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Federal judges a new concern for tribes
Reeling from recent court decisions that have eroded their sovereign rights, tribal leaders are taking a greater interest in nominees to the federal bench....
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In The Hoop: Winners, Losers
Is it Friday already? That means it's time for the weekly list of the movers and shakers in Indian Country and beyond....
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Tribal-federal effort targets Indian education
Indian leaders and federal officials this week announced plans to breathe new life into an executive order promoting Indian education....
Navajo student takes research to NASA
Savran Clah, a Navajo student attending Dine College on the Navajo Reservation, was invited by NASA to present results of his space research at the Kennedy Space Center....
Pelosi to lead Democrats in House
Representative Nancy Pelosi of California was elected the House Democratic leader on Thursday....
Bush plan encourages privatization
President Bush on Thursday announced plans to speed up outsourcing of certain federal jobs to private companies....
Native leaders part of governor's team
New Mexico Governor-elect Bill Richardson is welcoming Native Americans to his transition team and task force....
Web site promotes Native journalism
The University of Montana started a student-run online newspaper called reznet....
Tribal college focuses on diabetes
Researchers and students at Dine College are focusing on a "pandemic" of diabetes on the Navajo Nation....
ANWR drilling opponents complete journey
A coalition of Alaska Natives, artists and environmental groups completed a cross-country journey to oppose development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on Thursday....
Editorial: Don't hurt Navajo boys and girls
Navajo tribal leaders need to stop acting like children and resolve their power struggle over a Boys and Girls Club on the Navajo Nation, The Farmington Daily-Times says in an editorial today....
Editorial: S.D. wasn't complying with law
The Sioux Falls Argus Leader in an editorial today praises the settlement of a voter rights lawsuit filed by Sioux tribal members in South Dakota....
Narragansett Tribe in court over dig
The Narragansett Tribe is back in court today over a proposed dig that could impact burial sites and artifacts....
Mine near N.M. pueblo seeks expansion
A mining company in northern New Mexico plans to expand its operation against the protests of tribal members....
Indian housing bill signed into law
President Bush has signed into law a bill to reauthorize a federal housing program tailored to meet the housing needs of Indian Country....
Campbell ready to run again in 2004
President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have urged Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colorado) to seek re-election in 2004, the only Native American in the Senate told The Denver Post....
Mankiller addresses tribal history
Wilma Mankiller, former chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, was the keynote speaker for a Lewis and Clark conference at Penn State University....
Yakama Nation to join fish recovery board
The Yakama Nation of Washington plans to join efforts to recover threatened species of fish....
Funeral in S.D. for first Indian bishop
Funeral services are scheduled next Tuesday for the late Reverend Harold Jones, 92, the first Native American bishop....
Obituary: Manuel, Tohono O'odham educator
Rosilda Manuel, a Tohono O'odham educator died last week in Arizona....
Bush appellate judges approved
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved two of President Bush's appointees to the federal appellate courts....
Obituary: Judy Trejo, Paiute artist
Funeral services were held on Thursday for Judy Sam Trejo, a Paiute award-winning artist from Nevada....
Oneida members sue tribal government
Nineteen members of the Oneida Nation of New York have sued at least 25 tribal officials, alleging violation of civil rights....
S.D. panel hears of disparity in justice
The South Dakota Legislature's State-Tribal Relations Committee is meeting this week to address treatment of Native Americans in the justice system....
Mohegan Tribe develops childcare center
The Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut will open a $12.7 million childcare center on its reservation....
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In The Hoop: Rumblings from San Diego
The 59th annual session of the National Congress of American Indians is winding down here in San Diego, California....
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Court cites 'troubling record' at Interior
Department of Interior officials came "perilously close" to criminal contempt sanctions for refusing to abide by court orders, the federal judge overseeing the trust fund debacle has ruled....
Sentences upheld in Chiapas massacre
A federal appeals court in Mexico on Tuesday upheld the prison sentences of 18 non-Indian farmers who massacred an Indian village in Chiapas....
Clinic tackles Indian diabetes epidemic
The Oklahoma City Indian Clinic has a diabetes program that has from from 138 patients six years ago to than 1,000 participants today....
Obituary: Jones, First Native bishop
The Reverend Harold Jones, the first Native American bishop, died in Arizona on Tuesday....
Native film festival attracts talent
The 27th annual American Indian Film Festival kicked off this past weekend in San Francisco, California....
