_ __ _____ __ _ __ ___ ____ _ __ ___ ' ) / / ') / / ) ' ) ) / ) / ' ) ) / ) / / / / / / /--/ / / / ___ / / / / ___ (_(_/ (__/ ( / (_ / (_ (___/ '__/_ / (_ (___/ ' O ____ _ , ___ _ , ___ O o O / ' ) / / ) ' ) / / ' O o O / /-< / /--/ /-- VOLUME 04, ISSUE 022 O o o o o O __/_ / ) (___/ / ( (___, 1 June 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, Triballaw, NATLIT, NATCHAT & NATIVE-L listservers; Newsgroup:alt.native; UUCP & Genie 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 " 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 "The white man, through his insensitivity to the way of Nature, has desecrated the face of Mother Earth. The white man's advanced technological capacity has occurred as a result of his lack of regard for the spiritual path and for the way of living things. The white man's desire for material possessions and power has blinded him to the pain he has caused Mother Earth by his quest for what he calls natural resources. And the path of the Great Spirit has become difficult to see by almost all men, even by many Indians who have chosen instead to follow the path of the white man." __ Thomas Banyacya for Hopi Traditional Village Leaders: Mrs. Mina Lansa, Oraibi Claude Kawangyawma, Shungopavy Starlie Lomayktewa, Mushongnovi Dan Katchongva, Hotevilla +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | 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 the years 1812 to 1814 the United States government solicited the aid of the Cherokee in the United States battle with the Creek. This culminated in the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, a battle in which Andrew Jackson's life was saved by Junaluska, Cherokee Chief. Siding with the white invaders seemed to make sense. It would prevent the Red Stick's war from encroaching on the Cherokee lands which would ruin their experiment with the white man's ways. By 1836 the Cherokee capitol of New Echota was an almost idealized copy of white settlements. There was a printing press, a tavern and inn, and a bicameral system of government in place. The Cherokee had won the right to keep there lands in Georgia in no less a white man's enclave than the Supreme Court of the United States. On May 23, Andrew Jackson ramrodded through congress the Relocation Act, and on May 24, 1836 the Cherokee were dragged from their homes and sent on the death march known to our People as the "Trail of Tears". I repeat this bit of history to remind others it is dangerous to rely upon the word and law of the United States. I would ask the Hopi and Navajo who have lived beside each other for ages to consider deep in their hearts who they can believe and trust as a neighbor. 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 - Genius of our Ancestors - Conferences and Powwows - online - Warriors - Roots of Reservation Corruption - Permits to Pray - Big Mountain Emergency - Navajo/Hopi Land Dispute Update - Jim Thunder, Run for Freedom - NAGPRA/Trafficking/Ritual Objects - Small Grants Available - EZLN 5/23/96 Communique - Nt'l Museum of the American Indian - Reviews of Books by/about NAs - NA Talent Resources Sought - Help Big Brothers/Sisters of Tucson - Native Blood? Native Nations - Poems: Heyoka - New Age or Old Prophecy - Verse: Hawai'ian Book of Days - Conferences and Powwows - offline --------- "RE: Genius of our Ancestors" --------- Date: Wed, 22 May 96 14:41:21 EST From: "Glen WELKER" Subj: Genius of our Ancestors (fyi - Glenn) <<<<=-=-=-=-=-{{{{}}}}-=-=-=-=-=>>>> Maori saying "The trees, speaking one to the other said' Watch out for the axe handle, he is one of us, you know.'" <<<<=-=-=-=-=-{{{{}}}}-=-=-=-=-=>>>> The Genius of our Ancestors is now buried forever beneath concrete. tall buildings and rivers whose original course has been changed by man-made dams, erosion from mining, T.N.T.. etc. Settlers from other parts of Mother Earth will never experience the true meaning of what the Creator provided for the Original inhabitants of this once beautiful country. What the many people who now live here will never realize is this. Other Eurocentric cultures gave us nothing we didn't already have. Our People are the first engineers, first architects, first builders, first crusaders. first artists, first developers, first singers, first dancers, first protectors, first hunters, first Grandmothers and Grandfathers, first People of this land, first agriculturalists,... and so on. Our strength comes from our Spirit, our eyes, our heart, our respect, our word, our breath, our sharing, our world, our love, our songs... and so on. There are many heavy heel marks across the face of our Mother earth. that has put a permanent scar on her beauty forever. Heavy feet that have dragged their disputes behind them across large waters These same heavy feet brought their wars, their disease, their greed, their hate, their fears, their creation stories, their ignorance, their exiles, their banished,... and so on. Without the caring hearts of the First People of this land the early settlers would not have survived the many hardships. They would have no history as they know it today,... and so on. There is nothing wrong with paying respect to the Original People of this land. Our Ancestors and the Generations before them, and before them sacrificed much and endured much during their time,... and so on. These days there are so many wanting to play indian and making claim to our Ancestry. Why do they choose our Culture? Might this be their way of telling us that our Culture is the preferred way of life? If this is true, then they would have to forget all the lies they were ever taught at home and at school. We are the Original teachers of this land, We are the Original Keepers of this land. A recurring thought comes now and then. Why do these people not choose the Afro american culture, Hispanic culture, MidEastern culture, or other world recognized cultures to plagiarize. Why do the New Agers insist on disregarding the gifts and wisdom of our Elders? Is it because they are still not sure of who they are? Why do they show homage to plastic and porcelain icons from another culture? When will they realize that the Original People of this land do not have to feel guilty for what someone else has done in another country, on another continent, in another time. Why do they not seek the True Spirit, the True Meaning of what the Creator provided and shared with us. All these gifts were given, to be cherished and respected for all time. The Creator had never intended for us to pay a fee or buy a book in order to walk with our Ancestors. Many have been shamed in to thinking that, a form of paper currency will save their restless Spirit.?? If other cultures wish to wail in anguish for what their forefathers did. So be it. If other cultures wish to wail in anguish for more time, when it comes time to take that final journey. So be it. But they really shouldn't try to include the Original People of this land. innocent of a crime their Ancestors had nothing to do with all those years ago... and so on. Walk, without the FALSE pride that alcohol and drugs can produce. Walk, as our Ancestors know WE can. Walk, with combined STRENGTH for OUR future Generations. Walk, with the KNOWLEDGE that our Ways, our Culture, and our TRUTHS are Priceless and Ageless. Yah - Whunt -Goh Ken Cornelius, O ' nyota ' aka' Founder. CREATORS CHOICE, Detroit ishgooda@tdi.net (Ishgooda) --------- "RE: Warriors" --------- Date: Fri, 24 May 1996 00:31:28 -0400 From: WOODRUFQ@aol.com Subj: Warriors Relatives: I would like to share with you a story told by one of the Sundancers this past month at the Redstone Youth Sundance, Tucson, AZ. This is somewhat a paraphrase, but I am sure you will understand. One of the beauties of the oral tradition is that stories such as this can be passed on to others. An Elder who councils with prisoners locally was holding a talking circle with a group of male inmates. There were ten or fifteen men in the group which was asked to tell, in turn, what they felt defined a warrior. The first man spoke of strength, courage, defending the heritage. The second said much the same, adding comments about looking out for the children and Elders. And so it went around the circle; each man in his turn saying about the same things. And finally the last man was reached. He was small, almost feminine in appearance, and very nervous. He spoke softly, with fear in his voice. "I have not associated with these men because I am afraid of them. I am afraid they will abuse me because of what I am". I have heard what each of you has said about being a warrior, but you are wrong. The Women are the warriors, not the men. I am Winkti, and that is why I am afraid of these men. I was raised by the women, my mother and sisters. I wanted my father, but he was never there. I ran after him, crying, begging him to play with me; but he only went off to drink and chase women. When I would bring things home from school, and want to show them to him, he was too busy, or didn't care. When I wanted him to take me hunting or fishing he didn't have time. When I was afraid, it was the women who gave me comfort. When I was hungry, they were the ones who supplied my food, even if they had none of their own. When I was lonely they were there to be my friend and cheer me up. My mother was the one who worked so that we could eat and have clothing; while my father was out who-knows-where. It was the women who did what ever was necessary to maintain the family. And so I am Winkti, and know that the true warriors are the Women, not the men. No one in the talking circle spoke against what this man had said. ----- I say to you, from my own experience, that the hope of this Earth is in the Woman Nation. Most of my teachers on this Red Road have been women. I have had the privilege to keep fire for the woman's sweat, and share the totality of their giving for the People. I have felt the strength of the woman Sundancers, and it is beyond description. In the Gourd Dance the women dance behind the men. Their shawls spread out like the wings of Eagles, protecting our backs as we dance. And who is protecting the backs of the women??? There is balance in all things. There are men who are true warriors, but they are few, compared to the woman. True warriors "speak" with actions, walking in a good and humble way. The time has come for all of us to become better warriors. Let us give thanks that the Woman Nation has the strength to share with all of us so that this may be accomplished. Woody --------- "RE: Permits to Pray" --------- Date: Sat, 25 May 1996 08:30:38 -0700 (PDT) From: cherokee@wolfenet.com Subj: Permits to Pray UUCP email I am home to send out this message to the world...I ask that you put it on all your Listsservers....You E this to everyone in the World...I want the world to hear my words... + Comes before the sacred fire of my Grandfathers and knees down as she offers tobacco to our Sacred Ones and asks them to hear the words of a Tsalagi woman+ Grandfathers.... Last night I saw Evil...I saw what this World has come to...I cry now as I speak these words to you...I have saw a holy city captured...held Hostage....I have seen our Spirituality now in the hands of men who spit upon us...and who have guns pointed at us.... I went to our Holy City of New Echota, Grandfathers...in obedience to your words...I went....and as I walked up...There were 15 Park Rangers standing in a group, with semi automatic weapons...9 mm ones Fred told me...in the Parking lot...refusing to allow us there....Armed...like at a standoff...and it reminded me of Wounded Knee when they would not allow us there. I talked at the locked gate with the Supt....I said..We are NOT here for trouble..we only wish to pray...He refused to allow this...He was so angry...so angry...and men with the guns stood there with arms folded..and I thought..they're going to shoot us if we go on. I asked him...Is there not a place here designated to pray in...He said.."Yes, the First Amendment Area." (You'll be happy to know our First Amendment has an designated area.) I said.."Can we pray there?" He said.."Do you have a Permit?" A PERMIT?! "Yes, you have to get one in our Atlanta Office of the National Resource Agency." I looked at him silently...and he said.."You have to get them during normal working hours and they're closed now for the holiday weekend." I asked him..."Does everyone have to have a permit to pray there?" He said.."Well, we take it on a case-by-case basis." I asked.."What is the criteria then for this?" He said.."Its up to us."