Indian Country Today | Latest Headlines

Recognizing that Oklahoma is Native America

This November is Native American month. It is the good time to remember alegacy of Oklahoma as “Indian Territory,” but more importantly to acknowledge the contributions native tribes have made to the fabric of our state. The leaders of state government in Oklahoma still struggle to recognize the unequivocal importance of tribal governments and minority small businesses to the success of the economy of Oklahoma.

Forum editorial: Quit stalling on UND Sioux logo

North Dakota State Board of Higher Education and University System officials don’t seem to be getting the message: North Dakota’s American Indian Sioux tribes don’t have the University of North Dakota Sioux logo dispute at the top of their agendas. Yet, the chancellor, apparently with the approval of the higher ed board, keeps extending the deadline to get a definitive answer from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Council.

Mono Wind operator drops bid for more slots

Days after winning approval for more slot machines, a Fresno County tribe withdrew its application, according to a state report made public Thursday. The Big Sandy Band of Western Mono Indians was awarded 1,650 slot licenses at a state drawing Oct. 5. But the tribe never made the more than $2 million payment for the licenses and withdrew its application Oct. 12, according to a staff report from the California Gambling Control Commission.

Tribe looks at options to bring water to Saganing Eagles Landing Casino

Bay City soon could be selling water up in Arenac County. As part of a plan to get more water to the Saganing Eagles Landing Casino in Standish Township, Saginaw Chippewa tribal leaders are exploring tapping into Bay City’s water. Currently, the casino trucks an average of 40,000 gallons of water a week from the Saginaw-Midland water line in Omer, said Frank Cloutier, interim public relations director for the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe.

Festival profiles a man who tweaked the system Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/11/06/MV7E1AE3I0.DTL#ixzz0W5fKpuA6

The way Chippewa Indian artist, writer, and activist Adam Fortunate Eagle Nordwall tells it, he should have been dead at age 8 when his appendix burst. Instead, he has had an incident-packed life that included being involved in the 1969 American Indian takeover and occupation of Alcatraz, satirizing the Vatican's 16th century Doctrine of Discovery by "discovering"

Ex-aide: Casinos donated to Riley

A former member of Gov. Bob Riley’s Cabinet claimed Thursday that Riley received campaign contributions from Mississippi Indians who operate casinos, with the money intended to limit their competition in Alabama. The claim by Bill Johnson triggered denials by top Riley aides, the state Republican Party chairman, as well as the former campaign official cited by Johnson as his source.

YPT moving ahead with pair of housing projects

With $2 million in federal grant money in hand, the Yerington Paiute Tribe is moving briskly forward with a pair of new housing projects. The tribe recently received $2 million of economic recovery funding as part of the Economic Recovery Act of 2009. "This money will continue our efforts to create jobs in Nevada, while building houses for the Yerington Pauite Tribe," said U.S. Senator Harry Reid in a statement announcing the grant.

A First Good Year for Navajo's First Casino

During its first year of operation, Fire Rock Navajo Casino saw more than 1.3 million people walk through its doors. Of course, most were repeat customers but the number of visits nevertheless speaks to the casino's popularity with its predominantly Navajo clientele, which has surpassed all expectations. Even during the weekday mornings and afternoons, when business is slowest, the main parking lot at Fire Rock is usually at least half full.

World Series moment: Joba Chamberlain and his dad, Harlan

The throng of media members around the makeshift stage seemed impenetrable, but Harlan Chamberlain motored his way through all of the cameras and notepads anyways. Reaching a blue barrier, he stopped his scooter, strained to look over a crowd of world champion Yankee ballplayers and tried to get a glimpse of his son. When that proved useless, he simply resorted to his considerable vocal chords.

California tribe seeks decisions on off-reservation casino

North Fork Rancheria tribal leaders are still pushing for a Madera County casino amid questions about Interior Department plans and their partners' finances. The tribe needs decisions, the partners need money and the administration needs time. "There has been a delay, but in a new administration, there are new players," Elaine Bethel Fink, chair of the North Fork Rancheria Tribal Council, said Wednesday. "They have to come up to speed on the issues."

Gubernatorial candidate to call out Riley on bingo issue

A Republic candidate for governor plans to call out Gov. Bob Riley Thursday on his stance on electronic bingo. Bill Johnson of Prattville will hold a news conference at 10 a.m. at the entrance to the Country Crossing development, located about five miles south of Dothan on U.S. 231 South.

