EPA case on tribal sovereignty attracts attention (June 7, 2005)

An Oklahoma tribe's attempt to assert sovereignty on environmental matters is attracting attention, and generating concerns, among state officials, other tribes and members of Congress. For the past seven years, the Pawnee Nation has been seeking the authority to regulate...

OST audits fare no better under Ross Swimmer (June 7, 2005)

Months before former Interior Department official Tom Slonaker left his job as head of the Office of Special Trustee, his request to assume more authority over trust reform was rejected by Secretary Gale Norton. In a strongly worded letter, Norton...

Paper says Churchill plagiarized another work (June 7, 2005)

In Day 3 of its investigation, The Denver Rocky Mountain News says controversial University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill plagiarized another scholar's work on treaty rights. Churchill "prepared" an article on behalf of a group called the Institute for...

Opinion: Christians should return tribal donation (June 7, 2005)

"The story, if you haven't heard it: a while back, the organization Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) gave the Coalition $850,000 to fight gambling in Alabama. Last month the ATR's Grover Norquist admitted to the Boston Globe that the...

Oil companies to pay $1.3M in Wind River settlement (June 7, 2005)

Three oil companies will pay $1.3 million to settle alleged violations of environmental laws on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. BP America Production Co., CamWest, Inc. and CamWest Limited Partnership were accused of violating the Clean Water Act, Safe...

Tribes await appeal on snowmaking plan (June 7, 2005)

Several tribes are awaiting a ruling on their appeal of the U.S. Forest Service's decision to allow snowmaking in the sacred San Francisco Peaks. About 40 tribes are opposing the plan, The Arizona Republic reports. They include the Navajo Nation,...

Seminole Tribe swears in council, board members (June 7, 2005)

The Seminole Tribe of Florida swore in a council member and a corporation board member on Monday after a close election. Max B. Osceola Jr. was sworn in for an 11th term on the council after he was re-elected by...

Column: Tensions rising over First Nations fishery (June 7, 2005)

"Tensions are rising in the Fraser River Canyon where native bands are in conflict over aboriginal fishing sites that have been used for centuries. In past fishing seasons, nets have been cut loose, fishermen's vehicles have been vandalized and people...

Buffer zone divides Native and non-Native fishermen (June 7, 2005)

The Canadian government has created a buffer zone to keep Native and non-Native fisherman apart in Miramichi Bay, New Brunswick. The buffer zone, where no fishing is allowed, is meant to avoid conflict. Non-Natives have turned violent in recent years,...

High school principal gets rid of 'Warriors' mascot (June 7, 2005)

The principal of a high school in New Brunswick has eliminated the school's "Warriors" mascot, saying it is disrespectful to Native people. John MacKay of Woodstock High said the school will no longer use "Warriors" as its name, logo...

Allegations traded over First Nations University (June 7, 2005)

The vice chief of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations defended his handling of the First Nations University of Canada at a press conference on Monday. Morley Watson, who sits on the FNUC board, fired the school's vice president...

Yellow Bird: Indian center at UND should look Indian (June 7, 2005)

"The buildings on a university campus are an expression of the community, students and local philosophy. These buildings make an impression on visitors and represent the community at first glance. I was troubled when I saw the architectural drawings of...

Tim Giago: Tribes to claim downsized military bases (June 7, 2005)

"In New Mexico I suppose the city commissioners of Clovis can vote to have Jemez Pueblo officials open their off-reservation casino there because it is running into all sorts of obstacles trying to open it in Anthony. Indian tribes have...

Two tribes paid $50K to attend White House meeting (June 7, 2005)

Correction: The two tribes *and* two corporate sponsors paid a total of $100,000. The Choctaws, like the Coushattas, only paid $25,000. The Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana and the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians paid a total of $50,000 to...

Opinion: Indian 'conservatives' pay to meet Bush (June 7, 2005)

"A jaw-dropping article in The Texas Observer (www.texasobserver.org) shows that two lobbying clients of Jack Abramoff paid $25,000 to Grover Norquist's group for a lunch date and meeting with President George W. Bush in May 2001. Abramoff brought the Indian...

Search teams find body of one missing Cree teen (June 7, 2005)

Search teams have found the body of one of three missing teens from the Sapotaweyak Cree Nation in Manitoba. An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death for Curtis Brass, 16. Still missing are his cousins...

Senate hearings on suicide, education, lobbying (June 7, 2005)

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee has three hearings on its schedule for the month of June. June 15 - Oversight hearing on youth suicide prevention. Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota), the committee's vice chairman, held a field hearing in Bismarck...

Indian protests in Bolivia prompt resignation offer (June 7, 2005)

Tens of thousands of Bolivian Indians marched in the capitol of La Paz on Monday, prompting President Carlos Mesa to offer his resignation yet again. The march was the largest in three weeks of protests. The capital has been...

Supreme Court rules against medical marijuana (June 7, 2005)

The U.S. Supreme Court voted 6-3 on Monday to allow the federal government to prosecute people who use marijuana in states where it has been legalized for medical use. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the opinion for the majority....

Judge tosses GOP suit over Washington governor (June 7, 2005)

A judge on Monday dismissed a Republican lawsuit against the election of Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire, a Democrat. Gregoire won the November 2004 election by just 129 votes. Republican Dino Rossi, who is of Tlingit and Italian ancestry, challenged the...

Opinion: Drilling in ANWR would destroy sacred place (June 7, 2005)

"In the northeastern corner of Alaska is a strange, polygonal-patterned plain that the local Gwich'in people call Vadzaii Googii Vi Dehk'it Gwanlii, or the Sacred Place Where Life Begins. At this cold ocean edge a caribou herd calves, polar bears...

Editorial: Being sorry for atrocities isn't enough (June 7, 2005)

Indianz.Com Listening Lounge: Note: These are all MP3 files. Introduction - 2:10 - 889kOpening Statement by Sen. John McCain Sen. Sam Brownback - 9:17 - 3.71MBTestimony by sponsor of resolution Panel I - 33:30 - 13.4MB Testimony by Tex...