... "So, YOU decide who can and cannot pray then in the First Amendment Area?" "Yes" I smiled up at him and said.."I'll bet you wouldn't allow me then to be one who could." He didn't answer...just looked at me...I felt at that moment more pity for a man corrupted by his system than I ever have...I knew that if I walked onto that area...we'd be shot...I knew it as surely as anything I've ever known...THey were so angry...so angry... I stood there as they began taking pictures of us...writing down tag numbers...and I smiled at them as they took pictures...and hoped the sadness is reflected in that smile when they develop it...I looked past them standing there...blocking our way into that holy land...and it occurred to me..We worry about fighting for the religious freedoms in Bosnia and other places...and right here, literally in our own back yard..we have none....we have none...and my heart wept. The Sheriff's office came...told us you can't stand in the roadway...and of course I knew the harassment was beginning and the charges would read "obstructing traffic" or something like that which they usually do...I've lived this before...I asked Danawa to leave...she kept staying...I got her and put her in the car... We held council with the Ketoni...We had to go over to a campground already prepared..and as they counciled, I sat quietly listening...and when it came my turn to speak I stood up...and I told them...We cannot light this sacred fire...we cannot.....The Ketoni agreed...and so we did not. Grandfathers...I want the World to know this thing...I want them to know that our People cannot pray without Permits anymore...I want them to know our sacred fires cannot be lit...That the Spirits on our Holy City cannot be reached there...I also want you to know I'm on my way back out there...Danawa is out there now....but I had to come back...to tell the world...THERE IS NO RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN THIS COUNTRY...THERE IS NONE...and I want the words to be heard.... *backs away 7 steps in the betrayal of our Nations, from the cold ground where sacred fire could not be done...and realizes...the breast of Mother is cold today...and Creator 's voice was silenced...and WEEPS for the sadness of it all* I want the world to know that as of 11:30 AM Saturday..they are still there armed..and refusing to allow it...and I have taken pictures of it..and I want the world to see...how we have to have Permits to Pray or be shot.... --------- "RE: Navajo/Hopi Land Dispute Update" --------- Date: Mon, 27 May 1996 11:39:02 -0700 (MST) From: dh88691@goodnet.com (Jon Norstog) Subj: Navajo/Hopi Land Dispute Update UUCP email NAVAJO-HOPI "LAND DISPUTE" UPDATE: MAY 27, 1996 Numerous Recent Incidents on the Land In the two months since the Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearings on the proposed Navajo-Hopi settlement, a number of incidents of a provocative nature have taken place, all involving Hopi tribal officials and law-enforcement personnel. The most recent of these was the four-day police blockade of Alice Benally's home and the Anna Mae camp and Sun Dance ground. Friday and Saturday I received calls from Grace Smith and two Denver support group people, and it sounded pretty bad. Yesterday afternoon I drove out to the Big Mountain and Mosquito Springs areas to find out what was happening. The roadblocks were down when I got out there. At Mae Tso's place, things were pretty normal, kids running around, the recently sheared sheep and goats out grazing with just the dogs to watch them. In spite of the drought, the grass looks good out on HPL and there are no spreading patches of bare ground like you see further east. Betty Tso told me that her younger sister Jaunita and sister-in-law Rachel had been stopped at a roadblock where Juanita was arrested on an outstanding traffic violation. Betty said that there were a lot of arrests at the roadblocks but they were all for outstanding warrants or DUI. Nobody that she knew of was arrested specifically for "movement activity." Some vehicles were searched, but Betty didn't give me any names. She had heard that some Navajo people on their way to a religious site at Teasyatoh had been turned away at the Dinnebito Junction roadblock (more on this later). We shot the breeze for a while, then I went back to Rocky Ridge and up to Big Mountain. Betty had said the spring gathering was moved to Jane Biakeddy's place on the Navajo (NPL) side of the fence. I went there, but the only person around was Slim Biakeddy, tending the sheep and goats on horseback. He said everyone was at Alice Benally's place and told me to watch out for the police. Louise Benally, her new husband Mervyn Tilden, and a few support people were the only ones around at the Anna Mae camp. They said the blockade began late Tuesday and was lifted Saturday afternoon. The roadblocks were set on the "Dinnebito Freeway", the main road most outsiders take getting to Big Mountain. The first roadblock was on HPL lands at the Dinnebito junction just off AZ 264, with Hopi Rangers and Arizona State Police. Another roadblock was set up south of Alice Benally's place, again on HPL land, with Hopi Rangers and BIA Police. The third roadblock was set up near the turnoff to kathering Smith's place, about a mile north of Benally's. The Hopi Tribe for some time also deployed its TAC squad, in black uniforms and with the usual display of firepower, along the ridge east of Benally's place, effectively surrounding it. No one mentioned helicopters tear gas or the firing of any weapons. Louise Benally was not arrested, and no one mentioned any arrests taking place except at the roadblocks. Louise confirmed that the arrests were all for outstanding warrants and DUI. Mervyn said that he had been refused passage at the roadblocks for two days, even though he is an in-law of the Benallys. Mr. Tilden said that a complaint had been made to the BIA Hopi Agency about their police participating in the operation, and the BIA police were then withdrawn. He also said that someone had shot up Dine' Alliance's sign on the NPL. He thought it was the police because of the caliber of the bullet holes. He said they have the sign, but I did not see it. The reason given by the Hopi Tribe for the roadblocks was that there was an extreme fire danger because of the drought, and that no one had got a permit for holding the spring gathering. However, Alice Benally's place was the only part of HPL blocked off. It was directed specifically at the spring gathering and was meant to discourage the expression of support for the Big Mountain people by non-Navajos and by Navajos from outside the Big Mountain area. It was probably a legal use of the Hopi Tribe's police power, but done for what I believe is an illegal purpose: to prevent the expression of political and religious rights. Other incidents have included the recent Hopi Tribal interdiction of a food caravan, the destruction of Huck and Genevieve Greyeyes' ceremonial hogan, and "visits" to family homesites by groups of Office of Hopi Lands staff at times when they know everyone is away. Last time I was out at Mae Tso's place, on May 9, Rachel told me she had been home alone with her baby while everyone else was at a meeting, when a group of Hopi officials drove up. The got out and started looking around, so she went outside to confront them. According to Rachel, they acted surprised. She told them if they wanted to look around they should come back when people were there, and ask permission. According to Rachel, a lot of people are now unwilling to go to meetings if they have to leave their homes unattended. There was only one heifer cow at the BIA impound corral at Keams Canyon. However, there are two new livestock trailers, bringing the total to five. Each one will hold 8 to 10 cattle or horses, or a whole herd of sheep and goats. The new trailers each have four sections of modular steel corral panels hung on their sides. These panels can be set up to make a sort of squeeze chute that will allow quicker and easier impounding of Navajo livestock. The BIA's order for immediate livestock reduction is still in place, although there has been no action yet. When BIA proceeds with the intended impoundments and permit cancellations, you can expect another crisis, and maybe confrontation as well. Since the Navajo Nation no longer assists the families with impound fees, they will be much more reluctant to allow their livestock to be taken away. What Does it all Mean? For the Hopi Tribe, the harassment is just business as usual. As Louise benally said, "its the same old same old." The Hopi Tribe feels secure enough in its position that it is not bothering to wait until the settlement is final before showing everyone what its plans are for the Dine' families. The Hopi Tribe temporarily evicted a member of the Benally household of whom it did not approve. It selectively enforced Hopi Tribal law to prevent religious and political expression by the Benally family. It also blocked some Navajo people from visiting and praying at the site of the recent appearance of the Yei, at Sarah Begay's place. The Appearance of the Yei On Sunday, May 5, two Yei (Holy People) appeared at the home of Sarah Begay, in Teasyatoh. They gave instructions to her and her mother, and left signs of their visit, which have been preserved. This is the first time this has happened in the memory of living Dine' and everyone knows about it. Thousands of people have gone there to see the signs and to pray, and at least one ceremony has taken place. Medicine people are debating the event and its significance, also there are differences of opinion as to which of the Yei appeared. Most of these things are not being discussed much with outsiders. The closest parallel I can think of would be an appearance of the Virgin, such as the ones at Guadalupe or Fatima. When the Dine' have interpreted what the appearance means and begun to act on the instructions provided, this event will probably have far-reaching effects. The way out to the site is getting a lot of traffic, maybe 15-20,000 visitors total. Betty Tso said that on Thursday, two Navajo Transit buses drove out. Both President Hale and Chairman Secakuku have been out to the site, and both reportedly got a piece of Mrs. Begay's mind. --------- "RE: NAGPRA/Trafficking/Ritual Objects" --------- Date: Mon, 27 May 1996 09:40:49 -0700 (PDT) From: quasho@ix.netcom.com (William J. Whatley) Subj: NAGPRA-Trafficking-Ritual Objects Mailing List: TRIBALLAW (triballaw@thecity.sfsu.edu) THE SITUATION: In 1993, specific communally owned ritual artifacts belonging to the "People of the Pueblo of Jemez" in Northern New Mexico were observed for sale in a locked glass display case in Albuquerque at a consignment antique store. The Pueblos Governors and Traditional Tribal Leaders were brought down to the store to observe the objects. Through the locked glass, a number of objects were observed which the Tribal Leaders believed were genuine/authentic items of ritual status belonging to the Jemez People. The Unwritten Traditional Tribal Law (carried from prehistory) of the Pueblo of Jemez specifically states that any object of ritual design, regardless of the context of manufacture, is of ritual status and is communal property and can't be sold, traded, gifted, exchanged or otherwise divorced from the Jemez People, even by Tribal Members, even by the manufacturer, unless such action is authorized by the Supreme Council of Traditional Tribal Leaders. In short, ritual objects can't be privately owned. In 1848, the last authorized gifting of a ritual object took place and that object is now in the Smithsonian. No such authorization has been granted since that time. As such, the items in the glass cabinet evidently represent a theft of communally owned ritual property belonging to the Jemez People. A written deposition was signed by the Traditional Leaders stating their belief that, based on viewing through locked glass cabinets, said objects (06 total) were genuine and therefore stolen. USDI Criminal Investigators working in conjunction with the BIA CIs and the Pueblo of Jemez obtained a search and seizure