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December 2, 2008
Internal tribal disputes an issue for Obama nominees
Nominees to the Interior Department should be asked about tribal membership and leadership disputes, the Government Accountability Office said in a recent report. According to the GAO, internal tribal disputes "seem to be occurring more and more frequently." The report...

9th Circuit blocks drilling in Inupiat hunting grounds
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals blocked Shell Oil from drilling in the Beaufort Sea because the Minerals Management Service failed to analyze the impact on Inupiat whaling grounds. The Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission, Resisting Environmental Destruction on Indigenous Lands...

Wisconsin university won't allow smudging in dorm
Indian students at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point are upset they can't smudge in their dorm rooms. The school says state fire laws prevent burning inside dormitories. So students can only smudge outside, though they can bring eagle...

Montana tribe sends tree to Indian museum in DC
The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of Montana donated a tree to the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. The tree is a companion to the one the state of Montana sent to the U.S. Capitol...

Havasupai Tribe seeks justice in research lawsuit
The Havasupai Tribe of Arizona is seeking justice in a lawsuit over the misuse of its blood, vice chairman Matthew Putesoy said. Tribal members provided their blood for a study on diabetes. But Arizona State University researchers also used the...

Judge hears Western Shoshone suit against mine
A federal judge declined to issue a temporary restraining order against a mine located on Western Shoshone treaty land in Nevada. Judge Larry Hicks instead urged the plaintiffs and Barrick Gold Corporation of Canada to work together and address what...

Lawyer in tribal jurisdiction case up for DOJ post
The attorney who argued a tribal jurisdiction case before the U.S. Supreme Court could be tapped for a top post by president-elect Barack Obama. David C. Frederick represented Ronnie and Lila Long in a dispute against a non-Indian bank. He...

Cayuga Nation claims 'reservation' exemption
The Cayuga Nation of New York says its properties don't have to be in trust to enjoy a state tax exemption. Attorney Daniel French said state tax code lists the tribe's business as "qualified reservation." He said that means...

Cheyenne River Sioux mother indicted for abuse
A woman from the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of South Dakota has been indicted on charges of child abuse and exposing children to abuse. The charges against Wenona Rooks, 37, stem from a fire on May 2 that killed two...

City worried about Santa Fe Indian School plans
City officials are worried commercial development might be coming to the Santa Fe Indian School campus. "They're doing something. They're definitely doing something," Santa Fe Mayor David Coss told The Santa Fe New Mexican. The school is part of...

Attorney posts bond for DUI death of Pueblo man
A prominent attorney was released on $250,000 bond after being arraigned for a drunken driving incident that killed a man from San Felipe Pueblo in New Mexico. Carlos William Fierro, 36, failed three field sobriety tests, a prosecutor said...

Obama makes formal Cabinet announcements
President-elect Barack Obama made his first formal Cabinet announcements on Monday. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-New York) is being tapped to lead the Department of State. Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano (D) would run the Department of Homeland Security. Eric Holder would...

Jodi Rave: NCAI studies 2008 Indian voter turnout
"While American Indians were expected to go to the polls in record numbers on Election Day, a national organization representing more than 250 tribes is still compiling numbers on the Indian turnout. The National Congress of American Indians targeted 18...

Puerto Rican community proud of indigenous roots
Taino heritage is the center of attention at the annual celebration in Jayuya, a community known as the indigenous capital of Puerto Rico. Jayuya is named after a Taino chief, whose statue was dedicated in 1969. That was the...

BIA tells San Pasqual Band not to remove group
The Bureau of Indian Affairs says the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians of California can't remove about 80 members from the rolls. The tribe has been trying to remove the descendants of the late Marcus R. Alto Sr. But...

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