Past News Items

Ada E. Deer, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs is pleased to announce that on June 3, 1996 the Department of Justice on behalf of the Department of the Interior petitioned the United States Supreme Court to review the Eighth Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals holding that Sections of the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, (IRA) (25 U.S.C. 461 et seq.), is unconstitutional (69 F.3d 878).

Section 5 of the IRA provides in part that:

Calling it "a tremendous step forward in addressing the needs of technologically needy students on remote Indian reservations," Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt announced today that Microsoft Corporation has contributed over $350,000 in software, computers and cash to Four Directions, a project of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) that will electronically link Indian schools using the Internet and provide new technology opportunities to Native American students in eight states.

The accomplishments of Patrick A. Hayes, Esq., former Area Director of the Albuquerque Area Office will be recognized at the graduation ceremony of the Water Resource and Engineering Surveying Technical Training Programs on August 15, 1996, Hilda Manuel, Deputy Commissioner for Indian Affairs announced today. The Water Resource Technical Training is being held at New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico in August 1996 through September 1996.

Secretary Bruce Babbitt announced today that the final rule to implement amendments to the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act will be effective on August 23. "This rule, developed with tribal governments, will promote Indian self-sufficiency by allowing tribes and tribal organizations to more easily contract from the federal government for services provided to their members," Secretary Babbitt said.

The Devil's Lake Sioux Tribe of North Dakota has officially changed its name to SPIRIT LAKE TRIBE, Ada E. Deer, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs announced today.

According to the elders of the Tribe, who maintain the oral history of the lake for which the Tribe was named, it was always known to the Sioux as "Spirit Lake." Therefore, for members of the Tribe it has always been considered wrong to refer to the lake as "Devil's Lake."

Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Ada E. Deer signed a preliminary decision in which she proposes to deny Federal recognition of the Duwamish Tribal Organization of Renton, WA, a petitioner for Federal acknowledgment as an Indian tribe.

"The petitioner failed to meet three of the fundamental criteria contained in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 25, Section 83.7," Ms. Deer said.

Ada E. Deer, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, will appear on ABC's Unity '99 hosted program which is a nationally televised electronic town hall meeting on Affirmative Action. The program is scheduled to be aired on Wednesday, June 12, 1996 which is telecasted from Chicago, on channel 7. This program is replacing ABC's Nightline on the 12th.

The broadcast will take place on WLS-TV (ABC), Channel 7, at 11:30 EDT; 10:30 CDT.

Ada E. Deer, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs signed a final decision denying recognition of the Golden Hill Paugussett Tribe. The decision was based on the determination that the Golden Hill Paugussett Tribe did not meet one of the mandatory criteria in the Code of Regulations (25 CFR 83.7(e)).

Ada E. Deer, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs signed a final decision recognizing a separate government-to-government relationship between the Delaware Tribe of Eastern Oklahoma and the federal government.

Thanks to a newly developed process that streamlines the planning, design, and construction of Indian schools, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) will be able to complete new schools in half the time or less. This means that the current seven to eight years that it has taken to build or renovate a school 'will now require only three years or less.