Lakes Entertainment Announces Earnings for Third Quarter 2009

Lakes Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:LACO) today announced results for the three and nine months ended September 27, 2009. Earnings from operations were $0.7 million for the third quarter of 2009, compared to a loss of $0.5 million for the third quarter of 2008. Net earnings applicable to Lakes Entertainment, Inc. for the third quarter of 2009 were $2.3 million, compared to a loss of $5.7 million in the third quarter of 2008.

Arizona's Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort releases cookbook of Native American cuisine

The Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort and Spa’s prestigious Kai Restaurant has announced release of The New Native American Cuisine, a collection of more than 50 time-honored recipes from Native American culture. Created by top chefs and prominent food writer Marian Betancourt, these unique dishes provide guests with a unique culinary adventure featuring peoples of the Sonoran desert.

Looking at hatcheries through a habitat lens

If you caught a fish this fall, chances are you have a salmon hatchery to thank. Salmon hatcheries provide most of the salmon for harvest in western Washington. That's because wild salmon habitat has been degraded to the point that few wild runs can sustain much harvest.

The Forgotten Culture

Wade Kingfisher wants students to know American Indian tribes are not all the same. Kingfisher, who is a Minnicoujou Lakota, said people tend to think all American Indians are the same. “We’re not just brown,” Kingfisher said. “We have seven different bands in our tribe. We’re just all totally different, even amongst the bands.”

Feds pledge overhaul of tribal recognition system

With some American Indian groups waiting decades for formal recognition from the U.S. government, federal officials Wednesday pledged to overhaul the cumbersome process but cautioned the changes could take two years to go into effect. Federal recognition renders tribes eligible for economic assistance, land, housing grants and other government benefits. Decisions on whether tribes qualif

Great Falls City Commission Recognizes Little Shell Tribe

The Great Falls City Commission meeting on Tuesday night focused on the Little Shell Tribe. The tribe's 30 year old request for federal recognition was denied last week by the Department of the Interior. The Great Falls City Commission meeting on Tuesday night focused on the Little Shell Tribe.

Cherokee-only hiring move fails

Cherokee construction subcontractors and workers won’t be the only ones to get a chance to work on a $5 million casino project for the Cherokees. Nine of 17 Cherokee Nation Councilors voted against an amendment to proposed legislation on the Tribal Employment Rights Office, or TERO. At issue — allowing only TERO vendors licensed by the tribe to be hired to get $5 million in subcontract work at the new casino in Ramona.

State tribes’ goal is at hand

The long journey on the road to federal recognition of Virginia’s Indian tribes may be nearing its end. After 10 years of legislation that has been submitted and resubmitted in Congress, the Senate Indian Affairs Committee has approved two measures that would grant six Virginia tribes the federal recognition that hundreds of other tribes around the country have enjoyed for years.

Amazon Indian tribe hit by swine flu

Swine flu has hit an isolated tribe of Indians in the Amazon jungle, with seven dying in the last two weeks, Survival International said on Wednesday. A further 1,000 members of the Yanomami tribe in Venezuela are believed to have caught the flu, the indigenous peoples rights group said.

Senate eyes "broken" bureaucracy for new tribes

A U.S. Senate committee plans a Wednesday hearing into the government's "broken" process for acknowledging American Indian tribes Federal recognition makes tribes eligible for economic assistance, housing grants and other government benefits. But some Indian groups have seen their petitions for recognition languish for decades without a decision from the Interior Department.

Reno-Sparks Indian Colony leader attending White House summit

The list of decades-old grievances that American Indian nations have lodged against the federal government is lengthy and a source of great acrimony. But when hundreds of tribal leaders arrive Thursday in the nation's capital for a summit with President Barack Obama, the mood is expected to be mostly upbeat, even jovial.

Tribes celebrate completion of road improvement project

The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde commemorated the completion of the $6.4 million Grand Ronde Road improvement project with a ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony Monday at the entrance to the Grand Ronde Tribal campus.

Mashpee tribe elders push for shakeup

Chairman-elect Cedric Cromwell stood on the steps in front of tribal headquarters last February and promised a new era of unity and open government. Nine months later, some Mashpee Wampanoag tribe members — standing on those same steps in protest — say he hasn't delivered.

EPA fines California pesticide distributor

The Environmental Protection Agency has fined a California company nearly $100,000 for 21 alleged violations of federal pesticide laws. The agency says Wilber-Ellis Co., a national distributor of agricultural products, has agreed to pay $99,600 to resolve allegations that emerged from investigations in Idaho, Arizona, the Navajo Nation and the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe.

