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We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. –John 1:14 The last part of that verse both inspires and haunts me: full of grace and truth. So often I err on one side or the other, either extending grace but ignoring the truth, which makes me an enabler, both of my own sin and that of my friends. Or I am full of truth but lacking in grace, coming down hard like a hammer, squashing those I am trying to challenge a...
The Rolling Stones sang: "You can't always get what you want. But if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need." It's kind of weird when the Rolling Stones make a really good point, but they did. You're not going to get everything you want. But if you're paying attention, you'll probably notice that you're getting what you need. There are times when requests are made to our parents, but they're denied-like the young man who wanted a special fishing pole,...
Now called "The Plateros" they feature Levi Platero, his brother, cousin, and father. They are a three-piece family Blues Rock Power trio from Tohajiilee, New Mexico of the Eastern Agency of the Navajo Nation within the southwestern U.S. They first came onto the music scene in 2004. In 2005, they were invited to the World's Largest Native Gathering in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for a 20-minute set on the "Reach the Rez Stage." At the time, the lead guitar player, Levi Platero...
Kanata is a Huron word for 'village' or 'settlement. The Hurons first named flocks of geese 'Kanata' because these birds bred close to Indian settlements. 'Kanata' was also the name given to the French settlement of Stadacona, now Quebec City and was conformed to the English name: Canada. That name was given to the geese as well. What came first? The goose's name or the country's name? Today, Canada geese are established from Canada's east coast to west coast, and from Mexico...
Ever been asked this question? Just who do you think you are? Teachers used to ask me this, and add “young man.” But if you were given ten words to describe yourself what would they be? Funny? Dull? Insanely good looking? Thin? Formerly thin? Smart? Perky? Engaging? Who are you? When I was young, I defined myself by the things my body was capable of. I was a decent athlete. I could lift things, throw things, and flex things. These days, when I lift things, I tend to throw thi...
There are many different styles of worship in Christian circles. We should never isolate it to just one style of music. Some of the (recent) traditional styles of worship were only created within the last 20 years or so; and so does that mean that all the people who lived on this earth-before these popular artists existed, didn't know how to worship God? Worship is so vital to the healing that needs to take place in our lives that we should spend less time determining what is...
Have you ever wondered how our eyes see and how our brains make sense of it all? I like to ponder such questions, especially if I am discouraged. When my faith begins to wobble, because of one circumstance or another, I like to focus on God’s marvelous creation. A sense of calm steadies my uncertainty. Our brains are even able to bring back recordings of previous sight adventures to use at a moment’s notice. (This is an amazing miracle in itself.) As I am writing this, I see...
It is so easy to love dogs. They are loyal, affectionate and faithful. This past summer my dog RD had many excitable moments. In fact, he was so excited that he would pull hard on his leash, temporarily making himself pass out. The heat and lack of oxygen would overcome him. At first I didn’t know what was happening and was so concerned, I thought maybe there was something wrong with his diet or that he had some kind of sickness. I will never forget the first time it h...
SANTA, FE, NEW MEXICO-There's something about Santa Fe, New Mexico that's quite special. It may be the many museums and galleries that dot the landscape with art and history. Or maybe the confluence of cultures: Native American, Spanish, and Anglo. Or maybe it's the food or architecture? I'm not too sure. But it's probably the convergence of these-and several other unique elements-that makes this 400-year old city one of America's great cultural sites. My recent excursion to...
When ranting against and questioning God, I tend to forget that the darkness I am struggling against, trying to see through, or just sitting in weeping in, could be from God-it could be God. God created darkness for a reason. In the beginning, He separated it from the newly created light-insinuating that perhaps He created it or it simply pre-existed the creation of the world. He wielded it against the Egyptians when He was breaking their will and freeing His people. He...
Ann didn’t have the money to buy a nice gift for Joe for his birthday so Ann gave her husband a rock. It wasn’t a pretty rock or an unusual rock, it was just a smooth, round rock she’d picked up in her yard. On one side of the rock she’d used a marking pen to write “Always” and on the other side of the rock she’d written “Never.” “I’m giving you two words for your birthday, always and never,” she said. “I’ll always be here for you, I’ll always love you, I’ll always be faithful...
I have come to realize that a lot of things they say about Jesus Christ are not true. Oh, I'm sure He smiled a lot, and sometimes wore perfectly starched robes, and went around patting children on the head, like I saw on the covers of all those Sunday-School pamphlets. And, if I remember correctly, we have stories of Him preaching and dispensing wisdom, and then moving on to the next towns and lakesides. He was misunderstood; people were jealous of Him or threatened by Him; an...
"Look Mike," I said in my semi-serious voice, "the question should be 'What if Prince Charming had given up on Snow White – after all, she was in a deep dead-like sleep – and just simply moved on to the next available Princess?'" Mike's look was priceless. I think he even pinched himself to make sure he wasn't sleeping. "What?" he finally said. "What? What, what?" I answered, smiling of course. "What are you talking about?" "God's love. The topic we've been speaking about for...
