Poteete nominated to Cherokee Supreme Court

Tahlequah, Oklahoma (ICC)

Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chad Smith announced Jan. 9 his nomination for the tribe’s next Supreme Court Justice. Troy Wayne Poteete of Webbers Falls, Oklahoma, will fill the open seat if his nomination is confirmed by the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council at their February meeting. Principal Chief Smith says he feels confident that Poteete will be an outstanding Supreme Court Justice because of his record of service to the Cherokee people, his extensive experience inside the Cherokee Nation government and his deep knowledge of Cherokee history. He describes Poteete as a man of integrity and sound judgment with deep roots in the Cherokee Nation.

Hunetewa nominated for Arizona U.S. Attorney

by Stan Bindell

Polacca, Arizona (NFIC)

Diane Humetewa, Hopi, has been

recommended to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona.

The two U.S. Senators from Arizona, John McCain and Jon Kyl, have recommended that President Bush nominate Humetewa for the post. Humetewa, 42, declined comment because the nomination is pending and not yet approved. Humetewa would have to be nominated by Bush and approved by the U.S. Senate in order to get the job. If approved, Humetewa would be the first Native American U.S. Attorney in Arizona. Officials were researching whether she would also be the first Native American woman U.S. attorney.

Judge affirms Three Affiliated Tribes chair

New Town, North Dakota (AP)

A tribal judge has affirmed the results of the November election in which Marcus Wells Jr. defeated incumbent Tex Hall in the race for Three Affiliated Tribes chairman. Special Judge Terry Pechota of Rapid City, S.D., issued his decision during early January, the tribe said. Hall, who was seeking an unprecedented third term in office, had challenged the election results.

Crowe charged in New Year’s stabbing death

Brockton, Montana (AP)

A tribal prosecutor on the Fort Peck Reservation has amended the charge against a woman accused of fatally stabbing a man on New Year’s Day. The Fort Peck Tribes Department of Law and Justice originally charged Stanette Crowe, 20, with murder in the death of Donald Eagleman, 22, but Fort Peck Tribal Prosecutor Kimberly Johnson during early January requested the charge of murder be amended to manslaughter.

Keweenaw Bay Chips appoint new CEO

Baraga, Michigan (AP)

Larry Denomie has been appointed chief executive officer of the Keweenaw Bay Chippewa Community. The tribal council made the appointment during early January, separating the CEO post from the job of tribal chairman or chairwoman. Susan LaFernier, who previously held both titles, said they were too much for one person to handle. “I have been putting in long hours and I don’t honestly think I could continue to do that and keep my health,” LaFernier said. She was elected to another term as tribal chairwoman. Denomie has been serving as council secretary.

Santa Clara officer arraigned on charges

Santa Fe, New Mexico (AP)

A Santa Fe County magistrate has set a $25,000 bond for a Santa Clara Pueblo police officer who allegedly fired his department-issued gun, barricaded himself in his apartment, then used a 3-year-old boy as a human shield when officers responded. Leon Gallegos, 29, was arraigned Jan. 5 before Magistrate Sandra Miera, but he did not enter a plea. U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs officers had responded to a report of shots fired around 2:48 a.m. New Year’s Day and found the door of the apartment barricaded, according to a statement of probable cause. Gallegos’ girlfriend told police that Gallegos had been drinking alcohol and that two small children were in the home when the shots were fired.

North Dakota returns 5-acre Sitting Bull historic site to tribe

Bismarck North Dakota (AP)

North Dakota is officially returning 5 acres of land known as the original grave site of Sioux Chief Sitting Bull to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. The State Historical Society Board passed a resolution Jan. 5 to return the land to the tribe. It had been donated to the state in 1956 to establish a state historic site. The tribe last year asked that the land be returned, citing its location and spiritual connections. Historical Society Director Merl Paaverud said the historic site designation does not require that the state own the land, and officials want it to be used in the best way possible. “I think this is the best way we can show that support,” he said. “Probably this is the first time the state – or any state – has given title of land back to the tribe without some long, formal process,” said Ron His Horse Is Thunder, the chairman of the Standing Rock Tribe. “It says something good about the state of North Dakota,” he said.

Navajo pact allows foster care by relatives

Window Rock, Arizona (AP)

An agreement between the Arizona Department of Economic Security and the Navajo Nation will ensure that Navajo children needing foster care will be raised and cared for by their relatives. The agreement, signed during December by Navajo President Joe Shirley Jr. and Tracy Wareing, director of the Arizona Department of Economic Security, will let the nation be reimbursed hundreds of thousands of dollars in foster care for Navajo children. It also calls for training and licensing families related to the foster children to enable them to be raised in a home environment with relatives.

170-year-old dwelling of Cherokee repaired

Chattanooga, Tennessee (AP)

Repairs on a 170-year-old brick house that was home to a prominent Cherokee who led hundreds of tribal members in the forced removal known as the Trail of Tears should protect it through the winter, organizers said. “At this point we’ve gotten about five or six more years of useful life out of it,” said Patrick McIntyre, executive director of the Tennessee Preservation Trust. Windows are covered with plywood. The roof is waterproofed and the interior has been braced. The project was funded with a $20,000 matching federal grant from the National Park Service, a $1,500 grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and a $3,000 grant from Cornerstones Inc., officials said. Brown led 850 of his own people in the 1838 forced removal of the Cherokees from their homeland in and around Chattanooga to what is now Oklahoma.

Educator say Indian Education Act worth it

Pierre, South Dakota (AP)

A proposed Act outlined by South Dakota’s education secretary during December could help the state resolve some “deep-rooted” racial issues, according to an American Indian education official. Keith Moore, head of the state Office of Indian Education, called the proposal for the 2007 Legislature a symbolic gesture, but said it can go beyond the classroom to alter relationships in the state. “The hope is that it will improve state-tribal relations and impact student achievement and graduation rates,” Moore said. Gov. Mike Rounds created Moore’s office and the advisory group during his first term. The proposed law would put that office in law, and ensure stability across future administrations, said Education Secretary Rick Melmer. Melmer said there’s a need “to implement a law to raise the expectations that all students will learn about Native American culture.”