Many times, I have seen the sun rise over the Sandia Mountains in New Mexico and seen it slowly find its way at sunset over Mount Taylor to the west. Many times, I have felt the cold winds of winter and I have seen the beauty of the color of fall.

In all of this I find hope. Hope for a better life for our elders, hope for the continued existence of our people; hope that we all, as Indian people, are still around 5,000 years from now. That is and should be our mission for our people. Not just for the National Indian Council on Aging (NICOA), but for every other Indian organization today.

We are all in this together and we need to stand united during these trying times. We at NICOA have been at the forefront of this battle to ensure the continued survival of tribal communities for the past 42 years. Our elders are the last bastion of tribal culture, tribal history and traditions and the languages that tie us to our Creator and other deities that we believe in.

In the past few years there has been a ground swell in this country that relegates our beliefs to the dustbins of marginalization. It is as if our beliefs belong in the trash bins of modern society. Our beliefs go back to time immemorial. What is more “American” than the beliefs that were practiced here long before the landing at Plymouth Rock and long before the pyramids of Egypt?

The Navajos, the Cheyennes, Crows, Siouxs, Ojibwes and Hopis had their beliefs, and those beliefs were challenged by those who came after us. We understood that we all believed differently, but the deities we worshiped were the same entities that controlled the weather, the climate, and our relationship to our Mother Earth. We understood we came from her, and we would end up in her bosom when our short time on this land is over. We don’t own her; we don’t sell her, and we don’t have exclusive rights to her.

On this little piece of land that we call the United States of America, some of these newcomers have come to believe that they are superior to all other peoples and nations. This arrogance is nothing more than an effort to cover up their insecurities and shortcomings. We, the country, are subjected to mass shootings of our children and our communities every day. Schools, churches and synagogues, and shopping malls are places that are no longer safe.

In Indian Country, we need to be prepared to take care of our people, our schools, and our senior centers. What happens when this arrogance comes to Indian Country? We cannot afford to lose one elder or one child. The former represents our history, our culture, and our language; the latter represents 5,000 years into the future. We cannot lose either – they are too precious.

As if that was not enough, there has been a cry from some in the larger world to “take back our country.” That country is Indian Country, and we have the final say as to “taking back our country.” Every inch of this country contains the dust and ashes of our ancestors – it is holy and sacred grounds that we walk upon. Those who say those words do not understand and never will.

They do not understand what this land means to us as Indian people. Every hill, every mountain, every creek, every tree, every living being, belongs here. THEY BELONG. This is the belief undergirding the National Indian Council on Aging. We belong and we will be here long after the delusional ringmasters are gone.

We will do our part and we look forward to you joining our efforts. Your support, your prayers and donations ensures that we continue our preservation efforts.

Thank you and we look forward to seeing all of you in Cherokee, North Carolina in September 2023 for the next American Indian Elders Conference.

Dear Friends and Relatives,

Nearly five decades ago, tribal leaders founded NICOA to serve the needs of American Indian and Alaska Native elders. That vision to advocate for our elders and improve aging services across Indian Country still drives our mission today.

The times we live in have been confusing, challenging, and heartbreaking. Despite a global pandemic, NICOA has continued to strive towards achieving our goals via our five-year strategic plan. We’re grateful for the support of our members, tribal leaders, partners, and the aging community. Together, we have and will continue to listen, learn, and make progress in bettering elder lives.

Our work this past fiscal year has impacted many. Despite being delayed for a year, our biennial conference in Reno was well attended with good fellowship and interesting presentations. Our partners such as the International Association for Indigenous Aging (IA2) and the Diverse Elders Coalition (DEC) have helped us extend our reach across Native America, raising awareness of brain health and the needs of Native caregivers. Seen as a trusted national representative, NICOA provided testimony during a U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources. Our Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) also provided an important resource during this difficult time for hundreds of elders, with job training and a skilled team supporting every elder working towards success.

Our websites and social media also have been a valuable resource for those seeking information on health, nutrition, financial capability, elder abuse prevention and more. In addition, we launched our first-ever national campaign addressing social isolation and loneliness. With targeted videos and radio PSAs we reached elders and their families in Indian Health Service waiting rooms and on tribal radio stations. Our Tribal Long Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Compass website is continually being updated to serve as a clearinghouse to help those who need information about aging services in our communities.

Please take a look at our report to see our accomplishments and read about what we are working on to ensure your communities continue to receive the resources and support they deserve as NICOA founders intended. We thank you for your steadfast commitment to support, listen, and learn from Native elders. Their wisdom and guidance is crucial as we build our community to include all in Indian Country.

Sincerely,

Meet NICOA’s board of directors! NICOA is governed by a 13-member board of directors composed of American Indian and Alaska Native elders representing each of the 12 Bureau of Indian Affairs regions.

Interested in joining us? We’re looking for a Rocky Mountain Region Representative as well as a representative of the National Association of Title VI Grantees.

Board members must be 55 years of age or older and an enrolled member of an American Indian or Alaska Native tribe. New board members are voted in by regional caucuses at NICOA's biennial conference, and all board members elect the executive board.

