2021 Intergovernmental News Stories
DOJ awards more than $8.5 million to Western Washington Tribes for justice, youth programs
(The Olympian) 12/30/21
Oklahoma court rules reservation no longer exists (The Oklahoman) 12/30/21
Federal bills would allow Oregon tribes to renegotiate historic hunting and fishing restrictions (Oregon Public Broadcasting) 12/29/21
Tribal consultations announced for infrastructure programs (Indianz) 12/21/21
OVAW announces award to 11 tribal governments (Tahlequah Daily Press) 12/17/21
Tribal leaders hail historic nomination of Native woman to federal bench (Indianz) 12/17/21
A judge recognized violence against Native women in a case where a woman killed a White man, advocates say (The Lily) 12/15/21
Sacramento will require government meetings to begin with recognition of Indigenous and tribal land rights (CapRadio) 12/14/21
Five tribes issue statement on Governor Stitt canceling hunting and fishing compacts (Indian Country Today) 12/13/21
Stanford Law's Elizabeth Reese testifies before the United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (Stanford News) 12/10/21
Chair Grijalva hails passage of bipartisan package of bills for Indian Country (Indian Country Today) 12/10/21
Tribal leaders tell story of push for sovereignty in new Maine-made podcast (Bangor Daily News) 12/7/21
'An ancestral fight': Tribal members condemn death penalty following Jones' clemency (The Oklahoman) 12/6/21
Biden canceled the wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, but an Indigenous protester is still on trial (Arizona Public Media) 12/3/21
Tribal homelands bill back on agenda in ‘new era’ of Indian Country relations (Indianz) 11/30/21
New Mexico lawmakers examine lack of broadband access progress in meeting (The Santa Fe New Mexican) 11/29/21
Tester secures nearly $1.7 million for rural Montana housing & economic development (Char-Koosta News) 11/26/21
The Osage Minerals Council seeks federal legislation facilitating return of Osage Headrights (The Ponca City News) 11/25/21
Columnist Carrie N. Baker: The difference an Indigenous leader makes (Daily Hampshire Gazette) 11/24/21
State Native American Commission unable to vote due to lack of members (NHPR) 11/24/21
FEMA's work to support tribes, with a focus on mitigation (Native News Online) 11/24/21
Infrastructure bill amendment creates flexibility to serve urban Natives (Indian Country Today) 11/23/21
The Nez Perce Tribe and Idaho National Guard work together during COVID-19 (Indianz) 11/22/21
Column: Improving city-tribal relationships can bring great opportunities for Tulsa (Tulsa World) 11/21/21
First Native to head the National Park Service (Indian Country Today) 11/19/21
Governor Northam directs state agencies to consult with tribal nations, affirming the Commonwealth's commitment to government-to-government cooperation (Indianz) 11/18/21
Broken US-Indigenous treaties: A timeline (Big Rapids News) 11/18/21
Justice Department awards nearly $104 million to help crime victims in Indian Country (Indian Country Today) 11/16/21
Interior Dept. creates tribal consultation committee; advocates hope model could improve other federal agencies (Tribal Business News) 11/16/21
USDA announces a new focus on Indigenous food and agriculture (Minnesota Public Radio) 11/16/21
Interior Department, federal partners commit to protect tribal treaty rights (Indianz) 11/15/21
Minnesota Governor appoints Meskwaki tribal citizen Sarah Wheelock to serve on state's court of appeals (Native News Online) 11/13/21
Infrastructure bill includes investment in tribal nations (Indian Country Today) 11/8/21
NCAI president Fawn Sharp becomes first ever elected tribal leader to receive U.S. State Department diplomatic credentials (Native News Online) 11/4/21
Tribal law enforcement officials say McGirt strengthening public safety (Indian Country Today) 11/3/21
US Census explains American Indian, Alaska Native numbers (Indian Country Today) 11/2/21
This is what tribal leaders told Inslee about education, social services, natural resources (The Olympian) 11/2/21
