Subject: Wotanging Ikche--nanews03.041 From: gars@netcom.com (Gary Night Owl) To: Internet Recipients of Wotanging Ikche Message-ID: _ __ _____ __ _ __ ___ ____ _ __ ___ ' ) / / ') / / ) ' ) ) / ) / ' ) ) / ) / / / / / / /--/ / / / ___ / / / / ___ (_(_/ (__/ ( / (_ / (_ (___/ '__/_ / (_ (___/ ' O ____ _ , ___ _ , ___ O o O / ' ) / / ) ' ) / / ' O o O / /-< / /--/ /-- VOLUME 03, ISSUE 041 O o o o o O __/_ / ) (___/ / ( (___, 14 October 1995 O o O O o O K A N O H E D A A N I Y V W I Y A O ( N A T I V E A M E R I C A N N E W S ) This issue contains articles from NATIVELIT, NATCHAT & NATIVE-L listservers; Newsgroups: alt.native,soc.culture.native; UUCP & Genie (General Electric) email Articles appearing have been previously posted for public dissemination and/or permission for inclusion has been secured. Letters of authorization are on file. A list of those granting permission to repost their words in this issue are listed at the end of part A. I thank each of you for allowing your words to be shared with the people. <----<<<< >>>>----> This newsletter is a way of keeping the brothers and sisters who share our Spirit informed about current events within the lives of those who walk the Red Road. It is archived at the Native American FTP site ftp.cit.cornell.edu in the directory /pub/special/NativeProfs/newsletters; and part A is being sent to the NATIVE-L mailing list, one of the NativeNet lists managed by Gary Trujillo (gst@gnosys.svle.ma.us). It is also echoed on AISESnet, IND-NET, and EIRP listservers and archived by AISESnet. Thanks to Don Rayment ,don.rayment@uptowne.com, Wotanging Ikche/ Kanoheda Aniyvwiya is being redistributed via a listserver. If you would like to receive Wotanging Ikche via the listserver, you can send a message to listserv@uptowne.com and include, in the body of your message "sub wotanging.ikche " Thanks to Marc Becker, mbecker@uclink2.berkeley.edu, issues of Wotanging Ikche/Kanoheda Aniyvwiya are being archived at a World-Wide-Web site. The URL is http://web.maxwell.syr.edu/nativeweb/journals/nanews Thanks to Phil Duran, duranp@wsuvm1.csc.wsu.edu, issues are now being archived at the Washington State University gopher in the following directory: gopher.wsu.edu /WSU Campuses Info /Public Services /Native Peoples "I have seen two generations of my people die. Not a man of the two generations is alive now but myself. I know the difference between peace and war better than any man in my country. I am now grown old, and must die soon; my authority must descend to my brothers, Opitchapan, Opechanacanough and Catatough -- then to my two sisters, and then to my two daughters. I wish them to know as I do, and that their love to them may be like mine to you. Why will you take by force that which you may have quietly by love? Why will you destroy us who supply you with food? What can you get by war? We can hide our provisions and run into the woods; then you will starve for wronging your friends. Why are you jealous of us?" __ Chief Wahunsonacock, Powhatan +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | Indian Pledge of Allegiance | The Indian Pledge of Alleg- | | iance was first presented | I pledge allegiance to my Tribe,| on 2 December '93 during the | to the democratic principles | opening address of the Nat- | of the Republic | ional Congress of American | and to the individual freedoms | Indian Tribal-States Relat- | borrowed from the Iroquois and | ions Panel in Reno, NV. NCAI | Choctaw Confederacies, | plans distribution of the | as incorporated in the United | Indian Pledge to all Indian | States Constitution, | Nations. | so that my forefathers | | shall not have died in vain | Walk in Beauty! Night Owl +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ O'siyo Brothers and Sisters! Is it jealousy that drives the Euro-Americans to do what they do? Is it ignorance? Is it simply a lack of heart? When does it make sense to plow and bulldoze Sacred places and the green ones to build malls, lined with shrubs that were ripped out to make a place for the buildings with artificial sunlight and filtered air? The filters can not hope to clean the air as do the trees and shrubs and grass that stood there before. When does it make sense to bulldoze the graves of our ancestors to build a monument to their passing? Why can their graves and resting places not be testimony enough that they have crossed over? Does it really require a billboard on the side of the road to speak of their betrayal? Is it jealousy, ignorance or lack of heart? ... or greed Peace! Night Owl , , Gary Night Owl gars@genie.geis.com (*,*) P. O. Box 672168 gars@netcom.com (`-') Marietta, GA 30067, U.S.A. gars@igc.apc.org ===w=w=== ----------- News of the people featured in this issue ---------- Part A: Usenet and e-mail Part B: NATCHAT and NATIVE-L lists - Thundercloud - Conferences and Powwows - online - Rainbow People - URGENT ACTION: - Cultural Misbelief Otomie People Mexico - History Part 1 - Native Americans/Quantum - Review: The Scout - Book on White Spirituality, etc. - Reviews: Children's Books by/about Native Americans - Reviews: New/Recent Books by/about Native Americans - Poem: The Sun Was Stolen - Verse: Hawai'ian Book of Days - Conferences and Powwows - offline --------- "RE: Thundercloud" --------- DATE:9/29/95 9:53 PM From: George Brinton, INTERNET:GABBC@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU TO:"Ven. Chigger Wind", 75020,405 Subj: Thundercloud UUCP email Dear Dhyani, Here is an appeal we sent to a few selected Internet sites. We would appreciate assistance in locating a psychiatrist and/or geriatrician with experience in competency evaluations, who is Native American or sensitive to cross-cultural issues, to help a 78-year-old fully ambulatory Saponi Cherokee man who has been involuntarily confined in a Trenton nursing home by his family. Having never been adjudicated incompetent, he attempted to leave in April, after retaining an attorney to expedite his release, but was denied his freedom by the nursing home staff with police assistance. He is currently undergoing a competency hearing presided over by a NJ state court judge. This Native American elder, who has lived his adult life as a spiritual teacher and healer within his tradition, has made an impassioned plea in court to leave the nursing home and live where he is wanted and revered on a Seneca reservation in the home of a spiritual colleague who can provide adequate care and an environment in which he can practice his beliefs and vocational skills. He is acutely aware of the injustice of his confinement, particularly as his mental confusion, cited by the opposition, arose from severe elder abuse, rather than from a slow organically-based decline in his capacities. Since last October, this man's family, who reject their Native American heritage, increasingly isolated him from his spiritual circles and all "outsiders," over the objections of his long-time friends who tried to intervene. He was malnourished and forced to perform harmful physical labor until he was ultimately hospitalized in a starved condition, suffering from bronchitis, and, according to hospital records, suffering from abuse by an unnamed relative. His truck, personal belongings and ritual objects have been taken from him. On the basis of a false social history taken from family members, he was diagnosed as being in the last stages of Alzheimer's and was transferred to his current residence, a high-security facility in which he can be signed out only by the family. He was again isolated from all former contacts until a court order in May, initiated by attorneys acting on his behalf, permitted friends and spiritual supporters to visit. In this setting, he continues to experience trauma from his family due to their expressed anger over his insistence upon a hearing, and he has been forbidden by the nursing home administrator to use a ceremonial pipe in their designated smoking area. He is currently being represented by a law firm recommended by a Native American community on the basis this firm's success in representing "traditionals" in federal court. As a non-reservation Native who is not tribally affiliated, this elder is not eligible for federal advocacy. If an appropriate specialist, in addition to the medical expert currently testifying on his behalf, cannot be recruited to offset testimony by the nursing home physician and psychiatrist, there is a high likelihood that he will be found incompetent, that his sister will be appointed guardian, and that he will be confined for the rest of his life, isolated from his friends and other Native Americans. While this elder's attorneys and current medical expert are working pro bono, fees, if required, can be arranged for an interested qualified individual. His former doctor, now in retirement, has also agreed to help in the event that such expertise can be secured. As the hearing resumes on 10/11/95, we would appreciate a response as soon as possible from any interested qualified candidate. Please contact: Marcia and George Brinton gabbc@cunyvm.cuny.edu --------- "RE: Rainbow People" --------- Date: Mon, 2 Oct 1995 02:20:28 +0100 From: Jenna Subj: Rainbow People UUCP email Please forward: There is only one future...everyone's future. Each of us, no matter what our colour, gender or beliefs, has a part to play in that future, because it is formed from the tangled web of all of our lives. We are the Rainbow People. Every one of us, because we come together despite all our differences, together to find our strengths and our weaknesses, and to turn our weaknesses into strengths. The future I See is a darkened one, shadowed by the threat of war, shadowed by the threat of death. But in the darkest times come the brightest lights, and I see lights shining here. Some people are saying that the world is coming to an end. I say not, because there is no ending, only change. All we have to do is work together so that we and all we hold dear can survive the changes that are to come. We are all different for a reason - so that our strengths can uphold the weaknesses of our brothers and sisters - because that is what we all are. My friend, Star Wolf, speaks of an Infinite Web which joins all things together. If there is such a web, than we are all part of it, and need to move together...instead of trying our best to tear it apart. We