First Indian woman lawmaker gets into the groove (March 2, 2005)

Theresa Two Bulls, a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, is the first Indian woman to serve in the South Dakota Legislature. Two Bulls is a Democrat who was elected in November. She represents the Pine Ridge Reservation in...

BIA won't give money to Si Tanka University (March 2, 2005)

The Bureau of Indian Affairs won't give the Si Tanka University in South Monday federal money unless it meets conditions that will require dramatic changes at the institution. The BIA will only provide funding to support Native students at the...

NCAI Winter Session Wrapup: Day 2 (March 2, 2005)

The National Congress of American Indians is holding its annual winter session in Washington, D.C., this week. Here's a rundown of what happened on Tuesday. Judicial Brouhaha Recently retired Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colorado) made his first appearance at...

Tribes win decision in contract support cost case (March 2, 2005)

Tribal leaders declared victory on Tuesday after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the federal government must uphold its promise to fully fund self-determination contracts. In a 8-0 decision, the justices held that federal agencies cannot deny contract support...

Column: Churchill a nobody until 9/11 'scam' (March 2, 2005)

"Ward Churchill has accomplished in two months what many in higher education can only imagine. An obscure nobody, the Colorado University professor has become famous - and a made a few bucks - by concocting a brilliant and marvelously simple...

Native leaders seek options for jailing of women (March 2, 2005)

The Southern Chiefs Organization of Manitoba is calling on the province to seek alternatives to the jailing of Native women. SCO commissioned a study through the non-partisan Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. The report said healing lodges and treatment programs...

Deputy knew police were linked to Native teen's death (March 2, 2005)

The deputy police chief in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, knew two officers were suspects in the disappearance and subsequent death of a Native teenager in 1990, the chief testified on Tuesday. Chief Russell Sabo said he personally told deputy Dan Wiks...

Navajo Nation homes contaminated with mold (March 2, 2005)

The Navajo Nation's housing authority is addressing a mold problem that has contaminated the majority of homes at the Greasewood Springs, Arizona, development. The authority has already relocated some residents and is in the process of moving others so that...

Official accuses Native people of being 'the problem' (March 2, 2005)

An official in a town near the Saddle Lake First Nation in Alberta has sparked an outcry of racism for comments accusing Native people of being "the problem" when it comes to crime. St. Paul council member Guy Germain told...

Effect of Makah Nation's large fishing take unknown (March 2, 2005)

The state of Washington says its too early to tell whether the Makah Nation's recent large catch of salmon will have an effect on the fishery. Gov. Christine Gregoire (D) is asking state officials to explain how the tribe was...

Passamaquoddy Tribe studies criminal justice system (March 2, 2005)

The Passamaquoddy Tribe of Maine has completed an 18-month study of the impact of the criminal justice system on its community. The tribe, working with the American Friends Service Committee, found that 7.2 percent of its population has been sentenced...

Mohegan Tribe scales back aquaculture venture (March 2, 2005)

The Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut is scaling back its aquaculture business due to lack of profits. The tribe will halt its shellfishing operations in Stonington waters by October. The tribe plans to continue operations elsewhere. The tribe launched a big...

No climbing signs posted at sacred Cave Rock (March 2, 2005)

The U.S. Forest Service is carrying out a ban on climbing at Cave Rock in Nevada, a sacred site for the Washote Tribe. The agency began posting no climbing signs in the wake of a federal judge's ruling upholding the...

Cherokee Nation contributes $2.2M to area schools (March 2, 2005)

The Cherokee Nation has contributed more than $2.2 million to public schools within the tribe's 14-county jurisdiction. The tribe, the largest in the state in terms of membership, uses 38 percent of the revenues from car tag sales to fund...

Art exhibit features works of Columbia River tribes (March 2, 2005)

A new exhibit at the Portland Art Museum displays works of tribes along the Columbia River "People of the River: Native Arts of the Oregon Territory" is a collection of more than 200 items. Among those on display are bone...

EPA to act on riverside dump on Indian allotment (March 2, 2005)

The Environmental Protection Agency is trying to figure out what to do about a riverside recycling facility located on an Indian allotment in Washington. Robert McKay, a member of the Nooksack Tribe, has operated the dump on his land since...

Editorial: Approve Nez Perce Tribe's water settlement (March 2, 2005)

"The Idaho House of Representatives has before it this week three bills supporting a water rights settlement with the Nez Perce Tribe. It is potentially the largest such settlement in the West. The stakes could not be higher. Opponents, primarily...

Student: Dinosaur fossils stolen from reservations (March 2, 2005)

A doctoral student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln says the Peabody Museum at Yale University is in possession of dinosaur fossils taken from Sioux Nation territory without full tribal consent. Lawrence Bradley, a descendant of Lakota Chief Red Cloud, is...

Commission to study conditions of U.S. prisons (March 2, 2005)

The Commission on Safety and Abuse in America's Prisons [ http://www.prisoncommission.org] began a year-long study of the conditions of the U.S. prison system. The commission is holding four hearings throughout the country to discuss violence, sexual abuse, overcrowding and inhumane...

Tribes host grand opening of Washington hotel (March 2, 2005)

Four tribes are hosting the grand opening of their Washington, D.C., hotel today. The $43 million hotel is near the new National Museum of the American Indian and Congressional buildings. It is a venture of Four Fires LLC, a partnership...

Salazar urges Bush to withdraw Myers nomination (March 2, 2005)

Freshman Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colorado) asked President Bush on Thursday to withdrawn the nomination of former Interior Department solicitor Bill Myers to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. As Colorado attorney general, Salazar previously supported Myers. A spokesperson said he...

Supreme Court bars execution of juvenile offenders (March 2, 2005)

A divided U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that the U.S. Constitution bars the execution of juvenile offenders for crimes committed under the age of 18, sparing the life of a Choctaw man convicted of murder when he was 16....

Burns looking into Abramoff ties, Dorgan denies link (March 2, 2005)

Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Montana) said he is "looking" into allegations that he paid a special favor t one of Jack Abramoff's former tribal clients while Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota) is denying the claims. Burns helped the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe...

Vitter denies helping Abramoff's former client (March 2, 2005)

Freshman Sen. David Vitter (R-Louisiana) denied that disgraced Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff was behind language in an appropriations act that was beneficial to one of Abramoff's former clients. Vitter added language to the 2004 Interior appropriations bill that discouraged the...