Cocopah Tribe won't recognize 'Patriots' group (June 14, 2005)

The Cocopah Tribe of Arizona says it won't recognize a local border watch group that claims to be stopping illegal immigrants from entering the U.S. The tribe says Flash Sharrar and his all-volunteer Yuma Patriots aren't welcome on the reservation....

Natives in Canada suffer from high unemployment (June 14, 2005)

Unemployment rates among Native people in four western provinces are more than twice as high as the non-Native population, according to data released by the Canadian government on Monday. For the 12 months ending in March 2005, 13.6 percent of...

Opinion: Bolivian Indians raise important issues (June 14, 2005)

"After weeks of demonstrations, Bolivian Indians have forced out that country's president, believing that today's interim replacement and his successor will respond to their demands. History suggests that their hopes are likely to be dashed. Less than two years ago,...

High court won't take on Native Hawaiian recognition (June 14, 2005)

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear a case challenging the Interior Department's refusal to recognize Native Hawaiians under the federal acknowledgment regulations. The move lets stand a decision from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that held...

Violence Against Women Act includes tribal provisions (June 14, 2005)

The National Congress of American Indians is backing a bill to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act even though it doesn't recognize tribal authority over non-Indians. Despite the lack of a jurisdiction fix, tribal leaders said the bill will strengthen...

Chief Seattle Club raising $5.3M for new home (June 14, 2005)

The Chief Seattle Club is well its way to raising the $5.3 million needed to build a new home to serve American Indians and Alaska Natives who are down on their luck in Seattle, Washington. The club currently leases a...

Sacajawea descendant doesn't like other spellings (June 14, 2005)

A descendant of the Shoshone woman who helped the Lewis and Clark expedition says alternate spellings of Sacajawea's name sound like "a fingernail running down a blackboard," The Great Falls Tribune reports. Sacajawea's name means "That is her burden" in...

Oneida Nation told to pay $5.1M in unpaid taxes (June 14, 2005)

The Oneida Nation of New York is being told to pay $5.1 million in unpaid taxes or lose 59 properties in Oneida County. The bill is just one of several the tribe is facing in light of a recent U.S....

High HIV/AIDS rate among Native Americans (June 14, 2005)

Native Americans have the third highest rate of HIV/AIDS cases in the nation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2003, the CDC said the rate among American Indians and Alaska Natives was 8 per 100,000. Only...

Tribal designs among winners of building contest (June 14, 2005)

A child development center in Acoma Pueblo and a high school on the Navajo Nation are among the eight winners of the 2005 Best Buildings contest in New Mexico. The New Mexico Building Branch of the Associated General Contractors handed...

Tribes want veterans' names removed from shrine (June 14, 2005)

Members of nine tribes from Taiwan traveled to Japan to call for the removal of their ancestors' names from a shrine to veterans who died in World War II. Tribal members say their ancestors were forced by Japan to...

New Native home ownership program launched (June 14, 2005)

The Lac La Ronge First Nation of Saskatchewan has launched a new home ownership program that will allow tribal members, for the first time, to obtain private financing for homes on the reserve. About 50 tribal members have already applied...

Shinnecock Nation cites fraud in theft of land (June 14, 2005)

The Shinnecock Nation of New York will file a lawsuit in federal court tomorrow that claims the tribe was swindled out of 3,600 acres of prime real estate in the Hamptons of Long Island. In 1703, the tribe was promised...

Group helps tribal members obtain legal services (June 14, 2005)

The Dakota Plains Legal Services is helping tribal members in North and South Dakota navigate the legal system. The group has six offices in South Dakota and one office in North Dakota. Lawyers help people like Jessica Hinsley, who had...

Column: Native leader outraged over e-mail (June 14, 2005)

"[Edmonton Police Service acting Chief Darryl] Da Costa has ordered an internal investigation after some EPS cops were circulating a racist e-mail that joked about how to treat an aboriginal. The latest racist controversy has outraged the native community. 'I'm...

Police officers blasted for 'racist' e-mail (June 14, 2005)

The acting chief of police in Edmonton, Alberta, has ordered an investigation into a "racist, discriminatory and disgusting" e-mail that reportedly describes 10 ways to deal with Native people. Chief Daryl da Costa would not disclose the contents of the...

IBIA makes decision in tribal leadership dispute (June 14, 2005)

The Interior Board of Indian Appeals has ruled in a long-running dispute over the leadership of the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe of California. In a June 1 decision, the board ordered the Bureau of Indian Affairs to recognize a faction headed...

Hearing into Fire Thunder suspension delayed (June 14, 2005)

Cecelia Fire Thunder, the first woman president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe won't face a hearing today over her proposed suspension, The Rapid City Journal reports. The paper said the tribal council postponed the hearing for unknown reasons. It will...

Lawsuit refiled over deadly reservation fire (June 14, 2005)

A non-Indian family refiled a lawsuit against the operators of a tribal casino for the death of a teenage girl in an October 2003 fire. The family of Ashleigh Roach, 16, claims Harrah's Entertainment and the Rincon Band of Mission...

Yellow Bird: Horse ride against substance abuse (June 14, 2005)

"The walkers were on the side of the highway and only looked up and waved when I honked my horn. They were serious, with jackets hanging over their shoulders, and certainly not walking fast. It was overcast but didn't quite...

Senate apologizes for blocking anti-lynching laws (June 14, 2005)

Indianz.Com Listening Lounge: Note: These are all MP3 files. Introduction - 2:10 - 889kOpening Statement by Sen. John McCain Sen. Sam Brownback - 9:17 - 3.71MBTestimony by sponsor of resolution Panel I - 33:30 - 13.4MB Testimony by Tex...

DOJ to probe change of tactics in tobacco case (June 14, 2005)

The Department of Justice will investigate the actions of government attorneys handling the racketeering case against the tobacco industry. The Office of Professional Responsibility will look into allegations that politics played a role in the department's decision to seek reduced...

Supreme Court overturns death penalty conviction (June 14, 2005)

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday overturned the murder conviction of an African-American many on death row in Texas, saying prosecutors unfairly kept African-Americans off the jury. In a 6-3 decision, the justice said prosecutors engaged in "trickery" and used...

GOP activist won't testify at lobbying hearing (June 14, 2005)

Grover Norquist, the Republican anti-tax activist, won't testify at the June 22 Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing on the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal, The Hill newspaper reports. Norquist took money from Abramoff's wealthy tribal clients to fund his Americans...