Blackfeet Nation weighs removal of blood quantum requirement (July 2, 2012)

Members and descendants of the Blackfeet Nation of Montana are debating the tribe's blood quantum requirement. A group called Blackfeet Enrollment Amendment Reform wants to eliminate the 1/4th blood quantum requirement. They say enrollment will gradually decrease if the standard...

New York authorities refuse to return tobacco to Winnebago Tribe (July 2, 2012)

Authorities in New York are refusing to return tobacco products that a judge said were illegally seized from the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. On June 18, Judge David Demarest ruled that the products should be returned to HCI Distribution, the...

Navajo Nation celebrates Fourth of July with concerts and rodeo (July 2, 2012)

The Navajo Nation is getting ready to celebrate the Fourth of July. The tribe is hosting musical acts, comedians, a dance and a rodeo from Tuesday through Saturday. The events take place in Window Rock, Arizona, the capital of the...

Opinion: Tribal colleges awarded grant to boost student retention (July 2, 2012)

"Ilisagvik College in Barrow, Ala., was one of four tribal colleges selected by the Walmart Foundation to receive a two-year grant aimed at improving retention and graduation rates in minority students. Now past the middle mark of the grant, Ilisagvik...

Outdoors: Minnesota won't bar wolf hunting within reservations (July 2, 2012)

"Minnesota's first managed wolf hunting and trapping season, set for this fall, will be more than just controversial. It also will be a cultural clash. American Indian bands around the state oppose the hunting and trapping of wolves on spiritual...

Appeals courts issue decisions in Indian criminal defendant cases (July 2, 2012)

Some recent appeals court decisions in Indian criminal cases. Murder case from Colville Reservation In an unpublished decision, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the second-degree murder conviction of Ryan Seideman, rejecting numerous challenges to the evidence presented at...

Editorial: Indian Country desperately needs free and open press (July 2, 2012)

"So many at-risk children on the Spirit Lake Reservation are abused, and tribal officials have done so little, that the federal government should declare a state of emergency, a regional official of the U.S. government wrote last month. "The children...

Swimmer who claims Native ancestry qualifies for Olympic team (July 2, 2012)

Anthony Ervin, a swimmer who claims Native American ancestry, qualified for a spot on the 2012 U.S. Olympic team. According to his official website, Ervin's father is Native American and African-American. He doesn't state his tribal affiliation, if any. Ervin...

Joba Chamberlain, Winnebago, taking his role as father seriously (July 2, 2012)

Joba Chamberlain, a member of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska who plays for the New York Yankees, is sidelined due to an injury but he isn't shirking from his role as a father. Chamberlain was with Karter, 6, when he...

MPBN: Commission to look at Indian child welfare issues in Maine (July 2, 2012)

"Chiefs from all five of Maine's tribes joined Gov. Paul LePage today in signing an historic agreement to create a Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission. It will examine child welfare practices that once resulted in large numbers of...

Review: 'Magic Words' brings Chief Standing Bear's drama to life (July 2, 2012)

"In 1909, Julius Meyer, a Prussian-born retailer of American Indian crafts, a former spokesman for several tribes, and an important member of the Jewish community in Omaha, Neb., was found dead in the city's Hanscom Park, with one bullet...

Opinion: Indigenous people ignored in talks over big dam in Brazil (July 2, 2012)

"One project has galvanized the anti-dam movement in Brazil — the Belo Monte dam on the Xingu River, a tributary of the Amazon in Pará State. At a cost of roughly $16 billion, it is one of 30 large dams...

Tim Giago: Native media has come a long way from 'talking leaves' (July 2, 2012)

The Native foothold in the media has been like a boat cruising down a quiet river and suddenly splashing into the rapids.

Native Sun News: Native Media Summit takes place in New Mexico (July 2, 2012)

The following story was written and reported by Jesse Abernathy Native Sun News Editor. All content © Native Sun News. Native Public Media’s 2012 digital journalism and storytelling course ambassadors – all tribal radio station personnel – break for a...

Steve Russell: Supreme Court opens the doors to bigger scandals (July 2, 2012)

"The Citizens United case, where limitations on corporate spending in elections were held to violate the free speech rights of corporate persons, has now put us in a situation where Watergate is such small potatoes that it’s almost quaint. In...

Adrian Jawort: A youth suicide attempt comes too close to home (July 2, 2012)

"The reasons one would take their own life--especially when they’re young—is an area I hope to bring awareness to so others may not have to deal with the anguish of having a loved one pass away by their own hand....

Harold Monteau: Individual Indians not protected by tribal courts (July 2, 2012)

"The Indian Civil Rights Act has been a dismal failure, if one considers its original intent; to protect tribal members and others subject to tribal jurisdiction from arbitrary and capricious acts by the tribal governing body and individual tribal officials....