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NEWS ABOUT: Native American

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Vatican Will Canonize First Native American Saint

It credits boy's recovery to miracle by Kateri Tekakwitha

(Newser) - A young boy's recovery from flesh-eating bacteria will help a 17th-century woman become the first Native American saint in the Catholic Church, reports USA Today . The Vatican has called the recovery of Washington state's Jake Finkbonner from near death in 2006 a miracle that can be credited to... More »

Urban Outfitters' 'Vulgar' Navajo Collection Attacked

'Navajo panties' disrespect Native American culture, complains consumer

(Newser) - Urban Outfitters might have thought it was getting all back to the land with its "Navajo" collection of kitschy clothing and accessories. But a Native American woman is angry about the campaign, which she says disrespects her heritage. Sasha Houston Brown, 24, of Minneapolis, has fired off a letter... More »

Berenstain Bears Try to Save Ancient Language

In animated TV first, they're speaking Lakota

(Newser) - For a typical family worried about messy rooms and money management, the Berenstain bears are killer linguists. The children's books featuring Mama, Papa, Brother, and Sister Bear Berenstain have been translated into more than 20 languages for kids around the world. Now the Berenstains are even speaking Lakota, an... More »

Cherokees: Oops, the Other Guy Won Election

Councilman Bill John Baker's victory was just too unlikely...

(AP) - Lo and behold, Cherokee Nation officials have reversed unofficial election results, saying the tribe's longtime leader was re-elected in Saturday's voting. Unofficial results had shown longtime councilman Bill John Baker defeating Principal Chief Chad Smith by 11 votes yesterday. But Smith actually did win his fourth term as... More »

Cherokees Elect New Chief —By 11 Votes

Race to lead Oklahoma tribe was contentious

(AP) - In a close election that ran overnight, the Cherokee Nation elected a new principal chief today, with final results posted on the tribe's website showing longtime councilman Bill John Baker defeating three-term incumbent Chad Smith by 11 votes. More than 15,000 votes were cast, and the margin between... More »

'Marrying Out' Thins Native Americans' Ranks

Population loss could lead to loss of federal benefits

(Newser) - More often than not, white people in the US marry other white people and black people marry other black people—but Census data show that more than half of all Native Americans marry non-Native Americans, and that could create problems for tribes down the line. The Eastern Shoshone of Wyoming,... More »

Cherokee Chief, Activist Wilma Mankiller Dies

First female chief was 64, had battled cancer

(AP) - Former Cherokee Nation Chief Wilma Mankiller, one of the nation's most visible American Indian leaders and one of few women to lead a major tribe, died yesterday after suffering from cancer and other health problems. She was 64. Mankiller, whose first taste of federal policy toward Indians came when her... More »

Heidi, Spencer Take on Native American Names

Pratt, Montag trying to get in touch with spirituality

(Newser) - If you never want to hear the names Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt again, you’re in luck. The reality show couple will now be known by their “true Native American names,” “the name our creator has given us,” so as to get “more in... More »

Jack Nicholson Wouldn't Mind Being Eaten by Vultures

Actor, 72, mulls Native American 'sky burial'

(Newser) - At 72, Jack Nicholson has been thinking about death, or, more particularly, burial arrangements. One option he finds appealing, he tells German TV, is a Native American practice that would leave his body to the vultures. “I liked the nature of the Indians who haul their bodies up into... More »

Less Racist Names for That Washington Team

Just in case the Redskins have had a change of heart

(Newser) - The Redskins may have dodged the latest legal challenge to its (allegedly) racist team name, but with more on the way, bloggers are tossing out alternatives owner Dan Snyder should consider. The Week collects the best:
  • Washington Nationals: Sharing a nickname with a baseball team didn’t hurt the New
... More »

Mexican Gangs Move Into US Indian Land

Drug cartels take advantage of overworked cops

(Newser) - Mexican drug gangs have been rapidly expanding their marijuana-growing operations in the US in recent years, especially on Indian reservations. The gangs take advantage of underfunded tribal police departments, large tracts of unused land, and overlapping jurisdictions to set up grows on reservations from California to South Dakota, authorities say.... More »

States, Employers Un-Discover Columbus Day

It's dropping off the calendar as a holiday in many states

(Newser) - Columbus Day is rapidly sailing off the calendar all over the US. Some 22 states no longer give their workers the day off and many employers have begun "holiday swapping," requiring workers to come in on Columbus Day in return for an extra day off at Christmas or... More »

2 Dead After Arizona Sweat Lodge Ceremony

19 hospitalized after cleansing ritual goes wrong at new-age retreat

(Newser) - Two people died and 19 others were taken to hospital after a "sweat lodge" ceremony at a new-age Arizona retreat last night. Some 68 people were packed into a tarpaulin-covered dome for the 2-hour ceremony, which involved pouring water over hot rocks to produce steam in an effort to... More »

French Mayor to Schoolkids: No Kissing!

Swine-flu-phobic official insists on 'Native American' greeting

(Newser) - Heading back to school in a French community normally means greeting friends with kisses on the cheek—but not when there’s swine flu to worry about. A mayor in Brittany has banned such public displays, and she won’t kiss anyone in greeting, either, the Guardian reports. Rather, she... More »

Justice Dept. Opposes Effort to Dig Up Geronimo

(Newser) - The Justice Department has asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit seeking to unearth the bones of Geronimo from his Oklahoma tomb and rebury them in his native New Mexico, the BBC reports. The Apache leader’s descendants also name Yale University and the Skull and Bones society, which... More »

Geronimo's Heirs Sue Yale to Get Skull Back

Descendants of Geronimo allege students robbed his grave

(Newser) - Descendants of the legendary Apache chief Geronimo are suing Yale and its secretive Skull and Bones Society for the return of his skull and other remains, reports the Hartford Courant. The suit alleges that members of Skull and Bones—including Prescott Bush, father and grandfather of a pair of presidents—... More »

Mystery Writer Tony Hillerman Dead at 83

Penned police novels infused with Navajo culture

(Newser) - Bestselling author Tony Hillerman died yesterday at 83 of pulmonary failure, the AP reports. He was known for his mystery novels, which featured two Navajo policemen with distinct views on their people, constantly balancing the Navajo world with the Anglo one. A onetime journalist, he found success with Skinwalkers in... More »

Feds May Return Badlands to Sioux

Tribe ousted from Badlands in 1942

(Newser) - The National Park Service might return half of South Dakota's Badlands National Park to the Oglala Sioux, reports the LA Times, some 6 decades after the US military ousted 800 members from the territory during World War II. The measure still needs Congressional approval, and tribal members remain unsure whether... More »

American Languages Nearly Extinct

Hundreds of tongues are down to their last few speakers

(Newser) - Johnny Hill Jr., a 53-year-old Arizonan, talks to himself in Chemehuevi, a language once spoken by many Southwestern Native Americans. He does that because there's rarely anyone for him to speak Chemehuevi with; Hill tried to teach the language to his stepson without success. There is every chance that the... More »

First Americans Migrated From Siberia

Research contradicts theory of multiple arrivals from Asia

(Newser) - Native Americans are descended from a single group that migrated from Siberia 12,000 years ago, new genetic research suggests. An alternate theory suggested that Native American ancestors migrated in several waves over land and sea from Asia, but the new study shows that native peoples from all over the... More »

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