Featured Story
Getting there, McCaleb takes on recognition
Feeling the fire from Congress and the courts, Assistant Secretary Neal
McCaleb is starting to sound a lot like his controversial predecessor when
it comes to federal recognition....
Featured Story
Judge questions Interior capabilities
US District Judge Royce Lamberth said today he was "dumbfounded"
that the Department of Interior's computer shutdown has dragged on for
more than more than three months....
Featured Story
In The Hoop: Winners, Losers
Is it Friday already? That means it's time for the weekly list of the
movers and shakers in Indian Country and beyond....
Featured Story
Interior considering a limited trust fund
Department of Interior officials on Thursday indicated they would
seriously consider getting rid of the individual Indian trust provided
Congress could assure protections to thousands of landowners and
tribes....
Editorial: Fix federal recognition
In an editorial, The Norwich Bulletin calls on the federal recognition
process to be reformed....
O'Connor muses on disability law
Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on Thursday said a
landmark disability rights law was vague, leading to negative decisions
limiting its scope....
R.I. tribe opposes study
A Rhode Island lawmaker on Thursday denied a proposal to study gaming
in the state was linked to his recent meeting with a competitor to the
Narragansett Tribe....
Mass. school drops Mohawk nickname
The Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts is dropping its "Mohawks"
nickname....
Calif. tribes seek more water
Two northern California tribes have asked a federal judge to restore
water to their fisheries....
Candidate calls for full hog
A Native American lawmaker running for governor in South Dakota wants
tribes to work with the industry to develop a meatpacking plant....
No one shows up to meeting
A meeting was held on Wednesday to discuss a proposed redrawing of a
school district in New Mexico but no one came....
Stars set for language event
Cherokee actor Wes Studi, Navajo singer Dephine Tsinajinnie and Apache
comedian extraordinaire Drew Lacapa are among the guests slated for
the fourth annual Native Youth Language Fair, Poster Contest and
Intertribal Powwow....
Wash. tribe lays off workers
The Puyallup Tribe of Washington is laying off 142 employees as its
casino undergoes renovation....
BIA cuts to schools questioned
Lawmakers in the House and Senate are questioning the Bureau of
Indian Affairs' proposed budget cuts to post-secondary schools....
Pueblo warned on water usage
New Mexico's State Engineer is threatening to have Pojoaque Pueblo's
water supply shut off....
Subsistence cuts opposed
The Alaska Legislature is proposing to eliminate all state funding for
subsistence....
Idaho AG: Tax bill illegal
A bill that would retroactively subject tribes to a gas tax is
unconstitutional Idaho Attorney General Alan Lance has ruled in an
opinion....
Senate rejects judicial pick
President Bush expressed deep disappointment on Thursday after the
Senate Judiciary Committee rejected his pick to a federal appeals court....
Goshute member cites high-level help
A dissenting member of the Skull Valley Goshute Tribe of Utah says the
state's two senators helped launch an investigation into a proposed
nuclear waste facility on his reservation....
Crow judges kicked out of court
The Crow Tribe of Montana has kicked four judges off the bench, including
one who questioned the recent actions of tribal officials....
Mexican justice handled by elders
Justice in rural Mexico can be harsh, as reported by The Washington
Post, which recounts the story of how a Mixtec Indian community buried
a man alive as retribution for the killing of another....
Arthur Andersen contracting cut after indictment
Failed energy company Enron and accounting firm Arthur Anderson have
been suspended from entering into new federal contracts....
Team 'Whities' getting all the press
A South Dakota paper says the team's name won't have an effect on the
debate over Indians as mascots, but the "Whities" of University of
Northern Colorado are certainly getting a lot of mileage....
Featured Story
Tribal bias charged in Klamath dispute
An angry Congressman on Wednesday blasted the Department of
Interior for being biased in favor of tribes when officials decided last year
to deny water to non-Indian farmers in the Klamath Basin....
Featured Story
In The Hoop: Indict This!
Secretary of Interior Gale Norton is used to getting slammed in the press
and in court for her actions (or inaction as may be the case) but
yesterday she got it in person....
