Skip to content

Indigenous Rights

Annual March For Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls

Terrace, British Columbia - The Tears to Hope Society is organizing their annual memorial march for missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, two-spirit, transgender and gender-diverse peoples in Terrace on Feb. 14. It is open to the public. "Feb 14 is a special day for the missing and murdered indigenous women and girls, and think it's important that people get out and acknowledge that they are going missing or being murdered, many of them unsolved murders, particularly up here on the Highway of Tears," said Gladys Radek, a Witset elder with the Tears to Hope Society.

Rise And Repair Alliance Advocates For Wild Rice Protection Act

Saint Paul, MN — Urging Minnesota legislators to adopt bills related to environmental conservation at the start of a new legislative session, the Rise and Repair Alliance gathered at the Minnesota State Capitol on January 14, 2025. For many activists present, the main focus was on saving wild rice, which would be a key measure in safeguarding the natural resource as an Indigenous legal right. At the Capitol, singer, artist and organizer Eoin Small hosted activists, providing snacks and coffee while they signed postcards with messages intended for legislators. Unicorn Riot was there to document the family-friendly art-filled action and hear from environmentalists.

‘Invasion Day’ Protests Draw Tens Of Thousands Across Australia

Tens of thousands of people took part in “Invasion Day” protests in cities and towns across Australia on Sunday, January 26. The protests highlighted the ongoing oppression of Indigenous peoples under colonial occupation, and opposed the celebration of ‘Australia Day,’ which falls on January 26—the anniversary of the British invasion of the lands now known as Australia, in 1788. Ruby Wharton, Community Development Officer at Sisters Inside Inc., spoke at the Invasion Day protest in Meanjin (Brisbane). Protesters met at Victoria Park before marching through the city to Musgrave Park, the site of the Brisbane Sovereign Embassy, established in 2012 as a symbol of Aboriginal sovereignty.

Navajo Citizens Face Identity Challenges During Deportation Raids

The Trump administration’s intensified deportation efforts have created unexpected challenges for Navajo citizens living in urban areas like Phoenix. As the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began widespread raids in major cities across the country following the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, concerns have surfaced about Native Americans being mistaken for undocumented immigrants. On Friday, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren addressed these concerns during a broadcast on the tribal radio station KTNN.

For Sicanjgu, Food Sovereignty Means Eating Climate-Friendly

On a Wednesday summer evening on the Rosebud Reservation, members of the Siċaŋġu Nation arrange 12 tables to form a U around the parking lot of a South Dakota Boys & Girls Club. The tables at the Siċaŋġu Harvest Market are laden with homemade foods for sale—tortillas, cooked beans, pickles, and fresh-squeezed lemonade. The market is one of many ways the nonprofit increases access to traditional and healthful foods that also happen to come with a low climate impact. The Lakota, of which Siċaŋġu is one of seven nations, were traditionally hunters and gatherers, but today, the Siċaŋġu Co nonprofit is building on both new and old traditions to fulfill its mission.

Court Of Appeals Hears Arguments Against Line 5 Tunnel Project

Attorneys representing Native American tribes and environmental organizations brought their case Tuesday before a three-judge panel in the Michigan Court of Appeals to challenge a 2023 permit from the Michigan Public Service Commission — one of three needed for Enbridge to proceed with its controversial Line 5 tunnel project. Enbridge’s Line 5 is a 645-mile pipeline stretching from Northwest Wisconsin through Michigan into Sarnia, Ontario, carrying 540,000 barrels of light crude oil, light synthetic crude and natural gas liquids daily through the Straits of Mackinac connecting Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.

Permit for Pipeline Reconstruction Near Sacred Site Rescinded

St. Paul, MN — Minnesota regulators have rescinded a controversial permit allowing Magellan Pipeline Co. to reconstruct a petroleum pipeline near Pipestone National Monument, following sustained opposition from tribal nations, community groups, and environmental advocates. The decision, made during a recent Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) public hearing, reflects mounting pressure to safeguard the sacred site and its surrounding environment. The PUC unanimously voted to revoke the route permit granted in Oct. 2024 and favored the RA-01 pipeline route (alternative proposed by the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe — 13.1 miles long), citing inadequate tribal consultation and incomplete cultural and archaeological surveys.

The Maori People’s Ongoing Battle For Self-Determination

People within the Indigenous Māori community of “New Zealand” have been protesting a racist bill that was recently introduced by that country’s right-wing government. On Nov. 14, Minister of Regulation David Seymour introduced a bill known as the “Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill” or the “Treaty Principles Bill.” The controversial bill would reopen a historic treaty, signed in 1840, known to the Māori people as “Te Tiriti o Waitangi,” commonly referred to as the “Treaty of Waitangi.” The binding agreement is part of New Zealand’s national Constitution, and it features terms and conditions that grant land rights and special recognition to the Māori people.

