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INDIAN LIFE receives miniature "masterpieces" from men and women on a regular basis. If we were to publish all the artwork we receive, it would fill several issues of our newspaper every year. We thought that summer would be a great time to "unveil" these new art pieces. Enjoy this creative inspiration. If you are in a correctional facility somewhere, we hope that this will bring joy to you today. Maybe it will encourage you to create a work of art and send it to us. As our...
Powwows are filled with color, rhythm, and sounds. Creative gifts given by Creator and entrusted to Indigenous People....
A young man from Pikangikum, ON, with an insatiable hunger for God's word and a lot of questions that need answering. A Lakota father from Pine Ridge, SD, who wants to become a pastor so he can help a community reeling from a growing suicide epidemic. An Ojibwe grandmother from White Earth, MN, who wants to be better equipped for her hospital and jail ministry. A single mom who needs to grow in her faith but doesn't know where to start. An Apache man, with a history of drugs...
In Psalms 46:10-11 it says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” I would like to take some time to talk about these two verses and see what I can discover and then pass this onto you as you are on your life journey. Let’s learn together and see what will happen. To make a long story short, these verses are talking about the fact that when th...
Sadly, mass shootings have become a regular occurrence in our world today. We have people lobbying for gun control and Government leaders promising to offer solutions to prevent such horrific acts of crime. Mass shootings are nothing new, they have been happening in one form or another since the beginning of time; by way of sword, spear, bow and arrow or cannons or bombs. We can go back into history and remember the massacres at Wounded Knee, Sand Creek, and in Canada there...
All the broken fathers who fell short of what we needed and all the faltering mothers who chose their own needs over ours, they follow us, long after we've moved past them, into adulthood, into our own parenting, into our relationship with God. It is the first failing we own, our inability to heal our parents' brokenness. Before we even form a sense of ourselves we know, somehow, we've failed because our existence isn't enough to make them whole. Our portal into this world,...
After a lifetime of musical achievement and political accomplishments, Colville Tribal Chairman Jim Boyd has walked on. Seven Native American Music Awards, including one for Lifetime Achievement, crowned a career that spanned concerts, movie soundtracks like 'Smoke Signals" and numerous CDs. Native America mourns the sudden passing of this civic leader, who passed away at the age of 60. Prior to his passing, Boyd shared his insights into his love of family, service to his...
Recipient, Congressional Gold Medal In 1942 when the United States faced a critical shortage of pilots during World II, U.S. war leaders instituted a program that was, at the time, quite radical. To free male pilots for overseas combat duty, they instituted the Women's Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). Over 1,100 in total, all were civilian volunteers receiving no military benefits such as back pay or death insurance. Shortly after graduating from high school, Ola Mildred...
Last night I sat transfixed as I viewed a recent NASA photo of outer space. I’ve seen many space pictures over the years, but the clarity and sparkle of this one caused me to pause and think about life on our planet and about our Creator and His plan for us all. I had been researching a news item about NASA’s Kepler Mission. Since 2009, their goal was to explore our region of the Milky Way and locate other planets. They discovered nearly 5,000 planet contestants and ver...
Today we present, “How to have a baby fast.” Are you ready? Call your dad at 3:45 in the afternoon and leave a voice message, “We’re heading to the hospital. Likely a false alarm. It’s 3 weeks early, so I wouldn’t worry at all. We’ll call if anything happens. Don’t worry. Talk to you later. Bye.” It was my son Jeff on the line. What? Me worry? Of course not. It’s just that my third grandchild is about to be born. Eighteen months ago this same son and his wife Raelyn were ou...
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." So it has been said and I know it to be true. It is how one looks at the simple beauty in almost everything around us. There is so much, I fear I sometimes take it for granted, however, when I look with my spiritual eyes, I am in awe. I am able to find Creator's beauty everywhere, in every season. I pray that I always will cherish the bountiful blessings that are freely given to us by the Creator. During the summer, my heart overflows...
It has never been easier to trace our ancestors and our family tree. With computers and DNA and dozens of businesses who will trace your family tree for you, what used to take years of research at libraries and cemeteries and court houses to search for records, can now be done in a matter of days or weeks. We all wonder where we came from, what did our ancestors contribute to make us who we are? Did we inherit our appearance, our talents, our quirks from someone who lived...
Dear Nidobak, The glorious time of year we wait for is here and we can revel and play in this warmth and sunshine! So many foods we grow are now ready for us to pick, prepare and enjoy. The first one that comes to mind for July and into August is CORN, the sacred Mother Corn followed closely by TOMATO. When I went to find the Abenaki word for corn, not surprisingly I found 38 variations! There are 98 words for water so I was not astonished. Because maize is not self-sowing it...
