"We will dance when our laws command us to dance, we will feast when our hearts desire to feast. Do we ask the white man, 'Do as the Indian does'? No, we do not. Why then do you ask us, 'Do as the white man does?'" -
Kwakiutl elder
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Red Earth
By Tifani Davis • The Oklahoma Daily
The 21st Annual Red Earth Native American Cultural Festival is considered one of the foremost events of its kind in the world, and possibly the largest. Named one of the Top 100 Events in North America, last year alone there were over 24,000 in attendance, with over 5,000 participants, artists, performers and vendors.
Established in 1987, the festival was created to inform local residents and the nation of the rich cultural heritage that can be found within Oklahoma. Through community and tribal leaders, the once-small idea of a marketplace to hold American Indian artists’ creations has grown into a largely respected event that people across the world flock to experience.
This year will certainly live up to the expectations of previous years. The festival is the largest cultural event in Oklahoma, uniting over 100 tribes from across America. Downtown Oklahoma City will become the center of American Indian culture Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Want to know more? Click here: http://hub.ou.edu/articles/article.php?item_id=2104466069
The 21st Annual Red Earth Native American Cultural Festival is considered one of the foremost events of its kind in the world, and possibly the largest. Named one of the Top 100 Events in North America, last year alone there were over 24,000 in attendance, with over 5,000 participants, artists, performers and vendors.
Established in 1987, the festival was created to inform local residents and the nation of the rich cultural heritage that can be found within Oklahoma. Through community and tribal leaders, the once-small idea of a marketplace to hold American Indian artists’ creations has grown into a largely respected event that people across the world flock to experience.
This year will certainly live up to the expectations of previous years. The festival is the largest cultural event in Oklahoma, uniting over 100 tribes from across America. Downtown Oklahoma City will become the center of American Indian culture Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Want to know more? Click here: http://hub.ou.edu/articles/article.php?item_id=2104466069
Today in history -
1796: The Treaty of the Seven Tribes of Canada is signed by three Chiefs at New York City. The tribes give up all claims to lands in New York, except six square miles in Saint Regis. They are paid 1233 pounds, six shillings, and eight pence now, and 213 pounds, six shillings, eight pence annually, if five more Chiefs show up and sign the treaty.
1876: According to the San Diego Union, a San Diego California newspaper, there are disputes over land with the Campo Indians. "One Indian took refuge in the rocks . . . and continued firing. They soon discovered his whereabouts and silenced him, shooting him through the head, killing him instantly."
1876: According to the San Diego Union, a San Diego California newspaper, there are disputes over land with the Campo Indians. "One Indian took refuge in the rocks . . . and continued firing. They soon discovered his whereabouts and silenced him, shooting him through the head, killing him instantly."
Sen. Clinton bows out of Prez on Rez
Debra Gruszecki
The Desert Sun
May 30, 2007
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton has declined an invitation to speak at the first-ever, presidential candidate forum in Indian Country, according to organizers of Prez on the Rez at Morongo Casino Resort & Spa.
The forum is slated for Aug. 23 on the reservation of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians near Banning.
Kalyn Free, president of the Tulsa-based INDN’s List Education Fund, said Clinton was invited over six months ago.
This "willingness to ignore Indian voters on the campaign trail has made it clear that she lacks the courage to change lives in Indian County,'' Free said.
Phil Singer, a spokesman for Clinton, said several factors played into her decision. One is, "She will not be in California that day." The other is, "the labor issue."
But Singer stressed that Clinton's decision need not reflect an unwillingness to work on behalf of Native Americans.
She has an "extensive record" in that regard, Singer said, noting Clinton’s efforts to train Native American teachers, set up the first-ever Native American forum in the Senate and co-sponsor Indian health care legislation.
Click here to read full article: http://www.nativebiz.com/community/News,op=visit,nid=15552.html
The Desert Sun
May 30, 2007
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton has declined an invitation to speak at the first-ever, presidential candidate forum in Indian Country, according to organizers of Prez on the Rez at Morongo Casino Resort & Spa.
The forum is slated for Aug. 23 on the reservation of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians near Banning.
Kalyn Free, president of the Tulsa-based INDN’s List Education Fund, said Clinton was invited over six months ago.
This "willingness to ignore Indian voters on the campaign trail has made it clear that she lacks the courage to change lives in Indian County,'' Free said.
Phil Singer, a spokesman for Clinton, said several factors played into her decision. One is, "She will not be in California that day." The other is, "the labor issue."
But Singer stressed that Clinton's decision need not reflect an unwillingness to work on behalf of Native Americans.
She has an "extensive record" in that regard, Singer said, noting Clinton’s efforts to train Native American teachers, set up the first-ever Native American forum in the Senate and co-sponsor Indian health care legislation.
Click here to read full article: http://www.nativebiz.com/community/News,op=visit,nid=15552.html
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
OIT Rocks Native Style at Red Earth Pow Wow After Party
OIT at the Red Earth Pow Wow After Party at Bora Bora on June 1 & 2 - Oklahoma City, OK
Old Indian Trick [OIT] is one of the few all Native rock bands around the country with its present members from the Kiowa, Creek, Choctaw, Southern Cheyenne and Arapahoe Nations. OIT members are all thirty-seven years and older, all have families and careers going on outside their music commitments to the band. They rarely have time to practice but have been together so long, that knowing one another’s strengths has been the key in making the band last.
Jamming across Oklahoma since 2001, OIT influences span from heavy metal, 80’s rock, country, R & B to a blend of their own Native contemporary rock style, which includes several of their own tracks written by OIT bass player, Terrell Tanequodle.
“Drums of War,” a Native honor rock song was written by Tanequodle while he watched the Iraq war on TV. “It reminded me of the Indians long ago, how they got sick and tired of fighting, just to live and breathe. What they went through just to sit to be with their family. They had to fight to do things we could not imagine having to do. The frustrations that came from defending themselves and their families all the time. My family means everything to me and it shows in my lyrics,” he explained as he spoke quietly.
Drummer, Mike Lamebull, who is self taught on the drums, never had a music lesson in his life, says that the band is something that he always wanted to do and OIT is a big dream come true for him and Terrell. And in the future they are looking forward to hitting the studio and releasing their first full length CD of original tunes.
OIT knows that keeping a band together is a joint effort and is like five people being married to each other. But they make things work by meeting at a common ground for their love of music and for the thrill and pride of being in an all Native rock band. “We want to show that Indians are still here and we do anything just like anyone one else,”Tanequodle said proudly.
Calendar - www.oldindiantrick.com
Old Indian Trick [OIT] is one of the few all Native rock bands around the country with its present members from the Kiowa, Creek, Choctaw, Southern Cheyenne and Arapahoe Nations. OIT members are all thirty-seven years and older, all have families and careers going on outside their music commitments to the band. They rarely have time to practice but have been together so long, that knowing one another’s strengths has been the key in making the band last.
Jamming across Oklahoma since 2001, OIT influences span from heavy metal, 80’s rock, country, R & B to a blend of their own Native contemporary rock style, which includes several of their own tracks written by OIT bass player, Terrell Tanequodle.
“Drums of War,” a Native honor rock song was written by Tanequodle while he watched the Iraq war on TV. “It reminded me of the Indians long ago, how they got sick and tired of fighting, just to live and breathe. What they went through just to sit to be with their family. They had to fight to do things we could not imagine having to do. The frustrations that came from defending themselves and their families all the time. My family means everything to me and it shows in my lyrics,” he explained as he spoke quietly.
Drummer, Mike Lamebull, who is self taught on the drums, never had a music lesson in his life, says that the band is something that he always wanted to do and OIT is a big dream come true for him and Terrell. And in the future they are looking forward to hitting the studio and releasing their first full length CD of original tunes.
OIT knows that keeping a band together is a joint effort and is like five people being married to each other. But they make things work by meeting at a common ground for their love of music and for the thrill and pride of being in an all Native rock band. “We want to show that Indians are still here and we do anything just like anyone one else,”Tanequodle said proudly.
Calendar - www.oldindiantrick.com
Do you know...
Lt. Col. Ernest Childers
World War II Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient
A Native American Creek from Oklahoma, and a first Lieutenant with the 45th Infantry Division. Childers received the Medal of Honor for heroic action in 1943 when, up against machine gun fire, he and eight men charged the enemy. Although suffering a broken foot in the assault, Childers ordered covering fire and advanced up the hill, single-handedly killing two snipers, silencing two machine gun nests, and capturing an enemy mortar observer. Childers, who retired in 1965 at Fort Still, Okla., first arrived at Fort Drum - then called Pine Camp - on Nov. 8, 1942, to train before going overseas.
Although 2d Lt. Childers previously had just suffered a fractured instep he, with 8 enlisted men, advanced up a hill toward enemy machinegun nests. The group advanced to a rock wall overlooking a cornfield and 2d Lt. Childers ordered a base of fire laid across the field so that he could advance. When he was fired upon by 2 enemy snipers from a nearby house he killed both of them. He moved behind the machinegun nests and killed all occupants of the nearer one. He continued toward the second one and threw rocks into it. When the 2 occupants of the nest raised up, he shot 1. The other was killed by 1 of the 8 enlisted men.
2d Lt. Childers continued his advance toward a house farther up the hill, and single-handed, captured an enemy mortar observer. The exceptional leadership, initiative, calmness under fire, and conspicuous gallantry displayed by 2d Lt. Childers were an inspiration to his men.
World War II Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient
A Native American Creek from Oklahoma, and a first Lieutenant with the 45th Infantry Division. Childers received the Medal of Honor for heroic action in 1943 when, up against machine gun fire, he and eight men charged the enemy. Although suffering a broken foot in the assault, Childers ordered covering fire and advanced up the hill, single-handedly killing two snipers, silencing two machine gun nests, and capturing an enemy mortar observer. Childers, who retired in 1965 at Fort Still, Okla., first arrived at Fort Drum - then called Pine Camp - on Nov. 8, 1942, to train before going overseas.
Although 2d Lt. Childers previously had just suffered a fractured instep he, with 8 enlisted men, advanced up a hill toward enemy machinegun nests. The group advanced to a rock wall overlooking a cornfield and 2d Lt. Childers ordered a base of fire laid across the field so that he could advance. When he was fired upon by 2 enemy snipers from a nearby house he killed both of them. He moved behind the machinegun nests and killed all occupants of the nearer one. He continued toward the second one and threw rocks into it. When the 2 occupants of the nest raised up, he shot 1. The other was killed by 1 of the 8 enlisted men.
2d Lt. Childers continued his advance toward a house farther up the hill, and single-handed, captured an enemy mortar observer. The exceptional leadership, initiative, calmness under fire, and conspicuous gallantry displayed by 2d Lt. Childers were an inspiration to his men.
Thunder in the Desert to rumble into Tucson
TUCSON, Ariz. - The event is billed as ''10,000 years of culture - 150 tribal nations - 10 days - all in one location''; and despite a full and busy agenda, organizer Fred Synder advises: ''Take your watch off and put it in your pocket,'' because nothing starts until the medicine men and the Gourd dancers finish blessing the grounds.
The year 2008 will mark the third encounter of First People's New Millennium World Fair and the Thunder in the Desert premier event at Rillito Raceway Park in Tucson.
''Native Americans feel it important to commemorate the 21st century as a special time in history,'' Synder said. ''Symbolically, a mark will be placed on a calendar stick and a design inscribed on buffalo hide to celebrate the continued existence of the people throughout the past millennium - and a recommitment made to continue the strength, beauty and endurance of tradition and culture.''
That's a tall order, but an attainable goal with the energy to be brought to the festivities.
''All our events will acknowledge the contributions Native people have made to humanity and the fabric of life which we have generously shared on Mother Earth,'' Synder said.
Want to read the full article? Click here: http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096415114
The year 2008 will mark the third encounter of First People's New Millennium World Fair and the Thunder in the Desert premier event at Rillito Raceway Park in Tucson.
''Native Americans feel it important to commemorate the 21st century as a special time in history,'' Synder said. ''Symbolically, a mark will be placed on a calendar stick and a design inscribed on buffalo hide to celebrate the continued existence of the people throughout the past millennium - and a recommitment made to continue the strength, beauty and endurance of tradition and culture.''
That's a tall order, but an attainable goal with the energy to be brought to the festivities.
''All our events will acknowledge the contributions Native people have made to humanity and the fabric of life which we have generously shared on Mother Earth,'' Synder said.
Want to read the full article? Click here: http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096415114
Group searching for more American Indian foster homes...
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) A Bismarck-area group is looking for American Indian foster homes.
Mike Mabin (MAY'-bin) owns a marketing firm that's helping with the effort. He says Burleigh and Morton counties have about 70 American Indian youngsters each year who need foster care but only one licensed Indian foster home.
Two public forums are planned next month to try to find more.
Mabin is an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. He says being placed with an American Indian family can give Indian children more of a sense of security.
Mabin also says American Indian leaders need to come together to get the word out that foster homes are needed.
Public forums are planned June 13th at United Tribes Technical College and June 20th at the Bismarck Public Library, to tell people more about the process of becoming a foster parent.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 05-29-07 0849CDT
Mike Mabin (MAY'-bin) owns a marketing firm that's helping with the effort. He says Burleigh and Morton counties have about 70 American Indian youngsters each year who need foster care but only one licensed Indian foster home.
Two public forums are planned next month to try to find more.
Mabin is an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. He says being placed with an American Indian family can give Indian children more of a sense of security.
Mabin also says American Indian leaders need to come together to get the word out that foster homes are needed.
Public forums are planned June 13th at United Tribes Technical College and June 20th at the Bismarck Public Library, to tell people more about the process of becoming a foster parent.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 05-29-07 0849CDT
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Do you know...
Lt. Jack C. Montgomery
World War II Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient
A Cherokee from Oklahoma, and a First Lieutenant with the 45th Infantry Division Thunderbirds. On 22 February 1944, near Padiglione, Italy, Montgomery's rifle platoon was under fire by three echelons of enemy forces, when he single-handedly attacked all three positions, taking prisoners in the process. As a result of his courage, Montgomery's actions demoralized the enemy and inspired his men to defeat the Axis troops.
Two hours before daybreak a strong force of enemy infantry established themselves in 3 echelons at 50 yards, 100 yards, and 300 yards, respectively, in front of the rifle platoons commanded by 1st Lt. Montgomery. The closest position, consisting of 4 machineguns and 1 mortar, threatened the immediate security of the platoon position. Seizing an Ml rifle and several hand grenades, 1st Lt. Montgomery crawled up a ditch to within hand grenade range of the enemy. Then climbing boldly onto a little mound, he fired his rifle and threw his grenades so accurately that he killed 8 of the enemy and captured the remaining 4.
Returning to his platoon, he called for artillery fire on a house, in and around which he suspected that the majority of the enemy had entrenched themselves. Arming himself with a carbine, he proceeded along the shallow ditch, as withering fire from the riflemen and machinegunners in the second position was concentrated on him. He attacked this position with such fury that 7 of the enemy surrendered to him, and both machineguns were silenced. Three German dead were found in the vicinity later that morning.
1st Lt. Montgomery continued boldly toward the house, 300 yards from his platoon position. It was now daylight, and the enemy observation was excellent across the flat open terrain which led to 1st Lt. Montgomery's objective. When the artillery barrage had lifted, 1st Lt. Montgomery ran fearlessly toward the strongly defended position.
As the enemy started streaming out of the house, 1st Lt. Montgomery, unafraid of treacherous snipers, exposed himself daringly to assemble the surrendering enemy and send them to the rear.
His fearless, aggressive, and intrepid actions that morning, accounted for a total of 11 enemy dead, 32 prisoners, and an unknown number of wounded. That night, while aiding an adjacent unit to repulse a counterattack, he was struck by mortar fragments and seriously wounded. The selflessness and courage exhibited by 1st Lt. Montgomery in alone attacking 3 strong enemy positions inspired his men to a degree beyond estimation.
Information obtained from MedalOfHonor.com
World War II Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient
A Cherokee from Oklahoma, and a First Lieutenant with the 45th Infantry Division Thunderbirds. On 22 February 1944, near Padiglione, Italy, Montgomery's rifle platoon was under fire by three echelons of enemy forces, when he single-handedly attacked all three positions, taking prisoners in the process. As a result of his courage, Montgomery's actions demoralized the enemy and inspired his men to defeat the Axis troops.
