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Canku
Ota
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(Many
Paths)
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An
Online Newsletter Celebrating Native America
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January
2014 - Volume 12 Number 1
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Favorite
Sites
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collected
by Paul and Vicki
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Lakota
Ethnoastronomy
Although there has been much written about Plains Indian ethnoastronomy,
a large amount of that literature has focused on the Caddoan
ethnic/linguistic group - in particular, tribes such as the
Pawnee, Arikara, and Arapaho. In this paper, I will focus on
the "Sioux" Indian tribes (a misnomer), looking in
particular at the astronomical practices and beliefs of the
Oglala, Hunkpapu, and other Lakota bands. It can be shown that
despite what some anthropologists have proclaimed about living
'timelessly', the Lakota did pay attention to the heavens, and
they did have means of preserving what they observed.
http://www2.fiu.edu/~mizrachs/lakota.htm |
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American
Indian Starlore
and other stories about the sky
Western Washington University's Dr. Leslie E. Spanel Planetarium
http://www.wwu.edu/depts/skywise/legends.html
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So'
Naalkaah - Navajo Astronomy
The word for constellations in Navajo is "So' Dine'é"
or "Star People." As with Greek astronomy, certain
star configurations represent images that have associated stories
and meanings attached to them. Shown below is a brief description
of a few constellations along with their meaning.
http://www.angelfire.com/rock3/countryboy79/navajo_astronomy.html |
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About
the Annenberg Foundation
The Annenberg Foundation is a family foundation that provides
funding and support to nonprofit organizations in the United
States and globally. Since 1989, it has generously funded programs
in education and youth development; arts, culture and humanities;
civic and community life; health and human services; and animal
services and the environment. In addition, the foundation and
its Board of Directors are directly involved in the community
with several projects that expand and complement its grant support
to nonprofits. Among them are Annenberg Alchemy, Annenberg Learner,
Annenberg Space for Photography, Explore, GRoW and the Metabolic
Studio. The Annenberg Foundation exists to advance public well-being
through improved communication and visionary leadership. As
the principal means of achieving this goal, the Foundation encourages
the development of more effective ways to share ideas and knowledge.
http://www.annenbergfoundation.org/ |
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American
Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES)
The mission of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society
(AISES) is to substantially increase the representation of American
Indians and Alaskan Natives in engineering, science, and other
related technology disciplines.
http://www.aises.org/ |
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South
Dakota School of Mines & Technology
From geology and mining engineering to particle physics and
atmospheric science, our graduates are in high demand. They
have a sound foundation in their profession and most have
real world experience to make them highly competitive for
the best paying jobs in America.
http://www.sdsmt.edu/
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Shan
Goshorn Studio
My work has always been a source of personal healing, a place
where I can work through challenges and process ideas. Being
a visual learner, I have found that translating the traditional
teachings of Indian people into a visual format helps me to
better understand and apply these ideas into my own life. I
try to work with deliberate intention and prayer to bring health
and balance to myself and others. It has been gratifying that
over the years, others tell me they have benefited from my work
as well.
http://www.shangoshorn.com/ |
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Free Clip Art
Although plenty of it exists, finding free clip art can be a
frustrating experience because so many clip art sites simply
point to other sites, which in turn send you off to yet more
sites. Today's picks, however, are guaranteed to deliver. When
using them, be sure to remember the two golden rules of free
clip art. 1) Do not steal bandwidth by pointing to images on
other people's sites. Upload all images to your own web server.
2) Read and obey the terms of use for each site. Some sites
may grant you unlimited use, but most include restrictions.
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Bing:
Image Search
Bing Image Search has a feature where you can search for images
by license, but in order to even see the drop down License selector
menu, you need to do an image search. So this page is a search
for the keyword "toys." Now, click on License and
select Public Domain. Voilà! There is however one more
necessary step. Before grabbing any of these images, you still
need to visit the publisher's website and verify the terms of
the using their art, which might involve emailing the webmaster
and asking.
