Settlement elusive in 38-year-old water rights case (April 5, 2004)

The Santa Fe New Mexican takes a look at the Aamodt Indian water rights case that has gone on for 38 years without a settlement. $P The suit was filed by the state in federal court in an attempt to...

N.M. man sentenced for dragging Indian artist (April 5, 2004)

A judge in New Mexico sentenced a man to 4 1/2 years in prison for dragging Indian artist Pressley LaFountain more than half a mile from the man's car. $P Andrew Lopez apologized for the June 11, 2002, accident. But...

Some question invite-only policy for drum groups (April 5, 2004)

Organizers of the 35th annual Time-Out and Wacipi Week at the University of North Dakota dropped the pow-wow's open drum policy this year and only allowed invited drum groups to participate. $P The change was welcomed by some, who said...

Developer continues to remove tribal remains in Calif. (April 5, 2004)

A descendant of the Gabrielino-Tongva Tribe of California is trying to stop a developer from excavating remains at a 200-year-old tribal cemetery. $P Robert Dorame has been designated as "most likely descendant" by the state's Native American Heritage Commission. That...

Montana lawmakers reviewing Indian education (April 5, 2004)

The Montana State Tribal Affairs Legislative Committee on Instruction held a hearing at the Montana Indian Education Conference on Saturday. $p The committee is conducting a study on drop-out rates among Indian students. Only about half of Indians in the...

Tribal fire crews sent to Colorado to battle blaze (April 5, 2004)

Several tribes sent fire fighting crews to battle the Picnic Rock Fire in Colorado. $P At one point, more than a quarter of the estimated 400 firefighters battling the blaze belonged to tribal crews, The Denver Post reported. The Seminole,...

Appeals court won't stop Oneida Nation evictions (April 5, 2004)

Four Indian families face removal from their homes on the Oneida Nation in New York after a federal appeals court on Friday refused to stop the tribe's eviction orders. In a unanimous decision, three judges of the 2nd Circuit Court...

Giago says Daschle compared him to Ralph Nader (April 5, 2004)

Lakota Nation journal publisher Tim Giago says Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) called him and questioned his plans to run for U.S. Senate as an independent. $P Giago, a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, says Daschle compared him to Ralph...

McCain aggressive in pursuing lobbyist records (April 5, 2004)

An investigation by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) into the work of a high-paid Republican lobbyist who represented four tribes is seeing some opposition, the Associated Press reports. $p The Mississippi Band of Choctaws won't agree to release records to the...

Health of N.D. tribe's bison herd questioned again (April 5, 2004)

The Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation of North Dakota is again facing questions about the management of its bison herd. A report by the North Dakota Board of Animal Health found more than 30 dead animals and others suffering from...

Statue of Liberty fund raising under investigation (April 5, 2004)

The Department of Interior's inspector general is investigating the National Park Service's dealings with a non-profit organization that raised funds to "reopen" the Statue of Liberty, The New York Times reports. $P Interior Secretary Gale Norton last week praised the...

Opinion: Greed, spite, history behind disenrollment (April 5, 2004)

"To any outsider looking in on California Indian politics, the apparent surge in tribal membership disputes over the last few years seems ugly in the extreme. Tribes with multimillion- dollar casinos are ejecting members by the score, questioning ties of...

Editorial: Shield recognition from gaming money (April 5, 2004)

The federal government should separate the recognition of tribes "from politics and the big money that has poured into the pipeline to promote Indian casino development," The New London Day says in an editorial. $p The paper says casino backers...

Racial dispute at Indian Baptist church continues (April 5, 2004)

Sunday services at the Rappahannock Indian Baptist Church in Virginia turned into a debate over race, The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports. Recently, a tribal member and her African-American husband were allegedly refused membership to the church. Lori Battle said was told...

Climbers sue over ban on climbing at sacred site (April 5, 2004)

A climbers group called The Access Fund filed papers in federal court challenging the U.S. Forest Service's ban on climbing at a sacred site. The Access Fund contends the ban promotes the religion of the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and...

State claims right to raid trust land in Kansas (April 5, 2004)

Authorities in Kansas raided the Wyandotte Nation's gaming facility in downtown Kansas City on Friday, claiming the right to enforce state laws on Indian land. $P The small parcel was taken into trust for the tribe by the Bureau of...

Editorial: Lumbee recognition about fairness (April 5, 2004)

The Lumbee Tribe's bid for federal recognition should not be muddied by concerns about gaming, The Fayetteville Observer says in an editorial. $p The paper says a hearing last week showed that opponents to the tribe are playing politics. "It...

Tim Giago: 'Real' Indians don't fight over money (April 5, 2004)

"Who is a tribal member and who is not? It is an ever-growing problem many of us oldtimers predicted would happen. The harbingers of disaster heralded the prospective problems surrounding legitimate tribal membership more than 15 years ago, but apparently,...

Yellow Bird: A tribute to the warrior women (April 5, 2004)

"Philomena Little Sioux, my grandmother, was a warrior woman who lived during very dangerous and trying times. She wasn't taught that, as a female, her life's role was lesser than men. In fact, women have the power of life. They...