As posted by Native American Times
Floyd Red Crow Westerman, Sisseton-Wapheton Dakota musician, actor, and activist, passed away at 5:00 a.m. PST, at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles after an extended illness. He was 71.
Westerman, who began his career as a country singer, appeared in over 50 films and televison productions, including Dances with Wolves, Hidalgo, The Doors, and Poltergeist, and Northern Exposure. He appeared in 12 episodes of the 1990s TV series, Walker, Texas Ranger, as Uncle Ray Firewalker.
As a young man, he was educated at the Wapheton and Flandreau Boarding Schools, where he became a close companion and life-long friend of Dennis Banks. He left his home on the Lake Traverse reservation in South Dakota, with a suitcase and an old guitar in hand. He rambled across the country playing country music and original tunes in bars and clubs, living for some time in Denver. In 1969, his first album Custer Died for Your Sins became the background theme of the emerging Red Power Movement.
Before that, As a member of American Indian Movement, and a spokesman for the International Indian Treaty Council, Westerman traveled the world extensively working for the betterment of native people. His vision of improved social conditions for indigenous people around the globe is reflected in the music of his second album, The Land is Your Mother, 1982. In 2006, he won a NAMMY Award for his third album, A Tributeto Johnny Cash. During his career, he played and collaborated with a number of notable musicians including Willie Nelson, Kris Kristopherson, Buffy St. Marie, Jackson Browne, Harry Belafonte, and Sting.
Before his musical acomplishments, Westerman had earned a degree in secondary education from Northern State University in South Dakota.
Westerman also worked throughout his life to empower Indian youth. "They are our future," he said in a November interview. "Today we are fighting a great battle against the popular culture that surrounds them. It's a battle for their hearts and minds. We need to work to inspire them to embrace their own history and culture. Without them, we Indians have no future."
Floyd Red Crow Westerman's Funeral will be held at Tiospa Zina School Gym in Sisseton, South Dakota. Wake on Saturday and Sunday, December 15 and 16. Funeral services Monday, December 17, at 10:00 a.m. Flowers may be sent to the Sisseton Flower Shop, Sisseton, South Dakota.
Monday, December 17, 2007
State Proposes Protecting Sacred Site
By: Chet Brokaw
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — For centuries, members of the Lakota, Cheyenne and other American Indian tribes have been climbing Bear Butte to fast and hold religious ceremonies.
Colorful prayer cloths hanging from trees line the path to the top of the mountain, which rises about 1,300 feet above the surrounding plain.
But often, and especially in August, the serenity of the site is disturbed by a deafening roar, caused by thousands of motorcycles.
Indians have sought for years to block development of land around the butte into campgrounds, bars and other sites that could interfere with their religious use of the mountain. Now they have an ally in the governor.
Gov. Mike Rounds wants to spend more than $1 million to prevent developers from putting biker bars and other noisy businesses on ranch land near the mountain on the northern edge of the Black Hills.
Saying he wants to protect the beauty and peace of the religious site, Rounds has proposed using state, federal and private money to buy a perpetual easement that would prevent commercial and residential development of some land on the western side of Bear Butte. Indians working to protect Bear Butte praise the Republican governor's plan.
"Any kind of assistance from anybody in preserving the butte is welcome," said Gene Blue Arm, a Cheyenne River Sioux tribal member who has sought to limit development near the religious site.
Learn more here: http://www.reznetnews.org/article/sturgis-motorcycle-rally/state-proposes-protecting-sacred-site
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — For centuries, members of the Lakota, Cheyenne and other American Indian tribes have been climbing Bear Butte to fast and hold religious ceremonies.
Colorful prayer cloths hanging from trees line the path to the top of the mountain, which rises about 1,300 feet above the surrounding plain.
But often, and especially in August, the serenity of the site is disturbed by a deafening roar, caused by thousands of motorcycles.
Indians have sought for years to block development of land around the butte into campgrounds, bars and other sites that could interfere with their religious use of the mountain. Now they have an ally in the governor.
Gov. Mike Rounds wants to spend more than $1 million to prevent developers from putting biker bars and other noisy businesses on ranch land near the mountain on the northern edge of the Black Hills.