can only find our future when colour and nation cease to matter, when the messages on the wind are heard. The messages we send, and the messages we must live, are part of that web, part of the universe. They are part of what guides the future. We fight a war in which our weapons are pen, and paper, and modem, and fax...but above all, one in which our ammunition is information. The pen truly is mightier than the sword, for only when information is free can people be free. Control a man's dreams and you control his soul. The dreams of western man are fettered, channeled into a hazy, unreal world of advertising. Buy this after shave, and you will be more attractive to women. Use that toothpaste, and your boyfriend/husband/lover will want to kiss you more. Dreams that feed only the moment of desire, and the population explosion which turns us into nothing more than a virus feeding off our own planet. But a few people are trying to free our dreams again. Free them to take flight into a world where anything is possible. And when anything is possible in our dreams, what can we do in the 'real' world? The two are not so far apart as many would think. What we have to do is hold on to what really matters. The flight of an eagle over the mountains. The feeling of a good horse beneath you as it gallops across a field. The touch of a friend. And, the most important thing of all - our strength, our honour and our integrity. The ultimate goal has to be to be ourselves and yet accept others. To do that, we have to accept ourselves, because the Other is within each one of us. And remember - There is no ending, only change. "Jenna" "The truth which makes men free is, for the most part, the truth which men prefer not to hear." - Herbert Agar The Dreamers :- For those who dare to believe the dream http://www.wolfe.net/~cherokee --------- "RE: Cultural Misbelief" --------- Date: Fri, 6 Oct 1995 18:39:28 -0500 (CDT) From: lhellwi@interaccess.com Subj: Cultural Misbelief UUCP email I've been spending a lot of time on the Internet these past few months. Wedged between articles about Leonard Peltier,Gustafson Lake and Big Mountain has been an ongoing discussion (and sometimes argument) about Native American Spirituality versus New Age Spirituality. The posts seem to chase each other in circles until we all figuratively throw up our hands and say, "You just don't get it!" We're all coming from our own pasts, attempting to explain the unexplainable, cultural beliefs that are so deeply ingrained they have ceased to be beliefs and are now part of our DNA. Confronted with questions, we respond with confused, defensive arguments. Natives are resentful of the questions about - sometimes demands to share - their spiritual beliefs. Non-Natives are resentful of the explanations we receive in return, words telling us that we can not only not have the answers, we shouldn't be asking the questions. Round and round until, finally, "You just don't get it!" If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm not Native American, so I can't even address that side of the issue. I can, however, offer my opinion about the non-Native (specifically Protestant Christian) side of things, try to explain some of the confusion. The last chapter of Matthew, in the bible, ends with a verse saying "Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever, I have commanded you. Lo, I am with you always, even until the end of the world." Once you read that verse, it's pretty easy to determine which way Christianity was going to go, even without opening a history book. I was raised Methodist, and I learned that verse in Sunday School when I was 7 or 8 years old. The few Sundays that I did go to church, as a child, were filled with exhortations not only to be a Christian, but to "testify" to other people that they too might be "saved". Christianity without testimony is nothing. Jesus commanded Christians to go out and share their spirituality with everyone. Those Sunday exhortations were never threatening, and to be honest, I'm probably exaggerating their frequency. That's what I mean, though. Anyone who was raised Christian, who spent any time at all, ever, going to church, absorbed the idea that our mission was, well, to be missionaries. For those of us raised Christians, that's one of the ideas that's in our DNA. Even if we never, ever go and try to "save" someone, the knowledge that we're supposed to share our spiritual beliefs, that it is an obligation and duty, lives in our minds, as much a part of our mental/emotional foundation as breathing is part of our physical foundation. I know that Christianity is not the only religion in the United States, but it's the only religion I can speak of with any kind of authority. What authority? Well, there's another brick in the foundation. Anyone who has ever answered the door and been greeted by Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons or any other Christian-based believer has probably figured out by now that there simply can't be that many ordained ministers in the world. Although only ordained or recognized authorities in any given denomination can perform the sacraments (baptism, marriage, and so on), anyone, so the story goes, can teach, and everyone should. So here we are at the end of the Twentieth Century, after 2000 years of Christian Indoctrination, and disillusioned Christians are turning their backs on Christianity in a desperate attempt to find something else, something real, something a little less violent and arrogant. After 500 years of ignoring the First People on this continent (except to take their land, kill them or convert them), those disillusioned Christians now believe that Native Americans possess the spiritual beliefs that will allow them to truly break their tie with Christianity and fill that spiritual void. And so they come, eagerly and with little knowledge, a few preconceived notions, and a lot of questions. Questions, they cry plaintively, to which they need answers, they need knowledge, they need - whoops - . salvation! Christianity, they correctly point out, has been 2000 years of conquest, inquisitions and bloodshed. A distant, long dead man who preached peace, and whose followers have been killing in his name ever since, just doesn't make it anymore. They have taken the first step by turning their back on Christianity, they think they're ready to go on to something more enlightened and in tune with the world, but the fact is, the foundation still stands. Since any Christian can (and is supposed to) teach, they expect this is true of other belief systems. Rather than journey to a reservation which is likely to be a long drive from home, it's much easier to turn to the closest Native American and beg for enlightenment. If they are met with a refusal, no matter how respectfully given, they get frustrated and move on to the next Indian. Or they can stop off at the nearest bookstore and pick up a book on the topic. Another brick in the foundation is that it's very easy to become a Christian. Believe that Jesus was the Messiah, the son of God, and you are a Christian. Sure, specific denominations have their own rituals to allow you to call yourself a member of that denomination, but those are ceremonial, rites intended to publicly display your commitment to the community of the church. It's still possible for you to call yourself a Christian, even if you never join a church. So now there are seekers out there, wanting to replace their belief system with another, who unknowingly believe that anyone can teach them, anyone should teach them, and it should be a fairly simple task to "convert". These are the people who get caught up with Ed McGaa's Rainbow Tribe, the ones who snap up books written by Brooke Medicine Eagle, the ones who shell out lots of money to participate in a "Sweat" Ceremony or "Vision Quest". It makes perfect sense to these seekers that anyone can teach them (and should). It makes perfect sense to them to believe that they can learn from books written by these people. After all, in addition to the bible, there have been thousands of books written on how to be a Christian. Sometimes, sadly, it even makes perfect sense that one should pay to participate in a ritual. Sunday collection plates are found in every Christian church, and for those who can't or won't go to church, Jimmy Swaggart, Jerry Falwell or Oral Roberts is more than happy to take the cash and promise God's love and understanding. I've read some of the authors mentioned above, partly because I was also searching, partly because I was curious. Reading Ed McGaa is like reading a cookbook. Sweat Ceremony? No problem, recipe is on page 35. Pipe ceremony? No problem, page 89 (with instructions on how to make your very own pipe following). The rest of them aren't quite cookbooks, but they still ring out of tune. They offer pat answers and distorted rituals; they promise "truths" that don't exist. Just as being told that simply believing Jesus was the Messiah can't nourish you spiritually, instructions on how to Vision Quest in your backyard during spring break won't nourish you either. So where does it go from here? I can't pretend to advise the Indians who are being bombarded with questions, those answers are found in your teachings and community. I can only advise my fellow Recovering Christians: before you can build something new, you have to rip out the old foundation first. Lisa Stalnaker Hellwig --------- "RE: History Part 1" --------- Date: Mon, 2 Oct 1995 03:10:34 -0700 (PDT) From: cherokee@WOLFE.net Subj: History Part 1 UUCP email Conflict regarding relations with Indian tribes was not resolved by the outcome of the Revolutionary War. The U.S. replaced the Crown, and the States replaced the colonies, but the issue of local versus national interest and control was not settled. The newly formed Continental Congress reserved to itself the power of "managing all affairs with the Indians not members of any of the States" but also provided that the "legislative right of any State, within its own limits, be not infringed." This essentially codified a dichotomy between the national and local views on Indian affairs. Both the emerging central government and the States agreed that the Indians were needed as allies in the Revolutionary War. As a military imperative they sought to maintain friendly