How COVID-19 and the fight against Big Oil is reviving one Alaskan people's spiritual traditions

Various First Nations communities and organizations are using ground penetrating radar (GPR) to uncover lost indigenous grave sites. So far, Indigenous groups across Canada have used GPR and other technologies to identify more than 1,800 possible graves at former residential schools and the movement is also making strides throughout the U.S.

A viral campaign from Indigenous activists, TikTok creators, and documentary filmmakers led to about 6.3 million letters being sent to federal agencies encouraging them to halt fossil fuel development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. They created social media content and a toolkit for creators to use on their platforms that made it easy for the message to spread.

A recently proposed Canadian law would create comprehensive support for the repatriation of cultural objects back from museums to First Nations people. The law addresses a common and critical hurdle for repatriation: funds for the transport and safe storage of objects upon their return.

In Benin, indigenous beliefs, knowledge, and traditional governance systems are helping communities protect biodiversity and adapt to climate change. Vodun, a spiritual practice that protects fragile and vital ecosystems, has enabled the preservation of more than 1,200 acres of mangroves over the last decade.

Multiple Native American tribal nations are incorporating traditional sweat lodge ceremonies into substance use disorder treatment programs. Participants attend sweat lodge sessions, either as part of court-ordered programs or voluntarily, where they engage in culturally relevant, spiritual practices. Many of the court-ordered clients consistently choose to return to sweat lodges beyond their required attendance, sometimes even preferring them to traditional AA/NA meetings.

The coordinated response involved decades of persistent advocacy, strategic coalition-building among Indigenous nations, environmentalists, and government officials, sustained direct activism, and innovative legal and corporate negotiations, ultimately leading to the historic removal of four dams along the Klamath River. This effort successfully restored salmon habitat and ecosystem health, setting a groundbreaking precedent for addressing environmental justice, tribal sovereignty, and dam removal conflicts nationwide.

Indigenous communities confronting poverty, loss of traditional land, and marginalization in Malaysia are finding support through PACOS Trust, a faith-based group focused on community organizing. By providing structured leadership training, advocacy skills, and livelihood development initiatives, PACOS empowers young Indigenous leaders to address pressing issues in the community, advocate for land rights, and preserve their cultural practices.

The Karanga Aotearoa program coordinates with museums and cultural institutions across the world to repatriate Moriori remains and artifacts stolen by colonizers throughout New Zealand/Aotearoa's history. The process is Indigenous-led, with significant involvement from the descendents of those being returned, and prioritizes maintaining dignity for the ancestors.

Fire Mountain Fabrics and Supply is a Native-owned fabric shop in Minnesota that sells materials used to make the regalia worn in different ceremonies that can often be difficult to find.

Indigenous youth activists are using social media, online organizing, and art to mobilize intergenerational protests against the Mountain Valley Pipeline in Appalachia. After the Inflation Reduction Act undermined court successes that had stopped the project, the movement is putting pressure on legislators to stop it, with some key senators saying they won't vote for the side deal negotiated to keep the pipeline moving forward.