Saturday, Nov. 13, 2004

native american arts daily news, presented by
amerindianarts.us

First Americans celebrate 19th century customs in a 21st century ...
pride source.com - Farmington,MI,USA
... Lifestyle exhibits (including a full-size tee pee and wigwam), demonstrations, kids' crafts, storytelling, and traders selling Native American arts and crafts ...
See all stories on this topic

UNO reaches out to Native American community with a variety of ...
The Gateway - Omaha,NE,USA
... UNO has also hired ten Native American professors in the Arts and Sciences department in various subject areas, which according to Fiscus, has done a lot to ...

Community calendar
Sharon Advocate - Needham,MA,USA
... Also at the event will be vitamins, Native American, therapists, crafts, crystals, jewelry, food & ... A great feature of the fair will the Arts and Crafts, such as ...
See all stories on this topic

Out & About
Press-Enterprise (subscription) - Riverside,CA,USA
... FENDER MUSEUM OF MUSIC AND THE ARTS, 11 am-4 pm Wednesdays-Sundays ... SOUTHWEST MUSEUM, "Contemporary Native American Art" ; 10 am-5 pm Tuesdays-Sundays, 234 ...

Get Out Guide
OregonLive.com - Portland,OR,USA
... indoor exhibit areas that include "By Hand Through Memory," a permanent exhibit of Native American artistry by Doris Swayze Bounds; visual-arts displays; and ...

Museum calendar
Cape Codder - Orleans,MA,USA
... 3. Cotuit Center for the Arts 4404 Falmouth Road, Cotuit, 508-428-0669. ... 10. Annual Christmas and Native American Craft Show, Dec. 1-4, reception 4-9 pm Dec. ...

Special Events
Times Picayune - New Orleans,LA,USA
... projects using recycled materials with Recycle for the Arts, 11 am ... Cannes Brulee Native American Village Events Cannes Brulee Native American Village, Louisiana ...

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Web Sites:
Indigenous Peoples Literature

Essay on the Zuni World View
Excerpt

In this it appears that an effective rendering of a prayer in ritual would be dependent upon a specificity between words and images where a name must adequately show the identity of that which it is naming, that is, the same name usage is imperative as a reliable identifier and if the name is to refer to something else at the same time then that image must, a propos, display the same relation with a reliable identifier (name).  Thus, it would seem that the individuating function is objectively well defined.  As Bunzel also notes elaboration is allowed in individual prayer, but in regard to the common good the “ceremonious collectivism that characterizes social activities is the essence of religious participation” and the “supernatural conceived always as a collectivity” is “approved by the collective force of the people”[10].

[10] Ibid, a480.

Notices:

Precious Cargo -- Cradle Baskets and Childbirth: California Indian Traditions

In the last couple decades, it has become common to see modern parents carry babies in back packs or slings. It is thought to be good for babies to feel the body warmth and closeness of a parent. Interestingly, this was exactly the approach taken by California Indian groups for many generations. Carrying her infant in a basketry cradleboard allowed the mother to keep the baby close and respond to its needs, while at the same time continuing the cooking and collecting needed to provide the necessities of life for the family. As with many Native American artifacts, the objects of daily use became an art form, reflecting both the Indian aesthetic and the habits and belief systems of the various Indian groups. A new exhibit at the Maidu Interpretive Center in Roseville depicts and explains the many characteristics of Native practices relating to childbirth and childcare. The exhibit shows the varying cradle basket styles, some of which had pointed designs at the bottom, allowing the mother to stand the cradleboard in the ground while she tended to some brief task. Others were designed to be temporarily attached to a tree, letting the baby look around. Some cradleboards kept the infant swaddled tightly, others allowed the baby to be in a sitting position. Some were constructed with hoods to protect and give shade to the baby. Throughout California, mothers and grandmothers made model cradles for their children and grandchildren to play with. It was more than a toy, it was a model for the girl’s future role. The child might also make her own, representing her first attempt at weaving a cradle basket. The cradle design varied from group to group, so an infant was instantly placed in a device that gave it a sense of cultural identity as well as security. While the exhibit displays cradle boards from the Pomo, Chumash, Yurok, Miwok, Washoe, Mojave, and 22 other native groups, it also covers other aspects of birth and childrearing. It explains how the father also changed his lifestyle while awaiting the birth of the child, how he might entrust the child briefly to a fast runner, hoping to transfer that skill to the youngster. Child naming practices are also described in the exhibit, as are the use of ‘touchstones’ and rituals to help women achieve conception. Fertility was believed to be under the control of the supernatural, and spiritual considerations were embedded into childbirth and child raising practices. This unique exhibit, opening November 26, is called Precious Cargo: California Indian Cradle Baskets and Childbirth Traditions. It explores traditional beliefs and practices concerning childbirth and the use of cradle baskets, both historically and today, The traveling exhibit was assembled by the Marin Museum of the American Indian and will be on tour for three years. The Maidu Interpretive Center will have community activities and demonstrations related to the exhibit. The center is at 1960 Johnson Ranch Drive in Roseville. For further information, call the center at 916.774.5934 or 772-4242

