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Canku Ota

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(Many Paths)

An Online Newsletter Celebrating Native America

 

October 20, 2001 - Issue 47

 
 

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"tsa'i nemme ga emmem bide'i "

 
 

Shoshoni

 
 

"It is good that you (all) have come!"

 
 

 

 
 

"OPINAHAMOWIPIZUN "

 
 

THE MOON THE BIRDS FLY SOUTH

 
 

Cree

 
 

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"Out of the Indian approach to life there came a great freedom, an intense and
absorbing respect for life, enriching faith in a Supreme Power, and principles of truth,
honesty, generosity, equity, and brotherhood as a guide to mundane relations.
"
Luther Standing Bear, Oglala, 1868-1937

 

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We Salute
Jordyn Brown

EAGLE BUTTE, SD -- Cheyenne-Eagle Butte seventh-grader Jordyn Brown isn't one to boast about her accomplishments. But the rows of trophies and medals she has won speak for themselves.

At 13, Brown is the first ever American Indian woman inducted into the U.S. Martial Arts Hall of Fame. A member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, she was honored as Junior Martial Artist of the Year at an August awards ceremony in Tulsa, Okla.

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School News Banner

The information here will include items of interest for and about Native American schools. If you have news to share, please let us know! I can be reached by emailing: Vlockard@aol.com

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Artist:
Travis Harden and the Feather Necklace Singers

Getting nominated for a Native American Music Award is exciting. Being able to attend the awards ceremony is just about as good as it gets. Getting nominated for a Native American Music Award and attending the ceremony when you're in Jr. High School is amazing!!!

 

Mahnoomin-Wild Rice
 by Jim Northrup

I will never forget September 11th. I had one of the best days ricing I have ever had in almost 40 years of ricing. My godson Zac and I went to East Lake to harvest wild rice. We were invited by the people of East Lake to come and share the gift from the Creator. Once again the people were displaying the Anishinaabe trait of generosity.

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Tribe Welcomes the Written Word

Karen Ray's father told her the Yavapai tale that the coyote howls in the early morning because the spirit of his son went up in smoke before dawn.

Ms. Ray, 45, wants to make the story into a children's book so other kids can read it in their native language.

The problem: Yavapai is not written. Instead, it's handed down orally from generation to generation, elders teaching youngsters the difference between, for instance, eenee a scary surprise and weee a happy surprise.

 

Elder's Stories to be Preserved on CD

Cambridge Bay, Nunavut - A Cambridge Bay heritage group has a found a new way to preserve and present elder's stories. The Kitikmeot Heritage Society will record their stories on compact discs, and put them in a multi-media display at the local library.

The head of the Society, Kim Crockatt, says as time passes says it's important to record and present elder's stories for the community and for visitors.

Crockatt says this project has come too late for some elders.

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Former Adoptees Return to Roots on Visit to Menominee Reservation

Native American tribes don't have to be told about the problems caused by federal authorities' enforcement of the Indian Child Welfare Act between 1941 through 1978 - they want to tell us about it - using first hand accounts.

According to the First Nations Orphan Association, (FNOA) between those years 68 percent of all Indian children were removed from their homes and placed in orphanages, white foster homes and adopted into white families.

 

At Family Reunion, Roots Go Deep

 WORLEY, Idaho _ For most Americans, tracing their roots leads them back to Ireland, Germany, Africa -- somewhere across the oceans their ancestors crossed to come to the United States.

But Richard Mullen and his family need cross no seas to find their history, which they celebrated at a family reunion and anniversary party here Saturday.

Their forefathers and mothers, members of the Coeur d'Alene, Spokane and Colville Indian tribes, roamed the Inland Northwest "since the creator put us here," Mullen said.

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Baskets Hold Cultural, Artistic Link to the Past

Thousands of years ago, American Indians used baskets to carry seeds, to cook and to transport water across vast distances. But on Friday, to mark National American Indian Day, the Reno Sparks Indian Colony celebrated baskets as the receptacles of cultural pride.

“I’m glad we’re here today on ancestral lands,” said Arlan Melendez , chairman of the colony. “We’re here to welcome you in this show of unity, doing something that goes back thousands of years, something that gives us a sense of identity.”

 

Wild Horses Return to Cheyenne River 

The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe will receive 120 wild horses from the International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros (ISPMB) later this month.The horses will run on the former VE ranch near LaPlant, as part of the Lakota National Park under development there.

Twenty mares and twenty stallions will be in the first consignment, to be delivered on October 10. The horses are coming from a historic site in Storey County, Nevada, out of Virginia Hills, Virginia Range. They are descendants of the first US wild horses to be identified and protected in 1952.

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Powwow Celebrates Diversity

Bryan Thunder took his first public steps as a grass dancer on Monday, following on the path of his ancestors and cementing a younger tradition of reconciliation in South Dakota.

The 1 1/2-year-old Thunder walked the circle with his mother at a wacipi at the Multi-Cultural Center in Sioux Falls as part of Native American Day.

"This is our life," said the boy's father, Brian Thunder, referring to the powwow. "This is what we do. All different people coming together."

 

Storm Bird Proud of His Roots

Joe Nielsen might have saved his life the day he discovered his Native American roots.

He grew up on the south side of Detroit near Ecorse and was involved with gangs. He lived a life of violence and drugs were all around. Finally, he just had enough.

He knew he had American Indian blood, but his life was not exposed to its culture until one day when he walked into the American Indian Service in Lincoln Park. It changed everything.

