On Forgotten Roads With An Indian Elder
Book review:
By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Kent Nerburn (The Wisdom of the Native Americans) has been deeply involved in Native American issues and education. In this extraordinary work (which won the 1996 Minnesota Book Award), Nerburn has fashioned a powerful drama around his encounters with Dan, a Lakota elder who unflinchingly speaks the truth about Indian life, past and present.
Like a Zen Master, Dan refuses to whitewash the historical clash between whites and his people. Nerburn comes with certain expectations and idealism that is shattered by Dan's refusal to be written off as just another Native American wise man. The author becomes the brunt of many jokes as he travels down dusty roads, sees reservation life, and is exposed to his own prejudices. This teaching strategy of Dan reminds us of the tricksters in Zen and Sufism who are always trying to take us beyond conventional thinking and dogmatism.
Nerburn gets the point and learns some hard truths about himself and his assumptions about Indians. He respects the diversity of Native American experiences and the differences between tribes. Nerburn stays far away from the clichéd images of the drunken Indian, the vicious savage, the noble wise man and the silent earth-mother. And he acknowledges the harm done by whites who exploit Indian themes or rituals as well as those who fall under the "Cherokee Grandmother" syndrome (claiming a Native American in their family tree and in a flash being able to be one with these people). This smacks of a pernicious kind of spiritual arrogance where whites try to appropriate for themselves the customs and rituals of other cultures and religions.
In one of the most crucial passages in the book, Dan explains to Nerburn why for centuries his people have been unable to see eye to eye with the rest of Americans. Dan explains that for the American white person, the most important thing is freedom. But for an American Indian, the most important thing is honor.
Click here to read more: http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/books/books.php?id=10149
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
The Cherokee Ball Game
By Lowell Kirk
When the long, hot days of dry, dusty summer begin to give way to the cool, crisp, colorful days of autumn, “Footballmania” sweeps through the American landscape like a wildfire rushing up a mountainside.
All across the United States, excitement for the game consumes Little League moms and pops. Friday nights are filled with local civic pride for high school games. Saturdays bring us festivities, ceremonies and tail-gate parties on college campuses. On Sundays millions of Americans focus on professional teams and many continue the “mania” with Monday Night Football. Millions of us have an obsession for the “ball game.” It is as American as apple pie and motherhood.
However, many centuries before the hoards of European invaders came flooding to America upon the heels of Christopher Columbus, for the original Americans, the ball game was as American as cornbread, beans, pumpkins and pristine rivers. The Cherokee, and all other Native American tribes, were just as obsessed with the ballgame as any present day weekend warrior. The Cherokee name for the ball game was “anetsa.” It meant, “little brother of war.” Much of the village pride depended upon winning ball games with rivals. Great players were sought after in much the same manner as Peyton Manning and many concessions were made by villages to obtain them. And the Indian ball game was a far more dangerous game than football. The entire village turned out for a ball game. Large wagers were made. The Cherokee once won an entire Creek village in Georgia by winning a ball game.
Want to know more? Click here:
When the long, hot days of dry, dusty summer begin to give way to the cool, crisp, colorful days of autumn, “Footballmania” sweeps through the American landscape like a wildfire rushing up a mountainside.
All across the United States, excitement for the game consumes Little League moms and pops. Friday nights are filled with local civic pride for high school games. Saturdays bring us festivities, ceremonies and tail-gate parties on college campuses. On Sundays millions of Americans focus on professional teams and many continue the “mania” with Monday Night Football. Millions of us have an obsession for the “ball game.” It is as American as apple pie and motherhood.
However, many centuries before the hoards of European invaders came flooding to America upon the heels of Christopher Columbus, for the original Americans, the ball game was as American as cornbread, beans, pumpkins and pristine rivers. The Cherokee, and all other Native American tribes, were just as obsessed with the ballgame as any present day weekend warrior. The Cherokee name for the ball game was “anetsa.” It meant, “little brother of war.” Much of the village pride depended upon winning ball games with rivals. Great players were sought after in much the same manner as Peyton Manning and many concessions were made by villages to obtain them. And the Indian ball game was a far more dangerous game than football. The entire village turned out for a ball game. Large wagers were made. The Cherokee once won an entire Creek village in Georgia by winning a ball game.
