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Great Lakes Powwows: Native American Celebrations of the Northeast

Created by CHICO at the University of Michigan School of Information and sponsored by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation.
As of May, 2001 this site is no longer being maintained.??????

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Indigenous Environmental Network

INDIGENOUS ENVIRONMENTAL NETWORK "A network of Indigenous Peoples empowering Indigenous Nations and communities towards sustainable livelihoods, demanding environmental justice and maintaining the Sacred Fire of our traditions."

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Schemitzun! 2 - ... Okay, and I got into powwows, I learned about the elders, the veterans, the dancing

In September 1998, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation in Connecticut sponsored their Seventh Annual Feast of Green Corn and Dance at a tribe-owned farm in North Stonington, Connecticut.

About 2,000 dancers and 65 drum groups from North America competed for $800,000 in awards and recognition in the four-day competition.

It is the World Championship of Native-American song and dance.

LAUGHING WOMAN (Mashantucket Pequot Elder): Pow-wass is the gathering of people. Powwow --I don’t know where that word came from, but is the gathering of Native Americans. I think this is perhaps how Schemitzun got started: That we just wanted peoples to come, Native Americans united as one as the corn is so tightly woven together. Peoples of the first light, to dance with us, to sing with us, to share in the eating of foods, the storytelling..

MICHAEL THOMAS (Mashantucket Pequot Councilor): To us it is a celebration that we’re still here. It is an opportunity to again, as we once did very often, share intertribal culture with other tribes and scream from the highest mountaintop that we’ve never gone anywhere.

BOYE LADD (Powwow Consultant, Ho Chunk Nation): Powwow originated about 400 years ago among the Omaha people of the Central Plains. We look to Schemitzun as perhaps being our national finals, our biggest championship for the year. Everyone looks forward to becoming the world champion. We come in and we win a championship and we go home we pride our people so that perhaps next year maybe we’ll incorporate maybe two or three younger people that may want to chase the same dream.

GRAND ENTRY

BOYE LADD: The Grand Entry actually was created and evolved around rodeo. Eeryone gets an opportunity to see who the competition is, the people coming into the circle. We also carry in the flag. You’ll see the invocation. It’s quite similar to that of rodeo, a chance to come in and warm-up, get preparation for the competition and go-arounds.

I have danced professionally as a fancy dancer for over 45 years. I’m just one of many, many champions that, you know, had our day one time or another, but now it’s our turn to come in to teach, to get the young people, our children, to come forward and hopefully exemplify some of the same feelings and emotions that we have gone through, to enjoy the same highs as a champion.

JOHNNY WHITECLOUD (Fancy Dancer, Otoe-Creek): The culture, the tradition, the spirituality, the language preservation, the song and dance - it’s all meaningful to all of us.

Maz-ayre-os say juan-guz-a-duh -- it means to be searching, grasping in the dark for something to latch onto. So this is how we hang onto our, all of our culture, spirituality and our traditions and still yet coexist, peacefully coexist in a dominant society.

There’s an inner pride in us to say be proud of - know who you are and where you come from. Be proud of what you are, but at the same time never be arrogant, always walk in humbleness and humility and then in there always be bighearted and broadminded.

The Warrior’s Dream

BOYE LADD: We have our warrior societies. I come from a warrior society that believes in accomplishment by warriors, the feathers that we wear, the color, the designs, just like the medals you see on a warrior’s chest, it also reflects in our regalia. The name giving, the feather giving, the whistle - the giving of the whistle - many of the ceremonial aspects of powwow derive from what the warriors had seen in battle

JOHNNY WHITECLOUD: So in the old days there was fasting and there was preparation and the all night prayers. You put on your very best regalia that maybe your wife and your mother or your families made for you and then your paint that you acquired from the spirits from the vision, and then fix your horse up same way. If we should happen to die in battle to day we want to look our very best when we meet the Creator face to face. That’s why you put on your very best.

Now, there’s war journey songs they would sing, prayer songs to take them over there. Then there’s homecoming veteran songs And the scouts would say, wan-wasser-shay. The warriors have come home. So they all come out to the center of the village and they start singing the drums. These drums. And there would be all types of emotion. There would be the mothers in grief and heavy-hearted because their son had got killed, maybe a wife or a husband got killed. Then the others attended to the wounded. And there are some that would really be happy because their sons came home all right.

So this Ha-dues-ka way would mean to get down off your horse and unbraid your hair and let your hair hang down and while they’re hitting that drum, dance. Dance in a sacred manner and thank the Creator that you’ve made it home. Later on the contests came and there is big money involved now.

