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Census report dives into Indian Country
The Census Bureau this week released more detailed statistics on the
geographical and tribal makeup of the 4.1 million Americans who claimed
some form of American Indian or Alaska Native ancestry on the Census
2000....
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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....
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For Norton, a shaky year in trust
Just about a year ago, Secretary of Interior Gale Norton went before
tribal leaders and Congress to tell them reforming Indian trust was one
of her top priorities....
Firm settles health fraud claims
A Florida firm has agreed to pay $17 million to settle a lawsuit it
overcharged various federal agencies, including the Indian Health
Service, for health equipment and services....
Kitty is clone of calico cat
Research to be published in an upcoming issue of Nature was made
public on Thursday by the Wall Street Journal, announcing that
researchers at Texas A&M University have cloned a calico cat....
Enron whistleblower goes to Congress
Enron's version of Dom Nessi testified before a House subcommittee on
Thursday, saying resigned chairman Ken Lay was duped by former
executives whom she alleged no one was strong enough to confront....
Companies sign onto Snoqualmie casino
Two Arizona companies are helping the Snoqualmie Tribe of Washington
build a 170,000-square-foot casino....
Campaign finance promised quick action
Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) was scuttled on Thursday
in his attempt to bring a campaign finance reform bill to the floor after it
gained passage in the House....
Yucca Mountain recommendation made
Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham on
Thursday officially transmitted his
recommendation on the Yucca Mountain
nuclear waste dump to President Bush....
Andersen can't find missing records
In a court filing last week, the auditing firm which performed a
reconciliation for tribal assets and is undertaking accounting projects for
individual Indians said it was having trouble locating all paper and
electronic documents related to failed energy company Enron....
Mohegan Tribe might fire Andersen
The Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut is considering firing Arthur Andersen
as its auditor due to the collapse of Enron....
Nev. tribe passes helmet law
The helmet law of the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony goes into effect March
1....
Navajo Day declared in Utah
February 14 was declared by the state of Utah as "Discover Navajo:
People of the Fourth World Day" while Salt Lake City called it "Navajo
Code Talkers Day."
A ceremony was held to mark the occasion at the tribe's cultural pavilion
at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics....
Hoop dancer proud of Olympics
Joe Losik, a member of the Tulalip Tribes of Washington, was one of five
hoop dancers who performed at the opening ceremony of the Winter
Olympics last week in Salt Lake City, Utah....
Tribes again criticize BITAM
Tribes from the Pacific Northwest gave Assistant Secretary Neal McCaleb
a not so sweet Valentine's Day gift on Thursday, criticizing a proposal to
strip the Bureau of Indian Affairs of its trust responsibilities....
Calif. oil swap proposed
Legislation introduced in the Senate on Thursday would prevent oil
drilling off the coast of California, where it is greatly opposed....
Paper marks anniversary of Foxwoods
Ten years ago today, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation of
Connecticut opened its casino, the first in the state, and The New London
Day marks the occasion in style....
Firings at tribal court reversed
Two employees fired by Pyramid Lake Paiute chairman Keith Alan
Mandell have been offered their jobs back at the Nevada tribe's court....
Tribe asks Supreme Court for recognition
The Supreme Court is set to decide whether to accept a case that could
recognize the Miami Nation of Indiana....
ANWR lobby bill signed
Alaska Governor Tony Knowles on Thursday signed a bill to give an Arctic
drilling lobbying group $1 million and the Inupiat village of Kaktovik
$100,000....
Bush unveils global warming plan
President Bush on Thursday announced his plans to reduce the emissions
of gases thought to contribute to global warming....
Subsistence proposal pushed
Governor Tony Knowles on Thursday officially unveiled his solution to a
long-running debate over subsistence....
BIA employee indicted on new charges
A federal grand jury in New Mexico on Wednesday indicted a Bureau of
Indian Affairs employee on four second-degree murder charges for the
deaths of two couples....
Pow-wow to help GRAMMY nominee
A pow-wow is being held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on Saturday to
raise money to send drum group YoungBird to the Grammy ceremony
next week....
Tribal foes say Indians can't own land
State lawmakers in Connecticut have introduced a bill that will terminate
Indian ownership rights they say never existed....
Wash. burial site desecrated
Federal authorities are offering a $1,000 reward for information leading
to the arrest and conviction of those involved with desecrating a burial
site in Washington....
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Norton tries to convince judge on trust reform
Secretary of Interior Gale Norton on Wednesday asked a skeptical federal
judge for a "chance" to fix the Indian trust fund, a system she admitted
was barely making the grade....
