Budget bill orders study of land-into-trust process (May 27, 2005)

The $26.2 billion Interior appropriations bill approved by the House last week orders a Congressional review of the taking of land into trust, another sign of the heightened scrutiny of the controversial process. Language in the report accompanying the bill...

New Squaxin Island chairman takes on duties (May 27, 2005)

As the newly elected chairman of the Squaxin Island Tribe of Washington, Jim Peters says education, the environment and improving communication with tribal members are among his top priorities. Peters, 46, said he wants to make the tribal council's actions...

Narragansett Tribe meets with state on smoke shop (May 27, 2005)

Leaders of the Narragansett Tribe met with Rhode Island Gov. Donald Carcieri (R) and other top state officials on Thursday to discuss the recent court ruling in the smoke shop case. The 1st Circuit Court of Appeals said the tribe...

Murder charges laid for death in Alaska Native village (May 27, 2005)

An 18-year-old man has been charged with the murder of his friend in the Central Yup'ik village of Alakanuk in western Alaska. Isaiah Chikigak is accused of killing Mary James, 19, after they went out for a night of drinking...

Only one man guilty in crime linked to Native gang (May 27, 2005)

One man was found guilty while three others were acquitted on Thursday in an attempted murder linked to a Native gang in Regina, Saskatchewan. Owen Bitternose, 27, was sentenced to five years in prison for shooting Garnet Ponace, 30, in...

Talks continue over access to Native corporation land (May 27, 2005)

The state of Alaska is continuing talks with two Alaska Native corporations over access to their land at a popular fishery. The Chitina and Ahtna Native corporations plan to erect a fence that would limit access to the fishery. They...

Reunion honors 72 warriors who were imprisoned (May 27, 2005)

Descendants of 72 tribal warriors who were imprisoned by the federal government in 1875 are meeting for their second annual reunion in Oklahoma. The reunion honors the 72 Arapaho, Caddo, Cheyenne, Comanche and Kiowa warriors who were sent to Fort...

Students name Churchill their favorite professor (May 27, 2005)

Students at the University of Colorado have overwhelmingly chosen Ward Churchill as their favorite professor but he won't be given the award because he is too controversial. The alumni association, which oversees the Teaching Recognition Award, said Churchill won't be...

Lamberth orders Interior to turn over e-mails (May 27, 2005)

The federal judge handling the Indian trust fund case ordered the Interior Department on Thursday to turn over e-mails of top officials, including Secretary Gale Norton, associate deputy secretary Jim Cason and former deputy secretary J. Steven Griles. U.S. District...

Fort Belknap Tribes counter Lewis and Clark tour (May 27, 2005)

The Fort Belknap Indian Community of Montana held the "Corps of Recovery" on Thursday, a counter celebration to the Lewis and Clark bicentennial. Leaders of the Gros Ventre Tribe and the Assiniboine Tribe organized the event to highlight their continued...

Shoshone-Bannock Nation holds council election (May 27, 2005)

Voters of the Shoshone-Bannock Nation of Idaho are going to the polls today to elect four council members. Former chairman and current council member Blaine Edmo, incumbent Alonzo Coby, incumbent Doyle Teton, Glenn Fisher, Lee Juan Tyler, former council member...

Miccosukee Tribe ordered to give up Everglades land (May 27, 2005)

A judge in Florida has ordered the Miccosukee Tribe to give up more than 800 acres of land to make way for the $8.5 billion restoration of the Everglades. The judge said the tribe must sell its land to the...

Harjo: NCAA should ban all 'Native' imagery (May 27, 2005)

"Nearly 30 schools determined to hang on to their 'Native'' sports references have filed reports with the National Collegiate Athletic Association justifying their continued use of race-based team identities. The NCAA Executive Committee would be well-advised to file the reports...

Report: Police stop Natives more often than whites (May 27, 2005)

Police in Kingston, Ontario, stop Native people 1.4 times more often than they stop white people, according to a study released on Thursday. "Bias Free Policing" [ PDF] found disparities in the justice system. Even though Natives make up 1.6...

More artifacts uncovered at Stillaguamish site (May 27, 2005)

More artifacts have been discovered at a state construction site in Washington but no additional tribal remains, The Everett Herald reports. Excavation is occurring under an agreement between the state and the Stillaguamish Tribe. The site is located near an...

Indian educator: More classwork, less culture (May 27, 2005)

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 has led to efforts to improve the academic levels of children from the Fond du Lac Chippewa Reservation in Minnesota, an Indian education official says. But it appears to have come at...

Court asked to rule on Catawba Nation leadership (May 27, 2005)

Members of the Catawba Nation of South Carolina are asking a state judge to intervene in the tribe's ongoing leadership dispute. The members want the judge to recognize the results of a 2002 election. But the tribe's lawyer said the...

Nevada tribe starts wellness program for women (May 27, 2005)

• PDF: Heart Disease Death Rates • PDF: Stroke Death RatesSource: Atlas of Heart Disease and Stroke Among American Indians and Alaska Natives The Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe of Nevada has joined the national WiseWoman wellness program for women. The WiseWoman...

Judge orders Bush to reconsider salmon plan (May 27, 2005)

A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Bush administration to reconsider the effect four dams have on dwindling runs of salmon in the Columbia River. In a suit brought by environmental groups, U.S. District Judge James Redden said the...

Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation sponsors service dogs (May 27, 2005)

The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation of Kansas held a special blessing and naming ceremony on Thursday for a litter of puppies that will be trained to help people with physical disabilities. The tribe sponsored the litter of eight Labrador retrievers....

Editorial: Indian wars continue in Santa Ynez Valley (May 27, 2005)

"The on-going, festering dispute between the Chumash tribe and its Santa Ynez Valley neighbors has made a cross-country journey. Rock musician and Santa Ynez Valley resident David Crosby last week took his crusade against tribal gaming expansion to Washington, D.C.,...

Grand Traverse Band to celebrate recognition (May 27, 2005)

The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians will celebrate 25 years of federal recognition on Saturday. The Michigan tribe received federal recognition on May 27, 1980. It was the first to do so under the Bureau of Indian...