OPB: FAA rejects drone testing on Warm Springs Reservation (October 5, 2011)

"The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs is looking to open the skies above its reservation to companies that want to test Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, or drones. But those plans have been dealt a set back by the Federal Aviation...

FBI looking at police officer beating of man from Navajo Nation (October 5, 2011)

The FBI is looking into the beating of a Navajo Nation man by a former police officer in Farmington, New Mexico. A spokesperson told The Farmington Daily Times that the FBI was looking into the March 17 incident in...

Cherokee Nation seeing increase in turnout for second election (October 5, 2011)

Members of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma continue to vote in a second election for principal chief. The results of the first election between Chad Smith, who was the incumbent, and Bill John Baker, a tribal councilor, were thrown out...

Bill Anoatubby leads Chickasaw Nation for a record 7th term (October 5, 2011)

Bill Anoatubby was sworn in as governor of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma for a record seventh consecutive term. Anoatubby was first elected in 1987. He didn't draw an opponent in the most recent election. "The Chickasaw Nation has...

Mohegan Tribe holds swearing-in ceremony for council seats (October 5, 2011)

The Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut held a swearing-in ceremony for four council members. Thayne D. Hutchins Jr., Mark F. Brown and Cheryl Todd were re-elected to the council on August 30. Newcomer Mark Sperry was also elected. The council has...

Lawsuit accusing Morongo Band of blocking access dismissed (October 5, 2011)

A lawsuit that accused the Morongo Band of Mission Indians of blocking access to some property has been dismissed, according to the attorney for the city of Banning, California. Lloyd Fields wants to develop homes on his 41-acre site. He...

Turtle Talk: Tribal nations are growing their capacity to govern (October 5, 2011)

"Thomas Jensen’s article in ICT (available here) identifying a possible “silver lining for tribal sovereignty” in the context of shrinking federal and state budgets seems, on first glance, to be counterintuitive, but the thinking is dead-on. All around Michigan, anyway,...

Pechanga Band donates $15K to committee of key lawmaker (October 5, 2011)

The Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians donated $15,000 to the committee of a key state lawmaker, The Riverside Press-Enterprise reports. The tribe donated to Building California's Future, the ballot-measure committee of Assembly Speaker John Perez (D). The money came as...

APRN: Alaska Native corporation tied to big contracting scam (October 5, 2011)

"An employee of Alaska Native Corporation Eyak Tek was arrested today (Tuesday) for his alleged role in a major 20 million dollar bribery and kickback scheme. Harold Babb is director of contracts for Eyak Tek or Eyak Technology LLC which...

Editorial: Pokagon Band taking measures to preserve its past (October 5, 2011)

"Pokagons today dwell where generations of their ancestors lived because their leader maintained a vibrant tribal society while building harmonious relationships with neighboring settlers. Over the decades, of course, members assimilated into the larger community to such a degree that...

Billy Frank: Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe puts treaty right to work (October 5, 2011)

"We all owe a big “thank you” to the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe. They never gave up on getting those two dams torn down, and today that dream is becoming a reality. For 100 years they have had to wait...

Manhunt underway for homicide suspect on Crow Reservation (October 5, 2011)

Authorities are searching for a young member of the Crow Tribe of Montana who is a suspect in a triple homicide on the reservation. Sheldon Bernard Chase, 22, is suspected in the shootings of his grandmother and a young couple...

Phyliss Anderson inaugurated as new Mississippi Choctaw chief (October 5, 2011)

Phyliss J. Anderson was sworn in as the new chief of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians on Tuesday. Anderson made history as the first woman elected to lead the tribe. She defeated one-term chief Beasley Denson not just...

Tyee: Indigenous people sound alarms on Keystone XL Pipeline (October 5, 2011)

"In mid-September this year, as sharp winds howled across the Great Plains, indigenous leaders from either side of the U.S.-Canada border held an "emergency meeting" in the basement of a South Dakota casino. They came from all over -- one...

Duwamish Tribe still pushing for federal status after 156 years (October 5, 2011)

The Duwamish Tribe of Washington deserves federal recognition, Chairwoman Cecile Hansen says. The tribe was the first to sign the Point of Elliott Treaty of 1855, according to Hansen. And Chief Seattle donated more than 54,000 acres of the tribe's...

Sen. Reed doesn't want land-into-trust fix in appropriations bill (October 5, 2011)

Sen. Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island) continues to oppose efforts to fix the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Carcieri v. Salazar. Reed is the chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. He has control over appropriations for...