Subject: Wotanging Ikche--nanews04.007
From: gars@netcom.com (Gary Night Owl)
To: Internet Recipients of Wotanging Ikche<gars@netcom.com>
Message-ID: <wotanging-ikche04_007@netcom.com>

    _       __  _____  __   _ __    ___    ____  _ __    ___
   ' )   / / ')  /    /  ) ' )  )  /   )    /   ' )  )  /   )
    / / / /  /  /    /--/   /  /  / ___    /     /  /  / ___
   (_(_/ (__/  (    /  (_  /  (_ (___/ '__/_    /  (_ (___/ '       O
      ____   _    ,  ___   _    , ___                           O   o   O
       /    ' )  /  /   ) ' )  / /   '                        O     o     O
      /      /-<   /       /--/ /--    VOLUME 04, ISSUE 007  O o o     o o O
   __/_     /   ) (___/   /  ( (___,     17 February 1996     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 Chiapas-L, ROOTS-L, NATCHAT & NATIVE-L
      listservers; WebSite: http://www.webstories.com/indian/interv.html
     Newsgroups: apc.indig.info,alt.native,soc.culture.native,alt.lawyers,
         alt.activism.death-penalty,alt.peace;   Chautauqua Newsletter;
                   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.
 
   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 <your email address>"
 
    Thanks to Marc Becker and David Cole 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
 
   "Congress has had quite a time with the Budget.  There's things out
    there that you had no idea existed.  Take, for example the Dept. of
    Justice, it costs of Billions of dollars.  In fact, Justice is about
    the cheapest thing we got on our list.  Maybe that's why we don't get
    any more of it."
   "I'm in favor of paying more for Justice and naming some of the people
    that ought to have what's coming to 'em."
   __ Will Rogers, Cherokee
 
  +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+
  |   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!
 
   In my mind I see a picture of a board meeting of land developers
 taking place in a tall building in Portland, Oregon.   They are lamenting
 the work stoppage imposed by the floods, and wondering what they
 should do next.
 
   If this scene is actually occurring, as I suspect it is, I have a modest
 suggestion.
 
   Forget your $700 per weekend workshops on disaster recovery.  Lay down
 that fine grained notebook you were given.
 
   Listen to your Mother.
 
 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
 - Following The Sunbow                 - Conferences and Powwows - online
 - Peltier: The FBI Files               - Paugesukq Nation Threatened
 - Emergency: Paha Sapa (Black Hills)   - Pooly Cooper/Oneida History
 - Urgent: Prarie Island                - Cornell Job Announcement
 - Peltier: San Francisco               - Terrorist: John Miranda
 - Anniversary of Resistance
 - Notice: Upper Nicola Indian Band
 - Dance Well
 - Interview: Xochitlmilco Santos
 - Sacred Hoop
 - WINS Internships
 - FundRaiser: First Nations Softdrinks
 - Compact Histories
 - Poem: Taos Prayer for the Elders
 - Verse: Hawai'ian Book of Days
 - Conferences and Powwows - offline
 
 --------- "RE: Following The Sunbow" ---------
 
 Date: Sat, 10 Feb 1996 00:24:40 -0800 (PST)
 From: Susanna Shreeve <susanna@rain.org>
       - Forward of email by Liz Dominguez
 Subj: Following The Sunbow
 
   UUCP email
 
   Often we ponder the idea of world peace, yet we find that in trying to
 bring this unfathomed task to a reality can overwhelm us with masses of
 responsibility.  In turn we give up, or maybe never even contemplate
 attempting to bring unity amongst ourselves. Speaking for myself, I have
 always found this a difficult procedure although challenging it may, I am
 compelled to trudge the road of conflict.
   Two months ago I was told by one of my elders of a group of Native
 brothers and sisters that were on a eight month trek on foot across The
 United States to represent peace and unity amongst us as the Keepers of
 the Western Gate, original inhabitants of Turtle Island, also known as
 the The Chumash Indians.  This group's leader is known as "Chief William
 Commanda" of the Algonquin Nation, carrier of the Wampum Belts.  William
 had a vision of which he was told to bring sacred medicine to the land
 of the keepers of the western gate and bury it there.  In doing this
 would bring peace and harmony amongst us.
   On June 23, 1995 the group of nearly fifty set out on foot to begin
 their journey.  There in Cape Cod, Massachusetts is where they took their
 first step.  The group actually walked this long distance, encountering
 many difficult obstacles along the way. The group maintained self-
 sufficiency throughout all phases of their journey.
   They relied on donations of food to keep theirselves nourished, they
 slept at public parks and campsites, sometimes even on the side of the
 road in which they traveled on.  They maintained an average of walking
 thirty miles a day, only stopping long enough to eat and sleep.  They
 encountered many hardships such as rough weather conditions.  Unwelcomed
 were they amongst some people who could not comprehend any one in their
 right mind walking across the nation in hopes of bringing together the
 human race as a one and equal entity.
   Determined and untouchable were the spirits of these peacemakers, they
 continued forward never doubting the power of the Creator and his ability
 to protect those whom seek peace unconditionally.  Their focus of
 determination was to make sure that the sacred medicine was safely
 delivered and buried on Chumash Land, a place and people most of the
 walkers had never known of, but still proceeded ahead.
   The group arrived here in Santa Barbara in the last week of January 1996,
 tired and filthy from not having adequate hygiene facilities available to
 them along the way.  Enthralled with joy and humble pride, for they had
 just accomplished a feat that is unheard of in todays society.  Immediate
 I filled with the same emotions, for like these people I too walk the
 same path, as in that I too would do anything to bring peace amongst my
 people, but only in a way that could be honored such as they had done.
   Quickly word got around that this group of non-Chumash were here wanting
 to bury medicine in our sacred land, Point Conception.  We believe that
 when we die our spirit must pass through the Western Gate which sits at
 Point Conception, if we don't our souls will walk endlessly upon Mother
 Earth for eternity.
   Since no representative of this group had arrived ahead to ask
 permission as had been planned, a radical group of Chumash began to form,
 accusing the group of wanting to close our Western Gate by burying their
 medicine upon it. The young radicals threatened the group.  The Chumash
 are of peaceful people and this radical group was not representing us in
 the right way. It was then that I knew I must find this group that
 trudged across the Nation to see us, in hopes that I could assure them
 that in fact we are peaceful people and this radical group could be
 convinced to halt their plan of action if the right words were said.
   An elder from my tribe and I found the lonely group out at a campground
 located in Ojai.  It was late at night when we arrived.  A man stood post
 at the entrance to the camp, for they feared for their lives.  We told
 the man who we were and that we come in peace and want to welcome the
 group to our land.  He then lead us to the campfire in which they huddled
 close to one another trying to keep warm.  After introductions of
 ourselves and our reasons for coming, their dissolutioned faces lit up
 with a renewal of faith for all was not in vain!  They scampered quickly
 to make their guests comfortable.  They gave us the blankets off their
 backs to assure that we were warm.  The woman scurried off to make hot
 coffee for us.
   Never in my lifetime have I ever felt so accepted and appreciated for
 simply caring in the way that I have been taught.  We sat around the
 campfire for two hours that night sharing stories, exchanging our
 traditions, ultimately embracing in hopes of peace.  I then made a choice
 to stand behind these people 100%, for I too wanted my people to unite.
 My battle seemed impossible to most people, but not to me, for I know
 that Creator would protect me and these people if I went about it the
 right way.
   I got together with a fellow tribesman of mine who had located a
 campsite in the mountains in which these people could retreat while we as
 a group of three locals tried to bring the radical group to their senses.
 The next morning I escorted the caravan of fifteen cars up to the secluded
 camp.  I felt as though I truly was doing something that Creator would
 approve of.  We got to camp safely, everyone felt better, but there was
 still the young radicals out there that had to be dealt with and it was a
 matter of time before they would find the camp.  I went home and sang our
 sacred songs to the four directions.  I gave a tobacco offering and
 prayer to Creator and thanked him for all that he has given me and I
 asked him for only one thing, to be able to make right of this situation.
   I began my mission by conferring more with my elder and fellow tribesmen
 about this matter.  I asked a lot of questions from people directly
 involved in this only to find I was pretty much on a solo mission.  My
 elder did what she could by attending a meeting that the radicals had
 formed amongst theirselves and to their surprise found that all bands of
 Chumash had a common interest in that they attended the meeting also.
 This was a miracle in itself for never had the different bands gathered
 in the same place to discuss any type of matter as a whole Nation.  Also
 present a this meeting was Chief William Commanda himself!  accompanied
 by his daughter Princess Evelyn.  Unnoticed was the greatness of this
 historical event by the radical group, but yet seen only as more of a
 threat.
   For the next few days I spent time with the peaceful groups and their
 Chief.  I learned more and still more about their goals and was even more
 convinced and determined to continue to make peace with my defiant
 brothers.  There is not anyone who would stand up to them, for they are
 loud in mouth, but not in word.  To me that was a door that stared me in
 the face saying "Open! For you shall walk in peace together."  I picked
 the phone up and called the leader of the radical group.  I explained to
 him the sorrow I felt in my heart, for that our people were separate and
 in order for us to be a strong Nation we must put yesterday to sleep and
 wake up today.  He finally could see the light and agreed to call off his
 men and assured me that no harm would come to these peacemakers.  "Let
 them walk home in peace as the way they came," he said.
   I went to the campground where I met with the Chief and his group.  I
 told them the good news and their faces lit up brighter then I had ever
 seen!  For they were saved!  We celebrated into the night, singing,
 dancing and playing games.  The next day the headman of the walkers came
 to me and told me of how while on their journey they had stopped in
 Virginia.  There he met a spiritual man that he sweated with.  After they
 were through sweating the spiritual man told the headman that when he got
 to his destination he would meet someone very special there and he would
 know who this person would be when he met him/her, and when he found that
 person to give this sacred drum, for that person will have earned it.
   This sacred drum was given to me!  I am deeply honored.  I have
 struggled in life trying to find happiness and peace within myself, always
 taking the wrong path.  Until two years ago when I chose to walk the Red
 Road, my destination? peace.  I feel I have truly begun my journey with
 having had been chosen by the Creator to do what I have done in the last
 week. Imagine what could be accomplished if we all apply ourselves in
 the same positive manner.  I am surely going to share what I have learned
 with everyone I meet, regardless of what color their skin is.
   The peaceful group is now on their way back to their homes.  We bid them
 farewell by holding a ceremony to also complete the vision of Chief
 William.  As the drummer slowly beat the drum one by one they drove in
 the direction from which they came, to not be forgotten, but to always
 remember the message that they carried from so far away and to keep it
 burning in our hearts as also does the flame of the Sacred Fire continue
 to light our way.  For the task of obtaining peace is not so hard after
 all.
 
