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CHESTERMERE, Alb.—On December 16–18, Indian Life Ministries hosted the Gift of Reconciliation conference at Camp Chestermere, Alb. Featured speaker Mario Swampy talked about reconciliation being a gift from the Lord for all of His children. He asked participants to reflect upon how they are modeling reconciliation, and to have difficult conversations with people as the Lord leads. Swampy also talked about sinful people being reconciled to a Holy God. During the weekend, Swampy led some times for participants to hold discussio...
DENVER, Colo.-On December 30, Colorado joined several states to start using a Missing Indigenous Person Alert (MIPA) system. Because of the large percentage of Native Americans who go missing, the system is designed to raise awareness and give law enforcement access to investigate cases sooner. Last year, legislation passed in the state to expand the investigation of cases of missing and murdered indigenous people. State lawmakers passed Senate Bill 22– 150, and Gov. Jared P...
WINNIPEG-The First Nations people of Winnipeg are involved in a couple of different offerings to help people stay warm in the cold winter air as temperatures often dip to –40 C. Groups in the city are joining together to provide "warming tipis" as a temporary safe haven for those who are homeless or otherwise find themselves out in the cold. The tipi project is being led by Anishiative, a non-profit, grassroots youth organization, along with other community organizations. W...
CHESTERMERE, Alb.-"Candy only lasts for a day or so, but the books we include may stay in that home for years!" says Dwayne Dyck of Eagle's Nest Ministry Centre (ENMC). Each year for the past 15 years, the ministry has operated a Christmas Bag Outreach, and this year they decided to use products from Indian Life Ministries in their bags, along with their normal seasonal goodies. "The message of Jesus may be read by children, parents, and other family members." The ministry...
WASHINGTON, D.C.-For the first time in a half-dozen years, leaders of federally recognized tribes from across the United States gathered in Washington for The White House Tribal Nations Summit November 30-December 1, 2022. The summit was designed to bring together tribal leaders with administration officials, Cabinet secretaries and the president. Held at the Interior Department, it included panelists discussing topics such as mental health and health equity, economic...
CHESTERMERE, Alb.-Searches at two more residential school sites in Canada have revealed more disturbing findings regarding the burial of children. The Wauzhushk Onigum Nation has announced that ground-penetrating radar (GPR) has detected more than 170 anomalies during a search for unmarked graves at the site of the former St. Mary's Indian Residential School in Kenora, Ont. The school was in operation from 1897 to 1972, and survivors of the school helped identify areas that...
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...
WASHINGTON-Haskell Indian Nations University, a Bureau of Indian Education-operated Tribal University in Lawrence, Kansas, is the recipient of a $20 million award from the National Science Foundation for an Indigenous science hub project. Funded under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the award is for five years and is the largest research award ever granted by the NSF to a Tribal college or university. The project will create The Large Scale CoPe: Rising Voices, Changing...
OTTAWA, Ont.-More Inuit live in southern Canada and more of these Inuit are living in urban centres, said a Statistics Canada survey on Indigenous population growth in Canada. In 2021, 15.3 per cent of Inuit lived in a large urban centre, up from 13 per cent in 2016, Statistics Canada found. Its survey found three urban centres had an Inuit population of more than 1,000: Ottawa–Gatineau (1,730), Edmonton (1,290) and Montreal (1,130). The survey also found 920 Inuit living i...
OTTAWA, Ont.-This fall, Canada Post unveiled four new stamps that encourage awareness and reflection on the tragic legacy of Indian residential schools and the need for healing and reconciliation. The stamps are the first in an annual series showcasing the visions of First Nations, Inuit and Métis artists for the future of truth and reconciliation. Between the 1830s and 1990s, more than 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Métis children across Canada were taken from their f...
WASHINGTON, D.C.-Pope Francis apologized. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland called it a "heartbreaking" part of U.S. history. Congress is considering legislation to atone for the government's actions. Few dispute that Indian boarding schools led to more than a century of abuse, systematically seizing Indigenous land, separating children from their families, destroying communities and working to erase tribal languages, religions, cultures and economies. Poor conditions and harsh...
SACRAMENTO, Calif.-Five California tribes will reclaim their right to manage coastal land significant to their history under a first-in-the-nation program backed with $3.6 million in state money. The five tribes are the Kashia Band of Pomo Indians of the Stewarts Point Rancheria, the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, the Resighini Rancheria, the Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation, and the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. The tribes will rely on their traditional knowledge to protect more than...