Want to know more? Click here:
Do you know...
The Catawba – River People – were located along the North/South Carolina border. This was the boundary that separated them from the neighbours, the Cherokee. The Catawba referred to themselves by the name of Iyeye meaning ‘people.’ Prior to the coming of the white man, the Catawba numbered as many as ten thousand people. From first contact with the British in the mid 1600’s, however, the tribe was hit by disease. Warfare and the introduction of the demon drink also took their toll. A smallpox epidemic in 1738 wiped out nearly half of the Catawba people. Twenty years later a second epidemic further decimated these people. By the 1820’s they were down to only about a hundred people. That number has grown until now there are about 2,600 Catawba who live in and around Rock Hill, South Carolina.
The Catawba speak a variation of the Siouan language. However, the language of the Catawba is so different from other Siouan languages that it wasn’t recognised as belonging to that family until the beginning of the Twentieth Century. The Catawba were originally two tribes – the Catawba and the Iswa. Prior to the 1700’s the Tribes lived in small scattered villages. Around 1760 the Catawba absorbed the Iswa and the people began to live together in larger villages. By the 1780’s there were two main Catawba settlements, Newton and Turkey Head, both of which lay along the Catawba River.
The Catawba lived in bark covered long houses. Religion was a prominent part of their lives. Large temples structures were prominent parts of their villages. The Catawba were farmers, with maize being the main crop. They were also hunters and fishers as well as fierce warriors. Their traditional enemies were the Cherokee, Shawnee, Delaware and the Iroquois. The Catawba warrior presented a fearsome sight. Their faces would be painted for war, with a black circle pattern around one eye, a white circle around the other and the rest of the face painted black. Their hair style was in pony tail style. The Catawba also practiced the custom of flattening the foreheads of their infant males, which added to the fearsome appearance of their warriors.
The Catawba soon allied themselves to the interests of the English colonists of the mid 1600s. From the British the Catawbas got a hold of guns with which they could take on the many invading tribes. The Iroquois were the greatest enemies of the Catawba and warfare between them continued for over a hundred years after the Catawba allied with the British. The problem for the English was that they were also allied with the Iroquois, which put them in a very delicate situation. In 1706 the British brokered a peace between the Catawba and the Iroquois. This was to prove only temporary, however. After fifty more years of bitter rivalry peace was again established between the two tribes in 1759. The Shawnee, however, still loomed as a major threat to the Catawba people. The Catawba also fought against other native tribes and, of course, the Americans for the British. During the French – Indian War of 1755-63 the British employed the Catawba as scouts against the French. This association with the British inevitably led to the adoption of many European ways and the loss of some aspects of their own culture.
In 1760 the treaty of Pine Hill established a fifteen square mile reservation along the Catawba River. Almost immediately, however, this small apportionment of land suffered white encroachment. Although the Government of South Carolina agreed to evict all white settlers within the Reservation territory, nothing was done to enforce these promises. By 1826 nearly all of the reservation area was gone. 110 Catawba were crammed into an area just one square mile in size.
In 1840 the Catawba sold their land to the State of South Carolina. They tried to relocate in North Carolina, but no land was available to them there. They moved back to South Carolina, where they resettled on just 600 acres of their old reservation lands. In the 1880’s Mormon missionaries moved into the Catawba region. They were able to convert nearly all of the people to the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints. The Catawba did not receive Federal recognition until 1941.
The Catawba speak a variation of the Siouan language. However, the language of the Catawba is so different from other Siouan languages that it wasn’t recognised as belonging to that family until the beginning of the Twentieth Century. The Catawba were originally two tribes – the Catawba and the Iswa. Prior to the 1700’s the Tribes lived in small scattered villages. Around 1760 the Catawba absorbed the Iswa and the people began to live together in larger villages. By the 1780’s there were two main Catawba settlements, Newton and Turkey Head, both of which lay along the Catawba River.
