House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus)

Working construction on the Spokane Reservation of Washington, Preston Wynne knew he wanted more out of life. Wanting to focus on his education he decided to give college a try by enrolling at the Spokane Community tribal college. Two years later he would leave the university as the all-time leading scorer, putting up 1228 points in only two years of play

By September of this year the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota may have a new all-girls college preparatory school. The school will combine college level classes, traditional culture and language in a safe, stable environment. This proven model is currently in the planning stages.

An estimated 22,000 gray whales will swim past Washington’s coastline during the next few weeks as they migrate thousands of miles to rich feeding grounds near Alaska.

NASA's Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) has awarded approximately $2 million in new cooperative agreements to three tribal colleges and universities (TCUs).

These new agreements provide opportunities for TCU students, faculty and staff to engage in NASA-related science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) activities.

Stetson Honyumptewa overcame difficulties with alcohol and a lack of career opportunities both in Arizona and New Mexico to become the signature artist at the 56th annual Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair and Market March 1-2, 2014.

Honyumptewa lived in Moenkopi until he was about 17 years old. He attended the Indian school in Phoenix for four years - nine months out of the year.

Michael Woestehoff's book "Shades of Aye," written for kids age seven and older, explores the challenges that Native American students face as they leave the familiarity of the reservation for college, the resulting feelings of isolation and the difficulty in discovering who they are and what is important to them in a new and different world.

Design candidates for the 2015 Native American $1 Coins have been released by the United States Mint. Twenty different images have been unveiled with each one depicting a design emblematic of the theme, "Mohawk Iron Workers."

The Cherokee Nation has selected 13 Cherokee students for the 2014 Remember the Removal bike ride. Each summer, Cherokee students retrace the path their Cherokee ancestors were forced to walk along the northern route of the Trail of Tears.

After leading Aquinnas High School to the Wisconsin State Basketball Championship during his sophomore year in 2011, Bronson Koenig, Ho Chunk Nation, was scouted by ACC powerhouses Duke and North Carolina.

Twenty years ago, while teaching employees of the San Carlos Apache Tribe’s Department of Forest Resources staff about traditional Apache plants, the late elder Wallace Johnson said, “If we eat our traditional Apache food and exercised, there would be none of these new diseases.”

That simple statement has stuck in the heads of those employees, and they wondered if the knowledge of Mr. Johnson’s generation (who was born in 1903) – directly taught to him from forebears who grew up before Apaches were herded onto reservations – held keys to combating the epidemics of poor physical and emotional health, suicide, and sexual violence amid the Reservation backdrop of generationally-embedded toxic stress.

The nuisance in the back yard known for its annoying sting and pungent earthy smell, nettle is not the most desirable flora of the Pacific Northwest. For northwest tribes, however, nettle is a cultural and traditional staple. The Rediscovery Program at the Hibulb Cultural Center began their spring harvest of nettle sprouts March 12th, working to reintroduce the use of nettle into the community and continuing the revitalization of our culture.

Bill, who has spent the last ten years learning about how to use nettle, harvested nettle sprouts on the bluff above Arcadia on the Tulalip Reservation.

Of the 10 historically recognized independent centers of plant domestication worldwide, five were in the Americas.

Three of these occurred in South America, where chile peppers, squash, beans, yucca, yams and white and sweet potatoes were grown. North America’s contributions included squash, maize (corn) and beans – the trifecta of New World foods – as well as other species such as chile pepper.

Piki bread is one of the Southwest regions’ precious gifts, a sacred and delicious tradition now recognized by Slow Foods Ark of Taste. The making of Piki is an art and a ritual taking years of practice to master, and the knowledge, along with the heirloom stone used to make the traditional bread, is passed down through generations from mother to daughter. In the past, a young woman was required to demonstrate that she had mastered the art of making Piki before she could be considered a suitable bride.

The road to the Final Four — or at least the floor — starts in Menominee, in rural northeastern Wisconsin.

The tiny town doesn't have a competitive college basketball program. But the work there makes all the difference on which team can call itself the nation's best.

The Young Native Writers Essay Contest is a writing contest for Native American high school students and is designed to encourage young Native Americans to write about their experiences as a member of a Native American community and the culture that inspires them. The voices that emerge from this program honor the legacy of every Native American who has ever lived. Add your words to the thousands submitted through this project - all writers receive a Certificate of Honor for their submission.

The Hopi Tribe will have two runners represented at the 2014 Boston Marathon, Caroline "Kadoo" Sekaquaptewa and Stephen Lawrence Ovah of Sichomovi. The marathon is scheduled on Mon, Apr. 21, 2014.

Ovah is 29 years old; he is from the Water clan. His parents are Marty and Joycelyn Ovah. He is the oldest of three kids and has two kids, a daughter 5 years old and a son 3 years old. His resume includes four state championships with Hopi High School. He went on to run for Haskell University where he ran cross country and track & field.

Caroline “Kadoo” Sekaquaptewa is water clan from the village of Sipaulovi. Her parents are Rosa Honanie and the late Phil Sekaquaptewa. She is the oldest of four siblings and a single mother of four girls ages 19, 16, 10 and 5 years old. She is in her 10th year of teaching at Salt River Elementary School as an Early Childhood Educator.

Moencopi Developers Corporation (MDC) is sponsoring both Sekaquaptewa and Stephan Ovah to participate in the Boston Marathon. MDC has paid for their registration fees and are having custom made uniforms designed for them. MDC is also helping them with fundraising efforts for their expenses.