Featured Story
Retain or retire, but no apology for 'Chief'
University of Illinois trustees seeking
guidance on the school's controversial Chief
Illiniwek mascot found little on Wednesday
with a report which offered no concrete
resolution to the long-running debate....
Featured Story
Norton: No 'dollar amount' on trust fund mess
The Department of Interior doesn't know how much 300,000 American
Indians are owed because an historical accounting of their funds has not
been conducted, Secretary Gale Norton said on Wednesday....
Woman charged for reservation accident
A Montana woman has been indicted on felony charges for allegedly
driving while drunk and carrying a baby on her lap....
Lawsuits pending over BIA workers
The Department of Interior has been put on notice for a $37 million
lawsuit over a Bureau of Indian Affairs employee involved in a deadly car
crash....
Bush on Israel's 'right to exist'
President Bush is known for repeating himself but at a press briefing on
Wednesday, his habit reached an feverish pitch as he was pummeled
with questions about peace in the Middle East....
Military credit card abuse cited
While Bureau of Indian Affairs employees were indicted for fraudulent
use of government-issue credit cards, the Defense DepaRtment is letting
employees walk away from millions of dollars in debt....
R.I. gaming study proposed
A Rhode Island lawmaker on Wednesday proposed to create a
commission to study gaming in the state....
No casino planned for Cowlitz land
Officials of the Cowlitz Tribe of Washington say they are no immediate
plans to locate a casino on 150 acres of land they want placed into trust....
Ariz. tribe detailing stadium plans
The Gila River Tribe today will unveil more detailed plans to host an
Arizona Cardinals football stadium on its reservation....
Owner found for Peruvian pottery
Some pieces of ancient pottery that turned up in an odd location in
Alaska have been returned to their rightful owner....
Vote set on embattled judge
Barring any last-minute freakouts, the Senate Judiciary Committee is
voting today on the nomination of Charles Pickering to the federal bench.
Pickering is a federal judge in Mississippi....
Project set on Meskwaki pow-wow grounds
With the help of federal funding under a flood law, the pow-wow grounds
of the Meskwaki Tribe of Iowa will be saved from erosion, the Associated
Press reports....
Mayan mural described as extraordinary
Archaeologists have uncovered a 1,900-year-old Mayan mural in the
jungles of Guatemala and say it provides rare insights into tribal culture....
Receiver sought for Pequot payments
A receiver should be set up to garnish the per capital payments of
Mashantucket Pequot tribal member being sued, the Connecticut
Supreme Court was told on Wednesday....
Pataki not sure on casino deals
After issuing two memos directing state agencies only to deal with
recognized tribal leadership, New York Gov....
Navajo tribal members seeking changes
A committee has been set up to review potential changes to the way the
Navajo Nation government is run....
Money budgeted to fight tribes
The Connecticut town of North Stonington has budgeted $100,000 to
continue fighting three Pequot tribes....
Duwamish recognition supported
Several religious groups in Washington have sent letters in support of
the Duwamish Tribe's federal recognition....
Judge won't halt Hawaiian funding
A federal judge in Hawaii on Wednesday refused to temporarily halt
funding for a Native Hawaiian programs....
Monkey thoughts guide computer
Research published in today's issue of Nature gives new meaning to that
joke about a thousand monkeys on a thousand typewriters....
S.D. activist drops mascot fight
Citing lack of support from the Native community in South Dakota and
hostility from Indian activists, the woman leading the charge against
mascots has dropped her fight....
Pequot chairman combats diabetes
Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation Chairman Kenny Reels has become
vegetarian and is on a management program to combat his diabetes,
reports The New London Day....
FBI subpoenas Goshute leaders
The FBI has issued subpoenas to two Skull Valley Goshute leaders to
determine how tribal money is being spent on a proposed nuclear waste
facility in Utah....
Idaho tax bill clears House
Idaho's House of Representatives on Wednesday voted 53-17 to approve
a bill that retroactively subjects tribes to a gasoline tax....
Opinion: Indians on Indians
"THE campaign against Indian nicknames and mascots presumes that
they offend Native Americans -- but do they?" asked Sports Illustrated
magazine in last week's issue....
