Dear Rep. Pombo: Hold hearing on BIA 'misconduct' (March 22, 2004)

"As you are aware, I am the hereditary Chief of the Ione Band of Miwok Indians and I have been working with you for more than 10 years to address the illegal and unethical actions of the Bureau of Indian...

BIA seeks Internet access for its schools (March 22, 2004)

The Bureau of Indian Affairs will seek permission to reconnect its schools to the public Internet, a top official said on Sunday. Ed Parisian, director of BIA's Office of Indian Education Programs, said the agency is asking a federal judge...

Neb. agency denies existence of burial mound (March 22, 2004)

A member of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska is asking for more studies at a proposed lake site that he says will destroy a burial mound. Frank LaMere is working with a farmer who opposes the project. They say the...

Tohono O'odham Nation dealing with years of neglect (March 22, 2004)

The Tohono O'odham Nation of Arizona is reacting to years of neglect by the federal government over border protection issues. More than 1,500 immigrants use the reservation to enter the U.S. every day. That has some tribal members afraid to...

House leader says tribe doesn't have land claim in Ill. (March 22, 2004)

A spokesperson for House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) said the Prairie Band Potawotomi Nation of Kansas hasn't followed up on its claim to an ancestral reservation in Illinois. A former Department of Interior official said the tribe has a credible...

Developer won't halt work at tribal burial site (March 22, 2004)

The California Native American Heritage Commission is considering legal action against a developer that refuses to stop work at a Gabrielino-Tongva burial site. The 200-year-old cemetery contains the remains of at least 169 tribal ancestors. Workers continue to remove graves...

Denver March Powwow wraps up after big weekend (March 22, 2004)

The 30th annual Denver March Powwow wraps up today after drawing tens of thousands of spectators over the weekend. More than 1,000 dancers and 60 drum groups were registered for the three-day event. Organizers estimate that it draws 50,000 people....

Urban pow-wow draws hundreds to Quad City (March 22, 2004)

The Urban Indian Tribal Organization drew representatives of 14 tribes to a pow-wow in the Quad Cities area. About 250 people attended the pow-wow, held at the Quad-City Botanical Center in Rock Island. The pow-wow featured dancing, arts and crafts...

Mich. school ignoring treaty on Indian education (March 22, 2004)

Indian students at Central Michigan University might find their tuition waver revoked due to inaccurate interpretation of a treaty and state law. The Washington Treaty of 1836 guaranteed education for tribal members in the state. In 1976, the Michigan Indian...

Mark Trahant: A familiar story of cultural change (March 22, 2004)

"The story I know starts long before the 17th century -- thousands of years before that. I suppose that if there were a Census Bureau then, it too would report a changing society -- the cultural and ethnic threats when...

Report into Native teen's death expected this summer (March 22, 2004)

The hearing phase of an inquiry into the death of a Native teenager in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, ended last week. Neil Stonechild, 17, went missing the night police were looking for him back in 1990. He was found dead in a...

B.C. First Nations demand inquiry into man's death (March 22, 2004)

The Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs led a vigil in Vancouver on Friday to call for an inquiry into the death of Native man. First Nations leaders said Solicitor General Rich Coleman should resign for his handling of...

Judge: Martin ignored law in Navajo school dispute (March 22, 2004)

Top Bureau of Indian Affairs official Aurene Martin ignored the law when she authorized a takeover of a Navajo Nation school, a Department of Interior judge has ruled. In a March 18 decision, the Office of Hearing and Appeals said...

Judge cites ICWA in returning drug addicted baby (March 22, 2004)

A judge in Texas said he was forced to return a drug-addicted baby to its Alaska Native mother due to the Indian Child Welfare Act. The baby was taken from the mother, 18, six moths ago, when social workers discovered...

Pechanga tribal committee disenrolls 130 people (March 22, 2004)

The Pechanga Band of Luiseño Mission Indians of California has decided to remove 130 people from the tribal rolls. The tribe's enrollment committee says the group cannot show Pechanga descent. But members of the extended family say they can trace...

Indian educators meet for legislative summit in DC (March 22, 2004)

Indian educators from around the country are meeting in Washington, D.C., this week for the National Indian Education Association's annual legislative summit. The summit, now its in 8th year, began yesterday afternoon with a discussion of some of the top...

House panel holds hearing on Lumbee recognition (March 22, 2004)

The House Resources Committee will hold a hearing April 1 on a bill to recognize the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-N.C.) and Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.) have introduced nearly identical bills to recognize the tribe. The...