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.

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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

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

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

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