relations with as many tribes as possible. By 1778 the American government had negotiated its first treaty, with the Delawares. The role of the central government with respect to the tribes and the policy it would follow toward them was a much debated issue in revolutionary times. George Washington played an important role in formulating policy and made clear in his writings that the Federal Government would need to intercede on behalf of the tribes. Washington's advice, accepted by a Nation that was exhausted and weak, was codified as a proclamation of the Continental Congress on September 22, 1783. The Ordinance for the Regulation of Indian Affairs followed in 1786 and in 1787, the Northwest Ordinance. This often quoted and much violated document expresses the following: "The utmost good faith shall always be observed towards the Indians; their lands and property shall never be taken from them without their consent; and, in their property, rights and liberty, they shall never be invaded or disturbed, unless in just and lawful wars authorized by Congress; but laws founded in justice and humanity shall from time to time be made for preventing wrongs being done to them, and for preserving peace and friendship with them." When the Revolutionary War ended in 1783, the United States embarked on a round of treaties with its former allies as well as with the tribes that had aligned themselves with the British. The United States Constitution, ratified in 1789, confirmed the Federal role in Indian policy by assigning Congress the authority to involve itself in Indian affairs. Through the treaty process the United States would acquire both lands and legal responsibilities; the tribes would cede lands and obtain Federal commitments in return. It was believed to be in the clear interest of both the United States Government and the Indian nations, under the military circumstances of the era, to live without war and by contract. Between the end of the French and Indian War (1763) and the end of the War of 1812, the Indian nations were secure in the use and occupancy of their lands. They in effect parlayed their claims to land into claims for services from the new American government. The treaty process would continue for almost a hundred years and would acquire millions of acres of land for the U.S. Government to provide to non-Indian settlers. The treaties also build a reservoir or material and political promises to the tribes. The quest for land for the use of non-Indian settlers took on new impetus at the turn of the 19th century. The Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and the acquisition of Florida in 1812-19 doubled the United States in size. With this expansion, coupled with the philosophy off "manifest destiny," Indian tribes faced a dramatic and damaging change in Federal Indian policy. The political-military realities between the tribes and the United States shifted with Thomas Jefferson who insisted on a constitutional amendment to exchange the Indian land east of the Mississippi for land west of that boundary. The amendment failed, but subsequent congressional authorization passed and the tribes were unable to resist removal. Thousands of Indian people, almost the entire Indian population that had existed in the Southeastern United States, were moved west. The first removal treaty, following soon after the Indian Removal Act of 1830, was the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek with the Choctaw Nation. Tens of thousands of helpless Indians suffered incredible hardships as their efforts to halt the government's policy failed and they were reluctantly removed to the present State of Oklahoma. Indians were seen as being historically anterior and morally inferior to Protestant Christian settlers, and with expectations of their demise as a People, there was pressure to civilize and Christianize them before it was "too late". Large and small missions were strung out across America and were to provide the Indians with European concepts of work, time, savings and Christian orthodoxy to the end that "as tribes and nations the Indians must perish and live only as men!" --------- "RE: Review: The Scout" --------- Date: Thu, 5 Oct 1995 09:00:42 -0600 (MDT) From: Steve Brock Subj: Review of The Scout by Harry Combs (historical fiction) Mailing List: NATIVELIT THE SCOUT by Harry Combs. Delacorte Press, 1540 Broadway, N.Y., NY 10036, (800) 223-6834, (212) 492-9862 FAX. Maps. 608 pp., $22.95 cloth. 0-385-31198-2 Reviewed by Steve Brock Eighty-two-year-old Combs, an aviation industry mogul and Colorado resident (he has a 19,000-acre cattle ranch near Colorado Springs), has written his second installment in the "Brules" trilogy, a wide-ranging, grandiose, and historically-grounded "memoir" of the Old West. Grizzled Cat Brules, now in his latter years, tells the story of his life to a young neighbor who visits Brules against his mother's wishes. "...that man is a thief and a murderer," she says. "He has a terrible criminal record and lives like a savage. I don't want you to go anywhere near him." On several occasions, though, the young man rides up to a small cabin on Lone Cone Peak, near Durango, Colorado, and, transfixed, he listens to the "legend of the old man they called Brules." In "The Scout," Brules, having spent many years on a personal vendetta against the Comanche and mourning the death of Wild Rose, his Shoshone wife, enlists as a scout with General George Crook and is present at many historical battles, not the least of which are the Battles of Rosebud and Little Bighorn (in which Combs provides a new twist on exactly how Custer died). Brules also finds himself at the surrender of Chief Joseph, the rescue of the Meeker family from the Utes, and with Crook as he journeys into Arizona territory to deal with Geronimo and the Apache uprising. Between battles, there's time for hunting grizzlies and elk, becoming a blood brother to the brother of Wild Rose, falling in love with (and marrying) a beautiful Mormon girl, and appreciating the extraordinary beauty of the American West. "The Scout" is much less violent and much more of a documenta- ry than its predecessor, though it still seems to be about three books long (and, near the end, long-winded). At the same time, though, most of the book is a moving, action-packed thriller that will set western history buffs to thinkin'. Grade: B. --------- "RE: Reviews: Children's Books by/about Native Americans" --------- Date: 12 Sep 1995 19:21:37 GMT From: brock@ucsub.colorado.edu (Steve Brock) Subj: Short reviews of children's books by/about Native Americans Newsgroups: alt.native,soc.culture.native Here are several short reviews of new children's books by or about Native Americans. All are written by Steve Brock: For ages 2-4: GIVING THANKS: A NATIVE AMERICAN GOOD MORNING MESSAGE, written by Chief Jake Swamp, illustrated by Erwin Printup, Jr. Lee and Low Books, 95 Madison Ave., N.Y., NY 10016, (800) 621-1115, (212) 213- 6435 FAX. Illustrated. 24 pp., $14.95 cloth. 1-880000-15-6 Members of the Iroquois (also known as Haudenosaunee or Six Nations) of upstate New York and Canada start each day with a prayer of respect, appreciation, and thanks: for life, abundant natural resources, food, birds and animals, the Four Winds, the weather, the sun, moon, and stars, the spirit protectors, and the Great Spirit. These words are repeated here with warm, inviting illustrations that suitably express the respect that Indians feel for all life. This is a book to savor and share. Grade: A. For ages 3 and up: IN A CIRCLE LONG AGO: A TREASURY OF NATIVE LORE FROM NORTH AMERICA, retold by Nancy Van Laan, illustrated by Lisa Desimini. Knopf/Apple Soup, 201 E. 50th St., N.Y., NY 10022, (800) 638-6460, (212) 572-2593 FAX. Illustrated, appendix, source notes, references. 128 pp., $20.00 cloth. 0-679-85807-5 These twenty-five stories, poems, and songs have been gathered from over twenty tribes. The geographically-grouped stories encourage respect for the natural world ("How Beaver Stole Fire"), caution against vanity ("How Possum Got His Skinny Tail"), and provide humorous accounts of how animals relate with one another ("Coyote and the Blackbirds"), while the songs celebrate family ("A Story") and provide comfort ("Father is Coming"). This will be a much- requested read-aloud that will be passed around many family circles. Grade: A-. For ages 4-8: THE STAR MAIDEN by Barbara Juster Esbensen, illustrated by Helen K. Davie. Little, Brown and Company, 34 Beacon St., Boston, MA 02154, (800) 759-0190, (617) 890-0875 FAX. Illustrated. 32 pp., $5.95 paper. 0-316-24955-6 In this sensitive Ojibway (also known as Chippewa or Anishnabe) myth, members of an Indian tribe are transfixed as a star moves close to the Earth. The star appears in the dream of a brave as a silver maiden who says she is lonely and wants to live among the people of the tribe. The tribal council decides to welcome the star. She searches for the best place to take up residence and settles, with her star sisters, into water lilies. The dreamy watercolors and reassuring text make this a suitable bedtime story, sending children on their own search among the stars while firmly anchored in the hearts of their parents. Grade: A. An interactive "Star Maiden" program is also available on a Macintosh disk, teaching word recognition, rhyming, comprehension, and spelling. THE STORY OF THE MILKY WAY: A CHEROKEE TALE by Joseph Bruchac. Dial Books for Young Readers, 375 Hudson St., N.Y., NY 10014, (212) 366-2000, (212) 366-2666 FAX. Illustrated, author's notes. 32 pp., $14.99 cloth. 0-8037-1737-7 "This is what the old people told me when I was a child" When the world was new, there were few stars in the sky and corn was the staple of the Cherokee people. One morning, an elderly couple discover that a giant spirit dog has been eating their cornmeal during the night. The next time he appears, the people jump out from hiding, beating drums and shaking rattles, and chase the dog into the sky. As he flies away, cornmeal drops from his mouth and becomes the stars of the Milky Way, called Gil'liutsun stanun'yi, or "the place where the dog ran" in Cherokee. As are most Native American folktales, this story is full of enchantment and guidance at the same time. Stroud's acrylic illustrations leave little distinction between individuals other than hair color, but her spirit dog is a forceful apparition. Grade: B+. For ages 5 and up: THE SAME SUN WAS IN THE SKY by Denise Webb, illustrated by Walter Porter. Northland Publishing, P.O. Box 1389, Flagstaff, AZ 86002- 1389, (800) 346-3257, (800) 257-9082 FAX. Northland also has a line of southwestern design T-shirts and other gifts. Illustrated, author's note. 32 pp., $14.95 cloth. 