Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 28
WINNIPEG, MB-Winnipeg will host a summit on combating racism on September 17-18, hosted by Winnipeg's Mayor Brian Bowman, Metis, and will be held at the Canadian Museum for Civil Rights. "Winnipeg came together in one, unified strong voice to say, 'Yes, we do have a problem here," Bowman said referring to an article that appeared in the January 22 Maclean's magazine which labeled Winnipeg as "Canada's most racist city." "Cities across our nation have the same...
As Aboriginal People and as Peoples of the Earth, we are so different from each other, in many areas of our lives. Yet, at the same time, we have a few things in common. We all have families, we all need water and food to live, we all have a sense of community, and we all like to sing. Although there are more aspects of life that we have in common, than I haven’t listed, I would like to focus on the last item I mentioned, which is singing. When I look at Psalm 40:1–3 it say...
As autumn chills the air, my thoughts turn to food, not just the light salads and cold fruits of summer, but something more substantial. I bring out the slow cooker for hearty beef stews and savory chicken noodle soups. Flavorful ham hocks bring beans, lentils and split peas to life. I like to have a pot of chili and a loaf of hot bread ready at the first sign of snow. Spicy ginger cookies make a perfect companion to a hot cup of tea. One of my fondest memories of going to sch...
Snow Flower watched her son as he sat on a log with his head down. She knew once again Little Fox had been left behind as the other young boys went off to play. Little Fox was small for his age and not as strong as the other boys. They often ignored him and left him out of their games which hurt him deeply. Snow Flower sat next to her son. She wanted to put her arm around him to comfort him but she knew it would only embarrass him in front of the other boys so she sat with...
Kwai, Kwai Nidobak (Greetings Friends), How does time fly? I have no idea but I do know that it is Harvest Time and it brings a lot of work and happiness as well. Bushels of vegetables, nuts, fruit and more. What to do with it all? Cooking it up or preserving is the primary activity but I think sharing is the most fun. When we share we usually get some good, new ideas from our friends especially when we bring dishes of food together at a social or someone’s home. I’ve never be...
What's my favorite thing about Pixar's excellent new film, "Inside Out?" All the way home, my six-year-old was using the basic concept to talk about things that have been going on lately with her own emotions. A few days later, she was building her own personality islands with Legos, and telling me about the core memories that powered each island. Because we watched this movie together, I know my daughter better. I understand better what is happening inside her head. That's...
Anchor Canada Trade Paper 314 pages Review by Carla McKay Whether you are Native or non-Native, you need to read this book. If you do so, you will have a totally different perspective about Native people in North America. This story needed to be told and there's no one better to tell it than award-winning and best-selling author, Thomas King. This book is not only a retelling of the historical account that most of us, both Native and Caucasian, learned in history class. It's...
I finally broke my silence and good news I have been holding in for a couple of months. I entered an options agreement with a screenwriter from Hollywood to develop my book into a TV series. At this point, I have handed my baby over to the care of another. If this works out, I will be hired as one of the writers on the show, which we are hoping is a half hour series containing heavy issues and not forgetting the comedy. I must admit, while it is a step forward and basically on...
Martho is viewed as a hero. The pride of our old Jurassic tier (hall of cells.) He knows he’s dearly loved, so he struts like a celebrity. It’s rare that one of us doesn’t offer him a meal at least once a day. Martho always openly accepts the meals with glee. Martho doesn’t stay put for long; he is always active, coming in and out of the building dozens of times a day. Even with a well-rounded belly (from all the free meals he eats), he still moves with light feet and acrobat...
North America's Indigenous Peoples know that The Land is very important. In fact, in most First Nations societies, land is sacred. There is little doubt that our land is being desecrated and destroyed. Not only is the planet being harmed environmentally, it is slowly being destroyed because of our immorality. The shooting of two young journalists in Virginia on August 26 is the most recent horrid example of the ways our land and our people are being defiled. The Bible tells...
Being an inmate we [I] are very limited to what we can read. By luck your July-August 2015 issue ended up in my possession. I am a Tribal member of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Chippewa Indians (Ojibwe). Can you please give me the address of AFN Grand Chief Perry Bellegarde so I can write to him concerning his statement: Reconciliation can’t proceed while First Nations are mired in the “poverty that plagues our people”? I can change that statement but I need to correspond with him. The Pope asked the world for a unive...
Rita Bear Gray went through a lot of trauma growing up in northern Saskatchewan. Her father was an abusive alcoholic, her mother kidnapped her and then abandoned her along the way. She was bullied in school and finally quit. Yet Creator had a hold of her life all those years. When she came to know Creator and his Son, Jesus, she found her true identity in Him. What’s your life been like? Would you like to know who you are and your future as an Indigenous person? You can. Here’s how to ask Jesus into your life: • Tell God t...
