By: Barbara Arrigoni
ORLAND — For the first time ever, students at Fairview School in Orland didn't get to celebrate the school's annual Indian Day at Black Butte Lake.
Each year, fourth-grade classes go to the lake for hands-on sessions to learn about the culture of two Northern California tribes — the Wintun of Colusa and Nomolaki of Paskenta. With rain threatened, the event was held on school grounds Thursday. It's part of the school's California History studies.
If the kids cared about not going to the countryside, it didn't show during the morning activities.
Seven classes participated in the event, each divided into two groups and then smaller ones, rotating through six stations.
The children learned several cultural traditions. Outside near the school's garden, groups built a shelter of poles and branches and practiced the art of spearing. Vine wreaths substituted for live animals for the latter activity. Laughter rang across the field with each thrust.
Inside several classrooms, students had their faces painted, made shell necklaces, learned a "friendship" dance, listened to storytellers repeat legends, and used handmade drills, which looked similar to old-fashioned spinning tops.
There's more here: http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_7221520
Friday, October 19, 2007
Indian land ruling appealed to high court
By: Katie Mulvaney
The state made another play yesterday to keep its hold over 31 acres owned by the Narragansett Indian Tribe in Charlestown.
Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch’s office, joined by Governor Carcieri and the Town of Charlestown, filed an appeal asking the U.S. Supreme Court to consider, and overturn, a ruling that allows the U.S. Department of Interior to hold the land in trust for the tribe.
Trust status would free the property from state and local tax and land-use regulations or most Rhode Island criminal laws.
Tribal leaders have said they will use the site for housing, but state officials fear the ruling would clear the way for the tribe to open a smoke shop, casino or other venture, outside state oversight.
Read more here: http://www.projo.com/news/content/Tribe_Appeal_10-19-07_H37HMUE.3f0cc6.html
The state made another play yesterday to keep its hold over 31 acres owned by the Narragansett Indian Tribe in Charlestown.
Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch’s office, joined by Governor Carcieri and the Town of Charlestown, filed an appeal asking the U.S. Supreme Court to consider, and overturn, a ruling that allows the U.S. Department of Interior to hold the land in trust for the tribe.
Trust status would free the property from state and local tax and land-use regulations or most Rhode Island criminal laws.
Tribal leaders have said they will use the site for housing, but state officials fear the ruling would clear the way for the tribe to open a smoke shop, casino or other venture, outside state oversight.
Read more here: http://www.projo.com/news/content/Tribe_Appeal_10-19-07_H37HMUE.3f0cc6.html
Indian Tribe OKs Deal With Michigan
Associated Press
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians said Thursday that its members have approved an agreement between five American Indian tribes and the state of Michigan over inland hunting and fishing rights.
The tribal board still needs to approve the pact, which it is expected to do during a meeting Sunday, spokesman Corey Wilson said.
The other four tribes have ratified the deal, which recognizes members' rights to hunt, fish and gather plants in parts of western and northern Michigan covered by an 1836 treaty. The area includes about 37 percent of the state. Fishing in the Great Lakes is excluded because it was dealt with in earlier agreements.
The agreement, already endorsed by state and federal officials, also needs the approval of a federal judge who had scheduled a hearing for Monday, but canceled it in an order noting the successful outcome of the Sault Ste. Marie referendum.
The Sault tribe was the only tribe that submitted the tentative agreement, announced last month, to its full membership for a referendum.
In results posted on its Web site Thursday, the tribe said 3,476 voters favored the pact while 678 opposed it. Nearly 33 percent of the 12,734 members voted.
The proposal affects much of the western and northern Lower Peninsula and the eastern Upper Peninsula.
It empowers the tribes to issue their own hunting and fishing licenses and write their own regulations. Three already have rules and the other two will be developing them.
Many of the regulations will parallel state policies for protecting resources from overharvesting and abuse, limiting size, numbers and species taken. But the tribes will have longer deer hunting seasons and different policies on fishing methods such as spearing and netting.
The DNR is hosting a series of public meetings around the state to explain the agreement.
The other participating tribes include the Bay Mills Indian Community; the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians; the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians; and the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians.
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians said Thursday that its members have approved an agreement between five American Indian tribes and the state of Michigan over inland hunting and fishing rights.
The tribal board still needs to approve the pact, which it is expected to do during a meeting Sunday, spokesman Corey Wilson said.
The other four tribes have ratified the deal, which recognizes members' rights to hunt, fish and gather plants in parts of western and northern Michigan covered by an 1836 treaty. The area includes about 37 percent of the state. Fishing in the Great Lakes is excluded because it was dealt with in earlier agreements.
