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Whenever I've spoken to a group of people or when I wrote my first two books, I've focusd at some point on experiences that I've gone through from birth until later adulthood, including my being a residential school survivor. One reason I do this is from wanting to connect with people more deeply. When I focus on my story, I hope my account can connect with other people's stories and make my main points more visual and relatable. We all love stories. That's why most of us grew...
This Winter I got the opportunity to drive to Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. I hadn't been there in more than eight years and was impressed with the complete makeover of the tourist resort of Elvis Presley. The classy exhibit presentations of his life in various showrooms contained expensive sports cars, his dazzling jumpsuits, black and white photos blown up over 20 feet high, and the walls mounted with hundreds of gold records, awards and so much more, were pretty impressi...
I was picking out a Valentine's card for my wife. One section read, "Apology Cards." I was curious. Flipping through them, I found mostly excuses. "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking." "I didn't mean it." "I experienced temporary insanity." "I'm sorry for offending you." In school, one child was told to write an apology to a friend. He wrote, "Dear Brody, Miss P. made me write you this note. All I want to say sorry for . . . is for not being sorry cause I tried to feel sorry but I...
How are you today? I'm munching on chocolate. An ice storm roared through earlier today. My husband, Wes, wondered what the noise was, and I explained that a snow plow must be working on the road. After 15 minutes, I realized that the "plow" had not moved; instead the wind was plowing through our community. But that's not the reason for the chocolate; it only adds backdrop to my sadness and uncertainty. How do you feel about the world's trauma and upheaval? The earthquakes in...
Third grade classroom teacher Lynette Stant, member of the Navajo Nation, grew up in Tuba City on the Navajo Reservation. She is a 15-year veteran instructor on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Reservation in Scottsdale, Arizona. Stant earned her master's degree in elementary education from Arizona State University. She graduated Summa Cum Laude-the highest honorary academic distinction a graduating student can receive. Lynette Stant is also a Gates Millennium Scholar...
Some sources say that the name stemmed from the Cree Nation, but this energy-filled food has historically been used by many Indigenous people at home and while out on journeys. Ingredients: • 4 cups lean meat • 3 cups dried fruit (apricots, raisins, blueberries, cherries, dates, or whatever is available). • 2 cups rendered fat* • Unsalted nuts • Dash of honey • Optional: dried kale, salt. Instructions: 1. Heat oven to 180 degrees. 2. Spread whatever meat you chose (deer, beef...
When I was a teenager and had my first job, I lived in a motel that charged $1 a day. I had a mean boss and hated my job, and when I went home to my motel room, I was so afraid I'd push furniture in front of my door. I mostly lived on cereal or ketchup I'd pour into boiling water and pretend it was tomato soup. I got fired from my job and only had ten dollars in the world. I didn't know how I'd pay my rent or buy food. There was no one who would help me. While I was walking...
Editor's note: Little Free Libraries have popped up in thousands of neighborhoods across the nations of the United States and Canada in recent years. People build small wooden box kiosks in front of their homes, which they, and their communities, keep filled with books. Anyone is welcome to take a book or leave a book. Then the person can keep the book, give it to someone else, or return it to the library. While not everyone who creates a library in his or her yard registers...
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich.-Northwestern Michigan College and Bay Mills Community College have partnered in an effort to increase the number of dental assistants serving northern Michigan, and Native American patients in particular. In February, NMC and Bay Mills, a tribally-controlled Upper Peninsula community college in Brimley, Mich., signed an agreement that will allow Bay Mills' students to transfer to NMC's dental assistant program after their first year. NMC's yearlong dental...
MONTREAL, Que.-The Jesuits of Canada, a religious order of the Catholic Church, has released a list of 27 priests and brothers it says were accused of sexually abusing minors over the past six decades and that information verifies that abuse was likely. "Over the past three or more decades, revelations of grievous abuse by clergy dating back many generations have come to light, and the Church has been slow to respond. Moving through phases of outright denial, victim blaming,...
Hockey sticks reflect Indigenous skills At the end of each of the 31 games played in the 2023 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior Championship held in Halifax and Moncton in January 2023, one person from each team was named Player of the Game and given a special hockey stick. Hockey Canada partnered with Mawi'Art: Wabanaki Artist Collective, an organization that focuses on developing and promoting Indigenous artists to produce the special sticks, which feat...
DURANT, Okla.-Choctaw tribal member, Savannah Toon, won the Junior World Finals for Barrel Racing in Las Vegas in December 2022. Over 800 contestants from across the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Australia competed for $1 million in prizes, cash and scholarships Dec. 1-10 at the Wrangler Rodeo Arena inside the Las Vegas Convention Center. Savannah, a Smithville, Oklahoma, native, competed in one of the qualifying tournaments held all over the country for the 12 and under girls. Onl...