"If you miss the first half of the movie, you're not really missing much...." If you go see "Free State of Jones," go ahead and take your time getting popcorn and soda pop. If you miss the first half of the movie, you're not really missing much. It's a pretty standard re-telling of the Robin Hood myth, set in Mississippi at the tail end of the Civil War. The beats were so predictable, it proceeded so methodically, that my eyelids grew heavy. Matthew McConaughey plays a...
SANTA FE, NM-The New Mexico Music Awards awarded Levi Platero and his band, Best Blues Award at their annual awards ceremony, June 21, 2016. Levi is the son of Murphy and Janice Platero. Murphy had his own band "Hidden Manna" and toured across North America in the 90s and early 2000. Murphy and his band's story was published in Indian Life in 1992. Hidden Manna performed at Indian Life Ministries banquet in 2000. Levi is following in his father's footsteps....
Geronimo. Victorio. Lozen. The list of Apache heroes looms large throughout Native American history. A contemporary Apache hero has won a great honor that will permit him to join the line of Apache Warriors with a tremendous achievement. Robin Hairston is the winner of the SAIGE AWARD, the Society of American Indian Government Employees Meritorious Service Award that is given for exceptional service that is demonstrated by distinguished Native Federal Government Employees....
America has been in mourning for days. We’ve cried for the 49 victims of the senseless Orlando shooting. We’ve prayed for the families and friends of the innocent people who died in the Pulse nightclub, and the 53 others who were wounded in the massacre. We’ve shaken our heads in disbelief that the deadliest terrorist attack since 9/11 occurred in a nice town known for its theme parks, palm trees, and carefree attitude. We’ve also listened to countless theories about why Omar Seddique Mateen, the 29-year-old Muslim-...
We were shocked to wake up that Sunday morning in June to hear of the horrific shootings in Orlando that killed 49 people. Our expressions of sympathy go to the families and friends of all those gunned down in another senseless act of violence. In the case in Florida, a particular group was targeted—gay, lesbians, and other sexual minorities—and so our prayers are with this community. This particular tragedy was again time for the family who call themselves followers of Jesus to shine His light and share His love. Yet thi...
To the many of you who are feeling lonely and forgotten as you sit in your cells and rooms, I say "hello." This is a small way I can reach out to those who are in what seems to be unreachable caverns. Take comfort though. I'm not a doctor or lawyer, teacher or pastor. I carry no certificates or bachelor's degrees. I don't need one to love you as my God, my Creator loves me. I say this selfishly because it is so very personal. God, the Creator can reach anywhere-even through...
LEECH LAKE, MN-The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe in Minnesota will finally see a new high school in less than eight months after a long wait for federal funding. The Bureau of Indian Affairs will spend nearly $12 million to build a new Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig High School. Students have been attending classes in structures that were never meant to house people. "Students at the Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig School in northern Minnesota have faced horrendous conditions in their classrooms for years,...
WINNIPEG, MB (CNW)—Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Regional Chief for Manitoba Kevin Hart congratulated Flying Dust First Nation in Saskatchewan and Habitat for Humanity on the achievement of the First On-reserve Habitat for Humanity build. This 10-unit Elders lodge should open the way for other First Nations to consider working with Habitat for Humanity on similar projects. “On behalf of the AFN, I congratulate Flying Dust First Nation Chief Richard Gladue, the Council members, the citizens and Habitat for Humanity on thi...
WINNIPEG, MB-It's been a year since the Truth and Reconciliation Final Report was released and hundreds of people gathered in Winnipeg for a conference to explore a path to reconciliation. Called "Pathways to Reconciliation" the conference took place at the University of Winnipeg, June 15-18. Just over a year after the Truth and Reconciliation summary report was released, hundreds of people gathered in Winnipeg for a conference to explore a pathway to reconciliation. The...
Lipan Apache Tribe wins 10-year fight for eagle feathers McALLEN, TX-Ten years after a federal agent crashed the powwow of the Lipan Apache Nation in Texas and seized their eagle feathers, the tribe won a major victory that has major implications for not only all Native Americans but all people of religious faith. "The fight wasn't for the feathers," said Robert Soto, pastor of the Grace Brethren Church of McAllen, Texas, and vice chairman of the Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas....
OTTAWA, ON-On June 10, the leaders of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), Métis National Council (MNC), Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), Indigenous Peoples' Assembly of Canada (IPAC) and Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC) met with Canada's federal, provincial and territorial ministers responsible for Aboriginal Affairs and confirmed a new approach in support of improving outcomes for Indigenous peoples and promoting reconciliation in Canada. The meeting was...
WASHINGTON, D.C.-Crowds will gather in Washington DC this summer. The sound will hit high volume. But this event won't be a ball game, a superstar's performance, a political protest, or a presidential debate. Those who travel to the nation's capital won't be there for pleasure or rebellion or politics. They will come-people from different people groups, political and ethnic backgrounds-to join from all across North America and other parts of the globe to pray and worship...