Visit our website to see more photos of our board and learn how to get in touch with them.

The United States is undergoing a demographic shift that is changing older Americans' relation to the workplace. The average and median age of the U.S. population is rising, and the composition of the workforce with it. It is estimated that workers 55 and over now make up 25 percent of the U.S. civilian labor force, up from 13 percent in 2000, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

In addition, individual workers are tending to remain in the workforce longer and retire later. The number of workers over the traditional retirement age of 65 is seeing a marked increase, and it is projected that they now make up more than 7 percent of the American labor force. Employers rate older workers high on characteristics such as judgment, commitment to quality, attendance, and punctuality.

National Employ Older Workers Week, held annually the last week of September, recognizes the vital role of elders in the workforce and aims to increase awareness of this labor segment and develop innovative strategies to utilize it. It also showcases the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), which provides on-the-job skills training to individuals 55 or older with limited financial resources. Since its inception, SCSEP has helped over one million older Americans enter the workforce.

If you or someone you know could benefit from learning new work skills and get assistance finding a job, are 55+ and low income, visit our website, call 505-292-2001 or send an email. If you’re interested in participating in the program, fill out the pre-application form.

Have you heard about the updated Caring for Those Who Care: Meeting the Needs of Diverse Family Caregivers training curriculum? It’s designed for healthcare, social service and aging professionals who want to better serve diverse family caregivers and elders. This training highlights the lived experiences of unpaid caregivers for elders from the American Indian and Alaska Native communities. 

• 90-minute individual or 6-part series virtual training hosted over Zoom

• Learn culturally affirming best practices for caregivers on the provider, organizational, communications and policy levels

• Sliding scale fee structure

• Interactive training tailored to your organization

• Request a training today

If you live in a rural community and care for a person with memory loss, this free workshop may help you. The Rural Dementia Caregiver Project seeks to help caregivers of people with memory loss learn new skills and improve their health.

This is a research study by the University of California, San Francisco. If you join the study, you will receive access to a six-week online workshop — any time, day or night, a workbook to keep on skills and resources for caregivers, support from trained staff and other caregivers, and up to $80 in cash for completing four surveys.

You may be eligible if you are 18 years of age or older, able to access the internet, and provide care for at least 10 hours per week. (By “care” we mean assistance with dressing, meals, transportation, medications, appointments, or similar support). Check if you are eligible. For other questions call 1-833-634-0603.

September is Falls Prevention Awareness Month, which is an opportunity to assess your risk of falling and to take proactive steps to keep yourself safe.

The risk of the elderly falling is a bigger risk than most people realize. According to the CDC, each year, one in every three elders age 65 and older falls. Falls can cause moderate to severe injuries, such as hip fractures and head traumas, and can increase the risk of early death. One in four Americans over the age of 65 falls every year. Fortunately, falls are a public health problem that is largely preventable.

Falls are the leading cause of injury deaths for American Indian elders age 65 and over, according to the Centers for Disease Control’s Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System. American Indian and Alaska Native elders report the greatest percentage of falls (34.2 percent) of all races/ethnicities. A 2012-2016 survey by the New Mexico Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System found that one in three American Indian elders age 45 and over in New Mexico fell at least one time in the past 12 months, and that 45 percent of those who fell were injured.

Additionally, American Indian and Alaska Natives experience health disparities that can potentially increase the risk and rate of falls and fall-related injuries. They have a greater burden of chronic disease, along with a lower life expectancy. More than 30 percent of American Indian and Alaska Native elders reported at least one form of heart disease in 2012, while only 10.9 percent of non-Hispanic whites did in the same period.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis' Center for Indian Country Development is a nationally recognized thought leader and clearinghouse for resources and initiatives concerning Native economic development as well as a respected contributor to research critical to Indian Country constituents. It is also the Federal Reserve System’s principal point of contact and key supporter of the Fed in fulfilling its responsibility to Indian Country.

Their website maps the headquarter locations and asset sizes of banks and credit unions owned by — and community development financial institutions primarily serving — American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian individuals and communities.

Three of the most commonly used labor market metrics are the labor force participation rate, the employment-to-population ratio, and the unemployment rate. The Native American Labor Market Dashboard provides these three metrics for the American Indian and Alaska Native population. In doing so, it fills a gap in the published estimates that are available from the federal statistical agencies.

Together, the metrics in the dashboard provide a timely assessment of how Native workers are faring, which may differ substantially from the conditions of workers overall. Check out the Native American Labor Market Dashboard for a data tool to illuminate current labor market conditions for Native people.

As Native populations grow rapidly, tribal leaders are challenged as never before to provide their members decent housing. Expanding homeownership is a huge part of the solution for reservations and Indian areas, but until recently lenders just didn't extend home loans in Indian Country.

The Tribal Leaders Handbook on Homeownership is the essential guide to understanding a process that has so much potential but is still in its infancy. Their handbook is your guide to the new mortgage programs (government and private), the new kinds of lenders (loan funds, Native CDFIs), and the new energies that are transforming Indian housing.

