Interior to negotiate with tribes on trust records policy (August 30, 2005)

The Bush administration on Monday announced that it has dropped a proposed trust records policy amid concerns from self-determination and self-governance tribes. After nearly two years of work, the Interior Department said it would not move forward with a single...

Powwow fight said to stem from tribal rivalry (August 30, 2005)

A fight that broke out at the Schemitzun Powwow is said to be tied to a rivalry between members of the Narragansett Tribe of Rhode Island and members of the Shinnecock Nation of New York. The fight occurred on...

Designer turns Pendletons into modern fashions (August 30, 2005)

Mildred Carpenter, a Lakota designer who lives on the Crow Reservation in Montana, is seeing success with her line of contemporary Native clothing. Carpenter makes most of her clothes using Pendleton blankets. She specializes in Western wear and has...

Heritage and Hope: The Northern Arapaho Tribe (August 30, 2005)

The Casper Star-Tribune concludes its series "Heritage and Hope" on the Northern Arapaho Tribe of Wyoming. The final story details efforts to pass on traditions to the younger generation. The tribe has developed a language-immersion program and other cultural activities...

Carmona postpones Red Lake visit, Grim makes trip (August 30, 2005)

Correction: Only Dr. Carmona postponed the visit. Dr. Grim went to the Red Lake Reservation today and met with teachers and administrators. Please see http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/30/AR2005083001626.html for the story. U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona and Indian Health Service Director Charles Grim...

Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes reclaim headdress (August 30, 2005)

The Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma reclaimed ownership of an eagle feather headdress in a ceremony on Monday. The headdress was discovered after an antiques dealer in Michigan tried to sell it. The U.S. Attorney in Michigan intervened. The returning...

Red Lake teen to be tried as juvenile for shootings (August 30, 2005)

Louis Jourdain, the 16-year-old son of Red Lake Nation Chairman Floyd Jourdain Jr., will be tried as a juvenile for his alleged role in the March 21, 2005, shootings on the reservation, according to news reports. Jourdain is the only...

Letter: All Native Americans are the same, duh! (August 30, 2005)

"So Native Americans hate the idea of expanding the Snowbowl near Flagstaff. But the Hualapai Tribe is building a tourist monstrosity at the Grand Canyon? And wants to put in a golf course nearby? No problem with that, huh? And...

Tribes urged to take stronger role in conservation (August 30, 2005)

The first-ever Tribal Endangered Species Conference kicked off at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City on Monday. The two-day conference is hosted by the National Wildlife Federation's Tribal Lands Conservation Program. It focuses on a wide range of...

Coeur d'Alene Tribe keeps waters safe for boaters (August 30, 2005)

The Coeur d'Alene Tribe of Idaho is maintaining law and order on waters that are under its jurisdiction. In 2001, the U.S. Supreme Court confirmed that the tribe owns the southern third of Lake Coeur d'Alene, 20 miles of the...

Yakama tribal member, critic face off in election (August 30, 2005)

A member of the Yakama Nation of Washington and a vocal critic of tribal sovereignty are seeking a seat on the Toppenish City Council. Derald Ortloff is the facilities manager for the Yakama Nation. He said he wants the city...

DNA tests being used to bolster Indian heritage claims (August 30, 2005)

The Los Angeles Times and Wired Magazine are running stories about the use of DNA tests to confirm Indian ancestry. Both stories focus on the Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes of Oklahoma. After the Civil War, the tribes...

Research: 'Redskins' coach faked Indian heritage (August 30, 2005)

William "Lone Star" Dietz, the famed coach of the Washington Redskins, faked his Indian heritage, according to a researcher from Sonoma State University in California. Dietz claimed to be an Oglala Sioux who was born in South Dakota. He...

Gale Norton: New approach to conservation needed (August 30, 2005)

"On a clear day, you can see the Nisqually River watershed from its source to the Sound — from the glittering glaciers of Mount Rainier National Park, where the Nisqually River wells up, to the salty mudflats of the Nisqually...

Column: Mascots can honor indigenous people (August 30, 2005)

"How about naming a team something like the Fighting Whities or how about the Noble Crackers? No one would propose such a name because enough people realize such a moniker is offensive to many white people. Native people didn’t get...

DOJ distributes $18M in COPS grants to tribes (August 30, 2005)

The Department of Justice has awarded $18 million in Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grants to tribes across the nation. The grants were awarded under the COPS Tribal Resources Grant Program. The money will be used by 80 tribal law...

Forgery alleged in Amah Mutsun recognition bid (August 30, 2005)

A dispute within the Amah Mutsun Indian Tribe of California has prompted calls for an investigation into documents that were allegedly forged. Irenne Zwierlein claims to be chairwoman of the Amah Mutsun of Mission San Juan Bautista. She has signed...

Tim Giago: The Indian 'scandal sheet' phenomenon (August 30, 2005)

"Long before there was an Internet and bloggers, way out on the Indian reservations of Western America, there were the 'scandal sheets.' These anonymous sheets of chesli (fecal matter in Lakota) usually show up on the Indian reservations prior to...

Abramoff pleads not guilty to bank fraud charges (August 30, 2005)

Disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff pleaded not guilty to bank fraud charges on Monday but did not appear personally in federal court in Miami. The plea was entered by Abramoff's lawyer who denied that the Republican lobbyist faked a $23 million...