The federal government is encouraging tribes to partner with data centers. That could mean leasing land or, as the Mountain West News Bureau’s Hanna Merzbach reports, selling power.

At a U.S. Department of Energy webinar, Ken Ahmann with Colusa Indian Energy said that is where the big bucks come in.

“ Potentially billions of dollars into the coffers of tribes.”

His company provides energy infrastructure to data centers on tribal land. He says these partnerships can be good for tribes that have land and resources to power big projects like the Osage Nation in Oklahoma.

Paul Bemore is the chair of the tribe’s utility board.

“Tribes that are casino-dependent really need to look at other ways to build their economies, and I think data centers is one of those opportunities.”

Though Bemore says people may be wary about how this will impact the environment. Other tribes have expressed concerns about data centers draining precious water supplies.

(Courtesy Disney)

Disney’s animated film “Moana 2” has been translated into Hawaiian just like the first movie.

Hawai‘i Public Radio’s Cassie Ordonio reports.

Most Disney productions are dubbed in more than 40 languages after appearing in English. The Moana series is one of them.

The sequel made history with a global debut on Disney plus this month – marking the beginning of Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, or Hawaiian Language Month.

Lāiana Kanoa-Wong is a member of the “Moana 2” Oceanic Cultural Trust.

“Things that you could find on the media or in shows, we didn’t have it. We were watching every cartoon you could imagine at the time. We were watching all of these things, but nothing ever looked and sounded like us. And so being able to be a part of this project was a huge honor and privilege.”

Kanoa-Wong was honored to be a part of the project and to see the characters brought to life in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi.

“It was important to make sure that the maoli Hawai‘i was still strong, like the essence and what we’re trying to say was so strong, even if sometimes it didn’t match perfectly with the lip flap, we forgave ourselves sometimes, if it conveyed the meaning and it was helpful for that purpose, or we would sometimes like we would have written it out, and we’re like, Oh, we got to add a few more things why don’t we add this word or these sounds that can also deepen the meaning, but from a Hawaiian worldview.”

“Moana 2” tells the story of the Polynesian princess receiving a call from her wayfinding ancestors.

She embarks on a dangerous journey across the ocean, reunites with Maui, and recruits other characters from her home in Motunui to join her.

The Hawaiian language version of the film is produced by an all-local cast, including the original Moana voice actress Auli‘i Cravalho.

The character Loto is voiced by Native Hawaiian actress Pualalea Panaewa.

“For me, it was a very special opportunity to be able to voice a character in such a beloved Disney film series. Moana is huge. Not just amongst our people too. Not just amongst Hawaiians or Polynesians or Oceania like in the world.”

Jim Gray, former Principal Chief of the Osage Nation, is being remembered for his leadership and advocacy for Indian Country.

He passed away last week at age 64.

Chairperson Ben Barnes of the United Indian Nations of Oklahoma says Gray’s achievements for his tribe and Indian Country have left a profound impact, including modernizing the Osage Nation’s government by ratifying its first constitution, and securing equal voting rights for every Osage member.

The National Congress of American Indians President Mark Macarro says Gray devoted his life to strengthening the Osage Nation and advancing tribal sovereignty.

Funeral services are being held Monday on the Osage Nation.

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Monday, February 16, 2026 — Tribes come to grips with $1.5 billion federal funding retraction

The 15th annual Bay Area American Indian Two Spirit Powwow is happening this Valentine’s Day.

Buffalo’s Fire reports that organizers hope that the event goes fine, with participants and volunteers feeling safe and supported as the rawhide drum ushers in the Grand Entry.

Tzapotl Flores (Salvi-Mexi Xicana) is a co-chair for the BAAITS powwow. She says, this year, the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is creating concerns.

“We are developing very specific ICE protocols internally. We hear these forms of propaganda where Two Spirit people are ‘terrorists.’ All of these different attacks on our community, but it’s still going to happen. Because it is a tantamount important event that people need.”

Another co-chair, Kat Warren, says the Trump administration has made things challenging for Two Spirits and the Native LGTBQ+ community.

The president has rolled out executive orders that bans gender affirming care for youth, and defines gender as only male or female, determined at conception.

