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Last month, I read a lot of news stories about the Canadian government's most recent attempts to somehow bring justice and comfort to those who suffered in residential schools. And my heart cried. I also read stories on the anniversary of Standing Rock. I read once again the recap of the rubber bullets and hypothermia suffered by those who were sprayed with cold water in the freezing weather. And to add insult to injury, I read the investigative report of how people gave $1.4...
You can prevent sight loss. And it's not that hard. Health experts promote diet and exercise programs to ward off systemic diseases such as heart issues, stroke and diabetes. As much as we care for our overall health, it's important to not neglect care for our eyes as well. Diminishing eyesight from issues such as cataracts, diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration can limit our mobility, challenge our daily living tasks and isolate us from social connections. Health...
EAGLE BUTTE, S.D.-The Cheyenne River Youth Project officially launched its Waniyetu Wowapi (Winter Count) Performing Art Series in April and will host regularly scheduled events through the end of May. The family-friendly series, made possible with funding from NEA Art Works, will incorporate popular films, live performances, a youth wacipi and a handgame tournament in the nonprofit youth organization's public Waniyetu Wowapi Art Park, as well as Midnight Basketball in the...
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.-Recently, Isleta Pueblo and Tiwa Lending Services, a community development financial institution, held the third annual Native American Youth Empowerment Summit. Leaders say the need for such summits is great because parents are not training their children in how to have financial success. According to studies by investment firm T. Rowe Price, only 27 percent of parents speak with their children about money at least once a month. They also say that parents...
EAGLE BUTTE, S.D.-Earlier this month, five Lakota teens who are participating in the Cheyenne River Youth Project's "Growing Into Wowachinyepi" program traveled to Washington, D.C. to learn to articulate and pitch their individual platforms and learn more about becoming leaders and culture-bearers for the Lakota nation. The Growing Into Wowachinyepi initiative was designed to honor the Cheyenne River community's youth leaders in a culturally relevant and respectful way, while...
The first few years of Conrad's life took place in the northern Manitoba Cree community of Garden Hill, along with his three brothers and sister. His father was a hunter and trapper, out in the bush weeks at a time. When Conrad was about eight, his father turned ill, necessitating a move for the family to Winnipeg. Up North Conrad had always gone to church with his mom. "But they didn't really teach us about salvation there," he says. At age 18 a motorbike accident helped...
TAMA, Iowa-The Sac & Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa, also known as the Meskwaki Nation, and Meskwaki Food Sovereignty Initiative (MFSI) will host the 2018 Great Lakes Intertribal Food Summit in partnership with Intertribal Agricultural Council (IAC) and Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance (NAFSA). The event occurs on May 9–13 in Tama, Iowa, and will feature a concurrent Youth Summit. The Great Lakes Intertribal Food Summit is a regional, travelling summit. Past h...
INDIANAPOLIS-A new exhibition at the Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis showcases the work of some of the most admired Native American basketmakers. Mel and Joan Perelman recently gifted to the museum their collection of 147 baskets, cradles and bags spanning much of North America, with a focus on the Southwest and far west regions. A selection is featured in a special exhibit, Interwoven: Native American Basketry from the Mel and Joan Perelman Collection, that will continue...
Pawhuska, Okla.-In May, the Osage Nation Museum (ONM) will celebrate its 80th anniversary. Taking its place as America's first tribal museum, the museum is dedicated to preserving and exhibiting Osage art, history, and culture on the Osage campus in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. The celebration May 2 will also be the unveiling of the new exhibit: Wedding Clothes and the Osage Community: A Giving Heritage which will run through December 1st, 2018. This exhibition will examine Osage...
GALLUP, N.M.-The state of New Mexico is one step closer to getting funding for a museum honoring Code Talkers, as the Senate Indian and Cultural Affairs Committee unanimously voted for a bill asking the Legislature to allocate $1 million to build a Navajo Code Talkers museum and veterans center in New Mexico, near the Arizona border. Code Talkers served in both world wars. In World War I, people from the Cherokee and Chocktaw tribes pioneered the practice of communicating in...
TAHLEQUAH, Okla.-Cherokee Nation citizen Brian Barlow is using his last term on the National Congress of American Indians Youth Commission to share his story and encourage other Native youth to get involved. "I was so honored and humbled to have been elected to this position by my fellow Native youth and am so thankful for the support of my family, community and tribe," said Barlow, of Tahlequah. "There are countless Native youth out there making a difference in their...
OKLAHOMA CITY-The Chickasaw Nation recently earned nine awards at the 52nd Annual Oklahoma American Advertising Awards (ADDYs) ceremony. Three golds, three silvers and three bronze medals were awarded to the Chickasaw Nation in head-to-head competition with premiere advertising, marketing and publication agencies statewide. The Chickasaw Nation won gold "ADDYs"-first place-for the 2018 Chickasaw Press Catalog and for magazine design for the fall 2017 edition of "Chokma"...