 Liz Dominguez
 Daughter of Tribal Chairman of the Santa Ynez Indian Reservation
 
 Date: Mon, 12 Feb 1996 14:54:12 -0800 (PST)
 From: Susanna Shreeve <susanna@rain.org>
 
   Liz did not point out the obvious:  They did bury their medicine (not
 mentioning where), and they held a wonderful closing ceremony at SB's East
 Beach.  Liz and Grandfather's daughter dipped the belt in the waves after
 the ceremony and laid it by the drums.
   About 40-55 native and non-native adults and children participated.
 Susanna
 
 --------- "RE: Peltier: The FBI Files" ---------
 
 Date: Fri, 9 Feb 96 16:49:23 GMT
 From: lpdc@idir.net (Lisa Faruolo)
 Subj: New From LEONARD PELTIER
 
   Newsgroups: alt.native,soc.culture.native,alt.activism.death-penalty,
               alt.lawyers,alt.peace
 
 The Leonard Peltier Defense Committee is proud to make available:
 THE FBI FILES.
 
   For the first time in the case Leonard Peltier the documentation from the
 FBI that shows Peltier's innocence is now available to the public.  Through
 the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit in 1981 the FBI released
 thousands of their reports in the investigation of the "Resmurs"
 (reservation murders) case.  In this comprehensive and professionally bound
 booklet of over 100 pages the FBI's own documents are examined and exposed
 for the illegal tactics they have used against the American Indian Movement
 and Leonard Peltier.  Along with the compilation of the FIOA documents is an
 important case study of what led up to the shoot-out on June 26, 1975,
 various letters of support from invaluable political sources, samples of
 submissions to the Court of Appeals and the Parole Commission, a statement
 from Leonard Peltier, and most importantly what YOU can do to help free
 Leonard Peltier.
 Please contribute to the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee and help educate
 the masses by placing your order.
   "THE FBI FILES" are $5.00 plus $2.00 shipping (per booklet).  Orders of
 over 10 are $3.00 per booklet.
   We accept checks, money orders, Visa and Master Card
   (please include phone # and exp. date).
 Send to:
 LPDC, P.O. Box 583, Lawrence, KS 66044, (P) 913-842-5774 (F) 913-842-5796
 
 --------- "RE: Emergency: Paha Sapa (Black Hills)" ---------
 
 Date: Fri, 9 Feb 1996 09:10:50 -0800
 From: Wanbli Sapa <icabu@ix.netcom.com>
 Subj: *EMERGENCY* HELP REQUESTED
 
   UUCP email
 
 Hau Mitakolapi (hello my friends)!
 
   My elders have made an urgent request of the highest priority, and I am
 asking you for your assistance.  Apparently there is legislation being
 drafted within the Department of Interior that will release Docket 74a
 monies to several bands of Dakota and Lakota.  These monies were authorized
 as "payment" to my people for the U.S. Government's theft of the Black Hills
 from us.  We rejected these monies at the time they were offered because we
 want the Black Hills back, not bribery money to accept their theft.  The
 monies have been left in an interest-bearing account by the U.S. Government
 since then.  Periodically, the U.S. Government tries again to get us to
 accept this bribe, and apparently this current effort is the latest attempt.
   When my elders contacted me last night with this, they indicated that this
 was a "proposed bill in the Department of Interior".  This morning,
 searching, I have found no bill with the words "Docket 74a" or "Black Hills"
 in it via Thomas, various Web search engines in their government sections,
 or in the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
   I NEED YOUR IMMEDIATE HELP!!!!  Can you please help me track this down?  We
 cannot let the U.S. Government succeed in its current attempt just because
 we cannot find the bill/resolution or whatever it is.  I am hoping that some
 of you are more sophisticated in your knowledge of how to find such
 information and that your help will result in a copy of this material.
   TIME IS CRITICAL.  MY ELDERS MUST HAVE THIS INFORMATION IMMEDIATELY SO THAT
 THEY CAN TAKE STEPS TO STOP THE U.S. GOVERNMENT FROM CLEARING ITS CONSCIENCE
 FOR THE THEFT BY PAYING US OFF.
   Wopilatichelo tanka (a great deal of sacred thanks)!
   Mitakuye Oyasin (All Are My Relations)!
 
 Wanbli Sapa (Black Eagle)
 One Earth, One Life Endeavors
 icabu@ix.netcom.com
 |><|><|><|><|><|><|><|><|><|><|><|><|><|><|><|><|><|><|><|><|><|><|><|><|><|
 Appalled by the denigrating poverty of my people, who live on a richly
 endowed land, distressed by  their political marginalization and economic
 strangulation, angered by the devastation of their land, their ultimate
 heritage, anxious to preserve their right to life, and to a decent living,
 and determined to usher to this country as a whole a fair and just
 democratic system which protects everyone and every ethnic group and gives
 us all a valid claim to human civilization, I have devoted my intellectual
 and material resources, my very life, to a cause in which I have total
 belief and from which I cannot be blackmailed or intimidated.
 -Ken Saro-Wiwa, executed Nov. 10, 1995, by Nigerian Government.
 |><|><|><|><|><|><|><|><|><|><|><|><|><|><|><|><|><|><|><|><|><|><|><|><|><|
                       http://www.sover.net/~jsd/WKmasscre.html
 Wounded Knee Home Page (compliments of First Nations/First People Homepage)
 
 --------- "RE: Urgent: Prarie Island" ---------
 
 Date: Fri, 9 Feb 1996 09:34:38 -0500
 From: Ondamitag@aol.com
 Subj: Press Release - Prairie Island
 
   UUCP email
 
 Subject:        IEN URGENT PRESS RELEASE - PRAIRIE ISLAND
 
 THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS BEING POSTED AT THE REQUEST OF:
 THE INDIGENOUS ENVIRONMENTAL NETWORK
 Indigenous Environmental Network
 P.O. 485
 Bemidji, MN. 56601
 ph: 1-218-751-4967
 fax:1-218-751-0561
 ien@igc.apc.org
 PRESS RELEASE - URGENT
 Contact: Judy Fairbanks, Indigenous Environmental Network.
          (218) 751-4967 - voice
          (218) 751-0561 - fax
 
 Date:    February 6, 1996
 
 NATIONAL INDIAN ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP CHARGES NSP WITH ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM
 AND AGITATING DISUNITY AMONG TRIBAL MEMBERS ABD ENVIRONMENTALISTS
 
   Bemidji, MN - "The proposal, made by Northern States Power Utility
 Company, in relation to the Mdewakanton Dakota community of Prairie Island
 is an unethical, immoral and blatant act of environmental racism," says Tom
 Goldtooth, National Coordinator of the Indigenous Environmental Network, a
 national Indian environmental organization. NSP's racist policy of siting
 their facilities in people of color communities is consistent with it's
 action in the predominately African-American community of Homer, Louisiana,
 where NSP is pushing a uranium enrichment processing plant to be built,
 despite community opposition.
   For over 22 years the Prairie Island community have been exposed to
 radioactivity from the NSP reactors that produce radioactive waste. "It
 has impacted the animal life, the fish, and the birds. It is only logical
 to understand that the air, the water and the people must also be
 contaminated," said Joseph Campbell, a Prairie Island community member.
 "NSP has a
  responsibility to compensate the Dakota people without any strings or
 continued nuclear power production. NSP is attempting to cloak their
 agenda of continued plant operation despite the will of the people, under
 the guise of compensation," Goldtooth said. "NSP is agitating disunity
 between tribal membership, tribal and environmental alliances, while
 simultaneously presenting a public facade of concern and justice. We are
 not confused by this smokescreen," said Campbell.
   Native people from throughout North American have been
 disproportionately on the front lines of nuclear contamination from mining,
 to processing, to testing, to human experimentation, and to storage of
 nuclear waste. "It's an act of genocidal, terracidal, and biocidal
 corporate maniacs that put financial "profit" before respect for sacred
 life," said Nilak Butler, Greenpeace Indigenous Nuclear Free Future
 Campaign worker.
   Numerous tribal nations and communities have said no to the nuclear
 power industry such as the Western Shoshone of Nevada, the Inupiat of 
 Point Hope Alaska, the Sac and Fox of Oklahoma and the Ojibwe tribes of
 Minnesota. Just a couple of years ago, the community members of Prairie
 Island voted through tribal referendum their opposition to the continued
 production and storage of nuclear waste next to their reservation. "It was
 premature for NSP to bring the proposal before the Minnesota legislature 
 before the tribal community members of Prairie Island have even had a
 chance to review the proposal and decide for ourselves whether we support
 it or not," said Bill Owen, another Prairie Island member who opposes the
 NSP proposal.
   "The Indigenous Environmental Network, its national council membership 
 and alliances stand in support with the Prairie Island community members
 for their natural right to clean air, clean water, clean food, and to live
 a healthy way of life. We understand that nuclear waste is a threat to  to
 their continued survival and their future generation. We support their
 just cause of compensation for the grievous damages and contamination at
 the hands of NSP, but with no strings," said Goldtooth. "NSP is trying to
 checkmate our tribal leaders under threats of survival to agree with
 compensation deals with strings attached that would allow NSP to expand
 their storage space of radioactive waste. What about the people that
 decide to stay and not relocate. This deal is a death warrant against the
 Dakota people." said Owen.
   "The Minnesota legislature must uphold its responsibility to the health
 and well being of all their constituents and say no NSP's proposal," said
 Campbell.
 
