Column: Don't ignore tragedy of suicide in Indian Country (April 16, 2012)

"Last week’s sad death of Daffodil Princess Alexandria Cole will fall into the numbers that health experts use to alert us to risks. It will be swept into the statistics that governments use to allocate resources to the understanding and...

The Hindu: Suicide too common among reservation youth (April 16, 2012)

"Elyssa Sierra Celine tried to kill herself last spring. As if it was her turn to do it. Within two years of her moving to the Pine Ridge native American settlement in 2009, she had been seeing her peers do...

Column: Native offender didn't get off easy for his crimes (April 16, 2012)

"According to critics — which includes just about everyone, it seems — Del Louie got away with assaulting bus driver Charles Dixon thanks to Louie’s aboriginal ancestry. So there are two claims being advanced here: First, that Louie received an...

Native News Network: On campaign trail with Derek Bailey (April 16, 2012)

""What do we tell pregnant women, who are nursing, and our children about eating fish out of Lake Michigan?" asked Congressional candidate Derek Bailey to a group of supporters at fund raiser in Lansing, Michigan. Bailey, who is running for...

Colby Tootoosis: Going back to real indigenous leadership (April 16, 2012)

"The leadership style of the Indigenous was based on character, merit, and faith. The 1800’s highlighted and demonstrated the foremost examples of this leadership. It brought out the most historic and famous leaders; leaders whose sacrifice, dedication, and humility ensured...

Alabama county cites Carcieri in bid to tax Poarch Creeks (April 16, 2012)

A county in Alabama claims the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Carcieri v. Salazar opens the Poarch Creek Band of Indians to taxation. The decision restricts the land-into-trust process to tribes that were "under federal jurisdiction" in 1934. The Poarch...

Consultation schedule set for Indian education agreement (April 16, 2012)

The Interior Department and the Education Department will hold consultation sessions in May and June to discuss a draft memorandum of understanding on Indian education. The two departments plan to work together to improve the education of American Indian and...

Sho-Ban leader joins Vice President Biden at VAWA event (April 16, 2012)

Devon Boyer, a council member for the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of Idaho, will join Vice President Joe Biden at the White House on Wednesday to push for passage of the Violence Against Women Act. The Senate is considering S.1925, a bill...

Ho-Chunk CEO to speak at Federal Reserve Board summit (April 16, 2012)

Lance Morgan, a member of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, will be a featured speaker at a Federal Reserve Board summit on May 1. Morgan serves as chief executive officer of Ho-Chunk Inc., his tribe's economic development corporation. He will...

People: Navajo Nation leaders visit 'The Lone Ranger' set (April 16, 2012)

"A bare-chested Johnny Depp welcomed gift-bearing visitors from the Navajo Nation while filming The Lone Ranger in the remote Monument Valley on Thursday. Dressed as Tonto, the actor shared the good will visit with Navajo president Ben Shelly and vice...

Saginaw Chippewa Tribe prepares to open big water park (April 16, 2012)

The Saginaw Chippewa Tribe of Michigan is set to welcome the first visitors to the Soaring Eagle Waterpark and Hotel. The 45,000-square-foot water park and a 244-room hotel will have a soft opening next Monday, The Mt. Pleasant Morning Sun...

Federal Circuit revives case over 'bad men' treaty clause (April 16, 2012)

The federal government could be held liable for a drunk driving incident in which two members of the Oglala Sioux Tribe died Calonnie Randall, 26, and Robert Whirlwind Horse, 26, were walking on a road between Whiteclay, Nebraska, and the...

Supreme Court set for hearing in self-determination case (April 16, 2012)

The U.S. Supreme Court will hold arguments in Salazar v. Ramah Navajo Chapter, a self-determination case, on Wednesday. The Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act authorizes tribes and Alaska Native entities to enter into contacts to manage federal programs. The...

Ruth Roessel, Navajo educator and writer, passes on at 77 (April 16, 2012)

Ruth Roessel, a member of the Navajo Nation, died on Friday. She was 77. Roessel was born and raised on the reservation. Her experience at a Bureau of Indian Affairs led her to develop Navajo-centric education programs when she became...

Daisy Blackbird, an original Chickasaw enrollee, passes on (April 16, 2012)

Daisy Hawley Blackbird, a member of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma, died on Thursday. She was 109. Blackbird was born on January 18, 1903, when Oklahoma was still Indian Territory. She was an original enrollee on the Dawes Commission Roll...

Review: Yellowstone creation story in 'Empire of Shadows' (April 16, 2012)

"For an American, a visit to a national park in another country can be disorienting. Where are the Winnebagos? The air-conditioned visitor center? The paved roads? If you venture off the main highway in search of a park that...

Dean Chavers: Heroes from Indian Country and elsewhere (April 16, 2012)

"Despite being controversial, Richard Oakes remains one of my heroes. Richard was the undisputed leader of the Alcatraz occupation; he started it all. I wrote a chapter in a forthcoming book about all the positive changes that have happened after...

Letter: Groups in Tennessee lack connection to real tribes (April 16, 2012)

"The subject this time is tribal recognition in Tennessee. The issue failed again this session, thankfully sent away to summer study. The truth as you should know it is that these folks seeking recognition expect to be placed in line...

Native Sun News: Film looks at uranium in Indian Country (April 16, 2012)

The following story was written and reported by Talli Nauman, Native Sun News Health & Environment Editor. All content © Native Sun News. Elisha Yellow Thunder, left, and Debra White Plume took part in the Chicago screening of the documentary...

Vincent Shilling: Racial profiling also affects Indian people (April 16, 2012)

"On February 26, 2012, 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, a self-proclaimed neighborhood watch leader, as he returned from a nearby store where he had bought some snacks. Zimmerman, who says he shot Martin in self-defense,...

Dan Jones: Why you don't see Indian people on television (April 16, 2012)

"Seen any Indians on TV lately? Probably not, and you’re not likely to. Here’s why: The FCC has allowed the American television Industry, which I like to call “a content provider,” because the Internet has changed everything. They don’t know...

Tim Giago: Dulaney was named 'Waonspekiye' or teacher (April 16, 2012)

Notes from Indian Country By Tim Giago (Nanwica Kciji) © 2012 Unity South Dakota The first I ever heard of Professor William I. Dulaney was in 1983 when I received a letter, it was not known as snail-mail back then,...