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PHOENIX, Ariz.-Time, distance and technology limitations are among the reasons Native Americans may be the most difficult demographic to count in the 2020 census, the Census Bureau says. But lack of trust is the biggest reason, said Patty Hibbeler, chief executive of the Phoenix Indian Center, which provides workforce and youth development, drug and alcohol prevention and language and culture revitalization. "It comes from a very long and very negative history with the...
Love according to kids Sometimes we run out of wise advice on love, so we ask kids about it. Eric, age 6, was asked, "What exactly is marriage?" He said, "Marriage is when you get to keep your girl and don't have to give her back to her parents!" Kally, age 9, was asked, "How do you decide who to marry?" "You flip a nickel," she said, "heads means you stay with him. Tails means you try the next one." Eddie, age 6, was asked how to tell if two people are married. He said, "If...
Dear Friends, Now that the craziness of the holidays is behind us we can take a big breath and consider what lies ahead-a great year I hope. Every year at this time I peruse cookbooks and magazines for ideas and hope to come up with something new and interesting to make. Sometimes a new combination of an old dish is the right thing. If you think of pastas, flour tortillas or split baguettes as a canvas, half the work is done. I like to have some cooked pasta (elbows,...
Recently Roger, a man I'd only known a short time, told me his father had passed away and he needed to go through his father's things and empty the house so he could sell it. He'd been living in a different state and hadn't seen his father in years, his mother had died years ago and he was an only child, the last of the family. He had no one to help him. I told him I'd be happy to help him sort through his father's things and pack up the photos and important keepsakes. I had...
Movie enthusiasts might remember the riveting role of the silent Indian "Chief Bromden" played by the late actor, Will Sampson, a 6-foot-7-inch, full-blooded Creek Indian. The chief was a fellow patient and friend of Jack Nicholson's character, Randle McMurphy in the classic movie, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." Sampson received critical acclaim for his dramatic performance. The 1975 film won all five major Academy Awards over four decades ago. The poignant drama...
I plunged my hands in soapy dishwater and went into automatic pilot as usual when washing dishes: Stare through the dirty window above the kitchen sink, wash a glass, rinse it off, put it in the drainer. A plate now. Wash, rinse, repeat. A flurry of activity on my patio-birds feasting on seed I'd scattered. And not just one bird-seven! After wiping my sudsy hands on my jeans, I reached for my binoculars. Then I scrambled to the kitchen table and grabbed a scrap of paper....
• Ordained Deacon • Conference Speaker • Head Pastor When the average person thinks of a deacon or head pastor, the image of a kindly white male generally comes to mind. Although it is true that more women are accepted in ministry today than in the past, a Native American woman in such roles defies the odds, which is exactly what Evelene "Tweedy" Sombrero Navarrete-a full-blooded Dine' (Navajo) woman from Inscription House, Arizona-does. She describes her ordination exper...
Along the eastern shore of Lake Winnipeg is a community of people of mixed nationality. At one time they knew nothing of the true gospel, nor had they any knowledge whatever of the Persons of the Godhead. Many years ago the writer, Robert McClurkin, was staying in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Henry George Thomas of Stoney Point, when Mr. Thomas told him the following story: In the days of grandfather, there was an old Indian Chief who lived some distance to the north. He was...
PHOENIX – Alex Alejandre lost 75 pounds in a year. His wife, Mary, lost 40. They want to set a good example for their 17-year-old son, Nathan, and take a personal stand against obesity, which can lead to diabetes and other serious health problems, especially in Native Americans. "The health of my child is everything to me. I want him to grow up to be healthy," said Alex, a member of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. With the help of a community program, his f...
TSIDI TO'II, Ariz.-In December, Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez signed the master lease between the Navajo Nation and the Navajo Housing Authority for the Birdsprings Elderly Group Home, located adjacently east of the Tsidi To'ii Chapter in Birdsprings, Ariz. The facility was constructed in 2009 with the Native American Housing and Self-Determination Act, which assists Native American tribes in improving housing and infrastructure. The facility has approximately ten...
Denver, Colo,-The American Indian College Fund has received a four-year, $300,000 grant from the Clare Boothe Luce Program at the Henry Luce Foundation, specifically to help Native American women get degrees and build their careers in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. Native American women currently have the lowest representation in the STEM fields. The College Fund will award $75,000 to four outstanding American Indian and Alaska Native women...
Los Altos, Calif.-The Heising-Simons Foundation has announced that Rebecca Nagle is a recipient of the 2020 American Mosaic Journalism Prize. Rebecca Nagle is a writer and audio journalist, as well as an advocate, based in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, USA Today, Teen Vogue, the Guardian, VICE News and the Boston Globe. She is the creator and host of the podcast "This Land" (Crooked Media), which explores Native American rights. A citizen...
