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CHEROKEE NATION-Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Bill John Baker is sending out a message that might be a wise reminder for all Native Americans. "Native people have been historically underrepresented in the Census. The Census Bureau estimates that in the last Census of 2010, American Indians were undercounted by about 5%, which is more than double the undercount rate of the next closest population group. There are areas in Adair, Cherokee, Delaware and Sequoyah counties that...
Ottawa, Ont.-While premiers and territorial leaders meet in Saskatchewan recently to discuss the well-being of Indigenous children, youth and families, a new report released co-authored by the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) says First Nations children experience the highest levels of poverty in Canada. "Canada is not tracking First Nations poverty on-reserve so we did," said AFN National Chief Perry Bellegarde. "The findings of this report are shameful and underscore the...
On a January day in 1988, I received a call from a George McPeek in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He called inviting me to come check out Intertribal Christian Communications, of which he was the founder and director. A week or so later, I travelled to Winnipeg, and spent five days in the home of George and his family, getting to know them and the Indian Life staff. Seven months later my family and I moved to Manitoba where I began my work as Assistant Editor to George. This adv...
A more detailed memorial will follow in the next issue....
Winnipeg, MB-The Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF) and the federal government signed a new agreement in early May that will bring $160 million to help Métis citizens improve skills and find good jobs. "This new agreement for Métis Employment and Training marks another important milestone on our journey towards reconciliation with Canada," said David Chartrand, President of the MMF. "This agreement reflects the partnership between the Manitoba Métis Federation and the Gov...
ADA, Okla.—Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby recently announced a partnership between the U.S. Census Bureau and Chickasaw Nation to help ensure Native Americans are counted accurately during the 2020 census. “There has been an undercounting of certain populations and, as Native Americans, we have had a long-term issue that affects us,” Governor Anoatubby told census officials. Native Americans were undercounted by about 4.9 percent, a rate more than double the next population group. The Chickasaw Nation has forme...
WYOMING-The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) applauds the U.S. Supreme Court's opinion issued May 20 in Herrera v. Wyoming, a tribal treaty rights case. The dispute initially arose in 2014, when Herrera and fellow Crow tribe members were hunting on their reservation in Montana. They followed elk that crossed into the Bighorn National Forest in neighboring Wyoming, shot the elk there and took the meat back home. Fighting his Wyoming state convictions for hunting...
Winnipeg-In April, Indian Life newspaper received the Award of Merit in the Evangelical Press Association's annual Awards of Excellence contest. The contest had more than 1200 entries overall, in a couple of dozen categories. The judge said, "I have been judging a lot of publications this go-around. And none of them have matched Indian Life's commitment to telling the . . . stories of Indigenous people who have suffered pain over the generations. This newspaper not only...
OTTAWA, Ont.—Indigenous groups across Canada carrying millions in dollars of debt from negotiating treaty claims will soon have that debt erased. The federal government announced in its 2019 budget that it will forgive loans to Indigenous groups who have taken on debt to negotiate comprehensive claims and treaties. And groups that have already repaid the government for such loans will get their money back. The total amount being repaid or forgiven amounts to $1.4 billion, o...
ATMORE, Ala.-On March 3, the deadliest tornado to hit the United States in nearly six years struck Lee County, Alabama, killing 23 people, aged 6 to 89. The Poarch Band of Creek Indians, the only federally recognized tribe in Alabama, volunteered to split the funeral costs with another donor, expecting to give $50,000. When the other donor backed out of the arrangement, the tribe stepped up to donate $184,000 to cover all costs for all victims. In late January, the Poarch Cree...
WASHINGTON, D.C.-Thirty empty red dresses hang near the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., within view of the National Mall and U.S. Capitol. For the first time in the United States, the museum is displaying The REDress Project, an installation conceived by Canadian artist Jaime Black (Métis) to bring awareness, remembrance, and healing to the crisis of missing or murdered Indigenous women and girls. As part of the installation, the dresses are hung...
New York-The United Nations General Assembly has named 2019 as the International Year of Indigenous Languages. The UN typically chooses a different topic each year to raise awareness about issues that have an international impact. In this case, the UN's intention is to highlight the need to preserve, revitalize and promote the use of the world's estimated 7,000 Indigenous languages-2,680 of which are considered to be in danger. "Languages play a crucial role in the daily...
WASHINGTON—Nataanii Means spent part of his childhood on the Navajo Nation with little electricity or running water, while energy companies mined coal and uranium nearby. He said those operations left the water polluted and undrinkable. Means brought that experience to the Indigenous Peoples March in Washington Friday where he heard the same story with different roots: People from South Dakota, Minnesota and Washington talked of pollution caused by mining or leaking oil pipeli...
