Crosswinds Special Edition Newsletter
Hello Crosswinds Community, As we close out the first half of 2026, we're grateful for your continued support. June was one of our busiest months yet! Bringing people together, amplifying Native voices, preserving important stories, and reporting on the issues that matter most to Native communities across Oklahoma
Turtle Island Affairs
(NOVA SCOTIA) The Mi’kmawey Dewbert Cultural Centre (MDCC) will open its doors in 2028. It’s a project that has been decades in the making with a goal of connecting past, present, and future generations. Once opened, it will also include Mi’kmaq artifacts that are more than 100
StoryKeepers
By: Alexie Lofstrom-Dewes (PONCA CITY, Okla.) Do you remember your most embarrassing moment in middle or high school? The one that replays in your mind on nights when you can’t fall asleep? The odds are good that you remember it vividly, including exactly how you felt in the
YouTube Short
The final stop of the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition's Oral History Project kicked off Monday with an opening ceremony in Tulsa. This week marks the culmination of two and a half years of work documenting the experiences of Native American boarding school survivors across the
By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Swiftly marching toward westward expansion, the United States in the 1800s brought with it a tidal wave of displacement and cultural suppression for Native Americans. A century of broken treaties already had spawned distrust of the federal government, and
By LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court acted in a Voting Rights Act case brought by Native American tribes this month, saying a closely watched ruling needs to be reconsidered after a high court ruling that weakened the Civil Rights-era law. The justices ordered lower courts
MMIP
NATIONAL (AP) — Across the country, Indigenous people are gathering this week to honor loved ones who are missing or have been killed and to call for better data collection, law enforcement response and reforms to make their communities safer. From U.S. state capitols and tribal community spaces to the
Carrying stories from the heart of Indian Country
(TULSA, Okla.) Native American youth in Tulsa are more than four times as likely to experience homelessness as White youth, according to the city's newly released 2025 Equality Indicators Report. The report identified youth homelessness as one of Tulsa's most severe disparities and one that has
(TVLSE, Okla.) The drum is the heartbeat of Native ceremonies, celebrations, gatherings and community. For centuries, the sound of the drum has brought people together, guiding songs, prayers and stories. While every tribe has unique teachings around the drum and its creation, it is one of the most respected and
(TULSA, Okla.) Tulsa is celebrating the 100th year of Route 66 and city leaders want local artists to be part of the celebration. The Route 66 corridor runs through 28 miles of Tulsa. Now through July 1, the city is inviting local artists to submit up to four original designs
(TULSA, Okla.) It is widely known that Tulsa sits atop the reservations of three of Oklahoma’s largest Native American tribes: the Cherokee Nation, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, and the Osage Nation. What is less known is just how tribally diverse the city truly is. As Native populations continue to
Happy May, Crosswinds Community, May brought growth, gathering, remembrance and celebration across Indian Country, and Crosswinds was grateful to be there for many of those moments. This month, our team continued to bloom through storytelling, podcasting, community events and training through our StoryKeepers program. We kicked off May at the
(TULSA, Okla.) The Indian Health Care Resource Center, which has played a vital role in providing physical and mental health care services to Native communities across northeast Oklahoma, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. IHCRC CEO Carmelita Skeeter says the non-profit currently works with about 14,000 patients
By LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court acted in a Voting Rights Act case brought by Native American tribes this month, saying a closely watched ruling needs to be reconsidered after a high court ruling that weakened the Civil Rights-era law. The justices ordered lower courts
WARNING: This story contains discussion of sexual assault, trafficking, abuse and violence. (TULSA, Okla.) May is Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Awareness Month. Behind many cases of violence impacting Native women and girls are deeper cycles of abuse, trauma, sexual assault and exploitation that often begin in childhood. Ronna
(TULSA, Okla.) Musician. Songwriter. Actor. Artist. Author. Anthony Lookout was not only larger than life, it seems there was no talent he did not possess. A proud citizen of the Osage Nation and a member of the Hunka Division, Eagle Clan, Lookout’s last achievement, “Tilton and Grace Entokah: An
(OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla.) Kinsale Drake, founder and director of NDN Girls Book Club, described herself as a bookworm growing up who loved all forms of storytelling. “I had been teaching workshops for several years and so the book club kind of came about pretty naturally,” Drake said. After receiving a
(MUSCOGEE RESERVATION) Catalyst News, a nonprofit sister organization to Crosswinds News, recently launched a new initiative designed to help Muscogee children ages 0 to 5 strengthen cultural identity through hands-on learning activities. Developed in collaboration with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Native Youth Community Project (NYCP) and other MCN departments,
(TVLSE, Okla.) On May 9 and 10, modern casual Native American restaurant Nātv will host a Mother’s Day brunch at Mother Road Market, bringing a limited pop-up experience to the community. Chef Jacque Siegfried has spent much of her life doing what she loves: feeding people. Siegfried, who