Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 36
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz.-The three branch chiefs came together in February to approve the appointments of the first ever Navajo Nation Youth Advisory Council (NNYAC). The NNYAC was designed to give youth a platform to voice their concerns, call awareness to issues they want to confront and engage with the leaders and decision-makers of the Navajo Nation not only at local levels, but at state and national levels too. During interviews for the council, many of the applicants spoke...
OTTAWA, Ont.-The Prime Minister and Minister of Youth, Justin Trudeau, recently announced several ways for young Canadians, including indigenous young people, to take part in the development of Canada's first youth policy. Young Canadians can now access an easy-to-use, interactive online platform, youthaction.ca, where they can share their ideas and perspectives on what a youth policy should look like. "This initiative is about making sure young Canadians from all walks of lif...
ADA, Okla.- A new application for mobile devices will help preserve a tradition Chickasaw and Choctaw churchgoers have enjoyed for almost two centuries. Developed by the Chickasaw Nation through the Chickasaw Press, the app will allow people to open songs on a smartphone with their own portable hymnal. "These beautiful and powerful Choctaw hymns have been a cherished part of church services for generations," said Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby. "This new app will...
My son, Gardner, is a college student who works at a movie complex. Unfortunately for a bunch of teenagers, last night he was collecting tickets at a section of the theater that was showing a new R-rated movie about sexual abuse and violence, supposedly in the name of romance. When the kids tried to get into the R-rated movie, Gardner sent them to their movie on the opposite side of the complex. It's sad that teens would try to see a basically pornographic movie teaching that...
It was the last day in March when I went to my trap line on Assinika Lake in northern Manitoba. I needed to check my traps. My son was to follow. When I first got there, I set some beaver snares, and then I checked my fish net. Toward evening I went for firewood from the bush. As I was returning to the cabin, I met some men from my village. They came to tell me of my son's tragic death. He had locked himself in a closet and hanged himself. After I heard that message I said to...
TAHLEQUAH, Okla.-The longest-running American Indian art show in Oklahoma returns to the Cherokee Heritage Center in Park Hill, Oklahoma, with the 47th annual Trail of Tears Art Show April 7–May 5. Artists compete for more than $15,000 in the following categories: painting, sculpture, pottery, basketry, graphics, jewelry and miniatures. All artists are citizens of a federally recognized American Indian tribe or nation. An awards reception will be held on April 6 from 6-8 p.m....
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-Harvard's first-ever tenured professor in Native American studies, History professor Philip J. Deloria, began teaching last month, after years of activists calling for Native American studies offerings. Deloria's appointment is the culmination of an effort by the Harvard University Native American Program (HUNAP). Deloria, who is Native American, has been working with HUNAP, the University's main organization for Native American students and faculty, since...
WASHINGTON-In late January, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke signed an agreement with the Alaska Native King Cove Native Corp., which is made up of tribal members from the local Agdaagux and Belkofski tribes, to build a life-saving road between the Native village and the nearby all-weather airport in Cold Bay. For three decades the Aleut residents of King Cove Native Corporation in Alaska have tried to get federal approval for a 12-mile single-lane road corridor to...
WINDOW ROCK-In February, the three branch chiefs of the Navajo Nation met to sign cyberbullying legislation into law. The legislation effectively updates the harassment, stalking and manslaughter statutes of the Navajo Nation Criminal Code to include criminal behavior in usage of electronic devices. President Russell Begaye was joined by Speaker of the 23rd Navajo Nation Council Honorable LoRenzo Bates and Navajo Nation Chief Justice JoAnn Jayne. The amendments to the...
OTTAWA, Ont.-Ontario is expanding culturally relevant child and family programs for more than 1,800 children and their families in over 40 First Nation communities across the province. As part of The Journey Together: Ontario's Commitment to Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, the province is enhancing existing and supporting the development of new child and family programs in over 40 First Nations. Ontario is supporting First Nations children and their families by...
Tallequah, Okla.-Preserva-tion of Cherokee heritage comes in a wide array of forms. There are Cherokee Nation preservationists in areas like language, which is spoken and written. There are song and dance traditionalists, and master artisans devoted to traditional Cherokee arts like carving, pottery and basket weaving. One of the other most popular and highly participatory efforts to preserve heritage has been food preservation through the Cherokee Nation seed bank program. Th...
SEATTLE, Wash.-The city of Seattle, Washington may have been named after a Native American chief of the Duwamish and Suquamish tribes, but in today's world the city and surrounding areas are not smiling on the plight of Native Americans. In a country where Native Americans die at higher rates than most Americans from diabetes, drugs and homicide, and have experienced a long history of often-violent displacement, they also make up an outsized portion of the homeless...