The Gift of Reconciliation" conference, hosted by ILM, is happening December 16–18! Starting on Friday evening, we will enjoy fellowship, food, teaching by Mario Swampy, and gospel music by Kene and Milly Jackson. Saturday morning we will learn how to make bannock. In the afternoon you'll have the option to explore Calgary or sit in on a breakout session. Then on Saturday evening, we'll hear some more from Mario. When we hosted the "Let's Talk About Reconciliation" c...
If you're attending these events, come by and meet us! If you would like ILM to participate in your event, contact Krystal at admin@IndianLife.org "The Gift of Reconciliation" conference-hosted by ILM, December 16–18, Chestermere, Alb. Indigenous Couples' Getaway-January 27–29, 2023, Winnipeg, Manitoba MissionFest Manitoba-February 3–5, 2023, Manitoba Gospel Jamboree-February 24–26, St. Albert, Sask. BC Native Christian Conference-April TBA, Kamloops, B.C....
VANCOUVER, B.C.-Indian status card holders face stigma and discrimination on a daily basis when presenting them at stores or to officials, according to a landmark study commissioned by the Union of BC Indian Chiefs. A status card is identification issued by the federal government for someone who is enrolled as a "Status Indian" as defined under the Indian Act. The full, 72-page report is titled "They Sigh or Give You the Look: Discrimination and Status Card Usage" and was...
REGINA, Sask.-In November, a First Nation solar project was commissioned on Cowesses First Nation land about three kilometers southeast of Regina. The solar project was developed by Awasis Solar LP, which is a partnership between Cowessess First Nation and Elemental Energy. Cowessess currently owns 95 percent of Awasis, and Elemental Energy owns the remaining 5 percent. According to Chief Cadmus Delorme, the First Nation will have full ownership in the first five years. He...
HOUSTON, Tex.-Recently the Dragon Endurance spacecraft, built by SpaceX, launched a voyage to the International Space Station. The flight made history because one of the astronauts, mission commander Nicole Mann, became the first Native American woman to enter space. Mann, a 45-year-old member of the Wailacki of the Round Valley Indian Tribes, is serving as mission commander for the SpaceX Crew-5 mission. The flight marked the sixth time Elon Musk's space company has ferried...
WINNIPEG, Man.-In December, Indian Life Ministries hosted an annual banquet for 130 constituents and friends of the ministry. The banquet was themed, "But God Gave the Growth" and featured ministry from Steven and Noemi Keesic, who have served with the Adult and Teen Challenge program, Grand Chief Anishininenew Okimawin, Rising Above Band, and NEFC Representatives Kene and Milly Jackson. "The 2022 ILM banquet celebrated the goodness of God and his faithfulness to this...
Chestermere, Man.—Back by popular demand, Indian Life Ministries will host “The Gift of Reconciliarion” on December 16–18 at Camp Chestermere, west of Calgary, Alb. Beginning on Friday evening and ending on Sunday afternoon, the conference will help participants look at reconciliation on a personal level, evaluate their relationships with God and others, and answer the question “What does reconciliation mean for me?” The conference will feature teaching by Mario Swampy, who has served as Pastor for the Louis Bull All Nations...
WASHINGTON, D.C.-More than two years after its opening, the Native American Veteran's Memorial in the nation's capital was finally dedicated in mid November, in a ceremony lasting more than three hours. Tribal leaders and citizens and veterans from across the country marched down the National Mall on Veterans Day to a stage at the foot of the U.S. Capitol Building. Rex Hailey, a member of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma and a Gulf War veteran, drove halfway across the country...
OTTAWA, Ont.-In late September, Statistics Canada presented reports based on the 2021 census. The census report includes expected, and surprising data, on the Indigenous population in Canada. Some of the findings: • The number of people identifying as Indigenous in Canada grew almost twice as fast as the non-Indigenous population and now stands at 1.8 million-about five percent of the population. From 2016 to 2021, the number of people in Canada identifying as Indigenous g...
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...
WASHINGTON, D.C-The Department of the Interior recently announced that the Board on Geographic Names (BGN) has voted on the final replacement names for nearly 650 geographic areas featuring the word "squaw." The government is renaming hundreds of peaks, lakes, streams and other geographical features on federal lands in the West and elsewhere. The word "squaw" originated in the Algonquin language and experts say it probably once simply meant "woman." But over time, the word...
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...
WASHINGTON, D.C.-According to a report released in September 2022 by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Native Americans and Alaska Natives saw the biggest life expectancy decline among all races between 2020 and 2021. Among the total United States population, the average life expectancy for those who were born in 2021 was expected to be 76 years. This is the lowest the U.S. life expectancy has been since 1996. Among Native Americans and Alaska Natives, the...
