First Nations in Manitoba ask court to review RCMP contract ( (April 3, 2012)

The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, the St. Theresa Point First Nation and the Pine Creek First Nation are seeking court review of a contract signed between the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the province of Manitoba. First Nations leaders say...

Standing Rock Sioux Reservation is least healthy place in US (April 3, 2012)

Sioux County, which is home to the North Dakota portion of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, is the least healthy place in the U.S., according to the County Health Rankings study. The county ranks poorly in health indicators such as...

Supreme Court asks for DOJ brief in Oklahoma water dispute (April 3, 2012)

The U.S. Supreme Court has asked the Department of Justice for its views on a water dispute affecting the state of Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Water Resources Board, a state agency, doesn't want to sell water to the Tarrant Regional Water...

FBI investigates police officer shooting at Crow Reservation (April 3, 2012)

The FBI is looking into a police officer shooting on the Crow Reservation in Montana. Family members say Frankie Kindness was shot in the face by a Bureau of Indian Affairs officer. She is reported to be in fair condition...

Ho-Chunk executive to take part in White House roundtable (April 3, 2012)

Lance Morgan, a member of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, will take part in a roundtable at the White House on Thursday. Morgan serves as chief executive officer of Ho-Chunk Inc., the tribe's economic development corporation. He will take part...

Editorial: Trading posts were vital to reservation economies (April 3, 2012)

"The Daily Times recently published a three-part series on the history of trading posts on the Navajo Nation and the viability of the trading industry in today's economy. The stories explored the sometimes tumultuous relationship between American Indian artists and...

Indian and Alaska Native Affairs Subcommittee field hearing (April 3, 2012)

The House Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs holds a field hearing this Thursday in in Fairbanks, Alaska. The hearing takes place at the Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly Chambers. It will focus on the effects of federal law...

Affordable home units on Navajo Nation sit vacant for years (April 3, 2012)

Dozens of affordable housing units on the Navajo Nation have sat vacant for at least six years, The Farmington Daily Times reports. Work on the 91-unit development in Shiprock, New Mexico, began in 2004. Construction stalled in 2006 due to...

Recall season proves costly for Colorado River Indian Tribes (April 3, 2012)

The Colorado River Indian Tribes have spent nearly $750,000 on recall elections in the last few years, elder Willie Fisher Jr. told The Parker Pioneer. Each recall election costs an estimated $72,000. One council member -- Dennis Welsh Jr. --...

Group protests governor's visit to Fort Peck Tribes bison site (April 3, 2012)

A non-Indian group showed up to the Fort Peck Reservation on Monday to protest the the transfer of bison from Yellowstone National Park. Members of Citizens for Balanced Use criticized Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D) for agreeing to allow the...

John Bull Shows: Apsalooke Tribe still being misinterpreted (April 3, 2012)

"The Apsalooke Tribe has been misinterpreted for years. We are called the Crow, when we call ourselves the Ravens. Tribal members have told me they appreciate my bringing these items up for consideration. They fear speaking of issues like these...

KCAW: Sitka Tribe signs agreement to manage sacred sites (April 3, 2012)

"The Sitka Tribe of Alaska has reached a deal to manage sacred sites near Sitka. Five of the sites are already owned by Sealaska Corporation. And the deal for tribal management is one of a series of agreements signed or...

MPR: White Earth Band uses tax credits to improve housing (April 3, 2012)

"A program that gives federal tax credits to investors who build homes on the White Earth Indian Reservation will make a small but important dent in the chronic housing shortage there. Thirty families on the reservation are living in new...

Editorial: Oglala Sioux Tribe can manage Badlands park unit (April 3, 2012)

"The future of the South Unit of Badlands National Park is up in the air, and we think that’s a good thing. The vast, unspoiled region — with few signs of modern life and even fewer humans — is currently...

Cherokee Nation criticizes bill to limit role of tribes in policies (April 3, 2012)

The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma is coming out against SB 1050, a bill that limits the role of tribes in setting state environmental policies. The bill removes the word "tribal" from state laws that otherwise take tribes into account. A...

Ray Cook: Political assimilation permeating in Indian Country (April 3, 2012)

"Without the land there are no roots and without the roots there are no people and without the people, well, no government can stand upright on its own. I don’t know if the California-based nations understand that, judging by the...

Steve Russell: Not all tribes can pay the price for nationhood (April 3, 2012)

"When you are about one half of one percent of the population, how many people can you afford to leave behind by categorical self-definition? One obvious answer is that within your self-definition, you are one hundred percent of the population....

Miccosukee Tribe accuses another law firm of taking millions (April 3, 2012)

The Miccosukee Tribe of Florida filed a lawsuit against a law firm on Monday, accusing its attorneys of running a multimillion dollar scheme. The lawsuit says Guy Lewis, a former U.S. Attorney, and Michael Tein, another former federal prosecutor, charged...

Echo Hawk creates new post for director under investigation (April 3, 2012)

Assistant Secretary Larry Echo Hawk said he has created a new job for Jeanette Hanna despite acknowledging she was under investigation as regional director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs office in Eastern Oklahoma. Hanna, a member of the Seminole...