Report highlights disparities in Native test scores (May 24, 2006)

American Indian and Alaska Native students trail their counterparts in national reading and math tests, the Education Department reported on Tuesday. At grades 4 and 8, American Indian and Alaska Native students had lower average reading scores than for all...

Editorial: Oppose Native Hawaiian recognition (May 24, 2006)

"After a long wait backstage, the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2005 (S. 147, widely known as the Akaka bill) is tentatively scheduled to hit the Senate floor sometime after the Memorial Day recess. No one knows for sure...

No decision yet on eagle feathers for graduation (May 24, 2006)

Leaders of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community met with Mesa Public Schools officials after Native students were told they couldn't wear eagle feathers on their graduation caps. Salt River President Joni Ramos said no decision was made. She...

Navajo Nation still reviewing Head Start workers (May 24, 2006)

The Navajo Nation is processing background checks on hundreds of Head Start employees. The tribe is conducting the checks after the federal Administration of Children and Families suspended funding for the program. A review found employees with serious criminal records....

First Lady speaks at Mesa Verde National Park (May 24, 2006)

First Lady Laura Bush spoke at Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado on Tuesday, highlighting the park's connection to today's Pueblo people and other tribes in the Southwest. Bush watched dances performed by members of the Ute Mountain Ute...

Cheyenne River Sioux man seeks state office (May 24, 2006)

Steve Emery, a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, is seeking the Democratic nomination for a seat in the South Dakota Senate. Emery, an attorney who went to Harvard Law School, is running for state Senate District 28. The...

Protest planned against Pine Ridge women's clinic (May 24, 2006)

Members of the Oglala Sioux Tribe plan to organize a protest against a women's clinic that could offer abortions on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Tribal President Cecelia Fire Thunder proposed the clinic after the state passed the...

Cherokee group in Georgia issues voter ID cards (May 24, 2006)

An unrecognized Cherokee group in Georgia has started to issue voter identification cards and says it will sign anyone up for associate membership regardless of Indian ancestry. The Cherokee Indians of Georgia teamed up with former state lawmaker Walter Ray,...

Judge orders new plan for salmon on Snake River (May 24, 2006)

A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Bush administration to come up with a new plan that will address the impact of irrigation projects and dams in the Snake River Basin. U.S. District Judge James Redden said the government failed...

Letter: Northern Cheyenne 'war' on Indian school (May 24, 2006)

"With graduation season upon us, I am forced to realize a school on my reservation is threatened. I am a proud member of the Northern Cheyenne tribe and graduate student at MSU-Bozeman. The tribal government of my reservation has decided...

More than 4,000 waiting for eagles, eagle parts (May 24, 2006)

More than 4,000 Native Americans are waiting for eagles and eagle feather parts, a federal government employee said at a court hearing on Tuesday. Bernadette Atencio works at the National Eagle Repository, part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service....

Rosebud woman in charge of Devils Tower monument (May 24, 2006)

A member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe has been named superintendent of Devils Tower National Monument by the National Park Service. Dorothy FireCloud, 50, said she hopes to "build some bridges" at the monument, also known as Bear Lodge to...

Sandy Lake Band of Ojibwe seeks recognition (May 24, 2006)

The Sandy Lake Band of Ojibwe is seeking local support for its federal recognition. The tribe is based on a 32-acre reservation that was established by an executive order in 1915. But the Bureau of Indian Affairs failed to recognize...

Teenager shoots Seminole man in home intrusion (May 24, 2006)

A 15-year-old boy in Hollywood, Florida, will not face charges after shooting a member of the Seminole Tribe in what police said was a home break-in. Kiel Jumper allegedly entered the home early Tuesday morning. The teen boy said he...

First Nations support Native protest in Ontario (May 24, 2006)

The leader of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs said more protests in British Columbia are planned to show support for the Native protest in Caledonia, Ontario. Stewart Phillip, the chief of the Penticton Indian Band, said a road blockade...

Warm Springs Tribes searches for man missing in river (May 24, 2006)

The Warm Springs Tribes of Oregon placed safety nets across the lower Deschutes River in the search for a missing Native man. Wallace Leclair, 40, hasn't been seen since last Wednesday. Tribal crews placed the nets on the river in...

Opinion: Double standard in treatment of Natives (May 24, 2006)

"The [Ontario Park Police] is required under the Police Services Act to uphold the laws of Ontario, yet its officers allow lawlessness to occur daily, whether it's the blocking of roads, burning of bridges or turning a blind eye to...

Editorial: Don't waste time resolving Native dispute (May 24, 2006)

"Tensions boiled over again this week in an aboriginal land dispute that for months has bitterly divided the Hamilton-area town of Caledonia. Police broke up fistfights and shoving matches Monday between natives and non-natives at a roadblock on Highway 6,...

Blockade at Native protest site finally comes down (May 24, 2006)

Protesters from the Six Nations Reserve removed a road blockade in Caledonia on Tuesday, a day after tensions erupted. The removal was hailed as a positive step in relations with local non-Natives. It occurred after representatives of both sides...

Pechanga Band calls refusal of membership case a win (May 24, 2006)

The chairman of the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians says the U.S. Supreme Court's refusal of the tribe's enrollment case is a "win" for Indian Country. The tribe opposed review of the case, filed by more than 130 people who...

Opening statements set for ex-Bush official's trial (May 24, 2006)

Lawyers will make opening statements today in the trial of David Safavian, a former Bush administration official and former associate of Jack Abramoff. A jury of 12 people, 10 men and two women, was selected earlier this week. The...