Supreme Court takes action on Indian law cases (November 2, 2004)

The U.S. Supreme Court refused another Indian law case on Monday, this one dealing with the diminishment of the Mille Lacs Ojibwe Reservation in Minnesota. Without comment, the justices rejected an appeal sought by Mille Lacs County and a...

Appeals court leaves Hawaiian recognition to Congress (November 2, 2004)

A federal appeals court last week ruled that recognition of Native Hawaiians belongs to Congress. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals held that the Interior Department has a "rational basis" to exclude Native Hawaiians from the recognition regulations followed by...

Remains discovered on private land in Utah (November 2, 2004)

Officials in Utah are examining the remains of at least five Indians discovered on private land. The Bureau of Land Management was called in because the site is located near the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. But the BLM turned the...

Two Apache leaders fight removal attempts (November 2, 2004)

The chairmen of two Apache tribes in Oklahoma are trying to prevent their removal from office. Alonzo Chalepah of the Apache Tribe is accused of spending $1,193 in tribal funds on a drinking binge. He was supposed to use the...

UKB treasurer suspended over handling of funds (November 2, 2004)

The treasurer for the United Keetowah Band of Oklahoma says her suspension by the tribal council was illegal. The council voted 7-2 to suspend Julie Moss without pay. Council members said it was necessary to prevent Moss from possible theft...

Violent crime on the rise on Navajo Nation (November 2, 2004)

Violent crime on the Navajo Nation is on the rise, according to a report from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Arizona. The tribe referred 253 cases for federal prosecution from July 2003 to July 2004. This was the highest number...

Deal struck over Navajo Boys and Girls Clubs (November 2, 2004)

A deal struck between the Navajo Nation and the non-profit Navajo Boys and Girls Clubs will allow the clubs to reopen tomorrow, The Farmington Daily Times reports. Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. tried to bring the 14 clubs under...

Strip club using Crazy Horse name won't change (November 2, 2004)

A strip club in France using the name of Chief Crazy Horse doesn't plan on changing despite protests from the Sioux warrior's descendants. Alfred Red Cloud went to Paris to deliver a letter in opposition to the Crazy Horse Saloon....

Turtle Mountain Chippewa judge allows election (November 2, 2004)

A judge for the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa in North Dakota ruled on Monday that the tribal election will be held today as planned. Chairman Leon Morin, who is not on the ballot, tried to stop the election. He...

Bike trail makes debut on reservation in Maine (November 2, 2004)

The Passamaquoddy Tribe of Maine will open a bike trail on the Pleasant Point Reservation today. The 1.7-mile Sipayik Trail cost $329,000. The state awarded the tribe a $248,000 grant and the Bureau of Indian Affairs paid for the rest....

South Dakota seeks delay in Native voting case (November 2, 2004)

The state of South Dakota is seeking a delay in a case where Native voting rights were violated. On September 15, U.S. District Judge Karen Schreier found that the state violated the voting rights of Native Americans by packing residents...

Extradition hearing set in Aquash murder case (November 2, 2004)

A lengthy extradition hearing has been scheduled in British Columbia, Canada, for a man accused of murdering American Indian Movement activist Anna Mae Pictou Aquash. John Graham, a Native man from Canada, is fighting the charges filed against him in...

Recount possible in close Daschle-Thune race (November 2, 2004)

A recount is possible in the extremely close race between Sen. Tom Daschle (D-South Dakota) and Republican John Thune. A statewide candidate has a right to request a recount if the margin of difference is less than one-quarter of 1...

BIA cop in South Dakota charged with assault (November 2, 2004)

A Bureau of Indian Affairs officer in South Dakota has been charged with assault in a domestic violence incident. Patrick W. Swallow of Rapid City allegedly threatened to kill himself and a 25-year-old woman with a handgun. He also hit...

GOP worker accused of vote buying at Rosebud (November 2, 2004)

A Republican poll watcher has been accused of vote buying on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. The Tripp County auditor said she heard a Paul Brenner, Washington, D.C., area lawyer, tell voters at a satellite voting station they...

Judge bars GOP from watching Yankton Sioux voters (November 2, 2004)

A federal judge has barred the Republican Party from watching voters from the Yankton Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. A Republican testified that he was writing down the license plate numbers of cars carrying voters from the reservation to a...

Bad Eagle: Casino Indians ruining everything (November 2, 2004)

"Casino Indians are turning Americans against Indians, and the Indian cry of “racism” is an empty echo in this circumstance, not because racism doesn’t exist, but because here the accusation is false and disingenuous. California casino Indians are clearly in...

Warm Springs Tribes suggest new names for creek (November 2, 2004)

The Confederated Warm Springs Tribes of Oregon have approved a list of 42 names as possible replacements for Squaw Creek. A group of elders chose the names for the creek, which runs through the tribe's ceded lands. Some of the...

Colville Tribes settle dispute over land use (November 2, 2004)

The Confederated Colville Tribes of Washington has settled a dispute over the use of tribal land near Wells Dam. The tribe claimed $950 million in compensation for fishing grounds flooded by the land. The tribe also claimed ownership of land...

Native community in Manitoba hit by rash of suicides (November 2, 2004)

A predominantly Native community in northern Manitoba has suffered from a rash of suicides of young people. Four young people have taken their lives since May and two more have attempted suicide, CBC News reports. The community only has 900...

Review of Metis Nation election finds problems (November 2, 2004)

A review of the recent Metis Nation of Saskatchewan election has found numerous irregularities, including ballots cast by dead people, more ballots cast than voters and false voter addresses. The audit, commissioned by the province of Saskatchewan, said the irregularities...

Chief Justice Rehnquist delays return to court (November 2, 2004)

U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist did not return to work on Monday, stating he was recovering from a cancer-related surgery. Rehnquist announced that he had been diagnosed and treated for thyroid cancer 10 days ago. At the...

Seneca-Cayuga Tribe denies interest in ferry (November 2, 2004)

The Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma says its not interested in restarting a ferry service in Rochester, New York. The tribe's developer had sent a letter to the mayor regarding the Fast Ferry. The tribe wanted to buy the ferry and...

Tim Giago: Indian reformists stamped out tribes (November 2, 2004)

"After the Civil War the eyes of the victors turned west. As often happens in wartime, the thousands of deaths on the battlefield were more than offset by an extremely high birth rate. America now felt that it was time...

Yellow Bird: Are the Pequots really a tribe? (November 2, 2004)

"The influence of Indian gaming probably is the reason I am seeing a new kind of Indian. For example, the tribal chairman from the Mashantucket Pequot, whom I saw at the press conference, looked black rather than Native American. His...