“Y’know a lot of our folks are very concerned about the folks that are going to attend this powwow because we do bring in a lot of folks, and we want to make sure everyone is taken care and able to experience the medicine of the powwow. We see the struggles and we see the ongoing pressure of this administration and we are trying our best to be above it.”

BAAITS is regarded as the largest Two Spirit powwow in North America, with non-gender contest dancing and flags representing Native LGBTQ+ and Two Spirit people.

The North Fork of the Yellow River on July 17, 2025. (Photo: Danielle Kaeding / WPR)

States and tribes would have less power to protect waterways under the Clean Water Act when reviewing energy and infrastructure projects.

As Danielle Kaeding reports, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would limit their authority under a new rule.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said the changes would protect water quality while ending “weaponization of the law” that has delayed or blocked projects.

States and authorized tribes can review the effects of dams, bridges, and pipelines on wetlands and waterways under the Clean Water Act. The proposal would narrow water quality impacts they could consider.

Nancy Stoner is an attorney with the Environmental Law and Policy Center. She says the rule would also remove a process that allows tribes to weigh in on federally regulated projects even if they haven’t adopted their own programs to set water quality standards.

“It puts a huge hurdle in front of tribes that they have to actually adopt a whole water quality standards program in order to look at a federally permitted activity, and what are the impacts on the waters, on the tribal waters.”

Only about 15% of federally recognized tribes have received approval from the EPA to adopt their own programs for water quality standards.

Franka Potente as Irene Vaggan in “Dark Winds” Season 4, Episode 3. (Photo: Michael Moriatis / AMC)

This weekend sees the return of the AMC series “Dark Winds”.

The award-winning detective series takes place in 1970s Navajo Country.

Zahn McClarnon plays tribal police lieutenant Joe Leaphorn, who finds himself stalked by a mysterious woman who carves a path of destruction across the reservation.

Zahn McClarnon as Lt. Joe Leaphorn in “Dark Winds” Season 4, Episode 3. (Photo: Michael Moriatis / AMC)

Franka Potente plays Irene Vaggan. She and McClarnon discuss their dynamic upon their first physical meeting in the season.

“He’s very vulnerable with no clothes on, half naked, but (Frank laughs) also vulnerable in his life and what he’s going through psychologically and emotionally, with the possibility of losing his wife and searching for what the Diné people call ‘hozho’ y’know, the balance and stability in his life. And he’s in search of that very much when he meets Irene for the first time.

“I’m not connected to the earth anymore so she’s very impressed and very enamored with what she’s seeing, and she just wants to devour that.”

“Dark Winds” premieres Sunday night on AMC.

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Friday, February 13, 2026 – Indigenous Winter Olympians compete for gold in Italy

It has been a month since hundreds of members of a northern Ontario First Nation were put in hotels across the province after a water crisis.

Many, however, have chosen to stay at the reserve.

As Dan Karpenchuk reports, a state of emergency was declared in early January after a parasite was found in water samples and led to dozens of cases of gastrointestinal illnesses.

Medical staff left Kashechewan a week ago after consultation with community leaders, but they say residents who remain will still be able to access healthcare services.

Lisa Westaway is the regional executive for Indigenous Services Canada.

“We’ve worked with Weeneebayko area health authority, Orange, which is emergency response and the ministry of health to ensure that services are in place for community members who choose to remain in Kashechewan.”

Band leaders in Kaschewan declared a state of emergency on January fourth after damage to the water system. That led to sewage seeping into people’s homes creating public health and safety issue.

More than 1500 people were sent to communities across Ontario including Niagara Falls, Timmins, and Kingston. Less than 400 decided to stay.

Tyson Wesley is the executive director of the Kashechewan First Nation.

“A lot of people that are currently in the community are deciding to stay. However we’re trying to develop some plans to allow them to be there such as our community across the river Fort Albany. So we’re trying to see how they can access health care.”

More than 60 band members at the fly-in community on the western shore of James Bay have been diagnosed with the parasite cryptosporidium, which causes gastrointestinal symptoms such as cramps, diarrhea, nausea, fever, and vomiting.

Most cases are resolved without medication over a couple of weeks.

It is still unclear when people will be able to return home.

