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Canku Ota
(Many Paths)
An Online Newsletter Celebrating Native America

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May 2013 - Volume 11 Number 5
 
 
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"Cama-i"
Yup'ik
"Hello, greetings (exclamation); usually accompanied by handshaking and used after not seeing someone for a long time, or when first meeting someone."
 
 


Caribou Grazing

 
 
"Waabigwani-giizis"
BLOSSOM MOON
ANISHNAABE (CHIPPEWA, OJIBWE)
 
 
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"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~
 
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We Salute
Patricia Michaels

Fashion designer Patricia Michaels of Taos Pueblo almost won it all on the season finale of Project Runway on Thursday night.

Michaels, who is the first Native American to appear on the show, presented a 12-look collection at New York Fashion Week. She won praise from the judges for her unique designs, which incorporated her own textiles and innovative fabrication methods.

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Our Featured Artist: Honoring Students
Pacific NW Sculptor Wins 'Best of Show' at Annual Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair

A contemporary sculpture, "A River's Spirit and Offering" by distinguished sculptor Marvin Oliver won the crowning artistic achievement of "Best in Show" at the 55th annual Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market on Friday, March 1.

The work by Oliver (Quinault/Isleta-Pueblo) is "formulated by merging the spirit of past traditions with those of the present, to create new horizons for the future," according to his website, marvinoliver.com.

 
Salmon River and Massena Robotics Team Heading to World Championships

The Salmon River and Massena high school robotics team, officially called FRC Team 229 "Division By Zero," competed in the FRC "Ultimate Ascent" game this year. They had six weeks to design, build, and program a robot to play ultimate frisbee. The team actually built two robots (#229 and #4124) and the twin robots were both designed to shoot frisbees across a court into targets. Both robots were also built to hang from a horizontal bar on a tower for bonus points in the game.

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Our Featured Story: Northwestern Wisconsin First Person History:
Revival Of The Flute Tradition

Dawn hit the Land of Sky and Wind, the Land of Standing Rock, and bathed the ancient prairie steppe with warm sweet light that turned last year's grass gold despite the cold silence of winter. The frozen air seemed to shatter with each mile I drove. Aside from my car, I imagine that the morning of the first spring must have been much like this. The cold and quiet was so sharp I could imagine a knife scraping along the backs of my exposed hands.

 

Three Indian Orators

Two of them are sons of Oshkosh. The other is Chief Justice of Menomonee Indian Court. A-co-ne-may, Ne-o-pet, and Wau-ta-chee-kee are men of Eminence on the Reservation in Shawano County - Findings of Court Rarely Over Ruled by the Government Agent.

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News and Views Banner
Education News Education News
Diné Ranked Fourth Best Speech,
Debate Competitor In The Nation

After winning two of the most competitive speech and debate tournaments in the nation, Navajo student Jeremiah Osborn is considered to be one of the top high school competitors in the Original Oratory category.

Osborn, a junior at Helix Charter High School in La Mesa Calif. and originally from Bloomfield, N.M., ranks No. 4 in the nation in his respective category having earned a total of 400 points so far this season.

Original Oratory is a form of public speaking where the individual delivers a seven- to 10-minute original speech on a topic of their choice.

 
Building Community Around Native Knowledge

In June 2012, regional educators, students, administrators, and astronomy enthusiasts gathered at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College (FDLTCC, Cloquet, MN) for the first annual Native Skywatchers – Ojibwe and D(L)akota Star Knowledge Middle School Teacher Workshop.

The two-day workshop featured the Ojibwe Giizhig Anung Masinaaigan – Ojibwe Sky Star Map. Created by Annette Lee (Dakota), William Wilson (Lake Nipigon Ojibwe), and Carl Gawboy (Bois Forte Ojibwe), the firstof- its-kind star map painting displays the Ojibwe constellations in X-ray painting style. The star map represents an interdisciplinary approach in which astronomy, Native culture, language, and art are all gracefully woven together.

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Education News Education News
Seeing The World Differently

Out of the 100 plus hands-on science projects that were part of Colorado State University's "Little Shop of Physics" lab on Monday at St. Michael Indian School, Leandra Slim enjoyed the "Horseshoe Magnet" exhibit the most.