Two hours before daybreak a strong force of enemy infantry established themselves in 3 echelons at 50 yards, 100 yards, and 300 yards, respectively, in front of the rifle platoons commanded by 1st Lt. Montgomery. The closest position, consisting of 4 machineguns and 1 mortar, threatened the immediate security of the platoon position. Seizing an Ml rifle and several hand grenades, 1st Lt. Montgomery crawled up a ditch to within hand grenade range of the enemy. Then climbing boldly onto a little mound, he fired his rifle and threw his grenades so accurately that he killed 8 of the enemy and captured the remaining 4.
Returning to his platoon, he called for artillery fire on a house, in and around which he suspected that the majority of the enemy had entrenched themselves. Arming himself with a carbine, he proceeded along the shallow ditch, as withering fire from the riflemen and machinegunners in the second position was concentrated on him. He attacked this position with such fury that 7 of the enemy surrendered to him, and both machineguns were silenced. Three German dead were found in the vicinity later that morning.
1st Lt. Montgomery continued boldly toward the house, 300 yards from his platoon position. It was now daylight, and the enemy observation was excellent across the flat open terrain which led to 1st Lt. Montgomery's objective. When the artillery barrage had lifted, 1st Lt. Montgomery ran fearlessly toward the strongly defended position.
As the enemy started streaming out of the house, 1st Lt. Montgomery, unafraid of treacherous snipers, exposed himself daringly to assemble the surrendering enemy and send them to the rear.
His fearless, aggressive, and intrepid actions that morning, accounted for a total of 11 enemy dead, 32 prisoners, and an unknown number of wounded. That night, while aiding an adjacent unit to repulse a counterattack, he was struck by mortar fragments and seriously wounded. The selflessness and courage exhibited by 1st Lt. Montgomery in alone attacking 3 strong enemy positions inspired his men to a degree beyond estimation.
Information obtained from MedalOfHonor.com
Quotes
"I guess these old people, our great ancestor people, they said that one day you will forget all your religion and your culture and all that...If we forget all about our culture and religion, we have nowhere to go, we don't know how to pray, we don't know how to use our corn pollen, corn meal, anything that we pray with, we forget all about that.
Before that happens, we'd better do something." -
Jimmy Toddy, Navajo
Before that happens, we'd better do something." -
Jimmy Toddy, Navajo
Soldier highlights problems in U.S. Army
Posted: May 25, 2007
by: Gale Courey Toensing / Indian Country Today
FORT CARSON, Colo. - Army Spc. Ryan LeCompte, Lower Brule Sioux, was admitted to a Veterans Affairs hospital in mid-May to be treated for post-traumatic stress disorder after an ordeal that included allegations of racist slurs and medical neglect by the military.
LeCompte, 27, who served two tours in Iraq as part of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, and Fort Carson, where he is based, are part of an ongoing investigation by the General Accounting Office into the mental health care services provided by the Defense Department.
The GAO is an independent, nonpartisan watchdog agency that works for Congress and studies the programs and expenditures of the federal government.
''We will be doing a site visit to Fort Carson among other military installations,'' Marcia Crosse, GAO's director of health issues, said. A report is not expected before next year.
On May 14 and 15, a group of senators sent staff members to Fort Carson on a fact-finding mission on allegations that military officials were downplaying soldiers' mental health problems or trying to get soldiers with mental problems discharged without benefits.
The hearings were prompted by complaints from LeCompte's wife, Tammie, and the Veterans of America, who have advocated for LeCompte and other soldiers at Fort Carson and across the country.
Click here to read the full article: http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096415081
by: Gale Courey Toensing / Indian Country Today
FORT CARSON, Colo. - Army Spc. Ryan LeCompte, Lower Brule Sioux, was admitted to a Veterans Affairs hospital in mid-May to be treated for post-traumatic stress disorder after an ordeal that included allegations of racist slurs and medical neglect by the military.
LeCompte, 27, who served two tours in Iraq as part of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, and Fort Carson, where he is based, are part of an ongoing investigation by the General Accounting Office into the mental health care services provided by the Defense Department.
The GAO is an independent, nonpartisan watchdog agency that works for Congress and studies the programs and expenditures of the federal government.
''We will be doing a site visit to Fort Carson among other military installations,'' Marcia Crosse, GAO's director of health issues, said. A report is not expected before next year.
On May 14 and 15, a group of senators sent staff members to Fort Carson on a fact-finding mission on allegations that military officials were downplaying soldiers' mental health problems or trying to get soldiers with mental problems discharged without benefits.
The hearings were prompted by complaints from LeCompte's wife, Tammie, and the Veterans of America, who have advocated for LeCompte and other soldiers at Fort Carson and across the country.
Click here to read the full article: http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096415081
The Miami Nation presents a “Sneak Preview” of an upcoming PBS Documentary Maria Tallchief
by Sandra and Yasu Osawa
America’s first Prima Ballerina, Maria Tallchief, is the subject of a soon to be aired PBS documentary by Sandra and Yasu Osawa that will be previewed on Thursday, May 31, 2007 at 4 p.m. at the Coleman Theatre, Miami, Oklahoma. The screening, by the award winning filmmakers, is part of this year’s Miami National Gathering Week festivities. A brief talk-back with the filmmakers will be included.
This documentary is the third in a trilogy of films that highlights contemporary American Indian themes, issues and people by the Seattle based Upstream Productions. In this film, Ms. Tallchief tells her own story accompanied by dance clips, interviews with colleagues and historians and archival photos. Explained Sandra Osawa, a Makah filmmaker, “There are no contemporary stories about Native American women on PBS, the myriad of other television stations or on the big screen. For us, as American Indian women, Pocahontas is as good as it gets. This documentary aims to change the perpetual image of Indian women from one of ‘beast of burden’ or ‘romantic princess’ to one which will highlight a truly inspirational life—one filled with integrity and passion for the arts.”
Osawa’s film explains that in the late 1940’s, Tallchief ushered in a new prototype of the ballerina that was distinctly American, in a ballet world that was dominated by the Russians, the French and the English. All that changed in 1948 when Ms. Tallchief took the stage to capture the critical NY audience in a new ballet called Orpheus. Author Francis Mason, who is featured in the film exclaimed, “Maria Tallchief lit a fire under classical ballet that is still burning.”
The filmmaking team of Sandra and Yasu Osawa has brought 4 films to the PBS television audience and their films are being used in college classrooms across the country. The team is also currently working with the Miami Nation in Oklahoma to document the tribe’s language program. (The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma Office of Cultural Preservation is hosting this event to extend an opportunity to Miami Tribal citizens to view the Osawa’s work in light of their current project documenting the myaamia language revitalization effort.)The event is free but tickets are required at the door.
America’s first Prima Ballerina, Maria Tallchief, is the subject of a soon to be aired PBS documentary by Sandra and Yasu Osawa that will be previewed on Thursday, May 31, 2007 at 4 p.m. at the Coleman Theatre, Miami, Oklahoma. The screening, by the award winning filmmakers, is part of this year’s Miami National Gathering Week festivities. A brief talk-back with the filmmakers will be included.
This documentary is the third in a trilogy of films that highlights contemporary American Indian themes, issues and people by the Seattle based Upstream Productions. In this film, Ms. Tallchief tells her own story accompanied by dance clips, interviews with colleagues and historians and archival photos. Explained Sandra Osawa, a Makah filmmaker, “There are no contemporary stories about Native American women on PBS, the myriad of other television stations or on the big screen. For us, as American Indian women, Pocahontas is as good as it gets. This documentary aims to change the perpetual image of Indian women from one of ‘beast of burden’ or ‘romantic princess’ to one which will highlight a truly inspirational life—one filled with integrity and passion for the arts.”
Osawa’s film explains that in the late 1940’s, Tallchief ushered in a new prototype of the ballerina that was distinctly American, in a ballet world that was dominated by the Russians, the French and the English. All that changed in 1948 when Ms. Tallchief took the stage to capture the critical NY audience in a new ballet called Orpheus. Author Francis Mason, who is featured in the film exclaimed, “Maria Tallchief lit a fire under classical ballet that is still burning.”
The filmmaking team of Sandra and Yasu Osawa has brought 4 films to the PBS television audience and their films are being used in college classrooms across the country. The team is also currently working with the Miami Nation in Oklahoma to document the tribe’s language program. (The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma Office of Cultural Preservation is hosting this event to extend an opportunity to Miami Tribal citizens to view the Osawa’s work in light of their current project documenting the myaamia language revitalization effort.)The event is free but tickets are required at the door.
Tribal leaders honor first Blackfeet to become a Marine officer
Two weeks after earning his Eagle, Globe and Anchor and being commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps, Cicero Running Crane, a Blackfeet tribal member, was given another symbol of an eagle — a feather passed through his family, in honor of him becoming the tribe’s first Marine officer.
Running Crane, 23, was born in Great Falls and raised in Billings, graduating in 2002 from Skyview High School. He then went on to the University of Colorado, where he joined the Marine Corps ROTC program and graduated May 11 with a degree in molecular, cellular and developmental biology.
On Saturday, he was honored by his friends, family, tribal leaders and the Blackfeet Warriors Society, which determined through research that Running Crane is the tribe’s first Marine lieutenant.
“You’re among the highly ranked warriors from our reservation,” Keith Heavy Runner of the Warriors Society told Running Crane. “You’re right at the top, sir.”
In honoring Running Crane, tribal members sang traditional songs including the Warrior Song and Flag Song.
Click here to read more: http://www.nativebiz.com/community/News,op=visit,nid=15530.html
Running Crane, 23, was born in Great Falls and raised in Billings, graduating in 2002 from Skyview High School. He then went on to the University of Colorado, where he joined the Marine Corps ROTC program and graduated May 11 with a degree in molecular, cellular and developmental biology.
On Saturday, he was honored by his friends, family, tribal leaders and the Blackfeet Warriors Society, which determined through research that Running Crane is the tribe’s first Marine lieutenant.
“You’re among the highly ranked warriors from our reservation,” Keith Heavy Runner of the Warriors Society told Running Crane. “You’re right at the top, sir.”
In honoring Running Crane, tribal members sang traditional songs including the Warrior Song and Flag Song.
Click here to read more: http://www.nativebiz.com/community/News,op=visit,nid=15530.html
Monday, May 28, 2007
Navajo Soldier, Sgt. Christopher Neil Gonzales, Reported Killed in Iraq
WINDOW ROCK AZ
5/21/2007
A member of the Navajo Nation on his third tour of duty in Iraq was reportedly killed in action on Monday, May 14.
U.S. Army Sgt. Christopher Neil Gonzales, 25, of Birdsprings, Ariz., was killed on duty, according to his mother, Judy Nez.
The Department of Defense has not yet issued any information, and his family said they were awaiting details.
Sgt. Gonzales is survived by his wife Tonita Gonzales and five-year-old son, Breenen. He is also survived by his mother, Judy Nez, and his grandparents, Julius and Betty Nez.Sgt. Gonzales is the eighth Navajo soldier to be killed on duty in Iraq or Afghanistan.
On Tuesday, Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley, Jr., issued a proclamation in honor and in recognition of Sgt. Gonzales¹ sacrifice. He also ordered that flags on the Navajo Nation are to be flown at half-staff from May 16 to May 20 in honor of Sgt. Gonzales.
“It is another very sad day that brings us the news of the loss of another of our soldiers, another of our sons,” President Shirley said. “Our prayers are with his entire family, his wife, his young son, his mother, and his grandparents.”
Article published by NativeTimes.com
5/21/2007
A member of the Navajo Nation on his third tour of duty in Iraq was reportedly killed in action on Monday, May 14.
U.S. Army Sgt. Christopher Neil Gonzales, 25, of Birdsprings, Ariz., was killed on duty, according to his mother, Judy Nez.
The Department of Defense has not yet issued any information, and his family said they were awaiting details.
Sgt. Gonzales is survived by his wife Tonita Gonzales and five-year-old son, Breenen. He is also survived by his mother, Judy Nez, and his grandparents, Julius and Betty Nez.Sgt. Gonzales is the eighth Navajo soldier to be killed on duty in Iraq or Afghanistan.
On Tuesday, Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley, Jr., issued a proclamation in honor and in recognition of Sgt. Gonzales¹ sacrifice. He also ordered that flags on the Navajo Nation are to be flown at half-staff from May 16 to May 20 in honor of Sgt. Gonzales.
“It is another very sad day that brings us the news of the loss of another of our soldiers, another of our sons,” President Shirley said. “Our prayers are with his entire family, his wife, his young son, his mother, and his grandparents.”
Article published by NativeTimes.com
Native American Women's Exhibit Opens at Women's Memorial
By Rudi Williams
American Forces Press Service
ARLINGTON, Va., May 27, 2003 – Army Spc. Lori Piestewa didn't move a mountain, but her death on the battlefield in Iraq touched a nation and changed a mountain's name.
"Squaw Peak," the Phoenix summit with a name that's offensive and controversial to some, is now "Piestewa Peak" — a hero's name.
Among other tributes to the fallen warrior, Piestewa and five others are featured in "Voices," a new exhibit that opened at the Women's Memorial on May 26 to honor and highlight the contributions of Native American women who serve in the armed forces.
A Hopi Indian, Piestewa was given special honors by tribal representatives from across the country because she was the first service woman killed in action in Operation Iraqi Freedom and the first known Native American service woman known to have been killed in combat.
The 23-year-old soldier from Tuba City, Ariz., died from injuries when her unit, the 507th Maintenance Company, was ambushed on March 23 near Nasiriyah, Iraq, by enemy forces in Iraq. She was promoted posthumously.
To read more click here: http://www.pentagon.gov/specials/nativeam02/memorial.html
American Forces Press Service
ARLINGTON, Va., May 27, 2003 – Army Spc. Lori Piestewa didn't move a mountain, but her death on the battlefield in Iraq touched a nation and changed a mountain's name.
"Squaw Peak," the Phoenix summit with a name that's offensive and controversial to some, is now "Piestewa Peak" — a hero's name.
Among other tributes to the fallen warrior, Piestewa and five others are featured in "Voices," a new exhibit that opened at the Women's Memorial on May 26 to honor and highlight the contributions of Native American women who serve in the armed forces.
A Hopi Indian, Piestewa was given special honors by tribal representatives from across the country because she was the first service woman killed in action in Operation Iraqi Freedom and the first known Native American service woman known to have been killed in combat.
The 23-year-old soldier from Tuba City, Ariz., died from injuries when her unit, the 507th Maintenance Company, was ambushed on March 23 near Nasiriyah, Iraq, by enemy forces in Iraq. She was promoted posthumously.
To read more click here: http://www.pentagon.gov/specials/nativeam02/memorial.html
Native American Military Heroes
Many Native Americans have played a vital role in making America what it is today. For this reason, our country honors Native Americans during the month of November.
A presidential proclamation has set aside November as National American Indian Heritage Month every year since 1994.
Long before the first European settlers arrived, American Indians from numerous tribes throughout what is now known as North America inhabited the land. Free to practice their cultures and traditions, Native Americans lived off of the land and in harmony with nature. At that time, wildlife and enemy tribes posed the greatest dangers. However, the arrival of the first settlers brought a new danger.
As European settlements grew into colonies and colonies to states, many American Indians were forced west by Americans, and eventually onto reservations. Often they were stripped of their land, their culture, and individual ways of life as their new neighbors forbade them to practice their own form of government and religion.
Since European settlement, American Indians have distinguished themselves in numerous ways -- one of which is military service. In the 20th century, five American Indians have received the United States highest military honor: the Medal of Honor. Awarded for their military heroism above and beyond the call of duty, these warriors exhibited extraordinary bravery in the face of the enemy. They are; Jack C. Montgomery, a Cherokee from Oklahoma; Ernest Childers, a Creek from Oklahoma; Van Barfoot, a Chocktaw from Mississippi; Mitchel Red Cloud Jr., a Winnebago from Wisconsin; and Charles George, a Cherokee from North Carolina.
Want to know more? Click here: http://www.medalofhonor.com/NativeWarriors.htm
A presidential proclamation has set aside November as National American Indian Heritage Month every year since 1994.
Long before the first European settlers arrived, American Indians from numerous tribes throughout what is now known as North America inhabited the land. Free to practice their cultures and traditions, Native Americans lived off of the land and in harmony with nature. At that time, wildlife and enemy tribes posed the greatest dangers. However, the arrival of the first settlers brought a new danger.
As European settlements grew into colonies and colonies to states, many American Indians were forced west by Americans, and eventually onto reservations. Often they were stripped of their land, their culture, and individual ways of life as their new neighbors forbade them to practice their own form of government and religion.
