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As I take a look at what our spiritual ancestor Paul said in his written letter to the local church community, I see some wisdom that can help us heal our broken hearts. So many things happen throughout our lives that cause us grief, loss and trauma, at so many various levels, that if we don't find ways to heal our broken hearts, we will find ourselves going down a path that we will regret. We can all tell stories of heartache in our own lives and the lives of our family...
"Momma, no!" The child's wails rose above the din in the store: Mothers and children were everywhere, shopping for school clothes. Small children, too little to be involved in the hunt, ran amuck between display racks. Long lines stretched outside the fitting rooms, where impatient shoppers waited their turn to try on clothes. I understand a mother's frustration over a task that must be done. The young boy's voice increased in volume, "But I don't want to!" I couldn't hear...
Flowers are one of the special gifts God gave us. Flowers adorn our births, weddings, anniversaries, and our deaths. Flowers speak for us when we can't find the words to say, "I love you," "I'm Sorry," "Goodbye." Every Indian tribe has legends about flowers. Besides being beautiful, many flowers were used for ceremonies, healing, medicine and food. I've always loved the flower called Indian Paint Brush. Its red petals are one of the first to bloom in the spring and last until...
WWII U.S. Marine Corp veteran who worked in secret and confidential files, Washington DC Nearly 800 Native American women served in the U.S. military during WWII. For several reasons their contributions-as were those of all women who served in the armed forces during that era-were largely unrecognized. Perhaps the chief reason for such oversight in the WWII era is that, regardless of race or ethnicity, women as a gender were largely restricted regarding the capacities in...
Almost every person who makes a living public speaking has experienced a zipper malfunction on stage. This has happened to me twice. The first time it happened, I was speaking to a group of pastors. I stood there helpless, wishing my sweater were longer. Another preacher friend of mine had it worse. As he was speaking, someone in the front motioned towards the zipper region. It took him a minute to realize what was being communicated. Problem was, there was a large crowd in...
When Indian Horse opens on a Native family fleeing with white settlers in a canoe, you'd be excused for thinking this takes place several hundred years ago. After his brother dies and his parents leave to seek a Christian burial for their child, Saul Indian Horse and his grandmother struggle to survive the harsh Canadian winter. It's not until a '50s era Ford rolls into the frame that the actual time period becomes clear; this is taking place decades, not centuries, ago. The...
SANTA FE, N.M.-Actress Tantoo Cardinal will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2019 Santa Fe Independent Film Festival, which will take place in Santa Fe, New Mexico, from October 16th to 20th, 2019. Distinguished Santa Fe Independent Film Festival Advisory Board Chair, Gary Farmer, says Cardinal is "a staunch worker for Indigenous people's rights and well-being who happens to be a unique inspirational [and] phenomenal actor." At the event, Cardinal will also introd...
Coast Salish Territories-Indigenous Tourism BC (ITBC) and the British Columbia Assembly of First Nations (BCAFN) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to expand the province's rich collection of Indigenous tourism products and experiences. Regional Chief Terry Teegee, signed on behalf of BCAFN which represents 203 First Nations across the province. The BCAFN advocates and advances the rights and interests of First Nations in BC. By signing the memorandum, both parties agree to...
WASHINGTON, D.C.-The Library of Congress has recently announced that Joy Harjo is the new United States Poet Laureate. As a member of the Muscogee Creek Nation, she is the first Native American to receive the honor since it was established in 1937. Harjo becomes the 23rd person to hold this annual appointment from the Library of Congress and the first from Oklahoma. Commonly held for two consecutive terms, the position was officially named the Poet Laureate Consultant in...
LONGMONT, Colo.-First Nations Development Institute (First Nations) and The Henry Luce Foundation (Luce) have partnered to launch the Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellowship. The fellowship is a 12-month, self-directed enrichment program designed to support the growth, development, knowledge and networks of Indigenous knowledge holders and knowledge makers. First Nations is now accepting applications for the inaugural year of the program. In 2020, First Nations will award 10 fell...
PHOENIX, Ariz.-The Ojibwe people tell of a prophecy that spurred their journey from the Atlantic coast of North America to the Great Lakes region more than 1,000 years ago-revelations that told them to travel west to a land where food grew on the water. That food? Wild rice, or "manoomin," to the Native American nations, which, like the Ojibwe, comprise the broader group of Anishinaabe tribes in the Upper Midwest and Canada. But manoomin is much more than just a crop to these...
LEUPP, Ariz.-In July, Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer joined proud parents, grandparents, and educators at a ceremony to celebrate the outstanding academic achievements of 151 Chief Manuelito Scholarship recipients. The prestigious Chief Manuelito Scholarship was established in 1980 to provide post-secondary school scholarships to high-achieving Navajo high school graduates. The scholarships are awarded based on ACT/SAT test scores and...
