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CHICKASAW NATION, Okla.-The Chickasaw Nation is one of the first tribes to create classes to specifically help homeschooled students and those enrolled in online charger schools. The Chickasaw Nation Fit Force and STEM Home-School Academy programs are designed to engage children in sessions of invigorating physical fitness activities and immersive, hands-on problem-solving in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Leaders point out that children can participate in...
TAHLEQUAH, Okla.-The Cherokee Nation Department of Juvenile Justice is empowering tribal youth to cope with and overcome their substance and alcohol-related use as well as other delinquent issues through a new program focusing on accountability, counseling services and supervision. The Juvenile Tribal Healing to Wellness Court program, which is located in Muskogee, recently finished their first cohort and are ready to begin the second. The program consists of a four-phase...
WASHINGTON-Gabriella Nakai said she has tackled the challenges facing Indigenous communities on her own, but that being surrounded by others who share her passion makes the load a little lighter. "Seeing all of the amazing work that all of these Native national youth leaders are doing pushes me forward and lets me know that when I am the only Native in these spaces people behind me are going to have my back," Nakai said. She was one of two Arizona "Champions for Change" – a...
Indian Life Ministries is excited to announce two new books available October 21: Indigenous Faith This is Craig Stephen Smith's newest book, in which he unpackages scripture to help Indigenous believers discover how to live biblically healthy lives in the context of their cultures. Smith seeks to answer questions that not only Indigenous believers have, but also those asked by missionaries, pastors, educators, and others seeking to reach Indigenous people with the gospel in...
ALBANY, N.Y.-This fall, the stadiums and playing fields will start to look different at many New York schools. Last April, the state Board of Regents adopted regulations prohibiting public schools from using names, mascots or logos inspired by Indigenous people. The mandate affects 60 public school districts A year before the mandate, at least 133 schools in 55 New York districts still had native-themed mascots, according to a report by the National Congress of American...
WASHINGTON-Native American artists say they continue to struggle with the theft of their work, and tribal leaders are urging Congress to strengthen the Indian Arts and Crafts Act. IACA was passed in 1990 to prohibit any advertisement and all sales of counterfeit Indian arts and crafts. Choctaw Nation artist D.G. Smalling says the act must adapt to the new ways of buying and selling art through online sales. "We have just a very different kind of engagement with intellectual...
TAHLEQUAH, Okla.-Keeleigh Sanders, 21, of Westville, was crowned Miss Cherokee 2023-2024 during the annual leadership competition held in Tahlequah on Saturday. The tribe also crowned a new Junior Miss Cherokee and Little Cherokee Ambassadors, all of whom will serve in their roles for the next year. As Miss Cherokee, Sanders will represent the Cherokee Nation as a goodwill ambassador to promote the government, history, language and culture of the tribe. She also received a...
Regina, Sask.-Wildfire affects us all. Differently. This is the central message from research about the social dimensions of climate hazards. Considerable research has calculated potential land area burned, counted the dollars spent in evacuation and recovery and proposed technical and infrastructural adaptation measures to cope with longer and more intense fire seasons. However, less attention has been paid to how different groups of people are affected and the intangible...
OTTAWA, Ont.-Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram started blocking Canadian news, including Indigenous groups, on their social media platforms on August 1. Meta has acknowledged the action as a response to the Online News Act (Bill C-18), which became law on June 22. The law was designed to "level the playing field" between global platforms and Canadian news outlets by requiring tech companies to pay Canadian publishers when sharing the publishers' news content...
TORONTO, Ont.-Zoom recently attempted to rewrite its Terms of Service with ambiguous language that would permit the extraction of user data for the purpose of training AI. However, after public pushback, Zoom began to rectify that clause the very next day, fully committing to a "no AI training" set of policies by Aug. 11. Even though Zoom pedalled back this time, their drive to gather data highlights the possibility of future hidden data extraction by them and other big tech...
TUCSON, Ariz.-A mentoring program is using talking circles, adventure outings and overnight camping trips to help young men develop positive and healthy relationships. The Boys to Men Mentoring Network, founded 27 years ago in La Mesa, California, has grown to cities in 11 states, including three in Arizona, and internationally. Its mission is to strengthen communities by nurturing intentional spaces for boys and men to practice honest and mindful relationships. The goal is...
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 STEER Conference-Oct. 6–7, Bismarck, ND ILM Banquet-Oct. 21, Winnipeg, MB Seattle Missionfest-Nov. 3–4, Seattle, WA Indigenous Couples' Getaway-Nov. 17–19, Rock Nest Ranch, Houston, BC...
CALGARY, Alb.-By some measurements, the quality of life for Canadian children-especially Indigenous children-has diminished, according to the sixth annual "Raising Canada" report revealed. The report, written by Children First Canada and university researchers from Calgary, McGill, and Toronto showed that Indigenous children are more susceptible to many of the issues researchers identified. "They're more likely to become injured, become ill, or even die from preventable...
