Canku Ota - May 18, 2002

	Canku Ota
	(Many Paths)
	An Online Newsletter Celebrating Native America
	May 18, 2002 - Issue 61


	'Kisuk Kiyukyit"
	The Kootenai Greeting
	"Greetings"

	PAI TEGPAN P'A
	SUMMER TEPGAN: GEESE GO NORTH
	Kiowa

*"I dance for it lifts my spirits. I reach out and touch the hands of my ancestors and know that I've come home."* *- John Active, Bethel,* Alaska

We Salute
Velda Shelby

PABLO, MT - Velda Shelby has been named one of four Gloria Steinem National Salute to Women of Vision Award winners by the Ms. Foundation, sponsor of the annual Take Our Daughters to Work Day.

Shelby is being recognized for ten years of "organizing programs that instill deep cultural pride in Native American girls while showing them a path for their professional aspirations," according to the foundation's website.

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


Special Announcement
"Sharpen your pencils! We are excited to announce that Canku Ota is teaming up with Peace Party for an art contest!! The winners in each age group will receive prizes including the Peace Party Native-themed comic books. And, you can have your art displayed on our "Kid's Pages". This should be a great opportunity for you to stretch your imagination and have fun too."

Artist:
Young Spirit Dancers

VICTOR, NY - The Young Spirit Dancers of Ganondagan are seven area Native American teens whose goal is to introduce their culture and tradition to their peers - when they aren't in school, working at jobs in area fast-food restaurants, or playing sports such as soccer and lacrosse.

The dance troupe, formed in 1995, began as a cultural exchange program with the Pueblo people in New Mexico. Upon their return, the youths participating in the exchange decided they wanted to continue to dance and invite more Rochester-area native youth to join them.

"Our purpose is to learn the culture and educate the community about Native Americans in their community, in terms of who we are and what we do," said dancer Craig Marvin.

Memories of a Reindeer Herder - Jimmy Komeak

The following is an excerpt from a research paper written by Charles Klengenberg back in 1983 through an interview with Jimmy Komeak about his time spent as a reindeer herder near Tuktoyaktuk.

Mr. Jimmy Komeak, who is 63 years of age, is an active elder of the community of Tuktoyaktuk. Mr. Komeak is originally from the Cambridge Bay area. He attended only three years of school in Aklavik from 1938 to 1941. After finishing school, he moved back to Cambridge Bay where he obtained employment as a Special Constable for the local RCMP detachment as a translator. In the summer of 1942, he and his brother Joseph traveled back to the west to Tuktoyaktuk on a small boat called the Nigilik, which was owned by the trading company Con Alaska. The fall of that same year, Jimmy got involved with reindeer herding which he continued in this occupation for 13 years.Jimmy got married to his wife Jean in the year 1950. They had seven children of which five are living.

The Legend of the Thunderhawk by Geoff Hampton Writer Geoff Hampton shares this story that should delight both young and old.		Tolerance 101 A project by Southern Poverty Law Center In the next issues of Canku Ota, we are going to share ideas with you about learning and teaching tolerance. Perhaps this will inspire you to come up with your own ideas to share.

News and Views Banner

Students of Year Took Different Paths to Haskell Five years ago, when Erika Washee Stanley arrived at Haskell Indian Nations University, she didn't know what she wanted to do with her life. Carlene Nofire-Morris, left, a Cherokee, and Erika Washee Stanley, an Arapaho-Cheyenne, have been chosen Haskell Indian Nation University's Students of the Year and will give the school commencement address. "I didn't have much direction," she said. "I knew I wanted to come to Haskell, but that was about it." That soon changed.		New Haskell Graduates Share Ambition to Preserve Cultures After four years in college, most students want to get a job, make some money and take on the future. Cory Spotted Bear and Carlos Cariaga, who were among 170 students to graduate Friday from Haskell Indian Nations University, are on a different mission. They want to save a language. "My grandparents went to boarding schools where they weren't allowed to speak their language," said Cariaga, a 26-year-old Santee Sioux from Santee, Neb., who received a bachelor's degree in American Indian Studies.

Gila River Grads Can Become Eatery-management Trainees BAPCHULE - Some are honor roll students who will go on to college, while others will graduate from the Gila River Indian Community high school and likely seek restaurant jobs. But the work experience gained behind the fast-food counters at the Ira H. Hayes Memorial Applied Learning Center's restaurant could help those interested in restaurant work advance beyond minimum-wage jobs, school officials say.		School Reaches Out to Embrace Native Roots Hooper Bay, AK - When Robert S. Gutierrez applied for the principal's position at the Naparyarmiut School, he promised to promote the local Alaska Native culture. Now he's keeping that promise. The school started weaving traditions and culture of the local Yupik Eskimo population into its curriculum last year. It established a Native dance group and is looking at implementing a Yupik-language immersion program for its kindergarten.

