Dave Anderson resigns after year as head of BIA (January 31, 2005)

After just a year on the job, Bureau of Indian Affairs head Dave Anderson announced on Monday he is resigning from his post as assistant secretary. In a letter to Interior Secretary Gale Norton, Anderson said he could do better...

Bush won't bail out urban Indian health center (January 31, 2005)

New Mexico's two senators blasted the Bush administration on Friday for denying funds to an urban Indian health facility that is facing closure within months. Sen. Pete Domenici (R) and Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D) reacted with disappointment after learning that...

Wampanoag Tribe concerned about burial sites (January 31, 2005)

The Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts is seeking further study on unmarked burial grounds believed to be located at the site of a proposed shopping center in Rhode Island. The tribe asked the town of Tiverton and the state of...

Indian mother in South Dakota wants adopted son back (January 31, 2005)

An Indian mother in South Dakota is seeking to regain custody of the son she gave up for adoption two years ago. Juanita Good Bird gave a Minnesota family custody of her son when he was 2 years old. But...

California's only tribal college to shut doors for now (January 31, 2005)

D-Q University, the only tribal college in California, will shut its doors for an unspecified period of time after losing its accreditation and running out of money. Students were ordered to leave the dorms immediately. A notice said the school...

Veterans to protest 'crisis' at Standing Rock (January 31, 2005)

About 50 to 60 Native veterans are expected to participate in a protest march on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on Tuesday. The veterans are marching on behalf of elders who say the tribal council is not responding to their...

Navajo child welfare case sparks legal battle (January 31, 2005)

A young Navajo boy is at the center of a child welfare case involving his Navajo mother and his non-Indian grandparents. The boy lives with his mother and is close to his Navajo family. They live on the Utah part...

Canada to return $360M to Samson Cree Nation (January 31, 2005)

The Canadian government will return $360 million (Canadian) in lost oil royalties to the Samson Cree Nation of Alberta. Last month, a judge ordered the government to return the money immediately as part of a $1.4 billion mismanagement case. The...

Report: Gene puts Indians at risk for diabetes (January 31, 2005)

A "thrifty gene" puts American Indians at risk for developing diabetes and other related diseases, according to Newsweek. In an upcoming issue, the magazine cites studies that show the ancestors of the first Americans developed the gene in order to...

Editorial: Professor's views 'out of sync' with college (January 31, 2005)

"Our sturdy First Amendment gives University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill the right to express outlandish opinions, such as calling the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks "little Eichmanns." It also gives the rest of us the right to say...

College professor faces action for 9/11-Nazi essay (January 31, 2005)

Ward Churchill, a University of Colorado professor who is active on Indian issues, could face disciplinary action for an essay he wrote that compares the victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to Nazis. The University of Colorado regents...

Munsee descendants in Kansas seek federal recognition (January 31, 2005)

A group of Munsee Indians whose ancestors gave up their tribal status after being removed to Kansas is seeking federal recognition. The Munsee Tribe of Indians of Kansas is made up of about 250 descendants of the 71 people who...

Tulalip Tribes closing deal on manure recycling plant (January 31, 2005)

The Tulalip Tribes of Washington a coalition of non-Indian dairy farmers and environmentalists are moving forward with a manure recycling plant. The tribe is buying a 277-acre former dairy farm where the biogas plant will be built. The plant will...

Southern Ute Tribe swears in Frost as new chairman (January 31, 2005)

The Southern Ute Tribe of Colorado swore in Clement Frost as its chairman on Friday. Frost has served on the council for more than two decades and was chairman from 1997 to 2000. He left the post after being convicted...

Nuclear industry could support tribe's waste site (January 31, 2005)

The nuclear energy industry is backing away from its opposition to a Utah tribe's controversial waste storage site because Yucca Mountain, the federally-approved repository, is being delayed. A top energy official said the industry is looking to other options for...

St. Regis Mohawk Tribe revives land claim settlement (January 31, 2005)

The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe and New York Gov. George Pataki (R) plan to sign a land claim settlement as early as Tuesday, The Albany Times-Union reports. The deal is similar to one reached in 2003. But the newly elected...

Washington tribe backs probe into work at village (January 31, 2005)

The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe of Washington is backing an investigation into a state construction project that led to the discovery of a major tribal village. The state spent $59 million at the site of the Tse-whit-zen village. The discovery...

Karuk Tribe blames poor health on loss of traditions (January 31, 2005)

With diabetes, heart disease and other problems on the rise, the Karuk Tribe in northern California has launched an ambitious campaign to reclaim their fishing heritage. Tribal members used to eat an average of 1.2 pounds of fish per day....

Mark Trahant: Election tales usually one-sided (January 31, 2005)

"Every day I read new evidence about Washington's corrupt election process. There's evidence of dead voters, felons who voted, fictional registrations, people who voted twice and registered at phony addresses. Democracy itself is at stake because "they" stole our election....

Yellow Bird: New center gives birth to new ideas (January 31, 2005)

"Incubators to me are warming containers for tiny, waddling, yellow down-covered chicks. It is a place that protects these creatures until they are feathered enough to walk the real world. The Ina Mae Rude Entrepreneur Center at UND that cut...

In the Loop: Griles forms new lobbying partnership (January 31, 2005)

Former Interior deputy secretary J. Steven Griles has formed a new lobbying group, Al Kamen of The Washington Post reports. Griles is working with former representative George R. Nethercutt (R-Washington), who lost his bid for Senate, and former White House...