BIA announces tribal energy resource regulations (August 22, 2006)

Tribes will be able to take greater control of their energy resources under new regulations announced by the Bureau of Indian Affairs on Monday. The National Energy Policy Act of 2005 authorized a voluntary program to speed up development on...

Former Fort Peck education director indicted (August 22, 2006)

The former education director for the Fort Peck Tribes of Montana pleaded not guilty to charges of fraud and theft. Desiree Dean Kirn Lambert is accused of defrauding the federal government through fake contracts for tribal services. Her husband, Bernard...

Haskell welcomes more than 800 students to campus (August 22, 2006)

More than 800 students representing 130 tribes enrolled for the fall semester at Haskell Indian Nations University in Kansas. A large group of parents made the trip to drop off their children and learn more about Haskell. Outgoing president Karen...

Makers of 'Mohawk Mayhem' game apologize (August 22, 2006)

The makers of a video game called "Mohawk Mayhem - Indian Invasion" have apologized after receiving complaints about racism and insensitivity. The game was created by students in Sweden. Players depicted as cowboys were required to shoot and kill Indian...

Klamath River dam operator challenges fish ladders (August 22, 2006)

PacifiCorp, the operator of four dams on the Klamath River, is challenging a federal directive to install fish ladders that would help salmon. The company says the $250 million cost of the project would hurt its operation and may not...

Comanche chairman Wallace Coffey survives election (August 22, 2006)

Wallace Coffey, the chairman of the Comanche Nation of Oklahoma, won re-election by 52 votes. Coffey defeated former tribal administrator Michael Burgess by 1,188 to 1,136 votes. Coffey won on the strength of absentee ballots, The Oklahoman reported. Burgess plans...

NMAI buys Comanche woman's beaded buckskin dress (August 22, 2006)

The National Museum of the American Indian has purchased the beaded buckskin dress worn by Keri Jhane Myers, a Comanche woman from Oklahoma. The dress was made by the late Alice Jones Littleman, a Kiowa woman. Myers has worn it...

Paskenta Band wants 320 acres placed in trust (August 22, 2006)

The Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians is asking the Bureau of Indian Affairs to place 320 acres in trust. The land is adjacent to the tribe's reservation in northern California. The Tehama County Board of Supervisors is debating whether to...

Prairie Island donates $500K to national eagle center (August 22, 2006)

The Prairie Island Indian Community has donated $500,000 to the National Eagle Center in Minnesota. The tribe's donation will help the center build a $4.3 million building on the Mississippi River. The 14,000-square-foot center will an observation deck, educational spaces...

County questions legitimacy of Mechoopda Tribe (August 22, 2006)

Butte County in California has issued a report that questions the legitimacy of the Mechoopda Tribe. The report [PDF] accuses the tribe of a "manufactured history." It claims tribal members are descended from 11 different groups, including six different tribes...

Paper runs special report on Indian education (August 22, 2006)

The Billings Gazette is running a week-long special report on Indian education. Today's story focuses on the funding issues faced by schools on the reservation. Since the schools lack a tax base, they rely on federal funds, outside grants and...

Crow woman named Indian Teacher of the Year (August 22, 2006)

Nicole Real Bird Cummins, a member of the Crow Tribe, has been named Indian Teacher of the Year by the Montana Office of Public Instruction. Real Bird Cummins teaches kindergarten at the Crow Agency School on the reservation. "I...

Soboba Band questions law enforcement services (August 22, 2006)

The Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians canceled its law enforcement contract with Riverside County, California, after questioning the value of the agreement and receiving complaints about the service. The tribe was spending about $400,000 a year to have four sheriff's...

Human Rights Magazine: Cobell, Native issues (August 22, 2006)

The latest issue of Human Rights Magazine, a publication of the American Bar Association, focuses on the Cobell trust fund lawsuit and other Native issues. Keith Harper, one of the Cobell attorneys, provides background and an update on the...

Women Voters: Oppose Ojibwe land-into-trust bid (August 22, 2006)

"The League of Women Voters is alarmed at the recently published news that the Federal Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is recommending that “restrictions on what happens on trust land be removed” from the intergovernmental agreement between City of Beloit...

Column: Pechanga Band decimating Indians (August 22, 2006)

"One of the biggest gambles these days for the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians is something akin to a shell game. A little genetic three-card Monty if you will. Now you see it, now you don't. Once you was, now...

Editorial: Veto tribal representation bill (August 22, 2006)

"A bill to give 16 Southern California tribes the right to join the Southern California Association of Governments as voting members is moving easily through the Legislature. Assembly Bill 2762, by Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, D-Van Nuys, was approved 73-0. The...

Yellow Bird: Lewis and Clark event a success (August 22, 2006)

"It was an event that gave meaning to the word event. Over the weekend, the 14th in a series of 15 national signature events was held to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Lewis and Clark expedition. The event, "Reunion...