Kansas City, Mo.-In the November 6 USA mid-term elections, the first Native American women were elected to Congress. Deb Haaland was voted to replace Democratic Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who vacated the New Mexico seat to run for governor, and Sharice Davids unseated Kansas GOP Rep. Kevin Yoder. Davids is reported to be a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin, and Haaland is an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Laguna. Haaland served for two years as the chair of the...
WINNIPEG-The directors and editorial team at Indian Life Ministries are pleased to announce the impending return of the popular column, "The Council Speaks," beginning with the January/February 2019 issue of Indian Life newspaper. This column answers questions you have or maybe you're afraid to ask. For example, what about Native spirituality and Christianity? Is it OK to wear Native regalia? Is Creator and the Christian God the same? A panel of Native believers and elders...
WASHINGTON, D.C.-Recently, the U.S. Senate passed several bills that support Native American interests. One of these was passage of S. 2515, the Practical Reforms and Other Goals to Reinforce the Effectiveness of Self-Governance and Self-Determination (PROGRESS) for Indian Tribes Act of 2018. "This legislation works to correct the bureaucratic processes and procedures that the Department of the Interior Self-Governance program has imposed upon Tribes," said Senator John...
WINNIPEG-The directors and editorial team at Indian Life Ministries are pleased to announce the impending return of the popular column, "The Council Speaks," beginning with the January/February 2019 issue of Indian Life newspaper. This column answers questions you have or maybe you're afraid to ask. For example, what about Native spirituality and Christianity? Is it OK to wear Native regalia? Is Creator and the Christian God the same? A panel of Native believers and elders...
Vancouver-The 2018 Assembly of First Nations Annual General Assembly was held on July 24 to July 26 at the Vancouver Convention Centre. A highlight on the agenda was the election of a National Chief. A total of 522 chiefs attended the Assembly, along with their proxies, to vote for a National Chief. It took a second ballot to declare incumbent, Perry Bellegarde as winner of this year's election. Five candidates ran for national chief, including Kathryn Whitecloud, Russ Diabo,...
OTTAWA-The Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs, Carolyn Bennett, issued the following statement on June 11, 2018: Today we reflect on a historic milestone in our journey toward reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples: the tenth anniversary of the Government of Canada's Apology to former students of Indian Residential Schools, their families and communities. The Government of Canada recognizes that true and lasting reconciliation cannot be achieved throug...
WASHINGTON, D.C.-Life expectancy for American Indians is decades longer than it was in the 1960s, nearly closing the gap with the rest of the U.S. population, according to government data. But that doesn't mean every Native American has seen the same gains, according to experts, who say pockets of problems remain, particularly on traditional reservations. Melissa Buffalo, senior clinical research specialist at Sanford Health in South Dakota, said the life expectancy numbers...
Did you ever get an invite to something that-well, you just knew you had to get there? Whatever it took! You cancelled that Hawaiian holiday, postponed that summit with Justin and Donald, packed that motorhome and you got there! The Indian Life Banquet coming up on May 25 in Winnipeg, Man. is just that kind of invite! The Speaker you'll recognize-Conrad Flett from Tribal Trails! The Musicians you'll love-a dad and son Team with roots in the old SonRise Band and ongoing with...
TULSA, Okla.-Teachers of Native American students were among those frustrated and disappointed by the results of the recent teacher walk-out in Oklahoma to demand better pay and increased education funding. While teachers, parents and administrators had hoped for state lawmakers to pass bills providing $3.3 billion, the bills generated a $479 million increase. Factoring for inflation, since 2008, Oklahoma has decreased the per pupil funding by 28 percent and teacher salaries...
Winnipeg-In April, Indian Life newspaper received the Award of Merit in the Evangelical Press Association's annual Awards of Excellence contest. The contest had more than 1,200 entries overall, in a couple of dozen categories. The judge said, "From its logo to its editorial mix, this publication delivers a bold, appealing, crisp look and read that speaks directly to its audience's interests and concerns."...
Kansas City, Mo.-On February 21, evangelist William Franklin (Billy) Graham died at 99 years old, in his Montreat, N.C. home. In 60 years of ministry, Graham preached to an estimated 215 million people in 185 countries through his crusades. He reached hundreds of millions of others through television, video, radio, and film. Often referred to as America's pastor, Graham had a heart for Native Americans. From his earlier crusade Graham welcomed all tribes into his crusades,...
OTTAWA, Ont.-During the February 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Indigenous youth from Canada were well represented by these athletes: Spencer O'Brien One of the world's most skilled snowboarders, Spencer learned how to snowboard from her dad and sister when she was 11 years old. At 15, she started slopestyling and finished 12th in women's slopestyle at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games and won the gold medal at the 2013 FIS Snowboarding World Championships, as well as...
