The claim to the Arctic seabed and its oil and gas assets may be controlled by the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea.  The U.S. refused to become a party to that convention/treaty in the 1980s.  Now that very valuable resources have been found there and will continue to be found in that region due [...]

The struggle to claim the gas and oil assets estimated to lie under the Arctic seabed continues.  News services continue to follow the efforts governments are pursuing to claim ownership of this spot of the globe and these assets. Read the Reuters article of Oct 16 – Canada to map Arctic seabed to boost sovereignty Read [...]

A highly regarded exhibit from the Newberry Library in Chicago, Lewis & Clark and the Indian Country:Two Hundred Years of American History will be exhibited across the country over the next five years.  The exhibit will be on view for six weeks each at 23 libraries and 2 American Indian museums.  The exhibits are free and include [...]

The Chinook Nation, located in Washington State on the Long Beach peninsula, is going to Washington D.C. November 4-7th to appear before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee to seek recognition by the federal government of its status as an Indian nation.   It is an accident of history that this tribe and these people, who greatly assisted the Lewis [...]

Sherman Alexie was interviewed by the Austin Texas paper:  Here’s what the article said, in part: “I’ve read a lot about your life story, and see a lot of it in “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.” Did you start out writing a memoir? Sherman Alexie: Actually, yes. I signed a deal for [...]

Zia Pueblo seeks compensation from the state of New Mexico for the use of the tribe’s sacred symbol. The zia sun symbol first appeared on the state flag in the 1920s. The design came from a piece of pottery used in religious ceremonies that was smuggled out of the pueblo, an assistant tribal administrator said. [...]

Read this article by Grand Forks Herald reporter Dorreen Yellow Bird calling for an end to the use of the mascot the “Fighting Sioux” by the University of North Dakota.

Read this editorial reacting to the University of Illinois resurrecting the offensive mascot Chief Illiniwek.

The Los Angeles Times reports on tribes recovering from the fire and on the need for more protection for their lands: (the article says in part)  “Tribal leaders in southern California met with state and federal officials on Tuesday to discuss fire recovery efforts. Fires blazed through several reservations in San Diego County. The Rincon [...]

Read President Bush’s Oct. 31 proclamation again naming November National American Indian Heritage month. Check out this brief history on the creation of a National American Indian Heritage Month by the BIA.