BIA denies cutting Cheyenne-Arapaho program funds (April 9, 2004)

The Bureau of Indian Affairs says it hasn't stopped funding programs for the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma. The tribe told dozens of employees and vendors they wouldn't get paid because the BIA cut funding. But the local superintendent...

Oneida Nation police to stop off reservation pursuits (April 9, 2004)

The Oneida Nation of New York has told its police force not to pursue suspects off tribal land "unless loss of life or physical injury is imminent," The Syracuse Post-Standard reports. The tribe came under scrutiny when a tribal officer...

Editorial: Mont. county should drop voting rights case (April 9, 2004)

"It's time for Blaine County to move on. Four years ago the federal government sued the county over its county election system, saying the at-large voting there discriminated against Native Americans. Two years later a federal judge agreed, ruling that...

North Dakota tribe accused of mismanaging bison herd (April 9, 2004)

A disgruntled employee of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation says the North Dakota tribe has failed to take care of its bison herd, causing animals to die. Ted Siers gave The Bismarck Tribune a 14-page statement of his complaints...

Bush administration calls for end to Cobell case (April 9, 2004)

In one of his first major speeches, new Bureau of Indian Affairs head Dave Anderson told tribal leaders that the Cobell trust fund lawsuit has been a "good thing" for his beleaguered agency. "A lot has happened because of Cobell,"...

Editorial: Feigned outrage over 'hardball' lobbying (April 9, 2004)

"''Heavy-handed'' and ''counterproductive'' is what Miami-Dade legislators call the Miccosukee Indian tribe's traipsing through the capitol with a political rival of Rep. Juan Zapata in tow. Rep. Zapata last year thwarted a House bill that would have given the tribe...

New IHS hospital on Winnebago Reservation dedicated (April 9, 2004)

A new Indian Health Service hospital on the Winnebago Reservation in Nebraska was dedicated on Thursday. The Winnebago Treaty Hospital took nearly 30 years to build. It will primarily serve the Winnebago and Omaha tribes but also the Ponca and...

Tribal fund director shocked by council decision (April 9, 2004)

The director of the Grande Ronde Tribes community fund said she is shocked by a decision that will delay all grant awards for a year. The council voted to change the Spirit Mountain Community Fund's grant process to a yearly...

Group promises big things from Navajo off-shore bank (April 9, 2004)

A secretive group called North Cove Management said an off-shore bank on the Navajo Nation "will cure everything that the Navajo Nation needs as far as through economic development," The Gallup Independent reports. Fred Barrett of North Cove gave a...

Deadline nears on snowmaking in sacred peaks plan (April 9, 2004)

Public comment on a proposal to allow snowmaking in the sacred San Francisco Peaks in Arizona are due April 13. Several tribes, including the Hopi, the Navajo and the Apache, oppose the plan. They say the use of reclaimed wastewater...

Navajo Nation shuts down Head Start for violations (April 9, 2004)

A Head Start on the Navajo Nation in Arizona has been shut down for the rest of the school year due to numerous health and safety violations. The Tuba City Head Start closed March 30. Staff will make home-visits to...

Tribes and Army Corps to sign Missouri River plan (April 9, 2004)

Representatives of tribes along the Missouri River will sign an agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over protection of historic, cultural and sacred properties. The Programmatic Agreement represents an attempt to consult with the 22 tribes along the...

Editorial: Will Cobell mediators reach unbiased solution? (April 9, 2004)

"Charles Byron Renfrew was named as chief mediator, while John G. Bickerman was named co-mediator. Renfrew is a former Chevron Oil executive and Bickerman formerly worked with the Department of Interior as a mediator between the Navajo and Hopi tribes...

Montana Gov. Martz: Reduce health disparities (April 9, 2004)

"Disproportionate poverty is a barrier that has kept many Americans Indians from living longer and healthier lives. The life expectancy of our Indian population is an astounding 16 years lower than that of the state population as a whole. Our...

Slain Navajo soldier recalled as quiet and strong (April 9, 2004)

Sgt. Lee Duane Todacheene, a Navajo medic who was killed in Iraq on Monday night, was recalled a quiet but strong person who did well in school. Todacheene, 29, grew up on the Navajo Nation in Arizona. He graduate from...

BIA students in S.D. touched by Anderson's message (April 9, 2004)

Bureau of Indian Affairs head Dave Anderson wrapped up his four-day visit to schools in North Dakota and South Dakota. Anderson spoke to students and met with tribal leaders on the Lower Brule and Crow Creek reservations yesterday. Students said...

Pombo invited to buffalo hunt on Rosebud Reservation (April 9, 2004)

Rep. Richard Pombo (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Resources Committee, may or may not participate in the bison hunt that's been arranged in his honor on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. Pombo's spokesperson said the Congressman is willing...

Flooding forces people from homes at First Nations (April 9, 2004)

Hundreds of people have been forced to leave their homes due to flooding at two First Nations in Manitoba. About 600 people from the Peguis First Nation and another 80 from the Fisher River First Nation have left their reserves....

Indian prisoner in Calif. ordered not to contract press (April 9, 2004)

As part of his punishment for refusing to cut his hair, California Department of Corrections prisoner Billy Paul Warsoldier has been told not to contact the media. That didn't stop Warsoldier, who is Cahuilla and Apache, from talking about his...

Choctaw chief Martin defends embattled GOP lobbyist (April 9, 2004)

The chief of the Mississippi Band of Choctaws is defending well-paid Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff and says his tribe hasn't been stalling a Senate Indian Affairs Committee investigation into high lobbying fees. The Associated Press cited a letter Chief Phillip...