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Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi

@clahchischiligi.bsky.social
561 followers 170 following 36 posts

Diné. Indigenous Affairs Editor at High Country News. Board president at Indigenous Journalists Association. Rhetorician at Arizona State University. sunnie@indigenousjournalists.org

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Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi @clahchischiligi.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Indigenous identity fraud intensified in the 20th century on California’s Central Coast — original homelands of the Chumash — motivated by a desire for attention, a need for cultural identity and the appetite for material gain. By @dinagw.bsky.social & Allison Herrera; Illustrations: Ryan Redcorn
hcn.org
The facade of the Red Wind commune - High Country News
There’s ongoing harm from Indigenous identity fraud.
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Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi @clahchischiligi.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Calling all IJA members! We are in search of four board candidates for our upcoming elections. Deadline to submit your declaration is May 25, 2026.
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Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi @clahchischiligi.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Over a year into the second Trump administration, Indigenous communities have seen dramatic changes, from reducing $1.5 billion in climate funding for tribal initiatives to removing tribal flags from Veterans Affairs hospitals. Read what Indigenous leaders had to say. By our entire IA team.
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Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi @clahchischiligi.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
"The public comment period concludes on April 7, meaning it occurs during the Easter, Passover and several traditional holidays for Pueblos." From @sourcenm.com
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Reposted by Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi
azcentral @azcentral.com · 22/02/2026
State Rep. Myron Tsosie said the Chinle High School basketball team was subjected to racial taunts from fans of Coolidge's team.
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Racial taunts at Chinle-Coolidge game alleged, legislator wants action
State Rep. Myron Tsosie said the Chinle High School basketball team was subjected to racial taunts from fans of Coolidge's team.
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Reposted by Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi
Indigenous Journalists Association @indigenousja.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
📣 Now hiring: Program Manager! Join IJA to support Indigenous journalists & media workers. Full-time, remote, Apply tinyurl.com/3c4z99jx #jobs
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Reposted by Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi
High Country News @highcountrynews.org · 30/12/2025
“Pretendian hunting” is a phenomenon of toxic, online call-out culture. But the problem of false identity claims is real, and Native researcher Dina Gilio-Whitaker says it’s time for us to find a rational approach that’s informed by history. buff.ly/4fL0r6h
hcn.org
We need to talk about the pretendians in our midst - High Country News
Indigenous scholar Dina Gilio-Whitaker wants Natives to approach a difficult topic rationally, vulnerably and honestly.
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Reposted by Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi
High Country News @highcountrynews.org · 17/12/2025
Tribal sovereignty and prosperity are tied to gaming’s sovereign source of income.
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How the gaming economy helps tribes navigate shifting policies - High Country News
Tribal sovereignty and prosperity are tied to gaming’s sovereign source of income.
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Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi @clahchischiligi.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
We are elated to welcome Melissa to our Indigenous Journalists Association board of directors. She brings a wealth of experience to our organization and has already hit the ground running as our education committee chair.
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Reposted by Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi
High Country News @highcountrynews.org · 04/11/2025
Amy Bowers Cordalis’ new book, The Water Remembers, weaves together memoir, historical narrative nonfiction, legal battles and family to tell the story of the largest dam removal project in history. buff.ly/Ev5kjMH
hcn.org
‘It’s a story of hope’: Reflections on undamming the Klamath - High Country News
A Q&A with Amy Bowers Cordalis about her new book on the multigenerational effort towards dam removal.
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Reposted by Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi
High Country News @highcountrynews.org · 01/11/2025
Rural Californians living without power. Coho salmon finding new life. Indigenous youth finding joy in heavy metal. The November issue of High Country News captures a West in flux — and in motion. buff.ly/HYteQGv
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Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi @clahchischiligi.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
Retired principal ballet dancer Jock Soto (Puerto Rican/Diné) shares his story and how the world can now learn about his time in the New York City ballet through a newly launched digital archive. By @shaun505.bsky.social for our Indigenous Affairs desk at HCN.
hcn.org
What inspires Indigenous ballet dancer Jock Soto - High Country News
The dancer seeks to preserve his legacy while educating others about his time on the biggest ballet stage.
