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Culture Watchlist: ‘Why Leonard Peltier’s Clemency Matters’ 02.13.2025 Kamiah Koch Watchlist By Kamiah Koch Social media/digital journalist Considered the country’s longest serving political prisoner, Native American activist Leonard Peltier, now 80 years old, saw his sentence commuted on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. After being convicted of murdering two FBI agents in 1975 on the Pine Ridge Reservation and imprisoned for five decades, former President Biden commuted his sentence in the final …

Culture Watchlist ‘FBI announces new resources to solve cases of missing, murdered Indigenous people’ 04.11.2025 Kamiah Koch Watchlist By Kamiah Koch Social media/digital journalist One of Portland’s local news channels, KPTV FOX 12, shared a segment reporting the FBI is boosting resources across the country to address unsolved crimes in Indian Country, including cases of missing and murdered Indigenous people. “With these added resources, unsolved violent crimes in Native American communities …

Culture Watchlist: ‘Red dresses bring awareness to Washington's missing, murdered Indigenous people’ 05.13.2025 Kamiah Koch Watchlist By Kamiah Koch Social media/digital journalist All across the country on Monday, May 5, red dresses were on display in public spaces for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women’s Awareness Day, also known as Red Dress Day. “Right now 72 Indigenous women are missing across the state of Washington and their names can all be found on this display in Northern Quest …

Culture Watchlist: ‘This is Indian Country 111: Oregon’ 05.28.2025 Kamiah Koch Watchlist By Kamiah Koch Social media/digital journalist Ruth-Ann Thorn hosts a series on the Native-based channel, First Nations Experience (FNX) called, “This Is Indian Country.” It shares modern Native American culture and in her latest episode of the show, she visits Grand Ronde and other Oregon Tribes. Her visit includes a segment with Grand Ronde Tribal member and carver Bobby Mercier. Mercier, an artist …

Culture Watchlist: Video delves into how Alaska Native women heal from trauma 10.28.2021 Kamiah Koch Culture Marjorie Kunaq Tahbone (Inupiaq) applies a tattoo to a woman’s chin as part of her effort to help her fellow Alaskan Natives heal from historical traumas in an Al Jazeera YouTube video called “How Alaska Native Women Are Healing From Generations of Trauma.” (Smoke Signals screenshot) (Editor’s note: It is estimated that there are approximately 149 billion videos on YouTube …

Culture Watchlist: ‘Bad Press’ trailer 09.14.2023 Kamiah Koch Watchlist By Kamiah Koch Social media/digital journalist Smoke Signals staff, two members of the Editorial Board and a Tribal Council member attended the Indigenous Journalists Association’s annual conference in Winnipeg, Canada, in August. One of the conference activities was a special screening of the documentary “Bad Press.” To our surprise, the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and Smoke Signals received a shout-out in the film …

Culture Watchlist: ‘Why “Star Wars” was dubbed into the Navajo Language’ 01.31.2024 Kamiah Koch Watchlist Smoke Signals screenshot By Kamiah Koch Social media/digital journalist Native Americans dressed as C-3PO, Princess Leia and stormtroopers settle into their cars as the sun is setting on the Navajo Reservation. “Ladies and gentleman who are listening in your cars this evening here at the drive-in theater, the Navajo language is on a comeback,” Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said over …

Culture Watchlist: “Salmon Wars” podcast 03.29.2024 Kamiah Koch Watchlist By Kamiah Koch Social media/digital journalist One of Oregon Public Radio’s most popular podcasts, “Timber Wars,” recently published its sequel in collaboration with ProPublica called “Salmon Wars.” Reporter Tony Schick narrates the podcast and shares the voices of a Yakama Nation family who has been fighting for salmon and fishing rights for generations. “As a white kid growing up in the Pacific Northwest, I’d look out …

Culture Watchlist: ‘The tragic story of this famous meteorite’ 04.30.2024 Kamiah Koch Watchlist By Kamiah Koch Social media/digital journalist The culturally significant Tomanowos meteorite from the Willamette Valley is currently held on display in the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Every year, a few Grand Ronde Tribal members coordinate with the museum to pay a visit to Tomanowas to smudge it, clean it with cedar branches and spend time with it. In 2023, a welcome brunch …

Culture Watchlist: ‘Farmington High School graduate told to remove Native American beaded graduation cap’ 05.31.2024 Kamiah Koch Watchlist By Kamiah Koch Social media/digital journalist An Indigenous high school graduate’s story was picked up by news channels all over the country after school staff removed her graduation cap adorned with traditional Native beading and a feather instead of a tassel. According to KRQE, a local New Mexico news channel, the Farmington High School staff deemed …