You can also explore reservation profiles, which feature key demographic and economic indicators for American Indian reservations (with at least 2,500 residents).

This year, October 12 is National Savings Day. This day serves as an important reminder to plan for your financial future. Social Security is a vital part of any financial plan. We have online tools to help you understand your potential Social Security benefits and how they fit into your financial future.

You should periodically review your Social Security Statement using your personal Social Security account at www.ssa.gov/myaccount. Your statement is an easy-to-read summary of the estimated benefits you and your family could receive, including potential retirement, disability, and survivors benefits.

The “Our Plan for Retirement” tool in your personal my Social Security account allows you to check various benefit estimate scenarios. You can compare the effect different future earnings and retirement benefit start dates have on your future benefit amount.

Please let friends and family know they can take steps to improve their financial knowledge by signing in to their secure my Social Security account. If they don’t have an account, they can easily create one at www.ssa.gov/myaccount. 

The Poarch Band of Creek Indians are a federally recognized tribe of American Indians located in Alabama. Of the Band’s 2,340 members, about 1,000 live on or near the 230-acre reservation (as recorded in 2006). The Poarch Band also holds other trust lands in Alabama and Florida. Their current tribal chairwoman is Stephanie Bryan.

Members descend from Muscogee Creek Indians and speak the Muscogee language. To be eligible to enroll in the Poarch Band tribe, people must be descended from one or more American Indians listed on one of three rolls: the 1870 U.S. Census of Escambia County, Alabama; 1900 U.S. Census of Escambia County, Alabama; or 1900 U.S. Special Indian Census of Monroe County, Alabama.

Besides being of direct Muscogee Creek heritage, they must have a minimum blood quantum of 1/4 American Indian blood (equivalent to one full-blooded Creek grandparent) and not be enrolled in any other tribe. Each federally recognized tribe has the right to make its own rules of citizenship.

Many of the Creek families remained in Alabama despite the Indian Removal Act of 1830, by which most of the tribe ceded their land and were forcibly moved to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River. Under provisions of the Treaty of Fort Jackson, Poarch Creek ancestors selected four sections of land that would serve as the center of the modern Poarch Band of Creek Indian community. These Indian reserves were held subject to federal trust restrictions.

A Native American, a Native Alaskan and a Native Hawaiian are all members of the U.S. House of Representatives — fully representing the United States' Native people for the first time, according to Rep. Kaiali'i Kahele of Hawaii. Now, there are six Native Americans who are representatives in the House.

A couple weeks ago Democrat Mary Peltola was sworn in as a member of Congress. Peltola is drawing an unusual amount of national media attention as the first Alaska Native elected to Congress, and even more because of her special election win over Sarah Palin, a former Alaska governor endorsed by former President Donald Trump.

Bringing more Native representation to Congress has been slow-going over the years. Just four years ago, Rep. Sharice Davids and now-Interior Secretary Deb Haaland became the first two Native American women elected to Congress. Kahele is just the second Native Hawaiian to represent his home state.

In the future this representation may make a big impact on the political power of Native communities in the U.S. However, this level of representation may be short-lived. Peltola still needs to win re-election in November, and Kahele will wrap up his final term in Congress in 2023.

Marilyn Strickland, a U.S. representative from Washington's 10th congressional district and member of the Democratic Party, introduced a bill to expand economic development and protect treaty rights for the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis. This bill will allow them to lease their lands held in trust for up to 99 years.  

Congresswoman Strickland’s bill H.R. 6964 was brought up for a legislative hearing at the Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States under the House Committee on Natural Resources on September 14. 

This bill would amend the Long-Term Leasing Act of 1955, which prohibits tribes from leasing out their land for more than 25 years. Amending this provision would allow the Chehalis Tribe to lease land for up to 99 years, alleviating financial hardship. 

The Cherokee Nation is calling on federal legislators to honor a treaty the U.S. government made nearly 200 years ago. The 1835 Treaty of New Echota stipulates the tribe’s right to have Congress seat their delegate in the House of Representatives.

Under the treaty, brokered between the U.S. government and a group of Cherokee leaders, the Cherokee were ultimately made to give up their ancestral land in the South and relocate to present-day Oklahoma. Though many of the Cherokee people opposed the treaty, it was ratified in 1836.

About a quarter of the tribe's population died of disease, starvation and exhaustion on the resulting journey now known as the Trail of Tears. In exchange for their homelands, the Cherokee were promised $5 million, new land and other provisions, among them a delegate in the House of Representatives.

Kimberly Teehee, a senior policy adviser for Native American Affairs during President Barack Obama's administration, was tapped as the Cherokee Nation's official representative to Congress. She also served as a senior adviser to former Rep. Dale Kildee of Michigan, and has held various positions in the Cherokee Nation government.

If Teehee were to be seated, her role would likely be similar to other non-voting members of Congress. Though those members can't vote on the House floor, they can vote in committee, introduce legislation and engage in debate.