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Benefit Concert

Project OffStreets was developed in the mid-1980's as street outreach workers recognized that a significant number of young people were homeless and using survival sex as a means of meeting their basic needs for food, shelter and clothing.

YouthLink's solution to this problem was to create a safe place away from the streets - Project OffStreets.

On November 5, several well known entertainers will gather, in Minneapolis, MN., for the second annual benefit concert for Project Offstreets. We hope to see you there!

 

ABC Network Executives Visit Mille Lacs in Search of New Talent

ONAMIA, Minn. - ABC recently announced that it will offer a Mille Lacs Band member the opportunity to participate in its New Talent Development Scholarship Grant Program, which includes $20,000 to complete a writing, directing or filmmaking project. ABC representatives shared information about the program with Minnesota tribal officials and minority organizations during a recent meeting at Grand Casino Mille Lacs.

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Navajos Proud of Their Role in the Torch Relay

There are 111 days until the 2002 Winter Olympics begin in Salt Lake City.

What sweeping landscapes the world will see on the Olympic torch relay's first day in Utah, Feb. 4. It starts at sunrise at Arches, midmorning will be in Monument Valley.

That will be a memorable day for the Navajo Nation, which proudly sent out biographical information about its seven tribal members selected to carry the flame.

 

San Marcos Artist Designs New Seal for State Capitol

SAN MARCOS ---- Robert Freeman's work is on display throughout the world and soon the noted American Indian artist will be able to count one more venue: the California state Capitol.

San Marcos artist Robert Freeman was chosen from more than 70 other artists to design a seal that will hang at the state Capitol. The seal commemorates contributions by American Indians.

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Indian School Celebrates Future

RIVERSIDE - It was a bittersweet celebration: A troubled past remembered and a bright future envisioned. Sherman Indian High School marked its 100-year anniversary Saturday with speeches and American Indian songs, dances and prayers. There was also the dedication of a rose garden and time capsule.

There was a mix of American Indian cultures that emanated from all corners of the Riverside boarding school that serves students from around the nation.

 

A Matter of Principal
Promoting Inuit Culture ... Just Because She Can

Faced with a dozen places to live, Terri Lyn Hall trusted her intuition.

"My husband and I looked at a map and my gut told me Resolute Bay," she said.

Hall, 33, a teacher by profession, and her husband, RCMP Cpl. Franco Radeschi, have happily settled in since their move a year ago.

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Government of Nunavut Wins Technology Award

Culture, Language, Elders and Youth Minister Peter Kattuk was thrilled when the Living Dictionary was announced the winner of the Technology in Government Week Distinction Award, recognizing Innovative Service Delivery in the Provinces.

"It recognizes the importance of what we're doing for language preservation and promotion in Nunavut," Minister Kattuk said.

Winners were announced at the Distinction Awards Gala on Monday, October 15, 2001 at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Hull, Quebec.

 

Fights Kept on the Mat

EAGLE BUTTE -- Students of the Yellow Hawk Warriors Martial Arts Club in Eagle Butte reserve their fighting for classes and tournaments.

"On the reservation, fighting is just commonplace," instructor Corbin LeBeau Sr. said, but martial-arts students learn to avoid confrontations.

"When they walk away from a fight, they know that if they wanted to, they could probably do very well in a street fight," he said. His students also know that street fighting would reflect poorly on the club.

"They know the right thing to do," he said. "And I respect them all for that."

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American Indian Millennium's Letter Writing Campaign

Imagine if, around the turn of the last century, Native leaders, spirit keepers, educators, healers, and experienced elders assembled to send a message to the future. What stories would they have told us about their lives? What testimony would they have shared? What aspirations and admonitions would they have offered? "American Indian Millennium: Renewing Our Ways of Life for Future Generations" is an opportunity for you to speak to the future generations. In the words of Jim Dumont, Anishnabe and opening speaker to the forum. "Write a letter to your great grandchild seven generations from now. What will the future generations have because of what you are going to do in the present?"

 

Brief History on the Creation of
National American Indian Heritage Month

What started at the turn of the century as an effort to gain a day of recognition for the significant contributions the first Americans made to the establishment and growth of this Nation has resulted in a whole month being designated for that purpose. But, it has been a long and winding trail that has taken many turns during the last 84 years that has not resulted in an "official day" of recognition.

For many years, Indians and non-Indians have urged that a special day be set aside to honor America's first citizens. From time to time, legislation was proposed in the U.S. Congress that would designate the Fourth Friday in September of each year as American Indian Day.

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In Every Issue Banner

About This Issue's Greeting - "tsa'i nemme ga emmem bide'i"

 

The Shoshoni language is spelled differently than the Shoshone tribal name, but the language is the native tongue for many of the Indians who call southeast Idaho and the reservation of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes home.

 

This Date In History

 

Recipe: Ghastly Goodies

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Story: Rabbit Steals Otter's Coat

 

What is this: Sea Otter

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Project: Quillwork - Part Two

 

This Issue's Web sites

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Opportunities

"OPPORTUNITIES" is from sources distributed nationally and includes scholarships, grants, internships, fellowships, and career opportunities as well as announcements for conferences, workshops and symposia.

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  Canku Ota is a free Newsletter celebrating Native America, its traditions and accomplishments . We do not provide subscriber or visitor names to anyone. Some articles presented in Canku Ota may contain copyright material. We have received appropriate permissions for republishing any articles. Material appearing here is distributed without profit or monetary gain to those who have expressed an interest. This is in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107.  
     
 

Canku Ota is a copyright © 2000, 2001 of Vicki Lockard and Paul Barry.

 

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