Pombo collected $40K from tribes so far this year (April 25, 2005)

Rep. Richard Pombo (R-California), the chairman of the House Resources Committee, has accepted $40,400 in donations from tribes so far this year, The Fresno Bee reports. The contributors include the Prairie Island Indian Community in Minnesota, the Hoopa Valley Tribe...

Defense rider targets Alaska Native contracting (April 25, 2005)

A rider tucked into the $81 billion defense appropriations bill approved by the Senate last week could limit the number of sole-source contracts for Alaska Native corporations and Indian-owned businesses. In recent years, Alaska Native corporations have won billion-dollar contracts...

Federal recognition a costly and risky affair (April 25, 2005)

Three Connecticut tribes have spent more than $50 million in the past 15 years in hopes of gaining federal recognition, The New London Day reports. The Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation, the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation and the Golden Hill Paugussett Tribe...

Native youth discuss how to succeed in two worlds (April 25, 2005)

About 200 Native students in northern California met last week to discuss sovereignty, politics, the law and how to succeed in the tribal and non-tribal worlds. Rachel Provolt and Emmilee Risling, sophomores at McKinleyville High School organized the "Success in...

Arizona tribe celebrates landmark water deal (April 25, 2005)

The Gila River Indian Community of Arizona held two days of celebrations over the weekend to mark the approval of the tribe's historic water rights settlement. President Bush signed the settlement into law last year and state lawmakers gave their...

Shoshone activist Mary Dann dies in accident (April 25, 2005)

Mary Dann, a Western Shoshone grandmother who refused to concede her tribe's ancestral lands to the federal government, died in an accident on her ranch in Nevada on Friday. Dann, whose age was reported to be in the early 80s,...

Two teens dead in murder-suicide fueled by drugs (April 25, 2005)

Two young members of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona are dead in a bizarre murder-suicide blamed on substance abuse. Jesus P. Valencia, 17, and Christopher X. Garcia, 15, were best friends who recently started to use drugs and alcohol,...

Mark Trahant: Few salmon left for tribal ceremonies (April 25, 2005)

"Last year, the federal salmon plan said times were so good that we could ignore the impact of dams. Good enough is over. We're now back in the extinction arena because the spring chinook run has nearly disappeared from the...

Editorial: Civil Rights upheaval hurts Indian Country (April 25, 2005)

"First, the Bush administration's proposed budget included major slashes in funding for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Now, it looks as though the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights' Denver office is on the chopping block. That's the office that has...

Girls saved from fire at Crow Creek school dorm (April 25, 2005)

Two Bureau of Indian Affairs employees saved four girls from a fire at a dorm on the Crow Creek Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. The fire broke out Sunday afternoon at the Crow Creek High School. More than 30 students...

Money tribes gave to Abramoff ended up in Israel (April 25, 2005)

Three tribes who gave more than $2 million to an athletic charity created by disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff ended up funding anti-Palestinian efforts in Israel, Newsweek reports. The Saginaw Chippewa Tribe of Michigan, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and...

Saginaw Chippewa Tribe gave $25K to GOP tax group (April 25, 2005)

The Saginaw Chippewa Tribe of Michigan gave $25,000 to Americans for Tax Reform, a Republican group that has been subpoenaed by the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. The tribe made the donation at the urging of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, Newsweek...

Abramoff used credit card to pay for DeLay's airfare (April 25, 2005)

Disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff used his credit card to buy the airline tickets then-House Majority Whip Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas) used for an overseas trip that was partially funded by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, The Washington Post reports....

Column: Good Indians or bad Indians? Hard to tell (April 25, 2005)

"You can't entirely blame Tom DeLay for being annoyed and feeling abused. He is trapped in a Washington kabuki drama not of his own devising. Two government investigations are looking into DeLay's relationship with a bunch of Indians he undoubtedly...

Navajo Nation Council votes to ban same-sex marriage (April 25, 2005)

The Navajo Nation Council approved a resolution on Friday that outlaws same-sex marriages on the reservation and authorizes the tribe to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions. The vote for the Diné Marriage Act of 2005 was...

Memorial held for victims of Red Lake tragedy (April 25, 2005)

A memorial and healing ceremony were held on Saturday to remember the victims of the March 21, 2005, shooting on the Red Lake Reservation in Minnesota. The services were held at a church in Minneapolis. Candles were lit for...

Sauk-Seattle disenrollment case in tribal court (April 25, 2005)

Members of a family who have been kicked out of the Sauk-Suiattle Tribe of Washington are taking their case to tribal court today. At least seven members of the Bill family were disenrolled last month by the tribal council on...

Editorial: Saginaw Chippewa feud needs to end (April 25, 2005)

"The latest recall effort against five members of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribal Council continues a tradition of dissent and turmoil that has afflicted this Tribe for years. Tribal Council members have power, and the people who occupy any powerful...

Jodi Rave: Fewer and fewer Indians in newsrooms (April 25, 2005)

"The American Society of Newspaper Editors conference drew the industry's gatekeepers - editors from major dailies to small papers - whose concerns ranged from declining circulation to reaching young readers to freedom of information to the future of newspapers. But...

Few Natives receive money for residential school abuse (April 25, 2005)

Less than $1 million has been paid to Natives who suffered physical, sexual and emotional abuse at government residential schools in Canada, CBC News reports. Only $934,740 was distributed to victims under the Alternative Dispute Resolution program. But nearly $34...

Flooding problems force hundreds out of reserve (April 25, 2005)

Hundreds of people have been evacuated from the Kashechewan First Nation in Ontario due to flooding problems. Flooding from the Albany River caused the sewage system on the reserve to back up. The water system has been contaminated and homes...

Tribes seeking to become players in Hollywood (April 25, 2005)

A handful of tribes are turning their sights to Hollywood and investing in movies and other entertainment ventures. The Oneida Nation of New York formed Four Directions Entertainment, a film and television company, that produced "The World of American Indian...