U.S. Supreme Court refuses to clarify tribal claims (May 16, 2006)

Tribal claims across the nation face an uncertain future after the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear a critical case. Without comment, the justices declined a petition filed by the Cayuga Nation of New York and the Seneca-Cayuga...

Navajos commute long hours for employment (May 16, 2006)

Members of the Navajo Nation often commute long hours for jobs in Durango, Colorado, a situation that could be affected by the immigration debate. Ophelia Castiano lives in New Mexico and drives about two hours each way to her job...

Onondaga Nation to continue pursuit of land claim (May 16, 2006)

Leaders of the Onondaga Nation of New York said they will continue to pursue the tribe's land claim despite the U.S. Supreme Court's rejection of the Cayuga claim. The Onodaga Nation filed suit in March 2005. The tribe claims about...

Cherokee committee approves membership proposal (May 16, 2006)

The Cherokee Nation Council's rules committee on Monday approved a proposal to deny citizenship to the Cherokee Freedmen. The tribe's highest court ruled that the Freedmen, the descendants of former slaves, are eligible for citizenship because their ancestors appear on...

Billy Mills to address rights summit in California (May 16, 2006)

Olympic gold medalist Billy Mills will deliver the keynote at the first annual American Indian Rights and Resources Organization meeting on May 20 in Sacramento, California. Mills, a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, is active in promoting Indian causes....

Ojibwe author upset about photo in Churchill book (May 16, 2006)

Brenda Child, a member of the Red Lake Nation of Minnesota, is upset that a photo she took appears in a book published by controversial University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill. Child, a University of Minnesota faculty member, wrote Boarding...

Vandals hit Flagstaff's mayor's car at Indian forum (May 16, 2006)

Vandals hit the car of Flagstaff Mayor Joe Donaldson as he was attending a forum sponsored by the American Indians for Community Action. Donaldson's car was littered with toilet paper. A urine-filled commode was placed on top. The incident is...

Rare whale washes up on Lummi Reservation (May 16, 2006)

A rare fin whale washed up on the shores of the Lummi Reservation in Washington on Sunday. The tribe isn't sure how the whale, an endangered species, got there. But it may have been hit by a boat. The...

Editorial: Urban Indian health clinics effective (May 16, 2006)

"Members of the U.S. Congress have been President Bush's all-too-willing accomplices in driving up the federal budget deficit and the national debt. Between a war of choice in Iraq, infamous earmarks and tax cuts for the wealthy, Congress has shown...

Indian health care events in Washington this week (May 16, 2006)

Tribal leaders are in Washington, DC, this week for Indian health care events. Starting today and continuing through Thursday, the Department of Health and Human Services is hosting the 8th annual national tribal consultation session. The meeting takes place at...

Morongo Band to host meeting on rights-of-way (May 16, 2006)

Tribal leaders are invited to attend a forum on energy rights-of-way being held on May 25 by the Morongo Band of Mission Indians. The meeting is being called to discuss the tribal rights-of-way study being conducted by the Interior Department...

Editorial: Don't get too worked up about gas tax (May 16, 2006)

"In Washington, the Squaxin and Swinomish tribes – both small and relatively far from large population centers – filed federal lawsuits to be rid of the 31-cents-a-gallon state gas tax. In November, U.S. District Judge Thomas Zilly ruled in their...

Reservation schools see high number of transfers (May 16, 2006)

Public schools on reservations in South Dakota see a high number of transfers, The Sioux Falls Argus Leader reports. Many of the transfers are sports-related. Of the three public schools with the most incoming sports-related transfers since 1998, two are...

Navajo president pledges to reopen Head Start (May 16, 2006)

Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. said he hopes to reopen the tribe's Early Head Start program within a few days and the Head Start program within a month. Early Head Start is designed for children up to three years...

Oneida Nation confident on future of land claim (May 16, 2006)

The Oneida Nation of New York issued a statement on Monday after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the Cayuga land claim. The tribe said the refusal to hear the case doesn't have an effect on its claim. "The...

Urban members of Red Lake Nation head to polls (May 16, 2006)

Members of the Red Lake Nation who live in the Twin Cities voted in the tribe's election on Monday. Votes were taken at the American Indian Center in Minneapolis. Results were not available. Tribal members on the reservation head to...

Native man on trial for gang-related murder (May 16, 2006)

A Native gang member is on trial in Saskatchewan for murder. Quinton Bitternose, who is acting as his own lawyer but has been barred from the courtroom, is charged with murdering Wayne Gerald Friday. The crime is linked to Native...

Yellow Bird: Death is our greatest unknown (May 16, 2006)

"Death is the worst unknown we can grapple with. In my lifetime, I have seen it come - sometimes quietly, sometimes unjustly, sometimes too soon, but always with great power. There's no saying, "Just wait a minute" or "Give me...

Teen charged with attempted murder on reserve (May 16, 2006)

A 16-year-old boy from the Samson Reserve in Alberta has been charged with attempting murder in what is being called a gang-related incident. The boy is accused of shooting another person, who was not identified. The victim is in stabled...

Tim Giago: Congratulations to the class of '06 (May 16, 2006)

"To those of you seated before me wearing your colors of graduation, I am very proud of you. You have stuck with something to its conclusion. Although many of you have lived in poverty, oftentimes never knowing if there would...