 --------- "RE: Peltier: San Francisco" ---------
 
 Date: Fri, 9 Feb 1996 09:34:38 -0500
 From:   American Indian Movement -- aimca@igc.apc.org
 Subj: Peltier: San Francisco
 
   Chautauqua Newsletter<Ondamitag@aol.com>
 
   (rally report) In San Francisco, the Leonard Peltier Support Group led a
 demonstration of over 100 people in front of the U.S. Federal Building to
 protest the 20 Years of imprisonment of Native American Leader Leonard
 Peltier. 
   The Demonstration turned out to be an international affair with delegates
 from France, Switzerland, Australia and from numerous organizations.  The
 American Indian Movement of California (Autonomous Chapters) attended with
  many members,  staff and drum Singing the Leonard Peltier Honor Song and the
 AIM song to honor our Brother Leonard Peltier. 
   Among the Speakers and organizations who spoke were.
 Bobby Castillo, International Spokesperson, Leonard Peltier Defense
 Committee.
 Sylviane Raffray,  France Libert (Danielle Mitterrand Foundation)FRANCE.
 Nathalie Chenaux, ASNA(Association de Soutien aux Nations Amrindiennes)
  SWITZERLAND.
 Robert Eggengton  Dumbaartung Aboriginal Corporation  AUSTRALIA.
 Peter Urban, Irish Republican Socialist Committee IRELAND
 Adam Villogomez, American Indian Movement
 Luis Talamentez  Pelican Bay Prison Project
 Judy Greenspan, California Coalition for Women in Prison
 Dorsey Nunn, Prisoners with Children Coalition
 Felix Shaffer, Prairie Fire Organization
 Keith McHenery, Food Not bombs
 Karen Picket, Earth First
 Judith McCullough, Workers World Party
 
 --------- "RE: Anniversary of Resistance" ---------
 
 Date: Sun, 11 Feb 1996 19:02:14 +0000
 From: moonlight@igc.apc.org
 Subj: CCRI message on anniversary of resistance and offensive
 
 Mailing List:    Chiapas-L (chiapas-l@profmexis.dgsca.unam.mx)
 
 Communique from the Indigenous Revolutionary Clandestine Committee
 --General Command of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation
 
 To the people of Mexico:
 To the peoples and Governments of the world:
 To the national and international press:
 
 Brothers and sisters:
 
 Democracy!
 Liberty!
 Justice!
 >From the mountains of the Mexican Southeast
 
   One year after the betrayal of the Supreme Government against the will
 for a just and dignified peace of the EZLN, the Indigenous Revolutionary
 Clandestine Committee--General Command of the Zapatista Army of National
 Liberation declares the following:
   FIRST.- On  February 9 and 10th the political prisoners accused of being
 Zapatistas complete one year of incarceration. The war-bound will of the
 bad government of Zedillo keeps these Mexican citizens, men and women, as
 hostages.  Like a modern terrorist, the Mexican government uses innocent
 people to obtain advantages over its opposition.
   SECOND.- On February 10th we remember the beginning of the military
 occupation and eviction of hundreds of indigenous families in Chiapas,
 expelled from their homes and their lands; indigenous men, women, children
 and elderly who were forced to live, since then, in the mountains.  While
 their communities were used as parking for armored vehicles, their homes
 as prostitution centers and their cornfields and coffee fields were
 plundered by orders of the military chiefs of the various garrisons.
   THIRD.- The imprisoned citizens accused of being Zapatistas and the
 indigenous people  of the communities of Chiapas are threatened by the
 government's weapons to negotiate with advantages which neither the
 military occupation, nor the obscurity of the government's delegation in
 the table in San Andres, have been able to achieve.  The government
 continues to push forward judicial procedures that are full of
 irregularities and the federal Army is advancing, taking new positions in
 the Lacandon jungle.
   Adding this to the use of the army in the repression against the
 democratic struggle of the people of Tabasco, the militarization of the
 states of Guerrero, Oaxaca, Hidalgo and Veracruz, the continued appearance
 of  repressive "commandos" in the larger cities, especially in the Federal
 District, and the close relationship between the drug traffickers and high
 level politicians, creates now a scenario of fascism in action.  The
 government has abandoned the intent to dialogue as a method of solution
 for the conflicts.  The use of the repressive forces is constant, and the
 federal soldiers are now confronting the people of Mexico and not just in
 Chiapas.  The government's war against the people is beginning to extend
 itself across the nation.
   FOURTH.- On February 10th, 1996, the first anniversary of the expulsion
 of the indigenous people from Guadalupe Tepeyac and of the Zapatista
 political prisoners, the communities of the Lacandon jungle will conduct a
 civil and peaceful march from the old Guadalupe Tepeyac to La Realidad. 
 The march will begin in the morning and culminate with a cultural festival
 in the Aguascalientes in La Realidad in the afternoon of February 10th. 
 For the freedom of the political prisoners and the end of the military
 harassment, the indigenous people of Chiapas call on the people of Mexico
 to demonstrate.
   FIFTH.- Between the prisoners accused of being Zapatistas and the
 indigenous brutally forced into exile there are underground bridges. 
 Despite the arbitrariness of the powerful who destroy trusts and trample
 on dignities, the bridge of hope unites the prisoners of concrete with the
 prisoners of the jungle.  For the bridge of hope, for the liberty that the
 prisoners of the city and of the country deserve, for dignity, we call
 upon the people of Mexico to mobilize.
   Without liberty justice is a lie and democracy is a farce.
 
 Translated by Julia Sanchez, M.P. National Center for Democracy,
 Liberty and Justice
 
 --------- "RE: Notice: Upper Nicola Indian Band" ---------
 
 From: pmanuel@awinc.com (Phillip Manuel)
 Subj: Political Notice from Upper Nicola Indian Band
 Date: 7 Feb 1996 18:38:27 GMT
 
   Newsgroups: alt.native
 
 Political Notice
 
   To all interested or have followed the Douglas Lake Dispute, there has
 been some new developments in the political arena of Upper Nicola Band.
   First, the agreement has been signed with both the provincial and
 federal governments.  This agreement will be available for your review on
 my personal homepage which I provide the URL at the end of this notice.
   Second, Elections for Council of Upper Nicola took place on November
 20th and we have new council in place.  The Chief position was won by the
 previous Council -- Scotty (Fred) Holmes.  But as of yesterday, February
 6, 1996, Scotty has resigned from this position.
   The reason being several of the new council have grave differences of
 opinion on how politics should be run at Upper Nicola and Scotty felt that
 it is in the best interest of the Band that he resign.
   For your information, I am one of these new Council members and I have
 been mandated by the membership to get in order our internal band affairs.
 This means directly working with staff and members in working out the
 indifferences that do exist within the political infrastructure of Upper
 Nicola.
   If any other political leader is on the NET, your comments or
 suggestions to this matter would be greatly appreciated by the Council of
 Upper Nicola Band. If you wish further detail, please email me at
 pmanuel@vbcs.awinc.com and I will direct those queries to the Council and
 will reply to you.
   If you haven't seen the homepage that I've created, to promote First
 Nations in the Nicola Valley (British Columbia), you can find it at:
 http://www.awinc.com/users/pmanuel.
   I will be in the next two months updating the page with Council's input
 and in the update will be the conclusion of the Douglas Lake Dispute.
 
 Sincerely,
 Phillip Manuel
 Upper Nicola Indian Band
 Council Member
 
 --------- "RE: Dance Well" ---------
 
 Date: Thu, 1 Feb 1996 16:26:45 -0800 (PST)
 From: cherokee@wolfenet.com
 Subj: Dance Well...
 
   UUCP email
 
 O'siyo...Today I received a letter from a young boy...I wish to share it 
 with you...and perhaps in his words and those that I also send to 
 you..you might feel the power...as I felt today...of a Dreamer..
 Dear Brooke...
    The brightness of the day which has given me the opportunity to write 
 you this amicable words of mine...How is your conditions?  I hope by the 
 Lord everything is going on the right way for you.
    Brooke..my name is Alexander Ogyiri.  I am but a boy...and I attend 
 the Eion Complex School.  I always feel comfortable when reading your 
 stories. I want you to know..I am a dreamer...I believe in this peace for 
 the world you speak of.  My heart hears your words.
              Alexander Ogyiri
              PO Box 10766
              Accra North Ghana
              West Africa
 
  "Look as they rise..rise...
   Over the line where sky meets the earth...Pleiades!
   Lo!  They ascending, come to guide us,
   Leading us safely, keeping us one...
   Pleiades,
   Teaching us to be...like you...United."
          Traditional Pawnee Song....
 