Since European settlement, American Indians have distinguished themselves in numerous ways -- one of which is military service. In the 20th century, five American Indians have received the United States highest military honor: the Medal of Honor. Awarded for their military heroism above and beyond the call of duty, these warriors exhibited extraordinary bravery in the face of the enemy. They are; Jack C. Montgomery, a Cherokee from Oklahoma; Ernest Childers, a Creek from Oklahoma; Van Barfoot, a Chocktaw from Mississippi; Mitchel Red Cloud Jr., a Winnebago from Wisconsin; and Charles George, a Cherokee from North Carolina.
Want to know more? Click here: http://www.medalofhonor.com/NativeWarriors.htm
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Thirteen Moons
Charles Frazier’s Thirteen Moons is the story of one man’s remarkable life, spanning a century of relentless change. At the age of twelve, an orphan named Will Cooper is given a horse, a key, and a map and is sent on a journey through the wilderness to the edge of the Cherokee Nation, the uncharted white space on the map. Will is a bound boy, obliged to run a remote Indian trading post. As he fulfills his lonesome duty, Will finds a father in Bear, a Cherokee chief, and is adopted by him and his people, developing relationships that ultimately forge Will’s character. All the while, his love of Claire, the enigmatic and captivating charge of volatile and powerful Featherstone, will forever rule Will’s heart.
In a distinct voice filled with both humor and yearning, Will tells of a lifelong search for home, the hunger for fortune and adventure, the rebuilding of a trampled culture, and above all an enduring pursuit of passion. As he comes to realize, "When all else is lost and gone forever, there is yearning. One of the few welcome lessons age teaches is that only desire trumps time."
Will Cooper, in the hands of Charles Frazier, becomes a classic American soul: a man devoted to a place and its people, a woman, and a way of life, all of which are forever just beyond his reach. Thirteen Moons takes us from the uncharted wilderness of an unspoiled continent, across the South, up and down the Mississippi, and to the urban clamor of a raw Washington City. Throughout, Will is swept along as the wild beauty of the nineteenth century gives way to the telephones, automobiles, and encroaching railways of the twentieth. Steeped in history, rich in insight, and filled with moments of sudden beauty, Thirteen Moons is an unforgettable work of fiction by an American master.
In a distinct voice filled with both humor and yearning, Will tells of a lifelong search for home, the hunger for fortune and adventure, the rebuilding of a trampled culture, and above all an enduring pursuit of passion. As he comes to realize, "When all else is lost and gone forever, there is yearning. One of the few welcome lessons age teaches is that only desire trumps time."
Will Cooper, in the hands of Charles Frazier, becomes a classic American soul: a man devoted to a place and its people, a woman, and a way of life, all of which are forever just beyond his reach. Thirteen Moons takes us from the uncharted wilderness of an unspoiled continent, across the South, up and down the Mississippi, and to the urban clamor of a raw Washington City. Throughout, Will is swept along as the wild beauty of the nineteenth century gives way to the telephones, automobiles, and encroaching railways of the twentieth. Steeped in history, rich in insight, and filled with moments of sudden beauty, Thirteen Moons is an unforgettable work of fiction by an American master.
Quotes
"We did not think of the great open plains, the beautiful rolling hills, and winding streams with tangled growth as "wild". To us it was tame. Earth was bountiful and we were surrounded with the blessings of the Great Mystery." -
Luther Standing Bear - Rosebud Sioux
Luther Standing Bear - Rosebud Sioux
United South and Eastern Tribes appoints new executive director
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - For years before Mike Cook became executive director of United South and Eastern Tribes, he dreamed about landing this job.
Cook, a member of the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe at Akwesasne, N.Y., is in the process of moving his wife and their two youngest children to Nashville, where he recently started his appointment as executive director of USET, one of the largest nonprofit, intertribal organizations in the country, representing 24 federally acknowledged tribes in both regional and national arenas.
''It's very humbling. This is a dream position of mine that I'd been looking at for a long time. I see this as doing something I've really wanted to do for Indian country,'' Cook told Indian Country Today.
Cook has been involved with USET since the 1980s while working for the St. Regis Mohawk. At that time, a member of Cook's tribe was elected president of the organization and participated directly in USET meetings and other activities.
Want to know more? Click here: http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096415053
Cook, a member of the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe at Akwesasne, N.Y., is in the process of moving his wife and their two youngest children to Nashville, where he recently started his appointment as executive director of USET, one of the largest nonprofit, intertribal organizations in the country, representing 24 federally acknowledged tribes in both regional and national arenas.
''It's very humbling. This is a dream position of mine that I'd been looking at for a long time. I see this as doing something I've really wanted to do for Indian country,'' Cook told Indian Country Today.
Cook has been involved with USET since the 1980s while working for the St. Regis Mohawk. At that time, a member of Cook's tribe was elected president of the organization and participated directly in USET meetings and other activities.
Want to know more? Click here: http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096415053
Tribe considers vote on amendment
Published May 24, 2007 11:58 pm - Muskogee Phoenix
The Cherokee Nation has scheduled a special council meeting for 5 p.m. June 6 superseding and replacing the previously called meeting of June 5.
The council will consider and act upon a proposed resolution “authorizing the submission to a vote of the people an affirmation of the removal of federal approval for the Cherokee Nation Constitution or Amendments to the Constitution.”
The amendment passed in the last election, but the freedmen could not vote in that election, said council attorney Todd Hembree.
The tribal attorney general and the administration have indicated to Hembree they believe Carl J. Artman, assistant secretary of Indian Affairs, will sign off on the amendment if the freedmen have an opportunity to vote on it in the June 23 tribal election.
The Cherokee Nation has scheduled a special council meeting for 5 p.m. June 6 superseding and replacing the previously called meeting of June 5.
The council will consider and act upon a proposed resolution “authorizing the submission to a vote of the people an affirmation of the removal of federal approval for the Cherokee Nation Constitution or Amendments to the Constitution.”
The amendment passed in the last election, but the freedmen could not vote in that election, said council attorney Todd Hembree.
The tribal attorney general and the administration have indicated to Hembree they believe Carl J. Artman, assistant secretary of Indian Affairs, will sign off on the amendment if the freedmen have an opportunity to vote on it in the June 23 tribal election.
Chippewa Cree ink Medicaid pact
Gov. Brian Schweitzer signed an agreement with the Chippewa Cree Tribe on Thursday that will allow a local official on the Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation to determine if tribal members are eligible to get Medicaid.
It's the first such agreement signed in Montana and one of the first in the nation involving Medicaid, the federal program that provides medical assistance for low-income people.
Both state and tribal officials say the change will make it more comfortable for low-income tribal members to seek benefits to which they're entitled.
"Tribal people often don't know how to jump through the bureaucratic hoops, yet being denied access to Medicaid can be disastrous to them and their families," said Jonathan Windy Boy, a state legislator and member of the Chippewa Cree Tribal Business Council, before the ceremony. "We want to simplify the process and make it more user friendly by having our tribal members deal with somebody they know, not strangers."
Click here to read more: http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070525/NEWS01/705250304
It's the first such agreement signed in Montana and one of the first in the nation involving Medicaid, the federal program that provides medical assistance for low-income people.
Both state and tribal officials say the change will make it more comfortable for low-income tribal members to seek benefits to which they're entitled.
"Tribal people often don't know how to jump through the bureaucratic hoops, yet being denied access to Medicaid can be disastrous to them and their families," said Jonathan Windy Boy, a state legislator and member of the Chippewa Cree Tribal Business Council, before the ceremony. "We want to simplify the process and make it more user friendly by having our tribal members deal with somebody they know, not strangers."
Click here to read more: http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070525/NEWS01/705250304
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Quotes
"You have told me that Paradise is very beautiful. Is it more beautiful than the land of the musk ox in summer, when sometimes the mist blows over the little lakes in the early morning...and the loons cry very often? Can I see the caribou roam where I look, and can I feel the wind?" -
Saltatha, Dogrib elder
Saltatha, Dogrib elder
Inclusion of Virginia Indians in Jamestown anniversary makes history
RICHMOND, Va. - The eight chiefs of the state-recognized Virginia Indian tribes stood in line near the Capitol steps May 3, awaiting the visit of Queen Elizabeth II of England.
The occasion made history since the event, set to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Jamestown's founding, included Virginia Indians as dignitaries invited to meet the queen as well as the state's General Assembly - and marked the first time Virginia tribes were represented in a Jamestown anniversary.
As Queen Elizabeth II approached the Capitol steps, Chief Ken Adams of the Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe welcomed her.
''Your majesty, the descendants of the sovereign Virginia Indian nations who greeted your people in 1607 extend a warm welcome to you today,'' Adams said. ''We have the profound privilege of renewing and strengthening our common bonds of history. Just as your people recently greeted us with such honor and dignity, we now return that honor with the Virginia Indian Intertribal Drum and dancers' song of welcome.''
After the welcome, the queen shook hands with the eight chiefs. Chief William Miles of the Pamunkey Indian Tribe gave the queen a broche encased in a clam shell. The broche was a replica of one that Pocahontas wore when she visited England.
Want to read the whole story? Click here: http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096415084
The occasion made history since the event, set to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Jamestown's founding, included Virginia Indians as dignitaries invited to meet the queen as well as the state's General Assembly - and marked the first time Virginia tribes were represented in a Jamestown anniversary.
As Queen Elizabeth II approached the Capitol steps, Chief Ken Adams of the Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe welcomed her.
''Your majesty, the descendants of the sovereign Virginia Indian nations who greeted your people in 1607 extend a warm welcome to you today,'' Adams said. ''We have the profound privilege of renewing and strengthening our common bonds of history. Just as your people recently greeted us with such honor and dignity, we now return that honor with the Virginia Indian Intertribal Drum and dancers' song of welcome.''
After the welcome, the queen shook hands with the eight chiefs. Chief William Miles of the Pamunkey Indian Tribe gave the queen a broche encased in a clam shell. The broche was a replica of one that Pocahontas wore when she visited England.
Want to read the whole story? Click here: http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096415084
Senecas vote to charge toll on cars in dispute with state
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) - A month after declaring travel on the stretch of New York State Thruway that crosses its land, an ''ongoing act of trespass,'' the Seneca Indian Nation said May 16 it will charge the state a $1 toll for each vehicle traveling the highway.
The action is the latest in a series by Seneca leaders angry at Gov. Eliot Spitzer's plans to collect an estimated $200 million in tax from reservation sales of gasoline, cigarettes and other goods to non-Indian customers.
The tribe plans to send the state a monthly bill for the tolls based on the state Thruway Authority's usage figures. Seneca leaders looked into buying a set of toll booths that are being removed from a Buffalo highway, but were told they were not for sale.
''If New York state would just abide by their word and leave us alone, I think we'd get along much better,'' J.C. Seneca, co-chairman of the nation's Foreign Relations Committee, said May 16.
Click here to read full article: http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096415093
The action is the latest in a series by Seneca leaders angry at Gov. Eliot Spitzer's plans to collect an estimated $200 million in tax from reservation sales of gasoline, cigarettes and other goods to non-Indian customers.
The tribe plans to send the state a monthly bill for the tolls based on the state Thruway Authority's usage figures. Seneca leaders looked into buying a set of toll booths that are being removed from a Buffalo highway, but were told they were not for sale.
''If New York state would just abide by their word and leave us alone, I think we'd get along much better,'' J.C. Seneca, co-chairman of the nation's Foreign Relations Committee, said May 16.
Click here to read full article: http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096415093
Law officers remember their dead in Artesia
WASHINGTON - On May 3 in Artesia, N.M., for the 16th year, the BIA conducted a memorial service for tribal, state and federal law enforcement personnel killed in the line of duty on federal Indian lands or in tribal communities.
For only the third year since the initial dedication of the Indian Country Law Enforcement Officers' Memorial, no new name will be added to it, no officer having been identified as fallen in the line of duty. BIA spokesman Nedra Darling said that fact offered at least some ground for good feeling at the solemn occasion. The names of 87 American Indian and non-Indian officers killed in the line of duty since 1852 already inscribe the memorial, and the service this year honored them all.
Carl Artman, newly installed assistant secretary for Indian affairs at the BIA's parent Interior Department, served as guest speaker at the U.S. Indian Police Academy in Artesia. ''It is appropriate that we take time each year to remember the men and women who have died while working to protect Indian country,'' he told an audience of mostly BIA and law enforcement personnel and their families. ''We honor their lives and the sacrifices they and their families have made for the good of all Americans.''
Want to read more? Click here: http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096415080
For only the third year since the initial dedication of the Indian Country Law Enforcement Officers' Memorial, no new name will be added to it, no officer having been identified as fallen in the line of duty. BIA spokesman Nedra Darling said that fact offered at least some ground for good feeling at the solemn occasion. The names of 87 American Indian and non-Indian officers killed in the line of duty since 1852 already inscribe the memorial, and the service this year honored them all.
Carl Artman, newly installed assistant secretary for Indian affairs at the BIA's parent Interior Department, served as guest speaker at the U.S. Indian Police Academy in Artesia. ''It is appropriate that we take time each year to remember the men and women who have died while working to protect Indian country,'' he told an audience of mostly BIA and law enforcement personnel and their families. ''We honor their lives and the sacrifices they and their families have made for the good of all Americans.''
Want to read more? Click here: http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096415080
Friday, May 25, 2007
Ghost of the White Deer
Chickasaw legend.
A brave, young warrior for the Chickasaw Nation fell in love with the daughter of a chief. The chief did not like the young man, who was called Blue Jay. So the chief invented a price for the bride that he was sure that Blue Jay could not pay.
" Bring me the hide of the White Deer, : said the chief. The Chickasaws believed that animals that were all white were magical. "The price for my daughter is one white deer." Then the chief laughed. The chief knew that an all white deer, an albino, was very rare and would be very hard to find. White deerskin was the best material to use in a wedding dress, and the best white deer skin came from the albino deer.
Blue Jay went to his beloved, whose name was Bright Moon. "I will return with your bride price in one moon, and we will be married. This I promise you." Taking his best bow and his sharpest arrows Blue Jay began to hunt.
Three weeks went by, and Blue Jay was often hungry, lonely, and scratched by briars. Then, one night during a full moon, Blue Jay saw a white deer that seemed to drift through the moonlight. When the deer was very close to where Blue Jay hid, he shot his sharpest arrow. The arrow sank deep into the deers heart. But instead of sinking to his knees to die, the deer began to run. And instead of running away, the deer began to run toward Blue Jay, his red eyes glowing, his horns sharp and menacing.
A month passed and Blue Jay did not return as he had promised Bright Moon. As the months dragged by, the tribe decided that he would never return.
But Bright Moon never took any other young man as a husband, for she had a secret. When the moon was shinning as brightly as her name, Bright Moon would often see the white deer in the smoke of the campfire, running, with an arrow in his heart. She lived hoping the deer would finally fall, and Blue Jay would return.
To this day the white deer is sacred to the Chickasaw People, and the white deerskin is still the favorite material for the wedding dress.
A brave, young warrior for the Chickasaw Nation fell in love with the daughter of a chief. The chief did not like the young man, who was called Blue Jay. So the chief invented a price for the bride that he was sure that Blue Jay could not pay.
" Bring me the hide of the White Deer, : said the chief. The Chickasaws believed that animals that were all white were magical. "The price for my daughter is one white deer." Then the chief laughed. The chief knew that an all white deer, an albino, was very rare and would be very hard to find. White deerskin was the best material to use in a wedding dress, and the best white deer skin came from the albino deer.
Blue Jay went to his beloved, whose name was Bright Moon. "I will return with your bride price in one moon, and we will be married. This I promise you." Taking his best bow and his sharpest arrows Blue Jay began to hunt.
Three weeks went by, and Blue Jay was often hungry, lonely, and scratched by briars. Then, one night during a full moon, Blue Jay saw a white deer that seemed to drift through the moonlight. When the deer was very close to where Blue Jay hid, he shot his sharpest arrow. The arrow sank deep into the deers heart. But instead of sinking to his knees to die, the deer began to run. And instead of running away, the deer began to run toward Blue Jay, his red eyes glowing, his horns sharp and menacing.
A month passed and Blue Jay did not return as he had promised Bright Moon. As the months dragged by, the tribe decided that he would never return.
But Bright Moon never took any other young man as a husband, for she had a secret. When the moon was shinning as brightly as her name, Bright Moon would often see the white deer in the smoke of the campfire, running, with an arrow in his heart. She lived hoping the deer would finally fall, and Blue Jay would return.
To this day the white deer is sacred to the Chickasaw People, and the white deerskin is still the favorite material for the wedding dress.
Do you know...
