Yakama Nation to host annual commemoration for 1855 treaty (June 7, 2012)

The Yakama Nation hosts its annual Treaty Day commemoration this weekend. The events include a parade, salmon bake and powwow. The tribe signed its treaty on June 9, 1855. Get the Story: Yakama events to mark treaty signing (The Yakima...

Alaska Native corporation land bill ready for Obama's signature (June 7, 2012)

The House passed S.292, the Salmon Lake Land Selection Resolution Act, on Tuesday. The bill authorizes a land transfer for the Bering Straits Native Corporation, an Alaska Native regional corporation. The land was promised in in the 1971 Alaska Native...

Witness list for House hearing on universal service fund at FCC (June 7, 2012)

The House Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs holds a hearing tomorrow on the Universal Service Fund and its impact in Indian Country. The hearing takes place in Room 1324 of the Longworth House Office Building The witness list...

Vandals attempted to steal big Indian statue on Seneca Nation (June 7, 2012)

Vandals attempted to steal an iconic Indian statue from a business on the Seneca Nation in New York. Cyrus Schindler, the owner of the Big Indian Smoke Shop, was told that high school students were behind the incident. The attempted...

NPR 'Talk of the Nation' show to air segment on Indian ancestry (June 7, 2012)

Proving Indian ancestry will be the subject of a segment on NPR's Talk of the Nation this afternoon. The show will feature author David Treuer (Ojibwe) and freelance journalist Mary Annette Pember (Ojibwe). They will discuss the issue in light...

Navajo Nation opposes EPA rule affecting coal-fired power plant (June 7, 2012)

The Navajo Nation says the Environmental Protection Agency is going too far in its attempt to regulate a coal-fired power plant on the reservation. Stephen Etsitty, executive director of the Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency, testified at a House subcommittee...

Blog: State takes a look at alleged branding of blind Lakota man (June 7, 2012)

"The case of Vern Traversie, a blind and elderly Native America who alleges he was branded with “KKK,” is finally receiving official attention after two months of campaigning and petitions, including a Care2 one of nearly 9,000. South Dakota’s State’s...

Editorial: Program helps to preserve Chief Shakes Historic Site (June 7, 2012)

"Gov. Sean Parnell's vision for Alaska includes the restoration of Wrangell's Chief Shakes Island, including a tribal house and totem poles. Gov. Parnell, in conjunction with Sen. Bert Stedman, appropriated $250,000 for the project this past legislative session. The Chief...

Blog: Walk documents usage of plants in Pawnee Tribe's culture (June 7, 2012)

"The walk began at the Bathhouse where Oklahoma Master Naturalists collected. Several steps later, we all arrived at a large gazebo where the official introduction to the Pawnee Lakes and Pawnee tribe lifestyle was made. This walk was focused on...

Editorial: Put California land-into-trust bill back into the grinder (June 7, 2012)

"It’s no secret that observing the lawmaking process is a lot like watching sausage being made — you really don’t want to do that. But, if someone isn’t watching, sometimes unsavory things are tossed into the mix. With regard to...

Vincent Armenta: Chumash land-into-trust boosts community (June 7, 2012)

"Our tribal government prefers to rely on facts, not scare tactics, in discussions about our efforts to add 1,400 acres of land to our reservation. Our tribe in 2010 purchased 1,400 acres of our ancestral territory, located about two miles...

Three women making run for chief of Assembly of First Nations (June 7, 2012)

Three Native women are attempting to break into the "old boys club" at the Assembly of First Nations, APTN reports. No woman has ever been elected as chief since AFN was founded more than 40 years ago. Only four women...

Stockbridge-Munsee Community upset over land-into-trust flap (June 7, 2012)

Leaders of the Stockbridge-Munsee Community boycotted a planned meeting with the Tribal Affairs Committee in Shawano County, Wisconsin. The tribe is upset by the failure of the county to act on a land-into-trust agreement. "They told me they would not...

DOJ starts sexual assault response program for Montana tribes (June 7, 2012)

The Department of Justice is working with six Montana tribes on a new program aimed at addressing sexual assaults on their reservations. The sexual assault response team, or SART, program is the first of its kind in the state. It...

Inter-Tribal Council of the Five Civilized Tribes meet for summit (June 7, 2012)

The Inter-Tribal Council of the Five Civilized Tribes meets today and tomorrow in Oklahoma. The council was formed in 1950 but hasn't held a summit in six years. The group consists of the Cherokee Nation, Chicksaw Nation, the Choctaw Nation,...

APRN: DNA study to explore connections among Alaska Natives (June 7, 2012)

"Southeast Alaska’s largest Native cultural gathering is set for this week in the Capital City. Fifty-five dance groups from Alaska, Canada and the Lower-48 will take the stage during the three-day event. It’s expanded from one hall to a half-dozen...

Stephanie Woodard: Confessions of a Whiteclay beer customer (June 7, 2012)

"We went to a tribal member who spent years patronizing Whiteclay’s beer stores, but has now sobered up and turned his life around. He asked to remain anonymous, for fear of retribution. Will the tribe’s lawsuit against the beer makers,...

Kitcki Carroll: Shaping the future of federal trust responsibility (June 7, 2012)

"Change is in the air in Indian country as we continue to evolve from the damage and consequences caused by years of failed federal Indian policies. As deplorable as U.S. history was during these years for Indian country, it remains...

Some Colville leaders support per caps from $193M settlement (June 7, 2012)

A $193 million trust settlement for the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation is turning out to be a political issue. The tribal council proposed distributing 20 percent on a per capita basis. But two incumbents who are seeking re-election...

Native Sun News: Boys & Girls Club reaches 20-year milestone (June 7, 2012)

The memory of young scholar and athlete lives on not only in the memory of her family and community, but through the lives of hundreds of her fellow tribal members.