Posts related to Native American Heritage Month

NICOA Hosts Focus Groups with American Indian Caregivers

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by Kayla Sawyer and Rebecca Owl Morgan

Earlier this year, the National Indian Council on Aging (NICOA) had the opportunity to host several focus groups with American Indian family caregivers in New Mexico. NICOA organized four focus groups with a total of 31 participants. The purpose of the groups was to learn more about these caregivers’ experiences helping an older family member or friend who has health problems and disabilities. During the focus groups, we learned about their caregiving duties, the challenges they face, and their encounters with healthcare professionals.

Our focus groups revealed how caregivers’ lives are impacted by their role as caregivers. Many American Indian caregivers spoke about skipping appointments and neglecting their own.... Read More

             

Homeownership in Indian Country

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by Kayla Sawyer. This article originally appeared on the NICOA blog.

Expanding affordable homeownership is a central component to sustainable economic and community development. Yet on many reservations, homeownership remains an unexplored option. For several generations, housing stock on American Indian reservations has been limited and deficient, adding to the already dire housing crisis throughout Indian Country.

According to the Census Bureau, in 2016, just 52.9 percent of all Native people were homeowners, down from 55.5 percent in 2000. Yet in tribal areas, 75 percent report a strong desire to own their home.

.... Read More
             

National Native American Heritage Month

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This article originally appeared on the NICOA blog.

National Native American Heritage Month is a time to recognize the histories, invaluable contributions and livelihood of American Indian and Alaska Native people in the United States. It is an opportunity to educate the general public about tribes, their cultures, traditions and languages. Use this time to highlight the unique challenges Native people have faced both historically and presently, as well as the ways in which tribal citizens have overcome these challenges.

One of the earliest proponents of a day honoring American Indians was Dr. Arthur Caswell Parker,.... Read More

             

The Movement For Indigenous Peoples’ Day

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This content was originally published by NPR. Click here to listen to the Latino USA podcast.

In the U.S., the second Monday in October is reserved for Columbus Day, in honor of the Italian navigator Christopher Columbus.

But not everyone is on board with celebrating Columbus. His colonization of the “new world” led to the bloodshed of Indigenous people and while he did arrive to the Americas, he never set foot in North America. So how did this federal holiday in the U.S. come to be?

Over the past few decades, there has been a growing local movement in cities and states throughout the country, to officially replace the federal holiday of Columbus Day with a.... Read More

             

Honoring Native Heritage and Supporting American Indian/Alaska Native Elders

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Photo by R. Madison

American Indian and Alaska Native Elders are the heart and soul of Native communities across the United States, and indigenous traditions of dance, food, cuisine and language around the world continue to thrive. We join our member organization, the National Indian Council on Aging (NICOA), in celebrating the rich heritage of the more than 500 unique tribal nations across the United States and the Elders who are preserving and passing those traditions down to future generations.This Native American Heritage Month, we’re sharing highlights from the Diverse Elders Coalition blog throughout 2018, including:

The Importance of Good Sleep for Elders: “Not only do Elders.... Read More
             

Native American Heritage Month – Digital Storytelling

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National Native American Heritage Month pays tribute to the rich traditions of Native Americans, and one of those traditions is storytelling. For the past month, the National Indian Council On Aging (NICOA) has been sharing the most recent stories from the Native Elder Storytelling Project to help celebrate that tradition.

Click above to watch our latest videos. They can also be found on NICOA’s YouTube channel along with our first round of videos.

Native Storytelling Importance

Shannon Smith from the Native Daughters Project beautifully paints the picture of the importance of Native storytelling:

Storytelling is a diverse and powerful medium of imagery and.... Read More

             

NICOA Points to American Indian/Alaska Health Disparities during National Minority Health Month

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This post originally appeared on the NICOA blog.

nicoa

American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) Elders have long experienced disparities in health and healthcare. A health disparity is a difference in health outcomes from different groups within the population.

Historically, AI/AN communities have had limited access to quality healthcare. One outcome of treaties between AI/AN communities and the federal government is that all federal recognized tribes have a right to healthcare services. The Indian Health Service (IHS)* was created to meet this federal commitment.

Although there are 567 federally recognized tribes to date, there are many more tribes still seeking federal recognition..... Read More

             

Happy Memories of My Visit to Grandma’s

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Memories of my maternal grandma will always be with me. We called her “Ma’sani’ “(translated from my language it means — “Elder Mother.”) Our tribe is matrilineal so my four clans come to me through the female lineage of my parents ancestors. When I was a child I remember traveling to the deep frontier country in the back of our pickup truck to visit Grandma. The roads were dirt – not paved. The air was fresh and my hair would blow wild in the breeze. I was so excited because we were going to grandma’s house. My maternal grandmother lived about 35 miles off the main roadway. On rainy days the dirt roads were hard to maneuver because of the.... Read More

             

NICOA Conference Celebrates American Indian and Alaska Native Elders

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The 20th Biennial National Indian Council on Aging, Inc. (NICOA) Conference took place September 3rd through 6th at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown in Phoenix, Arizona. The NICOA conference was held in partnership with the Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona, and the Area Agency on Aging, Region 8. There were 1,387 elders attending from 65 different tribal nations.

The five day affair offered a range of events and activities for participants, speakers, families, and guests. Here are some of the highlights from each day:

Wednesday September 3

The first day of the conference began with a whirlwind of activity as many more attendees than expected arrived and were registered. An opening prayer was offered. The Ira H. Hayes American Legion Post 84 posted.... Read More

             

Living the Legacy: Keeping the Comanche Language and Culture Alive

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Moribund: In terminal decline; lacking vitality or vigor. (Oxford Dictionary)

“Languages across the world are in crisis. Half of the world’s languages are “moribund, spoken only by adults who no longer teach them to the next generation.” The language loss among North American indigenous people is “especially acute,” where an estimated 155 languages are still spoken, if you add in the Alaskan Native languages. Of these 135 are moribund; and the U.S. Census of 1990 indicated that one-third of these have fewer than 100 speakers. “Native American Language Immersion: Innovative Native Education for Children and Families” Pease Pretty On Top, J.

My mother, Geneva Woomavoyah Navarro, was born in the small town of.... Read More

             

What Being American Indian Means to Me: In Recognition of Native American Heritage Month

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November is Native American Heritage Month and November 29, 2013 is Native American Heritage Day. What does this mean to me? I am American Indian of Navajo descent. I was raised on the Navajo Nation all my life. Since I grew up on the Navajo Nation I thought the world was like me. I was taught in school that I am American and I accepted that. I was taught at home to be a good and capable person.

I had inadequate preparation in our public school so I never contemplated going off to college. My mother on the other hand had other dreams for me. She filled out my paperwork to attend the local community college. It was there.... Read More