New chairman for Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (June 23, 2011)

Gerald Lewis, a member of the Yakama Nation, has been elected chairman of the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. Lewis will serve one year. He was chosen for the position by other members of the commission. The commission represents the...

Oklahoma lawmaker loses Indian voters as district is redrawn (June 23, 2011)

An Oklahoma lawmaker says he will file a lawsuit to prevent from losing 5,000 Indian voters in his district. Sen. Jim Wilson (D) says the new boundaries of the Senate District 3 violate the state's constitution and dilute the power...

Residents of evacuated reserve may not be able to go home (June 23, 2011)

Residents of the Lake St. Martin First Nation in Manitoba may not be able to return home due to flooding of their reserve. Everyone from the reserve was evacuated nearly a month ago. Most are now living in Winnipeg, about...

Nakia Zavalla: Chumash Tribe keeping Samala language alive (June 23, 2011)

"This week representatives from the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians attended the annual National Native Language Revitalization Summit on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., a program organized for the celebration of our rights to continue to speak and revitalize...

Let's Move! promotes breast feeding among Indian mothers (June 23, 2011)

A new initiative aims to increase breast feeding among mothers on the Navajo Nation. Only about 38 percent of new mothers on the reservation are breast feeding, The Farmington Daily Times reported. That's a big change from recent decades, when...

Human remains uncovered at construction site in Washington (June 23, 2011)

The remains of at least three ancestors have been uncovered at a construction site in Oak Harbor, Washington. The city began work on a road project and knew it was near a archeological site, according to the Department of Archaeology...

Jim Gray headed to Native American Contractors Association (June 23, 2011)

Jim Gray, the former chief of the Osage Nation, has been selected as executive director of the Native American Contractors Association. Gray led his tribe for eight years. He also served as chairman of the Council of Energy Resource Tribes,...

Supreme Court favors Indian man in his DWI conviction case (June 23, 2011)

An Indian man's constitutional rights were violated when he was convicted of DWI in New Mexico, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled today. Donald Bullcoming was never given an opportunity to question the analyst who performed a blood alcohol test. That...

Pechanga Band continues fight against proposed quarry mine (June 23, 2011)

The Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians continued to voice opposition to a controversial quarry mine in Riverside County, California. Representatives of the tribe testified at a third hearing held by the county planning commission. An estimated 500 to 600 people...

Coeur d'Alene Tribe offers testimony for redistricting meeting (June 23, 2011)

The Coeur d'Alene Tribe wants to stay in its current district in Idaho, legislative director Helo Hancock said at a public hearing on Tuesday. The reservation sits in District 2, along with Kootenai County. Hancock said the tribe and the...

New Mexico holding meetings on Navajo Nation water project (June 23, 2011)

The New Mexico Office of the State Engineer is holding a series of public meeting to discuss a component of the Navajo Nation water rights settlement. The settlement includes two pipelines to bring water from the San Juan River to...

North Dakota's US Attorney releases Indian Country strategy (June 23, 2011)

Tim Purdon, the U.S. Attorney for North Dakota, released an Anti-Violence Strategy for Tribal Communities on Wednesday. The plan was developed in consultation with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, the Spirit Lake Dakotah Nation, the Turtle Mountain Band of...

Steve Russell: Selling magic, delivering death in sweat lodge (June 23, 2011)

"James Ray’s Arizona trial for manslaughter played like a bad movie; Harry Potter meets John Wayne. And now he’s been found guilty of negligent homicide. For $9,695, Ray promised that Native American wisdom, imparted by him, would make you healthy,...

Two tribes criticize ongoing protest at burial site in California (June 23, 2011)

The Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation and the Cortina Band of Wintun Indians are voicing objections to an ongoing protest at a burial site in northern California. The tribes wrote a letter to all 109 federally recognized tribes in California to...

Turtle Talk: Indian law decisions in Oklahoma Supreme Court (June 23, 2011)

"And now to a big target, Oklahoma. Oklahoma’s highest court for civil cases is the Oklahoma Supreme Court, and for criminal cases is the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals. In Oklahoma, tribal interests have a 43 percent success rate." Get...

Oglala Sioux man extradited to Maine to face a murder charge (June 23, 2011)

Kenneth John Bruning, a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, was extradited from South Dakota to face a murder charge in Maine. Bruning, 25, pleaded not guilty to intentional or knowing murder. He is accused of setting Trevor Sprague, who...

Residents worried about Nisqually Tribe public safety complex (June 23, 2011)

The Nisqually Tribe of Washington has started work on a $20 million public safety complex but nearby residents say they weren't told about the project. The Nisqually Safety Complex includes a detention center with space for 288 inmates. It will...

Florida court tells Seminole Tribe to pay state gasoline taxes (June 23, 2011)

The Seminole Tribe must pay taxes for gasoline that it purchases off the reservation, the Florida 4th District Court of Appeal ruled on Wednesday. The tribe filed a lawsuit against the Department of Revenue to seek a refund for sales...

Leaders of Snoqualmie Tribe won't recognize council meeting (June 23, 2011)

The sitting leaders of the Snoqualmie Tribe of Washington are disputing a meeting in which they were removed from office. Traditional chief Jerry Enick called the June 18 meeting after tribal leaders postponed an upcoming election. Tribal members voted to...