Native American Issues

Trent Franks, Arizona Congressman, Proposes Narrow Special-Interest Measure to Block Tohono O'odham Nation's Proposed West Valley Casino

Arizona Congressman Trent Franks introduced -- again -- legislation on Tuesday that, if signed into law, effectively would prevent the Tohono O'odham Nation from building a casino in the West Valley. There are a few bits about H.R. 1410, this latest bill, that are worth pointing out. See also: Tre ... More >>

Desecration: Unearthed Native Burial Site Causes Uproar

Arizona's Fry Bread Brings Native American Cooking Into the Future

Sight See

FBI Helps Nab 10 in "Bootlegging" Bust; One Man Faced Prison Time for Selling a 12-Pack of Natty Ice

When the FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office announced yesterday that a six-month "bootlegging" investigation ended with 10 arrests, we were thinking it was a trip back to prohibition, involving Tommy guns, fedoras, and the phrase "G-Men."Nah, we checked out the criminal complaints, and it took six month ... More >>

Arizona's Voter ID Law Upheld by Ninth Circuit Court; Federal Voter-Registration Forms Must be Accepted, Though

The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld Arizona's voter-approved 2004 law requiring voters to show proof of citizenship before receiving a ballot.The Appeals Court mostly shot down the challenges to the law, which had itself been upheld in Arizona U.S.  District Court.Arizona can dem ... More >>

Larissa Garcia Gets 10 Years in Prison For Killing Father of at Least 30 (Yep...30) Children

Police say Larissa Garcia Killed her 79-year-old husband for "financial reason."​A Phoenix woman is heading to the big house after pleading guilty to charges that she killed her 79-year-old husband -- before dumping his body on an Indian reservation and setting it on fire -- back in 2005. La ... More >>

Kidnapping Case Involving Apache Junction Girl and Alleged Alabama `Indian Tribe' Ongoing After Four Years

More than four years ago, we wrote about the quirky kidnapping case involving (then) 4-year-old Raven Laws, some local Native-Americans and a quasi-Indian tribe based in Alabama.Raven Laws is only about 5 percent Native-American--but that apparently mattered in this case​   The name of the st ... More >>

Pennsylvania Mom Who Murdered Two Sons Because They Were "Possessed by a Demon" Found Dead in Navajo County

Meghan Lippiatt, found insane following murder of two sons, was discovered dead in a rural part of Navajo County.​A Pennsylvania mom whose insanity defense allowed her to beat the rap in the murders of her two sons was found dead in a canyon in northern Arizona over the weekend.Authorities think t ... More >>

Tohono O'odham Nation One Step Closer to West Valley Resort-Style Casino

Artists rendering of the proposed West Valley Resort​United States District Judge David Campbell ruled today that the Tohono O'odham Nation's 54-acre property in the West Valley must be taken into trust.And that means that the Nation is one step close to building the West Valley Resort, a casino t ... More >>

Russell Pearce Suing the Feds to Derail Tohono O'odham's Proposed Casino ... and Glendale's Picking up the Tab!

Russell Pearce ​State Senator Russell Pearce, best known for his immigrant-loathing views, is taking on the Tohono O'odham Nation, an Indian tribe that plans to open a resort-style casino in the West Valley.Pearce and state Senate-hopeful Scott Bundgaard, now joined by about a dozen Ari ... More >>

With Reservation

Navajo Nation hosts student photographers

Wife of Super-Dad Admits to Killing Husband Because "She Was Angry With Him;" Threatened to Kill Kids, Too

MCSO Larisa Garcia​We got some new details about the Phoenix woman who was arrested yesterday for the 2005 murder of her husband -- a veteran of both the Army and Navy and father of what police estimate to be about 30 children -- and she claims she murdered the man because "she w ... More >>

Havasupai Tribe Win Nice Settlement From ASU In Scandalous Blood-Sample Case

Back in May 2004, we published a cover story entitled "Indian Givers," which broke the news about a remarkably devious study conducted by genetic researchers at Arizona State University. ​The piece described how those researchers, led by Dr. Therese Markow, a nationally known geneti ... More >>

"High Country Bandits" Busted in Show Low

www.legaljuice.com​They got 'em.Police in Navajo County have two men in custody they believe are responsible for a string of bank robberies stretching across four states, including Arizona.Police believe the "High Country Bandits," as the pair were dubbed by the FBI's bandit-naming departmen ... More >>