Saying he wants to protect the beauty and peace of the religious site, Rounds has proposed using state, federal and private money to buy a perpetual easement that would prevent commercial and residential development of some land on the western side of Bear Butte. Indians working to protect Bear Butte praise the Republican governor's plan.
"Any kind of assistance from anybody in preserving the butte is welcome," said Gene Blue Arm, a Cheyenne River Sioux tribal member who has sought to limit development near the religious site.
Learn more here: http://www.reznetnews.org/article/sturgis-motorcycle-rally/state-proposes-protecting-sacred-site
287-mile ride a rite of passage
By: Jodi Rave
BEAR SOLDIER, S.D. - When Donaven Yellow of Wakpala, S.D., joined the Spirit Riders, he pledged to ride four years in the Big Foot Memorial Ride, a nearly 300-mile journey dedicated to the Lakota ancestors who died in one of the nation's most horrific massacres.
On Saturday, he began the fourth journey across the South Dakota prairie with 44 riders who will spend the next two weeks on horseback en route to the Pine Ridge Reservation, picking up others along the way until they number 200.
"Riding for two weeks isn't easy," said the 15-year-old Donaven. "A lot of my friends made the same commitment. It gets really cold. You've just got to ride it out.
"A couple of times, I didn't feel my toes. And my legs were shaking. I had a Gatorade in my pocket. I tried to take a drink, but it was frozen solid after a couple of hours. I was really thirsty that day, and I wasn't warm enough to keep it thawed out."
Get the whole story here: http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/12/16/news/state/40-bigfoot.txt
BEAR SOLDIER, S.D. - When Donaven Yellow of Wakpala, S.D., joined the Spirit Riders, he pledged to ride four years in the Big Foot Memorial Ride, a nearly 300-mile journey dedicated to the Lakota ancestors who died in one of the nation's most horrific massacres.
On Saturday, he began the fourth journey across the South Dakota prairie with 44 riders who will spend the next two weeks on horseback en route to the Pine Ridge Reservation, picking up others along the way until they number 200.
"Riding for two weeks isn't easy," said the 15-year-old Donaven. "A lot of my friends made the same commitment. It gets really cold. You've just got to ride it out.
"A couple of times, I didn't feel my toes. And my legs were shaking. I had a Gatorade in my pocket. I tried to take a drink, but it was frozen solid after a couple of hours. I was really thirsty that day, and I wasn't warm enough to keep it thawed out."
Get the whole story here: http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/12/16/news/state/40-bigfoot.txt
Retired Lakota soldier honored at U.S. Army Women's Museum
By: Bobbie Whitehead
FORT LEE, Va. - As a soldier in Iraq, Theresa Blue Bird found the spiritual and mental strength she needed to survive the harsh conditions there. Then, assisting in running a U.S. Army Departure Air Control group in Iraq, Blue Bird helped many of her Army brothers and sisters on their final journey to the United States.
As the soldiers left, Blue Bird burned sage and prayed for them, she said. ''Some of the men and women were mentally falling apart, just being there in Iraq,'' Blue Bird said. ''After I started burning sage and praying, I truly felt I had so much spiritual and mental strength hardly nothing bothered me.''
A retired jumpmaster and staff sergeant with the Army's 82nd Airborne Division, the 42-year-old was honored recently in an exhibit in the U.S. Army Women's Museum at Fort Lee during American Indian Heritage Month. Blue Bird's exhibit remained open until Dec. 15 and will likely become part of a permanent exhibit at the museum once it expands, said Francoise Bonnell, museum education curator.
Still in Iraq, though unable to state her location, Blue Bird retired from the Army three years ago after 20 years of service and works for a contractor now.
As a soldier, Blue Bird fought in the Iraq war, participating in Operation Iraqi Freedom at Al Taquddum, Iraq, with the Task Force All American.
To honor Blue Bird for her service in the war, members of her Oglala Sioux Tribe from the Pine Ridge Reservation presented her with a warrior blanket in 2004 - an honor typically given to male members of the tribe.