   We humans must come again to a moral comprehension of the earth and air.
 We must live according to the principle of a land ethic.  The alternative
 is...we shall not live at all.
   "The old people came literally to love the soil and they sat or reclined
 on the ground with a feeling of being close to a Mothering power.  It was
 good for the skin to touch the earth...and the old people liked to remove
 their moccasins and walk with bare feet on the sacred earth.  Their tipis
 were built upon the earth and their altars were made of earth.  The birds
 that flew in the air came to rest upon the earth and it was the final
 abiding place of all things that lived and grew.  The soil was soothing,
 strengthening, cleansing and healing.
   That is why the old Indian still sits upon the earth instead of propping
 himself up away from its life-giving forces.  For him, to sit or lie upon
 the ground is to be able to think more deeply and feel more keenly."
   Chief Luther Standing Bear...Of the Honorable Nation the Lakota..1933
   "In the Western Shoshone way a long time ago when your Mother got old,
 you didn't throw her away; you brought her into your home and took care of
 her.  This is the way we are supposed to take care of the Earth, too.  The
 same way we should take care of our Mothers.  Its basically just common
 sense."
   Carrie Dann  Honorable Nation of the Shoshone....1933
   Non Native people have a tendency to want to fix everything.  Sometimes
 things don't need to be fixed.  If you let nature take care of itself and
 heal itself you will notice that it will do just that.  We as human beings
 are part of the earth and a part of nature.  Allow nature to heal...and it
 will happen.
   The smarter a man is...the more he needs Creator to protect him from
 thinking he knows everything.
   Sovereignty is all things that grow into ever spreading circles...and
 always begins with the individual.  If a person goes out...helps his
 Brother/Sister, then they are sovereign....To be responsible for our
 Brothers...our Sisters...our Mother Earth...and to forget our own selfish
 needs...THAT is sovereignty....
   We must realize that it is not a privilege GIVEN to us by someone...it
 is a RIGHT...a responsibility we carry in our hearts....What we choose to
 do with it is our own individual choice...We can plant the sacred seeds..or
 toss them away...it is up to us to decide.  Survive..or perish....
   What we of First Nations Fight to the Death for is the PRIVILEGE for ALL
 Nations...all Religions to believe from their own hearts...For Earl, the
 lay minister...for Gilbert and Ron, in their Jewish laws...for Angel and
 Rani their Goddesses....for Francine, her Protestant...for Anna..the
 B'hai...For Tufani..the black muslims in our circle...for the Universalists
 here...for the Catholics here..for all...all....What we fight for is
 Sovereign RIGHTS...for the Cheyenne to hold lodge at Bear Butte...for the
 Sioux to hold the Sun Dance..for the Ghost Dance to be danced...for all
 Nations to hold sacred their beliefs...but more importantly to practice
 them without interference.
   From all wind directions comes the ONE common theme that unites us
 all....The Dream....
   I have sent you the seven sacred kernels of corn....Hundreds of you
 asked and received them....Each will plant them in the sacred soil of your
 beloved nations with the Dream that there will be one world..one peace..one
 People.  THAT is the Dream....The symbolism of what you share is making
 history...changing the world....one kernel at a time...Watch it grow tall
 in honor.
   Does it matter what words we speak at each individual's ceremony?  Does
 it matter the ritual we observe?  We are all different...but all the
 same...for the ceremony is to hold sacred our belief in Creator.  THAT
 unites us.  It does not matter if the words are spoken in Lakota, Cheyenne,
 Cherokee, Comanche, Spanish, French, English, German, Ghana dialects,
 Catawba, Mohawk, Yankton, Arapaho, Apache, Hopi, Navajo,...all...all speak
 their sovereign language to one purpose.....to unite...call together...all
 in peace and healing.
   The first peace is that which comes within the souls of men when they
 realize their relationship, their oneness, with the universe and all its
 Powers...and when they realize that at the center of the Universe dwells
 Creator and that this center is really everywhere...it is within each of
 us.  This is the REAL Peace...and the others are but reflections of this.
   The second place is that which is between two individuals...and the
 third is that which is made between two nations.  But above ALL...you
 should understand that there can never be peace between nations until there
 is FIRST known that true peace which, as I have often said....is within the
 souls of man."  Black Elk of the Honorable Oglala Lakota....
   Everything is connected for purpose...spiritual and political..because
 when the Creator..whomever you believe Creator to be, made this world...he
 touched the world all together and it automatically became spiritual.
   I think tonight of a small boy in West Africa who believes the Dream
 of One world...one peace and remember these words:
           From an Address Delivered to the United Nations:
   "Power is not manifested in the human being.  True power is in the
 Creator.  If we continue to ignore the message by which we exist and we
 continue to destroy the source of our lives then our children will
 suffer....I must warn you that the Creator made us all equal with one
 another.  And not only human beings..but ALL life is equal.  The equality
 of our life is what you must understand and the principles by which you
 must continue on behalf of the future of this world.  Economics and
 technology may assist you...but they will also DESTROY you if you do not
 use the principles of equality.  Profit and loss will mean nothing to your
 future generations.
   I do not see a delegation for the four footed.  I see no seat for the
 eagles.  We forget and we consider ourselves superior, but we are after
 all..a mere part of the Creation....We stand, between the mountain and the
 ant...somewhere and there only, as part and parcel of the Creation.
   The elements..and the animals...and the birds...they live in a state of
 grace.  They are absolute...they can do not wrong.  It is only we, the two
 leggeds that can do this.  And...when we do this to our brothers...to our
 own brothers...then we do the worse in the eyes of the Creator...."
   Oren Lyons..of the Great Onondaga.....
                          Believe the Dream
   "I don't know if I can speak the right words tonight...What if I miss
 the dance steps...what if I forget what I should do?"
   " Dance your heart...Hear the drumbeat of your heart..You will not make a
 mistake...dance your heart....the music is there...hear it."
    Spirit Dancer and Her Grandmother....
              Hold hands..and...Dance well together....
 
 --------- "RE: Interview: Xochitlmilco Santos" ---------
 
 Date: Sun, 11 Feb 1996 23:24:14 +0000
 From: webmaster@webstories.com
 Subj: Interview: Xochitlmilco Santos
 
   WebSite  http://www.webstories.com/indian/interv.html
 
 Net Article,
 AN INTERVIEW WITH XOCHITLMILCO SANTOS, MAYAN/WHITE MOUNTAIN APACHE
 by Linda Brookover
 
   XOCHITLMILCO SANTOS is an activist,formerly preschool teacher and single
 mother. The Iron Circle Nation was formed as an adjunct of a drug
 prevention  and rehabilitation program for Native Americans. They are
 creating their own "curriculum" in finding ways to rehabilitate by
 recovering their Native American identity, this gives their cultural
 events great importance.
   "The people are going to struggle, the people or going to fight. We do
 not believe that we should take another's life although by any means
 necessary, we are going to continue fighting. It's not because we don't
 want the Euro-Americans here, its not that we own the land; we can't own
 the land, it's not ours to own. Regardless of how many taxes you pay on a
 house, it is not yours. You can't stop an ant from walking across the
 border or an eagle from going across the ocean and you cannot do that to
 a human being."
   "So our fight is going to continue for future generations. It's for our
 children The land needs to be there for there for them or they're not
 going to survive, and its not only going to be them who won't survive,
 it's going to be all children that won't survive. It's been so segregated,
 you're this and this is mine and that's yours, that it has forced us to
 say "our future generation" because if they don't eat, then your children
 won't eat either. They may eat maybe a year longer than mine, but
 eventually they will run out of land. What are they going to do when they
 run out of land?"
   If you do not have access to the web and would like a copy of this
 interview please send me a note.
 
 Laura
 webmaster@webstories.com       http://www.webstories.com/
 
 Exciting adventures and interesting people await your discovery at oneWorld,
 a free journal dedicated to the exploration of remote wildernesses and
 cultures, and the conservation of our environment.
 
 --------- "RE: Sacred Hoop" ---------
 
 Date: Thu, 8 Feb 1996 01:28:15 -0800
 From: joeline@westworld.com (joeline@village.ios.com)
 Subj: Sacred Hoop
 
 Mailing List:    ROOTS-L <indian-roots@rmgate.pop.indiana.edu>
 
   Okay I did a brief posting to ROOTS-L when this question came up before
 but perhaps a different sort of explanation is due to the indian-roots
 list.
   First !  Please understand that while I am a traditional..(religion)..
 Native American my definition and explanation is not going to be exactly
 the same as every other...tribal differences...and differences of practice
 do exist among us.
   The Sacred Hoop is a SYMBOL...a way to visualize a very complex yet
 simple concept.  This concept underlies a form of thinking that is foreign
 to most modern Americans (even a lot of us Injuns :-).  It is sometimes
 necessary to work hard at setting aside modern cultural adaptations to
 encompass it.
   The Sacred Hoop represents the "Circle of Life"  I like to call it
 "interconnectedness"... remember, a hoop or circle has no beginning and no
 end..when you reach the end you are at the beginning...just as the seasons
 evolve from Spring to summer to fall to winter to spring , so our lives
 evolve with the seasons.  From conception, to youth to middle age to old
 age ...We do not know from whence we come at conception, nor do we know
 exactly whence we go at death..but it is most likely the same place, thus
 completing the circle.
   For some Native Americans it also represents the "Hoop of the Nation"
 the interconnectedness of each member of the tribe to every other member
 of the tribe.  By modern extension this can also mean the same
 relationship between races, religions, countries, etc.
   Another form of this is our interconnectedness to the earth we live on...
 like any circle if you touch a part of the edge you effect every other
 part of the circle.  Holding to a belief that everyTHING (as opposed to
 person) has a spirit of some sort this can be extended to say that
 everything you do effects everyTHING on the spiritual plane as well as the
 physical.  Thus, it is incumbent upon us to consider well each thing we do
 as we are the beginning AND the end of the circle.  In other words it
 comes around "full circle" and back to us, sometimes over and over.  Let
 me use the example of air pollution (not to be ecological but for clarity).
  What we put into our atmosphere, we must breathe..but it does not stop
 there. Later it washes out of the air and into our water supply..and we
 drink it. The fish and animals must also breathe and drink it.  It goes
 into our soil where our food plants take it up and we eat it. Thus by
 breathing, eating, and drinking we have gone around the circle of our
 action not once, but THREE times...and the cycle is as inexorable as the
 turning of the seasons or the rising and setting of the sun.
   For our native american ancestors this was a natural way of thinking..
 circular rather than the customary Linear style of thinking that was
 predominant in most of the early white settlers who arrived here.  The
 responsibilities conveyed by the concept of the Sacred Hoop are enormous.
 If the cycle is disturbed all LIFE is disturbed in some way.
   This concept underlies all of Native American religion and culture.  The
 HOOP is SACRED because it represents the entirety of survival..both
 physical and spiritual.   The representations of the HOOP which are found
 in the art and crafts of the Native American are SACRED SYMBOLS of LIFE
 itself.
   There are legends among various tribes relating to the SACRED HOOP. 
 Most of them are warnings against breaking the hoop..and the consequences
 of such a break.  Several Native American spiritual leaders through the
 "indian wars" saw such a break and warned that it would have dire
 consequences for "The People" Those of us who continue to carry on the old
 beliefs try always to heal the nicks and cracks that appear in the Sacred
 Hoop, so that it will not break.
   I could go on for days with examples...and this has gone on far too long
 as it is...but the concept of the Sacred Hoop is far more than a bit of
 Native American religion...it is a fundamental foundation to a way of life.
 
   I hope this has helped,
 Joeline
 
 --------- "RE: WINS Internships" ---------
 
 Date: Wed, 7 Feb 1996 17:49:21 GMT
 From: berryj@okway.okstate.edu (John Berry)
 Subj: WINS Internships - in Washington D.C.
 
   Newsgroups:  apc.indig.info,soc.culture.native,alt.native
 
 Washington Internships for Native Students: through American U.
 
    WINS is an 8 week long leaning experience for future Native Leaders
 from throughout Indian Country.  WINS has been designed by Native
 professionals to provide productive learning opportunities for AI/NA
 students committed to contributing from their respective sovereign
 Native nation/tribal communities.
    WINS is open to Native Alaskan/American Indian sophomores, juniors,
 seniors, and graduate students currently attending college/university
 who are in good academic standing.
    WINS is comprised of four components: Academic course work, Action
 Research, Workplace Internship, and Cultural/Social Activities. These
 components are interwoven to ensure that traditional Native practices
 and values are emphasized.
 
