Opinion: Arvo Mikkanen federal court nomination and the white man (February 7, 2011)

"So guess how many federal judges in Oklahoma, and in the rest of the United States, have ever been of Native American descent? Over the past nine generations since the Trail of Tears started depositing its survivors, the number is...

Terri Henry: Restore respect and safety for first women of this land (February 7, 2011)

"It was with great honor that my nation, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, hosted the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, Ms. Rashida Manjoo. Her visit to Cherokee was spurred by the concern that American Indian and...

US Attorney in Minnesota opening more Indian Country crime cases (February 7, 2011)

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Minnesota is opening more Indian Country crime cases. U.S. Attorney B. Todd Jones, who took office in September 2009, opened 35 cases in 2010. That's a big jump from the Bush era, when only eight...

Members of Quapaw Tribe seek damages for trust mismanagement (February 7, 2011)

Nine members of the Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma have filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, seeking damages for mismanagement of their trust funds and their trust assets. The plaintiffs seek to represent a class of all...

Center: Payday lenders turning to tribes to avoid state jurisdictions (February 7, 2011)

"In the battle to shield themselves from lawsuits and government oversight, some high-interest payday lenders have found unlikely allies: Native American tribes. image In legal fights in California, New Mexico, West Virginia and Colorado, a group of Internet-based payday lenders...

NativeOne slated to be first Indian firm on New York Stock Exchange (February 7, 2011)

NativeOne is slated to become the first Indian-owned firm on the New York Stock Exchange. Don Lyons, a member of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians in California, applied for membership last month. He wants to help tribes become players...

Sen. Akaka announces members of Senate Indian Affairs Committee (February 7, 2011)

Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) announced the membership of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee in the 112th Congress. Akaka will serve as chairman. Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyoming) will serve as vice chairman. Joining the pair on the Democratic side are: Sen....

Mark Trahant: The Indian Health Service and state budget shortage (February 7, 2011)

"Last week Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius wrote a letter to governors that said her agency will help “identify cost drivers in the Medicaid program and provide you with new tools and resources to achieve both...

Charles Trimble: Tribal advocacy in the history of the United States (February 7, 2011)

It is amazing to me how far Indian Country has come in its relationship with the federal government and in its presence in the nation’s capital. Annual meetings with the US President himself, direct access to the highest offices in...

HCN: Elmer Crow, Nez Perce elder, spreads the love for the lamprey (February 7, 2011)

"Elmer Crow waits patiently while a crowd of fifth-graders settles on the lawn outside the Morrison Knudson Nature Center in Boise, Idaho. One by one, the students stop squirming as they realize that the Nez Perce elder is watching them,...

Rep. Nick Rahall: Helping tribes with economic recovery and growth (February 7, 2011)

"With the convening of the 112th Congress, I became the Ranking Member on the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure. Although I have left the Natural Resources Committee after having served there for more than 30 years, I intend to...

Column: Team owner needs to get rid of offensive Redskins mascot (February 7, 2011)

"Psst, Dan Snyder, ready to kick some behind? Want to get even with the jerks who say all you care about is money and not building a winning football franchise? Then huddle up, buddy. Let's put some points on the...

Opinion: Democratic president was responsible for the Trail of Tears (February 7, 2011)

"The flexibility required for a despotic ruler or ruling class to completely execute his or their will and enslave a populace is thwarted when the power of the law supersedes any human leader. This is precisely why a rock-solid national...

Billy Frank: Washington tribes work to protect and produce salmon (February 7, 2011)

"Producing and protecting salmon go hand in hand for the treaty Indian tribes in western Washington, and we are doing a lot more of both lately. At a time when state and federal funding for salmon is scarce, tribes are...

Editorial: New York on track to collect tobacco tax in Indian Country (February 7, 2011)

"Gov. Andrew Cuomo said earlier this year that he intended to move forward with the state’s effort to collect taxes on cigarettes sold by Indian-owned stores to non-Indian customers, and last week he passed a key test in making good...

Vi Waln: Settlement in Indian trust fund case benefits just a handful (February 7, 2011)

Many of you are now receiving the “Court-Ordered Legal Notice” from the $3.4 billion Indian Trust Settlement. The letter is being distributed to “current or former IIM [Individual Indian Money] account holders, owners of land held in trust or restricted...

Tim Giago: Native Americans are the invisible consumers out West (February 7, 2011)

South Dakota television stations and corporate advertisers are equipped with blinders when it comes to recognizing the racial diversity in this state. In Western South Dakota (on the west side of the Missouri River), for example, Native Americans make up...