Author describes 'going native'
"Going Native: Indians in the American Cultural Imagination," is a new
book by Alaska Native author Shari Huhndorf....
Featured Story
Among Inupiat Eskimos, an 'injustice'
No one promotes quite like Senator Frank Murkowski (R-Alaska)....
Featured Story
In The Hoop: California Screaming
If you didn't attend, or listen to on the Internet, today's House Resources
Committee hearing on the Klamath Basin, you missed lots of yelling, lots
of promises and no tribal leaders....
Featured Story
Trust fund accounting tests federal judge
A federal judge has accepted Secretary of Interior Gale Norton's request
to drop historical accounting arguments made during the Clinton
administration but questioned the government's truthfulness on the
controversial matter....
Get your 'Whities' t-shirt
Native students who started the "Fighting Whities" basketball team at
the University of Northern Colorado are planning on selling t-shirts
bearing their unusual name for $20....
Alaska's Young asked to chair panel
Representative Don Young (R-Alaska) will chair the House Resources Committee if
the Republican leadership agrees to his demands, reports The Fairbanks
Daily News-Miner....
Widespread drug pollution found
Research published in today's issue of Environmental Science and
Technology has found that 80 percent of streams analyzed by the federal
government are contaminated with antibiotics, steroids, synthetic
hormones and other pharmaceutical waste....
Accident involves Mayan workers
Several Mayan workers from Mexico were injured and one died when a
van they were traveling in crashed in Colorado....
Letter: Racial bias against Indians
"Thank you for running the article on Adelia Godfrey on the front page of
your March 3 paper....
Tribe's parking lot at issue
The Connecticut town of Ledyard is considering a request by the
Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation to continue use of a parking lot....
Group formed to fight Maine casinos
A group of residents in Maine has formed Casinos No! to oppose a
proposed tribal casino in the southern part of the state....
Cayuga settlement wanted
New York Governor George Pataki (R) and attorneys for the Cayuga Nation
are pushing a settlement of the $247.9 million claim....
Okla. tribe on Catskills radar
The Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma is willing to drop its part of a land
claim settlement in exchange for a casino in New York....
Exhibit features Penobscot culture
The Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor, Maine, is hosting an exhibit featuring
Penobscot items from a private collection....
Drilling considered in monument
The Bureau of Land Management is considering allowing a British
company to test for oil deposits in a monument home to ancient
Puebloan ruins....
Death hits Navajo community
Federal charges may be brought against a Navajo man in connection
with the beating death of a man on the Navajo Reservation in New
Mexico....
NEW: Chief Illiniwek report
A trustee of the University of Illinois is taking
the middle ground when it comes to the
school's controversial "Chief Illiniwek"
mascot....
Company kills tribal gaming plans
After more than two years of inaction, a Kansas company has killed plans
to start a tribal gaming management subsidiary....
Group wants Oneida claims dismissed
A group of private landowners in New York has asked a federal judge to
dismiss land claims made by the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin....
Grave discovery halts development
A $22 million bridge project in New York has been delayed due to the
discovery of a grave dating back to the 13th century....
BIA issues warning on driving
In response to a recent deadly accident involving an employee, the
Bureau of Indian Affairs in New Mexico has issued a warning on drinking
and driving....
Peltier appeals life sentences
Imprisoned American Indian Movement activist Leonard Peltier has
asked a federal appeals court to reduce his two life sentences....
First Nations Briefs
First Nations leaders are oppsing a referendum that tests voter support
for sovereignty and the treaty process....
Tribal tax bill advances
A Idaho legislative committee on Tuesday passed a bill to retroactively
tax Idaho tribes....
Gwich'in leader awarded Ford grant
The Ford Foundation has awarded a member of the Gwich'in Nation in
Alaska a $130,000 grant....
Report questions ANWR claim
America's dependence on foreign oil will drop by 2 percent if the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge is opened to oil drilling, a federal report states....
Idaho gaming study approved
An opponent of a tribal gaming initiative has succeeded in pushing
through a study of casinos in Idaho....