The Catawba lived in bark covered long houses. Religion was a prominent part of their lives. Large temples structures were prominent parts of their villages. The Catawba were farmers, with maize being the main crop. They were also hunters and fishers as well as fierce warriors. Their traditional enemies were the Cherokee, Shawnee, Delaware and the Iroquois. The Catawba warrior presented a fearsome sight. Their faces would be painted for war, with a black circle pattern around one eye, a white circle around the other and the rest of the face painted black. Their hair style was in pony tail style. The Catawba also practiced the custom of flattening the foreheads of their infant males, which added to the fearsome appearance of their warriors.
The Catawba soon allied themselves to the interests of the English colonists of the mid 1600s. From the British the Catawbas got a hold of guns with which they could take on the many invading tribes. The Iroquois were the greatest enemies of the Catawba and warfare between them continued for over a hundred years after the Catawba allied with the British. The problem for the English was that they were also allied with the Iroquois, which put them in a very delicate situation. In 1706 the British brokered a peace between the Catawba and the Iroquois. This was to prove only temporary, however. After fifty more years of bitter rivalry peace was again established between the two tribes in 1759. The Shawnee, however, still loomed as a major threat to the Catawba people. The Catawba also fought against other native tribes and, of course, the Americans for the British. During the French – Indian War of 1755-63 the British employed the Catawba as scouts against the French. This association with the British inevitably led to the adoption of many European ways and the loss of some aspects of their own culture.
In 1760 the treaty of Pine Hill established a fifteen square mile reservation along the Catawba River. Almost immediately, however, this small apportionment of land suffered white encroachment. Although the Government of South Carolina agreed to evict all white settlers within the Reservation territory, nothing was done to enforce these promises. By 1826 nearly all of the reservation area was gone. 110 Catawba were crammed into an area just one square mile in size.
In 1840 the Catawba sold their land to the State of South Carolina. They tried to relocate in North Carolina, but no land was available to them there. They moved back to South Carolina, where they resettled on just 600 acres of their old reservation lands. In the 1880’s Mormon missionaries moved into the Catawba region. They were able to convert nearly all of the people to the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints. The Catawba did not receive Federal recognition until 1941.
Today in history...
1791: American negotiators, led by William Blount, will begin the Treaty of Holston negotiations today with the CHEROKEEs. The treaty will be signed on July 2, 1791.
1827: After hearing of the false rumor of the release of 2 WINNEBAGO murder suspects to the CHIPPEWAs by whites, WINNEBAGO Chief Red Bird is ordered to fight by the tribal elders. He will attack several families today in Wisconsin near Prairie du Chien. After a few other attacks in the following days on settlers, and river boats on the Mississippi, the Americans order his surrender, else they will destroy the entire tribe. Red Bird will surrender on September 27, 1827.
1827: After hearing of the false rumor of the release of 2 WINNEBAGO murder suspects to the CHIPPEWAs by whites, WINNEBAGO Chief Red Bird is ordered to fight by the tribal elders. He will attack several families today in Wisconsin near Prairie du Chien. After a few other attacks in the following days on settlers, and river boats on the Mississippi, the Americans order his surrender, else they will destroy the entire tribe. Red Bird will surrender on September 27, 1827.
The Ancient One
by Bearwalker
Ancient One sat in the shade of his tree in front of his cave. Red People came to him and he said to Red People, "Tell me your vision."
And Red People answered, "The elders have told us to pray in this manner, and that manner, and it is important that only we pray as we have been taught for this has been handed down to us by the elders."
"Hmmmm," said the Ancient One.
Then Black People came to him and he said to Black People, "Tell me your vision."
And Black People answered, "Our mothers have said to go to this building and that building and pray in this manner and that manner. And our fathers have said to bow in this manner and that manner when we pray. And it is important that we do only this when we pray."
"Hmmmm," said the Ancient One.
Then Yellow People came to him and he said to Yellow People, "Tell me your vision."
And Yellow People answered, "Our teachers have told us to sit in this manner and that manner and to say this thing and that thing when we pray. And it is important that we do only this when we pray."
"Hmmmm," said the Ancient One.
Then White People came to him and he said to White People, "Tell me your vision."