I grew up at Big Trout Lake, an isolated village in northwestern Ontario. When I was a child no one there spoke English, and I spoke only the Oji-Cree language until I was 12 years old, even though my father was originally from England. My dad had been sent there as a minister, so I grew up in the church. Every time the church doors were open, I was there! I'm the oldest in our family, and I have a younger brother and a younger sister. There was no school in our community at...
I grew up in southern Manitoba, mostly in adoptive care and some foster care. Where I grew up there were no other Indigenous people, except for other kids who were in adoptive or foster care. One year in elementary school our class was practicing for a Thanksgiving play. Some kids were supposed to be sailors, some pilgrims, and some Indians. When I volunteered to be an Indian, one of the kids across the room pointed at me and said, "Hey, he's already an Indian!" I still laugh...
I got the newspaper of Indian Life. Thank you so much. Now let me tell you what happed that weekend. I was reading the newspaper and after I was done, I passed it to a Native American. He read the news and came to me and said he needed to come back to the Lord Jesus. He came to church and now is in the family of God. . . . God is good. And I saw your picture of the banquet you all had; now when I pray for you I can lay hands on your picture. -T. H....
In less than a month our baby boy will be 18, and then in another three months, he will be graduated from high school and off to a polytechnic school in Calgary, Alb. It's hard to believe he was a delicate four pounds when he was born. I was discharged from the hospital before he was. Leaving him there while I went home was the hardest thing I had ever done in my life at that stage. His tiny foot was smaller than my pointer finger. I remember taking a picture of his first litt...
Our vision at Indian Life ministries is to restore hope, healing and honor within indigenous communities through a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. In addition to our newspaper and books, we work towards achieving our vision through a few encouraging and exciting partnerships. Emmaus Worldwide is one exciting partnership. Emmaus Worldwide offers 90 correspondence courses and Indian Life Ministries has partnered with them to offer FREE access to one of their courses: Born To...
"The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights." Habakkuk 3:19 The power was off here at our country home for a few hours this morning. No lights, no coffee, no phone charger, no "Global Calgary News" on TV (No TV!), no heat, nothing! The obvious solution? Drive 30 km to the nearest town for breakfast, hang around and wait for the repair guys to do their thing! Bacon and eggs should help dull the pain . . . I...
MUSKOGEE, Okla.-In February, Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. and Deputy Chief Bryan Warner unveiled the tribe's first in-house drug treatment center during a ceremony at Three Rivers Health Center. Construction will begin this year on the $18 million, 17,000-square-foot treatment center in Tahlequah. The tribe's first in-house drug treatment center is just one part of a historic, $100 million mental health investment as part of the Cherokee Nation's amended...
WASHINGTON, D.C.-Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Bryan Newland announced in February that the Tribal Energy Development Capacity Grant Program awarded more than $2.5 million to federally recognized American Indian Tribes and Alaska Native entities to develop Tribal energy resources. "These grants will assist Tribes in building capacity to manage energy development in their communities. As we look to a sustainable future, it is important that Tribes can regulate and...
OTTAWA, Ont.-The National Urban Rural and Northern Indigenous Housing Coalition, an organization representing Indigenous housing providers across the country, recently called on the federal government to commit $6 billion in the 2023 federal budget to meet its commitment to develop an Urban, Rural and Northern (URN) Indigenous Housing Strategy and create Canada's first-ever National Indigenous Housing Centre. The Coalition, formed in November 2022, is a response to the lack...
WINNIPEG, Man.-Starting April 2, Manitoba families will pay a maximum of $10 per day in fees at regulated non-profit childcare centres, Premier Heather Stefanson recently announced. That's three years ahead of the 2026 target and applies to all children age 12 and under. "Access to affordable and high-quality child care is essential for Manitobans to be able to participate in the workforce, support their family and play an active role in the growth of our communities and our...
OTTAWA, Ont.-The Canadian federal government and 325 First Nations have agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit, seeking reparations for the loss of language and culture brought on by Indian residential schools, for $2.8 billion. The case was initially filed by the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc and Shíshálh Nation in British Columbia because day scholars were left out of the 2005 residential schools settlement with the government. Day scholars are survivors who were forced to attend...
RED DEER, Alb.-On January 27–29, 2023, Indian Life Ministries, Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada and Family Life Canada joined forces to sponsor the third Indigenous Couples' Getaway in western Canada. Eighteen couples attended this premier event held in Red Deer, Alberta, joined by three speaker couples-Kirby and Bernadette James, Conrad and Florence Flett, and Gord and Bev Mills-as well as musicians Kene and Milly Jackson, and several volunteers. The conference was b...
KANSAS CITY, Mo.-The Super Bowl LVII held in Glendale, Ariz. in February offered unprecedented opportunities for showcasing Native Americans this year. In the days before the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles even started, Indigenous artist Lucinda "La Morena" Hinojos was the first Native artist to be selected by the NFL to create the official artwork, which was featured on each of the 60,000 game tickes, as well as on the game ball and around the...