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=toys&qs=n&form=QBIR&pq=toys&sc=8-4&sp=-1&sk= |
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Discovery
School: Clip Art Gallery
With original art in both color and black and white, and topics
geared especially for students and teachers, Discovery School
Clipart Gallery is sure to please. Although there is no search
function, the collection of several hundred illustrations is
organized into nineteen topics and is easy to peruse. If you're
looking for art to spruce up a web page, don't miss the animations.
For tips on using clip art with Word or on a website, follow
the How To Use Clip Art link near the bottom of the page.
http://school.discoveryeducation.com/clipart/?pID=clipart |
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morgueFile
Created by a college student in 1996, the "morgueFile contains
photographs freely contributed by many artists to be used in
creative projects by visitors to the site. To acknowledge the
artist's accomplishments, we ask that you credit the photographer
when possible." Although these images are free, they are
not in the public domain, so be sure to read the complete license
for each photo.
http://www.morguefile.com/ |
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Pixabay
Pixabay is a repository of public domain pictures. "Your
source for free vectors, free drawings and free photos. You
can freely use any image from this website in digital and printed
format, for personal and commercial use, without attribution
requirement to the original author." Well, that makes it
easy, and also makes Pixabay my pick of the week! As with most
of the free clip art sites, they are sponsored by companies
that sell clip art, so be careful when choosing an image that
is actually from Pixabay, and not from another site.
http://pixabay.com/en/ |
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Stock
Photos for Free
Stock Photos for Free is a subsidiary of the stock video company
Video Blocks. And most of their free images are stills from
the videos they license. As for the photos, "there are
never any licensing fees. Literally the only thing you can't
do with our photos is redistribute them or sell them as stand
alone stock photos." Again, this site is sponsored by sites
that sell images, so just be aware where you are grabbing images
from.
http://www.stockphotosforfree.com/ |
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Learn to Code
In celebration of Hour of Code, this week's roundup is a collection
of websites where kids of all ages can be introduced to computer
programming. Hour of Code is a campaign created by Code.org
to introduce 10 million students to programming. Dozens of sites
created tutorials for Hour of Code. Here are my picks.
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Grok
Learning: Hour of Code
"Use the programming language Python to build a chatbot
called 'Eliza.' Can she fool your friends into thinking she's
a human not a computer?" This is just one of three one-hour
Python courses offered by Grok Learning for Hour of Code. Grok
Learning also offers the first two modules of their paid online
classes for free, if you want to continue your coding education.
https://groklearning.com/csedweek/ |
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Learn
to Code: Hour of Code
Watch the two-minute intro video, and you'll be ready to start
programming a game snippet (right in your browser) with Blockly.
Blockly is a visual programming language where you drag and
drop colorful code blocks, instead of actually typing out code.
Your first task is to get an Angry Bird through a maze to reach
the Green Pig. It should take you about an hour to complete
all twenty puzzles. Inspired to learn more? Click the Learn
Online button for the free K-8 Intro to Computer Science class.
http://learn.code.org/hoc/1 |
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Light-bot:
Hour of Code
Light-bot is a mobile app that teaches basic programming principles
in a "super unintimidating" puzzle game. "Light-bot
lets players gain a practical understanding of basic control-flow
concepts like procedures, loops, and conditionals, just by guiding
a robot with commands to light up tiles and solve levels."
Their Hour of Code contribution is a game that can be played
in a browser or as a mobile app.
http://light-bot.com/hoc.html |
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Make
Games with Us: Build an iOS Game in Your Browser
"This tutorial is going to teach you how to make your first
iPhone game! Your game will be written in Objective-C, the language
that is used to write all native iPhone apps. You will be using
a game engine called Cocos2D that is very popular in the game
industry." And all this is done in a browser with an embedded
text editor and a Run command that emulates the iPhone environment.
