Roberts cites Indian law work before Supreme Court (September 19, 2005)

On the last day of his Senate confirmation hearings, U.S. Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts Jr. cited his work in Indian law cases in an attempt to portray himself as open-minded justice who would understand the impact of his...

'Warriors of Wounded Knee' to air nationally (September 19, 2005)

A documentary about the 1973 American Indian Movement's occupation of Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota is going national. "A Tattoo on My Heart: The Warriors of Wounded Knee 1973" was culled from 39 hours of...

BIA to take 75 acres into trust for Mohegan tribe (September 19, 2005)

The Bureau of Indian Affairs has agreed to acquire 75 acres in trust for the Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut. The land is home to the tribe's elderly housing complex, an historic church and 27 undeveloped acres, The New London Day...

Appeals court hears latest Cobell v. Norton dispute (September 19, 2005)

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments on Friday in the latest Cobell v. Norton dispute. A panel of three judges considered a broad historical accounting and trust reform injunction that U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth imposed on...

Commentary: Government cheating Indians on trust fund (September 19, 2005)

"In the 9-year legal battle over missing Blackfoot Indian royalties, US District Court Judge Royce Lamberth has been a perennial thorn in the side to the Justice and Interior Departments of both Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. The case,...

Choctaw Nation donates casino, fuel profits to Katrina (September 19, 2005)

The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma donated $443,991 to the American Red Cross for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. The tribe gave all of its Labor Day casino profits plus a week's worth of fuel sales. Customers and employees also chipped in....

Leader of New Mexico tribe seeks to change name (September 19, 2005)

The governor of San Juan Pueblo in New Mexico is seeking to change the name of his tribe. San Juan was named when it became the first New World capital of Spain in 1598. But it originally known as "Ohkay...

New Mexico to install statue of Pueblo Revolt leader (September 19, 2005)

The state of New Mexico is installing a statue of a Pueblo leader in the National Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C.. The state chose Po'pay as its second representative in the hall. Po'pay was a leader of the 1680 Pueblo...

First Native law enforcement summit in Minnesota (September 19, 2005)

The first Native American Law Enforcement Summit is being held in Minnesota this week. The conference will provide training on issues affecting law enforcement in Indian Country. The agenda includes state-tribal jurisdiction, gangs, substance abuse and contraband cigarettes [Link]. Bill...

Second notice filed by victims of Red Lake shooting (September 19, 2005)

A second notice of a lawsuit was filed by victims of the March 21, 2005, shootings on the Red Lake Reservation in Minnesota. The notice was filed in federal court on behalf of a teacher who was killed in the...

Tribe negotiating to protect land from development (September 19, 2005)

The United Auburn Indian Community of California is negotiating to protect sensitive land from development. Clover Valley Partners wants to use 622 acres to build homes. But the tribe doesn't want sacred sites and artifacts destroyed. The tribe previously talked...

Creek rapper raises $12K for Choctaws hit by Katrina (September 19, 2005)

Shadowyze [Web Site], a Creek hip-hop artist who lives in Florida, raised $12,000 for a Choctaw community in Mississippi that was hit by Hurricane Katrina. Shadowyze said he was worried that help might not reach the rural community of Bogue...

Mechoopda Tribe signs agreement with university (September 19, 2005)

The Mechoopda Tribe signed a memorandum of understanding regarding campus development with Chico State University. The school is located on the tribe's ancestral land. Villages and burial grounds are known to exist on the campus. A tribal cemetery is located...

Montana tribes donate bison meat for Katrina victims (September 19, 2005)

The Assiniboine and Gros Ventre tribes on the Fort Belknap Reservation in Montana are donating 5,000 pounds of bison meat to victims of Hurricane Katrina now that they have found a shipper. Dependable Auto Shippers Inc., a Texas company, will...

Column: 'Redskins' players not exactly keen on name (September 19, 2005)

"I recently asked some of the Redskin players how they felt about the name. 'It's hard for me to understand because our people weren't treated like that,' said Joe Salave'a, whose ethnicity is Samoan. 'But if that's how [American Indians]...

Distributors of peyote a dying breed in Texas (September 19, 2005)

In the mid-1970s, a high of 27 people were licensed to distribute peyote in South Texas, the only place in the United States where peyote grows. But that number has dwindled to just four as of last year. And fewer...

Makah Nation await approval to restart whale hunt (September 19, 2005)

The Makah Nation of Washington signed a treaty in 1855 that guarantees the right to hunt whale. In 2005, the tribe is waiting for approval from the federal government to restart the hunt. The tribe stopped taking gray whales in...

Mark Trahant: Rebuilding New Orleans, a unique city (September 19, 2005)

"Imagine the city as a blank slate. This is about the future. It's the story after the hurricane, after the earthquake or after the flood. The human tragedy has been calmed, and the focus shifts to reconstruction. How do you...

Yellow Bird: Howling, not dancing, with wolves (September 19, 2005)

"If you've never breathed deep, then opened your mouth and exhaled a long and mournful howl, in the dead of the night, deep in a pitch-black forest, you are missing a great experience. That's howling with the wolves. I heard...