warrant and confiscated the evidence along with receipts and tax records. These resulted in the identification and subsequent apprehension of the non-Indian who had presented said objects for sale. In the presence of the BIA CIs (1995), the ritual objects were observed (hands-on) again by the Pueblos Traditional Leaders. Of the six objects originally confiscated, absolute identification of genuine ritual status was made for three, and the other three were identified as Jemez, but the Traditional Leaders determined that they had been significantly altered, probably to enhance their saleability. For this reason, it was decided to pursue the three unaltered objects under NAGPRA trafficking. The case is now in the hands of the Assist. US Attorney, Albuquerque. The US Attorney would like for the Pueblo to disclose the secret "society" markings carried on each of the artifacts to help prove how they know the objects are authentic (this disclosure would violate the Pueblos Unwritten Traditional Tribal Laws). She also needs to know the date of the alleged "taking" ...or the date the objects were last seen/utilized by the Pueblos Traditional Leaders. Unfortunately, the prayer-sticks (object 01) are placed on outside shrines in remote locations, but on Tribal lands. When they disappear from the shrines, it is usually because the Spirits have taken the offering and no one questions this; the headdress (object 02) is kept in a religious chamber along with similar ones hanging together on wooden wall pegs (ca. 15 to a peg/20-25 pegs); the headdress ornament (object 03) is actually removed from the headdress immediately after use and stored separately in a religious chamber with similar ornaments. They are not used again until just prior to the next ceremony which could be more than a year later. In the meantime, no person disturbs the headdress or the headdress ornament because they are "resting". Hence, in all three cases, it would be almost impossible to notice, let alone say, when the items disappeared. The black-market dealer (well known) claims the six objects were manufactured for sale in another Pueblo by non-traditional Indian youth looking to make a quick dollar...that they are replicas...that he knows they are not genuine...that the objects are not even made by the Jemez People and the Jemez therefore have no right to prosecute him. Jemez Pueblo says that the items were likely stolen by non-traditional Jemez youth also looking to make a quick dollar. The Assist. US Attorney would like to obtain stronger evidence to prove the three objects are Jemez ritual items of communally owned status. In addition, this same US Attorney does not appear to be knowledgeable about prior convictions for similar situations. As Tribal Archaeologist (or is that Counter-Archaeologist) for the Pueblo of Jemez, I have coordinated the successful repatriation of literally hundreds of ritual objects under both NAGPRA and Smithsonian Policy. I am certain that if the six ritual objects were in a museums possession, I could secure their return back to the Pueblo of Jemez. Evidently however, the same rules do not apply to prosecution for trafficking in the same stolen objects. THE QUESTION: Given the above situation, does anyone have any suggestions as to how the Pueblo of Jemez can provide stronger proof without disclosing secret society information, or prior case references that I can present to the US Attorneys Office to help them in prosecuting this case? Please excuse the spelling and thank you in advance for your time and consideration of this matter. Respectfully yours, William J. Whatley Tribal Archaeologist Pueblo of Jemez PS: My email address of "Quasho@ix.netcom.com" will change on June 1st to a new address that is unknown at this time. Originator: triballaw@thecity.sfsu.edu From: Alan Mandell William (et al...), The Triballaw list keeps an archive of all messages that are sent to the list. So, my suggestion is that responses be sent to the list so that they may be archived. In this manner, William will be able to view the responses when his new E-mail address is established. To learn more about the archives send a message to the listserv@thecity.sfsu.edu with the message help archives or visit the listserv homepage http://thecity.sfsu.edu/listserv If you need help, E-mail me and I will try to help out the best I can. --------- "RE: EZLN 5/23/96 Communique" --------- Date: Thu, 23 May 1996 13:46:30 +0000 From: moonlight@igc.apc.org Subj: 5/23/96 communique Mailing List: Chiapas-L (chiapas-l@profmexis.dgsca.unam.mx) Hopefully many of you have already read the communique dated May 18th of 1996. The COCOPA officially responded this Tuesday by "a scolding" which demanded that the EZLN immediately return to the negotiating table and not jeopardize the peace process. Below is the most recent EZLN communique which firmly responds that conditions do not exist for the continuation of the peace process. Clearly the situation remains as dangerous as in February and October of 1995. We urge you to do all you can to respond to this growing emergency. -------------- Enclosure number 1 ---------------- Dear Companeros, A few minutes ago through a radio transmission I was able to listen to your response to my letter of May 18th. I appreciate your promptness, as well as the fact that you considered it necessary to respond. This evidences the fact that your interest in the resolution of this crisis has not grown less. Cecilia Rodriguez -------------- Enclosure number 2 ---------------- To: the Commission for Concordance and Pacification Gentleman Legislators: I want to point out three facts: 1. Misters Javier Elorriaga and Sebastian Entzin, accused of being members of the EZLN, remain imprisoned. Regardless of the many declarations to the contrary, including one from the judicial branch, the EZLN has been condemned for being terrorist. 2. The military mobilization in the regions of the Highlands, the jungle and northern Chiapas have ostensibly increased, especially within the past 24 hours. You may personally confirm this, if you wish. 3. There are no political guarantees which can advance the peace process. There is a patent condition of bedlam in the state: the white guards continue to act with complete impunity, a sample of such is the paramilitary group Dos Chinchulins whose actions have provoked deaths and the exodus of indigenous families which fear their aggression. I therefore repeat everything stated in the epistle of May 18, 1996; it is indispensable that a new judicial parameter be developed which can resolve not only these phenomena but any other obstacles to the process of dialogue and negotiation. Clearly, the physical, military and political conditions do not exist whereby a personal meeting can be held between the Commission for Concordance and Pacification and members of the command of the EZLN. We will continue to wait for you to make the best effort possible for this encounter and reclaiming the path of peace. We agree that this public means be the one utilized given the actual circumstances. That is all. >From the mountains of the Mexican Southeast. Subcommandante Insurgente Marcos Mexico, May of 1996 --------- "RE: Reviews of Books by/about NAs" --------- Date: Fri, 5 Apr 1996 21:14:23 -0700 (MST) From: Steve Brock Subj: Reviews of new/recent books by/about Native Americans Mailing List: NATIVELIT YELLOW WOMAN AND A BEAUTY OF THE SPIRIT: ESSAYS ON NATIVE AMERICAN LIFE TODAY by Leslie Marmon Silko. Simon and Schuster, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, N.Y., NY 10020, (800) 223-2336, FAX: (212) 698- 7007. Illustrated, notes. 205 pp., $23.00 cloth. 0-684-81153-7 At her signing for "Yellow Woman" last week in Denver, Silko read "Fences Against Freedom," a fervent condemnation of U.S. immigration policy in general and Border Patrol tactics in detail. As expected, most of the questions after the reading were about U.S./Mexico border politics (though a man in front of me asked her "why do I like Indians so much?"), which is only a small part of her new book. "Yellow Woman" is passionate and impassioned appraisal of issues facing contemporary Native Americans in the U.S., and Central and South America (maintaining an identity with the land, the politics of tribal councils, Indian fishing rights, and cultural identification), as well as a collection of memoirs, stories, and an excerpt from a longer piece on how to perceive a rock. Though labeled by many as "outraged" and "controversial," to me Silko's essays, while speaking clearly about injustice and perseverance, also resound with a deeper message that is more optimistic and perceptive: Indian people are seekers of truth and their stories illustrate both possibilities and consequences. Grade: B+. What's next: Silko is working on a novel which focuses on the U.S./Mexico border (a place, she says in "Yellow Woman," where trade that has taken place for thousands of years is interrupted by checkpoints and "a steel wall twelve feet high") as well as hand- made, limited editions of an autobiography titled "Sacred Water." Also by Silko: Fiction: "Ceremony" (1977), "Almanac of the Dead" (1991); Poetry: "Laguna Woman" (1974); Nonfiction: "Story- teller" (1981), "Sacred Water" (1996). ------------------------------------------------------------------ Steve Brock Copyright c1996 Book Reviews on the Internet 2323 Mapleton Reviews are Boulder, CO 80304 available for (303) 786-7375 syndication brock@ucsub.colorado.edu http://ucsub.colorado.edu/~brock E-mail for Member: National Book Critic's Circle more info. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Here are several short reviews of new and recent books by and about Native Americans. All reviews are written by Steve Brock: SACRED WATER and LAGUNA WOMAN by Leslie Marmon Silko. Flood Plain Press, 8000 West Camino Del Cerro, Tucson, AZ 85745, FAX: (520) 743-9572. Illustrated. "Sacred Water" is 88 pp., $12.00 paper, 0- 9636554-4-21 and "Laguna Woman" is 48 pp., $12.00 paper, 0-9636554- 4-22. These two well-received books of poetry, photography, and narratives are now available in second editions, offset printed with Silko's photographs and drawings reproduced on a copy machine ("so they won't get in the way of the words," she says). The run of each is limited to 2,500 copies. Grade for each: A. Also available: limited editions of "Sacred Water," hand-sewn and glued by Silko (I bet Gus helps her) and bound in hand-made paper created by Stephen Watson in Albuquerque. The Blue Corn edition (with bits of blue corn in the paper) is $35.00 plus $3.00 shipping, and the Volcanic Ash edition (with volcanic ash from Albuquerque volcanoes), is $100.00 plus $3.00 shipping. Blue Corn is limited to 750 copies and Volcanic Ash is limited to 250 copies. Both versions are numbered and signed by the author and make grand gifts. Flood Plain Press is owned by Silko. Grade for both: A+. TALES FROM THE DENA: INDIAN STORIES FROM THE TANANA, KOYUKUK, AND YUKON RIVERS, edited by Frederica de Laguna, illustrated by Dale DeArmond. University of Washington Press, P.O. Box 50096, Seattle, WA 98145-5096, (800) 441-4115, (206) 543-3932 FAX. Illustrated, index, commentary, list of sources, maps. 372 pp., $29.95 cloth. 0-295-97429-X The forty-one stories in this volume were collected by de Laguna from Alaska's Yukon Valley in 1935 as part of a small archaeological reconnaissance. Meant to entertain as well as instruct, the stories, many of a time long-ago when animals and humans could communicate (and occasionally trade shapes), are accompanied by 73 woodcuts by DeArmond, as well as (a bit too much) commentary on their cultural and religious use by Alaska Natives. Grade: A-. THE GIFT OF THE SACRED PIPE, edited and illustrated by Vera Louise Drysdale. University of Oklahoma Press, 1005 Asp Ave., Norman, OK 73019, (800) 627-7377, (405) 325-5000 FAX. Illustrated, index. 118 pp., $29.95 paper. 0-8061-2311-7 Based on the seven rites of the Oglala Sioux as related by Black Elk, Drysdale has added luminous and inspiring illustrations (8 color paintings and 28 charcoal drawings), that add an extra dimension to the story of White Buffalo Calf Woman and her gift of spiritual power. Grade: A. PATHS TO CENTRAL AMERICAN PREHISTORY, edited by Frederick W. Lange. University Press of Colorado, Box 849, Niwot, CO 80544, (303) 530- 5337, FAX: (303) 530-5306. Illustrated, index, references, notes, maps. 399 pp., $45.00 cloth. 