The year’s events were marked by the background of the continuing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. These efforts still involve many Native American soldiers. They also amount to a huge expenditure for the federal government which, in response to record national deficits, has tried to cut services it deems unessential. For some tribes, this

means that Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) contracts are lost. BIA contracts provide resources to tribes to run social, economic, ecological, educational and other programs; cutting these resources will not only mean a loss of tribally controlled programs but also a loss of tribal employment opportunities. The Northern Cheyenne Tribe in Montana, for example, will probably lose 35 jobs because of this. Any loss of employment opportunities on small, underdeveloped reservations is a disaster. On the other hand, those tribes who are involved in manufacturing contracts for the Department of Defense are gaining employment and revenues. Sioux Manufacturing, of the Spirit Lake Nation, North Dakota, for example, which manufactures personal and vehicle armor, runs three shifts and made about US$20 million in profits this year.