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"Honor Your Spirit, Protect The Children"
Winter & Christmas 2004 - Request for Donations
http://www.geocities.com/honoryourspirit/home.html

If you wish to make a difference and help children and elders through the harsh winter months in Montana, please take the time to read our request. On behalf of reliable Northern Cheyenne contacts from Lame Deer, we are once again collecting donations for those in need on the Northern Cheyenne reservation.
There is a large need especially for new and good quality used warm items, as well as toys.
List of useful donations :
- warm clothing such as knitted items for children of all ages from babies to teenagers, and for elders - jeans and T-shirts, all sizes - socks, gloves, boots, hats and scarves - blankets - toys for Christmas
Donations should be sent to the following address:
Honor Your Spirit - Protect the Children
% Sue Buck
PO Box 901
Great Falls, MT 59403-0901 (USA)
Please contact suemontana@mcn.net for mailing information other than regular US Mail service. (Also please include your name and address if you would like for us to acknowledge/confirm receipt of your donations.)
The toys will be distributed during the Christmas give away but the warm clothes and blankets will be distributed right away. During Montana winters, the temperature can drop to 30 or 40 degrees below zero so warm winter clothing and blankets can be lifesaving.
Our goal is to help the children, the elders, the single parent families, or families unable to make ends meet due to the high unemployment rate, the difficult conditions and the extreme poverty on the reservation.The children need all the help and encouragement they can get!
Other items that would also be appreciated: grooming supplies like toothpaste, tooth brushes,soaps and shampoos, combs, hair brushes, hair barrettes, rubber bands or other types of hair or pony tail holders. Last but not least : pampers diapers or pull-ups.
Thank you for being a part of this project and supporting it."
Respectfully,
Manuel Redwoman,
Northern Cheyenne/Lakota/Arapaho
Our heartfelt thanks to everyone for your support !

Haidu Language Project
Did you know that before Christopher Columbus arrived in the new world, the "Indians" in North America spoke over 300 indigenous languages? Today, roughly 20 of these languages have speakers of all ages. Unfortunately, the Haida language of Kasaan, Alaska is not among them.
Currently, only seven Kasaan Haidas speak the Kasaan Haida dialect with varying degrees of fluency--all elders over the age of 75. I know this because my dad grew up in Kasaan, 25 miles from my birthplace of Ketchikan, Alaska. We belong to the Haida tribe. This summer, I urged the Kasaan Haida Heritage Foundation (KHHF) to allow me to utilize the foundation's nonprofit status to seek funding and conduct projects that preserve our elders' knowledge.
In September, we created the position of Media Specialist in which I intend to raise money and interview our elders, especially in regards to the Haida language. I will produce, direct, and coordinate a video documentary to raise awareness and archive the language. I plan to make the results available in digital formats on the KHHF website.
If given the chance, I believe people would rally to this cause. We need to get the word out. So, I call on friends like you to get the ball rolling and join "The Grassroots Founders Campaign" Grassroots because the idea is to reach out to many individuals on a personal level; Founders because you will underwrite the beginning of our preservation effort.
Donations received from now until December 31, 2004 will earn the donor a Grassroots Founder designation. I ask for a relatively small gift of 25 to 100 dollars. Donor's names will appear in the KHHF newsletter and donations will be eligible for a tax deduction for this year. Grassroots Founders get special on-screen mention in the documentary.
Please send checks (payable to "KHHF") to:
Kasaan Haida Heritage Foundation
600 University Street, Suite 3010
Seattle, WA 98101-1129
Write in the memo area on your check or include a note designating funds for "Media Specialist/Projects".
Very importantly, SPREAD THE WORD. Please pass this on to 5 to 10 friends, or more. You will multiply your donation exponentially and play a vital role in preserving the Haida language for future generations. We appreciate anything you can do to help us preserve our language and heritage.
Sincerely,
Frederick Olsen, Jr.
For more information, email me or go to
http://kavilco.com/pages/
aboutkhhf.html
KHHF is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 92-0169568).

