The Daily Spark

U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., met with Osage Nation and Osage County leaders in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, during an in-state work period, according to a press release by Mullin’s office. Attendees included Osage Nation Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear, Osage County Sheriff Bart Perrier, Pawhuska Mayor Steve Tolson, Pawhuska City Manager Carol Jones, Barnsdall Mayor Johnny Kelley and members of the Pawhuska Chamber of Commerce. Mullin discussed widening growth opportunities and strengthening tribal partnerships and answered questions on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Department of Education and the future of Oklahoma’s beef industry.

“Tribal sovereignty, economic self-determination, and strong local governance make a big difference,” Mullin was quoted as saying. Standing Bear was quoted as saying that Mullin “has consistently proven to be a strong advocate for tribal sovereignty.” Mullin is visiting several Oklahoma communities this week to share federal updates and take questions from residents and local officials, according to the press release.

Lawmakers in Maine are again considering legislation aimed at restoring more sovereignty to the Wabanaki Nations, according to reporting by Maine Morning Star. Two bills are scheduled for public hearings in Augusta: one that would implement remaining recommendations from a 2019 task force on the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act and one that would restore the Wabanaki Nations’ access to beneficial federal laws. Both measures are sponsored by Sen. Rachel Talbot Ross, D-Cumberland.

The Penobscot Nation, Passamaquoddy Tribe, Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians and Mi’kmaq Nation are treated differently than other federally recognized tribes under the 1980 settlement act. Gov. Janet Mills has rejected broader changes to the law, though she has approved narrower updates, including expanding tribal authority over sports betting and internet gaming. One of the bills set for public hearings would allow the Wabanaki Nations to benefit from federal laws unless expressly excluded, reversing the current framework established under the settlement act.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has opened a Title VI investigation into Portland Public Schools in Portland, Oregon, over its Center for Black Student Excellence, according to a Feb. 17 announcement by the department. The investigation follows a complaint alleging the district discriminates on the basis of race in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. According to the complaint, a recent $1.2 billion bond includes tens of millions of dollars for academic interventions, wraparound support, facilities and family programs exclusively for Black students, despite district data showing other student groups face similar or greater challenges.

According to 2021-2022 district data cited in the announcement, 17% of Black students met third-grade reading proficiency levels, compared to 17.6% of Native American students and 16.7% of Pacific Islander students. Graduation rates during that period were 79.4% for Black students, 61.5% for Native American students and 73.7% for Latinx students. The district’s school board rejected a proposal to allocate $40 million to a Native Student Success Center. Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey said in a statement that OCR is committed to enforcing Title VI, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin in programs receiving federal funding.

Indigenous Youth Voices has announced that it will hold its annual Mountains & Medicine Snowboarding Trip March 4–7 in Jackson, Wyoming, and Teton Valley, Idaho. The leadership-centered program is open to Indigenous youth ages 14–28 and includes lodging, meals, gear and scheduled activities at no cost, according to event materials.

The itinerary includes snowboarding with Indigenous instructors and mentors, a Youth Climate Futures Summit, cultural programming, storytelling circles and land stewardship education. Participants will also attend a public Climate Futures event and visit Astoria Park Hot Springs. Organizers state that space is limited and participants will be selected based on readiness and willingness to engage. Submission of the registration form serves as both registration and waiver, with adults consenting for themselves and parents or guardians consenting for minors.

The three siblings reported missing from the Bismarck area have been found safe, according to the Bismarck Police Department.

Twelve-year-old Nora Horned Eagle, 13-year-old Lyda Horned Eagle and 14-year-old Bella Horned Eagle had been missing since Feb. 15. They were last seen at the Bismarck Public Library. Authorities confirmed they have been located and are safe.

Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., along with Reps. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., Rick Larsen, D-Wash., and Teresa Leger Fernandez, D-N.M., introduced the Tribal Warrant Fairness Act, according to a press release. The legislation would grant the United States Marshals Service authority to execute arrest warrants on behalf of tribal law enforcement and assist in searching for missing children. “By improving coordination and strengthening the partnership between USMS and Tribal law enforcement, the Tribal Warrant Fairness Act will make Native American communities safer and ultimately bring more criminals to justice,” Cole was quoted as saying.

According to the release, the 2023 Not Invisible Act Commission found federal law limits the ability of the United States Marshals Service to assist with tribal warrants. The bill would allow the agency to execute tribal felony arrest warrants, assist in searches for missing children and permit tribal participation in Fugitive Apprehension Task Forces. A Senate version was introduced by Sens. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., and Catherine Cortez-Masto, D-Nev., according to the release.

Five Native American men held in maximum security at Rhode Island’s Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston have filed a federal lawsuit alleging prison officials denied their ability to practice their religion, according to Rhode Island Current. The 38-page complaint was filed Feb. 11 in the U.S. District Court in Providence on behalf of Jaquontee Reels, Anthony Moore, Louis Seignious, Craig Robinson and Wallace Cable. The plaintiffs, represented by the ACLU of Rhode Island and the Roger Williams University School of Law Prisoners’ Rights Litigation Clinic, are seeking permission to hold pipe ceremonies, sweat lodge ceremonies, smudging ceremonies, drum circles and powwows.

