Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs

09/15/2026

NCIA staff attended a talk on Pawnee Archeology presented by our agency friend former State Archeologist Rob Bozell today. We were surprised to run into NCIA board member Dr. Rudi Mitchell at the event. He is pictured with Bozell and Director gaiashkibos.

09/15/2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 15, 2026

Sherrie Catanach (Pueblo of Pojoaque), Director of Communications

National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition

[email protected]

505.670.0035

Representative Teresa Leger Fernández Honors Indian Boarding School Relatives Ahead of September 30 Day of Remembrance

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, in recognition of the September 30 National Day of Remembrance for Indian Boarding School survivors, Representative Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM) took to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives to honor the Native children, families, survivors, and descendants impacted by the Indian boarding school system.

September 30 is a day to remember the children who were forcibly removed from their families and communities, honor the survivors and relatives who continue to carry this history, and recognize the enduring impacts of Indian boarding school policies on Native peoples and Tribal communities.

In remarks on the House floor, Rep. Leger Fernández highlighted the importance of recognizing the National Day of Remembrance and the responsibility to continue pursuing truth, justice, and healing for those impacted by the federal Indian boarding school system.

“Across New Mexico, there were 52 Indian boarding schools where Native children were forced to relinquish their own indigenous heritage and language. I call upon my colleagues to support HR 7325 the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act to formally investigate, document, and report on boarding schools, their policies, and the generational effects on Native American peoples. We must support the healing of survivors, descendants, and tribal communities. Many of the children never returned home to their families or their communities. May they never be forgotten.”

— Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, New Mexico - District 3

The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition (NABS) welcomes this recognition and emphasizes that remembrance must be accompanied by meaningful action.

For generations, Native families and communities have carried the consequences of a federal system that forcibly separated children from their families, communities, languages, cultures, and identities.

“September 30 is a day to remember our relatives and honor the survivors, families, and communities who have carried this history for generations,” said NABS Chief Executive Officer, Nikki Santos (Coeur d'Alene Tribe). “Remembrance gives us an opportunity to honor their lives, listen to their stories, and recommit ourselves to the work of truth and healing. We are grateful to see this history recognized on the House floor, and we must continue turning recognition into meaningful action for survivors, descendants, and Tribal communities.”

NABS encourages members of Congress to support H.R. 7325, the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act, as an important step toward advancing truth, justice, and healing.

Take Action

As September 30 approaches, NABS invites individuals, families, Tribal communities, organizations, educators, and allies to join in remembering and honoring Indian boarding school relatives.

There are many ways to participate, including learning about the history and ongoing impacts of Indian boarding school policies, creating space for remembrance, sharing resources with your community, and supporting efforts led by survivors, descendants, and Tribal communities. Visit the NABS Day of Remembrance Toolkit to help educate, commemorate, and engage your communities on September 30 and beyond.

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About the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition: The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition (NABS) is dedicated to advocating for Native peoples impacted by U.S. Indian boarding schools. NABS seeks truth through education and research, justice through activism and policy advocacy, and healing through programs and traditional gatherings, boardingschoolhealing.org.

photo credit: C-SPAN

08/19/2026

NCIA hosted some drop in vistors to our office today. Wathina Porter the Executive Director of the Lincoln Indian Center is pictured with NCIA Executive Director Judi gaiashkibos and former State Senator Patty Pansing Brooks. We had a good discussion about issues related to the Indian Center as well as a discussion about possible new legislation for the upcoming legislative session.

08/18/2026

A new and exciting funding opportunity for Native filmmakers!

Vision Maker Media Partners with Biomimicry Institute on New Film Initiative

Funding Available for Films About Indigenous Health and Environmental Knowledge

LINCOLN, NE – August 12, 2026 - - Vision Maker Media (VMM), the premier source of media by and about Native Americans since 1976, announces The Biomimicry and Indigenous Knowledge: Braiding Pathways for Regenerative Health Futures Project, a new filmmaking initiative in partnership with The Biomimicry Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to creating a Nature Positive, inclusive, and regenerative world inspired by nature’s genius. Together, the two organizations will disperse funding to Native filmmakers whose projects focus on traditional Native land-based healing, ecological stewardship, and regenerative health practices.

