Who We Are
The members of the Chicago American Indian Community Collaborative (CAICC) are dedicated to furthering diverse causes and the greater well-being of American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and First Nations people in the Chicago area. We seek to maximize effectiveness by creating a forum for fostering mutual aid, political support, positive public recognition, strategic alliances, collaborations, and partnerships.
CAICC convenes organizational leaders and members of the Chicago American Indian community for dialogue, advocacy, and planning with the goal of empowering CAICC to better address the issues and needs of the American Indian community.
Featured Event
5th Annual Urban Native Education Conference
Living Our Values Towards Health & Healing
On May 14th and 15th, the Chicago American Indian Community Collaborative’s (CAICC) Education Committee hosted the fifth annual Urban Native Conference. Over the course of these two days, CAICC held 6 concurrent sessions with 75 people in attendance. The conference involved a plenary session presenting CAICC’s recent report Towards Building American Indians’ Futures: The Chicago American Indian Community Collaborative’s 2020 Report on Education & COVID-19 Related Data. Another conference highlight was a conversation led by our keynote speaker Cheyenne Kippenberger (Seminole), who spoke about her life journey that led her to becoming Miss Indian World, her advocacy for mental health, and the importance of building community. Here is a thank you video from our Education Committee Co-Chair, Jennifer Michals.
View workshop session recordings HERE.
Land Acknowledgement
Chicago is the traditional homeland of the Council of the Three Fires: The Odawa, Ojibwe and Potawatomi Nations. Many other Tribes like the Miami, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Sac and Fox also called this area home. Located at the intersection of several great waterways, the land naturally became a site of travel and healing for many Tribes. American Indians continue to call this area home and now Chicago is home to the sixth-largest Urban American Indian community that still practices their heritage, traditions and care for the land and waterways. Today, Chicago continues to be a place that calls many people from diverse backgrounds to live and gather here. Despite the many changes the city has experienced, our American Indian community sees the importance of the land and this place that has always been a city home to many diverse backgrounds and perspectives.
CHICAGO HAS ALWAYS BEEN INDIAN COUNTRY from Dorene Wiese on Vimeo.
News
July’s Featured Artist of the Month: Sharon Hoogstraten
Head over to our Chicagoland Artist Directory Webpage to learn more about our featured Artist of the Month: Sharon Hoogstraten! A member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation and professional photographer, Sharon Hoogstraten has... READ MORE
Seeking Independent Contractor Consulting Services
About CAICC: It is a network of Native American organizations and programs that joined together in 2012 to collectively work on improving conditions for Native Americans in the Chicago-area. An administrative oversight committee... READ MORE
Towards Building American Indians’ Futures: The Chicago American Indian Community Collaborative’s 2020 Report on Education & COVID-19 Related Data
CAICC’s research report is out!! This report, funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and Visionary Ventures NFP Corporation, was completed with a research partnership between the Chicago American Indian... READ MORE
April’s Featured Artist of the Month: Norma Roberston
Head over to our Chicagoland Artist Directory Webpage to learn more about our featured Artist of the Month: Norma Roberston! Directory: https://chicagoaicc.com/native-artists-in-the-chicagoland-area/) Han. Norma Robertson emaciyapi. I’m an enrolled member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton... READ MORE