Red Lake Nation News (RLNN) is more than a local news source, it’s the lifeblood of communications, identity, and survival for the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians. Pictured in the remote Red Lake Reservation in northern Minnesota, RLNN provides current coverage from tribal council activity and sovereignty issues to cultural events like the annual Pow Wow, updates on the justice system, sports, education, and economic development.
As of its origins in the early 2000s, Red Lake Nation News has been the hub Spanish-language and English-language news source informing Red Lake community members, Tribal members living all over the U.S., and readers looking for Indigenous news founded on community values and self-representation.
What Is Red Lake Nation News?
Red Lake Nation News is the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians’ official news outlet. Originally titled Red Lake Net News, it was later renamed to its current name in 2012. Under tribal jurisdiction with plenary sovereignty, RLNN posts news, announcements, event news, and editorials that are reflective of the priority and voice of the Reservation communities. It’s not edited from the outside, it’s built from the inside out, with cultural integrity and voice to Indigenous perspectives.
The website daily publishes articles related to tribal sovereignty, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR) cases, police news, health announcements, business expansion (e.g., Seven Clans Casinos), youth events, and cultural heritage. Features include obituary tributes, Red Lake High School and tribal league athletics, job postings, event calendars, and community spotlights.
The Role and Reach of RLNN
Language and access do matter. RLNN is written in English but often includes Ojibwe place names and words, providing authenticity and cultural context. Its website goes beyond the Reservation, news articles are read by Tribal citizens nationwide and Indigenous communities looking for news based on respectful representation. RLNN is also a benefit to researchers, teachers, and policymakers by documenting Indigenous reaction to policy and health crises.
Notably, it is self-funded, tribal-supported media—not funded by outside sources that may not understand or may misrepresent tribal contexts. RLNN is edited by known navigators with understanding of Red Lake values, reporting to Tribal Council leadership, and benefits from continuity over decades of shifting tribal government.
Main Areas of Coverage
Government & Sovereignty:
RLNN disseminates news about Tribal Council actions, referendum pending, and efforts asserting sovereignty, such as land rights near Upper Red Lake and jurisdictional authority over public safety and child welfare services.
Public Safety & Justice Reporting
The website reports on major news, death in custody incidents, crime trials in local courts, sentencing for drug trafficking crimes, and federal probes into tribal facilities. This involves reports on people indicted or convicted, and the tribal response, offering transparency to the public.
Missing & Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR):
RLNN is a close watchdog of local MMIW cases, reward fund fundraisers, investigation reports, and survivor activism. It consistently highlights community events and emotional responses to solved cases.
Culture & Community Events:
Year-round events like the Red Lake Pow Wow, Pride Walks in our area, graduation from high school, and youth council events are completely covered. Pictures, human-interest articles, and cultural translation bring these events to life in readers’ minds.
Youth, Education & Sports:
High school sports, children’s baseball, leadership councils, scholars who receive awards, and student achievements are regular features. The coverage acknowledges local youth and emphasizes investment in the future.
Economic Development & Business News:
Red Lake Nation has substantial businesses, like Seven Clans Casinos and fishing ventures. RLNN provides announcements regarding jobs, business partnerships, economic diversification, and community benefits derived from tribal projects.
Health Services & Emergency Alerts:
Tribal Health Services, human services, supportive services news, such as COVID‑19, mental health programming, quarantine rules, and public health advisories, are published from time to time.
Tribal Programs & Education Access
Employment notices for housing support, case management positions, cultural caseworkers, youth advocates, bus routes, reservation infrastructure development projects, and educational programming regularly appear.
Obituaries & Milestones:
Elegant memorials to community members honor remembrances in spiritual and cultural context, solidifying collective memory and shared respect for elders.
Why RLNN Matters
Red Lake Nation News is significant in that it asserts narrative sovereignty, letting Indigenous folks tell their own stories. It denies distorted representation and invisibility by mainstream media that report out of context or describe tribal government, law, and culture incorrectly.
It also provides accountability: tribal government officials, police, and programs are covered in an open but community-friendly manner. This kind of coverage builds trust and informed participation among Tribal citizens.
Furthermore, RLNN is constantly keeping cultural heritage alive by recording ceremonies, elder insights, revived language, and traditional customs—producing an active archive intertwined with news and history.
