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About a month ago, we had the joy of witnessing believer's baptism. A young man from Sandy Bay First Nation wanted to obey the Lord and identify with his Savior's death and resurrection by being immersed into water, as the scriptures teach. Since it is winter, the lake wasn't available, and we didn't have a bathtub of any sort. In situations like this, we use a large animal trough that a water truck fills, since we are not on a waterline. A couple of days before the baptism,...
I don't know about you, but I've never really liked pain. In ninth grade I weighed a whopping eighty-one pounds if I was carrying a suitcase so I decided to beef up by gorging myself on triple cheeseburgers and lifting weights. One Saturday, as I lay on my back thrusting a barbell into the air, those thirty pounds got away from me. I can still recall the event in vivid technicolor-in slow motion, sometimes in the middle of the night. That barbell came crashing toward my nose....
I was at an engagement party for friends of a friend. I didn't know the couple and was caught by surprise when I was asked to make a toast. I lifted my glass of punch and said, "May you always steal, lie and cheat . . . " The bride-to-be slammed down her glass and rushed out of the room, followed by the groom-to- be. The mother-in-law to-be put down her glass and left the room. People stared at me. "I wasn't finished yet . . . " I explained. "The toast is supposed to be, may...
WASHINGTON, D.C.-The Gila River Indian Community could get up to $233 million in federal funding for water conservation, one of the first to get the money under a program aimed at encouraging water cutbacks in Arizona, California and Nevada. The tribe will get $50 million from the Inflation Reduction Act this year in exchange for agreeing to leave 125,000 acre-feet of water in Lake Mead that it would otherwise be entitled to. There is an option for the tribe to do so again in...
Wait!" I said, catching him by surprise. "Don't throw that away yet. What can we use it for?" He picked it up and examined it. Ad Seg (the Hole) deprives us of many basic tools; things we take for granted on a daily basis are noticeably absent in here. So, we adjust and make do. According to the law, prison is the just consequence for certain crimes. The court metes out the punishment; the prison's job is to keep the criminal away from society and rehabilitate him. It is not...
Ingredients: 3 pounds pashofa corn 6 gallons water 6 pounds fresh pork Directions: It is best to cook pashofa outdoors in a large pot. Bring water to a brisk boil over a steady fire; add corn and let the fire burn slowly all around the pot. Stir constantly with a large wooden spoon to keep it from scorching. When corn is about half done (not completely soft), add meat cut in 3-inch chunks. Cook until meat is tender and soup is thick. Add no salt while cooking. Cooking time is...
Brent Maracle's Mohawk name, Sakonese- riiosta, means, "He makes the day good for them." Maracle received the moniker from elders of his Mohawk tribe. Each tribal name among the Mohawk is unique, and each member is responsible for making his or her name honorable. "Whenever anyone calls me by my name, it reminds me of my responsibility and obligation," Maracle says. "Jesus is the One who brings eternal life and makes the day good. I see my name as a reflection of my...
Mavis Etienne-Cree (Mohawk) is one of the people featured in the Indian Life Ministries book, Keepers of the Faith. Indian Life Ministries' team member Jody Dickson recently caught up with this hero of Indigenous faith to get an update on her life. Q: In the book, Keepers of the Faith, the author talked about your creativity and your art. How did you get started? A: A teacher came to the local community center to teach beadwork and knitting. I loved it and progressed. I began...
GLENDALE-Navajo artist Di'Orr Greenwood got emotional while speaking at the unveiling of the skateboard stamp that she designed in collaboration with the U.S. Postal Service. "This moment is very big for my community as it is the first stamp that means our Native and Navajo community are featured on a nationwide scale," Greenwood said. "When the youth see it and they see how far it brought me, they're going to pick up right where I left off and go even farther than I did."...
KELLYVILLE, Okla.-Brianna Lytle is a rare breed. The 18-year-old Chickasaw is the type of person who discovers their passion early in life and forges a path to pursue it, despite any obstacles. She is living the Mark Twain quote: "Find a job you enjoy doing and you will never have to work a day in your life." An equestrian at heart, Miss Lytle took up barrel racing when she was 9 years old. Almost every weekend, she and her dad, Travis, loaded her horse, Cimm, and the trio...
KANSAS CITY, Mo.-On April 18, the On Eagles' Wings (OEW) Center hosted a dedication and open house. The purpose of the facility is to be used for Native American youth for a "gap year"-a nine-month program that will equip 35 to 60 young people at a time with tools to make a difference and be leaders for Jesus. OEW is a vision of the Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, which was founding in 1991 and is currently headquartered in Harrison, Arkansas, where OEW Center was built. OEW includ...
PHOENIX – Most museums ask guests not to touch the artifacts, but once a month, Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park encourages visitors to throw mud at a more than 800-year-old structure. The va'aki, popularly called a platform mound, was built sometime in the Classic Period (1150-1450 C.E.) by the Hohokam, according to city of Phoenix archaeologists. The mound "is the last visible part of the village of Pueblo Grande that you can still see," said Laurene Montero, Pho...
