Museum gives back artifacts to Native Americans
3:14 PM, Jan. 26, 2012
By Andy Fitzpatrick, Battle Creek Enquirer

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (WTW) — In the basement and back rooms of Kingman Museum, the remains of people from long ago wait to return home.
That's the goal of the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, which became law in 1990. Since then, the museum has been working to return the remains of Native American people and artifacts back to the tribes from which they originated.
It can be a daunting task, correctly identifying and returning such materials for any institution; notices of the remains have to be sent to the relevant tribes and the National Park Service's NAGPRA Program, which then publishes notices for Native American tribes to review to see if there are remains to be repatriated to them.
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Census: Native count jumps by 27 percent
By Cindy Yurth
Tsé;yi' Bureau
WINDOW ROCK, Jan. 26, 2012

america's Native population climbed by nearly a third between 2000 and 2010, surprising U.S. Census Bureau data analysts and delighting managers of federally funded programs whose budgets depend on official head counts.
"I think the numbers surprised us all," said Tina Norris, an analyst with the Census's Racial Studies Branch who authored a brief that was presented to the press Wednesday.
The American Indian and Alaska Native population increased by 26.7 percent in the last decade, compared to 9.7 percent for Americans as a whole.
This means Natives are now a slightly larger minority, comprising 1.7 percent of the population versus 1.5 in 2000.
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Sacramento Lawyer Responsible for California Gaming Tribes’ Wealth Takes the Hot Seat
By ICTMN Staff January 23, 2012

Sacramento lawyer Howard Dickstein, 67, earned his riches representing California Indian tribes—cutting deals with governors and paving the way for the state’s $7 billion-a-year Indian casino industry, reported the Sacramento Bee.
But recently the man—who helped defend about 200 Oglala Lakota and followers of the American Indian Movement against charges stemming from the 71-day occupation of Wounded Knee, South Dakota on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation—has come under the microscope for amassing great wealth at the expense of his clients.
Dickstein negotiated the compacts for three of the region’s top casinos: Jackson Rancheria Casino & Hotel, Cache Creek Casino Resort and Thunder Valley Casino Resort. Contract terms required the immensely successful Thunder Valley to give 2 percent of its share to Dickstein’s firm until 2009—funneling about $23 million Dickstein’s way. But the Sacramento Bee reports that legal experts and rival tribal lawyers say the arrangement is unusual. Dickstein defends every dollar. “A tribe’s financial relationship with me is a phenomenal net benefit to the tribe,” he said.
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P-card abuse empties tribal office's budget
By Marley Shebala
Navajo Times
WINDOW ROCK, Jan. 26, 2012

A former accountant in the Navajo Nation's Division of Economic Development wiped out an entire department's operating budget of about $157,000 with purchases of personal luxury items, travel and other purchases, all made on a tribal credit card, or P-card, an audit reveals.
A December 2011 audit reveals that an employee, who worked in DED's Real Estate Department, allegedly used the card to buy designer handbags, perfume, cosmetics, Pendleton bags and blankets, jewelry, tickets to the National Finals Rodeo, ceiling fans, groceries, appliances, baby items, pet food and supplies, CDs, DVDs, video games, an iPhone, iPod, iMac, a leather coat, saddle blanket, circular saw, torch kit, entertainment center, fire pit, and men's hat, tie and coat.
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