Report shows home loans to Natives dropping (August 3, 2004)

Lending rates to American Indians and Alaska Natives fell nearly 5 percent last year even as loans to other racial and ethnic groups increased, according to newly released data. Financial institutions extended 17,850 home purchase loans to Native Americans in...

Alaska Supreme Court rejects protection for belugas (August 3, 2004)

The Alaska Supreme Court on Friday rejected a petition to list Cook Inlet beluga whales as endangered under state law. Alaska Natives and environmentalists asked the state to protect the whale but the state rejected the request. The Supreme Court,...

Post office in Colorado would be named after Campbell (August 3, 2004)

A post office in Durango, Colorado, would be named after the retiring Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell under new legislation. Campbell, the only American Indian in the Senate, is retiring in January. Sen. Wayne Allard (R-Colorado) said it would be fitting...

Hundreds of artifacts seized from New Mexico home (August 3, 2004)

Federal authorities seized more than 430 artifacts from a home in New Mexico in what started out as a burglary investigation. Police found the artifacts while executing a search warrant last month. The recovered items included arrow points, cutting edges...

Paper chronicles Navajo girl's journey into womanhood (August 3, 2004)

The Farmington Daily Times publishes the last installment of its series on a young Navajo girl's journey into womanhood. The Kinaalda is a four-day ceremony that celebrates the changes a young girl goes through. It is performed to ensure the...

Navajo water settlement discussed at public meeting (August 3, 2004)

A public meeting was held Monday night on a proposed settlement of the Navajo Nation's water rights on the San Juan River. Navajo Vice President Frank Dayish Jr. said the tribe has conceded nearly half of its rights on the...

Tribal college graduates first horseshoeing class (August 3, 2004)

Crownpoint Institute of Technology, a tribal college on the Navajo Nation, has graduated its first ever horseshoeing class. Ten students completed the program. Their final test included successfully shoeing 15 horses at a ranch. The course lasted eight weeks. As...

High school curriculum to help Alaska Native students (August 3, 2004)

The Sealaska Heritage Institute is developing a high school curriculum to help Alaska Natives pass the state's high school exit exam and get ready for college. The curriculum will have a focus on Native culture. Funded by a federal grant,...

Chippewa Cree Tribe to unveil anti-smoking campaign (August 3, 2004)

The Chippewa Cree Tribe of Montana has developed a new campaign aimed at curbing tobacco use while emphasizing its sacred uses. The "Keeping Tobacco Sacred" campaign will be unveiled at the 14th annual Walk for Sobriety on Friday. The tribe...

Yellow Bird: Indians becoming a force at the polls (August 3, 2004)

"A governor once told me that he wasn't concerned about the reservation vote. Why? Because they (Indian people from the reservation) don't vote, he told me. Unfortunately, he was right at that time. Indian people, however, are slowly becoming a...

One Nation, Two Worlds: Series on Narragansett Tribe (August 3, 2004)

The Providence Journal is running a series "One Nation, Two World" on the Narragansett Tribe of Rhode Island. Part 1 looked at Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas. A college dropout and former janitor, Thomas has served the tribe for 14 years....

Columbia River tribes consider tapping salmon market (August 3, 2004)

The Columbia Inter-Tribal Fish Commission is considering the possibility of building a $6.8 million fish-processing and retail center to tap the wild salmon market. Tribal fishermen have long sold their catch to the public. The facility would allow the tribes...

Tribal commissioned symphony to debut at pow-wow (August 3, 2004)

A symphony composed for the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska will debut August 24 at the tribe's pow-wow. "Huthuga" was commissioned by the tribe, the Lied Center for the Performing Arts and the Kennedy Center Partners in Education. It was composed...

Oregon tribes voice concerns in meeting with Smith (August 3, 2004)

Leaders of Oregon's tribes met with Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Oregon) on Monday. According to the Associated Press, tribal leaders raised concerns about health care, gaming, law enforcement and the environment. Cheryl Kennedy of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde...

Peace and Freedom Party picks Peltier over Nader (August 3, 2004)

California's Peace and Freedom Party nominated imprisoned American Indian Movement activist Leonard Peltier for president instead of independent Ralph Nader. Nader, who ran on the Green Party ticket in 2000 with Ojibwe activist Winona LaDuke, has been trying to get...

Remains not linked to case of missing Native girl (August 3, 2004)

Police in Saskatchewan say remains discovered on the Pasqua First Nation are not linked to Tamra Keepness, the five-year-old Native girl who has been missing for nearly a month. Acting on some tips, police went to the reserve but found...