Embattled Ute Mountain Ute chairman resigns (August 2, 2005)

The chairman of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe of Colorado resigned on Monday amid a petition seeking his recall. Selwyn Whiteskunk entered office just nine months ago. Since then, he was arrested and charged with domestic violence. He was also...

Court clears county of liability in teen abuse case (August 2, 2005)

An Indian man who was abused as a teenager while in foster care cannot sue a Wisconsin county for damages, a federal appeals court ruled on Monday. At age 15, Nahquaseh Waubanascum was taken from his grandparents on the Menominee...

Seneca-Cayuga Tribe holds second election for chief (August 2, 2005)

Voters of the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma elected a new chief on Saturday. Businessman Paul Spicer ousted incumbent LeRoy Howard by a 330-243 vote. It was the second matchup between the two candidates. Spicer challenged the last election after losing...

Pine Ridge man gets 11 years for friend's death (August 2, 2005)

A man from the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison for fatally stabbing his friend. Wicahpe George "Chops" Milk, 21, was convicted of second-degree murder in connection with the October 15, 2004,...

Ho-Chunk Nation to discuss plans for Chicago area (August 2, 2005)

Leaders of the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin will meet today and tomorrow to discuss plans for land the tribe owns outside of Chicago. The tribe invested $20 million in the village of Lynwood, near the Indiana border. So far, the...

Coeur d'Alene Tribe's golf course wins praises (August 2, 2005)

The Coeur d'Alene Tribe's golf course has only been open a short time but it is already winning praises. The Circling Raven Golf Club was named one of the top 10 layouts by Golf Digest and Golf Magazine. The...

Sitting Bull inducted into Cowboy Hall of Fame (August 2, 2005)

Hunkpapa Lakota Chief Sitting Bull is being inducted into the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame. Sitting Bull is among eight inductees into the hall. He is being recognized as one of the leaders of the Battle of the Little...

Historic Bell of Batoche still missing in action (August 2, 2005)

A bell that is considered a symbol of the Metis people and their battle against the Canadian government is still missing in action. Canadian soldiers took the Bell of Batoche from a church in Saskatchewan at the conclusion of...

More than 60 canoes arrive for annual celebration (August 2, 2005)

More than 60 canoes landed at Port Angeles in Washington on Monday for the official end of the 2005 Canoe Journey. Crews from as far north and Alaska and as far south as Oregon took part in this year's...

First Nations University task force announced (August 2, 2005)

The board of the First Nations University of Canada announced a task force to address financial and management issues at the troubled institution. The board said the task force will have wide-ranging powers over the university. But one of...

Editorial: Action needed on Kickapoo water crisis (August 2, 2005)

"The Kickapoo tribe wants the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s Division of Water Resources office to postpone issuing permits for water storage structures in Brown and Nemaha counties that would impact the tribe. Tribal leaders are patient, even determined, because they...

Minnesota tribes work with state to track offenders (August 2, 2005)

Representatives of nine tribes met with Minnesota attorney general Mike Hatch on Monday to discuss a plan to track offenders who live on reservations. The tribes plan to develop their own system to track violent offenders in light of a...

Bush expected to sign Sand Creek Massacre measure (August 2, 2005)

President Bush is expected to sign a bill that would add land to the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site in Colorado. The Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site Trust Act of 2005 adds 1,465 acres to the site...

Pacific Northwest tribes recorded earthquake (August 2, 2005)

A magnitude 9.0 earthquake was felt by tribes in the Pacific Northwest in 1700, according to a recent article in Seismological Research Letters. The tribes recorded the event in their oral histories, the article said. Known as the Cascadia earthquake...

NCAI joins push to reauthorize Voting Rights Act (August 2, 2005)

The National Congress of American Indians and other organizations have launched a campaign to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The act celebrates its 40th anniversary this week. Due to expire in two years, NCAI and other organizations say...

Coquille Tribe obtains financing to build RV park (August 2, 2005)

The Coquille Tribe of Oregon has obtained a $2.8 million loan to finance the construction of an RV park. The 100-site RV park will be located on about 12 acres of a 50-acre parcel the tribe recently acquired. The...

Oklahoma tribe plans state's largest gaming facility (August 2, 2005)

Top: Goldsby Travel Plaza along I-35. Bottom: Travel plaza demolished for casino. Click to Enlarge. • PDF: Goldsby Trust Deed An Oklahoma tribe is planning to build the largest casino in the state on land that wasn't taken into...

Tim Giago: New addiction takes over in Indian Country (August 2, 2005)

"This gambling addiction is already contributing to many new social problems in Indian country. Adults are spending their per capita payments, and their welfare and paychecks at the gaming tables. They are losing the money they should have used to...

BLM CIO threatened with demotion in Cobell case (August 2, 2005)

The chief information officer of the Bureau of Land Management was threatened with demotion for coming forward about security weaknesses at her agency. Four days after providing a declaration that outlined some weaknesses, Ronnie Levine was given a negative job...

Editorial: Science and tribe clash at sacred site (August 2, 2005)

"A federal judge's ruling Tuesday ends a lawsuit over construction of new telescopes on Kitt Peak but opens a new chapter in the continuing clash between culture and science on the mountain southwest of Tucson. Science stands to suffer unless...

Alaska Native villages get rid of abandoned cars, junk (August 2, 2005)

Alaska Native villages along the Yukon River are finally getting rid of abandoned cars and other junk that has blighted their communities for years. With the help of grants from the Environmental Protection Agency and other public and private entities,...

Mohegan, Pequot descendants can't get enrolled (August 2, 2005)

Getting enrolled in two of the wealthiest tribes is difficult, some Mohegan and Pequot descendants have discovered. The Mohegan Tribe, with about 1,640 members, closed its enrollment process and has turned people away. So has the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation,...

BIA won't recognize new Cayuga Nation leaders (August 2, 2005)

The Bureau of Indian Affairs won't recognize the new leadership of the Cayuga Nation of New York. The tribe sought to remove its traditional form of government and Clint Halftown as its representative. But the BIA said not enough tribal...