Cobell settlement bill pulled from Senate consideration (August 2, 2006)

Update: At the business meeting this morning, Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) decided to pull the bill after he and Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota) met with Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on Tuesday. He said Kempthorne...

Seneca-Cayuga Tribe sues over $10M tobacco account (August 2, 2006)

The Seneca-Cayuga Tribe filed a federal lawsuit against the state Oklahoma on Monday, saying its tobacco manufacturing corporation is about to collapse. The tribe says the state has forced the corporation to pay $10 million into a tobacco escrow account....

Navajo Nation plan to reopen Head Start rejected (August 2, 2006)

The Administration for Children and Families is refusing to its suspension of the Navajo Nation Head Start program, saying the tribe hasn't come up with an adequate plan. The tribe requested a partial resumption of federal funds. But officials in...

Fire causing long term damage for Blackfeet Nation (August 2, 2006)

The Red Eagle Fire is slowing in force but it has already caused long term damage for the Blackfeet Nation of Montana. The fire has destroyed cattle grazing lands and a winter range for elk. Timber stands that are...

Sen. Liz Dole: Lumbee Tribe deserves recognition (August 2, 2006)

"Today the Senate Indian Affairs Committee will consider the Lumbee Recognition Act, a bill I introduced to provide full federal recognition to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. In 1885, the Lumbee were recognized as a tribe by the State...

Navajo Nation presidential candidates attend forum (August 2, 2006)

About 1,000 people attended a forum on Tuesday night to hear from and ask questions of the Navajo Nation presidential candidates. Nearly a dozen people are seeking the job. Jon C. Reeves announced he was ending his campaign and was...

Ken Hansen recalled as warrior for Samish Nation (August 2, 2006)

Friends and family recall Ken Hansen, the former chairman of the Samish Nation of Washington, as a dedicated leader who refused to give up. Hansen worked for the tribe for more than 30 years, including about 20 years as...

Christian group subpoenaed as part of Abramoff probe (August 2, 2006)

America 21, an evangelical Christian political action group based in Nashville, has been subpoenaed as part of the Jack Abramoff probe. Abramoff told the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana to donate $10,000 to the group. The tribe had originally given the...

Tribal members debate oil refinery on reservation (August 2, 2006)

Members of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation debated a $250 million oil refinery on the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota. According to The Bismarck Tribune, opinion was divided along gender lines. Most women oppose the facility out...

Civil rights leader skips Pine Ridge Reservation (August 2, 2006)

Martin Luther King III failed to turn up for his scheduled visit to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota on Tuesday. King planned to tour the reservation and meet tribal families as part of his "Realizing the Dream" tour...

Hotel co-developed by Sycuan Band sells for $87M (August 2, 2006)

A hotel in San Diego that was co-developed by the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation has been sold for $87 million. The tribe partnered with JMI Realty to open the Hotel Solamar in the city's Gaslamp Quarter. It...

Homeland security changes affect Shadow Wolves (August 2, 2006)

The Shadow Wolves say their an all-Native unit of border patrol agents has suffered since becoming part of the Department of Homeland Security. The unit was created as part of the U.S. Customs Service in 1972. But that agency...

Red Lake principal seeks distance from shooting (August 2, 2006)

The principal of the public schools on the Red Lake Reservation in Minnesota is taking a year off to distance himself from the March 21, 2005, shootings at the high school. Chris Dunshee previously took some time off to deal...

Tribes gather for summit at sacred Bear Butte (August 2, 2006)

More than 300 Native people are camped out at Bear Butte in South Dakota to protest encroachment on the sacred site. Tribal activists from the Plains, the Southwest and as far away as Ecuador have gathered for the Summit of...

Kidnapped boy escapes but Native teen still missing (August 2, 2006)

A Native teen is still considered missing but police in Canada believe he is in good condition after finding another missing boy alive and well. Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers are negotiating with Peter Whitmore in hopes of securing...

Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe fights substance abuse (August 2, 2006)

The Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe of Nevada will use a $226,062 federal grant to combat substance abuse. According to the tribe, 40 percent of child abuse, neglect and domestic violence cases involve substance abuse. The county district attorney says methamphetamine-related crimes...

Nez Perce Tribe wants funds for hatchery released (August 2, 2006)

The Nez Perce Tribe of Idaho is accusing the Bonneville Power Administration of holding $16.4 million in federal funds hostage. The tribe says BPA, a federal agency, should release the money to build a fish hatchery in northeast Oregon. But...

Carl Artman, Oneida, named assistant secretary (August 2, 2006)

A lawyer and former lobbyist with experience in tribal matters and connections to the Republican party was nominated as the assistant secretary for Indian affairs on Tuesday. Carl J. Artman, a member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, already works...