Divided court upholds Native school admissions policy (December 6, 2006)

A Native Hawaiian school whose admissions policy favors Native students won a major ruling from a deeply-divided federal appeals court on Tuesday. The private Kamehameha Schools was sued by a non-Native student who said the policy violated the U.S. Constitution....

New housing project for Big Valley Rancheria (December 6, 2006)

The Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians is completing three projects to provide housing for tribal members. Working with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the tribe recently built six homes. A second HUD project involves 10 pre-fabricated...

Red Lake Nation sues for unfunded juvenile jail (December 6, 2006)

The Red Lake Nation of Minnesota is suing the Bureau of Indian Affairs to obtain funding for an unused $2 million juvenile detention center. The tribe built the facility with a Department of Justice grant. But it hasn't been...

Review: Gibson made up a big one with 'Apocalypto' (December 6, 2006)

"Apocalypto has a faux Greek title and an opening quote from historian Will Durant that ruminates on the decline of imperial Rome. It may seem an odd way to comment on the supposed end of an imaginary, unspeakably barbaric...

Fort Peck water lease bill ready for Bush signature (December 6, 2006)

Congress gave final approval on Tuesday to a bill to allow the tribes on the Fort Peck Reservation in Montana to lease their water to surrounding communities. The bill authorizes the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes to enter into a lease...

More indictments in Pine Ridge drug trafficking ring (December 6, 2006)

Six more people have been indicted in connection with a drug trafficking ring on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Federal authorities say the group distributed cocaine and marijuana to the reservation. Five people, including reputed ringleader Geraldine Blue Bird, were recently...

Navajo elders march in protest of elder abuse (December 6, 2006)

A small group of Navajo elders held an impromptu march to protest what they say is inaction over the abuse of elders. Dr. Marjorie W. Thomas organized the march to the executive offices of the Navajo Nation in Window...

Yellow Bird: Funeral for Nathan Joel Goodiron (December 6, 2006)

"The number of North Dakotans dying in Iraq and Afghanistan is growing, and that number includes American Indians, who are about 1 percent of the nation's population. The funerals are distinct and are an indication of the differences between...

FBI still following tips on missing Red Lake boys (December 6, 2006)

The FBI is still following up on leads in the disappearance of two boys from the Red Lake Reservation in Minnesota. More than 250 tips have come in since Tristan White, age 4, and his brother, Avery Lee Stately,...

Judge approves Hopi-Navajo land agreement (December 6, 2006)

A federal judge approved an agreement between the Hopi Tribe and the Navajo Nation, officially putting an end to a decades-old land dispute. The tribes signed a compact that respected religious rights on disputed land in northeastern Arizona. It also...

Winnebago student wins card design contest (December 6, 2006)

Heron Hargreaves, a member of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, won the grand prize in the 2006 Holiday Card Design Contest sponsored by the Sioux City Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center. Hargreaves is an eighth grade student at St....

Agua Caliente Band working to fill new museum (December 6, 2006)

The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians is collecting the oral histories of tribal elders for a permanent display at its new museum. The tribe is building the 90,000-square-foot facility in downtown Palm Springs. It replaces a much smaller 1,600-square-foot...

Virginia tribe optimistic on recognition in 2007 (December 6, 2006)

The Chickahominy Tribe of Virginia hopes to gain recognition before the start of Jamestown commemoration in 2007. Chief Stephen Adkins said he was "an eternal optimist" when it comes to recognition. "I think it's going to happen before then," he...

Two governments now competing at Pine Ridge (December 6, 2006)

As of Tuesday, the Oglala Sioux Tribe of South Dakota has two governments competing for power on the Pine Ridge Reservation. John Yellow Bird Steele was sworn in as president, along with several other recently elected leaders. They intend to...

Cherokee Chief: Tribe to vote on Indian blood (December 6, 2006)

"Is it really such an outlandish thing to think that Native American tribes and nations would like their citizens to have Indian blood? Some people think so. It's very popular these days to have a "Cherokee princess" somewhere back in...

Opinion: Silly fight over 'Fighting Sioux' nick (December 6, 2006)

"The best move Harvard athletic director Bob Scalise made last week wasn’t reappointing Tim Murphy as the school’s football coach. That was something of a no-brainer after Murphy helmed the Crimson during another winning season and emerged validated from...

Judge cites passage of time in Shinnecock land claim (December 6, 2006)

The Shinnecock Nation of New York waited too long to file its land claim, a federal judge ruled last week. The tribe claimed 3,600 acres on Long Island. But U.S. District Court Judge Thomas C. Platt said the passage of...

Arrest of 12-year-old boy for San Carlos shootings (December 6, 2006)

The San Carlos Apache Nation of Arizona arrested a 12-year-old boy in connection with a series of non-fatal shootings on the reservation. At least three cars, including two school buses carrying kids, have been shot at during the past two...

Michigan tribe celebrates end of taxation case (December 6, 2006)

The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community of Michigan can finally rest after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the state's taxation case. The state tried to impose property taxes on land owned by tribal members. But the 8th Circuit Court...