Canku Ota - May 2015

	Canku Ota (Many Paths) An Online Newsletter Celebrating Native America
	May 2015 - Volume 13 Number 5


	"Halito! Chi chukma?" Chickasaw "Hello, How are you?"
	Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera)

	"Waabigwani-giizis" Blossom Moon ANISHNAABE (CHIPPEWA, OJIBWE)

"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
Alfred Delena

The Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation recently named Alfred Delena, a Stanford senior majoring in human biology, as a 2015 Truman Scholar. Delena was one of 58 college students – mostly college juniors – from 50 U.S. colleges and universities chosen to receive 2015 Truman scholarships. The awards provide up to $30,000 for graduate study to students with "exceptional leadership potential" who are committed to careers in public service, including government, the nonprofit or advocacy sectors, and education.

Our Featured Artist:		Honoring Students
Turtle Voices: Featuring the Work of Artist Douglas K. Limon Limon sews thousands of tiny glass beads onto a variety of materials to make a statement--not only as art--but also to preserve the history and culture of his Native American ancestors. His exquisite beadwork is a spiritual expression of traditions that have survived thousands of years.		Martin Earns 'Seniors of Significance' Award At U Of A Cherokee Nation citizen and University of Arkansas senior Taylor Martin has been named to the Arkansas Alumni Association's first class of "Seniors of Significance." She was among 71 graduating seniors, commemorating the university's founding date of 1871, chosen from 400 nominees to receive the "Seniors of Significance" award.

Our Featured Story:		First Person History:
The Iroquois White Corn Project At Ganondagan It's easy to tell when it's corn-roasting day at the small white farmhouse that serves as home to the Iroquois White Corn Project (IWCP) at Ganondagan State Historic Site in Victor, NY. The wonderful earthy aroma wafts through the farmhouse as IWCP Manager Kim Morf (Mohawk) and a couple of volunteers carefully watch the hulled white corn spinning in a large coffee roaster, transforming into a rich, roasted brown color.		History of the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians of Michigan Chapter Three

Living Traditions		Living Traditions
"Earth Has shifted" Inuit Elders Issue Warning To NASA And The World A new warning has come to NASA from the Inuits. They are warning that the change in climate is not due to global warming but rather, because of the Earth shifting a bit. The Inuits are local people that live in the Arctic regions of Canada, the United States and Greenland.		David Bradley's Ironic and Iconic Paintings Capture Indian Country David Bradley needed Santa Fe and Santa Fe needed David Bradley. He could’ve gone anywhere, any place in Indian country, any city or big art market town in the nation but sometimes you can’t pass up the perfect fit—even if you're making it fit whether they like it or not.

Preserving Language		Preserving Language
Mango Languages Offers Innovative Way To Learn Cherokee People now have an innovative way of learning to speak the Cherokee language thanks to Mango languages, which offers its language lessons for free through public libraries.		Native Languages: From Forbidden To Funded April Charlo is happy to hear that state lawmakers passed a bill yesterday supporting Native American language immersion programs in the public schools. Growing up on the Flathead Reservation, Charlo says the first time she had a chance to learn Salish was in the 7th grade.

Honoring Students		Honoring Students
Jennifer Huma Accepted To Cronkite School Of Journalism Jennifer Huma, a junior at Hopi High and Bruin Times editor, has been accepted to attend the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism summer program at Arizona State University.		Cherokee Woman Wins NAIA Wrestling Title Montana Drum has been competing on a wrestling mat for most of her 20 years and now is a champion wrestler for the Missouri Baptist University Spartans in St. Louis. The Cherokee Nation citizen from Neosho, Missouri, has a 17-6 record this year and won the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics National Championship in March.

Living Traditions		Living Traditions
Wood Bison Free In Alaska The United States has a population of wild wood bison for the first time in more than 100 years. On Friday, April 3, 100 wood bison which had been kept in temporary pens near Shageluk, Alaska, for just over a week were lead by Alaska Department of Fish and Game Biologist Tom Seaton across the Innoko River to freedom.		Book-of-the-Year Author Brings Comedy to Serious Issues Not a soul was left sitting as applause roared through Van Duzer Theatre on March 5 following Sherman Alexie's two-hour laugh-a-palooza before a sold-out crowd at Humboldt State University.

