Harjo: Scientists study Ancient One but learn nothing (March 17, 2006)

"Time magazine and Kennewick scientists have turned the image of the Ancient One into a freak show worthy of P.T. Barnum at his sucker-born-every-minute best: ''Kennewick Man - The Greatest Show Unearthed.'' Time reports breathlessly that Kennewick case plaintiff and...

Idaho governor nominated for Interior Secretary (March 17, 2006)

A prominent tribal leader urged caution on Thursday after President Bush nominated Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne (R) to head the Interior Department. Tex Hall, the chairman of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation of North Dakota and former president of...

Two Cheyenne-Arapaho council members ousted (March 17, 2006)

Two council members for the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma were removed from office this week but an appeal is pending. The business committee voted 5-0 to remove Vinita Sankey and Roy Dean Bullcoming. Sankey was accused of failing...

Mashantucket Tribe wins ruling on drug discounts (March 17, 2006)

An administrative law judge from the Department of Interior Office of Hearing and Appeals has ruled in favor of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation's drug discount program. In a March 10 ruling, Judge Andrew S. Pearlstein said the Pequot Pharmaceutical...

Mascot debate re-ignited at Stanford University (March 17, 2006)

Stanford University in California got rid of its "Indian" mascot in 1972 but some students and alumni have a hard time letting go. At a recent game, some people wore t-shirts featuring a big-nosed, angry-looking "Indian." That prompted the...

HUD loan guarantee program helps urban Natives (March 17, 2006)

The Department of Housing and Urban Development's Section 184 Indian Housing Loan Guarantee Program is helping Native Americans in urban areas realize the dream of homeownership. The program was initially restricted to tribal members who live on reservations. But...

Gulf Coast tribes still suffering from hurricanes (March 17, 2006)

Four tribes on Louisiana's Gulf Coast are still suffering the effects of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, The New Standard reports. The Pointe-Au-Chien Tribe and the three bands of the Biloxi-Chitimacha Confederation of Muskogees were among the hardest hit. Nearly every...

Ute Tribe protests closing of BIA detention facility (March 17, 2006)

Maxine Natchees, the chairwoman of the Ute Tribe's business committee. says the Bureau of Indian Affairs shouldn't have closed the detention facility on the Uintah and Ouray Reservation in Utah. Natchees says the BIA failed to provide adequate funding for...

Ousted Pechangas take case to U.S. Supreme Court (March 17, 2006)

Former members of the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to challenge their removal from the tribe. The 135 former members say they were wrongly terminated from the tribe. But the...

Navajo man in New Mexico celebrates 103 years (March 17, 2006)

With more than 30 family members at his side, Lee Hosteen Yazzie celebrated his 103rd birthday at a nursing home in New Mexico on Wednesday. When asked the secret of his age, Yazzie said he always kept active. He...

Navajo Nation President Shirley seeks re-election (March 17, 2006)

Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. plans to announce his re-election campaign on Sunday, The Gallup Independent reports. Elected in 2002, Shirley is serving his first term in office. He hasn't decided whether to keep Vice President Frank Dayish...

Red Lake Nation to mark one year after shootings (March 17, 2006)

The Red Lake Nation council passed a resolution last week to designate March 21 as a "Day of Remembrance" to mark the one-year anniversary of the shootings on the reservation that left 10 people dead. No public ceremonies are being...

Oneida Nation among top lobbyists in New York (March 17, 2006)

The Oneida Nation spent $2.1 million on lobbying in New York in 2005, the state's Temporary State Commission on Lobbying said in a report on Thursday. The tribe ranked fourth in the top 10 list of lobbying clients. According to...

Grubbs, former Poarch Creek leader, dies at 82 (March 17, 2006)

Funeral services were held on Thursday for George F. Grubbs, a former assistant chief for the Poarch Band of Creek Indians in Alabama. Grubbs died Sunday at the age of 82. He owned a funeral home in Troy and was...

Yakama Nation still part of tribal fish commission (March 17, 2006)

The Yakama Nation of Washington still belongs to the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, although the tribe has revoked the commission's authority over tribal members. Yakama leaders and members have criticized the commission, saying it overstepped its authority to enforce...

Oklahoma won't recognize car tags issued by UKB (March 17, 2006)

The state of Oklahoma won't recognize car tags issued by the United Keetoowah Band because the tribe doesn't have any land that is considered Indian Country, according to state attorney general Drew Edmondson. In an opinion issued on Wednesday, Edmondson...

Cherokee chief criticized for stance on Freedmen (March 17, 2006)

Cherokee Nation Chad Smith is being criticized for seeking to deny citizenship to the Freedmen. Last week, the tribe's highest court ruled that the Freedmen, the descendants of African slaves, retained their citizenship. In response, the tribe said it would...

More than 50 golf courses in Indian Country (March 17, 2006)

Tribes own more than 50 golf courses in 17 states, with more on the way, The New York Times reports. The Mescalero Apache Nation of New Mexico opened the first golf course in Indian Country in 1975. Since then,...

Indian leader in Ecuador vows to continue protests (March 17, 2006)

Luis Macas, the leader of Ecuador's largest Indian organization, said protests against a free-trade agreement with the United States will continue. Since Monday, the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador has organized blockades of major roads and highways Although...

Senators expect to confirm Kempthorne at Interior (March 17, 2006)

Key members of the Senate said they expect Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne (R) to be confirmed as Secretary of the Interior. Sen. Pete Domenici (R-New Mexico), the chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-New...