OTTAWA, Ont.-Ontario and Indigenous partners are working together to improve access to care and increase the involvement of Indigenous communities in developing and delivering their health services. This includes direct funding for communities to enhance access to care, funding for services as well as training opportunities and identifying opportunities for greater First Nations control over the design and delivery of health care services in the future. Dr. Eric Hoskins,...
WASHINGTON-Recovery from the Great Recession has been slow in much of Arizona, but in Indian Country the pace has been glacial. A decade after the start of the recession, Native Americans posted poverty and unemployment numbers that were more than twice the overall state average, and per capita incomes that were less than half those of the rest of the state. Those margins have barely budged since the recession started at the end of 2007, and in the case of income the gap has...
ATLANTA, Ga.-A new report released recently by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals that although significant progress has been made in reducing overall commercial tobacco product use among Americans, disparities persist, with American Indians/Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) having one of the highest cigarette smoking prevalences of all racial/ethnic groups. The findings based on five years of studies revealed that tobacco product use was significantly higher...
Indigenous partnerships power renewable energy Edmonton, Alta.-Albertans will see new jobs, more private-sector investment and increased green power generation as the next phase of the Renewable Electricity Program focuses on partnerships with Indigenous communities. The highly competitive opening round of the program attracted about $1 billion of private-sector investment in green power generation in Alberta. Building off that momentum, the Alberta Electric System Operator (A...
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz.-In a statement of strong support for Navajo veterans across the reservation, President Russell Begaye signed a bill that increases direct services funding for veterans through the Veterans Trust Fund. Established in 1998 with a balance of $6 million, the Veterans Trust Fund covers services for Navajo veterans, including housing, hardship assistance, education, burial costs, food stipends and other direct services. Legislation No. 0191-17 adds new language...
ROCKVILLE, Md.—The Indian Health Service (IHS) is announcing eight grants for the Zero Suicide Initiative. This program supports projects that promote improvements within a system of care for those at risk for suicide by implementing a comprehensive and culturally informed approach in the Indian health system. “Suicide and its causes are a complex topic but we are working to better understand some of the underlying factors including social and environmental influences, substance misuse and intergenerational trauma,” said...
Kansas City, Mo.-On February 21, evangelist William Franklin (Billy) Graham died at 99 years old, in his Montreat, N.C. home. In 60 years of ministry, Graham preached to an estimated 215 million people in 185 countries through his crusades. He reached hundreds of millions of others through television, video, radio, and film. Often referred to as America's pastor, Graham had a heart for Native Americans. From his earlier crusade Graham welcomed all tribes into his crusades,...
VICTORIA, B.C.-On February 15, Premier John Horgan joined Moose Hide Campaign officials in Victoria to hand out the one millionth moose hide pin, representing one million people standing together to end violence against women and children. Now in its eighth year, the Moose Hide Campaign is a B.C.-born, grassroots campaign to encourage men to stand up and address violence. "Our government is proud to be part of the Moose Hide Campaign. As men and allies, we need to speak out...
WASHINGTON-The federal tax overhaul passed in December is "completely unacceptable" to Native Americans, just another example of what can happen when tribes are not included in federal decision-making, a tribal leader said recently. National Congress of American Indians President Jefferson Keel said in the annual State of Indian Nations address that the government-to-government relationship between tribes and Washington is even more important now, as the federal government...
CLEVELAND-Major League Baseball has announced that the league's Cleveland franchise will retire the team's Chief Wahoo mascot and logo in 2019. The mascot will remain on uniform sleeves and caps in 2018, but will be removed from these items and its field presence starting in the 2019 season. After lengthy discussions between team owner Paul Dolan and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, the Indians are retiring the big-toothed, smiling, red-faced caricature. "Major League Baseball...
WASHINGTON-After a nearly two-decade long fight for federal recognition through legislation, six Virginia Indian tribes received federal recognition Jan. 29 as United Stated President Donald Trump signed legislation known as the Thomasina Jordan Act. The tribes receiving recognition are the Chickahominy, Eastern Chickahominy, Upper Mattaponi, Rappahannock, Nansemond and Monacan. With the passing of this final legislation, the number of federally recognized tribes in the Common...
OTTAWA, Ont.-For too long, Indigenous Peoples in Canada have had to prove their rights exist and fight to have them recognized and fully implemented. To truly renew the relationship between Canada and Indigenous people, the Government of Canada must make the recognition and implementation of rights the basis for all relations between Indigenous peoples and the federal government. The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, announced in February that the Government of Canada will devel...
OTTAWA, Ont.-During the February 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Indigenous youth from Canada were well represented by these athletes: Spencer O'Brien One of the world's most skilled snowboarders, Spencer learned how to snowboard from her dad and sister when she was 11 years old. At 15, she started slopestyling and finished 12th in women's slopestyle at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games and won the gold medal at the 2013 FIS Snowboarding World Championships, as well as...