The agreement, already endorsed by state and federal officials, also needs the approval of a federal judge who had scheduled a hearing for Monday, but canceled it in an order noting the successful outcome of the Sault Ste. Marie referendum.
The Sault tribe was the only tribe that submitted the tentative agreement, announced last month, to its full membership for a referendum.
In results posted on its Web site Thursday, the tribe said 3,476 voters favored the pact while 678 opposed it. Nearly 33 percent of the 12,734 members voted.
The proposal affects much of the western and northern Lower Peninsula and the eastern Upper Peninsula.
It empowers the tribes to issue their own hunting and fishing licenses and write their own regulations. Three already have rules and the other two will be developing them.
Many of the regulations will parallel state policies for protecting resources from overharvesting and abuse, limiting size, numbers and species taken. But the tribes will have longer deer hunting seasons and different policies on fishing methods such as spearing and netting.
The DNR is hosting a series of public meetings around the state to explain the agreement.
The other participating tribes include the Bay Mills Indian Community; the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians; the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians; and the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians.
American Indians Seek Greater Understanding, Recognition
By: Jeffrey Thomas
Washington -- “Maybe you should just tell them that we still exist,” an American Indian told the moderator of a focus group during a recent study that not only has highlighted continuing misconceptions about American Indians, but also has revealed the sympathy with which many Americans view Indians’ history and desire to learn more about their past and present.
“Tell the story of American Indians truthfully and honestly [in an Indian museum],” a non-Indian proposed, “and tell that story in both the historical and contemporary concepts. ... They survived everything that happened to them -- they survived.”
The study revealed that, even though American Indians might feel isolated, misunderstood and culturally threatened in contemporary America, they often express pride in their economic accomplishments and a conviction that their lives are improving. “The biggest fight that we have is [about] identity,” a New York Indian told researchers.
The study Walking a Mile: A First Step Toward Mutual Understanding is based on 12 focus groups -- seven with Indians and five with non-Indians -- conducted by researchers from the nonpartisan public opinion research organization Public Agenda. Such focus groups provide qualitative information on how the participants view the place of American Indians in the United States today, but more opinion research and polling is needed to reveal how widely held those views are, according to experts.
“This was exploratory research ... designed to pose as many questions as it answered,” Public Agenda’s Michael Remaley told USINFO. “Clearly, there is much more to be done to further the conversation nationally.”
Read this very interesting story here: http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2007&m=October&x=200710181452191CJsamohT0.7733576
Washington -- “Maybe you should just tell them that we still exist,” an American Indian told the moderator of a focus group during a recent study that not only has highlighted continuing misconceptions about American Indians, but also has revealed the sympathy with which many Americans view Indians’ history and desire to learn more about their past and present.
“Tell the story of American Indians truthfully and honestly [in an Indian museum],” a non-Indian proposed, “and tell that story in both the historical and contemporary concepts. ... They survived everything that happened to them -- they survived.”
The study revealed that, even though American Indians might feel isolated, misunderstood and culturally threatened in contemporary America, they often express pride in their economic accomplishments and a conviction that their lives are improving. “The biggest fight that we have is [about] identity,” a New York Indian told researchers.
The study Walking a Mile: A First Step Toward Mutual Understanding is based on 12 focus groups -- seven with Indians and five with non-Indians -- conducted by researchers from the nonpartisan public opinion research organization Public Agenda. Such focus groups provide qualitative information on how the participants view the place of American Indians in the United States today, but more opinion research and polling is needed to reveal how widely held those views are, according to experts.
“This was exploratory research ... designed to pose as many questions as it answered,” Public Agenda’s Michael Remaley told USINFO. “Clearly, there is much more to be done to further the conversation nationally.”
Read this very interesting story here: http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2007&m=October&x=200710181452191CJsamohT0.7733576
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Do you know...
John Echohawk, a member of the Pawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, has served as the Executive Director of the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) since 1977.
The first graduate of a special law program for Native Americans at the University of New Mexico, he has become a leading force in Indian Law and policy and has been involved in cases supporting Indian rights all over the country.
As one of the most sought after experts on Indian issues, he is often asked to serve on special commissions that will affect tribes everywhere. He has won numerous awards over the years for his devotion to improving the lives of Indian tribes and individuals.
He is also listed as one of 100 Native Americans Who Shaped American History.
The first graduate of a special law program for Native Americans at the University of New Mexico, he has become a leading force in Indian Law and policy and has been involved in cases supporting Indian rights all over the country.
As one of the most sought after experts on Indian issues, he is often asked to serve on special commissions that will affect tribes everywhere. He has won numerous awards over the years for his devotion to improving the lives of Indian tribes and individuals.
He is also listed as one of 100 Native Americans Who Shaped American History.