And White People answered, "Our Book has told us to pray in this way and that way and to do this thing and that thing, and it is very important that we do this when we pray."
"Hmmmm," said the Ancient One.
Then Ancient One spoke to the Earth and said, "Have you given the people a vision?" And the Earth said, "Yes, a special gift for each one, but the people were so busy speaking and arguing about which way is right they could not see the gift I gave each one of them." And the Ancient One asked same question of Water and Fire and Air and got the same answer. Then Ancient One asked Animal, and Bird, and Insect, and Tree, and Flower, and Sky, and Moon, and Sun, and Stars, and all of the other Spirits and each told him the same.
Ancient One thought this was very sad. He called Red People, Black People, Yellow People, and White People to him and said to them. "The ways taught to you by your Elders, and your Mothers and Fathers, and Teachers, and Books are sacred. It is good that you respect those ways, for they are the ways of your ancestors. But the ancestors no longer walk on the Face of the Earth Mother. You have forgotten your own Vision. Your Vision is right for you but no one else. Now each of you must pray for your own Visions, and be still enough to see them, so you can follow the way of the heart. It is a hard way. It is a good way.
Ancient One sat in the shade of his tree in front of his cave. Red People came to him and he said to Red People, "Tell me your vision."
And Red People answered, "The elders have told us to pray in this manner, and that manner, and it is important that only we pray as we have been taught for this has been handed down to us by the elders."
"Hmmmm," said the Ancient One.
Then Black People came to him and he said to Black People, "Tell me your vision."
And Black People answered, "Our mothers have said to go to this building and that building and pray in this manner and that manner. And our fathers have said to bow in this manner and that manner when we pray. And it is important that we do only this when we pray."
"Hmmmm," said the Ancient One.
Then Yellow People came to him and he said to Yellow People, "Tell me your vision."
And Yellow People answered, "Our teachers have told us to sit in this manner and that manner and to say this thing and that thing when we pray. And it is important that we do only this when we pray."
"Hmmmm," said the Ancient One.
Then White People came to him and he said to White People, "Tell me your vision."
And White People answered, "Our Book has told us to pray in this way and that way and to do this thing and that thing, and it is very important that we do this when we pray."
"Hmmmm," said the Ancient One.
Then Ancient One spoke to the Earth and said, "Have you given the people a vision?" And the Earth said, "Yes, a special gift for each one, but the people were so busy speaking and arguing about which way is right they could not see the gift I gave each one of them." And the Ancient One asked same question of Water and Fire and Air and got the same answer. Then Ancient One asked Animal, and Bird, and Insect, and Tree, and Flower, and Sky, and Moon, and Sun, and Stars, and all of the other Spirits and each told him the same.
Ancient One thought this was very sad. He called Red People, Black People, Yellow People, and White People to him and said to them. "The ways taught to you by your Elders, and your Mothers and Fathers, and Teachers, and Books are sacred. It is good that you respect those ways, for they are the ways of your ancestors. But the ancestors no longer walk on the Face of the Earth Mother. You have forgotten your own Vision. Your Vision is right for you but no one else. Now each of you must pray for your own Visions, and be still enough to see them, so you can follow the way of the heart. It is a hard way. It is a good way.
Exhibit highlights unique talent of Meskwaki code talkers
By TAYLOR BERN
TAMA --- When they were growing up, earlier generations of the Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa weren't always allowed to use their native language.
Later though, the U.S. Army requested that specific skill from eight members of the Meskwaki Nation, and the code talkers helped the country and its allies win World War II.
This summer those soldiers are being recognized in a traveling exhibit from the National Museum of the American Indian and Smithsonian Institution. Native Words, Native Warriors will be at the Meskwaki Bingo-Casino-Hotel near Tama until July 31.
Code talkers were Native Americans in the Army who used a version of their own languages to relay important military messages. U.S. armed forces started developing the code talker program before the country entered World War II. And the Meskwakis' involvement predates the Navajos later role in the military.
In all, 18 tribal nations were represented in the code talkers program.