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Norton says accounting complete for plaintiffs
Secretary of Interior Gale Norton on Wednesday championed a
controversial report as providing an historical accounting for four
American Indian beneficiaries, refusing to acknowledge she violated her
trust duties by seeking to release it to Congress and the American public.
Although she repeatedly testified that she was not an accountant and
that she hasn't actually read the report, Norton said the $20 million effort
verified the account balances of four of the five named plaintiffs in the
Individual Indian Money (IIM) class action....
Campaign finance bill passes
Beating back numerous amendments and rival measures, the House
early this morning voted 240 to 189 to pass the Shays-Meehan campaign
finance reform bill....
Suit promised on McCaleb decision
Assistant Secretary Neal McCaleb's decision to restore trust land to the
United Auburn Indian Community in California hasn't even become legal
but opponents are already promising a lawsuit....
Obituary: Waylon Jennings, 64
Country music star Waylon Jennings died at his home in Chandler,
Arizona, yesterday....
Mohegan's word is bond
In another record offering, the Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut sold $250
million worth of bonds on Wednesday for its casino expansion....
Court rejects N.M. gaming challenge
The New Mexico Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected without comment a
challenge to the state's gaming compacts with 11 tribes....
Ashcroft makes one-sentence statement
"The reported remarks do not express my views and do not accurately
reflect what I believe I said some 12-13 weeks ago."
Attorney General John Ashcroft issued this one-sentence statement on
Wednesday in response to outrage from Arab-American and Muslim
groups to a report in which he allegedly stated: "Islam is a religion in
which God requires you to send your son to die for him....
Court voids Alaska logging permits
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday voided logging permits
for the Tongass National Forest in Alaska because it said the
Environmental Protection Agency created new regulations without
allowing public input....
Bush announcing global warming plan
President Bush today will announce his long-awaited alternative to a
global warming treaty he pulled out of last year....
Calif. dropping tribal taxation suit
California is dropping its taxation lawsuit against the Agua Caliente Band
of Cahuilla Indians, a spokesperson for the state's taxation board said....
Tribe says kitty litter biggest threat
With respiratory diseases high on the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony in
Nevada, the tribe is particularly concerned about a massive kitty litter
project that appears near final approval....
EPA meets with tribes on drilling
With coalbed methane gas drilling one of the biggest issues facing the
Powder River Basin in Montana and Wyoming, the Environmental
Protection Agency met with tribes, governments and landowners on
Wednesday....
Bush judge seeing obstacles
Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee are ready to vote on a
controversial nominee to the federal bench and the outlook doesn't look
good....
Wis. bill would ban squaw names
A bill to ban the use of "squaw" in Wisconsin's place names was
advanced by the state Legislature on Wednesday....
Parts of sacred meteorite sold
The Confederated Grand Ronde Tribes of Oregon and the American
Museum of Natural History in New York settled an ownership dispute in
June 2000 regarding a meteorite considered sacred in Clackama culture....
New Navajo agency set to open
After numerous delays, the new Bureau of Indian Affairs building for the
Navajo agency in Shiprock, New Mexico, is finally set to open March 4....
National business group planned
Native business leaders in Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Wisconsin and
Minnesota are planning on forming a national American Indian Chamber
of Commerce....
Yellowstone employees get gas masks
Some 20 employees at
Yellowstone National Park are
receiving gas masks because
they can't stand the exhaust
and fumes from snowmobilers
in and around the park....
Native ceremony delayed for Bush
A celebration to honor Tlingit activist Elizabeth Peratrovich has been
delayed so that President Bush can attend a Republican fundraiser in
Anchorage, Alaska....
Oneida Nation blasts candidate
The Oneida Nation of New York is criticizing the comments of a man
running for Congress because he said he wants to terminate the legal
status of all tribes....
USA Today puts the spread on Cobell
Elouise Cobell is on the "brink" of winning her five-year-old Individual
Indian Money (IIM) lawsuit, USA Today declares in a report today....
No payments hurt Indian Country
Secretary of Interior Gale Norton said on Wednesday that 40 percent of
her department is back online but to thousands of Indian landowners the
web sites and e-mail missed by employees and the public is a far cry
from the payments they have not received since November....
Norton's day in the sun
The media was out in full force at the Bush administration's contempt
trial yesterday, hoping to decipher Secretary of Interior Gale Norton's
latest ruminations....
Tribal college sees many departures
Several top officials, including the president, have left the Northwest
Indian College on the Lummi Reservation in Washington....
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In The Hoop: Convenient Contempt
Secretary of Interior Gale Norton today becomes the first Cabinet
member of the Bush administration to be forced to testify in court....
