September 14
The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) settles
lawsuit with the family of deceased Indian
boarding school student.
The BIA agrees to pay $1.8 million to the family of
Cindy Lou Brightstar Sohappy-Gilbert, who died
at the Chemawa Indian School in Oregon in De-
cember 2003. Employees of the federally run school
locked the 16-year-old student in a holding cell at
the school, where she died of alcohol poisoning. A
report released by the Department of the Interior
in July found that the BIA’s “historical pattern of
inaction and disregard for human health and safety”
played a role in Sohappy-Gilbert’s death.
September 23The National Museum of the American
Indian opens the Diker Pavilion.
The National Museum of the American Indian’s
facilityin the old U.S. Custom House in New York
City opens the Diker Pavilion for Native Arts and
Culture to the public. This 6,000-square-foot
space has been renovated to create new display
cases and a performance area. Museum director
John Haworth explains that his space will be used
for “everything from contemporary native Ameri-
can dance groups to powwows and other kinds of
events.”