Study finds low seat belt usage among tribes (October 7, 2005)

American Indians buckle up at rates far lower than the national average, according to federal statistics released on Thursday. In the first study of its kind, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Bureau of Indian Affairs took a...

'I’m fighting Indians. Anyone want to join me?' (October 7, 2005)

The battle between the Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua Tribe of Indians and two Douglas County, Oregon, commissioners appears to be escalating. Commissioners Dan Van Slyke and Marilyn Kittelman have been fighting the tribe's land into trust request. They...

U.S. argues against protecting sacred peaks in Arizona (October 7, 2005)

Ed. Note: Janice Schneider is referred to as a government attorney by The Arizona Republic. But The Arizona Daily Sun describes her as former government attorney who is now helping the U.S. Forest Service. The Bush administration argued against the...

Another Columbus Day parade and protest in Denver (October 7, 2005)

American Indian activists and Italian descendants are getting ready for another Columbus Day parade and protest in Denver. The annual parade has long been a source of contention. Indian activists say people shouldn't be celebrating a man whose expedition...

U.S. Supreme Court nominee's gaming work at issue (October 7, 2005)

U.S. Supreme Court nominee Harriet E. Miers is already facing doubts due to her lack of a public record but some are finding potential problems in her gaming work. Miers, a lawyer from Texas, was appointed by then-governor George W....

Muckleshoot Tribe honors 'Grandma Iola' (October 7, 2005)

More than 400 people attended a memorial service for Iola Winifred Lobehan Bill, an elder of the Muckleshoot Tribe of Washington who passed away at the age of 89. "Grandma Iola" was the oldest member of the tribe. She...

Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe hosts meth summit (October 7, 2005)

The Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe hosted the first ever Great Plains summit on methamphetamine use in Indian Country. The summit, entitled “Reclaiming our Communities – Counting Coup on Meth," brought tribes and law enforcement officials together to discuss a growing...

Vendors get ready for Black Hills Pow Wow (October 7, 2005)

Vendors with food, arts and crafts and more are ready for the 19th annual Black Hills Pow Wow in Rapid City, South Dakota. The He Sapa Wacipi kicks off today. Organizers have brought in 44 vendors and merchants to the...

South Dakota cleared for appeal on voting rights (October 7, 2005)

The state of South Dakota has been cleared to appeal an Indian voting rights case. The state is being accused of packing members of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe into one legislative district. A federal judge...

Second meeting on Makah whale hunt held (October 7, 2005)

A second meeting on the Makah Nation's whale hunt was held on the tribe's reservation in Washington on Thursday. Tribal members and anti-whaling activists attended the meeting, The Peninsula Daily News reported. The paper said the meeting was pleasant except...

Baby born premature making considerable progress (October 7, 2005)

A baby who was born premature after her mother was murdered has shown considerable progress, The Salt Lake Tribune reports. Baby "Janie" will remain in state custody until she is released from the hospital. That could be within 45 days,...

Ute reservation man charged with murdering cousin (October 7, 2005)

An 18-year-old man from the Uintah-Ouray Reservation in Utah has been charged with murdering his cousin in an alcohol-related incident. Toby James Ridley and his cousin, 31-year-old Shawn Ridley, got into an argument while riding around in a car on...

Wyoming tribes seek return of bison to reservation (October 7, 2005)

The Eastern Shoshone Tribe and the Northern Arapaho Tribe are taking steps to return bison to the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. The joint tribal council has called for the creation of a wild bison herd. Tribal leaders are being...

FCC clarifies ruling on tribal participation (October 7, 2005)

The FCC issued a ruling on Thursday to clarify its tribal participation policy in relation to the siting of telecommunications towers or antennas. Under the Nationwide Programmatic Agreement, telecommunications companies are required to contact tribes and Native Hawaiians if their...

Indicted ex-Bush official worked for NIGA, tribes (October 7, 2005)

David Safavian, a former White House official who has been indicted on charges of lying and obstruction, lobbied for the National Indian Gaming Association and other tribes, according to Senate records and The Weekly Standard. In 1999, Safavian and...

Bush nominee to testify about Abramoff work (October 7, 2005)

President Bush's nominee for the number two position at the Department of Justice will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee about his ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, Roll Call reports. Timothy Flanigan is a vice president and general counsel...

Opinion: Abramoff doesn't represent Jews (October 7, 2005)

"Lobbyist Jack Abramoff’s recent indictment and arrest on charges of wire fraud involve an already notorious individual. The U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and federal grand jury have already investigated him about his unscrupulous dealings with Indian tribes....

DeLay's shifting of campaign funds under scrutiny (October 7, 2005)

Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas), the deposed House majority leader, is under scrutiny for fund-raising tactics that may have violated Texas law in one case and that involved disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff in another case. In the first case, DeLay...

Cason to speak at NIEA convention in Denver (October 7, 2005)

Jim Cason, the associate deputy secretary at the Interior Department, will speak at the National Indian Education Association's 36th annual convention in Denver, Colorado, today. Cason will talk about the proposed restructuring of Indian education at the Bureau of Indian...