News Archive: September 11, 2007 Archives

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September 11, 2007
Artman makes leadership changes at BIA
Fresh off the appointment of a new deputy, assistant secretary Carl Artman is making further leadership changes at the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Effective this coming Monday, Jerry Gidner will be the director of the BIA. He is replacing Pat...

Kevin Gover named new director of NMAI
Kevin Gover has been named the new director of the National Museum of the American Indian. Gover, 52, is a member of the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma. He previously served as assistant secretary for Indian affairs during the last three...

Bush administration objects to Cobell data request
Despite an order from a federal judge, the Interior Department said on Monday it would not turn over electronic trust data to the Cobell plaintiffs. In a 20-page filing, lawyers for Secretary Dirk Kempthorne objected to the plaintiffs' request for...

Mormons told to stop blaming massacre on Paiutes
The head of the Utah Division of Indian Affairs says the Mormon Church should stop blaming an 1857 massacre on the Paiute Tribe. Forest Cuch says the church has "villainized" Indians by associating Paiutes for the Mountain Meadows Massacre on...

University seeks more Native post-graduates
The University of Alaska Fairbanks is using a $40,000 grant to recruit more Alaska Natives into post-graduate programs. Since 1989, UAF has awarded 401 doctoral degrees but only five have gone to Native graduates. “Which is just really not acceptable,”...

Editorial: Mashantucket land swap a good sign
"The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and the Town of Ledyard recently completed the transfer of two properties. The tribe turned over the ownership of the Clark Farm to the town and the town gave ownership of Indiantown Park to the...

First Nation seeks help after attempted suicides
The Tofino First Nation in British Columbia is seeking assistance after two attempted suicides over the weekend. The attempts follow a suicide in August. The community is also dealing with the deaths of eight people over the summer, including one...

After-school program pairs Tigua elders with youth
The Tigua Tribe of Texas has started an after-school program that pairs elders with youth. The Youth Prevention Intervention Program aims to keep youth ages 5-17 connected with Tigua culture. The tribe also hopes the elders will encourage youth...

Leonard Peltier prosecutor killed in car accident
One on the federal prosecutors who tried the case against American Indian Movement activist Leonard Peltier was killed in a car accident in Iowa last Friday. Robert Sikma apparently lost control of his vehicle when it crashed near Sioux City....

Field Museum to repatriate Navajo artifacts
The Field Museum in Chicago plans to repatriate 159 sacred artifacts to the Navajo Nation. The museum obtained the items in 1895 and 1910. They include healing paraphernalia that are used by Navajo medicine men in the Nightway ceremony. The...

House hearing on diversifying Native economies
The House Natural Resources Committee is holding an oversight hearing September 19 on "Diversifying Native Economies." The hearing is the full committee's first since the August recess. A witness list has not been made public. Committee Notice: Full Committee Oversight...

Navajo Nation names interim Head Start director
The Navajo Nation has appointed an interim director for its Head Start program. Lamont Yazzie works for the Navajo Nation Office of the President and Vice President. He will serve as Head Start director until October 4. Yazzie replaces Francis...

Editorial: Common sense in Freedmen dispute
"Rep. Mel Watt, a Democrat from North Carolina, is the latest to wade into the affairs of the Cherokee Nation, following the lead of California Democrat Diane Watson. Thank goodness for a little moderation from our own Rep. Dan Boren,...

Unauthorized hunt likely to delay action on permit
Federal action on a permit to allow the Makah Nation to hunt gray whales is likely to be delayed, The New York Times reports. The National Marine Fisheries Service has been preparing an environmental impact statement on the tribe's request...

Editorial: Illegal whale hunters must be punished
"The Makah Nation has a treaty right to whale, though that right has been tied up in legal disputes for years. The five were reportedly frustrated that the Makahs hadn’t been able to exercise that treaty right since 1999, when...

Editorial: Makah Nation reacts swiftly to rogue hunt
"More than anything, the illegal hunt Saturday was a sad, terrible waste of a whale's life. Federal and tribal authorities must set aside the emotions created by the deliberate attack on the lone animal and cooperate to bring about appropriate...

Blog: Mashpee Wampanoag land claim revival
"Mashpee selectmen won't able to ratify an agreement they've been negotiating with lawyers for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council in time for the Oct. 1 special town meeting. One of the provisions of the document would have the tribe agreeing...

Tribal views on 'Fighting Sioux' at issue in case
The University of North Dakota is being accused of misrepresenting the Spirit Lake Nation's views on the school's "Fighting Sioux" nickname and logo. In defense of its mascot, UND submitted a resolution passed by the tribe that states "as...

Nez Perce Tribe looking for highway shooter
The Nez Perce Tribe of Idaho is looking for a man who shot a tribal member. Winfield LaPrarie Jr. was walking along the highway last week when a man pulled over and demanded his backpack. When he refused, the man...

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