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MISTISSINI, Quebec-The Cree School Board, in collaboration with the Cree Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay, has announced the launch of the Cree Springboard to Nursing program. This initiative will help Cree students get many of the prerequisites they need while studying from their home and community. The goal of the two-semester program is to recruit more Cree nurses to reach the needs of those who speak the Cree langauge and to offset nursing shortages across...
EAGLE BUTTE, S.D-In late March, Lakota youth aged 12-18 gathered at the Cheyenne River Youth Project's Čhokáta Wičhóni (Center of Life) teen center for the nonprofit organization's 24th annual Passion for Fashion event. Called Wačhípí kta Iglúwiŋyeyapi (Youth Get Ready for the Dance) in Lakota, Passion for Fashion helps young women prepare for their high school prom in a positive and safe space. As they search for formalwear and accessories, they also have opportun...
OTTAWA, Ont.-The cost of closing the on-reserve infrastructure gap will top half a trillion dollars by 2040 unless the federal government acts now, the Assembly of First Nations says. In a recent report, the national advocacy organizaiton said that Canada must invest $349.2 billion now to make sure that First Nations will have access to similar infrastructure by 2030, in keeping with the government's ability to fulfill their public and federally mandated commitments to First...
1. Prepare. While the Council Fire daily devotional is a handy size that you can carry and read anywhere-and some days you may do that-we suggest you make it part of a special time with the Lord. If at all possible, it's good to choose the same time each day so you can get into a routine (it only takes three weeks to develop a habit!). Try to choose a time when you will not face as many interruptions, and take steps to limit distractions (like turning off your phone or...
CALGARY, Alb.—In March, the Urban Society for Aboriginal Youth (USAY), a Calgary-based, Indigenous-led not-for-profit organization, celebrated the groundbreaking of the start of construction for the first Aboriginal youth centre in Calgary, which is a significant step towards supporting a vision of success for Indigenous youth now and for future generations. Until now, USAY, which was established in 1999, has been operating its programs for indigenous youth in Calgary out o...
TUCSON—At 83 years old, George Goode describes every day as a "blessing" as he makes the two-hour commute to Sells to teach local Native Americans farrier education. It was 1972 when Goode started his horseshoeing school in Tucson. Over a half-century later, he retired and founded the nonprofit Native American Horse Education Foundation in hopes of bringing a new mindset to Indigenous communities. "Out of all the years and all the reservations in the United States, there a...
It was not until 2005 that Northern Cheyenne storytellers broke their silence about what really happened at the Battle of The Little Big Horn-known mainly to Native Americans as the Battle of Greasy Grass, and to non-Natives as Custer's Last Stand. But it took more than a century before Buffalo Calf Road Woman, a Northern Cheyenne who was also known as Buffalo Calf Trail Woman-was revealed as the Native American heroine who played a pivotal role in the conflict's ending. When...
Do you have some bad memories? Embarrassing moments? Anything you'd like to forget? Maybe it was the time you put both contact lenses into the same eye. Or that day your twin sister forgot your birthday. No! I hate when that happens. Or you woke up from a sound sleep screaming because your braces were stuck together. And you were in the front row of church at the time? Ha! Perhaps you'd like to renenber the time you showed up for work and were greeted by Anderson Cooper of...
Question: I have a friend who's an inmate. She accepted Jesus while being incarcerated and will be getting out soon. She's afraid that she'll fall and go back to her old life when she gets out. Any suggestions that I can pass on? Answer: First off, just let me say, "Praise God!" Your friend's story is a beautiful reminder that Jesus still saves; there isn't a concrete wall thick enough to shut out His light. I understand the emotions your friend is experiencing. Before I...
ADA, Okla.-In many ways, 16-year-old Tony Carter is just like his Ardmore, Okla. High School classmates. He loves to attend sporting events and rodeos with his family and sit under a shade tree with his grandpa when the weather is nice. In some ways, Tony is exceptional. Diagnosed with autism at age two, Tony is nonverbal. Large crowds occasionally overwhelm him, and he sometimes is made to feel unwelcome by peers and adults unfamiliar with autism. Because Tony cannot speak, U...
PHOENIX—The fourth annual American Indian Youth Disability Summit, held on April 13, awarded a Youth Tribal Leadership Award to a college student whose interest in learning disabilities and her own speech disorder led her to study speech and hearing sciences at Arizona State University. The youth summit explored topics ranging from mental health problems like post-traumatic stress disorder to voting accommodations made for those with disabilities in Arizona. The youth s...
