Wampum

Crowgirl over at Magpie has an update on the Narragansetts v. Rhode Island story I posted on earlier this week. The case is finally in federal court, where it always belonged. Thousands of Rhode Islanders, native and non-native alike, have rallied in support of the tribe's battle for its sovereign rights.

As mentioned in the Indian Country Today article cited on Magpie, the case is similar to the recent Inyo County v. Bishop Paiute Tribe, where the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the state's attempts to subvert tribal sovereignty. Such battles are being fought in at least a dozen states right now. And it's important to note that when approached by Dean's campaign manager regarding my concern's about the Governor's Indian record, I specifically asked for Mr. Dean's position on Inyo County v. Bishop Paiute Tribe. While three months have now passed and still no answer from Gov. Dean, it's obvious that this issue is not going away any time soon and deserves some attention from all the Democratic candidates.