WASHINGTON-Three Oklahoma tribal nations will receive more than 40% of the initial $73 million in funding from a federal small business initiative that for the first time is being targeted directly to tribes. The Osage, Chickasaw and Citizen Potawatomi nations will get almost $30 million in small business funding from the State Small Business Credit Initiative, the Biden administration announced last week. The program, part of the pandemic-era American Rescue Plan, aims to...
COLVILLE LAKE, NWT-What do you do when you need to use gardens to grow food, but little soil is available? That can be a huge problem when you live on the Canadian Shield-the largest mass of exposed rock on the Earth. One Indigenous community 80 km above the Arctic Circle in the Northwest Territories, knows the problem too well. Their traditional lifestyle of fishing, hunting and trapping is flourishing, but every healthy lifestyle needs greens and other nutritions that come...
Some people think of fall days as lazy and sleepy since the air gets cooler and the sun doesn't shine as much. But our days couldn't be busier right now at Indian Life Ministries. We are so excited to let you know about a couple of updates on our 365-day devotional. The devotional will be called: Council Fire! Stories shared around the fire are such a vital, entrenched part of our Indigenous culture. Stories are passed down around the fire for teaching, for enlightenment, for...
FORT MCMURRAY, AB- A First Nations group in northern Alberta has declared a state of emergency and launched a task force to tackle an escalating mental health and addictions crisis that they say has caused the deaths of dozens of community members. The Athabasca Tribal Council, which represents five First Nations in northern Alberta, says 60 community members have died this year from overdose, suicides, and self-harm. The council is calling on all levels of government for...
LANGDON, Alb.-Data is still being processed, but even before June, the summer 2023 wildfire season in Canada started breaking records-and especially affecting Indigenous communities. Wildfires are nothing new to Canadians. The statistics of a normal year are especially heart-breaking among Indigenous people. The Assembly of First Nations recently cited a report revealing that Ontario First Nations children aged 0 to 9 years are 86 times greater than non-First Nations children...
BUSBY, Alb.-On May 18-21, 2023, 187 youth gathered at Camp Nakamun in Alberta, Canada, for the Native Youth Conference (NYC). The students came from 17 communities and four provinces. Students were joined by 40 chaperones of varying ages. "The mission at Indian Life Ministries is to restore hope, healing, and honor within Indigenous communities across North America through a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ," said Todd Wawrzyniak, director of Indian Life Ministries. "Being...
LUMMI NATION, Wash.- Leaders from hundreds of Alaska Tribes and First Nations from British Columbia came together at the fourth Annual Indigenous Leaders Summit held in Lummi Nation, hosted by Southeast Alaska Indigenous Transboundary Commission (SEITC) to resolve issues threatening salmon, territories, and ways of life. "Our people no longer have salmon running in our streams. Salmon only live in our stories. I wanted to come here to share that with the leaders; to show them...
LANGDON, Alb.-Indian Life is excited to announce our annual banquet occurring on October 21 in Winnipeg, Manitoba! Craig and LaDonna Smith will be the speakers and lead worship for the gala event, focusing on the theme "Trauma, Trials and Timeless Truths." Kene and Milly Jackson will minister through Native gospel songs. The banquet will take place in The Meeting Place, in downtown Winnipeg. Individual tickets are $50 per person and include a traditional meal. Corporate...
Everybody has a story. That story, if kept inside and not given the freedom to be shared, can hinder us. If the story is a positive, good one, we share to bless others, give them hope and give praise to God together. After all, Psalm 107:2 (NIV) tells us, "Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story." If the story has some hard twists and turns, it's even more important to share it. We need a safe place to talk with others who understand the difficulties of healing and...
The Chickasaw Nation Chikashshanompa' (Chickasaw Language) keyboard is now available for iPhone, iPad and Mac with the releases of iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4 and macOS Ventura 13.3 operating systems. "We welcome this collaboration with Apple," Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby said. "Our language is critically vital to maintaining our unique cultural identity as Chickasaw people. The Chickasaw keyboard included in this recent update is a positive step in our efforts to... Full story
WASHINGTON-The Supreme Court recently upheld a federal law that requires tribal families to get priority in the adoption or foster placement of an Indigenous child, a law aimed at stopping what one justice called the "nightmare" of family separation. Advocates have called the Indian Child Welfare Act the gold standard of child welfare laws, but it was challenged by three families and the state of Texas, which claimed the law steps on state's rights and unlawfully uses race to...
WATERLOO, Ont.-The University of Waterloo in Ontario will become the first Canadian university to waive tuition starting this fall for students who are members of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation or Six Nations of the Grand River. In a press release, the university announced, "Indigenous students who are members of these bands (on whose traditional territory the University of Waterloo is situated) and who are pursuing studies in a graduate or undergraduate program a...
