the decision might result in a speedier end to the
case. (See also entries for DECEMBER 19, 2005, and
JULY 12, 2006.)
November 25
Canada commits $4.3 billion to combat
Native poverty.
Following a summit with five Native organizations,
Canadian prime minister Paul Martin announces
the government’s pledge of $4.3 billion to aid Can-
ada’s 1 million Indians and Inuits. Over the next
10 years, the money will fund improvements in Na-
tive health care, education, housing, and economic
opportunities with the goal of eliminating wide-
spread poverty within Native communities. Earlier
in the week, the Canadian government offered an
additional $1.7 billion to Native students in com-
pensation for the sexual and psychological abuse
they endured at Indian boarding schools.
December 9
Supreme Court rules against the
Potawatomi in fuel tax case.
Before the Supreme Court, lawyers representing the
Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation of Kansas argue that
the tribe should not have to pay fuel tax on gasoline
sold at its gas station. The attorneys hold that paying
the tax will have an adverse effect on the Potawatomi
economy, because the tribe would have to forgo its
own fuel tax to stay competitive. In a 7-2 decision, the
Court rejects the argument by stating the tax “poses
no affront to the nation’s sovereignty.” The decision
is the first in a major Indian case to come before the
Court since John Roberts was named chief justice.
Potawatomi council chairman Zachariah Pahmah-
mie criticizes the decision as part of “a disturbing
trend of judicial indifference to tribal issues.”
December 13
Early Maya painting is discovered.
At San Bartolo in Guatemala, archaeologists find
a 30-by-3–foot Maya mural, which carbon dating
reveals is the earliest known painting from that an-
cient civilization. Painted in vivid oranges, yellows,
blues, and reds, the mural is the centerpiece of a
larger artwork and depicts a mythological and an
actual coronation. William Saturno, an archaeolo-
gist at the University of New Hampshire, explains
the discovery’s significance by noting “it’s like
knowing only modern art and then stumbling on a
Michelangelo or a Leonardo.’’December 19Judge in Indian trust fund case orders
government to pay plaintiffs’ legal fees.
Finding the U.S. government’s position not “sub-
stantially justified,” U.S. District Judge Royce C.
Lamberth orders the United States to pay $7.1 mil-
lion to the legal team representing Indian plaintiffs
in Cobell v. Norton accounts (see entry for JUNE 10,
1996), who claim the government has misman-
aged Indian trust funds. The money represents $4.5
million for legal fees and $2.5 million in expenses
amassed during the first five years of the case. Lam-
berth finds the government acted in “bad faith,”
asserting that the “defendants made numerous il-
legitimate representations, failed to correct known
misrepresentations, and neglected to inform the
court about self-inflicted obstacles to comply with
its discovery obligations.” (See also entry for JULY
12, 2006.)December 21Arctic drilling bill doomed by Senate
filibuster.
A Senate defense bill that includes a controversial
provision allowing for drilling in the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is shot down by filibus-
ter. Blocking the bill are votes by 40 Democrats,
three Republicans, and one independent. Drilling
in ANWR has long been opposed by advocates for
the Gwich’in Nation, who contend it would destroy
the tribe’s homeland. The next day, the Senate will
pass a $453 billion military spending bill, with the
authorization of ANWR drilling removed.