The US government is finally listening to Indigenous people

Effort to recover Indigenous language also revitalizes culture, history and identity

Daryl Wade Baldwin, Miami University

Indigenous people’s languages were largely lost as a result of forced assimilation efforts in the U.S. Here’s why one tribal leader says the languages should be brought back.

Land acknowledgments meant to honor Indigenous people too often do the opposite – erasing American Indians and sanitizing history instead

Elisa J. Sobo, San Diego State University; Michael Lambert, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Valerie Lambert, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Land acknowledgments state that activities are taking place on land previously owned by Indigenous peoples. They’re popular – but they may harm more than they heal, say three anthropologists.

Census data hides racial diversity of US ‘Hispanics’ – to the country’s detriment

Ramona L. Pérez, San Diego State University

Countries across the Americas are tweaking their census to better understand their population, allowing them to create more responsive policies. The US still has a ways to go.

The 5,000-year history of writer’s block

Joyce Kinkead, Utah State University

Since the earliest days of the written word, students and scholars have pleaded for help from higher powers, a sure sign that writing and frustration always have – and always will – go hand in hand.

Who invented music? The search for stone flutes, clay whistles and the dawn of song

Laura Dallman, University of Florida

For thousands of years, music has been an essential part of the human experience.

Why more places are abandoning Columbus Day in favor of Indigenous Peoples Day

Malinda Maynor Lowery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The official celebration of Native Americans represents the fruits of a decades-long effort.

Headcovers have always been political in Iran – for women on all sides

Eliz Sanasarian, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Controversy of veils goes back more than a century, a scholar of Iran explains.

How to steer money for drinking water and sewer upgrades to the communities that need it most

Andrian Lee, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Melissa Scanlan, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Congress has approved billions of dollars to fix water and sewer systems across the US. But getting that money to needy communities depends on how states define a key word.

‘Great resignation’? ‘Quiet quitting’? If you’re surprised by America’s anti-work movement, maybe you need to watch more movies

Our Homo sapiens ancestors shared the world with Neanderthals, Denisovans and other types of humans whose DNA lives on in our genes

A Pennsylvania prison gets a Scandinavian-style makeover – and shows how the US penal system could become more humane