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Norton concludes testimony in contempt trial
Secretary of Interior Gale Norton took the stand today in her own
contempt trial, answering questions posed by attorneys representing
300,000 American Indian beneficiaries and a federal judge....
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Interior reverses position on royalty checks
After telling tribes and a federal judge it couldn't process millions of
dollars in royalty checks without the use of the Internet and a critical
computer system, the Department of Interior on Tuesday said it had
changed its mind....
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Senate panel grills Griles on trust fund
Setting up a pattern of showdowns between Congress and the Bush
administration, yet another Department of Interior official on Tuesday
faced the fire over the trust fund debacle....
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Griles says contempt finding 'unnecessary'
Deputy Interior Secretary Steven Griles said yesterday he hoped his
recent court testimony will help convince a federal judge not to sanction
his boss for her handling of the assets of 300,000 American Indians....
Cherokees: More than 700,000 served
There are 729,533 people in America who claim some form of Cherokee
heritage, according to a Census Bureau report being released today....
Ex-Enron chair criticized by Congress
Kenneth Lay, the former chairman of failed energy company Enron, went
before Congress on Tuesday but didn't respond to questions posed by
the Senate Commerce Committee....
House vote set on campaign finance
It's do or die on the House floor today, when a much anticipated vote
over the Shays - Meehan campaign finance reform bill will occur....
Letter: Help racial healing
"I have a suggestion for the leadership of the Crow Creek and Miller
communities help to heal wounds and build friendships....
Companies agree to arsenic phaseout
Facing several class action lawsuits, a group of companies on Tuesday
agreed to a two-year phaseout of arsenic in wood products....
White House ordered to keep records
A federal judge on Tuesday questioned whether the Bush administration
took serious a lawsuit seeking to make public records of the president's
energy task force....
Bush appealing drilling decision
The Department of Interior has appealed a federal judge's recent ruling
giving the state of California more power over off-shore drilling....
With casino, tribe moves back home
The Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans used to call New York their
home before they were removed to Wisconsin....
Wampanoag Tribe pushing casino
A survey commission by the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe of
Massachusetts shows that 60 percent of registered voters would support
one Indian casino in the state....
Tribal-state casino supported
The Minnesota State Legislature's leading lawmaker has put his support
behind an urban casino that would benefit the state and two
impoverished tribes....
Business goes on at Tigua casino
The chips are down but the show must go on at the casino owned by the
Tigua Tribe of Texas....
Dip in Nev. gaming tied to tribes
Analysts are attributing a 7.3 percent drop in gambling in Reno, Nevada,
to competition from tribal casinos in California....
Alaska tops in Native proportion
Anchorage, Alaska, has the highest proportion of American Indians and
Alaska Natives living in cities with a population greater than 100,000,
according to a Census Bureau report being released today....
Anti-Pequot lawsuit has cost plenty
Three Connecticut towns trying to prevent the Mashantucket Pequot
Tribal Nation from seeking trust lands have spent hundreds of thousands
of dollars on their lawsuit....
Cherokee tribe urges land swap
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians of North Carolina and the National
Park Service began the first of three scoping meetings on Tuesday to
discuss a land swap....
AFN supporting subsistence plan
Many Alaska Natives support federal management of subsistence
resources but the Alaska Federation of natives is putting its weight
behind Gov....
Wabanaki elder in cross-country journey
Tom Dostou, a Wabanaki elder from Massachusetts, is on a
cross-country journey for peace....
Play portrays Tlingit woman's fight
Students at an elementary school in Anchorage, Alaska, were treated
this week to a one-woman play portraying the life of Alaska Native rights
activist Elizabeth Peratrovich....
State challenging Indian Country
A dispute over whether a parcel of land in New Mexico is considered
Indian Country is being appealed....
NPS.GOV being reconnected
Web sites for the National Park Service appear to be fully functional this
week....
Interior acts only after tribes do
When the Department of Interior failed to find a workaround to
thousands of stalled royalty checks, a number of tribes took action to
use their own funds to pay tribal members....
Norton concludes testimony in contempt trial
A packed courtroom greeted Secretary of Interior Gale Norton today as
she took the stand to defend herself in her contempt trial....
Navajo woman running for N.M. office
Sharon Clahchischilliage is seeking the Republican nomination to run for
New Mexico's secretary of state....
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Swimmer legacy still haunts BIA
When Secretary of Interior Gale Norton last week defended Ross
Swimmer from an attack by a concerned member of Congress, she
brought back an era of Indian policy tribal leaders would rather forget....
