Editorial: Don't let attorney fee dispute derail Cobell settlement (April 8, 2011)

"Well, evidently the lawyers in the case have decided they need a little more fairness and opportunity, because they now have petitioned the federal court to more than double the agreed-to fees — to $223 million. And that has prompted...

Buffalo Post: Auntie's Fry Bread food truck runs in Los Angeles (April 8, 2011)

"Auntie’s Fry Bread opened a food truck in the heart of Los Angeles in April, bringing the first Native cuisine to the area. The small business, whose owners and chefs come from the Crow Indian Reservation in eastern Montana, is...

Editorial: Great potential in Saginaw Chippewa Tribe water park (April 8, 2011)

"By the summer of 2012, the Mt. Pleasant area will likely have a new attraction to entertain both local families and visitors from throughout the state. Work has begun to build a water park, owned by Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe,...

Audio from Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing on 8(a) (April 8, 2011)

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee held a hearing on Thursday to discuss the 8(a) program at the Small Business Administration. The committee heard from SBA officials and tribal and Alaska Native leaders. They said the 8(a) program has helped tribes...

Echo Hawk addresses concerns with Blackfeet Nation leaders (April 8, 2011)

Assistant Secretary Larry Echo Hawk met with leaders of the Blackfeet Nation in Montana on Wednesday. Echo Hawk discussed budget, law enforcement, land, energy and other concerns, The Great Falls Tribune reported. The Bureau of Indian Affairs recently returned control...

Federal shutdown would have broad impact in Indian Country (April 8, 2011)

The looming shutdown of the federal government will have a broad impact in Indian Country, affecting everything from social services to education. The Bureau of Indian Affairs is encouraging tribes to draw down any money they are owed. But the...

Kialegee Tribal Town files land-into-trust application in Georgia (April 8, 2011)

The Kialegee Tribal Town of Oklahoma has filed a land-into-trust application for 300 acres in Georgia. The tribe wants to build a Creek village on the coast of Georgia. Plans also call for a hotel, entertainment center and golf course...

DOJ wants two counties out of Mishewal Wappo Tribe's lawsuit (April 8, 2011)

The Department of Justice has asked a federal judge to remove two counties from the federal recognition lawsuit of the Mishewal Wappo Tribe. Napa County and Sonoma County were allowed to intervene in the lawsuit, which the tribe filed against...

Two Spirit Lake Dakotah council members listed in indictments (April 8, 2011)

Two leaders of the Spirit Lake Dakotah Nation of North Dakota have been named in indictments in connection with the theft of money from the tribe's low-income fuel assistance program. But Justin Yankton, who is secretary-treasurer, and Carl Walking Eagle...

Opinion: Evidence shows Chumash Tribe's legitimacy in doubt (April 8, 2011)

"In an earlier essay published in the Santa Ynez Valley Journal, it was established on the basis of historical documentation that current Chumash Chairman Vincent Armenta – as well as a substantial number of the so-called Santa Ynez Chumash –...

Native Sun News: Longest Walk raises awareness of diabetes (April 8, 2011)

The following story was written and reported by Ernestine Chasing Hawk. All content © Native Sun News. Harold Dooley, Oglala Lakota, Gordon Plains Bull Jr., Ft. Peck Assiniboine Sioux, Manny Jim Calapoo, Warm Springs Shoshone/Paiute/Yakama, Carl Sampson, Shoshone/Yamba, Isaac Rios,...

Opinion: Winnemem Wintu woman denied federal eagle permit (April 8, 2011)

"Marine Sisk-Franco has been a Winnemem Wintu Indian for all of her years, and the Northern California tribe’s way of life is all she knows. She’s the daughter of the tribe’s chief and their headman, she’s danced and sung at...

More and more Alaska Natives moving to urban areas in state (April 8, 2011)

More and more Alaska Natives are moving to urban areas in the state, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Between 2000 and 2010, the Native population grew significantly in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Bethel. Meanwhile, villages and rural areas saw...

Kevin Abourezk: Bill authorizes tobacco compacts in Nebraska (April 8, 2011)

"A bill that would create a process for the state of Nebraska to collect revenue from tribes for tobacco sales was forwarded out of the Revenue Committee Wednesday. A Winnebago tribal leader said his tribe doesn't fully support changes made...

Eight tribes with large reservations announce a new coalition (April 8, 2011)

Eight tribes, representing some of the largest reservations in the United States, have formed a new organization to represent their concerns. The Coalition of Large Tribes will address land, economic, jurisdictional and funding issues faced on large reservations. They want...

Senate Indian Affairs Committee approves Native Hawaiian bill (April 8, 2011)

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee approved S.675, the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act, at a business meeting on Thursday. The bill extends the policy of self-determination to Native Hawaiians. Similar versions have passed the House but have always been held...

Senate Indian Affairs Committee approves land-into-trust fix (April 8, 2011)

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee approved S.676, a bill to fix the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Carcieri v. Salazar, at a business meeting on Thursday. The bill amends the Indian Reorganization Act to ensure that "any federally recognized Indian...