Abenaki legend...
A long time ago, when the Indians were first made, one man lived alone, far from any others. He did not know fire, and so he lived on roots, bark, and nuts. This man became very lonely for companionship. He grew tired of digging roots, lost his appetite, and for several days lay dreaming in the sunshine. When he awoke, he saw someone standing near and, at first, was very frightened.
But when he heard the stranger's voice, his heart was glad, and he looked up. He saw a beautiful woman with long light hair! "Come to me," he whispered. But she did not, and when he tried to approach her, she moved farther away. He sang to her about his loneliness, and begged her not to leave him.
At last she replied, "If you will do exactly what I tell you to do, I will also be with you."
He promised that he would try his very best. So she led him to a place where there was some very dry grass. "Now get two dry sticks," she told him, "and rub them together fast while you hold them in the grass."
Soon a spark flew out. The grass caught fire, and as swiftly as an arrow takes flight, the ground was burned over. Then the beautiful woman spoke again: "When the sun sets, take me by the hair and drag me over the burned ground."
"Oh, I don't want to do that!" the man exclaimed.
"You must do what I tell you to do," said she. "Wherever you drag me, something like grass will spring up, and you will see something like hair coming from between the leaves. Soon seeds will be ready for your use."
The man followed the beautiful woman's orders. And when the Indians see silk on the cornstalk, they know that the beautiful woman has not forgotten them.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Do you know...
Black Kettle - Cheyenne
Few biographical details are known about the Southern Cheyenne chief Black Kettle, but his repeated efforts to secure a peace with honor for his people, despite broken promises and attacks on his own life, speak of him as a great leader with an almost unique vision of the possiblity for coexistence between white society and the culture of the plains.
Black Kettle lived on the vast territory in western Kansas and eastern Colorado that had been guaranteed to the Cheyenne under the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851. Within less than a decade, however, the 1859 Pikes Peak gold rush sparked an enormous population boom in Colorado, and this led to extensive white encroachments on Cheyenne land. Even the U.S. Indian Commissioner admitted that "We have substantially taken possession of the country and deprived the Indians of their accustomed means of support."
Rather than evict white settlers, the government sought to resolve the situation by demanding that the Southern Cheyenne sign a new treaty ceding all their lands save the small Sand Creek reservation in southeastern Colorado. Black Kettle, fearing that overwhelming U.S. military power might result in an even less favorable settlement, agreed to the treaty in 1861 and did what he could to see that the Cheyenne obeyed its provisions.
As it turned out, however, the Sand Creek reservation could not sustain the Indians forced to live there. All but unfit for agriculture, the barren tract of land was little more than a breeding ground for epidemic diseases which soon swept through the Cheyenne encampments. By 1862 the nearest herd of buffalo was over two hundred miles away. Many Cheyennes, especially young men, began to leave the reservation to prey upon the livestock and goods of nearby settlers and passing wagon trains. One such raid in the spring of 1864 so angered white Coloradans that they dispatched their militia, which opened fire on the first band of Cheyenne they happened to meet. None of the Indians in this band had participated in the raid, however, and their leader was actually approaching the militia for a parlay when the shooting began.
This incident touched off an uncoordinated Indian uprising across the Great Plains, as Indian peoples from the Comanche in the South to the Lakota in the North took advantage of the army's involvement in the Civil War by striking back at those who had encroached upon their lands. Black Kettle, however, understood white military supremacy too well to support the cause of war. He spoke with the local military commander at Fort Weld in Colorado and believed he had secured a promise of safety in exchange for leading his band back to the Sand Creek reservation.
Want to know more? Click here: http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/a_c/blackkettle.htm
Few biographical details are known about the Southern Cheyenne chief Black Kettle, but his repeated efforts to secure a peace with honor for his people, despite broken promises and attacks on his own life, speak of him as a great leader with an almost unique vision of the possiblity for coexistence between white society and the culture of the plains.
Black Kettle lived on the vast territory in western Kansas and eastern Colorado that had been guaranteed to the Cheyenne under the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851. Within less than a decade, however, the 1859 Pikes Peak gold rush sparked an enormous population boom in Colorado, and this led to extensive white encroachments on Cheyenne land. Even the U.S. Indian Commissioner admitted that "We have substantially taken possession of the country and deprived the Indians of their accustomed means of support."
Rather than evict white settlers, the government sought to resolve the situation by demanding that the Southern Cheyenne sign a new treaty ceding all their lands save the small Sand Creek reservation in southeastern Colorado. Black Kettle, fearing that overwhelming U.S. military power might result in an even less favorable settlement, agreed to the treaty in 1861 and did what he could to see that the Cheyenne obeyed its provisions.