Indian Country bills set for passage in U.S. House of Representatives (Indianz) 11/1/21
Cherokee Nation responds to McGirt challenges (Tahlequah Daily Press) 10/29/21
Senate Committee on Indian Affairs to hold hearing on voting matters in Native communities (Native News Online) 10/26/21
Tribes ponder Commerce Department’s understanding of tribal broadband needs (Tribal Business News) 10/25/21
The restatement of the law of American Indians (The Wisconsin Law Review Forward) 10/23/21
Supreme Court takes up Indian law cases as tribes face new ‘unknown’ (Indianz) 10/19/21
How tribal leaders want Chuck Sams to lead the Park Service (High Country News) 10/19/21
Fawn Sharp re-elected to second term as president of National Congress of American Indians; more NCAI election results (Native News Online) 10/14/21
Biden administration announces new additions to Indian Affairs team (Indianz) 10/13/21
Vice President Kamala Harris addresses NCAI (Turtle Talk) 10/13/21
Tribes, advocates work to fix a 30-year-old loophole in federal law (Native News Online) 10/12/21
Inter-Tribal Council provides the platform for a united, stronger future in Oklahoma (Indianz) 10/12/21
Activists urge Detroit to increase inclusion of Indigenous communities (Detroit Metro Times) 10/11/21
ABC News Indigenous Peoples' Day interview with Matthew Fletcher (Turtle Talk) 10/11/21
Efforts ongoing to recognize Indigenous Peoples Day as a federal holiday (KQED) 10/10/21
Muscogee Nation tells Supreme Court: Oklahoma exaggerated McGirt's impact in bid to overturn ruling (Tulsa World) 10/8/21
How the U.S. legal system ignores tribal law (High Country News) 10/7/21
Muscogee Nation citizen Lauren J. King confirmed by US Senate to serve as federal district judge (Native News Online) 10/5/21
President Biden to nominate Navajo citizen Shelly Lowe to be chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities (Native News Online) 10/5/21
Colorado’s Native American tribes kept in the dark on Bureau of Land Management decision to move HQ back to D.C. (The Denver Post) 10/3/21
Interior Department to hold tribal consultations on the federal boarding school initiative (DOI) 9/30/21
Inequities in tribal pandemic relief distributions reveal need for Office of Tribal Affairs at Treasury, senators say (Tribal Business News) 9/29/21
'Remove the Stain Act' moves forward as House passes defense bill (Native News Online) 9/24/21
Biden administration to host 2021 White House Tribal Nations Summit (Native News Online) 9/23/21
Federal government takes over Oglala Sioux ambulance service after finding 'threat of imminent harm' to patients (South Dakota Public Broadcasting) 9/17/21
Chickasaw woman gets USDA post, one in a string of Indigenous nominees (Indian Country Today) 9/16/21
Interior Department to hold government-to-government consultations on protecting and restoring tribal homelands (Indian Country Today) 9/14/21
Vice Chairman Murkowski announces new Senate Committee on Indian Affairs staff (Indian Country Today) 9/8/21
Tribes file cert petition defending Indian Child Welfare Act before Supreme Court (Indian Country Today) 9/7/21
Indian Affairs announces HEARTH Act approval for three tribes (Red Lake Nation News) 9/2/21
Labor secretary visits Phoenix Indian Center (Indian Country Today) 8/30/21
Covid spike reignites sovereignty debate among Native Hawaiians (NBC News) 8/29/21
Muscogee Nation: Tribal sovereignty is not a threat to Oklahoma (Indianz) 8/27/21
Navajo Nation meets with Red Lake Nation on criminal justice complex (Indian Country Today) 8/24/21
President Nez welcomes U.S. Secretary of Energy Granholm to the Navajo Nation to discuss renewable energy (Indian Country Today) 8/23/21
State files more petitions seeking high court reversal of McGirt (The Oklahoman) 8/23/21
Why is the US right suddenly interested in Native American adoption law? (The Guardian) 8/23/21
Bureau of Indian Affairs announces land records regulations (Indian Country Today) 8/18/21
In multi-state visit, Secretary Haaland highlights investments in tribal communities, climate resiliency, and conservation (Indian Country Today) 8/18/21