 WINS Professional Staff:
 
 Dr. Lee Francis (Laguna Pueblo) Director
 Ms. Maria Dadgar (Piscataway Conoy)
 Ms. Dottie Tiger (Sac & Fox/Yuchi)
 Mr. Paul M. Kinville (Sault Ste. Marie Chippewa)
 
 For more Information call (202)885-2033, Deadline has been extended
 due to Gov't shutdown and recent weather on East Coast.
 ======================================================================
            I know Dottie Tiger some, and have met Maria; their
 presence speaks well of this program.        Best to all, John Berry
 
 --------- "RE: FundRaiser: First Nations Softdrinks" ---------
 
 Date: Mon, 12 Feb 1996 17:22:48 GMT
 From: br975@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (John S. Brack)
 Subject: First Nations softdrinks for sale to help Odawa Pow Wow
 
   Newsgroups: soc.culture.native
 
   The Odawa Pow Wow committee is asking for your help in raising
 money for the Annual Odawa Pow Wow by selling cases of First
 Nations Cola (available in 5 flavours).
   Through special arrangements made possible by the Apikan Trading
 Company, the Odawa Pow Wow Committee has been able to secure
 First Nations Cola.
 
 Background:
   First Nations Beverage Company is Aboriginal owned and operates
 out of Winnipeg, Manitoba.  It is owned by Alfred Lea and Mike
 Birch.
   The soft drinks is available in five flavours: Diet cola, Cola,
 Orange, Grape and Lemon-lime.
   Six hundred cases have been made available for this fundraiser.
 The flavours we have the most of are Diet Cola, Orange, and Cola.
 Diet Cola is very popular.  It has a label which announces that
 the company is Aboriginally owned and operates with no government
 funding.
   The goal of this fundraising campaign is to sell 600 cases by
 Friday, March 1, 1996. Feel free to spread the word!
   If anyone is interested in purchasing a case or more, please
 call Trina at (613)238-8591 at the Odawa Native Friendship Centre
 or leave a message at this e-mail address and arrange it to pur-
 chase it from me.
 
 Thank you/Meegwetch!
 (davidb@ftn.net)
 or
 --
 John S. Brack
 (br975@freenet.carleton.ca)
 
 --------- "RE: Compact Histories" ---------
 
 Date: Fri, 9 Feb 1996 11:10:34 -0500
 From: jsd@dickshovel.com (Jordan S. Dill)
 Subj: Compact Histories
 
   UUCP email
 
         O'siyo Gary...
 
         Just wanted to mention that three First Nations Histories have been
 posted to my First Nations site...url noted below:
                                 Tsalagi
                                 Mahican
                                 Catawba
         These histories are part of a larger work and they've been made
 available at the site so they can be critiqued as "works in progress."
         Readers are encouraged to comment on history
 specifics/style/tone/whatever so as to provide the author with reactions.
 
                                  Nvwhtohiyada...
                         First Nations/First People Issues
                     http://www.pobox.com/~jsd/firstnations.html
                              http://www.pobox.com/~jsd
                  (Sites are enhanced for viewing with Netscape 2.0.)
 
 --------- "RE: Poem: Taos Prayer for the Elders" ---------
 
 Date: Wed, 31 Jan 96 13:27:01 EST
 From: gwelker@mail.lmi.org
 Subj: Poem for the Elders
 
   UUCP email
 
 O, our elders, 
 this is the name bestowed on me,
 when I was presented to you at dawn, 
 four days after birth.
 
 O, our elders,
 you who have never become mortal beings, 
 who have no reason to worry
          no reason to be lonely,
          no reason to weep,
          no reason to be sad,
 
 I, a child of darkness,
 come forth on this dawn to feed you, 
 with the sacred cornmeal of tradition, 
 and to offer you this,
 my humble morning prayer.
 
 May you, our elders,
 keep meadows and mountains alive,
 with grass and with game.
 
 And may I continue
 to be accepted and loved.
 
 May I catch up with that
 for which we always seek:
 
 long life and abundance.
 
 Taos Prayer
 
 --------- "RE: Verse: Hawai'ian Book of Days" ---------
 
 Date: 96/02/09        23:55
 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 February 18-24
 
                           PEPELUALI
                           (February)
                           (Kau-lua)
                               18
 My hopes are cast, like stars, upon the sky.
                               19
 I am a keiki o ka aina, a true child of the land!
                               20
 My hope lies in the future; my strength lies in the past; my survival lies
 in the joining of the two.
                               21
 Look into the eyes of a stranger, ... and find a friend.
                               22
 Trust in the lessons of our heritage.
                               23
 A dream is a wild bird upon the wind!
                               24
 See the world through the eyes of a child.
 
               (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, 15 Feb 96 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: nap@hugse1.harvard.edu
 Subject: women of color conference (Harvard, 24-25 Feb)
 
   Newsgroups:  apc.indig.info,soc.culture.native,alt.native
 
         Forging Forward: Women of Color in the Law
         A Conference at Harvard Law School
         February 24-25, 1996, Austin Hall, Cambridge, MA.
   As a forum for the discussion and exploration of scholarly efforts,
 community action, and legal initiatives undertaken by African-American,
 Asian, Latina, and Native American women across the country, it is our hope
 that the Conference will  produce a clearer understanding of the current
 positions and concerns of women of color collectively and as members of
 distinct racial and ethnic groups.  Above all, we hope that the Conference
 will lay the foundation for our collective advancement within the legal
 profession and in society itself through the development of cross cultural
 strategies and allies.
   To speak on panels including: Sustainable Growth and Environmental Justice,
 Welfare Reform: Rethinking the Debate, Women of Color and Health,
 Opportunity, Politics and Women of Color, and Women of Color and Legal
 Academe, the following Native women lawyers and advocates have been
 invited; most are tentatively confirmed:
 + JoAnn Chase, National Congress of American Indians, Washington, DC
 + Ada Deer, Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior,
         Washington, DC
 + Lucille Echohawk,Welfare Reform, Aurora, CO
 + Lorie Graham, Harvard Native American Program, Cambridge, MA
 + Melody McCoy, Native American Rights Fund, Boulder, CO
 + Barbara Namias, North American Indian Center of Boston, Jamaica Plain, MA
 + Jonny Bear Cub Stiffarm, National Center for the Courts, Denver, CO
 + Trisha Tingle, U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division ,
         Voting Rights Section, Washington, DC
 + Jeanne Whiteing, Whiteing and Thompson, Boulder, CO
   To register (reduced rates before February 12, 1996) or for more
 information, please telephone (617) 522-8966.   To register by mail, please
 send your name, address, telephone number, and a check in the amount of the
 registration fee to:
                         Women of Color Collective
                         Harvard Law School
                         1536 Massachusetts Ave.
                         Cambridge, MA 02138
 Registration fees:
 Faculty                                         $40
 Practitioners                                   $40
 Legal Services Staff                            $20
 Low-income community member                     $10
 Student                                         $10
 Please add $10 if you would like to join in the luncheon provided Saturday.
 All registrations received after February 12 will be subject to a 50% late fee.
 =============================================
 Written 12:43 PM  Feb  9, 1996 by berryj@okway.okstate.edu
    in igc:indig.info */
 ---------- "Oklahoma State U. - Spring Contest" ----------
                         OKLAHOMA STATE U., STILLWATER, OK
                             SPRING  CONTEST  POWWOW
                                 March 23, 1996
  Contest in: Men's Fancy, Traditional, Grass and Straight Categories.
              Women's Cloth, Buckskin, and Fancy Shawl Categories
  Colvin Center Annex - OSU Campus
     (Hall of Fame to Cleveland St., go South 1 block to Farm St., 2
  blocks to the west).
  MC:                Ron Harris             Stroud, OK
  Headsinger:        Mike Whitecloud        El Reno, OK
  Head Man Dancer:   Ralph Haymond          Pawnee, OK
  Head Lady Dancer:  Angela Thurman         Shawnee, OK
  Arena Director:    George Alexander       Ponca City, OK
  Co-Host:           Osage Gourd Clan       Pawhuska, OK
  Gourd Dance 2:00pm
  Supper      5:30pm
  Grand Entry 7:00pm
 
  Arts and Crafts Welcome, $25.00 Set-up Charge
  Drum Contest  $300.00 (one place)
  Sponsored by OSU Native American Student Assoc.
 =============================================
 From: Meyna@ix.netcom.com (Julia White )
 Subject: Pow Wow Info
 
 Posted for Brad Two Bears, Echota Cherokee:
 The Vasquez Rocks 1st Annual Traditional Inter-Tribal Pow Wow is set for 
 June 1 & 2, 1996.
         Host & MC:              Dan Tom - Paiute/Pomo
         Host Drums:             Big Heart Singers; Wild Horse Singers
         Head Man Dancer:        Eddie Dancinghawk - Apache/Sioux
         Head Woman Dancer:      Tina Calderon - Shoshone
         Special Guest Dancers:  The Aztec Dancers
   Vasquez Rocks is located off Hghwy. 14, between Canyon Country and
 Lancaster, CA -- Aqua Dulce exit.
   Interested vendors, dancers and singers should contact Brad at (818)
 761-4474 as quickly as possible.
 =============================================
 From: b.zygo@mail.utexas.edu (Brian H. Zygo)
 Subject: Baylor Pow-Wow
 
   Newsgroups: alt.native
 Baylor University Native American Student Association
 Second Annual Benefit Pow-Wow
 "Spirit of the Earth"
 Saturday, March 23, 1996
 Ferrell Special Events Center
 Baylor University Campus, Waco, Texas
 
 Gourd Dancing:  5:00pm
 Grand Entry:    7:00pm
 Master of Ceremonies:   Frank Tongekeamha  (Kiowa)  Dallas, Tx
 Head Man Dancer:        Lyndon Alec (Alabama-Coushatta)  Livingston, Tx
 Head Lady Dancer:       Yolanda Poncho (Alabama-Coushatta) Livgstn, Tx
 Head Gourd Dancer:      Jack Battise, Sr (Alabama-Coushatta) Livgstn, Tx
 Host Singer:            Norman Nanui (Comanche) Lawton, Ok
 Invited Singer:         Laverne Littlecalf (Cheyenne) El Reno, Ok
 Arena Director:         Carlos Bullock (Alabama-Coushatta) Cleveland, Tx
   For More Information, Contact:
 Department of Student Activities  (817) 755-2371
 Keith Bullock  (817) 755-3930
 