As it turned out, however, the Sand Creek reservation could not sustain the Indians forced to live there. All but unfit for agriculture, the barren tract of land was little more than a breeding ground for epidemic diseases which soon swept through the Cheyenne encampments. By 1862 the nearest herd of buffalo was over two hundred miles away. Many Cheyennes, especially young men, began to leave the reservation to prey upon the livestock and goods of nearby settlers and passing wagon trains. One such raid in the spring of 1864 so angered white Coloradans that they dispatched their militia, which opened fire on the first band of Cheyenne they happened to meet. None of the Indians in this band had participated in the raid, however, and their leader was actually approaching the militia for a parlay when the shooting began.
This incident touched off an uncoordinated Indian uprising across the Great Plains, as Indian peoples from the Comanche in the South to the Lakota in the North took advantage of the army's involvement in the Civil War by striking back at those who had encroached upon their lands. Black Kettle, however, understood white military supremacy too well to support the cause of war. He spoke with the local military commander at Fort Weld in Colorado and believed he had secured a promise of safety in exchange for leading his band back to the Sand Creek reservation.
Want to know more? Click here: http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/a_c/blackkettle.htm
House passes legislation to designate a Native American Heritage Day
Staff report: Indian Country Today
WASHINGTON - The House of Representatives unanimously passed legislation Nov. 13, introduced by Rep. Joe Baca, D-Calif., that encourages the designation of the Friday after Thanksgiving as Native American Heritage Day. The Native American Heritage Day bill, H.J. Res. 62, encourages the establishment of a day to pay tribute to American Indians for their many contributions to the United States.
''Native Americans have enriched American culture throughout their proud history,'' Baca said. ''It is important that we recognize these contributions and ensure all Americans are properly educated on the heritage and achievements of Native Americans. For years, I have fought to ensure Native Americans receive the recognition they deserve, and today, I am proud the House has passed this vital bill.''
The Native American Heritage Day bill encourages Americans of all backgrounds to observe the Friday after Thanksgiving as Native American Heritage Day, through appropriate ceremonies and activities. It also encourages public elementary and secondary schools to enhance student understanding of American Indians by providing classroom instruction focusing on their history, achievements and contributions.
''This bill will help to preserve the history and legacy of Native Americans,'' Baca added. ''Native Americans and their ancestors have played a critical role in the formation of our nation. They have fought with valor and died in every American war dating back to the Revolutionary War. We must encourage greater awareness of the significant role they have played in America's history.''
The Native American Heritage Day bill is currently supported by 184 federally recognized Indian tribes throughout the nation. The bill has also gained wide support in the House of Representatives, including co-sponsorship from the chairman of the Native American Caucus, Rep. Dale Kildee.
Baca has been an active member of the Native American Caucus in the House of Representatives since first coming to Congress in 1999.
WASHINGTON - The House of Representatives unanimously passed legislation Nov. 13, introduced by Rep. Joe Baca, D-Calif., that encourages the designation of the Friday after Thanksgiving as Native American Heritage Day. The Native American Heritage Day bill, H.J. Res. 62, encourages the establishment of a day to pay tribute to American Indians for their many contributions to the United States.
''Native Americans have enriched American culture throughout their proud history,'' Baca said. ''It is important that we recognize these contributions and ensure all Americans are properly educated on the heritage and achievements of Native Americans. For years, I have fought to ensure Native Americans receive the recognition they deserve, and today, I am proud the House has passed this vital bill.''
The Native American Heritage Day bill encourages Americans of all backgrounds to observe the Friday after Thanksgiving as Native American Heritage Day, through appropriate ceremonies and activities. It also encourages public elementary and secondary schools to enhance student understanding of American Indians by providing classroom instruction focusing on their history, achievements and contributions.
''This bill will help to preserve the history and legacy of Native Americans,'' Baca added. ''Native Americans and their ancestors have played a critical role in the formation of our nation. They have fought with valor and died in every American war dating back to the Revolutionary War. We must encourage greater awareness of the significant role they have played in America's history.''
The Native American Heritage Day bill is currently supported by 184 federally recognized Indian tribes throughout the nation. The bill has also gained wide support in the House of Representatives, including co-sponsorship from the chairman of the Native American Caucus, Rep. Dale Kildee.
Baca has been an active member of the Native American Caucus in the House of Representatives since first coming to Congress in 1999.
Special demonstration shares Native perspective on Oklahoma centennial
by: Brian Daffron
OKLAHOMA CITY - Within the shadow of Oklahoma's state Capitol and Jim Thorpe Building, more than 300 people of different tribes and nationalities gathered Nov. 16 at State Capitol Park to honor those ancestors whose forced sacrifices of land and life helped create the state of Oklahoma 100 years ago.
