Native Village 

Youth and Education News

February 18, 2004,  Issue 128, Volume 3

"Diversity is a celebration of different cultures, and if we lose that, we won't really learn anything from other people. Everything will remain the same - stagnant." Cara Kropp, Fort Lewis College Student

Begaye: Bilingual Ed funds misspent
State Representative Ray Begaye from New Mexico wants answers.  Why has federal bilingual education funding to state public school districts increased, yet the money spent on bilingual education students decreased?  And why can’t districts find bilingual education teachers, even though the Indian Education Act provides state teacher certification waivers?  Begaye believes state schools with bilingual education programs have misused these funds to pay for conference trips, sports equipment and other nonauthorized uses. He said the problem lies with district administrations and not teachers. “I strongly feel bilingual education program monies have not been used for what they were intended,” Begaye said.  “If all bilingual money was used 100 percent at the instructional level, I would expect students to be reaching academic proficiency.” Thanks to Begaye, New Mexico has ordered an audit of the state's bilingual education budgets.
http://www.daily-times.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=281&num=8443

Native Americans focus on preservation of language
The New Mexico legislature has honored Christine Sims of Acoma Pueblo and Lt. Gov. Diane Denish for their work with American Indian children.  Sims was honored for her work in preserving native languages. "I hope we have the support of the Legislature, tribal leaders and  people in the community to ensure a new generation of speakers of these  languages," Sims said.  She added that they must deal with the legacy of their elders being told they could no longer speak their native languages." We can't replenish the supply without teaching within our communities. We have to generate new generations of speakers."   Denish was honored for her work with the Mexico Children's Cabinet, which deals with many Native and non-Native children's issues  throughout the state. "What we found was, for the most part, we share common problems and  we share common dreams for our state,"  Denish said. The honors took place during Native American Day in the legislature.
http://www.daily-times.com/

Maori "leader" in native tongue development
Maori lead the world in indigenous language development, says Janine Pease from Rocky Mountain College. Pease was among 30 indigenous people from 11 North American tribes visiting Maori language schools.   "What is going on here is revolutionary, with Maori language immersion from infancy to doctorate level," Pease said.  "Maori are world leaders in indigenous educational rights.  American Indians are at square one; on a scale of one to 10, Maori are a 10."  The North American educators hope to return with proven   methods to help develop total  immersion programmes for their people.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2807481a7694,00.html

Native Americans focus on preservation of language
The New Mexico legislature has honored Christine Sims of Acoma Pueblo and Lt. Gov. Diane Denish for their work with American Indian children.  Sims was honored for her work in preserving native languages. "I hope we have the support of the Legislature, tribal leaders and  people in the community to ensure a new generation of speakers of these  languages," Sims said.  She added that they must deal with the legacy of their elders being told they could no longer speak their native languages." We can't replenish the supply without teaching within our communities. We have to generate new generations of speakers."   Denish was honored for her work with the Mexico Children's Cabinet, which deals with many Native and non-Native children's issues  throughout the state. "What we found was, for the most part, we share common problems and  we share common dreams for our state,"  Denish said. The honors took place during Native American Day in the legislature.
http://www.daily-times.com/

Saving Lakota
Within the hallways of Loneman School at Oglala, SD, students speak, think and  learn almost entirely in English. Although the Lakota language is used in the school's curriculum and bilingual programs, it is no longer learned at a fast enough rate to replace the shrinking circle of fluent-speaking residents. Leonard Little Finger, cultural resource educator at Loneman School, has  watched the transformation. "Twenty-six years ago, 90 percent of the student body were fluent speakers," he said. "Today, those statistics have flip-flopped."  Both the Pine Ridge and Cheyenne River Sioux reservations are fostering revivals to keep their Lakota language alive. Officials from Indiana University in Bloomington are helping the Lakota with a language recovery program. They have formed a consortium with the Loneman, Red Cloud and Wounded Knee District schools to work on educational materials and teacher training.  "[Lakota language] will be taught as a second language and as an integrated immersion curriculum," Little Finger said.  IU has also helped other tribes, including the Pawnee, Assiniboine, and Arikara, in creating language programs.
http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/front/top/news01.txt

Historic First Coins Issued by Native Americans

The Sovereign Nation of the Shawnee Tribe in Oklahoma has authorized its own historic first coins. The Shawnee hero, Chief Tecumseh, is featured on the Silver Dollars coin. The coin's reverse side contains 12 stars representing the original 12 tribes of the Shawnee Indian Nation. Tecumseh (1768 - 1813) was a Shawnee warrior chief who attempted to stop white settlement in the old Northwest Territory. Tecumseh believed  Indians must return to a state of purity, that they must forget intertribal rivalries and join together, and that individual tribes must not sell land that all Indians held in common. He also gave this version of the Golden Rule: "Trouble no one about his religion ... respect others in their views and demand that they respect yours..."   The Shawnee have also released several other coins including:
The Prophet Five-Dollar Gold Coin
The George Drouillard Five Dollar Gold Coin
The Lewis & Clark & Drouillard Coin
http://www.pandaamerica.com/NEWS_shawnee_tacumseh_05_29_2002.ASP

