Editorial: It's time for settlement on Cobell (July 28, 2006)

"Finally, a breakthrough may be at hand in the one of the federal government's longest-running embarrassments — a lawsuit filed in 1996 by the Native American Rights Fund, demanding an accounting for more than a century's worth of federal mismanagement...

Cherokee Nation businesses losing millions (July 28, 2006)

The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma is losing millions on failed investments and businesses, The Muskogee Phoenix reports. Cherokee Nation Industries, the tribe's economic arm, invested $2.5 million to buy stock in a company called Global Energy Group. That money is...

Vandalism suspected in Suquamish fish kills (July 28, 2006)

Vandalism is suspected after a salmon hatchery operated by the Suquamish Tribe of Washington was hit by a second fish kill in three months. Last week, someone opened a water valve, killing most of the 100,000 young salmon at...

College in Barrow is Alaska's first tribal college (July 28, 2006)

The nation's 36th tribal college is also the first one in Alaska -- Ilisagvik College in Barrow. The college was recently designated a tribal institution by the Bush administration. This allows for greater access to federal funds. Ilisagvik offers certificates,...

State misses deadline on Indian taxation case (July 28, 2006)

The state of Michigan missed a deadline to ask for a rehearing of an Indian taxation case but is still considering an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals said the state couldn't impose property...

Opinion: Tribes must consider all political parties (July 28, 2006)

"You can't be so partisan that you alienate yourself from sources of power and support. While liberals and Democrats say they deplore stereotyping, profiling and generalizing, that is exactly what they do when they vilify Republicans to justify Democratic viewpoints....

Ross Swimmer: Interior still 'working' on trust (July 28, 2006)

"In his July 16 column, Mark Trahant says, "It's time for the United States to keep its word. That's what a trustee is supposed to do." I wanted to add that in fact, with great help from tribal leaders and...

Ceremony honors Blackfeet youth killed 200 years ago (July 28, 2006)

The Blackfeet Nation of Montana held a ceremony in honor of two youth who were killed during an encounter with the Lewis and Clark expedition. On July 27, 1806, a group of Blackfeet boys came upon the camp of...

Native languages slowly losing fluent speakers (July 28, 2006)

Of the 500 Native languages that existed prior to European contact, only 100 remain and only 20 are still spoken by young people, according to the National Indian Education Association. One of the endangered languages is Mandan. Only eight...

Navajo teen learns to walk again, heads to rodeo (July 28, 2006)

Charles Allen is the only member of the Navajo Nation competing in the National High School Finals Rodeo in Illinois this week. But that's not Allen's only distinction. After both of his legs were broken in a car accident three...

Delaware Tribe agrees to Cherokee Nation authority (July 28, 2006)

The Delaware Tribe of Oklahoma will submit to the authority of the Cherokee Nation in order to regain its federal recognition. The two tribes are proposing legislation to treat the Delawares as a separate tribe so long as the Cherokees...

Time running out on Cobell settlement bill (July 28, 2006)

The clock is ticking on legislation to settle the Cobell trust fund lawsuit. Congress is due to recess for a month. With the midterm elections coming up, there are only a handful of legislative days left in the year. Sen....

Tribes meet for suicide prevention conference (July 28, 2006)

Tribes from North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana attended a suicide prevention conference in Rapid City, South Dakota, on Wednesday. The title of the conference was "It Takes A Tribe…" It focused on community methods to prevent suicide in Indian...

Blackfeet homeowners to discuss mold case (July 28, 2006)

Members of the Blackfeet Nation of Montana whose homes are infested with mold won the right to pursue their case against the tribe's housing authority. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated a class action filed on behalf of...

NAJA to meet in Tulsa for annual conference (July 28, 2006)

The Native American Journalists Association is holding its 22nd annual conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma, next week. About 300 are expected to attend the convention from August 9-13. Topics on the agenda include free press in Indian Country, recruitment of young...

Ken Hansen, Samish Nation leader, dies at 53 (July 28, 2006)

Ken Hansen, the former chairman of the Samish Nation of Washington, died of diabetes-related complications on Wednesday. He was 53. Hansen, who stepped down earlier this year after 36 years of service to his people, spent decades fighting to...

Bush signs Voting Rights Act extension into law (July 28, 2006)

President Bush signed a 25-year extension to the Voting Rights Act into law at a White House ceremony on Thursday. The law requires certain states like South Dakota, where discrimination against Native Americans has been proven, to obtain federal approval...

Jodi Rave: Dangerous policy on Native ancestors (July 28, 2006)

"The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's Archeology Task Force announced last fall plans to change a 1988 policy regarding the treatment of burial sites, human remains and funerary objects. Although the ACHP proposed draft includes all human remains and burial...

Hopi chair cites medical issue in drinking incident (July 28, 2006)

The chairman of the Hopi Tribe of Arizona says he was on medication and only had two beers the night police found him "intoxicated" in a hotel, George Joe of Rez Biz Magazine reports. According to his spokesperson, Ivan...