Sorted by date Results 1 - 11 of 11
NASHVILLE, Tenn.-When Southern Baptist denomination met in their annual meeting in June 2022, the Southern Baptist Convention passed a resolution decrying the historic assimilation and treatment of Native Americans in the United States. The denomination has 47,530 churches and 14,525,579 members. Their statement: WHEREAS, The Bureau of Indian Affairs Investigative Report, released in May 2022, documents and records that the United States maliciously targeted Native American,...
Shortly after Abigail Echo-Hawk, M.A., began her job as director of Urban Indian Health in 2016, she was astonished at what she discovered when she opened a file drawer. Inside was a 2010 comprehensive survey which asked Native American women residing in the city if they had ever experienced sexual violence. The survey of the148 women participants revealed that 94 percent had either been coerced into sex or had been raped at least once. But what astounded Echo-Hawk most was...
WASHINGTON-Indigenous leaders called on Congress September 20 to reverse a Supreme Court ruling that expands states' ability to prosecute crimes on tribal land, a ruling they said threatens their sovereignty and their ability to protect their citizens. Witnesses told a House Natural Resources subcommittee that the Castro-Huerta ruling tramples on 200 years of legal precedent about tribal jurisdiction and has made it harder for them to pursue cases of domestic violence or missi...
ADA, Okla.-Sara Ellis is one of the few girls enrolled in Ada High School's aviation program. "I never thought I would want to be in the aviation field," Ellis said. "I was not good at math or science. The aviation program has taught me that if you have something that you really want to do, like flying, it makes things like calculus easier when you see how they are applied." Now, the 17-year-old is learning the ins and outs of the lucrative and male dominated aviation...
Every city needs a few "pillars of the community," or people who serve to build bridges and support belonging and morale. For Little Earth in Minneapolis, one of those pillars is T.J. Valtierra. As a pastor's kid, Valtierra knew about God. But he didn't have a personal relationship with the Lord until his early 20s after saying he heard God tell him he had wasted his life. The next day, while at a party with friends, he knelt down in front of a small crowd and gave his life...
LONG BEACH, Calif.-Two years ago, Deontay Begay was overjoyed when he and his twin brother, Deondre, were recruited to play basketball for Northwest Indian College. It was a way to explore the world beyond Sheep Springs, a rural community of 250 on the Navajo Nation in New Mexico. But the pandemic ultimately meant his first basketball season was canceled, as was his move to Bellingham, Wash., where the tribal college is located on the Lummi Nation. Begay, who is Navajo, spent...
ADA, Okla.—The decade spanning 2022–2032 is designated “Chikashshanompa’ Ilanompoli’! (Let’s Speak Chickasaw!): A Decade of Chickasaw Language” thanks to a recent gubernatorial proclamation issued by Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby. Governor Anoatubby’s proclamation mirrors a United Nations’ proclamation of 2022-2032 “International Decade of Indigenous Languages,” which invites Indigenous peoples, as guardians of their language, to initiate ideas for preserving this endangered facet of their cultural and social l...
Is it in your calendars yet to attend Indian Life's upcoming fundraising banquet? If not, head on over to our website at indianlife.org or give us a call at 1-800-665-9275 to change that. We are finalizing details big and small, and with that has come a change in our keynote speaker. We were thrilled to have Craig and LaDonna Smith confirmed to speak, but complications have caused this to change. We will miss them. We are however excited to announce that Steven and Noemi Keesi...
Last year, I was asked to write a song about a man I didn't know. The friend who requested it sort of figured it wouldn't be hard to figure out something to write about the guy, but I was at a total loss for words, not knowing anything about him! So I made a bunch of phone calls, sent a few emails and fired off a myriad of texts in my quest to find out all I could about this unintroduced stranger. My hunt was successful!! I found out he was 87 years old, a USMC veteran...
GARDEN RIVER, Ont.-The Anishinabek Police Service now has a new offering in their line of uniforms. It is reportedly the first law enforcement agency in Ontario to allow police to wear ribbon skirts for events and ceremonies when a police-issued duty belt isn't required. The skirts presented to officers in a ceremony were skirts handcrafted by Sault Ste. Marie Indian Friendship Centre Executive Director Cathy Syrette. Anishinabek Police Service Chief Jefferey Skye felt it was...
North Bay, Ont.-For the second year in a row, a railroad engine has been painted orange and lettered "Every Child Matters" to commemorate Orange Shirt Day. In mid-September, 2021, Ontario Northland, headquartered in North Bay, Ontario, revealed their new paint scheme for locomotive 1808. The North Bay, Ontario-based railroad's engine pays tribute to and raises awareness for Canada's National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also called "Orange Shirt Day," an opportunity for...
