Ex-priest accused of abusing as many as 500 Native boys (October 24, 2011)

A former Anglican priest who has been convicted of more than 50 charges of child sex abuse is believed to have abused as many as 500 Native boys in Canada. Ralph Rowe was a priest who flew into reserves in...

Arizona Republic runs series on American Indian traditions (October 24, 2011)

The Arizona Republic is running a series this week on the traditions of tribes in Arizona. The state is home to 21 federally recognized tribes. The series so far has looked at the Navajo Nation, the largest tribe in the...

Obama announces White House Tribal Nations Conference (October 24, 2011)

President Barack Obama will host the White House Tribal Nations Conference in Washington, D.C., on December 2. As part of his campaign, Obama promised to hold yearly meetings with tribal leaders. This will be his this conference since taking office...

Mark Trahant: Separate and unequal care in Indian Country (October 24, 2011)

Remember health care reform? The Republican presidential candidates all promise repeal just as soon as they win the White House. But we ought to ask, just where will they get 60 votes in the Senate? These days that supermajority is...

Edith Blackwell exits DOI amid reorganization of legal staff (October 24, 2011)

Edith Blackwell, an attorney who handled Indian issues at the Interior Department, has left her post amid a reorganization under Solicitor Hilary Tompkins. Blackwell's last day was Friday. She will be joining the Department of Health and Human Services to...

David Bender: Sioux family turns to traditional food again (October 24, 2011)

"Taŋyáŋ yahípi—Welcome. My name is David Bender, and my goal is to raise awareness of food addiction. The reason I write about battling food addiction is to save lives and protect our most valuable resource as a nation—our health. Before...

Column: South Dakota ballots no longer offered in Lakota (October 24, 2011)

"South Dakota election officials don’t need to make special provisions any longer for speakers of American Indian native languages in any of the 66 counties. Previously the federal government had required special steps in 18 counties. The audio recordings of...

Editorial: Tribes push for strong water standard in Oregon (October 24, 2011)

"Oregon has a rich tradition of national environmental leadership — and it now includes the most rigorous standards for toxic water pollution in the United States. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last week approved standards adopted earlier this year by...

Colorlines: (Un)occupy Albuquerque linked to tribal rights (October 24, 2011)

"The 99 percent movement that’s swept the country has reached Albuquerque, New Mexico. But organizers there have decided to alter the “Occupy” name. They are doing this out of respect for area’s indigenous communities, which have been forcibly occupied by...

Editorial: Navajo goods should be made by Navajo artists (October 24, 2011)

"The "Navajo" hip flask, panties and other items are gone from the website of retailer Urban Outfitters. Or rather, the products are still there, but they no longer carry the unauthorized name of North America's largest tribe. The Navajo Nation...

Editorial: Cherokee Nation moving forward with new chief (October 24, 2011)

"The election for principal chief of the Cherokee Nation is over — finally. Incumbent Chad Smith has exhausted a final appeal and conceded the election to challenger Bill John Baker. Baker was sworn in last week, but he will have...

Editorial: Poarch Creeks in bed with Alabama Republicans (October 24, 2011)

"We imagine only those who view state politics through rose-colored lenses were surprised by the news last week that the Poarch Band of Creek Indians gave $550,000 to a Republican organization that funneled money into Alabama GOP races last year....

Chloe Thompson: NLRB rule poses a threat to sovereignty (October 24, 2011)

"The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has been intruding on tribal sovereignty for several years, by asserting authority over businesses owned and operated by tribal governments, including those located on reservations. And it’s poised to strike yet another blow. On...

Robert Desjarlait: Decolonization and 'Occupy Wall Street' (October 24, 2011)

"As far as financial inequity is concerned, we, the red and the brown peoples of the Americas, have suffered financial inequity ever since the oppressors first invaded our shores. Socio-economic inequity began with the subjugation of our lands through treaties....

Hilary Tompkins: Signing the Osage Nation trust settlement (October 24, 2011)

"Today, we joined Osage Tribe Principal Chief John Red Eagle, other tribal leaders, and our colleagues at the Treasury Department, in a ceremony to commemorate an historic settlement marking the end of a long-running lawsuit by the Osage Tribe...

Charles Trimble: Doing right for the 'Children of the Plains' (October 24, 2011)

Ed. Note: The original version of this column failed to attribute quotes that were originally reported in a copyrighted piece by Brenda Norrell on Censored News. I was in the Colorado Rockies when ABC’s 20/20 show “Hidden America: Children of...

Tim Giago: Re-examining Christianity and traditional beliefs (October 24, 2011)

Notes from Indian Country By Tim Giago (Nanwica Kciji) © 2011 Unity South Dakota It is written (Niehardt – Black Elk Speaks – 1932) that in the end, Black Elk converted to Catholicism and it is also well-known that Lakota...