Opinion: Mashpees disturbed by tribal lobbying (December 7, 2005)

"For many years it has been the custom of the Mashpee Wampanoag not to speak publicly about our internal tribal problems. We were taught that ''we don't air our dirty laundry 'round here.'' If we had problems, we could handle...

Appeals court hears tribal-state sovereignty dispute (December 7, 2005)

A crucial question was raised at a federal appeals court hearing on Tuesday: Just exactly what is left of the Narragansett Tribe's sovereignty? "Nothing," was the one-word response from a lawyer for Rhode Island Gov. Donald Carcieri (R). A...

Cayuga Nation not waiting for answer on trust lands (December 7, 2005)

The Cayuga Nation of New York isn't going to wait for an answer from the Bureau of Indian Affairs about the status of its land-into-trust application, a lawyer said. The tribe asked the BIA to take several properties in trust....

Samson Cree Nation loses trust mismanagement case (December 7, 2005)

A judge in Canada has thrown out the trust mismanagement case filed by the Samson Cree Nation of Alberta. The Samson Cree claimed that the Canadian government squandered $1.4 billion in oil and gas royalties. But the judge said the...

Paramedics: Disabled Native man refused help (December 7, 2005)

A disabled Native man who died on a street in Vancouver refused the help of paramedics, an official with the British Columbia Ambulance Service told CBC News. The official confirmed that paramedics checked up on the man on Saturday night...

City honors outgoing IAIA president Della Warrior (December 7, 2005)

The city of Santa Fe honored the outgoing president of the Institute of American Indian Arts by declaring November 30 as "President Della Warrior Day." Della Warrior, a member of the Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Oklahoma, ran IAIA for 12 years....

North Carolina Tribe plans $30M Native theme park (December 7, 2005)

The Haliwa-Saponi Tribe of North Carolina is planning a $30 million Native-American-themed amusement and educational park, The Roanoke Rapids Daily Herald reports. The tribe has hired a firm to create a preliminary design and artist rendering for the park. It...

Washington to use gas tax decision against tribes (December 7, 2005)

The state of Washington plans to use the U.S. Supreme Court's fuel tax decision against tribes, a state assistant attorney general said. Two weeks ago, a federal judge ruled that Washington's fuel tax law infringes on tribal sovereignty. But state...

Supreme Court relists Prairie Band car tag case (December 7, 2005)

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday relisted the petition in the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation's car tag case against the state of Kansas. The petition has been pending since September. But the court delayed consideration of the case amid the...

Book Review: 'Peyote and the Yankton Sioux' (December 7, 2005)

"The use of peyote has generated controversy among the white community for decades. But in Native America, particularly among the Yankton Sioux, it has been a constant source of deep religious conviction and contentment for the past 100 years....

Menominee Nation candidates discuss tribe's future (December 7, 2005)

Legislative candidates for the Menominee Nation of Wisconsin discussed the tribe's future at a forum on Monday night. According to The Shawano Leader, economic development was the dominating topic. One candidate spoke of the tribe's "financial crisis" that could be...

St. Regis Mohawk Tribe won't enter tobacco deal (December 7, 2005)

The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe said it won't enter into an agreement with the New York Alcohol, Tobacco, Tax and Trade Bureau over cigarette manufacturing on the Akwesasne Reservation. The tribe had been in talks with the bureau but said...

Coushatta Tribe made $330K in donations on same day (December 7, 2005)

At the direction of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana made $330,000 in campaign contributions on the same day. A document posted by PoliticalMoneyLine details the 61 checks the tribe wrote on March 6, 2002. Politicians and...

Statute of limitations about to run out on tribal trust (December 7, 2005)

The deadline for tribes to file lawsuits against the federal government for mismanagement of their trust assets will run out later this month unless Congress acts. The clock started running on tribes when they received their reconciliation reports from the...

Sen. Burns wants name cleared in Abramoff probe (December 7, 2005)

Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Montana) wrote to U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales last month, asking the Department of Justice to clear his name as part of the Jack Abramoff investigation. "I welcome your thorough and expeditious review of this matter...

The Hill: Who's who in the Jack Abramoff scandal (December 7, 2005)

Are you overwhelmed by all the people who have been connected to the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal? Well The Hill newspaper tries to sort it out with a list of all the major players, particularly the ones who may...

Watchdog group sues DOI over Abramoff documents (December 7, 2005)

A Washington, D.C., watchdog group filed suit against the Interior Department on Wednesday in hopes of obtaining more documents about the Jack Abramoff scandal. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington sent three Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to...

Supreme Court upholds state tax on reservation fuel (December 7, 2005)

The U.S. Supreme Court under new Chief Justice John G. Roberts issued its first Indian law decision on Tuesday, ruling that the state of Kansas can impose a tax on fuel sold on tribal lands. By a 7-2 vote, the...

Opinion: Abramoff investigation hasn't gone far enough (December 7, 2005)

The following is the opinion of Bobby Thompson, a member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians who lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I read the Friday December 2, 2005, article (Radio show focuses on tribal lobbying practices) with amazement....