Feds seek evidence in non-Indian peyote case (October 21, 2004)

Federal prosecutors in Utah have issued grand jury subpoenas for evidence in a case involving non-Indian use of peyote. The U.S. Attorney's office is investigating Nicholas Stark and James "Flaming Eagle" Mooney. Both claim to be medicine men and practitioners...

Center to improve education of Indian students (October 21, 2004)

The National American Indian, Alaskan & Hawaiian Educational Development Center opened in Sheridan, Wyoming, on Wednesday with the goal of improving educational levels of Native children throughout the country. The center will provide a national network to train and recruit...

County to decide on appeal of Native voting case (October 21, 2004)

A conservative legal group that has challenged protections for sacred sites is urging a Montana county to take a Native voting rights case to the U.S. Supreme Court. Mountain States Legal Foundation, a former employer of Interior Secretary Gale Norton,...

Kickapoo Tribe refiles charges against elderly women (October 21, 2004)

The Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma has refiled criminal charges against three elderly women who staged a takeover of the tribal headquarters. New charges were filed against two women. Auchee Wahpepah, Valentina Jimenez, Glenda Deer, Juanita Prado and Zelma Garza are...

Tribe's college faces uncertain financial future (October 21, 2004)

Two years after being purchased by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, Si Tanka University in South Dakota is undergoing financial troubles again. The school, most recently known as Huron University, is in foreclosure litigation over a $3.3 million loan and...

Navajo council makes second endorsement in same race (October 21, 2004)

Leaders of the nation's largest tribe reversed position on Wednesday and endorsed Democrat Paul Babbitt for U.S. House after doing the same for incumbent Republican Rick Renzi. The Navajo Nation council voted 40 in favor of endorsing Babbitt and 30...

State bars second absentee vote on reservation (October 21, 2004)

The state of South Dakota won't allow a second day of absentee voting on the Lower Brule Sioux Reservation because it would occur on the same day as an event with free food. Secretary of State Chris Nelson says election...

Woman finds calling in helping Native elders (October 21, 2004)

Lynn Powers is Ojibwe but doesn't look it. With blond hair and light skin, she found herself an outcast among Indians and Whites. But now Powers has found her place at the Minneapolis American Indian Center. She is a home...

Chairman: Thune 'not very productive' on Indians (October 21, 2004)

Despite spending six years in Congress, Republican John Thune was "not very productive" on Indian issues, the chairman of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe of South Dakota tells the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. Michael Jandreau, the tribe's longtime leader, says...

Pine Ridge Election: Profile of Cecilia Fire Thunder (October 21, 2004)

KOTA Territory News is profiling both candidates for president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe of South Dakota. First up is Cecilia Fire Thunder. Fire Thunder, a former nurse, would be the tribe's first woman president if elected. She calls herself...

Authorities investigate death at Eastern Cherokee (October 21, 2004)

The FBI and the Eastern Band of Cherokee police are investigating the fatal stabbing of a tribal member. Barry Swordfish, 32, died Monday night, an FBI agent said. The FBI would not divulge any other information about the incident. Get...

Judge tosses lawsuit over BIA role in tribal finances (October 21, 2004)

A federal judge in Utah has dismissed a lawsuit accusing the Bureau of Indian Affairs of failing to supervise the Northern Ute Tribe's finances. The suit blamed the BIA of allowing a financial advisor to have total control of the...

Native center in Saskatchewan damaged by fire (October 21, 2004)

A community center in Regina, Saskatchewan, that provided services to Natives was heavily damaged in a fire on Tuesday night. Police do not yet know what caused the fire at the Regina Friendship Centre. They suspect paint and other items...

Crow horses helped NMAI and Secret Service in DC (October 21, 2004)

Crow horses from Montana played a role in the opening of the National Museum of the American Indian last month. Two Crow police officers led the Native Nations Procession on September 21. They rode on Crow horses. The horses were...

Indian students hold cleansing ceremony for tepee (October 21, 2004)

Indian students at Montana State University in Bozeman held a cleansing ceremony for a tepee that was defaced with the F-word. MSU president Geoff Gamble attended the ceremony. "You need to know how sorry I am that someone would think...

Governor calls tribe's offer 'a kind of blackmail' (October 21, 2004)

Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal (R) accused the Northern Arapaho Tribe of "a kind of blackmail" for seeking support for a bill that would generate revenues for the tribe. The tribe made its offer in a letter on Tuesday. The tribe...

Group wants to preserve Florida burial ground (October 21, 2004)

Residents of Hutchinson Island in Florida want to ensure an Indian burial ground uncovered by the recent hurricanes is protected but the decision will be left up to the state. State officials will be meeting to discuss the fate of...

Alaska Native vote called crucial in Senate race (October 21, 2004)

Alaska Native voters will play a key role in determining the outcome of the U.S. Senate race between incumbent Lisa Murkowski (R) and challenger Tony Knowles (D). Alaska Natives made up 16 percent of the population. Their large numbers have...

Issue: Students debate Mt. Graham telescope site (October 21, 2004)

Student columnists at the University of Arizona, the lead institution for the Large Binocular Telescope on Mt. Graham, debate the issue in this week's Arizona Daily Wildcat. Every columnist, including the sarcastic one, opposes the site due to objections from...

Apache tribe continues to fight telescope site (October 21, 2004)

The San Carlos Apache Tribe of Arizona says it will continue to fight a telescope observatory being built on sacred Mount Graham. The mountain is a central part of Apache life and religion. The tribe says the presence of the...

Bush used IHS money for anti-terrorism, Iraq (October 21, 2004)

The Bush administration has taken money from the Indian Health Service and used it for homeland security and the Iraq war, according to The Washington Post. The administration says it has been increasing the IHS budget but the 2005 request...

Study shows women with excess mercury levels (October 21, 2004)

A study sponsored by Greenpeace shows that 21 percent of women of childbearing age have mercury levels in their hair that exceed federal health standards. The study is ongoing but Greenpeace says it is evidence that coal-fired power plants and...

Two more lawyers linked to lobbyist scandal (October 21, 2004)

Two more lawyers at the Greenberg Traurig firm have been linked to the scandal involving Washington insiders Jack Abramoff and Michael Scanlon. Kevin Ring left the firm after it was discovered he accepted $135,000 from Scanlon's public relations company. Another...