Joe Starita

Slowly, but deliberately, earn the trust of Native American people, never promise the impossible, and "let native people participate in their story as fully as possible," said author and journalist Joe Starita.

Aaron Jones hopes to see his film this August when it's part of the Smithsonian Native Cinema Showcase in Santa Fe, N.M.

He also wants to see the screening of "History is Unwritten" at this year's Albuquerque International Film Festival.

Jones, 18, graduated from Tulalip Heritage High School on June 11. Producing and directing the short film was his senior project, which he entered in the Seattle Museum of History and Industry's first "History Is ..." film competition.

Although she's matter-of-fact in describing her challenging teen years, Barry is quick to point out one important woman from those days—a counselor at Minneapolis South High School named Patty. College was barely a blip on Barry's radar screen, even in her senior year, but Patty encouraged her to apply. And when she was turned down the first time at the U, Patty encouraged her to try again.

Sports not only serve as entertainment on the field, but when something special or unique happens they can transition into other mediums.

We have seen countless movies depicting the trials and tribulations of athletes and teams across a wide range of sports, with one exception: lacrosse.

The widely popular sport, especially along the east coast, hasn't made its debut on the silver screen -- until now.

Thirty students graduated from Oskayak High School in Saskatoon on Friday, the largest-ever graduating class in the institution's 30-year history.

Community members said it marked a powerful moment for the high school, which has a focus on aboriginal culture.

"Our school is culturally based. We teach spirituality, culture, language, and I think that really attracts the young people that want to know who they are and where they come from," said school elder Mary Lee, who has been around since Oskayak's beginning.

The Gates Foundation developed an advanced empire on the Navajo Nation.

Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly said the connectivity of the Navajo Nation chapters is a sign of the times.

"We are moving in a new direction and technology is uniting Navajo communities with the rest of the world," Shelly said.

One girl wanted to buy marching band equipment: brass instruments, woodwinds, drums, cheerleading uniforms and batons.

Another wanted to buy Native drums and flutes.

Yet another wanted symphony instruments and a grand piano.

The paths they chose may have been different, but all three girls in Nicky Ouelette's seventh-period senior English class were headed in the same direction: to provide opportunities to their classmates that are offered in so many off-reservation schools.

They call themselves the minority of minorities. 2010 Census figures indicate that Native Americans make up less than one percent of the U.S. population, which is why kids say they wanted to come out to NMU's Summer Youth Program for Native American students to meet other kids "like them," who share their mentality.

"The kind of mentality that you don't need electronic and all the stuff today, they can just go out in the woods and feel at home," says Skyler Dakota, a Native American student from Ishpeming.

They may not be related, but they're definitely a family.

That's what any member of the Haskell Upward Bound program will tell you. Thursday night, they gathered on the Lawrence university campus for a powwow in celebration of another successful year.

Haskell Upward Bound, which helps American Indian high school students prepare for higher education, takes on 60 students during its year-long sessions. Carlene Morris, the director of the local organization, said teaching and helping the students has become more than a job.

Kayenta Unified School District's entry in a healthy school lunch recipe contest sponsored by the Obama administration won second place in its category, the district learned last week.

"We're thrilled," said Cathy Getz, the district's food service director, who developed the recipe along with a team of local collaborators. "Of course, we would have rather had first so we could go to the final cook-off, but for us to get as far as we did was amazing - and most importantly, it calls attention to the fact that Kayenta is serious about feeding our kids healthy foods."

On Saturday, 21 canoes will launch from Mackenzie Beach near Pacific Rim National Park on an eight-day journey to Port Alberni that is much more important than simple transportation.

The canoes are part of the 2011 Pulling Together Canoe Journey, representing police and other public service agencies, First Nations and youth from across the province.

Children sat in amazement at the bird dance, intently watched the sunflower dance and gazed in wonder at the poses in the warrior dance.

Students in area schools enjoyed workshops Wednesday and Thursday with Dancing Earth, an indigenous contemporary dance group based in Santa Fe, N.M., that is currently on tour.

The energy of Dancing Earth evokes a primal force that is said to illuminate cultural and spiritual relevance through their articulate movements choreographed by creator Rulan Tangen.

The Oneida Indian Nation's award-winning animated short, which has received national and international acclaim, is available for sale at Oneida Sky, a gallery-style retail shop featuring authentic American Indian art and craft at Turning Stone Resort Casino, all 12 Sa-vOn Convenience Stores, as well as at the Oneida Nation's Shako:wi Cultural Center

It's nice to have a neighbor who can help you store precious items when you don't have the room at your home.

Such was the case when the Museum of Northern Arizona offered to store the more than 850 cultural pieces in the Beenhouwer Fine Art Collection, which was donated to the Hopi Tribe in 1999 by Herb and Bernice Beenhouwer of Santa Fe.

This impressive collection includes Native American fine art, predominantly from the Hopi, New Mexico Pueblos, Navajo, Tohono O'odham and Apache Tribes.

Hutke Fields pictures a time when younger generations of Natchez people use his tribe's native tongue at ceremonies, while sharing oral histories and during everyday talk at home.

But Field's vision is complicated by the fact that only six people, out of about 10,000 members of the Natchez tribe in Oklahoma, still speak the language.

"We'll lose it if we don't use it," said Fields, who received assistance last year during a workshop dedicated to helping American Indian communities in Oklahoma to bring back disappearing languages.

In addition to us lending support for the educational and advocacy events planned, I was also invited to be a guest speaker at the Library of Congress to help introduce the documentary feature, “We Still Live Here: As Nutayunean,” as well as participate in a Q&A session after the screening.

Also invited to speak was tribal member Kathleen Marshall, who works with me as a language apprentice.