George Joe: Oprah Winfrey tapes at Navajo Nation (May 31, 2006)

Oprah Winfrey taped a show today in Window Rock, Arizona, the capitol of the Navajo Nation. George Joe, the publisher of Rez Biz Magazine, reports on Winfrey's visit. He said she met with Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley and...

Opinion: Kempthorne gives industry what it wants (May 31, 2006)

"After serving for five years as Interior Secretary in the Bush Cabinet, Gale Norton, protégé of James Watt, quietly stepped down from her post overseeing the ruination of the American West. To replace Norton, Bush called upon his old pal...

Kempthorne takes helm at Interior Department (May 31, 2006)

For the first time since the start of the Bush administration five years ago, there's a new face at the top of the Interior Department. Dirk Kempthorne began his first day of work as the 49th Interior Secretary on Tuesday....

First Nations deal with fallout of oil development (May 31, 2006)

First Nations in northern Alberta say oil development is polluting the water, cutting into forests and increasing emissions of harmful chemicals. The drilling takes place in an area that is home to several tribes. One elder said the waters...

Prayer service held for Crow church hit by vandals (May 31, 2006)

The chairman of the Crow Tribe of Montana called an inter-denominational prayer service for a Catholic church on the reservation that was hit by vandals. Chairman Carl Venne, who was an altar boy at St. Dennis Parish, said the vandalism...

Battle continues over liquor near Bear Butte (May 31, 2006)

Lakota activists in South Dakota are trying to force Meade County to schedule a vote on two liquor licenses that were approved near sacred Bear Butte. One license was for beer while the other was for full liquor. Both were...

Oglala Sioux Tribe bans abortion, suspends prez (May 31, 2006)

The Oglala Sioux Tribe council banned all abortions on the Pine Ridge Reservation and suspended President Cecelia Fire Thunder because she spoke out against South Dakota's abortion ban. The council accused Fire Thunder of soliciting donations for a women's clinic...

Shakopee Tribe's trust land bid still a sore issue (May 31, 2006)

The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community in Minnesota is still seeing opposition to its land-into-trust application. The tribe wants 760 acres in Scott County placed in trust. A similar application filed several years ago was rejected by the Bureau of Indian...

First Nations leaders seek high-level commitment (May 31, 2006)

Native leaders in Canada hope provincial and federal leaders will abide by a commitment to pour $5 billion into First Nations programs. The leaders met with the premiers of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba to talk about the so-called...

Navajo man seeks re-election to Arizona Senate (May 31, 2006)

Albert Hale [Bio], the former president of the Navajo Nation, is seeking re-election to the Arizona Senate. Hale was appointed to District 2, which includes the Navajo and Hopi reservations, back in 2003 to serve out the remainder of...

Artist forced to choose sides: Navajo or Hopi? (May 31, 2006)

A New Mexico artist with Navajo and Hopi ancestry isn't being allowed to sell his Hopi artwork at the Heard Museum in Phoenix. Although Ambrose Teasyatwho, 50, is a member of the Navajo Nation, his father is Hopi. But...

Criminal Jackpot: Abramoff and the Coushatta Tribe (May 31, 2006)

"Forty-five minutes away from Lafayette, the Coushatta Indian reservation is tucked at the end of a desolate 16-mile stretch of prairie and ranch homes in Elton, La. Since 1995, the tribe’s 850 members had grown accustomed to a quiet...

Acoma Pueblo opens cultural center and museum (May 31, 2006)

About 500 people attended the grand opening of the new cultural center and museum at Acoma Pueblo, near Albuquerque, New Mexico. Tribal leaders said the Sky City Cultural Center and Haak’u Museum represented the past and future of the pueblo....

Utility won't run wastewater through sacred lands (May 31, 2006)

A utility company has agreed not to discharge treated wastewater onto lands sacred to the Ak-Chin Indian Community in Arizona. The tribe opposed Global Water's proposal to send wastewater into washes where ancestors and artifacts are located. The washes...

Mumps rate among South Dakota Indians jumps (May 31, 2006)

South Dakota Indians account for 19 percent of the state's mumps cases, a jump from 5 percent just two weeks ago. High rates are being seen in places like Charles Mix County, home to the Yankton Sioux Tribe. The county...

NCAA clears college's use of 'Indians' name (May 31, 2006)

The NCAA said Catawba College can use its "Indians" nickname during post-season tournaments because the Catawba Nation of South Carolina supports it. Last August, the NCAA adopted a policy against the use of "hostile" or "abusive" Indian mascots. But the...

Opinion: GOP traitors on Hawaiian recognition (May 31, 2006)

Ed. Note: Linda Chavez was President Bush's first pick for Labor secretary. She was forced to drop out because she hired an undocumented immigrant. "What is going on with Republicans in Congress? They've largely abandoned many traditional conservative principles --...

Wisconsin tribes complete purchase of mine site (May 31, 2006)

Two Wisconsin tribes have completed their purchase of a proposed mine site near Crandon. The Mole Lake Chippewa and the Forest County Potawatomi Tribe agreed to buy the Crandon mine site for pay $16.5 million. The Potawatomis paid their share...

Church: Violence against Indians rising in Brazil (May 31, 2006)

Violence against Indians in Brazil has risen dramatically, the Roman Catholic Church said in a report released on Tuesday. Between 2003 and 2005, 122 Indians were killed, compared with 42 during the previous three years, the Indigenous Missionary Council said....

Former staffer, an Abramoff associate, testifies (May 31, 2006)

The first member of Team Abramoff testified in federal court on Tuesday, describing how Jack Abramoff and his associates lobbied members of Congress and federal officials. Neil Volz, a former Congressional staffer, said the team identified "champions" in the...