There's more here: http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096416267
FORT LEE, Va. - As a soldier in Iraq, Theresa Blue Bird found the spiritual and mental strength she needed to survive the harsh conditions there. Then, assisting in running a U.S. Army Departure Air Control group in Iraq, Blue Bird helped many of her Army brothers and sisters on their final journey to the United States.
As the soldiers left, Blue Bird burned sage and prayed for them, she said. ''Some of the men and women were mentally falling apart, just being there in Iraq,'' Blue Bird said. ''After I started burning sage and praying, I truly felt I had so much spiritual and mental strength hardly nothing bothered me.''
A retired jumpmaster and staff sergeant with the Army's 82nd Airborne Division, the 42-year-old was honored recently in an exhibit in the U.S. Army Women's Museum at Fort Lee during American Indian Heritage Month. Blue Bird's exhibit remained open until Dec. 15 and will likely become part of a permanent exhibit at the museum once it expands, said Francoise Bonnell, museum education curator.
Still in Iraq, though unable to state her location, Blue Bird retired from the Army three years ago after 20 years of service and works for a contractor now.
As a soldier, Blue Bird fought in the Iraq war, participating in Operation Iraqi Freedom at Al Taquddum, Iraq, with the Task Force All American.
To honor Blue Bird for her service in the war, members of her Oglala Sioux Tribe from the Pine Ridge Reservation presented her with a warrior blanket in 2004 - an honor typically given to male members of the tribe.
There's more here: http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096416267
Friday, December 14, 2007
Quotes
"And I told them if the children die, there would be no keepers of the land. They didn't listen.
And I told them if they destroy the sky, machines would come and soon destroy the land. They didn't listen . . .
And I told them not to dig for uranium, for if they did, the children would die. They didn't listen, they didn't listen, they didn't listen to me.
And I told them if the children die, there would be no keepers of the land. They didn't listen.
And I told them if they destroy the land, man would have to move into the sea. They didn't listen . . .
And I told them if they destroy the sea -- they didn't listen . . . " -
Floyd Westerman's musical presentation
TESTIMONIES, LECTURES, CONCLUSIONS, THE WORLD URANIUM HEARING, SALZBURG 1992
And I told them if they destroy the sky, machines would come and soon destroy the land. They didn't listen . . .
And I told them not to dig for uranium, for if they did, the children would die. They didn't listen, they didn't listen, they didn't listen to me.
And I told them if the children die, there would be no keepers of the land. They didn't listen.
And I told them if they destroy the land, man would have to move into the sea. They didn't listen . . .
And I told them if they destroy the sea -- they didn't listen . . . " -
Floyd Westerman's musical presentation
TESTIMONIES, LECTURES, CONCLUSIONS, THE WORLD URANIUM HEARING, SALZBURG 1992
Westerman, Floyd: Renowned musician, activist, elder passes on
By: Paul DeMain
Floyd Red Crow Westerman, 71, of Palm Springs, California walked on during the earlier morning hours of December 13, 2007.
Funeral services and burial to be held in Sisseton, South Dakota are pending. Plans for a memorial service in California are also being made.
Westerman had been battling health issues complicated by leukemia for weeks in critical condition at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles, California.
Westerman, a musician, activist and actor was born on the Lake Traverse Reservation, home of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Dakota in state of South Dakota. The elder Dakota in the late 20th century became a leading actor depicting Native Americans in American films and television and an advocate for many causes.
At the age of 10, he was sent to the Wahpeton Boarding School, where he first met Dennis Banks of the American Indian Movement. His involvement with Banks over the years blossomed as he traveled on behalf and in support of many activities of AIM.
Westerman earned a degree in secondary education from Northern State University in South Dakota where he majored in both art, and speech and theatre.
He began singing in Denver, Colorado and signed his first record contract in 1969. His albums included Custer Died for Your Sins, (1970), Indian Country: (1970), and The land Is Your Mother, (1973).
His first album, 1970's Custer Died for Your Sins, took its name from an influential book by Santee Sioux author and activist Vine Deloria, Jr., and both were stinging rebukes of America's destructive Indian policy. His most recent album was A Tribute to Johnny Cash, (2006).
