‘A sense of home’: Native American land rights grow in industrial midwest

After Unesco recognized Ohio's Indigenous ceremonial grounds, Native communities hope to spark a land return movement

For decades, Indigenous communities in US industrial cities have had to gather at recreation centers and in each other's homes to celebrate ties to their cultures, says Ty Smith, a member of Oregon's Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.

But last month, the Native American Indian Center of Central Ohio (NAICCO) that Smith helps run from Columbus, Ohio, reached a goal he never thought possible: raising $250,000 to buy a small piece of rural land meant to foster Native American life and activities.