Roberts starts Supreme Court confirmation hearings (September 13, 2005)

On the opening day of his Senate confirmation hearings as chief justice, U.S. Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts Jr. pledged to be fair and open-minded in approaching and deciding cases. With several high-profile disputes, including a critical Indian taxation...

Editorial: Don't give California tribe more powers (September 13, 2005)

"Leaders of the Rumsey Band of Wintun Indians, the tribe that runs Cache Creek Casino, are quite clear about why they support AB 1747. The bill would fulfill their goal to gain acceptance as a legitimate government on par with...

Utah governor vows fight against tribe's waste dump (September 13, 2005)

Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. (R) said on Monday he will "stand in front of the train coming across the border" to stop nuclear waste from coming into the state, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. Huntsman said he will take...

Kids Cafe to open on Northern Cheyenne Reservation (September 13, 2005)

The Kids Café, a place that provides after-school meals to low-income children, is opening on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Montana today. The cafe is located at the Boys & Girls Club of the Northern Cheyenne Nation. It will initially...

State says Oklahoma tribes not paying enough taxes (September 13, 2005)

Some Oklahoma tribes aren't paying enough taxes on tobacco products, the state treasurer said. Tribes reported $2.1 million in tobacco sales for the month of August. According to treasurer Scott Meacham, the amount should be around $4.3 million. Meacham said...

Native actress finds second family on Navajo Nation (September 13, 2005)

Q'Orianka Kilcher, a Native actress who plays Pocahontas in the upcoming movie "The New World," has found a second family on the Navajo Nation. Kilcher was born in Peru and is from the Huachipaeri and Quechua tribes. But she...

Native filmmaker aims for showing at Sundance (September 13, 2005)

Billy Luther, a Navajo/Hopi/Laguna Pueblo writer and director from New Mexico, is hoping to show his documentary about the Miss Navajo Nation pageant at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. Luther, 30, spent the last year filming the contestants for the...

Senate panel approves bill for Native student grants (September 13, 2005)

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on September 8 approved a bill that authorizes federal grants for non-tribal schools with an enrollment of at least 10 percent Native American students. Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-New Mexico) wrote the provision...

Navajo Boys and Girls Club in Shiprock might reopen (September 13, 2005)

Officials in Shiprock, New Mexico, are taking steps to ensure the reopening of the Shiprock Boys and Girls Club. The club has been closed since December 2004 as part of a funding and power dispute. A non-profit organization and...

Tribal judge set for trial on federal drug charges (September 13, 2005)

A judge on the Wind River Reservation will go to trial January 30, 2006, on charges that she participated in a major drug ring on the Wyoming reservation. Lynda Munnell, 57, is accused of making threats against a federal officer,...

New committee to be named in Churchill investigation (September 13, 2005)

The University of Colorado's Standing Committee on Research Misconduct will take 30 days to name a committee that will investigate controversial professor Ward Churchill. The committee will examine seven allegations of fraud, plagiarism and other misconduct. A report is due...

Dalai Lama blesses family who lost father, daughter (September 13, 2005)

The Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, blessed an Indian family whose father and daughter lost their lives in a recent car accident. Daryl Dewayne Jack, a 2000 graduate of Haskell Indian Nations University, and Maliah Jack, 4,...

Cason delays Eastern Pequot recognition decision (September 13, 2005)

The Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation of Connecticut will have to wait until October 12 to hear a decision on its petition for federal recognition. The tribe was set to hear an answer on Monday but associate Interior deputy secretary Jim...

Two Cobell v. Norton court hearings this week (September 13, 2005)

Two court hearings in the Cobell v. Norton Indian trust fund lawsuit are taking place in Washington, D.C., this week. On Thursday, September 15, U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth [Court Web Site] is holding a hearing at 10am over...

Jodi Rave: Indian Country guide an essential tool (September 13, 2005)

" Leo Tolstoy's epic masterpiece "War and Peace" tops the list of Veronica Velarde Tiller's favorite books. But it wasn't enough that she was able to lift and read it. The Jicarilla Apache woman rivaled Tolstoy by creating a...

Pombo orders review of alleged fraud in recognition bid (September 13, 2005)

Rep. Richard Pombo (R-California), the chairman of the House Resources Committee, has ordered an informal review of alleged fraud involving a California tribe seeking federal recognition. Pombo directed the staff of the Office of Native American and Insular Affairs to...

Reporter barred from Chippewa Cree council meetings (September 13, 2005)

A reporter from The Havre Daily News in Montana was removed from the Chippewa Cree Tribe's council meeting last Friday. The council barred the reporter over a story the newspaper published last week. The story detailed possible attempts to change...

Tim Giago: NCAA loses its spine on mascot policy (September 13, 2005)

"Under pressure, the NCAA is folding one college at a time to the fanatics insistent upon retaining their Indian mascots. The key letter in NCAA is the “C” for “Collegiate.” When it comes to sporting activities, it is the responsibility...