Standing Rock Sioux drug charges being handled in three courts (June 5, 2012)

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and two federal courts are handling a drug trafficking case on the reservation. As a result of Operation Prairie Thunder, 17 people have been arrested and charged with trafficking marijuana, cocaine and prescription drugs. The...

Chantelle Pence: On day of potlatch, a 'drunk' becomes a human (June 5, 2012)

"I walked in to the low-income housing unit to see an elder about some meat that my dad had sent down for a potlatch that my in-laws were preparing for. It was fresh caught beaver and I wasn't sure if...

Boy released after accident on Blackfeet Reservation claims life (June 5, 2012)

A 33-year-old man was killed and a one-year-old boy was injured in a rollover on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana. Alvin Chief All Over was pronounced dead at an Indian Health Service hospital. He was not wearing a seatbelt at...

Houlton Band to select new representative in Maine Legislature (June 5, 2012)

The Houlton Band of Maliseets will elect a new representative to send to the Maine Legislature. David Slagger was the tribe's first representative but he lacked a vote. So he stepped down and launched a campaign to win a seat...

KUOW: Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe works to restore salmon runs (June 5, 2012)

"On the Olympic Peninsula the largest dam removal project in history is well underway, and the Elwha River is starting to show signs of life not seen here for nearly a century. The Elwha flows from the Olympic Mountains down...

Indian museum in Oklahoma needs $20M for more construction (June 5, 2012)

The American Indian Cultural Center and Museum needs at least $20 million by the end of the month to keep construction going, an official said. The facility has received more than $80 million in state, federal and private funds. But...

Witness list for Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing on USF (June 5, 2012)

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee holds a hearing this Thursday on the Universal Service Fund and its impact in Indian Country. The hearing takes place at 2:15pm in Room 628 of the Senate DIrksen Office Building. The witness list follows:...

Former president of Tonkawa Tribe enters guilty plea over theft (June 5, 2012)

Anthony E Street, the former president of the Tonkawa Tribe of Oklahoma, pleaded guilty to a theft scheme. Street, 48, admitted that he and two other tribal leaders wrote themselves checks from the tribe's general fund. The amount came to...

State to pay $3M in trooper arrests on Onondaga Nation in 1997 (June 5, 2012)

The state of New York has agreed to pay nearly $3 million to people who were beaten or chased away by state troopers during a peaceful protest on the Onondaga Nation in 1997.

Column: Indian ancestry claims common throughout Oklahoma (June 5, 2012)

"In 1997, the media told Madeleine Albright something about herself that she swears she didn’t know: Her parents were Jews who converted to Catholicism. They lost relatives in the Holocaust. People wondered how Albright could not have known. Today, Elizabeth...

Mary Pember: Whiteclay lawsuit puts alcoholism on front burner (June 5, 2012)

"As a Native American woman and recovering alcoholic I am grateful for Whiteclay, Nebraska for the simple reason that it keeps the disease of alcoholism and addiction right where it needs to be for our people: front and center. Having...

Former Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe leader released from prison (June 5, 2012)

Glenn Marshall, the former chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts, has been released from federal prison. Marshall served 3.5 years on corruption and embezzlement charges. His release date was June 4 but he spent the last month in...

Diana Greymountain: A Navajo Girl Scout visits the White House (June 5, 2012)

"Tomorrow, I'll be visiting the White House. I've never been to Washington, D.C., so it's very exciting. I'm going to the White House because I'm a Girl Scout and President Barack Obama will be awarding Juliette Gordon Low, founder of...

Report: Consumer agency isn't singling out tribal payday loans (June 5, 2012)

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau isn't singling out tribal payday lenders for scrutiny, the agency's director told Bloomberg News. In March, CFFB Director Richard Cordray spoke at the National Association of State Attorneys General conference in Washington, D.C. His comments...

Another case of hantavirus reported on Pine Ridge Reservation (June 5, 2012)

The Oglala Sioux Tribe has confirmed a second case of the hantavirus on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. The case comes after a young girl died from the disease. She was reported to be under 10 years of...

Bank cites leadership battle in freeze of Comanche Nation funds (June 5, 2012)

The Comanche Nation of Oklahoma has split into rival factions, with both sides seeking control of $6.5 million in a bank. Chairman Johnny Wauqua initiated a recall against six members of the tribal council, The Oklahoman reported. Three of them...

Santa Ynez Band reportedly paid about $12.8M to acquire hotel (June 5, 2012)

The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians of California paid about $12.8 million to buy a hotel, The Solvang Valley News reports. The tribe did not disclose the price of the 71-room Hadsten House Inn. But the paper got the...

Native Sun News: Powwow set to honor Rapid City flood victims (June 5, 2012)

The following story was written and reported by the Associated Press, with contributions from Jesse Abernathy, Native Sun News editor. All content © Native Sun News. RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA (AP) –– A powwow has been planned for June 9...

Gyasi Ross: Celebrating a modern-day warrior -- Tatanka Means (June 5, 2012)

"I’m working against a few deadlines for my upcoming book, appropriately entitled The Thing About Skins. (Shameless plug—pre-order at CutBankCreekPress.com; this book will amazing, just like the last one. Just ask me.) Additionally, right now work is also crazy like...