Ruth H. Burns

Columnist

Lake Traverse Reservation, South Dakota

Follow Ruth on Bluesky

Ruth H. Burns standing on top of a mountain in front of a Mt. Washburn sign.

Ruth H. Burns is a Dakota/Lakota Sioux writer and legal professional who is a member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate. She was born on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation and lives in her ancestral homelands.

Explore Articles

A crane carries an American flag in the countryside.

A crane carries an American flag in the countryside.

This July 4, Ask Yourself: Who Counts as Free? While the U.S celebrates independence, millions are denied basic dignity. A Lakota tradition of radical equality offers a different approach

Indigeneity Identity & Community

Double-exposure photograph of US President Donald Trump overlayed with a statue of Christopher Columbus

Double-exposure photograph of US President Donald Trump overlayed with a statue of Christopher Columbus

Trump Wants to Save Columbus Day. From What, Exactly? The U.S. President has promised to bring Columbus Day “back.” What he’s really reviving is a political fight over whose history matters.

Indigeneity Identity & Community

Australia’s Heat Is Rising. So Is Its Climate Inequality.

Australia’s Heat Is Rising. So Is Its Climate Inequality.

Australia’s Heat Is Rising. So Is Its Climate Inequality. In a desert town with increasing heat, some residents find refuge below ground while their neighbors are left to endure the heat above.

Indigeneity Environmental Justice

Our National Parks Are Too Vital To Be Lost

Our National Parks Are Too Vital To Be Lost

Our National Parks Are Too Vital To Be Lost Mass firings at the National Park Service and executive actions to expand logging endanger ecosystems and neglect treasured American spaces.

Indigeneity Science & Nature

On the Anniversary of Wounded Knee, Leonard Peltier’s Release Sparks Reflection and Hope

On the Anniversary of Wounded Knee, Leonard Peltier’s Release Sparks Reflection and Hope

On the Anniversary of Wounded Knee, Leonard Peltier’s Release Sparks Reflection and Hope His release marks a rare victory in the fight for Native justice—and serves as a reminder to never surrender.

Indigeneity Environmental Justice

This 400-Mile Run Commemorates a Great Cheyenne Resistance

This 400-Mile Run Commemorates a Great Cheyenne Resistance

This 400-Mile Run Commemorates a Great Cheyenne Resistance In 1879, more than 100 Cheyenne broke out of a prison at Fort Robinson. Now, dozens of youth gather at the site and run home together.

Indigeneity Environmental Justice

A Dakota Recipe That Brings Tradition to the Table

A Dakota Recipe That Brings Tradition to the Table

A Dakota Recipe That Brings Tradition to the Table Indigenous foods teach us to nourish ourselves and those we care for. Atmos columnist Ruth H. Burns explains how.

Indigeneity Future of Food

Abandoned shopping trolley next to a cardboard box.

Abandoned shopping trolley next to a cardboard box.

Buying Less to Honor the Past—and Future Atmos columnist Ruth H. Burns urges a shift toward mindful buying, inspired by the Indigenous value of respecting the planet.

Indigeneity Ethical Fashion

Mysteries of the Deep

Mysteries of the Deep

Mysteries of the Deep The last few decades have seen humanity dig some of the world’s deepest holes. Ancestral teachings, however, warn about what sleeps beneath.

Indigeneity Identity & Community

Web of Lives: Lessons From Spiders in Indigenous Cosmology

Web of Lives: Lessons From Spiders in Indigenous Cosmology

Web of Lives: Lessons From Spiders in Indigenous Cosmology Indigenous cosmology teaches us to look past our fear to learn the lessons spiders have to teach us.

Indigeneity Identity & Community

Powwows Are a Celebration of Life. Here’s How.

Powwows Are a Celebration of Life. Here’s How.

Powwows Are a Celebration of Life. Here’s How. Powwow gatherings are a means of keeping Native cultures alive through Tribal dances, music, art, and food, writes Ruth H. Burns.

Indigeneity Identity & Community

Respecting Peta, the Life Spark

Respecting Peta, the Life Spark

Respecting Peta, the Life Spark Deadly wildfires are the result of a planet pushed to a tipping point by our own doing, writes Atmos columnist Ruth H. Burns.

Indigeneity Science & Nature

The Growing Threat of Oceanic Warming

The Growing Threat of Oceanic Warming

The Growing Threat of Oceanic Warming As my ancestors taught for millennia, we are charged with protecting our world for the next seven generations to come, writes Ruth H. Burns.

Ocean Life Indigeneity

A hand grasps onto a bed of leafy foliage.

A hand grasps onto a bed of leafy foliage.

Respect Your Mother As we face the climate crisis that humanity has wrought, we must remember that we are nothing in the face of her natural forces.

Indigeneity Science & Nature

A piece of cut hair is wound by a blue and yellow string.

A piece of cut hair is wound by a blue and yellow string.

Taking Back Our Ancestors As a Native woman, I’ve learned that historical trauma is real, writes Ruth H. Burns.

Indigeneity Identity & Community

A True Vision for Alaskan Native Representation

A True Vision for Alaskan Native Representation

A True Vision for Alaskan Native Representation As a Native woman, the show True Detective: Night Country made me hopeful for Native representation yet to come, writes Ruth H. Burns.

Indigeneity Art & Culture

More Atmos

Jake Sargent

Atmos

Jake Sargent Cofounder, Chief Creative Officer, Board Director he/him

Louisiana Mei Gelpi

Atmos

Louisiana Mei Gelpi Creative Producer she/her

Elie Gordon

Atmos Words

Elie Gordon Social Media Director she/her

Nicole Caldwell

Atmos

Nicole Caldwell Site Director she/her