Hawai'i Reps welcome Chair of House Indigenous Peoples Subcommittee (Big Island News) 8/14/21
Budget blueprint directs $20.5 billion to Indian Country programs (Indianz) 8/11/21
With new governor, Shinnecock chairman seeks better relationship with New York (WSHU) 8/11/21
Senate confirms Michigan's Newland to lead Indian Affairs at Interior Department (Detroit News) 8/7/21
See all the good that Utah tribes and others can do when they team up, says state leader (The Salt Lake Tribune) 8/6/21
Schatz leads Indian Affairs Committee passage of bipartisan bills to support Native languages (Indian Country Today) 8/6/21
New Oklahoma attorney general asks US Supreme Court to overturn or narrow McGirt decision (Public Radio Tulsa) 8/6/21
Indian Country proposed infrastructure $12 billion needed and welcomed (Indianz) 8/4/21
Bill to improve child support enforcement for tribes passes senate (Columbia Gorge News) 8/3/21
House rejects extra funding to help tribal courts after McGirt ruling (Indianz) 8/2/21
Native Americans, state leaders grapple with legal uncertainty in Oklahoma (Voice of America) 7/31/21
Freedmen ask Congress to withhold housing assistance money until tribes address citizenship (Public Radio Tulsa) 7/30/21
New Oklahoma AG: 'We need to limit McGirt' (Indian Country Today) 7/26/21
Interior department to consult with community leaders on major changes to NAGPRA (Native News Online) 7/22/21
Biden picks Taos Pueblo member for top post (Taos News) 7/21/21
Osage Nation seeks court affirmation that its reservation also was never disestablished (Tulsa World) 7/20/21
Cherokee Nation recently welcomed Health and Human Services Secretary Becerra as part of Secretary’s first official visit to a tribal reservation (Indian Country Today) 7/20/21
Senator Warren and U.S. Representative Al Green introduce the Reconciliation in Place Names Act (Indian Country Today) 7/19/21
Oklahoma Natives shut down Governor Stitt’s anti-sovereignty forum (Indian Country Today) 7/15/21
An Indigenous voice joins Congress (Indian Country Today) 7/15/21
Senate committee set to advance Bryan Newland as Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs (Indianz) 7/14/21
Rounds, colleagues introduce bipartisan bill to reauthorize Native housing funding (Indianz) 7/13/21
Representatives Becker-Finn and Keeler remark on achievements for Indigenous Minnesotans (Indian Country Today) 7/12/21
BIA finds no correspondence about treaty provision on Creek Freedmen (Tahlequah Daily Press) 7/3/21
Cherokee Nation signs agreement with town of Vian to donate ticketing fees back to municipality following McGirt, Hogner decisions (Indian Country Today) 7/1/21
If you don’t know treaties and sovereignty, you don’t know history (Indian Country Today) 7/1/21
Supreme Court has decided Alaska Native Corporations qualify for CARES Act funding (Arizona Public Media) 6/29/21
Opinion: Biden's budget will be a boon to tribes -- as long as red tape doesn't strangle us (The Washington Post) 6/29/21
An apology to federal employees and tribal nations (Indian Country Today) 6/28/21
Indigenous peoples' leadership and free, prior and informed consent are fundamental to 30x30 initiative (Cultural Survival) 6/25/21
SCOTUS holds 6-3 that ANCs are "Indian tribes" eligible for CARES Act funding (Turtle Talk) 6/25/21
Warm Springs treaty turns 166: ‘This was the real story of the West’ (Oregon Public Broadcasting) 6/25/21
Supreme Court declines to hear Sioux San case (Indianz) 6/24/21
Not one without the other: Reparations for African-Americans and Indigenous peoples (Indian Country Today) 6/21/21
Schatz to lead Indian Affairs Committee roundtable on infrastructure development in Native communities (Indian Country Today) 6/22/21
Supreme Court upholds Affordable Care Act, secures Indian Health Care Improvement Act (Indian Country Today) 6/21/21
‘I wanted to cry’: Tribes welcome ruling in long-running health care dispute (Indianz) 6/21/21
In meeting with secretary of interior, Wabanaki tribes ask for support in quest for sovereignty (Bangor Daily News) 6/18/21
