DeLay's trip with Abramoff tied to Choctaw donation (June 9, 2006)

Susan Hirschmann, former chief of staff to resigned Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas), and now a lobbyist. • Abramoff not in NIGA's camp but lobbyist came close (01/19) • Lobbying Report: Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians (6/27) • Former DeLay...

Man appears in court on murder of Navy SEAL (June 9, 2006)

A 22-year-old man made his first federal court appearance on charges that he murdered a Navy SEAL on the Fort Peck Reservation in Montana. Gerald Lee Littlehead is accused of fatally stabbing Michael Bell, also 22. The incident occurred at...

Crow Tribe's youth basketball camp a huge success (June 9, 2006)

More than 500 kids signed up for the Crow Tribe's basketball camp, a much higher turnout than expected. Organizers expected 250 kids from kindergarten through the eighth grade to sign up. More than 420 applications were submitted, plus another...

Former tribal judge sentenced for meth, drug ring (June 9, 2006)

A former judge on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming was sentenced to 63 months in federal prison for her role in a methamphetamine and drug ring. Lynda Noah pleaded guilty to threatening a Bureau of Indian Affairs agent and...

BIA investigates attack at Oklahoma ceremony (June 9, 2006)

The Bureau of Indian Affairs is investigating an attack that was made at the powwow grounds of the Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma. About 50 people were involved. Several were assaulted and some vehicles were vandalized, the BIA said. No...

Heffelfinger: Tribes need homeland security funds (June 9, 2006)

Tribal governments need direct access to homeland security funds, former U.S. attorney Tom Heffelfinger said in an interview with The Minneapolis Star Tribune. "When Congress passed the Homeland Security Act in 2002, they categorized Indian tribes at the same level...

Column: Newcomer under the spotlight at Little Earth (June 9, 2006)

"Bill Ziegler is a Lakota Indian who never had his name in the newspaper until this week, which is too bad. Ziegler is an important person in Minneapolis. Right now, he is the main man trying to keep things calm...

Cherokee Nation's top court approves constitution (June 9, 2006)

The Cherokee Nation's top court has approved the tribe's new constitution even though it may lack federal approval. According to the Associated Press, the court said the tribe doesn't need to wait for the Bureau of Indian Affairs for the...

Navajo Nation fire contained after 1,600-acre burn (June 9, 2006)

Bureau of Indian Affairs and Navajo Nation crews contained a fire that consumed over 1,600 acres on the reservation. The fire started Tuesday morning in the Kinlichee area near Window Rock, Arizona. About 100 people were evacuated and the...

Native leader wins new trial on hate crimes charges (June 9, 2006)

David Ahenakew, a former chief of the Assembly of First Nations, was wrongly convicted of hate crimes and must receive a new trial, a judge ordered on Thursday. Ahenakew acknowledged making derogatory remarks about Jewish people and the Holocaust....

UND president wants lawsuit over 'Fighting Sioux' (June 9, 2006)

The president of the University of North Dakota is preparing for a lawsuit over the school's controversial "Fighting Sioux" nickname and logo. The NCAA has placed UND on its list of schools with hostile and abusive mascots. Two appeals have...

Assembly of First Nations chief faces challenger (June 9, 2006)

Two candidates are running for national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Canada's largest inter-tribal organization. Incumbent Phil Fontaine is seeking his third term. He was first elected in 1997, defeated in 2000 and elected again in 2003. One...

Appeals court rules in favor of Native-only fishery (June 9, 2006)

The British Columbia Court of Appeal on Thursday upheld a Native-only fishery on the Fraser River. The court said the fishery does not violate the constitutional rights of non-Natives. The decision was unanimous. The dispute originated when the B.C. Fisheries...

Commentary: Indian-hating in the Wizard of Oz (June 9, 2006)

"Lyman Frank Baum (1856-1919) advocated the extermination of the American Indian in his 1899 fantasy, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Baum was an Irish nationalist newspaper editor, a former resident of Aberdeen in the old Dakota Indian territory. His sympathies...

Meskwaki Tribe prepares for first police force (June 9, 2006)

Come August, the Meskwaki Tribe of Iowa will have its first police force. The tribe already hired Roger Sanders, a retired lieutenant from the Des Moines police department, as its first police chief. He will be joined by five officers...

Travel: Tribal sites in South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana (June 9, 2006)

"Where does the West begin? That's a matter of opinion. But on the high plains, a good argument can be made that it starts in the Black Hills in western South Dakota. The brick-red soil of the rolling, ponderosa-pine-covered...

A Congressman no more, Tom DeLay bids farewell (June 9, 2006)

Former House majority leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) gave his farewell speech to the House of Representatives on Thursday. DeLay resigned rather than seek re-election due to ongoing legal troubles. He is under scrutiny for his ties to Jack Abramoff and...

UK Telegraph: Can Indians defeat Sen. Burns? (June 9, 2006)

"The site of General George Custer's last stand is little changed since he led five companies of the 7th Cavalry to their doom. White cairns in the scrub mark the fallen. Tourist signs warn of rattlesnakes. Otherwise, the battlefield...

Rep. Ney blasts reporter for stories on Abramoff (June 9, 2006)

Upset over negative media coverage to his ties to Jack Abramoff, Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) sent two rambling e-mail messages from his Blackberry to a reporter, Copley News Service reports. Ney accused Copley News Service reporter Paul Krawzak of bothering...

Native woman eliminated on Canada's Next Top Model (June 9, 2006)

Dawn Buggins, a 22-year-old Native woman from Alberta, was eliminated in this week's episode of Canada's Next Top Model. Buggins, a bartender from Calgary, survived two weeks in the cut-throat competition. On the debut episode, she exuded confidence and...