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Norton agrees to appear for trial
In a reversal of position, attorneys for Secretary of Interior Gale Norton
on Monday agreed she should testify in her own contempt trial, albeit
with some limitations....
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Oprah takes 'Angel Network' to Indian Country
Oprah Winfrey, arguably one of the nation's most influential figures
known for inspiring millions of Americans to read and attend therapy,
tackled what she called the "powerful stories" of Native Americans on
her television show yesterday....
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IHS budget cuts construction funds
The new budget for the Indian Health Service (IHS) released last week
proposes to cut funds for the construction of new facilities even as the
agency acknowledges a $484.8 million backlog in maintenance and
repairs....
Neb. gaming bills may merge
A longtime proponent of allowing gaming on reservations in Nebraska is
considering merging her constitutional amendment with another casino
measure, but only if tribes agree....
Ashcroft comments on Islam dismissed
Several Arab and Muslim groups are calling on President Bush to fire
Attorney General John Ashcroft if he doesn't repudiate statements
attributed to him on Islam....
Continued border threat cited
America's borders remain poorly protected and are vulnerable to
terrorists, Homeland security czar Tom Ridge said on Monday....
Campaign finance debate starts in House
The House today starts debate on a measure to reform the way federal
campaigns are financed....
Mohegan Tribe looking to hire
The Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut is seeking to hire about 500
employees to staff its new hotel....
Narragansett casino could be threat
Although the Narragansett Tribe faces a tough battle to open a casino in
Rhode Island, its $500 million facility could draw visitors away from
Connecticut's two tribal casinos....
Catskills land-into-trust filed
The Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans of Wisconsin on Monday
asked the Department of Interior to take 333 acres of land into trust for
gaming purposes....
Editorial: Black Hills rail needed
In an editorial today, The Sioux Falls Argus Leader says the state of
South Dakota needs a $1.5 billion railroad expansion that a coalition of
Indians and non-Indians have opposed....
Tigua Tribe locks casino doors
Defeated for now, the Tigua Tribe of Texas shut the doors to its casino
last night after the Supreme Court refused to grant a stay while appeals
are pursued to keep the facility open....
Ex-KKK member blasted in Mont.
A former Ku Klux Klan organizer running for the Montana State
Legislature is coming under fire by members of his own party, who said
they won't support the Republican due to his racist and biased views....
Money vetoed for Navajo dorms
Navajo Nation President Kelsey Begaye last week vetoed $2 million in
funds to complete school dorms sorely in need of replacement....
Navajo jail not solid prospect
A new jail on the Navajo Nation is apparently not so new, despite being
reported yesterday by The Farmington Daily-Times....
Native gangs described as tough
Gangs are growing throughout rural America and even on reservations,
according to federal and state experts....
Young skipped town to raise money
When Representative Don Young (R-Alaska) told reporters the reason he missed so
many votes in December was due to his frustration over the lack of
action, he said he went back home to Alaska to mark the holidays and
ring in the New Year....
Kitty litter mine gains approval
The Bureau of Land Management on Monday gave approval to a
controversial clay mine and kitty litter plant in Nevada....
Norton welcomes monument recommendation
Secretary of Interior Gale Norton was in Utah on Monday to meet with
state officials to discuss environmental issues....
Skater Lang making contact with father
Naomi Lang, a member of the Karuk Tribe of California and Winter
Olympian, has recently begun to re-establish a relationship with her
father, who is also a tribal member....
Norton set for trial testimony
She isn't the first and probably won't be the last but Secretary of Interior
Gale Norton will take the stand in her contempt trial tomorrow....
Cobell talks trust on C-SPAN
Elouise Cobell, the lead plaintiff in the Individual Indian Money (IIM)
class action, appeared on the C-SPAN program "Washington Journal" this
past Saturday to talk about the lawsuit....
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Norton to testify on new budget
Secretary of Interior Gale Norton will
testify on her fiscal year 2003 budget
before the Senate Energy and Natural
Resources Committee tomorrow....
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The Week in Review
Secretary of Interior Gale Norton defends trust overhaul
before Congress, President Bush releases his new budget,
contempt proceedings near end in federal court, and
Internet shutdown continues....
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BITAM comment period extended
The Department of Interior has extended, for the third time, the written
comment period on the creation of the Bureau of Indian Trust Assets
Management (BITAM)....
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Congress urged to act on failed trust reform
As the debate over Secretary of Interior Gale Norton's proposed
reorganization of Indian trust continues, the seven-year-old federal law
which was supposed to have fixed the entire mess is being eyed for
major changes....