Talk of the Nation

Get schooled at lecture series

Arizona Republic Gives Sal DiCiccio a Free Pass on South Mountain Freeway

​Wow.We've been known to scratch our heads at the Arizona Republic's unwillingness to call a spade a spade -- or even refer to said spade with a polite euphemism. But a recent editorial in the paper's Ahwatukee community edition may take the cake as the daily's most misguided, misleading, and ... More >>

Native Art & Artifacts Appraisal Day

Battle of the Indian Tacos

The Fry Bread House vs. Sacred Hogan Navajo FrybreadIndian tacos are bean tacos with lettuce and cheese, served on fry bread instead of a tortilla. In this Battle of the Dishes, we scope out two central Phoenix locales to compare the best for you. In One Corner: The Fry Bread House4140 N. 7th Ave.60 ... More >>

Philip Zimbardo: "The Journey from the Psychology of Evil to Heroism"

Humanities and Sustainability Film Festival: Blue Vinyl

Court Ruling on Havasupai Blood Case Good News for Tiny Tribe

A state appellate court ruling has given new life to a lawsuit filed by the tiny Havasupai nation over blood samples that the tribe was told would be used for the study of tribal diabetes but instead were used for other research. Back in 2004, we wrote "Indian Givers," a chilling ... More >>

American Indian Film Celebration

Heard Mentality

Don’t shop around. Go here.

Indian Takers

A war for custody of 4-year-old Raven Laws includes a spurious Alabama tribe

Hogan's Hero

Stranger in a familiar land

Letters

Letters from the week of April 7, 2005

Sacred Hypocrisy

Navajos say making Snowbowl snow from reclaimed water is "genocide." Please!

A Fighting Chance

How Rick Schroder cast a Black Cloud over the Valley

Indian Ruin

The Zuni tribe's plans for Phoenix billboards were abruptly canceled by Clear Channel

History Lessons

Yavapai children used to call themselves "dumb Indians." Now they know better.

Smoke Signal

The Rodeo-Chediski fire has destroyed more than trees in Apache country

Native Tongues

Windtalkers spins a World War II epic around Navajo codetalkers

Taco Belle

Beleaguered San Carlos reformer could find salvation in salsa

Resurrection

After a 70-year hiatus and a confrontation with the world, the Makah tribe resumes its communion with the gray whale

Yazzie's Razzle-Dazzle

With his 160-foot mural in a major museum and his face on the cover of a magazine, artist Steven Yazzie still loves his hometown

Indian Stew

Not every anthropologist can digest Christy Turner's theory that the Anasazi were cannibals

Anti-Peace Pipes

Traditional Hopi are resisting a new sewer system in an old village, saying it violates federal law--and blocks spiritual communication that could doom the planet

Reservation Politics

Recall effort aims to oust Gila River tribal leader

Kachina Syndrome

Katsina, a mystic tale of Hopi culture, strains under the bonds of traditional staging

PREGAME PREDICTION: TRIBE 35, BIDWILL 0

SLOTS OF ALLEGATIONSTHE SALT RIVER TRIBE IS AWASH IN INTRIGUE OVER ITS GAMING FUTURE

VILLAGE OF THE DAMMED

WHEN A LEVEE ON BABBITT RANCHES GAVE WAY, THE HAVASUPAI INDIANS WERE LITERALLY PUSHED AGAINST THE WALL. NOW THEY'RE PUSHING BACK.

THE MAN IN THE MAZEPIMA LEADER IVAN MAKIL SEEMS MOST ADEPT AT MAKING DEALS AND MAKING ENEMIES

STRONG MEDICINE

WHEN ITS YOUTHS FALTERED IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS, THE TRIBE LOOKED WITHIN

THE BIG GAMING HUNT ARIZONA TRIBES' CASINO REFERENDUM SHOULD EASILY MAKE THE BALLOT

ARIZONA'S BETTOR SITES

YES, OUR CASINOS HAVE ATMOSPHERE. THEN AGAIN, SO DOES NEPTUNE.

The Government Knows What a Good Indian Is

TRIAL BY FIRE AMERICAN INDIAN MOVEMENT CO-FOUNDER JOHN TRUDELL FINDS A LIFE LINE IN WORDS AND MUSIC