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Approximately fifteen Indigenous representatives wearing traditional clothing and feather headdresses walk hand in hand down a city street during a march. They move forward together in a line, surrounded by other participants in the demonstration. Photo: Natalia Figueredo, November 2025.

Beyond Visibility: Indigenous Power and the Contradictions of COP30

March 10, 2026

Beyond Visibility: Indigenous Power and the Contradictions of COP30

COP30 began long before its official opening on the 10th of November, 2025, in the Brazilian city of Belém. In the days before, Indigenous leaders, Afro-descendant communities, riverine and other water and land-based communities, and social movement activists traveled for days to reach Belém, the second-largest city in the Brazilian Amazon. Across the city, banners and chants repeated a clear message: “We are the solution.” The slogan emerged from a campaign initiated by Indigenous peoples of the Amazon and later taken up by Indigenous communities across Latin America in the lead-up to COP30.

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In the Amazon, Indigenous Communities Are Recording the Forest to Prove It Is Alive

March 10, 2026

In the Amazon, Indigenous Communities Are Recording the Forest to Prove It Is Alive

In the Sarayaku territory of the Ecuadorian Amazon, the day does not begin with light—it begins with sound. At 4:30 a.m., howler monkeys call out, their roars carrying for miles through the forest. Tinamous follow, ground birds releasing low, pulsing whistles.

A group of bundled-up protesters stands outdoors in winter, wearing coats, hats, and face masks. In the center, a person holds a cardboard sign that reads “You Can’t Drink Data” with a red heart and the words “Water Is Life” written below. Behind them, others hold signs reading “No Secret Deals for Data.” Snow and holiday lights are visible in the background.

Progress or Digital Colonization? AI Data Centers Spark Debate on Native Lands

March 10, 2026

Progress or Digital Colonization? AI Data Centers Spark Debate on Native Lands

The recent explosion in artificial intelligence (AI) data centers has created a litany of environmental and cultural issues for Native people and Tribes across the so-called “United States.” This, in turn, has sparked intense debate and prompted conversations on tribal digital sovereignty and a call for regulation that controls the data, infrastructure, and networks.

A sealed metal portal stands closed within a wire fence at a nuclear test site near Reggane. The gate is locked and reinforced with vertical metal bars, marking a fenced-off restricted area. The surrounding landscape is sandy, dry, and barren, with no people visible, emphasizing the site's isolation and controlled access. Photo credit: Tarek Hillali, January 2026.

The Legacy of France’s Nuclear Tests in Algeria

March 10, 2026

The Legacy of France’s Nuclear Tests in Algeria

The morning of February 13, 1960, began in stillness in Reggane, 900 miles southwest of Algiers, deep in the Algerian Sahara. Windless, indifferent, almost serene, the desert stretched flat and endless around the site. Then, at 7:04 a.m., the sky split open. A blinding flash tore through the horizon—a fireball swelling hundreds of meters wide, followed by a thunderclap that swallowed the desert’s silence. A shockwave raced outward, rippling across sand, stone, and human bodies.

Wide view of the Pangoyi artisanal gold mining site in the Mangurujiba landscape, deep in the Congo Basin, where dozens of mostly young miners work across muddy, earth-toned pits carved into the forest floor. Makeshift wooden structures, blue and orange tarps, and small fuel-powered machines dot the site as miners dig, carry soil, and wash sediment, with dense green rainforest and surrounding hills rising in the background. Photo by Joseph Tsongo, July 30, 2025.

Green Transition, Red Realities: How Communities in the Congo Basin Are Resisting the Green Rush

March 10, 2026

Green Transition, Red Realities: How Communities in the Congo Basin Are Resisting the Green Rush

“We don’t know what to eat anymore,” said Mr. Lifoli Fiacre, an elderly fisherman from Basoko, in the Tshopo province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, his voice trembling. For decades, the Aruwini River fed his family, irrigated their fields, and provided the fish that ensured their survival. Today, his nets come up empty. The water has changed color. The fish are disappearing, or when caught, they rot in just a few hours.

Destroyed fishermen’s houses line the seashore in Ayetoro, Ilaje Local Government Area, Nigeria, their remains washed away and surrounded by brown, green, and black debris linked to oil exploration. The muddy shoreline is littered with dirty, oil-soaked waste that appears thick and foul, conveying a scene of total devastation and environmental harm along the coast. Photo credit: Femi Olorunlola, January 13, 2026.

The Impact of Oil Pollution on Ilaje Indigenous Communities

March 10, 2026

The Impact of Oil Pollution on Ilaje Indigenous Communities

“When I say I didn’t catch fish,” said Fehintola Alebiosu, a 37-year-old fisherman from Ayetoro in the Ilaje community of Ondo State, in southwestern Nigeria, “the response is always the same: ‘didn’t catch fish? Beside the Atlantic Ocean? You must be joking.’ Then they look at me with doubt, believing I’m lying.”

