Rep. Ney drops plans for re-election amid scandal (August 7, 2006)

Under scrutiny for his role in the Jack Abramoff scandal, Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) announced today that he won't seek re-election. Ney hasn't been charged with any crimes. But court papers indicate he accepted campaign contributions, gifts and other items...

Tribal lobbying spending falls in wake of Abramoff (August 7, 2006)

After years of steady increases, tribal lobbying spending has fallen in the wake of the Jack Abramoff scandal. In 1998, a decade after the passage of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, tribes only spent about $6.1 million in Washington, D.C.,...

Arizona tribes join battle over federal labor law (August 7, 2006)

The Pascua Yaqui Tribe and the Tohono O'odham Nation have joined a national lobbying campaign to keep federal labor law out of their businesses. Leaders of the two tribes say it should be up to tribal governments to set own...

Cobell eager to settle Indian trust fund lawsuit (August 7, 2006)

Elouise Cobell, the lead plaintiff in the Indian trust fund lawsuit, says time is running out to resolve the case through legislation. Cobell anxiously awaited last week's Senate Indian Affairs Committee meeting on the settlement bill. But after a last...

Fire Thunder worried about delay in ouster case (August 7, 2006)

Cecelia Fire Thunder, the ousted president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe of South Dakota, is worried that she won't get her day in court before the tribe's upcoming election. Fire Thunder wants the tribe's top court to reinstate her....

Letter: Nearly $1B wasted on Swimmer's trust reform (August 7, 2006)

"The July 28 op-ed by Ross Swimmer, Special Trustee for American Indians, is as flawed as the Interior Department's management of our assets. His claim of a "very different" trust operation is strikingly at odds with all credible evidence and...

Bar owner takes credit for Bear Butte interest (August 7, 2006)

The owner of a controversial bar near sacred Bear Butte in South Dakota is taking credit for this year's Native protest. Jay Allen said he created a "bond" for Native and non-Natives protesters who have been fighting encroachment on...

Editorial: Buy more land to protect Bear Butte (August 7, 2006)

"Protests certainly could help raise awareness. And there's always hope that a good compromise could be reached on a buffer zone. But really, there's only one way to ease Native American concerns about development around Bear Butte: They've got to...

Late Navajo artist R.C. Gorman accused of abuse (August 7, 2006)

A 51-year-old man is accusing the late Navajo artist R.C. Gorman of sexually abusing him as a child. Geoffrey Dunn said the incident occurred in 1967, when he was 12 years old. He said his father found out about it...

Editorial: Get out and vote in Navajo Nation primary (August 7, 2006)

"On the Navajo Nation Tuesday, voters will be asked to pick presidential candidates for the Nov. 7 general election. About 96,500 of the tribe's 300,000 members are eligible to vote in the primary that includes the election of council delegates....

Editorial: Recognition elusive for Lumbee Tribe (August 7, 2006)

"It’s too soon to uncork the champagne, but this is progress. A bill that would grant recognition to the Lumbee tribe has advanced from the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs to the full Senate. A quest older than any living...

Disenrolled Indians seek accountability (August 7, 2006)

About 50 California Indians held a protest on Sunday to call attention to the removal of people from tribal rolls. The American Indian Rights and Resources Organization says more than 2,000 people have been kicked out of California tribes....

Editorial: Indian languages a worthwhile investment (August 7, 2006)

"History matters. From the public resources spent on museums, historical sites and school curriculum to the care with which a great-grandmother passes down a treasured family Bible, we feel a link to our past. A federal initiative aimed at preserving...

South Dakota tribal leaders meet Kempthorne (August 7, 2006)

South Dakota tribal leaders met with new Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne on Sunday but he warned not to expect quick solutions. Alex White Plume, the president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, said poverty was one of the biggest issues...

Former Cherokee deputy chief carries on tradition (August 7, 2006)

Hastings Shade, the former deputy chief of the Cherokee Nation, still fishes the traditional way. Shade is one of the few who use gigs to spear fish. He is on the water almost every day to find food for...

Lummi Nation students enjoy summer program (August 7, 2006)

Turnout for the summer program on the Lummi Nation of Washington doubled this year. Almost 600 students, from kindergarten through high school, took part in the Youth Enrichment Social Services program. They spent the morning at Lummi Nation School and...

Mark Trahant: A government program that works??? (August 7, 2006)

"How do you measure the effectiveness of government? Or is it even worth our bother? "Many Americans are disappointed by the huge amounts of money Congress spends, but that's not the real problem," writes James Payne in a recent policy...

Jodi Rave: From the Chickasaw Nation to Broadway (August 7, 2006)

"Few people can be said to have entertained kings, queens and presidents or to have graced national magazine covers, or spent an afternoon having tea with Albert Einstein or lived to be nearly 100 - the exception being Chickasaw...

Yellow Bird: Learning the value of native plants (August 7, 2006)

"My grandmother, Philomine Little Sioux, was one of those women who knew her surroundings so well that she could survive in the most dire times. She lived off the land as well as any buckskin and coonskin capped man of...