BOYE LADD: This is the biggest celebration in the country as far as finance. Today I kind of look at powwow as a contemporary version of war as well because here you’ll have cultural pride, you’ll have tribal affiliation, tribal contests, tribal competition where each champion from each nation or tribe coming together in the spirit of competitiveness without the fear of actually hurting somebody or counting coup on someone - that they come together dancing. Out of that comes pride, comes respect, comes this identity of being a member of a certain tribe maybe the world champion comes from.

Marvin Burnette (Northern Traditional Dancer, Rosebud Sioux Lakota): And we as Native people whenever we go to a powwow usually our third song is always a veterans’ honoring song. As warriors, we wear the eagle feather, we as veterans we respect the American flag, the red, white and blue. And everyone of our events includes the American flag, although I cannot forget that the first flag was the Indian flag, a single eagle feather on a wooden staff.

In 1924 the American government gave us citizenship status to fight on behalf and defend their way of life. But we as Native people we’ve always been very proud who we fight, where we fight, how we fight, and we put ill feelings aside. Nonetheless, call it America, call it Turtle Island, Indian Island, it’s always home to us, indigenous to us. Fight for home every day. Every day, because I can’t forget what this eagle feather means that I’m wearing.

JOHNNY WHITECLOUD: So we have forgiveness and then we pray for the people that oppressed us and there the Creator’s watching us and then he’s going to bless our children accordingly. We forgive so that we can carry on and have our children grow up in a real good way and still hang onto their identity living in this dominant society

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See the Full Beaver Moon

Tonight's full moon is called the Full Beaver Moon, because traditionally this was the time to set beaver traps before the swamps froze.
More Full Moon Facts

- Moon Spotlights Beaver Comeback
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- Explore the Cosmos at AOL Keyword: Space
- Reading This From Web Mail? Get Moon Info Here

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Medicine Voices News

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Deconstructing the Myths of "The First Thanksgiving"

In celebration of Native Heritage Month and Thanksgiving, we are premiering a new section on our website. Welcome to MYTHBUSTERS! Judy Dow (Abenaki) and Beverly Slapin wrote a very informative article entitled Deconstructing the Myths of “The First Thanksgiving” in the Fall 2004 issue of MultiCultural Review magazine. The article sets the record straight on many of the dominant culture’s commonly held beliefs about the origins of Thanksgiving. Special thanks to MultiCultural Review for allowing NAPT to post this article.

Search AIROS:

Produce for AIROS

Click here to explore the opportunities of producing a radio program for the AIROS network.

AIROS - providing you with authentic Native American music, news, entertainment, interviews and discussions of the current issues in Indian Country and the world. AIROS is an international distributor of Native American programming through the Public Radio Satellite System.

Check out some of the highlights from the week's programming:

Live Remote Broadcast from the Canadian Aboriginal Festival

Program Description: 12 Hours of interviews, discussion, storytelling and music from the middle of the SkyDome playing field during the Canadian Aboriginal Festival in Toronto, provided live by Aboriginal Voices Radio and AIROS.

Program hosts and other production staff:
Technical/Producer/Director Greg Thibideau, Audio Engineering/Creative; Patrice Mouseau (Ojibway/Metis), Host/Producer; David Deleary (Ojibway), Host/Producer; Beedahsega Elliott (Potawatomi/Chippewa/Odawa), Host/Producer; Andre Morriseau (Ojibway), Host/Producer Derek Miller (Six Nations), Audio Engineering/Creative

Find out more about the Canadian Aboriginal Festival Special

Pueblo Revolt Drama and Panel Discussion Specials

Pueblo Revolt Drama (One-Hour program)
“This Miserable Kingdom,” a radio play by Marc Calderwood and directed by Reiko Yazzie, is a story set around a 17th century uprising of indigenous people against the Spanish in New Mexico.
This drama was originally broadcast as part of an event on August 8, 2004, incorporating this program with a Pueblo Revolt panel discussion (AIROS is presenting that hour as a separate program.)

Pueblo Revolt Panel (One-Hour program)
A panel of scholars and historians discuss a 17th century uprising of indigenous people against the Spanish in New Mexico, the largest Native revolt in the history of North America. This discussion was originally broadcast as part of an event on August 8, 2004 that began with a radio drama, “This Miserable Kingdom,” on the theme of the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 (Available from AIROS as a separate one-hour program.)

Panel participants included Joe Sando, former archivist at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center; Ted Jojola, Former Director of the Native American Studies program at UNM; President of the Society for the Preservation of Native American Culture, and author; Benny Attencio, Board Member of the Popay Statuary Hall Commission, and past president of the All Indian Pueblo Council; Joseph Sanchez, Park Superintendent of Petroglyphs National Monument and the Spanish Colonial Research Center and John Kessell; UNM Professor Emeritus of History, author and Vargas Project researcher. The panel moderator was Marcos Martinez, Programming Director and former News Director at KUNM.

