Native Americans

The last Mississippian mound remaining in St. Louis is a place of profound meaning for Osage people.

Komina Guevara learned the art of beadwork by watching her grandfather. Now she makes traditional and modern pieces that honor 'my family, my culture and myself.'

The statue, designed by a Native artist, is meant to each people about the painful history of ethnic cleansing and foster understanding healing for the small town of Steelville, Missouri.

Entitled “Fire Keepers Circle," the installation represents the route that the Potawatomi people were forced to take from Indiana to Kansas nearly two centuries ago. Dozens of people died, mostly children and the elderly.

Much of Sugarloaf Mound will return to the Osage Nation, thanks to a recent land transfer. It’s the oldest man-made structure in St. Louis.

Mona Cliff, a Lawrence-based multidisciplinary visual artist, practices beadwork and fabric applique to create vibrant landscapes and mosaics that have ties to her Native culture. Her work is currently on display in Washington, D.C. as part of the exhibit "New Worlds: Women to Watch 2024."

Haskell, a four-year college in Lawrence operated by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Education, has come under scrutiny over its response to allegations from students — including a failure to act on sexual abuse claims and a culture of retaliation.

Missouri has the most miles of the Cherokee Trail of Tears, and Steelville is on its path. Archaeologist Erin Whitson has been working to verify Cherokee encampment sites in town, in the hopes that they will be recognized and protected.

The Kaw "rematriated" a part of its Kansas heritage over the weekend, a sacred rock they call "grandfather" that they had to leave behind when the tribe was forcibly relocated to Oklahoma.

Want to learn more about Native American events happening across Kansas and the Kansas City region? Here's a guide to understanding, appreciating and visiting local powwows, assembled with input from the Kansas City Indian Center.

Federal recognition entails the United States acknowledging a tribe as a separate government entity — denoting their right to self-governance. Currently, the U.S. recognizes 574 tribal nations. For the Wyandot Nation of Kansas to join them, they'll need the support of non-natives like members of Congress.

In his new book “On Indigenuity: Learning the Lessons of Mother Earth,” Native activist Daniel Wildcat explores how ancient Indigenous knowledge can be used to solve many of today’s most urgent issues, including climate change.