 Directions:
   If you're coming into Waco on I-35, take the University Parks Exit and
 head East.  The Ferrell Center is several blocks down and will be the
 big dome building on the left.
   If you're coming from Houston or College Station on Highway 6, when it
 hits Waco you'll see an exit for Highway 6 & Loop 360, don't take that
 take the next exit, or what can be best described as a left lane exit.
 The Ferrell Center will be up on your right.
 ------------------------------------------------
 ==========================================================================
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------
 --//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--
 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, Joe Quickle, AIM(American Indian Movement),
 Glenn Welker, Liz Dominguez via Susanna Shreeve, John Berry, Phillip Manuel,
 Lisa Faruolo(Leonard Peltier Defense Committee), Brooke Craig, Sam Monet,
 Linda Brookover via webmaster, John S. Brack, Jordan S. Dill, Dan Umstead,
 Indigenous Revolutionary Clandestine Committee, Joeline R. Webber
 --//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--
 
  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
   ~ 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, 15 Feb 96 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
 
   GE Electronic Mail
 
 =======================================================
 Subject:      Walk for the Earth -- Florida, Feb 24 - Apr 13
 To: Multiple recipients of list NATIVE-L <NATIVE-L@TAMVM1.TAMU.EDU>
 Original Sender: eschutz@igc.apc.org (Eric Schutz)
 Mailing List:    NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us)
 
   WALK FOR THE EARTH: A JOURNEY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS
 February 24 - April 13, Everglades to Tallahassee
 A 725-mile walk to call attention to Florida's threatened ecosystems.
 Sponsored by the Florida Coalition for Peace and Justice (FCPJ)
   The purpose of the walk is to focus attention on threats to Florida's
 natural environment brought about by corporate greed, rampant growth,
 public ignorance, political ineffectiveness, and ever increasing
 population density.
   The walk begins Feb. 24 on Hwy. 41 in the Everglades, traditional
 home of the Seminole people and the ultimate water source for the
 state.  It will be led by Bobby C. Billy, Spiritual Leader of the
 Independent Traditional Seminole Nation.
  
 Itinerary:
      Everglades, Miami, West Palm, west around Lake Okeechobee,
 Orlando, Ocala National Forest, Gainesville, Perry, Madison,
 Tallahassee.
 Rally:
      Saturday, April 13, from 3-6 p.m. a rally on the steps of the old
 Capital.
 Legislative action:
      Monday, April 15, visit State representatives with demands for an
 end to the pollution, contamination, unrestrained development, and
 corporate control.
   For more information:
      E-mail: danh@oo.com     latu@worldramp.net
   Look for Web for the Earth, a web site with information on Florida's
 environment and on the walk as it happens. Coming to a server near us.
   I will post more details soon.  Cheers - Eric Schutz
 =============================================
 Subject:      R.E.T.A.I.N. Conference Announce.
 Original Sender: berryj@okway.okstate.edu (John Berry)uu
 Mailing List:    NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us)
  
   The 1996 R.E.T.A.I.N. Conference - Retention in Education for Today's
 American Indian Nations will be held at the U. of AZ, Tucson, AZ on
 April 20-23, 1996
   VISION: To inspire unity of action between American Indian tribal
 nations and higher education institutions in addressing retention
 issues related to academic success of Native American college
 students.
   GOAL:  To provide for the exchange of ideas and methods through
 interactive forums w/ higher education retention researchers,
 practitioners, planners; tribal higher education personnel and tribal
 leaders; and American Indian students on retention strategies related
 to Native American students in higher education.
   CALL for PAPERS:  Preference given to researchers who have written
 papers which address retention strategies that affect Native American
 college students.  Selected presenters, Panels - group discussion.
   TARGET AUDIENCE:  Higher Education Administrators, Retention
 Researchers, Practitioners and Planners, Tribal Higher Education,
 Tribal Officials, and American Indian college students.
      Paper submission deadline - March 15, 1996.
      Notice of Selection - March 29, 1996
      Preregistration Due - April 1, 1996
 To submit papers:  Contact Dr. G. Bruce Meyers, Assist. Dean of
 Students, Native American Affairs - Nugent #203, U. of AZ, Tucson, AZ
 85721 (520)621-3835, FAX (520)621-9880
 e-mail:   gmeyers@u.arizona.edu
   FOR ATTENDEES:  Contact Julia Mason (520)621-3835 or
   e-mail to:   Jmason@ccit.arizona.edu
 
   FEES:  Preregistration before April 1, 1996     $195.00
             Registration after April 1, 1996      $225.00
 
                      Students                     $125.00
                      One Day                      $ 75.00
                                 Submitted to the NET by John Berry
 =============================================
 Subject:      AISES symposium at UND (18-19 April)
 Original Sender: cbenedic@prairie.nodak.edu (Cindy B.)
 Mailing List:    NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us)
  
     REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS MARCH 31, 1996
     FIRST NATIONS RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM
     sponsored by  AMERICAN INDIAN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING SOCIETY
                   AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA
     APRIL 18 AND 19, 1996
  
     This symposium will provide an opportunity for Native students at the
 high school, junior college and university level to participate in
 presenting their work through a poster board session or oral presentation.
 It is our goal to encourage science research in the various disciplines. We
 acknowledge the social sciences in this symposium and invite students to
 display their projects.  Our AISES chapter hopes to create an atmosphere for
 potential students with research interests to come and observe the works of
 others and become acquainted with successful research endeavors.  By
 fostering research careers it is our hope that we can learn from one another
 and create a networking between students with similar interests.  It's a
 wonderful opportunity to bring together people that have a desire to ask
 questions about science and seek answers.
      There will be also be a Pow Wow sponsored by the University of North
 Dakota Indian Association on April 20th, 1996. We hope you will have an
 opportunity to participate in the activities planned during that time.
      The following is the registration form for the Symposium.  I've
 attached an itinerary of the symposium.  If there are any questions or
 concerns, please feel free to email those questions, or to write me at the
 address found at the bottom of the page.
                         REGISTRATION FORM
                         AISES-UND CHAPTER
                   FIRST NATIONS RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM
                         APRIL 18,19TH, 1996
 NAME:______________________________________________________________________
 
 ADDRESS:___________________________________________________________________
  
 SCHOOL AND SCHOOL ADDRESS:_________________________________________________
  
 ___________________________________________________________________________
  
 TEACHER/PROFESSOR ASSISTING WITH PROJECTS:_________________________________
  
 TRIBAL AFFILIATION:_________________________AISES HIGH SCHOOL CHAPTER: Y/N
  
 DISCIPLINE OF STUDY:  BIOLOGY_ CHEMISTRY_ EARTH SCIENCE_ MATH_ SOCIOLOGY_
      COMPUTER SCIENCE_  PSYCHOLOGY_ NURSING_ MEDICINE_ ENGINEERING_
      OTHER_________________________________________________________________
 
 WILL YOU BE PRESENTING:  POSTER_____
                          ORAL_____( a limited number of speaking time
 is available)
 +++++++++++++++ABSTRACT DEADLINE IS MARCH 31, 1996+++++++++++++++++++++++++
 ACCOMMODATIONS ARE AVAILABLE AT THE DORMS AND LOCAL HOTELS.  PLEASE REGISTER
 BY MARCH 20, 1996 SO THAT WE CAN HELP YOU WITH THE LODGING ARRANGEMENTS.
                      ***REGISTRATION INCLUDES MEALS ****
   REGISTRATION FEES:   $10.00 HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT
                        $20.00 JUNIOR/UNIVERSITY STUDENT
                        $30.00 GRADUATE STUDENTS/PROFESSIONAL
    GROUP RATES ARE AVAILABLE
 >>>>>>>>>>>> AFTER FEBRUARY 1, 1996 THE REGISTRATION FEES WILL BE<<<<<<<<<
                        $20.00 HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT
                        $40.00 JUNIOR/UNIVERSITY STUDENT
                        $60.00 GRADUATE STUDENTS/PROFESSIONAL
 
                                 SYMPOSIUM FORMAT
 APRIL 18, 1996
  
 12:00-1:00pm    WELCOME.  AISES MEMBERS INTRODUCTION. 
                 DESCRIPTION OF THE EVENTS
 1:00-1:20 pm    INMED (Indian in to Medicine) Coordinator speaker
 1:20-1:40 pm    MARC/AH'JO'GUN (Minority Access to Research Careers)
                 Coordinator
 1:40-2:00 pm    Howard Hughes Scholarship Coordinator
 2:00-3:00 pm    Dr. Patrick Weaselhead:  Vision for Change
 3:00-3:20 pm    Break
 3:20-3:40 pm    RAIN (Retention of American Indians in Nursing) Coordinator
 3:40-4:00 pm    TRIO Programs Coordinator
 4:00-5:00 pm    Social hour
 5:00-6:00 pm    Transportation to dinner
 6:00-8:00 pm    Dinner  (pot luck)
 8:00-12:00 am   Dance for students
 8:00-12:00 am   INMED Art Auction
  
 April 19th, 1996
  
 8:00-9:00 am    Breakfast (continental)
 9:00-11:00 am   Poster Session I
 9:00-10:00 am   Speaker I
 9:00-3:00 pm    Career Fair
 10:00-12:00 pm  Oral Presentations
 10:00-11:00 am  Speaker II
 12:00-1:00 pm   Lunch
 1:00-2:00 pm    Speaker III  Dr. David Potter, Harvard Medical School
 2:00-3:45 pm    Poster Session II
 2:00-3:00 pm    Speaker IV
 3:00-4:00 pm    Speaker V
 4:00-5:45 pm    Banquet/Awards
 
