's call to action?' "

She spent the next two decades protesting and flooding state and federal meetings with tribal testimony, including waiting with other tribal members at the doors of a Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meeting at 4 a.m. in 2007 to ask Warren Buffett what he was going to do about the dams. PacifiCorp was at that point part of Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. conglomerate.

Today, those same children with her in Scotland are 21 and 19, and with the dams gone Myers said she sees the hope they and her other three children have about the future.

"They can do whatever needs to get done because they saw it happen, they lived it, so now there's no impossible for them," she said.

'His vision became reality'

For Yurok elder Jacqueline Winter, her feelings on the newly free-flowing river are more complicated. The 89-year-old's son, Troy Fletcher, was the tribe's point person for dam removal for two decades, testifying in front of the U.S. Congress and presenting to state and federal regulatory committees.

But his true power came through his ability to bring people with radically conflicting viewpoints — from farmers to commercial fishers to tribal members — together. Winter said that came from his belief that everyone living along the river are relatives and deserve to be heard.

"We're all family. None of us can be left hurting and all of us have to give a little," she said was his message.

But at 53, the former executive director for the Yurok Tribe died unexpectedly from a heart attack, nearly a decade before that vision of a free-flowing river would finally be realized. Winter said when she saw the dams breached last month, it felt like his spirit was there through those he touched and she could finally let him go.

"His vision became reality and I think he never doubted it," she said. "He never doubted it. And those who worked closely with him never doubted it."

'Protect those fish'

Former Klamath Tribes Chairman Jeff Mitchell's work since the 1970s for dam removal came out of the belief that the salmon are their relatives.

"They were gifted to us by our creator and given to us to preserve and to protect and also to help give us life," said Mitchell, chair of the tribe's Culture and Heritage Committee. "As such, the creator also instructed us to make sure that we do everything in our power to protect those fish."

The Klamath River's headwaters lie on the tribe's homelands in Oregon, and members once depended on salmon for 25% of their food. But for more than a century their waters have not held any salmon, he said.

Mitchell and other tribal members' fight to bring them back has cycled through several forms. There were the years of protesting, even gathering carcasses of fish after the 2002 fish kill and leaving them on the doorsteps of federal office buildings. There were his days of walking the halls of the state Legislature in Salem, Oregon, meeting with lawmakers about the millions in funding needed to make dam removal happen.

Today, he said he feels like they achieved the impossible, but there's still more work to do.

"I'm happy that the dams are gone and we have passage," he said. "But now I'm thinking about what are those fish coming home to. And that's really the focus now, is how do we get the parties to start taking restoration actions and making that the top priority in all of this?"