Energy rights-of-way study criticized at Denver meeting (March 8, 2006)

A federal study that will recommend how tribes should be compensated for use of their land came under fire at a meeting in Denver, Colorado, on Tuesday. The Interior Department and the Energy Department have been charged by Congress to...

Non-Indian inmates taking part in religious ceremonies (March 8, 2006)

Non-Indian inmates are taking part in religious ceremonies at the Nevada State Prison, a situation criticized by spiritual leaders and tribal advocates. The Department of Corrections looked into inmates who were participating in a sweat lodge at the prison. The...

Onondaga Nation forum explores women's role (March 8, 2006)

A forum held to address the Onondaga Nation and the tribe's land claim was held in Syracuse on Tuesday night. Roesch Wagner, a women's studies scholar, and Onondaga clan mother Jeanne Shenandoah spoke about the role of women in...

Pine Ridge man on trial for drunk driving deaths (March 8, 2006)

A man from the Pine Ridge Reservation is on trial in federal court on two charges of manslaughter. Donovan New, 35, is accused of driving drunk and causing the deaths of his father, Charles Theodore New Sr., 63, and his...

Fort Mojave Tribe certifies first animal control agents (March 8, 2006)

The Fort Mojave Tribe of Arizona and Nevada certified its first animal control agents this month. The two employees went through three levels of training through the National Animal Control Association. They are the first nationally-certified agents for the tribe....

Cheyenne-Arapahos consider new constitution (March 8, 2006)

Members of the Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma have until Friday to register for an election to decide the fate of a new constitution. The new document creates four branches of government: executive, legislative, judicial and tribal council. A system of...

Oglala Sioux Tribe meets with border town leaders (March 8, 2006)

Leaders of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and the town of Chadron, Nebraska, met on Monday to discuss concerns and issues. OST Vice President Alex White Plume and other tribal representatives said Chadron was the only border town to agree...

Sitting Bull College named 'cool' by Fortune mag (March 8, 2006)

Sitting Bull College on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation has been named one of "10 cool colleges for entrepreneurs" by Fortune Small Business magazine. The college landed on the list for launching a "pioneering program" in entrepreneurship. The magazine says...

Man in peyote case accuses county of wrongdoing (March 8, 2006)

A self-proclaimed medicine man is accusing attorneys in Utah County, Utah, of suppressing evidence when they prosecuted him for possession of peyote. James "Flaming Eagle" Mooney, the founder of his own Native American Church, was charged with using peyote...

Mashantucket Tribe donates to Habitat for Humanity (March 8, 2006)

The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation is donating $65,000 to Habitat for Humanity to build four homes for people in southeastern Connecticut. The donation is the tribe's first to Habitat for Humanity. Secretary Charlene Jones said the tribe hopes to continue...

New York elementary school to be named in Mohawk (March 8, 2006)

Students at a new elementary school in Shenendehowa, New York, are being asked to choose a Mohawk name for their school. The finalists are Akwekon, meaning everybody, all or everyone; Kanata, meaning community, town or village; and Shatekon, or eight,...

Oneida chairman delivers State of the Tribes in Wisconsin (March 8, 2006)

Gerald Danforth, the chairman of the Oneida Nation and president of the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council, delivered the second annual State of the Tribes address to the Wisconsin Legislature on Tuesday. Danforth laid out an agenda for the tribes...

Court hears Catawba Nation school fees dispute (March 8, 2006)

The South Carolina Supreme Court heard arguments on Tuesday in a dispute over public school fees allegedly owed by the Catawba Nation. A 1993 Congressional settlement act requires the tribe to pay fees to the public school for educating tribal...

NMAI in New York to receive $1.5M federal grant (March 8, 2006)

The National Museum of the American Indian in New York will receive a $1.5 million grant to expand its home in downtown Manhattan. The money will go towards a $5 million renovation project to add 6,000 square feet to...

Ad campaign blasts Christian group for Abramoff ties (March 8, 2006)

A liberal advocacy group is launching an advertising campaign today that criticizes Christian activist James Dobson for his ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. The Campaign to Defend the Constitution says Dobson used his Focus on the Family group...

Inouye defends action on tribal political donations (March 8, 2006)

Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) opposed a proposal that would have required more disclosure of tribal political donations because it singled out tribes, The Native American Times reports. The language was included in a lobbying reform bill considered by the Senate...

No 'right number' in settlement of Cobell v. Norton (March 8, 2006)

Members of Congress were told last week they must simply pick a number to settle the Cobell v. Norton trust fund lawsuit. Experts at a joint House-Senate hearing said it would be futile to pick a number based on an...

Rep. DeLay easily wins GOP primary in Texas (March 8, 2006)

Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas) easily won the Republican nomination for Congressional District 22 on Tuesday. DeLay faced four GOP challengers but he won with 61 percent of the vote. His closest rival was Tom Campbell with 30 percent. DeLay...

Cherokee Freedmen win tribal citizenship lawsuit (March 8, 2006)

The Cherokee Freedman are full citizens of the Cherokee Nation, the tribe's highest court ruled on Tuesday. In a 2-1 decision, the Judicial Appeals Tribunal said the Freedmen, who are descendants of African-American slaves, retain citizenship, voting rights and other...