0-87358-602-6 A young boy and his grandfather hike to an area in southern Arizona where Hohokam Indians once lived centuries before. As the two gaze at petroglyphs in the rocks, the grandfather tells of the Ancient Ones and the boy imagines Hohokam children pounding pictures into the rocks, harvesting fruit from the saguaro cactus, and chasing a lizard, both events occurring under the same sun. The glowing watercolor illustrations in brown, yellow, and purple dramatically depict life on the desert. Grade: B+. For all ages: THE GIRL WHO SWAM WITH THE FISH: AN ATHABASCAN LEGEND, retold by Michelle Renner, illustrated by Christine Cox. Alaska Northwest Books, P.O. Box 10306, 3019 NW Yeon Ave., Portland, OR 92710, (800) 452-3032, (503) 223-1410. Illustrated. 32 pp., $15.95 cloth. 1- 88240-442-3 In this folktale, Renner tells two stories in one. The first, about a girl who falls into a river and is changed into a king salmon, teaches about the special relationship that Alaska natives have with the fish that honors them with its return to their fish camp. At the same time, readers will understand that life is cyclical and will only continue to be so if respected and not obstructed. The bold woodcut illustrations are cartoon like, but Cox's fish threaten to swim off the pages. Grade: B. DANCE ON A SEALSKIN, story by Barbara Winslow, illustrations by Teri Sloat. Alaska Northwest Books, P.O. Box 10306, 3019 NW Yeon Ave., Portland, OR 92710, (800) 452-3032, (503) 223-1410. Illustrated. 32 pp., $15.95 cloth. 1-88240-443-1 Both the author and illustrator witnessed several potlatches as teachers of Yupik children in Alaska in the 1970s. Their story of Annie's performance of her first traditional dance as part of her coming-of-age ceremony that will formally signal her acceptance as part of the Yupik community, is an effective portrayal of an age- old custom that will be a welcome addition to Native American folklore collections in both libraries and homes. Grade: A. --------- "RE: Reviews: New/Recent Books by/about Native Americans" --------- Date: 27 Sep 1995 01:41:06 GMT From: brock@ucsub.colorado.edu (Steve Brock) Subj: Reviews of new/recent books by/about Native Americans Newsgroups: alt.native,soc.culture.native Here are several short reviews of new and recent books by and about Native Americans, part one of three. All reviews are written by Steve Brock: WOMEN AND POWER IN NATIVE NORTH AMERICA, edited by Laura F. Klein and Lillian A. Ackerman. University of Oklahoma Press, 1005 Asp Ave., Norman, OK 73019, (800) 627-7377, (405) 325-5000 FAX. Index, references, notes, map. 304 pp., $24.95 cloth. 0-8061- 2752-X The status of women in eleven tribes in the United States and Canada is examined in this first academic presentation to look at the power of tribal women (an expression of the amount of autonomy they possess) in a structured manner. In virtually every instance, the chapter authors find that women (as clan mothers, war and medicine women, etc.) have more power than previously thought, though there is concern about its erosion from contact with the paternalistic Anglo culture. A rich and thoughtful presentation (don't miss Vine Deloria's tips on how to spot an anthropologist on a reservation); perfect for classes in anthropology and gender studies. Grade: A-. CLOTHING TRADITIONS SERIES: EARTH LINE AND MORNINGSTAR: NLAKA'PAMUX CLOTHING TRADITIONS by Leslie H. Tepper, SANATUJUT: PRIDE IN WOMEN'S WORK: COPPER AND CARIBOU INUIT CLOTHING TRADITIONS by Judy Hall, Jill Oakes, and Sally Qimmiu'naaq Webster, FROM THE LAND: TWO HUNDRED YEARS OF DENE CLOTHING by Judy Thompson. Published by the Canadian Museum of Civilization, distributed in the U.S. by the University of Washington Press, P.O. Box 50096, Seattle, WA 98145-5096, (800) 441-4115, (206) 543-3932 FAX. Illustrated, bibliography, notes, maps. 136 pp., $29.95 paper, each. "Earth Line" is 0-660-14026-8, "Sanatujut" is 0-660-14027-6, "From the Land" is 0-660-14025-X. Canadian natives, especially those of the Northwest Territories, live in a climate in which clothing must not only signify cultural identity, but keep them warm in winter and cool (yet protected from droves of biting insects) during the short, but warm, summer months. These three exhibition catalogs, published in cooperation with each tribe, describe the history, function, and design variations of clothing worn by the Nlaka'pamux (southwestern British Columbia), the Inuit (eastern Northwest Territories), and the Dene (western Northwest Territories). All are significant contributions to native and fine arts collections. Grade for each: A. MOLLY SPOTTED ELK: A PENOBSCOT IN PARIS by Bunny McBride. University of Oklahoma Press, 1005 Asp Ave., Norman, OK 73019, (800) 627-7377, (405) 325-5000 FAX. Illustrated, index, bibliogra- phy, notes. 380 pp., $24.95 cloth. 0-8061-2756-2 Molly Nelson (1903-1976), born on Indian Island, Maine, adopted the stage name Spotted Elk as a teenager and danced in vaudeville and wild west shows as a means of linking her Penobscot culture with the increasingly Anglo-dominated world. She eventually achieved international fame, starring in the silent movie "The Quiet Enemy" in 1930, and was invited to perform in Paris. McBride, using Molly's diaries and extensive interviews with her daughter, has written a touching account of a little-known figure in Native American history. Grade: A-. ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF NAVAJO RUGS by Marian E. Rodee. University of New Mexico Press, 1720 Lomas Blvd. N.E., Albuquerque, NM 87131-1591, (505) 277-2346, (505) 277-9270 FAX. Illustrated, index, maps, reading list. 199 pp., $29.95 paper. 0-8263-1576-3 Revised and expanded from Rodee's 1981 edition of "Old Navajo Rugs," this history of the great Navajo weavers (primarily from 1900-1940), and the trading posts, Indian agencies, and museums that bought their rugs, includes many black-and-white and color plates from all periods. The book is well-researched (though a list of sources for the blankets would have been helpful) and recommended for both libraries and collectors. Grade: B. NATIVE AMERICAN COMMUNITIES IN WISCONSIN 1600-1960: A STUDY OF TRADITION AND CHANGE by Robert E. Bieder. University of Wisconsin Press, 114 North Murray St., Madison, WI 53715, (608) 262-8782. Illustrated, index, bibliography, notes, maps. 302 pp., $37.50 cloth (0-299-14520-4), $17.95 paper (0-299-14524-7). Written for the general reader, Bieder analyzes the idea of community and how it has changed for Wisconsin tribes (Ojibwa, Potawatomie, Menominee, Winnebago, Oneida, Stockbridge-Munsee, and Ottawa) as they experienced contact with French, British, and American explorers and settlers. During the period studied, Bieder found that more important than the loss of their land was the constant need for tribes to redefine their cultural identity. While those looking for a structural approach or specific informa- tion on individual tribes will be disappointed, this is a solid general history. Grade: B. DIRT FOR MAKING THINGS: AN APPRENTICESHIP IN MARICOPA POTTERY as told to Janet Stoeppelmann by Mary Fernald. Northland Publishing, P.O. Box 1389, Flagstaff, AZ 86002-1389, (800) 346-3257, (800) 257- 9082 FAX. Northland also has a line of southwestern design T- shirts and other gifts. Illustrated, index, appendix, map. 112 pp., $14.95 paper. 0-87358-595-X Fernald, concerned that Maricopa pottery would become a lost art (there are currently only four practicing potters left), has written a book about her apprenticeship with Mabel Sunn and Ida Redbird, which contains her recollections, a history of Maricopa pottery, and instructions for making a Maricopa pot. This affectionate narrative is a tribute, as well as a major step toward perpetuating the artform. Grade: B+. SHADOWCATCHERS: A JOURNEY IN SEARCH OF THE TEACHINGS OF NATIVE AMERICAN HEALERS by Steve Wall. HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. (HarperPerennial), 10 E. 53rd St., N.Y., NY 10022-5299, (800) 242- 7737, (800) 822-4090 FAX. Illustrated. 294 pp., $16.00 paper. 0- 06-092672-4 In this companion volume to his "Wisdomkeepers" (1990), Wall visits the elders and tribal leaders of seven tribes in Mexico and South America and revisits six nations in the U.S., recording in their words how they feel about the earth, their place in it, and its ability to heal them. The book also contains Wall's experiences with each tribe, many of which were reluctant to talk to him about their spirituality. Though the book is an inspiring call for harmony among the races, there is little here that makes it preferable to others on the same subject. Grade: B-. FACES IN THE MOON by Betty Louise Bell. University of Oklahoma Press, 1005 Asp Ave., Norman, OK 73019, (800) 627-7377, (405) 325-5000 FAX. 192 pp., $10.95 paper. 0-8061-2774-0 Now out in a paperback edition, here is my review of the hardcover: Three generations of women, each attaching a different meaning to their Cherokee heritage, struggle with their interpretations in this emotional and spellbinding debut. When Lucie is called back to Oklahoma after her mother suffers a stroke, she must again confront her past as a pawn in the battle of the lifestyles of her grandmother, Hellen, who supports Cherokee traditional ways, and her mother, Gracie, who yearns to escape her Indian trappings and make it in the less confining white world. As the plot unfolds amid flashbacks and Gracie's worsening condition, Lucie finds comfort in the "women's stories" that the Cherokee have told through the ages. With sincerely-spoken dialogue and a lean and evocative prose, Bell resonantly illustrates that culture and kinship can never be fully separated. Bell, a Cherokee herself, is a professor at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Grade: B+. A CONCISE DICTIONARY OF MINNESOTA OJIBWE by John D. Nichols and Earl Nyholm. University of Minnesota Press, 111 Third Avenue South, Suite 290, Minneapolis, MN 55401-2520, (800) 388-3863, FAX: (612) 626-7313. Orders for University of Minnesota Press books may be placed via Internet e-mail at ump@maroon.tc.umn.edu. Illustrat- ed. 316 pp., $9.95 paper. 