Column: Nipmuc Nation should gain federal recognition (June 7, 2004)

"It's not easy being a Nipmuc. Just ask Walter A. Vickers. He grew up in Northboro and remembers his classmates and neighbors calling him all sorts of names, none of them good. More painful were the Western movies. "The cowboys...

Pequot elder's home is subject of tribal dispute (June 7, 2004)

Members of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation are fighting over the future of the homestead belonging to matriarch Elizabeth George, The New London Day reports. $P George's descendants from the Hayward family spent the weekend at the site to mark...

Grand jury probes Cheyenne-Arapaho spending (June 7, 2004)

A federal grand jury is investigating the spending habits of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, The Daily Oklahoman reports. $p The investigation centers on allegations that tribal officials misspent casino profits. The grand jury has asked for financial records related...

Indian turnout in South Dakota shows dramatic gains (June 7, 2004)

Even though reservation turnout trailed the state average, more than twice as many Indians in South Dakota voted in last week's primary election than in 2002, according to a new analysis. Efforts by the Four Directions Committee, a non-profit based...

Mark Trahant: Indian girls team had game back in 1900s (June 7, 2004)

"I knew my Aunt Genie only through newspaper clips. From time to time, the newspaper from my grandmother's tribe, Wotanin Wowapi, would publish old photos. Once there was a picture of Aunt Genie in a buckskin dress along with seven...

Opinion: 'Lost Youth' series was poor journalism (June 7, 2004)

"By now it should be obvious that the three-part series "The Lost Youth of Leech Lake" struck a nerve, particularly among Leech Lake Ojibwe and other Minnesota Natives. When was the last time you heard about a newspaper story inspiring...

Well-managed forest provides few financial gains (June 7, 2004)

The Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin lets the certification for its well-managed forest expired last year because no one was paying extra for the tribe's high-quality timber. $p Back in the early 1990s, the tribe was one of the first in...

Opinion: Eviction of tribal remains is wrong (June 7, 2004)

"Over the last few months, one of the largest American Indian burial grounds ever found in California — or the nation — has been rising out of the earth in West Los Angeles, more than 275 bodies at last count....

Election pits convict against Harvard graduate (June 7, 2004)

Members of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe in Minnesota will go to the polls tomorrow to select a new tribal chair. $p The election pits a "crook" who serve time in prison for stealing from the tribe against an...

Grassroots battle against Peabody sees success (June 7, 2004)

Grassroots activists on the Hopi and Navajo reservations are looking forward to December 31, 2005, with hope and skepticism. $p That's the date they hope Peabody Energy's coal mines in northeastern Arizona will stop operating. But even after after decades...

Senate, House committee hearings this week (June 7, 2004)

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee and the House Resources Committee are holding three Indian-related hearings this week. $p On Tuesday, the Senate committee will hold a hearing on S. 2436, the "Native American Programs Act Reauthorization. The bill extends several...

Chumash Tribe's development deal stirs opposition (June 7, 2004)

The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians of California wants to turn several hundred acres of land into a housing and country club development but area residents say the project will destroy their way of life. $p The tribe is...

Parents upset at loss of support staff for students (June 7, 2004)

Native parents in Vancouver, British Columbia, are upset over the loss of 33 staff members who are supposed to help Native students stay in school and graduate. $p School officials say the program, started 15 years ago, hasn't improved graduation...

Task force cracks drug rings in Indian Country (June 7, 2004)

A multi-jurisdictional task force is helping investigators crack drug rings in Indian Country. $P The Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force is made up of tribal, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Investigators share information and work together...

Diabetes program reaches out to rural, elderly Navajos (June 7, 2004)

With diabetes on the rise, the Navajo Nation is reaching out to the rural and elderly to help tribal members combat the disease. $p The Sage Memorial Hospital in Ganado, Arizona, serves hundreds of people with diabetes. The clinic is...

Yellow Bird: Diversity, women welcome in government (June 7, 2004)

"Sometimes, a different voice can also bring new ideas and perhaps needed change. It reminds me of some of the tribal councils that consist mostly of men. This is not to say the voting people in a tribe always elect...