Tribes get off-reservation property tax exemption (June 1, 2005)

A new law in Arizona is designed to improve housing conditions for low-income tribal members by giving tribes an off-reservation property tax exemption. Tribes can obtain the exemption only on housing built with tribal funds or through the Native American...

Study finds high rates of trauma among two tribes (June 1, 2005)

Native Americans suffer from higher rates of trauma than the general U.S. population, according to a comprehensive study of more than 3,000 tribal members. Statistics have shown that American Indians and Alaska Natives are more likely to be victims of...

Ho-Chunk Nation brings boxing to Chicago suburb (June 1, 2005)

An estimated 2,000 people turned out for the first night of boxing at a sports complex in suburban Chicago owned by the Ho-Chunk Nation. The bout at the Ho-Chunk Southland Sports and Expo Center was broadcast by ESPN 2. Tribal...

Sheriff blames indictment on support for Navajos (June 1, 2005)

The sheriff for a county whose population is predominantly Navajo is blaming his indictment on charges of misuse of funds for his support for Navajo people. In addition to allegedly misusing $8,000, Apache County Sheriff Brian Hounshell is accused...

BIA land-into-trust checklist criticized again (June 1, 2005)

The Bureau of Indian Affairs is again come under fire for its land-into-trust checklist, this time in New Mexico where an off-reservation casino is under review. The New Mexico Coalition Against Gambling says the checklist limits consultation to communities within...

Gwich'in tribe opposes Alaska Native land swap (June 1, 2005)

The Gwichyaa Zhee Gwich'in Tribe remains opposed to a proposed land swap between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Doyon Ltd. The tribe passed a resolution in 2000 opposing oil and gas development in the Yukon Flats. Such development...

Si Tanka said to remove property from campus (June 1, 2005)

Officials from Si Tanka University are said to have removed "everything that was not bolted down" from its shuttered campus in Huron, South Dakota. Si Tanka filed for bankruptcy protection after being denied federal funds to keep the campus in...

BIA asked to waive appraisal for gas terminal site (June 1, 2005)

The Passamaquoddy Tribe voted 4-1 on Tuesday to seek speedy federal approval of a controversial liquefied natural gas terminal on the Pleasant Point Reservation. Tribal council members want the BIA to waive an appraisal for the terminal site. They say...

Sovereignty Symposium XVII in Oklahoma City (June 1, 2005)

The 17th Sovereignty Symposium is being held today and tomorrow in Oklahoma City. Topics of the conference include language preservation, transportation, tribal courts, gaming, trust and crime in Indian Country. Phil Hogen, the chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission,...

First Nations sign deal for corrections services (June 1, 2005)

The province of Manitoba signed agreements on Tuesday for First Nations and Métis organizations to handle probation and corrections services for Native offenders. The Manitoba Métis Federation, the Southern Chiefs Organization and Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak will establish new agencies to...

Not all Natives pleased with residential school deal (June 1, 2005)

The Assembly of First Nations is hailing as "historic" an agreement to mediate residential school abuse claims but not everyone is optimistic about the deal. Robert Joseph, a former student, said he is worried mediation will take too long. "It...

Search continues for three missing Cree teens (June 1, 2005)

More than 160 volunteers are continuing the search for three Cree cousins who have been missing since May 20. Curtis Brass, 16, Elijah Brass, 15, and Rodney Brass, 16, are members of the Sapotaweyak (Shoal River) Cree Nation. They...

Two convicted, one acquitted, in tribal theft case (June 1, 2005)

A federal jury convicted two former Standing Rock Sioux officials but acquitted a third former official in a tribal theft case. The jury found Rinissa Fitzpatrick, 47, and Marcia Brave Thunder, 41, guilty of stealing $169,000 from the tribe and...

Navajo Nation treaty signed 137 years ago today (June 1, 2005)

The Navajo Nation is marking the 137th anniversary of the signing of its treaty with the United States. The June 1, 1868 treaty [Text] recognized the tribe's sovereignty over its vast three-state territory. It was signed after the U.S. government...

Oglala Sioux Tribe agrees to patrol Whiteclay (June 1, 2005)

Leaders of the Oglala Sioux Tribe voted 13-2 to approve an agreement to start policing the border town of Whiteclay, Nebraska. The tribe still has to sign the agreement, which would provide $100,000 in federal funds to beef up law...

Court: Yakama Nation man's house is too small (June 1, 2005)

A Yakama Nation man whose "trailer home was so small that he could open the front door while lying in his bed" was wrongly arrested by tribal police, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Tuesday. Darrell Quaempts was...

Largest drug ring broken up on Wind River Reservation (June 1, 2005)

Federal authorities announced on Tuesday the largest drug bust in the history of the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. Authorities arrested 19 people alleged to be involved in a major drug ring. Searches of homes on and off the reservation...

Northern Cheyenne Tribe wins injunction on drilling (June 1, 2005)

The Northern Cheyenne Tribe won a ruling on Tuesday that blocks the Bureau of Land Management from allowing new coalbed methane drilling in the Montana portion of the Powder River Basin. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said the injunction...

Religious rights of prisoners upheld by Supreme Court (June 1, 2005)

A federal law that requires states to accommodate the religious practices of inmates is constitutional, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday. In a unanimous decision, the court said the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) of 2000...

High court overturns Arthur Andersen conviction (June 1, 2005)

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned former accounting firm Arthur Anderson's conviction of obstruction of justice for destroying documents related to the Enron criminal inquiry. In a unanimous decision, the court said the federal jury that convicted Anderson of...

UTTC hosts meeting on trust reform legislation (June 1, 2005)

A meeting to accept public comment and discuss Indian trust reform is being held today at United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck, North Dakota. The meeting will focus on efforts to fix the trust system and settle the Cobell lawsuit....

Former No. 2 FBI official revealed as 'Deep Throat' (June 1, 2005)

W. Mark Felt, the former number two official at the FBI, was revealed on Tuesday as Deep Throat, the source that helped bring down the presidency of Richard Nixon. The Washington Post confirmed Deep Throat's identity after the magazine Vanity...