Sorted by date Results 451 - 475 of 1085
SASKATOON, Sask.-In late May, 64 teams of gamers from Indigenous communities across Canada squared off against each other on Playstation's NHL 20 series for a chance at a cash prize and being announced as the country's best Indigenous online hockey team. "It's the neechi Stanley Cup of online gaming," Cameron Edwards, one of six players from the Lake Manitoba Eagles team, told CBC News about the Fred Sasakamoose "Chief Thunderstick"National Hockey Championship online. The annu...
PHOENIX, Ariz.-Time, distance and technology limitations are among the reasons Native Americans may be the most difficult demographic to count in the 2020 census, the Census Bureau says. But lack of trust is the biggest reason, said Patty Hibbeler, chief executive of the Phoenix Indian Center, which provides workforce and youth development, drug and alcohol prevention and language and culture revitalization. "It comes from a very long and very negative history with the...
Vancouver, B.C.-As the 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages (IYIL2019) closed last month, the First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) of British Columbia praised the efforts made to revitalize and maintain First Nations languages in British Columbia. Ambitious goals and work have been accomplished and sustained through global and regional efforts with the implementation of the IYIL2019 to preserve and promote First Nations languages, but these efforts must go...
COMOX, B.C.-The Comox Valley Airport has recently installed above its departures lounge a replica of a First World War Nieuport biplane donated by the late Captain David Freeman, a long time pilot and aviation enthusiast as part of the Plane of Reconciliation project. Freeman's wish was for the 400,000 people who pass through the airport annually to see the plane as a reminder of the contributions and sacrifices of Indigenous Peoples, and all Canadian Veterans, honored...
Great Falls, Mont.-After 80-plus years of seeking federal recognition the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa has become the 574th federally recognized tribe in the United States. Federal recognition will give tribe members access to health care and social services. Located in Montana, the tribe celebrated their victory by remembering those who have, over the years, pursued the recognition-including 93-year-old Theresa Juraskovich, the oldest tribal member, who told High Country...
Edmonton, AB.-In early February 2000, aniskwaciy Academy opened its doors. It was the first Indigenous-based public high school in Canada, steeped in Indigenous language, culture and traditions. "We have strong academy programming, but we also want to make sure our kids are getting strong cultural teaching," principal Fred Hines told CBC news. Hines also says the goal is to learn about the Cree culture and create a community of forward thinkers. In 2000, when the school...
Parksville, B.C.-Recently, the Honorable Marc Miller, Minister of Indigenous Services, congratulated 24 Indigenous innovators on moving forward in developing their ideas under the Indigenous Homes Innovation Initiative. The 24 innovators come from all regions of Canada and their ideas cover a range of new ways to respond to Indigenous social and housing needs. The selected innovators are now taking part in the Accelerator period. The Accelerator will provide the innovators...
WASHINGTON-Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Tara Sweeney announced that the Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development (IEED) has awarded business development grants totaling $727,229 to 21 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes. Over half of the awards are for proposed or existing projects located in Opportunity Zones. The awards from IEED's Native American Business Development Institute (NABDI) Feasibility Study Program will enable tribal le...
OTTAWA, Ont.-A January 2020 report released by the Correctional Investigator of Canada shows that Canada's prisons are being "Indigenized," or filling up with Indigenous men and women at a rate surpassing 30 percent, which could rise to 33 percent, even though Indigenous people make up less than 5 per cent of the total Canadian population. Indigenous women account for a staggering 42 per cent of the women inmate population in Canada. The Correctional Investigator of Canada,...
TAHLEQUAH, Okla.-The Cherokee Nation is the first tribe in the United States to receive an invitation to deposit its traditional heirloom seeds to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, a long-term seed storage facility housed deep inside a mountain on a remote island in Norway. The Cherokee Nation Secretary of Natural Resources office collected nine samples of Cherokee heirloom crops to send to Svalbard, including Cherokee White Eagle Corn, the tribe's most sacred corn, which is...
ITHACA, N.Y.-For the first time in Cornell University's 154-year history, students have been able to take a class to learn the language of the Cayuga Nation, whose traditional territory is now home to Cornell's Ithaca campus. The launch of the class in Fall 2019 coincided with the United Nations' declaration that 2019 was the Year of Indigenous Languages. Stephen Henhawk, a Cayuga speaker and historian, teaches the hands-on class, which focuses on the relationship of language...
ADA, Okla.-Chickasaw and Choctaw artist Sue Fish has honed her craft of basketmaking for nearly three decades and has displayed her art in galleries across the Chickasaw Nation. An avid member of the First American art scene, Fish is enthusiastic about sharing her passion for preserving Southeastern basketry and reviving river cane basketry. She eagerly demonstrates her techniques while teaching at various community schools and universities, libraries, museums and events. The...
