Zuni Language and Worldview, Part IV

Native American arts daily news, presented by
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Nome Cult Trail walk will be remembered September 17

USDA AWARDS $9 MILLION TO PROMOTE FRESH FRUIT AND VEGETABLE CONSUMPTION IN SCHOOLS
Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns today announced $9 million will go to 225 schools in eight states and three Indian Tribal Organizations to encourage increased consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Chiefly for the tourists
CHEROKEE, NC-- In the cramped corner of a storage room inside his son's gift store, Henry Ray Lambert slips off his shirt, revealing the slim-framed, dark-skinned chest of a 70-year-old Cherokee man.

Mascot Controversy at Bradley more than just symbolic

Veterans join together
Friendship Pow Wow in Edwards includes American Indian traditions

Disputed artifacts ordered returned

Trustees to weigh new Chief resolution

National Indian Gaming Association Joins Member Tribes in Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts

NCAA approves Utah's use of American Indian nickname

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Entries sought for OK Indian Summer Youth Art Competition

A $1,000 scholarship will be awarded for the Best of Show at the Oklahoma Indian Summer Youth Art Competition, held during the Oklahoma Indian Summer festival on Sept. 16-18, at the Bartlesville Community Center in Bartlesville, according to festival organizers.

The competition is open to all northeastern Oklahoma students in grades 4-12.

The two eligible categories - painting/drawing and sculpture - will be judged on artistic technique and research detail.

Deadlines for entry depend on the method of delivery, said Odden.
For mailed art, send item and entry form by Thursday, Sept. 8, to 2005 OKISI Art Competition, 1311 Hampden Road, Bartlesville, OK 74006.
If hand delivered, bring art and entry form between 1 and 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 11, to the Bartlesville Community Center, 300 S.E. Adams Rd., in downtown Bartlesville.

The art will be exhibited Sept. 14-18 in the Bartlesville Community Center and must be picked up at 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 18.

Winners will be recognized at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 18, during an awards ceremony at the BCC. Ribbons will be awarded in each of the three divisions: Grades 9-12, grades 7 and 8, and grades 4, 5 and 6.

Winners must be present to receive awards, said Odden.

Call 918-331-0934 for entry information and complete rules or students may contact their schools for more information.

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Angel Mounds State Historic Site

Angel Mounds State Historic Site, just outside town to the southeast. One of the best-preserved prehistoric Native American settlements in the country, it covers 603 acres, including the 68-acre Achumbala Nature Preserve along the Ohio.

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Sioux Nickname to be Debated

The issue of team mascots is on the agenda of a gathering next week of American Indian tribes in North Dakota.

Leaders from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and the University of North Dakota are among those expected sit on the panel.

U-N-D is among 17 schools deemed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association to have ``hostile or abusive'' American Indian nicknames or mascots. Recently, the association asked colleges with Indian nicknames to quit using them.

The tribal meeting runs Tuesday through Thursday in Bismarck. The panel ``Dishonoring Tribal Nations with Indian Mascots'' set for Wednesday afternoon.

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Mesa Pow Wow

The City of Mesa’s popular Mesa Pow Wow, an annual inter-tribal Native American gathering, received the award for Outstanding Cultural Awareness Program. The Mesa Pow Wow, first held in 1984, attracts more than 20,000 spectators and participants every October to Pioneer Park near downtown Mesa, for two days of traditional dance competition, Native American arts, and cultural sharing. The 2005 Pow Wow will be held in honor of the late Roy Track, Pow Wow founder and emcee, who died in April.

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Native American Days

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 17-18, Hanging Rock State Park, Visitor Center, Hanging Rock Road (State Road 2015), Danbury. A celebration of the many cultures and talents of Native Americans with a variety of displays and demonstrations by North Carolina Native Americans and primitive-skill specialists. Storytelling, tanning, fire-starting and flint-knapping. This event is being held in conjunction with the 31st annual Stokes Stomp. Free. 593-8480.

