Bush budget slashes Indian education by $79M (March 23, 2004)

New Bureau of Indian Affairs head Dave Anderson is making education a top priority but his agency's latest budget doesn't necessarily reflect his concern. While trust reform will see a major increase in 2005, education and school-related programs for American...

Opinion: Indian businesses hurting immigrant stores (March 23, 2004)

"Indian tribes have launched a multimillion-dollar campaign to convince New Yorkers that the tax law violates their 'sacred treaties.' This is a smoke screen. In 1994, the Supreme Court ruled it was constitutional for New York to tax Indian sales...

Pueblo leader envisions center for all Indians (March 23, 2004)

Tom Talache, governor Nambé Pueblo in Tesuque, is moving forward with plans for a United First Nations Assembly, a center that would promote tribal economic development and self-sufficiency. Talache came up with the idea for the center 10 years ago...

Supreme Court to resolve self-determination dispute (March 23, 2004)

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a dispute over a federal funding policy that tribes say is costing them hundreds of millions of dollars. Lawsuits over contract support costs have been brought by a handful of tribes...

SIPI distance learning affected by Internet shutdown (March 23, 2004)

The distance learning program at the Southwest Indian Polytechnic Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has been affected by an Internet shutdown at the Department of Interior. The program's 12 classes are attended by students in New Mexico, New Mexico and...

Yellow Bird: Awakening for Native and Christian (March 23, 2004)

"I set out Friday for Naytahwaush, Minn., fighting gale winds up to 30 mph to interview Rev. Michael Smith, new Episcopal Bishop of North Dakota. It was a day of awakenings. As I drove crossed the straight and smooth Agassiz...

Non-Indians oppose Idaho tribe's jurisdiction (March 23, 2004)

Non-Indians in northern Idaho are opposing the Coeur d'Alene Tribe's jurisdiction over Lake Coeur d'Alene. The North Idaho Citizens Alliance says non-Indians shouldn't submit to the tribe's authority. "The United States government is our government and who we follow," the...

Indian scientist calls study of physics sacred (March 23, 2004)

NASA scientists Jerry C. Elliott says the study of physics "os one of the most sacred things you can do." Elliott, an Osage and Cherokee man who grew up in Oklahoma, has worked on some pretty high-flying projects at NASA....

Once outspoken, county official now mum about tribe (March 23, 2004)

Santa Barbara County, California, Supervisor Gail Marshall has had a lot of opinions about the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. Over the years, she has fought the tribe's casino plans and has been seeking a greater share of gaming...

Ute Mountain Ute chair pleads guilty to tax fraud (March 23, 2004)

Judy Knight-Frank will resign as chair of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe of Colorado after pleading guilty to one count of falsifying her 1998 income tax return. Knight-Frank, 60, obtained payroll advances for which she did not pay timely taxes....

Lawyer seeks removal from Aquash murder case (March 23, 2004)

The public defender for the man convicted of murdering American Indian Movement activist Anna Mae Pictou-Aquash wants off the case. Lawyer Tim Rensch says relations with convicted murderer Arlo Looking Cloud have broken down beyond repair. This is his second...

Tribe asks voters to stop landfill near reservation (March 23, 2004)

The Pala Band of Mission Indians has filed a voter initiative to stop a proposed landfill near the reservation. The Gregory Canyon dump was authorized in 1994 with 66 percent voter approval. But the tribe is hoping to reverse course...

Former Miss America contestant headed to court (March 23, 2004)

A member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina who was ousted from the Miss America pageant is suing her ex-boyfriend for invasion of privacy. Rebekah Revels was forced to resign her title of Miss North Carolina and was dropped...

Indian educators worry about No Child Left Behind (March 23, 2004)

Educators on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana worry about the impact of the No Child Left Behind Act on Indian students. Darrel Kipp, a Harvard graduate, runs a private, nonprofit school that immerses students in Blackfeet language and culture. He...

Lawyer for accused Miccosukee man disqualified (March 23, 2004)

The lead attorney handling the retrial of a Miccosukee tribal member accused of murdering his two sons was disqualified on Monday. A judge in Florida disqualified the lawyer because he previously represented four prosecution witnesses who testified against Kirk Douglas...

Mohawk Tribe files suit to stop icebreaking (March 23, 2004)

The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe asked a federal judge on Monday to stop icebreaking on the St. Lawrence River in New York. The tribe claims it was not consulted by the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corp, a federal agency that...

Miccosukee Tribe fights state over ancestral land (March 23, 2004)

The Miccosukee Tribe was in court on Monday to prevent the state of Florida from asserting eminent domain over tribally-owned land. The tribe owns 800 acres within the Everglades, the tribe's ancestral home. The state wants the land for an...

Chickasaw Nation land purchases quadruple (March 23, 2004)

The Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma has been purchasing land within its 13-county ancestral territory. According to figures cited by The Daily Oklahoman, the tribe owned about 2,450 acres in 1998. Now the tribe owns 8,600 acres in the 13-county area....

Eyre casting for film about contemporary Natives (March 23, 2004)

Noted director Chris Eyre is casting for a film about contemporary Natives that will be shown at the new National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. "A Thousand Roads" will follow people in Barrow, Seattle, Albuquerque and Manhattan...

Ariz. tribe hopes to keep tourism dollars at home (March 23, 2004)

The Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation is hoping new projects will draw tourists to the reservation and keep them there. The tribe is breaking ground tomorrow on a 247-room resort and 23,000-square-foot conference center that will open by October 2005. A...

Bush criticized for proposed cuts at national parks (March 23, 2004)

The leaders of the House Interior Appropriations subcommittee are criticizing the Bush administration for proposed cuts in hours and services at national parks. In a letter, Reps. Charles H. Taylor (R-N.C.) and Norman D. Dicks (D-Wash.) said the cuts come...