Native Americans

The documentarian's latest project titled “The American Buffalo” is a two-part, four-hour series that follows the story of this iconic symbol of the West across more than 10,000 years of history.

Chair Shelly Lowe, the first Native American and only second woman to head the National Endowment for the Humanities, toured Kansas City’s museums and libraries this week.

It's been 150 years since the federal government forced the Kaw from the last of their tribal land in Kansas, sending them on a journey to what is now Oklahoma.

How did Kansas City vote in the 2023 municipal elections? Plus: Many Indigenous languages are at risk of dying out after centuries of forced assimilation. Now Kansas City Public Schools and members of the KC Indian Center are trying to change that by bringing the Cherokee language to East High School.

Each year, a group of young members of the Cherokee Tribes gets on bikes and retraces the Trail of Tears their ancestors traveled when relocated by the U.S. government almost 100 years ago. They hope to bring more understanding and acknowledgement of the tragic event.

Legislators in Jackson County will consider a new resolution calling for statues of President Andrew Jackson to be dismantled and removed from the front of courthouses in Kansas City and Independence. The namesake of Jackson County was a slaveholder and largely responsible for the forced removal of Native Americans, but a previous vote to remove the statue failed in 2020.

Many Indigenous languages are at risk of dying out after centuries of forced assimilation. A cohort of administrators at Kansas City Public Schools and members of the KC Indian Center are trying to change that by bringing the Cherokee language to East High School.

Legislators will consider a resolution calling for the statue of President Andrew Jackson in front of county courthouses to be dismantled and stored. Jackson was a slave owner and a supporter of the forced relocation of Native Americans. A county-wide vote to remove the statue failed in 2020.

During a span of 71 years, most of the mounds in St. Louis left by Indigenous people from centuries earlier — some of which contained the remains of ancestors — were destroyed to make way for urban development. The ones that remain are left beneath bridges and inside parking garages.

Kansas City is teeming with excitement since the Chiefs beat the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship game. Next week, they’ll play in the Super Bowl. But some fans find the controversies surrounding the team, the sport, and the NFL, too much to gloss over.

The Shawnee Tribe says the state of Kansas should give up ownership of the historic Native American boarding school in Fairway. But this week, the Kaw Nation made an argument that they — as the original inhabitants of the land — should have a say in who controls the site.

A report commissioned by the Shawnee Tribe concluded up to $13 million in restoration and repairs are needed at the longtime Native American boarding school. But the city of Fairway, which is responsible for maintaining the site, says it has no plans to transfer ownership.