Past News Items

The unparalleled development of human end natural resources that has taken place on the Navajo Indian Reservation since the end of World War II is "only a prologue:" to the further development that must be accomplished over the coming decade, the Commissioner-designate of Indian Affairs, Philleo Nash, told a predominantly Navajo audience today.

Vincent Little, the Bureau of Indian Affairs Portland, Oregon Area Director, has been detailed to serve as the acting Phoenix Area Director for a period not to exceed 120 days.

Commissioner of Indian Affairs William Hallett said that Little "is an excellent administrator who will provide effective leadership for the Phoenix area in a critical period of change."

A Mohave Indian, Little was named Arizona Indian of the Year in 1971 when he was in charge of the Phoenix Indian School.

A conference was held July 6-7 at Lake Tahoe on the California-Nevada border to discuss water needs of the area, including Lake Tahoe, the Truckee Carson River Irrigation District, and the water requirements of the Pyramid Lake Indians.

Commissioner of Indian Affairs William Hallett today announced the appointment of Susan Drake to his Public Information Staff in the Washington Office. Ms. Drake, who will head the publications function for the BIA, will be responsible for the annual report, fact sheets, newsletters, brochures and the many BIA publications distributed to the general public.

The Department of the Interior today announced the selection of three new superintendents for Indian agencies in Minnesota, Montana and Washington.

At the Minnesota Agency in Bemidji, Herman P. Mittelholz, superintendent of the Turtle Mountain Agency in North Dakota since 1957, will succeed W. Wendell Palmer who retired May 13. No successor has been designated for Turtle Mountain.

WASHINGTON – Today U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke and the Bureau of Indian Affairs announced the selection of Eugene R. Peltola Jr. (of Yupik and Tlingit descent), from Orutsararmiut Native Council, a federally recognized tribal government, as Regional Director for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) in Alaska. The BIA Alaska Regional Office oversees offices in Anchorage and Fairbanks, all of which provide services to 227 federally recognized Alaska Native tribes. The selection of Mr. Peltola, fulfills a commitment Secretary Zinke made to Alaska Natives while visiting in 2017.

Commissioner of Indian Affairs William E. Hallett said today that charges of financial abuses or mismanagement in the Comanche Indian Tribe of Oklahoma appear to be unfounded.

Hallett said that the Inspector General's Office of the Interior Department this month completed a survey of the tribe's financial records, including "documentation" presented to support charges made by some members of the tribe. It determined that there was no substantiation of the charges and that the tribe's financial records were in good order.

The Department of the Interior today announced the results of a recent sale of oil and gas leases on the Navajo Indian Reservation in San Juan County, New Mexico, that brought in high bids totaling over $2,400,000. It was the first public sale of such leases on Navajo tribal lands since 1959.

After considering bonus bids submitted on 36 tracts comprising 66,623 acres, the tribal organization decided within the past few days to accept offerings that totaled $2,395,147.97 on 32 of the tracts with a combined area of 57,063 acres.

WASHINGTON – Today, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Tara Mac Lean Sweeney announced the Blackwater Community School, located within the Gila River Indian Community in Coolidge, Ariz., will receive $30.1 million dollars, and the Quileute Tribe will receive $44.1 million dollars for the Quileute Tribal School located on Quileute reservation in La Push, Wash., to award design-build contracts for new school buildings.

Richmond, Virginia’s Junior ROTC Unit of John F. Kennedy High School presented $200 to the Navajo Indians at the U.S. Department of the Interior Building in Washington, D.C. December 27. Accepting the cheek was Interior's Assistant Secretary for Management and Budget Richard S. Bodman. He presently has administrative control of all Indian operations for the Department of the Interior.

In accepting the donation Assistant Secretary Bodman commended the ROTC Unit for their deep interest in helping their fellow Americans who may be less fortunate.