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Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi @clahchischiligi.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
Our Indigenous Affairs fellow @chadebradley.bsky.social chatted with higher education Indigenous leaders to discuss how they've been supporting their students and colleagues during turbulent times. Read what they had to say in the latest piece from our IA desk.
hcn.org
How tribal educators are navigating budget challenges - High Country News
Tribal college and university leaders lean on their resiliency and cultural values in the face of federal funding unknowns.
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Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi @clahchischiligi.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
I sat down with @willvh.bsky.social and @theopennotebook.bsky.social to discuss points for reporters to keep in mind when covering communities that are not their own, specifically Indigenous communities. Grateful to share the pages w/ @mariaparazorose.bsky.social who brings up some important points.
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Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi @clahchischiligi.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
Tomorrow:
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Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi @clahchischiligi.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
High Country News & the @indigenousja.bsky.social join forces next week to host a free webinar for Indigenous photojournalists interested in collaborating with HCN and to learn about freelancing in general. Join us at 11 a.m. MT, Sept. 23. Register here: indigenousjournalists.org/2025/09/call...
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Reposted by Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi
KTOO Public Media @ktoopublicmedia.bsky.social · 07/08/2025
Currently, 42 Western radio stations are considered vulnerable because over 30% of their annual funding is federal. Twenty of those stations serve Indigenous communities in the rural reaches of reservations and Alaska Native villages. (From @highcountrynews.org)
ktoo.org
Native languages need radio, which is at risk of being lost
As public media is threatened after cuts from Trump administration, Indigenous radio also face threats to how they preserve and grow language.
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Reposted by Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi
High Country News @highcountrynews.org · 04/08/2025
The growth of Indigenous language through radio is at risk, along with the rest of public media, but cultural reclamation at large will persevere.
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Native languages need radio, which is at risk of being lost - High Country News
As public media is threatened after cuts from Trump administration, Indigenous radio also face threats to how they preserve and grow language.
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Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi @clahchischiligi.bsky.social · 04/08/2025
"Indigenous radio and media help Indigenous communities engage and grow in their understanding of their language and show them how they can better connect with their culture." By @chadebradley.bsky.social, from HCN's Indigenous Affairs desk.
hcn.org
Native languages need radio, which is at risk of being lost - High Country News
As public media is threatened after cuts from Trump administration, Indigenous radio also face threats to how they preserve and grow language.
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Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi @clahchischiligi.bsky.social · 01/08/2025
"For Diné people, sheep are a blessing with responsibilities that link us to the Diyin Dine’é (Holy People). But to the U.S. government, they were an ecological proxy to 'The Navajo Problem.'" By Christine Ami.
hcn.org
What the presence of sheep means to the Diné - High Country News
How to look at Milton Snow’s historical images of a livestock genocide on the Navajo Nation.
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Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi @clahchischiligi.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
Wampanoag writer @josephvlee.bsky.social discusses his newly released book in a Q&A with @shaun505.bsky.social. Lee's book, Nothing More of This Land: Community, Power, and the Search for Indigenous Identity, is out today.
hcn.org
Finding your ancestors in the archives - High Country News
Author Joseph Lee explores Wampanoag family history in a new book of memoir and reportage.
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Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi @clahchischiligi.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
Łingít, Haida and Híɫzaqv people have gathered haaw da.aa and kelp to share, trade and gift. Now, grey whales have joined the harvest. Their presence brings a new pressure — one that both humans/non-humans are learning to navigate. Writes @amyromer.bsky.social, in collab w/ @indiginews.bsky.social
hcn.org
In Sitka, Łingít fishers share herring harvests with a surprise influx of grey whales - High Country News
An unprecedented whale surge in Alaska waters has changed how humans interact with a vital yaaw fishery.
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High Country News @highcountrynews.org · 03/07/2025
No matter the distance, helping one’s Indigenous community during a disaster is possible. buff.ly/AqLVoHO
hcn.org
When wildfire hits your doorstep - High Country News
A Diné writer confronts how to offer a hand from far away as tragedy strikes on the Navajo Nation.