David Dunaway, UNM Professor of English and radio documentary producer, was a script consultant for the drama and the Humanities Advisor for the project.

Find out more about the Pueblo Revolt Drama and Panel Discussion Special

Deconstructing the Myths of "The First Thanksgiving"

In celebration of Native Heritage Month and Thanksgiving, we are premiering a new section on our website. Welcome to MYTHBUSTERS! Judy Dow (Abenaki) and Beverly Slapin wrote a very informative article entitled Deconstructing the Myths of “The First Thanksgiving” in the Fall 2004 issue of MultiCultural Review magazine. The article sets the record straight on many of the dominant culture’s commonly held beliefs about the origins of Thanksgiving. Special thanks to MultiCultural Review for allowing NAPT to post this article.

Where are the Indian Radio stations?

What's Playing and When?

This Week on AIROS

Program Grid

Featured Artist

Delphine Tsinajinnie

Click the image to see, read and hear more about Delphine Tsinajinnie.

This Date in Native American History
1975: The Bureu of Indian Affairs received notice from the Navajo Nation announcing their plans to movesixty families from the contested Navajo-Hopi joint usage area of northeastern Arizona. This effectively ended the long running land dispute
"1837: The republic of Texas signed a treaty with the Tonkawa at Bexar.
1880: The Sioux had another council at Wood Mountain, Sasatchewan, with the Canadians.
1807: Iroquois leader Joseph Brant died.
1894: A group of 19 Hopi are arrested when they try to stop US officials from forcefully taking their children to boarding schools.
The 19 men would be held in Alcatraz prison from Jan 3, 1895 to Aug 7, 1895
1990: The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) was enacted.
1619: Representatives of the British colony in Virginia and the Poshatan Confederacy agreed to a treaty alliance.
The Great Ballcourt at Chichen Itza was dedicated by the Maya.1619: Representatives of the British colony in Virginia and the Poshatan Confederacy agreed to a treaty alliance.
The Indians of All Tribes Proclamation was release by activists who had seized Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay.

Monday, November 22, 1837: The republic of Texas signed a treaty with the Tonkawa at Bexar.

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AIROS is funded by YOU, the listeners, and in part by:
Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Ford Foundation, Northwest Area Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Copyright © Native American Public Telecommunications, Inc

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Back to the Native American languages index

What's New at Native Languages of the Americas!

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Here's a little light reading from our friends at Oyate -- something to spice-up the dinner conversation this Thanksgiving.

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Government must consult First Nations on disputed land, top court rules
Thu, 18 Nov 2004 11:49:44 EST

OTTAWA - Governments have a legal duty to consult with First Nations to some extent about the development of disputed land, Canada's top court ruled Thursday.

The Supreme Court of Canada's landmark ruling will have a major impact on how governments and industry deal with First Nations before making land-use decisions.

In the 7-0 decision, the court ruled the government has a legal duty to consult, and if appropriate, accommodate, aboriginal groups prior to their claims.

But the ruling did not extend to the developers of the land.

The amount of consultation depends on the strength and seriousness of the land claim and the effect on the land in use, the court ruled.

But Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin, who wrote the decision for the court, said aboriginal claimants must not "frustrate the Crown's reasonable good faith attempts" at consultation.

"Nor should they take unreasonable positions to thwart governments from making decisions or acting in cases where, despite meaningful consultation, agreement is not reached."

Two First Nations in northwestern British Columbia were involved in resource-use battles over land that they say they own.

The question in both cases is whether resource development on Crown lands should proceed if aboriginal claims on those lands haven't been resolved.

Haida challenged tree farm licence

One case involves logging by forestry giant Weyerhaeuser on Haida Gwaii – the Queen Charlotte Islands – which is claimed by the Haida Nation.

The B.C. government has given the company permission to log 25 per cent of the Charlottes. But the Haida have challenged the legality of the tree farm licence.

The court ruled the government had not properly consulted with the Haida.

Tlingit challenged mining road

The other case involves the Taku River watershed where the Tlingit First Nation is fighting to stop construction of a mining road by Redfern Resources Ltd. – arguing it would harm fish and wildlife.

But the court ruled against the Tlingit First Nation, saying the government had engaged in meaningful consultation.

The federal government and all provinces except Quebec and Manitoba argued they have no constitutional obligation to consult aboriginal peoples who claim titles that have not been proven through courts or treaties.

The Haida and Tlingit got a major boost in 2002, when the B.C. Court of Appeal said governments and companies must consult and accommodate First Nations before making land-use decisions – even if aboriginal title is still not proven.

That decision prompted the province of B.C. to draw up what it calls interim accommodation agreements, with the government handing over 10 million cubic metres of timber and $68 million to 70 First Nations.

The minister responsible for treaty negotiations, Attorney General Geoff Plant, said those deals buy off any land rights First Nations may have – at least temporarily.

