1.      Hopi/ Navajo Sacred Land Dispute 

This issue is both current and ancient.  The San Francisco Peaks are sacred to both the Hopi and the Dineh, and to at least eleven other tribes.  The mountains are at the heart of ancient tribal myths and rituals. So what happens when non-Indians want to blow artificial snow on the mountains for skiers and snow boarders?  And what if the snow is made of processed sewage water? The courts will protect the religious rights of Indians, right? In January 2007, the reservation headlines read, "Federal Judge Rules Against Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, in Disappointing Position on San Francisco Peak Case."  What should happen? What has happened since? What will happen? It's a story of money, politics, and sacred land. Does anything protect the religious rights of Indians?
 

2.      Tribal Gambling/ Tribal Employment/ Current Tribal Sovereignty Policy 

Why is casino gambling an Indian issue?  Why are so many tribes moving in this direction?  What is the appeal?  How can Indians get away with running a casino & not paying taxes?  What do states have to say about this?  Is it really a problem?  Is the problem about violating stereotypes?  Are Indian Nations really sovereign nations within the U.S.?  All of these questions relate to this timely issue.  It’s bigger than “bingo.” And Donald Trump is ticked off about it.

3.      American Indian Education

It's about history: how have Indians been treated historically in America's educational systems? It's about now: do Native American students have special needs?  What about a statistical profile of N.A. students at various levels?  How does the Federal Government support Indian education?  Does the support get in the way of real progress?  Are traditional Indian values supported in school systems?  What about Indian languages in the classroom?  Good idea or bad?  Where are the success stories?  The problems?

4.      Leonard Peltier & A.I.M. 

Did he really kill those FBI agents?  Robert Redford says, "No." Many say he was framed by the FBI.  Peltier was/is an activist with A.I.M.  Sure, he was there at Wounded Knee.  But was he guilty?  Why, if so many say he is innocent, is he still in jail?  Will President Obama give Executive clemency?  What’s the story of this "Incident at Oglala?" Why is Leonard Peltier such an important cause for so many Indians?                                                                                                    

5.      Black Hills

The most sacred land of the Lakota Nation is not owned by the Lakota.  They say it was stolen by the government because gold was discovered there.  The government says…well, you are sort of right about that. So here's some money.  Take it.  But the Lakota have said no. "We want the land, not the money. The land of the sacred Black Hills is the center of the world.  We want our land back."  Will they ever get it back?  How are they trying to get it back? What do the Lakota think about the Black Hills today?

6.      Health

Is the phrase "Indian Health" an oxymoron?  Indians have high diabetes rates, high alcoholism rates, high suicide rates.  The statistics don't lie.  Why do Indian people have such problems with their health?  Is it cultural?  Genetic?  Are things getting better?  What is the role of the Indian Health Service – what do they do & how are they funded?  What needs to happen with Indian health services?  What are Indians & others doing about it?

7.      Mismanagement of Trust Funds

 Oh boy.  Big scandal.  The Department of the Interior was supposed to look after millions and millions of dollars for Indians.  People went looking for the money…and what do you know?  It was missing!  The people "looking after the Indians" took their money.  What happened to the cash?  Who took it & where did it go?  The Indians are taking the matter to court…will they win?  (And by the way, how did the Indians get all that money in the first place?)   

8.   Recognition

Many tribal groups around the country are seeking "Federal Recognition."  What is involved with that? Why does it make a difference?  Why do tribes need the Federal Government to tell them they are Indians anyway?  What does Recognition mean to an Indian individual?  In Virginia and NC many tribes are petitioning the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) for Federal Recognition, but some of these groups are also hoping to bypass the whole process to win recognition. What can H.R.3349 do for Virginia Indians -- and in the year of the Jamestown 2007 Celebration? In NC the Lumbee have a friend in Senator Dole...can she get Lumbee recognition through Congress?  What do you think about the recognition process?  Does it work? Is it fair?     

9.      Kennewick Man

 It looked like a homicide.  A skull exposed at the shoreline.  The police were surprised, though.  A stone arrowhead was stuck in one of his bones! He was several thousand years old – so it must be the skeleton of a Native American.  But wait!  It looks European!  How could that happen?  And on the West Coast….Was he a stray Viking?  Enter the archaeologists: "We want to date his bones."  A tribe steps up: "No, we want to give our ancestor a proper burial. You will not touch him."  Up jump the American Descendants of Vikings: "He's not Indian, can't you see?  You have no claim to him."  Did Tony Hillerman write this novel?  Nope…it's real.  Who is Kennewick Man?  What will be his fate?  Will DNA testing reveal his true ethnic identity?  Will repatriation laws keep us from ever finding out who this stranger from the past really is? What should happen with Kennewick Man? 

This is a Golden Age for Native American lit : Sherman Alexie, Leslie Marmon Silko, Thomas King, Louise Erdrich, Paula Gunn Allen, Joy Harjo. There are many more. Who are some of the best American Indian writers working today?  What are they writing?  What are some themes?  Point us in the right direction for finding good NA authors.  Who are some of the classic NA authors?  Why is N. Scott Momaday always mentioned?   And by the way, what is "Native American Literature," anyway?  Is it anything written by an Indian?  Does it have to be about Indians?   Is it a valid genre?