Navajo Nation reaches interim deal over pipeline (January 19, 2006)

The Navajo Nation and the El Paso Natural Gas Co. have reached an interim deal over 900 miles of pipeline that cross the reservation. El Paso's right-of-way deal expired last October. The tribe threatened trespass action after the company said...

White 'wanna-be' Indians target of peyote bill (January 19, 2006)

A bill making its way through the Utah Legislature would limit peyote use to members of federally recognized tribes. "If you're a Native American of a federally recognized tribe participating in a ritual, you will be protected. If you're a...

Pataki to delay collection of cigarette taxes (January 19, 2006)

New York Gov. George Pataki (R) plans to delay the collection of state taxes on cigarette taxes sold to non-Indians under the budget he released on Wednesday. Pataki has repeatedly declined to collect the taxes, saying they infringed on tribal...

Jodi Rave: Burns to celebrate birthday with lobbyists (January 19, 2006)

"Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., will celebrate his 71st birthday next week in Washington, D.C., within the walls of Cassidy & Associates - one of the most powerful lobbying firms in the nation's capital. Burns' Jan. 25 birthday will provide...

Carrie Sahmaunt, oldest Kiowa member, dies at 101 (January 19, 2006)

Carrie Sahmaunt, the oldest member of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma, died on January 15. She was 101. Sahmaunt was a leader of the United Methodist Church near Lawton. "She was a religious person, but also very traditional," Kiowa spokeswoman...

Tribes can't collect fees in sacred site case (January 19, 2006)

Six tribes and an Indian organization who sued the Bush administration to stop the construction of a shooting range near the sacred Bear Butte in South Dakota can't collect attorney's fees, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Wednesday....

Indian student test scores lagging in Michigan (January 19, 2006)

Indian students in Michigan public schools are trailing their non-Indian counterparts, The Leelanau Enterprise reports. Based on scores posted at SchoolMatters [Web Site], Indian students fell behind in a number of school districts. At Suttons Bay School, where about 20...

Police to monitor San Pasqual Band council meeting (January 19, 2006)

The police department in Escondido, California, is sending about 20 officers to maintain law and order at the general council meeting of the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians this Sunday. An altercation broke out the last time the tribe...

The Rant: White House lied about ties to Abramoff (January 19, 2006)

"White House claims that President George W. Bush doesn’t know corrupt lobbyist Jack Abramoff may soon rank up there with “I did not have sex with that woman, Ms. Lewinsky” as a blatant public lie destroyed by mounting evidence. Abramoff,...

Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation loses recognition appeal (January 19, 2006)

The Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation of Connecticut can't challenge the denial of its federal recognition before the Interior Board of Indian Appeals. The IBIA rejected the tribe's appeal, saying the recognition decision was final. The tribe will have to head...

Blackfeet tribal college won't take Burns money (January 19, 2006)

The Blackfeet Community College [Web Site] won't accept money from Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Montana) because it came from Jack Abramoff. But other tribal colleges are taking Abramoff-connected money. James St. Goddard, a Blackfeet council member, told The Great Falls Tribune...

Sen. Burns to recycle Abramoff donations again (January 19, 2006)

Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Montana) is going to try to donate $111,000 in donations connected to Jack Abramoff after the Montana-Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council [Web Site] refused to accept the money. The council voted Tuesday not to take the money....

Column: Name highway after Tsuu T'ina chief (January 19, 2006)

"Chief Bullhead Trail -- that's my naming vote for the highway running through the Tsuu T'ina First Nation, provided the bickering ever stops, and the bulldozers get started. Without the great chief, forefather of the modern Tsuu T'ina Nation, there'd...

Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe plans development (January 19, 2006)

The Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe of Washington is planning some big projects in the Blyn area in order to diversify its economy. The tribe plans a seven-story resort hotel with 135 rooms. The resort will be located next to the tribe's...

St. Croix Band hears dangers of methamphetamine (January 19, 2006)

Members of the St. Croix Band of Chippewa Indians were given a sobering portrait of the dangers of methamphetamine by retired narcotics agent Doyle L. Turner. Turner, who is Cherokee, said the tribe has to combat meth use. “I put...

Ramapough Tribe sues Ford over toxic dumping (January 19, 2006)

The Ramapough Tribe of New Jersey and its neighbors filed suit against the Ford Motor Company's on Wednesday, accusing the company of dumping thousands of tons of paint sludge and other toxic material at a former assembly plant. The tribe...

Abramoff not in NIGA's camp but lobbyist came close (January 19, 2006)

Ernie Stevens, the chairman of the National Indian Gaming Association, made a definitive statement last week about his organization's lack of connections to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. "I have been doing this for 10 years," Stevens said at the Western...