Miiskogihmiiwan “Miisko” Poupart-Chapman is a Dakota and Ojibwe writer, artist, dancer, and media professional based in Minnesota. She is Dakota from the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, an enrolled member of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, and Bear Clan.
As a writer and social media coordinator for The Circle, Miisko shares stories about Indigenous arts, culture, community events, and issues affecting Native people. Her work includes articles, graphics, video, and digital storytelling that connect readers with Native voices and perspectives. She also serves as a producer for Native Roots Radio, supporting conversations with Indigenous leaders, artists, advocates, and community members.
Beyond her media work, Miisko is a jingle and fancy dancer whose creative practice includes digital illustration, beadwork, sewing, and regalia making. Her experience coordinating Native youth programming informs her interest in education, cultural expression, and opportunities for young people to explore their creativity. Across her work, she celebrates Indigenous beauty, strengthens community connections, and highlights the many ways Native people carry their cultures forward.
The Oct. 11 fire began at Dollar Plus, a Somali-owned store at 1300 E. Franklin Ave., and spread to the connected Minnesota Chippewa Tribe building that houses urban tribal offices. The store and offices occupy connected buildings; the fire did not begin in the urban offices. The cause remained undetermined Monday. Store owner Abdullahi Omar […]
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) on Oct. 5, leaving Minnesota court decisions in place supporting the placement of Red Lake Nation twins with their maternal grandmother. The case, N.R. v. Ellison, challenged both ICWA and the Minnesota Indian Family Preservation Act (MIFPA). Former non-relative […]
Lochiel, Arizona — A centuries-old cottonwood known as the “grandmother tree” was cut down Oct. 5, after activists spent 71 days protecting it from border wall construction. The tree stood near the U.S.-Mexico border in the San Rafael Valley, southeast of Tucson. Protesters took turns occupying a platform in its branches, keeping someone in the […]
As runners prepare for October races, Native Women Run is working to ensure Native women have a place at the starting line. This nonprofit organization represents and empowers Native women across the United States and Canada, creating opportunities to run while strengthening visibility, sisterhood, empowerment, and community. Founder Verna NezBegay Volker, a Navajo Nation citizen […]
Lily Gladstone and Kiowa Gordon are set to star in The Curse of Silver, a new supernatural horror-western that will reunite the actors with Quantum Cowboys director Geoff Marslett. Gladstone, an Oscar nominee known for Killers of the Flower Moon, and Gordon, known for Twilight and Dark Winds, are attached to lead the film. Marslett […]
MINNEAPOLIS — Along Ȟaȟá Wakpá, the Mississippi River, a Dakota-led effort is working to restore land, culture, and community connection at Owámniyomni, commonly known as St. Anthony Falls. For Dakota people, Owámniyomni, meaning “turbulent waters,” has long been a sacred place for ceremony, gathering, trade, and offerings. Nearby Wíta Wanáǧi, or Spirit Island, was a […]
Every year on September 30, people across Canada and the United States wear orange shirts to honor Indigenous children affected by residential and boarding schools and to remember the survivors, families, and communities who continue to carry their impacts. Orange Shirt Day began in Williams Lake, British Columbia, Canada, following the 2013 St. Joseph Mission […]
The Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa is facing multiple federal lawsuits that raise a larger question: How much authority does a tribal nation have to govern and protect its reservation and natural resources? In April 2026, Wisconsin sued the tribe after it passed resolutions restricting non-member fishing for walleye and muskellunge on 19 […]
Concerns are rising over a proposed reroute of a petroleum pipeline near Pipestone National Monument in southwestern Minnesota; here’s what we know. The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) is reviewing the Pipestone Pipeline Reroute Project (Docket IP-7109/PPL-23-109). The applicant is Magellan Pipeline Company, L.P., now part of ONEOK. The proposal would reroute approximately 0.74 miles of an existing eight-inch […]
The Walker Art Center will host two artist-led programs this month featuring Indigenous perspectives through film and music. The final screenings of “Once Upon a Time in Manhood”, a film series curated by actor, comedian, and activist Dallas Goldtooth (Mdewakanton Dakota/Diné), will take place this week at Walker Cinema. The series examines how films and popular […]
A recent fire at the building housing The Circle’s office has created unexpected challenges for our independent Native newspaper.
Thankfully, with the help of community members, we were able to recover our newspaper archives dating back to the 1980s. These irreplaceable records preserve decades of Native community history, cultural knowledge, and stories.
Your donation will help The Circle recover from the fire, protect our historical archives, and continue sharing Native voices for generations to come.
Every contribution makes a difference.
Pinagigi — Thank you for helping preserve generations of Native stories.
