Recall papers certified against anti-Abramoff leaders (April 19, 2005)

A recall is moving forward against leaders of the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe of Michigan who opposed disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. More than 1,000 tribal members signed petitions to recall Chief Audrey Falcon, Sub Chief Bernard Sprague, Treasurer Charmaine Benz, Secretary...

Opinion: McCain right to probe fleecing of tribes (April 19, 2005)

"But back to Arizona, home sweet home, and the most interesting senator of all, John McCain. As chairman of Indian Affairs, he has vowed to 'get to the bottom' of the investigation into 'where Indian tribes were defrauded.' The panel...

Supreme Court Roundup: Indian law cases rejected (April 19, 2005)

The U.S. Supreme Court took action on a number of Indian law and Indian-law related cases on Monday. Here's an update on the developments in five cases that were appealed to the high court. Indian Civil Rights Act Four Oneida...

Supreme Court refuses Bush appeal of trust case (April 19, 2005)

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected another attempt by the Bush administration to limit the federal government's trust responsibilities. Without comment, the justices denied an appeal involving two Wyoming tribes whose trust assets have been mismanaged by the Interior...

Yellow Bird: A visit to the Sacred Heart Monastery (April 19, 2005)

"This weekend I took a long drive to southwestern North Dakota. My destination was the Sacred Heart Monastery in Richardton, N.D. No, I have not decided to become a Catholic nun. On my excursion, there were hundreds of signs of...

Commentary: Natives, Jews divided by 'one bigot' (April 19, 2005)

"There's trouble between the tribes in Canada – the Israelite ones and the aboriginal ones, that is. It isn't just that David Ahenakew, a former head of the Assembly of First Nations who earned an Order of Canada medal in...

Native leader apologizes for Jewish media remarks (April 19, 2005)

The chief of the Rouseau River Anishinabe First Nation in Manitoba apologized on Monday for linking media coverage of a Native leader's hate crimes trial to Jewish people. Chief Terrance Nelson said his comments were "hurtful and offensive" to some...

Tim Giago: Gay marriage debate killed Democrats (April 19, 2005)

"Tom Daschle and John Kerry were herded on a fast train to defeat by one of the cleverest ploys ever created by any political party. It was the 'gay marriage' railroad to disaster. Tacked on the election ballots of many...

Hopi accountant told TV show that Lori is not Hopi (April 19, 2005)

A Hopi accountant told producers for the ABC television show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" that Lori Piestewa, the Hopi woman who was killed in action in Iraq, was not Hopi, The Arizona Republic reports. Lori's father is Hopi and she...

Opinion: Natives not upset with Bush on Red Lake (April 19, 2005)

"The Washington Post published a story on Match 25 faulting President Bush for not injecting himself quickly enough into the tragic killings at the Indian reservation in Red Lake, Minnesota. Post reporter Ceci Connolly found a volunteer at an Indian...

Tribe says NAGPRA amendment will right a wrong (April 19, 2005)

A proposed amendment to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act is an attempt to right a wrong that was identified in the Kennewick Man case, a lawyer for the Confederated Colville Tribes says. The Colvilles and three other...

Eastern Shoshone man dies at Wyoming county jail (April 19, 2005)

The state of Wyoming has launched an investigation into the death of an Eastern Shoshone tribal member who died in a county jail. Ed Young, 58, had been arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol last Friday. A few...

Native student shows love for golf and flute music (April 19, 2005)

Gene Webster Jr. is only a junior in high school but he's already making a name for himself in the golf and Native music arenas. Webster is Navajo, Ojibwe and Oneida. He plays on golf team at the Arroyo Valley...

Native groups oppose Goshute nuclear waste dump (April 19, 2005)

Native environmental groups are part of a coalition that is fighting a proposed nuclear waste dump on the Skull Valley Goshute Reservation in Utah. Led by the Public Citizen and Nuclear Information and Resource Service, the coalition includes 21 Native...

Mohegan Tribe to preserve famed burial grounds (April 19, 2005)

The Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut established a committee on Monday to decide how to preserve the burial grounds of the Chief Sachem Uncas family line. In 1999, the tribe bought a Masonic Temple that sits above the burial ground. But...

Noted Peltier foe announces retirement from House (April 19, 2005)

Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Illinois), one of imprisoned American Indian Movement activist Leonard Peltier's biggest foes in Congress, announced his retirement on Monday. Hyde, the current chairman of the House International Relations Committee, said it was time for him to go....

Supreme Court takes drug case tied to peyote use (April 19, 2005)

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to decide whether a religious group based in New Mexico can use a hallucinogenic tea that is considered an outlawed drug. The O Centro Espírita Beneficiente União do Vegetal, or UDV, says its...

Seneca smokeshops hit hard by online cigarette deal (April 19, 2005)

Businesses on the Seneca Nation in New York have been hit hard as the result of a state-federal Internet transaction deal that tribes were excluded from. Rick Jemison, a spokesman for Seneca Sovereign Partnership, said people have lost their jobs...

Counties challenge Cayuga Nation on sovereignty (April 19, 2005)

Two New York counties are planning to assert their authority over properties recently purchased by the Cayuga Nation. Officials in Cayuga and Seneca counties plan to inspect the gas pumps at gas stations owned by the tribe. The counties, citing...

Tribal leadership again an issue in land claim deals (April 19, 2005)

Who represents New York tribes that are negotiating land claim deals with the Gov. George Pataki? The question is surfacing as traditional leaders raise objections to the proposed settlements. The Haudenosaunee Council of Chiefs, the Oneida Nation chiefs and the...

Supreme Court ruling impacts New York land claims (April 19, 2005)

New York Gov. George Pataki (R) is going back to the drawing board to renegotiate his land claim deals in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in the Oneida Nation case. Pataki agreed to settle the Oneida and Cayuga...

Mesa Grande chair ousted amid probe of finances (April 19, 2005)

The chairwoman of the Mesa Grande Band of Mission Indians in California was removed from office amid a federal probe into the tribe's finances. Chairwoman Charlene Siford was ousted on Sunday, just days after the Bureau of Indian Affairs sent...

DeLay denies wrongdoing over Abramoff funded trips (April 19, 2005)

In an e-mail to supporters, embattled House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) denied any wrongdoing for taking overseas trips that were funded disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff's clients, including the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. The six-page message was reported by...

Vitter, Hastert never paid Abramoff restaurant tab (April 19, 2005)

Sen. David Vitter (D-Louisiana) and House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Illinois) never paid for the use of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff's Washington, D.C., restaurant, Business Week reports. In separate events, then-Congressman Vitter raised $12,000 in September 2003 and Hastert raised at...