Students Learn Art of Drum Making MILFORD, CT - Ryan Green rapped out a tune on a rawhide-covered drum Friday morning, and quietly mused about what life was like in centuries when such instruments played a significant role in culture and entertainment. "We listen to CDs and go to the movies, and everything is machine-made. They made drums and played them," Green said. "People are still interested in their culture."		Village Vision HOLLAND, MI - The scene is a sunny, windy day, and the characters are four people struggling to bend saplings into arches to build an ancient dwelling. At the very beginning of their project, it's certainly not the surrounding landscape - an acre of land, currently covered in a meadow, a small pond, and a large section of bulldozed sand - that keeps them motivated What motivates them is their vision of a Native American village, complete with a cookhouse, a garden, a winter house, and nature trails, all for the enjoyment and learning of local schoolchildren.

Chumash Woman Finds her Niche A Chumash woman, Linda Aguilar, has made baskets since her early childhood. She has made baskets from deer grass and closed stitched with fibrous strands of reed- like grass called juncas, the traditional materials used in a Chumash basket. It was in mastering the use of horsehair, that she found her niche, in the world of basket makers. She estimates that she has made over 6000 baskets, and the horsehair ones sells the best. This will come as no surprise to anyone who has seen an Aguilar basket, they are beautiful!		Winnemucca Descendant to Attend Statue Ceremony When Sarah Winnemucca's statue is raised in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol her grand-niece plans to be there in her fringed buckskin dress. "I'm going to get it beaded when we go to D.C.," said Louise Tannheimer, 83, of Portola, Calif.

Spirit Runners Encircle Sacred Test Site Ground Fifteen tired but happy Western Shoshone Spirit Runners plan to hold a prayer service this morning at the gates of the Nevada Nuclear Test Site after running and walking in a 240-mile encirclement of the most radioactive ground in the nation. "We are praying for the land and the people," said Johnnie Bobb, the Western Shoshone National Council member, artist and spiritual leader who started the annual run around the site's perimeter two years ago.		Man Runs to Remember His Son SHIPROCK, NM - Kee Sandoval is a man with a mission. The Shiprock resident began a run south on U.S. 666 Monday morning that will take him down to Window Rock and Ft. Defiance, Ariz., then back home by Friday. He is doing the run to raise awareness to the problems of drunken driving. This year, he is also running in memory of the victims killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Native Art 101 A decades-long, little-funded state battle to alert consumers about fake Alaska Native art just got a federal boost. Imitations have long left a bitter taste in the mouths of duped buyers and artisans trying to make a living. But the winners in the illegal, multibillion-dollar industry have proven slippery, said Federal Trade Commission regional director Chuck Harwood at a press conference Tuesday morning.		Four Young Journalist Receive Scholarships Four Native American students were awarded journalism scholarships by the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation last week. The scholarships were announced at the conclusion of the third annual Native American Newspaper Career Conference held on April 23-25 at Crazy Horse Memorial in the Black Hills.

Houma Indians Entertain Masses at Jazz Fest NEW ORLEANS -- The Native American Village at the 2002 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival was jumping and thumping with the sounds of local Indian groups Friday. The Bayou Healers Youth Council and Southern Connection Drum entertained and educated large crowds during morning and afternoon performances at The Fairgrounds.		NMAI’s "Booming Out" Shows Towering Presence of Mohawks NEW YORK CITY -- Mohawk ironworkers returned to the public eye in this devastated city after the terror of September 11. As eye-level witnesses to the attacks on the World Trade Center towers and prominent figures in the rescue and clean-up efforts, the high-steel workers from the northern reservations refurbished a name already deeply bound with the New York skyline.

In Every Issue Banner

About This Issue's Greeting - "Kisuk Kiyukyit"

Kootenai is spoken in southeastern British Columbia, northwestern Montana, and northeastern Idaho. It is also known as Kutenai, Ktunaxa, and Ksanka.

The Montana Kootenai live together with the Salishan speaking Flathead in what is now called the Confederated Salish-Kootenai Tribes. This association between the Montana Kootenai and Flatheads apparently dates back before European contact.

Kootani is an isolate, not known to be related to any other language

This Date In History		Recipe: Grits

Story: The Origin of Fire		What is this: Firefly

Project: Regalia - Outerwear - Potawatomi, Sauk & Shawnee		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.







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Alaskan Elders are Recognized as Cultural Treasures JUNEAU, AK - Their knowledge is priceless. Their minds contain a wealth of Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian songs, stories, memories and protocol. And now 12 elders around Southeast Alaska officially can call themselves "treasures." The Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska honored its first-ever "Living Cultural Treasure" designees in Juneau last month, an event that grew from one woman's determination, many communities' appreciation and the lifetime achievements of those receiving the awards.		California Tribes and Sovereignty Many of us have not had an opportunity to learn the facts about the unique relationship between the United States and the American Indian tribes. Sovereignty is the foundation upon which this relationship is built. The purpose of this document is to provide the reader with a basic understanding about the sovereign status of American Indian tribes. American Indian Tribes and reservations are synonymous with each other in most of the United States. In California it is a different story. Between 1851 and 1852, 18 treaties were negotiated between the United States Government and more than 100 California Indian Tribes and Bands.