Canku Ota

(Many Paths)

An Online Newsletter Celebrating Native America

January 10, 2004 - Issue 104

"Tiahui!"

The Aztec Greeting

 Greetings!

Holly Buddy by Terry Isaac

"Ha'kwi kiishthwa"

Severe Moon

Shawnee

"A Warrior is challenged to assume responsibility, practice humility, and display the power of giving, and then center his or her life around a core of spirituality. I challenge today's youth to live like a warrior."
~Billy Mills~

We Salute
Dr. Kim Cunningham-Hartwig

A Nez Perce from Lapwai, Idaho, in a country where only 54 percent of Native people finish high school, she graduated with honors.

And though many of her peers didn't go on to college, Cunningham-Hartwig's grades and desire to play basketball landed her a full-ride scholarship at prestigious Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.

For the last 3 1/2 years, Paul and I have shared "Canku Ota" with you, at no charge.
To date, we've received no funding for our work, either.
But, we now have a dilemma, and we need your help.

Our Featured Artist:

Say What???

Black Eagle

Black Eagle is from the Pueblo of Jemez in New Mexico. The group originated in 1989 under the leadership of Malcom Yepa, after a family trip to Lame Deer, Montana. While in Lame Deer, Malcom was influenced by a family friend, Jimmy Little Coyote, who explained to him, the protocol and ways of the Powwow world. Malcom brought back to Jemez the knowledge given to him and together with his brother David Jr., gathered together a group of cousins and formed the group Black Eagle. The group of teenagers eagerly took on the challenge of learning the songs of some of the more popular groups and started attending and singing at some of the local Powwows.

'DreamKeepers' Marks New Era in Films About Native Americans
by Dorreen Yellow Bird

I don't like and rarely watch two-part films on television because it means I have to be in place in front of the TV the next evening. I also don't like most films about Native Americans. I am squeamish about watching films where all Native people are portrayed as alcoholics who live in poverty. Nor do I appreciate portrayals of holy men that are taken straight from the imagination of writers who know little about medicine men or spiritual people.

Our Featured Story:

Northwestern Wisconsin First Person History:

The Eagle and the Snake – Redman Speaks - Part 1
by Geoff Hampton

A Whole New Series to enjoy!!!!

ALEXANDER BESAW
submitted by Timm Severud (Ondamitag)

Life is just one round of social events for Alexander Besaw of Shawano. Having just finished his 102nd birthday party, he now is going to Fond du Lac for the annual reunion of the 14th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, with which he served during the Civil War. At this reunion, which opens Monday, he will be the oldest member present, and one of the spryest.

One would never guess that Besaw was 102 years old last month. He talks clearly, with a slight French accent, and makes his way without difficulty, depending only slightly upon the cane, which he carries. His sight is good, although his hearing is impaired. He says he is 102 years old and claims that his Civil War records bear out his assertion.

Living Traditions

Living Traditions

Braveheart Society, Restoring Native Sisterhood

ALBUQUERQUE -- When the Braveheart Society began for grandmothers to mentor Yankton Sioux girls in South Dakota, they did not know that the Societys roots, like the roots of an Aspen tree, would extend throughout the community, bringing new life in unexpected ways.

"Were not just mentoring women, everyone is coming," said Faith Spotted Eagle, Ihanktonwan Nakota Oyate, among the cofounders.

Billy Frank Jr.
American Indian Visionary 2004

Long before the Wounded Knee siege, even before the Alcatraz takeover, the modern Indian resurgence began in the Pacific Northwest with the struggle to regain treaty fishing rights.

In celebration of this history and of a long life devoted first to resistance and then conciliation, Indian Country Today is giving the first annual American Indian Visionary Award to Nisqually tribal elder and visionary Billy Frank Jr.

Preserving Traditions

Preserving Traditions

Native remains' return poses painstaking task

In cavernous storage rooms closed to tourists at the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History lie the bones of about 14,700 Native Americans.

Despite hopes that they quickly would be returned to tribal lands, most are likely to stay where they are for a long time.

Laws passed in 1989 and 1990 require the Smithsonian and other museums to inventory collections of Native American remains and return them when possible.

Once-lost Morris site contributes to understanding early Navajo culture

It was lost for more than 70 years, but since its rediscovery an archaeological site on the south slope of Frances Mesa overlooking Gobernador Canyon has made significant contributions to understanding early Navajo culture before the 1800s.

Entertainment News

Sports News

Native American Female Artist of Year at Shonto

Jana, named Best Female Artist at this year’s Native American Music Awards, received a a warm welcome when she visited Shonto Preparatory School on Nov. 25.

Students and faculty greeted her at the school gates and congratulated her on her latest achievement.

She presented her “Jana’s Kids” program to kindergarten through 12th-grade students, which involved a great deal of interaction and included a free CD of “Stairway to Heaven” to each participant.

LNI Tourney Ends in a Flurry

As a popular TV chef would say, the Lakota Invitational Tournament "kicked it up a notch."