CHINLE, Ariz.-The Chinle High School basketball team, in Chinle, Arizona, is getting a lot of attention these days. On August 2, the small-town high school team on the Navajo Nation, made its debut Friday, Aug. 2, on Netflix. The series, called "Basketball or Nothing," is comprised of six episodes and follows the team's pursuit of the semifinals during their 2017-2018 season. "We fell in love with the story because a lot of these kids have some difficult situations at home,...
WINNIPEG, Man.-A group of 34 Indigenous youth left in mid-August for a four-month service trip in Peru that includes a cultural exchange with local Indigenous communities. The youth, between the ages of 18 and 26, are part of the International Aboriginal Youth Internships Initiative, which is run by Canada World Youth and funded by Global Affairs Canada. "They'll be working on the healthy kitchens initiative, which is building kitchens out of adobe clay and bricks," says Tina...
BAY OF QUINTE, Ont.-The Government of Canada and First Nations communities are working in partnership to improve water infrastructure and expand access to safe, reliable drinking water. This summer, the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte and Chief R. Donald Maracle celebrated ongoing improvements to their water infrastructure that will improve residents' access to safe drinking water and safeguard the community from the effects of drought. The First Nation, Infrastructure Canada and...
REGINA, Sask.-Indigenous leaders are celebrating a court ruling that says First Nations hunters from outside Saskatchewan have a constitutional right to hunt in the province without a license. The ruling was made after a group of hunters from the Six Nations reserve in Ontario was charged with unlawful hunting offenses in October 2018. Some of the group's members were hunting for food in Moose Mountain Provincial Park, located about two hours from Regina near the Manitoba...
My Native American family of Creek and Cherokee descent was at best a nominal Christian family, but I have fond memories of attending vacation Bible school and going to church on rare occasions as a child. Although I wasn't taught the Word of God during my formative years, at the age of six I made a profession of faith at the conclusion of a Vacation Bible School-but throughout my teen years, I never felt secure in my relationship to Christ. As a teen, I fell victim to drugs...
Let me tell you something, I was down and out awhile ago. No money for wants, let alone for basic necessities. So I prayed to God, pouring out my heart. And He provided me with $10 from my cousin and $40 from my little brother! I am so thankful and I praise God for this glorious Blessing! I know without a doubt, that if I had not prayed to God, I would have not gotten any help. -T. C....
I've been intrigued by the story of a Rocky Mountain Cree of the mid 1800s, a chief named Maskepetoon. Told by many, his story has become a mix of myth, legend and truth. However, all sources bear common denominators that follow the common thread of peacemaking. Maskepetoon, a renowned warrior who came to Faith in Jesus, found out that personal peace would only come when it was partnered with forgiveness. His only son had been murdered by a companion, and Maskepetoon, faced...
Q: I am proud to be a child of God. Right now, I am struggling with the problem of determining which things in my Native American culture will fit in with my Christian faith and which things do not. Is it possible to have all of both worlds? A: I reread your question, and it seems your faith is somewhat shallow or you have just become a believer very recently. I may be missing something or not understanding but it seems in your question there is very little to say that you...
WASHINGTON, D.C.-A federal appeals court said environmental groups cannot sue to block expansion of a coal mine owned by the Navajo Transitional Energy Co. (NTEC), because it is an arm of the Navajo government and thus immune from civil suits. The Monday ruling by a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court's dismissal of the suit by several environmental groups, on and off the Navajo Nation. The courts said NTEC has to be part of any...
Calgary, Alb.-The Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB) recently released a data-driven report calling on the federal government to increase the dollar value of its procurement spending with Aboriginal businesses to five percent of total procurement spending by 2024. According to the Treasury Board of Canada, federal government procurement spending totaled $14.6 billion in 2017. Federal procurement spending through the Procurement Strategy for Aboriginal Business...
CHEROKEE NATION-Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Bill John Baker is sending out a message that might be a wise reminder for all Native Americans. "Native people have been historically underrepresented in the Census. The Census Bureau estimates that in the last Census of 2010, American Indians were undercounted by about 5%, which is more than double the undercount rate of the next closest population group. There are areas in Adair, Cherokee, Delaware and Sequoyah counties that...
Ottawa, Ont.-While premiers and territorial leaders meet in Saskatchewan recently to discuss the well-being of Indigenous children, youth and families, a new report released co-authored by the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) says First Nations children experience the highest levels of poverty in Canada. "Canada is not tracking First Nations poverty on-reserve so we did," said AFN National Chief Perry Bellegarde. "The findings of this report are shameful and underscore the...
On a January day in 1988, I received a call from a George McPeek in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He called inviting me to come check out Intertribal Christian Communications, of which he was the founder and director. A week or so later, I travelled to Winnipeg, and spent five days in the home of George and his family, getting to know them and the Indian Life staff. Seven months later my family and I moved to Manitoba where I began my work as Assistant Editor to George. This adv...