US Supreme Court case makes space for sovereignty in police work but is it enough? (Montana Public Radio) 6/17/21
America's 'Great Chief Justice' was an unrepentant slaveholder (The Atlantic) 6/15/21
NCAI shows support for president Fawn Sharp after Washington governor implies she is not a real tribal leader (Native News Online) 6/14/21
Tribal leaders, experts talk American Rescue Plan’s impact (Indian Country Today) 6/14/21
Affirmation of inherent tribal power to police blurs civil and criminal Indian law tests (Indianz) 6/11/21
The modern treaty: Protecting Alaska Native land, values (Indian Country Today) 6/7/21
Native professionals embrace virtual policy work (Indian Country Today) 6/5/21
Bureau of Indian Affairs hosts budget briefing for tribal leaders (Indianz) 6/2/21
The promise and pressures of Deb Haaland, the first Native American cabinet secretary (The New York Times) 6/2/21
Chair Grijalva introduces RESPECT Act to establish and require government-to-government consultation between federal agencies, tribal leaders (Indian Country Today) 6/1/21
Court unanimously holds that Indian tribes retain the inherent power to police non-Indians (SCOTUS Blog) 6/1/21
Navajo Nation receives initial $1.8 billion allocation through the American Rescue Plan Act (Native News Online) 5/29/21
Schatz applauds Senate passage of eight bipartisan Indian Affairs bills (Indian Country Today) 5/28/21
President's 2022 budget includes increases in funding for Indian Country, including a 36% increase for Indian Health Service (Native News Online) 5/28/21
Hoskin testifies before Senate Committee in support of Native languages bill (Public Radio Tulsa) 5/27/21
Washington State Tribal Coalition passes unprecendented climate change bill, puts consent instead of consultation into law (Indianz) 5/21/21
Washington tribal leaders, legislators slam Inslee over vetoes in climate bills (The Seattle Times) 5/21/21
Lawyer who won landmark Alaska subsistence case in line to be Interior’s top attorney (Alaska Public Media) 5/18/21
Restatement of the Law of American Indians is approved (The American Law Institute) 5/17/21
Indian Country cheers nomination of Muscogee Nation citizen to federal bench (Indianz) 5/13/21
Fair tribal gaming bill benefitting El Paso's Tiguas passes U.S. House, moves to Senate (El Paso Times) 5/12/21
President Biden nominates Muscogree citizen Lauren J. King to federal bench for the western district of Washington (Native News Online) 5/12/21
Cherokee, Chicksaw leaders support expected federal bill to address criminal jurisdiction (Public Radio Tulsa) 5/11/21
Indian Affairs approves Colville Confederated Tribes' leasing regs under the HEARTH Act (Red Lake Nation News) 5/7/21
Navajo Mountain roads and infrastructure are focus of meeting of state, tribal, local officials (San Juan Record) 5/4/21
Tribal sovereignty bill delayed as Gov. Mills expresses 'serious concern' with its current form (Maine Public) 5/4/21
Schatz: Interior Department actions honor tribal sovereignty, protect tribal lands (Indianz) 4/27/21
White House convened first Native affairs meeting (Indian Country Today) 4/26/21
Tribal officials explain Choctaw judicial system (McAlester News-Capital) 4/24/21
What does the ICWA ruling mean for the Mountain West? For now, not much (Wyoming Public Media) 4/20/21
Justices mull textualism and Alaskan exceptionalism in classifying Alaska Native corporations (SCOTUS Blog) 4/20/21
BIA approves Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's business, residential, wind and solar leasing regulations under the HEARTH Act (Red Lake Nation News) 4/20/21
Tribes and ANCs present grammar puzzle to Supreme Court, with $530 million at stake (Alaska Public Media) 4/19/21
Indian Country nearly locked out of U.S. Supreme Court hearing (Indianz) 4/19/21
'Our voice is going to be respected': Biden restores Native American Affairs Council (Aspen Public Radio) 4/17/21
Tribal nations: Changes coming with the American Rescue Plan and a new federal administration (Arizona Public Media) 4/16/21
Mauna Kea Hui: 'Hawaiians are not a tribe' (Hawaii Free Press) 4/16/21