Voices Behind the Coverage
Red Lake Nation News is supported by tribal communications staff and volunteer authors—often including RLNN editors themselves, Red Lake Nation College student writers, and community elders or youth sharing their own accounts. Formal government programs like Tribal Council communications and Public Safety release official communiques through RLNN. Not a corporate newsroom, but an institutional news center with modern digital publishing tools.
Stories That Illustrate Tribal Resilience
Reward Fund for MMIR Cases:
The launch of the Gaagige‑Mikwendaagoziwag Reward Fund was a breakthrough, offering money rewards for tips in solved cases of missing Indigenous family members. RLNN captured the launch, survivor voices, and impact reports.
Public Safety Tragedy Response:
When a young man died in detention at the Red Lake Detention Center, the community cried out for accountability and transparency. RLNN provided coverage of the investigation, the community outcry, and the response of federal agencies like the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Local Activism & Ceremony Coverage
Annual Red Lake’s Pow Wow, Pride Walk, and Remembrance of the Treaties affairs draw large participation. RLNN has ceremony songs, speakers, drumming, foods, and public reaction, narrative that binds ages and communicates identity.
Youth Leadership Events:
Red Lake Nation Youth Council Pride activities, leadership retreats, and service projects are thoughtfully documented in their reporting, from participation levels to personal reflections.
Economic Progress Reporting:
Declaring Seven Clans Casino expansions and reservation land right reopenings, RLNN tracks how business investments serve families and governance objectives on the Reservation.
Wholeness & Language Revitalization:
Successive articles cover Ojibwe language education, interviews with elders, and efforts to develop fluency in younger generations—strengthening cultural continuity.
Justice Reform and Legal Self-Sufficiency
RLNN chronicles ongoing attempts to create tribal jurisdiction in legal issues, create public safety infrastructure, and negotiate with federal or state courts as sovereignty is being constructed.
Health Initiatives & Young Wellness:
Reports on community welding shelters, mental health outreach, diabetes interventions, summer wellness programs, and healthy lifestyle campaigns are regularly given—focusing on integrated community health.
Environmental Stewardship and Natural Resources
Reporting encompasses restoration of sustainable fishery of walleye, forestry management, bead and crafts using wild rice and plants native to the area, and environmental education activities.
Education & Tribal Colleges:
Red Lake Nation College, scholarship award grants, students’ achievements, release of online courses, and adult education programs are all featured in RLNN—promoting lifelong learning within the Reservation.
Reader Benefits and Community Engagement
Readers, from elders to youth, depend on RLNN for daily exposure to community news that directly impacts their lives. Off-reservation tribal members use RLNN to remain grounded in family happenings, ceremonies, and policy choices. Outside researchers and educators utilize RLNN as a key source for Indigenous governance and contemporary resilience.
Local officials utilize the site to post programs, job opportunities, and safety alerts. RLNN’s calendar informs readers about powwows, conferences, and youth seminars.
Getting Around RLNN on a First-Time Basis
browse sections such as News, Events, Sports, and Opinion to see what issues top local minds. Use the keyword search for terms such as “MMIR,” “business jobs,” or “Pow Wow coverage.” Subscribe to roundups on a daily or weekly basis (email newsletters or website alerts). Contribute by posting community news articles or suggesting young leaders and assistants. Watch tone, RLNN’s style is not sensational and emphasizes community values.
Looking Ahead: Future Paths for RLNN
Red Lake Nation News is on the cusp of expansion into video journalism, oral history podcasts, and Ojibwe-English (bilingual) programming. Work is initiated on interactive mapping of tribal lands, cultural ceremony archives, online educational workshops, and larger collaborations with Indigenous media centers.
As national attention to Indigenous rights continues to grow, RLNN’s position as a respected voice will only increase. It continues to set the standard on how Tribal Nations can maintain contemporary media while keeping culture and civic engagement at its core.
Red Lake Nation News is a statement: that the Indigenous community should have spaces to tell their own stories, by the people, for the sake of resilience. RLNN isn’t looking for clicks, it’s protecting identity, being transparent, and amplifying voices needed to understand Red Lake Nation’s past and future.
This blog post wrapped up the value of RLNN and why it matters. From tribal leadership to cultural celebration, from justice reporting to youth leadership, RLNN is a living testament to the media for and about Indigenous values and sovereignty.
