By Winona LaDuke On the opening night of the Minnesota State Fair, I ate my approved amount of deep-fried goods and settled into my seat with a couple of friends to see my old friend Bonnie Raitt . As she carried a crowd of 12,000 or so through a wide-ranging set list, it was hard […]
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By The Circle A surge of Native American authors helped reshape bookshelves in 2025, bringing new attention to Indigenous literature across the United States. As the calendar turns toward 2026, that momentum is expected to continue, with new releases in fiction, nonfiction, memoir, poetry and genre-blending works reaching wider audiences than ever before. Books from […]
By Mordecai Specktor On the “No Kings” protests Some readers of The Circle likely participated in the Oct. 18 protests against the Trump 2.0 regime. The sponsoring organizations and press reported that some seven million individuals participated in these demonstration in large cities, suburbs and small towns. The rubric of “No Kings” harkens back to […]
By The Circle It is with sadness that The Circle remembers our longtime columnist Kristine “Kris” Shotley, who wrote under the byline “Ricey Wild” for more than 25 years, and whose sharp wit, honesty and heart earned her loyal readers across Indian Country. Shotley, 63, of Cloquet, Minn., died Oct. 8 after a brief illness, […]
By Mordecai Specktor Revising the Wounded Knee Massacre On Sept. 27, the New York Times reported that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth will not revoke Medals of Honor for soldiers who took part in the 1890 massacre of Chief Big Foot’s band at Wounded Knee. “More than 300 Lakota Sioux men, women and children were […]
By Mordecai Specktor A visit to Gichigami In early August, I traveled with my wife, Maj-Britt, up to Gichigami (Lake Superior) — it’s my favorite area in Minnesota. We enjoyed the beaches, state parks and the sound of wind through the trees. Our base camp for three nights was a resort up in the hills […]
By Mordecia Specktor Trump, Epstein and the R-word In July, the current occupant of the White House was bombarded by questions about the late child rapist Jeffrey Epstein. Trump and Epstein had a long, close friendship — a Google search will reveal numerous photos and videos of the pair partying together. There are also photos […]
By Winona LaDuke Akiing, the land to which I belong. That’s how I feel about this land. It turns out that I am a patriot to a land, not a flag, and yet some of the basic principles that the US was founded upon resonate with me. Those principles are about dignity, respect, having a […]
By Joe Nayquonabe Sr. / Transcribed by James Clark Editor’s note: Orignally published in in the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Inaajimowin newspaper. This month I would like to talk about my uncle Johnson Nayquonabe. I met him very early in my life when I was staying with my grandparents. In the summer months, we’d […]
By Ricey Wild The outdoors has transformed into glorious greenery and I’m waiting for lilac season, which only lasts for up to a week. Transient fragile beauty that has the power to heal souls. My Sun and I would take ‘Lilac Walks’ and I would bury my face in the fragrant bushes in the city. […]
By Mordecai Specktor Defunding Indian health care In my April column, I wrote about the chaos created by Trump 2.0 administration and MAGA congressional policies: a proposal to delist the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act and reorienting the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to further the president’s call to “drill, baby, drill.” I also […]
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.
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Pinagigi — Thank you for helping preserve generations of Native stories.
