Babaamaajimowinan (Telling of news in different places)
Babaamaajimowinan (Telling of news in different places)
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Every five years Congress goes through a massive legislative exercise, crafting a wide-ranging farm bill that now includes about a half-trillion dollars in spending. And every five years, American Indian leaders say they have largely been left on the sidelines. "Indian tribes have been either ignored or overlooked or been the victim of policy changes since we can remember, that's just a fact of life," said Keith Anderson, vice chair of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, which is leading an effort to exert more influence by tribes in nego...
"By about 2080, there won't be anyone alive who has the one-quarter blood quantum... Essentially at that point, the nation will disappear." - Jill Doerfler, assistant professor at University of Minnesota-Duluth ST. PAUL, Minn. - Should blood determine who is in the White Earth Band of Ojibwe? Tribal members on Tuesday will get the final say. Votes will be counted on a proposed constitution that would do away with "blood quantum" -- the requirement that tribal members be at least one-quarter...
MOORHEAD, Minn. — Automatic federal budget cuts ordered this spring were problematic in parts of Minnesota. On the White Earth reservation, they were devastating. More than half of the White Earth tribal government budget, about $30 million, is federal funding. Reservation leaders are planning for a 5 percent budget cut this year and expecting a 9 percent cut next year if the cuts continue, Tribal Chairwoman Erma Vizenor said. "It is devastating to us and it's not going to be for one or two y...
WARROAD — Berry pickers heading to the Beltrami Island State Forest this summer might be surprised to find their favorite blueberry picking spot is off limits. The state forest in north central Minnesota between Bemidji and Warroad is a favorite of berry pickers and hunters. But the forest is dotted with parcels of land owned by the Red Lake Band of Ojibwe and that land is now marked by new no trespassing signs. The only change is new signs, said Red Lake Forestry Program Director Jeff Fossen, who added the land has been owned by the Red L...
MOORHEAD, Minn. — The U.S. Department of the Interior plans to spend $1.9 billion to clean up decades of mismanagement of Indian land, an effort that likely will allow Minnesota Indian bands to regain control of more of their original reservation land, parcels that now have thousands of owners. The effort to clear land titles is part of a $3.4 billion settlement of a class-action lawsuit that started in 1996. It aims to solve a problem the government calls "fractionated heirship." In 1887, Congr...
WHITE EARTH – A program that gives federal tax credits to investors who build homes on the White Earth Indian Reservation will make a small but important dent in the chronic housing shortage here. Thirty families on the reservation are living in new homes this spring thanks to the program, through which the tribe hires contractors to build two- and three-bedroom homes with money from private investors. The investors will receive a 10-year tax break for investing in low-income housing. About 9...
New federal rules in effect this week allow Minnesota Indian tribes to seek federal crime fighting help. Minnesota is one of six states where the state has primary criminal jurisdiction on most reservations. The new rules allow tribes to request that federal authorities investigate and prosecute crimes. The change is a result of complaints by tribal officials that Indians were not treated fairly in the state judicial system. "We want to make the situation better if we're going to come in and do this," said Tracy Toulou, who heads the federal...
CALLAWAY, Minn. (AP) – Four new radio stations are on the air across northern Minnesota, and each is eager to serve American Indian audiences. In Callaway, Cass Lake, Nett Lake and Cloquet, station employees and volunteers have been scrambling to get the stations up and running so they can provide music and information to tribal members, many of whom live in isolated areas. The new stations all benefited from a new Federal Communications Commission policy that gives tribal entities priority f...
NAYTAHWAUSH, Minn. (AP) — In the vast forests and open spaces of Minnesota, finding missing people can be expensive and time consuming, often requiring airplanes, helicopters and dozens of people. To make such searches more efficient, White Earth tribal conservation officers are learning an ancient skill called man tracking, according to Minnesota Public Radio. Learning to follow the tracks people leave behind can save time and money, said Al Fox, the tribe’s chief conservation officer. But to...
Moorhead, Minn. — Thousands of American Indians in Minnesota will receive payments from $3.4 billion settlement of a lawsuit alleging the federal government mismanaged billions of dollars held in trust. Keith Harper, with Washington D.C.-based Kilpatrick Townsend firm is one of the plaintiff attorneys. He said more than 300,000 American Indians nationally who had accounts with the Bureau of Indian Affairs will get a $1,000 payment. Harper said the money is tax free and won't affect other payments tribal members receive. "As you know, many in I...
