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HOUSTON-The Rev. David Wilson was elected as bishop in The United Methodist Church's South Central Jurisdictional Conference, becoming the denomination's first Native American bishop. Delegates elected Wilson, age 59, Nov. 2 at the jurisdiction's meeting in Houston. Wilson has been the assistant to the bishop for the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference since 2021, following 19 years as a conference superintendent. He was lead coordinator for the North Oklahoma City Native...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
OWASSO, Okla.-Cherokee Nation and its film office celebrated the opening of the Cherokee Film Studios, Owasso Campus, with a dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday. The tribe's state-of-the-art facility is the first of its kind in Oklahoma and Indian Country. Cherokee Nation leadership and executives from the tribe's business arm, Cherokee Nation Businesses, joined state officials, local community leaders and industry professionals in commemorating the area's...
PRIOR LAKE, Minn.-In the Spring, the University of Minnesota hosted the fifth annual Native American Nutrition conference. Two dozen videos of various presentations from the conference are now online for attendees and also for those who did not come to the conference. The theme for the conference was: "Decolonizing and Indigenizing our Diets for Health."During the three-day conference, Indegenous experts, elders, and others spoke at the event. Speakers included Michael Yellow...
New York-Raven Chacon has become the first Native American to win a Pulitzer Prize for music. Hs composition, "Voiceless Mass," is a large ensemble work that was commissioned by the Wisconsin Conference of the United Church of Christ, Plymouth Church UCC, and Present Music. It was composed specifically for the Nichols & Simpson organ at The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Milwaukee, Wisconsin but can be performed in any space of worship with high ceilings and pipe...
CHESTERMERE, Alb.-On July 23-26, 2022, representatives from Indian Life Ministries joined the Siksika Nation in their annual camp meeting. The Siksika Nation is on Treaty 7 territory and the traditional lands of the Blackfoot people. With a population of about 7800, it is approximately 60 miles east of Calgary, south of the Trans-Canada Highway #1. The Siksika Nation is part of the Siksikaitsitapi–Blackfoot Confederacy which includes Kainai Nation, Piikani Nation and A...
After a two year hiatus, due to the worldwide pandemic, and two years since Todd and I joined Indian Life, we are excited to announce that our annual banquet is back! Since coming on board with ILM, we bear witness to the men and women who went before us. Many planted seeds, many watered, and God has been faithfully pushing roots, growing the seeds into luscious life. "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth." (1 Corinthians 3:16) During our time together, we seek...
In the coming months, you can meet Indian Life staff at these events! Make sure you stop by and say, "Hi!" October 7–8: Steer Conference-North Dakota, United States STEER is an organization that facilitates the capacity for farmers in the US to raise and sell cattle, and then donate the monies to charities of their choosing that are registered with STEER. This of course is the unofficial explanation of their ministry. See the link below for the official info: h...
Winnipeg, Man.-In July, Pope Francis launched an historic six-day tour in Canada that has been dubbde as the "apology tour" or "pilgrimage of penance." The focus of the Roman Catholic church's leader was to express sorrow and support to the Indigenous people of Canada who suffered from the church's grim legacy in the country. This was the first visit by a pope to Canada since 2002, and Francis is only the second pontiff to visit the country. All three previous visits were...
TUSCON, Ariz.-Undergraduate students from the state's 22 federally recognized Native American tribes will no longer have to pay tuition and mandatory fees at the University of Arizona main campus in Tucson. Beginning in the fall 2022, new and continuing full-time, degree-seeking, in-state undergraduates will be eligible for the Arizona Native Scholars Grant, the first program of its kind in Arizona. "Serving Arizona's Native American tribes and tribal students is a crucial...
ILM co-sponsors retreat for Indigenous couples RED DEER, Alb.-On June 3–5, 2022, Indian Life Ministries, Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada and Family Life Canada joined forces for the first time to sponsor the first Indigenous Couples' Getaway in western Canada. Seventeen couples attended this premier event held in Red Deer, Alberta, joined by three speaker couples, two musician couples, and several volunteers. The conference was born out of 20 years of prayer by a C...
OTTAWA-The Department of National Defence recently announced the appointment of Lt.-Gen. Jocelyn Paul as the commander of the Canadian Army. Paul is the first Indigenous person to lead the Canadian Army, He began the role as commander of the Canadian Army and chief of the Army staff on June 16. Jocelyn (Joe) Paul, from the community of Wendake, Que., is a member of the Huron-Wedat First Nation. Brigadier-General Paul's interest in a military career was sparked at a young age...
QUEBEC CITY-In late May, legislators in Quebec passed Bill 96 after the Charter of the French language was overhauled after a year of contentious debate. Indigenous leaders are among those who are concerned about the bill, joining the English-speaking communities in the province. Bill 96 limits the use of English in the court system and throughout other public services. It also puts more restrictive language requirements on small businesses and towns. Businesses with 25 or...
WASHINGTON, D.C.-THE Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) into law recently, codifying the historic tribal provisions that strengthen tribal sovereignty and safety in Indian Country. The reauthorization of VAWA, passed as part of the Omnibus Spending Package for Fiscal Year 2022, empowers Tribal Nations to exercise restored jurisdiction to prosecute non-Indian perpetrators of child violence, sexual violence, sex trafficking, stalking, crimes against tribal law enforcement and...
July 25, 2022—The Gathering. Native pastors, Native churches and cross-cultural missionaries will gather to discuss a joint effort to bring the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s Native Peoples Tour to continue the revival among the Native people in the Dakotas. For more information or to attend contact laura.long@the-harvest.org...
In our March/April issue of Indian Life, in the column “What’s Up with Indian Life,” we included the paragraph: “Over 40 years ago, a dream came to fruition. George McPeek, Ray Gowan and Chuck Olson came together with the sole purpose of restoring hope, healing and honor within the Indigenous community of North America, through a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Intertribal Christian Communications was formed!” We inadvertently listed Chuck Olson instead of Chuck Fiero. We honor Chuck Fiero as one of the founders of Intert...
NORMAN, Okla.-Muscogee (Creek) Nation citizen Galen Cloud complained about traffic during the 10-hour drive from Okmulgee, Oklahoma, to his tribe's homeland near Oxford, Alabama-before recalling how his ancestors had to walk that distance against their will. "You think about it and you're filled with madness, and then you just feel the pain and then you just hate to imagine what all they went through, just to get here," Cloud said. He was headed to Oxford, where city and...
RAPID CITY, N.D.-Native American Christian leaders came together in South Dakota with a powerful focus on sharing Jesus with Indigenous people who've faced generational hardships. The gathering is ahead of the Native Peoples Tour with Will Graham this summer. They came from Texas and Saskatchewan, South Carolina and Wyoming, Alberta and Kentucky. They carried the names of their tribes with honor: Lumbee, Chippewa, Navajo, Apache, Sioux, Hopi and more. Altogether, more than...
BUSBY, Alb.-On May 19-22, 2022, more than 150 youth gathered at Camp Nakamun in Alberta, Canada for the Native Youth Conference (NYC). The students came from eleven communities between British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskachewan. "We didn't even know if kids were gonna show up," said Chris Steinhauer, one of 11 NYC committee members from 4 communities and the Native churches, who helped plan the event. "And then to see over 150 kids show up blows my mind. Especially after...
