Audio: Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing on stereotypes (May 5, 2011)

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee held a hearing this afternoon on racist stereotypes and their impact on indigenous people. The hearing lasted about 1.5 hours. Nearly every witness addressed the U.S. military's use of Geronimo as a codename for the...

Blue Lake Rancheria challenges California over business liens (May 5, 2011)

The Blue Lake Rancheria is suing the California Employment Development Department in federal court over liens against a tribal business. The tribe shut down Mainstay Business Solutions, a temporary staffing company, after being hit with $16.4 million in liens, interest...

Trial begins over branding of swastika on Navajo Nation man (May 5, 2011)

Opening arguments were made in a trial of a man accused of branding a Navajo Nation man with a swastika in Farmington, New Mexico. Jury selection took six hours, The Farmington Daily Times reported. Ten women and five men were...

Solar Energy: Helping bring basic services to Navajo elders (May 5, 2011)

"Nearly 20,000 rural Navajo homes in the US do not have electricity or basic human services, and many of these homes are occupied by elders with health issues or disabilities. As a solution, Navajo non-profit IINA Solutions of Scottsdale, Arizona...

Letter: North Dakota should address Indian unemployment (May 5, 2011)

"At Spirit Lake Reservation, one of the problems that people face is the high unemployment rate, and I’m sure that all of the reservations in the state face the same problem. The unemployment rate on Spirit Lake Reservation is more...

Tina Marie Osceola: Apology due for US treatment of Natives (May 5, 2011)

Let’s make no mistake about it. May 1, 2011, was a proud day for America. It was a proud day for our Navy Seals, the men and women of our armed forces, and for the President of the United States...

Seneca Nation sanctioned council member for incident at bar (May 5, 2011)

Just hours before leaders of the Seneca Nation attended the announcement of a new committee to foster tribal-state relations, a council member was involved in an altercation involving a prominent lobbyist. Bryan Gonzales struck John "Jack" O'Donnell so hard...

NMAI statement on military use of 'Geronimo' as codename (May 5, 2011)

"As our mission statement directs, "The National Museum of the American Indian is committed to advancing knowledge and understanding of the Native cultures of the Western Hemisphere — past, present, and future…" The essential value of this commitment, and need...

Terry Rambler: Saying goodbye to our young Apache leader (May 5, 2011)

"I want to say farewell to a dear friend to all of us, the late Justin Hooke, who was the president of the San Carlos Apache Youth Council and our future leader. I want to commend and say thank...

Rep. Albert Hale letter to President Obama about 'Geronimo' (May 5, 2011)

"It is with heavy heart and shock that I send this letter. To use the name Geronimo and attach it to the world’s most notorious terrorist Osama bin Laden is an outrage. Geronimo was an American patriot. He was a...

'Manoominike: Gathering the Good Seed' takes up wild rice (May 5, 2011)

Ojibwe wild rice and treaty rights are the subject of "Manoominike: Gathering the Good Seed," a one-hour radio documentary. Nick Vander Puy produced the documentary. It features interviews with Fred Ackley Jr.., an elder and judge from the Sokaogon Chippewa...

Native Sun News: Officer's beating of Navajo man spawns suit (May 5, 2011)

The following story was written and reported by Kate Saltzetein. All content © Native Sun News. On the night of March 17, a Navajo man named Donovan Tanner, age 22, was walking home from the Three Rivers Brewery with his...

Geronimo's great-grandson says codename 'slap in the face' (May 5, 2011)

A great-grandson of Apache warrior Geronimo is upset by the use of his ancestor's name in the U.S. military mission against terrorist Osama bin Laden. Joseph Geronimo grew up hearing stories about the famed warrior, who was born in present-day...

Oneida Nation statement on use of 'Geronimo' as codename (May 5, 2011)

Ray Halbritter issued the following statement on behalf of the Oneida Nation of New York. The Oneida Indian Nation joins all Americans in celebrating the bravery that led to finally bringing Osama bin Laden to justice. All of us continue...