"For a period of years–maybe three, five, maybe longer– forest companies and governments will be able to do their planning and their business without the risk that some claim of aboriginal title will come along that will disrupt the planning," said Plant.

But the Haida's lawyer, Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson, noted that the Haida haven't signed one of those deals.

"None of the accommodation efforts that the province has been making have been aimed at protecting culture or the land. It's all at trying to find a way to buy our agreement with the existing status quo," said Williams-Davidson.

Written by CBC News Online

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Wednesday, November 17, 2004
British Columbia, Canada

PORT CLEMENTS -- The western red cedars of the rain-nourished Queen
Charlotte Islands might seem a long way from the saguaro cactus of Mexico's
parched Sonoran desert.

But if you believe officials with the U.S.-based timber giant Weyerhaeuser, the
Charlottes could very well be the staging ground for Canada's big slide from a
prosperous western economy to that of a depressed, under-developed nation.

They say it may all hinge on a Supreme Court of Canada decision expected
Thursday.

That's when the court will provide details on the extent to which government
and industry must consult and accommodate aboriginal people before
proceeding with logging, mining and other developments on Crown lands that
are subject to aboriginal land claims.

Giving too much power to aboriginal people could represent a fatal blow to
investment, argues Jack Lavis, manager of Weyerhaeuser's operations on the
Queen Charlottes.

"We'd be out of business, fold our tent and leave," he said. "It's a shaky
situation. Investors will pull the pin, everything will collapse. By God, we'll be
another Mexico."

Then, with an eye to the rainforest outside, he jokingly adds: "Without the
good weather."

Mention Lavis's comments to Guujaaw, president of the Council of the Haida
Nation, and he looks a little perplexed.

"What's wrong with Mexico?" he asks from his modest second-floor office on
the Skidegate reserve, almost an hour's drive to the south.

Then he turns the tables further, asserting that the cultural and environmental
impact of industrial logging on the temperate rainforests of Haida Gwaii -- as
the islands are known to natives -- are no different than what big business has
done, say, in the tropical rainforests.

"It's the same pattern all over the world," argues Guujaaw, whose English
name is Gary Edenshaw. "They leave the land and its people impoverished.
They don't have to live with the consequences of their actions."

Guujaaw has his own wish for the forthcoming Supreme Court decision,
saying: "Ideally, the court would kick these guys the hell out of here. That's
what I'd like to see."

The pending decision flows from two aboriginal cases: One is the Haida
challenge to the B.C. government's transfer and extension of Tree Farm
Licence 39 (known as Block6) to Weyerhaeuser; the second is Atlin's Taku
River Tlingit challenge to construction of a 160-kilometre road through
wilderness to the Tulsequah Chief mine in northwest B.C.

The legal history is largely rooted in the Delgamuukw case of 1997, in which
the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that aboriginal title exists in B.C. and that
aboriginal people with pending land claims must be consulted prior to
development on Crown land.

The B.C. Court of Appeal took it one step further in 2002, saying government
and industry must also try to accommodate aboriginal concerns.

These decisions have had a ripple effect on the B.C. economy. Last month,
the B.C. Supreme Court put the brakes on a planned ski resort on Crown land
on Mount Garibaldi pending further consultation with Squamish natives.

The question is: Exactly what constitutes consultation and accommodation?

"We need to know the source, scope and nature of the obligation to consult
and accommodate," reads Weyerhaeuser's official position. "Individuals and
businesses with interests on claimed lands need to clearly understand what is
required in terms of their day-to-day operations and long-term planning."

Thursday's court ruling is expected to provide that clarity, with the results
having repercussions well beyond Haida and Tlingit territory.

"There is keen interest," Weyerhaeuser lawyer Anne Giardini confirmed.
"These issues have a considerable spillover effect outside our boundaries."

B.C. historically signed treaties with aboriginal people only on southern
Vancouver Island and in the northeast sector of the province. But even
provinces covered by treaties are not exempt from the effects of Thursday's
ruling.

Natives elsewhere have begun to argue that treaties don't extinguish
"residual or underlying rights," Giardini said. "Those assertions are being
made. This is not just a B.C. issue."

Louise Mandell, lawyer for the Haida, argued that while the B.C. government
has remained largely intransigent on the whole issue, first nations and
industry in the province are increasingly finding ways to work together.

"Industry seems to have much more at stake in getting certainty than the
Crown does," she said. "The Crown is still assessing the risks every time they
do something. Industry doesn't want that. They have come to the table. They
say, 'Let's work this out.' "

B.C. Attorney-General Geoff Plant, minister for treaty negotiations, refused to
be interviewed about the Haida case prior to the Supreme Court ruling. The
province has argued there is no constitutional obligation to consult with
aboriginal people.

