StrongHearts Native Helpline Marks 9 Years

 

StrongHearts Native Helpline Marks 9 Years of Serving Survivors, Receiving More than 85,000+Calls, Chats and Texts

March 6, 2026

Throughout the past nine years, the organization has achieved significant milestones, including:  Received over 85,000+ contacts via calls, chats and texts. Upon survivor request, provided over 26,000+ referrals to direct service providers. Developed partnerships with Tribal, State, and National organizations to improve response to the violence impacting Native individuals, families and communities. This past year, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), announced a projected $15 million, five-year grant to fund StrongHearts Native Helpline as the First-Ever Standalone National Indigenous Domestic Violence Hotline for American Indians and Alaska Natives. With the five-year funding commitment, StrongHearts will continue to serve as the trusted resource for survivors seeking anonymous and confidential crisis support. "This anniversary is not just a reflection of where we’ve been—it's a testament to our team, to our commitment to ensure that the thousands of survivors who have reached out receive culturally honoring support," said Lori Jump, Chief Executive Officer of StrongHearts Native Helpline. "We are honored to have served our communities for nine years and look forward to expanding our impact”. StrongHearts plans to expand its impact include:  Finalizing the Alaska Specific Initiative, focusing on expanding and strengthening outreach and access to services for Alaska Natives.   Developing and strengthening existing partnerships with Tribes, States and Local service providers to ensure continuity of care. Enhancing StrongHearts’ website to improve user experience, including expanded search capabilities and a dedicated resource center for general information, reports, articles and more. About StrongHearts Native Helpline  StrongHearts Native Helpline is a 24/7/365 culturally-appropriate domestic, dating and sexual violence helpline for Native Americans, available by calling or texting 1-844-762-8483 or clicking on the chat icon at strongheartshelpline.org.

The People Speak: Oyate Woyaka

 

Lunch at the Library: "Turning the Power" with Nathan Sowry

In his book Turning the Power Nathan Sowry examines how some Native American students from the boarding school system, with its forced assimilationist education, became key cultural informants for anthropologists conducting fieldwork during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.  Salvage anthropologists of this era relied on Native informants to accomplish their mission of “saving” Native American cultures and ultimately turned many informants into anthropologists after years of fieldwork experience. 

Sowry investigates ten relatively unknown Native American anthropologists and collaborators who, from 1878 to 1930, attended a religiously affiliated mission school, a federal Indian boarding school, or both.  He tells the stories of Native anthropologists Tichkematse, William Jones, and James R. Murie, who were alumni of the Hampton Institute in Virginia. Richard Davis and Cleaver Warden were among the first and second classes to attend the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania. Amos Oneroad graduated from the Haskell Indian Industrial Training School in Lawrence, Kansas, after attending mission and boarding schools in South Dakota. D. C. Duvall, John V. Satterlee, and Florence and Louis Shotridge attended smaller boarding and mission schools in Montana, Wisconsin, and Alaska Territory, respectively. Turning the Power follows the forced indoctrination of Native American students and then details how each of them “turned the power,” using their English knowledge and work experience in the anthropological field to embrace, document, and preserve their Native cultures rather than abandoning their heritage. 

Nathan Sowry is the Reference Archivist at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian, where he has worked since 2016. He regularly collaborates with Native and non-Native researchers, scholars, and community groups interested in utilizing archival collections and visiting their cultural heritage. 

Sowry received his BA in Anthropology and Religious Studies from the University of Pittsburgh, MA in History from Washington State University, MLIS in Archives and Records Management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and PhD in History from American University.