Tribal leaders from across the country spoke out this week at a U.S. Senate hearing against possible changes within the Small Business Administration (SBA) program that supports Native entities.

The Alaska Desk’s Alena Naiden from our flagship station KNBA reports.

The 8(a) Business Development Program provides federal contracting opportunities to socially disadvantaged individuals or tribes. U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) co-led the oversight hearing focused on the program.

“It delivers mission-critical work for civilian and defense agencies, and it promotes economic development in Native communities while helping to fulfill the federal trust responsibility.”

But over the past year, the federal SBA and other agencies have launched audits into the program, and announced a sweeping suspension of companies participating in it.

U.S. Defense Secretary aka U.S. War Secretary Pete Hegseth also announced on social media last month that his department would be “taking a sledgehammer to the oldest [Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion] DEI program in the federal government.”

Murkowski says that Native-owned businesses participate in the program because Congress recognized the government’s trust and treaty obligations to Native communities.

“That was not based on race, it was not based on DEI.”

Katherine Carlton (Iñupiat) is the president of Chugach Alaska Corporation. Her organization has participated in the program for decades and has benefitted from its economic opportunities.

“For us, it provided the pathway to recover from the devastating Exxon Valdez oil spill in our region.”

Polly Watson is vice president of operations at Bristol Bay Native Corporation and says her organization has several businesses participating in the 8(a) program.

Watson says the corporation reinvests the revenue it receives through government contracts back into the community.

One example is a partnership with the state Division of Motor Vehicles to deliver mobile services.

“To bring real ID and driver’s license services to seven villages in the Bristol Bay region serving rural residents.”

Tribal leaders and senators from Nevada, Oklahoma, Montana, and Hawaii all spoke in support of the Native participation in the 8(a) program.

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Thursday, February 12, 2026 – Young ‘Champions’ inspire positive change

Protecting tribal sovereignty is a top discussion at the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) 2026 Executive Council Winter Session, which is taking place this week in Washington, DC.

NCAI President Mark Macarro (Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians) highlighted the importance of tribal sovereignty in his State of Indian Nations address.

Macarro says before there was a U.S., there were sovereign tribal nations.

“Our sovereignty was not created by treaties, nor granted by Congress. It is inherent and existed before colonization. Treaties did not give us sovereignty. They recognized it. The Constitution did not define us it acknowledged us. Federal laws did not create our rights, it memorialized them. And yet for centuries, our sovereignty has been attacked and attempts continue to constrain and diminish it. Yet our nations continue to govern, continue to lead, to teach, to resist, and to rise.”

Macarro says recent attacks include calls by Gov. Kevin Stitt (Cherokee/R-OK) to limit tribal sovereignty, which Macarro says is appalling.

Tribal leaders in Oklahoma agree with Macarro’s sentiment.

Reggie Wassana is governor of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma.

“This day and age, we shouldn’t have to ask why tribes have a sovereignty. We shouldn’t have to ask what the tribe’s capabilities are, how they can function, how they can prosper, and who are tribes.”

Wassana and Macarro say tribal leaders are often educating elected officials about American Indian history, tribal sovereignty and the U.S. government’s trust and treaty responsibilities.

Before every census, the federal government picks several test sites, focusing on hard-to-reach areas, but the bureau has cancelled that testing at four of the six regions, including two that cover Arizona tribal lands.

As KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, this is not the first time the Census has changed course with Indian Country.

In fact, this also happened in 2016 when two reservations in Washington and South Dakota were nixed, citing budget uncertainty and funding shortages.

Census consultant Saundra Mitrovich (Berry Creek Rancheria of Maidu Indians of California), co-leads the Natives Count Coalition.

“In the last two decennials, not only have we had the undercount, but we’ve had this cancellation of test sites for tribal areas twice.”

Mitrovich says one concern is that the Trump administration is considering to use postal service staff to replace temporary census workers to conduct the count and cut down on costs.

“A lot of the households are left invisible to the census, and they also have non-traditional addresses.”

In 2020, the nonprofit Native American Rights Fund reported that more than 80% of all registered Indigenous voters in Arizona – outside of metro Phoenix and Tucson – rely solely on P.O. boxes.

This time around, San Carlos and White Mountain Apache homes in Arizona as well as Cherokee households in North Carolina are being left out.

