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Washington, DC-Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) Native Services hosted a ceremonial signing to commemorate the refreshed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between BGCA and the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Education (BIE). The gathering reaffirmed the shared commitment of both organizations to strengthen academic success and education opportunities for American Indian and Alaska Native youth. Carla Knapp, National Vice President of Native Services at B...
Meet Ryan and Kristen O'Leary. Ryan, a member of the Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe in northern Minnesota, currently leads the First Peoples Initiative and is president of the National Association of Native Evangelicals. He holds undergraduate and masters' degrees in business management, a masters' of divinity, a doctor of ministry degree and a PhD in global leadership. Raised in a Christian home and coming to Christ at age six, before his current ministries, Ryan served as a...
If you're attending these events, come by and meet us at the events that are starred below! If you would like ILM to participate in your event, contact Todd at director@intertriballife.org. May 14–17: Native Youth Conference, Busby, Alb.* May 22-24: Indigenous Ladies Retreat, Busby Alb.* May 22–24: Waymaker Native Youth Gathering, Enderby, B.C. May 29–31: Kelliher Gospel Outreach, Kelliher, Sask.* June 6: Operation Christmas Child Indigenous Shoebox Packing Party, Samar...
On June 6, Intertribal Life Ministries will host, for the first time, an Operation Christmas Child First Nations Shoebox Packing Party. It will be held from 2 to 6 (MTN) at 20 Hopewell Way NE, in Calgary Alb. Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan's Purse, an international relief organization that has been providing shoeboxes filled with small toys, hygiene items, and school supplies as a means of reaching children with the Good News of Jesus Christ for thirty...
STURGEON LAKE, Sask.-Recently, members of the Sturgeon Lake First Nation celebrated the grand opening of the Shirley Bighead Nihtāwiki and Ohpikihāwasowin Birthing and Child-rearing Lodge. This is the first Indigenous-led birthing lodge on a First Nation in Saskatchewan. Before the birthing lodge came to be, pregnant women had to travel to larger cities, such as Prince Albert or Saskatoon to give birth. Not only will the birthing lodge be available to First Nations' women, b...
In Oklahoma, an average of two to three people die by suicide every day. This rate is more than 1.5 times the national average and has increased by almost 150 percent since 2000. Overall, as reported by the Oklahoma Voice last year, the state's soaring suicide rates place them in the top ten nationally. For Native Americans in Oklahoma, these rates had long been even more concerning. As recently as 2021, Indigenous Americans suicide rates were more than twice the national...
BROOKLYN, N.Y.-A new ruling by Etsy has distressed Native American and First Nation sellers. In an email sent by Etsy to sellers in April, the company announced that it will ban the sale of all animal fur products, including raw pelts, finished garments, and accessories starting in August 11, 2026, claiming the move is part of "ongoing biodiversity efforts." Etsy has long held an animal product policy, which prohibited the sale of products made from animals designated as...
WASHINGTON, D.C.-The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Indian Energy (IE) has announced a $50 million notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) aimed at fostering affordable, reliable, and secure energy solutions in Indian Country. This investment will support Tribal-led community-scale energy project planning and development and large-scale energy project planning. Through the Unleashing Tribal Energy Development NOFO, the Office of Indian Energy is soliciting applications...
SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont.-Neoen, one of the world's leading renewable energy companies, has been awarded two 20-year contracts by Ontario's Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) through its second Long-Term Energy Supply procurement process, for two new solar farms with a total capacity of 318 MWp / 250 MWac. These contracts cover 100 percent of the output of the future power plants, which are both located in Ontario. The first solar farm, sized at 253 MWp / 200 MWac,...
REGINA, Sask.-May marks 50 years that the First Nations University of Canada has been welcoming students. Begun in May 1976 as Saskatchewan Indian Federated College, the goal for the school was to have a culturally safe institution that taught Indigenous values, customs and languages, as well as teaching Canadian history from a First Nations' perspective. The 50-year celebrations began with an annual spring event on April 18–19, 2026, which brought together hundreds of d...
RAPID CITY, S.D.-New data from the Federal Bureau of Investigations released on May 5 showcases declining rates of missing American Indian and Alaska Native people in 2025. The data's release fell on the National Day of Remembrance for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People. According to the new data, 9,687 American Indian and Alaska Native individuals were reported missing in 2025 alone. Nationwide, 498,038 individuals were reported missing, meaning just under 2 percent of...
LANGDON, Alb.-Intertribal Life Ministries hosted a Dessert Night Fundraiser on May 2, 2026 at the Abundant Life Church in Calgary, Alb. "The Dessert Night Fundraiser is about so much more than raising funds," said Todd Wawrzyniak of the ILM director team. "It's an awareness raiser, a prayer raiser, a volunteer raiser and a financial raiser. It was encouraging to see the diversity in those who attended, those who came locally and those who travelled a great distance to come to...
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 p...
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 program. W...
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 p...
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 c...
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 wi...
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. "...
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 m...
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. “Th...
Washington, D.C.-The U.S. Marshals Service will be permitted to partner with tribal law enforcement in cases involving missing indigenous children under legislation proposed by two senators who represent states with numerous tribes. The efforts of Senators Markwayne Mullin (R, Oklahoma) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D, Nevada) were applauded by LaRenda Morgan, who helped lead the effort that led to passage in Oklahoma of "Ida's Law," named for her cousin Ida Beard, who went...
Washington, D. C.-In mid-December, the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced at the meeting of the Treasury Tribal Advisory Committee (TTAC) two final pro-growth and deregulatory tax regulations that support the prosperity of Tribal businesses and families and recognize the sovereignty of Tribal governments. The first rule implements the Tribal General Welfare Exclusion Act of 2014, which confirms that Tribes may provide assistance...
Wounded Knee, S.D.—In mid-December, the Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act, was signed into law. "It has been almost 135 years to the day of the tragedy that unfolded at Wounded Knee and [now], the president signed my bill into law to preserve the land where hundreds of lives were lost," said U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), who sponsored the bill. "I am grateful the Oglala and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribes will be able to hold this land in p...
Swanton, Vt.-The Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs has announced that an American Abenaki curriculum is now available for Vermont educators. This curriculum has been designed by the four Abenaki communities in Vermont. Commission Vice Chair Jeff Benay, who also chairs the American Abenaki Curriculum Planning Committee, told reporter Pat Bradley and WAMC Northeast Public Radio that the idea of creating a curriculum focused on the state-recognized tribe has taken yea...
Langdon, Alb.—Intertribal Life Ministries is thrilled to announce that Council Fire devotionals are now available in podcast form, and www.councilfire365.org went live on January 1, 2026. A new podcast is published daily, not only online, but also on Spotify, Apple, Amazon, and anywhere podcasts are presented. You will find links on www.councilfire365.org. Over the past two years, more than 30,000 printed copies of Council Fire daily devotionals, written exclusively by I...