0-8166-2428-3 Ojibwe is spoken by the Anishinabe (also known as Chippewa) of the upper Midwest and central and eastern Canada. In this volume (an expanded and revised version of "Ojibwewi-Ikidowinan: An Ojibwe Word Resource Book" published in 1979), more than 7,000 words of Minnesota Ojibwe, a local dialect spoken in central and northern Minnesota, are presented in both Ojibwe-English and English-Ojibwe formats, in a standardized orthography. This is an interim publication (a reference dictionary with more than 25,000 words is being prepared), of use to all who wish to become conversant in Anishinaabemowin, and the price listed above is not a typographical error. Grade: A. THE BIOGRAPHICAL DIRECTORY OF NATIVE AMERICAN PAINTERS by Patrick J. Lester. SIR Publications, P.O. Box 700156, Tulsa, OK 74170, distributed by the University of Oklahoma Press, 1005 Asp Ave., Norman, OK 73019, (800) 627-7377, (405) 325-5000 FAX. Tribal index, bibliography. 719 pp., $49.95 cloth. 0-8061-9936-9 A revised and expanded edition of "American Indian Painters: A Biographical Directory" (1968), this reference contains over 3,000 concise biographies of painters of American Indian ancestry from 1800 to the present. Each entry contains the artist's tribal affiliation and tribal name, dates of birth and death, residence, education, publications, exhibits, commissions, collections, and awards and honors, as well as anecdotal information and excerpts from reviews and critiques. While the information provided is valuable to those seeking dates, places of exhibit, etc., the book provides little feeling for the artist as a person. Grade: B-. FOLLOWING THE SUN AND MOON: HOPI KACHINA TRADITION by Alph H. Secakuku. Northland Publishing, P.O. Box 1389, Flagstaff, AZ 86002-1389, (800) 346-3257, (800) 257-9082 FAX. Northland also has a line of southwestern design T-shirts and other gifts. Illustrat- ed, index, appendix, glossary, list of readings, map. 147 pp., $19.95 paper. 0-87358-644-1 A spectacular catalogue of over 200 Hopi katchina dolls in the collection of the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona, with commentary from the Hopi point of view. The book is arranged according to the Hopi ceremonial calendar, and Sekakuku explains how each of the Kachina ceremonies, which begin in February and last until July, relate to the Hopi religion. Colorful and informative, "Following the Sun and Moon" will benefit kachina collectors as well as those interested in the Hopi way of life. Grade: A. DOLLS & TOYS OF NATIVE AMERICA: A JOURNEY THROUGH CHILDHOOD by Don and Debra McQuiston. Chronicle Books, 275 Fifth Street, San Francisco, CA 94103, (800) 722-6657, (800) 445-7577 in CA, (415) 777-8887 FAX. Illustrated (110 photographs total: 85 in color, 25 sepia-toned), index to illustrations, bibliography. 120 pp., $35.00 cloth (0-8118-0570-0), $19.95 paper (0-8118-0572-7). To Indian children, certain toys that are presented to them contain lessons that have been passed down through many generations. The McQuistons examine the handmade toys of six tribes (Blackfeet, Chippewa, Hopi, Inuit, Haida, and Navajo) and the traditions they represent, in this colorful and authoritative guide. Grade: A-. RED MAN'S LAND WHITE MAN'S LAW (2nd edition) by Wilcomb E. Washburn. University of Oklahoma Press, 1005 Asp Ave., Norman, OK 73019, (800) 627-7377, (405) 325-5000 FAX. Index, notes. 320 pp., $14.95 paper. 0-8061-2740-6 The University of Oklahoma Press has reissued Washburn's history of the legal status of Indian land in the face of U.S. imperialism, originally published in 1971, with a new preface and afterword that reflect the growing importance of tribal sovereignty and autonomy. A well-researched and presented analysis. Grade: A-. HOME PLACES: CONTEMPORARY NATIVE AMERICAN WRITING FROM SUN TRACKS edited by Larry Evers and Ofelia Zepeda. University of Arizona Press, 1230 N. Park, #102, Tucson, AZ 85719, (800) 426-3797, (602) 882-3065 in Arizona, FAX: (602) 621-8899. The University of Arizona Press online catalogue and order form may be accessed from the Internet by telneting to INFO.CCIT.ARIZONA.EDU. Login as INFO. From the Main Menu choose 5 (On-line Information Services), 3 (University of Arizona Information), 1 (Campus Services), and 4 (University of Arizona Press). 109 pp., $19.95 cloth (0-8165-1521- 2), $9.95 paper (0-8165-1522-0). To commemorate 25 years of publishing contemporary writing and art by both established and emerging Native Americans, "Sun Tracks" has published a collection of stories, poetry, songs, and speeches by N. Scott Momaday, Joy Harjo, Linda Hogan, Simon Ortiz, Dan Hanna, Carter Revard and others, that reflect each author's representation of home: a place where all the other authors are welcome. Included is a history of "Sun Tracks" by series editor Larry Evers. Listen to these words. Grade: A. MEDIATION IN CONTEMPORARY NATIVE AMERICAN FICTION by James Ruppert. University of Oklahoma Press, 1005 Asp Ave., Norman, OK 73019, (800) 627-7377, (405) 325-5000 FAX. Index, notes, list of works cited. 188 pp., $29.95 cloth. 0-8061-2749-X According to Ruppert, many Native American novelists serve as mediators between cultures. In their books, he says, they draw upon unique bicultural experiences that provide new insights into each. Using "House Made of Dawn" (N. Scott Momaday), "Winter in the Blood" (James Welch), "Ceremony" (Leslie Marmon Silko), "Bearheart" (Gerald Vizenor), "Wind from an Enemy Sky" (D'Arcy McNickle), and "Love Medicine" (Louise Erdrich) as examples, Ruppert expertly guides the reader into new worlds of comprehen- sion. Grade: A-. DOLLS & TOYS OF NATIVE AMERICA: A JOURNEY THROUGH CHILDHOOD by Don and Debra McQuiston. Chronicle Books, 275 Fifth Street, San Francisco, CA 94103, (800) 722-6657, (800) 445-7577 in CA, (415) 777-8887 FAX. Illustrated (110 photographs total: 85 in color, 25 sepia-toned), index to illustrations, bibliography. 120 pp., $35.00 cloth (0-8118-0570-0), $19.95 paper (0-8118-0572-7). To Indian children, certain toys that are presented to them contain lessons that have been passed down through many generations. The McQuistons examine the handmade toys of six tribes (Blackfeet, Chippewa, Hopi, Inuit, Haida, and Navajo) and the traditions they represent, in this colorful and authoritative guide. Grade: A-. RED MAN'S LAND WHITE MAN'S LAW (2nd edition) by Wilcomb E. Washburn. University of Oklahoma Press, 1005 Asp Ave., Norman, OK 73019, (800) 627-7377, (405) 325-5000 FAX. Index, notes. 320 pp., $14.95 paper. 0-8061-2740-6 The University of Oklahoma Press has reissued Washburn's history of the legal status of Indian land in the face of U.S. imperialism, originally published in 1971, with a new preface and afterword that reflect the growing importance of tribal sovereignty and autonomy. A well-researched and presented analysis. Grade: A-. HOME PLACES: CONTEMPORARY NATIVE AMERICAN WRITING FROM SUN TRACKS edited by Larry Evers and Ofelia Zepeda. University of Arizona Press, 1230 N. Park, #102, Tucson, AZ 85719, (800) 426-3797, (602) 882-3065 in Arizona, FAX: (602) 621-8899. The University of Arizona Press online catalogue and order form may be accessed from the Internet by telneting to INFO.CCIT.ARIZONA.EDU. Login as INFO. From the Main Menu choose 5 (On-line Information Services), 3 (University of Arizona Information), 1 (Campus Services), and 4 (University of Arizona Press). 109 pp., $19.95 cloth (0-8165-1521- 2), $9.95 paper (0-8165-1522-0). To commemorate 25 years of publishing contemporary writing and art by both established and emerging Native Americans, "Sun Tracks" has published a collection of stories, poetry, songs, and speeches by N. Scott Momaday, Joy Harjo, Linda Hogan, Simon Ortiz, Dan Hanna, Carter Revard and others, that reflect each author's representation of home: a place where all the other authors are welcome. Included is a history of "Sun Tracks" by series editor Larry Evers. Listen to these words. Grade: A. MEDIATION IN CONTEMPORARY NATIVE AMERICAN FICTION by James Ruppert. University of Oklahoma Press, 1005 Asp Ave., Norman, OK 73019, (800) 627-7377, (405) 325-5000 FAX. Index, notes, list of works cited. 188 pp., $29.95 cloth. 0-8061-2749-X According to Ruppert, many Native American novelists serve as mediators between cultures. In their books, he says, they draw upon unique bicultural experiences that provide new insights into each. Using "House Made of Dawn" (N. Scott Momaday), "Winter in the Blood" (James Welch), "Ceremony" (Leslie Marmon Silko), "Bearheart" (Gerald Vizenor), "Wind from an Enemy Sky" (D'Arcy McNickle), and "Love Medicine" (Louise Erdrich) as examples, Ruppert expertly guides the reader into new worlds of comprehen- sion. Grade: A-. --------- "RE: Poem: The Sun Was Stolen" --------- Date: Wed, 15 Mar 1995 18:40:25 -0800 (PST) From: turtle@aicap.s21.com (Turtle Heart) Subj: The Sun Was Stolen Newsgroup: alt.native Where we sit and sing the women save their blood and feed it to the rich roots of the sacred tree we catch the arrows sailing over our heads and turn them into corn and dream dance through the night singing the sun into the sky at first light Tobacco Indian -- _________________________________________________________________ AICAP Pages copyright 1995 (c)AICAP http://www.mit.edu:8001/activities/aises/aicap/archive/aicap.html Turtle Heart turtle@aicap.s21.com (Ahnishinabeg) American Indian Computer Art Project Voice 619-374-2208 PO Box 111 315 Broadway Johannesburg CA 93528-0111 Land of Kaw-ii-su ancestor: Land of Light -------------------------------------------------------------------- --------- "RE: Verse: Hawai'ian Book of Days" --------- Date: 95/10/07 00:13 From: Debra F. Sanders (dfsanders@genie.geis.com) Subj: Verse: Hawai'ian Book of Days GE Electronic Mail A HAWAIIAN BOOK OF DAYS, week of October 15-21 OKAKOPA (October) (Ikuwa) 15 How much more interesting is the tapestry woven of many colors than that woven of only one hue. 16 The wind whispers over the mountains and through the leaves of the trees below. 17 The land trembles -- Pele is awakening! 18 The ocean is the source of all life. 19 We bless the earth ... and are blessed by it. 20 If you would see all the world, climb to the mountain's pinnacle. 