Video
"What is the Red Power movement?" | Fusion (2017)
The resistance at Standing Rock has its roots in the Red Power movement of the 1970s. Here's what you need to know.
Personal Essays
"The Tribal Canoe Journey" | Canadian Geographic (2017) cover story, National Magazine Award, best new magazine writer - finalist
An odyssey to reclaim tradition and territory
"The Rhodes Scholarship wasn't designed for my people - that's why I had to win" | Salon, republished from Indian Country Today (2015)
I thought my triumph over the racist Cecil Rhodes could mean revenge for my ancestors. Was it justice or delusion?
"I was arrested for protesting. My idealism did not prepare me for that experience" | The Guardian (2017)
I grew up believing that getting arrested for protesting was a rite of passage. Then I learned the hard facts of what it would mean
Canoe Journey Series | Native American Journalists Association, best feature - 1st place (2018)
Part 1: Tribes depart Washington on epic voyage | CBC (2017)
Part 2: 'The border is not our border' | CBC (2017)
Part 3: Water is life, water is time | CBC (2017)
Part 4: Understanding the 'cannibal dance' | CBC (2017)
Part 5: 'Like a reawakening' | CBC (2017)
Indigenous Peoples Atlas
"Armageddon in Our Bones, Utopia in Our Souls" | Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada (2018)
"Rivers, Lakes and Water Resources" | Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada (2018)
Essays & Commentary
"Tommy Orange and the New Native Renaissance" | The Paris Review (2018)
Circumstances, institutions and relationships have aligned to catalyze a resurgence in the world of Indigenous letters.
"New Beginnings" | Columbia Center for Contemporary Critical Thought (2018)
As a political act, refusal is a double negative.
"I am Colten Boushie. Canada is the all-white jury that acquitted his killer" | The Guardian (2018)
The court's decision after the shooting of a 22-year-old Cree man in Saskatchewan is part of a long history of injustice.
"United States: New Native Activism" | The Big Question, World Policy Journal (2017)
How has migration impacted Indigenous cultural and political identities?
"The misguided concept of 'wilderness' comes at the expense of Indigenous peoples" | Vice Motherboard (2017)
Trump's tax bill could open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling.
"'Keep out that black snake:' Sioux nation members reaffirm fight against Keystone XL" | CBC (2017)
Members re-sign the Protect the Sacred Treaty at gathering in South Dakota.
"Our renter's republic is broken: one in five tenants can't pay the rent" | The Guardian (2017)
In the waning days of white-picket-fence America, the burgeoning tenant class is faring worse than ever before.
"Bears Ears is sacred to Native Americans. But heritage isn't all equal for Trump" | The Guardian (2017)
While Trump is quick to defend his confederate forefathers, he has been equally swift to desecrate places held sacred by Native Americans.
"Disruption Beyond Standing Rock: The Indigenous Fight for Equitable Infrastructure" | Van Alen Report 19: America's Infrastructure (2017)
"Step aside, Antifa. You undermine the Trump resistance" | The Guardian (2017)
In their flirtation with political violence, Antifa ends up hurting the progressive groups they stand with and claim to protect.
"Racism and hate in Charlottesville are homegrown" | CBC (2017)
There's blood on the leaves because there's blood at the root.
"Take down monuments to Native American oppression" | High Country News (2017), Native American Journalists Association, best column - 1st place (2018)
As monuments to slavery come down in the South, others too deserve scrutiny.
"Law Enforcement is Still Used as a Colonial Tool in Indian Country" | The Marshall Project co-published with The Guardian (2017)
The technology TigerSwan used at Standing Rock may be state of the art, but the use of policing to suppress indigenous sovereignty is as old as the United States itself.
"Indigenous Peoples Will Shape a More Just and Sustainable Future for Canada" | Vice Motherboard (2017)
After 150 years of colonization, Canada is at a crossroads.
"Slaying the Carbon-Consuming Colonial Hydra: Indigenous Contributions to Climate Action" | Development, journal of the Society for International Development (2017)
Indigenous peoples play an essential role in the global fight against climate change.
"Dakota pipeline protesters won a small victory in court. We must fight on" | The Guardian (2017)
The struggle is not yet over - in fact it is just beginning. In the courts as well as in the press and public opinion, we may yet be able to stop Dakota Access.
"Indigenous sovereignty is on the rise. Can it shape the course of history?" | The Guardian (2017)
After decades of struggle, Indigenous sovereignty has arrived in full bloom as a global aspiration and force for human good.
