Washington, D.C. –Nevada Senator Harry Reid today released the following statement on President Jefferson Keel’s State of Indian Nations Address to the National Congress of American Indians:

“In his first annual address to the National Congress of American Indians today, President Keel offers an important road map of how to put Native communities, and the nation as a whole, on the path to lasting prosperity.

“Our efforts to put Americans back to work must include policies to address the staggering rates of unemployment among Native Americans which stands at above 50 percent on many Indian reservations and in Alaska Native villages. [more]

By NCAI President Jefferson Keel

On Jan. 25, the 2010 Census kicks off in the Inupiat Eskimo village of Noorvik, Alaska.

No roads lead to this community, so Census workers will arrive by air, snow machine or dog sled – and they will need to get there early before the ice melts and the residents leave for fishing and hunting season.

It is important to recognize the significance of Noorvik as the first place the census count begins. Our community of American Indians and Alaska Natives is one of the nation’s hardest populations to count, because of language barriers, barriers to travel and transportation to remote and rural communities, and a historic mistrust of government institutions and efforts. [more]

On January 13, 2010, the Board of Commissioners of the Oklahoma Indian Affairs Commission hosted a special reception to honor the achievements of Lieutenant Governor Jefferson Keel of the Chickasaw Nation. [more]

Friday, January 29, 2010, 9:30 a.m. EST

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Today, the Departments of Interior and Justice and Eloise Cobell announced a settlement of the ongoing Cobell trust accounting litigation on behalf of Individual Indian account holders. [more]