Last living speaker works to keep NorCal tribe's language alive
The Arizona Daily Star - Tucson, AR
CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. (AP) — As a child in the 1950s, Loretta Kelsey grew up hearing the sounds of Elem Pomo, an 8,000-year-old dialect spoken by early peoples of Northern California along the shores of Clear Lake in Lake County.
Since then, as an older generation passed away, the language they spoke went with them. According to scholars, 59-year-old Kelsey is the last fluent speaker of Elem Pomo alive today.
But Kelsey is not content to let her native language die with her. Instead, she has teamed up with a prominent University of California linguist to teach and document Elem Pomo to keep its words — and the culture they represent — alive in the 21st century.
"Our language is really right here. It's in our ceremonies, our lives, our people, our ways," Kelsey said, gesturing to her reservation along the lake's southern edge. "You keep the language alive, you help keep all of this alive."
When Kelsey was growing up, her mother spoke no English, only Elem Pomo. At the time, many members of the 250-person tribe were fluent. The past decades have seen members die off, join new churches or leave the reservation for jobs.
The complete article is here: http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/203904
CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. (AP) — As a child in the 1950s, Loretta Kelsey grew up hearing the sounds of Elem Pomo, an 8,000-year-old dialect spoken by early peoples of Northern California along the shores of Clear Lake in Lake County.
Since then, as an older generation passed away, the language they spoke went with them. According to scholars, 59-year-old Kelsey is the last fluent speaker of Elem Pomo alive today.
But Kelsey is not content to let her native language die with her. Instead, she has teamed up with a prominent University of California linguist to teach and document Elem Pomo to keep its words — and the culture they represent — alive in the 21st century.
"Our language is really right here. It's in our ceremonies, our lives, our people, our ways," Kelsey said, gesturing to her reservation along the lake's southern edge. "You keep the language alive, you help keep all of this alive."
When Kelsey was growing up, her mother spoke no English, only Elem Pomo. At the time, many members of the 250-person tribe were fluent. The past decades have seen members die off, join new churches or leave the reservation for jobs.
The complete article is here: http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/203904
The Heyteyneytah Project
Star Tribune - Casper, Wyoming
Horses helped heal the spirit of Stanford Addison after a truck accident paralyzed him 28 years ago. Now, Addison uses horses to help heal at-risk youth. He calls it the Heyteyneytah Project, a nonprofit program incorporating his gentle horse training techniques. In Arapaho, Addison's native tribe, heyteyneytah means respect.
While many of the youth who find their way to the Addison Ranch are from around the Wind River Indian Reservation, kids from Colorado, California, Iowa and Illinois have lived with Addison and learned his techniques. Addison supports these kids largely out of his own pocket.But he's looking to expand his program.
For the past year, he's been working with the Wind River Development Fund, a nonprofit community development corporation. With its help, he is developing a small business plan that will make his ranch more financially viable, said Lisa Wagner, executive director.
"What he does is very much a community service in terms of working with youth," she said.
Besides his work with kids, Addison also hosts several horse-training clinics a year. In those, participants learn to connect with a horse, saddle-break it and ride it all in one day. People come from around the world for these clinics.
To learn more about the Heyteyneytah Project or to help, contact the Wind River Development Fund at (307) 335-7330 or call Addison at (307) 349-8669.
On the net:
*See a video of Addison using his training techniques on an Arabian filly at casperstartribune.net and click on this story.
* www.wrdf.org
* www.stanaddison.com
Horses helped heal the spirit of Stanford Addison after a truck accident paralyzed him 28 years ago. Now, Addison uses horses to help heal at-risk youth. He calls it the Heyteyneytah Project, a nonprofit program incorporating his gentle horse training techniques. In Arapaho, Addison's native tribe, heyteyneytah means respect.
While many of the youth who find their way to the Addison Ranch are from around the Wind River Indian Reservation, kids from Colorado, California, Iowa and Illinois have lived with Addison and learned his techniques. Addison supports these kids largely out of his own pocket.But he's looking to expand his program.
For the past year, he's been working with the Wind River Development Fund, a nonprofit community development corporation. With its help, he is developing a small business plan that will make his ranch more financially viable, said Lisa Wagner, executive director.
"What he does is very much a community service in terms of working with youth," she said.
Besides his work with kids, Addison also hosts several horse-training clinics a year. In those, participants learn to connect with a horse, saddle-break it and ride it all in one day. People come from around the world for these clinics.
To learn more about the Heyteyneytah Project or to help, contact the Wind River Development Fund at (307) 335-7330 or call Addison at (307) 349-8669.
On the net:
*See a video of Addison using his training techniques on an Arabian filly at casperstartribune.net and click on this story.
* www.wrdf.org
* www.stanaddison.com
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