The "Horseshoe Magnet" exhibit, like the name implies, is an electromagnet. It consists of a horseshoe wrapped in wire, and when electric currents flow through the wire it makes a magnetic field. The magnetic field then magnetizes the horseshoe, making it a very strong magnet.

"It's amazing how things can connect," said the 17-year-old, who enjoyed how the horseshoe would attract pieces of bolts through its electric current. Students from CSU's Native American Cultural Center, the Little Shop of Physics and the College of Engineering's Women and Minorities in Engineering Program were on hand to show students how science can be fun.

 
Native Filmmakers Get Students To Open Up

It's 10 in the morning, and eight high school students won't speak.

Dallas Goldtooth threatens them: "Someone start talking or I'm going to start calling on you."

A boy fidgets. Two girls giggle and whisper.

Goldtooth asks again: What do you want to say in your video about alcoholism?

A boy in a black Nike sweatshirt clears his throat.

"It tears families apart," he says. "Some people forget their heritage when they drink."

And so begins another video from the 1491's.

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Education News Education News
CRYP Seeks Summer Volunteers!

Volunteers have been a critical part of the grassroots, not-for-profit Cheyenne River Youth Project® since we began in an old bar on Eagle Butte's Main Street in 1988. In the early days, we were an all-volunteer organization; and while it's true that CRYP has come a long way, growing from the old 'Main' to a 26,000-square-foot teen center and 5,000-foot youth center, we still couldn't provide the programming and services our kids and families need if it weren't for our enthusiastic, dedicated volunteers.

So, we are actively seeking a fresh volunteer corps to live and work at our East Lincoln Street campus this summer! Whether you can come for the entire season or for a few weeks, we welcome your skills, talent and energy.

 
Laguna-Acoma Hawks Earn First Hoops Title

Not that they needed reminding, but the Laguna-Acoma boys basketball team are in a class of their own.

On Saturday, the top-seeded Hawks captured their first state basketball title in the school's 64-year history by taking down No. 3 Dexter, 51-39, in the Class 2A bracket before a large crowd at the Pit in Albuquerque.

"This is too much to experience right now, it feels like it's not even real," Laguna-Acoma senior point guard Anthony Carpio said. "There is no other team on Earth I would do this with."

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Preserving Language Preserving Language
Star Wars Saga to be Translated Into Diné Language

Coming as a surprise to everyone, especially members of the Navajo Tribe, Obi-Wan Kenobi will soon say, "May the Force be with you" in the Diné language.

Navajo members will soon be able to hear the beloved character from the Star Wars Saga say this and more as the Navajo Nation Museum, Navajo Parks and Recreation, and Lucasfilm, Ltd. have joined forces to dub Episode IV of the classic space fantasy film, Star Wars into the Diné language. This marks the first time that a mainstream movie will be dubbed into the Navajo language.

 
Kiowa Language Children's Book Published

A goal Modina (Toppah) Water set 12 years ago came to fruition Monday at the annual Native American Language Fair held at the Sam Noble Museum in Norman. The bi-lingual book of Kiowa trickster stories she created was finally published and in the hands of Kiowa and other Native children.

Water's full-color illustrated book, Saynday Kiowa Indian Children's Stories, is based on the tales she grew up with – the stories her late mother, Lucille Ataddlety Toppah, told her of the trickster Saynday and his antics.

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Living Traditions Preserving Language
Native American Women Warriors

Since 2010, they have grown from three military women to forty. They did not dream when they first dressed in their beautiful jingle dresses with their military patches for Grand Entry in the Denver March Powwow in 2010 that they would become nationally known and honored.

They had no name then, just a desire to dance in dresses usually worn during a traditional dance for prayer and healing, with theirs using symbols of their military service. Nor did they know then that after that powwow they would travel around the country, representing Native women in the military in parades, do honor guard and color guard duties at powwows and march in a presidential inauguration parade. But they have.

 
Tribes Keep Language Alive

The unmistakable melody of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” filled the packed room at the Pavilion at Northern Quest Resort and Casino. A trio of women took the stage, executing the iconic dance moves as the lead singer, sequined hat, one glove and all, belted out the song. The tune was familiar but the words were not.

That’s because the song was performed in Salish at the Salish Karaoke Contest on March 6 during the Celebrating Salish Conference.

