Feb 2nd, 2010 · Rosetta Stone, which focuses on teaching languages to tourists and business travelers, is helping the Chitimacha tribe of Louisiana resuscitate its native tongue. The last native speaker passed away in 1940, and the tribe hopes shiny new software will attract youth to the language.
Jan 12th, 2010 · This week, a novel asks, does God exist? David Malouf re-imagines an episode from Homer's Iliad, and surgeon-writer Atul Gawande offers a simple solution for the complicated problem of healing patients. Also, a memoir of life and linguistics in an Amazon tribe.
Dec 8th, 2009 · The U.S. Justice Department announced Tuesday a $3 billion settlement with Indian tribes. This marks the end of a 13-year lawsuit brought against the government by Indian tribes over billions of dollars in valuable land and oil royalties.
Dec 8th, 2009 · Under an agreement announced Tuesday that still needs congressional approval, the Interior Department will distribute $1.4 billion to more than 300,000 tribe members to compensate them for historical accounting claims. It also will spend $2 billion to buy back and consolidate tribal land lost by previous generations.
Nov 17th, 2009 · A Sioux tribe based in Lower Brule, S.D., just bought the Westrock Group, making the company the first fully Native American-owned investment firm. As a tribal business Westrock will gain access to a new pool of money and it won't have to pay federal income tax.
Oct 30th, 2009 · A plane feared lost in the Amazon made an emergency river landing in a remote part of the rain forest and nine of the 11 people aboard survived, Brazil's Air Force said Friday. Members of the Matis Indian tribe found the plane and the survivors in a sprawling jungle reservation.
Oct 21st, 2009 · Many rural tribes of the nation's 500 Indian tribes are struggling despite $3 billion in stimulus money earmarked for Indian country. The money hasn't started flowing, and even when it does, it won't have a huge impact, according to a Harvard economist. Shonto, Ariz., is trying to find "different avenues of funding," says community developer Brett Isaac.
Oct 13th, 2009 · 95 percent of Libya is desert. The south-western region, called Fezzan, is the heart of the Sahara and almost entirely inhospitable. Although ancient tribes inhabited this area, especially during lusher seasons, the harsh winds, oppressive sunlight a...