S.E. Ruckman: White House budget office using old tribal data (December 19, 2012)

"Federal officials say the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) compiled list of population, enrollment and workforce statistics for Indian Country has not been updated since 2005. The figures reflect a federal lapse in knowing where current tribal enrollments...

CNN: Mark Charles reads official US apology to Native peoples (December 19, 2012)

"Buried on page 45 of the 2010 Defense Appropriations Act, after pages on the maintenance and operation of the U.S. military, is an official apology to Native American people. Mark Charles, a member of the Navajo Nation, stumbled onto the...

Jerusalem Post: Poet Joy Harjo draws fury with visit to Israel (December 19, 2012)

"Joy Harjo was on her way to Israel from Glenpool, Oklahoma, last week, having been invited by professors at Tel Aviv University to perform and do a reading for students. The feminist American Indian poet, writer and musician accepted the...

Brian Paterson: Indian Country mourning loss of Daniel Inouye (December 19, 2012)

Honor. Brave. Patriotic. Those three words come to mind as Indian Country pauses to remember and pay respect to the passing of an honored, brave and patriotic warrior, Hawaii Senator, Daniel Inouye, in Washington, DC. Honor is not a large...

Five to join Indian child welfare truth and reconciliation panel (December 19, 2012)

Five people were named to the Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The commission was established by Gov. Paul LePage (R). Its goal is to “acknowledge the truth, create opportunities to heal and learn from that truth, and...

Navajo Nation Band lands a spot in Obama's inaugural parade (December 19, 2012)

The Navajo Nation Band will march with President Barack Obama for his inaugural parade on January 21, 2013. The band was among 3,000 applicants for the parade. The Presidential Inaugural Committee made the final choices after whittling down the list...

Anderson Law: Republican VAWA bill a deal breaker for tribes (December 19, 2012)

"OPPOSE THE DRAFT CANTOR VAWA BILL (Cantor Draft) Prepared by Anderson Indian Law We strongly urge tribes to reject the Cantor draft VAWA bill because it is a diminishment of tribal sovereignty. The bill was drafted last minute, without meaningful...

Johnny Rustywire: Coming home to Navajoland for Christmas (December 19, 2012)

"Going home for Christmas is sometimes hard to do when there isn't enough beso (money) for gifts. It would be nice to go home and bring all the things everyone needs or at least maybe a gift they would like....

Richard Monette: Indian Country loses a warrior in Dan Inouye (December 19, 2012)

When Dan Inouye moved on to the next journey, our world lost a giant of a man. Indian Country lost a warrior, a leader, a true chief. Many knew Senator Inouye better than I did, but my few memories of...

DOI to consult tribes about Indian land consolidation program (December 19, 2012)

The Interior Department is launching the $1.9 billion land consolidation portion of the $3.4 billion Cobell settlement. As part of the Land Buy-Back Program, DOI will pay Indian landowners for their fractionated interests and the land will be returned to...

Native Sun News: South Dakota to exclude poor from Medicaid (December 19, 2012)

Republican Gov. Dennis Daugaard does not support expanding Medicaid benefits to thousands of poverty-stricken South Dakotans

Native Sun News: Lakota Voice Project takes hold in Rapid City (December 19, 2012)

The following story was written and reported by Brandon Ecoffey, Native Sun News Staff Writer. All content © Native Sun News. “WHAT DOES HOPE LOOK LIKE TO YOU?:” The Lakota Voice Project, which has been fighting the epidemic of youth...

Lise Balk King: Indian women need protections in VAWA update (December 19, 2012)

"In the case of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), the bill that seeks to protect victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, the fix will take only the stroke of a pen. There is no diplomatic negotiation needed, no...