Tues., Nov. 9, 2004

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NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH
The State - Columbia,SC,USA
... Native American dance, drumming, arts and crafts, demonstrations. Special veterans' presentation to recognize contributions of the armed forces. ...

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DeSoto Times - Southaven,MS,USA
... Celebrate Native American Heritage Month with “Ten Little Indians.” A free kidâ ... • The Olive Branch Arts Council will hold its annual Silent ...

Master calendar for tuesday, nov. 11
Monterey County Herald - Monterey,CA,USA
Native American Art Market. Sat-Sun, Nov. ... 372-3256. Monterey Peninsula College Jewelry and Metal Arts Department's Annual Holiday Jewelry Sale. ...

Festival Showcases Experimental and Documentary Films: By KEN ...
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The 20th annual Film Arts Foundation Festival Of ... to hula or cartoon animals playing Native America ns ... Included are African-American poet Amiri Baraka, who ...

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Indian Wars Continue in Nevada 2004
TONATIERRA
Community Development Institute
PO Box 24009
Phoenix, AZ 85074
Western Shoshone Nation Challenges Bush Administration
PRESS RELEASE
Date: Tuesday, November 9, 2004
Contact: Tupac Enrique Acosta (602) 254-5230, or (775) 397-1371
Indian Wars Continue in Nevada 2004
Western Shoshone Nation Calls Bush Administration Land Bill a Fraud
Phoenix, AZ
As open war rages in Fallujah, Iraq the home front faces an insurgency of its own, one where the Indigenous Nations stand with principles of spiritual nonviolence to assert their ancestral responsibilities as the true caretakers of the homeland. Western Shoshone Nation elder Carrie Dann will speak today at a press conference in Phoenix to address the violation of the 1863 Ruby Valley Treaty between the United States and the Western Shoshone Nation. The issue was addressed by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), which in January of 2003 sentenced in a final report by the Commission that the United States claims to Western Shoshone land are illegal and contrary to international human rights law. The IACHR also concluded that the United States had used illegitimate means to assert ownership of the lands. Said Carrie Dann, "It's disgraceful how the United States makes international statements about human rights and then commits this kind of assault in our own backyard. It destroys their credibility and moral authority". After an exhaustive review, the Commission concluded that the United States has been violating the human rights of the Western Shoshone, including the right to equality before the law, the right to judicial protection and due process, and the right to property. The ruling was highly critical of the Indian Claims Commission's handling of the Dann Sisters' case. It is the first time that the US has been formally found in violation of international human rights in its treatment of Indigenous Peoples within its border. In attempt to silence the opposition by the Western Shoshone Nation to the theft and illegal mineral expropriation of Western Shoshone territories, third largest gold producing area in the world, the Bush administration has moved to silence the legitimate land claims of the Western Shoshone under the 1863 Ruby Valley Treaty with a domestic monetary settlement which the Western Shoshone call a fraud and illegal act of aggression against the Western Shoshone Nation.
Press Conference
4:00 PM
NAHUACALLI
802 N. 7th Street, Phoenix
From: Chantlaca@aol.com
More information:
http://www.wsdp.org/
Western Shoshone Nation Challenges Bush Administration

Web Sites:
Indigenous Peoples Literature
Essay on the Zuni World View
Excerpt

Thus, Zuni truth is determination according to the beliefs of the individual and subsequently to the reciprocal public intentions of a distinct culture where the individual as a “perspective-taker” performs rationalization in the ontological sense[71] or the “primitive”[72] and intersubjectivity is validated as objectivity in “personal accomplishment”[73].  Personal accomplishment is never identical to individualism and the beliefs of the individual are expressed objectively if their interpretation of an image invokes a proper narrative.

[71] Op. cit. Willard, 1989: 160.

[72] Fabian notes that “primitive” is a essentially a temporal concept (and temporally distancing), is a category, not an object, of Western thought (1983: 18).  Dunn defines the “primitive” as an interpreter or seer, and that every culture has them, making them a category of individuals.  She also refers to the universal use of systems of symbols by cultures and implies that symbols, as objects of the interpreters, are primitives.  Dunn, Dorothy.  American Indian Painting of the Southwest and Plain’s Area.  Albuquerque: University of New Mexico, 1968: 24-25.  Fabian, Johannes.  Time and the Other: How Anthropology Makes Its Object.  NY: Columbia University Press, 1983.

[73] Op. cit. Willard, 1989: 163.

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

"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).

"what has happened to him is outrageous" Dr. Noam Chomsky, speaking of Kevin Annett, August 7, 2002 Read Kevin's personal story of uncovering Genocide in Canada, and the price he has paid for doing so: Order "Love and Death in the Valley" by Kevin Annett through First Books at: www.1stBooks.com/bookview/11639

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Anitsutsa - The Boys - Cherokee

The old people tell us that when the world was new, there were seven boys who used to spend all their time down by the townhouse playing the gatayû'stï game. This game is now called Chunkey, and is played by rolling a stone wheel along the ground and sliding a curved stick after it to strike it. Their mothers scolded them, but it didn't do any good. One day the mothers collected some gatayû'stï stones and boiled them in the pot with the corn for dinner.

When the boys came home their mothers dipped out the stones and said, "Since you like the gatayû'stï better than working, take the stones now for your dinner."

The boys were very angry, and went down to the townhouse, saying, "Since our mothers treat us this way, let's go where we will never trouble them any more." They began a dance--some say it was the Feather dance-and went round and round the townhouse, praying to the spirits to help them. At last their mothers were afraid something was wrong and went out to look for them. They saw the boys still dancing around the townhouse, and as they watched they noticed that their feet were off the ground, and that with every round they rose higher and higher in the air. They ran to get their children, but it was too late, for then, were already above the roof of the townhouse--all but one, whose mother managed to pull him down with the gatayû'stï pole, but he struck the ground with such force that he sank into it and the earth closed over him.

The other six circled higher and higher until they went up to the sky, where we see them now as the Pleiades, which the Cherokee call Ani'tsutsä (The Boys).

The people grieved long after them, but the mother whose boy had gone into the ground came every morning and every evening to cry over the spot until the earth was damp with her tears. At last a little green shoot sprouted up and grew day by day until it became the tall tree that we call now the pine, and the pine is of the same nature as the stars and holds in itself the same bright light.
submitted by Brother to Horse
From Blue Panther Keeper of Stories