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UNCEDED ALGONQUIN TERRITORY, Ottawa-During the May visit of King Charles III and Queen Camilla to Canada, the Assemblies of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak was honored to welcome them upon their arrival at the Ottawa International Airport. During Woodhouse Nepinak's time with the king, she noted, "I was also honored to explain the significance of the Treaty 2 Medallion gifted to my great-great-grandfather Chief Richard Woodhouse in 1871 to commemorate the sacred obligations entered into by the...
ADA, Okla.-This summer, almost 2,500 campers of all ages attended the 78th annual Indian Falls Creek camp in the hills of southern Oklahoma from July 27–31, 2025. Dr. Todd Fisher served as camp pastor, inaugurating the three-year theme "Come Before the Lord" by focusing on the first precept of Micah 6:8, Do Justice with powerful messages. Many people committed their lives to Christ, sought rededication, and responded to calls for special ministry. Since 1947, campers from a...
DENVER, Colo.—If you're flying through Denver any time soon, you have a new food option in the airport: Tocabe: A Native American Eatery, located near gate 38 in concourse A. Ben Jacobs, Osage, and co-owner Matt Chandra opened the first Tocabe: A Native American Eatery restaurant in 2008 in northern Denver. Now they've expanded their reach in the busy Denver International Airport. Not only is Tocabe the only Native American-owned and operated restaurant in Metro Denver s...
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.—Can architecture be a realistic career path for Indigenous students? Sam Olbekson and Mike Laverdue think it can, though Olbekson estimates that he may be one of less than two dozen licensed Indigenous architects in the U.S. To introduce the subject to Native youth, the two men began the Indigenous Design Camp, which has now finished its second year. Throughout the week of camp, students tour indigenous architecture projects, learn about design concepts a...
MISSOULA, Mont.—The University of Montana has begun a program, The Indigenous First-Year Experience, that has helped increase retention among Native American students at UM by nearly 20 percent in just two years. The goal of the program is to address challenges faced by indigenous students, including culture shock and homesickness or other challenges that might tempt students to leave their academic goals behind. Program Director Cody Munson emphasizes the importance of commun...
NEW YORK—Church Publishing, the publisher of official worship materials, books, music, and digital ministry resources for The Episcopal Church, has recently published Wakan Cekiye Odowan / The Dakota Hymnal. For the first time since it was authorized in 1893, congregations, families, and individuals around the world will have access to a comprehensive collection of hymns in the Dakota/Lakota language ensuring its deep spiritual traditions will endure for future generations. F...
NEW YORK—In May, the 2025 Pulitzer Prize in History was awarded to Kathleen DuVal for her book Native Nations: A Millennium in North America, published by Random House in 2024. DuVal, a professor of history at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, is a historian specializing in early American and American Indian history; her work focuses on the interactions between Native Americans and people of European and African descent in early America. The book, which P...
Intertribal Life Ministries is pleased to announce that one of our most popular books, Does the Owl Still Call Your Name? edited by Bruce Brand, is once again available to readers. This book talks about specific struggles Indigenous communities face, as well as giving testimonies and life stories of people who have overcome. We've given you an excerpt from one of the chapters here, and you can order this on page 18. The headline read, "Death stalks desperate reserve-suicide...
PHOENIX, Ariz.—This year, CHIEF, Inc. marks its 50th anniversary of dedicated service to Native American and First Nations communities. Founded in 1975, at the request of reknowned evangelist Billy Graham, who had a burden for Native Americans, CHIEF was established by Mohawk leader Tom Claus as a ministry focused on discipling and training Native Christian leadership to impact their communities for God. "Reaching this milestone is a testament to God's grace, which has e...
If you're attending these events, come by and meet us! If you would like ILM to participate in your event, contact Todd at director@intertriballife.org. July 10–13: NEFC ANNUAL GENERAL CONFERENCE Regina, Sask., www.nefc.ca. Stop by and meet ILM staff! July 27–31: INDIAN FALLS CREEK, Davis, Okla. www.indianfallscreek.org Aug. 1–3: Lake Itasca Family Music Festival, Itasca, Minn., www.familybluegrass.com Sept. 26–28: THUNDER BAY GOSPEL JAMBOREE, Thunder Bay, Ont., www.nef...
OTTAWA, Ont.—In June, Canada Post unveiled three new stamps to mark National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21, with each one paying tribute to Indigenous leaders. The first stamp, released June 13 at a celebration in Ulukhaktok on Victoria Island in the Northwest Territories honored Indigenous leader Julia Haogak Ogina, who Canada Post says "worked hard to protect and promote her culture and language" including creating a regional language framework and programs promoting o...
ALEXANDRIA, Va.—The American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) announced that its accredited Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) membership received the prestigious, merit-based Carnegie Opportunity Colleges and Universities classification, which recognizes exceptional commitment to expanding student access and fostering strong post-graduation earnings outcomes. "Tribal Colleges and Universities are cornerstones of their communities as economic drivers and local s...
