WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Department of the Interior today affirmed its commitment to tribal sovereignty by adding the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina to the official list of federally recognized tribes, formalizing the tribe's government-to-government relationship with the United States and carrying out federal recognition enacted into law in December 2025. "Federal recognition is about respect, accountability and self-determination," said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum....
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The United States Department of the Interior recently released a new Strategic Direction for the Bureau of Indian Education, establishing a performance-driven roadmap to improve student outcomes, strengthen Native language and culture and enhance operational effectiveness across Bureau-funded schools. The Strategic Direction reinforces tribal sovereignty and local control by prioritizing flexible, community-driven approaches rather than one-size-fits-all...
DARTMOUTH, N.S.—Chief Bob Gloade of Millbrook First Nation and Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Rebecca Alty recently announced the addition of over 7 hectares (17.35 acres) to Millbrook First Nation through the Addition to Reserve process. This addition will open new opportunities for Millbrook First Nation: opportunities to plan, to grow, and to invest in the future. "This is a momentous occasion for our community. We have been working for a number of years on...
WASHINGTON, D.C—The Department of the Interior recently announced that the Bureau of Indian Education reached its highest graduation rate in its history, reflecting sustained reforms and accountability measures. Student graduation rates at Bureau of Indian Education-funded high schools increased from 51 percent in 2015 to 79 percent in 2025. These gains surpass pre-pandemic levels and continue despite national declines in student outcomes following the COVID–19 pandemic....
OKMULGEE, Okla.—The College of the Muscogee Nation (CMN) and Southern Nazarene University (SNU) are forming a partnership to help CMN graduates who earn their associate's degree move ahead to earn their bachelor's degree. Discussions for the partnership began through both colleges being part of the Tulsa Higher Education Consortium. "This articulation agreement is to benefit the graduates. It gives them an opportunity and ability to move into that bachelor's degree...
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Department of the Interior has announced a new partnership between the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Bureau of Indian Education to prepare Native students for careers in wildland firefighting, strengthening the workforce while creating clear school-to-career pathways for tribal youth. Through the Native Youth Firefighter Training Program, high school and post-secondary students receive hands-on instruction, mentorship and technical training that...
ADA, Okla.—Fitness trainers will tell you motivation is one of the hardest hurdles to overcome in a workout regime. To provide inspiration and get people walking, the Chickasaw Nation developed the AYA Walk application. As users reach walking milestones, 15 virtual Chickasaw walking partners drawn from both history and fiction share stories of the tribe's history, culture and language. "History, culture and storytelling are embedded in the app in various ways. The main...
TORONTO, Ont.—The Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada and the Government of the Northwest Territories have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Regulatory Coordination that strengthens collaboration and alignment in their respective regulatory roles in the Northwest Territories, in partnership with Indigenous governments and organizations. Under the agreement, the two departments reaffirm their commitment to working together and...
Rilla Unger, a member of the Intertribal Life Ministries team, was a picture of faithfulness-writing letters to her treasured, incarcerated friends until she could hold a pen no more, shortly before her death in February. She may have been 97 years old, but she was still committed to the outreach she started so many years earlier. Rilla served as a volunteer for ILM since the late 1980s, when founder George McPeek couldn't keep up with the onslaught of correspondence, many of...
I'm from Isleta Pueblo, just south of Albuquerque, and one of the 19 Pueblos in New Mexico. I lived in Isleta all my life. I was born, raised, and grew up there. My parents raised us, loved us, and cared for us. I was raised by a wonderful mom named Prudence. She was such a beautiful lady-tiny, always singing, always happy, and always cooking for us, making us fresh tortillas, fried potatoes, beans, and chili, red or green. Those were good times. I had two brothers and three...
In May 2013, Harrison Okene's boat of 12 crew members capsized off the coast of Nigeria and sank to the bottom of the ocean. Harrison, who was the cook on the boat, spent 72 hours in a watery grave 100 feet underwater, in complete darkness and isolation from the outside world. He was the only survivor who managed to find a small air pocket in a bathroom. Because he saw some movement and light in the water from a recovery diver who was looking for bodies, he reached out to...