Minn. tribal college gets new hire
The police chief in Duluth, Minnesota, is joining the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College on the Fond du Lac Reservation....
New president for N.M. tribal college
The Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute of New Mexico has named Joseph Martin, a member of the Navajo Nation, as its new president....
House passes homeland security bill
The House on Wednesday passed legislation to create a Department of Homeland Security....
Republicans elect new leadership
The Republican party elected its new Congressional leadership on Wednesday but there were few major surprises....
Close S.D. Senate race decided
Senator Tim Johnson's (D-South Dakota) narrow victory over Republican John Thune was complete on Wednesday....
Racetrack losses blamed on tribe
An Oklahoma racetrack is blaming its financial problems on Indian gaming....
Conn. casinos reach out of state
Connecticut's two tribal casinos draw a large number of out-of-state tourists, according to a new survey....
House approves continued federal budget
The House on Wednesday approved a continuing resolution to keep funding for federal agencies at the current level....
Senate approves Shoshone payout
The Senate on Wednesday approved a bill to distribute a $138 million trust fund to members of the Western Shoshone Nation....
Native corps to receive wireless refund
Three Alaska Native corporations whose investment in a federal wireless auction is the subject of Supreme Court case will receive a $233 million refund....
Accused minister to Indians resigns
An Methodist minister who is part of the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference is accused of 'first-degree rape of a teenage girl....
Tribal members reject trust takeover
A majority of members of the Fort Belknap Tribes of Montana voted against a takeover of trust services from the Bureau of Indian Affairs....
GOPs to shape new energy policy bill
The fate of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and Indian Country development will be in Republican hands next year with the breakdown of talks over an energy policy bill....
New Navajo president wants more power
Joe Shirley, recently elected president of the Navajo Nation, wants to bring back the tribe's old style of government
Shirley believes the three-branch government has hampered economic development....
Fees awarded in trust fund litigation
The federal judge overseeing the Indian trust fund debacle has awarded more than $120,000 in fees to the Cobell plaintiffs for frivolous motions filed by the federal government....
Shawnee tribe seeing local opposition
The Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma is developing a new Class II casino on 33 acres of trust land....
Tribes focus on broad agenda at NCAI
Trust reform, sacred sites, veterans and health care are a few of the issues on the agenda for the 59th annual session of the National Congress of American Indians....
Norton finalizes Seneca compact letter
Secretary of Interior Gale Norton on Monday sent out her decision letter on the Seneca Nation gaming compact with the state of New York....
McCaleb honors last Okla. allottees
The Bureau of Indian Affairs on Wednesday honored the last surviving Oklahoma tribal members who received original land allotments....
Opinion: Tribes are not sovereign
"To own a casino is to be backed up to the loading dock of the federal mint....
Bush's Klamath review criticized
A White House-ordered review of the Klamath Basin that restored water to non-Indian farmers has been criticized as politically influenced and without sound scientific backing....
Tribe's fire crews serve country
The fire fighting team of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation of Kansas has been called on to fight fires throughout the country....
Dismissal in Crow Tribe theft case
A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed charges against a non-Indian man accused of conspiring to steal funds from the Crow Tribe of Montana....
Tribal members reject trust takeover
The Northern Arapaho Tribe of Wyoming can operate slot machines and other Class III games, a federal mediator has ruled....
Tim Giago: Question BIA blood quantum
"Who is a Native and who is not has been a question the bureaucracy has kicked from pillar to post for more than 100 years....
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At NCAI, it's the local issues that count
Unity in Indian Country has been a common theme throughout the 59th annual session of the National Congress of American Indians being held this week in San Diego, California....
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Cobell litigation moves into second phase
Trust reform took center stage at the nation's largest inter-tribal gathering on Tuesday, as debate raged over the next phase of the landmark Cobell lawsuit....
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Tribes opposing trust fund settlement bill
Tribal leaders are moving to counteract a controversial legislative proposal that would extinguish the rights of individual Indian account holders in exchange for a cash payout....
Narrow Johnson win in S.D. confirmed
Election officials in South Dakota completed a canvass of votes in the state's close U.S....
Budget bills put off until next year
The remaining federal appropriations bills won't be considered until Congress reconvenes under full Republican control, The New York Times reports....
Tribal officer saves man from fire
A police officer for the Fort Peck Tribes of Montana rescued an unconscious man from a house fire....
Mont. tribal colleges receive grants
Two tribal colleges in Montana will receive federal grants for building and expansion projects....