The Census Bureau would not say why.

“How are we gonna say that we’re going to carry out this fair and full representation that the survey is supposed to provide of the country?”

And on this day in 1978, the “Longest Walk” by Native activists began.

A start-up ceremony took place on Alcatraz Island, where the group then proceeded to travel by foot from Sacramento to Washington D.C. to build awareness of treaty rights and injustice.

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Wednesday, February 11, 2026 – Route 66 changed tribes’ connections and culture

Tribal leaders from across the country are gathered in Washington D.C. this week for the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) 2026 Executive Council Winter Session and State of Indian Nations Address.

NCAI Youth Commission Co-Presidents Jonas Kanuhsa (Gila River Indian Community) and Angelina Serna (Oneida Nation and Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians) kicked off Monday morning’s assembly by delivering the youth commission speech.

Serna says her message to tribal leaders is to recognize the contributions being made by Native youth.

“I really talk about tokenism when it comes to Native and really putting youth at the forefront and having youth at these tables, at these conversations, giving youth that opportunity to really learn, and for the adults to be learners and teachers as well, and incorporating language and culture in everything that we do because what we do has spirit, has purpose.”

Kanuhsa says his message to attendees is to help find ways for Native youth to get more opportunities, especially for those who live in remote areas.

“Opening roles for more Native youth. I think Native youth on rural reservations have a hard time maybe connecting to maybe internships, fellowships, maybe just early on new jobs, entry jobs, because of those location barriers.”

The Youth Commission co-presidents also touched on safety concerns when it comes to Native people and recent federal immigration actions across the U.S.

They also talked about the commission’s work this week on Capitol Hill to advocate for funding, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery models for substance abuse.

NCAI President Mark Macarro (Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians), who delivered the State of Indian Nations address, followed the youth commission’s remarks by saying young Native people are an important part of NCAI.

“In my time here at NCAI, the youth started to say we have a voice, you know, what we have to say matters, and it matters in this moment. And, you know, we took stock of that and been making strides to have them be more inclusive. They’re right and their take on the world or take on issues in Indian Country is different than ours, and so we need to allow ourselves to hear that. but we also need to create those opportunities for us to mentor them.”

NCAI’s winter session continues Tuesday with updates from federal agencies including the departments of justice, transportation, and housing.

Leaders will also hear from some members of Congress from New Mexico and Washington state.

U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids during a 2022 hearing. (Courtesy C-SPAN)

The history and effects of Indian boarding schools would be investigated and documented under legislation re-introduced by U.S. Reps. Tom Cole (Chickasaw/R-OK) and Sharice Davids (Ho-Chunk/D-KS).

Rep. Davids is one of the first two Native women elected to Congress, and has long spoken of the boarding school era, including on C-SPAN in 2022.

“The policies and assimilation practices of the United States had the sole purpose of culturally assimilating American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian children in residential boarding schools across the country. Children were coerced and compelled to attend boarding schools away from their home. Many children did not return to their families or their communities. Those that did return lost generations’ worth of cultural knowledge, stories and traditions, and communities lost their language keepers, cultural practitioners and future leaders.”

H.R. 7325 would establish a commission to investigate and report on the histories of more than 500 federally run boarding schools, which operated between 1819 through the 1970s.

President Joe Biden formally apologized for the schools in 2024.

British forces under fire from the French and Indian forces at Monongahela, when the Braddock expedition failed to take Fort Duquesne.

And on this day in 1763, the French-Indian War officially ended.

The armies of France and England wrestled for territory in the Americas, with both sides swaying Native tribes to help their efforts.

Some, including the Ojibwe and Winnebago, helped the French, while the Iroquois helped England.

While the outcome was favorable for the British, the cost of the war compelled England to raise taxes on the 13 colonies, eventually spurring the American Revolution.

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Tuesday, February 10, 2026 – From the child tax credit to paperless refunds: what to know about this year’s tax returns

For decades, Native women and other women of color were subjected to forced sterilization by the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Indian Health Service.

New Mexico lawmakers introduced a memorial last week to create a truth and reconciliation commission that would conduct a study into the history, and continuing impacts of this abuse.

