Intertribal Friendship House

Intertribal Friendship House (IFH) located in Oakland, CA was established in 1955 as one of the first urban American Indian community centers in the nation. IFH promotes community transformation through cultural activities that are organic and emerge from the experience and long-standing traditions of the people it serves. IFH provides a culturally competent healing and art activities that empower Native people by building family interconnectedness and cultural pride which can have preventative effects on the adoption of drug use consumption, interpersonal violence, premature death, and destruction via involvement in other antisocial behavior. Culturally competent practices that traditionally helped build resilience among Native people have provided IFH a way to share experiences and ideas that have been historically denied to Native people through mainstream media and education and provide alternative forms of healing.