0-87081-402-8 These are the collected papers of the conference "Paths Through Central American Prehistory," which Lange and Doris Z. Stone organized in 1991, exploring topics such as ceramic varieties, stemmed and notched points, investigations of the Tivives mangrove and Lake Managua regions, and isotopes of human bones. The volume contributes needed information on areas in which even rudimentary information is lacking. Grade: B+. BEYOND THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE WORLD: A NAVAJO WOMAN'S JOURNEY by Emily Benedek. Alfred A. Knopf, 201 E. 50th St., N.Y., NY 10022, (800) 638-6460, FAX: (212) 572-2593. Illustrated, notes, two appendices. 363 pp., $25.00 cloth. 0-679-42143-2 Benedek relates the story of Ella Bedonie, who was adopted into a Mormon family as a child but returned to the Navajo way of life to live with her extended family after she grew up. While the book is a well-written portrayal of a strong young woman caught between cultures (when she discovers that she has breast cancer, Ella undergoes chemotherapy as well as traditional Navajo healing ceremonies), the author goes over much of the same ground as that of her previous book: "The Wind Won't Know Me: A History of the Navajo-Hopi Land Dispute." Grade: B. THE SPIRAL OF MEMORY: INTERVIEWS by Joy Harjo, edited by Laura Coltelli. University of Michigan Press, 839 Greene Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1104, (313) 764-4388, FAX: (313) 936-0456. On the WWW the University of Michigan Press home page is at http://www.press.umich.edu, and their e-mail address for orders is etrager@umich.edu. 142 pp., $39.50 cloth (0-472-09581-1), $13.95 paper (0-472-06581-5). This volume in the acclaimed "Poets On Poetry" series contains eleven interviews of Harjo by Joseph Bruchac, Bill Moyers, Helen Jaskoski, Carol H. Grimes, Donelle R. Ruwe, and others, examining such themes as the oral tradition, writing as a means of survival, the healing capacity of language, the multiple messages of Harjo's much-praised poem, "She Had Some Horses," and the constant claiming of self. Coltelli's editing makes Harjo's distinct experiences and perceptions abundantly clear. Perfect for undergraduate classes in poetry and Native American literature. Grade: A-. HISTORIC CONTACT: INDIAN PEOPLE AND COLONISTS IN TODAY'S NORTHEASTERN UNITED STATES IN THE SIXTEENTH THROUGH EIGHTEENTH CENTURIES by Robert S. Grumet. University of Oklahoma Press, 1005 Asp Ave., Norman, OK 73019, (800) 627-7377, (405) 325-5000 FAX. Illustrated, index, bibliography, maps. 544 pp., $47.50 cloth. 0-8061-2700-7 Part of a National Historic Landmark Theme Study on historic contact, "Historic Contact" concentrates on thirty-four subregions called "Indian Countries," focusing on sites of intercultural contact. The result is an authoritative reference that will guide archaeological preservation efforts in the years to come. Grade: A. PRAYER TO THE GREAT MYSTERY: THE UNCOLLECTED WRITINGS AND PHOTOGRA- PHY OF EDWARD S. CURTIS, edited by Gerald Hausman and Bob Kapoun. St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Ave, N.Y., NY 10010, (800) 221-7945, FAX: (212) 420-9314. Illustrated, index, selected bibliography, notes, maps, two appendices, chronology. 258 pp., $27.50 cloth. 0-312-13591-2 Published to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the launch of Curtis's photographic career, Kapoun and Hausman have extracted photographs and text (primarily myths and stories) from his rare 20-volume "The North American Indian," along with many other photographs (from the Library of Congress) never before published. This is an exceptional and elegant offering. Grade: A. TRADING POST GUIDEBOOK: WHERE TO FIND THE TRADING POSTS, GALLERIES, AUCTIONS, ARTISTS, AND MUSEUMS OF THE FOUR CORNERS REGION by Patrick Eddington and Susan Makov. Northland Publishing, P.O. Box 1389, Flagstaff, AZ 86002-1389, (800) 346-3257, (800) 257-9082 FAX. Northland also has a line of southwestern design T-shirts and other gifts. Illustrated (260 total, 115 in color), index, references, glossary, maps. 264 pp., $17.95 cloth. 0-87358-612-3 Modern and archival photographs decorate this celebration of one of the few positive effects of railroads on Native Americans. Eddington and Makov provide a rich mixture of information, not just about where to find Indian arts and crafts (both on and off the reservation), but also lists of specialties, background information on the artists, and proper etiquette, though there is no mention of where to get the magnificent pottery of Dextra Nampeyo. Required reading for collectors and anyone traveling to the Southwest. Grade: A-. IN SEARCH OF THE OLD ONES: EXPLORING THE ANASAZI WORLD OF THE SOUTHWEST by David Roberts. Simon and Schuster, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, N.Y., NY 10020, (800) 223-2336, FAX: (212) 698-7007. Illustrated, index, selected bibliography, chronology, glossary, map. 271 pp., $24.00 cloth. 0-684-81078-6 Roberts furnishes a historical guide to the Anasazi cliff dwellings and ruins in the southwestern United States and speculates on why the ancient people apparently fled the area, leaving many sites in pristine condition, leaning toward the spread of the Pueblo Katchina faith, into which the Anasazi may have been integrated. Also investigated is the ethics of taking artifacts, and Roberts walks the tightrope between archaeologists advocating removal and those in favor of creating outdoor museums. I say "Leave 'Em There!" An enthusiastic and adventure-filled presentation, perfect for preparing a trip to the region; definitely not a substitute. Grade: B+. THE RETURN OF CULTURAL TREASURES, SECOND EDITION, by Jeannette Greenfield. Cambridge University Press, 40 W. 20th St., New York, N.Y. 10011-4211, (800) 872-7423, FAX: (212) 691-3239. Illustrated, index, select bibliography, notes, maps. 373 pp., $80.00 cloth (0- 521-47170-2), $29.95 paper (0-521-47746-8). "It is not seemly nor of good report That thieves at home must hang, but he that puts Into his overgorged and bloated purse The wealth of Indian nations, escapes" -- William Cowper Around the world, the looting of cultural treasures continues, but in this second edition of the 1989 original investigation of repatriation efforts, Greenfield sees a renewed reappraisal of the rights of indigenous peoples. Of interest to those in the U.S. are the reburial of Indian remains in 18 states, the return of artifacts to tribes by the Smithsonian Institution, and the Passage of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 (NAGPRA; the Smithsonian and funerary artifacts are exempt from this law). Though she sees a clear trend in cultural return, Greenfield, an anthropologist, unsuccessfully tries to produce balance in a lopsided controversy driven by greed and oppression. Grade: B. THE WIND IS MY MOTHER: THE LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF A NATIVE AMERICAN SHAMAN by Bear Heart with Molly Larkin. Clarkson Potter Publish- ers, 201 E. 50th St., N.Y., NY 10022, (800) 638-6460, (212) 572-2593 FAX. 272 pp., $24.00 cloth. 0-517-70283-5 Bear Heart Williams, a Muskogee Creek, relates the ceremonies that made him a shaman and dispenses grandfatherly advice on living a life of prosperity. The legends he tells are age-old and his defense of the Native American Church is commendable, but he crosses the line into questionable territory when providing confidential information on the Sacred Pipe Ceremony, and others, that I don't believe should be in the hands of the uninitiated. Grade: B-. ON BEHALF OF THE WOLF AND THE FIRST PEOPLES, essays by Joseph Marshall III. Red Crane Books, 2008 Rosina St., Suite B, Santa Fe, NM 87505, (800) 922-3392, (505) 989-7476 FAX. 253 pp., $13.95 paper. 1-878610-45-7 Marshall's eleven essays explore Native American history and culture, provide meaningful commentary on contemporary issues, and search for the hidden purposes of everyday events. Whether starring in a movie (becoming a member of the cinema tribe), explaining why not all Indians dance, or providing a personal interpretation of history, Marshall's words accommodate many levels of meaning and should be read with care. This is Marshall's first book of nonfiction, he has also written "Winter of the Holy Iron." Grade: A. ON SECOND THOUGHT: A COMPILATION by Maurice Kenny. University of Oklahoma Press, 1005 Asp Ave., Norman, OK 73019, (800) 627-7377, (405) 325-5000 FAX. 283 pp., $24.95 cloth. 0-8061-2766-X With a short autobiography as an introduction, this collection of poetry, essays, criticism, and short fiction (most are excerpted from previous works) is Kenny at his best - a gleaming reflection that spans physical and psychological expanses from the canyons of Navajoland to the canyons of New York City. Highly recommended for classes in Native American literature. Grade: A. Short Mentions: BUFFALO WOMAN by Dorothy M. Johnson. University of Nebraska Press/Bison Books, 901 N. 17th St., Lincoln, NE 68588-0520, (800) 755-1105, FAX: (402) 472-6214. The University of Nebraska Press WWW home page is at http://www.unl.edu/up/home.htm, and their email address is press@unlinfo.unl.edu. 254 pp., $10.00 paper. 0- 8032-7583-8. A fact-based story of strength and tragedy as a young Oglala Sioux woman struggles to survive during the Indian wars of the mid-1800s. Originally published in 1977. Grade: B+. CADDO INDIANS: WHERE WE COME FROM by Cecile Elkins Carter. University of Oklahoma Press, 1005 Asp Ave., Norman, OK 73019, (800) 627-7377, (405) 325-5000 FAX. Illustrated, index, bibliogra- phy, notes, maps. 432 pp., $38.95 cloth. 0-8061-2747-3. A history of the Caddo Indians (of the Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma area), based on oral and written histories and anthropological studies. Grade: A-. TALES OF THE BARK LODGES by Bertrand N. O. Walker (Hen-Toh). University Press of Mississippi, 3825 Ridgewood Road, Jackson, MI 39211-6492, (601) 982-6205, FAX: (601) 982-6217. Illustrated. 160 pp., $35.00 cloth (0-87805-794-3), $14.95 paper (0-87805-795-1). A reprint of twelve Wyandot animal stories, originally published in 1919. Written in a regional dialect and perfect for reading aloud. Grade: A-. CORTES AND THE DOWNFALL OF THE AZTEC EMPIRE by John Manchip White. Carrol and Graf, 260 Fifth Avenue, N.Y., NY 10001 (212) 889-8772, FAX: (212) 545-7909. Illustrated, index, bibliography, maps. 352 pp., $12.95 paper. 0-7867-0271-0. White's chronicle of Cortes's decimation of the Aztec culture in the 16th century. A reprint of the 1971 edition with no new material. Of minor importance. Grade: B. WARRIORS: WARFARE AND THE NATIVE AMERICAN INDIAN by Norman Bancroft-Hunt. Salamander/Random House Publishing, 201 E. 50th St., N.Y., NY 10022, (800) 638-6460, (212) 572-2593 FAX. Illustrated, index, bibliography, references. pp., $17.00 cloth. 0-679-871 A detailed analysis of Indian warfare (both pre-and post-contact) accompanied by George Catlin's paintings and many photographs of costumes and weapons. Recommended for both homes and libraries. Grade: A-. ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ANCIENT MESOAMERICA by Margaret Bunson and Stephen M. Bunson. Facts on File, Inc., 460 Park Avenue South, N.Y., NY 10016, (800) 322-8755, FAX: (212) 213-4578. Illustrated, index, bibliography, chronology, glossary. 336 pp., $40.00 cloth. 