LANGLEY, B.C.-Aboriginal Award-winning Artist Treneta Bowden has received nominations for two categories with the 2020 Canadian Gospel Music Awards. Bowden's new song and album, Hold On, has been nominated for Indigenous Album of the Year. "Hold On" was written as a song of hope and healing to inspire First Nations and othr people to rise up in their purpose and to never quit. "I pray that this song and the others will be songs of rescue and healing to those who feel...
LONGMONT, Colorado-First Nations Development Institute (First Nations) has received a $220,000 grant from the Broad Reach Fund of the Maine Community Foundation. The funds will be used to support Native American-led efforts to combat abusive extractive industries that are impacting Native communities, resources and land. "Native communities have long-held, traditional knowledge that should be part of every conversation involving our land and environment," said Michael...
WHITEHORSE, Yukon Territory-In early March, the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) hosted a successful National Climate Gathering in Whitehorse, YT, that brought together over 380 First Nations leaders, elders, women and youth to discuss First Nations-led solutions to address the Climate Crisis. "First Nations from across the country are showing their commitment to action on the greatest challenge of our time-climate destruction. The scope of this meeting in the range of...
ADA, Okla.-The Chikasha Pehlichi Ikbi "Creating Chickasaw Leaders" Youth Leadership Program (CPI) recently attended the Close Up Foundation's annual American Indian Youth Summit in Washington, D.C. During the summit, CPI youth leaders had the opportunity to engage in workshops with others from different tribal communities. They discussed the most pressing issues facing their areas, discovered the historic relationship between tribes and the U.S. government, and explored...
TORONTO, Ont.-According to a report several months ago, Indigenous-owned small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are showing that they are highly adept at breaking into foreign markets, according to a new report jointly released by the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB) and the Office of the Chief Economist of Global Affairs Canada (OCE-GAC). The report, Indigenous-owned Exporting SMEs in Canada, finds that, based on CCAB survey data, nearly a quarter (24...
JAMES SMITH CREE NATION, Saskatchewan-Sometimes it just takes one person with a caring heart and a clever idea-and determination to act on it-to make a difference. And thanks to Tanya Sanderson, hunters are joining the team to make a difference for the James Smith Cree Nation. When Sanderson heard that COVID-19 had hit Saskatchewan, she was concerned about the 3412 fellow members in the nation near the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. Even though Sanderson and her husban...
WASHINGTON-In mid-March, United States Senators Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (SCIA) Vice Chairman Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) unveiled the Tribal Medical Supplies Stockpile Access Act, legislation that would guarantee that the Indian Health Service (IHS), tribal health authorities, and urban Indian organizations have access to the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS), a federal repository of drugs and medical supplies that can be tapped if a public...
TULSA, Okla.-The Cherokee Nation contributed more than $6 million to 108 school districts during the tribe's annual Public School Appreciation Day Thursday. This year's disbursement is the largest since the tribe began its annual contributions in 2002. Aside from the millions of dollars the Cherokee Nation and other tribes provide to the state of Oklahoma for education funding each year through the tribal-state gaming compact, the Cherokee Nation also allocates 38 percent of...
WASHINGTON-Dean Seneca didn't mince words after the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention's "damaging news" in early March about the spread of the novel coronavirus that has killed thousands of people worldwide. "I want to make sure that I stated that tribes are not prepared for the coronavirus," he texted Indian Country Today a day after an interview in which he was more cautious. "I don't think that we are as prepared as we should be," Seneca-who has worked more than 18...
OTTAWA, Ont.-Following the Federal Court of Appeal's decision on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project, Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Perry Bellegarde says the federal government must ensure that First Nations' rights, title and jurisdiction are respected. "First Nations' rights and title holders must be respected in all proposed development, and this, of course, includes the Trans Mountain pipeline. Government and industry must do a better job of...
LOS ANGELES-In a city renowned for its green policies, Prius drivers and biodegradable straws, it was only a matter of time before officials would vote to move away from coal-powered electricity. To transition to clean energy, the city sold its shares of a coal-powered generating station on the Navajo Nation in 2016, ending a decades-long relationship. What seemed like a bright new sustainable future for Los Angeles presented a harsh reality for the tribe, whose members...
Ottawa, Ont.-The Trudeau government has promised $305 million to help Indigenous communities deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the $305 million Indigenous community support fund as part of a broader $82 billion aid package to help Canadians and businesses deal with the fallout from COVID-19. Trudeau announced last week that Indigenous communities could draw from a $100 million envelope that was part of a $1 billion investment to boost...
WASHINGTON-In the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic, tribal nations -comprised of some of the most vulnerable communities in the United States-have been left out of the conversation. As the COVID-19 pandemic has now reached all 50 states, tribal governments also face heightened challenges to protect their citizens, and have inadequate federal funding and resources to do so. "We cannot ignore the elevated risks faced by Indian Country from this virus," said...