     For further information or questions please contact:
        Cynthia Benedict  or Tim Wilkie
        PO Box 12916
        Grand Forks, ND  58203
        701-746-5883   or   701-775-8051
 =============================================
 Date:         Tue, 13 Feb 1996 14:49:45 -0500
 Subject:      Sacred Run -Walk for Water
 Original Sender: brokenma@umdnj.edu (MaryAnne BrokenNose)
 Mailing List:    NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us)
                PICT
   At the behest of the circle of Elders, in preparation for the 1997
 INTERNATIONAL SACRED RUN in England-Ireland-Scotland; PICT is sponsoring
 the 4th ANNUAL WALK FOR WATER in alliance with the SACRED RUN
 FOUNDATION'S "RUN OF THE ANCESTORS" 500 mile relay, Cincinnati to Atlanta
 link run.
   Founded by Denis J. Banks in 1978 the SACRED RUN has travelled
 48,180 miles carrying the message of the sacredness of all life and the
 need to maintain the delicate balance between humankind and our Mother
 the Earth. As co-ordinator, P.I.C.T.  (Preserve Indigenous Culture and
 Tradition) is arranging the travel and accommodations for the Sacred Run in
 Scotland in 1997 and is inviting all interested parties and organizations
 to attend our walk in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey.
   Join our ceremony and share our concerns as address the current
 problems of local and global water degradation and the multitudinous
 threats to all through the continued use of nuclear power. This year PICT
 was asked bye F.O.E. (Friends of the Earth) Scotland to inform and unite
 the American people  in opposition to the proposal to send up to 14,000
 highly enriched uranium spent fuel rods of U.S. origin to the Dounreay
 Nuclear Facility in Scotland for processing.
   The people of Scotland have not been consulted on this issue. The
 transportation of nuclear waste across Europe is an unnecessary risk to
 people living along the route. The safety standards for the waste
 containers is inadequate and there is no need to have this material
 reprocessed. Vast quantities of nuclear materials there will increase
 radioactive emissions from the site.
   Scotland welcomes the Sacred Run in 1997 with open arms, hearts
 and homes. Ancient tribal routes will be made available to the
 participants. We at P.I.C.T.  are impelled and obligated to help our
 Scottish brothers and sisters stop this nuclear madness and call their
 plight to the worlds attention. As a long oppressed people with no voice
 in their own land we see an obvious relationship of the Scottish people
 to our native brothers and sister here on Turtle Island.
   Please call 908 477-4071 1 or 914 591-5962 for information on
 these events. Join our ceremony on March 30th at 9am at the crossroads of
 Rte 70 and Rte 72 on the 4 Mile Circle in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey.
 Please let us know if your coming so we have an idea of how many people
 will be there.
 PICT
 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 I have sent the above message on behalf of PICT. I will try to
 forward any e-mail messages sent to me regarding this but please
 understand that I do not check my mail everyday and it may take some time
 to get back to you. If anyone knows of any other listservs where I can
 post this message. I am especially interested in environmental or native
 groups. We are also interested in hearing from student organizations. Thanks.
 =============================================
 Date:         Tue, 13 Feb 1996 15:33:15 +0000
 Subject:      National Health Rally and Day of Drumming
 Original Sender: powless@ibm.net
 Mailing List:    NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us)
  
   This is to advise a national day of drumming  and national rally
 to be held February 16, 1996 and February 23, 1996 respectively.
 These events are being held to protest Canadian governments cuts
 to health benefits and rights of the First Nations citizens in Canada.
 The February 16, 1996 Day of Drumming is a national call to action
 seeking participation across Canada with drumming to continue
 from 1:00 pm until 3:00 pm Ottawa, Ontario time.
   The National Rally (protest) is scheduled for Friday February 23,1996
  in Ottawa at Parliament Hill which will also include a press
 conference. All participants are asked to assemble at the
  Citadelle Hotel on Lyon Street in Ottawa at 10:00 am.
 Following the rally participants are asked to re-assemble at
 the Citadelle for a discussion of future actions to be taken.
 For Information contact Chiefs of Ontario at 416 972 0212.
 =============================================
 Date:         Tue, 13 Feb 1996 21:00:07 -0500
 Subject:      EDCAW National Symposium
 Original Sender: carmel@glen-net.ca (Carmel Vivier)
 Mailing List:    NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us)
  
 Please post this announcement or pass on this message to appropriate places.
 Economic Development for Canadian Aboriginal Women (EDCAW) announces its
 upcoming National Symposium:
  
 "Forging New Linkages"
 Aboriginal Women and Business
 March 19-21, 1996
 Delta Chelsea Inn, Toronto, Canada
  
 WORKSHOP SESSIONS:
 Structure of Business
 Business Planning
 Financing
 Selling Products or Services
 Networking
  
 REGISTRATION FEE:
 $20.00 (Twenty dollars)
 TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS:
 Canadian Airlines International and Pash Travel are the official airline and
 travel agency.  Please call the following toll free numbers:
 1-800-883-0941 Pash Travel
 or
 1-800-665-5554 Canadian Conventionair
  
 Please refer to  Convention number CUTN #M3029 EDCAW when making reservations.
 For more information please call (613) 563-0994 or 1-800-754-4082 or e-mail
 us at: edcaw@ottawa.net
 <>*<>*<>*<>*<>*<>*<>*<>*<>*<>*<>*<>*<>*<>*<>*<>*<>*<>*<>*
 Carmel Vivier
 Saw-Whet Communications
 http://www.saw-whet.ca/Saw-Whet/index.html
 e-mail:  carmel@saw-whet.ca
 Coordinator/WebMaster NativeWeb Electronic Store
 http://web.maxwell.syr.edu/nativeweb
 <>*<>*<>*<>*<>*<>*<>*<>*<>*<>*<>*<>*<>*<>*<>*<>*<>*<>*<>*
 
 --------- "RE: Paugesukq Nation Threatened" ---------
 
 Date: Sun, 11 Feb 1996 15:52:28 -0500
 From: inobu@aol.com
 Subj: Paugesukq Nation threatened in Connecticut
 
 Mailing List:    NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us)
  
 The Golden Hill Paugeesukq Tribal Nation in Connecticut is
 threatened with genocide by the State legislature.  The State has
 been involved in a battle against this community for the past
 several years, including a four month long siege of the reservation
 at Colchester over a dispute arising out of cigarette taxes. Now,
 the State is putting forward a bill to remove state recognition
 from the Nation. This comes at a time when the State, opposing the
 tribe's petition for federal acknowledgement, is withholding vital
 documents concerning the three hundred and seventy five year
 unbroken history of state to state relationships with the tribe.
 The BIA is violating the guidelines set out in the Code of Federal
 Regulations, in ruling on a petition, not certified by the tribe,
 for the sole purpose of destroying this tribal nation. The tribe
 has not certified the petition for the reason that the documents
 are not complete without the state records that have been withheld.
 It is of the utmost importance that people organize to stop the
 removal of recognition from this people which will no doubt end
 with the removal of reservation lands. THIS IS THE GENERATION THAT
 MUST SAY NOT ONE MORE INCH OF NATIVE LAND! Please form Golden Hill
 Paugeesukq Defense Committees.
  
 Phone - email or call about how you can help
  
 To form Golden Hill Paugeesukq Defense Committees, write to:
           Golden Hill Paugeesukq Reserve
           95 Stanavage Rd.
           Colchester CT. 06457 - 4015
  
 Phone 860 537 0390  Or e. mail  InOBU@AOL.COM
 
 --------- "RE: Pooly Cooper/Oneida History" ---------
 
 Date: Wed, 7 Feb 1996 14:56:45 +0000
 From: umstead@oneida-nation.org (Dan Umstead)
 Subj: Pooly Cooper-Oneida History
 
 Mailing List:    NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us)
  
  CHIEF ROCKWELL'S POLLY COOPER - an Exhibit
 Shako:wi Cultural Center, February, 1996
  
         The Polly Cooper Shawl is one of the greatest relics of the Oneida
 People.  Linked to it is the story of George Washington's sick and
 starving army wintering at Valley Forge in 1777-78.  The suffering was
 relieved by an Oneida gift of corn organized by Chief Skenandoah.  An
 Oneida woman, Polly Cooper, stayed to help the soldiers and to teach
 them how to prepare the nutritional and medicinal food.  Refusing to take
 money in payment, Cooper did accept this shawl in token of
 Washington's gratitude.
         This story is at the heart of Oneida oral tradition passed down
 through the generations.  It expresses the unswerving friendship and
 timely aid offered by the Oneidas in the most perilous hour of the United
 States.
         It also symbolizes the relationship between the Oneidas and the
 United States.  In times past, any agreement of the Haudenosaunee
 (Iroquois) was accompanied by a gift; usually it was wampum but it
 might be an animal skin or textile also.  The gift was tied to the words of
 the message and the object underlined the truth and importance of the
 words.  So it is with the shawl.  As memorial to the American
 acknowledgement of Oneida help and sacrifice, the Polly Cooper Shawl
 testifies to a pact of the Revolutionary War in the traditional
 Haudenosaunee way.
         The Shawl is also an icon of neglected and little known history.
 > From non-Native documentary sources it is clear that the Oneidas
 contributed greatly to the birth of the American nation.  Oneidas played a
 key role in the most important American victory of the war, the repulse of
 British invasions at Fort Stanwix and Saratoga in 1777.  They certainly
 aided Washington's army at Valley Forge.  Later, they fought beside New
 York soldiers in several battles of the Mohawk Valley.  The sacrifices
 they made in the American cause of liberty were enormous.  They lost
 the lives of perhaps a third or more of their people.  After losing their
 homes, they lived as refugees for four years enduring hunger, smallpox,
 and lack of adequate clothing and shelter (see endnote).
         To date, non-Native written sources neither confirm nor deny the
 Polly Cooper story.  However, we do know that an Oneida woman called
 Polly Cooper by English speakers was alive during the Revolution and did
 serve again as a cook in the American cause during the War of 1812.
         We also know that the tradition of Polly Cooper is very old locally
 and goes back to those with living memory of those times.  William
 Honyost Rockwell (1870-1960), an important Oneida leader earlier in this
 century, heard the story of his ancestor Polly Cooper when he was a
 small child.  Chief Rockwell knew the tradition of Skenandoah, corn, and
 Valley Forge but he emphasized parts of the story which held the richest
 meaning for him.  He stressed Cooper's bravery and selflessness in a
 righteous cause.  Above all, he understood it as a parable for the
 traditional matriarchal wisdom of his people.
         Chief Rockwell wrote about his ancestor Polly Cooper several
 times between the 1930s and 1950s.  The following account has been
 compiled from his two longest passages on the subject.  The
 unpublished Rockwell Papers are owned by the Oneida Indian Nation.
         George Washington is called the father of this country; an Indian
 woman of the Oneida Nation should be called the mother of this country.
 Her name was Polly Cooper.  She cooked for George Washington and his
 staff of officers when they were located in Philadelphia.  Polly Cooper would
 not accept cash payment for her part in the Revolutionary War.  Isn't that
 just like what a mother does for her children?
         So the wives of the officers invited Polly Cooper to take a walk
 downtown with them.  As they were looking in the store windows, Polly saw
 a black shawl on display that she thought was the best article.  When the
 women returned to their homes, they told their husbands what Polly saw
 that she liked so well.  Money was appropriated by Congress for the
 purpose of the shawl, and it was given to Polly Cooper for her services as a
 cook for the officers of the Continental Army.  The shawl is still owned by
 members of the Oneida Nation, descendants of Polly Cooper.
         When I was a boy, I used to hear my people talk about Polly
 Cooper's bravery, about how she cooked and carried water to the soldiers.
 Whenever she had a chance between the hours of cooking duty, Polly
 would roll up her sleeves and take two pails of water, one container in each
 hand, and go into the battlefield.  She would give water to quench the dry
 throats of the soldiers on either side and she walked on both sides of the
 firing line without fear of harm.  Polly Cooper gave water to the enemy
 soldiers as well as to the men in the colonial army because she believed the
 war was not over water or food.  She knew that, when the war was over,
 people would continue to have all the water and food they needed no
 matter which side won.  Polly knew the war was about freedom in thought,
 to develop principles for the good of all living and the coming generations.
         Polly Cooper's thoughts were that all men, no matter what country
 they were fighting for, they all had mothers.  And the mothers didn't send
 their sons out to kill other mothers' sons.  All the old Indian people I heard
 talk 50 years, 60 years, and 70 years ago favored the mothers' right to
 govern people.  Mothers carried the child before it was born.  They nursed
 and cared for it in every way so that the infant knew the hands that held it
 were a dependable love.
         Before the Europeans came into the country, the Iroquois women
 were the heads of domestic affairs.  Since they took upon themselves the
 responsibilities of the home, it was therefore very natural they should have
 the right to govern home affairs.  I support the good judgment of my Iroquois
 ancestors who yielded to womanhood for love and a peaceful government
 (William Rockwell).
 Endnote:   The government of the United States acknowledged the
 contributions of the  Oneidas in the Revolution as well as the severity of
 their sacrifices.
   1777: "We have experienced your love, strong as the oak, and your fidelity,
 unchangeable as truth.  You have kept fast hold of the ancient covenant
 chain, and preserved it free from rust and decay, and bright as silver.  Like
 brave men, for glory you despised danger; you stood forth in the cause of
 your friends and ventured your lives in our battles.  While the sun and moon
 continue to give light to the world, we shall love and respect you (Journals
 9:996)."
   1784: "The immovable firmness with which you have preserved your faith
 to Congress and attached yourselves to the fortunes of America has justly
 raised your glory among nations.  It is a glory that will last as long as any
 memory of these times shall remain.  Congress has not forgot your fidelity
 and attachment (Campisi 1988:58)."
   1794: The Oneidas "adhered faithfully to the United States, and assisted
 them with their warriors; and in consequence of this adherence and
 assistance," the Oneidas "at an unfortunate period of the war, were driven
 from their homes, and their houses were burnt and their property destroyed
 (Kappler 2:37)."
  