Hello. I just have to say that I was very touched by an article I read in your paper by Naomi Knoles. I can relate to what she went threw because I have gone through the same thing. I am 29 years old serving a 40-year sentence for child neglect and battery. There’s not a day that I wish I could turn back the hands of time to go back and save myself and my daughter. You just don’t know how relieved I was to actually find a true story that I could relate to even though the circumstances are very different. I was 25 when my cri...
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) established by the Canadian government has completed its mandate with the last of seven national gatherings in Edmonton, Alberta. Now the commission has the task of organizing over 8,000 interviews and writing their report which will reveal through testimony, research, and relevant documents, the history of Canada’s Residential Schools. The commission has reached a historic milestone and Canadians ought to eagerly await the results of their work. Over the last couple of years, a...
Many little girls wish to grow up to be fashion models, but how many aspire to sit for hours as the model for a historical figure on a coin? Randy'L He-Dow Teton (Shoshone-Bannock/Cree) did just that when she was chosen as the depiction of Sacagawea, the legendary guide and interpreter for the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Born in southeastern Idaho in the Lincoln Creek district of the Fort Hall Reservation, she is the daughter of Randy Leo Teton and Bonnie C....
Inuit and others across northern Canada have taken to social media to post #sealfies, or photos of themselves wearing, eating or hunting seals. It began as a protest against Ellen Degeneres' decision to donate money from her Oscar #selfie to an organization that opposes the Canadian seal hunt. But the trend has emerged as a social phenomenon in itself-a mass collection of photographs that show how important the seal hunt is to Canadian Inuit and others....
WINNIPEG, MB-In late March, Phillip Flett, known to a number of INDIAN LIFE readers, passed on to his heavenly home. He was well-known for his singing and had been nominated for an Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Award a couple years prior. His funeral was held at First Nations Community Church in Winnipeg on March 26. Our condolences and prayers are with his family....
Gaborone, Botswana-President Khama of Botswana, has banned all hunting nationwide, even for Bushmen who hunt to feed their families-but an exception is being made for trophy hunters paying up to $8,000 to hunt giraffes and zebras. Wealthy tourists are being invited to travel to Botswana to hunt big game on private ranches that have been exempted from the ban. But Bushmen from Botswana's Central Kalahari Game Reserve, who have hunted with spears, bows and arrows for thousands...
VANCOUVER, BC-The recent screening of a film that reveals through disturbing eyewitness accounts the horrors of the residential school system could become a catalyst for healing between First Nations peoples and Asian evangelicals. "People have been working hard at that already," says Daniel Louie, pastor of Urban Village Church, "but this is one of the first times I've seen it most publicly brought to the front. I don't think that necessarily big events fix things, but I thin...
ALBUQUERQUE, NM—The world’s largest gathering of Native American and Indigenous people took place on Thursday, April 24, 2014 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The 31st Annual Gathering of Nations, considered the most prominent Native American powwow in the North America, again hosted tens of thousands of people and more than 700 tribes from throughout the United States, Canada, and around the world. The three-day event included more than 3,000 Native American singers and dancers co...
Charisma, culture and cuteness abounded at Hard Rock Live when 31 girls and 10 boys graced the stage in full Seminole garb to vie for the Little Mr. and Miss Seminole titles. After the judges' votes were calculated, Madasyn Osceola, 7, of Big Cypress, took the Little Miss crown and Roberto Benard, 7, captured the Little Mr. title. "It's great to have all this support encouraging this kind of participation because it's really great to start young," said Miss Seminole Tia...
QUITO, ECUADOR (ANS)-The first believer among the Waodani, previously known as Auca, language community in Ecuador, Dayuma Caento, died on March 1, 2014. According to a missionary prayer update from Wycliffe Associates, she was approximately 80 years old. In 1956, five missionaries lost their lives attempting to make contact with this group. Two years later, God used Dayuma to open the way for Elizabeth Elliot and Rachel Saint to begin language work among the Waodani. Dayuma...
OTTAWA, ON-If you were born in Canada before 1980, you will most likely remember what's now become known as "The Sixties Scoop." This is when thousands of First Nations babies and children were adopted out to non-Native families. These victims are now adults and from all accounts, many if not all, bear emotional scars from this major event in Canadian history. They now want the Government of Canada to apologize as they have done to former students of Residential Schools....
OTTAWA, ON-Shawn Atleo has resigned as Grand Chief of the Assembly of First Nations over the federal government's proposed overhaul of Aboriginal education. The AFN chief announced his decision at a news conference in Ottawa on May 2. Chiefs from across the government have been divided over the Canadian government's First Nations education bill and Atleo had faced calls for his ouster on social media and criticism from some regional chiefs over his support for the overhaul....