Congressman Joe Neguse introduces resolution reaffirming the importance of tribal access to clean water (Joe Neguse) 4/15/21
South Dakota Democratic Party intersectional solidarity with Tribal Nations results in passage of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People legislation (Mobridge Tribune) 4/14/21
Buttigieg: Indian Country investment a priority of infrastructure plan (Cronkite News - Arizona PBS) 4/14/21
Brackeen decision tree (Turtle Talk) 4/13/21
Washington State Patrol resumes patrols on highways within Yakama Nation reservation (Yakima Herald) 4/10/21
Jared Golden sticks his neck out in thorny Maine tribal sovereignty debate (Bangor Daily News) 4/9/21
Four serving life sentences in state prison to get new trials in federal court due to McGirt ruling (Tulsa World) 4/9/21
Newsom appoints Geneva Thompson of Arcata as assistant secretary for Tribal Affairs (The Times-Standard) 4/9/21
Biden halts sale of National Archives center in Seattle (The Union-Bulletin) 4/9/21
Transportation commissioner questions why a tribal-state road project is stalled (Tulsa World) 4/8/21
Space Force swears in first Indigenous female intelligence officer (Native News Online) 4/8/21
Biden nominates Interior deputy as department's top lawyer (The Hill) 4/7/21
Cherokee Nation AG: Congress must allow state-tribe compacts (Public Radio Tulsa) 4/7/21
Justice Department working with tribes on missing persons (Indian Country Today) 4/5/21
Havasupai tribal council member named White House environmental justice advisor (Arizona Public Media) 4/2/21
Little Shell, Chippewa Cree and others OK $40M settlement for funds mismanaged by U.S. (Helena Independent-Record) 3/29/21
Tribal court orders set to be recognized as valid by the state of Indiana (Vincennes Sun-Commercial) 3/27/21
Stockbridge office cleanup unearths tribal documents; state's OK needed to return them (The Berkshire Eagle) 3/25/21
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: Tribal implementation toolkit launch event (NARF, Colorado Law, UCLA Law)
Webinar: Indian Claims Commission Act at 75: A look back and a look forward (Environmental Law Institute)
Domestic violence bill passes US House with program to expand tribal powers in 5 Alaska villages (Alaska Public Media) 3/19/21
IHS appeals ruling that health care is treaty obligation to Rosebud Sioux Tribe (South Dakota Public Broadcasting) 3/18/21
On day one, Haaland addresses Indigenous media (High Country News) 3/18/21
Schatz releases COVID-19 Relief Guide, Frequently Asked Questions document to help Native communities access federal resources (Indian Country Today) 3/18/21
Tribal cases swamp US prosecutors (Indian Country Today) 3/18/21
Farm advocate tapped for Biden post (Indian Country Today) 3/16/21
Deb Haaland confirmed as 1st Native American interior secretary (NPR) 3/15/21
Why Deb Haaland's confirmation as interior secretary is so important to Indigenous communities (Berkeley Blog) 3/15/21
Native Americans raise concerns about legislative action (Indian Country Today) 3/13/21
All three GOP members of Congress who are Native Americans voted no on $31.2 billion that is going to Indian Country (Native News Online) 3/13/21
NAMI announces virtual events for March, April, and May (Lakota Times) 3/11/21
Retiring federal Judge Viken says his replacement needs to understand Lakota history (Rapid City Journal) 3/11/21
Gavel to Gavel: Understanding tribal legal systems increasingly important (The Journal Record) 3/10/21
Navajo Nation opposes Arizona bill that opens door to segregating Navajo and Hopi people and drastically reducing funds for direct services (Indian Country Today) 3/9/21
Interior to hold tribal consultation session with Great Plains, Midwest, and Rocky Mountain tribes (Red Lake Nation News) 3/8/21
Senate passes largest investment in Native programs in history (Indian Country Today) 3/8/21
Biden appointments, including Nez Perce fisheries champion, bolster Native American presence in federal government (The Seattle Times) 3/6/21
