Share

Nora Lawrence

Negotiating a Nation, Limiting Suicide

The Inuit of Nunavik in Northern Quebec are no strangers to tragedy. With a population of slightly less than 12,000 in a region slightly larger than California, the Inuit of Nunavik have a suicide rate that is seven times higher than in the rest of Quebec.

Working Towards Maori Equality

New Zealand (Aotearoa is the Maori name) proudly displays evidence of its Maori culture, whether it be the dozens of replicas of Maori crafts, carvings, and paintings at the airport, the Maori flag flying alongside the Aotearoa flag, or non-Maori performing the haka, the traditional dance of the Maori peoples.  What’s harder to see is the level of discrimination that the Maori of Aotearoa continue to face despite the country’s pride in its Indigenous population.

Freedom Foods

White Corn

Food does more than nourish our bodies. It lifts our spirits, nurtures our minds, and comforts our souls. As any weary traveler who has ever longed for a home-cooked meal can attest, food connects us to our families and communities by reminding us where we come from and—just for a moment—transports us back to a place of familiarity, trust, and comfort.

But in many Indigenous communities across North America, this pivotal aspect of both health and culture is slipping away.

Helping Survivors Survive

Rose Simpson Sculpture, Santa Clara Pueblo, NM

The numbers are staggering: according to the Department of Justice, Native American women experience violent crime three-and-a-half times more often than the national average, and one-third of Native American women will be sexually assaulted in their lives. As horrific as that sounds, the problem may, in fact, be even worse than these official statistics suggest, as 70 percent of all rapes typically go unreported, especially when the crimes involve family members or acquaintances.

Syndicate content