Sorted by date Results 1001 - 1025 of 1096
PINE RIDGE, SD—Nearly fifteen years ago (in August of 1998), Bruce BonFleur and his wife Marsha came to live among and serve God’s beloved Oglala Lakota Sioux people on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is an Oglala Lakota Native American reservation located in the U.S. state of South Dakota. Drugs, gangs, alcohol, violence, sickness, disease, suicide, and demons corrupt this tiny community that has seen so much since the massacre of the nea...
RAPID CITY, SD—Winning singing contests, art contests, being a model and an accomplished hoop dancer might be enough for some, but not for Delaena Rae Uses Knife, 27, of Eagle Butte, SD, who fully intends to reach her dream of becoming an astrophysicist. Uses Knife is looking forward to a summer internship with NASA and she has also been named one of five of South Dakota’s NASA Ambassadors. “It’s a surreal moment for me,” Uses Knife said. “A NASA Student Ambassador...
RIO GRANDE DEL NORTE, NM—Samuel Gomez, the war chief for Taos Pueblo, was in Washington, D.C., on March 25, as U.S. President Barack Obama proclaimed a new national monument near the tribe’s reservation in northern New Mexico. The Río Grande del Norte National Monument covers more than 240,000 acres of federal land. The site includes historic Pueblo sites and petroglyphs that date back thousands of years. “This extraordinary landscape of extreme beauty and daunting harshn...
MINNEAPOLIS, MN—The Menominee Indian Economic Development Authority (“MIEDA”) of Wisconsin and Applied BioFuels Corporation (“ABF”) of Tulsa, Oklahoma announce the signing of agreement for the placement of an ABF Energy Island. MIEDA’s former Chairman Bruce Pecore, stated “the Tribe is very excited about the long term benefits of our agreement with ABF and the Energy Island will give our tribe a chance to diversify into an alternative energy project that brings new economic...
Over 100 tribes are operating their own court systems, Lisa Jaeger of the Tanana Chiefs Conference said at a forum on March 27. Tribes are handling child welfare cases, domestic violence crimes and other matters, Jaeger said. Their court systems represent nearly half of the 229-federally recognized tribes in the state. “Tribal courts, especially in small, rural communities are really the first level of justice that are available to local communities,” Jaeger said at the for...
McALLEN, TX—The Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas is suing the federal government over the seizure of eagle feathers at a powwow. An agent from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service raided a powwow in McAllen on March 11, 2006. According to a complaint filed in federal court, over 50 eagle feathers and eagle parts were taken from participants. Robert Soto, the tribe’s vice chairman, said the raid violated his religious rights. “If I got caught speeding, I deserve a speeding ticket, but...
FORT BELKNAP, MT—Montana tribes are running into opposition to their efforts to restore bison to their lands. The Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribe and the Fort Belknap Indian Community agreed to take 61 bison from Yellowstone National Park last year. But farmers and ranchers, fearing the spread of a deadly disease to cattle and destruction of property, won a court decision that has kept the animals at Fort Peck. The Montana Supreme Court is hearing an appeal of the d...
WASHINGTON, DC—Idaho’s Rep. Mike Simpson, a Republican, asked a critical question. It’s one rarely asked, let alone, answered. The question: Does more government money work? Specifically, Simpson, the chairman of the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, was asking if recent increased funding for the Indian Health Service has made a difference. Dr. Yvette Roubideaux, director of the IHS, went through the numbers at an overs...
MUSKRAT FALLS, LABRADOR—A group tasked to train aboriginal workers for jobs at Muskrat Falls thinks not enough of their grads are being hired. Nalcor Energy’s latest statistics show that aboriginals from Labrador account for eight per cent of workers at the construction site. Keith Jacque is the executive director of the Labrador Aboriginal Training Partnership. He said while hundreds of aboriginals are ready to work, only a small percentage have been hired. “I don’t know if...
SPOKANE, WA—The Kalispel Tribe of Washington hosted a three-day Salish language conference, an event that keeps getting bigger every year. JR Bluff, the tribe’s assistant director of culture, started language preservation efforts a few years ago when only a few elders were still fluent in Salish. Now the language is being taught in local schools. “Celebrating Salish is what we’re all about,” Bluff told The Spokesman Review as more than 400 people gathered for the conferenc...
June 6-8 The North American Institute of Indigenous Theological Studies (NAIITS) hosts their 10th annual symposium at Tyndale Theological Seminary, Toronto. Theme: Shaping Faith: How Language Informs the Journey. Contact: office@naiits.com June 29-July 4 On Eagles’ Wings’ Warrior Leadership Summit followed by the Summer of Hope. For info and to register, please call 1-888-682-5483. July 25-28 Mni Wiconi Wacipi Living Waters Family Camp & Traditional Powwow, Turner, Oregon. For info contact: office@wiconi.com or call: 360...
Ever wondered if you could listen to the Bible in your Native language? The answer is “yes”. Faith Comes By Hearing has made Native language Scriptures available on MP3 CDs with music and sound effects. According to Henry Hostetler from Northwestern Ontario, Ojibwe is one of the languages available and it is available through him and his co-worker Jim Keesic. “We want to make sure the people who receive them will be able to play them,” says Hostetler. “These are MP3 CDs and t...