KINGSTON, Okla.—The Chickasaw Children's Village in Kingston, Oklahoma, recently celebrated 20 years of providing a safe and nurturing home-like environment for First American youth from kindergarten age through high school. The Chickasaw Children's Village is a place chosen by many Chickasaw families for students from first-graders to high school students to live while getting their education. The village offers a safe, nurturing environment, as well as developing i...
TAHKEQUAH, Okla.—In late March, the Cherokee Nation Wings Program announced their line-up for 2024. The program schedules 17 races, which are 5K each, across Cherokee Nation Reservation. The The Wings program offers both in-person and virtual options for Cherokee Nation citizens and non-citizens to get active and stay healthy. All 5K race events are free for Wings members. “The Wings races provide a fun way for our citizens and employees to embrace an active lifestyle foc...
I grew up with nine brothers and four sisters in northwest Saskatchewan, near two communities-the First Nations Reserve at Dillon and the nearby Métis community of Buffalo Narrows, home to Denesuline, Cree and Caucasian people. My dad was a commercial fisherman and a trapper, and my mom and dad worked so hard for us. Being the oldest of the boys, at the age of nine, I started helping my dad, going out fishing with him. My dad was away from home quite a bit, working on big lake...
With Council Fire Volume 2 just being received from the printer, we are busy beavers, as we work hard to fulfill customer requests. It is proving to be more sought after than we anticipated. We ordered 6000 copies of volume 1 and have less than 500 left! Now that volume 2 is moving along, and with summer coming our way, we are working hard at getting all contributions received for Council Fire Volume 3 before people start taking vacation and aren't thinking about writing devot...
When I was walking into our local grocery store the other day, a man was approaching the entrance from the opposite direction. Seeing him look towards the parking lot, I did the same. A woman had parked in the handicapped parking stall and was exiting her vehicle. Thinking nothing of it, I looked away and continued into the store. The man however, must have thought something different, because he said, "She sure doesn't look like she needs to park there!" I wasn't sure I heard...
If you're attending these events, come by and meet us! If you would like ILM to participate in your event, contact Krystal at admin@IndianLife.org May 16-19: Native Youth Conference (NYC), Camp Nakamun, Alb. For details: www.nativeyouthco.org July 11-14: Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (NEFC) Annual General Conference, Regina Sk. For details: www.nefc.ca...
"The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you." Psalm 9:9 A few years ago I met Carl-we were singing at the same Gospel Jamboree. While I was packing up equipment afterward, he told me that he was in the early stages of Alzheimer's. That was kind of a shocker, but I was really impressed by his attitude: "As long as I can, I'll keep...
NEW YORK-States with the largest Indigenous populations have the worst health system outcomes for Native people, according to a new study. The report, Advancing Racial Equity in U.S. Health Care: The Commonwealth Fund 2024 State Health Disparities Report, comes from the Common Wealth Fund, a private foundation that examines health care in the U.S. to advance equitable outcomes. The data it collected included information about access to quality care for Black, white, Hispanic,...
MONTREAL, Que.-Montreal's regional health authority has partnered with Native Montreal, a friendship center, to create a new health clinic that will provide culturally safe care for Indigenous families living in the city. The clinic is starting small with a doctor available twice a week and two nurses on site, offering a range of front-line services from two exam rooms and three multi-pupose rooms. While the clinic has served around 100 people since the clinic started seeing...
CHICAGO-A study published earlier this year by the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) Dermatology shows that Indigenous Americans have the second-highest rates of skin cancer. The study draws on data from an Indian Health Service (IHS) population-based cancer registry from 1999-2019. Skin cancer, or melanoma, causes more than 9,000 deaths per year in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to the CDC, twice as many...
ANAHIM LAKE, British Columbia—The Ulkatcho First Nation has signed the papers and is set to build the largest off-grid solar farm in Canada. Located in British Columbia, the Ulkatcho First Nation and surrounding communities rely solely on diesel to heat, cook, and provide other power needed for their daily tasks. However, once built, the solar farm will span about 12 hectares (30 acres) and will supply up to 70 per cent of the electricity the communities need, according to C...
NEW YORK-In April, at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) in New York City last week, National Congress of American Indians President Mark Macarro gave a statement advocating for advanced participation of Indigenous Peoples. Enhanced Participation refers to a process Native Americans and other Indigenous leaders have been advocating for for over a century, beginning in 1923 with the League of Nations, that would put Indigenous leaders closer to...
Whitehorse, YT-Indigenous people in Yukon and Alaska are celebrating a new chinook salmon management agreement between Canada and the U.S. On April 1, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) along with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) signed an agreement to rebuild chinook salmon stocks. The agreement places a moratorium on commercial, sport, domestic and personal fishing. The moratorium will be in place for seven years, which is the full life cycle of a chinook salmon....