Pushmataha (1764 - 24 December 1824)
The "Indian General", was a chief of the Native American tribe of the Choctaws, regarded by historians as the "greatest of all Choctaw chiefs". Pushmataha was highly regarded among both Native Americans and Europeans for his skill and cunning in both war and diplomacy. Rejecting the offers of alliance and reconquest proffered by Tecumseh, Pushmataha led the Choctaws to fight on the side of the United States in the War of 1812. He negotiated several treaties with the United States. In 1824, he traveled to Washington to petition the Federal Government against further cessions of Choctaw land; he there met with John C. Calhoun and Lafayette, and his portrait was painted by Charles Bird King. He died shortly thereafter and was buried with full military honors in the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C..
The exact meaning of Pushmataha's name is unknown, though all agree that it contains the connotations of ending. Many possible entymologies have been suggested:
Apushamatahahubi: "a messenger of death; literally one whose rifle, tomahawk, or bow is alike fatal in war or hunting."
Apushim-alhtaha, "the sapling is ready, or finished, for him."
Pushmataha, "the warrior's seat is finished."
Pushmataha, "He has won all the honors of his race."
Apushimataha, "No more in the bag."
In addition, some sources report that he was given the early warrior-name of Eagle.
Want to know more? Click here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pushmataha
The "Indian General", was a chief of the Native American tribe of the Choctaws, regarded by historians as the "greatest of all Choctaw chiefs". Pushmataha was highly regarded among both Native Americans and Europeans for his skill and cunning in both war and diplomacy. Rejecting the offers of alliance and reconquest proffered by Tecumseh, Pushmataha led the Choctaws to fight on the side of the United States in the War of 1812. He negotiated several treaties with the United States. In 1824, he traveled to Washington to petition the Federal Government against further cessions of Choctaw land; he there met with John C. Calhoun and Lafayette, and his portrait was painted by Charles Bird King. He died shortly thereafter and was buried with full military honors in the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C..
The exact meaning of Pushmataha's name is unknown, though all agree that it contains the connotations of ending. Many possible entymologies have been suggested:
Apushamatahahubi: "a messenger of death; literally one whose rifle, tomahawk, or bow is alike fatal in war or hunting."
Apushim-alhtaha, "the sapling is ready, or finished, for him."
Pushmataha, "the warrior's seat is finished."
Pushmataha, "He has won all the honors of his race."
Apushimataha, "No more in the bag."
In addition, some sources report that he was given the early warrior-name of Eagle.
Want to know more? Click here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pushmataha
Quotes
"When an Indian is killed it is a great loss, which leaves a gap in our people and a sorrow in our heart." -
Chiksika, Shawnee, elder
brother of Tecumseh
Chiksika, Shawnee, elder
brother of Tecumseh
Tinman Gallery holds reception for three artists
SPOKANE, Wash. - Tinman Gallery recently held an artists' reception for the Native American Group Show April 6, featuring ''three giants of contemporary Native American painting and printmaking.''
Gallery owner Susan Bradley commented, ''This show gathers together a great combination of artists using contemporary art techniques to tell traditional stories.''
The artists are Neil ''Tall Eagle'' Parsons, Blackfeet, now living near Blaine, Wash.; Ramon Murillo, Shoshone/Bannack; and Terrance Guardipee, Blackfeet, of Issaquah, Wash. The work of each varies from the others, thus providing visitors the opportunity to view three very different styles of highly professional Native art.
Parsons was the senior member of the three. He explained the name Tall Eagle was given him by his grandmother. Parsons was one of the original teachers at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, N.M., along with such noted artists as Fritz Scholder, Allan Houser and Charles Loloma.
Full story is here: http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096415064
Gallery owner Susan Bradley commented, ''This show gathers together a great combination of artists using contemporary art techniques to tell traditional stories.''
The artists are Neil ''Tall Eagle'' Parsons, Blackfeet, now living near Blaine, Wash.; Ramon Murillo, Shoshone/Bannack; and Terrance Guardipee, Blackfeet, of Issaquah, Wash. The work of each varies from the others, thus providing visitors the opportunity to view three very different styles of highly professional Native art.
Parsons was the senior member of the three. He explained the name Tall Eagle was given him by his grandmother. Parsons was one of the original teachers at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, N.M., along with such noted artists as Fritz Scholder, Allan Houser and Charles Loloma.
Full story is here: http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096415064
Adversity offers benefits for remote Oregon tribe
BURNS, Ore. - The Burns Paiute Tribe is the smallest tribe in Oregon with a reservation on the edge of Burns that measures just 871 acres. But don't let the size fool you - they have a lot going on.
Diane Teeman, the newly appointed cultural specialist, explained the early history.
''After the major era of treaty making, which occurred from the 1840s to the mid-1860s, there were a few treaties being negotiated, but none made it through Congress for ratification. One that didn't make it through was the treaty with the Snakes in 1868 which was signed by the Paiute head men of all of southeastern Oregon with just one exception. Shortly later, a reservation was created by executive order and it was different from other treaties in that no land was deeded and no rights were ceded. It basically stated that the Paiutes would stop fighting and lay down their arms. Because the treaty was never ratified, we're not officially a treaty tribe. It's called a historic tribe.''
The tribe gained land through the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, which provided funding to purchase land and begin programs. The Paiutes are situated on a number of reservations, including several in Nevada and two others in Oregon. The Burns Paiute Tribe numbers about 350 enrolled members who maintain contacts and have family ties with other Paiute tribes.
Want to know more? Click here: http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096415055
Diane Teeman, the newly appointed cultural specialist, explained the early history.
''After the major era of treaty making, which occurred from the 1840s to the mid-1860s, there were a few treaties being negotiated, but none made it through Congress for ratification. One that didn't make it through was the treaty with the Snakes in 1868 which was signed by the Paiute head men of all of southeastern Oregon with just one exception. Shortly later, a reservation was created by executive order and it was different from other treaties in that no land was deeded and no rights were ceded. It basically stated that the Paiutes would stop fighting and lay down their arms. Because the treaty was never ratified, we're not officially a treaty tribe. It's called a historic tribe.''
The tribe gained land through the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, which provided funding to purchase land and begin programs. The Paiutes are situated on a number of reservations, including several in Nevada and two others in Oregon. The Burns Paiute Tribe numbers about 350 enrolled members who maintain contacts and have family ties with other Paiute tribes.
Want to know more? Click here: http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096415055
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Teach your children...
Teach your children that the ground beneath their feet
Is the ashes of our grandfathers.
So that they will respect the land, tell your children
That the earth is
Rich with the lives of our kin.
Teach your children what we have taught our children -
That the earth is our mother.
Whatever befalls the earth, befalls the sons of earth...
This we know: all things are connected
Like the blood which unites one family.
Chief Seattle (seathl)
Duwamish-suquamish
1785-1866
Is the ashes of our grandfathers.
So that they will respect the land, tell your children
That the earth is
Rich with the lives of our kin.
Teach your children what we have taught our children -
That the earth is our mother.
Whatever befalls the earth, befalls the sons of earth...
This we know: all things are connected
Like the blood which unites one family.
Chief Seattle (seathl)
Duwamish-suquamish
1785-1866
New DVD release presents the contested story of Crazy Horse
RAPID CITY, S.D. - Many people today claim to have some blood tie to Crazy Horse, the revered warrior of the Lakota. People are proud to be connected with the name Crazy Horse, even though there is an ongoing battle over who has control over his intellectual property rights.
Those claiming descent are at odds with each other's version of the story. One side of the family, headed by Floyd Clown, a Minneconjou from the Cheyenne River Reservation who claims to be Crazy Horse's great-grandson, asserts that a DVD series his family put together tells the true story of Crazy Horse. A second family group has debunked the DVD as ''lies.''
''The Authorized Biography of Crazy Horse and His Family,'' part one of a four-part series, consists of three men telling the story of the Lakota and of the Crazy Horse family tree. The 99-minute film continually stresses that the reason for its existence is to tell the truth about the Crazy Horse family.
Anyone who has some knowledge of the Lakota will not acquire any additional historical information by viewing the film and may find some discrepancies.
Click link to read full article. http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096415058
Those claiming descent are at odds with each other's version of the story. One side of the family, headed by Floyd Clown, a Minneconjou from the Cheyenne River Reservation who claims to be Crazy Horse's great-grandson, asserts that a DVD series his family put together tells the true story of Crazy Horse. A second family group has debunked the DVD as ''lies.''
''The Authorized Biography of Crazy Horse and His Family,'' part one of a four-part series, consists of three men telling the story of the Lakota and of the Crazy Horse family tree. The 99-minute film continually stresses that the reason for its existence is to tell the truth about the Crazy Horse family.
Anyone who has some knowledge of the Lakota will not acquire any additional historical information by viewing the film and may find some discrepancies.
Click link to read full article. http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096415058
Quotes
"You sell it to our young men, and give it to them, many times...it rots their guts and causes our men to get very sick, and many of our people have lately died by the effect, and I heartily wish you would do something to prevent your people from daring to sell or give them any of that strong drink." -
King Haglar, Catawba
King Haglar, Catawba
Do you know...
Chief Red Jacket (Sagoyewatha) 1757-1830,
Seneca Chief, Iroquois
Red Jacket was born in 1750 in upper New York State near Conaga, Seneca County, New York. His father was a Cayuga. His mother was a Seneca of the Wolf Clan. At age 10, he was given the name Otetiani or "always ready." At manhood, he was called Sagoyewatha (Sa-Go-Ye-Wat-Ha) which means "he keeps them awake," and he became chief of the Seneca tribe. Red Jacket was a Pine Tree chief who outshone the hereditary chiefs and he dominated tribal and village society.
As a reformed drunkard, Red Jacket advocated social harmony through temperance. The name "Red Jacket" was given to him by the British soldiers who gave him a "red coat," when he fought with the British against the colonies. Red Jacket had a great intellect and was a great orator.
In a discourse about Amerindian tolerance for the differences of others, Ronald Wright, in "Stolen Continents", relates Seneca Chief Red Jacket's response to the efforts of a White preacher to convert his people to Christianity:
"In a scene reminiscent of the debate between Franciscans and Aztec priests nearly 300 hundred years before, the formidable Red Jacket rose to reply. His answer is one of the best ever given to Christianity's claims. Which mentality, he makes one wonder, is the more primitive: that which believes itself to have a patent on truth or that which pleads for cultural diversity, for tolerance, for mutual respect?"
"Brother ... listen to what we say. There was a time when our forefathers owned this great island. Their seats extended from the rising to the setting sun. The Great Spirit had made it for the use of Indians. He had created the buffalo, the deer, and other animals for food. He had made the bear and the beaver. Their skins served us for clothing. He had scattered them over the country, and taught us how to take them. He had caused the earth to produce corn for bread.... If we had some disputes about our hunting ground, they were generally settled without the shedding of much blood. But an evil day came upon us. Your forefathers crossed the great water and landed on this island. Their numbers were small. They found friends and not enemies. They told us they had fled from their own country for fear of wicked men, and had come here to enjoy their religion. They asked for a small seat. We took pity on them, granted their request; and they sat down amongst us. We gave them corn and meat; they gave us poison in return.
Want to know more? Click this link - http://www.danielnpaul.com/ChiefRedJacket.html
Seneca Chief, Iroquois
Red Jacket was born in 1750 in upper New York State near Conaga, Seneca County, New York. His father was a Cayuga. His mother was a Seneca of the Wolf Clan. At age 10, he was given the name Otetiani or "always ready." At manhood, he was called Sagoyewatha (Sa-Go-Ye-Wat-Ha) which means "he keeps them awake," and he became chief of the Seneca tribe. Red Jacket was a Pine Tree chief who outshone the hereditary chiefs and he dominated tribal and village society.
As a reformed drunkard, Red Jacket advocated social harmony through temperance. The name "Red Jacket" was given to him by the British soldiers who gave him a "red coat," when he fought with the British against the colonies. Red Jacket had a great intellect and was a great orator.
In a discourse about Amerindian tolerance for the differences of others, Ronald Wright, in "Stolen Continents", relates Seneca Chief Red Jacket's response to the efforts of a White preacher to convert his people to Christianity:
"In a scene reminiscent of the debate between Franciscans and Aztec priests nearly 300 hundred years before, the formidable Red Jacket rose to reply. His answer is one of the best ever given to Christianity's claims. Which mentality, he makes one wonder, is the more primitive: that which believes itself to have a patent on truth or that which pleads for cultural diversity, for tolerance, for mutual respect?"
"Brother ... listen to what we say. There was a time when our forefathers owned this great island. Their seats extended from the rising to the setting sun. The Great Spirit had made it for the use of Indians. He had created the buffalo, the deer, and other animals for food. He had made the bear and the beaver. Their skins served us for clothing. He had scattered them over the country, and taught us how to take them. He had caused the earth to produce corn for bread.... If we had some disputes about our hunting ground, they were generally settled without the shedding of much blood. But an evil day came upon us. Your forefathers crossed the great water and landed on this island. Their numbers were small. They found friends and not enemies. They told us they had fled from their own country for fear of wicked men, and had come here to enjoy their religion. They asked for a small seat. We took pity on them, granted their request; and they sat down amongst us. We gave them corn and meat; they gave us poison in return.
Want to know more? Click this link - http://www.danielnpaul.com/ChiefRedJacket.html
'Be rebellious against failure'
''That looks like that girl who played Pocahontas,'' said the coat check woman at the San Francisco Opera House as a striking young woman in a red evening gown passed by.
It was. ''That girl who played Pocahontas'' in the 2005 film ''The New World'' - 17-year-old actress Q'Orianka Kilcher - is now a young woman, with a new film and an articulate vision of the new world she wants to help create.
The film, based on the life of Princess Victoria Kaiulani of Hawaii, will be directed by Marc Forby and is scheduled for international release in late 2008.
Kilcher, who spent part of her childhood in Hawaii, believes she was cast as Kaiulani as much for her activism as her acting.
''They wanted somebody Hawaiian to play the role, but they presented my name to some really big people in Hawaii and they actually heard about my activism and said that there really is no other person that they would want to play the role.''
Kilcher is honored to have been selected for the part. ''Princess Kaiulani was truly an amazing person,'' she said.
Kaiulani was born in 1875 of a Kanaka Maoli mother and Scottish father. Kilcher is Quechua-Huachipaeri on her Peruvian father's side and Swiss-Alaskan on her mother's side. Both women have defended indigenous people in a time of cultural upheaval. Kaiulani, at 17, spoke in Washington on behalf of the Hawaiian nation after it was taken over by U.S. business interests in 1893. Kilcher speaks out in defense of peoples of the Peruvian Amazon, who are threatened by the exploitation of multinational corporations.
Click link to read more. http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096415060
It was. ''That girl who played Pocahontas'' in the 2005 film ''The New World'' - 17-year-old actress Q'Orianka Kilcher - is now a young woman, with a new film and an articulate vision of the new world she wants to help create.
The film, based on the life of Princess Victoria Kaiulani of Hawaii, will be directed by Marc Forby and is scheduled for international release in late 2008.
Kilcher, who spent part of her childhood in Hawaii, believes she was cast as Kaiulani as much for her activism as her acting.
''They wanted somebody Hawaiian to play the role, but they presented my name to some really big people in Hawaii and they actually heard about my activism and said that there really is no other person that they would want to play the role.''
Kilcher is honored to have been selected for the part. ''Princess Kaiulani was truly an amazing person,'' she said.
Kaiulani was born in 1875 of a Kanaka Maoli mother and Scottish father. Kilcher is Quechua-Huachipaeri on her Peruvian father's side and Swiss-Alaskan on her mother's side. Both women have defended indigenous people in a time of cultural upheaval. Kaiulani, at 17, spoke in Washington on behalf of the Hawaiian nation after it was taken over by U.S. business interests in 1893. Kilcher speaks out in defense of peoples of the Peruvian Amazon, who are threatened by the exploitation of multinational corporations.
Click link to read more. http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096415060
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
The First Tears
Inuit Legend
as told by: S. E. Schlosser
Once long ago, Man went hunting along the water's edge for seals. To Man's delight, many seals were crowded together along the seashore. He would certainly bring home a great feast for Woman and Son. He crept cautiously towards the seals. The seals grew restless. Man slowed down. Suddenly, the seals began to slip into the water. Man was frantic. His feast was getting away.
Then Man saw a single seal towards the back of the group. It was not moving as quickly as the others. Ah! Here was his prize. He imagined the pride on Woman's face, the joy in Son's eyes. Their bellies would be filled for many days from such a seal.
Man crept towards the last seal. It did not see him, or so Man thought. Suddenly, it sprang away and slipped into the water. Man rose to his feet. He was filled with a strange emotion. He felt water begin to drip from his eyes. He touched his eyes and tasted the drops. Yes, they tasted like salty water. Strange choking sounds were coming from his mouth and chest.