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Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi @clahchischiligi.bsky.social · 03/07/2025
As the Oak Ridge Fire on the Navajo Nation continues, those who live away from the reservation might feel a sense of urgency to help. Here is a little something for those who live away from home and are feeling a sense of guilt or helplessness. You are not alone.
hcn.org
When wildfire hits your doorstep - High Country News
A Diné writer confronts how to offer a hand from far away as tragedy strikes on the Navajo Nation.
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Reposted by Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi
High Country News @highcountrynews.org · 01/07/2025
As of July 1, the Oak Ridge Fire on the Navajo Nation in Arizona burns nearly 10,000 acres as hundreds are forced to evacuate. Earlier this year, we wrote about how tribal wildfire programs in the West are underfunded and overburdened. www.hcn.org/issues/57-5/...
hcn.org
How the feds abandoned reservations to burn  - High Country News
Tribal wildfire programs are underfunded and overburdened.
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Reposted by Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi
High Country News @highcountrynews.org · 25/06/2025
Protests over the sell off of public lands were hard loud and bipartisan at a gathering of the Western Governors’ Association
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Protests greet Western governors in Santa Fe - High Country News
After a bipartisan outcry, Senate proposal to sell public lands is blocked for now.
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Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi @clahchischiligi.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
The tribe’s mobile clinic serves its members and drives to the Lovelock Paiute and Yomba Shoshone reservations, covering a territory of about 200 miles. It can treat any member of a tribe in Nevada. They serve about 2,000 patients, averaging about 20 patients each month. Shared by KUNR Public Radio
hcn.org
The Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe is bridging Nevada’s healthcare gap - High Country News
A new mobile clinic serves 2,000 Indigenous patients.
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Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi @clahchischiligi.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
"Hopi have our own word for wolves, Kwewu. Much like wolves, we have now been confined to a remnant of our original lands, fenced in with arbitrary lines that do not represent our deep history, knowledge and kinship to the land." By Clark Tenakhongva www.hcn.org/articles/whe...
hcn.org
When we harm wolves, we harm ourselves - High Country News
Anger over these wild creatures shows a lack of perspective.
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Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi @clahchischiligi.bsky.social · 09/06/2025
Defunding public media would hurt stations across the U.S. The data show that stations serving rural and Indigenous audiences in the West would be the hardest hit. Here’s why, by the numbers. By @annierosenthal.bsky.social & @chadebradley.bsky.social
hcn.org
What defunding public media would mean for the West - High Country News
Data show that rural, tribal and Western stations would be the most impacted by Trump’s attempt to cut CPB funding.
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Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi @clahchischiligi.bsky.social · 27/05/2025
“To be able to wear our regalia, especially during graduation ceremony, which is so many years of hard work being put into a single five-second walk across the stage — it’s so important." By @shaun505.bsky.social & Bella Davis, in partnership w/ @nmindepth.bsky.social
hcn.org
Class of 2025 leads the way for Indigenous graduation regalia - High Country News
High school graduates are the first to walk with the protected right to wear cultural attire after the state of New Mexico passed legislation this spring.
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Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi @clahchischiligi.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
"Heartney’s pro-Trump statement felt abrupt and out of place to attendees. It echoed messaging from right-wing think tanks, which use economic development, job creation and even so-called protection as Trojan horses for resource extraction." By @btoastie.bsky.social
hcn.org
Trump admin speaker at UNPFII met with silence - High Country News
During a discussion on the rights of Indigenous women at the United Nations Monday, a U.S. representative made a statement so strange you could hear a pin drop afterward.
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Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi @clahchischiligi.bsky.social · 05/05/2025
"Tribal wildfire fighters are stretched to their limits... Long-term federal land mismanagement and climate change have caused the number and intensity of reservation fires to soar. About 7% of the 4 million acres of tribal lands in the country burned between 2010 and 2020." By Lachlan Hyatt
hcn.org
How the feds abandoned reservations to burn  - High Country News
Tribal wildfire programs are underfunded and overburdened.
