Tribes say BIA failures threaten self-governance (September 21, 2006)

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee on Wednesday heard conflicting testimony from tribal and federal officials about the successes and failures of self-governance. Tribal leaders and Bureau of Indian Affairs officials hailed self-governance, and self-determination, as a landmark policy. They...

Emma Frances Marks, Tlingit artist, dies at 93 (September 21, 2006)

Emma Frances Marks, a Tlingit artist from Alaska, died on Monday at the age of 93. Marks was a Raven of the Sockeye clan and the Alsek River Canoe Prow House. She had 16 children, outliving eight of them...

Peyote allowed as evidence in Ojibwe man's trial (September 21, 2006)

An Ojibwe man lost a motion to suppress evidence of peyote and marijuana that were found in his van in Ventura County, California. Paul Skyhorse Durant, 61, belongs to the Native American Church. He said he kept less than 4...

Senate passes bill to recognize more Code Talkers (September 21, 2006)

By unanimous consent, the Senate passed S.1035, the Code Talkers Recognition Act, on Wednesday. The bill recognizes Lakota, Dakota, Nakota, Meskwaki, Comanche and Choctaw Code Talkers. The soldiers, or their descendants, will be presented with Congressional commemorative medals for their...

Report outlines high murder rate of Native women (September 21, 2006)

A new report from the Violence Policy Center shows that American Indian and Alaska Native women suffer from the second-highest murder rate among women of all racial and ethnic backgrounds. Based on 2004 homicide data, the murder rate of Native...

Tribes receive substance abuse prevention grants (September 21, 2006)

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has awarded substance abuse prevention grants to several tribes, Indian organizations and Alaska Natives. The Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grants will help recipients develop community-based programs for substance abuse prevention, mental...

Cherokees defend right to kick Freedmen out of tribe (September 21, 2006)

A Cherokee Nation lawmaker and a "proud Cherokee citizen" are defending the tribe's push to deny citizenship to the Freedmen, the descendants of African slaves. Cara Cowan Watts, the tribe's District 7 representative, and tribal member Ron Murray wrote letters...

Editorial: Indian education not just for students (September 21, 2006)

"Article X, Chapter 1 of the Montana Constitution declares that the state "recognizes the distinct and unique cultural heritage of the American Indians and is committed in its educational goals to the preservation of their cultural integrity." That 34-year-old mandate...

Hundreds pay tribute to Pueblo storyteller, linguist (September 21, 2006)

Hundreds of people attended the funeral and ceremony for Esther Martinez, a nationally recognized Pueblo storyteller and linguist. Martinez was from Ohkay Owingeh, formerly known as San Juan Pueblo. She was a longtime Tewa language instructor at the Bureau...

Editorial: Public comment on Navajo power plant (September 21, 2006)

"It has been decades since the Four Corners region has seen the likes of a project the size and scope of the proposed Desert Rock Power Plant. The $2.5-billion, 1,500-megawatt facility continues to move forward and, should it be built,...

Chilocco Indian School placed on historic register (September 21, 2006)

The old Chilocco Indian Agricultural School in Oklahoma has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The school was founded in 1884. It closed in 1980 after educating thousands, mostly from tribes in Oklahoma. The Otoe-Missouria, Ponca,...

County attorney disputes Meskwaki police powers (September 21, 2006)

The attorney for Tama County in Iowa says the state is wrong to recognize the police powers of the Meskwaki Tribe. Tama County Attorney Brent Heeren says the tribe's police officers shouldn't be considered officers of the state. He said...

Six ordered to repay Standing Rock Sioux Tribe (September 21, 2006)

Six people have been ordered to make restitution to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe for stealing money from a trust fund. The defendants were officials of the Running Antelope District on the reservation. They pleaded guilty to embezzlement and theft...

Jail on reservation set to open after upgrades (September 21, 2006)

A jail on the Yakama Nation in Washington is set to reopen after making improvements following a suicide and an attempted suicide. The Bureau of Indian Affairs closed the jail in January 2005, citing safety hazards. The move came after...

Task force recommends help for Native meth addicts (September 21, 2006)

A task force headed by the wife of Alberta Premier Ralph Klein released its report on the methamphetamine crisis in the province. The report made six recommendations to prevent Natives from becoming addicted to meth. It said the government should...

Auditors say DOI suppressed royalty collection (September 21, 2006)

Current and former auditors for the Interior Department say they were pressured to drop their efforts to recover millions of dollars in oil and gas royalties. The allegations are contained in recently unsealed lawsuits filed in federal courts in Oklahoma....

Yakama members protest tribe over tax agreement (September 21, 2006)

About 100 members of the Yakama Nation protested on Wednesday against the tribe's decision to enter into a tax agreement with the state of Washington. Tribal members said their leaders were wrong to accept a deal that imposes, for...

Judge overturns Bush changes to roadless forest rule (September 21, 2006)

A federal judge overturned the Bush administration's changes to a controversial roadless forest rule that has been in limbo since 2001. The Clinton administration completed the rule before leaving office. It limits road building on nearly 59 million acres of...

Aborigines win Native title claim to city of Perth (September 21, 2006)

A judge in Australia surprised the nation by recognizing Native title to the entire metropolitan area of Perth. The judge's decision does not turn over any land to Aborigines. But it would require the government to ensure the Noongar people...

Abramoff associates were often at White House (September 21, 2006)

Records released by the Bush administration on Wednesday show more than 100 visits to the White House by associates of convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Two of Abramoff's colleagues had 31 appointments at the White House. Neil Volz and Tony Rudy...

Tex Hall seeks third term as chairman of tribe (September 21, 2006)

Tex Hall is seeking to serve his third term as chairman of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation in North Dakota. Hall faced eight challengers in the tribe's primary on Tuesday. He came in second, behind Marcus Wells Jr., who...