"The Dakota pipeline is already leaking. Why wait for a big spill to act?" | The Guardian (2017)
The leak proves that the water protectors have been right all along. The pool of tar it left behind is also a warning of what's to come.
"America's forgotten crisis: over 50% of one Native American tribe are homeless" | The Guardian (2017), Native American Journalists Association, best editorial - 1st place (2018)
Native men, women and children occupy the most severely overcrowded and rundown homes in the United States - but their plight is largely ignored.
"The western idea of private property is flawed. Indigenous people have it right." | The Guardian (2017), Native American Journalists Association, best editorial - 2nd place (2018)
Who has a scythe sharp enough to fell the stalks of capitalism today? It's not Marx, Lenin and Mao.
"Standing Rock is burning - but our resistance isn't over" | The Guardian (2017)
Water protectors near Standing Rock have set their camp on fire. It's an act of defiance against a system of oppression that can only be described as colonial.
"Standing Rock and the Struggle Ahead" | Jacobin Magazine (2017)
The indigenous movement is integral to the future of the planet and a winning left.
"In the fight for climate justice indigenous people set the path - and lead the way" | The Guardian republished in Colorlines (2017)
The cornerstone of the climate justice movement must be indigenous rights and sovereignty.
"When the Indians Defeat the Cowboys" | Jacobin Magazine (2017)
How indigenous people and the Left can continue to win in the wake of Standing Rock.
"Why can't we elect a Native American like Faith Spotted Eagle as president?" | The Guardian (2016), Native American Journalists Association, best editorial - 3rd place (2017)
The indigenous leader is the first to receive a vote for president in the US electoral college. This historic act of defiance offers hope for our collective future.
"The Indigenous Revolution" | Jacobin Magazine (2016)
Standing Rock points the way forward for indigenous people and the Left.
"A History and Future of Resistance" | Jacobin Magazine with Anne Spice, included in #StandingRockSyllabus (2016)
The fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline is part of a centuries-long indigenous struggle against dispossession and capitalist expansionism.
"The Canadian First Nation suicide epidemic has been generations in the making" | The Guardian (2016) quoted by MP Niki Ashton in emergency parliamentary debate, 12 April 2016, Native American Journalists Association, best editorial - 1st place (2017)
Eleven people tried taking their own lives in one night. This is a catastrophe that Canada should have seen coming.
"Native tribes want pot business, but financial gain may cost their sovereignty" | The Guardian (2015)
The US war on drugs may be getting a new life as a war on indigenous sovereignty as tribes seek to profit off allowing marijuana on their lands.
"Canada's First Nations must vote to save their sovereignty" | The Guardian (2015)
Native people have been trampled over by Canadian politics, but the best way to protect our rights now is to use our power at the ballot box in the upcoming election.
"Canada wants First Nations to sell land for cheap and give up their rights" | The Guardian (2015)
For a more just and equitable future all First Nation people must refuse modern treaties that affirm Canadian rights above our own.
"U.S. should confront its cultural genocide of Natives" | Santa Fe New Mexican (2015)
"Settlers in the room" | Columbia Spectator (2015)
"Club sports and the tyranny of impending prostate exams" | Columbia Spectator (2015)
"Columbia should celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day" | Columbia Spectator (2015)
"A poignant plaque" | Columbia Spectator (2013)
"Powwow Reflections: Coming Down From Grandma's Lap and Borrowing Moves" | Indian Country Today (2013)
"Powwow Reflections: 'Ride the Bucking Buffalo!'" | Indian Country Today (2013)
"First Nations, Last Hope" | Columbia Political Review republished in Lexey'em (2013)
Features
"The First Native American Congresswoman in US History Could be Elected This Year" | The Nation (2018)
In the wake of Standing Rock, Indigenous activists have turned their attention to getting Native women elected.
"'It's About Taking Back What's Ours': Native Women Reclaim Land, Plot By Plot" | HuffPost (2018)
Fighting against colonization and now gentrification in the Bay Area.
"A tale of two housing crises" | cover story, High Country News (2018)
How one Indigenous family is navigating two very different housing problems.
"Dennis J. Banks, Naawakamig (1937 - 2017)" | Jacobin Magazine with Nick Estes (2017)
In a world where Native people had little power, American Indian Movement cofounder Dennis Banks was a force.
"John McCain Fought For Native Religious Freedom. Then Sold Sacred Oak Flat" | Huffington Post (2015)
But who has the power to define what is sacred?
