Peter D'Errico: Wishful thinking for tribes and their sovereignty (February 24, 2011)

"When Jefferson Keel, newly elected president of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) delivered the 9th Annual State of Indian Nations Address on January 27, 2011, he opened his remarks with the notion of an “Era of Recognition,” of...

Interview with Rep. Young about Cabinet spot for Indian Affairs (February 24, 2011)

"Indian Country Today Media Network: What excites you about your new role as leader of the House Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs? Don Young: I’m excited because we used to have an Indian subcommittee, and we did a...

California appeals BIA approval of Tule River land-into-trust bid (February 24, 2011)

The state of California is fighting the Bureau of Indian Affairs for approving a land-into-trust application for the Tule River Tribe. The BIA agreed to acquire 40 acres in trust near the Porterville Airport. The tribe entered into an agreement...

Opinion: Groups fight Chumash Tribe land-into-trust application (February 24, 2011)

"It has been recently rumored throughout the Santa Ynez Valley that the Santa Ynez Band is planning to put their newly purchased 1,400 acres, in the heart of the Santa Ynez Valley, into federal “trust” (outside the U.S. Constitution and...

Bamm Brewer: Some memories of the annual Crazy Horse Ride (February 24, 2011)

The following article by Bamm Brewer, a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, first appeared in the Lakota Country Times. All content © Lakota Country Times. As smoke drifted thru the tipi poles and the warm sun rays shined, the...

Native Sun News: A blast from the past: Lakota Coup Counters (February 24, 2011)

The following story was written and reported by Joseph Budd. All content © Native Sun News. Program from 1975 National Indian Basketball Tournament. From the collection of Bruce Bad Moccasin. RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA — The time was back in...

Muscogee sisters celebrate 20 years with successful business (February 24, 2011)

Three Muscogee Creek sisters from Oklahoma will celebrate 20 years of business in May. Lori Nalley and her sisters, Tracy and Debbie, started Tiger Natural Gas in 1991. The business is named for their Creek grandfather, Jeff Tiger. The business...

Quileute Tribe asks Sen. Cantwell to support federal land swap (February 24, 2011)

The Quileute Tribe of Washington wants Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) to support a land swap with Olympic National Park. Chairwoman Bonita Cleveland and other tribal leaders met with Cantwell in Washington, D.C., last week. They are working with Rep. Norm...

Bill introduced to ratify Blackfeet Nation water rights compact (February 24, 2011)

Sen. Max Baucus (D-Montana) and Sen. Jon Tester (D-Montana) introduced a bill to ratify the water rights compact of the Blackfeet Nation. The tribe and the state signed the compact in 2007 after more than 10 years of negotiations. The...

Chumash Tribe donates Samala-English dictionaries to schools (February 24, 2011)

The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians has donated Samala-English dictionaries to local schools and libraries in California. The “Samala-English Dictionary — A Guide to the Samala Language of the Ineseno Chumash People” features 600 pages of words, photographs and...

Republican lawmaker wants to put tobacco tax on Idaho tribes (February 24, 2011)

Idaho House Speaker Lawerence Denney (R) introduced a bill that would force tribes to collect the state's tobacco tax. Denney doesn't want customers to go to reservations just to find cheaper cigarettes. His bill raises the state's tax to $1.25...

Oregon tribes exercise treaty rights for bison hunt in Montana (February 24, 2011)

Members of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation in Oregon are exercising their treaty right to hunt bison in Montana. Tribal leaders had just returned from a hunt when they signed the treaty in 1855. "Our tribe has been...

Hopi Tribe seeks to remove 'ruins' from the name of state park (February 24, 2011)

At the request of the Hopi Tribe, the Arizona Parks Board is seeking to change the name of Homolovi Ruins State Park. The tribe wants to remove the word "ruins" from the name of the park. Public comments are being...

Choctaw Nation to rebury 124 ancestral remains in Mississippi (February 24, 2011)

The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma signed an agreement to repatriate 124 ancestors that were removed from their resting place in Mississippi. The remains were uncovered along the Natchez Trace Parkway in the 1950s and 1960s. They will finally be reburied...

Cobell attorneys face criticism over request for $223M in fees (February 24, 2011)

The attorneys in the Indian trust fund lawsuit say they are entitled to $223 million in fees for their work but the request is coming under fire. Retired Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota), the former chairman of the Senate Indian...

Donor who benefited in Soboba water settlement pleads guilty (February 24, 2011)

A wealthy potato grower who pleaded guilty to violating political contribution limits in California will be able to stay on a water board that benefited from a settlement with the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians. Larry Minor, the owner of...

Original BIA records dumped in trash at National Archives in DC (February 24, 2011)

In September 2005, the National Archives and Records Administration launched an investigation to determine how original Bureau of Indian Affairs documents ended up in a trash can. It doesn't appear any progress has been made in over four years, however....