WASHINGTON, D.C.—In June, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. appointed Mark Cruz, as senior advisor to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Cruz is a 35th generation Oregonian, born in Salem, and is a citizen of the Klamath Tribes. After earning his bachelor's degree in political science from Pepperdine University and a master's degree in urban education policy from Brown University, Cruz began his career in education through Teach f...
BUSBY, Alb.—On May 15–18, 2025, Intertribal Life Ministries celebrated the blessing of being a partner for the Native Youth Conference (NYC) for another year. For the event, 256 youth and their chaperones converged upon a single location, Camp Nakamun, Alberta, from 11 different communities across Alberta and Saskatchewan. This year, youth from Loon River, Loon Lake, Gift Lake, Goodfish, Sunchild, Buffalo Lake, Trout Lake, Big River, Kikino Metis Settlement, Calgary and Sam...
PHOENIX, Ariz.—In a crowded auditorium, a group of Indigenous students stood shoulder to shoulder, eagerly waiting their turn to have their clothes screen printed by Homeland. The Native-led creative brand blends culture, music, fashion and community through hands-on workshops and cross-brand collaborations. On Saturday, during the Phoenix Union High School District Native American Education Program's career expo, Homeland hosted a live screen-printing workshop. Students l...
Dessert Night In mid-April, ILM hosted a Dessert Night in Alberta with the purpose of not only providing fellowship, but introducing Intertribal Life Ministries to others. "When we first joined the ministry back in 2021, one of our Board members, Len DeFehr stated that ILM was one of North America's best kept secrets," Todd and Krystal Wawrzyniak recall. "We were taken aback by this comment and felt a holy nudging to no longer allow that to be the case. We believe in this...
TORONTO, Ont.—A new fellowship opportunity for First Nations women in conservation and stewardship has been announced by the Indigenous Leadership Initiative (ILI) and Wildlife Conservation Society Canada (WCS Canada). This pilot year will shape a long-term initiative to support emerging women leaders by enhancing their professional growth, broadening their experiences, and strengthening their skills within the conservation movement. Called the First Nations Women T...
In October of last year, Intertribal Life was in Bismarck, N.D. to attend the annual STEER Conference. STEER Inc. is an organization that gives farmers and ranchers an opportunity to meet Christ-focused non-profit organizations and partner with them in ministry. Intertribal Life, since attending, has started relationships with three farmers and ranchers and, as a result, have had five steer assigned to them. We like to say we have five holy cows, because the ranchers raise...
If you're attending these events, come by and meet us! If you would like ILM to participate in your event, contact Todd at director@intertriballife.org. May 15–18 Native Youth Conference (NYC), Camp Nakamun, AB May 23–25 Annual Ladies Retreat, Camp Nakamun Alb. June 20–22 Camp Canaanlad, Silverbirch Resort, Kikino Metis Settlement July 10–13 NEFC Annual Conference, Regina Sask. Sept 12–14 Every Story Matters . . . Including Yours, testimony conference, Sudbury First Nations C...
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—The children's television show, "Molly of Denali," won for Outstanding Writing for a Preschool Animated Series at the Third Annual Children's and Family Emmy Awards. The show, widely distributed on PBS, is an action-adventure comedy that follows the life of 10-year-old Molly Mabray, an Alaska Native girl. It teaches young viewers developmental skills while raising awareness of Alaska Native culture and lifeways. "Molly of Denali" is the first nationally d...
WASWANIPI, Que.—Mandy Gull-Masty has been elected in Abitibi–Baie-James–Nunavik–Eeyou, as the first Cree woman to serve as a Member of Parliament for the region. Gull-Masty secured 41.2 per cent of the vote, unseating the two-term incumbant MP. Gull-Masty, from Waswanipi, Que., is the former grand chief of Eeyou Istchee. She enters Parliament representing one of the largest and most culturally diverse ridings in Canada. "This is going to be a new endeavour because I'm working...
SANTA FE, N.M.-According to the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH), suicide rates among the state's Native American population dropped by 43% during 2022 to 2023. According to the Centers for Disease Control, American Indians and Alaska Natives experience suicide rates that are 91% higher than the general population. In New Mexico, home to 23 federally recognized tribes, from 2009 to 2018, suicide rates among the Indigenous population climbed nearly 56 percent.. During...
SASKATOON, Sask.-The Mitchison Flight Centre is hosting a Dziret'ái Pilot Training Program designed specifically to train Saskatchewan Indigenous students and women to achieve their goals of becoming pilots. The program started in September 2024, when 9 of the 105 people who applied were chosen. It is funded by several organizations, including the Indigenous-owned RiseAir airline, mining companies, governments, and First Nations. Because of organizational funding, the...
OTTAWA, Ontario-The Honourable Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs, recently announced the establishment of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (UN Declaration Act) Action Plan Advisory Committee (APAC). The APAC is an Indigenous-led, independent body made up of 10 experts from diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis backgrounds and...
SASKATOON, Sask.—The Government of Canada has announced landmark settlements with First Nation communities regarding unfulfilled promises made in treaty agreements many decades ago. In late February, the Honourable Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, announced the settlement of Agricultural Benefit Claims with the following First Nation Communities: Ahta...
