Swift Fox (vulpes velox)

Ricardo Cate’ is from Kewa (Santo Domingo Pueblo) and he has found a little niche for himself in the art world of Santa Fe. He draws and paints cartoons, one panel at a time, and was picked up by the Santa Fe New Mexican, the local paper of the state capital. His cartoons are seen by 60,000 readers daily, he’s close to having 4000 of them published, and he’s the only Native cartoonist featured in a daily mainstream newspaper. This attention led to a recent book of his cartoons being published last year.

Most indigenous people would agree, until the mainstream "gets it," change in the world will not occur. These days, Philip Whiteman Jr., Northern Cheyenne, and Lynette Two Bulls, Lakota, are doing their best to help the mainstream "get it." The good news is that they do, and are asking for more.

Next Stop For American Indian Veterans: Education Center of the Vietnam Wall

In early December of 2013, the United States Congress approved the Native American Veterans' Memorial Amendments Act of 2013 which provides for a veteran statue to be placed on the grounds of the National Museum of American Indians (NMAI). President Obama signed the Act into law on December 26, 2013. The fundraising for this statue will be the responsibility of the Museum. We congratulate NMAI for this milestone in their history.

There definitely is something about Merry

Rev. Howard and Mrs. Lorena Baker knew their daughter would be born at Christmastime. When she did arrive, on December 20, 1950, they christened her Merry Carol.

While unusual, the name fits her to a tee. She sings, loves, cares and brings merriment to the lives of her Byng High School students and thousands of others. She is a member of Native Praise, a choir which sings hymns in Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek and Cherokee languages.

Lexie James Crowned Miss Hopi 2014-2015

The Hopi Jr./Sr. High School auditorium was filled to almost capacity as six Hopi manas (girls) competed for the title of Miss Hopi 2014-2015.

Miss Lexie Michael James, Corn Clan from the Village of Tewa, was crowned Miss Hopi 2014-2015. Miss Hopi's mother is Candace James and grandmother is Jacqueline Nutumya. Miss Hopi's platform is to raise awareness on Bullying and promote the Hopi and Tewa languages.

Like flecks of gold in a stream, hidden within the vast herds on the Navajo rangeland is something distinct, once highly-prized, and a significant source of Diné teachings - the indigenous Navajo horse.

The great horseman Ray Hunt used to say, "Horses live what they learn and learn what they live."

In a dead language on a tape 40 years old, Elvira Billiot sings a children's song about an alligator.

Last year, a great-granddaughter Elvira Billiot never met heard "Chan-Chuba" for the first time and felt an immediate connection to the ghostly voice and her people.

Since 2009, Cherokee Nation's Education Services has hosted Camp Cherokee, which exposes Cherokee students to art, traditional games, science, technology, engineering and mathematics. This year's camp, which took place July 20-25 at Camp Heart O' Hills, celebrated its five-year mark.

The endangered native language of Brighton residents will get a reprieve from extinction when the first Creek language dictionary is printed in book form early next year.

Tribal Council recently approved an agreement with University Press of Florida to publish Este Semvnolvlke Enponakv, The Language of the Seminole People: An Outline Grammar and Basic Dictionary of the Florida Seminole Creek.

He was the most decorated First Nations soldier in the history of the Canadian military, but very few people have ever heard of Francis Pegahmagabow.

From the time he signed on in September 1914, until the war ended on Nov. 11, 1918, Francis fought. In fact, of the over 600.000 Canadians who served, he was one of only 39 in the Canadian Expeditionary Force to be awarded the Military Medal and two bars for valour.

In the employee directory of the Fort Belknap Reservation, Bronc Speak Thunder's title is buffalo wrangler.

In 2012, Mr. Speak Thunder drove a livestock trailer in a convoy from Yellowstone National Park that returned genetically pure bison to tribal land in northeastern Montana for the first time in 140 years. Mr. Speak Thunder, 32, is one of a growing number of younger Native Americans who are helping to restore native animals to tribal lands across the Northern Great Plains, in the Dakotas, Montana and parts of Nebraska.

There's been a lot of discussion about the name of a certain Washington football team — with lawsuits arguing that it is disparaging, and media outlets choosing not to use it in their content.

But while the debates around the language are raging, the logo — also a part of the trademark lawsuit — remains emblazoned on hats, T-shirts, and picnic blankets around the capital.

From the Alberta oil sands to the Gulf of Mexico, Native peoples across Turtle Island are afflicted with ills related to industrial development—development that was undertaken with little regard to the health, culture and general welfare of those who were living here when European settlers arrived.

Among these, the uranium contamination plaguing the Navajo Nation is arguably one of the worst cases. Though press reports of contamination left over from uranium mining on the Navajo reservation have cropped up over the years, few have done more than send reporters parachuting in to report on conditions.

They were stories passed down from father to son for generations. Now that rich history of Native American storytelling is taking on a new form.

Montileaux is one of many South Dakota artists who create visual depictions of Native American legends and scenes using old accounting ledgers. The Native art form originated in about 1870, when buffalo hide became scarce, Montileaux said, and was popular until about 1940. Native Americans would barter for ledger books with local accountants so they could illustrate their stories, which until then were only shared orally.

Olsen, who is from Bethany, Okla., will be a junior at Northern Illinois University this fall and has enjoyed a full scholarship for gymnastics.

"Jaelyn is a great athlete and has a great work ethic, and I am impressed at how clean and precise her gymnastics looks," said NIU Head Coach Sam Morreale. "I am very excited to see what else she is capable of this upcoming year, I am proud she is a Huskie."