Son heard the cries of Man and called Woman. They ran to the seashore to find out what was wrong with Man. Woman and Son were alarmed to see water flowing out of Man's eyes.
Man told them about the shore filled with seals. He told how he had hunted them, and how every seal had escaped his knife. As he spoke, water began to flow from the eyes of Woman and Son, and they cried with Man. In this way, people first learned to weep.
Later, Man and Son hunted a seal together. They killed it and used its skin to make snares for more seals.
as told by: S. E. Schlosser
Once long ago, Man went hunting along the water's edge for seals. To Man's delight, many seals were crowded together along the seashore. He would certainly bring home a great feast for Woman and Son. He crept cautiously towards the seals. The seals grew restless. Man slowed down. Suddenly, the seals began to slip into the water. Man was frantic. His feast was getting away.
Then Man saw a single seal towards the back of the group. It was not moving as quickly as the others. Ah! Here was his prize. He imagined the pride on Woman's face, the joy in Son's eyes. Their bellies would be filled for many days from such a seal.
Man crept towards the last seal. It did not see him, or so Man thought. Suddenly, it sprang away and slipped into the water. Man rose to his feet. He was filled with a strange emotion. He felt water begin to drip from his eyes. He touched his eyes and tasted the drops. Yes, they tasted like salty water. Strange choking sounds were coming from his mouth and chest.
Son heard the cries of Man and called Woman. They ran to the seashore to find out what was wrong with Man. Woman and Son were alarmed to see water flowing out of Man's eyes.
Man told them about the shore filled with seals. He told how he had hunted them, and how every seal had escaped his knife. As he spoke, water began to flow from the eyes of Woman and Son, and they cried with Man. In this way, people first learned to weep.
Later, Man and Son hunted a seal together. They killed it and used its skin to make snares for more seals.
BIA statement supports Desert Rock proposal
The Bureau of Indian Affairs made available on Monday a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) draft that recommends the proposed coal-fired Desert Rock Power Plant project continues forward as planned.
The Desert Rock Energy Company — formed of Houston-based developer Sithe Global and the Diné Power Authority, a Navajo Nation enterprise — wants to build a 1,500-megawatt power plant near Burnham on the Navajo Nation. The company received a draft air permit from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last spring and the EIS marks the second of several steps needed to move forward with the project, which could begin as early as next year.
"It's been some time since we've been working on this, and I'm glad we're finally at the point of getting it out," said Steven Begay, Diné Power Authority general manager.
The document, available online at www.desertrockenergy.com, compared the environmental effects of taking no action, building the plant as proposed or building a scaled down, 550-megawatt version of the power plant. Per megawatt generated, the proposed 1,500-megawatt plant is cleaner, though it would emit more total emissions, the statement says.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs did not reply to questions asked about the environmental impact statement by deadline on Monday.
http://www.nativebiz.com/community/News,op=visit,nid=15491.html
Click link to read full article.
The Desert Rock Energy Company — formed of Houston-based developer Sithe Global and the Diné Power Authority, a Navajo Nation enterprise — wants to build a 1,500-megawatt power plant near Burnham on the Navajo Nation. The company received a draft air permit from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last spring and the EIS marks the second of several steps needed to move forward with the project, which could begin as early as next year.
"It's been some time since we've been working on this, and I'm glad we're finally at the point of getting it out," said Steven Begay, Diné Power Authority general manager.
The document, available online at www.desertrockenergy.com, compared the environmental effects of taking no action, building the plant as proposed or building a scaled down, 550-megawatt version of the power plant. Per megawatt generated, the proposed 1,500-megawatt plant is cleaner, though it would emit more total emissions, the statement says.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs did not reply to questions asked about the environmental impact statement by deadline on Monday.
http://www.nativebiz.com/community/News,op=visit,nid=15491.html
Click link to read full article.
Hopi vice chair jailed after effort to block offices
Associated Press
Tucson, Arizona Published: 05.22.2007
FLAGSTAFF - The Hopi tribe's vice chairman has been arrested for trying to block the chairman from his offices in the latest twist on a dispute centered on the chairman's qualifications for office.
Todd Honyaoma Sr. was arrested by federal Bureau of Indian Affairs officers Monday for trying to keep Chairman Ben Nuvamsa and his staff from reoccupying their offices under a 15-day restraining order.
Honyaoma had delivered a letter to the chairman's office on Friday saying the Hopi Tribal Council would not abide by a Hopi appeals court's order.
Nuvamsa was elected to the post in February but was removed after only 27 days in office by the Council, which nullified the election after deciding he was ineligible because he did not meet residency requirements.
Nuvamsa questioned the council's legal authority to negate an election and filed a lawsuit. The appeals court issued its temporary order last week.
Nuvamsa and his staff entered the building with police escorts Monday morning and Honyaoma was arrested for contempt of the appellate court, said Bonnie J. Secakuku, staff assistant to the chairman.
The tribal council voted Friday to take $50,000 out of the chairman's budget to hire legal counsel to defend themselves.
"In our opinion, this was illegal as the representatives (defendants) cannot use tribal funds to hire an attorney to represent them," Nuvamsa said in a press release issued Monday evening.
Tucson, Arizona Published: 05.22.2007
FLAGSTAFF - The Hopi tribe's vice chairman has been arrested for trying to block the chairman from his offices in the latest twist on a dispute centered on the chairman's qualifications for office.
Todd Honyaoma Sr. was arrested by federal Bureau of Indian Affairs officers Monday for trying to keep Chairman Ben Nuvamsa and his staff from reoccupying their offices under a 15-day restraining order.
Honyaoma had delivered a letter to the chairman's office on Friday saying the Hopi Tribal Council would not abide by a Hopi appeals court's order.
Nuvamsa was elected to the post in February but was removed after only 27 days in office by the Council, which nullified the election after deciding he was ineligible because he did not meet residency requirements.
Nuvamsa questioned the council's legal authority to negate an election and filed a lawsuit. The appeals court issued its temporary order last week.
Nuvamsa and his staff entered the building with police escorts Monday morning and Honyaoma was arrested for contempt of the appellate court, said Bonnie J. Secakuku, staff assistant to the chairman.
The tribal council voted Friday to take $50,000 out of the chairman's budget to hire legal counsel to defend themselves.
"In our opinion, this was illegal as the representatives (defendants) cannot use tribal funds to hire an attorney to represent them," Nuvamsa said in a press release issued Monday evening.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Mary Kim Titla to run for Congress
PHOENIX - Mary Kim Titla, the founder of NativeYouthMagazine.com and a 20-year veteran of NBC Phoenix and Tucson television news, has announced that she is going to run for Congress. Titla will have to balance her campaign with her duties as publisher of NativeYouthMagazine.com, an online magazine that showcases Native youth in the United States and Canada.
In a press statement, Titla said, ''After much soul searching and prayer and after being encouraged by voters, I am humbled and honored to inform you I have decided to run for Congress for Arizona's First Congressional District as a Democratic candidate.''
Titla later told Indian Country Today, ''This is something that came to me and I believe in responding to a calling. I agree with voters, it's time for new leadership. I believe I am the new face of Arizona leadership.''
Titla is a member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe of Arizona and is a respected member of the media in Arizona and Indian country. In 2006, Titla was inducted into the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism's Hall of Fame at the Arizona State University.
http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096415054
Click link to read more.
In a press statement, Titla said, ''After much soul searching and prayer and after being encouraged by voters, I am humbled and honored to inform you I have decided to run for Congress for Arizona's First Congressional District as a Democratic candidate.''
Titla later told Indian Country Today, ''This is something that came to me and I believe in responding to a calling. I agree with voters, it's time for new leadership. I believe I am the new face of Arizona leadership.''
Titla is a member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe of Arizona and is a respected member of the media in Arizona and Indian country. In 2006, Titla was inducted into the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism's Hall of Fame at the Arizona State University.
http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096415054
Click link to read more.
North American Indian History:
Today -
1851: As one of the last conflicts in the "Mariposa Indian Wars" in California, a large group of Yosemite Indians are captured at Lake Tenaija.
1863: As a part of the "Owens Valley War" in California, Paiute Chief Captain George arrives at Camp Independence. He tells the soldiers the Paiutes want peace. This effectively ends the war.
1851: As one of the last conflicts in the "Mariposa Indian Wars" in California, a large group of Yosemite Indians are captured at Lake Tenaija.
1863: As a part of the "Owens Valley War" in California, Paiute Chief Captain George arrives at Camp Independence. He tells the soldiers the Paiutes want peace. This effectively ends the war.
Monday, May 21, 2007
June 21 set for 2006 National Prayer Day for Sacred Places
WASHINGTON - Observances and ceremonies will be held across the country on June 21 to mark the 2006 National Day of Prayer to Protect Native American Sacred Places.
''Native and non-Native people nationwide are gathering to honor sacred places, with a special emphasis on those that are endangered by actions that can be avoided,'' said Suzan Shown Harjo, Cheyenne and Hodulgee Muscogee. Harjo is the president of The Morning Star Institute, which organizes the national prayer days and is a columnist for Indian Country Today.
Some of the gatherings are educational forums, not religious ceremonies, and are open to the general public. Others are ceremonial and may be conducted in private.
This will be the fourth National Day of Prayer for Sacred Places. The observance in Washington, D.C., will be held at the National Museum of the American Indian on the National Mall.
The first National Prayer Day was conducted on June 20, 2003, on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol and nationwide to emphasize the need for Congress to enact a cause of action to protect Native sacred places. That need still exists.
http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096413186
Click link to read full story.
''Native and non-Native people nationwide are gathering to honor sacred places, with a special emphasis on those that are endangered by actions that can be avoided,'' said Suzan Shown Harjo, Cheyenne and Hodulgee Muscogee. Harjo is the president of The Morning Star Institute, which organizes the national prayer days and is a columnist for Indian Country Today.
Some of the gatherings are educational forums, not religious ceremonies, and are open to the general public. Others are ceremonial and may be conducted in private.
This will be the fourth National Day of Prayer for Sacred Places. The observance in Washington, D.C., will be held at the National Museum of the American Indian on the National Mall.
The first National Prayer Day was conducted on June 20, 2003, on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol and nationwide to emphasize the need for Congress to enact a cause of action to protect Native sacred places. That need still exists.
http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096413186
Click link to read full story.
Quotes
"They told us that Indian ways were bad; they said we must get civilized. I remember that word. It means "be like the white man." I am willing to be like the white man, but I did not believe Indian ways were wrong.
But they kept teaching...the books told how bad the Indians had been to the white man. We all wore white man's clothes and ate white man's food and went to white man's churches and spoke white man's talk.
And so after a while we also began to say Indians were bad. We laughed at our own people and their blankets and cooking pots." -
Sun Elk, Taos Pueblo
But they kept teaching...the books told how bad the Indians had been to the white man. We all wore white man's clothes and ate white man's food and went to white man's churches and spoke white man's talk.
And so after a while we also began to say Indians were bad. We laughed at our own people and their blankets and cooking pots." -
Sun Elk, Taos Pueblo
Holy disaster: Pope alienates indigenous peoples
''Arrogant.'' ''Disrespectful.'' ''Poorly advised.'' These harsh words were not aimed at an unpopular president; not this time. They are the criticisms by Indian leaders in Latin America of Pope Benedict XVI, who again made headlines for culturally insensitive and historically inaccurate remarks.
About this time last year the pope stirred international controversy when he characterizing the Prophet Mohammed as having spread Islam by the sword in an ''evil and inhuman'' manner. On May 15 he declared that the Roman Catholic Church had not imposed itself on the indigenous peoples of the Americas. Pope Benedict continues to stir up controversy wherever in the world he lands. But this particular papal idiom cannot be attributed to or excused as simple ignorance. There is an element of intent in the pope's recent remarks that should anger, and mobilize, indigenous people throughout the world.
In a speech at the Conference of the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopate, the pope characterized pre-contact Indians as ''silently longing'' for Christianity and stated that ''the proclamation of Jesus and of his Gospel did not at any point involve an alienation of the pre-Columbus cultures, nor was it the imposition of a foreign culture.'' It may be the most blatantly erroneous statement about the Christian legacy on indigenous cultures ever uttered.
http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096415037
Click link to read more.
About this time last year the pope stirred international controversy when he characterizing the Prophet Mohammed as having spread Islam by the sword in an ''evil and inhuman'' manner. On May 15 he declared that the Roman Catholic Church had not imposed itself on the indigenous peoples of the Americas. Pope Benedict continues to stir up controversy wherever in the world he lands. But this particular papal idiom cannot be attributed to or excused as simple ignorance. There is an element of intent in the pope's recent remarks that should anger, and mobilize, indigenous people throughout the world.
In a speech at the Conference of the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopate, the pope characterized pre-contact Indians as ''silently longing'' for Christianity and stated that ''the proclamation of Jesus and of his Gospel did not at any point involve an alienation of the pre-Columbus cultures, nor was it the imposition of a foreign culture.'' It may be the most blatantly erroneous statement about the Christian legacy on indigenous cultures ever uttered.
http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096415037
Click link to read more.
Piles of rocks spark an American Indian mystery
By Jason Szep
May 18, 2007, 13:12 GMT
NORTH SPRINGFIELD, Rhode Island - In a thick forest of maple, willow and oak trees where 17th century European settlers fought hundreds of American Indians, algae-covered stones are arranged in mysterious piles.
Wilfred Greene, the 70-year-old chief of the Wampanoag Nation's Seaconke Indian tribe, says the stone mounds are part of a massive Indian burial ground, possibly one of the nation's largest, that went unnoticed until a few years ago.
'When I came up here and looked at this, I was overwhelmed,' said Greene, a wiry former boxer, standing next to one of at least 100 stone piles -- each about 3 feet (1 meter) high and 4 feet wide -- on private land in this northern Rhode Island town of about 10,600 people.
'I know it has significance -- absolutely,' he said.
http://news.monstersandcritics.com/usa/features/article_1306188.php/Piles_of_rocks_spark_an_American_Indian_mystery
Click link to read full article.
May 18, 2007, 13:12 GMT
NORTH SPRINGFIELD, Rhode Island - In a thick forest of maple, willow and oak trees where 17th century European settlers fought hundreds of American Indians, algae-covered stones are arranged in mysterious piles.
Wilfred Greene, the 70-year-old chief of the Wampanoag Nation's Seaconke Indian tribe, says the stone mounds are part of a massive Indian burial ground, possibly one of the nation's largest, that went unnoticed until a few years ago.
'When I came up here and looked at this, I was overwhelmed,' said Greene, a wiry former boxer, standing next to one of at least 100 stone piles -- each about 3 feet (1 meter) high and 4 feet wide -- on private land in this northern Rhode Island town of about 10,600 people.
'I know it has significance -- absolutely,' he said.
http://news.monstersandcritics.com/usa/features/article_1306188.php/Piles_of_rocks_spark_an_American_Indian_mystery
Click link to read full article.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Blessed Eagle
Sacred Eagle in the sky,
Soaring ever so high,
Oh blessed Eagle,
Divine art thou in flight,
Flying into the holy light.
Indian woman and man,
Dancing upon the land,
Oh blessed Eagle,
Divine art thou in flight,
Flying into the holy light.
Eagle whistles pierce the air,
Songs sung with care,
Oh blessed Eagle,
Divine art thou in flight,
Flying into the holy light.
Pipe and eagle staff in hand,
Nations dancing upon the land,
Oh blessed Eagle,
How sacred are thee,
How divine thou art in flight,
Forever soaring into the sacred light,
And the Sun Dance will live.
By: Larry Kibby
Written: Saturday, June 9, 2001
Elko Indian Colony
Elko, Nevada 89801
Soaring ever so high,
Oh blessed Eagle,
Divine art thou in flight,
Flying into the holy light.
Indian woman and man,
Dancing upon the land,
Oh blessed Eagle,
Divine art thou in flight,
Flying into the holy light.
Eagle whistles pierce the air,
Songs sung with care,
Oh blessed Eagle,
Divine art thou in flight,
Flying into the holy light.
Pipe and eagle staff in hand,
Nations dancing upon the land,
Oh blessed Eagle,
How sacred are thee,
How divine thou art in flight,
Forever soaring into the sacred light,
And the Sun Dance will live.
By: Larry Kibby
Written: Saturday, June 9, 2001
Elko Indian Colony
Elko, Nevada 89801
Quotes
"I am a red man. If the Great Spirit had desired me to be a white man he would have made me so in the first place. Now we are poor but we are free. No white man controls our footsteps. If we must die we die defending our rights." -
Sitting Bull, Hunkpapa Sioux
Sitting Bull, Hunkpapa Sioux
Do you know...
