Cancer among Minnesota Indians extremely high (April 20, 2005)

Cancer rates among American Indians in Minnesota are 30 percent higher than previously reported, the state's Department of Health disclosed on Tuesday. Based on data from 1998 to 2002, the cancer rate among American Indians was 538.1 cases per 100,000...

Agua Caliente Band finds new site for museum (April 20, 2005)

The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians is announcing a new site for its museum. The Agua Caliente Cultural Museum, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, will move to the heart of Palm Springs, near the convention center. The site...

Congressman tied to Abramoff failed to pay tribal tab (April 20, 2005)

Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) failed to report that a California tribe hosted a fundraiser for him more than two years ago, Roll Call reports. In February 2003, the Morongo Band of Mission Indians held a fundraiser for Ney in a...

New York Senate votes against trust land for tribes (April 20, 2005)

The New York Senate passed a resolution on Tuesday opposing requests by the Cayuga Nation and the Oneida Nation to take lands into trust. The two tribes have asked the Bureau of Indian Affairs to protect their lands from state...

Piestewa family finally gets to see giant new home (April 20, 2005)

The family of Lori Piestewa, the Hopi woman killed in action in Iraq, were overjoyed on Tuesday after receiving the keys to their new home. The 4,300-square-foot home, valued at $500,000, is the gift of the ABC television show "Extreme...

Mining an issue as Navajo Nation Council meets (April 20, 2005)

Mining on the reservation emerged as a key issue as the Navajo Nation Council met for its spring session this week. Tribal members from the Black Mesa area of northeastern Arizona held a protest on Monday to oppose the continued...

Navajo Nation, New Mexico sign water rights deal (April 20, 2005)

The Navajo Nation and the state of New Mexico signed an $800 million deal to settle the tribe's water rights in the San Juan River Basin but Sen. Pete Domenici (R) warned that federal funding is scarce. Navajo President Joe...

Harvard president defends remarks on genocide (April 20, 2005)

Harvard University President Lawrence H. Summers, who has been formally rebuked for remarks about women in the scientific field, is defending a controversial speech in which he called the deaths of millions of Native Americans a "coincidence" and "Nobody’s plan."...

Powwow caps off Indian Awareness Week (April 20, 2005)

The 23rd annual Lakota Omniciye Wacipi will be held this weekend at Black Hills State University in South Dakota. The powwow, which runs Friday through Sunday, caps off Indian Awareness Week at the university. Native students have organized a series...

German ally of John Paul elected as new pope (April 20, 2005)

Joseph Ratzinger, a German-born cardinal who was a strong defender of the late John Paul II, was elected the 265th leader of the Roman Catholic Church on Tuesday. Ratzinger, to be known as Pope Benedict XVI, is 78 years old....

Crow man pleads guilty to murder of student (April 20, 2005)

Mitchell James Chandler, a member of the Crow Tribe of Montana, pleaded guilty to stabbing Dexter Morning Jr., a Crow tribal member who was a popular high school wrestler. Chandler, 22, admitted to stabbing Morning, 17, five times on...

Haida Nation continues fight against logging giant (April 20, 2005)

The Haida Nation of British Columbia is bringing its fight against logging giant Weyerhaeuser to the United States. The tribe will protest at Weyerhaeuser's annual meeting in Seattle, Washington. Haida leaders hope they can pressure the company to seek the...

Passamaquoddy Tribe asked to end 'lopsided' deal (April 20, 2005)

The Passamaquoddy Tribe of Maine is being asked to drop efforts to open a liquefied natural gas terminal on the Pleasant Point Reservation. The tribe signed an agreement with an Oklahoma company for a $400 million LNG terminal that promised...

Bay Area Indians to dedicate new Friendship Center (April 20, 2005)

Urban Indians in the Bay Area of California will dedicate a new Friendship House Healing Center on Friday. The $12 million, four-story building is the result of 10 years of planning and fundraising. It replaces an older building and expands...

Hastert pays tab for fundraiser at Abramoff restaurant (April 20, 2005)

House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Illinois) has finally paid for his tab for using disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff's restaurant. Hastert held a fundraiser at the Signatures restaurant in Washington, D.C., in June 2003. At the event and in the weeks following,...

Wind River tribes expect $6.5M for winning trust case (April 20, 2005)

Two Wyoming tribes whose trust assets were mismanaged by the federal government expect to receive an additional $6.5 million for winning their case, The Casper Star-Tribune reports. The Northern Arapaho Tribe and the Eastern Shoshone Tribe filed a breach of...

Lamberth schedules hearing on computer systems (April 20, 2005)

U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth will hold a hearing this morning to discuss the state of information technology at the Interior Department. The plaintiffs in the Cobell v. Norton trust fund lawsuit have asked the judge to shut down insecure...