VANCOUVER, BC—According to new unpublished research about Residential Schools in Canada, some 3,000 students died while attending boarding schools run for First Nations children. “These are actual confirmed numbers,” Alex Maass, research manager with the Missing Children Project, told The Canadian Press. “All of them have primary documentation that indicates that there’s been a death, when it occurred, what the circumstances were.” Disease was the biggest killer of students at...
Red Cloud Mahpíya Lúta (1822-December 10, 1909) was a chief of the Oglala Lakota. He led as a chief from 1868 to 1909. One of the most capable Native American leaders the United States Army ever faced, he led a successful campaign in 1866-1868 known as Red Cloud’s War over control of the Powder River Country in northeastern Wyoming and southern Montana. Red Cloud was renowned as a warrior and highly respected as a leader. He is quoted as saying: “I am poor and naked, but I am...
Many of us are in the crowd that annually makes resolutions and keeps them for a day or two. What are these noble intentions about? Most of them deal with losing weight, getting more exercise, having a better diet, giving up tobacco in any form, quit drugs and gambling. Being grossly overweight is one of the big problems in our nation. It may bring on diabetes, heart problems, difficulty in breathing, ability to get around is hindered, high blood pressure becomes dangerous...
WASHINGTON, DC—A bill that will allow tribes to request disaster declarations directly from the federal government is headed to President Barack Obama for his signature. Under the Stafford Act, only states can request declarations. The new bill, H.R.152, amends the law to recognize tribal sovereignty. “For more than a decade Indian tribes have sought a direct line to the Federal government in order to expedite aid during an emergency or major disaster,” said Rep. Nick Rahal...
RAPID CITY, SD—Bryan Brewer, the new leader of the Oglala Sioux Tribe of South Dakota, returned to work January 16 after suffering injuries in a one-vehicle accident. Brewer sustained several significant injuries including a broken pelvis and several broken ribs in the December 29, 2012, accident. He spent two weeks recovering in a hospital. Brewer was elected last November. He was sworn into office on December 7....
WASHINGTON, DC—Tribal and Native groups from across the country marched with the U.S. president for his second inaugural parade on January 21, 2013. This year’s participants include the Navajo Nation Band, a 55-member delegation representing North Dakota’s tribes, the Native American Women Warriors from Colorado, the Wind River Dancers from Wyoming, the Utuqqagmiut Dancers from Alaska and the Kamehameha Schools Warrior Marching Band from Hawaii. “The talented groups chosen to participate in the Inaugural Parade reflect...
WASHINGTON, DC—Robert Odawi Porter has joined SNR Denton’s Washington, DC, office as a senior counsel in the Native American Law and Policy practice and the Public Policy and Regulation practice. He joins the firm following the completion of his term as the 67th President of the Seneca Nation of Indians. A citizen (Heron Clan) of the Seneca Nation of Indians, Porter has held various positions with the Nation throughout his career, including as its chief legal counsel in the...
ANDAMAN ISLANDS, INDIA—India’s Supreme Court reportedly reversed its previous ‘interim order’ to ban ‘human safaris’ in the Andaman on March 5, 2013, dealing a major blow to the campaign against the controversial tours. Before the interim order, hundreds of tourists traveled along the illegal Andaman Trunk Road every day in the hope of seeing the isolated Jarawa tribe. Tourists used to throw biscuits or force Jarawa women to dance for food. The January order had reduced the...
President Barack Obama honored civilians with the second-highest civilian honor—the 2012 Presidential Citizens Medal—on Friday, February 15 and the list of 13 includes Indian country’s own Billy Mills. “It is my distinguished honor to award these individuals the 2012 Citizens Medal for their commitment to public service,” Obama said in a White House press release. “Their selflessness and courage inspire us all to look for opportunities to better serve our communities and our country.” Mills, along with the 12 other honoree...
FRANKLIN, LA—The Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana identified Rick Riggenbach as the police officer who was killed in the line of duty. Riggenbach, 52, was shot while responding to an incident just off the reservation. He leaves behind a wife and four children. “Sergeant Riggenbach is a true hero and his actions saved the lives of many other people,” Police Chief Blaise Smith said at a press conference on January 28, The Zachary Plainsman-News reported. “Our department and our...
VANCOUVER, WA—Dr. Richard Leo Twiss, Lakota, co-founder and President of Wiconi International (www.wiconi.com), succumbed to a major heart attack while in Washington, D.C., to attend the National Prayer Breakfast. In the late morning hours of Saturday, February 9, 2013, Richard stepped from this life into the presence of his Creator and Savior whom he loved. In the final hours of Richard’s journey on this side, he was surrounded by his wife Katherine, four sons, Andrew, Phi...
RAPID CITY, SD—The Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Kevin Washburn announced on Jan 10, a partnership between the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Spirit Lake Tribe of North Dakota. The partnership will aim to better protect Native American Children placed in foster homes there. The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 requires that all adults in a home where foster children are to be placed must be fingerprinted as an integral part of the background i...
HELENA, MT—Native women advocates in the United States are praising lawmakers for passage of an inclusive, bipartisan Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act that would afford protection to all women and victims of domestic violence. The bipartisan bill, S. 47, passed by the Senate in February 2013 and now by the House, 286 to 138, includes critical provisions to restore and strengthen tribal authority to protect Native women from violence in Indian Country. The h...
