Sorted by date Results 676 - 700 of 1044
ST. JOHN'S, NF-A $50-million settlement was reached in May between the federal government and hundreds of students who attended residential schools in Newfoundland and Labrador, ending a 10-year legal battle. The Prime Minister's Office confirms that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will apologize in Labrador. An exact date and location have not been confirmed, but an update is expected soon. Starting in the late 19th century, about 30% of children of Canada's native peoples, or...
TULSA, OK-The Muscogee (Creek) Nation is welcoming a federal court decision that confirms the boundaries of its reservation in Oklahoma. By a unanimous vote, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday said Congress never "disestablished" the reservation even though portions were parceled out during the allotment era. In a statement to The Tulsa World, Chief James Floyd called the 126-page decision a "complete and unqualified victory." "Today's unanimous decision is a complet...
The Honourable Jane Philpott, Minister of Indigenous Services congratulated Chief Charlene Belleau and Esk'etmc First Nation upon opening the new Sxoxomie School, which will welcome students from preschool to seventh grade. "It gives me great pleasure to share my congratulations and best wishes to Chief Charlene Belleau, and the entire Esk'etemc community on the opening of their new school," said Philpott. "This milestone reflects our shared commitment to safe and healthy...
LAKE WINNIPEG, MB-Over twelve years ago, the plan to create a national park including lowlands along the northwest shores of Lake Winnipeg were squashed by then Indigenous leader Ovide Mercredi. Now it is back having been resurrected from the grave but again it is creating a lot of debate and controversy. The Canadian government included funding for it in this year's budget by indicating financial support for the 4,400-square-kilometre proposed park. Supporters of the park...
WINNIPEG, MB-Manitoba could become the first Canadian province to recognize Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) by setting aside an official day. Bill 221 or "The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Honoring and Awareness Day Act" passed in the Manitoba Legislature on May 25. It came into effect at the end of the legislative session on June 1. The bill was introduced by Winnipeg's NDP St. Johns representative Nahanni Fontaine and states that every year...
WINNIPEG, MB-Ma Mawi Chi Itata Centre along with the Canadian Mental Health Association have launched a major program to train Indigenous support workers to better aid and support people going through mental health crises. They are expecting as many as 2,000 people will be able to take this training. The plan is set to begin training workers providing them what they need to deal with mental health crisis situations. The program is called safeTALK and is a two-year program...
CHEROKEE, NC-The new leader of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is quickly settling into the job on the North Carolina reservation. Chief Richard G. Sneed was elevated to the tribe's highest post following the historic impeachment of Patrick Lambert. He's already assembled a new team and is calling for unity and healing, The Cherokee One Feather reported. "It's time for us to come together. It's time for us to be a tribe again," Sneed said at an event for tribal...
WASHINGTON, DC-The National Congress of American Indians held its mid-year conference in Connecticut the second week of June. Top officials from the U.S. government were among the major speakers at the event, which kicked off on Tuesday, June 13. Heading the list was Secretary Ryan Zinke, the new leader of the Department of the Interior, who addressed attendees during the opening session. The appearance was Zinke's first before NCAI, the largest inter-tribal organization. But...
WINNIPEG, MB-According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) more than 3,000 Indigenous communities in Canada have been added to Google Maps and Google Earth. Steve DeRoy, from the Ebb and Flow First Nation in Manitoba has been involved in this mapping for the past seven years. "It's important to me because there are so many Indigenous groups across the country and to not see them as an important fabric of a base map, just to not be recognized, it's insulting," DeRoy...
WINNIPEG, MB-Manitoba Grand Chief Derek Nepinak, Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman along with other Indigenous and non-Indigenous leaders, attended the signing ceremony for Winnipeg's Indigenous Accord on June 20. Mayor Bowman, along with the full city council and representatives of dozens of Winnipeg organizations signed the accord during a two-and-a-half-hour ceremony at Oodena Circle at The Forks. The accord states that those who sign the document must publish an annual report...
WASHINGTON, DC-The White House is finally filling out its leadership team at the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Gavin Clarkson, a citizen of the Choctaw Nation, will be serving as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Economic Development at the BIA. He is the first senior political hire at the agency since Secretary Ryan Zinke, the new leader of the Department of the Interior, came on board in March. The job is not the top political one at the agency. That would be the...
SACRAMENTO, CA-Controversy is stirring over a bill in California that offers tax relief for tribes whose land-into-trust applications have been approved but have not yet been finalized. Land placed in trust is not subject to local and state taxation. But appeals in the courts and through the administrative process can tie up tribes for years. That's the situation facing the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. Although the BIA approved the tribe's application for 1,400 acres...
BISMARK, ND—The North Dakota Public Service Commission has scheduled a hearing to discuss the disturbance of tribal artifacts during construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. According to the commission, the firm waited too long—10 days to be exact—to notify the state after stone cairns and other artifacts were uncovered at a construction site last October. The firm also slightly modified the route of the pipeline without informing the state, the commission said in issuing a $15,000 fine against the wealthy backers of th...
