Charter Members of Change

RINCON INDIAN RESERVATION -- The All Tribes American Indian Charter School is about as untraditional as schools get.

There's rarely homework. Students don't start class until 9:05 a.m., compared with 8 a.m. or earlier at most other schools. And the 34-student school's principal acts as bus driver, teacher and cafeteria cook.

Above & Beyond: She Helps American Indian Youths Fulfill Their Potential

In an interview, Linda Rey is quiet, her voice hardly above a whisper. She laughs nervously.

She is shy, she said. She doesn't understand why she is drawing attention.

Elders Council Keeps Traditions Alive

Mark Zavala took his audience back more than 80 years last week.

He told them about a boy growing up on a Navajo reservation, a boy who came to the University of Kansas on a college football scholarship, and a man who had a lengthy career at Beech (now Raytheon) Aircraft Co.

This was his story and his way of carrying on the long-standing Native American tradition of storytelling.

CASA director tells of need for American Indian, male advocates

Individuals dealing with abused and neglected children see this. They see that love is not the issue when children's physical and emotional needs are not being met in their homes.

"Every child wants to be with their parent," said court-appointed special advocate Ruth Inman. She said this is true even when there are problems, even if there isn't food in the refrigerator.

Tribe Tries To Sustain Ho-Chunk Language

MAUSTON - When he was a boy, Richard Mann's dog ran onto a road and got hit by a car. The dog's death devastated the boy. But when his mother tried to share the boy's hurt with his grandfather, there was a communication gap.

John Swallow, a tribal elder, spoke only Ho-Chunk, and the mother spoke mainly English. She managed only three words in the ancient language, but they hit their mark: "Dog - road - flat."

Richard's grandfather did not laugh or judge. And more significantly, he understood.

Arctic Bay Teen First Inuk to Travel to Antarctica 

Five weeks ago, Jesse Tungilik of Arctic Bay was buried in math problems and cadet drills.

Today, Tungilik is one of 45 high school students breathing in the Antarctic’s salty air with "Students on Ice." The two-week expedition to the southern hemisphere is a hands-on study of geography and rare flora and fauna.

Tungilik, 17, is likely the first Nunavut Inuk to travel to the world’s most southern ice cap — an accolade he wears modestly. "It’s great, I’m excited and surprised," he said of the unexpected adventure.

Guide to Aid Youths in S.D. Legal System

Troubled youths confused about their rights in South Dakota's juvenile justice system can turn to a new resource for information and advice.

The South Dakota Coalition for Children has developed a 16-page guidebook to aid youths and their parents. The organization presented its publication at a news conference Wednesday at the main branch of the Siouxland Public Libraries.

"We discovered that people caught in the system - youths and their parents - didn't have a clue," said Karen Hattervig, an East River Legal Services lawyer and chairwoman of the work group that wrote the booklet.

Three Chosen for Lakota Nation Basketball Hall of Fame

RAPID CITY -- Two players and one coach, each of whom had major impacts on American Indian basketball, will be inducted into the Lakota Nation Basketball Hall of Fame tonight at the Lakota Nation Invitational tournament.

The three, all deceased, are SuAnne Big Crow, a star player at Pine Ridge High School; Bob Clifford, longtime coach at Red Cloud High School; and Dr. Robert Eagle Staff, who still holds a North Dakota state scoring record.

Indian Walk-In Center Creating Youth Program

The Indian Walk-In Center in the old Carpenters' Union Hall near Franklin Covey Field has the feel of a well-used community service center.

Offices for health education, primary medical and dental care, substance abuse treatment, diabetes services, counseling, youth programs and a food bank are stacked with papers and decorated with American Indian art.

Celebrity Helps Little People

BARTLESVILLE, Okla. – A new daycare facility run by the Delaware Nation now has new playground equipment, thanks to a donation from Rosie O’Donnell’s foundation, For All Kids. The New Jersey based organization made the grant after receiving a proposal from the Delaware Nation.

The donation from O’Donnell is something relatively new in Indian country, where celebrities are more often seen in business ventures with tribal casinos. The actress and talk-show hostess however, is helping the smallest members of the Delaware Tribe.

Jr. ROTC Hailed as Success at Lower Brule High School

RAPID CITY - Tyler Coleman, 17, exuded a quiet confidence as he helped his color guard prepare for today's drill competition at the Lakota Nation Invitational.

But he hasn't always been this self-assured. Coleman, now a cadet lieutenant colonel in the Lower Brule High School Junior ROTC program, said JROTC helped him build confidence. "I didn't have much confidence when I joined."

Tournament has Evolved Over Years

RAPID CITY - It's different, it's unique and it's getting bigger every year. "It" is the 25th annual Lakota Nation Invitational basketball tournament, and yes, it's back in town.

It's different and unique from other events in many ways. From the three pitched tipis in the north end of the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center Arena, to the line of dancing girls in shawls, to the fanciful mascots, to the run-gun-and-have-fun brand of basketball played on the court, the event has become a big part of Rapid City's entertainment horizon.

Reno Linguist Foremost Expert on Washoe Language

William H. Jacobsen Jr. remembers hearing the 6 p.m. whistle blow daily in Carson Valley.

It was the sound of segregation.

“When the whistle went off, the Indians had to get out of Minden and Gardnerville,” said Jacobsen, a retired University of Nevada, Reno professor, renowned linguist, author and pioneer in the study of tribal languages.

Young Actor Portrays Great-grandfathers' Heroics

PHOENIX - The opportunity to portray the heroics of your great-grandfathers is not an every day development.

For Marquel "TJ" Arviso, homage has been visualized on the silver screen in his forthcoming acting debut in "Windtalkers," scheduled for a June 12, 2002 release.

He is the son of Shawn Arviso and Maria Joe of Phoenix.

Writer Finds Out What's in a Name

Months ago, I accidentally waded into the middle of a debate - should we, the news media, use Native American nicknames in sports stories?

The topic came up when I used a lead that played on a game's location - The Burial Grounds, where the Liberal Redskins play football games - for a Sept. 15 story about the Hays Indians' win. I never thought that it would get me in trouble.

Take twelve fine, full grown months. See that these are thoroughly free from old memories of bitterness, rancor, hate and jealousy. Cleanse them completely from every spite; pick off all pettiness and littleness. In shorth, see that these months are as fresh and clean as when they first came from the great storehouse of time.

Cut these months into 30 or 31 equal parts. This batch will keep for just one year. Do not attempt to make up the whole batch at one time, so many people spoil the entire lot this way. But, prepare one day at a time as follows:

About This Issue's Greeting - "Tatsgwiik"

The Haida language is spoken in the Haida Gwa'ai (the Queen Charlotte Islands) and on an adjacent portion of the coast of Alaska. It is not known to be related to any other language, though it has sometimes been claimed to be related to Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit.

This Date In History

Recipe: Rabbit

Story: The Frog and the Antelope

What is this: Pronghorn Antelope

Project: Bird Feeders

This Issue's Web sites

Opportunities

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

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

The "Canku Ota - A Newsletter Celebrating Native America" web site and its design is the

Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2001 of Paul C. Barry.

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