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Indian Heritage Festival & Powwow

noon to 5 p.m. Sept. 17, Uptown Martinsville, 65 W. Main St., Martinsville, Va. Presented by the Virginia Museum of Natural History. Features nationally known musician and performer Pura Fe at 1:30 p.m. and the Iroquois Thunderheart Drums from Pennsylvania. Native American dancing, teepees, crafts and food. Bring your lawn chairs. No pets allowed. Gates open at 11 a.m. Rain location: old Lowe’s building on U.S. 220 in Ridgeway, Va. Museum members admitted free with membership card. $5 adults, $4 seniors and children ages 12 to 18, $3 ages 3-11. (276) 666-8600 or www.vmnh.net

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"Offerings from the Heart," exhibition of works by 26 American Indian artists, Tuesday through Sept. 17, Cando (N.D.) Arts Center, includes works by internationally known artist Jaune Quick-To-See-Smith; along with Joni Murphy, a doctoral candidate in art history at the University of Kansas; Peg Furshong, visual arts and gallery coordinator at the UND Memorial Union Gallery; as well as Monty Yellow Bird and Marla Quincy Yellow Bird, both Fargo; and Nelda Schrupp, Lakota, N.D. Gallery hours: 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

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Hybrid Harvest: Six Contemporary Native American Artists

Cal State Fullerton Main Art Gallery, 800 N. State College Blvd., Fullerton - "Hybrid Harvest: Six Contemporary Native American Artists" - The exhibition explores the cross-pollination of Euro-American and Native-American worlds. Sept. 6 through Oct. 7. Tue.-Fri., noon-4 p.m.; Sat., noon-2 p.m. Admission: free. (714) 278-3262. www.arts.fullerton.edu/events/

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Native American Heritage Day , 1-5 p.m. Sept. 10. A special Social Gathering includes a drumming circle, dancers and singers. The day also includes American-Indian artisans, their wares, and food. Nankin Mills, Hines Drive, just east of Ann Arbor Trail, Westland. Wayne County Parks, (734) 261-1990.

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Snohomish Co., WA The Depot Arts Center: Seventh and R Streets, Anacortes; 360-293-3663. "The Other Side of the Mountain," through Sept. Native American arts, Oct. 7 through 31.

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National Indian Gaming Association to Host Two Evenings of Native American Music and Dance

Contact: Suzette Brewer of the National Indian Gaming Association, 202-546-7711

National Indian Gaming Association to Host Two Evenings of Native American Music and Dance

Programs Celebrate 'National American Indian Heritage Month'

In celebration of National American Indian Heritage Month, the National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA) will host two evenings of Native American music and dance on Monday, Nov. 28, and Tuesday, Nov. 29, 7:30-10 p.m., at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. The programs will take place in the Terrace Theater.

Former U.S. Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (Northern Cheyenne) will host the programs, which will include Native performers from the Northeast, Northern Plains, Southwest and Northwest Coast regions. All proceeds will benefit the American Indian College Fund.

Tickets are $25 and are available at the Kennedy Center box office or by phone at 202-467-4600. Order online at http://www.kennedy-center.org.

The National Indian Gaming Association, headquartered in Washington, D.C., is a non-profit trade association comprised of 184 American Indian Nations and other non-voting associate members. The mission of NIGA is to advance the lives of Indian people -- economically, socially and politically. NIGA operates as a clearinghouse and educational, legislative and public policy resource for tribes, policymakers and the public on Indian gaming issues and tribal community development.

Web: http://www.indiangaming.org

http://www.usnewswire.com/

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Zuni Language and Worldview, Part IV

Zuni Cosmology and Aesthetics: Color Terms

Zuni Language and the Ineffability Thesis of Semantics: Universalist and Relativist Aspects

The language universalist would not accept a doctrine that subscribes to semantic ideas conveyed conceptually and would, at least in the case of Wittgenstein, for example, limit context to the meaning a word gains in its usage in the language. In the case of the Zuni, where meaning can be expressed non-verbally, the lack of a name would, according to the universalist, preclude ascertaining an existent’s identity. Both universalist and relativist would probably agree that 'the bridge between the subjective and the objective is the observer who is also a participant. There is no universe with an observer and no observer who is not a part of the universe of description. The identity of the two is not, nor can never be identical'[51]. Friedrich continues that the role of the observer is also that of the participant and in a manner similar to the Heisenberg principle can effect the outcome of observation, i.e. the participant's description. In this Friedrich is establishing the perspective taker as an efficient cause that has been eliminated in the universalist position. For assuming that semantic ideas could be conveyed conceptually and non-verbally, then same name usage is not sufficient to establish identity and ontological status. Identity is then dependent upon other, perhaps pragmatic interpretations of the form and function of things as relations of semantic ideas and to the universalist the subject becomes transcendent, in Kantian terms, and interpretation is meaningless.