Peltier running for President
Leonard Peltier will be on California's primary election ballot as the Peace and Freedom Party’s presidential nomination. In his candidate statement, Peltier says he will fight for justice:
“I am a Native American who has suffered nearly 28 years in prison, even though government attorneys and courts acknowledge that the government withheld evidence, fabricated evidence, and coerced witnesses to fraudulently convict me. But the courts say they have no power to correct the wrongs of our government. If the courts do not, who does? I will ensure that all peoples receive justice. Environmental protection is paramount for our survival. I personally suffered the indignity of being deprived of speaking my native tongue and following Lakota traditions. This country has engaged in genocidal policies to exterminate virtually every minority, especially those who express dissent and seek equal justice. Now is the time to end the continuing injustices of this government and ensure liberty and equal health care to all.”
Peltier is currently in Leavenworth prison accused of murdering two FBI agents in the 1970s. Many believe Peltier is innocent, and President Clinton strongly considered pardoning Peltier before he left office. However,  FBI head Louis Freeh dissuaded Clinton, calling Peltier  “vicious murderer.”
http://nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=3804

Tex Hall praises Indian turnout for N.D. caucuses
On February 3, 2004, a record number Native American voters turned out for the North Dakota Presidential Caucuses. Tex Hall, Chariman of The National Congress of American Indians, praised Indian people for their efforts:

*Overall, the state's caucuses attracted almost 10,508 people. Only 2,200 voted in 2000;
*Approximately 1230 Native votes were cast on the four major reservations and in the seven largest cities;
*Native Voters cast over 11.7% of the total votes cast in an election;
*District 4, located on the Mandan, Hidatsa & Arikara Nation, cast the most votes in any district;
*Also in District 4, 38% more votes came from Native Americans than non Indians;
*District 44, in Fargo, had the second largest Native turnout.
Hall has pledged that his initiative, Native Vote 2004, intends to get 1,000,000 Native American voters to the polls in November. Hall says a large Native turnout in key states such as Arizona, New Mexico, Minnesota, Washington, Oregon, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Dakota and Oklahoma could determine who controls the White House and Senate. "The 2000 Presidential election proved that out of the millions of votes cast, a President can be elected by only 500 or so votes. Indian Country has to be ready to go to the polls and re-claim the right to determine our own destiny. If we don't, we lose. It's just that simple.  What happened at the polls ... proves that Indian Country is ready to go to battle. And we are going to continue to fight in each of our home states right through to the General Election."
Native Vote 2004: http://130.94.214.68/nativevote/index.asp
Indigenousnews@yahoogroups.com
 
Mi-Wuk couple makes a family out of fostering
Sue and Charles Peterson have fostered 11 children in their four years as certified foster parents. The couple, who are now fostering three young siblings, never intended to have children. "We just always felt that there were plenty of kids on this planet who could use our help," said Charles, 47.  Once a year  the Petersons take their previous and current foster children for a weekend vacation. The annual trip allows them to catch up with children who lived in their home and became part of their family. The rest of the year they meet on birthdays and for barbecues.
http://www.uniondemocrat.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=13294

Sisters in Spirit
The Native Women's Association of Canada is asking the federal government for $10,000,000 to deal with violence against aboriginal women.  NWAC's campaign, "Sisters in Spirit" will be launched in March to raise awareness of the 500 missing or murdered Aboriginal women in Canada.  The one- year national campaign will be launched on March 22nd, 2004.
Canada NewsWire Ltd

Nation's Food Banks Emphasize Nutrition
Across the country, food banks for the poor are increasing their stores of fresh and frozen produce and lean meats while teaching customers about healthy eating.  In 2003 , America's Second Harvest distributed more than 83,000,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables, a gigantic leap from 3,800,000 pounds in 1995.  "It didn't do any good for us to accept a truckload of yogurt with a use-by or sell-by date of next week if we didn't have anybody who could accept delivery of that," said Sue Hofer with America's Second Harvest. Corporate grants by companies such as Kraft, ConAgra and Tyson are helping food banks increase their capacity to store and ship fresh, refrigerated and frozen foods. "Obviously, there's still a lot to do, but we have moved produce to No. 1 on the list of products shipped to our food banks," Hofer said. "It's a huge stride in just a very few years."  In addition to corporate and local donations, Second Harvest offers a "virtual food drive" for donors to go online and contribute money for fresh food.
America's Second Harvest: http://www.secondharvest.org/
http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20040212142809990002&_mpc=news%2e10%2e7

Superfoods' Everyone Needs
"Whether you're trying to prevent cataracts, macular degeneration, cancer, or cardiovascular disease, the same type of preventive dietary measures apply," said Steven Pratt, MD, author of SuperFoods RX: Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life. . "The whole body is connected: a healthy heart equals a healthy eye and healthy skin. You'll hear about all these special diets for special health needs, but really, the same diet and the same lifestyle choices prevent the same diseases. With rare exceptions, you don't need 20 different preventive modalities -- just one really good diet."
And that "one really good diet," Pratt says, should be founded on these "superfoods":

When incorporated into your regular daily diet, these foods, says Pratt, can stop some of the changes that lead to diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, Alzheimer's, and some cancers. When you're thinking "superfoods," think color. They contain health-enhancing nutrients that protect against heart disease and cancer, and also improve our sense of balance, our memory, and other thinking skills.
http://aolsvc.health.webmd.aol.com/content/article/81/96952.htm

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