Well look at this. Our community is now 1,000 strong. We would like to take a moment and thank everyone for making this place what it is today and to reflect on our brief, yet powerful and inspiring, history.

Approximately 9 months and 25 days ago, this subreddit was started with the goal of being a suitable place to discuss the topics and issues that matter most to indigenous peoples. These subjects, articles, and activities were things that concerned us. However, they concerned more than just us. They concerned our status. They concerned our sovereignty. They concerned our pride. They concerned our culture. This is not the culture of others - not of the white, black, or yellow man - but our culture(s). To this day, we make known the truth.

I'm sure many of us here today know the affects of lies, propaganda, and dishonesty. That the veracity of some is...dubious...at best.

And yet... Here we stand. Aware of the truth. Aware of the facts. And proud of who we were. Proud of who we are. While we still face challenges, we can say that for our little corner of the internet, this is truly Indian Country.

Again, we would like to thank everyone for all that they have contributed to this subreddit. Everything from the questions and articles to the diligent work of the moderators and the natives working hard to represent us in all aspects. A brief look on our past is as follows:

We have (as stated by /u/Opechan):

1. Enabled tribal flair for users to self-identify their tribal nation;
2. Empowered moderators to ensure quality and civility;
3. Functionally and cosmetically customized our page to make browsing easy and visually pleasing;
4. Provided sidebar links to other Native American subreddits, news outlets, orgs and related governmental agencies;
5. Encouraged self-posts giving summaries of recent Native events, conferences, and experiences.

At 1,000 users, we are the second-largest subreddit of this kind. We were also featured in an Indian Country Today Media Network story in March, proving we can direct positive media attention to the diversity of Reddit. (FYI, ICTMN is basically the New York Times equivalent for Indian Country / Native Americans.)

This is just a starting point. We have ongoing language sessions that are going to be continued very soon and community issued podcasts in which redditors are invited to participate. We continually update the subreddit wiki, sidebar, and links to Native American internships, fellowships, placement, grants, and scholarships. We’re also receptive to suggestions as to cosmetics and content.

We have also expanded our sphere of influence in a positive manner. While not much is currently being done with it, we brought a new subreddit into Indian Country, /r/IdleNoMore.

Currently, we are planning several things for the future that are to come soon, particularly with a view towards the month of November, which is Native American Heritage Month.

As many of you are new subscribers, we do ask that you please follow our guidelines that are listed in the wiki, which can be found on the sidebar. We have much more growth to do and many more experiences to share. Changes are happening throughout our world and across Indian Country. We invite you all to get to know these changes and take part in them.

Qe'ci'yew'yew (Thank you) to everyone who has helped make this subreddit what it truly is - a community. Please leave any comments/suggestions here on this post. We'd appreciate it.

-/r/IndianCountry Mod Team