Over 150 years ago First Nations land was flooded to make way for the Trent-Severn Waterway.   The dispute over the land was recently settled with a $71 million payment.  The money will be divided between Curve Lake, Hiawatha, and Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nations communities. While the money has not yet been allocated by the Hiawatha community, [...]

The Vancouver Sun reports on the future of a development in that city that is up in the air because it is being built on what is likely a native burial site.  The Musqueam First Nation is protesting further development and some community members are preventing access to the site. The development sits on the Marpole midden, an old Musqueam village site that [...]

This Week From Indian Country Today reports that the Muckleshoot Tribe in Washington is working to restore its use of traditional foods. The article states in part: "Many years ago, members of Pacific Northwest tribes subsisted on a wide diversity of foods from the sea and land. More than 300 fish, shellfish, greens and berries [...]

In an article entitled "Every Silver Lining has a Cloud" The Week From Indian Country Today, the author explains the many issues now facing the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation in western North Dakota due to the booming oil industry in that area. Oil revenues paid to the Tribes or individual tribal citizens increased [...]

Long running battles about using Indian peoples and tribal names and symbols as high school and college sports names and symbols continue. The "Fighting Sioux" mascot issue from the University of North Dakota has spawned litigation, NCAA rulings, and ongoing controversy. The issue is also now at the forefront in the news in Oregon because [...]

First Nations and Indigenous Peoples in Canada are maintaining that Canada is not meeting its obligations to consult with them over oil pipelines. Joe Oliver, the Canadian Minister of Natural Resources, says: "We have a moral and constitutional obligation to consult with Canada's First Nations," intones . One commentator states: "Constitutionally speaking, he could not be [...]

My latest book was published last week — Reservation "Capitalism:" Economic Development in Indian Country (Praeger Publishers, 2012). It is available from my publisher: http://www.abc-clio.com/product.aspx?isbn=9781440801112 It can also be ordered on Amazon, but Amazon does not yet seem to know that the book is out in print.  Amazon still says to pre-order it http://www.amazon.com/Reservation-Capitalism-Economic-Development-Yesterday/dp/1440801118/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1331686071&sr=1-1 Here's the description from my publisher's page: [...]

The New York Times opinion blog page has an interesting piece today about the division of the island of New Guinea, located just north of Australia. Following the 141st meridian east, a line neatly splits the island in half between the countries of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. This is relevant to the Doctrine of Discovery because [...]

The Hualapai Tribal Nation has voted to exercise its power of eminent domain, or condemnation, to take over ownership of the Grand Canyon Skywalk from David Jin, the tourist attraction’s Las Vegas-based developer. Jin partnered with the Hualapai Tribe to build the Grand Canyon Skywalk, a glass bridge that suspends visitors 4,000 feet above the canyon’s floor. [...]

The Oglala Sioux Tribe filed a $500 million lawsuit on February 9 against Anheuser-Busch, Molson, Coors, Pabst, Miller Brewers, retailers and distributors of alcohol sold in Whiteclay, Nebraska.  The lawsuit claims that Whiteclay, which sits on the border of the Pine Ridge Reservation and sells nearly five million cans of beer annually, is responsible for the alcohol consumed [...]