BIA names director of law enforcement office (August 23, 2005)

LAW AND ORDER: Chris Chaney (l) is new director of the Office of Law Enforcement Services. On the right is Patrick Ragsdale, the director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Photo Courtesy BIA. The Bureau of Indian Affairs on...

Cayuga tribes ask 2nd Circuit to rehear land claim (August 23, 2005)

The Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma and the Cayuga Nation of New York asked the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals to rehear their land claim. On June 28, the court threw out the 64,000-acre claim. In a 2-1 decision, the court...

Review: Indian civilizations eclipsed others (August 23, 2005)

"Think back to high school history class: Remember the part about buffalo in the New World? It probably went something like this: When Europeans began settling the interior of North America in the 17th century, they encountered pristine forests...

Son of land claim judge wins at Oneida Nation (August 23, 2005)

The son of the federal judge who handled the Oneida Nation land claim and other tribal land claims won $45,000 at the Oneida Nation's casino. Neal McCurn Jr. won the money while playing slots at the Turning Stone Casino. His...

Totem park in Alaska gets seven new totem poles (August 23, 2005)

Seven totem poles were rased over the weekend in the Klawock Totem Park in Klawock, Alaska. The poles were replicas of ones that were deteriorating. Native carver Jon Rowan hopes to replace several more poles in the park. The...

Haskell ready for freshmen, returning students (August 23, 2005)

Haskell Indian Nations University expects about 1,000 freshmen and returning students to be enrolled for the fall semester. More than 400 students enrolled on Monday. A few hundred freshman are expected to sign up for classes today. Haskell registrar Manny...

Lawyer says Churchill cleared of some charges (August 23, 2005)

Controversial University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill won't face discipline for misrepresenting his alleged Indian heritage or for copyright infringement, his lawyer said. But a university committee said Churchill should be investigated for seven plagiarism claims, the lawyer said. The...

Column: Book portrays Indians as savages and squaws (August 23, 2005)

"A few increasingly outspoken Indians in Indiana, joined by a researcher in the Loyal Shawnee tribe in Kansas, have turned their wrath on Columbus and Hoosier writer James Alexander Thom. The Owen County author is nationally known for his...

Ex-Cherokee councilors fined for Freedmen support (August 23, 2005)

Three former Cherokee Nation council members have been fined $10,000 for using tribal funds to challenge an election in which the Cherokee Freedmen weren't allowed to vote. In May 2003, Stephanie Wickliffe Shepherd, Mary Flute Cooksey and Don Crittenden challenged...

UKB sets hearing for removal of Cherokee Chad Smith (August 23, 2005)

Cherokee Nation Chief Chad Smith says he will fight an attempt to remove him from the rolls of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokees. Smith is enrolled in both the Cherokee Nation and the UKB. He says his grandmother started...

Editorial: Native children not getting best education (August 23, 2005)

"The spotlight last week was on how well Montana schools fared meeting federal test standards. Mostly, the news was heartening. Even the fourth-grade math scores were up quite a bit from last year's 45 percent proficiency rate. The most notable...

Tim Giago: Indians became refugees in own land (August 23, 2005)

"Can the early Indian reservations be compared to refugee camps? After all, they held a lot of similarities to the refugee camps of say, the Palestinians. They were, in a sense, camps where Indian people, often from different tribes, were...

CMU to cite support of tribe for 'Chippewas' nickname (August 23, 2005)

Central Michigan University plans to appeal the inclusion of the school's "Chippewas" nickname in the new NCAA policy against Indian mascots. The school says the nickname has the support of the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe. According to The Morning Sun,...

County to file letter opposing Chumash Tribe land bid (August 23, 2005)

Santa Barbara County plans to file a letter in opposition to the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians' land-into-trust application. The Bureau of Indian Affairs has agreed to take 6.9 acres into trust for the tribe. But local non-Indian groups...

Judge agrees to move tribal member's murder trial (August 23, 2005)

A judge in Wyoming agreed to move the first-degree murder trial of a Northern Arapaho man who is accused of abusing and killing his 22-month-old daughter. Andrew Yellowbear's sought a change in venue, saying that anti-Indian bias and bias among...

Hualapai Tribe to open Grand Canyon skywalk (August 23, 2005)

The Hualapai Tribe of Arizona is hoping to attract more tourists with the opening of a skywalk over the Grand Canyon. The $40 million glass-bottomed skywalk gives people a unique view. It extends 70 feet out from the rim of...

Shinnecock Nation tackles substance abuse (August 23, 2005)

The Shinnecock Nation of New York announced the creation of a program to treat substance abuse among tribal members. Tribal representatives said they started Substance Abuse Mobilization Project to address rampant drug and alcohol addictions. A pastor who has...

Tribe says state lobbied Interior on recognition (August 23, 2005)

The Schaghticoke Tribal Nation is accusing the state of violating a "no-contact" order that bars lobbying the Interior Department on the tribe's recognition case. The tribe filed papers in federal court detailing contacts between the state and the department. In...

Column: William & Mary 'Tribe' name harmless (August 23, 2005)

"William and Mary is in the process of assembling a report to the NCAA about its nickname - Tribe - and why it should not be judged "hostile and abusive" to Native-Americans. Thirty-two of the 33 NCAA member schools with...