Beverly Little Thunder and Pam Alexander at the Annual Moondance Ceremony. Photo credit: Karen Anderson, August 2025.

Beverly Little Thunder: A Legacy of Love and Activism for 2SLGBTQIA+ Communities

November 30, 2025

Beverly Little Thunder: A Legacy of Love and Activism for 2SLGBTQIA+ Communities

Beverly Little Thunder was a fierce advocate, mentor, and source of unwavering support for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Throughout her life, she championed the rights, visibility, and dignity of Indigenous queer and Two-Spirit individuals, creating spaces where their voices could be heard and celebrated.

A mature Milicia excelsa tree, known as the incarnation tree of King Kpassè Loko — founder of the historic town and sacred forest of Kpassè in Ouidah, Benin — standing tall in the surrounding forest under soft daylight.

Vodún Is Saving Benin’s Biodiversity and Culture

November 30, 2025

Vodún Is Saving Benin’s Biodiversity and Culture

In the heart of southern Benin’s Bohouezoun Sacred Forest, Vodún priest Gilbert Kakpo stands beside a huge sacred tree, one of many believed to be the home of spirits. The forest, with its thick canopy and cool shade, is revered by local communities as a sanctuary of healing and protection.

Luna and Manuela from Colombia hold their scarves symbolizing Indigenous resistance, as the Sumud Flotilla sails in the background. One of the scarves reads: “We resist the amnesia of collective memory. We keep fighting.” Photo credit: Carlos Osorio, September 2025.

Love, Land, and Revolution

November 30, 2025

Love, Land, and Revolution

Liberation is not a solitary event, but a living ecosystem—a deep, cultural, and political terrain from which an unyielding will to be free takes root. We write as a Palestinian and Indigenous couple, navigating this shared ground. Our aim is not to equate our distinct struggles, but to trace the parallel roots of our resistance and to sow the seeds of a collective vision for liberation.

Board games are displayed on a white tablerunner on a medium dark wood surface, with a closed wooden blinds window in the background. From left to right: "Burn the Fort: A game of Indigenous Resistance," a dark-colored box with a burning fort illustration. "Coyote & Crow," a vibrant textbook featuring two Indigenous characters. "Wolves," a large white box with a red circle and two Coast Salish-style wolf heads. Three smaller card games: "Indigenous History, Indigenous Rights" and "Cards Against Colonialism: A Party Game For Indigenous Peoples” and “SaQuu (Cherokee Solitaire)”.

Game Changers Are Changemakers

November 30, 2025

Game Changers Are Changemakers

The year was 2005. I was in high school, working nearly full-time at a roller skating rink. Reeling from the backlash of being open and exploring my identity publicly, I was forced back into the closet. I found my essential escape, a constant refuge, in stories—in books, comics, shows, and especially in games.

Chief Nike Davies-Okundaye stands inside her art gallery, the Nike Art Gallery in Lagos, Nigeria. She is dressed in rich indigo blue Adire attire, looking glamorous and hopeful. The background is softly faded, with canvas artworks hanging on the walls, highlighting the vibrant and creative atmosphere of the gallery she founded.

Changing Through the Arts

November 30, 2025

Changing Through the Arts

When I learned that Chief Nike Davies-Okundaye was honored with the AMIAF Artconomy Award at the AMIAF March 2025 event—an annual celebration that recognizes artists, innovators, and cultural leaders shaping Nigeria’s creative economy—I couldn’t help but recall Shakespeare’s words: “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” Yet, her greatness is not a birthright; it is a product of her resilience, ingenuity, and compassion.

Rachel Arlene Redeye Porter stands in a blue ribbon skirt holding a handmade sign that says, “ I will not erase myself,” written in purple writing. She is standing in front of the side doors to her elementary school. She is in color, and the background is in gray scale.

Indigenous Enough: Rematriating Indigenous Identity Today

September 15, 2025

Indigenous Enough: Rematriating Indigenous Identity Today

As Haudenosaunee people, we define the Indigenous women-led movement of rematriation as “Returning the Sacred to the Mother.” Across Turtle Island (so-called “North America”) and around the world, Indigenous women are reclaiming traditional teachings and fostering healing within our families, clan systems, Nations, and the world.

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Board games are displayed on a white tablerunner on a medium dark wood surface, with a closed wooden blinds window in the background. From left to right: "Burn the Fort: A game of Indigenous Resistance," a dark-colored box with a burning fort illustration. "Coyote & Crow," a vibrant textbook featuring two Indigenous characters. "Wolves," a large white box with a red circle and two Coast Salish-style wolf heads. Three smaller card games: "Indigenous History, Indigenous Rights" and "Cards Against Colonialism: A Party Game For Indigenous Peoples” and “SaQuu (Cherokee Solitaire)”.

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Crushing Colonialism tells the stories of Indigenous people to create a world that values and honors Indigeneity.

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