21 The solitude of the wilderness helps me find myself. (c) Copyright 1991 by D. F. Sanders Me ke aloha i ka nani, ... Moe'uhanekeanuenue (With love and beauty, ... Rainbow Dream) --------- "RE: Conferences and Powwows - offline" --------- Date: Thu, 12 Oct 95 08:00 -0500 From: Janet Smith (Evening Star) (jans@genie.geis.com) Subj: Upcoming conferences and powwows not previously posted to Mailing Lists NATCHAT or NATIVE-L GE Electronic Mail From PCLAUSING@efs.nctr.fda.gov Tue Oct 10 05:26:21 1995 Greetings ! Gary, we will have a pow-wow in North Little Rock next month and I wonder if the following information can be included into one of the next Wotanging Ikche issues. Announcement follows: ==================================================================== 2nd Annual American Indian Pow-Wow (Gwarth-ee-las) November 4th & 5th 1995. Produced by the Inter-tribal Council Fire of Arkansas. An alcohol & drug free family event. Proceeds from this event benefit the Leonard Peltier Defense Fund and WitcoNet, Arkansas' first computer net established for the sole purpose of educating Arkansans on the traditional and contemporary histories and life-ways of the indigenous peoples of the North American Continent. Location: North Heights Community Center, 47th & Allen, North Little Rock, Arkansas. Saturday, Nov. 4th: doors open 10:30 am, dancing 11am-5pm and 7pm-11pm. Sunday, Nov. 5th: Doors open: 10:30 am, dancing 11am-6pm. Admission: $3.00 per person, $6.00 per family, children under 12 free. For more information call: Inter-tribal Council Fire of Arkansas - (501) 945-1026 or (501) 568-4513. ====================================================================== From: Michael Dashner Newsgroups: alt.native Subject: Piqua, Ohio Pow Wow Wopida Wacipi Traditional Pow Wow 1st Annual Gathering, Oct 28-29, 1995 Piqua National Guard Armory State Route 36 (Ash St) 1/4 mile West of I-75 in Piqua, Ohio FEATURED DRUMS Red Eagle & Dacohta Travelers Open Drum, Day Money HEAD STAFF MC: Asa Primeaux Head Vet: Owen Ducheneaux Arena Dir: Bruce Iron Necklace Head Man Dancer: Don Provance Head Woman Dancer: Gaelann Allcorn ============================================================== Note: "Red Ribbon Campaign Week" is coming up! What's happening within Indian Country for this significant week? What an opportunity to make a positive impression on our youth - the future of our country. Red Ribbon Campaign is from October 22 - 31, 1995. Go From, Wilma J. Baines Metlakatla, Alaska P.S. Permission is granted to repost...... =============================================================== ========================================================================= -------------------------------------------------------------------------- --//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//-- Notice of Copyright Clearance by Contributors: The following have granted permission for their original articles to be reposted in order to help mend the Sacred Hoop: Janet Smith, Debra F. Sanders, Lisa Stalnaker Hellwig, Jenna Povey, Turtle Heart(Mending the Sacred Hoop with song poems), Steve Brock, Ven. Chigger Wind via George Brinton, Glenn Welker, Bonnee Caplan, Nora Bunce --//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//-- ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Part B of this newsletter (not included) has already been distributed via the NATIVE-L or NATCHAT mailing lists. --------- "RE: Conferences and Powwows - online" --------- Date: Thu, 12 Oct 95 08:00 -0500 From: Janet Smith (Evening Star) (jans@genie.geis.com) Subj: Upcoming conferences and powwows already posted to Mailing Lists NATCHAT or NATIVE-L = Powwows and Gatherings From the Internet listserv groups = Subject: Centennial 1895 Treaty Original Sender: lalonder@geog.ualberta.ca (Roxanne Lalonde) Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) Here is another item of possible interest to NativeNetters, which appeared on the Earth-Spirit list. Date: Wed, 07 Jun 95 07:54:00 PDT From: "Gazoo, Dana" COMMEMORATING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE TREATY OF 1895 AND THE HUMAN, POLITICAL, CIVIL, AND CULTURAL RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES WORLDWIDE, I, CHIEF FLOYD HEAVY RUNNER, A BLACKFEET INDIAN, PRESENT TO THE WORLD COMMUNITY A PROSPECTUS FOR PEACE BETWEEN MY BLACKFEET SPEAKING NATION OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, BASED UPON THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS. In 1870, my great, great grandfather, Heavy Runner the Elder, was murdered along with 172 other Blackfeet people, mostly women, children and the elderly of our tribe in a surprise attack of retribution on Indian people for acts it was known that our village did not commit. 125 years later we have not received a formal apology, compensation, or justice from the acknowledged leader of nations promoting democracy and human rights in the world today... the United States of America. In 1895, starving and again stricken with small pox, and under direct threat from corrupt officials of the United States with impending military presence, my great grandfather, Heavy Runner the Younger, survivor of the massacre of 1870, signed a treaty deliberately mistranslated into the Blackfeet language that gave up portions of our sacred lands, our Jerusalem, known today as the Badger-Two Medicine. Today, the world champions of human rights, the United States of America, continues to make war on myself and my people by allowing the destruction of the cathedral provided to us by our creator...permitting Chevron USA and Petrofina Belgium to destroy our last place of pre-Colombian cultural survival, the Badger-Two Medicine. In 1988, in a nearly identical situation with a tribe in California, the Supreme Court of the United States stripped away protection for Native land- based religions despite the court's admission that it would have "Devastating effects on Indian culture" in the now famous case called G-O Road. In the past six years, Congress has failed to pass laws protecting us, and industrial interests continue to attack the Northern Rockies Eco-system Protection Act which is the proposed law that would protect us and our human rights. At the present time, there is little hope with United States law, but there is a pro- spectus for peace and the salvation of my culture and the land based cultures of indigenous peoples world wide. Article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights reads that "In those states in which ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities exist, person belonging...shall not be denied the right...to enjoy their own culture, to...practice their own religion..." Therefore, I, Chief Floyd Heavy Runner, a Blackfeet Indian, request in the spirit of faith in the goodwill of Greater Humanity that all persons receiving a copy of this statement write a letter to the President of the United States of America asking for the pro- motion of the International Covenant, Article 27, beginning with the Badger- Two Medicine, and the right of my people, and the all other land-based cultures world-wide to continue in existence. Ask the President to issue an Executive Order permanently withdrawing drilling approval, citing violation of Article 27 of the International Covenant. And, with my payers, pass this request on to at least two or more persons. Signed, Floyd Heavy Runner ============================================================================ INSTRUCTION SHEET HEAVY RUNNER WORLDWIDE HUMAN RIGHTS LETTER CAMPAIGN All participants This instruction sheet and the associated statement of Floyd Heavy Runner relating to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Convenant on Political and Civil Rights may be duplicated by any participant, in any form true to the original, including copy machine, retyping and hand written. In case of doubts conforming to the original, copies of the original may be obtained, upon request, through participating organizations, such as the various participating Human Rights and environmental organizations in the USA and Europe. Campaign letters should be addressed to: President of the United States The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, DC 20500 USA : president@whitehouse.gov Any individual, environmental or Human Rights group, business, etc. may become a self-declared co-sponsor by providing simple notice stating participation and briefly describing who you are and what you do. Confirmation of participation addresses: Chief Floyd Heavy Runner c/o Postmaster Heart Butte, Montana 59448 Donations of monies are _not_ solicited, however, persons or organizations interested in making contributions to the Heavy Runner Human Rights Fund may do so. The fund will provide for further legal and humanitarian aid on behalf of indigenous people working to save their cultures. Donation address: Heavy Runner Human Rights Fund 600 West 7th Austin, Texas 78701 USA ============================================================================ Original Sender: csinc@ultranet.com (Cultural Survival, Inc. 617-441-5400) Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) PRESS RELEASE: "RAISING THE STAKES" INDIAN GAMING CONFERENCE KEYNOTE SPEAKERS: Oren Lyons, Winona LaDuke,Beverly Wright, John Mohawk, Richard Hill, Tim Wapato PLACE: Peabody Museum- Harvard University, Geological Lecture Hall in rear of Museum DATE & TIME: Saturday, October 21, 1995 9 A.M.- 5 P.M ADMISSION: Free. Open to the Public CONTACT: Michelle Traymar (617) 441-5400 ext. 681 The issue of gaming on tribal lands in the United States has become a heated inter-and intra-tribal topic, as well as a federal concern. Currently there are 115 tribes in 23 states operating Class III, or High stakes gaming enterprises under federally approved state-tribal agreements. These Class III gaming enterprises on tribal lands have been authorized through the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA). This federal law was passed to empower tribes to enter into gaming as a means of economic development and a method of promoting strong tribal governments. Since the issue of Indian gaming is becoming an important topic both on the federal and tribal levels, a conference needs to be held concerning its impact on tribal lands and their communities. The input and feedback of those involved in and affected by gaming is vital to understanding the various inter-related moral, cultural, legal, psychological, and economic considerations. The conference will discuss the pros and cons of casino gambling on Indian reservations. "We insist that cultural differences are inherent in humanity; Protecting This human diversity enriches our common earth." CULTURAL SURVIVAL 46 BRATTLE STREET - CAMBRIDGE MA 02138 - USA TEL: (617) 441- 5400 FAX: (617) 441- 5417 Email: csinc@ultranet.com ============================================================================ Original Sender: gin@eden.com (Gin Keller) Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) This festival is sponsored by the Austin Independent School District's Native American Parent's Committee. Last year's Powwow attracted approx. 