Adam Ruebin Beach (born November 11, 1972 in Ashern, Manitoba, Canada) is a Canadian actor of Saulteaux descent. His most notable roles are Ira Hayes in Flags of Our Fathers and Private Ben Yahzee in Windtalkers.
He grew up with his two brothers on the Dog Creek Indian Reserve. When he was eight, his mother, who was eight months pregnant, was killed in a car accident caused by drunk driving. Soon after the car crash, his father died in a boating accident. Beach and his brothers were moved to Winnipeg to live with an aunt and uncle.[1]
In high school, he attended a drama class. The class was originally supposed to be a place to "goof off" with his friends, but Beach soon exhibited natural talents in acting. Beach began performing in local theatre productions, He eventually dropped out of school to take a lead role at the Manitoba Theatre for Young People. At age 18, he won a small role in a miniseries called Lost In the Barrens. In the following years, he continued to work in local theatre and guest starred on television shows like Walker, Texas Ranger and Touched by an Angel. Shortly afterwards, Beach was cast as a regular on the television show North of 60.[1]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Beach
Click link to read more.
He grew up with his two brothers on the Dog Creek Indian Reserve. When he was eight, his mother, who was eight months pregnant, was killed in a car accident caused by drunk driving. Soon after the car crash, his father died in a boating accident. Beach and his brothers were moved to Winnipeg to live with an aunt and uncle.[1]
In high school, he attended a drama class. The class was originally supposed to be a place to "goof off" with his friends, but Beach soon exhibited natural talents in acting. Beach began performing in local theatre productions, He eventually dropped out of school to take a lead role at the Manitoba Theatre for Young People. At age 18, he won a small role in a miniseries called Lost In the Barrens. In the following years, he continued to work in local theatre and guest starred on television shows like Walker, Texas Ranger and Touched by an Angel. Shortly afterwards, Beach was cast as a regular on the television show North of 60.[1]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Beach
Click link to read more.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Do you know...
Dr. Charles Alexander Eastman (Sioux: Ohiyesa, February 19, 1858 - January 8, 1939) was a Native American author, physician and reformer. He was active in politics and helped found the Boy Scouts of America.
Ohiyesa was born on a reservation near Redwood Falls, Minnesota. He was the son of the Dakota Many Lightnings and his mixed-blood wife, Mary Nancy Eastman, who died at his birth. Mary Eastman was the daughter of the painter Captain Seth Eastman. During the Minnesota Uprising of Dakota in 1862-63, Ohiyesa was cared for by paternal relatives who fled into North Dakota and Manitoba. When he was later reunited with his father, now using the name Jacob Eastman, and older brother John, the Eastman family established a homestead in Dakota Territory.
With his father's encouragement, Eastman attended mission and preparatory schools and graduated from Dartmouth College in 1887. He graduated from Boston University, with a medical degree, in 1889. Eastman worked as agency physician for the Indian Health Service on the Pine Ridge Reservation, and later at the Crow Creek Reservation, both in South Dakota. He also established a private medical practice. Between 1894-97, Eastman established 32 Indian groups of the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA). In 1899, he helped recruit students for the Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania. In 1910, along with Ernest Thompson Seton of the Woodcraft Indians and Daniel Carter Beard of the Sons of Daniel Boone, Eastman helped found the Boy Scouts of America.
Eastman was active in politics, particularly in matters dealing with Indian rights. He served as a lobbyist for the Dakota between 1894 and 1897. In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt assigned Eastman the responsibility for revising the allotment method of dividing tribal lands. In 1923-25, Eastman served under Calvin Coolidge as an Indian inspector. He was also a member of the Committee of One Hundred, a reform panel examining federal institutions and activities dealing with Indian nations. In 1925, the Bureau of Indian Affairs asked him to investigate the death and burial location of Sacagawea, the woman who accompanied the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1805. He determined that she died of old age at the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming on April 9, 1884, although later historians believe it more likely that she died as a result of an illness in 1812.
Eastman was the recipient of the first Indian Achievement Award in 1933.
Eastman was married to Elaine Goodale, and had six children. Goodale briefly served as superintendent of Indian education in the Dakota Territory, and was a well known poet.
Eastman published the autobiographical Indian Boyhood in 1902, recounting his first fifteen years of life among the Sioux during the waning years of the nineteenth century. He also wrote The Soul of the Indian (1911) and From the Deep Woods to Civilization (1916).
Ohiyesa was born on a reservation near Redwood Falls, Minnesota. He was the son of the Dakota Many Lightnings and his mixed-blood wife, Mary Nancy Eastman, who died at his birth. Mary Eastman was the daughter of the painter Captain Seth Eastman. During the Minnesota Uprising of Dakota in 1862-63, Ohiyesa was cared for by paternal relatives who fled into North Dakota and Manitoba. When he was later reunited with his father, now using the name Jacob Eastman, and older brother John, the Eastman family established a homestead in Dakota Territory.
With his father's encouragement, Eastman attended mission and preparatory schools and graduated from Dartmouth College in 1887. He graduated from Boston University, with a medical degree, in 1889. Eastman worked as agency physician for the Indian Health Service on the Pine Ridge Reservation, and later at the Crow Creek Reservation, both in South Dakota. He also established a private medical practice. Between 1894-97, Eastman established 32 Indian groups of the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA). In 1899, he helped recruit students for the Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania. In 1910, along with Ernest Thompson Seton of the Woodcraft Indians and Daniel Carter Beard of the Sons of Daniel Boone, Eastman helped found the Boy Scouts of America.
Eastman was active in politics, particularly in matters dealing with Indian rights. He served as a lobbyist for the Dakota between 1894 and 1897. In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt assigned Eastman the responsibility for revising the allotment method of dividing tribal lands. In 1923-25, Eastman served under Calvin Coolidge as an Indian inspector. He was also a member of the Committee of One Hundred, a reform panel examining federal institutions and activities dealing with Indian nations. In 1925, the Bureau of Indian Affairs asked him to investigate the death and burial location of Sacagawea, the woman who accompanied the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1805. He determined that she died of old age at the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming on April 9, 1884, although later historians believe it more likely that she died as a result of an illness in 1812.
Eastman was the recipient of the first Indian Achievement Award in 1933.
Eastman was married to Elaine Goodale, and had six children. Goodale briefly served as superintendent of Indian education in the Dakota Territory, and was a well known poet.
Eastman published the autobiographical Indian Boyhood in 1902, recounting his first fifteen years of life among the Sioux during the waning years of the nineteenth century. He also wrote The Soul of the Indian (1911) and From the Deep Woods to Civilization (1916).
'Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee' debuts on HBO
CANASTOTA, N.Y. - Adam Beach has mastered the ability of walking in two worlds, a balance that has allowed him to become a successful actor yet maintain his cultural identity within his Saulteaux heritage.
Beach, 34, stars in the epic drama ''Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee,'' a project by HBO Films and inspired by Dee Brown's seminal nonfiction book of the same title. The movie, which will debut May 27 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO, explores the tragic impact of the United States conquest over Native America. Beach plays the role of Charles Eastman or Ohiyesa, a young Sioux doctor who was used by the U.S. government as an example of the alleged success of assimilation and the American Indian boarding schools.
''Charles Eastman is a separate entity of the book 'Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee,''' Beach said. ''He was added in as a character so that there could be a back story to represent how the U.S. was trying to get Indian people to be educated into society.''
Beach said Eastman was used as a window into the world of Indian country in the late 19th century. His character was a way to better explain the reservations system that the government was trying to force upon the community of the Lakota people, which Eastman was a part of. Through the movie, Eastman is taken away from his community, forced to cut his hair, change his name and receive an American education.
http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096415050
Click link to read full story.
Beach, 34, stars in the epic drama ''Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee,'' a project by HBO Films and inspired by Dee Brown's seminal nonfiction book of the same title. The movie, which will debut May 27 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO, explores the tragic impact of the United States conquest over Native America. Beach plays the role of Charles Eastman or Ohiyesa, a young Sioux doctor who was used by the U.S. government as an example of the alleged success of assimilation and the American Indian boarding schools.
''Charles Eastman is a separate entity of the book 'Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee,''' Beach said. ''He was added in as a character so that there could be a back story to represent how the U.S. was trying to get Indian people to be educated into society.''
Beach said Eastman was used as a window into the world of Indian country in the late 19th century. His character was a way to better explain the reservations system that the government was trying to force upon the community of the Lakota people, which Eastman was a part of. Through the movie, Eastman is taken away from his community, forced to cut his hair, change his name and receive an American education.
http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096415050
Click link to read full story.
Battle With the Snakes
Iroquois
There was a man who was not kind to animals. One day when he was hunting, he found a rattlesnake and decided to torture it. He held its head to the ground and pierced it with a piece of bark. Then as it was caught there, he tormented it.
"We shall fight," he said and then burned the snake until it was dead. He thought this was a great jest and so, whenever he found a snake, he would do the same thing.
One day another man from his village was walking through the forest when he heard a strange sound. It was louder than the wind hissing through the tops of tall pine trees. He crept closer to see. There, in a great clearing, were many snakes. They were gathered for a war council and as he listened in fright he heard them say:
"We shall now fight with them. Djisdaah has challenged us and we shall go to war. In four days we shall go to their village and fight them."
The man crept away and then ran as fast as he could to his village to tell what he had heard and seen. The chief sent other men to see if the report was true. They returned in great fright.
"Ahhhh," they said, "it is so. The snakes are all gathering to have a war."
The chief of the village could see that he had no choice. "We must fight," he said and ordered the people of the village to make preparations for the battle. They cut mountains of wood and stacked it in long piles all around the village. They built rows of stakes close together to keep the snakes out. When the fourth day came, the chief ordered that the piles of wood be set on fire. Just as he did so they heard a great noise, like a great wind in the trees. It was the noise of the snakes, hissing as they came to the village to do battle.
Usually a snake will not go near a fire, but these snakes were determined to have their revenge. They went straight into the flames. Many of them died, but the living snakes crawled over the bodies of the dead ones and continued to move forward until they reached the second row of stakes.
Once again, the chief ordered that the piles of wood in the second row of defense be set on fire. But the snakes crawled straight into the flames, hissing their war songs, and the living crawled over the bodies of the dead. It was a terrible sight. They reached the second row of stakes and, even though the people fought bravely, it was no use. The snakes were more numerous than fallen leaves and they could not be stopped. Soon they forced their way past the last row of stakes and the people of the village were fighting for their lives. The first man to be killed was Djisdaah, the one who had challenged the snakes to battle.
It was now clear that they could never win this battle. The chief of the village shouted to the snakes who had reached the edge of the village: "Hear me, my brothers. We surrender to you.
We have done you a great wrong. Have mercy on us."
The snakes stopped where they were and there was a great silence.
The exhausted warriors looked at the great army of snakes and the snakes stared back at them. Then the earth trembled and cracked in front of the human beings. A great snake, a snake taller than the biggest pine tree, whose head was larger than a great long house, lifted himself out of the hole in the earth.
"Hear me," he said. "I am the chief of all the snakes. We shall go and leave you in peace if you will agree to two things."
The chief looked at the great snake and nodded his head. "We will agree, Great Chief," he said.
"It is well," said the Chief of the Snakes. "These are the two things. First, you must always treat my people with respect. Secondly, as long as the world stands, you will never name another man Djisdaah."
And so it was agreed and so it is, even today.
There was a man who was not kind to animals. One day when he was hunting, he found a rattlesnake and decided to torture it. He held its head to the ground and pierced it with a piece of bark. Then as it was caught there, he tormented it.
"We shall fight," he said and then burned the snake until it was dead. He thought this was a great jest and so, whenever he found a snake, he would do the same thing.
One day another man from his village was walking through the forest when he heard a strange sound. It was louder than the wind hissing through the tops of tall pine trees. He crept closer to see. There, in a great clearing, were many snakes. They were gathered for a war council and as he listened in fright he heard them say:
"We shall now fight with them. Djisdaah has challenged us and we shall go to war. In four days we shall go to their village and fight them."
The man crept away and then ran as fast as he could to his village to tell what he had heard and seen. The chief sent other men to see if the report was true. They returned in great fright.
"Ahhhh," they said, "it is so. The snakes are all gathering to have a war."
The chief of the village could see that he had no choice. "We must fight," he said and ordered the people of the village to make preparations for the battle. They cut mountains of wood and stacked it in long piles all around the village. They built rows of stakes close together to keep the snakes out. When the fourth day came, the chief ordered that the piles of wood be set on fire. Just as he did so they heard a great noise, like a great wind in the trees. It was the noise of the snakes, hissing as they came to the village to do battle.
Usually a snake will not go near a fire, but these snakes were determined to have their revenge. They went straight into the flames. Many of them died, but the living snakes crawled over the bodies of the dead ones and continued to move forward until they reached the second row of stakes.
Once again, the chief ordered that the piles of wood in the second row of defense be set on fire. But the snakes crawled straight into the flames, hissing their war songs, and the living crawled over the bodies of the dead. It was a terrible sight. They reached the second row of stakes and, even though the people fought bravely, it was no use. The snakes were more numerous than fallen leaves and they could not be stopped. Soon they forced their way past the last row of stakes and the people of the village were fighting for their lives. The first man to be killed was Djisdaah, the one who had challenged the snakes to battle.
It was now clear that they could never win this battle. The chief of the village shouted to the snakes who had reached the edge of the village: "Hear me, my brothers. We surrender to you.
We have done you a great wrong. Have mercy on us."
The snakes stopped where they were and there was a great silence.
The exhausted warriors looked at the great army of snakes and the snakes stared back at them. Then the earth trembled and cracked in front of the human beings. A great snake, a snake taller than the biggest pine tree, whose head was larger than a great long house, lifted himself out of the hole in the earth.
"Hear me," he said. "I am the chief of all the snakes. We shall go and leave you in peace if you will agree to two things."
The chief looked at the great snake and nodded his head. "We will agree, Great Chief," he said.
"It is well," said the Chief of the Snakes. "These are the two things. First, you must always treat my people with respect. Secondly, as long as the world stands, you will never name another man Djisdaah."
And so it was agreed and so it is, even today.
Code talker
Code talkers were Native American Marines serving in the U.S. armed forces who primarily transmitted secret tactical messages. The Code Talkers transmitted these messages over military telephone or radio communications nets using formal or informally developed codes built upon their native languages.
The name is strongly associated with bilingual Navajo speakers specially recruited, for the first time during World War II, by the United States Marine Corps, under the Dept. of the Navy to serve in their standard communications units in the Pacific Theater. However the United States Army, under the Dept. of War, on a smaller scale also used Native American Indians to perform the same missions in both World War I and World War II.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_talker
Click link to read more.
The name is strongly associated with bilingual Navajo speakers specially recruited, for the first time during World War II, by the United States Marine Corps, under the Dept. of the Navy to serve in their standard communications units in the Pacific Theater. However the United States Army, under the Dept. of War, on a smaller scale also used Native American Indians to perform the same missions in both World War I and World War II.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_talker
Click link to read more.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Cherokee Nation Courts Allow Temporary Citizenship for Non-Indians, Including Freedmen Descendants
TAHLEQUAH, Okla.—Cherokee Nation Attorney General Diane Hammons today agreed to a temporary injunction in tribal court that allows descendants of Freedmen to keep their citizenship while their citizenship appeals work their way through the tribal court system.
“I agreed to the injunction because I believe that, although the Cherokee citizens who voted to change the citizenship requirements on March 3rd have a right to have their determination implemented, those individuals who lost their citizenship status as a result of that election also have the right to have our Cherokee Nation courts consider the legality of the Amendment,” said Hammons. “In the interest of fairness and as a legitimate exercise of a reasoned democratic government, I believe that an injunction staying the effect of the March 3rd election is proper from the Cherokee Nation court until that tribunal has the opportunity to fully review and decide the plaintiffs’ claims.”
“For decades our people understood that you have to be Indian to be in our Indian tribe,” said Chad Smith, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. “I think the will of the people is very clear. I understand, however, that the rights of citizenship should be taken very seriously, and we take our court’s orders very seriously. We will abide by the order and restore citizenship while the case is pending.”
In March 2006, the Cherokee Nation’s highest court reversed a previous decision and ruled that the Cherokee Nation’s Constitution allowed citizenship for non-Indian descendants who were listed on the Dawes Rolls of the Cherokee Nation. Until that time, citizenship had been restricted to those who had a Cherokee, Delaware or Shawnee ancestor on the Dawes Rolls. On March 3, 2007, Cherokee voters approved an amendment to the Cherokee Nation Constitution that mirrored the previous policy, requiring citizens be a descendant of either a Cherokee, Delaware or Shawnee Indian listed on the Dawes Rolls.
