Bush official pledges support for health care bill (July 22, 2004)

The leader of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee is hoping this will be the year for the passage of a landmark Indian health bill. Saying it was time to put aside turf wars, party politics and other disputes, Sen. Ben...

Women compete for Miss World Eskimo-Indian Olympics (July 22, 2004)

Six young Alaska Native women are competing for the title of Miss World Eskimo-Indian Olympics. The women displayed their traditional knowledge and talents before an audience of young kids in Fairbanks yesterday. The kids were wowed by Native dress, songs...

Editorial: Let Kennewick Man speak! (say what?) (July 22, 2004)

"The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers should drop efforts to hinder science's overdue telling of Kennewick Man's story. By letting an appeal deadline pass Monday, the federal government and five tribes essentially called "uncle" in the eight-year legal battle to...

Tlingit Tribe turns to Devil's Club for ailments (July 22, 2004)

From treating colds and stomach ulcers to warding off evil, a thorny called the Devil's Club is one of the most sacred items for the Tlingit Tribe of Alaska. Tribal members use the plans to treat a wide variety of...

Tribes seek improvements for reservation roads (July 22, 2004)

Tribal leaders from Montana and Wyoming met with a top official from the Federal Highway Administration to seek more resources for reservation roads. Safe roads are a top priority for tribes. Government statistics show that the number of fatal car...

Eastern Cherokee Band's $49M resort plan approved (July 22, 2004)

The Eastern Band of Cherokees from North Carolina won approval to develop a $49 million resort on Tennessee Valley Authority land. The tribe will be granted a 40-year commercial recreation easement on 40 acres. The tribe will lease the land...

Mother who lost two sons struggles to stay afloat (July 22, 2004)

The latest article in The Missoulian's series on "Lost Boys of The Flathead" focuses on the mother who lost two young sons within three months. Last summer, Norma Fox and her children were living in a dilapidated trailer without electricity...

Blackfeet man tapped for Lewis and Clark symphony (July 22, 2004)

Darrell Kipp, director of the Piegan Institute on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana, wrote a libretto for a symphony on the Lewis and Clark expedition. Kipp was approached by Rob Kapilow, an up and coming composer, for help in including...

Haskell woman helps tribes work with EPA (July 22, 2004)

A member of the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma is helping tribes across the country work with the Environmental Protection Agency. Brenda Brandon is with the Environmental Research Studies Center at Haskell Indian Nations University in Kansas. Her specialty is dealing...

Siblings of missing Native girl removed from home (July 22, 2004)

Child protection workers in Saskatchewan, Canada, have removed the siblings of a missing five-year-old Native girl from the family home. Police from Regina provided backup as the children were taken from the home where Tamra Keepness was last seen on...

Businesses seek help from Stillaguamish Tribe (July 22, 2004)

Some entrepreneurs frustrated with land-use regulations in Snohomish County, Washington, are looking to the Stillaguamish Tribe for help. Mark Verbarendse hasn't been able to get approval for a gas station he wants to build. So he sold 32.5 acres to...

House panel OKs Endangered Species Act changes (July 22, 2004)

The House Resources Committee on Wednesday approved two bills that will revise the Endangered Species Act. The committee voted 28-14 in favor of H.R.2933, the Critical Habitat Reform Act. The bill makes it harder to designate a critical habit for...

Colville Tribes sue Canadian company over pollution (July 22, 2004)

The Confederated Colville Tribes of Washington filed a suit against a Canadian company over pollution in the Columbia River. The tribe says Teck Cominco Metals has dumped millions of tons of heavy metals into the river for nearly 90 years....

Standing Rock Sioux Tribe recognized for housing (July 22, 2004)

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe was recognized by the Fannie Mae mortgage company for creating more housing on the reservation through low-income housing tax credit programs. The tribe has used the program to build and rehabilitate 192 homes. Sitting Bull...