B.C. Chamber of Commerce president John Winter said industry believes that
government should bear the burden of consultation and compensation, which
is only dumping more costs on industry.

"You can't realistically say we [B.C.] are open for business as long as this
hangs over our heads," he said. "Hopefully, we'll have some resolution.
Whether it's good or bad, depending on your perspective, doesn't matter. At
least it's resolution and we understand the rules of the game."

At Weyerhaeuser's Juskatla logging camp in Port Clements, on the east side
of Graham Island, company officials sit around a table and discuss the issue
with Percy Crosby, a Haida liaison officer whose job is to walk the difficult line
between Haida and timber officials.

"I'm the go-between," confirms Crosby, who prefers to leave comments to the
Council of the Haida Nation. "There are lots of challenges -- getting industry to
understand Haida values, and getting the Haida to understand the logging
industry, which can be even worse."

Haida forest values can include groves of cedar necessary for carving,
weaving and other traditional activities; culturally modified trees (which exhibit
the historic scars of cultural activities); medicinal plants; and areas important
for fish, wildlife, and stream conservation.

The Haida have declared 10 protected areas totalling 244,443 hectares, of
which only 148,000-hectare Duu Guusd has been recognized by the B.C.
government.

When you tack on 1,470-square-kilometre Gwaii Haanas National Park
Reserve and stream-side set-asides, Weyerhaeuser claims 40 per cent of the
Queen Charlottes are now tied up, and wonders how much more is possible
before logging ceases to be profitable.

Weyerhaeuser gives the impression its goodwill towards the Haida is not
being recognized. The company says about 25 per cent of its 200 contractor
employees are Haida. And despite having seen its annual allowable cut
clawed back 20 per cent to 802,924 cubic metres under a B.C. program to
redistribute timber to various stakeholders, the company has agreed to
reduce the harvest rate to 600,000 cubic metres toappease Haida concerns.

But even that figure has proved unattainable. Officials argue the cut will more
closely approach 430,000 cubic metres this year because of delays in dealing
with the Haida, prompting a change in company tactics. Weyerhaeuser spent
$700,000 on a consultation program that included the hiring of 10 Haida to
work with the company to develop logging plans following the court of appeal
decision in 2002. After one year, the company has cancelled the experiment,
arguing it just wasn't worth the cost.

Officials are now working with Crosby to produce what the company believes
is a logging plan that accommodates native concerns, then drops it in the
provincial forests ministry's lap. "We try to wrestle with it, try to figure out what
to do every day, while the two governments go through this charade in the
Parliament Buildings," Lavis says.

Guujaaw views the consultation process as just an interim step in the ultimate
goal of wrestling control of the island's economy away from foreign hands. To
that end, the Haida have signed protocols with the villages of Port Clements
and Masset to work together on a sustainable islands economy. (The Haida
also have a second case outstanding in B.C. Supreme Court, in which they
claim title to Haida Gwaii.)

In response to the Court of Appeal decision two years ago, the province is
urging aboriginals to sign forest and range agreements, which provide for
timber and revenue-sharing with first nations. According to the province's
aboriginal affairs website, B.C. has signed 29 such agreements with first
nations, including one agreement for 210,000 cubic metres and $1.7 million
over five years to the Metlakata First Nation in Prince Rupert.

"They're saying, we'll give you a little money and some timber if you stand
aside and let us manage it as we see fit," said Guujaaw, arguing the program
seeks to take advantage of aboriginals' economic conditions.

"Everybody could use the money," he said, confirming the Haida are receiving
financial assistance from philanthropic institutions, including the U.S.-based
Hewlett Foundation, in its legal fight. "But we haven't signed one of those."

Now that the province has turned over management of the forests to timber
companies under a new "results-based" policy, Guujaaw fears the companies
will cut corners when it comes to environmental matters, log scaling,
inventory, and stumpage.

"They've given them basically full authority to manage themselves," he said.

A big part of the war of the woods involves western red cedar, highly sought
by the timber industry, but equally valued by aboriginals for everything from
weaving to carvings to totems and longhouses. The Haida have long
complained that timber companies target the cedar rather than cut the forest
based on its full profile of tree species.

As the Haida continue to assert their cultural identity, the demand for cedar
only grows. Case in point: Gladys Vandal, who, a decade ago, single-
handedly revitalized the tradition of cedar hat weaving on the Skidegate
reserve.

She learned the art from native women on the Masset reserve, at the top end
of Graham Island, gained experience, then passed on her skills through
classes to more than 100 other Haida, from children to elders, in Skidegate.
Today, her cedar-bark weavings can be found throughout North America.

