ICT NEWSCAST: America 250, Greasy Grass and the Menominee bring back an old tradition - ICT
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The week's edition of the ICT Newscast covers the news for the week ending July 1, 2026

men with head dress and boys painted celebrate battle of greasy grass victory that was 150 years ago

The ICT Newscast for Friday, July 1, 2026, covers reflections on America as Independence Day approaches, conversations on Greasy Grass and the Menominee tribe’s exciting adventure. Check out the ICT Newscast on YouTube for this episode and more.

America 250: Native Communities Reflect on a Complicated Relationship With America

  • Women in traditional Native American clothing stand near American flag
  • women in jingle dresses stand in front of mount rushmore national memorial
  • Declaration of Independence with magnified text that highlights Merciless Savage Indians

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, this report examines the long and often fraught relationship between the federal government and Native American tribes. A history that is shadowed by language still embedded in the nation including democracy and the Declaration of Independence.  The declaration’s reference to “Merciless Indian Savages,” is a phrase that for generations has signaled how Native peoples were cast as outsiders rather than as citizens in the American story. Join us as we explore how that legacy continues to shape Native identity today, and how Indigenous people view their place in the country’s future.

150 Years After Greasy Grass, Tribes Reflect on Victory and “What If”

Native American men at Greasy Grass Celebrations sing and drum with teepees in background

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Battle of the Greasy Grass, known to most Americans as the Battle of Little Bighorn, where Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer was killed. Tribal members are marking the occasion not just as a historic victory, but as an occasion for deeper reflection, including the provocative question of what the country might look like today had Custer, a former Confederate Army officer, survived and pursued the presidency, as some historians say he aspired to. Tribal elders are using the anniversary to honor both the resilience of their ancestors and the sacrifices that shaped their communities. Oglala Sioux Tribe President Frank Star Comes Out and Crow Tribe Chairman Frank White Clay spoke about another dimension of the anniversary: the tribes’ evolving relationship with the Crow Nation, historically an adversary, and how that relationship has shifted toward reconciliation in the years since.

Menominee Tribe Revives Tradition With Dugout Canoe Journey

menominee tribe dugout canoe

In Wisconsin, citizens of the Menominee Tribe have spent months hand-carving a traditional dugout canoe, with plans to paddle it down the Menominee River as part of a Fourth of July journey. Menominee citizen Dawn M. Wilber described the physically demanding work of hollowing out the canoe by hand, saying the process has left her feeling closely connected to her ancestors who once built and used similar vessels. From July 3 – 6, Wilber and others will embark on a canoe journey roughly 48 miles down the river to a site considered the birthplace of the Menominee Nation, retracing a journey tied to the tribe’s origins.

View previous ICT broadcasts here every week for the latest news from around Indian Country.

Keywords: Native American news 2026, Indigenous news, Native American news today, Tribal news, First Nations news, Native American representation, Native American, Custer’s Last Stand, George Armstrong Custer, Battle of Little Bighorn, Battle of Greasy Grass, Indigenous celebration, Native American historic day, Indigenous, Community, Culture, Identity, Native, Traditional, Heritage, 4th of July, Independence Day, America250.

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