The match-up between the Pine Ridge Thorpes and the Cheyenne-Eagle Butte Braves, the top-seeded team for the tournament, was the first meeting in 15 years for the two teams. They met for the championship and this year Pine Ridge got its revenge.

It took an overtime period to decide the contest. The game was tied at 56 at the end of regulation, after four quarters of very close scoring. The two teams were so evenly matched that it was just a matter of who was ahead when the final buzzer went off.

Preserving Traditions

Living Traditions

Nooksack Tribe starts work to save its history

Bolstered by federal grants, the Nooksack Tribe is starting 2004 with an effort at preserving its ancient history, language and its recent history as a federally recognized tribe.

The grants are humble - one totaling only $5,000 - but the dream is big.

The groundwork laid last year and the new grants this year - and a hired archivist storing historic land deeds and 1970s tribal council ordinances on compact discs - could lead to a space to house sensitive ancient artifacts, said Tribal Administrator Pat Check.

Saddle blanket exhibit rides into Window Rock

Contributing author Joyce Begay-Foss will sign copies of “Navajo Saddle Blankets,” followed by a reception, at the Navajo Nation Museum in Window Rock, Ariz., Jan 17 at 2:30 pm. The exhibit runs from Jan. 17 to May 1, according to a news release.

Navajo saddle blankets have been largely overlooked in favor of the celebrated Navajo rugs. Saddle blankets are one weaving form that has been produced continuously both for Navajo use and trade, yet they have never before been the subject of an in-depth study or museum exhibition. The voices of Navajo weavers, traders, rodeo riders, and cowboys will help this exhibition tell the story of these fabulous works of utilitarian art.

Celebrating Success

Celebrating Success

State's Only Indian Legislator Inspires Kids

A newspaper story about him had resonated with the class, and one by one the students began to write to Rep. John McCoy, the only Native American in the state Legislature.

They wrote about how he had given them hope, made them believe in themselves and proud of their history.

It has been nearly a year since their correspondence, but the students at Indian Heritage Middle College High School in Seattle finally met their inspiration yesterday after several schedule conflicts.

New doctor in the house at Tuba City District

There is no doubt about it, earning a doctoral degree is tough and can take more years than originally planned.

But a canvass of those who have put forth the effort indicates it's well worth the sacrifice, stress and patience to earn the right to be called "Doctor."

Dr. Tanya Gorman Keith is now one of three people at Tuba City Unified School District #15, who has earned this honor after receiving her degree this past month from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.

Living Traditions

The 36th Miss National Congress of American Indians

The 36th Miss National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) was crowned in Albuquerque, New Mexico, during the annual NCAI Convention. Cheryl Dixon, hailing from Isleta Pueblo, New Mexico, will carry the prestigious title for the next year. She is the daughter of Floyd and Vicki Dixon and currently a sophomore at the University of New Mexico. There she is majoring in Biology and English in pursuit of a pre-medicine degree. Cheryl will carry her message of "sustaining education in American Indian communities" throughout the nation.

New Grads Ease Task of Making the Law Accessible

The students, who have just finished a two-month course, were presented with their certificates in the courthouse last week. Instructors Makee Kakkik and Susan Sammons presented the awards with the help of Justice Minister Paul Okalik.

Preserving Traditions

Preserving Traditions

Reweaving a historic bond

Beneath towering Table Mesa in the vast northeastern corner of the Navajo Reservation is a tiny ramshackle pen filled with about 35 sheep.

The scruffy-looking animals, with their short horns and long brown and black wool, are Navajo-Churro, a living symbol of the resilience of the Navajo people.

The sheep were nearly wiped out during the tribe's forced relocation in the 1860s and again in the stock reductions of the 1930s. But they are making a comeback.

Qitsualik: The Old Man and the Ice

Glorious it is to see ... the caribou ... beginning their wandering to the north. Glorious it is to see the great herds ... spreading out over the plains of white. Glorious to see.

- Inuit poem recorded by Knud Rasmussen in the 1920s

Health and Wellness

Let's Get Healthy: Indian Country’s New Year’s Resolution

In one horrible way, Indian country is fully in step with, or perhaps even one step behind, the rest of America: obesity is rampant; in varying degrees, diabetes is a scourge upon all tribes. Too many of us are in sad physical shape.

Resolved in this new year: let’s get smart, get healthy; eat well and in moderation; lay off alcohol and drugs; and exercise. While we are at it: let’s treat each other better; seek inner peace; let’s try to be happy.

About This Issue's Greeting - "Tiahui"

The Aztecs spoke a language called Náhuatl (pronounced NAH waht l). It belongs to a large group of Indian languages which also include the languages spoken by the Comanche, Pima, Shoshone and other tribes of western North America. The Aztec used pictographs to communicate through writing. Some of the pictures symbolized ideas and other represented the sounds of the syllables.

This Date In History

Recipe:

Story: How The Gopher Raced With The Runners Of K'iákime

What is this: Pocket Gopher

Craft Project: Berry Busy Zoo

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, 2002, 2003, 2004 of Vicki Lockard and Paul Barry.

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