15,000 people and includes an outside stage featuring American Indian performing artists, a Native American arts and crafts fair featuring authentic Native American and Western art, crafts, jewelry and food, and a Native American dance contest including categories for Women's Buckskin, Cloth, Jingle, Fancy, Men's Traditional, Straight, Grass, Fancy, Junior Girls and Boys and Tiny Tots Girls and Boys. Some of the performers listed on the promotional flyer are Bobby Bridger, William Gutierrez and Mario Garza. There are no entry fees required for the dance contest. Extra points awarded for the dancers participating in educational program grand entry at 10:00am. All Drums welcome. Where is this going to be held? Saturday, November 4,1995 10:00am-10:00pm Toney Burger Center 3200 Jones Road Austin Texas Open to the public/No admission fee No Drugs or Alcohol on site. All proceeds go to benefit Indian Education programs. Handicap accessible. If you have any questions please call (512)459-7244 Hope to see you all there! ============================================================================ From: Carol Liu Subject: WORLD INDIG. PEOPLES' CONF.:EDUC. Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) For more information, contact Ray Barnhardt, whose address is at the end of this announcement. NEW! The conference has a web page at http://www.arc.unm.edu/community/wipc_e/wipc_e.htm l Carol Liu cliu@queens.lib.ny.us -------------------------------------------------- IN CELEBRATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS DECADE OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES 1994-2004 The American Indian People, Alaska Native People, Native Hawaiian Peoples of the United States invite you to participate in the 4th Tri-Annual WORLD INDIGENOUS PEOPLES' CONFERENCE: EDUCATION in Albuquerque, New Mexico June 15-23, 1996 Purpose: Indigenous peoples throughout the world are becoming increasingly involved with the development of their own institutions and programs aimed at meeting the particular and unique education needs of Native/First Nations/Aboriginal peoples. The purpose of this conference is to provide an opportunity for people engaged in such educational initiatives to come together and learn from each other's experiences, and to explore ways to strengthen the links between education and the cultural well-being of indigenous peoples. Theme: THE ANSWERS ARE WITHIN US ~~~~~CALL FOR PRESENTERS~~~~~ Back in 1987, the First Nations House of Learning, directed by Verna J. Kirkness at the University of British Columbia organized and hosted the first World Indigenous Peoples' Conference: Education in Vancouver, British Columbia. The conference was such a success that it was decided to hold a similar gathering of Indigenous people at different locations around the world every three years. The second conference was hosted by the Maori people of Aotearoa (New Zealand) in 1990, and a third conference was held in Wollongong, Australia in 1993, hosted by the Aborigine people. The next conference is being organized and hosted by the American Indian Peoples, Alaska Native Peoples, and Native Hawaiian Peoples from through- out the United States and is scheduled for June 15-23, 1996 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. A National Organizing Committee has been formed with Anne Medicine, Karen Swisher, and Phil Baird serving as Co-Chairs, and Linda Sue Warner as Secretary. Sinte Gleska University is handling the fiscal arrangements. The conference will provide a week-long program of workshops, cultural events, displays and field trips, including an opportunity to take organized excursions to various American Indian settings during the week. Persons interested in offering a workshop are invited to submit a proposal to the Academic Program Chair. Workshop topics may include but *are not limited to* the following: *Coolanaga Declaration of Indigenous Peoples Education Rights *Elders as bearers of traditional knowledge and culture *Camp environments for cultural/spiritual learning *Validation of traditional knowledge and educational practices *Indigenous & Western scientific traditions *Designing a culturally appropriate curriculum *Indigenous leadership and human resources development *Education for community/economic development and Native self-determination *Education institutions as repositories and transmitters of culture *Revitalization of indigenous languages *Alternative approaches to standards for accreditation/qualifications *Governance, funding, and management of indigenous institutions *Role of research and cultural documentation in reconstructing cultural identity *Support services for Native/First Nations students *Indigenous teacher education programs and initiatives *Tribal colleges and indigenous higher education institutions *Culturally appropriate institutional environments and facilities All interested individuals, programs, and institutions are invited to submit proposals for workshops, panels or speakers on any of the above topics that may be appropriate for the theme of the conference. Sessions may be one or two hours in length. Proposals should include the title, length, names of presenters, and a brief description of the topic. Workshop proposals should be submitted to the address below by MARCH 15, 1996. ARRANGEMENTS: Travel to Albuquerque can be arranged through any major international or domestic air carrier. Lodging, meals, and local transportation information will be available through the conference arrangements office. The conference registration fee will be U.S. $100.00. All travel, lodging, meal, and registration expenses are the responsibility of each participant. INFORMATION: Proposal submissions and requests for general information regarding the 1996 World Conference should be sent to the following address: Ray Barnhardt, 1996 WIPC-E Academic Program Chair, Center for Cross-Cultural Studies, University of Alaska-Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775. Phone: 907-479-4357 or 907-474-6431 Fax: 907-479-4359 e-mail: FFRJB@AURORA.ALASKA.edu ============================================================================ Subject: Texas Indian Law Conference Original Sender: gin@eden.com (Gin Keller) Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) The conference will be November 3/4, 1995 at the Wyndham Austin Hotel at Southpark. It is organized/sponsored by : Texas Indian Bar Association, Federal Bar Association, American Indian Law Section and the State Bar of Texas- American Indian Law Section. Here are the topics for Friday, November 3rd: Tribal Sovereignty and Jurisdictional Issues The Jurisprudence of Peyote and the Native American Church Tribal Courts and Tribal Practice Sacred Ground: Indian Graves Protection in Texas Gaming Intellectual Property Issues(Indian Arts and Crafts Act, Mascots, Trademarks and Cultural images) Environmental Issues relating to Indian Law +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Saturday is a one half day seminar concentrating on the Indian Child Welfare Act designed to benefit non-legal professionals such as social workers and family practitioners. Topics: Overview of the Indian Child Welfare Act Practical Application and Problems with the I.C.W.A. Family Law Issues Resources available for I.C.W.A. Question and Answer period ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ For further information, please call (512) 469-6387. Thanks! --------- "RE: URGENT ACTION: Otomie People Mexico" --------- Date: Thu, 5 Oct 1995 16:27:46 EST From: gwelker@mail.lmi.org Subj: URGENT ACTION for the OTOMIE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE MEXICO (fwd) Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) Urgent Action on Behalf of the Otomie Indigenous People of the Communal Properties of AMAXAC The Communal Properties of Amaxac, situated in the municipality of Texcatepec, Veracruz State, Mexico. 20th of September, 1995 History: - The Otomie Indigenous people, many years ago, were forcibly moved to these lands where they now live without communication. - Last century, they were dispossessed and forced to buy back their own lands with the application of the "Lerdo Law" which prohibited collective ownership of land by indigenous people. - After the Mexican Revolution, the lands held by indigenous people were restored under the title of "Communal Properties". The Presidential Resolution restoring the Communal Properties of Amaxac to the Otomie people was passed in 1934. - Nevertheless, the civil servants in the Secretariat for Agrarian Reform never executed this Presidential order, which then allowed a handful of "mestizo" (lit. Mixed race and usually means non-indigenous Mexicans. trad.) families to invade and usurp the land. - In 1993, a wave of violence was unleashed that resulted in more than 30 dead, murdered by the caciques (local political bosses). The murders were all related to land invasions. It was then that the indigenous people came to ask for our help. - In December, 1986, Luis Mendoza, the main cacique, was jailed a few days after having murdered an entire family: father, mother and 3 year old daughter. With this arrest a provisional peace was gained. - From 1987 to 1991, the indigenous people aided by this Committee, worked intensively so that the Secretariat for Agrarian Reform execute the Presidential order of 1934 in favor of the indigenous people. Followed 5 years of legal processes to attain the execution of the order which, according to the Resolution itself should have been executed 15 