“Again and again, Plaintiffs have asked RIDOC officials for permission to obtain Native American religious items, engage in Native American ceremonies, and obtain guidance from a Native American elder, but Defendants have turned away all of those requests,” the complaint states. The complaint also states that the Department of Corrections has not adopted policies required under a 2025 settlement addressing religious accommodations.

The federal government is encouraging tribes to partner with data centers through land leases or energy sales, according to the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration of public media stations that includes Wyoming Public Radio. At a Feb. 12 U.S. Department of Energy webinar titled “Beyond Land Leases: Harnessing Data Centers for Tribal Economic Development,” Ken Ahmann, chief operating officer of Colusa Indian Energy, said such projects could inject “potentially billions of dollars into the coffers of tribes.” Elisah VandenBussche of the department’s Indian Energy Policy and Programs Office said the administration is offering financial and technical assistance to tribes interested in partnerships.

Supporters say developers can help tribes build energy infrastructure and expand internet access. Paul Bemore, chair of the Osage Nation utility authority board, told the Mountain West News Bureau that data centers could help tribes diversify their economies and strengthen data sovereignty. Some tribal members have raised concerns about environmental impacts and sovereignty, including potential strain on water supplies, according to the news bureau.

The ND250 Commission has awarded the Turtle Mountain Tribe a $9,000 grant for a historical exhibit, according to the Dakota News Network. The funding will support an exhibit interpreting treaty making, land negotiations, federal policy and cultural traditions. The grant is part of a broader effort tied to the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

The ND250 Commission has awarded 15 grants totaling more than $90,000, according to the Dakota News Network. Additional grants were issued for projects in Bismarck, Mandan, Dickinson, Fargo, Beach, Grand Forks and Jamestown. Grant applications remain open through April 1.

Update: they have been found safe.

The Bismarck Police Department is searching for three siblings who have been missing since Feb. 15.

A dispatch officer told Buffalo’s Fire that 12-year-old Nora Horned Eagle, 13-year-old Lyda Horned Eagle and 14-year-old Bella Horned Eagle were last seen by their father at the Bismarck Public Library.

The siblings are Indigenous, but the officer did not know their tribal affiliation. Anyone with information can contact the Bismarck Police Department at 701-223-1212.

Tribal leaders and federal lawmakers are advancing legislation to continue the work of the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children, according to Indianz.com. The commission, established by Congress, studied how the federal government can better support American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian children. “We gathered baseline data on topics including juvenile justice, socioeconomic issues, mental health, suicide, infant and child mortality, child welfare, substance use, ACEs or adverse childhood experiences, educational achievement, physical health, and we held hearings both in-person and during COVID virtually,” commission member Anita Fineday was quoted as telling the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on Jan. 28.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, chair of the committee, is supporting the draft Native Children’s Commission Implementation Act. “It’s one thing to get the report and see action items,” Murkowski said at a Capitol Hill event. “It’s another thing to move it forward.” Karen Guise of the National Congress of American Indians Youth Commission said, “This bill is different because it is the bridge from recommendations to reality,” according to Indianz.Com.

FBI Director Kash Patel traveled to southern Arizona this week to meet with law enforcement partners from the Pascua Yaqui and Tohono O’odham nations, according to KGUN 9. Afterward he posted on X about the meetings, calling the nations “key partners of ours in the fight against violent crime all across the country.” He highlighted the April 2025 launch of “Operation Not Forgotten,” an interagency surge designed to deliver more investigative resources to tribal lands and said the effort aims to change vulnerabilities to drug trafficking, cartels and other violent crime.

According to KGUN 9, the Justice Department’s Operation Not Forgotten has deployed rotating teams of FBI personnel to support field offices across the country, surging 60 FBI staff into 10 field offices to assist unresolved violent-crime investigations in Indian Country. At the start of fiscal 2025, the FBI’s Indian Country program had roughly 4,300 open investigations, including hundreds involving deaths, child abuse and sexual violence. Officials said tribal and federal partners will continue coordinating on investigations, training and technology sharing.

Legislation to investigate the history of Indian boarding schools has been reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, according to Gaylord News, an outlet affiliated with the University of Oklahoma Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communications. Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., and Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kan., are the lead sponsors of the “Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act of 2026.” The bill would establish a commission to examine past federal actions that forcibly enrolled nearly 86% of Indigenous school-age children in boarding schools, according to Cole. The legislation was referred this month to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Committee on Natural Resources.

“For years, Indian boarding schools forcibly removed Native children from their families, stripped them of their heritage, and, in many cases, took their lives,” Cole was quoted as saying. The proposed commission would have six years to locate and identify marked and unmarked burial sites and would be granted subpoena power under the new bill. The legislation calls for possible $90 million in funding to hold convenings across all 12 Bureau of Indian Affairs regions and to access an estimated 100 million pages of documents, according to Gaylord News.