Born in Sandy Bay, Saskatchewan, almost on the border between Manitoba and Saskatchewan, it's so far north that if you go much further north, you'll hit the Northwest Territories. It's called "The Land of a Thousand Lakes" and it's somewhere in that area that my mom abandoned me when I was only three or four. My father was at work and she came back after abandoning our family and kidnapped me then left me somewhere along the way with a family who were fishermen. It took my fat...
MARTIN, SD—At the age of 10, Sky Garner was quickly being pushed in to the abyss of the South Dakota foster care system. Today, Garner is serving as a certified medic in the United States Army. “I think it is important that we get his story out there so that young people can look and see someone who has overcome obstacles to succeed,” said Louis Garner, Sr. After attending Bennett County schools for most of his life, Sky Garner, found himself sitting in special education classes that he would eventually overcome. At that poin...
Valued by the Anishinaabeg as a good source and a spiritual symbol, namè, or lake sturgeon, continues to be cared for and protected by the Ojibwe people today and plays an important cultural role. Namè belongs to the Ojibwe clan system, which assigns different roles for people within the tribal communities. Giigoo doodem (fish clan members) are known as the wise people: teachers and scholars within the community. They work with youth, solve inter-clan disputes, and are p...
CASS LAKE, MN-It is with sadness that we announce the passing of former Indian Life Ministries Board member, Raymond John Smith, 82, who passed away on July 16, 2015, in Phoenix, Arizona after a three-year battle with cancer. Ray was born on June 10, 1933 at the Indian Health Service in Onigum, Minnesota. An enrolled member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, Ray was raised on the Leech Lake Indian Reservation in Cass Lake, Minnesota. At the age of 11, Ray surrendered his life...
TACOMA, WA—Tacoma Intertribal Gathering was started ten years ago as Tacoma First Nations Gathering. The mission of TIG is to promote, spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical wellness in First Nations families and individuals through culturally respectful events by honoring Creator Jesus, the Redeemer and the Healer of all nations. Every month TIG has a potluck, birthday celebration, Native storytelling, drumming and dancing, and either a featured speaker or Indigenous dance group. They have recently started to learn t...
FORT DEFIANCE, AZ (BP)--Former Southern Baptist church planter and missions director Russell Begaye, installed May 12 as president of the Navajo Nation, calls his position a gift from the people and from God. "God gives you that position," Begaye said at his inauguration ceremony in Fort Defiance, Arizona. "When you look back, you never dream that you would be the president of the great Navajo Nation.... It's a gift, a gift first from the people. The people honor you with it....
It probably comes as no great surprise to people familiar with Browning to learn that with high rates of unemployment and financial shortages there are many folks who are homeless and/or on the streets. Recent meetings of the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council have brought out speakers concerned about people on the streets and what might be done to address the issue. One entity in Blackfeet Country, the Medicine Bear Shelter, has been dealing with homelessness and poverty on...
WINNIPEG, MB-The City of Winnipeg now has an Indigenous Advisory Circle that will strive to bridge the city's Aboriginal and non-aboriginal communities. "We need to build bridges in this community," Mayor Brian Bowman, Metis, stated during a press conference at City Hall, during which he presented the members of his newly formed circle. Wab Kinew, well-known broadcaster and Associate Vice President for Indigenous Relations at the University of Winnipeg, will chair this new...
EDMONTON, AB-Ashley Callingbull, Cree, became the first First Nations woman from Canada to win when she was crowned Mrs. Universe in Belarus on August 29. "We couldn't be prouder of Ashley," said Nola Wanuch, a councillor on Alberta's Enoch Cree First Nation, where Callingbull grew up. Callingbull has received intense media attention following her win and something that brought criticism because some thought her win was receiving more media attention than the more serious...
RIVERTON, WY-James "Sonny" Goggles, a member of the Northern Arapaho Tribe, remains in serious condition after being shot in the head in Riverton, Wyoming, on July 18, 2015. His family is raising funds to aid his recovery. Wyoming Democrats are pushing for hate crimes legislation in the wake of an attack that left one member of the Northern Arapaho Tribe dead and another with serious injuries. Stallone Trosper, 29, was killed after being shot in the head while he slept on July...
DURANGO, CO-A top New Mexico official vowed to support the Navajo Nation in litigation against the Obama administration as questions mounted amid a multiple state and tribal environmental catastrophe. At an occasionally emotional session of the Navajo Nation Council, delegates complained that they still haven't been formally notified by the Environmental Protection Agency about the spill at the abandoned Mine in mid-August. More than three million tons of waste entered the wat...
BEARS EARS, UT-More than two dozen tribes are calling on President Barack Obama to designate a new national monument to protect 1.9 million acres of sacred and historic land in Utah. New designations are controversial among Republicans but tribal leaders hope that strong support from Indian Country will help make the case for the Bears Ears National Monument. They will also settle for the creation of a conservation area in the southeastern portion of the state. "We've never...