CREDIT: Bill Keay, Vancouver Sun

http://www.canada.com/vancouver/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=
f210e90e-ca1b-4af9-a7a0-adc04e715a60

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A big Concern about the children Frustrated

The EPA is another one of those institutions which do harm in the name of help. Those people already know perfectly well how toxic chemicals are ingested, inhaled, and absorbed. They also know that, once ingested, inhaled, or absorbed, they remain permanently in the body (in the general populace), causing physical and mental problems. Those children would potentially be harmed and incapacitated for the rest of their entire lives, thus, ultimately, harming and incapacitating society. That is the goal, in fact. There is a lot more to it than this, but that sums it all up. I just can't get over the fact that the EPA placed a value on human life, the life of the society, mankind, the plants, animals, and planet earth at 970.00, a video camera, a T-shirt, and a certificate. This does rather strongly indicate the level of insanity involved here. It is absolutely mind boggling.

Dear Friends,

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced plans to launch
an outrageous new study in which participating low income families will
have their children exposed to toxic pesticides over the course of two
years. For taking part in these studies, each family will receive $970,
a free video camera, a T-shirt, and a framed certificate of
appreciation. The study entitled CHEERS (Children’s Environmental
Exposure Research Study) will look at how chemicals can be ingested,
inhaled or absorbed by children ranging from babies to 3 years old.

Please take a moment to join tens of thousands of citizens in
petitioning the EPA to terminate this study prior to its proposed
launch in early 2005.

More information and petition here:
"http://www.organicconsumers.org/epa-alert.htm"

"Sign Petition to Stop Pesticide Study on Kids!"

EPA WILL USE POOR KIDS AS GUINEA PIGS
IN NEW STUDY ON PESTICIDES

Study Launch Date Suspended Until Early 2005
Offers Public Comment Period

"Sign Petition to Stop Pesticide Study on Kids!"

11/12/2004: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), led by Bush
appointees, plans to launch a new study in which participating low
income families will have their children exposed to toxic pesticides
over the course of two years. The study entitled CHEERS (Children’s
Environmental Exposure Research Study) will look at how chemicals can
be ingested, inhaled or absorbed by children ranging from babies to 3
years old.

For taking part in these studies, each family will receive $970, a free
video camera, a T-shirt, and a framed certificate of appreciation.

In October, the EPA received $2 million to do the study from the
American Chemistry Council, a chemical industry front group that
includes members such as Dow, Exxon, and Monsanto (see full list of
members on sidebar of this page). Critics of the research claim the
study's funders guarantee the results will be biased in favor of the
chemical industry, at the expense of the health of the impoverished
children serving as test subjects.

Participants for the study were chosen from 6 health clinics and three
hospitals in Jacksonville, FL. These medical facilities report that 51%
of their births are to non-white mothers and 62% of mothers have only
received an elementary or secondary education.

The EPA's Linda Sheldon says the study is vital, because so little is
known about how small children's bodies absorb harmful chemicals.

Important Note on Participants of Study: The study layout does not
require that participants increase their chemical use, but does mandate
that chosen applicants will need to demonstrate that they do regularly
use toxic chemicals in and around the home. The concern here is that
low income applicants may increase their toxic chemical use for the
sake of applying and being eligible for the funding.

Important Note on Suspension of the Study: On November 11th, the EPA
announced suspension of the study's launch until early 2005 for the
sake of "final review." The Organic Consumers Association is taking
this opportunity to call on the nation's citizens to demand the EPA
permanently terminate this abuse of low income children by the chemical
industry.

Sign the petition at this web site.
http://www.organicconsumers.org/epa-alert.htm

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http://www.nativeonline.com/newsin.htm/

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'The Creative Native' Series Rezzes Out Reality News

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The Chicken
By Gary Barnes

Once upon a time, there was a large mountainside, where an eagle's nest rested. The eagle's nest contained four large eagle eggs. One day an earthquake rocked the mountain causing one of the eggs to roll down the mountain, to a chicken farm, located in the valley below. The chickens knew that they must protect and care for the eagle's egg, so an old hen volunteered to nurture and raise the large egg. One day, the egg hatched and a beautiful eagle was born. Sadly, however, the eagle was raised to be a chicken. Soon, the eagle believed he was nothing more than a chicken. The eagle loved his home and family, but his spirit cried out for more. While playing a game on the farm one day, the eagle looked to the skies above and noticed a group of mighty eagles soaring in the skies. "Oh," the eagle cried, "I wish I could soar like those birds." The chickens roared with laughter, "You cannot soar with those birds. You are a chicken and chickens do not soar." The eagle continued staring, at his real family up above, dreaming that he could be with them. Each time the eagle would let his dreams be known, he was told it couldn't be done. That is what the eagle learned to believe. The eagle, after time, stopped dreaming and continued to live his life like a chicken. Finally, after a long life as a chicken, the eagle passed away. The moral of the story: You become what you believe you are; so if you ever dream to become an eagle follow your dreams, not the words of a chicken.

