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January 13, 2009
Turtle Talk: More thoughts on land-into-trust cases
"It might be useful to recap the various factors that might affect the Supreme Court’s consideration of Carcieri v. Kempthorne and MichGO v. Kempthorne. I’ve been quoted here (ICT) and here (Indianz) — correctly, no problem there — but one...

Cayuga Nation seeks halt to tobacco prosecution
The Cayuga Nation of New York is asking a state court to prevent two counties from prosecuting the tribe on tax evasion charges. The tribe was forced to shut down two smokeshops after they were raided by Cayuga and Seneca...

Mismanagement at Canada's Indian department
Three senior officials at the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs in Canada were suspended with pay during an investigation that found they mismanaged at least $10 million. Auditors said they found no evidence of a crime or wrongdoing. But...

Non-Indians complain about proposed soda tax
Non-Indian retailers in New York say a proposed soda tax will give tribal businesses an unfair advantage. Gov. David A. Paterson (D) wants to impose an 18 percent surcharge on soft drinks, in addition to an 8 percent existing tax....

Navajo water settlement in omnibus lands bill
The Navajo Nation water settlement is part of the omnibus public lands bill being considered by the Senate. The deal resolves the tribe's water rights on the San Juan River in New Mexico. The tribe will receive 600,000 acre-feet per...

Navajo Nation police shootout leaves man dead
A 25-year-old man was shot and killed in an incident with police from the Navajo Nation on Monday. Arnold Dan Jr., of Shiprock, New Mexico, was killed after a high-speed chase on the reservation. A 17-year-old male passenger was also...

Land-into-trust case awaits Supreme Court action
The U.S. Supreme Court will take up a land-into-trust case during its closed-door conference on Friday. Consideration of Michigan Gambling Opposition v. Kempthorne could mean a decision in a closely-related case is coming this week. The justices heard Carcieri v....

South Dakota tribe publishes last newspaper issue
The Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe of South Dakota has ceased publication of its newspaper. The tribe said the poor economy led to fewer ads in the Dakota/Lakota Journal, a weekly publication. The paper focused on issues affecting tribes in...

San Manuel Band votes to banish two convicts
Members of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians of California voted to banish two convicts from the reservation. Stacy Cheyenne Nunez-Barajas, 26, and her brother Erik Barajas, 36, pleaded guilty for their roles in a murder-for-hire plot. They were...

San Pasqual Band denies vote to disputed group
The Bureau of Indian Affairs plans to look into an election in which some members of the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians of California weren't allowed to vote. About 50 people were blocked from an election on Sunday. "They...

Mashpee Wampanoag leaders won't seek re-election
The top two leaders of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts won't be seeking re-election next month. Chairman Shawn Hendricks and vice chairman David Pocknett failed to file papers for the February 8 vote. Both are currently suspended from the...

Editorial: Sex offenders on Blackfeet Nation
"Two convicted sex offenders who were arrested on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation for failing to follow federal offender-registration rules may have shown, unwittingly, the way toward eventual resolution of a worsening standoff over law enforcement on and around the reservation....

Helen Cedar Tree, oldest Arapaho, dies at 96
Helen Cedar Tree, who was the oldest member of the Northern Arapaho Tribe of Wyoming, died on Saturday. She was 96. Cedar Tree Cedar Tree was born April 4, 1912, and lived on the Wind River Reservation all of...

Blog: Climate change affects Northwest tribes
"Last week, when I wrote that the costs of doing nothing about climate change outstrip the costs of fixing the problem, one person wrote asking for hard numbers. How do we know for certain which is more expensive? Maybe it...

High Country: Blood quantum threatens tribes
"Ryan Padraza Comes Last is a full-blooded Indian, Sioux and Cheyenne on his father's side and Assiniboine on his mother's. He will soon receive his Lakota name: "A Rope." (Comes Last raises rodeo horses and always has a rope in...

Skokomish Tribe signs settlement over dams
The Skokomish Tribe of Washington signed a deal to resolve a long-running dispute over two dams that were built on its traditional territory. The tribe will receive a one-time payment of $12.5 million plus 7.25 percent of the value of...

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