KUNM’s Jeanette DeDios (Jicarilla Apache and Diné) has this report.

Senate memorial 14 includes research dating to the 1970s which shows between 25%-50% of Indigenous women ere sterilized, with some of the highest incidents occurring in New Mexico.

The memorial would develop a plan to create a state truth and reconciliation commission to research and find all cases of sterilization in the state, gather survivor testimony, and review and recommend educational policy.

Keely Badger is a human rights advocate who wrote her dissertation on the forced sterilization of Native women.

Lawmakers asked her about challenges finding and accessing records.

“I do think that the requests have to come from an official state body, official agencies, to get to the heart of this information. It is going to be more than one person’s ability to accumulate this information.”

She says this may have been intentional by the states.

“At a national level, they have sealed some of these records for a reason, in the same way that a lot of the information about the boarding school system was very challenging; took decades and decades of research to accumulate to get to a point where we could have a national apology.

“I believe that this is one of those situations where it is going to require real political will and advocacy from civil society groups to get to the real heart of this from a national perspective.”

If the memorial goes into law, New Mexico would be the first state in the nation to formally investigate and acknowledge these violations.

The memorial will head to the senate floor for a vote and if passed, will go to the House of Representatives.

White Mountain Apache Chairman Kasey Velasquez speaks about the significance of the Apache trout in Mesa, Ariz. on September 4, 2024. (Photo: Gabriel Pietrorazio / KJZZ

Thousands of members from the White Mountain Apache Tribe went to the polls last week to vote in a primary election that resulted in the sitting chairman losing his chance at another term.

KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio reports.

In a three-way race, Chairman Kasey Velasquez earned a little over 400 votes, while his challengers both received nearly four times as much, according to the tribe’s election commission.

In the end though, longtime Whiteriver school board member Orlando Carroll got the most votes by a margin of more than 50 ballots. He will face off against Councilman Gary Alchesay in the April general election.

Also on Wednesday, the tribe announced that a special prosecutor declined to criminally charge Velasquez under tribal law for allegations of sexual harassment against the HR director.

A civil investigation by the tribe is still ongoing.

And you will be seeing lots of commemorative Seahawks swag now that Seattle’s NFL team has won Super Bowl 60.

The ‘hawks beat the New England Patriots 29-13.

The BBC reports that many Native American and First Nations people appreciate the team’s logo.

Turns out, it is based on a carved transformation mask from the Kwakwaka’wakw Nation from the late 1800s.

The logo was chosen by the Seahawk’s manager in the 1970s.

Seattle’s Burke Museum traced the origins of it to a photo of a ceremonial mask in an old art book. This led them to the Hudson Museum in Maine.

The mask was loaned to Seattle for a ceremony with tribal members and team representatives.

The BBC reports that, unlike other major league sports teams, the Seahawks logo has not sparked backlash because it respectfully borrows from Indigenous culture and does not resort to racist stereotypes.

Some Indigenous people from Canada and the U.S. say it has inspired them to learn more of their own culture.

A ceremony and parade for the Seahawks will be held in Seattle Wednesday morning.

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Check out Native America Calling’s special coverage of the 2026 State of Indian Nations address

Monday, February 9, 2026 – 2026 State of Indian Nations

Before he left office, President Joe Biden came to Arizona and formally apologized for the federal government’s role in running boarding schools designed to forcibly assimilate Indigenous children.

As KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, Biden’s words still carry meaning as one group continues fulfilling a promise from his administration.

“Children would arrive [at] school, clothes taken off – their hair that they were told was sacred was chopped off. Their names [were] literally erased, replaced by a number or an English name.”

At least 526 facilities were built nationwide and resulted in more than 3,000 deaths.

“The pain it has caused will always be a significant mark of shame, a blot on American history.”

An enduring pain Deb Haaland, Biden’s Interior secretary and the daughter of a boarding school survivor, began trying to heal.

“For decades, this terrible chapter was hidden from our history books, but now our administration’s work will ensure that no one will ever forget.”

More than a year later, healing continues within the Gila River Indian Community.

“It feels like just yesterday that we were doing our opening, and we were standing up here and telling you how we were going to make this week be a safe space for you.”

