Thadeus Greenson/The Times-Standard

For Mary Claw of the Chemehuevi Tribe, basket weaving isn’t just an art form. It’s also preservation.

“There’s nobody left,” Claw said Saturday, while weaving strips of willow into an intricate basket, adding that she learned the craft from her grandmother. “It’s either me, or let (basketweaving) die. There’s nobody else left in my family who does it.” Read more…

Posted on June 28th, 2009 by hunwut
Filed under: Culture, Events | No Comments »

By Rob Capriccioso

WASHINGTON - Of the approximately 500,000 American youth in foster care, Native American kids are faring among the worst, according to youth advocacy and policy experts.

New analysis indicates that American Indian, Hispanic and African-American children all fare more poorly than white children in foster care - with Native youth being about three times more likely to be placed in foster care than all children nationally. Read more…

Posted on June 18th, 2009 by hunwut
Filed under: Indian child welfare | No Comments »

Washington, DC (6/18/09)—Observances and ceremonies will be held across the country from June 19 through June 23 to mark the 2009 National Days of Prayer to Protect Native American Sacred Places. The observance in Washington, D.C. will be held on Monday, June 22 at 8:45 a.m. on the United States Capitol Grounds, West Front Grassy Area (see details under the Washington, D.C. listing below). Read more…

Posted on June 18th, 2009 by hunwut
Filed under: Culture, Environment | No Comments »

Teehee named Obama’s senior advisor on Indian affairs

By Gale Courey Toensing

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama has fulfilled his promise to appoint a high-level White House advisor on Indian affairs. Read more…

Posted on June 18th, 2009 by hunwut
Filed under: Federal Government | No Comments »

LAFF restores a drive-in classic to its karate-chopping glory

By Chuck Wilson

“Listen, children, to a story that was written long ago … ” So begins “One Tin Soldier” the relentlessly catchy theme song to Billy Jack, the 1971 cult film classic about a karate-chopping half-white/half-Indian ex-Green Beret who tends to “go berserk” when he sees Native Americans being abused by redneck whites. Read more…

Posted on June 18th, 2009 by hunwut
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Vicki Vasques, who served as director of the Office of Indian Education during the Bush administration, is seeking public office in Virginia.

Vasques announced her candidacy for the Virginia House of Delegates, 45th District, yesterday. She is running as a Republican. Read more…

Posted on June 17th, 2009 by hunwut
Filed under: Politics, Reservations | No Comments »

Fifth statewide Standing Bear Day, Nebraska recognizes Ponca chief

By Doug Meigs, Today correspondent

OMAHA, Neb. - The state of Nebraska dedicated May 15 as Standing Bear Day amid a week of memorials. Commemorations celebrated the 130th anniversary of the Ponca chief’s landmark court case, which declared American Indians were legally human. Read more…

Posted on June 17th, 2009 by hunwut
Filed under: History | No Comments »

by Cathryn Creno - The Arizona Republic

Creosote bush, the fragrant, yellow-blossoming bush that covers Valley mountainsides, is a key ingredient in a new line of spa products developed by the Gila River Indian Community. Read more…

Posted on June 17th, 2009 by hunwut
Filed under: Health | No Comments »

Barona, Sycuan and County Representatives Approve More than $3 Million for Local Projects to Benefit San Diego Communities
Indian Gaming Local Community Benefit Committee awards more than $23 Million in Grants to San Diego Projects since 2003

(SAN DIEGO) June 16, 2009 - The Barona Band of Mission Indians and the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation and other representatives from the Indian Gaming Local Community Benefit Committee, recently announced local recipients of more than $3 million in grants from Tribal money paid into the State Indian Gaming Special Distribution Fund. Read more…

Posted on June 16th, 2009 by hunwut
Filed under: Community, Gaming, Reservations | No Comments »

By Carol Berry, Today correspondent

Many, if not most, Native people insist that their ancestors have lived on this continent since time immemorial, and some mainstream scientists are beginning to weigh in on their side.

Scholars are pushing evidence of human habitation in North America well beyond the non-Native accepted wisdom that places it at a relatively recent 13,000 to 14,000 years ago. Read more…

Posted on June 16th, 2009 by hunwut
Filed under: History, Interesting | No Comments »