Intertribal Friendship House

Intertribal Friendship House
Founded1955
TypeNon-profit cultural organization
Location
  • 523 International Boulevard Oakland, CA 94606
Coordinates37°47′43″N 122°15′12″W / 37.795229°N 122.253435°W / 37.795229; -122.253435
Area served
San Francisco Bay Area
ServicesSocial services, education, cultural programming
Key people
Sophia Taula-Lieras, Iona Mad Plume, Janet King, Bonney Hartley, Maria Garcia, Vida Castaneda, Mindy Woolbert
Websitewww.ifhurbanrez.org

The Intertribal Friendship House (IFH) of Oakland is one of the oldest Native American-focused urban resource and community organizations in the United States. Founded in 1955, IFH was created by local residents, similarly to American Indian Center in Chicago. Beginning in 1952, the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) supported a plan to relocate Native Americans to urban areas, further encouraged by the Indian Relocation Act of 1956. The IFH continues to offer educational activities, elder and youth programs, holiday meals, counseling for social services, space for community meetings, conferences, receptions, memorials, and family affairs.[1][2] According to author Ed Vulliamy, 90% of Native Americans in California, "of which the majority are not indigenous California tribes," currently "live in cities."[3]

  1. ^ Park, Alex (October 22, 2011). "Oakland's Intertribal Friendship House will celebrate 56 years of supporting Native American community". Oakland North. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
  2. ^ Lobo, Susan (2002). Urban Voices: The Bay Area Indian Community. Tucson: The University of Arizona Press. ISBN 0-8165-1316-3.
  3. ^ Vulliamy, Ed (June 2023). "Reclaiming Native Identity in California". New York Review of Books. 70 (11). ISSN 0028-7504.