Rep. Cole says military didn't have to use 'Geronimo' name (May 5, 2011)

Rep. Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma), the only Native American in Congress, doesn't think the use of "Geronimo" as a codename for the military mission against Osama bin Laden was "appropriate." "I'm certain no offense was intended by the use of the...

Defense Department says 'Geronimo' was chosen randomly (May 5, 2011)

The Department of Defense says the use of "Geronimo" as a codename for the military mission against Osama bin Laden was not meant to be offensive. The department said the name was chosen at random. No other explanations were offered...

L.M. VanEvery: Use of 'Geronimo' codename was 'offensive' (May 5, 2011)

"What brought relief to some, brought insult to others. With release of the information that the message sent to the White House was "Geronimo" was killed, memories of racial discrimination and genocide were awakened for not only the ancestors of...

IPR: Indian Country bristles at use of 'Geronimo' codename (May 5, 2011)

"American Indians across the U.S. are voicing frustration with the codename used for the mission to capture and kill Osama bin Laden. The radio call that came shortly after bin Laden's death was: Geronimo E.K.I.A., meaning: Geronimo, Enemy Killed In...

'Idaho's Forgotten War' documents Kootenai Tribe's battle (May 5, 2011)

"Idaho's Forgotten War," a documentary about the Kootenai Tribe, will be shown on the Flathead Reservation in Montana on Sunday. The film documents the war that former chairwoman Amy Cutsack Trice declared on the United States in 1974. The effort...

Tulalip chairman delivers annual State of the Tribes address (May 5, 2011)

Mel Sheldon, the chairman of the Tulalip Tribes of Washington, delivered the annual State of the Tribes address. on April 29. Sheldon cited the tribe's economic impact, including the 4,528 employees who work at the Quil Ceda Village, a mixed-use...

Lummi Nation working to help bikers who were sold bad fuel (May 5, 2011)

The Lummi Nation of Washington is working with its insurance company to help bikers who were sold bad fuel at a tribal gasoline station. The tribe discovered that the fuel was diluted with water and another substance. Some 19 motorcycle...

Former Aquinnah Wampanaog leader running for town seat (May 5, 2011)

Beverly Wright, a former chairwoman of the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe, is running for office in the town of Aquinnah, Massachusetts. Wright is challenging incumbent Camille Rose for a seat on the town's three-member board of selectmen. Wright previously served as...

Judge denies treaty-based claim against former tribal officer (May 5, 2011)

A member of the Navajo Nation can't invoke the Fort Sumner Treaty of 1868 for an incident involving a tribal police officer on another reservation, a judge from the U.S. Court of Federal Claims ruled. Jennifer Pablo sought at least...

Quechan Nation welcomes community to $1.2M nature park (May 5, 2011)

The Quechan Nation celebrated the opening of Sunrise Point Park, a nature park on the Arizona portion of the reservation. The park is called Anya-Nitz-Pak in the Quechan language. The $1.2 million project features a lake for swimming, fishing, two...

MSU News: Wasewi Shawl finishes journey to college degree (May 5, 2011)

"Wasewi Shawl was a champion runner, so she knows that races are won by putting one foot in front of the other. But when the Browning native started college, she had no idea that the race for her degree...

Lise Balk King: The Indian Wars still alive and well in the US (May 5, 2011)

"There is a saying out West that “The Indian Wars are alive and well.” Historic conflicts have moved from grassy slopes and crested buttes to cafes and courtrooms, schools and voting booths. And now, thanks to the capture and killing...

Joe Jackson, Gila River soldier, laid to rest on Yakama Nation (May 5, 2011)

Joe M. Jackson, a member of the Gila River Indian Community who was killed in Afghanistan, was buried on the Yakama Nation in Washington on Wednesday. Jackson, 22, was killed by an improvised explosive device on April 24. He...