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http://www.owlstar.com/naevents.htm

Events: Concerts, Conferences,
Pow Wows, Radio, TV and other Events
(updated Nov 6, 2004)

Questions or comments are welcome.

Mail Janet at owlstar@speakeasy.org

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The Northwest's Powwow Gallery :: 2004 Powwows

Powwows Calendar & Native American, Indian Events, November 2004 ...

- ... You Are Here: Front Page > Native American Indian Powwows and Events Calendar > November 2004. ... Native American Indian Powwows & Events Calendar November 2004. ...
http://www.gatheringofnations.com/powwows/november_04.htm

Native American Home Pages - Powwows

- POWWOWS AND FESTIVALS. Last updated - November 1, 2004. Maintained by Lisa Mitten. Following are links to sites that maintain listings ...
http://www.nativeculture.com/lisamitten/powwows.html

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Leonid Meteors: Nov. 17 and 19

Observers may be able to see 12 to 20 meteors per hour when the famous Leonid Meteor shower peaks on Nov. 17 at 4AM ET. A second peak could occur on Nov. 19. Get viewing details.

- Find a Local Planetarium

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2004 Winners

Aho! I wanted to thank all of you who helped to make UNITY 2004 a great convention. I am honored to have been selected by the NAJA board to be president for the coming year - and I have no doubt we will make the 2005 convention in Lincoln, Neb., one to remember. Read More

NAJA Headlines

NAJA Honors Al Neuharth
The Native American Journalists Association (NAJA) will honor journalist and media icon Al Neuharth for his lifelong commitment to diversity at the 61st annual convention of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), Oct. 11, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Neuharth, founder and senior advisory chairman of the Freedom Forum, a nonpartisan foundation dedicated to free press, free speech and free spirit for all people, will be recognized for his ongoing efforts to advance Native American journalism in the mainstream media.
Full News Release
NAJA Elects a New President
Dan Lewerenz, an Associated Press correspondent in State College, PA., and member of the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, was elected president of the Native American Journalists Association on Aug 8 by the organization’s board of directors. NAJA’s board met at the conclusion of the UNITY Journalists of Color convention in Washington. Full News Release
NAJAreacts to the Outkast performance
Where is the coverage?
For more than a week now, Native people across the United States and Canada have expressed their outrage over the stereotyped Outkast performance at the 46th Grammy Awards. The Native media did an admirable job of covering the controversy, but in contrast to the wall-to-wall coverage generated by Janet Jackson's halftime show, the Outkast performance has raised barely a whisper among the mainstream media. Native people again find themselves out of sight, out of mind.
Read More
Diversity Summit Addresses Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Radio and Television Newsrooms
The Radio-Television News Directors Association and UNITY: Journalists of Color convened an historic meeting in New York on Friday, January 9, 2004, to examine the disturbing decline in racial and ethnic representation in the nation’s local broadcast newsrooms. In attendance were the presidents of four network news divisions and senior executives of major television and radio ownership groups, as well as representatives of RTNDA, UNITY and its four partner organizations representing journalists of color.
RTNDA Survey Read More
NCAI passes a Tribal Free Press Resolution
On Nov 21, 2003, the governing council for the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) passed a resolution supporting a Free and Independent Native Press. The resolution, sponsored by Lisa and Frank King III, encourages all tribal nations to adopt policies, which ensure Freedom of the Press and further calls upon all tribal governments to pass similar policies that allow the unrestricted flow of information concerning news and news events. As an active member of the Native American Journalists Association, Frank King, said the resolution was a perfect fit for NAJA’s ongoing efforts in the fight for a free and unfettered press in Indian country.
Resolution ABQ 03-042 NCAI Website
Champions of the Tribal Free Press
Navajo Times Publishing, Inc. and the Navajo Nation Council champion the fight for a free press in Indian country. The Native American Journalists Association wishes to recognize the efforts of Tom Arviso, Jr., his staff and the Navajo Nation Council on this ever-important victory for Native people and their respective communities.
Read More

NAJA Members On the Move

An American Indian in Tokyo
Marc Denny, an American Indian from Wisconsin and past participant in the NAJA student newspaper projects, shares his native journalism style with readers in Japan. Denny, a member of Oneida Tribe and current member of the Native American Journalists Association, lives in Tokyo and works as a senior editor at the International Herald Tribune/The Asahi Shimbun. He believes the key to success for many Native Americans is education and persistence.
Read More
The Hunt for the Truth
Frank J. King III publishes The Native Voice in Rapid City, S.D. At 36, he is the youngest Native American publisher in the country. King began his journalism career at Indian Country Today in 1995 and said journalism to him is all about trust and integrity.
Read More
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Native American Journalists Association.
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email: info@naja.com

Native American Journalists

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Turtle Gals Performance Ensemble

The Scrubbing Project, founded in 1999 to bring

Native women's voices to the stage, their first original play,
is a courageous exploration of racism and tradition.