That’s Lacey Kinnart (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians) with the nonprofit National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition.

Their group came to Gila River as part of a national tour collecting boarding school testimonials. They aim to document 400 survivors by the end of the tour.

Each video recording will be accessible through the Library of Congress.

“One of my favorite things about this work that we do is being able to see healing happening right in front of our eyes.”

Charlee Brissette is an oral history program co-director and from the same tribe as Kinnart.

“We don’t say that we’re the healers, but we offer space for healing to happen. By the end of the week too, a lot of our relatives that have shared their story with us come back, because they’re like family now.”

Like boarding school survivor Ramona Klein, who is from the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa in North Dakota and sits on the nonprofit’s board.

“I know what it was like for me, so I’m hoping it was kind of like that for them, because there’s a relief.”

Their intimate project involves a lot of aftercare, with the nonprofit remaining mindful of mental health.

“Each survivor will be contacted by the person who interviewed them in the next week or so, and then we continue to follow up for the next year. In addition to that, we offer a healing circle that’s virtual. We want to be very cognizant that we don’t open up wounds and hurt people.”

The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition will stop in Denver, Colo. February 23-27, 2026, to continue its Oral History Project.

(Courtesy Rep. Sharice Davids / Facebook)

U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids (Ho-Chunk/D-KS) reintroduced this week the Native American Entrepreneurial Opportunity Act to strengthen the Small Business Administration’s Office of Native American Affairs, and expand support for Native entrepreneurs.

Speaking on the House floor, Rep. Davids said Native entrepreneurs face unnecessary barriers to accessing the tools and resources they need to grow, create jobs, and compete.

She says the bill strengthens programs so they can better meet those needs.

To introduce the legislation, Davids was joined by U.S. Reps Eli Crane (R-AZ), Jake Ellzey (R-TX), and Kelly Morrison (D-MN).

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Friday, February 6, 2026 — New art exhibitions offer creative interpretations of Native survival and endurance

Photo: Kipnuk resident Larry Kalistook asks village and state officials questions about possible relocation during the meeting on January 31, 2026. (James Oh / Alaska Public Media)

The Alaska Native village of Kipnuk is at a crossroads.

A powerful storm last fall destroyed homes, contaminated water, and left residents with a critical decision: rebuild in the same spot or move to higher ground?

As the Alaska Desk’s Alena Naiden from our flagship station KNBA reports, the conversation is just getting started.

Kipnuk resident Rayna Paul fights back tears as she talks about how the remnants of Typhoon Halong ravaged her village — and why relocating is so important for the next generation.

“We want them to have a livable life too.”

She shared her thoughts at a recent meeting in Anchorage, where more than 50 Kipnuk residents discussed the future of their community.

Village Council President Daniel Paul says it’ll be up to the residents to decide what’s next.

“I had many calls from our tribal members, half of them wanna stay, half wanna go.”

Kipnuk is about four miles inland from the Bering Sea coast and was once home to about 700 people. Nearly everyone evacuated after the October storms.

Paul says about 100 residents are back now, working to rebuild, but there’s a lot to do.

The storm demolished about 150 homes, wiped out vital infrastructure, and left lands and water contaminated.

During the meeting, residents spoke predominantly in Yup’ik, asking what relocation could look like.

They asked about how to choose a new site and secure land ownership. And they pondered what it would take to set up critical infrastructure at a new place.

Village Council Vice President Chris Alexie says that would include a school, airport, and health clinic.

“This isn’t going to be an easy process to do, but we have to do that.”

Village officials say the relocation process can take years.

Kipnuk elder David Carl says he supports relocating.

“We’re not thinking about ourselves, who we are now, we just want to fight for our upcoming generations.”

But for Daniel Paul, Kipnuk is home and he hopes to live there again one day.

“For me, I’m gonna stick with Kipnuk, regardless of how the situation is. I was raised there, and I’ll stay there.”

Paul says the meeting was just the first step in the relocation discussion, and residents have a lot of factors to weigh.

But Kipnuk leaders also feel a sense of urgency.

Paul says the village expects only one substantial influx of federal funding. To make the best use of it, he says they need to decide soon whether they want to stay or move.

