Wisconsin court upholds $1.2B Indian gaming industry (July 17, 2006)

Wisconsin's gaming tribes rested easy on Friday with a state court ruling that upheld their right to operate and expand their casinos. At issue in the closely watched case were compacts the tribes recently signed with Gov. Jim Doyle (D)....

Alaska Native contracting program questioned (July 17, 2006)

Some members of Congress and some minority business groups are questioning the success of Alaska Native corporation contracting. The House Government Reform Committee held a hearing last month to look into the growth of Native contracting. A Government Accountability Office...

Editorial: Lumbees unwavering in recognition fight (July 17, 2006)

"It's been said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over with an expectation for a different outcome. But Lumbees yearning for federal recognition and the benefits it would deliver argue otherwise, saying their repetitious...

Opinion: Why Lakotas celebrate Little Big Horn victory (July 17, 2006)

"In a recent letter to the editor from Cody Barden (June 24), Mr. Barden wonders why the Lakota are celebrating the June 25, 1876, victory at Little Big Horn considering the loss of American lives that occurred and wonders if...

Navajo Nation Council considers ID cards (July 17, 2006)

The Navajo Nation Council is considering a bill that would create a tribal identification system. Tribal members like the idea. They say it would be more convenient to carry a photo ID rather than a paper-based Certificate of Degree of...

Red Lake Nation heads to polls to choose top leader (July 17, 2006)

Members of the Red Lake Nation in Minnesota are going to the polls on Wednesday to choose a new leader. Incumbent chairman Floyd Jourdain is facing a challenge from Judy Roy, the tribal secretary. Neither candidate received 50 percent of...

Young Native RCMP officer dies after shooting (July 17, 2006)

A Native Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer and a colleague died after being shot while responding to a domestic violence call. Const. Marc Bourdages, 26, and Const. Robin Cameron, 29, had been in critical condition since the July 7...

South Dakota tribes study infant mortality (July 17, 2006)

The Aberdeen Area Tribal Chairmen's Health Board is managing a study that seeks to understand the high Indian infant mortality rate. The board will work with all of the state's tribes for the three-year Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitor System. Indian...

Hoopa Valley, Yurok tribes at odds over $90M fund (July 17, 2006)

The Hoopa Valley Tribe and the Yurok Tribe may turn to Congress once again to resolve a dispute over a $90 million trust fund. Congress created the fund in 1988 in hopes of resolving a land dispute between the two...

Man faces trial for disputed Sun Dance ceremony (July 17, 2006)

A member of the Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes faces a trial in September over a disputed Sun Dance ceremony he organized in Oklahoma. Patrick Spottedwolf is charged with contempt of court. He allegedly violated tribal court orders not to hold the Sun...

Arizona tribes work to lure tourists to reservation (July 17, 2006)

Arizona's 22 tribes are working with the state Office of Tourism on ways to bring more tourists to their reservations. A study by the office showed that tribal culture is a primary draw for tourists. Most of the tourists who...

Nez Perce landowners protest energy company (July 17, 2006)

Several members of the Nez Perce Tribe of Idaho say energy companies aren't compensating them for the use of their land. The tribal members staged a protest over the weekend, saying Avista Utilities and other companies are using their land...

Ralph Reed fights for future amid Abramoff scandal (July 17, 2006)

Conservative Republican activist Ralph Reed is about to find out whether his ties to convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff will cost him his political future. Reed entered the race for lieutenant governor of Georgia with high hopes. Republicans believed he was...

House panel seeks Abramoff lobbying records (July 17, 2006)

The House Government Reform Committee is investigating Jack Abramoff's lobbying of the White House on behalf of tribal and other clients, The Washington Post reports. Four former tribal clients said the Greenberg Traurig firm turned over lobbying records to the...

Interview: Clarence Alexander, Gwich'in leader (July 17, 2006)

"I was born March 12, 1939, in Hudson Stuck Memorial Hospital in Fort Yukon, the oldest of 10 children. My father was born about 1910; my mother was the sole survivor of her family during the Spanish flu epidemic....

Editorial: Rep. Ney should explain Tigua Tribe ties (July 17, 2006)

"U.S. Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, has denied being involved in any wrongdoing through his links to a scandal involving a corrupt lobbyist and an ex-aide to Ney. But Ney still has not provided suitable explanations of why he was involved...

Jodi Rave: Gathering celebrates Native women warriors (July 17, 2006)

"Sue Masten and Veronica Homer united with a group of women to fulfill a vision - to celebrate the lives of grandmothers, aunties, sisters, wives and warrior women leaders of today. Masten and Homer, co-presidents of WEWIN, Women Empowering Women...

Editorial: Lamberth too honest in trust fund case (July 17, 2006)

"Sometimes, truth is not a defense - even when it's a widely respected federal judge who is laying it on the line. Royce Lamberth, who has won kudos from all corners since President Ronald Reagan put him on the District...

Mark Trahant: It's time for the U.S. to keep its word (July 17, 2006)

"How good is the United States at keeping its word? That simple question is the premise behind a complicated lawsuit that has been moving slowly through the courts for a decade. "In the latter part of the nineteenth century, the...