Anna V. Smith

2 weeks ago | hcn.org | Anna V. Smith

This story is published through the Indigenous News Alliance, a collaboration between High Country News, Grist, ICT, Mongabay and other Indigenous media outlets. In mid-April, the Trump administration cleared the way for a controversial copper mine proposed for western Arizona. The mine would destroy parts of Chi’chil Biłdagoteel — known as “Oak Flat” in English — over the objections of the San Carlos Apache Tribe and at least 21 other tribal nations.

1 month ago | hcn.org | Anna V. Smith

During the forcedremoval of Muscogee (Creek) people from their ancestral lands in the Southeastern U.S., tribal members carried the embers and ashes of their town fires with them, determined to re-establish the flames in the new communities they planned to build in what’s now known as Oklahoma. Those fires still burn today in places on the Muscogee Reservation. By the Fire We Carry By Rebecca Nagle352 pages, hardcover: $30Harper, 2024.

2 months ago | hcn.org | Anna V. Smith

Last fall, Everett,Washington, became the first city in the Western United States to pass a ballot measure recognizing the rights of a river’s watershed — that of the Snohomish River, which curves north and east around the city before emptying into Puget Sound. The municipal law protects the river’s “rights to exist, regenerate and flourish” and is designed to be a tool for residents seeking to prevent or repair harm to the river’s watershed. “These ecosystems have inherent rights.

Jan 21, 2025 | hcn.org | Anna V. Smith

In 2018, an Indigenous woman identified as C.M. and her 5-year-old son crossed the U.S.-Mexico border near San Luis, Arizona, seeking asylum. C.M., a Maya Mam native to Guatemala, told the border agents who apprehended her that she was fleeing life-threatening violence. But instead of asylum, the U.S. government — under secret policies enacted by the Trump administration — forcibly separated the pair.

Jan 21, 2025 | hcn.org | Anna V. Smith

Editor’s note: On January 25, Kristi Noem was confirmed by the Senate to serve as Trump’s secretary of homeland security. In 2018, an Indigenous woman identified as C.M. and her 5-year-old son crossed the U.S.-Mexico border near San Luis, Arizona, seeking asylum. C.M., a Maya Mam native to Guatemala, told the border agents who apprehended her that she was fleeing life-threatening violence.