The Los Angeles City/County Native American Indian Commission (LANAIC) wishes everyone a happy Native American Heritage Month (NAHM)! NAHM is an opportunity to celebrate our community and the vast contributions we make.
Each year the LANAIC selects 3 individuals, families or organizations to honor during NAHM. The LANAIC is pleased to honor Dr. Carrie Johnson (Wahpeton Dakota) as the Spirit of Community recipient, the Phoenix Family (Tohono O’odham) as the Spirit of Tradition recipient and the cast and crew of Reservation Dogs as the Spirit of Creativity recipient. To our 2022 NAHM honorees thank you for all that you do to support, inspire and care for our community!
Spirit of Community Honoree- Dr. Carrie Johnson
Dr. Carrie Johnson’s, Wahpeton Dakota, is a licensed clinical psychologist and the Vice President of Behavioral Health at United American Indian Involvement, Inc. For the last 20 years, Dr. Johnson has provided Behavioral Health services to Native Americans in Los Angeles County, including mental health treatment, grant writing, integrating traditional healing into services and evaluation of the services. Dr. Johnson is involved with local county-wide and Statewide advisory boards to increase the access and cultural competence of services provided to Native Americans. She is also an experienced trainer and consultant in the impact of intergenerational trauma on Indian children, families, and communities; and provides consultation, training, and workshops on a Community and Family Healing Model she has developed. Dr. Johnson also provides TA on program development, grant writing, evaluation, and direct services for Native Americans.
Through her tireless work and commitment to the community she has truly impacted so many. Her creation of the Native American Dance, Drum, and Regalia program (NADDAR) teaches our local Native American people lessons they might not otherwise have access to, while promoting connection, community, and wellness. Wisely, she is also evaluating its impact and creating the evidence to integrate interventions like this as part of standard mental health care; surely an action that will affect future generations. This is just the tip of the iceberg in her multifaceted work. Dr. Johnson is humble, full of grace, and a powerful FORCE.
Spirit of Tradition Honoree- The Phoenix Family
The Phoenix family, Tohono O’odham, is from Los Angeles and has been very active in the Native American community.
Annette Phoenix, the matriarch of the family, raised her four sons in Los Angeles and instilled within them a deep connection to their community. Her sons grew up participating in different activities with Southern California Indian Center and United American Indian Involvement’s youth groups.
If you are at any Pow Wow or Native event in Los Angeles, you will most likely see the Phoenix family dancing, and running a food booth. They are always the first to show up and help with any community events and are well respected and loved by the Los Angeles Indian Community.
The Phoenix family also works with many different organizations to continue teaching and passing along cultural traditions for the next generation. The Phoenix family works together and teaches cooking and beading classes within the community. In their free time, they enjoy spending quality family time beading for community members to share their master artistry with others.
The Phoenix Family truly emulates our community’s traditional and longstanding values of compassion, humility, love and respect.
Congratulations to the entire Phoenix Family for being upstanding role models and demonstrating true Native family and community values for our Los Angeles American Indian community!
In loving Memory of Fabian & Nico Phoenix. Forever in our hearts and never forgotten.
Spirt of Creativity Honoree- The Cast & Crew of Reservation Dogs
Reservation Dogs is an Indigenous American teen comedy drama television series created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi for FX Productions. Filmed on location in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, Reservation Dogs is a breakthrough in Indigenous representation on television, both in front of and behind the camera. Every writer, director, and series regular on the show is Indigenous. This first-of-its-kind creative team tells a story that resonates with them and their lived experiences.
In its first season, Reservation Dogs landed on 80+ critics’ year-end best lists, won The Gotham Award for “Breakthrough Series – Short Form,” won two Independent Spirit Awards, was honored as one of AFI’s Television Programs of the Year and won a Peabody Award. The show is also among seven programs recognized in 2022 by the Television Academy as part of its 15th Television Academy Honors, showcasing exceptional television programs and their producers who have leveraged the power of television to fuel social change.
Last modified: November 1, 2022