Poarch Creeks report record turnout for election (June 8, 2005)

The Poarch Band of Creek Indians in Alabama saw a record turnout for its election, tribal officials said. Tribal members re-elected incumbent chairman Eddie Tullis and incumbent health administrator Buford Rolin. Arthur Mothershed was newly elected to the tribal council....

Appeals court to rehear tribal jurisdiction case (June 8, 2005)

When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year that tribes have the inherent authority to prosecute all Indians regardless of membership, the decision was seen as a victory for tribal sovereignty. But the US v. Lara decision hasn't necessarily been...

Judge says BLM failed to consult tribe on drilling (June 8, 2005)

The Bureau of Land Management failed to consult the Northern Cheyenne Tribe before allowing coalbed methane drilling, a federal judge ruled on Monday. U.S. Magistrate Richard Anderson said the BLM didn't consult with the tribe under the National Historic Preservation...

Editorial: Indian candidate starts outreach (June 8, 2005)

"When last we made mention of Kalyn Free, the former southeastern Oklahoma prosecutor had gone down to defeat in the 2004 Democratic Primary for the 2nd Congressional District seat. Free took 36 percent of the vote against the eventual general...

Paper says Churchill mischaracterized laws (June 8, 2005)

In Day 4 of its investigation, The Denver Rocky Mountain News says controversial University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill mischaracterized the General Allotment Act of 1877 and the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990. In published essays, Churchill charged...

New York cautious in wake of Oneida Nation ruling (June 8, 2005)

The state of New York is taking a cautious approach in dealing with the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in the Oneida Nation case. In an 8-1 ruling, the court said the tribe cannot "unilaterally" assert sovereignty over its ancestral...

Navajo/Pueblo woman is new NAJA executive director (June 8, 2005)

Kim Baca, a Navajo and Santa Clara Pueblo woman from New Mexico, has been hired as the interim executive director of the Native American Journalists Association. Baca, a former reporter, most recently worked at the National American Indian Housing Council...

Hearing set on suspension of Oglala Sioux president (June 8, 2005)

The Oglala Sioux Tribe's council will hold a hearing on Tuesday, June 14, to hear a complaint that calls for the suspension of President Cecelia Fire Thunder. Fire Thunder is the tribe's first female president. She is accused of mismanaging...

Oklahoma tribe in line to buy ailing water district (June 8, 2005)

The Citizen Potawatomi Nation of Oklahoma is on track to buy an ailing rural water district. Pottawatomie County commissioners passed a resolution allowing the sale of the South Pottawatomie County Rural Water District No. 3 to the tribe. The district...

Red Lake survivor and mother slowly recovering (June 8, 2005)

One of the survivors of the March 21, 2005, shootings on the Red Lake Ojibwe Reservation is slowly recovering along with his mother, who suffered a stroke about a month after the incident. Jeffrey May, 15, was shot in the...

Editorial: Native graduation rates see improvement (June 8, 2005)

"South Dakota has one of the highest high school graduation rates in the nation, with 96 percent of students statewide earning diplomas in 2003-2004. Despite this success, few of the state's Native American students earn high school diplomas - something...

HHS holds tribal consultation session in Denver (June 8, 2005)

The Department of Health and Human Services is holding a consultation session with more than 100 tribal leaders in Denver, Colorado, today and tomorrow. Representatives of 32 tribes from Colorado, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota and South Dakota will attend...

Students arrested for vandalism at high school (June 8, 2005)

Navajo Nation police have arrested two students for allegedly vandalizing the Tohatchi High School, a public school on the reservation. The school estimates that the students caused about $10,000 worth of damage to equipment and the school. The entire...

Navajo police recognized for highway safety efforts (June 8, 2005)

Navajo Nation police in Shiprock, New Mexico, have received an Indian Health Service award for efforts to highway traffic fatalities. The Shiprock Department of Criminal Investigations has stepped up patrols on Navajo Route 36. The increased presence has resulted in...

Native fishermen to sue Canada over buffer zone (June 8, 2005)

Native fishermen from the Burnt Church First Nation in New Brunswick plan to sue the Canadian government over a buffer zone that divides them from non-Natives. The fishermen say the buffer zone violates their treaty rights and prevents them from...

Critic: 'Into the West' unlike anything you've seen (June 8, 2005)

Denver Rocky Mountain News broadcasting critic Dusty Saunders gives his thumbs-up to "Into the West," the TNT mini-series that debuts on Friday. "Forget all the TV shootout heroics of Matt Dillon and Wyatt Earp and dialogue like 'They went...

Four tribes to receive $2M for approval of port pier (June 8, 2005)

Four Washington tribes will receive a total of $2 million for use of their fishing grounds for a pier at the Port of Everett. The Tulalip Tribes, the Swinomish Tribe, the Suquamish Tribe and the Lummi Nation each have...

Other tribes attended White House meeting with Bush (June 8, 2005)

Representatives of the Kickapoo Tribe of Texas and the Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana attended a White House meeting with President George W. Bush that was partially underwritten by two former tribal clients of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. But a...

Indian-led protests in Bolivia take violent turn (June 8, 2005)

Indian-led protests in the Bolivian capital of La Paz took a violent turn on Tuesday after President Carlos Mesa offered his resignation. Thousands of Indians, miners and others continued to flood the streets. Police fired tear gas, rubber bullets...

U.S. seeks $10B, instead of $130B, in tobacco case (June 8, 2005)

The Department of Justice wrapped up its racketeering case against the tobacco industry on Tuesday by asking for $10 billion in penalties rather than the $130 billion that had been suggested by a government witness. The tobacco companies involved in...