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Bald Eagle Sends Mud-Turtle To The Edge Of The World - Seneca
DO´NYONDA - Eagle
GANYÂQDEn HANÓWA - Mud-turtle
ONCE upon a time, a bald-headed old man lived on the top of a mountain, and his wife and three children lived near a lake about half way to the summit of the same mountain. Each day the old man went down to fish in the lake. On his way home he stopped and gave some of the fish to his wife, and thus they lived well and happily. After they had passed many years in this manner, the old man became curious to know how large the world is. Being chief of his people he called a council, and said, "I want to know how large the world is. I wish some man would volunteer to find out." One young man said, "I will go and find out." "Very well," said the chief, "How long will you be gone?" "I can't tell, for I don't know how far I shall have to travel." "Go," said the chief, "And when you return you will tell us about your journey." The young man started and after traveling two moons he came to a country where everything was white--the forests, the water, the grass. It hurt his feet to walk on the white ground, so he hurried back. When he reached home he notified the chief. The chief said, "I don't believe that he has been to the end of the world, but I will call a council and we will hear what he has to say." When the people were assembled, the young man said: "I did not go very far, but I went as far as I was able." And he told all he knew of the White Country. The chief said, "We must send another man." They sent a second man. He was gone four moons and returned. The chief called a council, and then asked: "Did you go to the end of the world?" "No," said the man, "but I went as far as I was able to go. Everything was as it is here till I came to the White Country. I traveled two moons in the White Country and could go no farther. I could not have lived had I continued my journey." The chief sent a third man. He traveled farther than the second man, then came back and related that there were people who lived in white houses and dressed in fur. The chief was encouraged and he sent a fourth man. As the man traveled he noticed everything. He crossed white rivers and white lakes and was gone eight moons. On his return, he said, "I came back quicker than I went, for I came a shorter way and reached the green land sooner than I would if I had come on the trail by which I went." The chief sent a fifth man. He crossed the White Country and beyond that he found a place where there was nothing but rocks. He climbed very high then went down, and so he went up and down till he wore his moccasins off. He was gone ten moons and came back. At the council called by the chief the man said, "I passed over the White Country, crossed rocky places, and then came straight home. It cannot be very far across the world." "How did you know the way home?" asked the old man. ''As I went I noticed the trees. The tops of the hemlocks leaned toward the East and our home is in that direction, so I followed the bend of the hemlocks." The bald-headed chief was learning something all the time. Many men were sent, one after another, and each turned with a story a little different from that told by others, but still no one satisfied the chief. At last a man said, "I will start and I will go to the end of the world before I come back." The chief looked at the man and saw that he was very homely, but very strong, and he said, "I think you will do as you promise. You may go." The chief called a council of the whole nation and each man agreed to make a journey by himself, and then come home and describe all he had seen. The chief and his men went and were gone forty moons. When they came home a council was held and each told what he had seen. When the man came who had promised to go to the end of the world, he said, "I have been to the end of the world, I have seen all kinds of people, all kinds of game, all kinds of forests and rivers. I have seen things which no one else has ever seen." The chief was satisfied, he said, "I am chief of all the people, you will be next to me. You'll be second chief." This was the pay the man got for his journey. He took his position as second chief. The old chief was Bald Eagle. The first man sent out was Deer. His feet were tender, he could not endure the ice and snow of the White Country. The homely man who went to the end of the world was Mud-turtle. Seneca Indian Myths by Jeremiah Curtin [1922]
From Blue Panther Keeper of Stories

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Andek - Ojibwa

This story is about the Crow. Andek when the great spirit was creating the flyers of creation. All the flyers had great purpose. The Eagle was to be the peoples messenger of prayers and thanks The Hawk too was a messenger of the peoples needs and good medicine. The Loon was the teacher of love and relationships. Andek (the crow) however was without purpose. He had no special color, nor had he the powerful wings of the Eagle, So he flew around looking for purpose , like many people today are doing. So Andek Visited Mkwa (the Bear) and requested the bear to teach him of his ways Mkwa did and Eventually Andek got bored and unsatisfied with Mkwa, For some reason the ways of the bear didn't fit with him So Andek went off and sought a new way and hopefully would find purpose. The beaver, the loon, the wolf , the coyote, the fish, all of creation he learned from. And still no purpose nor satisfaction with life Then came the day where Andek heard idiom (squirrel) crying in a hole of the oak. So he flew to idiom and asked 'Hi idiom , what troubles your heart today?" idiom says to Andek, "I am sad and feeling drained about my life" so Andek advised jitimo to visit Mkwa for some medicine for his health, and then they went to visit turtle here turtle was a great helper in finding ones heart of the problem. Turtle travels slow and is paced in all matters never missing a thing. And sure enough Jitimo felt balanced and returned to its purpose with vigor and refreshed spirit. Andek flew around the bush feeling great about what had happened. Then there was another cry in the woods...sure enough Andek went to investigate Rabbit was crying in its hole Andek asked it .Waboose what troubles you today? I wanna die Andek (sob sob)What is it that has brought you to such ends? Waboose was crying about Wagoosh (fox) and how there is no peace with wagosh around. So Andek listened like he learned from turtle and then told Waboose its purpose for its legs and long ears...Why a permanent solution for a temporary problem. Waboose surely you can out run Wagoosh. Yes Waboose thought to it self...I can and I will feel good about it too...Thank you Andek.. As time went on as it does...The word traveled all across the lands...about this Flyer whom was born without purpose, so it thought.....however the purpose was found when Andek traveled and made friends with all of creation. Andek to many of us is our traveling companion... always reminding us that with work and dedication the purpose you look for is always ahead of you. You will not find your purpose if you sit on your path, however it will meet you ahead, in the meantime create good connections and work with spirit of friendship and before you know it.. You become your purpose as did Andek. Walk your path and I guarantee you that You will meet that purpose. You can walk up , down, left , right , it makes no difference as long as you walk forward always forward.
From Blue Panther Keeper of Stories