Column: Quileute Tribe welcomes even more visitors after Twilight (July 9, 2012)

"Five Quileute boys emerge from a phalanx of drummers. Barefoot and bare-chested, they wear black cloaks and wolf headdresses, and dance, crouch and crawl within the center of a large circle. On the outskirts, women and girls move rhythmically to...

Santa Clara Pueblo waits on federal funds a year after major blaze (July 9, 2012)

Sen. Tom Udall (far right) speaks with Kris Schafer (far left), Army Corps of Engineers, and Santa Clara Gov. Walter Dasheno (middle). Photo Courtesy Santa Clara Pueblo. Officials in Santa Clara Pueblo in New Mexico are still waiting on...

Kesner Flores: Border-control bill an affront to tribal sovereignty (July 9, 2012)

"There are dozens of tribal nations with lands along the U.S. borders. Our families, sacred sites and cultural treasures and traditions are based here, and protecting this heritage is critical to our identity and our sense of community. That's why...

Spirit Lake Dakotah Nation faces scrutiny over child welfare woes (July 9, 2012)

State and federal officials are sounding alarms about child welfare services on the Spirit Lake Dakotah Nation in North Dakota. The state has cut funding for 31 tribal children who are in foster care, The New York Times reported. And...

IPR: Michigan court overturns convictions for helping treaty hunter (July 9, 2012)

"The Michigan Court of Appeals says it was legal for hunting guides to help with an off-season bear hunt in Emmet County back in September of 2010. The guides were assisting Todd Yoder, an American Indian hunter. For Yoder, the...

Interview with David Yeagley, the conservative Comanche activist (July 9, 2012)

"In this second part of a unique post-interview question-and-answer session, Dr. David Yeagley — the great grandson of Comanche dignitary Bad Eagle — shares his views. **** Question: What is your opinion about Indian treaties? Are they sensible? Are they...

Opinion: End the cycle of violence within Saginaw Chippewa Tribe (July 9, 2012)

"Anthony Bennett sits in the Bay County Jail, accused of beating and abusing the son of his girlfriend and awaiting formal charges that he killed and disposed of him. This is by no means intended to defend the indefensible...

Review: David Treuer shares his Ojibwe-Jewish history in 'Rez Life' (July 9, 2012)

"American Indian reservations account for 2.3 percent of the country’s land. Indian gambling revenues are $14 billion annually, and male life expectancy among Indians is 64 years. Acoma Pueblo has been continuously occupied since the 12th century. The Cherokee...

The Long View: Series on history of the Cowlitz Tribe in Washington (July 9, 2012)

"The concept of defining sharp boundaries in order to set off the territory of one group from that of another is typical of Anglo-Americans, but it is a foreign concept to Native Americans. They had loosely defined use areas, and...

Review: Joy Harjo journeys to the four directions for 'Crazy Brave' (July 9, 2012)

"Readers familiar with Joy Harjo's poetry, or, better, who have experienced her live performances, will recognize a familiar cadence and overarching mythic quality in the voice she creates for her newest work, "Crazy Brave." In a memoir steeped in...

Opinion: Charting for a better future in Minnesota-Dakota relations (July 9, 2012)

"Fifty years after the Civil War's brutal 1863 bloodbath at Gettysburg, veterans from both the Union and the Confederacy came in goodly numbers to a battlefield reunion. Accounts at the time said that boys who had gone off to war...

Native Sun News: Tribes hit by big cuts in energy assistance fund (July 9, 2012)

The following story was written and reported by Evelyn Red Lodge, Native Sun News Correspondent. All content © Native Sun News. PINE RIDGE, SOUTH DAKOTA –– Due to federal budget cuts, the Oglala Sioux and other tribes are bracing for...

Opinion: Republicans add insult to injury on VAWA reauthorization (July 9, 2012)

"Rape in Indian country has recently become the subject of partisan campaign fodder and, even worse, systemic racism in Washington, D.C. It is time to set the record straight on the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) reauthorization. In 1978 the...

Cedric Sunray: Three R's - Reservations, revisionism and rhetoric (July 9, 2012)

"“…the guys on the real reservations have no concern about federal recognition. They already have it.” As opposed to what, “fake” reservations? On June 28, this statement was e-mailed by Dr. Richard Allen, policy analyst for and tribal member of...

Tim Giago: Chris Rock was telling the truth on Independence Day (July 9, 2012)

Notes from Indian Country By Tim Giago (Nanwica Kciji) © Unitysodak1@knology.net Comedian Chris Rock sent out a tweet that went, “Happy white peoples independence day the slaves weren’t free but I’m sure they enjoyed the fireworks.” Was he not telling...