New Jersey, New York, and California were the first of the US states to pass ivory bans to deter the poaching and trafficking of elephants, and more than ten more states have some form of law in the works. These laws, however, also ban walrus, mammoth, and mastodon ivory which can be legally used by indigenous groups.

“It’s not just a hobby for us – this is our livelihood,” said Denise Wallace, an indigenous Alutiiq ivory carver now living in Hawaii, which is poised to pass its own broad ban of ivory. “I live out of the state, but I know there are a lot of people up [in Alaska] who are living in villages, and this is their total income as well.” Read the full article here.

“My people have a beautiful creation story,” Clarence explains. “But the best part is how similar our stories are to those we find in the Bible, and it’s those stories that we need to bring to life for our children.” Whether it will be learning about creation in a place where God’s beauty abounds or comparing Jesus’ fishermen to Hawaiian fishing, Clarence hopes to really blend what Hawaiian children already know with biblical stories and lessons.

The hope for this summer: beautiful blendings, of Hawaiian culture and the saving grace of Jesus, of old friends and new relationships, and of hope and transformation in an area where people need it.

What is going on with all these suicide emergencies?

Once again, a native community finds itself in the midst of a suicide emergency. This time, the Attawapiskat of Northern Ontario called a state of emergency when 11 people attempted suicide in one night. 

Less than a month ago, we told you about a similar situation in Manitoba and in South Dakota. So, what is going on? Why are reservations at such a high risk for these types of emergencies? 

Native American culture is filled with amazing stories about how things came to be. One such story explains how humans "discovered" fire. In the story, which I have heard attributed to the Navajo, the Karuk, and the Shoshone, coyote feels sorry for the poor humans who suffer through the bitter-cold winters. After hearing a woman crying for the children lost in the cold, he decides to steal some fire from the Fire Beings on Fire Mountain. With the help of the other animals, they steal a small piece of fire and throw it into wood. Coyote then teaches the humans how to rub two pieces of wood together to release the fire. From then on, humans are able warm their families in the winter.

I've always loved this story and the similarities it has to the Christian faith. We, too, were once dying in the cold, separated from the Light, but someone took pity on us and gave us life.

When the Portland Art Museum decided to feature an exhibit on Edward Curtis and his Native photography, they didn't want to make it simply a historical show. The show, which runs through May 8th, features three prominent Native Artists, Red Star (Apsa’alooke), Jackson (Mandan/Hidatsa/Arikara) and Wilson (Diné), interspersed among the historical Curtis photographs.

“Our visitorship is largely clueless about contemporary Native American life and thinks that the body of Curtis’ work is the end-all be-all representation of Indians,” Dartt says.

There are so many reasons to celebrate!

Spring is just around the corner in Alaska!

As I write this in mid-March, we are slowly inching out of the dark winter. Living in Anchorage, we don’t have days without sun, but on our shortest day in December, we get a paltry 5 ½ hours of sun. Further north, in Barrow, the northern most city in Alaska, the sun set on November 18th and didn’t rise again for 67 days. It’s dismal and cold.

But Hosea 6:3 reminds us, “Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear.” As Alaskans, we survive the winters with grit and hope and the knowledge that spring always comes eventually. Likewise, as Christians, we survive hard times with the reminder that Christ’s love and light are constants in our lives, and that out of the darkness comes light and hope. At Lutheran Indian Ministries, our job is to shine the light of the Gospel into the darkest places.

Here's what you missed this week:

Professional speaker, boxer, and former rugby player, Joe Williams arrived in the US this week to start his speaking tour addressing mental health issues among Native Americans. Williams is Wiradjuri, the native tribe of central New South Wales, Australia, and hopes that his story, including daily battle with suicidal thoughts, will open up more dialogue and being the healing process among the Native communities. Because Australian aboriginals faced many of the same issues as Native Americans, both groups are more susceptible to suicide than the general public.

"As much as a lot of people say that Americans are ahead of us, in this field in particular, speaking about 'living the experience', we're miles ahead of them," Mr Williams said. "At this minute, they don't have a lot of people who speak about their lived experience in depth."

In an effort to reanalyze and refocus my year and our ministry in Neah Bay, I recently reread Nehemiah and was struck, once again, by his heart.

Nehemiah lived a luxurious life. As the cup-bearer to Artaxerxes, the King of Persia, he was in a position of power in the royal court and lacked for nothing. He had never seen Jerusalem, as he was generations removed from the Babylonian Exile, but still felt a strong connection to his heritage and his ancestors. When he found out that the rebuilding of Jerusalem was going very poorly, Nehemiah says:

“When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.” (Nehemiah 1:4)

Easter Sunday March 27

The Good News of Freedom! - Matthew 28:7 (NIV)

“Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead’ . . . “

“I was like a ball of twine, all wound up to the point of physical pain.  I had so many emotional secrets I hid behind the mask that everything was ok … but through (teaching and group work), the ball has started to unravel to God’s freedom”.  Another person said, “I could literally hear the chains pop” in explaining her inner sense of freedom.