With North Texas Giving Day around the corner, we are reminded of the impact a strong community can have when everyone finds their passion, works together and gives with purpose. What are you passionate about? At PWNA, we are passionate about helping Tribal communities become strong and self-sufficient. Unfortunately, few people are aware of the economic, educational and systemic challenges Native people face every day. But living with hardship has forced countless Native Americans to become resilient problem-solvers, and who better to address the issues than those actually facing them? That’s ..read more

Put simply, food sovereignty is the right of a community to identify and control how their food is produced and distributed, and this includes the quantity and quality of what they are consuming. Often, people think food sovereignty is the assurance we have enough food to meet our physical needs, but it goes far beyond that. In fact, the food sovereignty movement dates back many years between farmers, fishermen, Indigenous peoples and those most impacted by the ongoing struggles between control over land, sea and livestock. September is Hunger Action Month, giving us the perfect platform to sh ..read more

Native Americans have been on the frontline of U.S. history from the beginning. This country is so intertwined with Native issues that stories can hardly be told without a thread of impact to Indian Country. But “Oppenheimer” missed the opportunity. I like Cillian Murphy as an actor and am sure he helped “Oppenheimer” become one of the top grossing WWII biopic films domestically. It’s a boost the film industry needs amid their writer and actor strikes. Unfortunately, the film leaves out some greater truths, the American legacy of developing the first atomic weapon and the role of Native Ameri ..read more

Children across the country are heading back to school early this year. They’ll see their friends, sport new clothes and backpacks, meet new teachers and learn new subjects. But one thing most kids won’t learn is real Native American history. They will learn history from a non-Native perspective, and the history that shaped the conditions facing tribes today will be omitted. Just ask your kids this: Why did the U.S. government establish Indian reservations? Most likely, they won’t know the answer… that the U.S. wanted to rid the country of its “Indian problem” and open Native lands to settlers ..read more

The need for access to healthy food and clean drinking water on remote reservations cannot be overstated. Thanks to a generous gift of $150,000 from Olo For Good (Olo) and Tides Foundation (Tides), PWNA will increase food security in marginalized reservation communities across the U.S. The defining characteristic of food insecurity is reduced food intake and disruption of normal eating patterns due to lack of money and other resources. This happens periodically to 23% of Native American families. With water insecurity, the overriding issue is the absence of adequate government funding to make ..read more

There’s a reason why July is National Pet Hydration Awareness Month. For the United States, July is the hottest month overall. For most states (except Arizona, New Mexico and West Texas) July is when summer temperatures start to peak, humidity is highest, and the temptation to be outdoors comes with the risk of not only sunburn but dehydration and overhydration. It’s only common sense to keep plenty of water available for pets, whether indoors or outdoors. They also need clean water and clean water bowls, and pet owners need to keep an eye out for any warning signs of dehydration and overhydr ..read more

Do you take clean water for granted? If we asked the average person on any given day, they would say ‘no’. This is largely because most Americans do not have a water issue; however, that is not the case for Indian Country. Most Americans do not have to think about where the water to cook, drink, do laundry, bathe, water plants, animals or livestock comes from. Access to clean water is a basic human right, and yet, up to 48% of households on Native American reservations do not have this precious resource. For many Native people, this means traveling many miles just to access water and haul it t ..read more

I shared earlier this year about how the continued need and challenges in remote Tribal communities go beyond the giving season and November, which is Native American Heritage Month. Coming up on May 19 is one more way to remember Native Americans – it’s Native Nonprofit Day! 2023 is the second annual Native Nonprofit Day hosted by the Native Ways Federation and serves two aims: increasing support for Native-led nonprofits and helping America understand why #giveNative is so important. Last year, PWNA saw corporations and foundations stepping up corporate social responsibility for Native caus ..read more

In honor of National Space Day on May 5, PWNA celebrates the remarkable strides in the field of Space Exploration, Aeronautics and Aerospace made by those in the Native American community. Today, we’re highlighting three people who have contributed immensely to the field. They helped set a foundation for more Native people to excel in these professions, but it is important to note that several others continue to pave the way for future generations too. As she rocketed into orbit on October 5, 2022, Nicole Mann (Wailaki) became the first Native American woman in space – a dream she thought was ..read more

Breakthrough TV shows like “Reservation Dogs” and “Dark Winds” have put authentic Native American programming within reach of mainstream audiences, while legendary actors like Wes Studi (Cherokee) and Tantoo Cardinal (Cree and Metis) have opened doors for new Native actors. There’s another group of Indigenous influencers to watch today as well: Native American authors. David Treuer (Ojibwe), an author and professor at the University of Southern California, is best known for stories that defy Native American stereotypes. In “The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee,” he explores Native history throu ..read more