KYKOTSMOVI, Ariz.-Vanissa Barnes-Saucedo was 21 when military recruiters stopped her in a shopping mall, waving enlistment papers in front of her. Although she says she wasn't entirely sure what she was getting herself into, she signed the papers anyway. For the next six years, Barnes-Saucedo was stationed around the world: Virginia, Colorado, South Korea, Kuwait and Iraq. However, by the time she was honorably discharged in 2014, she suffered from post traumatic stress...
Vancouver, B.C.-As the 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages (IYIL2019) closed last month, the First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) of British Columbia praised the efforts made to revitalize and maintain First Nations languages in British Columbia. Ambitious goals and work have been accomplished and sustained through global and regional efforts with the implementation of the IYIL2019 to preserve and promote First Nations languages, but these efforts must go...
COMOX, B.C.-The Comox Valley Airport has recently installed above its departures lounge a replica of a First World War Nieuport biplane donated by the late Captain David Freeman, a long time pilot and aviation enthusiast as part of the Plane of Reconciliation project. Freeman's wish was for the 400,000 people who pass through the airport annually to see the plane as a reminder of the contributions and sacrifices of Indigenous Peoples, and all Canadian Veterans, honored...
Great Falls, Mont.-After 80-plus years of seeking federal recognition the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa has become the 574th federally recognized tribe in the United States. Federal recognition will give tribe members access to health care and social services. Located in Montana, the tribe celebrated their victory by remembering those who have, over the years, pursued the recognition-including 93-year-old Theresa Juraskovich, the oldest tribal member, who told High Country...
As you have put your trust in Christ Jesus the Lord to Save you from the punishment of sin, now let Him lead you in every step. -Colossians 2:6 NLV In the fall of 1986, my cousin Peter, my brother, Johnny, and I decided to go caribou hunting by canoe and motor. The caribou had come close to the coast and we only needed a couple hours to go and come back before dark. The weather was calm and clear. It took us no more than an hour to get to a good hunting location. We each shot...
Los Angeles, Calif.-At the Academy Awards on February 9, 2020, Taiki Waititi was the first person of Maori descent to win an Oscar, and was the first indigenous person to be nominated in the adapted screenplay category. Waititi was the writer-director-actor for the movie "JojoRabbit." Though Waititi was not a First Nations or Native American, he used his win in the American annual high-profile event to draw attention to Indigenous people all over. "I want to dedicate this to...
I was watching a news report this morning about an earthquake in Asia. It wasn't all that bad (as earthquakes go) but it got me thinking about the storms we all face in life. Everyone has his or her share of storms, Storms of health, relationships, finances, employment (or lack thereof)-scenarios we didn't choose and then the "Reap what you sow" quagmires we find ourselves in now and then! God's Word gives us answers to the storms we face in this life everything from attitude...
Question: I am from Ottawa and Chippewa heritage. I am incarcerated, but I've renewed my relationship with Christ and would love for the helpful information on how to walk closer on the Creator's path, as well as Indian Life newspaper. I am struggling with some of my Native sisters and their beliefs. I need help to bring them to Christ. They believe Jesus is for white people and was forced on us because our parents were removed and placed in Catholic boarding schools and so...
Edmonton, AB.-In early February 2000, aniskwaciy Academy opened its doors. It was the first Indigenous-based public high school in Canada, steeped in Indigenous language, culture and traditions. "We have strong academy programming, but we also want to make sure our kids are getting strong cultural teaching," principal Fred Hines told CBC news. Hines also says the goal is to learn about the Cree culture and create a community of forward thinkers. In 2000, when the school...
Parksville, B.C.-Recently, the Honorable Marc Miller, Minister of Indigenous Services, congratulated 24 Indigenous innovators on moving forward in developing their ideas under the Indigenous Homes Innovation Initiative. The 24 innovators come from all regions of Canada and their ideas cover a range of new ways to respond to Indigenous social and housing needs. The selected innovators are now taking part in the Accelerator period. The Accelerator will provide the innovators...
WASHINGTON-Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Tara Sweeney announced that the Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development (IEED) has awarded business development grants totaling $727,229 to 21 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes. Over half of the awards are for proposed or existing projects located in Opportunity Zones. The awards from IEED's Native American Business Development Institute (NABDI) Feasibility Study Program will enable tribal le...
OTTAWA, Ont.-A January 2020 report released by the Correctional Investigator of Canada shows that Canada's prisons are being "Indigenized," or filling up with Indigenous men and women at a rate surpassing 30 percent, which could rise to 33 percent, even though Indigenous people make up less than 5 per cent of the total Canadian population. Indigenous women account for a staggering 42 per cent of the women inmate population in Canada. The Correctional Investigator of Canada,...
TAHLEQUAH, Okla.-The Cherokee Nation is the first tribe in the United States to receive an invitation to deposit its traditional heirloom seeds to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, a long-term seed storage facility housed deep inside a mountain on a remote island in Norway. The Cherokee Nation Secretary of Natural Resources office collected nine samples of Cherokee heirloom crops to send to Svalbard, including Cherokee White Eagle Corn, the tribe's most sacred corn, which is...