CLAREMORE, Okla.-The Cherokee Nation and Rogers State University are teaming up to connect more Cherokee Nation citizens to the Cherokee language through a new, online learning platform. RSU Public TV's continuing education and enrichment program, RSU Works, is linking students to the tribe's online language courses taught by instructor Ed Fields. This is the first time registration for the Cherokee Nation's free classes is available both through the tribe's website www.cherokee.org and through www.RSUworks.org. "This is...
PHOENIX-Recently, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey signed SB 1235, officially establishing June 2 as an Arizona holiday, Native American Day, and legislation unanimously passed in the state senate to name three Arizona highways after Native American veterans. The sponsor of the bill regarding Native American Day, Sen. Jamescita Peshlakai said, "Our Indigenous people have called these lands home for millennia, from the Four Corners to the Colorado delta and everywhere in between....
SASKATOON-Karla Jessen Williamson has been named as Canada's first tenured Inuk professor at the University of Saskatchewan, and one of the few Inuit professors internationally. Originally Jessen Williamson was a kalaaleq, an Inuk from Greenland. She received her primary education in Greenland, and attained her high school education in Denmark. Jessen Williamson experienced the issues of racism and colonization first when she was young, and the Danish government moved her...
QUEBEC-On April 20, 2018 the Cree Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay (CBHSSJB) launched a smartphone app of medical terms in East Cree dialects of Southern Inland, Southern Coastal and Northern, available for download on the iOS App Store and Google Play. The Cree Medical App is a free tool designed to improve the cultural safety of Cree patients, especially those undergoing cancer care. It is a glossary and translation dictionary intended to give a fun and...
OTTAWA-Canada's Roman Catholic bishops recently announced that Pope Francis would not apologize in the foreseeable future for the boarding schools designed to force approximately 150,000 Indigenous children to obliterate their cultures and languages. Over 150 years, about 70 percent of children went to schools operated by the Catholic church. Given this news, the Canadian House of Commons may soon, in a rare move, consider a motion to request that the bishops return to Rome...
OTTAWA-The Government of Canada is making historic investments to improve housing in First Nation communities to reduce overcrowding and better safeguard the health and safety of residents. The Honourable Jane Philpott, Minister of Indigenous Services, congratulated two Ontario First Nations on the completion of their housing projects with funding from Budget 2016. Indigenous Services Canada provided $1,151,600 to Grassy Narrows First Nation for lot servicing and construction...
PHOENIX-Congress has passed legislation that brings the Amber Alert system for abducted or missing children to Native American reservations, a move to prevent deaths like those of 11-year-old Ashlynne Mike. Ashlynne's parents and Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., advocated for the Ashlynne Mike Amber Alert in Indian Country Act to close a loophole in the system's funding that left tribes ineligible for support, he said at a news conference at the state capitol. The measure awaits...
WASHINGTON, D.C.-A five-year-old law that let Native American tribes prosecute non-Natives in domestic violence cases "has fundamentally changed the landscape of tribal criminal jurisdiction in the modern era," according to a new report. The study released last week by the National Congress of American Indians said 18 tribes took part in a pilot program, including the Pascua Yaqui of Arizona. Of those tribes, 10 made a total of 143 arrests that led to 74 convictions of...
WASHINGTON, D.C.-On April 16, the Senate failed to come up with the necessary votes to proceed with a full vote on the Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act, an amendment to the National Labor Relations Act that would include tribes in the same exempt category as all other government employers in the United States. The Senate voted 55-41 in favor of moving forward with the legislation, but this tally fell short of the 60 votes needed. "Obviously, this is disappointing," said Jefferson...
WASHINGTON, D.C.-Sales opened recently for United States Mint product options featuring the 2018 Native American $1 Coin. Since 2009, this $1 coin has displayed an annually changing reverse design that recognizes the important contributions made by Indian tribes and individual Native Americans to the history and development of the United States. This year's coin recognizes the accomplishments of Olympian and multi-talented athlete, Jim Thorpe. The reverse (tails) design...
Did you ever get an invite to something that-well, you just knew you had to get there? Whatever it took! You cancelled that Hawaiian holiday, postponed that summit with Justin and Donald, packed that motorhome and you got there! The Indian Life Banquet coming up on May 25 in Winnipeg, Man. is just that kind of invite! The Speaker you'll recognize-Conrad Flett from Tribal Trails! The Musicians you'll love-a dad and son Team with roots in the old SonRise Band and ongoing with...
TULSA, Okla.-Teachers of Native American students were among those frustrated and disappointed by the results of the recent teacher walk-out in Oklahoma to demand better pay and increased education funding. While teachers, parents and administrators had hoped for state lawmakers to pass bills providing $3.3 billion, the bills generated a $479 million increase. Factoring for inflation, since 2008, Oklahoma has decreased the per pupil funding by 28 percent and teacher salaries...
Winnipeg-In April, Indian Life newspaper received the Award of Merit in the Evangelical Press Association's annual Awards of Excellence contest. The contest had more than 1,200 entries overall, in a couple of dozen categories. The judge said, "From its logo to its editorial mix, this publication delivers a bold, appealing, crisp look and read that speaks directly to its audience's interests and concerns."...