"Native Vote Could Make the Difference In Canada's Elections" | Huffington Post (2015) lead story on HuffPost Canada 1 September 2015
But voter ID laws could prevent indigenous Canadians from exercising their democratic right.
"These Native American Tribes Legalized Weed, But that Didn't Stop Them From Getting Raided By the Feds" | Huffington Post (2015)
Despite a memo from the Department of Justice, the legal status of pot on tribal lands is still unclear.
News
"Line 3 Is the Next Dakota Access Pipeline. Here's What You Need to Know About It." | Fusion (2017)
"Indigenous Leaders Want Pope Francis To Rescind Bull Justifying Imperialism" | Huffington Post (2015)
"World Indoor Lacrosse Championship Returns To Its Indigenous Roots" | Huffington Post (2015)
"Native Americans Decry Sainthood For California's Iconic Missionary" | Huffington Post (2015)
"Rand Paul Thinks Lack of Assimilation Is Native Americans Problem" | Huffington Post (2015)
"No One Held Accountable For Native Kids Harassed At South Dakota Hockey Game" | Huffington Post (2015)
"Ashley Callingbull Is The First Native Mrs. Universe" | Huffington Post (2015)
"The Ojibwe Take A Stand For Treaty Rights, Hoping To Defeat A Pipeline" | Huffington Post (2015)
"The Forgotten History Of 'Violent Displacement' That Helped Create The National Parks" | Huffington Post (2015)
"Protesters Confront John McCain During Visit To Navajo Capital" | Huffington Post (2015)
"Donald Trump Was Also A Dirtbag To Native Americans" | Huffington Post (2015)
"Apaches Rally At Capitol, Vowing To Continue Fighting For Sacred Oak Flat" | Huffington Post (2015)
"White House Hosts First Ever Tribal Youth Gathering" | Huffington Post (2015)
"Pocahontas' Descendants Get Official Recognition As Government Reforms Rules" | Huffington Post (2015)
"Fight For Marriage Equality Not Over On Navajo Nation" | Huffington Post (2015)
"Native Children Are Facing A 'National Emergency.' Now Congress Is Pushing To Address It." | Huffington Post (2015)
"Labor Rights And Tribal Sovereignty Collide At Indian Casinos" | Huffington Post republished in settler colonial studies blog (2015)
"Canada Just Confronted Its 'Cultural Genocide' Of Native People. Why Can't The U.S. Do The Same?" | Huffington Post (2015)
Lists
"13 Issues Facing Native People Beyond Mascots And Casinos" | Huffington Post (2015)
"6 More Landmarks That Should Have Their Indigenous Names Restored" | Huffington Post republished in Intercontinental Cry (2015)
Research
"Disruption Beyond Standing Rock: The Indigenous Fight for Equitable Infrastructure" | Van Alen Report 19: America's Infrastructure (2017)
"Slaying the Carbon-Consuming Colonial Hydra: Indigenous Contributions to Climate Action" | Development, flagship journal of the Society for International Development (2017)
"Impossible Nationalisms and the Fourth World, 1945-present" | University of Oxford, master's dissertation available by request (2016)
"Re Séme7 Westes tek Boston: Shuswap Memory, Museums and Nationalism, 1958-1986" | Columbia University undergraduate thesis with honors (2015)
Talks & Events
Festival America | Vincennes Paris, France (September 20-23, 2018)
"Future of climate politics" | panel, Breakthrough Dialogue 2018: Rising Tides (June 20-22, 2018)
"Standing Ground: Standing Rock" | Uprising 13/13 series at Columbia University (April 12, 2018)
"The Struggle for Housing" | City University of New York Graduate Center (March 29, 2018)
"Mascots, Myths, Monuments and Memory" | panel, Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian and National Museum of African American History (March 3, 2018)
"From Tmícw to Property and Back Again" | talk given as part of Adelita Husni-Bey's installation for the Venice Biennale (2017)
"What is decolonisation today?" | panel discussion at All Souls College, University of Oxford (2016)
Selected Awards
Finalist - Best New Magazine Writer | National Magazine Awards (2017)
Native American Journalists Association | 1st place, Best Feature (2018)
Native American Journalists Association | 1st place, Best Column (2018)
Native American Journalists Association | 1st place, Best Editorial (2018)
Native American Journalists Association | 1st place, Best Editorial (2017)
Great Bear Fellow | Institute for Journalism & Natural Resources
2017 CJF-CBC Indigenous Fellowship | Canadian Journalism Foundation
2017 Diverse Western Voices Award | High Country News and PLAYA
