Column: Tribal rhetoric doesn't match reality (October 18, 2004)

"When Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act in 1988, tribes were given the right to operate any games on their reservations that were allowed elsewhere in the state. Governors were directed to negotiate with tribes for gambling compacts —...

Confusion continues over ownership of homes (October 18, 2004)

Navajos in Shiprock, New Mexico, are still confused over the ownership of their homes. The Navajos thought they were new homeowners. They referred to letters that said they were paying off a mortgage. But they have since been told they...

Navajo men wearing caps support George Bush (October 18, 2004)

Navajo men who wear caps support President George W. Bush, The Farmington Daily Times has discovered. The paper conducted an impromptu poll after Thursday's debate. Three Navajo men, all wearing some form of headgear, said Bush is their man. "Bush,...

Lummi Nation hopes to increase voter turnout (October 18, 2004)

The Lummi Nation of Washington didn't meet its goals for new voter registrations but tribal members are still working hard to increase turnout on November 2. About 2,250 people on the reservation are registered. The tribe hoped to add 1,000...

Man pleads guilty in Crow kickback scheme (October 18, 2004)

Another man has pleaded guilty in a kickback scheme that defrauded the Crow Tribe of Montana. Elliot Mountain Sheep, 36, admitted to embezzling more than $36,000 from the tribe. The money was funneled to former chairman Clifford Bird in Ground...

Tribes file briefs in Oneida Nation land case (October 18, 2004)

The National Congress of American Indians, the United South and Eastern Tribes and several tribes have filed briefs in the Oneida Nation's land and treaty rights case. The U.S. Supreme Court accepted the case and will decide whether land the...

Winona LaDuke explains Kerry endorsement (October 18, 2004)

Anishinabe activist and former Green Party vice-presidential candidate Winona LaDuke is "relieved" not to be running for office this year. "Yes, and thank you for phrasing the question in that way," she was quoted as saying. But that doesn't mean...

Russell Means, Fire Thunder to debate in Pine Ridge (October 18, 2004)

The first debate between the candidates for president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe of South Dakota will be held today. Cecelia Fire Thunder, a tribal activist and former nurse, will face Russell Means, actor and activist, in the tribe's November...

Navajos in disarray over Washington office (October 18, 2004)

Some Navajo Nation council delegates don't think the tribe's Washington, D.C., office is adequately representing Navajo interests. Some delegates criticized Sharon Clahchischilliage, executive director of the office, for negotiating the tribe's water settlement with Sen. Pete Domenici (R-New Mexico). One...

Opinion: Tribal system in Alaska not working (October 18, 2004)

"By 1867, the recently formed United States had racked up a few generations of experience with indigenous cultures from the Atlantic to the Pacific and had formulated the presumption that all Native people with whom they came in contact were...

HUD money used for Palm Pilots, night goggles (October 18, 2004)

A recent audit by the Housing and Urban Development showed that the Tulalip Tribes used federal funds for first-class travel, Palm Pilots, cellphones, expensive meals and drinks, laptops, night-vision goggles and whale-watching trips, The Everett Herald reported. The tribes fired...

Democrats open second office on Navajo Nation (October 18, 2004)

The Democratic Party opened a second office on the Navajo Nation in hopes of attracting more reservation voters. The new office is in Window Rock, Arizona, the capital of the Navajo Nation. The first office is in Shiprock, on the...

Crazy Horse descendants fight strip club's name (October 18, 2004)

Descendants of Lakota Chief Crazy Horse are asking a strip club in Paris, France, to change its name. Chief Alfred Red Cloud went to Paris to deliver a letter opposing the name of the strip club. Descendants say the use...

Pat Robertson claims Indians 'not totally literate' (October 18, 2004)

Christian conservative Pat Robertson is claiming that Indians in South Dakota are "not totally literate" and are being taken advantage of. On his Christian Broadcasting Network, Robertson said there has been "massive fraud" on the state's reservations. He said it...

Utah tribe cites sovereignty for Michigan health clinic (October 18, 2004)

The Confederated Goshute Tribes of Utah say their sovereignty protects them from Michigan's health care laws. The Goshutes have opened a clinic and have broken ground on a full-service hospital in Clinton Township, Michigan. The facilities will serve Indians and...

Native man told to document U.S. citizenship (October 18, 2004)

A Native man running for state office in Hawaii as a Democrat has been told to prove he is a U.S. citizen or he will be removed from the ballot. Cort Gallup is Cree who was born Canada. He says...

Congressman denies knowing of tribe's backing (October 18, 2004)

Rep. David Vitter (R-Louisiana), a candidate for U.S. Senate, denies knowing that his campaign against a tribal casino was backed by another tribe whose lobbyists are being investigated by the Senate Indian Affairs Committee and federal authorities. Vitter says he...

Narragansett Tribe recognizes oldest member (October 18, 2004)

Francis "Caesar" Fayerweather, the oldest member of the Narragansett Tribe of Rhode Island, turned 90 this year. Friends and family held a surprise birthday party for Fayerweather yesterday. The tribe presented him with a hawk pipe, signifying commitment to the...

Mark Trahant: Congress should abide by laws too (October 18, 2004)

"Remember the first rule of the Republican Party's "Contract With America"? In case it's slipped your mind, here it is: "FIRST, require all laws that apply to the rest of the country also apply equally to the Congress." A simple...