Navajo County Complex. (Courtesy Navajo County)

For decades, public health officials in Navajo County, Ariz. have been helping tribal members and elders who were not born inside a hospital with obtaining birth certificates.

As KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, they have seen a spike in applicants following reports of Native people getting caught up in ICE crackdowns nationwide.

Last year, 305 residents applied for delayed birth certificates across Navajo County, two thirds of which covers tribal lands belonging to Navajos, Hopis, and White Mountain Apaches.

Violet Redbird-Nez (Kiowa and Diné) is a vital records specialist with county public health.

She treks to Kayenta quarterly to help residents get documented and for the last three months, Redbird-Nez says there is an uptick.

“They’re worried that they might get deported.”

There were 22 applicants last month alone. Once the paperwork is filled out, it typically takes six weeks.

“And it’s so endearing to know that they came by to say, ‘Hey, thank you for helping me get my birth registered. I’m legal now,’ is what they say. So that’s awesome.”

Indian Health Service is headquartered in Rockville, Md. (Photo: Antony-22 / Wikimedia)

U.S. Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NM) and Mike Rounds (R-SD) introduced this week the Stronger Engagement for Indian Health Needs Act.

The legislation elevates the role of the Indian Health Service (IHS) Director to Assistant Secretary for Indian Health within the Department of Health and Human Services.

Senators say elevating the position would give IHS greater authority to address the health care needs of Native communities.

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Thursday, February 5, 2026 – Can caribou slow the drive for oil and mineral development in Alaska?

Photo: Members of the MMIW Search & Hope Alliance attend a cadaver session led by Dr. William Borman, in Portland, Oreg. Thursday, January 22, 2026. (Brian Bull / Buffalo’s Fire)

Search teams working on Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) cases must prepare themselves for the likelihood they will come across a body.

One group based in Portland, Oreg. is proactively preparing volunteers for that encounter, as Brian Bull of Buffalo’s Fire reports.

Inside an anatomy lab, William Borman, professor of basic sciences for the University of Western States, carefully turns a cadaver over on a metal table.

Metal canopies cover human cadavers inside Linfield University’s anatomy lab in Portland, Oreg. Thursday, January 22, 2026. (Photo: Brian Bull / Buffalo’s Fire)

A tinge of formaldehyde fills the air.

Seven volunteers with the group, MMIW Search & Hope Alliance, examine its tendons, nerves, and organs.

Kimberly Lining is the group’s founder. She says she has seen death up close many times.

“And I think through my years of traumatic experiences with violent death, I’ve seen a lot, it’s prepared me. I think just due to fire, like steel is forged through fire.”

But for most people, exposure to death and corpses is not a recurring thing, so Lining reached out to Borman to arrange a visit.

Not only does it gird people for when they find a body, but it helps them discern between human and animal remains.

Two volunteers, Sabrina Griffith and Isabella Regalado, say they would recommend this experience.

“Just seeing the veins, the actual ligaments, the bone, the muscles, it was quite surprising to see it and feel it in real life. I’ve only touched bones and stuff like that, so it’s very interesting to actually feel the inner part of our body.”

“It’s actually been better than anticipated. I thought it would be a little bit more gruesome, but everyone has been very professional and understanding, and everyone has been doing their best to educate everyone else.”

Lining and Borman remind people that viewing cadavers is not the same as coming across a corpse, whether that is in the wilderness or city.

Such bodies are not preserved, and beyond what the cause of death inflicted, would be subject to the elements and scavengers.

“If it’s in the wilderness, in the forest, bears, cougars, wolves … they’re gonna tear at stuff and leave the bone. So definitely pieces more than together.”

Near the end of the visit, Borman sprayed a blue hydrating liquid to keep the cadavers from drying out and developing mold. He said everyone in Lining’s group was respectful and asked great questions.

“I’m pleased that we were able to make this happen. If she were interested in doing it again, I’d be open to doing it again.”

Lining and her volunteers gave small gifts of gratitude to Borman and thanked him for his time.

MMIW Search & Hope Alliance is preparing for two search efforts in the next few weeks.

Jon Boutcher, Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, is asked about the arrest of Máire Mhic an Fhailí during a Policing Board meeting in September 2025. (Courtesy Policing Board / Facebook).

