Sorted by date Results 451 - 475 of 1044
ANCHORAGE, Alaska-On October 7, the Indigenous Alaskans were honored in two ways. First, Gov. Mike Dunleavy signed House Bill 126 into law, declaring November as Alaska Native Heritage Month. The bill reads, in part, "Alaska Native Heritage Month may be observed by schools, community groups, and other public and private agencies and individuals with appropriate activities to honor and recognize the contributions made by Alaska Natives in the history of this state and the...
PHOENIX-Diplomas in hand, 16 Navajo women became the latest graduating class of Project DreamCatcher, a free business training program that aims to create economic opportunities for female Native entrepreneurs. The program is the result of a partnership between the Freeport-McMoRan Foundation and the Thunderbird School of Global Management, which is part of Arizona State University. Debra Yazzie learned about Project DreamCatcher in September, when two project alumna...
DENNEHOTSO, Ariz.- The nearest water station for Darlene Yazzie is nine miles away from her home at the Dennehotso Chapter House-or community center-in the Four Corners region of Arizona. On a recent day, she counted her nickels and dimes to buy water. It costs $1.10, plus gas money, to fill up two 50-gallon barrels, and she's just learned the price is going up next month. Yazzie lugged a T-shaped key as tall as she is out to the well, where she dropped it into the hole and...
Thunder Bay, Ont.-In some schools, teachers are making a drastic change in literature curriculum to focus more on Indigenous works. One of these is the Thunder Bay Catholic School District where Grade 11 compulsary English classes now focus on Native authors., such as Rita Joe's poem, I Lost My Talk, about attending a residential school and having to relearn native language. Increasingly, school boards across Canada are revisiting their English curriculums to reflect a...
WASHINGTON, D.C.-In early December, in a 316-92 vote, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a Senate-amended version of the Fostering Undergraduate Talent by Unlocking Resources for Education (FUTURE) Act. On the same day, the Senate passed the FUTURE Act by a voice vote. "Tribal Colleges and Universities fulfill a fundamental role in supporting American Indian and Alaska Native higher education and maintaining, preserving, and revitalizing irreplaceable American Indian...
DOWAGIAC, Mich.-On Septembe 21, 2019, the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the Reaffirmation of its Sovereignty. Sovereignty as affirmed by the United States Government, enables the governments of federally recognized Native American Tribes to self-govern their people and lands as they did before European immigration. Similar to state governments, tribal governments build and maintain infrastructure and provide a variety of services and programs...
WASHINGTON, D.C.-Twenty-six tribes will see the return of ancestral remains from Finland, where the items have been held in a museum after being taken from Colorado almost 130 years ago. Tribes include the Hopi, Navajo, Southern Ute Tribe, Mescalero Apache, tribes of the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico, and others. The repatriation, announced Wednesday during Finnish President Sauli Niinistö's visit to the White House, follows years of cooperation between the tribes and the...
OTTAWA, Ontario-Canada's Arctic and Northern Policy Framework was launched in September. The Framework sets out a long-term, strategic vision that will guide the Government of Canada's activities and investments in the Arctic to 2030 and beyond and will better align Canada's national and international policy objectives with the priorities of Indigenous peoples and Arctic and Northern residents. As the first policy framework of this scope to be co-developed with Indigenous,...
WASHINGTON-Consumer advocates said recently that Wells Fargo's $6.5 million settlement of a Navajo Nation lawsuit that charged the bank with preying on tribal members is a "tremendous victory" for Native communities targeted by such practices. Wells Fargo & Co. said in late August that it will pay $6.5 million to the Navajo Nation to settle the tribe's 2017 suit that alleged a history of "unfair, deceptive, fraudulent and illegal practices," particularly aimed at elderly and...
Shoal Lake 40, Ontario-Recently Dan Vandal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous Services, and Shoal Lake 40 Chief Erwin Redsky participated in a ground breaking ceremony to celebrate the awarding of the contract for construction of a water treatment and distribution system. The new system will end seven long-term drinking water advisories that have been in place since February 1997, and bring a reliable supply of safe, clean drinking water to 292 residents....
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Indian Health Service Office of Urban Indian Health Programs has awarded $1,050,000 to the National Council of Urban Indian Health for the Urban Indian Education and Research Program Cooperative Agreement. Through this agreement, NCUIH will act as an education and research partner for 41 urban Indian organizations in 22 states funded by IHS, offering assistance regarding public policy; research and data; training and technical assistance; education, public relations, and marketing; and payment system r...
