License for tribe's nuclear waste dump approved (September 12, 2005)

After eight years of considerable debate, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Friday approved the first nuclear waste dump to be located on Indian land. Over the objections of the state of Utah, the NRC voted 3-1 to approve the...

University to proceed with Churchill investigation (September 12, 2005)

The University of Colorado's Standing Committee on Research Misconduct is moving forward with a full investigation of controversial professor Ward Churchill. The committee said it will investigate seven allegations of plagiarism, misuse of others' work, falsification and fabrication of...

Indian voting rights still an issue in South Dakota (September 12, 2005)

The National Commission on the Voting Rights Act held a hearing in Rapid City, South Dakota, to take testimony about discrimination in voting. Indian representatives and other witnesses said that Indians still suffer discrimination at the polls. They called for...

Editorial: Protect Native women from domestic violence (September 12, 2005)

"Although contrary to Native American culture, violence against tribal women is far higher than that of other U.S. women. One in 3 Indian women will be raped in her lifetime, and 6 in 10 will be physically assaulted, the National...

Editorial: Recognition process 'out of control' (September 12, 2005)

"To hear representatives of the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation tell it, the politicization of the federal recognition process has made nobody happy, least of all their tribe. Because the process has become so rife with politics, it seems as if tribes...

Alaska Native village proud of 'Halfbreeds' nickname (September 12, 2005)

A small Alaska Native village is proud that its school sports team is known as the Aniak "Halfbreeds." The teams were previously called the "Apostles." But in the 1970s, students voted to adopt the new name, along with a...

Tribal college produces rap song in Dakota (September 12, 2005)

The Sisseton-Wahpeton College in South Dakota has produced what is believed to be the first rap song in the Dakota language. "Wicozani Mitawa" or "My Life," is a song about a young man's struggles. It was written by Tristan Eastman,...

Tribe fights development on ancestral home (September 12, 2005)

A New Mexico tribe is trying to stop development on top of its ancestral home in downtown Santa Fe. Tesuque Pueblo says the city is moving forward with a $54 million civic center without consulting the tribe. Another site should...

Editorial: Reauthorize Violence Against Women Act (September 12, 2005)

"Congress has a lot of high-profile business on table in the next three months, from Supreme Court nominees to Hurricane Katrina relief, to estate-tax repeal. An issue that should share high priority, if not a high level of public attention,...

Indian optician in Oklahoma doesn't plan to retire (September 12, 2005)

Johnnie Johnson, a member of the Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, is celebrating 10 years of owning his own optician business. Johnson opened his shop in Norman after years of working for others. One of his first major contracts...

Book Reviews: The Painted Drum by Louise Erdrich (September 12, 2005)

The reviews are coming in for "The Painted Drum," the latest novel from Ojibwe author. The book is told from two points of view. One is Faye, a part-Ojibwe woman whose discovery of a drum leads her to question...

Upcoming Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearings (September 12, 2005)

Now that Congress is back in session after its August break, the Senate Indian Affairs Committee has three hearings on its schedule for the month of September. On Wednesday, September 21, the committee will hold an oversight hearing on Indian...

Roberts set for Supreme Court confirmation hearings (September 12, 2005)

The Senate Judiciary Committee is opening confirmation hearings for U.S. Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts Jr. The hearings were slated to start last week but were delayed due to the death of former chief justice William H. Rehnquist and...

IHS holding back $12M from Great Plains region (September 12, 2005)

The Indian Health Service is holding back a total of $12 million from tribes in Great Plains, Indian Country Today reports. The IHS Great Plains Area Office has $6 million in its "residual" account plus $6 million in funds "unavailable"...

BIA to issue ruling on Eastern Pequot recognition (September 12, 2005)

Update: The BIA sent a letter to the tribe on Saturday, delaying a decision until October 12, The New London Day reports. The agency is set to issue a ruling on another Connecticut tribe at that time. The Bureau of...

Connecticut tribe's ads tout bid for recognition (September 12, 2005)

The Schaghticoke Tribal Nation of Connecticut began running radio and television ads to promote its bid for federal recognition. The ads tout the tribe's legitimacy. The tribe has been recognized on a continuous basis by the state since the late...

Mark Trahant: Katrina testing limits of charity (September 12, 2005)

"'Americans have given more than a half-billion to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The pace of giving is unprecedented in recent American history,' reports The Chronicle of Philanthropy on its Web site. 'In the 10 days after Sept. 11,...

Yellow Bird: A black bear cub bit my finger (September 12, 2005)

"You might think being bitten by a bear would be a measure of courage, but it's probably more accurate to say that it's not real smart. Even so, the day after a black bear cub bit my finger, I woke...