Opinion: Anti-Native bias in wake of Abramoff (January 31, 2006)

"The reporting on the Abramoff lobbying corruption scandals by the mainstream corporate dominated media has demonstrated an anti-Native American bias. This anti-Native American media bias has been effectively exploited by Republicans to paint Democratic lawmakers as being an equal partner...

Tribal political donations under scrutiny in Washington (January 31, 2006)

With the Jack Abramoff scandal overshadowing tribes and their efforts in Washington, D.C., the Senate Indian Affairs Committee will be taking on a controversial issue next week. The committee has scheduled an oversight hearing on tribes and Federal Election Campaign...

Montana Democrats air new Burns-Abramoff ad (January 31, 2006)

The Montana Democratic Party debuted a new television ad on Monday that criticizes Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Montana) for his ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. The ad is a response to Burns' first campaign ad in which he said...

Tribal judge expected to enter plea in drug case (January 31, 2006)

A tribal judge on the Wind River Reservation is expected to enter a plea agreement for her role in a drug trafficking scheme. Details of Judge Lynda Munnell's plea are not known. She was charged with drug trafficking and threatening...

Yellow Bird: Elders still deserve to be respected (January 31, 2006)

"Over tea this weekend, a friend and I talked about how much we can learn from elders. She currently is collecting things she inherited from her elders - recipes, quilt patterns, instructions on how to make molasses and more. The...

Editorial: White House needs to come clean on Abramoff (January 31, 2006)

"The Bush administration should end weeks of playing coy with the American people and release all of its information about contacts between the White House and disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Given the fact he helped raise more than $100,000 for...

Investigation clears police in death of Ojibwe man (January 31, 2006)

An independent investigation has cleared police officers in Duluth, Minnesota, of any wrongdoing in the death of a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe. David Croud, 29, died last October, a few days after a scuffle with police....

Navajo leader's comments on gays stir controversy (January 31, 2006)

A Navajo leader who called a Navajo anthropology professor a "homo archaeologist" and made disparaging remarks about gay people in a Phoenix newsweekly is refusing to apologize for his comments. Albert Deschine, a former Navajo chapter president, made his...

Pataki latest to oppose Oneida Nation trust land bid (January 31, 2006)

New York Gov. George Pataki (R) has joined local and state politicians in opposing the Oneida Nation's trust land application. Pataki's legal counsel says the land-into-trust process was meant to help poorer tribes. But the same argument has been rejected...

Nez Perce Tribe to participate in Montana bison hunt (January 31, 2006)

The Nez Perce Tribe of Idaho will be participating in the next round of Montana's bison hunt. The tribe's participation was approved by Montana attorney general Mike McGrath. he and other state officials said the tribe has off-reservation hunting rights...

Tribes discuss trust reform bill, Cobell settlement (January 31, 2006)

Tribal leaders met at the United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck, North Dakota, to discuss the trust reform and Cobell settlement legislation. Tex Hall, the chairman of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, said tribes need to agree on a...

Editorial: Show some respect for Idaho's tribes (January 31, 2006)

"Idaho legislators could help repair their state's relationship with its five American Indian tribes by heeding a North Idaho lawmaker's request. Before legislators consider matters that would affect state-tribe relations, state Sen. Mike Jorgenson, R-Hayden Lake, asked last week, they...

Red Lake families meet in private with Heffelfinger (January 31, 2006)

A private meeting between the families of the victims of the March 21, 2005, shootings on the Red Lake Reservation and U.S. Attorney Tom Heffelfinger stirred up strong emotions among attendees, according to news reports. Family members said they...

Rep. Doolittle won't respond to Abramoff story (January 31, 2006)

After publicly defending Jack Abramoff and challenging the Department of Justice to investigate him, Rep. John Doolittle (R-California) is refusing to answer questions about his ties to the disgraced lobbyist. Doolittle says he's a longtime opponent of gaming. But...

Republicans seek to close tribal donation 'loophole' (January 31, 2006)

House Republicans plan to introduce a bill that would limit how much money tribal governments can contribute to federal candidates and political parties, USA Today reports. The Federal Election Commission currently considers tribes to be "persons" under the law, the...

Three Abramoff tribes among top givers in 2004 (January 31, 2006)

Three of the top 10 tribal political donors in 2004 were clients of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, according to figures published by USA Today. The Saginaw Chippewa Tribe of Michigan was ranked 2nd, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians came...

Candidate refuses cash linked to anti-tribal group (January 31, 2006)

A Republican candidate for attorney general in Oklahoma is refusing to take money from the Oklahoma Farm Bureau because the group is affiliated with the anti-tribal One Nation. Kevin Abel, an attorney, wrote the Farm Bureau and said he couldn't...

Tim Giago: Lions, Tiger, Bears and Indian mascots (January 31, 2006)

"The college football season is over and the professional season ends with Super Bowl XL on February 5. But with March Madness approaching mascots are still in full bloom on basketball courts across America. 2005 was a pretty bad year...

Senate to vote on Alito for Supreme Court justice (January 31, 2006)

Samuel Alito Jr. is expected to win confirmation today as the next U.S. Supreme Court justice after an attempt at a filibuster failed on Monday. Alito, a judge on the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals, is President Bush's second nominee...

African-American Museum to be built on National Mall (January 31, 2006)

It turns out that the National Museum of the American Indian isn't the last museum to be located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The Smithsonian Institution announced on Monday that the National Museum of African-American History and...