Pretty cool!
https://www.makegameswith.us/build-an-ios-game-in-your-browser/
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Thinkersmith's
Unplugged Hour of Code
"In order to accomplish a task, a robot needs to have
a series of instructions (sometimes called an algorithm) that
it can run. Today we are going to learn what it takes to make
that happen." Look at this! You don't even need a computer
to learn programming basics. In this activity (for early elementary
grades) you can do an Hour of Code with paper cups and few
friends. Watch the introductory video, then download the PDF
for complete instructions for recreating this unplugged activity
at home or in a classroom.
http://csedweek.org/unplugged/thinkersmith
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Napoleon
Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte (August 5, 1769 - May 5,1821) aka Napoleon
I, was French Emperor (1804 - 1815) in the years after the
French Revolution. He is known for his legal reforms (the
Napoleonic Code) and also for his military leadership during
a series of conflicts with his European neighbors. Napoleon
was defeated in 1815 by the Duke of Wellington at the Battle
of Waterloo. He spent the rest of his life in exile on the
British island of Saint Helena.
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Louvre:
Consecration of the Emperor Napoleon
"In May 1804 he [Napoleon] was proclaimed Emperor, and a coronation
ceremony was held on December 2 of the same year at Notre-Dame
Cathedral in Paris to secure his imperial legitimacy and root
his authority in the French monarchic and Catholic tradition."
The complete title of this huge canvas painted by Jacques-Louis
David is The Coronation of the Emperor Napoleon I and the Crowning
of the Empress Joséphine in Notre-Dame Cathedral on December
2, 1804. It was commissioned by Napoleon himself to glorify
the event. To view details of the painting, scroll through the
slideshow.
http://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/consecration-emperor-napoleon-and-coronation-empress-josephine-December-2-1804 |
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Napleon.org
Published by the non-profit Foundation Napoleon, history resources
can be found all over the site, but best bets for students are
History of the Two Empires and the Kids' Corner. The Kids' Corner
has fact files for homework help, quizzes, games and animations
for kids as young as three. The History section includes timelines,
biographies, and a gallery of artwork about both Napoleon I
and his nephew Napoleon II, emperor of the Second French Empire
(1852 - 1870).
http://www.napoleon.org/en/home.asp |
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Napoleonic
Guide
"The aim of The Napoleonic Guide is to offer a one-stop reference
site for people interested in finding out about one of the most
exciting and turbulent periods in history. The main focus will
be on the period from 1796 through to 1815, although the preceding
French Revolution will be touched upon." Visit for the excellent
biographies and galleries that focus on different aspects of
Napoleon's life (career, family, loves), and for the many articles
about the politics and wars of Napoleon I.
http://www.napoleonguide.com/ |
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PBS:
Napoleon
"The Revolution is over. I am the Revolution. Napoleon." Best
clicks at this PBS site are found under Special Features (Interactive
Battlefield Simulator which you can play as either Napoleon
or Wellington) and Classroom Materials (for grades 7 to 12).
If you find the navigation confusing (I did) try the Site Index.
It's the fifth red button on the left-hand vertical menu.
http://www.pbs.org/empires/napoleon/home.html |
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BrainyQuote:
Napoleon Bonaparte Quotes
What a mixed bag of quotes! Some seem timeless, and others
quite archaic. "Imagination rules the world." "Ability is
nothing without opportunity." "The word impossible is not
in my dictionary." And then there's this one: "Women are nothing
but machines for producing children."
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/n/napoleon_bonaparte.html
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STAR
Students And Teachers Against Racism
announces their new website that offers insight into the Native
American perspective to teachers and educators.
http://www.racismagainstindians.org/
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Changing
Winds Advocacy Center
Through presentations, classroom sessions, curriculum, fund
raising, charitable works, and multi-media efforts, we seek
to raise public awareness of the stereotyping, discrimination,
racism and other unique situations facing Native Americans.
http://changingwinds.org/
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