Inter Tribal Council of Arizona and Bureau of Reclamation sign historic agreement to ensure tribal participation in Colorado River negotiations (Indian Country Today) 3/3/21
Bill protecting Native American two-spirit individuals fails in South Dakota State Senate (Native News Online) 3/3/21
Schatz secures $80 million for Native Hawaiian healthcare, housing, and education programs in COVID-19 relief bill (Indian Country Today) 3/2/21
President Biden to NCAI: “I'm committed to working with you to write a new and better chapter” (Native News Online) 2/28/21
Haaland's confirmation grilling raises questions on bias (Public Radio Tulsa) 2/26/21
A call to action: Native communities’ priorities in focus for the 117th Congress (Indianz) 2/24/21
Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hears from Native leaders (Indianz) 2/24/21
Navajo UT Commission discusses goods, hunting (San Juan Record) 2/23/21
South Dakota State Senate resolution passes unanimously to rescind Wounded Knee medals (Native News Online) 2/23/21
'She became an easy target': GOP opposition to Haaland rankles Native Americans (Politico) 2/23/21
National Congress of American Indians: State of Indian Nations (Indianz) 2/22/21
For the first time, a Native American may oversee U.S. policies on tribal nations (The Harvard Gazette) 2/16/21
Judge refuses injunction to stop Sacred Oak Flat land giveaway and destruction (Indian Country Today) 2/15/21
Alaska Sen. Murkowski and Hawaii’s Schatz to lead Indian Affairs committee (Anchorage Daily News) 2/12/21
Eyes on the future: An open letter to President Joe Biden on Indigenous peoples (Indian Country Today) 2/9/21
Congressional leaders request resources for urban Indians in budget reconciliation (Indian Country Today) 2/9/21
U.S. Supreme Court sets oral argument in ‘bad men’ treaty rights case (Indianz) 2/4/21
Native women like Deb Haaland and Eloise Cobell are the role models Indian Country needs (Indian Country Today) 2/4/21
Anchorage attorney Landreth selected for U.S. Interior post (Alaska Public Media) 2/3/21
Native women land prominent roles on key Congressional committee (Indianz) 2/1/21
Protecting Cherokee rights while moving forward together at the Oklahoma Legislature (Indianz) 2/1/21
New York State threatens Shinnecock Nation with removal and fines for tribal billboards (Native News Online) 2/1/21
International Indian Treaty Council and Treaty Nations welcome President Biden’s decision to halt construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline (Indian Country Today) 1/29/21
The Native American Agriculture Fund applauds the steps taken by USDA to temporarily suspend debt collections and foreclosures on distressed farm loans (Red Lake Nation News) 1/28/21
President Biden issues tribal consultation and nation-to-nation directive (Indianz) 1/26/21
Dispute over COVID-19 relief for tribal nations spills into Biden administration (Indianz) 1/25/21
Lakota lawyer to lead Agriculture tribal relations (Indian Country Today) 1/25/21
Biden, Harris and Congress: ‘Restore the Mashpee Wampanoag reservation to federal status’ (Indian Country Today) 1/25/21
‘No more broken treaties’: Indigenous leaders urge Biden to shut down Dakota Access pipeline (Grist) 1/23/21
Tribal leaders want to work with state on how to prosecute crime on reservations (The Oklahoman) 1/16/21
Tribal chairman tells lawmakers that it's time to cooperate in State of the Tribes address (Rapid City Journal) 1/15/21
Director of Indian Health Service steps down at request of President-elect Joe Biden (Indianz) 1/15/21
Supreme Court to hear case on Native Corps’ eligibility for tribal funds (Alaska Public Media) 1/12/21
First Native American sworn in as judge with Moon Valley Justice of Peace (Navajo-Hopi Observer) 1/12/21
Continuation of uranium and Radiation Exposure Compensation Act advocacy sought by Navajo Nation Council after line item vetoes (Indian Country Today) 1/12/21
AG Ferguson, with tribes and historic groups, sues feds over Seattle National Archives closure (The Seattle Times) 1/4/2021
Nez Perce Tribe’s Water Rights Administration Code approved by the U.S. Department of the Interior (Indian Country Today) 1/4/21