Living Traditions		Living Traditions
100 Mile Club: 23 Years of Community Wellness The 100 Mile Club has been a great motivational program. I remember coming to the 100 Mile Club back in 2001, and finding out that the 100 Mile Club originally started with 10 participants. From there the stages that the 100 Mile Club has endured have been with the participants in mind.		Popular Canoe Exhibit Extends Stay At Chickasaw Cultural Center Dugout Canoes: Paddling through the Americas, a landmark exhibition hosted at the Chickasaw Cultural Center (CCC) will extend its stay to one full year until Sept. 27, 2015, officials announced.

Living Traditions		Living Traditions
Honoring the Legends: Medicine Tree Continues Its Spiritual Sustenance Deep in the heart of the craggy Bitterroot Valley lays one of the traditional spiritual touchstones of the Bitterroot Salish, the Medicine Tree. It is one of the Creation Stories foundations that has sustained the spirit and history of the Bitterroot Salish for hundreds of years.		Sacred Items Prepared For Return To Bois Forte Band Of Chippewa In the near-century since their accidental discovery, most of the artifacts have been in storage at the Minnesota Historical Society, where they're known as the Crane Lake Cache.

Preserving Language		Living Traditions
Grassroots Haida Revitalization Videos: Keeping The Language Alive Schools, universities, and organizations throughout Indian country are working towards revitalizing endangered indigenous languages, but in Ketchikan, Alaska, it is the community that’s taking the lead.		Historic Governor Cyrus Harris Items Returned Two historic items removed from the final resting place of the Chickasaw Nation’s first governor were returned to the tribe March 17 by officials of the Wynnewood Historical Society. The artifacts are deemed associated funerary objects and will not be displayed publicly.

Living Traditions		Preserving Language
Onondaga Lazers Break NJCAA All-Time Record for Consecutive Wins The top-ranked Onondaga Community College men's lacrosse team made history against Mohawk Valley Community College on Monday afternoon as the Lazers broke the NJCAA all-time record for consecutive wins across all sports and divisions. Onondaga picked up its record-breaking 98th straight victory by defeating the Hawks 33-0.		10 Ways To Boost Tribal Language Programs The traditional arts of building canoes and fishing traps, making rabbit fur blankets, and pine nut picking are celebrated in the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California’s Language Program. Through these activities, the tribe’s youngest children are not only learning their language, they are becoming cultural leaders in their communities.

Preserving Language		Living Traditions
Bilingual Signs Aim To Bridge Cultural Gap When many people hear Madeline Island, visions of ferry rides, oversized cocktails, vespa scooters and sailboats are often some of the first things that come to mind. Although the culture on Madeline Island today is primarily European and definitely tourist-centered, this wasn't always the case.		Wadasé Zhabwé Soars Beyond All Expectations Time flies it seems. On April 16, 2015, 730 days will have passed to mark two years since Wadasé’s release. She has surpassed all expectations as we continue to learn valuable information from her telemetry.

Living Traditions		Living Traditions
Rez Recipes, Gauco de Mayo Close your eyes. Now when I say Cinco de Mayo what comes to mind? Mariachi bands, sombreros and most importantly mexican food, right? Ah yea, Mexican food is by far one of my favorites, not only eat but to cook.		Basket Makes Its Way Back To Ho-Chunk Nation After 62 Years The Ho-Chunk Nation has received a gift that symbolizes its culture with a recent donation from a Duluth couple.

About This Issue's Greeting - "Halito! Chi chukma?"

The Chickasaw are of the Muskogean linguistic family and are one of the Five Civilized Tribes. Their native written language is nearly the same as that of the Choctaw Nation; their speech is also very similar. At one time, the Chickasaw language served as a medium of commercial and tribal intercourse for all the tribes along the lower Mississippi River, which was virtually controlled by the powerful and warlike Chickasaw Nation during the 18th century.

Nature's Beauty: Paper Birch Tree	This Issue's Web sites	A Story To Share: Old Man and the Roasted Squirrels







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