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Reposted by Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi
High Country News @highcountrynews.org · 09/04/2025
Big news! For the fourth year in a row, High Country News is teaming up with Indigenous-led and allied newsrooms to cover the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) — the largest global gathering of Indigenous leaders and advocates. buff.ly/Rb7xMEd
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Grist organizes international pooled coverage of the 2025 UNPFII
High Country News, Mongabay, ICT, APTN, Whakaata Māori, IndigiNews, Osage News, the Associated Press, and Grist will report together and share their journalism among newsrooms.
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High Country News @highcountrynews.org · 13/03/2025
📣 Starting now, @HighCountryNews will provide free digital access to all of our reporting to any federal employee, including those who have recently lost jobs due to government layoffs. 📣
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Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi @clahchischiligi.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
The U.S. Forest Service announced Monday that it will temporarily prohibit commercial picking of huckleberries this summer in Gifford Pinchot National Forest in southwestern Washington. ✏️ @jwoolington.bsky.social
hcn.org
Forest Service pauses commercial huckleberry picking in Gifford Pinchot National Forest - High Country News
The berries are a critical resource for the Ḱamíłpa Band of the Yakama Nation and have become a big market of the Pacific Northwest food industry.
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Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi @clahchischiligi.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
Alaska Native youth are living through a pivotal time, bearing witness to the dramatic impacts of climate change that have occurred during their lifetimes: rapidly melting permafrost, warming oceans and declining salmon runs. Meet four of them below. By Lyndsey Brollini & Meghan Sullivan
hcn.org
How Alaska Native youth are protecting the land for their future ancestors - High Country News
With climate change threatening Indigenous lifeways in Alaska, these four young women are devoting their careers to their preservation.
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Reposted by Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi
Grist @grist.org · 31/03/2025
How Trump’s funding freeze for Indigenous food programs may violate treaty law. According to Indigenous legal experts, the freeze erodes the little trust Indian country has in the federal government. grist.org/indigenous/h... #Food #Indigenous #Trump #DOGE #Tribes
grist.org
How Trump's funding freeze for Indigenous food programs may violate treaty law
According to Indigenous legal experts, the freeze erodes the little trust Indian country has in the federal government.
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Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi @clahchischiligi.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
"One of the things that’s really shocked me is how often our government institutions ignore the law when it comes to tribes and how hard tribes have to fight for just the law to be followed. Those weaknesses in our democracy have been there for a long time." By IA Associate Editor Anna V. Smith
hcn.org
Rebecca Nagle considers Supreme Court wins and what’s at stake for tribes under Trump - High Country News
The author of ’By the Fire We Carry’ notes the nation’s power of empire while looking to history to frame our present.
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Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi @clahchischiligi.bsky.social · 20/03/2025
“Congressman Grijalva’s voice was one of strength, compassion and integrity — qualities that defined his life’s work and his deep connection to the communities he served.” By @chadebradley.bsky.social
hcn.org
Raúl Grijalva: A patriot for public lands - High Country News
The legacy and words left by the committed and compassionate politician carry forward with public servants across the world.
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Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi @clahchischiligi.bsky.social · 12/02/2025
“Secretary Burgum has to decide if he will be a force for chaos or consistency on America’s public lands. When Donald Trump invariably orders him to illegally revoke existing permits for renewable energy, will he have the spine to tell the president ‘no’?“ By @chadebradley.bsky.social
hcn.org
Days before Trump took office, Interior approved oil and gas leases for land bought during 2019 public auction - High Country News
Company can begin to issue plans for drilling near Chaco Canyon buffer zone on Navajo Nation allotment.
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Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi @clahchischiligi.bsky.social · 05/02/2025
Guided by the teachings of his late grandfather and former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, Charles “Chuck” Sams III became the first-ever Indigenous director of the National Park Service. It was through storytelling and education that he helmed the Parks. From our IA desk, by @btoastie.bsky.social
hcn.org
The Indian education of Charles Sams - High Country News
How the first Native director of the National Park Service drew from a legacy of federal boarding schools and Indigenous teachings.
