Congressman tries to block off-reservation gaming (May 20, 2005)

An attempt by a Western Congressman to prohibit the Interior Department from approving off-reservation casinos was defeated on the House floor on Thursday. In response to an off-reservation gaming proposal in his state, Rep. David Wu (D-Oregon) tried to add...

Enrollment at heart of San Pasqual Band battle (May 20, 2005)

Members of the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians are fighting over who has the right to decide membership in the small California tribe. The San Diego Union-Tribune takes a look at the dispute. Currently, the tribal constitution limits...

Passamaquoddy Tribe agrees to new gas terminal site (May 20, 2005)

Leaders of the Passamaquoddy Tribe of Maine voted 4-3 to host a liquefied natural gas facility at a site considered to be sacred. The council narrowly accepted the proposal for the terminal at Split Rock after the original location was...

Bush officials worried about off-reservation gaming (May 20, 2005)

Off-reservation casinos may not be in the best interests of the $18.5 billion and growing tribal gaming industry, a Bureau of Indian Affairs official said this week. Interior Department Secretary Gale Norton and her aides haven't developed a policy for...

Piestewa episode of 'Extreme Makeover' to air (May 20, 2005)

The season finale of the ABC television show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" will air on Sunday, May 22, featuring the family of Lori Piestewa, the Hopi woman killed in action in Iraq. With tribal donations and help from a housing...

Hearing scheduled on U.S. apology resolution (May 20, 2005)

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on Wednesday, May 25, on a resolution to apologize to Native peoples for "official depredations and ill-conceived policies" of the United States. Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) introduced S.J.Res.15 last month. He...

ICT takes on 'termination' at New York Times (May 20, 2005)

Three years ago, Indian Country Today and the Wall Street Journal engaged in a war of words over the Journal's conservative editorials against Indian gaming. Now, ICT is going after another journalistic institution. "Competence on Indian issues continues to be...

Haida Nation reaches deal to protect forest lands (May 20, 2005)

The Haida Nation of British Columbia has reached a $5 million (Canadian) deal to protect an old growth forest on Queen Charlotte Islands. The B.C. government has agreed not to allow development on 40,000 hectares of forest land. In return,...

Red Lake Nation guests of honor at Twins game (May 20, 2005)

About 300 students, teachers and parents from the Red Lake Ojibwe Reservation in Minnesota were treated to a Twins game on Thursday night. An anonymous donor gave the Red Lake High School money for an unspecified event. The Twins then...

Judge threatens Chippewa group with contempt (May 20, 2005)

The Little Shell Pembina Band of North America, a self-proclaimed tribe of Chippewa Indians, has been warned not to try to enforce its tribal court rulings. U.S. District Judge Garr M. King in Oregon said the band was more than...

BIA might not accept new evidence from tribes (May 20, 2005)

The Bureau of Indian Affairs might not be able to accept new evidence from two Connecticut tribes whose federal recognition is on hold, The New Milford Spectrum. Citing unnamed Interior Department attorneys, the paper said it was unclear whether new...

Letter: Newspaper biased in favor of alleged tribes (May 20, 2005)

'The Day continues to show an extreme bias in favor of any group calling itself an Indian tribe. The latest is the article concerning the overturning of the Eastern Pequot and Schaghticoke federal recognition. Every claim by either group has...

Eastern Cherokees donate to school's art center (May 20, 2005)

The Eastern Band of Cherokees donated $100,000 to Western Carolina University to help finance the school's new Fine and Performing Arts Center. Principal Chief Michell Hicks, a 1987 graduate of WCU, presented the check. It was the latest in $84,500...

Old law barring Indians from Boston repealed (May 20, 2005)

The Massachusetts Legislature voted on Thursday to repeal a 330-year-old law that bars Native Americans from entering the city of Boston unless accompanied by "musketeers." Boston Mayor Tom Menino and tribal leaders called for the repeal last year. But state...

Lawsuit filed over abuse at Indian boarding school (May 20, 2005)

Twenty tribal members filed a lawsuit this week alleging they were abused at the St. Joseph's Indian School in South Dakota. The plaintiffs say they suffered physical, mental and sexual abuse at the school in an attempt to Americanize them....

Crow Tribe adopts Montana Governor Schweitzer (May 20, 2005)

The Crow Tribe of Montana adopted Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D) on Thursday in recognition of his commitment to Indian affairs and improving tribal-state relations. Schweitzer was given the name "My Friend" in Crow. "We are embarking on a new time...

UKB responds to Churchill's response to statement (May 20, 2005)

The United Keetoowah Band responded on Thursday to Ward Churchill's response to the Oklahoma tribe's original statement on the controversial University of Colorado professor's alleged Indian ancestry. The UKB says it gave Churchill an honorary "associate membership" in May 1994....

Squaxin Island Tribe not ready to back water plan (May 20, 2005)

Leaders of the Squaxin Island Tribe of Washington say they can't support an intergovernmental water study of the Kitsap Peninsula. The Squaxin Island council has complained that the Kitsap Peninsula Watershed Planning Unit, a committee of several tribes and local...

Opinion: Rantings of an angry mixed-blood Indian (May 20, 2005)

"This essay may seem like the ranting of an angry Indian. It is. I'm not going to lie to you. Racism happens everyday at the school (Walker-Hackensack-Akeley), by both sides. I'm a mixed breed, so I get double the amount...

Remains of child among those found at work site (May 20, 2005)

The remains of a small child are among the three tribal ancestors who have been found at a state construction site in Washington. The child, an adult male and an adult female are believed to be at least 150 years...

Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe to build health center (May 20, 2005)

The Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe plans to open a new $40 million health care center in Sisseton, South Dakota. The Indian Health Service will fund the 85,000-square-foot facility. It will be more than three times as large as the tribe's existing...

IHS to combat heart disease and stroke with AHA (May 20, 2005)

The Indian Health Service and the American Heart Association signed an agreement on Thursday to combat heart disease and stroke among American Indians and Alaska Natives. Heart disease is the number one cause of death in Indian Country, according to...

Ralph Reed changes story on $1.15M tribal donation (May 20, 2005)

Republican Christian activist and candidate for lieutenant governor in Georgia Ralph Reed has changed his story yet again on a $1.15 million donation from a gaming tribe that went to fight gaming. After first denying that tribes were involved, Reed...