In order to further clarify this position, Friedrich states that reality involves the 'I' and the external world; organic life and the physical universe. The bridge between the subjective and the objective is the observer who is also the participant. The relation of the subject and object is, in Kantian terms, the transcendental ('I think'), and to Friedrich, one of continuity. To disregard the continuity is to remove the 'I' from the experiential world and place it as an observer of the universe, and reference and meaning becomes transcendent (not transcendental). The effect of continuity is necessarily one where the participant affects description. Meaning and reference can never be identical, i.e. 'A is A' is never the case and is unreal. The disruption of the continuity yields a subjectivity that is just as fallacious as the positivistic reality ('A is A') of the external world. While it is evident that both the linguistic relativist and universalist alike agree that one cannot step outside their language in order to describe the world, there is a point of disagreement. The relativist would argue that since meaning and reference can never be identical, communication is only viable with non-verbal conveyance of semantic concepts, that is, if 'A is not A' then verbal signification is not ostensive and meaning must rely on what the universalist would consider pre-conceptual. The universalist would also consider that a non-verbal conveyance of semantic ideas as conceptual is transcendent (in effect, the transcendental bridge is transcendent). On the other hand, the relativist would view this as a confusion of the transcendent and the transcendental, for the universalist, in considering same name usage as identity, would be asserting that 'A is A', and this is itself transcendent by the standard of the relativist. As an outside observer, Young commented on the "metaphor and ambiguity" in the multireferentiality of the Zuni base metaphor. This is the fallacy of a "universe with an observer", for while the Zuni may consider an image or name as ambiguous if the context is not certain, they would not consider the perceived uncertainty of multireferentiality as metaphoric, but as an integral part of the schematics of their transcendental bridge. In Young's defense, the language used was the language that could be understood by colleagues, much in the same sense that Cushing used the term "savage."

Hintikka also cites the “mutual dependence of linguistic relativity (impossibility of expressing reality as it is, considered independently of our language) and the ineffability thesis of semantics", and would probably describe Friedrich’s position as generally stating the paradox of transcendental knowledge[52]. The language universalist and the relativist would however, disagree on the role of the participant, and in Kantian terminology, would also disagree on the constitution of the transcendental subject defined as the logic of scientific language. While Kant would assert that possession of the concept of a thing is dependent upon knowing the "use" of an object given in intuition and this cognition is a prerequisite to consciousness[53], Wittgenstein would appropriately call this transcendental but as a transcendental subject it is also something that does not exist in the world[54], an allusion that Kant would refer to as an interpretation of the transcendent and not the transcendental[55].

According to this interpretation of a transcendental subject as something that does not exist in the world, Kant would be considered a linguistic relativist[56]. Hintikka states that Wittgenstein held both sides of the linguistic counterpart to the paradox of transcendental knowledge where “the existence of an object can only be shown through its name’s use in the language"[57]. “The ineffability of the simple name-object relation…amounts to maintaining that the existence of an individual can only be shown by means of language through the use of its name"[58]; it cannot be stated. Identity is shown by the use of the same name. It is impossible to say what a particular object is, and likewise impossible to say what its logical form is. Individual existence is inexpressible and the world as a whole is inexpressible[59]. The relativist could take exception to this, stating that logical form can be rationalized by reciprocal public intentions, and that the name’s use in language presupposes knowing the use of the object.

Both of these positions are thoroughly grounded in the view that "human action is constitutive of the meanings of the world of our concepts more generally" and this view should be accepted for pragmatic reasons because "we cannot detach ourselves from our concepts, for we cannot possibly stop our conceptual practices without losing our concepts"[60]. Hintikka’s criticism of this is that it is transcendental and "there is no reason why the concepts we need to master in order to talk about our language could not also be grounded on human activities. Hence, the pragmatic rationale for the ineffability of our conceptual world is not a valid one"[61].

Since truth is that part of a relation within the totality of such relationships linking language and the world and is presumed to be conveyed in a linguistic expression about the world, the ineffability thesis of semantics is a thesis of the inexpressibility of truth. While Hintikka would prefer the term "indefinable" rather than inexpressible, either way it would appear that the universalist cannot speak of truth in terms of correspondence, or as a cross-cultural identifier. Suggested remedies of language as a calculus ratiocination or possible world semantics appear to be designed for an explication of a syllogistic validity cross-culturally, that is, cross identification as the "identification of individuals across the boundaries of possible worlds" which results in "well defined individuations" as an "objectivity of individuating functions"[62]. Hintikka states that "truth is not ineffable, but it is indefinable, except by transcending the language for which it has to be defined"[63]. In this Hintikka seems to be describing the "unspeakable" of Wittgenstein or that area Langer describes as the “unexplored possibility of genuine semantics beyond the limits of discursive language”[64]. Semantics is wider than language and contains non-discursive, non-translatable symbolism the form and function of which are not investigated by logicians under the heading of language[65]. In principle, the "growth law" of semantics is metaphor[66].