''Oklahoma was the great experiment of hoping to absorb the Indian - to be totally acculturated,'' said Euchee participant Richard Ray Whitman. ''Our people knew that; culturally, our way of being who we are is just as valid. They resisted this makeup of us, and it's an experiment that's gone bad. In some cases, it shows up in our lack of cohesiveness with tribal families and tribal organizations. We know we come from a culture of strong cohesive truth telling. Dialogue is not a new idea or a new concept. We have a long history of that, to listen to eacha other. We should say that after this centennial year, perhaps we should enter into a dialogue of reconciliation to set the record straight.''
The three-hour program consisted of prayer, traditional and contemporary Native music and testimonials on Native issues, including the high frequency of domestic violence and sexual assault of Native women to fight for the rights of Native prisoners within the Oklahoma correctional system.
One of the featured events was a mock wedding between ''Mr. Indian Territory'' and ''Miss Oklahoma,'' a satirical re-enactment of the so-called marriage ceremony that united Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory. Whitman, playing the role of ''Mr. Indian Territory,'' said that it symbolized a ''shotgun wedding'' to which Native people were forced to submit.
People traveled large distances to attend the event, including representatives from the Mississippi Choctaw Tribe and the Seminole Tribe of Florida. One person in attendance, Comanche tribal member Martina Minthorn, flew in from a meeting with the National Congress of American Indians to attend the event. Minthorn, the interim director of the Comanche National Museum and Cultural Center in Lawton, said Oklahoma legislators and educators needed to be more inclusive to the role of Oklahoma's tribes in regard to the state's history.
''It's a sad thing to see - 100 years without our history being in a textbook,'' said Minthorn. ''From the 77 counties, that's all you learn in Oklahoma history. Whenever you actually put the real truth of the tribes that were relocated here from the indigenous lands that they were originally from, it's sad to see that only a certain amount of tribes are in our textbooks.''
For Whitman, the events of the day were to not only send a message about the Oklahoma centennial, but it was also a way be an example for younger generations.
''They're a part of history,'' he said. ''We're speaking to the generations. Our elders who have passed on stood up and acted for us. ... What can we suggest positive to this generation? It's good to be who we are, whoever they are. Each generation comes forth to its time. I think it's very important to gather like this outside of another kind of agenda that's already put in place for you. We want to have access and participate on a grass-roots level to testify, share and vent. It's all part of the dialogue.''
OKLAHOMA CITY - Within the shadow of Oklahoma's state Capitol and Jim Thorpe Building, more than 300 people of different tribes and nationalities gathered Nov. 16 at State Capitol Park to honor those ancestors whose forced sacrifices of land and life helped create the state of Oklahoma 100 years ago.
''Oklahoma was the great experiment of hoping to absorb the Indian - to be totally acculturated,'' said Euchee participant Richard Ray Whitman. ''Our people knew that; culturally, our way of being who we are is just as valid. They resisted this makeup of us, and it's an experiment that's gone bad. In some cases, it shows up in our lack of cohesiveness with tribal families and tribal organizations. We know we come from a culture of strong cohesive truth telling. Dialogue is not a new idea or a new concept. We have a long history of that, to listen to eacha other. We should say that after this centennial year, perhaps we should enter into a dialogue of reconciliation to set the record straight.''
The three-hour program consisted of prayer, traditional and contemporary Native music and testimonials on Native issues, including the high frequency of domestic violence and sexual assault of Native women to fight for the rights of Native prisoners within the Oklahoma correctional system.
One of the featured events was a mock wedding between ''Mr. Indian Territory'' and ''Miss Oklahoma,'' a satirical re-enactment of the so-called marriage ceremony that united Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory. Whitman, playing the role of ''Mr. Indian Territory,'' said that it symbolized a ''shotgun wedding'' to which Native people were forced to submit.
People traveled large distances to attend the event, including representatives from the Mississippi Choctaw Tribe and the Seminole Tribe of Florida. One person in attendance, Comanche tribal member Martina Minthorn, flew in from a meeting with the National Congress of American Indians to attend the event. Minthorn, the interim director of the Comanche National Museum and Cultural Center in Lawton, said Oklahoma legislators and educators needed to be more inclusive to the role of Oklahoma's tribes in regard to the state's history.
''It's a sad thing to see - 100 years without our history being in a textbook,'' said Minthorn. ''From the 77 counties, that's all you learn in Oklahoma history. Whenever you actually put the real truth of the tribes that were relocated here from the indigenous lands that they were originally from, it's sad to see that only a certain amount of tribes are in our textbooks.''
For Whitman, the events of the day were to not only send a message about the Oklahoma centennial, but it was also a way be an example for younger generations.
''They're a part of history,'' he said. ''We're speaking to the generations. Our elders who have passed on stood up and acted for us. ... What can we suggest positive to this generation? It's good to be who we are, whoever they are. Each generation comes forth to its time. I think it's very important to gather like this outside of another kind of agenda that's already put in place for you. We want to have access and participate on a grass-roots level to testify, share and vent. It's all part of the dialogue.''
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