Featured Story
In The Hoop: Trust No One
After scoring a hit for taking the The Wall Street Journal to task for a
racist portrayal of Indian issues, Indian Country Today has struck out
with its latest editorial on trust reform....
Featured Story
Focus on trust reform leaves estate on sideline
More than a year after a hold was put on regulations aimed at restoring
the tribal land base, the Bush administration has failed to propose an
alternative....
Featured Story
Sides prepare to appeal Cayuga claim
A federal judge on Monday approved a request by the state of New York
to hold back paying a $247.9 million land claim award to the Cayuga
Nation while an appeal and potential settlement of the long-running
dispute is pursued....
Leaders gather to oppose consultation
First Nations leaders are meeting in Winnipeg this week to oppose
changes to the federal-band relationship....
Maine tribes drop casino for now
The Penobcot Nation and the Passamaquoddy Tribe have dropped their
push to open a casino in Maine....
Cherokee casino adds new games
The Eastern Band of Cherokees in North Carolina have added live digital
blackjack tables to its casino....
Court considers Ecuador case
The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday heard arguments in a dispute
between tribes in Ecuador against oil giant Texaco....
Maine tribes address lawmakers
Three of Maine's tribal leaders make a first-ever address to the state
Legislature on Monday....
Inmates sue Mont. prison system
A group of prison inmates in Montana have sued the state in order to be
returned to a main state prison....
Congress considering Shoshone funds
The Senate Indian Affairs Committee next week will hold a hearing on a
bill to distribute a land claim award to members of the Western Shoshone
Nation....
Navajo Nation wants more visitors
In an effort to bring more tourists to its three-state reservation, the
Navajo Nation has begun work with the federal government and a land
trust organization....
Editorial: Dakota teen deserved better
In an editorial today, The Sioux Falls Argus Leader criticizes law
enforcement authorities for subjecting a Dakota teenager to "appalling
conditions."
"Officials said she was housed where she was, because there was no
place else to put her," writes the paper....
Crow Tribe still concerned about monument
The Crow Tribe of Montana has softened its opposition to expanding the
Little Bighorn Battlefield to include several key areas of land....
Vatican moves to limit Indian deacons
The Vatican has ordered a five-year moratorium on new deacons in the
heavily Indian state of Chiapas, Mexico....
Norton's Arctic jobs figure doubted
Secretary of Interior Gale Norton's claim that drilling in the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge will create more than 700,000 jobs is being
questioned by economists and her own allies....
'Whities' team drawing attention
"The Fighting Whities" is only an intramural college team but its founders
have gotten a lot of attention from the media....
Judge won't reconsider Cayuga award
A federal judge on Monday refused requests to reconsider a $247.9
million judgment award to the Cayuga Nation of New York....
No one reviewing trust land cases
Remembers those two Bureau of Indian Affairs employees, one
part-time, who were charged with reviewing land-into-trust applications
in New York?
Well, they have quit, writes Steve Israel in his column "Casino
Confidential." Israel first reported on the lack of resources dedicated to
land-into-trust when he questioned whether any decisions would be
made soon affecting off-reservation casinos in the Catskills....
McCaleb affirms trust land decision
Assistant Secretary Neal McCaleb has affirmed the trust status of land
owned by the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma but the tribe won't still
won't be able to open a casino in Kansas....
Norton stressing cooperation
Secretary of Interior Gale Norton is "softening" her tone on reorganizing
Indian trust, Federal Computer Week reports....
Settlement axes salmon protections
The Bush administration on Monday proposed to temporarily eliminate
habitat protections for 19 salmon and steelhead runs in order to settle a
lawsuit brought by development interests and local governments....
Mont. tribes welcome home champions
The tribes on the Fort Belknap Reservation in Montana held a
homecoming ceremony last night to honor their basketball stars....
Featured Story
The Week in Review
Secretary of Interior Gale Norton takes on trust, the Senate
starts debating energy policy, Jena Choctaws get rejected
by the Bush administration, and Supreme Court takes case
affecting Native corporations....
Featured Story
In The Hoop: Psychic Trust Network
Environmentalists are upset that Secretary of Interior Gale Norton is
using a video created by a pro-drilling lobbying group to promote oil and
gas development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge....