Turning Stone Resort Championship moves to August for 2010 event

The 2010 Turning Stone Resort Championship will be played the week of August 2-8 as part of the PGA TOUR’s FedExCup season. The one-year transitional event will be placed in the slot previously held by the Reno-Tahoe Open, held during the same week as the World Golf Championships- Bridgestone Invitational. The Reno-Tahoe Open will move to the same week as the British Open in July.

Legislators consider allowing gambling to compete with Seminole casinos

Top Republicans all but pronounced the Seminole gambling deal dead Monday and said they are considering asking voters if they want to allow gambling such as blackjack and baccarat that would compete with the tribe's casinos. Rep. Ellyn Bogdanoff, R- Fort Lauderdale, said if the Seminole gambling deal were ratified, "they are going to become a destination location and we're going to be left out of the revenue stream."

Sioux nickname change likely with tribal stand

The Standing Rock Sioux tribe’s rejection of a deadline for resolving a dispute over the University of North Dakota’s Fighting Sioux nickname makes it more likely the moniker will be changed, members of the state Board of Higher Education said Monday.

White House summit could turn new leaf for tribes

The list of decades-old grievances that Native American nations have lodged against the federal government is lengthy and a source of great acrimony. But when hundreds of tribal leaders arrive Thursday in the nation's capital for a summit with President Barack Obama, the mood is expected to be mostly upbeat, even jovial. Oneida Tribe of Indians Chairman Rick Hill is expected to attend the event.

Butler named chairman of Mashantucket Pequots

Treasurer Rodney Butler was elected Sunday by his fellow council members to chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation after winning his third term on the council. Butler’s election comes as the tribe, owners of Foxwoods Resort Casino and MGM Grand, faces a time of financial instability that is unprecedented in the tribe’s casino era.

Editorial: Cape Wind

After eight years of arduous state and federal environmental reviews, the promoters of Cape Wind, a wind energy project off the Massachusetts coast, had every reason to believe that they were home free. Then the Wampanoag tribes asked the Interior Department to declare all of Nantucket Sound, where the 130 wind turbines would be built, a “traditional cultural property” and, they hoped, block construction.

Tribal Trouble in Tennessee

Given the limited number of Native Americans, it would be natural to expect that today’s tribes would welcome the recognition of any new group with a proper claim to Indian heritage. But things don’t always happen the way you expect. The federal government grants official recognition to the biggest and best-known tribes, making them eligible to receive assistance through a variety of programs.

Cretul rolls the dice

Florida House Speaker Larry Cretul's call for the federal government to fine or shut down games at the Seminole Indians' casinos is highly unorthodox and a bit of a grandstand play. In seeking federal intervention, he broke faith with the Senate and governor and further eroded the possibility Florida will strike a deal with the tribe. But there could be a silver lining if Cretul's overture to the National Indian Gaming Commission brings clarity to an untenable situation.

Tribe's environmental fight

A green controversy fueled by coal-fired power plants is raging on America's largest Indian reservation. On one side is Joe Shirley Jr., president of the Navajo Nation, who rejects the notion of climate change even though he recently won an international award for environmentalism. On the other are environmentalists opposed to power plants in Indian Country and to the coal mines that provide their fuel.

Rosebud and other tribes get Obama's ear Thursday

In an office filled with symbols of his Lakota heritage, Rodney Bordeaux ticks off the challenges facing his hardscrabble reservation: a short-staffed police department that can't keep up with crime, health care resources that barely cover half the tribe's needs, public housing so scarce the waiting list has more than 1,000 families.

Nation employees getting out the vote

A group of Oneida Indian Nation employees is launching a get out the vote effort for Tuesday's elections, and they are targeting an Oneida county legislator who has opposed the Nation on numerous issues. “There has been a lot of opposition in my community against the Nation, which is my employer,” said Kelli Bradley, a legal administrator for the Nation. “I would like to have someone put into office who is willing to work with us and make things better.”

Tribes seek halt to proposed Cape Cod wind farm

From a blustery perch over a Cape Cod beach, Chuckie Green gestures toward a stretch of horizon where he says construction of the nation's first offshore wind farm would destroy his Indian tribe's religion. The Wampanoag -- the tribe that welcomed the Pilgrims in the 17th century and known as "The People of the First Light" -- practice sacred rituals requiring an unblocked view of the sunrise.

Native man big winner at Casino, loser at border

Lyman Corbiere admits his system for playing the slot machines might seem, to an outsider, to be unnecessarily circuitous. But the M'Chigeeng First Nation man says he never imagined it would land him in a holding cell at the U. S. border or lead to his money, at least temporarily, being seized by the U. S. federal government.

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