Lucy Martin Lewis was born in a mesa in Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico, to Lola Santiago and Martin Ortiz. Her actual birthdate is unknown. But when the eldest son, Ivan, joined the Marines during World War II, the family changed their last name to Lewis. Lucy would spend her entire life in Acoma Pueblo, and as a seven-year-old, she learned to fashion pottery in much the same way as many other Native American potters: through observing and experimenting. With young Lucy, it was...
Coming from a large family, I am the youngest of eight children. My mom was from Saddle Lake First Nation in Alberta. Her first husband died fairly young from a heart attack, after which she moved to Edmonton where she met and married my dad. Edmonton is where I was born and have lived pretty well all of my life. So, I came from my mom's second marriage and Steinhauer is my family's name, which is somewhat of a prominent name around Saddle Lake. Back in history, there was a...
As a chaplain in our prison system, we provide a continuum of therapeutic care to people currently incarcerated or in transition from incarceration, and their families, as well as to those who are struggling with mental health issues, addiction, and or criminal behaviour. Our services are transformative and transitional in nature, supporting individuals towards positive life changes. In support of receiving Intertribal Life newspapers, our participants are hungry for the next...
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, books, and exciting partnerships, we work towards achieving our vision through hosting conferences. In 2021, we hosted Indian Life Ministries’ first conference. It was titled, “Let’s Talk About Reconcilation.” The next year our focus was “The Gift of Reconciliation.” Both years, a number of Indigenous followers of Jesus were asked to share their...
I've got this pineapple water bottle. The pineapple itself is yellow, with the lid and straw being green. It's really nothing special. I bought it from the dollar store when all the summer stuff started coming out. I think I was just so tired of winter and so eager for spring and summer, that once I saw it, I thought I could somehow will all of the snow to melt. At least that's what I pictured. During this season of my life, I work part time at a preschool in the mornings....
This guy was really big! He was skating around the back of their net with his head down when I decided to hit him! Gearing up, I took a good run and put everything I had into this mano-a-mano open ice demolition! Understand that I was young, bulletproof, 6 feet tall, 175 lbs, and had a pretty good record of coming out on top in these kind of showdowns (I always gravitated to the grittier side of hockey!). Anyways, he never looked up once. Just kept coming . . . I lined him up...
OTTAWA, Ont.—Federal ministers recently announced that Indigenous women's shelters in Canada will receive $103 million in funding from the federal government, to help women and girls who have been victims of violence. The investment is intended to provide at least 178 shelter spaces and transitional houses. The funding will support 22 projects in 21 communities across the country, off and on reserves, in the north and in urban areas. The funding does come with a couple of prob...
OTTAWA, Ont.-In March 2023, the Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs, PrairiesCan and CanNor, announced that the Government of Canada has signed Harvesters Support Grant and Community Food Programs Fund agreements with 24 Indigenous governments and organizations. These grant agreements, totalling $120.7 million, will support traditional hunting, harvesting, food-sharing, and community food programs in 112 eligible isolated and northern communities. "This new...
CHESTERMERE, Alb.-Indian Life Ministries is excited to announce a new book in their line-up: Stories from the North, by Bill Jackson. "Bill told us that any time he entertained people at his home, he always asked for stories and asked if it was okay if these stories were someday shared in a book," says Krystal Wawrzyniack of the Indian Life Ministries director team. "He knew this could be the last time he saw these people, and wanted to make sure he heard their stories. I...
OTTAWA, Ont.-Two days before his coronation, King Charles III met with Canadian Indigenous leaders for a conversation that many people hope will bring a new chapter in the relationship between the Crown and Canada's Indigenous people. While King Charles previously met with Canadian Indigenous leaders during a May 2022 visit to Canada, this was the first time a British monarch met with First Nations, Inuit and Métis representatives together. The meeting at Buckingham Palace was...
WASHINGTON-Supreme Court justices pressed government attorneys in March on their argument that the treaties that put the Navajo on reservation lands implied an intent-but not a duty-for the government to provide water to the tribe. "Could I bring a good breach-of-contract claim for someone who promised me a permanent home, the right to conduct agriculture and raise animals, if it turns out it's the Sahara Desert?" Justice Neil Gorsuch asked Frederick Liu, the assistant to the...
CHESTERMERE, Alb.-A Saskatchewan First Nations woman has won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for best audio journalism. Journalist Connie Walker, who is from Okanese First Nation, won the award for her Gimlet Media podcast: Stolen: Surviving St. Michael's. The concept began when Walker learned a surprising story about her late father. She discovered that while performing a routine traffic stop as a RMCP officer (Mountie), her dad recognized the driver as the priest from St. Michael's...
PHOENIX-The FBI is investigating scams by fake rehab groups that target the Indigenous community, offering substance-abuse recovery or mental-health services at pop-up facilities to rake in government money, FBI officials say. Bogus organizers defraud the government out of money meant to help people at their most vulnerable, Phoenix FBI Agent Kevin Smith said. The fraud starts when scammers scout potential victims by going to places as varied as flea markets and medical...
