Photojournalism That Defined 2025 - Underscore Native News

For the last five years, Underscore Native News has been on the ground telling stories that matter to Indigenous communities throughout the Pacific Northwest. A cornerstone of that coverage is done through visual storytelling — on the ground, meeting the moment, when and where it happens.

This year, members of our team have reported stories from Native Nations and Indigenous communities, from the living rooms of elders facing eviction, to riding rafts down the free-flowing Klamath River with Indigenous youth completing a historic 310-mile descent, to documenting the detainment of Indigenous protesters by ICE officers, to being on the ground as dozens of canoe families from across the region and beyond make their final landing on the shores of Elwha before the week-long ceremonial protocol, to name a few.

This collection offers a look back at some of the standout moments of 2025. Images included here were documented by Underscore staff, freelancers, and our publishing partners, who are deeply invested in telling these stories with the utmost care and integrity.

Community trust makes this work possible. We are honored to be welcomed into these spaces, to share and report out these stories.

As we reflect on another incredible year of impactful reporting, we’re proud to continue serving as your trusted source for Indigenous-centered, high-quality journalism — and we’re fired up for the year ahead!

January

Celilo Village resident youth took to the freshly built mini-pitch court the moment it opened Dec. 15. The condensed soccer field combined with a basketball court was made possible by a partnership between the Bureau of Indian Affairs and The Wave Foundation. The court is the first in a series of 10 planned to be placed along the river and in reservation communities. (Photo by Jill-Marie Gavin, CRITFC)

From left, Emma Johnson, Cowlitz, Indigenous Traditional and Cultural Knowledge Coordinator at PSU, and Judy Bluehorse Skelton, Nez Perce and Cherokee, Associate Professor (Ret.) and ITECK Program Director, talk about the importance of the new Vernier Science Center and creating intentional space centering Indigenous knowledge and experiences. (Photo by Nika Bartoo-Smith, Underscore Native News/ICT)

February

Artist Kitana Connelly, citizen of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and descendant of the Umpqua, Klickitat and Molalla tribes, launched her first art book titled “Sacred Flow: Creativity as Medicine.” She hopes to inspire others to use the pages as a space for healing through creativity. (Photo by Jarrette Werk, Underscore Native News / Report for America)

On Feb. 10, around a dozen people gathered outside the Mamook Tokatee apartment complex in the Cully Neighborhood to display protest signs and sing handdrum songs before walking to the Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA) campus to hand-deliver a letter demanding that evictions at Mamook Tokatee be dismissed. (Photo by Jarrette Werk, Underscore Native News / Report for America).

March

From left, Aldo Garcia (Puxtunxt), a citizen of the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs with Assiniboine Sioux, Siletz and Miwok descendancy, and his sons Allen (Luptahuts), 14, Chucky (Lutsa Kwayamakya), 12, and Attica (Mxsh Ilwaksh), 10, share a Washut song. The sound of voices lifted in song, drumbeats and the ringing of a bell fill the room at Painted Horse Recovery on Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. (Nika Bartoo-Smith / NEXTGENRADIO).

Kristi Gilbert, a citizen of the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs and the mother of Allan Dale Warner Jr., speaks at a Feb. 26 community vigil held for her son in front of Madras City Hall. Chants of “Native Lives Matter” rang in the air, while people held signs with phrases such as “One Shot Was Enough,” “Say His Name,” and “We Want Justice for AJ.” (Contributed photo)

April

Olive Oshiro with “I Belong” written on her right hand, a message during the Nooksack Indian Tribe’s disenrollment of her and 305 of other citizens. The late Oshiro was also a First Nations Shxwhá:y Village citizen. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Oshiro

Kazsia Connelly, 18, is an aspiring actress and screenwriter from the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. She posed for her portrait in the forest near her apartment on the Grand Ronde Reservation on March 26, 2025. (Photo by Jarrette Werk, Underscore Native News / Report for America)