0- 8160-2402-2. An A to Z guide to the general area of Mexico and Central America from 11,000 B.C. through the Spanish Conquest. Recommended for libraries, but only in conjunction with an atlas, as this volume has no maps. Grade: B. --------- "RE: Help Big Brothers/Sisters of Tucson" --------- Date: 22 May 1996 22:07:49 GMT From: begay@u.arizona.edu (B3) Subj: Help Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Tucson.... Newsgroup: alt.native Ya'at'eeh (hello), My name is Bernard Begay (Navajo), I live in Tucson, Arizona and would like to ask you to help me raise money for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tucson. I am participating in a Fund Raising Event for this Organization which provides children in Tucson with Big Brothers, Big Sisters or Positive Mentors. Right now there is only a small percentage of Native Americans involved with Big Brothers/Sisters either as Big Brothers or Sisters or even as the child in need. My goal is not only to help the Native American children but all children involved with this organization. Please read the following. From Flyer/Sponsor Sheet *********** On Tuesday, June 4, 1996, I and forty other golfers plan to chase, hack, chip, putt, and beat hundreds of little balls from dawn to dusk. I want you to join me as a sponsor of this endeavor. Let's put the magic of a "Big Brother or Sister" in childrens lives! Let's make certain that every child who needs the love, guidance and support of a "Big Brother or Sister" get one! Hundreds of children already wait on a list! Help me reach my goal of raising $2,500. We can make a difference one child at a time. P.S. If you choose to sponsor me in this cause, and I survive, I will let you know how many holes I played and the amount of your sponsorship. If I don't survive, you will not be held personally responsible. Sponsorship amounts: $5/hole $2/hole $1/hole $.50/hole $.25/hole $___/hole $________ Special Gift END ********** If you would like to sponsor me and help raise money for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tucson then please fill out below and e-mail it back to me before June 3, 1996 ------------------------------- Detach Here -------------------------------- YES! I agree to sponsor Bernard Begay (520-621-8681, begay@u.arizona.edu) in the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tucson Golf-A-Thon. /----------------------\ ___________________________________________________ | [_] $5/hole | Title (Mr./Mrs./etc.) First Last | | | [_] $2/hole | ___________________________________________________ | | Organization/Company Name | [_] $1/hole | | | ___________________________________________________ | [_] $.50/hole | Street Address | | | [_] $.25/hole | ___________________________________________________ | | City State Zip | [_] $____Per Hole | | | ________-________-_____________ | [_] $____Special Gift| Area Code Phone Number \----------------------/ Please make checks payable to: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tucson (All contributions will be tax deductible) Please help! A'go'naat (Goodbye) Thanks, Bernard + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Bernard B. Begay (Sr. Systems Analyst) * (520) 621-8681 ++ University of Arizona * FAX: (520) 621-8668 + + CCIT-User Support * UA_COSY: BEGAY + + 1077 N. Highland * AppleLink: BEGAY1 + + P.O. Box 210073 * Internet: begay@u.arizona.edu + + Tucson, AZ 85721-0073 * URL: http://www.arizona.edu + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + --------- "RE: Poems: Heyoka" --------- Date: Wed Mar 20 20:56:27 1996 From: Lightbear@aol.com(Lightbear/Christiana V.L. Christie) Subj: Heyoka UUCP email HEYOKA I see the light within the darkness. I feel the joy within the pain. The seed for courage lies in fear. Freedom comes from knowing chains. Chorus: Heyoka, teach us your wisdom. Teach us to See and laugh. Heyoka, teach us your wisdom. Teach us to See and laugh. The truth is known by hearing lies. In blindness lies a vision. Laughter lurks in deepest grief. Anger is full of love's revision. Chorus The sacred lingers in the mortal. Birth resounds through every death. Heyoka, your laughter heals me. You restore my very breath. Heyoka, teach us your wisdom. Teach us to See and laugh. Heyoka, teach us your wisdom. Teach us to See and laugh. Lightbear/Christiana V.L. Christie --------- "RE: Verse: Hawai'ian Book of Days" --------- Date: 96/05/22 00:29 From: Debra F. Sanders (dfsanders@genie.geis.com) Subj: Verse: Hawai'ian Book of Days genie email A HAWAIIAN BOOK OF DAYS, week of June 2-8 IUNE (June) (Kaaona) 2 Summer rain is illuminated by the beauty of a rainbow. 3 Time is little more than a kiss of wind upon the land. 4 The lullabies of night creatures sing me to my dreams. 5 To the youthful heart, the whole world is filled with wonder. 6 The fragrance of summer blossoms pervades my dreams. 7 Waste nothing -- use every gift the land gives you. 8 Swim with the dolphins, and learn the magic of their world. (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, 30 May 96 08:00 -0500 From: Janet Smith (Evening Star) (jans@genie.com) Subj: Upcoming conferences and powwows not previously posted to Mailing Lists NATCHAT or NATIVE-L genie email From: David Yarrow Subj: WORLD PEACE and PRAYER DAY Newsgroup:indig.info.igc.apc close the circle ~*mend the grid ~*weave the web Healing Circles of Life SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT On Aug. 20, 1994 a white buffalo calf was born -- an astonishing and singular genetic event in the history of a native species (American Bison) that was nearly hunted to extinction the previous century. The white buffalo calf was named "Miracle." For Native Americans, this birth is a sign from Spirit fulfilling ancient prophecy. In legend it was White Buffalo Calf Woman who brought the Sacred Pipe and Path of Peace to Lakota (Sioux) peoples. Birth of the white buffalo calf indicates events on Earth have entered an era of rapid change and transformation. For one, the birth portends return of of American Bison. Read the words of Lakota Chief Arvol Looking Horse: Global Healing WORLD PEACE and PRAYER DAY June 21st, 1996 I, Arvol Looking Horse, 19th Generation Keeper of the White Buffalo Calf Sacred Pipe for the Lakota-Dakota-Nakota Nation, ask all Nations and Faiths on Mother Earth to declare June 21st, 1996 WORLD PEACE and PRAYER DAY According to spiritual leaders and Elders who gathered at the United Nations -- and again at Six Nations, Canada -- "signs" of Indigenous people's prophesies have shown themselves to tell us it's time to mend the Sacred Hoop: global healing by work for world peace and harmony. Birth of the White Buffalo Calf lets us know we're at a crossroads -- either return to balance or face global disaster. It is our duty to return back to sacred places and pray for world peace. If we do not do this, our children will suffer. Before White Buffalo Calf Woman brought the Sacred Pipe to our ancestors, a Seer was traveling in the Sacred Black Hills of Wyoming -- Pa Ha Sapa, "heart of everything that is." At Grey Horn Butte (known as Devil's Tower), the Seer came on a large tipi. Inside he saw the Sacred Pipe in the North and Sacred Bow and Arrow Bundle in the South. According to Star Knowledge, six stars designate six sacred sites in the Black Hills. These are sacred places to pray. We are told there is a sacred site every hundred miles around Mother Earth. We ask all people to return to these places and pray from their hearts with us. It was decided according to Star Knowledge June 21st is the time to pray. Indigenous people of Turtle Island will begin their spiritual journey on horseback from Wahpeton, Saskatchewan, Canada to Grey Horn Butte. There, indigenous peoples will pray with the Sacred Bundle Keepers to begin restoration of peace and balance. We ask all Peoples to organize their ceremonies at their sacred sites in the manner they pray so they will pray at their sacred centers at the same time as we at ours. The ceremony begins at 10 a.m. South Dakota (Mountain) time. So far, we've spoken to leaders around the world and each has committed to support June 21st, 1996. We ask all peoples of all nations and faiths to respond and support our efforts for world peace and harmony -- -- our circle of life where there is no ending and no beginning -- May peace be with you all Chief Arvol Looking Horse 19th Generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe For more information, or make donations: USA: Elizabeth Stinson 707-829-3443 4760 Paulson Lane, Sebastopol CA 95472 CANADA: Bonnie Freeman 905-525-9140 ext 27426 McMaster Univ. Indigenous Studies, Hamilton, Ontario. Michele Lord ; David Yarrow BIRTH OF THE WHITE BUFFALO CALF David & Valerie Heider live south of Janesville, Wisconsin on Rock River. Saturday morning, Aug. 20, 1994 one of their buffalos calved a female. David's first concern was the calf's health. He's seen many still-born calves and calves that live only hours or days. On occasion he lost both calf and mother. "When the calf stood, I froze," said farmer Heider. It had a pale, nearly white, coat. The pale coat wasn't a great concern. The Heiders were aware a white coat is rare in buffalo, but weren't aware many believe the strain had completely died out. Nor were they aware the significance a white buffalo has for Indian peoples. They became aware when news of the white calf attracted attention of both media and Native Americans. A tree decked with prayer ties, medicine wheels, sage & sweetgrass is silent witness that many Indian people come to pay respects., Phone calls from NY to Florida show great interest in the calf. American Bison Federation wants blood samples to test if the calf is true buffalo or a cross with cattle. Heider dismissed the tests; although he owns Longhorn and African cattle, the only bull on his land the past five years is Marvin, the bull buffalo that sired the white calf. Ironically, Heider almost sold Marvin last year. The newborn is a first rare albino buffalo in 50 years. Blood tests can't detect genetic traits that create albinos, so Heider must wait until the calf sheds its first coat in three months to be sure. When buffalo covered the Great Plains, odds of an albino were 1 in 10 million. Experts thought the albinism gene was lost when buffalo were hunted to near-extinction in the late 1800s. Genetic testing isn't needed to determine if the calf is albino. She is clearly not albino since she lacks red eyes and pink skin of an albino. Her eyes are clearly the dark brown of buffalo. Mr. Heider said they have had numerous offers to buy the calf. They aren't comfortable with her commercial exploitation and rule out selling her to a zoo, circus or similar commercial enterprise. They'd sell her to Native Americans. The Heiders don't plan to keep her white shoulder coat when she sheds her birth coat this fall. They can't handle large numbers of visitors; their narrow, winding road isn't safe to handle a lot of traffic, a shortage of parking space, et cetera. Milwaukee Intertribal Council volunteered round the clock security of the calf. "When we walk upon Mother Earth, we always plant our feet carefully because we know the faces of our future generations are looking up at us from beneath the ground. We never forget them." -- Oren Lyons, Faithkeeper, Onondaga Nation - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- --//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//-- 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: Lightbear/Christiana V.L. Christie, Janet Smith, Debra F. Sanders, Ishgooda via Glenn Welker, Woody Turner, Jon Norstog, Ralph Ianuzzi William J. Whatley with addendum by Alan Mandell, Bernard B. Begay, Cecilia Rodriguez, Steve Brock, Feather Eaglerock, Paul Moss, Will Frye, Elizabeth Hill via Glenn Welker, Sask. Indian Cultural Centre(Release), David Goyette, Thad Cunejo, Gary Trujillo, Brooke Craig, Joe Campagna --//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//-- ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 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, 30 May 96 08:00 -0500 From: Janet Smith (Evening Star) (jans@genie.com) Subj: Upcoming conferences and powwows already posted to Mailing Lists NATCHAT or NATIVE-L genie email From: duran@cats.ucsc.edu (Michael Samuel Duran) Subj: Honoring of the Elders Gathering (1-2 June, Santa Clara, Calif.) Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) 11th Annual Honoring of the Elders Gathering May 31, June 1 and 2, 1996 Friday 7pm-11pm, Saturday 10am-11pm. Grand entry:12 noon, Sunday 10am-6pm, Grand entry: 11am Mount Madonna, Santa Clara County Park California dancers, drummers, Indian food, arts and crafts, drawing prizes All Drums and Dancers Welcome Camping and parking available Absolutely No Drugs or Alcohol Allowed For more information: (408) 659-5812 ------------------------------------------ From: nelson@urvax.urich.edu Subj: call for papers (American Indian Literatures and Cultures, 3/97) Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) I've been asked to post this call for papers by Elizabeth Nelson (no relation : -} ). Please reply directly to her: nelson@cs.fredonia.edu CALL FOR PAPERS Popular Culture Association Twenty-Seventh Annual Meeting and American Culture Association Nineteenth Annual Meeting March 26-29, 1997 Marriott Rivercenter Hotel San Antonio, Texas AMERICAN INDIAN LITERATURES AND CULTURES We invite individual submissions focusing on such issues as: Storytelling and the Oral Tradition Political/Religious/Economic Issues Poetry/Fiction/Autobiography Teaching American Indian/First Nations Literatures Historical Contact Issues We especially invite the participation of American Indian and First Nations scholars and writers. Send 200-250 word abstracts by September 1, 1996 to: Elizabeth Hoffman Nelson P.O. Box 477 Brocton, NY 14716-0477 (716)792-9405 e-mail: nelson@cs.fredonia.edu --------------------------------------------------------- From: gwild19@idt.vivid.net (GailWild) Subj: Labor Day weekend pow wow (Rome, Georgia) Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) [ Gail has decided to cancel the account she was using for electronic mail and to post this announcement, so if you want to get in touch with those organizing this event, please use one of the phone numbers given at the end. --Gary ] Planning Ahead... Updates on the 7th Annual Running Water Pow Wow on the Labor Day Weekend. Rome, Georgia. What are your plans AFTER the Olympics? The Native American Preservation Association of Georgia is having our Cherokee Homecoming, & Ripe Corn Festival, which we've named the Running Water Pow Wow because it's situated on the banks of the Oostanaula River. This year, we've added a tee pee competition! We are proud and honored to have Richard D. Bird (Cherokee) as our M.C. again this year. (I am not a officer of NAPA, so I couldn't vote for the M.C. but I lobbied hard for Mr. Bird to be offered the position.) Mr. Bird's presence as M.C. greatly enhances the quality of a pow wow for the following reason: He's very good at what he does - he's dependable, and he's always there when you need him -- you don't have to hunt him down. The following kewl people are also participating... Headlady Dancer is Laretta F. Weaver (Mowa Choctaw/Cherokee) Host Drum is Blue Earth (Cherokee) Southeast Indian Culture is Jack Boedeker (Cherokee descent) Color Guard is the Native American Warrior Society Musical Entertainment is provided by Sara Bird. Headman Dancer is to be announced. The Arena Director and Story Teller are to be announced. The usual guys are coming, but they want to dance this year, so we may have to get new ones! (That's OK, they are wonderful dancers, too) More information: Frank Blair (706) 232-1714 Virgil Shepherd (706) 777-1710 ----------------------------------------- From: tsani@usit.net Subj: planning for May '98 Trail of Tears gathering near Chattanooga, TN Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) My name is Tsani. I a mix of Cherokee, Lakota and Irish bloods. I am a member of an organization who call themselves the Coalition of The Original People located in both Tennessee and Georgia. We are planning a gathering at a place called Ross Landing in Chattanooga, Tennessee on May 30, 1998. This gathering is for a number of reasons, but, the most important of them is 1, to pay homage and honor to the Trail of Tears and our Grandparents who sacrificed their lives during that cruel and unnecessary struggle and 2, to announce that we as the original people of this land are gathering to announce we have a voice. The area we will gather at has two to three miles of land in which to set up our lodges. Vendors are welcome and will be charged only $50 to $75 for the entire week and this money will be divided among the travelers to help them get home. There will be no competition dancing. This will not be an exhibition gathering, only a gathering of the Nations to pay our respect to the Great Spirit, our Ancestors and each other. Any help or questions may be e-mailed to me and I ask that this message be passed to as many of our brothers and sisters as possible. Please, let's make this a success and gather. Aho Tsani --------- "RE: Roots of Reservation Corruption" --------- Date: Mon, 27 May 1996 14:25:40 -0500 From: eaglerok@northernnet.com (feather eaglerock) Subj: Roots of Reservation Corruption Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) We have received permission from Bill Lawrence, publisher of the Native American Press/Ojibwe News, and reporters, Jeff Armstrong of Bemidji and Gary Blair of Blaine to post articles relating to the leadership crisis taking place in the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe. Excerpt from the May 24, 1996 issue of Native American Press/Ojibwe News article by Gary Blair--"Corruption has deep roots in White Earth" Calls to the PRESS (re: upcoming MCT elections in June)...one caller said they received an absentee ballot for a family member who has been dead for over five years. Another voter reported being turned down for a ballot because they were testifying for the prosecution. With the recent federal corruption trial on the Leech Lake reservation over and the White Earth trial underway, voters from on and off the different reservations are being asked to once again vote for their favorite candidate. If a group of Leech Lake voters who gathered at Powderhorn Park in south Minneapolis on Saturday of last week for a candidates forum was any indication of the troubles still facing Chippewa country, and they most likely were, then our problems are far from being over. Not one of the many candidates who spoke at the event addressed the underlying cause of the corruption, which is that people tolerate it as a part of the reservation tradition. The problem started when our grandparents were starved into submission and they had to learn how to get more food for their families. Along came the mostly corrupt government agents who controlled the food sources. If you were a "good Indian" and did what you were told, you could get more food. Next came the various government programs that were mostly set-up to fail, and the hope of something better was born. Later, the Indian reorganization Act of 1934 was supposed to offer change. Instead, its designers gave us no enforceable laws to hold our elected officials accountable. The government does not investigate thefts of $10,000 or less and, anyway, few people were in a position to complain. those who wanted to stay in power simply showed favoritism to their relatives and friends with jobs and money and the system was firmly in place. Our traditional leaders became a thing of the past. Recently came Indian gaming, and the same system became even larger. Finally, after more than twenty years of unaddressed complaints, some criminal charges were brought. It's easy to see that those who were recently indicted did not believe that it would every happen. Now the anger that we all feel is among us, what are we going to do next?.... +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Convicted and indicted tribal leaders in the Minnesota Chippewa country continue to appeal their convictions and indictments and justify their actions on grounds of tribal sovereignty. The damage being done to the credibility of tribal sovereignty will be have ramifications throughout Indian country. The tribal executive committee of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe has still not censured the members who are under indictment, or who have been convicted of felonies for stealing from their own people. Acting tribal chair at Leech Lake, Myron Ellis, who was convicted for conspiracy and served three months in federal prison in the same insurance scam as convicted leaders, Alfred Pemberton (who resigned and is running for election again), Dan Brown, and state senator (former tribal lawyer) Harold 'Skip' Finn, is running for re-election as third district representative (tribal funds were used to pay Mr. Ellis' federal fine for misappropriation of tribal funds) has bragged that he does not need to campaign on the reservation, because he already has enough votes to win. Elders on both the Leech Lake and the White Earth Reservations fear that the government will use this pervasive corruption as grounds for termination of all tribal rights. State governments are already moving in to take control of Indian gaming. Please protest this poisonous leadership: fax #s Minnesota Chippewa Tribe 218-335-6562 Leech Lake RTC 218-335-8309 White Earth RTC 218-983-3641 Mii Gwetch, Bernard J. Rock, Sr. combat veteran and Leech Lake enrollee Feather Eaglerock, Leech Lake Rez english is a foreign language. reclaim the language of your people and send it to the future as your gift to your grandchildren's grandchildren. di-ka-ne'-tsv a'-qua-tse'-li ha-htv-gi, wa-do' do-da-da-go'-hv --------- "RE: Big Mountain Emergency" --------- Date: Mon, 27 May 1996 20:16:39 -0400 From: sfuwki@scfn.thpl.lib.fl.us (David Goyette) Subj: Big Mountain Emergency Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) [ Another report of the following situation arrived earlier today which alleged that the FBI was also involved in the arrests. It also gave a phone number (which I'll pass on in a note attached to the end of this article) for more information. I would caution that we are getting only one side of what is likely a complex story here. Let us hope that more, and more complete, information that takes into account that complexity later becomes available. --Gary (gst@gnosys.svle.ma.us) ] I received the following info and responses today regarding an escalation of actions against the Dine' Elders. May 25, 1996 Traditional Dine' Press Release Contact: (520) 289-4968 (619) 358-7232 For Immediate Release RED Alert ARRESTS AND VIOLENCE DISRUPT NAVAJO (DINE') GATHERING B.I.A. Rangers in cooperation with the Hopi and local law enforcement officials have blockaded a gathering of Traditional Dine' and their supporters on the disputed territories of the Hopi Partitioned land. Hopi Rangers have disrupted a traditional pipe Ceremony and manhandled several elders from the area. The residences of Louise Benally and Ruth Benally in the Community of Big Mountain, Arizona and the surrounding area are now covered with scores of law enforcement personnel. Many Navajo Elders are now resisting arrest as their children and supporters have already been taken into custody for attempting to attend the annual spring gathering. Violence has been reported by several area residents as police have used batons and force to take gathering participants into custody. Police are now preparing to use tear gas at the site. The situation escalated as a group of Elder women prevented the arrest of a Dine' youth. Police then attempted to arrest the Elders who sat and clung to each other to avoid being taken into custody. Supporters and family members continue to arrive and confront the Hopi Rangers. The Traditional Elders have called on the media and the American public to come and witness the violence and the occupation of their ancestral homelands. Please Make Inquires and register complaints with the Office: Senator John McCain (602) 952-2410 Washington D.C.