More than 400 tribal members from across the Northwest registered to attend the three-day conference. They had much to celebrate. Just a few years ago, the Salish language languished in near oblivion.

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Preserving Language Living Traditions
Hopi Language Workshop Draws More Than 60 Youth

Mesa Media Inc. (MMI) put on a free Hopi language workshop March 11 for youth ages 12-18. The theme was Itam it natwanit pu piw nöösiwqat yu'a'a'totani: We will be talking about agriculture and foods.

More than 60 youth from the Hopi villages and surrounding towns attended the day's activities held at the Hopi Veteran's Memorial Center. This workshop was MMI's first event put on to empower youth to speak the Hopi language. Five Hopi instructors led small breakout sessions presenting topics such as Hopi corn, fields, patnga (squash and pumpkin), Hopi foods and the psychology of learning a language.

 
Rick Kupke: Kiowa Warrior

Most of us have heard that ARGO won the 2012 Academy Award for Best Picture. It tells the story of what became known as The Hostage Crisis in Iran in 1979. What most of us do not know is that one of those prisoners held for 444 days under what is described as horrible conditions was a Kiowa Indian named Rick Kupke.

According to various news sources, Rick spent 21 years in the U.S. Foreign Services. Just before his capture in Iran, he was assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Teheran as a communication specialist and was the last American to surrender during that attack when he was caught carrying the shotguns and rifles to the roof of the Embassy. He was one of 52 Americans captured.

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Preserving Language   Living Traditions
Learning a Native Language? Ojibway Programmer Has an App For That

After observing how his 12-year-old daughter fiddled obsessively with the family's iPad, computer programmer Darrick Baxter designed an app just for her, downloaded it secretly onto the device and waited to see what would happen.

The app was a program to help people learn Ojibway, the ancestral language of Baxter's Anishnaabe people, and he saw almost immediate results.

 
Filming Complete for Docudrama on Hominy Indians Team

The filming for the docudrama Playground of the Native Son has wrapped and producer Celia Xavier hopes to have the documentary finished by June of 2013.

"We should have it finished in six months," Xavier said at the Osage Nation Foundation Christmas Celebration Dec. 15, where cast and crew were invited. Director of the docudrama, Michael Nash, heard Xavier's comment and said jokingly, "Eight months."

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Living Traditions   Living Traditions

Thirteen Moons - The Turtle's Back

Many Native Americans share the knowledge of the thirteen moons on a turtle’s back. As children they are taught to examine the segments on the back of every turtle. There are thirteen large segments which represent the thirteen moons which make up the lunar year. By counting the smaller segments around the lower edge of the shell,you will find there are 28, which represents the 28 days between new moons.

 

Tsaa

Grandfather, tell me about the people, the ones called Tsaa...

There are no Tsaa People, there once were two brothers looking for medicine to help their sister who was ill and they travelled far and wide going from place to place to find a way to help her and in doing so met many people. When they found people they did not know there would go to the elder there, the Grandfather would say, you are strangers and do not belong here.

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Preserving Language   Living Traditions

A Traditional Story of Picking Strawberries, Redheads and Love

Lenonah and her family lived by a wide creek; they had all the water and natural foods they needed to survive and be happy. Lenonah was known for her beautiful, long, almost black hair and for her very good foraging skills. She could pick baskets and baskets full of berries faster than her sisters and her mother.

 

Bloodroot the Subject of Workshop

For two days, Bloodroot, a well-used dye for Cherokee artisans, was a topic of conversation and action. The hows and whys of cultivating your own personal crop was an hour long workshop, the first one being at the Oconaluftee Indian Village. Questions included: where best to plant, how much sunlight, watering, how far to plant the roots apart, and preparing for the seeds were covered.

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About This Issue's Greeting - "Cama-i"
 
Because contact with the outside world was relatively recent, the Yup'ik were able to retain many of their original ways of living. The traditional Yup'ik language is still spoken, and the focus on the extended family as the center of social life remains. Communities are still located along water, and much of their subsistence comes from traditional harvesting of these resources. Recent interest in documenting and maintaining cultural traditions has led to a focus on the Yup'ik way of life, resulting in support of scholarly study and performances and demonstrations intended to explore, record, and share Yup'ik life.
Nature's Beauty: Caribou
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Anarteq
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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 - 2013 of Vicki Williams Barry and Paul Barry.
 

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