Supreme Court axes life sentence for Crow teen in murder case (October 1, 2012)

The U.S. Supreme Court today lifted a life sentence for a juvenile member of the Crow Tribe who pleaded guilty to murder. Wyatt Bear Cloud was 16 when he was charged for a murder that took place in Wyoming in...

Turtle Talk: Final round in greatest Indian law cases tournament (October 1, 2012)

"Today, I will reluctantly present the final round of the Turtle Talk Greatest Cases Tournament. I am reluctant because it mostly was fun to do this, and I don’t really want it to end. So I’ll keep doing them. They’re...

Poarch Creeks dispute latest attack on legal status of trust lands (October 1, 2012)

The Bureau of Indian Affairs has upheld the validity of land held in trust for the Poarch Creek Band of Indians in Alabama but one critic is still trying to take the tribe down. In 2009, the U.S. Supreme Court...

Jim Kent: Boarding schools sought to stamp out Indian cultures (October 1, 2012)

Note: The Rapid City Journal refuse to run the column linked below, according to author Jim Kent. The paper's editorial board said the column “would further divide Native Americans and whites without justification," Kent wrote in a post on Facebook....

Reed Robinson, Rosebud, named superintendent at Devils Tower (October 1, 2012)

Reed Robinson, a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, has been named superintendent of Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming. Robinson will take over November 18. He replaces Dorothy FireCloud, also Rosebud Sioux. "Reed brings more than two decades of...

Letter: Rep. Noem disrespectful at House Indian Affairs hearing (October 1, 2012)

"I have viewed a portion of the July 25 hearing of the U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs on which Rep. Kristi Noem serves. Michael Black, director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs,...

Spirit Lake Nation hands control of social service program to BIA (October 1, 2012)

The Bureau of Indian Affairs is taking over social services on the Spirit Lake Dakotah Nation of North Dakota today. The BIA took action amid reports of rampant child abuse on the reservation. Tribal leaders are blaming the federal government...

Review: Louise Erdrich explores justice issues for 'Round House' (October 1, 2012)

"An artfully balanced mystery, thriller and coming-of-age story, Louise Erdrich's "The Round House" is the gripping tale of the effects of violence on a family. Repeating characters from "The Plague of Doves," a Pulitzer finalist in 2009, "The Round...

Gabe Galanda: Enforcing indigenous rights in the US law system (October 1, 2012)

"This summer I was honored to speak before the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights regarding American Indian Treaty and consultation rights. During my first visit to the U.N. Palais des Nations, I was affected most...

Cherokee Nation won't question Elizabeth Warren heritage claim (October 1, 2012)

The Cherokee Nation won't question the Indian heritage claims of Elizabeth Warren, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, a spokesperson for the tribe said. Warren, who grew up in Oklahoma, has claimed Cherokee ancestry. She has not produced documentation of...

Native Sun News: Q&A with Ryan Wilson, Oglala Sioux candidate (October 1, 2012)

The following story was written and reported by Native Sun News Staff. All content © Native Sun News. Longtime youth advocate Ryan Wilson, “Tatanka Wasaka,” announced his candidacy for Oglala Sioux Tribe president at the end of August. PHOTO COURTESY/RYAN...

Opinion: Inaccurate portrayals of Indian culture far too common (October 1, 2012)

"On Native Heritage American Day, it’s time to take a step back and realize what it would be like if our family’s past and struggles were of the same kind. In the past, people of our country kicked Native Americans...

Steve Russell: Maybe Mitt Romney is just a really mean person? (October 1, 2012)

"As I write this, Gov. Romney’s campaign is in a heap of trouble caused by other unforced errors. Gov. Romney has released his 2011 tax returns, completing the two years we will be allowed to see. Previously, Romney had made...

David Treuer: Appropriating Indianness an old tradition in the US (October 1, 2012)

"Just over a week ago, a handful of Senator Scott P. Brown’s supporters gathered in Boston to protest his opponent, Elizabeth Warren. The crowd — making Indian war whoops and tomahawk chops — was ridiculing what Mr. Brown, Republican of...

Tim Giago: Sister Ivo and the Mission boarding school epidemics (October 1, 2012)

Notes from Indian Country By Tim Giago (Nanwica Kciji) © 2012 Unity South Dakota We didn’t know where she came from because in the 1940s many of the nuns and priests at Holy Rosary Indian Mission on the Pine Ridge...