Calif. mission has tragic history
The 400th anniversary of the first Catholic mass in California was remembered on Tuesday as a link to the state's colonial past....
Student art on display in Okla.
Indian students in Oklahoma are taking part in an art competition and show in Shawnee....
Senate to confirm two new judges
Democrats plan to allow confirmation of two of President Bush's appointees to the federal bench, The New York Times reports....
Guilty plea in tribal theft case
The brother of the former chairman of the Crow Tribe of Montana pleaded guilty in federal court in a tribal theft case....
Village sees high rate of police calls
The Alaska Native village of Alakanuk has seen a high rate of alcohol-related incidents in recent months....
Conn. casinos a major tourist draw
A study by the Connecticut Office of Tourism shows that tribal casinos are a major draw for tourists....
Grant awarded to protect Indian land
A $20 million grant has been awarded to the Indian Land Tenure Foundation to help protect the Indian land base....
Column: Even more bad dealings with tribe
"Typically, when you get caught holding someone or something hostage, the outcome is unpleasant....
Cherokee tribe claims legitimacy
A group calling itself the Southern Cherokee Nation plans to open a riverboat casino on the Arkansas River in Oklahoma....
Remains returned to Winnebago Tribe
The state of Nebraska is returning about 20 set of remains to the Winnebago Tribe under a new state repatriation law....
Tribe's lawyer part of Ariz. governor team
Rodney Lewis, general counsel for the Gila River Indian Community of Arizona, has been named to the transition of newly elected Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano (D)....
Judge directs tribe to waive immunity
A federal judge in Rhode Island directed the Narragansett Tribe to waive its sovereign immunity as part of a dispute over a sewer construction project, The Providence Journal reports....
Seminole Tribe alleges breach of trust
The Seminole Tribe of Florida has sued Prudential Securities alleging a breach of trust over millions of dollars of lost tribal funds....
Wis. tribe reclaims part of homeland
The Wisconsin-based Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans has acquired 125 acres of land in central New York, its aboriginal territory....
Crow Tribe gets new chairman
Carl Venne was sworn in as the new chairman of the Crow Tribe of Montana on Tuesday....
Lawmaker wants to end tribal monopoly
An Oklahoma lawmaker who has challenged Indian policies plans to introduce a bill to end the tribal Class II gaming monopoly....
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Tribes tackle new political environment
New challenges face Indian Country with the Republican Party in control of the White House and Congress, tribal leaders said on Monday....
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Court strikes down tax scheme on tribal land
A Washington county does not have the right to tax land owned by the Quinault Nation, a federal appeals court ruled last Friday....
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The Week in Review
Election day surprises and upsets put Republicans back in control of Congress, Indian Country still battling on trust reform, and voters go to the polls in support of tribal gaming....
Responsibility said key to diabetes fight
Federal grants and research have not stopped the diabetes epidemic in Indian Country, Native health experts said....
Passamaquoddy Tribe swears in new leaders
The Passamaquoddy Tribe at Pleasant Point, Maine, swore in its new tribal leaders at a traditional ceremony on Saturday....
Vatican limits Indian deacons in Mexico
The Vatican will not reverse a five-year moratorium on new Indian deacons in Chiapas, Mexico, the Associated Press reports....
Letter: Oppose tribal sovereignty push
Note: The following appears to be a form letter generated by anti-tribal and ani-treaty rights groups....
Editorial: Tribe needs to do more than talk
The New London Day in an editorial today softens its qualified support for Michael J....
Clinton snowmobile restrictions reversed
The Bush administration has rescinded a ban on snowmobiles in two national parks, the Associated Press reports....
Navajos in N.M. get running water
Navajos in Lake Valley, New Mexico, recently had a water spigot installed adjacent to their community center....
Congress returns for lame-duck session
Congress returns to work today for a post-election session to consider wrapping up unfinished business....
Catawba Tribe voting on constitution
The Catawba Nation of South Carolina is voting on a tribal constitution....
Yellow Bird: The dangers of smoking
"Cancer mortalities among North Dakota Native Americans is the highest in the nation, Dr....
Letters: Indian policy and tribal casinos
"“Do Indians have to prove who they are?” asks Glenn Marshall in his Aug....
Mont. tribe voting on trust services
Members of the Fort Belknap Tribes of Montana are being asked to rescind a tribal takeover of Indian trust and other services....
Ariz. casino compacts waiting for OK
Outgoing Arizona Governor Jane Hull (R) is ready to sign new gaming compacts with tribes in the state but is waiting until a federal judge gives her the green light....
