Past News Items

WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Neal A. McCaleb today announced he has issued a Notice of Final Determination whereby he declined to acknowledge that the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe (petitioner #111, formerly known as Ohlone/Costanoan Muwekma Tribe) located in San Jose, Calif., exists as an Indian tribe within the meaning of Federal law. The decision is based on a determination that the petitioner does not satisfy three of seven mandatory criteria set forth under 25 CFR Part 83, specifically 83.7(a), 83.7(b) and 83.7(c).

WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Neal A. McCaleb today announced his decision to acknowledge that the historical Eastern Pequot Tribe, of the Lantern Hill Reservation, North Stonington, Connecticut exists as an Indian tribe within the meaning of Federal law. The historical Eastern Pequot Tribe meets all of the mandatory criteria under 25 CFR Part 83, the Federal acknowledgment regulations, for a government-to-government relationship with the United States.

Tulsa, Oklahoma - The Department of the Interior's Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Neal McCaleb will join American Indian students at Sequoyah High School at 9:30 A.M. CDT on April 22,2002 to participate in Earth Day activities planned for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) funded school located at Tahlequah, Oklahoma. "I'm looking forward to visiting with the students and seeing what exciting things they are doing to help their environment," Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Neal McCaleb said.

In a powerful and moving speech at a ceremony commemorating the Bureau of Indian Affairs' l75th anniversary, Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Kevin Gover today apologized for the ethnic cleansing and cultural annihilation the BIA had wrought against American Indian and Alaska Native people in years past. Speaking before an estimated audience of 300 people, most of whom were BIA employees, he observed that the event was not an occasion for celebration, but a time for reflection and contrition.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs, Fiscal Year 2001 budget request is $2.2 billion, a net increase of $331.9 million above the FY 2000 enacted level. Leading the way in the increases in FY 2001 are School Construction, Trust Services, Law Enforcement, and Tribal Priority Allocation funds. Assistant Secretary Kevin Gover praised this budget, stating, "This budget is a good step forward. For too long, the needs of the American Indian people were ignored, and that neglect has created problems that are difficult to solve and expensive to fix.

For Halloween, beyond increasing their presence on the streets during that holiday, law enforcement officers from the Crow Agency, Northern Cheyenne Agency, Wind River Agency and Spokane Agency went into schools to talk with children from kindergarten to sixth grade about safety when trick-or-treating. They distributed Halloween bags filled with candy, pencils, pens, rulers and crayons to each student. The officers at the Crow Agency and Northern Cheyenne Reservation sponsored a Spook House for the children of the community.

Education for American Indian children, safety for Indian reservation residents, the restoration of the environment and a continuation of the remarkable comeback of an American icon lead the way in President Clinton's Fiscal Year 2000 budget request for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The FY 2000 budget request for the BIA is 1.9 billion dollars; an increase of $155.6 million above the 1999 enacted level.

I was briefed this morning for the first time by Special Trustee Paul Homan on his final Strategic Plan to reform trust fund management for Tribal and individual trust funds and resources.

The plan represents his views, independent from the Department of the Interior or the Office of Management and Budget. Before I make final recommendations, I intend to give the Strategic Plan close and thorough study.

Thanks to a newly established Bureau of Indian Affairs service, Indian tribes and schools can now better protect their children by using a fingerprint service that will detect the past criminal history of prospective and newly hired employees.

"We are very pleased to announce this important and, needed new service, which will help to ensure the safety and well-being of our Indian children," says Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Ada E. Deer.

"I appreciated the opportunity to hear from tribal leaders from across the country. Their input provided an important picture of the economic benefits reservations have gained from Indian Gaming."

"I want to continue to gather information from parties interested in this issue, and I continue to believe these issues are best resolved by bilateral negotiations between states and tribes as intended under the Indian Gaming Regulation Act, and that the Act provides room for compromise."