First Nations Freaks

A volunteer diver cleaning up a Wisconsin lake found a 1,000-year-old dugout canoe

A volunteer diver picking up trash in Wisconsin’s Pewaukee Lake came across a dugout canoe on the bottom. According to the Wisconsin Historical Society, the canoe was likely in use about 1,000 years ago.

The diver is Mark Schachtner of Beaver Dam. On May 6, 2026, he was on a cleanup dive with the Four Seasons Dive Club. The white oak canoe is about 17 feet (5.3 meters) long. Radiocarbon dating gives a 70 percent chance that it was in use between AD 992 and 1049.


Many tribes used to use dugout canoes like this for travel and trade. They could carry multiple people and a large amount of cargo.

Various projects have worked to recreate historic canoemaking crafts. This one has a photo-essay about their process. If your tribe has a history of dugout canoe use, this would make a good bonding project for people to do.

Scientists discover why some wildlife thrives against the odds

From coral reefs to chimpanzees, researchers uncover common factors that help wildlife and ecosystems succeed despite mounting threats.

Use these approaches to boost success. Handy to know in case you find an opportunity to apply them.

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This is the October community post for first_nations_freaks. What powwows or other events have you attended? Which traditional crafts or recipes have you practiced? What tribal news have you heard? What were your other cultural activities during September? What plans do you have for October?


September anchor posts include:

Politics

Wildlife

Genocide

Endangered Salmon Return to California Rivers in Incredible Numbers: ‘Everybody’s just ecstatic’

A record 30,000 coho salmon returned to central California rivers last season—up 10x from an average of 3,000 over the last decade—and double the total of last season. Running up the rivers which empty into the Mendocino coast, the proliferation among the fish is something that scientists studying the animals thought they’d never see in their careers.


Remember that salmon lay many eggs in hopes that few will survive. If you raise the carrying capacity by improving habitat, then you can see large gains relatively fast as the few surviving fish (natural or introduced) fill those available niches.

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A rare win in Indian country: how tribes drove out a mining company in one week

When two Oglala Lakota scouts heard drilling was expected to begin on Pe’ Sla, the sacred prairie in the Black Hills of South Dakota, they set out on back trails. They needed to find out where. That’s when they saw a deer break ahead and a red-tailed hawk soar above them – less like a coincidence than being led, the scouts said. Over a rise, they came upon a road freshly cut to the dirt. They followed it, past a parked truck. “Oh my god,” one of them said, seeing a drill turning. “They’re drilling now!”

What happened next was something that almost never happens in Indian country: a coalition of tribes and organizers banded together and drove out a mining company in a matter of days.


Success!

This is the August community post for first_nations_freaks. What powwows or other events have you attended? Which traditional crafts or recipes have you practiced? What tribal news have you heard? What were your other cultural activities during July? What plans do you have for August?


July anchor posts include:

Conservation

Buffalo

Permaculture

Agriculture

Education

Ancient farming boosted plant diversity, but modern agriculture reversed it

A new study has found that as farming spread across ancient Europe, plant diversity rose rather than fell. Researchers reading pollen buried in Swiss lake mud tracked the pattern over roughly 7,000 years, and found the land grew richer in species as agriculture expanded.

That pattern held until industrial farming took over after World War II, when plant diversity crashed. The reversal hints that today’s losses may not be permanent, because diversity rebounded each time earlier societies returned to varied, small-scale farming.


Although this study focused on Europe, it likely applies on other continents as well. Creating a patchwork of different habitats will tend to increase diversity.

This is useful to know for tribes or individuals who have or want to acquire land. Turtle Island has a LOT of degraded farmland which is available cheap compared to healthy land. Buy a depleted field, throw beans on it a few years, then let it start regenerating native species. Let deer munch on the beans and leave behind seeds. Put up some posts and a line for birds to perch on and add their contributions of fruit seeds. If you have livestock, they can provide fertilizer. Set up some patches of bushes or a row of trees for more cover. All our relations will happily pitch in to help.

From One Surviving Male Bison, Azerbaijan Now Has 25 Calves Born Wild in 7-Year Success Story

As has been the case with other animals, a West Europe zoo held the last remaining male member of the Caucasian bison population. He was bred with several European bison as part of an effort to restore the animal to Azerbaijan, which began in 2012 and culminated with the release of the first animals in 2019.

In Shahdagh, WWF Azerbaijan has slowly watched over the herd as it grew through the additions of 25 calves born wild so far.


It's a valiant effort, but that genetic bottleneck will cause problems.

This is the July community post for first_nations_freaks. What powwows or other events have you attended? Which traditional crafts or recipes have you practiced? What tribal news have you heard? What were your other cultural activities during June? What plans do you have for July?


June anchor posts include:

Food

Energy

Crafts

Art

Gardening

Judge says rural electric utility cannot cut tribal nation’s power over solar array

A state administrative law judge ruled Monday that a rural electric cooperative cannot cut power to a tribal casino in western Minnesota over the tribe’s decision to build a large solar array. The finding could reshape how electric cooperatives across Minnesota treat customers who want to generate their own electricity.

Administrative Law Judge Joseph Meyer found that Minnesota Valley Cooperative Light and Power Association's own board policy does not prohibit behind-the-meter solar systems, or systems designed to keep all generated power on-site, without exporting to the grid.

Any disconnection imposed as a punishment for operating such a system, Meyer wrote, "would unlawfully violate [Minnesota Valley Cooperative Light and Power Association’s] obligation to provide service."


Green energy is a terrific opportunity for tribes, given the mainstream dragging its feet over converting from fossil fuels. Also you never want to rely on people who hate you. Check an energy map for your tribe's location to see what type(s) of green energy are best suited to your environment.