After two years of controversy, state health department restores key tribal role
The tribal relations manager role has been the subject of controversy since 2023, when the health department quietly eliminated the position.
Latest Indigenous Affairs reporting
Crow Tribe may expand membership by reconsidering blood quantum standard
The proposed legislation would alter things so all existing members would be considered as having 100% Crow “blood.”
Tribes were left out of Trump’s $50B rural health fund, but states like Montana aim to include them anyway
The state health department held tribal consultations before submitting its application for a share of the federal money.
Fort Peck Community College receives ‘transformative’ $11M gift from MacKenzie Scott
MacKenzie Scott, former wife of billionaire Jeff Bezos, has donated to several tribal colleges in recent years.
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MORE Indigenous Affairs REPORTING
Tribes that restored buffalo are killing some to feed people because of the shutdown
About one-third of Fort Peck’s tribal members on the reservation depend on monthly benefit checks.
Arrests, frozen bank accounts and a controversial election: Leadership crisis grips Northern Cheyenne Tribe
Both the president and council members spoke with MTFP in recent interviews to clarify their perspectives in a dispute that centers around who is in charge.
For the first time, Montana officially celebrates Indigenous Peoples’ Day
After years of legislative debate, Oct. 13 marks the first time the state has officially observed the day as a legal holiday.
House and home: When housing works, tribal communities win
Part 3 of The Shelter Gap, a three-part series examining barriers to buying, renting and building homes on reservation land and highlighting the community benefits of secure housing.
The development conundrum: Why is housing so hard to build in Indian Country?
Part 2 of The Shelter Gap, a three-part series examining barriers to buying, renting and building homes on reservation land and highlighting the community benefits of secure housing.
Seven people, three bedrooms, and two days in the life of a family on the Blackfeet Reservation
Reservation housing in Montana is frequently overcrowded and underserved by the amenities most Montanans take for granted. MTFP reporter Nora Mabie and Missoulian photojournalist Ben Allan Smith were invited to spend time in the Ackerman family home last winter to produce a portrait of the home life shared by thousands of Indigenous families across Montana.
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