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Utah tribes get 10 minutes of Olympic fame
A ceremony months in the making came off without a
hitch on Friday night, as five tribes came together at
the Winter 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, to
showcase their cultures and traditions before a global
audience of millions....
Pueblo center coming together
Pojoaque Pueblo in New Mexico is planning on opening its museum a
year from now but there is already a flurry of activity to get the complex
ready....
Navajo families without electricity
While Navajo Nation council member Erwin Keeswood follows the
Department of Interior's consultation wagon around Indian Country, a
group of families near his land in New Mexico go without electricity....
Deal accepted for rapist
A man accused of raping five Alaska Native women was sentenced on
Friday to a maximum of 30 years in prison by an Alaska state judge who
accepted a plea deal....
Man pleads guilty for Navajo death
An 18-year-old New Mexico man has pleaded guilty on to second-degree
murder for the death of a gay, transgendered Navajo teen....
Forced Oneida inspections upheld
An appeals court judge of the Oneida Nation in New York has upheld the
forced inspection of tribal members' homes....
Hope expressed on campaign reform
The House on Wednesday will vote on a campaign finance reform bill to
ban "soft" money and supporters hope will pass due to the ongoing
Enron controversy....
Navajo man confirmed as Code Talker
The US Marines has confirmed David Tsosie is a Code Talker and the
Navajo man will be awarded a Congressional silver medal....
Klamath chairman debates USA Today
Klamath tribal chairman Allen Foreman challenges the editorial board of
USA Today in a debate over the Klamath Basin....
Bingaman seeks clemency for Navajo men
Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) wrote President Bush last week to ask for
clemency to two Navajo man involved in the 1989 riot that contributed to
the conviction and prison sentence of former tribal chairman Peter
MacDonald....
Native corp brings in new leader
A traditional potlatch was held Saturday to honor Orie Williams, the new
president of Doyon Ltd., an Alaska Native corporation....
Omaha tribe plans new museum
The Omaha Tribe of Nebraska is planning to open a 45,000-square-foot
museum to house its sacred artifacts and serve as a repository for
Omaha culture....
Lloyd Kiva New, IAIA founder, dies
Lloyd Kiva New, founder of the Institute of American Indian Arts in New
Mexico, died Friday in Santa Fe....
Ex-Enron chair won't talk to Congress
Ken Lay, the ex-chairman of the failed energy company Enron, will
appear before two Congressional committees this week but won't testify
before at least one of them, a spokesperson said on Sunday....
Tigua Tribe set to close casino
Latest: The Supreme Court today refused to grant a stay to allow the
casino to remain open....
Alaska GOP challenging subsistence
Republicans in the Alaska Legislature are being criticized for trying to
politicize the debate over subsistence in the state....
Foxwoods celebrates 10th year
After a modest bingo hall start, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation of
Connecticut opened its Foxwoods Resort Casino 10 years ago this week....
Fire hits Yup'ik village
A fire destroyed a building in the Yupi'k village of Stebbins on Saturday
morning, but no one appears to have been injured....
New Navajo jail planned
The Navajo Reservation spans three states and has more than 200,000
residents but only one jail to house 102 offenders....
FBI issues terrorist warning
The FBI last night issued a public warning about a potential terrorist
attack, this time citing more specific information than on previous
occasions when nothing happened....
BIA policies on drivers scrutinized
The Bureau of Indian Affairs is planning on reviewing its driving policies in
the wake of criticism and dumbfoundedness over a employee who has a
long history of drunk driving....
Oprah show to focus on Natives
The Oprah Winfrey Show today will include a focus on Native Americans
as part of her "Angel Network."
The program description implores viewers to "find out how we're giving a
voice to the millions of Native Americans whose stories often go unheard
in America....
Study asks critical Indian question
"In honor of Valentine's Day, I decided it was time to answer the
question raised by comedian Vincent Craig....
Trust fund mess blamed on Babbitt
At a contentious hearing on trust management and reform, lawmaker
after lawmaker said the issue, which dates back more than a century,
was "non-partisan."
House Resources Committee chairman Jim Hansen (R-Utah) said there
was "no room for political posturing." Ranking member Nick Rahall
(D-W.Va.) said Republican and Democrats have run the Department of
Interior like the "Enron" of federal agencies when it comes to trust
assets....
Narragansett Tribe launches casino bid
The Narragansett Tribe of Rhode Island and partner Boyd Gaming are
back at it again, announcing on Saturday they have teamed up to try and
open a $500 million casino....
Navajo crime rate said growing
The statistics are still being finalized but violent crime rates on the
Navajo Nation are growing, according to The Farmington Daily-Times....
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