Featured Story
Effort targets 'deviations' prized by tribes
Tribe and reservation specific services could see major changes as
Secretary of Interior Gale Norton moves to standardize the way her
department manages the Indian trust fund....
N.Y. tribes want casino monopoly
Threatening further land claims, three New York tribes have told Gov.
George Pataki not to negotiate with tribes outside the state....
BIA officer claims sex discrimination
A Bureau of Indian Affairs correctional officer in Montana has filed a sex
discrimination lawsuit against Secretary of Interior Gale Norton....
Tribe accepting county waste
The Fort Mojave Tribe is using the California part of its reservation to
store tons of sewage waste from a county 270 miles away....
Johnnie Cochran representing 'tribe'
Famed attorney Johnnie Cochran is representing a group in Connecticut
that claims descent from the historic Mohegan Tribe
Best known for defending O.J....
Maine casino creates stir
The prospect of a tribal casino in southern Maine has residents of the
town of Kittery buzzing....
Remains to go to Apache Tribe
The Department of Interior has determined the remains of a man to be
culturally affiliated to the Ft....
First Indian saint questioned
The expected canonization of Juan Diego has drawn the complaints of a
group of Catholic scholars who say the Aztec Indian man is not worthy of
sainthood....
John Potter: Moving to Utah
"Ever since getting married and moving to Utah, I have become the
poster-child for humiliation....
Letter: Stop casino gambling
"I am watching a family being totally destroyed because the
breadwinner became addicted to gambling at one of our tribal casinos.
He owns his own business, and up until recently was very successful....
Whitman being investigated
Environmental Protection Agency Administration Christie Whitman is
under investigation to determine whether she is making decisions for
financial benefit....
Village school redoing discipline policy
The school in Kivalina, Alaska, is rewriting its discipline plan in hopes of
reopening next week....
Code Talker gets his medal
Navajo Code Talker David Tsosie received his Congressional silver medal
in a ceremony in New Mexico on Saturday....
Program studies indigenous 'roots'
A unique program at Connecticut College is aimed at making sure the
indigenous roots and people of Latin America don't go unnoticed....
Safety of oil pipeline questioned
The pipeline that has transported oil from the Arctic through Alaska is
nearing the end of its 30-year-lease and many are wondering whether it
can last any longer....
Wash. tribe promoting education
Thanks to profits from its casino, the Kalispel Tribe of Washington has
established an educational institution....
Students call themselves 'Whities'
In an effort to persuade a high school to change its mascot, a group of
Indian college students in Colorado have nicknamed their intramural
basketball team "The Fighting Whities."
The University of Northern Colorado team has members of various ethnic
backgrounds but wants to show how Indian students feel, say
organizers....
Trust records being moved
A planned move of 32,000 cubit feet of trust fund records is being
questioned by the special master in the Cobell class action....
Jena Choctaws continue search
The Bush administration may not like the compact the Jena Band of
Choctaws signed with the state of Louisiana but that doesn't mean the
tribe is giving up....
ANWR drilling could be a bust
The Bush administration's enthusiasm for the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge isn't necessarily shared by large oil companies who are
somewhat quiet about the prospects....
Stay Connected
Contact Us
indianz@indianz.com202 630 8439 (THEZ)
Search
Top Stories
Trending in News
1 Tribes rush to respond to new coronavirus emergency created by Trump administration
2 'At this rate the entire tribe will be extinct': Zuni Pueblo sees COVID-19 cases double as first death is confirmed
3 Arne Vainio: 'A great sickness has been visited upon us as human beings'
4 Arne Vainio: Zoongide'iwin is the Ojibwe word for courage
5 Cayuga Nation's division leads to a 'human rights catastrophe'
2 'At this rate the entire tribe will be extinct': Zuni Pueblo sees COVID-19 cases double as first death is confirmed
3 Arne Vainio: 'A great sickness has been visited upon us as human beings'
4 Arne Vainio: Zoongide'iwin is the Ojibwe word for courage
5 Cayuga Nation's division leads to a 'human rights catastrophe'
News Archive
2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000