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Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi @clahchischiligi.bsky.social · 30/01/2025
Our Indigenous Affairs desk is thrilled to welcome our new Indigenous affairs fellow Chad Bradley! Welcome, @chadebradley.bsky.social! And a warm welcome to HCN's new climate and science fellow @goesbykim.bsky.social and Virginia Spencer Davis fellow @annierosenthal.bsky.social. 💜
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Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi @clahchischiligi.bsky.social · 29/01/2025
“We do not need more apologies or statements. We need meaningful, direct action – legislative and community-led, before the Trump administration begins eviscerating the work we have done.” By Clark Tenakhongva, former Hopi vice chairman/land protection campaigns consultant with WildEarth Guardians.
hcn.org
We must protect our sacred lands - High Country News
To meet the crisis of our time and help address past wrongs, we need bold action from decision makers.
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Reposted by Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi
Arizona Mirror @azmirror.com · 27/01/2025
The tribal roads that will soon see 10 trucks hauling uranium every day have up to 700% higher risk of deadly accidents via @diinsilversmith.bsky.social
azmirror.com
Uranium trucks will roll down 'Killer 89,' igniting alarm in tribal communities
Mining company plans uranium transport through dangerous Navajo roads as data reveals tribal segments have up to 7x higher fatal crash rates.
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Tristan Ahtone @tahtone.bsky.social · 28/01/2025
Nearly 2 million acres of Indigenous lands are reserved for state prison systems in 10 states. In 2024, those lands disbursed an estimated $33m in funding to carceral facilities & programs. Four states use those lands to fund detention facilities and systems for children. grist.org/indigenous/p...
grist.org
10 states fund prisons using stolen Indigenous lands
State trust lands send millions to carceral facilities and programs every year.
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Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi @clahchischiligi.bsky.social · 28/01/2025
“Keyanna and other Diné citizens have been living with the consequences of uranium mining near the Red Water Pond Road community since the 1960s. But now, uranium waste rock that has sat for decades at a Superfund site will finally be moved to a landfill off tribal land.” By Natalia Mesa
hcn.org
EPA takes unprecedented step to remove uranium waste from the Navajo Nation - High Country News
The decision opens the door for new ways to manage uranium pollution on tribal land.
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Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi @clahchischiligi.bsky.social · 22/01/2025
“Whether we’re in the United States, whether we’re in Guatemala, (or) we’re crossing borders, we have the right to exist as an Indigenous person, and all the rights that stem from that.” The latest from our Indigenous Affairs Desk Associate Editor Anna V. Smith. www.hcn.org/articles/thi...
hcn.org
‘This is about power’: Indigenous immigrants face a second Trump administration - High Country News
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who was banned from nine tribal reservations, will oversee policies uniquely important to Indigenous people.
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Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi @clahchischiligi.bsky.social · 15/01/2025
“We want you to know that we’re not just the uniform that we have, which is the inmate firefighting uniform. It’s a big impact on fighting these fires, because we do what most people don’t want to physically do.” www.hcn.org/articles/wha...
hcn.org
What it’s like to be an incarcerated firefighter  - High Country News
Eddie Herrera, a formerly incarcerated firefighter, talks about the job and how he sees what’s happening in Los Angeles.
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Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi @clahchischiligi.bsky.social · 02/01/2025
“It was true that we lacked the technical knowledge or museum expertise. But we did have a lifetime of Arapaho knowledge to draw on.” HCN’s Indigenous Affairs desk kicks off the new year with this insightful piece, an essay by Northern Arapaho writer Jordan Dresser. www.hcn.org/issues/57-1/...
hcn.org
Tribal objects returned to the Northern Arapaho Tribe - High Country News
After years of negotiation with the Episcopal Church, over 200 cultural items finally come back home.
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Tristan Ahtone @tahtone.bsky.social · 20/12/2024
Washington state is eager to return trust lands on the Yakama reservation to the tribe. However, the state’s efforts are dictated by legal policies and priorities that ensure that Washington receive compensation for the lands’ value, even though it was wrongfully taken. grist.org/indigenous/s...
grist.org
A filing error put more than 90,000 acres of Yakama Nation land in the hands of Washington state
More than 170 years later, the Yakama are still trying to get their land back.
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