Westerman's film and television appearances include the role of the "Shaman" for Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone's The Doors and as "Ten Bears" in Dances with Wolves. Westerman debuted in Renegades in which he played "Red Crow" the Lakota Sioux father of Lou Diamond Phillips. Westerman also appeared as Standing Elk alongside his long-time friend Max Gail in the 2006 family film, Tillamook Treasure. He can be seen as well in the beginning of Hidalgo, as the Chief in Buffalo Bill's circus.
His television roles have included playing "Uncle Ray" on Walker, Texas Ranger, "One Who Waits" on Northern Exposure and multiple appearances as "Albert Hosteen" on the X-Files.
Before his entrance in films and television, Westerman had established a solid reputation as a country-western music singer. His recordings offer probing analysis of European influences in Native American communities. In addition to several recordings of his own, Westerman has collaborated with Jackson Browne, Willie Nelson, Joni Mitchell, Kris Kristofferson, Bonnie Raitt and Buffy Sainte-Marie.
In 1996, he attended the first Native American Music Awards and performed with Joanne Shenandoah in a tribute performance for Hall of Fame Inductee, the late Buddy Red Bow.
In 2002 he was awarded the NAMA Living Legend Award at the Fifth Annual Native American Music Awards with Keith Secola accepting on his behalf.
In 2006, he was won Best Country Recording at the Native American Music Awards for his last full length recording, "A Tribute To Johnny Cash" released by Henhouse Studios.
Westerman has also been a recognized political advocate for Native American causes, working at times with AIM and other Native organizations at the grass root level, and donating his time free of charge, to help raise money for Native causes. He would aften appear at events with close friends, Oneida comedian Charlie Hill and Ojibwe musician Keith Secola.
In 2000, American Indian Expo named Westerman Indian Celebrity of the Year.
Among other accolades, Westerman received a Congressional Certificate of Special Recognition, the Award for Generosity by the Americans for Indian Opportunity, was named Cultural Ambassador by the International Indian Treaty Council, received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the City of Los Angeles and Mayor Richard Riordan, the Integrity Award from the Multi-Cultural Motion Picture Association.
He was also featured in an international advertising campaign by Dutch software company, OTIB, alongside such dignitaries as former Soviet Union president Mikhail Gorbachev and Czech Republic president Vaclav Havel.
From 2003-2007, Westerman appeared in a number of television advertisements for "Lakota" brand topical pain reliever, often wearing traditional Native dress.
Condolences are being posted at Westerman's My Space site at http://www.myspace.com/floydredcrowwesterman
Floyd Red Crow Westerman, 71, of Palm Springs, California walked on during the earlier morning hours of December 13, 2007.
Funeral services and burial to be held in Sisseton, South Dakota are pending. Plans for a memorial service in California are also being made.
Westerman had been battling health issues complicated by leukemia for weeks in critical condition at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles, California.
Westerman, a musician, activist and actor was born on the Lake Traverse Reservation, home of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Dakota in state of South Dakota. The elder Dakota in the late 20th century became a leading actor depicting Native Americans in American films and television and an advocate for many causes.
At the age of 10, he was sent to the Wahpeton Boarding School, where he first met Dennis Banks of the American Indian Movement. His involvement with Banks over the years blossomed as he traveled on behalf and in support of many activities of AIM.
Westerman earned a degree in secondary education from Northern State University in South Dakota where he majored in both art, and speech and theatre.
He began singing in Denver, Colorado and signed his first record contract in 1969. His albums included Custer Died for Your Sins, (1970), Indian Country: (1970), and The land Is Your Mother, (1973).
His first album, 1970's Custer Died for Your Sins, took its name from an influential book by Santee Sioux author and activist Vine Deloria, Jr., and both were stinging rebukes of America's destructive Indian policy. His most recent album was A Tribute to Johnny Cash, (2006).
Westerman's film and television appearances include the role of the "Shaman" for Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone's The Doors and as "Ten Bears" in Dances with Wolves. Westerman debuted in Renegades in which he played "Red Crow" the Lakota Sioux father of Lou Diamond Phillips. Westerman also appeared as Standing Elk alongside his long-time friend Max Gail in the 2006 family film, Tillamook Treasure. He can be seen as well in the beginning of Hidalgo, as the Chief in Buffalo Bill's circus.