(202) 224-3121 OR Hopi Chairman Ferrell Secakukie (520)734-2441 ==================================================================== RESPONSE ONE OF TWO From: Kahn-Tineta Horn, President Canadian Alliance in Support of Native Peoples 24 May, 1996 To: Chairman Serrell H. Secakakie P.O.Box 123, Kydotsmovi, Arizona 86039 52O-734-244l Fax 520-734-2435 Today we received an urgent call for help from Navajo Elders. In 1986 these elders have been guests on the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake. We have a very serious concern about how these elders are being treated. Arrests are being made of the defenders of Big Mountain, white or non-Hopi people are being stopped from entering or crossing Hopi Partition Land, and much needed food and medical supplies are being denied to the people of Big Mountain. + Why are the police agencies of the Bureau of Indian Affairs surrounding Big Mountain? Could this be the implementation of the "final relocation"? + Why is the BIA not letting white or non-Hopi people enter or cross Hopi Partition Land? Is this so there will be no witness to the resistance? + Why are the people at Big Mountain being denied emergency rations of food, life sustaining necessities and medical supplies in violation of international covenants? + Why are supporters being abused for trying to help the people of Big Mountain? Your attention to our request for information is urgent and necessary. Kahn-Tineta Horn President, CASNP Bear Clan, Mohawk Nation ========================================================================== RESPONSE 2 OF 2 From: League of Indigenous Sovereign Nations of the Western Hemisphere Jay Mason, Canadian Coordinator Canada: C/O CASNP P.O. Box 574 Station P Toronto, Ontario M5S 2T1 (416) 972-1573 or FAX (416) 972-6232 United States: C/O Piscataway Indian Nation P.O. Box 312 Port Tobacco, MD 20677 (301) 932-0808 To Whom It May Concern: We of the American Indian Movement in Canada have been following the situation at Big Mountain closely. We have brought their elders to Canada to visit our communities, we have supported their sundance, and we have made trips to take them needed supplies. Therefore, the League of Indigenous Sovereign Nations strongly opposes BIA actions in the arrests and detention of non-Hopis attempting to support Dine' elders. The denial of Basic Human needs such as food and medical supplies is a gross violation of Human Rights. We are notifying all National and International Human Rights Agencies. Please inform us of your efforts in this situation. In the Struggle, Jay E. Mason David Goyette First Nations Resource Network, Inc/Red Sticks Press 813-821-6604 voice sfuwki@scfn.thpl.lib.fl.us 1:3603/390 90:3603/264 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Comments from NativeNet listowner, Gary Trujillo (gst@gnosys.svle.ma.us): The earlier report from Thad Cunejo (thadc@laguna.epcc.edu) said: | There was word that the FBI and BIA were arresting people around the | Big Mountain, AZ area. The arrests were made to stop the sacred pipe | ceremonies being held during the spring celebration. They say the | arrests were made also in relations to the relocation protests. | | Since the Sundance in Big Mountain is coming up soon, a few people | think the government forces are trying to dampen the celebration. The | harassment of the people may turn some people away from the area of | the Sundance, it is thought. | | For more info, please contact Annabelle at 602-894-5227 My decision to hold Thad's report was due to there being little detail in it regarding what is actually happening and a desire to avoid spreading what might later turn out to be unfounded rumors. The arrival of the report from David provides that detail and indicates that there is concern on the part of at least a couple of organizations working on behalf of Native rights in Canada and the United States. Clearly there is good reason for concern if it is true that unnecessary violence is being used in obtaining arrests. However, we may want to keep in mind in the coming days as more detail becomes available that over the course of the past several years, the Dine' resistors have done a good job of presenting their side of the story of the relocation issue and have portrayed the matter as being one of government and coal company against both the Dine' and Hopi peoples. But we have rarely, if ever, heard from the Hopi in their own words what is really going on here. I hope that in the days ahead we might get some accounts of this situation from a Hopi perspective. For more information on the history of this situation (again, mainly from a Dine' perspective and that of non-Native people working in support of their cause), see "http://bioc09.uthscsa.edu/natnet/nl/navajo-hopi.html" Let us hope that further violence will be averted and that a peaceful settlement can be reached. Gary --------- "RE: Jim Thunder, Run for Freedom" --------- Date: Thu, 23 May 1996 17:51:05 -0600 From: sicc@sasknet.sk.ca (Sask. Indian Cultural Centre) Subj: Jim Thunder, Run for Freedom Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) RUN FOR FREEDOM (Historical background and future plans) The American Museum of Natural History in New York City houses a native artifact that has its origin with the Plains Cree of Western Canada. This artifact is a Sacred Bundle that had once belonged to a famous Indian chief in the 1800's. His name was Big Bear. Big Bear was a prophet and a patriot. In the 1860's he became a chief. Through his spiritual and political leadership he became one of the head chiefs of the Plains Cree Nation. Big Bear was a great patriot. He fought for freedom and justice during the difficult and turbulent 1870's and 1880's. Big Bear died in 1888. He was buried beside the Battle River. However, the legacy of Big Bear does not end in 1888. In 1979, Chief Big Bear appeared in a dream to a Cree man named Jim Thunder. In the dream, Big Bear requested Jim to bring the Sacred Bundle back to its homeland. Through dreams, Big Bear appeared to Jim again in 1981 and 1984. Each dream was progressive. The first dream was a request . The second dream uncovered the past. The third dream revealed the future. And yet, all three dreams spoke of the Sacred Bundle and of its association with the Plains Cree of the past and future. In 1984, there was a prophecy that Big Bear would appear to Jim again in a fourth dream. That prophecy has yet to be fulfilled. Jim began to do historical research on big Bear. He also consulted with Plains Cree elders. Some of the fathers and grandfathers of these elders had been followers of Chief Big Bear. The consultation with the elders of Saskatchewan and Alberta uncovered a series of old prophecies from the 1980's, 1950's and 1930's. These prophecies had foretold of a man would have dreams of the Bundle and of its return to its homeland. In 1988, one hundred years after the death of Big Bear, Jim made a 2700 mile run on foot from Edmonton to New York City. The purpose of his run was to request the return of Big Bear's Bundle from the Museum in New York. When Jim announced at a press conference that Big Bear had appeared to him in a series of dreams, there was criticism from some native people. Some said that Jim was a phoney, a publicity-seeker, and out to make a lot of money from the public. Others said that he was claiming the Bundle for himself and not for his people. Potential supporters were sometimes told that Thunder had stopped running and others said that he was denied access to the United States. None of the accusations were true. The media, however, took note of the native's criticism and turned it into a national controversy in the newspapers and television. Jim, on the other hand, did not respond to the criticism. Not one time did he ever defend himself or set the record straight. The elders had advised him not to react against his own people. It is interesting to note that in 1971 Jim himself had given a prophecy that he had a destiny to help his people, but that some of them would turn against him. At that time he also foretold that he would become a controversial figure. He gave this prophecy eight years before Big Bear appeared to him and seventeen years before his controversial quest for the Bundle. In spite of the controversy, many people supported his cause. A support crew travelled with him and other native runners came to run relays with him. He had an eagle staff which was carried on that run to honor the warriors who had fought in the 1800's. While he was running across Manitoba he was told of an old prophecy in that province. There had been an Ojibway prophecy in 1933 that foretold that, someday, an Indian man from the west would run on foot across the Plains, woodlands, and east-coast in quest of a Sacred Bundle. That prophecy had been foretold fifty-five years before his run to New York. Although the run was completed, the museum refused to return the Bundle. Because of the controversy and through lack of political support, he returned home empty-handed. Seven years have gone by. Seven years of seclusion, poverty, and silence. And now, this coming winter, Jim Thunder is going to run again. This will be his second attempt to repatriate the Bundle. The run will likely begin sometime in January 1997, starting at the Sweet Grass Reservation. On this second run, Jim will make four changes. On the first run, he ran from western Canada to eastern Canada, and then south to New York. This time he will run in the United States. His tentative route is through North Battleford, Saskatoon, Regina, Bismarck, Fargo, Minneapolis, Rochester, Rock Island, Chicago, Cleveland, Akron, Pittsburg, and New York. The second change is that he intends to run alone. His plan is to run twenty miles a day. There will be no companion runners and no relays. The third change is that he intends to challenge any allegations made against him. He will not allow controversy to ruin the request of Big Bear. The fourth change is that on this second run he will carry an American flag on a lance to honor the native veterans who volunteered for Vietnam. Jim says "the warriors were veterans and the veterans are warriors. Whether it be an eagle staff or a flag on a lance, the purpose is the same." Final plans are not yet complete. After meeting with the museum in New York, he will run the flag to Washington, DC. There will be an international gathering of native veterans from Canada and the United States on May 27, 1997 Memorial Day. Certain veterans will be selected to present military colors to the President. The name chosen for this run is "Run for Freedom" because the American flag represents freedom and justice. Also, the veterans who served in the great wars of this century fought for freedom. And also, because the main purpose of this run is to free the Bundle and return it to its people. It is interesting to note that Jim's Cree name is Decorated Lance. Further updates will be released as they develop. --------- "RE: Small Grants Available" --------- Date: Tue, 21 May 1996 17:13:56 -0700 From: cottonwood@igc.apc.org (Paul Moss) Subj: Small Grants Available from Cottonwood Fdn. (apply by 15 August) Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) Approximately 8 grants of up to $1,000 will be awarded in October 1996 by Cottonwood Foundation, a small foundation that provides grants to grass roots organizations internationally that combine activities in all of the following four areas: protecting the environment, promoting cultural diversity, empowering people to meet their basic needs, and relying on volunteer efforts. Grants are also available to indigenous peoples' organizations for repurchasing their land base in order to preserve their culture and their environment. If your organization is interested in applying for one of these grants or would like to nominate another group for consideration, please visit our World Wide Web page at http://pressenter.com/~cottonwd/ for application instructions or contact us at: Cottonwood Foundation Box 10803 White Bear Lake, MN 55110 USA e-mail: cottonwood@igc.apc.org Completed applications are due on August 15, 1996 for consideration in October 1996. Please note that governmental agencies/organizations are not eligible for these grants. --------- "RE: Nt'l Museum of the American Indian" --------- Date: Wed, 22 May 1996 10:00:09 EST From: gwelker@mail.lmi.org (Glen WELKER) Subj: National Museum of the American Indian Mailing List: NATCHAT (natchat@gnosys.svle.ma.us) SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION CONCEPT DESIGN FOR THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN APPROVED (MAY 17, 1996) The Smithsonian's Institution Concept Design for the National Museum of the American Indian was approved today (May 17) by the Commission of Fine Arts. This was the first public viewing of the design of the National Museum of the American Indian, which is scheduled to open on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in 2002. In 1993, the Smithsonian selected the architectural firm of GBQC Architects of Philadelphia, with associated architects Douglas Cardinal Architects Ltd. of Ottawa, Ontario, to design the museum on the Mall. BACKGROUND: The National Museum of the American Indian was signed into law (P.L. 101-85) in 1989. This legislation authorized three facilities: The George Gustav Heye Center, now open in New York City; the Cultural Resources Center, to be built in Suitland, Md.; and the National Museum on the Mall in Washington, D.C. THE SITE: The Mall museum will be constructed on the last available site on the National Mall--east of the National Air and Space Museum and across the Mall from the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art. It is the 16th museum in the Smithsonian's museum, education and research complex. THE BUILDING: The new museum will be approx. 