Supreme Court to hear dispute over Oneida Nation land (June 29, 2004)

Ignoring the advice of the Bush administration, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to decide whether the Oneida Nation of New York must pay property taxes on ancestral territory. Without comment, the justices accepted a case with implications for...

No criminal charges for death of BIA school student (June 29, 2004)

No criminal charges will be filed in the death of an Indian teenager at the Chemawa Indian School in Oregon. Cindy Gilbert Sohappy, 16, died in a holding cell at the off-reservation boarding school. She had been placed there after...

Alaska Native subsidiary wins defense contract (June 29, 2004)

A subsidiary of Arctic Slope Regional Corp., an Alaska Native regional corporation, was awarded a $19.7 million sole-source defense contract. $p Arctic Slope Compliance Technologies will continue work on a power plant and other projects at the Fort Greely missile...

Wadena files another challenge to White Earth election (June 29, 2004)

Darrell "Chip" Wadena has filed another challenge to the election he lost on the White Earth Ojibwe Reservation in Minnesota. $P Wadena lost to Erma Vizenor by a margin of 59-41 percent. Vizenor won on the strength of off-reservation...

Yellow Bird: Off-reservation casino deserves chance (June 29, 2004)

"Tribes need to think far ahead to a time when state populations come to that realization. They need to take the income from the casinos today and turn those "marbles" into building blocks and other kinds of income. They need...

Column: All Native basketball team a 'cool' idea (June 29, 2004)

"If you've ever visited or spent any time on the Navajo reservation, you know how much the people there love basketball. Seems like every home has a backboard and rim - sometimes just the rim. It's common for fans to...

Seminole Freedmen rebuffed by Supreme Court (June 29, 2004)

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to allow the Seminole Freedmen to sue the federal government without the Seminole Nation's involvement. $p The Freedmen are trying to gain access and services provided by a $56 million settlement awarded to...

Pueblo governor died of heart attack on trip to Mexico (June 29, 2004)

Jacob Viarrial, the longtime governor of Pojoaque Pueblo in New Mexico, died of a heart attack during a trip to Mexico. He was 58. $p Viarrial died in Ciudad Juarez. He previously suffered major burns on his body during a...

Griles met with lobbyist for Goshute nuclear site (June 29, 2004)

Deputy Interior Secretary J. Steven Griles met with a lobbyist for a nuclear waste storage facility after prodding from the White House, the Associated Press reports. $p Records show that Griles met with the lobbyist to discuss Private Fuel Storage's...

Navajo Nation seeks $900M for water settlement (June 29, 2004)

Representatives of the Navajo Nation met with Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-New Mexico) on Monday. $p Navajo leaders pressed Bingaman for help in securing $900 million in federal funds to implement water projects tied to a settlement of the tribe's water...

Pictographs in New Mexico vandalized by shooters (June 29, 2004)

Indian pictographs dating back 300 to 400 years have been damaged by vandals in New Mexico. $p The Bureau of Land Management says shooters caused irreparable damage to the site, located in Delgadito Canyon. The vandalism occurred with the past...

Indian voter complaints referred to authorities (June 29, 2004)

Federal authorities in South Dakota have been asked to investigate reports that Indian voters were turned away from the polls during a recent election. $P The Four Directions Committee says some Indian voters were told they couldn't cast a ballot...

400-year-old Powhatan village uncovered at Navy site (June 29, 2004)

Archaeologists say they have uncovered the "long-lost" Powhatan village of Kiskiak at the U.S. Navy's Weapons Station in Yorktown, Virginia. $P Archaeologists say two bits of copper found in a trash pile at the village provide clues to the early...

Oglala Sioux Tribe latest to file trust accounting lawsuit (June 29, 2004)

The Oglala Sioux Tribe of South Dakota has filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking an historical accounting of its trust assets. $p The tribe is asking for an accounting of money and land. The suit says the federal government...

Statue of Mandan Chief Sheheke dedicated (June 29, 2004)

A 12-foot statue of Mandan Chief Sheheke, who helped explorers Lewis and Clark, was dedicated in Washburn, North Dakota, on Sunday. $p Sheheke welcomed the Lewis and Clark expedition through what is now North Dakota. He provided food to the...