WASHINGTON, D.C.-Indian Health Service has awarded grants totaling nearly $1 million to nine tribes and tribal organizations as part of a competitive program to develop and improve tribal capacity to manage health programs under the authority of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act. "At IHS, we recognize that tribal leaders and members are in the best position to understand the health care needs and priorities of their communities," said Rear Adm....
TAHLEQUAH, Okla.-Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. recently announced a $16 million investment in Cherokee language preservation-the largest language investment in the tribe's history. Chief Hoskin announced the "Durbin Feeling Cherokee Language Preservation Act" during a celebration of Cherokee language speakers. "Now is the time to be bold and act quickly so we do not fail the legacy of our ancestors or future of our Cherokee speakers," Chief Hoskin said. "We...
LOS ANGELES, Calif.-In early October, the Orange County Transit Authority halted a road-widening project on the I-405 Freeway when construction workers discovered human remains, including bones. Analyzation by the Orange County Coroner's office determined the site to possibly be a Native American burial site. Construction workers who were excavating as part of the I-405 Improvement Project spotted the remains, including bones, on Sept. 25 at an undisclosed location. According...
WHITEHORSE, Yukon-Yukon has received the first of two $8.25 million annual installments of the federal Gas Tax Fund (GTF), along with a top-up of $16.5 million, made available through Budget 2019. This top-up doubles the amount of money for municipalities, unincorporated communities and First Nations in Yukon, enabling them to carry out infrastructure projects that support the well-being of their residents. The federal GTF is a long-term, indexed source of funding that...
VANCOUVER, B.C.-The Government of Canada and Nisga'a Lisims Government are pleased to announce an agreement to support the Nisga'a Nation's efforts to revitalize its language. The Government of Canada will invest up to $6 million over six years to fund Nisga'a Lisims Government's language revitalization plan. The plan was established based on Nisga'a Nation priorities, and includes gathering and collecting information on Nisga'a language, culture and traditional practices,...
KUUJJUAQ, Quebec-In Setpember, a 10-year funding contribution agreement was signed between Indigenous Services Canada and the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services (NRBHSS). This 10-year contribution agreement (2019-2029) of over $70 million ensures stable, long-term funding of health and social services for Inuit of Nunavik and provides greater autonomy in the management of federal funds. The added financial flexibility will allow the NRBHSS to better plan and...
TAHLEQUAH, Okla.-The Cherokee Nation's new four-story, 469,000 square foot outpatient health center opened its optometry, audiology, physical rehabilitation, behavioral health, radiology, lab and pharmacy services Oct. 7. The new facility is the largest tribal outpatient health center in the country and is opening in phases in October. "The Cherokee Nation is excited to open this beautiful new facility that allows us to serve more of our citizens, and offer more services than...
WASHINGTON, D.C.-The number of people who showed up at Indian Health Service facilities with health insurance rose from 64% of patients in 2013 to 78% in 2018, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office. The report said growth in coverage was highest in states, like Arizona, that expanded their Medicaid programs as part of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. Despite the gains, however, the share of people without insurance at the 73 IHS facilities...
EDMONTON, Alberta-In 2018, the Canadian federal government bought the Trans Mountain Pipeline for $4.5 billion from Kinder Morgan. And now several First Nations groups want to buy it. The Westline Indigenous Pipeline Group is a coalition of First Nations people determined to purchase from the government the 1,150 km pipeline that runs from Edmonton to Burnaby, B.C. Mike LeBourdais, chief of the Whispering Pines/Clinton Indian Band, and representative for the Western...
WASHINGTON, D.C.-Recently, the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, which sits on the National Mall in Washington, broke ground for construction of the Native American Veterans Memorial. The memorial, named Warrior's Circle of Honor, will be built on the grounds of the museum. The $15 million memorial will take over a year to construct and is scheduled to be dedicated on Veterans Day 2020. "The circle is something that is really meaningful to most- if not...
Calgary, Alb.-The Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB) recently released a data-driven report calling on the federal government to increase the dollar value of its procurement spending with Aboriginal businesses to five percent of total procurement spending by 2024. According to the Treasury Board of Canada, federal government procurement spending totaled $14.6 billion in 2017. Federal procurement spending through the Procurement Strategy for Aboriginal Business...
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...