250,000 square feet, distributed over six floors. Some of the more interesting aspects include: "The Potomac" will be a circular space, the "heart and soul" of the museum, because it will be experienced at the beginning and end of an individual's visit. "Potomac," meaning "where the goods are brought in," comes from the languages of tribes of this region and signifies a gathering space and marketplace. The Potomac will be a multi-purpose space in which Native American culture will be celebrated and shared through all forms of artistic expression. Within the Potomac, there is the possibility of dance, music, performance, art installations and other expressions of NA culture. The four-story space acknowledges the four cardinal directions important to many NA cultures and is figuratively grounded in the Earth and open to the sky. The shallow dome above the Potomac--an architectural reference to other domed buildings on the Mall--will allow presentations of Native cosmology. It is also important to note that many, many Native peoples throughout the Americas have involved in consultations and have advised officials (many of us Native Americans ourselves) on the design and programmatic direction of this new museum. Source: SIWP10.NMAI.LizH@ic.si.edu (Elizabeth Hill) --------- "RE: NA Talent Resources Sought" --------- Date: Thu, 23 May 1996 11:15:03 -0400 From: aconcert@carroll.com (Joe Campagna) Subj: Native American Talent Resources Sought For Consutation Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) Announcement: From Interworld Consort Native American Television Broadcasting Project. Feedback and suggestions regarding all contained is always welcome and needed. All Native American students, faculty, etc. from all nations are urged to participate in any activity which may immediately or one day contribute to the growing and unifying effort to create a Native American Television Broadcast System. Where each person (and their talent) fits in, is up to the individual. The web site is up and for anyone who missed the questionnaire posted on AISESNET it is now posted in reply format at http://www.jlc.net/~jcatlin/interworld/ The results of these polls will be available bi-monthly. Submissions are being sought which will expand and attract more interest, as well as ideas for applying traditional Indian Law to govern the all-Indian-owned community property broadcasting company(s). To keep posted on further info and developments join our mailing list. Send your request for info to ATTENTION: Native American Entertainers/Musicians and stage technicians/special effects (professional and students) being sought for a talent pool registry. Send bio, experience info to Wanted: Native American Cartoonists and Puppeteers interested or experienced in cartoon animation for children's language recovery project. Send bio, experience info to Wanted: Volunteers willing to add URL's to boost response to key words on all known search engines. Send experience info to Wanted: Native American Linguists for translation on select web pages (with native fonts needed) for translation (multi-lingual Indian -English) of traditional children's stories for computer project (later animation). Send bio, experience info to Wanted: (suggestion) Native Americans with skills needed to start an Indian guitar company. Long-term project with parts being made in different Nations. All Indian made and owned co-op company. The craftsman own the company and the work they do for the company. Example: Inlay fingerboard by Zuni or Navajo craftspeople; wood working is basswood country of central south Canada or North Central US; airbrush decorative paint by Lakota Artist; or actually no preferences-- just used as examples. First Project is one guitar and one bass guitar for submission to music trades and interested guitar company. Credit will be given where credit is due. If the work flies with the music trades we get guitar company to swing for expenses and make the distribution happen. If a non-Indian company tries to come out with an Indian looking guitar, there is trouble and a massive boycott on artists who use the guitar and the company as well as embarrassing letters of protest to the company and trades they advertise in. Any feedback on any of the above (positive or negative) will be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Joe Campagna Reply Interworld Concert Home page: http://www.jlc.net/~jcatlin/interworld/ --------- "RE: Native Blood? Native Nations" --------- Date: Thu, 23 May 1996 20:23:08 -0500 From: frye@smtplink.ipfw.indiana.edu Subj: Native Blood? Native NATIONS! Mailing List: NATCHAT (natchat@gnosys.svle.ma.us) Below is an article that I wrote quite some time ago and many Native Americans ( I am Kanienkehaka ) have praised it for it's "words" as well as "truth". As I follow many of these threads, I become concerned by the "race" issue involved. Race has Nothing to do with my heritage and that fact has been proven many times. I Have included my article below so that you my ponder this "Identity" thing amongst yourselves. But I do believe that you will not look at it the same way again. Besides, worrying whether so-and- so is (so-called) Indian or not ( I don';t consider myself "Indian" I'm not from India ) is counterproductive and a waste of energy when you consider the more important issues at the present. It's just a bunch of squabble. We need people to help our people not just sit around and complain. Thank You. ------------------------------------------------------------ "Native Blood and Citizenship" article by: Keihan For eons, before and after the colonization of the Americas, Native First Nations determined their citizenship in much the same way any other sovereign nation would; through adoption, naturalization, and immigration procedures. Yet, today in the United States, the sovereignty and future existence of native Nations is challenged by unethical policies and laws, set forth by the Federal government, which determine the citizenship of native Nations based upon certain racial criteria. This "racial criteria" is termed the "Blood-quantum code". Under the "Blood-quantum code", to be "federally" recognized as a citizen of a "native Nation", an individual must prove ( to the United States Federal government ) that they possess a certain percentile of Native American blood. If the individual, in question, does not meet the "federal" percentage (Which is also determined by the government), they do not gain recognition. In other words, they cannot claim to be a citizen of a Native American Nation. One doesn't have to be a genius to see that this "Blood-quantum code", initiated, implemented, and rigidly enforced by the U.S., is a strictly racist code. Not only is it a "racist code", but it is also a conscious statistical genocide policy that, if not stopped, will rid the U.S. of it's "Indian problem" once and for all. If interracial marriage continues, as it has for generations, and if we allow this "blood-quantum code" to be acceptable, eventually Native Americans as individuals as well as Nations, will cease to exist. We as "Native Americans" cannot allow this policy to be accepted among our people, otherwise, we only aid in our own destruction and the destruction of generations yet to come. WE, as Native Nations, can combat these policies through the implementation of our own policies and standards; and by disregarding these "foreign" federal policies that determine our citizenship. We are SOVEREIGN NATIONS and have never given up our rights to remain so. The U.S. expects us to accept, by force, U.S. citizenship and obey laws which harm our people instead of helping them. As far as the U.S. is concerned, WE are THEIR citizens. As far as I am concerned, they can keep THEIR citizenship. As long as the U.S. continues to promote racist and genocidal policies ,against MY people, that are used as a means, by which to, keep the overall population of Native Nations to a minimum, I want no part in their system. WE should determine the criteria for our citizenship as we always have and not some foreign Nation. Does Canada determine who can or cannot become a citizen of the U.S.? Are there Frenchmen and Englishmen of color? WE cannot allow this racist and genocidal policy to continue to hinder the growth of our Nations. It is time that we regain and assert our rights as Nations and push the tyrannical regime, that dictates to us "who WE are" divides us continuously; and denies many of our brothers and sisters their identity, out of our lives! We need to educate "American" citizens about "who we are" and what we stand for and gain their support as well. We need to, continuously, bombard the White House and Congressmen with mail protesting these blatant violations of our "civil"and "human", as well as our SOVEREIGN rights. WE need to stage protests anytime our rights are violated. WE need to be involved with helping our people. It will be a LONG road, but it is the RIGHT one. Will Frye ( AKA Keihan ) frye@smtplink.ipfw.indiana.edu http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/1575 --------- "RE: New Age or Old Prophecy" --------- Date: Fri, 24 May 1996 11:04:46 -0800 From: temp@prep.net (Ralph Ianuzzi) Subj: New age or old prophecy Mailing List: NATCHAT (natchat@gnosys.svle.ma.us) Anni: I have to say in Browneye's defense that we're not "stuck" per se with having to be Indian (or NA or whatever), but it's just who we are. And living in a white, and all too often racist, dominated land, we just automatically become targets. However, if he has an identity crisis, which I don't think so, since read a few of his responses on this chat line, well, that would be his problem. As for someone, anyone, willing to take up our cause and fight along our sides, (as long as their hearts and souls were in the right place, not just in "rebellion" against any authority, or just to "look good" or whatever), then, yes, I too would welcome them. As the Hopi prophecy says there will be a group of Rainbow Warriors who will help to clean up the environment and put the world right, when the time after the droughts and cataclysms come. Now whether they referred to a conglomeration of mixed bloods along with full-blooded NAs, or whether they meant that we would be working with many other nationalities, is questionable, as other prophecies I've heard about say that only the red man will survive the oncoming storm. However, getting back to David's theme, I was raised "white" in my adopted home, in suburban Detroit, because of my light complexion (my bmother was English, bfather was full-blooded Potawatomi/Chippewa) but it was amazing the reaction I received when I "acted" Indian. I suppose that as long as I kept my hair cut short, wore suits to work, and just went along with the masses, I was acceptable. However, one "Columbus Day" I wore a beaded medallion encircled by red hackle feathers and also wore a button which read "Think Indian", I was given a five foot wide berth by everyone on a bus that was so crowded you couldn't breathe, and from that day on, the other riders always looked askance at me (maybe they were afraid I was going to whip out a knife and scalp them maybe?). It's amazing the fear our presence generates among a lot of whites. I've thought about that a long time. Maybe, because they (or at least their ancestors) have done us so much harm that their guilt makes them continue to react violently against us, possibly thinking that we WILL retaliate at any time. Who knows? If they'd only realize we'd work with them if they would only work with us and at the same time, leave us to govern ourselves and allow us to lead our own lives and continue our (almost lost) heritage without interference. But I say that if we are going to have any power to speak up against any tyranny over us and to fight back against any provocations, then we, AS AN ENTIRE RACE, have to FORGET OUR OWN LITTLE, PETTY DIFFERENCES AMONGST OURSELVES, RESPECT THAT, YES, WE ARE ALL FROM DIFFERENT TRIBES WITH OUR OWN VARIOUS VIEWPOINTS ON HOW THINGS SHOULD BE RUN, BUT JOIN TOGETHER AS ONE ENTITY. Then, and only then, will we be a power to be reckoned with. HISTORY SHOULD HAVE TAUGHT US THIS LESSON, IF NOTHING ELSE!!!!! PLEASE, people, let us get together, join hands and complete the circle!! If we are to survive, we must do so as ONE! Mi Gwetch!! Ralph =END=