Since that vote, more than 250 descendants of Freedmen and other non-Indian citizens appealed their citizenship status in the Cherokee Nation court system. The Cherokee Nation is paying for the services of an appointed attorney for those wishing to appeal.
“We are really making every effort to be fair in this situation,” said Mike Miller, spokesperson for the Cherokee Nation. “We know this is a serious issue, and we wanted to make sure that their interests were adequately represented in tribal court.”
In the order, Cherokee Nation District Court Judge John Cripps wrote that the Cherokee Nation should “immediately reinstate to full citizenship within the Cherokee Nation the Plaintiffs and all similarly situated persons, commonly known as ‘Cherokee Freedmen.’”
Cripps’ order is to remain in effect until the Court reaches a decision on the merits of the citizenship appeals, or until a further order of the Court.
To see the court order, or read a full statement from the Cherokee Nation’s Attorney General, visit the Cherokee Nation’s Web site at www.cherokee.org
“I agreed to the injunction because I believe that, although the Cherokee citizens who voted to change the citizenship requirements on March 3rd have a right to have their determination implemented, those individuals who lost their citizenship status as a result of that election also have the right to have our Cherokee Nation courts consider the legality of the Amendment,” said Hammons. “In the interest of fairness and as a legitimate exercise of a reasoned democratic government, I believe that an injunction staying the effect of the March 3rd election is proper from the Cherokee Nation court until that tribunal has the opportunity to fully review and decide the plaintiffs’ claims.”
“For decades our people understood that you have to be Indian to be in our Indian tribe,” said Chad Smith, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. “I think the will of the people is very clear. I understand, however, that the rights of citizenship should be taken very seriously, and we take our court’s orders very seriously. We will abide by the order and restore citizenship while the case is pending.”
In March 2006, the Cherokee Nation’s highest court reversed a previous decision and ruled that the Cherokee Nation’s Constitution allowed citizenship for non-Indian descendants who were listed on the Dawes Rolls of the Cherokee Nation. Until that time, citizenship had been restricted to those who had a Cherokee, Delaware or Shawnee ancestor on the Dawes Rolls. On March 3, 2007, Cherokee voters approved an amendment to the Cherokee Nation Constitution that mirrored the previous policy, requiring citizens be a descendant of either a Cherokee, Delaware or Shawnee Indian listed on the Dawes Rolls.
Since that vote, more than 250 descendants of Freedmen and other non-Indian citizens appealed their citizenship status in the Cherokee Nation court system. The Cherokee Nation is paying for the services of an appointed attorney for those wishing to appeal.
“We are really making every effort to be fair in this situation,” said Mike Miller, spokesperson for the Cherokee Nation. “We know this is a serious issue, and we wanted to make sure that their interests were adequately represented in tribal court.”
In the order, Cherokee Nation District Court Judge John Cripps wrote that the Cherokee Nation should “immediately reinstate to full citizenship within the Cherokee Nation the Plaintiffs and all similarly situated persons, commonly known as ‘Cherokee Freedmen.’”
Cripps’ order is to remain in effect until the Court reaches a decision on the merits of the citizenship appeals, or until a further order of the Court.
To see the court order, or read a full statement from the Cherokee Nation’s Attorney General, visit the Cherokee Nation’s Web site at www.cherokee.org
Do you know...
Peter Blue Cloud (Aroniawenrate) , 1935-
Mohawk - author/poet
Blue Cloud was born to the Turtle Clan of the Mohawk tribe on the Caughnawaga Reserve in Kahnawake, Quebec, Canada. He is noted for combining Native American myths with contemporary issues. He has worked as ironworker, logger, carpenter and woodcutter and was previously associated with journal Akwesasne Notes and the journal Indian Magazine. Blue Cloud is especially noted for his use of the Coyote figure in his stories and poems.
Mohawk - author/poet
Blue Cloud was born to the Turtle Clan of the Mohawk tribe on the Caughnawaga Reserve in Kahnawake, Quebec, Canada. He is noted for combining Native American myths with contemporary issues. He has worked as ironworker, logger, carpenter and woodcutter and was previously associated with journal Akwesasne Notes and the journal Indian Magazine. Blue Cloud is especially noted for his use of the Coyote figure in his stories and poems.
Quotes
"Will you ever begin to understand the meaning of the very soil beneath your feet? From a grain of sand to a great mountain, all is sacred. Yesterday and tomorrow exist eternally upon this continent. We natives are guardians of this sacred place." -
Peter Blue Cloud, Mohawk
Peter Blue Cloud, Mohawk
Soldier from Navajo Nation dies in Iraq
Associated Press
Tucson, Arizona Published: 05.16.2007
PHOENIX - A soldier from the Navajo Nation has died serving in Iraq, his family said Tuesday.
Army Sgt. Christopher Neil Gonzalez, 25, was killed Monday, though the Department of Defense has not confirmed or released details of his death.
Leonard Chee, a delegate to the Navajo Nation Council, said in a statement the entire Navajo community was in shock.
"This war has really hit home. Say a prayer for all our Navajo Native American soldiers who are in Iraq fighting," Chee said.
According to Chee, Gonzalez was carrying out his second tour of duty in Iraq and left behind a wife and child.
Details on funeral services were not known.
Survivors include his mother, Judy Nez of Birdsprings, Ariz.
On Tuesday, Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley issued a proclamation in honor and in recognition of Sgt. Gonzalez.
Shirley also ordered flags on the Navajo Nation flown at half-staff from May 16 to May 20 in honor of Gonzalez.
Tucson, Arizona Published: 05.16.2007
PHOENIX - A soldier from the Navajo Nation has died serving in Iraq, his family said Tuesday.
Army Sgt. Christopher Neil Gonzalez, 25, was killed Monday, though the Department of Defense has not confirmed or released details of his death.
Leonard Chee, a delegate to the Navajo Nation Council, said in a statement the entire Navajo community was in shock.
"This war has really hit home. Say a prayer for all our Navajo Native American soldiers who are in Iraq fighting," Chee said.
According to Chee, Gonzalez was carrying out his second tour of duty in Iraq and left behind a wife and child.
Details on funeral services were not known.
Survivors include his mother, Judy Nez of Birdsprings, Ariz.
On Tuesday, Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley issued a proclamation in honor and in recognition of Sgt. Gonzalez.
Shirley also ordered flags on the Navajo Nation flown at half-staff from May 16 to May 20 in honor of Gonzalez.
Cherokee contemplates Wal-Mart’s impact
By Quintin Ellison
Some residents on the Cherokee Indian Reservation are calling for a referendum vote on whether Wal-Mart Stores should be allowed to build there.
The push for public participation comes as tribal leaders continue a series of negotiations with the retail giant, which currently has one super center in neighboring Sylva and is building another in Waynesville. If tribal leaders and Wal-Mart can iron out details, the Wal- Mart would most likely build on a tribally owned tract of land near the Cherokee Indian Hospital.
Tens of thousands of additional dollars are at stake for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians: Wal-Mart, like other commercial outlets on the reservation, would be subject to a 7-percent tribal sales tax on all goods sold.
The additional revenue doesn’t settle the issue for all of the tribe’s 13,500 members, however. Some say money is simply not enough reason to risk damaging the reservation’s small-town feel, and, possibly, putting some small business owners out of business.
Principal Chief Michell Hicks said that tribal leaders anticipate releasing a statement about Wal-Mart “within weeks.”
http://www.smokymountainnews.com/issues/05_07/05_16_07/fr_cherokee_mart.html
Click link to read full article.
Some residents on the Cherokee Indian Reservation are calling for a referendum vote on whether Wal-Mart Stores should be allowed to build there.
The push for public participation comes as tribal leaders continue a series of negotiations with the retail giant, which currently has one super center in neighboring Sylva and is building another in Waynesville. If tribal leaders and Wal-Mart can iron out details, the Wal- Mart would most likely build on a tribally owned tract of land near the Cherokee Indian Hospital.
Tens of thousands of additional dollars are at stake for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians: Wal-Mart, like other commercial outlets on the reservation, would be subject to a 7-percent tribal sales tax on all goods sold.
The additional revenue doesn’t settle the issue for all of the tribe’s 13,500 members, however. Some say money is simply not enough reason to risk damaging the reservation’s small-town feel, and, possibly, putting some small business owners out of business.
Principal Chief Michell Hicks said that tribal leaders anticipate releasing a statement about Wal-Mart “within weeks.”
http://www.smokymountainnews.com/issues/05_07/05_16_07/fr_cherokee_mart.html
Click link to read full article.
The emperors have no clothes
Arriving on our shores on May 3, Queen Elizabeth II met with the kind of pomp and circumstance to which she is accustomed. The monarch enjoyed much fanfare as special guest at the 400th anniversary commemoration of Jamestown, the first permanent English colony. She was greeted by admiring well-wishers, including many Virginia tribal representatives. She celebrated the 104 Englishmen, boys and investors who landed on the shores of what we now call Virginia in 1607. She attended the Kentucky Derby and was the guest of honor at a lavish white-tie state dinner at the White House.
It was a lovely visit. That is, if one does not require that official denial be checked at customs. The queen expressed sympathy for those affected by the April 16 killings at Virginia Tech. But she issued a royal punt when acknowledging her kingdom's role in importing African slavery and conducting state-sponsored genocide of Native peoples following the establishment of the permanent Jamestown colony. ''Human progress rarely comes without costs,'' she offered. It was a dismissal of the most regal sort, and it helped set the tone for the weeklong commemoration of the arrival of Europeans to the Virginia coast.
Queen Elizabeth II wasn't the only one who was affected by historical blindness. President Bush welcomed her to the White House on May 7 with choice words of his own. ''The settlers at Jamestown planted the seeds of freedom and democracy on American soil,'' said the president, ''and from those seeds sprung a nation ... '' This ill-advised remark, although no doubt true in his mind, evokes an agricultural metaphor that is not just historically false but disingenuous, too.
http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096415005
Click link to get more insight.
It was a lovely visit. That is, if one does not require that official denial be checked at customs. The queen expressed sympathy for those affected by the April 16 killings at Virginia Tech. But she issued a royal punt when acknowledging her kingdom's role in importing African slavery and conducting state-sponsored genocide of Native peoples following the establishment of the permanent Jamestown colony. ''Human progress rarely comes without costs,'' she offered. It was a dismissal of the most regal sort, and it helped set the tone for the weeklong commemoration of the arrival of Europeans to the Virginia coast.
Queen Elizabeth II wasn't the only one who was affected by historical blindness. President Bush welcomed her to the White House on May 7 with choice words of his own. ''The settlers at Jamestown planted the seeds of freedom and democracy on American soil,'' said the president, ''and from those seeds sprung a nation ... '' This ill-advised remark, although no doubt true in his mind, evokes an agricultural metaphor that is not just historically false but disingenuous, too.
http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096415005
Click link to get more insight.
Native American remains reburied in Black Hills
CUSTER, S.D. (AP) -- The bones of at least four Native Americans that have been in the hands of museums and collectors for decades were buried Monday in the Black Hills National Forest.
The remains were re-interred under provisions of the Native American Graves and Repatriation Act at a spot chosen years ago by Lakota holy man Frank Fools Crow.
"We think they should no longer be moved around the country and exploited," said Donovin Sprague, of First Nations Heritage Association.
The mission of First Nations Heritage is to promote educational and cultural events that promote American Indian interests. This is the first repatriation of Indian remains to the sacred Black Hills that his nonprofit organization has handled, but Sprague said there are grave sites throughout the area.
The bones, which Sprague originally believed belonged to one person, came into his possession a year ago. He worked with the South Dakota Archaeological Research Center and the U.S. Forest Service to get them scientifically identified and re-interred.
http://www.nativebiz.com/community/News,op=visit,nid=15447.html
Click link to read more.
The remains were re-interred under provisions of the Native American Graves and Repatriation Act at a spot chosen years ago by Lakota holy man Frank Fools Crow.
"We think they should no longer be moved around the country and exploited," said Donovin Sprague, of First Nations Heritage Association.
The mission of First Nations Heritage is to promote educational and cultural events that promote American Indian interests. This is the first repatriation of Indian remains to the sacred Black Hills that his nonprofit organization has handled, but Sprague said there are grave sites throughout the area.
The bones, which Sprague originally believed belonged to one person, came into his possession a year ago. He worked with the South Dakota Archaeological Research Center and the U.S. Forest Service to get them scientifically identified and re-interred.
http://www.nativebiz.com/community/News,op=visit,nid=15447.html
Click link to read more.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Shedding a tear as Indians dance to a different drum
By: Dorreen Yellow Bird
Published Wednesday, May 16, 2007 - Grand Forks Herald
As an elder, I often turn around to look at the past. The path I've traveled is not always as I expected it would be when I was 16 years old. I say this because it couldn't have been more evident then at the Mother's Day powwow and celebration at White Shield, N.D., last weekend. I felt both sadness and pride at the changes in this cultural event.
I know life rarely stays the same, I told my sister. I know, I said again, looking at her. Everything is evolving, but the evolution of American Indian culture doesn't feel good. She laughed and said, “You're just getting old.” And perhaps that's true.
A good change, I explained to her, can be found in the evolution of the refrigerator or that big hulking Suburban van that our brother, Don, used to be so proud of. The refrigerator went from the ice box - and on the reservation 66 years ago, it was an ice box - to one of those really fancy, right-from-Modern-Homes-magazine models. As for cars, I love their changes; they went from cranking the starter to antilock brakes, stability control and so on.
In contrast, changes in Native culture are more subtle, yet they can hit me hard. When I heard the songs and drumming last weekend, memories of past drum songs echoed in my ears, and I knew the sounds that I now was hearing were different.
The young singers probably don't realize it, because we are now mostly English speakers and listen like English speakers, too. So, I think the words and sounds of the Native singers 60 years ago would sound foreign to the new “Ree Boys” group at the powwow, and they are good drum group . . . for youngsters.
Yet it is the drum songs of the old singers that went right into my soul and wrenched my spirit. My ears missed the old sounds.
When I was young, the powwow celebrations went on for three days and nights. I sometimes would stop visiting and carrying on with teen friends and just listen to the drumming. There was something about the sounds that made chills run up my spine. It was as if the ancestors were reaching out from the past and touching my heart.
It's at those moments I realize that my grandmother was right when she told me we are vessels of our ancestors - we carry them in our spirit. They always are a part of us. I was listening to those songs with their ears.
As I sat there over the weekend watching the dancers and singers, memories of being a a child and attending gatherings like this one came to me. I remember lying on the floor on a blanket while my grandmother and family took part in a cultural events in a building that took the place of the years-ago medicine lodge. I would doze in spite of the loud drum music and singing.
Late at night, the kerosene lamps would be lit. I could feel the rhythm of the dancers as the wooden floor moved with their moccasin steps. There was my grandmother - simple cotton dance dress, hands on her hips, head held high, waving a white handkerchief as she made sounds of praise and rounded the small dance circle. It's an image that will stay with me forever.
Funny, I can even remember the little round balls of mud that must have come in the doors on the feet of the dancers. I'd watched from my floor view as the little balls jumped and danced with the movement of the people.
My sister's voice brought me back to the White Shield powwow and the Ralph Wells complex. Just think, she said, the complex will soon be replaced by a new culture center - replaced like many of our ways, I thought.
My granddaughter, Eliza, who is a beautiful 19-year-old and my equally beautiful 5-year-old granddaughter, Allaya, are fancy shawl dancers. When Eliza dances, she is so light on her feet, it's as if she's dancing on air and the brightly colored shawl with the long, long fringe looks like butterfly wings as she gently dips and moves. Granddaughter Allaya is learning and has great potential.
Today's dancers have taken the culture into new territory. I know because the fancy shawl dance wasn't part of women's dancing 60 years ago. It is part of the cultural evolution.
My grandmother would say young women shouldn't kick their legs or step that high. That is too much like men's dancing. Women's dancing is of pride and praise for our tribe and the Creator, she'd say.
As I sat watching the powwow celebration, I felt sad for ways that were disappearing. We're losing more and more of who we were. How much of ourselves can we give away to the white ways and still maintain who we are? I wondered.
Published Wednesday, May 16, 2007 - Grand Forks Herald
As an elder, I often turn around to look at the past. The path I've traveled is not always as I expected it would be when I was 16 years old. I say this because it couldn't have been more evident then at the Mother's Day powwow and celebration at White Shield, N.D., last weekend. I felt both sadness and pride at the changes in this cultural event.