The federal government told tribal nations that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have not racially profiled Native Americans during recent enforcement operations, according to MPR News. U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem sent a letter Thursday to officials from more than 500 federally recognized tribes stating ICE “does not target, and will not target, Native Americans or any U.S. Citizens based on appearance, ethnicity, or community affiliation.” She affirmed tribal IDs as valid identification and encouraged Native people to also show a valid state driver’s license, passport or state identification card if approached by federal law enforcement. A DHS tribal adviser confirmed to MPR News that the letter was emailed to tribal leaders.

The statement was posted on social media by Stephen Lewis, president of the Gila River Indian Community. In the letter, Noem said “there have not been any ICE operations on tribal lands” and said she was “disappointed” when some tribal leaders moved to ban ICE from reservations. In mid-January, the Red Lake Nation Tribal Council passed a resolution prohibiting ICE and other federal immigration agents from entering Red Lake tribal lands without a court order signed by a federal judge, according to MPR News.

The Indian Health Service will phase out the use of dental fillings containing mercury and fully implement mercury-free alternatives by 2027, according to the Associated Press. The agency has used dental amalgams, which contain elemental mercury, for decades to treat decayed and damaged teeth. According to agency documents, the percentage of its roughly 2.8 million patient user population receiving amalgam fillings declined from 12% in 2005 to 2% in 2023, the latest year of available data.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said growing environmental and health concerns about mercury exposure and global efforts to reduce hazardous materials prompted the change, according to the Associated Press. “This is a commonsense step that protects patients and prevents harm before it starts,” Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a statement. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, amalgam fillings can release small amounts of mercury vapor, though it says available evidence does not link them to long-term negative health outcomes.

Native activists have established a prayer camp at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, near the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, a center for immigration detention processing, according to ICT. The site was used by the United States as a concentration camp during the Dakota War of 1862 to imprison thousands of Dakota and Ho-Chunk people. Organizers raised four teepees at Bdóte, near the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers.

Migizi Spears, a citizen of Red Lake Nation and organizer for First Nations United, helped establish the prayer camp with Dakota, Nakota and other tribal citizens. “We are getting the land back for our Dakota people who were exiled out,” Spears was quoted as saying. Wasuduta, Dakota, said the prayer camp is intended to hold the federal government and the state accountable. Organizers said the prayer camp will remain despite changes in federal immigration enforcement activity.

Celinda Gonzales, a member of the Yurok Tribe who advocated for mental health care and suicide prevention in Northern California, died in an apparent murder-suicide, according to CalMatters. Gonzales was 59. The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office said deputies found two bodies Feb. 3 in a home in Weitchpec on the Yurok reservation. “Based on the preliminary investigation, the incident appears to be consistent with a murder-suicide,” the sheriff’s office said in a press release. On Feb. 12, a spokesperson said it is believed Gonzales was killed by her husband, Arthur Gonzales, who then took his own life.

The Yurok Tribe confirmed her identity in a memorial, stating, “She was a beloved friend to many Tribal Councilmembers, staff and community members. This is a tremendous tragedy for the Tribe.” Gonzales previously worked as a suicide intervention specialist in Humboldt County. The tribe is offering grief counseling at the village clinic.

Native nations are hosting tribal ID pop-ups and reimbursing passport and REAL ID fees as immigration enforcement actions increase, according to Underscore Native News + ICT. The efforts follow reports of Native people being questioned or detained by immigration agents. In Minneapolis, Jose Ramirez, a Red Lake Nation descendant and U.S. citizen, was detained in January and later charged with assaulting an ICE agent during the encounter.

Legal experts say the issue has raised broader questions about tribal citizenship criteria, including blood quantum. Matthew Fletcher, a professor of federal Indian law at the University of Michigan, said immigration agents have relied on racial profiling following the 2025 Supreme Court decision in Noem v. Vasquez Perdomo. Gabe Galanda, founder of Galanda Broadman, advised descendants to carry state identification, passports and any federal Certificate of Degree of Indian or Alaska Native Blood cards. Some nations, including the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, White Earth Nation and Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, are providing descendancy letters at ID events.

According to KFF Health News, enhanced subsidies under the Affordable Care Act expired Dec. 31, increasing premium costs and straining tribally sponsored health insurance programs. By late 2025, ACA plans had about 24 million enrollees, more than double pre-pandemic sign-ups, and enrollment has dropped by more than 1 million people since the subsidies ended.

Rae Jean Belgarde, who directs the Fort Peck Tribes’ health insurance program, said rising premiums leave the tribes with one option: “Start limiting who gets help.” The Urban Institute estimates 125,000 Native Americans will become uninsured in 2026 due to higher costs, and Lyle Rutherford, a Blackfeet Nation council member, said the tribe paused the employer-sponsored portion of its program in January. Tuba City Regional Health Care Corp. estimates its costs will rise roughly 170% to nearly $38,000 per month without the enhanced subsidies, KFF Health News reported.