Cayuga land claim heads towards Supreme Court (February 21, 2006)

The Bush administration is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate the Cayuga land claim in hopes of protecting more tribes from seeing their cases dismissed. In a petition filed earlier this month, the Department of Justice called on the...

Editorial: Save urban Indian health program (February 21, 2006)

"We're probably preaching to the choir when we urge Montana's congressional delegation to resist the president's proposed cuts in the Urban Indian Health Program. After all, Sens. Max Baucus and Conrad Burns both said in no uncertain terms last week...

Blubber found in Native village dates back 1,000 years (February 21, 2006)

A resident of the Alaska Native village of Gambell recently uncovered a 1,000-year-old slab of mangtak, or whale blubber with skin. Douglas Henry, 27, was digging for ivory to carve when he came upon the mangtak. He said it...

Alaska Natives oppose new state hunting rules (February 21, 2006)

Alaska Native leaders are opposing new hunting rules passed by the state Board of Game. The board voted 4-3 last month to eliminate most forms of proxy hunting. The practice allows people to hunt on behalf of disabled residents and...

Seneca Nation defends land buys in Buffalo (February 21, 2006)

The Seneca Nation of New York says buying multi-million dollar properties in Buffalo for as little as $1 doesn't go against the tribe's land claim settlement act Seneca President Barry E. Snyder Sr. issued a statement on Friday in response...

Low turnout at meeting on Pueblo water rights deal (February 21, 2006)

Fewer than 100 people attended an informational meeting about a proposed Pueblo water rights settlement but some say that means the deal is gaining support. The settlement would end a 40-year-old lawsuit affecting the water rights of four tribes and...

Jourdain blasts comments in NYT story on drugs (February 21, 2006)

Red Lake Nation Chairman Floyd Jourdain Jr. blasted accusations in The New York Times that he interfered with drug investigations on the Red Lake Reservation in Minnesota. Jourdain said it was "ludicrous" for a former tribal police employee to suggest...

Editorial: Navajo Nation still number 1 in our eyes (February 21, 2006)

"They suddenly may find themselves ranked No. 2 in tribal enrollment, but to us, the Navajo Nation and its people rank at the top of our list. According to a recently released Census report, the Cherokee Nation has passed the...

Native teenager still missing after two years (February 21, 2006)

The family of Sunshine Wood, the Native teenager who went missing two years ago on February 20, 2004, still holds out hope that she will be found alive. Wood was last seen outside a hotel in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She...

Opinions and Views: Mike Harris on the stand (February 21, 2006)

Mike Harris, the former premier of Ontario, was the biggest witness at the inquiry into the death of Ojibwe protester Dudley George but the news media says his testimony, while combative and explosive, did little to explain the tragedy....

Ex-premier concludes testimony to inquiry (February 21, 2006)

Mike Harris, the former premier of Ontario, concluded his testimony at the inquiry into the death of Ojibwe protester Dudley George. Harris said he doesn't regret the actions he took prior to the killing of George by an Ontario...

South Dakota commission releases final report (February 21, 2006)

The South Dakota Equal Justice Commission, created by the South Dakota Supreme Court, to investigate perceptions of unfairness in the state's justice system, released its final report and recommendations last month. The commission found that minorities, particular Native Americans, felt...

Catawba Nation settlement pays off for state (February 21, 2006)

The Catawba Nation land claim settlement act passed by Congress in 1993 is paying off for the state of South Carolina. The state contributed $12.5 million towards a $50 million settlement for the tribe. But since the state is allowed...

Mankiller says tribes went 'overboard' with Abramoff (February 21, 2006)

Wilma Mankiller, the first woman elected as principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, says tribes who hired disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff "went way overboard" with their attempts to gain influence in Washington. Mankiller said the tribes were only trying to...

Mashantucket Museum hosts language conference (February 21, 2006)

The Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center on the Mashantucket Pequot Reservation in Connecticut is the site of the "Revitalizing Algonquian Languages" conference this week. The three-day conference features more than two dozen presenters, a screening of a PBS documentary...

Oregon expands aid to out-of-state Indian students (February 21, 2006)

Tribal members who live outside the state of Oregon are now eligible for financial assistance through the Oregon University System. The Oregon Student Assistance Commission expanded the definition of "resident of Oregon" to include all members of eight Oregon tribes,...

Yellow Bird: Plant education began on reservation (February 21, 2006)

"My interest in the prairie and plants began many years ago, when I helped my grandmother gather plants. Some of them, we ate; some, she used for medicine. It wasn't until I grew up and was living on the reservation,...

Giago: Real problem in South Dakota is race relations (February 21, 2006)

"In the 1970s when Indian women accused the Indian Health Service of secretly sterilizing them, their protests fell on deaf ears. Of course, these same legislators would have thought of this procedure as just another form of birth control and...