An Irish language activist has won a landmark decision in Northern Ireland following her arrest during a protest.

Seo McPolin has more from Ireland.

Seventy-four-year-old grandmother Máire Mhic an Fhailí attended a peaceful protest in support of the Palestinian people last August in Belfast.

She was among those arrested under the UK’s controversial Terrorism Laws because of her t-shirt.

JJ Ó Dochartaigh from the Irish language band Kneecap wore the same T-shirt as Máire Mhic an Fhailí ahead of the band’s 2025 Glastonbury set. (Courtesy Kneecap / X)

During the arrest, English-speaking police officers were unable to understand her as she gave them her address – because she spoke in her Indigenous language of Irish.

The Police Ombudsman ruled last week that the arresting officer should have taken reasonable steps to arrange a translation service – and that Mhic an Fhailí experienced “oppressive behavior”.

The police watchdog also issued a policy recommendation for future engagements with Irish-language speakers.

Mhic an Fhailí’s lawyer says this decision “puts a marker down” for how the police service must respect the Irish language moving forward.

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Wednesday, February 4, 2026 – College Native American Studies programs map their next steps

Ojibwe tribes in the Great Lakes region are raising concerns about Trump administration plans to remove a rule that limits road building in national forest land, as Chuck Quirmbach reports.

The Roadless Rule is a U.S. Forest Service (USFS) policy that for 25 years has curtailed building or reconstructing roads in the national forests.

There have also been limits on commercial timber harvesting in roadless areas that have been inventoried.

Last summer, the U.S. Agriculture Department (USDA), which includes USFS, proposed rescinding the Roadless Rule.

The department said that would give more decision-making authority to regional forest managers and improve access for fighting fires.

But the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission – which serves eleven Ojibwe tribes in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan with treaty-protected hunting, fishing, and gathering rights – backs the Roadless Rule.

Commission spokesperson Jenny Van Sickle says agency scientists looked at how the rule has protected five national forests in what is called the Ceded Territory. She says the federal government has a responsibility to enforce treaty rights there.

“That’s wild rice. That’s tapping maples for sap to make sugar. These are real activities, they’re not theoretical. These are federal responsibilities that remain in place. So, to try to kick that to regional foresters doesn’t make a lot of sense.”

Van Sickle says there are already many roads in the national forests. She says if the Roadless Rule needs amending, the tribes are willing to talk.

“If the rule needs work, we want to be at those tables. We want to talk about those problems. We want to get to those solutions. We can do that together. We’ve worked very closely and formally with the Forest Service for nearly 30 years.”

A USDA spokesperson says the agency remains committed to a consultation process with the tribes and, if the Roadless Rule ends, land use decisions would still need to comply with specific forest or grassland management plans and other applicable laws – all developed with public involvement.

(Courtesy OETA)

Tribal leaders responded to Gov. Kevin Stitt (Cherokee/R-OK)’s final State of the State address, which he delivered Monday.

Tribal leaders say Gov. Stitt misrepresents tribes.

Tribes and the governor have had a rocky relationship, including disagreements over jurisdiction, gaming, and other issues.

In his speech, Stitt said all laws should apply equally to all Oklahomans.

“Many of us in this room have decried the [diversity, equity, and inclusion] DEI programs of the Biden administration, yet standby quietly when some say an Indian should be subject to a different set of laws.”

Choctaw Nation Chief Gary Batton in a statement said tribes and tribal members have sovereign rights, which are not based on race but treaties and other agreements between tribal nations and the U.S.

Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said in a statement that the governor effectively called for the termination of tribal government, calling it rhetoric cloaked in references to DEI and race.

Chief Hoskin said fortunately, Stitt spoke to a bipartisan chamber. Both leaders say they look forward to working with the legislature and other elected officials.

A number of tribal leaders attended the address.

The Interior Department has added the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina to the official list of federally recognized tribes, formalizing the tribe’s government-to-government relationship with the U.S.

The agency published the updated list in the Federal Register following President Donald Trump’s signing of legislation in December granting federal recognition status to the Lumbee Tribe.

The list consists of 575 American Indian and Alaska Native tribal entities.

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Tuesday, February 3, 2026 – National Park Service removing historical references to Native American history