For the fourth year in a row, the question of who should own Shawnee Indian Mission in Fairway is back before Kansas legislators. But this time, a bill proposes placing the state historic site into the hands of a different Native tribe.
This time appearing on the Kansas Senate side, Senate Bill 518 calls for the state to transfer ownership of the Mission to the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation — a change from the 2023 and 2025 bills that called for the Shawnee Tribe to own the same piece of land.
The Senate Committee on Commerce hosted a hearing on SB 518 on Wednesday, during which no action was taken. The committee chair did ask Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Chairman Joseph Rupnick to consider working with state officials on an agreement with all tribal nations impacted by the site…