Canada moves to settle Native claims
The Canadian government is seeking to take Native boarding school abuse cases out of the court system in order to settle historical claims....
Narragansett Tribe seeks burial protection
A federal judge has scheduled a hearing today to address concerns by the Narragansett Tribe of Rhode Island over a planned sewer dig....
NCAI kicks off in San Diego
The 59th annual session of the National Congress of American Indians kicked off in San Diego, California, on Monday....
Education stressed to Indian students
Humboldt State University held its annual American Indian College Motivation Day last week....
Traditional funeral set for teen
A traditional funeral will be held on Monday for a 19-year-old member of the Turtle Mountain Ojibwe Tribe of North Dakota....
BIA won't review $80M tribal loan
Malaysian billionaire Lim Kok Thay is loaning the Seneca Nation of New York $80 million so the tribe can build a casino in Niagara Falls....
S.D. panel looks at Indian inmates
The South Dakota Legislature's State-Tribal Relations Committee is meeting this week to address Native American inmate issues....
Column: 'Bad business deal' with tribe
"On Tuesday the Unified Government pulled a fast one, hastily cobbling together a deal for an Indian casino without the benefit of public hearing or input....
Students disappointed about NASA delay
Students in the hometown of NASA astronaut John Herrington were disappointed with the delay in the Chickasaw Nation tribal member's launch into space, The Daily Oklahoman reported....
'What's up dawg' but in Tlingit
Alaska Native students in Juneau are taking part in a program aimed at increasing high school graduation and college enrollment rates....
Domenici to join Energy committee
Senator Pete Domenici (R-New Mexico) will be leaving his longtime post as chairman of the powerful Senate Budget Committee but not without some grumbling, The Washington Post reports....
Program combats addiction with tradition
A program at the Na'Nizhoozhi Center in New Mexico tries to help Navajo tribal members overcome alcohol addiction through traditional teachings....
Navajo community finally gets water
The Navajo Nation community of Lake Valley, New Mexico, has been hooked up to its first water line....
Report: Blackfeet dispute lingers
The Blackfeet Nation of Montana might still remove its chairman and vice-chairman, The Great Falls Tribune reported....
Seal-hunting tradition revived
A group of Alaska Natives re-enacted parts of a traditional seal hunting festival on Saturday....
Rocker Secola injects humor into music
Award-winning artist Keith Secola takes his inspiration from his Anishinabe roots but his music incorporates a wide variety of styles from rock to reggae....
'Embarrass the hell out of our senators'
Former Congressman Pat Williams (D-Montana) spoke at the Montana Indian Education Association's legislative forum on Friday....
Conn. tribe awaits recognition decision
The Golden Hill Paugussett Tribe is waiting for the Bush administration to make a decision on its federal recognition petition....
Indian trust systems still offline
The vast majority of computer systems at the Department of Interior are back online, according to a new court report....
Okla. tribe sees buildling boom
The Creek Nation of Oklahoma is hoping a building boom translates into an economic one....
Adopt an elder program going strong
The Adopt-a-Native-Elder program was started to help a few Navajo elders sell their rugs but has since grown to include a large arts show that helps keep tradition alive....
Ariz. Indian gaming victory confirmed
Voters in Arizona have narrowly approved a tribal gaming initiative....
Deficit forces layoffs at Tanana Chiefs
The Tanana Chiefs Conference will lay off 10 employees by the end of the year to make up for a $6.5 million budget deficit....
Tribal member's space ride called off
Today's scheduled launch of the space shuttle Endeavour, featuring Chickasaw Nation tribal member John Herrington, has been called off due to an oxygen leak on the spacecraft....
Indian veterans recall service
The Tohono O'odham Nation of Arizona has a memorial to tribal members killed while fighting to protect the United States....
Norton submits new court report
The Department of Interior's latest quarterly report on trust reform is available online....
Participate in our BITAM survey
If you haven't participated in our very first BITAM survey, there is still time for you to get involved!
We are taking your input to mark the one-year anniversary of the Bush administration's proposal to split up the Bureau of Indian Affairs of its core duties....
Yellow Bird: Worry about GOP control
"The crowing from the Republicans' sweep of Congress is at a high pitch in my area....
BIA says it is reforming driver policy
The families of two couples killed by an ex-Bureau of Indian Affairs employee are asking a federal judge to force the agency to reform its driver policies....
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