days after its proclamation. We would like to note that the National Confederation of Campesinos (CNC - for the letters in Spanish), which is a body of the governing political party (PRI), began to take from that time a very active part in the defense to the limit of the invaders. - On the 11th of December, 1991, the Resolution was executed. But the invaders got a staying order against it. In November of 1993, another hearing in the Collegial Tribunal of Veracruz ruled in favor of the indigenous people, cancelling the staying order. - The Government generously recompensed the invaders for their eviction from the lands that they illegitimately possessed, since they were the product of invasion, forced evictions and murders. This recompensation was calculated by the present federal deputy for the PRI and leader of the state CNC, Mr. Roberto Alvarez Salgado. - On the 14th of April, 1994, the Governor of Veracruz, Patricio Chirinos handed over some 1200 hectares to the Otomie people from the communities of Pericon, Benito Juarez, Papatlar and Amaxac which constitute the Communal Properties of Amaxac. This, however, left some 800 hectares still occupied by invaders. From that date, there began a new wave of invasions of indigenous lands. - In May, 1994, the State Government, at the insistence of the CNC, forced the indigenous people to sign an agreement with these invaders that allowed the invaders to remain with 34 hectares each despite the fact that each member of the Communal Properties only has the use of 10 hectares as a result of their equal share. The agreement was signed. - The peace was not won. On the 23rd of June, 1994, a young indigenous man, Santiago Domingo Cristobal was murdered. This crime still has not been investigated. - The land invasions continued. In November, the indigenous people submitted a legal complaint against the invaders. In April, 1995, the State Attorney's Office handed over the investigations to the Judge, but did not deal with the accusations of illegal carrying of weapons, of threats and illegal association. The Judge immediately signed a release of the accused. The indigenous people asked the Attorney's Office to challenge this failure on the Judge's part. - On the 14th of September, 1995, the Judge declared that the sentence in favor of the land invaders had been confirmed by the State Collegial Tribunal of Justice and that the State Attorney General, inexplicably, had signed an order of cancellation of the challenge against their release. Impunity reigns in the Northern Sierra of Veracruz. Amaxac is proof of it and, in this case, we have the facts to substantiate it. We have daily informed the State Governor of what is happening: the acts of violence in the Sierra, the arbitrary decisions of the Attorney's Office and of the courts. All useless. The Government is closing all legal avenues to the indigenous people. We fear that if the indigenous people take the initiative to take back their lands, the Government will violently intervene to punish them for acting outside the law. For this reason, we are asking you for some international assistance to defend the Otomie indigenous people of the Northern Sierra of Veracruz. We vehemently oppose the impunity of the caciques granted by the Veracruz State Government in this northern region of the State. Suggestions for Urgent Action: Mr. Rodolfo Duarte Rivas. Justice Attorney for the State of Veracruz. Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. Dear Mr. Attorney, We protest in the strongest possible terms the impunity of the crimes against the Otomie indigenous people of the Communal Properties of Amaxac. Your cancellation of their legal action appealing against the release of Gaspar Gomez and his accomplices leaves without punishment the crimes of invasion, eviction, threats and illegal carrying of fire arms designated for the exclusive use of the Army and police forces, and of illegal association. We are deeply alarmed by this, even more so for the news we have received of excessive action and, in some cases, violence, on the part of the police in the municipalities in this northern region of the State. President Zedillo has promised a renewal of the Justice institutions in Mexico. You are responsible for the direction of the most appropriate institution to make that promise reality for the Otomie people of the Communal Properties of Amaxac. With respect and insistence, we ask to to act in accordance with the office you hold. Sincerely, Cc.: Dr. Ernesto Zedillo, President of the United States of Mexico. Mr. Patricio Chirinos, Governor of the State of Veracruz. Mr. Jorge Madrazo, President of the National Human Rights Commission FAXES: Justice Attorney of the State of Veracruz, fax: (52 28) 17 0741; 17 6168 Governor of Veracruz, fax: (52 28) 18 9488 President of the Republic, fax: (52 5) 515 8005 President of the National Human Rights Commission, fax: (52 5) 681 Source: CHIAPAS-EL List chiapas-el@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You can subscribe to the CHIAPAS-EL List by sending the message: subscribe chiapas-el yourfirstname yourlastname To: listproc@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu leaving the "Subject:" line blank. --------- "RE: Native Americans/Quantum" --------- Date: Tue, 3 Oct 1995 09:58:33 -0800 From: ftneb@aurora.alaska.edu (BUNCE NORA E) Subj: Native Americans Mailing List: NATCHAT (natchat@gnosys.svle.ma.us) Isn't the underlying reason for using blood quantum as an identifier for Native people an issue of money? The federal government plans generations ahead- once the quantum limits were established and the red cards distributed, after so many generations eventually fewer and fewer people will meet those quantum limits. As far as the tribal governments are concerned- the fewer the claimants, the greater the individual shares. One can see though that identifying blood ties does offer some protection against a culture that has as it's main way of survival the habit of taking what it wants, when it want, from whom it wants, without permission or regard; (Ted Turner& Jane Fonda Turner cross my mind at this point). Just some thoughts and questions. Is idealizing the traditional Native American way of life a way of compensating for the guilt of genocide? Somewhat like destroying a group of Native people so that developers can build a dam and then naming that dam after the chief of the people that once lived there? "Destroy the people and build a monument to them after they no longer exist" --------- "RE: Book on White Spirituality, etc." --------- Date: Wed, 4 Oct 1995 02:32:54 -0400 From: bcaplan@smartnet.net (Bonnee Caplan) Subj: book on White Spirituality, etc. Mailing List: NATCHAT (natchat@gnosys.svle.ma.us) Hello It's me again and if someone flames me for writing (like I received last time I'll personally scream!!!) Okay here goes: I think that the reason that many Anglos have difficulty understanding why we feel the way we do about our religion is because in your culture there is a great deal of proseletizing (sp?) done. You have folks knocking on your doors, you have people in the work places all over that want to convert everyone, or for that matter anyone, to their chosen religion. It's almost like they won't be comfortable if they don't get someone else "in" too. The idea that someone intimately ties their culture and religion together, lives it, breathes it, teaches it to their children but doesn't care about others outside of one's own clan participating and in fact (the very nerve) of these folks not asking Anglos to join rankles some people's nerves. I am not of the opinion that any of you are stupid so let's see if I can explain, at least from my perspective . . . being NA and very "religious" (Anglo word not mine) about my belief system. I grew up on the rez and we had "missionaries" coming out to where we lived all the time. We were the savages that everyone wanted to change into white people so that they could go back and brag to everyone about how they had "civilized" those "poor, ignorant savages." We have a whole history of folks coming out to change us into something or someone else and, of course, we were never good enough just to be left alone. About every six months yet another missionary would show up in our clan wanting to tell us the "truth" and make us into yet another religion. We've had Catholics, we've had Mormons, we've had Pentecostals, we've had Jehovah's Witnesses (they did have difficulty finding doors to knock on though ), etc., etc., etc. Of course we had other visitors, even though we were out in what you might call the boondocks, of every persuasion who wanted to "experience" us, write about us, and even photograph us. "We just want to help you," was the song and dance we got all too often, and then they would leave . . . leaving their trash behind . . . and their promises, and go off to whatever was the current fad. And we were left shaking our heads because they never really did understand and didn't really want to. How could they understand the staple of ashcakes, or how we lived in such close proximity to one another without fighting when they couldn't stay for ten minutes without fighting among themselves or with us if we seemed hesitant to changes and be "nice injuns" or if we didn't have the time, energy, or inclination to be their photo op for the day? What if I don't want to pose for the tourists? What if I'm sick because the corn meal was rank or the medicine the Anglo doctors delivered was less than adequate? What if I wanted to be myself, with my own dreams, desires, religion, etc.? No I am not bitter, as I have been accused of being, but I am not going to change anymore . . . call it age or what have you. I love being me, I taught my children to be comfortable and happy being NA even if all the Anglos want us to change why should we? And, yes, I am now teaching my grandchildren their culture (much in the face of the educational system who doesn't like our account of our history). So you want to understand us and our religion? Why? We're not going to argue about religion, mine versus yours, anymore because no matter how we try to explain it to you it's not yours and not even similar to anything that you have in your frame of reference and we've already been there . . . done that . . . AND have the tee shirt. Littlefeather ÿÿ