Native American

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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...

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
...

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....

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...

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...

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...

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...

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—...

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...

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...

American Languages Nearly Extinct
American Languages Nearly Extinct
Dec 2, 2007 1:44 PM CST

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...

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...

9,300-Year-Old Bones Shouldn't Be Buried

Tribes' claims on skeleton inspire ire of National Review editors

(Newser) - The Senate Indian Affairs Committee has made a two-word correction to federal law that jeopardizes the study of pre-Columbian history, National Review's editors argue. The 9,300-year-old bones known as Kennewick Man—featured on a Time cover after they were unearthed in 1996—are the subject of a dispute between...

Reno Thrives Although Most Bets Are Off

Tribal gambling hurts city, but Renoans find ways to adapt

(Newser) - Reno's lost billions to Native American casinos, yet the Nevada town is growing again, even thriving. How did Renoans react when Tribal casinos lured away their business? They put up shop as gambling consultants and sold even more slot machines. Now downtown is growing: Developers are free to build without...

Mum's Almost The Word for Endangered Languages

Native American speech among vanishing

(Newser) - A language dies about every two weeks and thousands are at risk, warned linguists, who yesterday identified five global hotspots where languages are most endangered. Several native American languages are dying out in the Southwest and regions including British Columbia, Washington and Oregon. Indigenous communication is also vanishing in rural...

5 Held in Whale Shooting
5  Held in Whale Shooting
Sep 9, 2007 1:35 PM CDT

5 Held in Whale Shooting

Makah machine gun marine mammal off Washington coast

(Newser) - Five members of Washington's Makah Tribe were being held today after a harpooned California gray whale died as it headed out to sea. The AP reports that yesterday the tribesmen harpooned and shot the animal mammal with a .50 caliber machine gun. While the tribe has exercised its whaling rights...

Tribes Sell Memberships to Illegal Immigrants

Sham offer won't make aliens legal, Feds warn

(Newser) - Two unofficial Indian tribes have sold thousands of memberships to illegal immigrants with the promise that the paperwork will make them legal. Some buyers have reported paying as much as $1,200 for the memberships, which federal officials warn don't offer any protection from deportation. "You can't just...

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