May

Angela Polk, a citizen of the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs and a Yakama Nation descendent, spent the walk to the river reflecting on her sister, Tina Spino, who was reported missing in the summer of 2020. Spino was 58 years old at the time of her disappearance. Her remains were discovered in 2021 in a remote location on the Warm Springs Reservation. (Photo by Jarrette Werk, Underscore Native News / Report for America)

Members of the Chinook Indian Nation, including Council member Rachel Cushman and her son Kanim, 7, rally for federal recognition outside the Federal Courthouse in Seattle. They listen as Tribal Chairman Tony Johnson declares, “We exist, and we will continue. It is an obligation to our ancestors, the hell they went through to get us here, and to our children.” Each year that the Nation’s right to exist is denied, more elders who have dedicated their lives to seeking recognition are lost. (Photo by Amiran White)

June

After the screening at the Hibulb Cultural Center, filmmakers engage with the audience in a post-screening Q&A. (L to R:) “Remaining Native” director, Paige Bethmann, “Remaining Native” subject Kutoven “Ku” Stevens, Olympic legend and Executive Producer of “Remaining Native” Billy Mills, and Director of “Pow!” Joey Clift. (Photo by Jarrette Werk Underscore Native News / Report for America)

July

Members of the Muckleshoot Canoe Family watch as their canoes land at Saltwater State Park, welcoming them to shore along with around seven other canoe families as Muckleshoot hosted them for a meal on July 26, 2025. (Photo by Nika Bartoo-Smith, Underscore Native News + ICT)

August

Chris Kowitz, the North Central Region Manager for the Oregon Water Resources Department, said continuous funding will be needed for the Walla Walla Water 2050 Plan. Members of the Walla Walla Basin Advisory Committee discussed the importance of the plan at Milton-Freewater Nursery Bridge project site during the Eastern Oregon Economic Summit on July 24. (Photo by Adrianna Adame, Underscore Native News)

In 2016, Jason Mecum, Coquille, made the decision to enroll in Alaska’s dental therapy program. At the time, he was preparing for a job that didn’t even exist yet in his home community. With support from the Coquille Indian Tribe, Mecum trained to become one of Oregon’s first dental health aide therapists—a mid-level provider similar to a physician assistant. He returned in 2021 to join the new Ko-Kwel Wellness Center in Coos Bay, where he now provides preventive and restorative services such as cleanings, fillings, exams, and extractions to tribal and community members. (Photo by Jarrette Werk, Underscore Native News)

September

Daniel Musovski, winger for Major League Soccer club the Seattle Sounders, and Nouhou Tolo, left-back for Seattle Sounders on May 3, 2025, at Lumen Field vs. St. Louis. (Photo by Luna Reyna, Underscore Native News + ICT.)

Multidisciplinary artist, Marie Watt, Seneca Nation, poses for her portrait while working in her artist studio located in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Jarrette Werk, Underscore Native News)

October

While standing on the roof of the Portland ICE facility, federal agents used non-lethal weapons to fire pepper balls, threw flash grenades and aimed bright flash lights on protesters below. (Photo by Jarrette Werk, Underscore Native News)

Suquamish councilman Jay Mills (left), prepares a geoduck ceviche for guests to try as Melissa Pondelick (right), Suquamish Seafood retail manager shucks oysters for samples on Oct. 2, 2025 at the Native Grown and Gathered Food Expo. Suquamish Seafoods is a fully-chartered business entity of the Suquamish Tribe Port Madison Indian Reservation. They sell seafood from geoduck, to salmon, crab and oysters. (Photo by Lyric Aquino, Underscore Native News +Report for America)

November

Sophie Tonasket, Spokane Tribe of Indians, the lead food bank coordinator and former executive director for the American Indian Community Center in Spokane, Washington stands in the food pantry surrounded by food and empty boxes on Nov. 7, 2025. (Photo by Nika Bartoo-Smith, Underscore Native News/ICT)

Micah McCarty in his workshop in Olympia, Washington in August 2024 as he was preparing for the annual Makah Days cultural festival in Neah Bay. McCarty, who comes from an important Makah whaling family, said he tries to never miss Makah Days. (Photo by Bellamy Pailthorp / KNKX.)

December

Jarrette Werk, Underscore Native News