2013 Archives

Tribal leaders, widely tired of political games surrounding the federal budget – as well as the profound impacts of ongoing sequestration – are frustrated by the government shutdown, to say the least.

The federal government has a trust responsibility to tribes and their citizens. It is a unique relationship, which means there will be unique – and painful – consequences as a result of the government’s current shutdown, tribal leaders say.

The shutdown, which began at 12:01 a.m. on October 1, occurred because U.S. House Republicans passed several short-term continuing resolution budgets that included provisions to delay and/or defund portions of the Affordable Care Act, widely known as Obamacare. Both the Democratic Senate and White House would not agree to those provisions, which set the stage for the first federal shutdown in 17 years.

Federal law bans the sale of alcohol on Native American reservations unless the tribal council allows it. Pine Ridge legalized alcohol for two months in 1970s, but the ban was quickly restored. An attempt to lift prohibition in 2004 also failed.

Native Americans on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation have now voted to end prohibition and legalize alcohol so the tribe can use the profits for education and treatment.

Wes Studi, who was arrested last week on a charge of aggravated DWI has apologized for his behavior toward police during the arrest.

RAPID CITY- When James Czywczynski first announced that he was selling the two forty acre tracts of land, one at Wounded Knee and one at Porcupine Butte, for a total of $4.9 million, many people scoffed at the notion that someone would be willing to pay that much for the land.

Nonetheless as the months have passed and several potential buyers are now negotiating a final deal on the land the Oglala Sioux Tribe has decided to take action and file in federal court under the premise of eminent domain to seize the land.

Vision Maker Media is a Native organization that is heavily funded by Public Broadcasting. The group is always looking for provocative and engaging completed films from independent or public television producers. Their goal is to encourage works that address new and current issues reflecting the changing nature of Native American communities.

“We’re particularly interested in programs such as Native American Graduates, Women and Girls who Lead, and Veterans’ Issues,” said Shirley K. Sneve (Sicangu), Vision Maker Media’s executive director.

SHIPROCK — Tribal officials are proposing more severe sentencing for criminals on the Navajo Nation.

The tribe’s Law and Order Committee this week is holding public hearings regarding changes that could be made to Title 17, the tribe’s criminal code that deals with sentencing on the Navajo Nation. A public hearing will be held 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday at the Shiprock chapter house.

The changes could include steeper penalties for a variety of crimes, including the possession of alcohol one of the most common offenses on the Navajo Nation.

The committee is reviewing the code because in January 2000 the tribe eliminated or lessened jail terms and fines for nearly 30 offenses. The tribe had limited resources to penalize offenders, according to the committee.

Spokane Tribal leaders are deciding whether to oust their vice chairman for lying to a game officer investigating bison poaching in Montana.

Rodney W. Abrahamson was convicted of five misdemeanors after he illegally killed two bison north of Yellowstone National Park in February, while traveling with a group of Nez Perce hunters who were on a legal hunt. The court record states he lied to Montana wildlife agents about his identity. He claimed to be Nez Perce, the tribe that has rights to hunt bison. The Spokane tribe does not have treaty rights to hunt the animal.

Actor Wes Studi this weekend will become the second Native American ever inducted into the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum’s Hall of Great Western Performers in Oklahoma City.

In an interview from his home in Arroyo Hondo on Wednesday, Studi said the honor is particularly significant because “I’m the only one who’s still alive.”

Coming as a surprise to everyone, especially members of the Navajo Tribe, Obi-Wan Kenobi will soon say, “May the Force be with you” in the Diné language.

Navajo members will soon be able to hear the beloved character from the Star Wars Saga say this and more as the Navajo Nation Museum, Navajo Parks and Recreation, and Lucasfilm, Ltd. have joined forces to dub Episode IV of the classic space fantasy film, Star Wars into the Diné language. This marks the first time that a mainstream movie will be dubbed into the Navajo language.

Dozens of Native American tribal masks which are held sacred by the Hopi tribe were sold today at a french auction house after a French court ignored the objections of the Hopi tribe and the U.S. government.

The auction of the sacred Hopi masks brought a cool 1.2 million for the sacred masks, collectively. The most expensive mask, the “Mother Crow,” sold for $209,000, which was more than three times the pre-sale estimate.

The Heard Museum and the Museum of Northern Arizona have joined Hopi cultural officials in urging a French auction house to cancel the planned sale this month of about 70 ceremonial kachina faces, known to tribal members as “friends.”

In Hopi theology, kachinas are supernatural messengers depicted in fantastical costumes worn during religious ceremonies.

There are several hundred spirit characters in the pantheon representing wildlife, plants, human qualities, weather and other facets of nature or society.

More correctly known as katsina friends to the Hopi people, these characters are more commonly depicted in smaller form as carved doll-like figures.

Wood Resources has signed a 25-year lease with the Colville Tribe to reopen the Colville plywood mill in Omak and ultimately hire as many as 200 workers to operate the mill.

The agreement between the Colville Tribal Federal Corporation, the business arm of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, which owns the mill, and Wood Resources LLC, also includes a wood supply agreement for timber from tribal forest lands.

Wounded Knee, the site of one of the most horrific and tragic events in all of American history, is being offered for sale by its owner. The family of James A. Czywczynski, owners of two 40 acre sites of land where the slaughter of approximately 300 Lakota men, women, and children took place on Dec 29, 1890 has agreed to sell the land for $3.9 million.