OPB: Tribal leaders meeting at NCAI's convention in Portland (November 2, 2011)

"Native American tribal leaders from across the country are gathering in Portland this week. The annual convention of the National Congress of American Indians will cover many issues, including the vote. With the 2012 presidential election approaching, activists are trying...

Dean Chavers: Hate groups arise to fight tribal sovereignty (November 2, 2011)

"In the 1970s, following a decade of Indian activism that started with the fish-ins in Washington, the Mohawk land occupations in New York and Canada, the formation of the National Indian Youth Council (NIYC), and the occupation of Alcatraz, anti-Indian...

S.E. Ruckman: Muscogee Nation gathers around treaty tree (November 2, 2011)

"It matters little to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation whether it was fair or not. They remember the signing of an 1832 treaty that removed them from their ancestral lands to new country in Indian Territory. The agreement outlined the way...

Anthony Broadman: Roundup of Indian cases and 9th Circuit (November 2, 2011)

"Tribal Courts May Impose Cumulative Terms Exceeding One Year The Ninth Circuit confirmed in August that tribal courts may render consecutive prison terms cumulatively exceeding one year for multiple criminal violations arising from a single criminal transaction. In Miranda v....

Truthout: Indigenous people taking on Keystone XL Pipeline (November 2, 2011)

"As people gather to protest the greed and corruption of Wall Street in downtown Manhattan and throughout the world, the territories of indigenous peoples and nations have been the front lines of this conflict for a long, long, time. Clayton...

Most victims of homicide in urban areas of Canada are Native (November 2, 2011)

Most victims of homicide in some of Canada's urban centers are Native, CBC News reports. Last year, four of the five homicide victims in Thunder Bay, Ontario, were Native. The latest homicide victim this year is Native. In Saskatoon, Saskatchewan,...

Lawmakers ask BIA to investigate Indian child welfare cases (November 2, 2011)

Two House Democrats are asking the Obama administration to determine whether the state of South Dakota has violated the Indian Child Welfare Act Rep. Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts), the ranking member on the House Natural Resources Committee, and Rep. Dan Boren...

Navajo Nation ready to issue ID cards to 300K-plus members (November 2, 2011)

The Navajo Nation will start issuing identification cards to all 300,048 of its citizens. The card will include the holder's name, photo, date of birth and Certificate of Indian Blood number. It will be valid for four years. "This is...

North Dakota tribe's permit for oil refinery on hold for appeal (November 2, 2011)

Six members of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation of North Dakota are challenging the tribe's oil refinery. The Environmental Protection Agency issued a permit for the project in October. The tribal members say another environmental impact statement is needed...

Spirit Lake group sues NCAA over 'Fighting Sioux' nickname (November 2, 2011)

Members of the Spirit Lake Dakotah Nation are in court in hopes of preserving the "Fighting Sioux" nickname and logo at the University of North Dakota. The Committee for Understanding and Respect filed the lawsuit in federal court. The group...

Supreme Court declines to take up Gila River land rights suit (November 2, 2011)

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined a petition in Gila River Indian Community v. Lyon , a land rights dispute involving the Gila River Indian Community of Arizona. The tribe's reservation surrounds a parcel of non-Indian land known as...

Abramoff claims Sen. Inouye forced ouster at lobbying firm (November 2, 2011)

In his forthcoming book, disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff says Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) cost him a job. Abramoff was working as a consultant for Cassidy & Associates. According to the book, Inouye told the firm’s leader, Gerry Cassidy, to fire...

Colorado River Indian Tribes set for recall of council member (November 2, 2011)

Members of the Colorado River Indian Tribes are voting in a recall election today. Amanda Barrera, a council member, is on the chopping block. She is accused of providing confidential financial information about a tribal member. "Ms. Barrera used confidential...

An 'unsettling' profile of urban Indian population in Portland (November 2, 2011)

A new report looks into the social, economic and well-being of the urban Indian population in Portland, Oregon. With upwards of 40,000 American Indians and Alaska Natives in Multnomah County, Portland is home to one of the largest urban Indian...

Study looks at state of oral health on Pine Ridge Reservation (November 2, 2011)

Forty percent of children and nearly 60 percent of adults on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota suffer from moderate to urgent dental needs, according to a new study. Researchers traveled to the reservation to study the oral health...

Indian and Alaska Native Affairs Subcommittee sets hearing (November 2, 2011)

The House Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs holds a hearing tomorrow on two bills. The subcommittee will take testimony on: • H.R. 205, the HEARTH Act. The bill cuts the Bureau of Indian Affairs out of the process...

CDC finds high rates of prescription abuse in Indian Country (November 2, 2011)

Prescription painkiller abuse is high in Indian Country, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. American Indians and Alaska Natives have the highest overdose rate from prescription painkillers, the CDC said. Whites also shared...

President Obama: National Native American Heritage Month (November 2, 2011)

The following was issued by President Barack Obama. NATIONAL NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH, 2011 BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION From the Aleutian Islands to the Florida Everglades, American Indians and Alaska Natives have contributed...

Kim Teehee: White House to hear directly from tribal leaders (November 2, 2011)

"Today, I along with several of my colleagues in the Administration are hosting a listening session at the National Congress of American Indians convention to kick off National Native American Heritage Month and to hear directly from tribal leaders about...

Native American Contractors Association eyes new director (November 2, 2011)

The Native American Contractors Association is seeking a new executive director following the departure of Jim Gray. Gray, the former chief of the Osage Nation, joined NACA in June 2011. He is leaving to work as the spokesperson for Bill...

DOI official reaffirms support for fix to land-into-trust ruling (November 2, 2011)

The U.S. Supreme Court decision in Carcieri v. Salazar must be overturned, a top Interior Department official said on Tuesday. Deputy secretary David Hayes spoke about the case at the 68th annual National Congress of American Indians conference in Portland,...

Native Sun News: Oglala Sioux man fights Cobell settlement (November 2, 2011)

The following story was written and reported by Karin Eagle. All content © Native Sun News. RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA -- One Lakota man’s story and willingness to protest alone, speaks for many Native people across Indian country who are...