After Biden’s Grants Of Clemency, Calls To Commute Leonard Peltier Reignite

Washington, D.C. — Last week, after President Biden made the historic act of commuting the sentences of 1,499 Americans in a single day, efforts to free Leonard Peltier have reignited. On Thursday, Dec. 12 — the day after Biden announced clemency — dozens of U.S. senators and representatives wrote a letter to the President asking for clemency for Leonard Peltier. Tribal leaders and organizers have praised the act by federal leaders: “We would like to thank Senator [Brian] Schatz and Representative [Raúl] Grijalva for their solidarity as well as the other senators and congresspeople who signed on to the letter,” said NDN Collective CEO Nick Tilsen to Unicorn Riot.

An Open Letter To President Joe Biden: Free Leonard Peltier

Mr. President, If you can pardon your son, why can’t you free the Indigenous political prisoner Leonard Peltier? The 80-year-old man, a leader of the American Indian Movement, has been imprisoned for 48 years. He suffers from diabetes, high blood pressure, and a heart condition. The FBI framed Leonard Peltier in retaliation for the historic 1973 occupation of Wounded Knee. Three years of violence followed this courageous stand for Indigenous rights, with over 60 AIM members and supporters murdered. Despite a large FBI presence, nothing was done to stop these murders and even more numerous assaults.

Removing Hydropower Dams Can Restore Ecosystems

A free-flowing river supports abundant fish and wildlife, provides drinking water, and other intangible recreational benefits. But humans have sought to block rivers with dams for millennia. While dams have provided benefits like hydroelectricity and water storage, they have also been ecologically disastrous. Besides blocking fish migrations, these human-made structures can destroy seasonal pulses of water that keep ecosystems in balance. Some dams—especially those used for power—can deplete water in streams, leaving entire stretches of river bone dry.

We Don’t Want Our Islands To Be Used To Kill People

For the past few weeks I have been on the road in Aotearoa (New Zealand) and Australia at the invitation of groups such as Te Kuaka, Red Ant, and the Communist Party of Australia. Both countries were shaped by British colonialism, marked by the violent displacement of native communities and theft of their lands. Today, as they become part of the US-led militarisation of the Pacific, their native populations have fought to defend their lands and way of life. On 6 February 1840, Te Tiriti o Waitangi (the Treaty of Waitangi) was signed by representatives of the British Crown and the Māori groups of Aotearoa.

NDN Fund’s Loan Leads To #LANDBACK In Alaska

Rapid City, SD – NDN Fund, the impact investing arm of NDN Collective, today announced the closing of a loan with Qizhjeh Vena – an Alaska Native Women-led 501(c)(3) non-profit organization working in the Bristol Bay area. The $750,000 loan from NDN Fund will allow Qizhjeh Vena to purchase Koksetna Wilderness Lodge and surrounding land on Lake Clark, located at the outlet of the Chulitna River in Chulitna Bay. The lodge will serve as a cultural preservation and revitalization center, and act as the gateway to a sanctuary for wildlife, and interrelated habitats. This historically important land and retreat center is located 120 air miles southwest of Anchorage, within the Lake Clark National Park that protects the headwaters of the Bristol Bay home to the world’s largest sockeye salmon runs.

Boston Rally Demands: Indigenous Peoples Day Now!

Boston, Massachusetts - Nearly 200 Indigenous protesters and their allies gathered outside Park Street Station in Boston on Oct. 12 to demand that Massachusetts immediately designate the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples Day. An Indigenous-led coalition of United American Indians of New England (UAINE), the North American Indian Center of Boston (NAICOB), Cultural Survival, the New Democracy Coalition, Workers World Party-Boston and Italian Americans for Indigenous Peoples Day organized the Oct. 12 action, which bolsters the longstanding effort to demolish the cult glorifying Christopher Columbus, whose lifework was characterized by conquest, slavery and genocide.

Diverse Coalition Urges Supreme Court To Protect Oak Flat

A coalition of tribal nations, Catholic bishops, states, legal scholars, and diverse religious organizations asked the Supreme Court yesterday to protect the Apache sacred site at Oak Flat from destruction by a multinational mining giant. In Apache Stronghold v. United States, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals refused to stop the federal government from transferring Oak Flat to Resolution Copper, a foreign-owned mining company that plans to turn the site into a massive mining crater, ending Apache religious practices forever

Urgent End Of Year Fundraising Campaign

Online donations are back! Keep independent media alive. 

Due to the attacks on our fiscal sponsor, we were unable to raise funds online for nearly two years.  As the bills pile up, your help is needed now to cover the monthly costs of operating Popular Resistance.

Urgent End Of Year Fundraising Campaign

Online donations are back! 

Keep independent media alive. 

Due to the attacks on our fiscal sponsor, we were unable to raise funds online for nearly two years.  As the bills pile up, your help is needed now to cover the monthly costs of operating Popular Resistance.

Sign Up To Our Daily Digest

Independent media outlets are being suppressed and dropped by corporations like Google, Facebook and Twitter. Sign up for our daily email digest before it’s too late so you don’t miss the latest movement news.