WASHINGTON, DC-A landmark decision from the U.S. Supreme Court threatens the long-running case against the Washington NFL team's racist mascot. A group of young Native activists, led by Navajo Nation citizen Amanda Blackhorse, had secured victory when the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office said the team's symbols were "disparaging" to Native peoples. A federal judge agreed. But on June 19, 2017, the nation's highest court, in a complex ruling, changed the game. By a majority...
Eight Canadian cities hosted concerts from Halifax to Montreal, Toronto to Winnipeg, Calgary to Edmonton, Yellowknife to Vancouver. Performers included Metis Don Amero and Rick Leaf's Tribe of One, Burnt, and the Inuit Throat Singers Choir. Special guest singer was Nelly Furtado who performed from Winnipeg....
Dear Indian Life Readers, Since 1968 Indian Life has been privileged to carry thousands of articles highlighting the work of God in the lives of Indigenous people in North America. Our primary mandate has been to advance the Christian faith among First Nations, Aboriginal, and Indian communities by reporting on significant events happening on Turtle Island as well as sharing stories of hope, healing and restoration within the Native community. Over the last number of years we...
EDMONTON, AB-My People International invites fellow travelers to take another step in the journey toward right relationships. They held the first in Victoria, British Columbia, April 28-29. The second event will be in Edmonton, Alberta, on May 13. Both these events are a follow-through on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Call to Action to churches. Come and participate in Indigenous-led sessions that seek to catalyze action and understanding around the United Nations...
Five students graduated from the Master of Arts in International Studies from George Fox University under the NAIITS program. Congratulations to Jim Sequeira, Linda Rae Coon, Joshua Grace, Shawn Hostler Jones and Donnie Begay (absent from the photo). "On behalf of the rest of the NAIITS faculty and students, 'Well done!'" stated Dr. Terry LeBlanc, NAIITS Director. Maarten Gerritsen graduated with a Masters in Biblical Languages from Providence Theological Seminary, in Otterbur...
Here are eight amazing ways in which tribal peoples are the best conservationists and guardians of the natural world: 1. The Baka "Pygmies" have over 15 words for elephant The Baka people know so much about elephants, they have different words for them according to their sex, age and even temperament. Studies have shown how the Baka in many areas live alongside high densities of endangered species. One Baka man told Survival International: "We know when and where the poachers...
WINNIPEG, MB-Member of the Legislature (MLA) Wab Kinew has thrown his hat in the ring to become the leader of the Manitoba New Democratic Party (NDP). Joined by family, friends, and supporters at the Manitoba Legislature, Kinew announced he's a candidate for the NDP leadership. Kinew said he's running "for people whose voices aren't often heard" and he gave the example of an inmate at the Manitoba Youth Centre. "I want to say directly to that young person, 'I am you, and you...
WASHINGTON, DC-The United States Department of the Interior has hit a crucial milestone. It has transferred a total of $60 million to the Cobell Scholarship Fund, which was established by the historic Cobell settlement. The figure is significant because it's the maximum that can be placed in the fund under the terms of settlement. The amount also points to the success of the Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations, another component of the settlement. A portion of every land...
OTTAWA, ON-The Canadian government announced it is increasing its spending on post-secondary education, community infrastructure and the health of Indigenous people in the most recent federal budget. Observers say this is a clear attempt to slow criticism over its handling of crises that plague First Nations and Inuit communities. The 2017 budget adds $3.4 billion additional over five years for areas of "critical need," in addition to the $8.4 billion already committed in...
Five students graduated from the Master of Arts in International Studies from George Fox University under the NAIITS program. Congratulations to Jim Sequeira, Linda Rae Coon, Joshua Grace, Shawn Hostler Jones and Donnie Begay (absent from the photo). "On behalf of the rest of the NAIITS faculty and students, 'Well done!'" stated Dr. Terry LeBlanc, NAIITS Director. See story on page 14....
WASHINGTON, DC-Congresswoman Gwen Moore (WI-04) invited former Tulalip Tribal Board Member Deborah Parker from Washington State to join her in the House of Representatives to listen to U.S. President Donald Trump's first speech to a joint session of Congress. Parker joined her "to help stress our shared moral imperative to safeguard our nation's most vulnerable." Rep. Moore was very disappointed that this administration while making a commitment to national security, failed...
TORONTO, ON-After a long eight-year wait, a landmark decision has finally been reached that will have a profound effect on thousands of children who were taken from their homes and placed in non-Indigenous homes, a government action that became known as "the Sixties Scoop". An Ontario judge ruled on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2017, that Canada's government failed First Nations children during the 1960s by placing them with non-Native families which in most cases caused...