Twenty-seven Meskwaki men enlisted in the 168th Iowa Infantry 34th Red Bull Division in January 1941. Eight --- Edward Benson, Mike Waubaunasee, Judie Wayne Waubaunasee, Dewey Roberts, Dewey Youngbear, Frank Sanache, Willard Sanache and Melvin Twin --- were selected for special training with walkie-talkie radios.
The key to their success was the use of the Meskwaki language as a code used to communicate vital information, including enemy's location, battlefield tactics and other messages between units.
Click here to read more: http://www.nativebiz.com/community/News,op=visit,nid=15764.html
TAMA --- When they were growing up, earlier generations of the Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa weren't always allowed to use their native language.
Later though, the U.S. Army requested that specific skill from eight members of the Meskwaki Nation, and the code talkers helped the country and its allies win World War II.
This summer those soldiers are being recognized in a traveling exhibit from the National Museum of the American Indian and Smithsonian Institution. Native Words, Native Warriors will be at the Meskwaki Bingo-Casino-Hotel near Tama until July 31.
Code talkers were Native Americans in the Army who used a version of their own languages to relay important military messages. U.S. armed forces started developing the code talker program before the country entered World War II. And the Meskwakis' involvement predates the Navajos later role in the military.
In all, 18 tribal nations were represented in the code talkers program.
Twenty-seven Meskwaki men enlisted in the 168th Iowa Infantry 34th Red Bull Division in January 1941. Eight --- Edward Benson, Mike Waubaunasee, Judie Wayne Waubaunasee, Dewey Roberts, Dewey Youngbear, Frank Sanache, Willard Sanache and Melvin Twin --- were selected for special training with walkie-talkie radios.
The key to their success was the use of the Meskwaki language as a code used to communicate vital information, including enemy's location, battlefield tactics and other messages between units.
Click here to read more: http://www.nativebiz.com/community/News,op=visit,nid=15764.html
Impoverished Pine Ridge appeals for health clinic
But help unlikely for reservations, Sanford says
By Megan Myers
PINE RIDGE INDIAN RESERVATION - The people here who care for the sick amid rural isolation and a deep-rooted poverty that's created Third World health conditions see opportunity in a medical project backed by the wealth of a Sioux Falls health system.
The people here on South Dakota's largest reservation, far removed from the daily life of most Americans, also face a continent of competition and strong odds of exclusion.
Sanford Health, already a massive collection of hospitals and clinics spread across four states, plans to use part of the $400 million donated by its namesake philanthropist, T. Denny Sanford, to build a network of pediatric clinics across North America. The project, to be carried out during the next decade, promises to bring first-rate care to far-flung areas and, at the same time, collect data from diverse patient populations to feed back to a children's hospital and burgeoning research empire in Sioux Falls.
Some Native Americans point out that, when it comes to the Upper Midwest, they epitomize diversity - not only in terms of race but also in economics, geography and the range of health issues that afflict the reservations much more severely than anywhere else in the region. They would welcome a private enterprise on a reservation that knows only a comparatively anemic government-run health system.
Read more about it here: http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070624/NEWS/706240312/1001
By Megan Myers
PINE RIDGE INDIAN RESERVATION - The people here who care for the sick amid rural isolation and a deep-rooted poverty that's created Third World health conditions see opportunity in a medical project backed by the wealth of a Sioux Falls health system.
The people here on South Dakota's largest reservation, far removed from the daily life of most Americans, also face a continent of competition and strong odds of exclusion.
Sanford Health, already a massive collection of hospitals and clinics spread across four states, plans to use part of the $400 million donated by its namesake philanthropist, T. Denny Sanford, to build a network of pediatric clinics across North America. The project, to be carried out during the next decade, promises to bring first-rate care to far-flung areas and, at the same time, collect data from diverse patient populations to feed back to a children's hospital and burgeoning research empire in Sioux Falls.
Some Native Americans point out that, when it comes to the Upper Midwest, they epitomize diversity - not only in terms of race but also in economics, geography and the range of health issues that afflict the reservations much more severely than anywhere else in the region. They would welcome a private enterprise on a reservation that knows only a comparatively anemic government-run health system.
Read more about it here: http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070624/NEWS/706240312/1001
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