2014 Archives

Half of American Indians applying for mortgages last year didn’t get one, according to federal data.

The Fort Yuma Quechan (Kwatsan) Tribe listened to an offer Wednesday from Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder’s foundation to build a memorial skate park on its reservation with “no strings attached.”

Assembly member Roger Hernández (D – West Covina) announced Assembly Bill 1973 passed the Senate Governmental Organization Committee on a 10-0 bi-partisan vote. AB 1973 elevates the recognition of Native American Day from a proclamation to an official state holiday, recognized annually on the fourth Friday of September.

Nearly 3,500 Cherokee citizens living in Colorado will have a chance to obtain tribal citizenship photo IDs, according to tribal officials, who will give information at community meeting in Denver on July 19.

June 27, 2014 – After years of negotiations, today the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) has reached a historic settlement with the U.S. Indian Health Service (IHS) for the payment of 14 years of overdue contract support costs for providing health care services for more than 143,000 Alaska Native and American Indian people in Alaska.

A Chippewa Cree tribal leader was indicted Tuesday on charges he took cash and a vehicle as kickbacks on lucrative business contracts awarded for work on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation in north-central Montana.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has canceled the Redskins’ trademark registration after five Native Americans petitioned the government over the football team’s controversial name. Calling it “disparaging to Native Americans,” the USPTO’s ruling strips away six of the Redskins’ trademarks.

Eradicating Offensive Native Mascotry, a group of Native parents and their allies from across the country started a pledge drive on change.org “Pledge to Stop Using FedEx While They Still Quietly Support the Washington ‘Redskins’ Shameful Mascot” for consumers or investors who wish to stop using FedEx products to show support in their decision to boycott the corporation.

Oglala Sioux Tribal President Bryan Brewer was suspended by the tribal council Tuesday following allegations that he acted without the approval of the council more than once and mishandled a check for $5,000.

More than 175 years ago, thousands of American Indians were forced to travel on foot from Georgia to Oklahoma during a tragic event in U.S. history now known as “The Trail of Tears.”

With President Obama scheduled to arrive in North Dakota today, eyes of the nation are on the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe as tribal leaders and community members from across the Northern Plains gather in Cannon Ball for a historic visit by a sitting president and the First Lady.

Cherokee citizens throughout Oklahoma can now buy a Cherokee Nation license plate.

The tags are on sale at any of the five Cherokee Nation tag offices, which are located in Adair, Collinsville, Jay, Sallisaw and Tahlequah.

With over a million views on YouTube, a controversial commercial will soon be seen by millions more during Tuesday night’s NBA Finals game.

Nineteen Cherokee Indians are set to begin a 950-mile bicycle ride as part of the annual “Remember the Removal” ride commemorating the forced removal of Cherokees from the southeastern United States to what is now Oklahoma.

Remains of 17 Native Americans, hundreds of years old, along with some artifacts were recovered nearly two years ago during construction of the planned BART extension from Fremont to San Jose, a transportation spokeswoman revealed Friday.

Deputy Secretary of the Interior Michael Connor today announced that the Department has signed three additional agreements witth tribes to facilitate the purchase of individual interests in fractionated trust lands and consolidate ownership for the tribes with jurisdiction.

The race to become the Navajo Nation’s next president features a mix of lawmakers, political newcomers, former tribal officials, a woman and the incumbent. In all, 17 candidates are running for the position.

We are living in historic times for Indian Country. As we are still celebrating the confirmation of Diane Humetewa, the first Native American woman who will serve as a Federal Judge, there is another opportunity for a historic ‘first’ at our fingertips. The United States Senate is scheduled to vote on Keith Harper’s Nomination to be the United States Ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Council.

The U.S. Interior Department on Thursday announced proposed changes to the rules for granting federal recognition to American Indian tribes, revisions that could make it easier for some groups to achieve status that brings increased benefits as well as opportunities for commercial development.

A Chicago based production company, a Branded Media Digital Campaign with One Tree Forest Productions, is looking for a male descended from a native American line in South Dakota and who has become disconnected from his native roots for the lead role in a new documentary film.

Former Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. has been cleared of allegations that he acted unethically and illegally in dealing with two businesses on the reservation.

October 12 is a federal holiday in the United States called Columbus Day, which celebrates the explorer, Christopher Columbus. When asked to describe him, most people say one of two things:

1. Christopher Columbus was a brave explorer, who despite terrible odds, sailed across the Atlantic Ocean and proved the world is round.

2. He was a courageous hero who discovered a new continent, called the New World in his time, which is known today as North America, Central America, and South America.

Both of these “facts” are still taught in many American schools. But, if you agreed with either of those statements, you would be wrong.