National Native News

Kodiak peer counselors, other staff, and volunteers with Kodiak KINDNESS are joined by new Northwest Arctic team members Nauyaq Baltazar and Frances Williams. (Courtesy Kodiak KINDNESS)

In a historic moment, the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration have transferred land to the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.

As Danielle Kaeding reports, it is the first known land transfer nationwide from a Catholic institution to a tribal nation in the name of reparations.

The transfer aims to repair the painful legacy of federal Indian boarding schools.

From the early 19th century until 1969, Native American children were removed from their homes and forced to assimilate.

The Franciscan Sisters transferred its Marywood Franciscan Spirituality Center in Arbor Vitae to Lac du Flambeau.

Araia Breedlove, the tribe’s spokesperson, says it is a significant moment.

“Having this be the first time, as we know of at least, that any institution has given land back in regards to reparations, it’s rare that we see the acknowledgement of that hurt and the generational trauma.”

Sue Ernster is president of the Franciscan Sisters.

“We do see this as the beginning of deepening the relationship and really helping to heal our part of the trauma.”

The Band purchased the property for $30,000.

While the spirituality center was never a boarding school, the Franciscan Sisters ran St. Mary’s Catholic Indian Boarding School on the Bad River Tribe’s reservation in Wisconsin.

Officials with the Lac du Flambeau tribe say they’re grateful for the Sisters’ kindness and willingness to acknowledge the hurt and trauma from boarding schools.

A Kodiak-based nonprofit dedicated to supporting families with newborns is expanding into the Northwest Arctic Borough.

KMXT’s Davis Hovey has more on how Kodiak Kindness is helping families across Alaska raise babies.

For years, “Nauyaq” Wanda Baltazar has been teaching infants in Kotzebue through a local program that serves children with disabilities or delayed development.

It is the only such Infant Learning Program based out of a school district in the state.

Baltazar says it is about helping kids from birth to three years old and their families around the Maniilaq service area, which covers 12 communities in Northwest Alaska from Kotzebue to Kobuk.

“Working with birth to three, it’s always good about helping families, ensuring that they’re strong, supported. And any way we can support families and nursing moms to help their babies grow, I think is great.”

Baltazar and Frances Williams, the local school secretary from Ambler, are bringing their experience working with children to Kodiak Kindness as they continue doing what they already do, but under the new title of peer counselors.

Williams, who is known in her hometown as the “village mother,” says being part of the organization will give her more support and tools to do things she already does on a regular basis in the Northwest Arctic community.

“Kodiak Kindness would be able to help because there’s a lot of things that I learned when we went to the trainings, yeah, things that we didn’t know. So all the training will be able to help, like I’ll be able to do my own mix with Kodiak Kindness and my Inupiaq traditions.”

Williams says she uses native plants like stinkweed or spruce trees to make salves or other traditional medicines to help her friends, family and neighbors heal from the land.

Aside from the traditional knowledge Williams has from her mom and aunties, she’ll also be able to help her community with assistance from a certified lactation consultant if she wants support virtually from the Kodiak Kindness team via telehealth.

Kodiak Kindness’ two new peer counselors in the Northwest Arctic Borough come online this winter and hope to start enrolling families in the region early next year.