Indianz.Com News Archive: August 28, 2006 Archives

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August 28, 2006
GAO finds lengthy delays on land-into-trust
A new report from the General Accountability Office confirms that some tribes are being treated differently when it comes to the land-into-trust process. By and large, most tribes and individual Indians are subject to delays. According to the report, the...

Indian man with long hair denied unemployment
A Cherokee man in Iowa has been denied unemployment benefits for refusing to cut his long hair. Dewey Harris was fired from his trucking job in April because he wears a ponytail. He was offered a company car and directions...

Medals that belonged to BIA head Ely Parker recovered
Two Presidential Medals of Honor that were awarded to Ely Parker, the first Indian Affairs commissioner, have been recovered after being stolen from New York. Parker, a member of the Seneca Nation, received the medals in the 1800s. He...

Pueblo woman keeps Tewa language, culture alive
At age 94, Esther Martinez has spent most of her life working to keep the Tewa language and Tewa stories alive. Martinez, whose Tewa name is P'oe Tsawa, or Blue Water, is a retired language teacher from Ohkay Owingeh...

Irene Bedard enjoys spotlight at Emmy Awards
Native actress Irene Bedard enjoyed the 58th annual Primetime Emmy Awards despite the California heat on Sunday. Bedard attended as one of the starts of "Into the West." The TNT mini-series received 15 nominations -- the most of any...

Ex-BIA head Martin counters Cason on recognition
Aurene Martin, the former acting head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, is countering her former colleague Jim Cason on the reversal of recognition for a Connecticut tribe. In a court declaration, Martin says the federal recognition petition submitted by...

Apache Chair: Copper mine threatens sacred sites
"Our position is simple and straightforward. For the Apaches, this area, which includes Oak Flat campground and Apache Leap, belongs to the Gaan, who are our sacred Crowndancers. Since time immemorial, we have found refuge there and gathered precious medicinal...

Eastern Cherokee Band to buy language translators
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina is turning to technology to pass on the Cherokee language. The tribe is matching a $17,500 grant from the Department of Agriculture to buy Phraselators, a hand-held computer device that...

Oklahoma tribes spend more than $1M on lobbyists
Oklahoma tribes spent about $1.17 million on lobbyist in 2005, The Tulsa World reports. Citing figures from the U.S. Senate Office of Public Records, the paper says 13 of Oklahoma's 38 federally recognized tribes employed lobbyists. The biggest spenders...

Recall targets county official linked to One Nation
A county official in Oregon with ties to the One Nation United group decried as racist by tribal leaders is facing a recall effort. Douglas County Commissioner Marilyn Kittelman has repeatedly spoken out against the Cow Creek Band of...

Passamaquoddy leader said to be under investigation
Investigators from at least four federal agencies have been looking into the activities of Passamaquoddy Gov. Robert Newell, The Bangor Daily News reports. Agents from the Department of Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Housing...

Column: Fine tuning of Native repatriation act
"A federal court fight made Kennewick Man the symbol of the struggle between science and native beliefs over the telling of the earliest Americans' story. But Kuwóot yas.éin proves it doesn't necessarily have to be so. In this 10th summer...

Jodi Rave: Native athletic events an inspiration
"The Warrior of the Plains contest was held last week during the Fort Berthold Reservation's “Reunion at the Home of Sakakawea,” the second-to-last of 15 national Lewis and Clark signature events staged around the country over the past two years....

Mark Trahant: Immigration reform only solution
"We could spend billions of dollars and still not seal the border. The only certain route to controlling the flow of people into the United States is comprehensive immigration reform. To its credit, the Bush administration is saying just that...

Yellow Bird: Digging for dinosaurs in backyard
"About six years ago, I met the bubbly, enthusiastic Melanie Thornberg, owner of Dakota Adventures of Walhalla, N.D. It was she who introduced me to the friendly people of Walhalla, the Pembina Gorge and that lush green northeastern corner of...

Opinion: Native language preservation can't wait
"Indian Country faces a historically unparalleled affront to our cultural survival. Of the 300 Native languages spoken at the time of European contact, it is estimated only 20 of these languages will still be viable in 2050. The rest will...

Editorial: Expecting success for Indian students
"Indian educators, like Keith Erickson of Poplar, have returned with degrees from Montana State University-Billings to become teachers and role models for youngsters in their hometowns. Increasing vocabulary is the goal of several programs in Poplar schools where poverty is...

Editorial: Things looking good for Chippewa Cree Tribe
"Things are looking up on Montana's Hi-Line It's probably early to call for immediate completion of a Hi-Line freeway, but economic news from Montana's northern tier counties is uncharacteristically upbeat these days. One bright spot appears to be the Rocky...

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