Bill introduced to settle Hopi and Navajo water rights dispute (February 15, 2012)

S.2109, the Navajo-Hopi Little Colorado River Water Rights Settlement Act, was introduced on Tuesday. The bill settles the claims of the Hopi Tribe and the Navajo Nation to the Little Colorado River in Arizona. It ends decades of litigation and...

BIA budget requests more money for newly recognized tribes (February 15, 2012)

The Department of the Interior Fiscal Year 2013 Budget includes $320,000 for newly recognized tribes, an increase from current levels. Rep. Tim Bishop (D-New York) said $160,000 from the account will go to the Shinnecock Nation. The tribe was the...

Northern Cheyenne Reservation man admits to sexual abuse (February 15, 2012)

A man from the Northern Cheyenne Reservation pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of a minor. Raymond Limpy, 56, admitted that he tried to have sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old girl in August 2010. The victim said Limpy supplied her with...

Colorado authorities go after non-Indian in payday loan case (February 15, 2012)

Authorities in Colorado are still going after Scott Tucker, a non-Indian who is involved with the tribal payday lending industry. A judge barred Attorney General John Suthers can't seek information from Miami Nation and the Santee Sioux Tribe due to...

Navajo Nation looks into alleged mismanagement in Shiprock (February 15, 2012)

The Navajo Nation Department of Justice is reviewing allegations of mismanagement at the Shiprock Chapter in New Mexico. Tribal members say chapter leaders have misused more than $1 million in funds. They say the chapter's bank account has gone from...

Oklahoma tribes seek to keep water use case in federal court (February 15, 2012)

The Choctaw Nation and the Chickasaw Nation say their water lawsuit should stay in federal court. Citing treaties, the tribes claim ownership of Sardis Lake. The state is asking the Oklahoma Supreme Court to being a stream adjudication process, which...

Oklahoma Native American Youth Language Fair set for April (February 15, 2012)

The 10th annual Oklahoma Native American Youth Language Fair takes place April 2-3 at the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History. The fair is open to students in grades kindergarten through high school. They can demonstrate their Native language...

Blog: Moapa Band battles pollution at coal-fired power plant (February 15, 2012)

"For almost 50 years, the Moapa Piaute Band has been living near one of the dirtiest coal plants in the nation, getting exposed to dangerous levels of noxious gases, coal ash, and water pollution. However, they haven’t seen the economic...

Magazine: Series on Nez Perce Tribe flight from Army in 1877 (February 15, 2012)

"During the month of May in 1877, General Howard of the U.S. Army ordered Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce Tribe to move onto the established reservation within 30 days. The Nez Perce would be moving from lands where their...

Q&A: Danialle Rose on Crow Creek Sioux Tribe's child welfare (February 15, 2012)

"Danialle Rose, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, is a licensed certified social worker and mental health professional with Capital Area Counseling Service, central South Dakota’s state mental health center, where she works with children and families on the Crow Creek Sioux...

OPB: Quileute Tribe waits on Obama to sign land transfer bill (February 15, 2012)

""Ecstatic," "amazed," and "stunned." Those are some of the words being used Tuesday around the tiny Quileute Indian Reservation on the Washington coast. This, after the U.S. Congress slightly shrank Olympic National Park to allow the tribe to move out...

Editorial: Cherokee Nation's economic empire keeps growing (February 15, 2012)

"The Cherokee Nation this week reminded Oklahomans of the contributions the sovereign nation makes to the state of Oklahoma. The Cherokee Nation Economic Impact Report, based on figures through the end of 2010, showed that activities by the largest Native...

Ute Tribe worried about local law enforcement on reservation (February 15, 2012)

Leaders of the Ute Tribe of Utah say their members are being harassed by law enforcement on the reservation. The tribe says authorities in Duchesne and Uintah counties, along with the Utah State Patrol, are overstepping their jurisdiction. The tribe...

Hospital denied services to Ute woman who reported assault (February 15, 2012)

A hospital in Colorado has agreed to implement new policies after a member of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe was turned away after she reported being sexually assaulted. The woman was told by the Southwest Memorial Hospital to seek help...

State court affirms Stockbridge-Munsee sovereign immunity (February 15, 2012)

A business owned and operated by the Stockbridge-Munsee Community enjoys sovereign immunity, a Wisconsin Court of Appeals ruled on Tuesday. The tribe purchased the Pine Hills Golf Course and Supper Club in 1993. It was declared a "subordinate organization and...

BIA set to bring law enforcement 'surge' to two reservations (February 15, 2012)

The Bureau of Indian Affairs plans to continue its law enforcement "surge" initiative in the coming years. During the Bush administration, the BIA began sending additional staff to reservations with significant crime problems. According to the Department of the Interior...

FY2013 budget transfers Indian Arts and Crafts Board to BIA (February 15, 2012)

The Department of the Interior Fiscal Year 2013 Budget proposes to transfer the Indian Arts and Crafts Board to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The IACB is currently part of the Office of the Secretary at the Interior Department. The...

Native Sun News: Oglala Sioux man loses ruling on court fees (February 15, 2012)

The following story was written and reported by Jesse Abernathy, Native Sun News Editor. All content © Native Sun News. Loren “Big Bat” Pourier PIERRE, SOUTH DAKOTA –– A Pine Ridge Reservation business owner who stood to regain just over...

Suzan Shown Harjo: USDA's war against Native sacred places (February 15, 2012)

"Amid the top-volume crossfire these days about whose religion and whose health could be threatened by federal actions, it’s noteworthy that debaters and bloviators alike don’t notice or don’t care about ongoing violations of Native American Peoples’ religious freedom and...

Duane Champagne: BIA's economic development challenges (February 15, 2012)

"Maybe you’ve heard: The Department of the Interior’s (DOI) Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs has a deputy for policy and economic development. In recent years, that office has played an increasingly significant part in tribal government planning and goals. A...

Robert Chanate: Valentines Day confusing for Indian Country (February 15, 2012)

"Of all the holidays we Natives have to contend with in the U.S, Valentine’s Day can be the most confusing for those of us looking to tradition for guidance in the ways of the heart. Native stories are big on...