In terms of (2) and a possible world semantics, it is insufficient in regard to defining truth across possible worlds, for unintentional metaphoric fancy will always be lost in the defining of intentional, well defined individuations, meaning that truth will always be nothing more than a synchronic glimpse, in contrast to, for instance, a Kantian pragmatics where the synchronic continually eclipses itself as diachronic development by means of the need for epistemic fulfillment. "Well defined individuations" may find objectivity where the individuating function is directed toward a well organized body of principles, but the subjectivity constituted by the individuating functions cannot be objectified.

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If you can, plan to be there Sept. 10 or 11; you will be in for a treat. The animal park is having a special Native American Arts Festival featuring the expert storytelling of John Three Hawks, who will share tales of the local animals, plants and terrain and will truly inspire his listeners. After hearing his lively narratives, you can stroll around the facility and enjoy the wildlife from a new perspective.

American Indian songs, dances and food will also be available, as well as beautiful and unusual crafts. It's the perfect opportunity to ask questions of gifted artisans.

For more information, call Friends of the Moonridge Zoo at (909) 878-4200.

Additional American Indian artisans who are interested in participating are welcome to display wares free of charge.

Moonridge Zoo at P.O. Box 2557, Big Bear City, CA 92314

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Adobe Gallery: older original paintings by Tony Abeyta, Emil Bistram, E.A. Burbank, Fremont Ellis, R.C. Gorman, Patrick Swazo Hines, and Fritz Scholder,cq all through Sept. 3; acrylic paintings and aquatint etchings by Helen Hardin, through Oct. 16. 221 Canyon Road, Santa Fe. (505) 955-0550.

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USAO to host young writers workshop Aspiring young writers and filmmakers from across Oklahoma are invited to participate in a workshop Sept. 15-16 at the University of Science and Arts in Chickasha. The workshop is hosted by the Woodcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers, with support from USAO.

The free, two-day workshop is geared toward Native American students but participants do not need to be Native American or become members of Woodcraft Circle.

Participants are also awarded with membership in the Woodcraft Circle, a national organization of Native American writers and storytellers.

For more information, contact Dr. Lee Hester, director of American Indian Studies, at 405-574-1289 or fachesterl@usao.edu, or Jay Goombi, Woodcraft regional director, at 405-574-1264or jgoombi@usao.edu.

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Northeastern Native American Fine Arts Show. A new exhibit at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum features an array of art, which runs through Sept. 5 at the museum's gallery, shows off the artistic skills of American Indians from the Northeast. Thirty-four artists with connections to tribes of the Northeast were chosen for the show, which includes sculpture, carvings, oils, acrylic and mixed media.

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Sept. 4-Nov. 13: "By Native Hands: Native American Basketry," Forsyth Center Galleries, Memorial Student Center, Texas A&M. 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

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October 30. Native American Fall Festival-Lenape Village. Churchville Nature Center. Churchville, PA. 215-357-4005. www.churchvillenaturecenter.org.

Museum of Indian Arts and Culture:"Beauty Within," historical objects from the collection, through Oct. 23; "IconoClash," symbols of American Indian culture, through Jan. 15; "The Pottery of Santa Ana Pueblo," through Feb. 19. 708 Camino Lejo, Santa Fe. Admission and hours: (505) 476-1250.

Plains Art Museum: "Between Two Cultures: The Art of Star Wallowing Bull," opens Sept. 24; "Contemporary Native American Artists - Reflections After Lewis and Clark," opens July 21, (701) 232-3821.

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AEQ Book Review of Making Dictionaries: Preserving Indigenous Languages of the Americas .
Frawley, William, Kenneth C. Hill, and Pamela Munro, eds. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2002. 450 pp. ISBN 0520229967, $34.95.
© 2004 American Anthropological Association Book Review of Making Dictionaries: Preserving Indigenous Languages of the Americas .
Reviewed for the Anthropology & Education Quarterly by Catherine S. Fowler
University of Nevada
csfowler@unr.nevada.edu
To Order this book

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W. Tussinger has written his first novel which was released in December, 2004. The title of the book is THE FOURTH WORLD.
W. Tussinger is a member of the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma and has lived on several reservations including the Yuroks of Northern California and the Yakamas of Washington State where he attended college.
THE FOURTH WORLD

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Deer Medicine - Comanche

One time the People camped at the base of a mountain near a rushing stream. Over time a person disappeared, then another. The band grew troubled and took their worries to their medicine makers. After sweat lodge purification, after sage and sweet grass cleansing, the medicine makers held council.

