Column: Update to Violence Against Women Act still in limbo (September 11, 2012)

"The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), created to protect women from domestic and sexual violence, has flown through periodic reauthorizations in both houses with bi-partisan support since its creation in 1994. Sadly, not this year -- yet. Before recessing in...

8th Circuit tells Mille Lacs woman to pay in music sharing suit (September 11, 2012)

Jammie Thomas-Rasset, a member of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Indians owes $220,000 to record companies for sharing copyrighted material over the Internet, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled today. Thomas-Rasset was the first person to go on...

Opinion: Deadline ticks on tribal water rights deal in Montana (September 11, 2012)

"Reason is often the first casualty in quarrels over water rights in Montana. Certainly reason is being assailed in Northwest Montana where critics, including a few politicians and some conspiracy theorists are attacking proposals to settle the substantial water right...

Ask Elouise: Lead counsel Dennis Gingold on status of payout (September 11, 2012)

Dear Indian Country, This open letter discusses events and issues in the Cobell case since the last communication on May 22, 2012. Unfortunately, your settlement trust payments continue to be blocked because of appeals taken by four class members and...

Hoopa Valley Tribe open to distribution for trust settlement (September 11, 2012)

The Hoopa Valley Tribe of California is reportedly open to distributing a $49 million trust fund settlement on a per capita basis but some members are pushing for a vote on the issue. Holding signs that read "This is my...

Blog: Generations of Mohawks built skyscrapers in New York (September 11, 2012)

"High atop a New York University building one bright September day, Mohawk ironworkers were just setting some steel when the head of the crew heard a big rumble to the north. Suddenly a jet roared overhead, barely 50 feet from...

Time: Mohawk ironworkers rebuild iconic skyline of New York (September 11, 2012)

"For more than a century, ironworkers descended from the Mohawk Indians of Quebec have helped create New York City’s iconic skyline, guiding ribbons of metal into the steel skeletons that form the backbone of the city. In the tradition...

University in Michigan brings back Indian logo after 21 years (September 11, 2012)

Eastern Michigan University has revived its Indian head logo, some 21 years after eliminating its "Hurons" mascot. The school dropped the Hurons name in 1991 and is now known as the Eagles. But the EMU Marching Band is wearing...

Group doesn't believe massacre took place at Indian village (September 11, 2012)

Survival International doesn't believe a massacre took place at a Yanomami village in Venezuela but says miners from neighboring Brazil continue to encroach on tribal territory. Government officials visited a remote area of the Amazon jungle but found no evidence...

BIA reviews Spirit Lake Nation self-determination contracts (September 11, 2012)

The Bureau of Indian Affairs will make a decision soon whether to take over certain self-determination contracts from the Spirit Lake Dakotah Nation. The BIA has been sending teams to the reservation to look at social services contracts. An August...

Standing Rock Sioux Tribe pushed to share trust settlement (September 11, 2012)

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is meeting today to consider what to do with a $48.9 million trust fund settlement. One activist group say all of the money should be distributed on a per capita basis. The tribe has...

Witness list for SCIA hearing on Carcieri and Patchak rulings (September 11, 2012)

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee will hold a hearing this Thursday to discuss the U.S. Supreme Court decisions in Carcieri v. Salazar and Salazar v. Patchak. The hearing takes place at 2:15pm in Room 628 of the Senate Dirksen Office...

Alleged Indian Ward Churchill loses suit over university job (September 11, 2012)

The Colorado Supreme Court on Monday refused to reinstate alleged Indian Ward Churchill to his job at the University of Colorado. Churchill, who has claimed Cherokee and other Indian heritage, was fired after writing a controversial article about the September...

Ed Luttrell: Congress takes aim at community health clinics (September 11, 2012)

"There’s a misguided cost-cutting plan being discussed on Capitol Hill that could severely jeopardize the health of millions of rural Americans. Community cancer clinics across the country could be forced to shut down, leaving many patients living outside of major...

Peter d'Errico: Many Indian warriors fought against America (September 11, 2012)

"“What’s wrong with this picture?” I asked: A pow wow grand entry, the Eagle Staff closely followed by the U.S. stars and stripes and the POW/MIA flag. What does the U.S., flag mean at an Indian pow wow? How is...

Rosebud Sioux Tribe to pay $9M for sacred site in Black Hills (September 11, 2012)

The Rosebud Sioux Tribe reached a deal to buy a sacred site in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The tribe agreed to buy about 2,400 acres for $9 million. The land includes Pe' Sla, an important site for the...