Happy Holidays from Native News Online. Here are some of the stories you may have missed over the weekend:
Native America Celebrates the Winter Solstice
The winter solstice officially in the Northern Hemisphere begins Sunday, December 21 at 10:03 am – EST. It’s the opposite in the Southern Hemisphere, where it is the longest day of the year and summer will start.
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As the sun reached its lowest arc in the sky, tribal nations across Turtle Island celebrate the winter solstice, a sacred turning point that carries teachings of balance, endurance and renewal.
For many Indigenous peoples, the winter solstice is more than a date on the calendar.
Michigan Attorney General Opens Criminal Investigation into Indian Boarding Schools
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel on Thursday announced the launch of a statewide criminal investigation into Indian boarding schools and related institutions that once operated in Michigan.
The Department of Attorney General will work to identify, document and investigate potential criminal conduct at the schools and pursue prosecutions when warranted.
The department is asking survivors, witnesses and others with firsthand knowledge to come forward with information that could assist the investigation.
“This investigation seeks to bring truth and accountability to a painful chapter in our state’s history,” Nessel said. “My office is committed to ensuring that survivors’ voices are heard and that any criminal acts uncovered are thoroughly investigated and, when possible, prosecuted.”
Native News Weekly (December 21, 2025): D.C. Briefs
U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) has introduced the Albuquerque Indian School Act of 2025, legislation to place three tracts of land from the former Albuquerque Indian School campus and surrounding land into trust for the benefit of the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico.
Heinrich’s Albuquerque Indian School Act of 2025 is cosponsored by U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and led in the House by U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.).
“My legislation expands on decades of bipartisan work to put the former Albuquerque Indian School campus and surrounding tracts of land in to trust for the 19 Pueblos in New Mexico. This land, in particular, will be used by the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center to scale Native-owned businesses, create jobs, and expand business services for local and Native-owned businesses – an economic win for everyone,” said Heinrich.