The Biomimicry and Indigenous Knowledge: Braiding Pathways for Regenerative Health Futures Project is supported by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Filmmakers are invited to apply for funding at https://visionmakermedia.org/fund-your-film/ by September 30, 2026. Four proposals will be selected for funding, with up to $25,000 available for each project. Panelists reviewing the entries will include Vision Maker Media president and CEO Francene Blythe-Lewis, Vision Maker Media consultant Georgiana Lee, Camilo Garzón of the Biomimicry Institute, Annelise Wunderlich of the Redford Center, filmmaker Katsitsionni Fox, and others.

“For millennia, Native peoples have survived – and thrived – in coexistence with their environment. Native understanding of the natural world and its healing powers and solutions is massive, and this vast knowledge should be both preserved and applied to the issues we all face today,” says Blythe-Lewis. “At Vision Maker Media, we celebrate the important work of The Biomimicry Institute and we’re honored to partner with them on this project.”

“Nature offers time-tested solutions to a host of challenges, refined over billions of years. We’re excited to work with Vision Maker Media and the Indigenous film community to bring these biological and ecological solutions to a wider audience. We look forward to supporting the visionary Native filmmakers who will share this important information,” says Amanda Sturgeon, CEO of the Biomimicry Institute.

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About Vision Maker Media

Vision Maker Media (VMM) is the premier source of media by and about Native Americans since 1976. Vision Maker Media’s mission is empowering and engaging Native people to share stories, envisioning a world changed and healed by understanding Native stories and the public conversations they generate. VMM works with its funded producers to develop, produce and distribute programs for all media. VMM supports training to increase the number of Native Americans and Alaska Natives producing programs across a variety of platforms.

About The Biomimicry Institute

The Biomimicry Institute is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization founded by Janine Benyus in 2005, on a mission to create a nature positive, inclusive, and regenerative world inspired and guided by nature’s genius. The Biomimicry Institute is embarking towards a ten-year vision to dramatically scale the impact that biomimicry is having on some of the biggest challenges facing the world today. Since its founding in 2005, the Institute has worked to spread the practice of looking to the solutions developed by living organisms over billions of years to provide insight and inspiration for effective, efficient, and sustainable innovations and approaches to addressing our own challenges. As the Institute embarks into their third decade, they are fully committed to work across sectors and disciplines to spread the wisdom of nature-inspired, actionable solutions across our world.

06/15/2026

NCIA Executive Director Judi gaishkibos with Rotary District 5650 Governor Robert Rapp and UNL Innovation Campus Frontier Tech Lab Design Coordinator Isaac Regier with a Rotary donated Peace Pole. The group is coordinating to customize the poles for placement at various locations in Lincoln and Nebraska in recognition of the legacy of the Genoa Boarding School in Genoa, Nebraska.

06/04/2026

Our office hosted Dr. Susan Center board member David Boyer today. Boyer visited with our director to catch up on happenings and activities at the Center.

05/18/2026

Finally.

Winnebago Tribe wins federal appeals court ruling, bringing it closer to repatriating the remains of two boys who died at boarding school

05/11/2026

We are happy to announce the selection of our five Chief Standing Bear scholarship recipients. Each recipient will receive a five thousand dollar scholarship.
Carmella Rigatuso, Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin; Madison Ball, Rosebud; Ethan Yoakum, Iowa Tribe of Kansas-Nebraska; John Fulton, Oglala Sioux; Deborah Buckley, Western Cherokee; Nayeli Laflair, Winnebago (Alternate)

05/01/2026

NCIA staff attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the new school at Walthill. A wonderful bright future and great new place for the students to learn. Staff then visited the Dr. Susan Center and met with Center Director Liz Lovejoy for a discussion about the plans for the center.

04/29/2026

Current National Congress of American Indians Director Larry Wright Jr. got to meet King Charles while he was visiting the United States. Wright, a member of Nebraskas Ponca tribe, is a former board chair of our commission.