News Archive: January 31, 2007 Archives

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January 31, 2007
Democrats push $463 billion federal spending measure
The Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Indian Health Service will see slight boosts in their funding under a massive $463.5 billion appropriations measure unveiled by Democrats on Tuesday. The Republican-controlled 109th Congress adjourned last year without passing all of...

Editorial: Mashpee Tribe neglects treasures
"If town leaders neglected a historic property, such as a 200-year-old town hall, citizens would demand action. So why aren't the Mashpee Wampanoag mobilizing to save the Old Indian Meeting House off Route 28, one of the oldest places of...

Arizona bill seeks more reservation teachers
An Arizona House committee endorsed a bill that seeks to bring more teachers to public schools on reservations. The House Higher Education Committee unanimously approved HB 2331 yesterday. The bill would offer loans that students could repay by teaching at...

Fond du Lac Band elects first woman as chair
Members of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa in Minnesota elected Karen Diver as their first female chair. Diver beat challenger Clarence "Chuck" Smith with 64 percent of the vote. "Fond du Lac has been so...

Mississippi Choctaw Chief Martin seeks 8th term
Phillip Martin is seeking a record 8th term as chief of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. Martin, 80, was elected to his first term in 1979. He's held the job ever since, overseeing massive growth in the tribe's economy....

Seminole Tribe buys big property for $13.2M
The Seminole Tribe of Florida has purchased 752 acres for $13.2 million but has no plans for a casino or a game reserve, a spokesperson said. The land is in North Lakeland. It was sold to the tribe on December...

Suspects sought in Blackfeet stabbing death
The FBI and the Bureau of Indian Affairs are searching for two suspects in connection with the stabbing death of a member of the Blackfeet Nation of Montana. Zachary Richard Gervais, 18, died of stab wounds on Sunday. He attended...

Montana bill supports tribal economic commission
A bill pending in the Montana Legislature would make the State-Tribal Economic Development Commission permanent. The 10-member commission, set to expire in 2009, is currently part of the governor's office. The bill would transfer it to the Department of Commerce...

Pequot couple first to receive loan for housing
A family from the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation of Connecticut signed the first mortgage for a home on the reservation. Jason and Tammy Shourds are taking part in a new tribal program that assigns land to tribal families. That enables...

Yellow Bird: Chokecherry for North Dakota state fruit
"In the western part of the state, the metal lard pail is almost a necessity: You need it to clang and jingle in order to scare the rattlesnakes before you enter Juneberry or chokecherry territory. We consider the first...

BIA set to choose new Haskell University president
A new president of Haskell Indian Nations University in Kansas could be named soon. Haskell officials narrowed their search to two candidates. Dr. John Derby is director of student services at the Flandreau Indian School in South Dakota. Dr. Linda...

BIA school evacuated following threat of violence
A Bureau of Indian Affairs school on the Navajo Nation was placed on lockdown and evacuated on Monday after a threat of violence was directed at students. Someone called the Dilkon Community School in Arizona early in the morning...

Confrontation over ceremony at sacred peaks
Tribal members who went to the San Francisco Peaks to pray were confronted by the manager of a ski resort, The Navajo Hopi-Observer reports. The Save the Peaks Coalition went to the Snowbowl ski resort on opening day last...

Hopi Tribe narrows candidates for new chairman
The Hopi Tribe of Arizona will hold a general election on February 7 to choose a new chairman. Ben Nuvamsa, from the village of Shungopavi, will face Harry Nutumya, from Oravyi. The two won the most votes in a...

Navajo Nation launches Internet to the Hogan
The Navajo Nation and Navajo Technical College launched the Internet to the Hogan and Dine Grid project on Monday in hopes of ending the digital divide on the reservation. Working with the University of California at San Diego, the college...

Eisler: Meet the Jack Abramoff you couldn't afford
"I first met Jack in 2000 when I was writing a book about Native American casinos. He represented the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and had a wealth of information about Native Americans and gambling. Abramoff also told me a...

Delaware Tribe partners with city on development
The Delaware Tribe and the city of Dewey, Oklahoma, are collaborating on an economic development project. As part of the partnership, the tribe will buy 17 acres owned by the city. The land will be used for a travel center,...

Column: Old film captures Pascua Yaqui ceremony
"The Yaqui Lenten ceremony of dancers -- Fariseos, Chapayekas, Matachinis -- is nearly 400 years old. Melding centuries-old Spanish Christian teachings and ancient Yaqui traditions, the tribe has re-enacted the Passion of Christ in song and dance for about 100...

Klamath dam operator told to add fish ladders
The Interior Department and the Commerce Department ordered the owner of four dams on the Klamath River to add fish ladders and other devices to aid salmon. PacifiCorp wants to renew its federal license to operate the dams. But...

Santee Sioux Tribe looks off reservation for business
The Santee Sioux Tribe of Nebraska is looking off reservation in hopes of expanding its economic horizons. The tribe operates a casino, a convenience store and other businesses on the reservation. But its remote location and small population mean...

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