I know life rarely stays the same, I told my sister. I know, I said again, looking at her. Everything is evolving, but the evolution of American Indian culture doesn't feel good. She laughed and said, “You're just getting old.” And perhaps that's true.
A good change, I explained to her, can be found in the evolution of the refrigerator or that big hulking Suburban van that our brother, Don, used to be so proud of. The refrigerator went from the ice box - and on the reservation 66 years ago, it was an ice box - to one of those really fancy, right-from-Modern-Homes-magazine models. As for cars, I love their changes; they went from cranking the starter to antilock brakes, stability control and so on.
In contrast, changes in Native culture are more subtle, yet they can hit me hard. When I heard the songs and drumming last weekend, memories of past drum songs echoed in my ears, and I knew the sounds that I now was hearing were different.
The young singers probably don't realize it, because we are now mostly English speakers and listen like English speakers, too. So, I think the words and sounds of the Native singers 60 years ago would sound foreign to the new “Ree Boys” group at the powwow, and they are good drum group . . . for youngsters.
Yet it is the drum songs of the old singers that went right into my soul and wrenched my spirit. My ears missed the old sounds.
When I was young, the powwow celebrations went on for three days and nights. I sometimes would stop visiting and carrying on with teen friends and just listen to the drumming. There was something about the sounds that made chills run up my spine. It was as if the ancestors were reaching out from the past and touching my heart.
It's at those moments I realize that my grandmother was right when she told me we are vessels of our ancestors - we carry them in our spirit. They always are a part of us. I was listening to those songs with their ears.
As I sat there over the weekend watching the dancers and singers, memories of being a a child and attending gatherings like this one came to me. I remember lying on the floor on a blanket while my grandmother and family took part in a cultural events in a building that took the place of the years-ago medicine lodge. I would doze in spite of the loud drum music and singing.
Late at night, the kerosene lamps would be lit. I could feel the rhythm of the dancers as the wooden floor moved with their moccasin steps. There was my grandmother - simple cotton dance dress, hands on her hips, head held high, waving a white handkerchief as she made sounds of praise and rounded the small dance circle. It's an image that will stay with me forever.
Funny, I can even remember the little round balls of mud that must have come in the doors on the feet of the dancers. I'd watched from my floor view as the little balls jumped and danced with the movement of the people.
My sister's voice brought me back to the White Shield powwow and the Ralph Wells complex. Just think, she said, the complex will soon be replaced by a new culture center - replaced like many of our ways, I thought.
My granddaughter, Eliza, who is a beautiful 19-year-old and my equally beautiful 5-year-old granddaughter, Allaya, are fancy shawl dancers. When Eliza dances, she is so light on her feet, it's as if she's dancing on air and the brightly colored shawl with the long, long fringe looks like butterfly wings as she gently dips and moves. Granddaughter Allaya is learning and has great potential.
Today's dancers have taken the culture into new territory. I know because the fancy shawl dance wasn't part of women's dancing 60 years ago. It is part of the cultural evolution.
My grandmother would say young women shouldn't kick their legs or step that high. That is too much like men's dancing. Women's dancing is of pride and praise for our tribe and the Creator, she'd say.
As I sat watching the powwow celebration, I felt sad for ways that were disappearing. We're losing more and more of who we were. How much of ourselves can we give away to the white ways and still maintain who we are? I wondered.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Traditional in Our Own Way
Holy Grandfathers,
Let the wind blow,
And the rain flow,
The people shall learn,
While their hearts yearn,
For we are traditional in our way,
Each and every day.
Holy Grandfathers,
Warmth and heat will be higher,
And across the land will be fire,
These things will be great,
And man shall know fate,
For we are traditional in our way,
Each and every day.
Holy Grandfathers,
Rivers, lakes and streams,
Carry life's dreams,
And waters will rush ashore,
In the directions of the Four,
For we traditional in our own way,
Each and every day.
Holy Grandfathers,
Hear the cries of mankind,
They know not of the time,
Silent will become man,
Once they understand,
That we the Sovereign Nations,
Are from unique generations,
For we are traditional in our own way,
In our lives each and every day.
Written: Friday, May 9, 2003
By: Larry KibbyElko Indian Colony, Nevada
Let the wind blow,
And the rain flow,
The people shall learn,
While their hearts yearn,
For we are traditional in our way,
Each and every day.
Holy Grandfathers,
Warmth and heat will be higher,
And across the land will be fire,
These things will be great,
And man shall know fate,
For we are traditional in our way,
Each and every day.
Holy Grandfathers,
Rivers, lakes and streams,
Carry life's dreams,
And waters will rush ashore,
In the directions of the Four,
For we traditional in our own way,
Each and every day.
Holy Grandfathers,
Hear the cries of mankind,
They know not of the time,
Silent will become man,
Once they understand,
That we the Sovereign Nations,
Are from unique generations,
For we are traditional in our own way,
In our lives each and every day.
Written: Friday, May 9, 2003
By: Larry KibbyElko Indian Colony, Nevada
Do you know...
Joanne Shenandoah, one of the country's most prolific Native musicians doesn't need any tricks to coax the muse. "Whenever I need a song, I sit down and write one," Shenandoah says, although she hastily adds a modest disclaimer. "I don't take personal credit for my songs; they're all ancestrally inspired. When I listen to Once in a Red Moon (Shenandoah's 1994 release for Canyon Records), for example, the songs still amaze me. I can hear the voices of the past and future coming through."
Shenandoah, a member of the Oneida Nation, was born in Iroquois territory, and was given the name Takalihwa kwha - She Sings. Ted Silverhand, an elder in the Tuscarora clan, one of the six nations that make up the Iroquois, had a vision of Shenandoah's successful musical career when she was a baby and she's more than lived up to his prediction. Shenandoah has performed at both Clinton inaugurals, contributed music to the soundtrack of "Northern Exposure," "How the West Was Lost" and "Indian in the Cupboard," been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in music for her composition "Ganondagan," written books, performed at Pow Wows, clubs and music festivals in France, Canada and The United Stares, and recorded six albums including her latest, All Spirits Sing, a coming of age story for children.
Shenandoah, a member of the Oneida Nation, was born in Iroquois territory, and was given the name Takalihwa kwha - She Sings. Ted Silverhand, an elder in the Tuscarora clan, one of the six nations that make up the Iroquois, had a vision of Shenandoah's successful musical career when she was a baby and she's more than lived up to his prediction. Shenandoah has performed at both Clinton inaugurals, contributed music to the soundtrack of "Northern Exposure," "How the West Was Lost" and "Indian in the Cupboard," been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in music for her composition "Ganondagan," written books, performed at Pow Wows, clubs and music festivals in France, Canada and The United Stares, and recorded six albums including her latest, All Spirits Sing, a coming of age story for children.
http://www.hanksville.org/jpoet/shenandoah.html
Click link to read more.
Shenandoah, a member of the Oneida Nation, was born in Iroquois territory, and was given the name Takalihwa kwha - She Sings. Ted Silverhand, an elder in the Tuscarora clan, one of the six nations that make up the Iroquois, had a vision of Shenandoah's successful musical career when she was a baby and she's more than lived up to his prediction. Shenandoah has performed at both Clinton inaugurals, contributed music to the soundtrack of "Northern Exposure," "How the West Was Lost" and "Indian in the Cupboard," been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in music for her composition "Ganondagan," written books, performed at Pow Wows, clubs and music festivals in France, Canada and The United Stares, and recorded six albums including her latest, All Spirits Sing, a coming of age story for children.
Shenandoah, a member of the Oneida Nation, was born in Iroquois territory, and was given the name Takalihwa kwha - She Sings. Ted Silverhand, an elder in the Tuscarora clan, one of the six nations that make up the Iroquois, had a vision of Shenandoah's successful musical career when she was a baby and she's more than lived up to his prediction. Shenandoah has performed at both Clinton inaugurals, contributed music to the soundtrack of "Northern Exposure," "How the West Was Lost" and "Indian in the Cupboard," been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in music for her composition "Ganondagan," written books, performed at Pow Wows, clubs and music festivals in France, Canada and The United Stares, and recorded six albums including her latest, All Spirits Sing, a coming of age story for children.
http://www.hanksville.org/jpoet/shenandoah.html
Click link to read more.
Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site dedicated
LA JUNTA, Colo. - Tribal leaders from the Northern Cheyenne, Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes, along with the National Park Service and nearly 500 others, gathered April 28 to dedicate the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site.
After a prayer from Cheyenne Chief Gordon Yellowman, various Indian and non-Indian dignitaries spoke on the tragic event.
''Imagine a place of where families eat, sleep, learn; a place where people share knowledge, live in peace and where children run and play; a place where flags are flown to represent protection; a place of safety and security,'' said Northern Cheyenne President Eugene Little Coyote. ''Now imagine this place disturbed by chaos, gunshots, cries and pleas from the innocent; peace disrupted by attacks of inhumanity. I could be describing the violent events that occurred a few weeks ago on a college campus; an event described as 'the most tragic event in American history,' but I am not. I am talking about the Sand Creek Massacre.''
On Nov. 29, 1864, the Colorado Territory Militia, under the command of Methodist minister Col. John Chivington, attacked the camp of Southern Cheyenne Chief Black Kettle. Although Black Kettle raised an American flag and a white flag of peace, the militia were instructed by Chivington to ''kill and scalp all, big and little; nits make lice.'' Nearly 240 Cheyenne and Arapaho people were murdered, mostly women and children. Women were raped and the dead were mutilated. Body parts of the slain Indians were paraded though Denver in celebration of the massacre.
http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096415018
Click link to read full article.
After a prayer from Cheyenne Chief Gordon Yellowman, various Indian and non-Indian dignitaries spoke on the tragic event.
''Imagine a place of where families eat, sleep, learn; a place where people share knowledge, live in peace and where children run and play; a place where flags are flown to represent protection; a place of safety and security,'' said Northern Cheyenne President Eugene Little Coyote. ''Now imagine this place disturbed by chaos, gunshots, cries and pleas from the innocent; peace disrupted by attacks of inhumanity. I could be describing the violent events that occurred a few weeks ago on a college campus; an event described as 'the most tragic event in American history,' but I am not. I am talking about the Sand Creek Massacre.''
On Nov. 29, 1864, the Colorado Territory Militia, under the command of Methodist minister Col. John Chivington, attacked the camp of Southern Cheyenne Chief Black Kettle. Although Black Kettle raised an American flag and a white flag of peace, the militia were instructed by Chivington to ''kill and scalp all, big and little; nits make lice.'' Nearly 240 Cheyenne and Arapaho people were murdered, mostly women and children. Women were raped and the dead were mutilated. Body parts of the slain Indians were paraded though Denver in celebration of the massacre.
http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096415018
Click link to read full article.
Goldman Prize awarded to environmental activists
SAN FRANCISCO - A Shipibo activist who helped create a protected area for Amazonian people living in voluntary isolation and an Ojibway leader who has worked with her community to save 2 million acres of the Boreal Forest in Manitoba, Canada, were among six people awarded the 2007 Goldman Environmental Prize in San Francisco April 23.
The $125,000 award, now in its 18th year, is given to people from all over the world who have made a difference with their environmental work.
Shipibo activist Julio Cusurichi Palacios and Ojibway representative Sophia Rabliauskas both emphasized traditional indigenous respect for the land in their acceptance speeches, as well as the need for all people to work together to save the planet.
''The world doesn't have the authority to subject [un-contacted] peoples to a different way of life. We all have the right to live in peace in the Amazon territories,'' Palacios said, noting that the increasing presence of multinational oil and gas companies was adding to the problem of illegal logging in the Madre de Dios region of Peru where many isolated peoples live. These people are vulnerable not only to cultural change but to physical disease brought by outside contact, he said.
http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096414989
Click link to read full story.
The $125,000 award, now in its 18th year, is given to people from all over the world who have made a difference with their environmental work.
Shipibo activist Julio Cusurichi Palacios and Ojibway representative Sophia Rabliauskas both emphasized traditional indigenous respect for the land in their acceptance speeches, as well as the need for all people to work together to save the planet.
''The world doesn't have the authority to subject [un-contacted] peoples to a different way of life. We all have the right to live in peace in the Amazon territories,'' Palacios said, noting that the increasing presence of multinational oil and gas companies was adding to the problem of illegal logging in the Madre de Dios region of Peru where many isolated peoples live. These people are vulnerable not only to cultural change but to physical disease brought by outside contact, he said.
http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096414989
Click link to read full story.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Tribal Celebration: A Gift from the Heart: Ancestral land returned
PAWNEE -- It was called a day of blessing at the Pawnee Nation.
Over 100 tribal members and their band chiefs gathered Saturday at the Pawnee danceground to honor Roger Welsch and his wife, Linda, for their gift of some 60 acres of pristine Nebraska farmland.
Welsch, a writer, is also a history buff who learned through his research that the Pawnees once inhabited the area where he lives near Dannebrog, Neb., particularly land around the Loup River.
The deed to the land was given to the 3,000-member tribe in a ceremony punctuated by the Welsches receiving honorary Pawnee tribal membership. The event started with a pipe ceremony followed by a feast, an honor dance and concluded with a cedar ceremony for the man who said he was moved to give the land back to the people who he felt had rightful ownership.
"It's something we had no choice in because it had to be done," Welsch said. "These people are not guests on our land, but rather we are guests on their land."
http://www.moderndaywarrior.org/
Click link to read full story.
Over 100 tribal members and their band chiefs gathered Saturday at the Pawnee danceground to honor Roger Welsch and his wife, Linda, for their gift of some 60 acres of pristine Nebraska farmland.
Welsch, a writer, is also a history buff who learned through his research that the Pawnees once inhabited the area where he lives near Dannebrog, Neb., particularly land around the Loup River.
The deed to the land was given to the 3,000-member tribe in a ceremony punctuated by the Welsches receiving honorary Pawnee tribal membership. The event started with a pipe ceremony followed by a feast, an honor dance and concluded with a cedar ceremony for the man who said he was moved to give the land back to the people who he felt had rightful ownership.
"It's something we had no choice in because it had to be done," Welsch said. "These people are not guests on our land, but rather we are guests on their land."
http://www.moderndaywarrior.org/
Click link to read full story.
Public will get to see native artifacts collection
GREAT FALLS - What is believed to be a priceless collection of American Indian artifacts awaits a final destination.
"I'm currently holding a letter from Black Elk in my hand, and that's an experience I never expected to have happen," said the Flathead Gallery's Don Baughman, who was brought in to appraise the estate of the late David Humphreys Miller.
In the letter, the legendary Sioux chief wrote Miller that he would sponsor a Sun Dance and pray for his safe return from service in Germany during World War II.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Baughman said. "This morning I've been asking myself how I can put a value on something that's essentially priceless."
http://www.nativebiz.com/community/News,op=visit,nid=15406.html
Click link to read full story.
"I'm currently holding a letter from Black Elk in my hand, and that's an experience I never expected to have happen," said the Flathead Gallery's Don Baughman, who was brought in to appraise the estate of the late David Humphreys Miller.
In the letter, the legendary Sioux chief wrote Miller that he would sponsor a Sun Dance and pray for his safe return from service in Germany during World War II.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Baughman said. "This morning I've been asking myself how I can put a value on something that's essentially priceless."
http://www.nativebiz.com/community/News,op=visit,nid=15406.html
Click link to read full story.
Seminoles to vote on tribal chairman today
Hollywood · Hundreds of Seminole Tribe members are expected to cast ballots on three Florida reservations today in an election that could be pivotal in shaping the financial future of a tribe that has become immensely wealthy through its operation of seven gaming casinos.
At stake is the chairmanship of the 3,200-member tribe, as well as all seven other positions on the Seminoles' governing council and board of directors.
The election comes a little more than two months after the tribe closed a $965 million deal to buy the Hard Rock International chain, a purchase that spotlighted the Seminoles' economic might and their ambitious expansion plans. The purchase is thought to be the largest single acquisition by an American Indian tribe.
http://www.nativebiz.com/community/News,op=visit,nid=15407.html
Click link to read full article.
At stake is the chairmanship of the 3,200-member tribe, as well as all seven other positions on the Seminoles' governing council and board of directors.
The election comes a little more than two months after the tribe closed a $965 million deal to buy the Hard Rock International chain, a purchase that spotlighted the Seminoles' economic might and their ambitious expansion plans. The purchase is thought to be the largest single acquisition by an American Indian tribe.
http://www.nativebiz.com/community/News,op=visit,nid=15407.html
Click link to read full article.
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