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NATIONAL NATIVE AMERICAN HOLIDAY PETITION

"THE SHAWNEE"

Originally the Shawnee were believed to be located in Southern Ohio, West Virginia and Western Pennsylvania.
In the mid 1600s the Iroguois, from the north, drove them from their homes and they were scattered to the Carolinas, Tennessee, Eastern Pennsylvania and Southern Illinois.
Later, just before the mid 1700s, they manage to return to their homelands only to be driven out again. This time by the European invaders who were bent on settling this new land and claiming it as their own.

Shawnee comes from the Algonquin word "Shawun," meaning "Southerner."
Shawnee usually call themselves the Shawano, Shawanoe, or Shawanese.

Currently there are more than 14,000 Shawnee located on reservations in four distinct groups: The Absentee Shawnee, the Eastern Shawnee and the Cherokee Shawnee, with the Cherokee Nation, all of which are in Oklahoma.
The largest of these groups is what is called the Loyal Shawnee who were incorporated into the Cherokee in the 1860s. They received the name "Loyal" for having served the union during the Civil War.

The fourth is called the Shawnee Nation Remnant Band which is said to have descended from the Ohio Shawnee. Although not recognized by the federal government nor accepted by the other three groups of Shawnee, they were officially recognized by the State of Ohio in 1980 and purchased close to 200 acres near Urbana and Chillicothe.
This group appears to have managed to avoid removal during the 1830s.

(The following is excerpted from The Life of a Shawnee by W. L. Mundell:)

"Shawnee children grew up as free as the animals that roamed the forests around them.
Young boys were encouraged by elders to engage in sports of running, swimming and jumping in order to strengthen muscles and build stamina, and to practice archery to develop their skills as hunters and warriors.
The young girls busied themselves imitating their mothers, making mud pies, and particularly developing their skills in molding vessels of clay.

Shawnee men were hunters and warriors.
The women of the tribe did the domestic labor. They built the lodges, dressed the game, cooked, planted and cultivated the gardens, scraped and tinned hides, made clothing and blankets, wove baskets and made vessels of clay.
The women also cared for the ailments within a tribe, and were extremely skillful at mixing herbs and setting fractured bones.

The Shawnee believed in Moneto, a supreme being who ruled the entire universe and distributed blessings upon all who earned his favor, and desperate sorrow upon those who merited his disfavor.
The Great Spirit of the Shawnee was a grandmother who ruled the destinies of her children. She eternally wove a great net which, when finished, would be dropped over the world.
She would then draw the net back up to the heavens. Those who had proven themselves worthy would be caught up in the net and taken to a better life, those who fell back through the net would suffer an unspeakable fate as the world came to an end.
Each Shawnee was judge of his own conduct and was held accountable for it. They lived by their own standards, and shrugged off value judgments placed among them by people outside of their tribe.

The "Golden Rule" of the Shawnees was: "Do not kill or injure your neighbor, for it is not him that you injure, you injure yourself. But do good to him, therefore add to his days of happiness as you add to your own. Do not wrong or hate your neighbor, for it is not him that you wrong, you wrong yourself. But love him, for Moneto loves him also as he loves you."

Training in history, codes of conduct, and traditions were carried on by the elders, who memorized the creeds and passed them on from generation to generation.
Additionally, every father was a teacher of his sons; every mother taught her daughters.

The men enjoyed communal hunts greatly. These were usually followed by long and friendly talks around the glowing embers of a campfire. The talks covered everything from national history and current events to the light wit of bantering about someone's umsoma, or a bad shot taken during a hunt. The women and children sat quietly and respectfully nearby, listening intently to the conversation.

An Indian tribe consisted of the entire body of a nation. A clan represented a group within the tribe. The principal chief of the Shawnee could be compared with the President of the United States, with the clan chiefs as governors.

Of the original twelve clans of the Shawnee tribe, history finds them with only five clans left in existence: the Thawegila, Peckuwe and Kispokotha, who generally stood together on tribal matters; and the Chalahgawtha and Maykujay, who were likewise closely related in their activities. Each clan had its duties to the tribe.
The Peckuwes were responsible for warfare and the training of warriors for battle.
The Maykujays answered for matters pertaining to food, health and medicine.
The two most powerful clans, the Thawegilas and Chalahgawthas, were responsible for overall tribal government and politics…"

Well known leaders in the Shawnee Nation were Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa (The Prophet), Cornstalk, Blackfish, Black Hoof, and Bluejacket.

Ten Indian Commandments

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