Past News Items

During a return visit to England King Charles I asked William Penn how he was going to gain possession of the Indian lands. Penn replied, "I will buy them."

"But how can you," asked the king, "When you have already bought them from me?"

Penn answered simply, "I bought them from you, but not because they were yours.... "

Today, almost two centuries later we are celebrating the extension of Penn's insight and belief that the land and heritage of the new world belonged to the Indians -- the first Americans.

Secretary of the Interior Stewart L. Udall today announced a new Departmental order which will require bidders on all Interior building construction work throughout the Nation to list with their bids the names and addresses of their subcontractors. This new policy supersedes experimental procedures which had been in effect since December 1963, but which were limited to Interior construction projects in Arizona and New Mexico and 'parts of the Navajo Indian Reservation in Utah and Colorado.

WASHINGTON — As part of the Obama Administration’s effort to prepare communities nationwide for the impacts of a changing climate, acting Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Lawrence S. Roberts today announced that Indian Affairs will provide nearly $6.5 million to fund tribal projects that promote climate change adaptation and ocean and coastal management planning.

Secretary of the Interior Rogers C. B. Morton is in Alaska for an 8-day inspection of areas upon which he soon will make far-reaching decisions.

His itinerary includes visits to the Wrangell Mountains in the southeast; Mount McKinley in central Alaska; the Yukon Flats and Walker Lake areas to the north and west; and the King Sabnon area in Alaska's southwest before returning to the "lower 48."

On-the-job training for 480 American Indians is set to begin under contracts recently completed with nine industries, Commissioner of Indian Affairs Philleo Nash announced today. The companies are located in New Mexico, North Carolina, Arizona, Wisconsin, Montana, and Oklahoma.

Under Bureau agreements negotiated during the current fiscal year, a total of 717 Indian workers will receive on-the-job training--an increase of 10 percent over the total for the entire preceding year. Six contracts in Oklahoma, Minnesota and North Dakota were announced last month.

Washington, D.C. — Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn today announced an extension of the comment deadline on the proposed rule to accept applications to place land into trust in Alaska, in response to several requests for extension. The public may provide written comment through July 31, 2014. The proposed rule was announced earlier this year as part of President Obama’s commitment to upholding the nation’s trust responsibilities to American Indian and Alaska Natives.

"Self-Determination or disguised termination: let’s be certain,” This theme you have chosen for your 1972 convention is indeed an interesting one. Your choice reflects the uncertainty and skepticism that have disturbed people throughout history when changes have been proposed to alter the status quo.

It is only human that we should be reluctant to accept without question every new idea that comes our way. For as Indian people, our caution to discard the familiar and accept the new is particularly understandable when we look at our own past Federal-Indian history.

The Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs today announced renewal of contracts totaling more than $150,000 with six manufacturers to provide on-the-job training for 236 American Indians. The trainees will learn industrial skills ranging from diamond polishing to electronics assembly.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell today convened the third meeting of the White House Council on Native American Affairs to discuss ongoing progress and current priorities aimed at working more collaboratively and effectively with American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes to advance their economic and social goals.

Two Federal agencies today acted to restore the traditional if buffalo to the Crow Indians' sacred Big Horn Mountain and help stimulate the growth of tourism in Montana.

The Department of the Interior will provide 35 bison to the tribe, and the department of Commerce will provide a $300,000 grant for fencing a 10,000-acre buffalo range. The actions were announced jointly by Interior Secretary Rogers C. B. Morton and Commerce Secretary Peter G. Peterson.