 References Cited
 Campisi , Jack
 1988    The Oneida Treaty Period, 1783-1838. Pp. 48-64 in The Oneida
 Indian  Experience: Two Perspectives. J. Campisi and L.M. Hauptman,
 eds. Syracuse   University Press.
 
 Journals
 1904    Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789. W.C. Ford et
 al., eds.               to      Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress and
 Government Printing Office (34 1937     volumes).
  
 Kappler, Charles J., ed.
 1902    Indian Affairs, Laws and Treaties (Vol. 2, Treaties). Washington,
 D.C.:   Government Printing Office.
 
 A photograph of the Polly Cooper Shawl is available on the Oneida Indian
 Nation Home page at http://one-web.org/oneida/  Follow the link to "Little
 Known Historical Facts"
 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 Daniel Umstead                         *     The Oneida Indian Nation
 Internet Coordinator                   *
 Oneida Indian Nation                   *    "A Sovereign Cyber-Nation
 315-361-6300                           *
 315-361-6333 (fax)                     *       on the World Wide Web"
 umstead@oneida-nation.org              *
                                        *  URL - http://one-web.org/oneida/
 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 
 --------- "RE: Cornell Job Announcement" ---------
 
 Date: Thu, 8 Feb 1996 10:27:46 -0600
 From: mwilson@csd.uwm.edu (Michael)
 Subj: Cornell Job Announcement
 
 Mailing List:    NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us)
  
 INSTRUCTOR POSITION AVAILABLE
  
         Cornell University's American Indian Program is seeking to hire an
 instructor in American Indian Studies for an academic year appointment,
 effective August 20, 1996.  Responsibilities include teaching two
 lower-division classes and one upper-division seminar, and an active
 research program which may relate to the dissertation.  Teaching and
 research must be on Native American Studies topics, but can be either
 interdisciplinary or focused on a single disciplinary perspective.
 Candidates should have completed the Ph.D. by July 1st, 1996, and must
 submit the following: a C.V., descriptions of proposed courses to be
 taught, a brief statement outlining research project, three letters of
 recommendation, and a writing sample of no more than twenty pages.  Salary
 is commensurate with qualifications and experience.  Apply by writing to
 Jane Mt. Pleasant, American Indian Program, 300 Caldwell Hall, Cornell
 University, Ithaca, NY 14853; or call (607) 255-6587, if you have any
 questions.  Deadline for application: March 1, 1996.
 ++++++++++++++++++++++++
 Sandra Cook
 American Indian Program
 300 Caldwell Hall
 Phone: 255-5991
 Fax: 255-6246
 ++++++++++++++++++++++++
 
 --------- "RE: Terrorist: John Miranda" ---------
 
 Date: 12 Feb 1996 15:59:37 +0100
 From: monet@aloha.net (sam monet)
 Subj: "terrorist" John Miranda/a broad view
 
 Mailing List:    NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us)
 
 February 7, 1996
 
   Sand Island, O'ahu, Hawai'i....28 year old, part Hawaiian, John Miranda
 was killed by local police in a hail of gunfire, ending an ordeal that
 riveted the otherwise industrious downtown Honolulu business community on
 the issue of racial discrimination in the workplace.   As television cameras
 showed Miranda falling to the pavement dying, swat team police officers, who
 had surrounded the Seal Masters of Hawai'i building on Sand Island Access
 Road where Miranda worked as a laborer fired three more bullets into his
 bullet riddled body.  Though not directly related, this incident follows on
 the heels of native Hawaiian activist and sovereignty protestor Kahale Smith's
 suicide on Kaua'i two weeks ago.  Many native Hawaiian sovereignty groups
 have not yet commented on this latest incident involving a Hawaiian man,
 who has been called a "terrorist" by his former employer.
   Miranda, who once spent 2 days in a Honolulu jail for driving without a
 license, accused his former employer of being bias against Hawaiians,
 promoting a Canadian co-worker who had been with the company for only short
 time, ahead of him and other local employees.   Miranda's employer denies
 the claim.
   In defense of Miranda's "criminal" record, an attorney in Hawai'i was
 recently involved in a traffic accident where alcohol might have been a
 factor.  The case made the news because it was alleged that the haole
 attorney did not have a drivers license or auto insurance.  The State of
 Hawai'i did not prosecute the case, leaving the attorney with an
 unblemished record.  All too often, native Hawaiians go to jail for crimes
 that their non native counterparts suffer very little for.
 The Miranda incident reminds this author, who was in Beirut, Lebanon in the
 early 1970's at the beginning of the civil war, of similar "terrorist" acts
 sometimes reported in the west.  Palestinian refugees, in defense of world
 outrage at such acts committed by desperate people, accused former Israeli
 Prime Minister Begin of being a "terrorist" in British "occupied" Jerusalem
 30 years earlier.   Apparently, Mr. Begin set off a bomb in a hotel full of
 foreign tourists, killing several of the non Israeli visitors to Palestine,
 bringing to the attention of the world, the plight of his people long
 dispossessed.   Begin was  called a hero by his people.
   While being denounced by the news as another "stress" related incident in
 the workplace, Miranda was clearly on a suicide mission.  He demanded a
 $20,000 ransom be thrown into the air for others like him, out of work and
 out of hope, to retrieve.  Miranda vowed not to "go back to jail" where
 overcrowding has prompted the State of Hawai'i to send "surplus" local
 prisoners out of state to Texas to serve their sentences.  Most of the
 surplus prisoners were part Hawaiian.
   In thinking about what to write about this incident, I spent the day
 talking to people within the local community seldom heard.  At a service
 station in Waianae, a rural community on west O'ahu, men talked of
 barricading the only highway in and out of the predominantly Hawaiian area
 in support of Miranda and to protest the plight of native Hawaiians.  At
 the Waialua health club, a 61 year old Filipino man talked about the
 closing of the local sugar company, putting him and his neighbors out of
 work, venting outrage at his white employer who continues to live in
 grandeur.  The lifelong former sugar company employee was taking a position
 sympathetic to  part Filipino Miranda.  A car full of young, local surfers
 parked at Chun's reef painted "go John" on their rear window.
 In general, the white community is unsympathetic to Miranda, thanking god
 that he was killed.  It has been reported that one day after the incident,
 Miranda's Canadian supervisor has received several telephone death threats.
   While certainly not condoning wanton acts of violence, it should be noted
 that frustration is all to often manifested by violent behavior, usually in
 a domestic setting,  against innocent spouse or children.   Often, people
 are advised to identify the source of their frustration and take direct,
 positive action to eliminate the frustration at its point of origin,
 whenever possible or to simply ignore the problem.  Miranda's action was,
 however inappropriate, focused at what he apparently perceived to be the
 immediate source of his frustration and anger.  He apparently, did not
 count to ten.
   The State of Hawaii's economy is on the verge of economic collapse.
 Corruption and graft by at all levels of government has contributed to the
 financial woes that contributed to the "downsizing" at Miranda's place of
 employment.   Miranda knew that if he survived this act of violence, he
 would be sent far away (Texas), a fate worst than death, suffered by native
 Americans on the U.S. continent in the 1800's.
   The Chinese general Sun Tzu (500 B.C) once counseled his monarch that it
 is not wise to give an enemy no means of retreat, saying that a desperate
 foe is extremely dangerous and will fight to the death.  John Miranda will
 not be the last patho/socio/economic suicide in paradise, clearly another
 act of desperation in our Hawaiian homeland.
 
 Sam Monet
 P.O. Box 309
 Haleiwa, Hawai'i 96712
 Ph/Fax: (808) 638-8934/ 638-8018
 email: monet@aloha.net
 
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