His television roles have included playing "Uncle Ray" on Walker, Texas Ranger, "One Who Waits" on Northern Exposure and multiple appearances as "Albert Hosteen" on the X-Files.
Before his entrance in films and television, Westerman had established a solid reputation as a country-western music singer. His recordings offer probing analysis of European influences in Native American communities. In addition to several recordings of his own, Westerman has collaborated with Jackson Browne, Willie Nelson, Joni Mitchell, Kris Kristofferson, Bonnie Raitt and Buffy Sainte-Marie.
In 1996, he attended the first Native American Music Awards and performed with Joanne Shenandoah in a tribute performance for Hall of Fame Inductee, the late Buddy Red Bow.
In 2002 he was awarded the NAMA Living Legend Award at the Fifth Annual Native American Music Awards with Keith Secola accepting on his behalf.
In 2006, he was won Best Country Recording at the Native American Music Awards for his last full length recording, "A Tribute To Johnny Cash" released by Henhouse Studios.
Westerman has also been a recognized political advocate for Native American causes, working at times with AIM and other Native organizations at the grass root level, and donating his time free of charge, to help raise money for Native causes. He would aften appear at events with close friends, Oneida comedian Charlie Hill and Ojibwe musician Keith Secola.
In 2000, American Indian Expo named Westerman Indian Celebrity of the Year.
Among other accolades, Westerman received a Congressional Certificate of Special Recognition, the Award for Generosity by the Americans for Indian Opportunity, was named Cultural Ambassador by the International Indian Treaty Council, received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the City of Los Angeles and Mayor Richard Riordan, the Integrity Award from the Multi-Cultural Motion Picture Association.
He was also featured in an international advertising campaign by Dutch software company, OTIB, alongside such dignitaries as former Soviet Union president Mikhail Gorbachev and Czech Republic president Vaclav Havel.
From 2003-2007, Westerman appeared in a number of television advertisements for "Lakota" brand topical pain reliever, often wearing traditional Native dress.
Condolences are being posted at Westerman's My Space site at http://www.myspace.com/floydredcrowwesterman
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Do you know...
Charles Albert "Chief" Bender (May 5, 1884 - May 22, 1954) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball during the first two decades of the 20th century. He is also a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Bender was born in Crow Wing County, Minnesota as a member of the Ojibwa tribe - he faced discrimination throughout his career, not least of which was the stereotyped nickname ("Chief") by which he is almost exclusively known today. After graduating from Carlisle Indian Industrial School, Bender went on to a stellar career as a starting pitcher from 1903 to 1917, primarily with Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics (though with stints at the end of his career with the Baltimore Terrapins of the short-lived Federal League, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Chicago White Sox).
Over his career, his win-loss record was 212-127, for a .625 winning percentage (a category in which he would lead the American League in three seasons). His talent was even more noticeable in the high-pressure environment of the World Series: in five trips to the championship series, he managed six wins and a 2.44 ERA. In the 1911 Series, he pitched three complete games, which set the record for most complete games pitched in a six-game series. He also threw a no-hitter in 1910.
Bender was born in Crow Wing County, Minnesota as a member of the Ojibwa tribe - he faced discrimination throughout his career, not least of which was the stereotyped nickname ("Chief") by which he is almost exclusively known today. After graduating from Carlisle Indian Industrial School, Bender went on to a stellar career as a starting pitcher from 1903 to 1917, primarily with Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics (though with stints at the end of his career with the Baltimore Terrapins of the short-lived Federal League, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Chicago White Sox).
Over his career, his win-loss record was 212-127, for a .625 winning percentage (a category in which he would lead the American League in three seasons). His talent was even more noticeable in the high-pressure environment of the World Series: in five trips to the championship series, he managed six wins and a 2.44 ERA. In the 1911 Series, he pitched three complete games, which set the record for most complete games pitched in a six-game series. He also threw a no-hitter in 1910.
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