Agreement on Bennett Freeze

Last week, leaders representing the Hopi and Navajo tribes signed an agreement that will lift the 40 year-old development ban on land that was formerly under dispute.

Click here for the article from the Navajo-Hopi Observer.

For those interested in subscribing to the Hopi Tutuveni, Red Feather's preferred newspaper in Hopiland, subscriptions are available by mail for $20.00 per year by calling (928) 734-3284.

Photo from the Navajo-Hopi Observer website and courtesy of the Navajo Nation Office of the President and Vice President

Update on Northern Cheyenne Elections

Today's edition of the Billings Gazette provided a more detailed update on the confusion regarding last Tuesday's election results. As reported earlier, a review of the election tabulation late last week declared L. Jace Killsback as the winner in his re-elecetion bid for the Busby seat on the tribal council.

Early unofficial tallies declared that Darlene Bement had received more votes than Killsback. According to the Gazette:

Election results came under fire after revised results were released Friday. The corrected tallies reversed results in the election of a tribal council representative from the Busby District and decreased the number of tribal members voting against coalbed methane development. Two other math errors were discovered and corrected, but those did not affect the results.

Regardless of the results, Red Feather is looking forward to working with the tribal council representative from Busby as we continue our relationship with the Northern Cheyenne.

Election Results on Northern Cheyenne

Yesterday, Northern Cheyenne tribal members voted on two initiatives centered on development of the tribe's substantial energy reserves. One initiative focused on the development of coalbed methane, while the other centered on the development of coal reserves. From the Billings Gazette:

In unofficial election results, tribal voters opposed 941-365 an initiative calling for development of coalbed methane. Voters, however, approved 664-572 an initiative to develop coal reserves.

Indian Country Today featured the controversy surrounding the vote in their November 1st issue. That article can be found here.

Also on election day the community of Busby, where Red Feather is focusing its energies on Northern Cheyenne, elected a new representative to the Tribal Council - Darlene Bement.

Update: The Billings Gazette is reporting that, following review of the voting results, L. Jace Killsback is the elected representative for the community of Busby.

Web Site Update

For those of you who regularly visit our site, you may have noticed some subtle changes to the site during the past few months. We are currently in the process of streamlining the site to better meet the needs of all who visit - tribal members interested in our various programs, first-time visitors that want to find out about Red Feather, long-time supporters, and all of those in-between. Keep visiting to see the changes as they unfold.

Shebola Build Photo Gallery

Thanks to Janette Heartwood, everyone now has access to photos from the recently completed Shebola family home in Bacavi, AZ on the Hopi Reservation. For those who are interested, click here.

Red Feather's New Blog

Welcome to Red Feather Development Group's new weblog. The purpose of this blog is to update members, donors, and onlookers on the details of our work with communities on the Northern Cheyenne and Hopi Reservations.

Future articles on this site will likely include:
- Updates on our community work
- A running journal and photos of construction during our projects
- Miscellaneous articles from our staff

Thanks for visiting us. Please stay tuned!