"I do not trust those deer," Medicine Man said.

"I trust them less than you." Medicine Woman looked up at the mountain where the deer lived near a large cave.

"I suspect they are stealing our people."

"And keeping them in their cave."

"To eat," Medicine Man said.

"Our people depend on us to care for them."

"And we must do so.

Medicine Man and Medicine Woman walked up the mountain to the cave of the deer.

Guard Deer stood near four sticks at the dark hole of an entrance.

"Good morning," Medicine Woman said. "How are you?"

"You look plump and well," Medicine Man said.

"What food do you eat?" Medicine Woman asked.

"We eat good food," Guard Deer said. "Would you like to see?"

"Yes, we would."

Guard Deer picked up one of the sticks and knocked on the entrance. "One fat buffalo."

A buffalo trotted out.

"That is impressive," Medicine Woman said.

"Watch this." Guard Deer hit the entrance again. "One buffalo calf."

A buffalo calf walked out.

"I am really impressed," Medicine Man said.

"Now you know how we get our food," Guard Deer said. "You may see no more."

"Thank you," Medicine Woman said.

As the medicine makers walked away, they whispered to each other.

"I do not believe that is all in their cave," Medicine Man said.

"I agree. We must find out what else is in there."

They hid behind a large rock while they considered their problem.

"Maybe we could change the sticks when Guard Deer looks the other way," Medicine Man said.

"Guard Deer is too sharp."

"That is true."

"They must change guards soon and the entrance will be unguarded for a brief time," Medicine Woman said.

"We must strike then."

"Yes."

Without making a sound, they worked their way back to the entrance. Concealed behind rocks and plants, they watched and waited. Soon Guard Deer stepped away to consult the next Guard Deer.

They raced to the entrance.

Medicine Woman grabbed a stick and hit the cave. "Two people."

Two warriors walked out.

Medicine Man placed his hand on the stick, and they struck again. "More men."

Many men ran out of the cave. All of them carried bows with arrows in quivers on their backs.

Deer erupted from all directions, but the warriors fought together to drive them back. When the battle was won by the People, most of the deer lay dead. The medicine makers turned to the deer still alive.

"We are the strongest so hereafter we will eat you," Medicine Man said.

"Your skin and bones, all of your body, will be used to help the People," Medicine Woman added.

Guard Deer raised a head. "So be it."

from Texas Indian Myths and Legends by Jane Archer

From Blue Panther Keeper of Stories. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Native_Village
http://groups.msn.com/KeeperofStories

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"Communing with Bears"

By Sara Wright

Communing with Bears is the story of a joyful encounter between one woman and a black bear.

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Web Sites:
Native American Links Page
Indigenous Peoples Literature
Native Voice
Wisdom of the Old People
By David Whitney
Hero, Hawk, and Open Hand
Hero, Hawk, and Open Hand, The Book
Early tribal artifacts put in spotlight
"Hero, Hawk, and Open Hand" is scheduled to be shown at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History from early July to late September.
National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation
Inuit film to tell story of last great shaman
Petition in Support of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe
My Two Beads Worth: Indigenous News Online
Northern California Indian Development Council
Native Village
Smudge Ceremony

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Literacy in Indigenous Communities by L. David van Broekhuizen, Ph.D. (2000)
HTML Format (70K)
PDF Format(117K)

Literacy in first languages in indigenous communities is a complex topic that generates lively discussion. This research synthesis explores the notions of national, mother-tongue, multiple, and biliteracies. It presents important information pertaining to threatened languages, language shift, and language loss. Examples of culturally relevant uses of literacy in indigenous communities and issues related to first-language literacy instruction are also provided.

Essay on the Zuni World View
Excerpt(Complete article is available in PDF)
Cushing also cited an incidence where he showed a pole that accompanies a theodolite to an old Zuni man and asked him what he thought the name of it was. In response the old man inquired as to the use of the item. After briefly describing the implementation of the device the old man provided a rather lengthy sentence-word that Cushing translated as "heights of the world progressively measuring stick". The next day Cushing took the pole to the extreme corner of the pueblo and began "to flourish it around" until a middle-aged man relented to curiosity and asked what it was. Cushing then provided the Zuni name he had learned the day before and the man promptly requested, "Can they actually tell how far up and down journeying the world is?" [105].