Native Village
Youth and Education News
June 29, 2005 Issue 155 Volume 1
"We can learn from each other, but researchers need to recognize they are students of our culture; we are the teachers, not the other way around. I think we need to speak for ourselves.'' Karenne Wood, Monacan
Ball State studies Native
American site
Indiana: Ball State University researchers are studying what remains of a
prehistoric Native American site. The property formerly contained a burial mound surrounded by a 31-acre rectangle made
of earthen walls reaching 9 feet high — the largest Indian enclosure ever found in the state. The discovery will
enable a better understanding of the prehistoric Indian cultures known as Adena-Hopewell. “Archaeology is all around
us, not just in Egypt or South America,” said BSU archaeologist Donald Cochran. “This site is part of the
puzzle of what these people were doing here in east-central Indiana right about 2,000 years ago." Cochran said the
site could have been a major tourist draw if it had been saved. “A lot of sites like this have been preserved as
state and national parks,” he said.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artikkel?Avis=BG&Dato=20050621&Kategori=NEWS01&Lopenr=50621002&Ref=AR&template=printart
Did
Ancient Polynesians Visit California?
WASHINGTON: Linguist Kathryn A. Klar and archaeologist Terry L. Jones
believe Polynesians sailed to Southern California 1,000 years before Columbus landed on the East Coast. The two have had
trouble finding a scientific magazine to publish their thesis about ancient contact between the Polynesians and Chumash.
But thanks to new evidence, their report will be published in American Antiquity this July. Klar and Jones' new
evidence comes from two directions:
New research suggests that the Chumash word for sewn-plank
canoe is derived from a Polynesian word for the wood used to construct the same boat. The Chumash and their
neighbors, the Gabrielino, were the only tribes who built sewn-plank boats, a technique used on the Polynesian Islands.
The Chumash word for sewn-plank canoe is tomolo'o,
while the Hawaiian word for useful tree (the type used for building the boat) is kumulaa'au.
The Polynesians colonized Hawaii before the year 1,000 AD, and their language evolved into the Hawaiian
language. Many Hawaiian words that start with "k" originally began with "t."
Replace the "k" in kumulaa'au
with a "t" and the similarity is so great, Klar says, that it is highly
unlikely to be a coincidence;
Revised carbon-dating of an ancient Chumash headdress has been dated to 400 years
eariler than originally thought. The headdress is fashioned from abalone shells and the skull of a swordfish--a deep sea
fish. Earlier carbon-dating placed it at 2,000 years old. That date implied the Chumash were fishing in deep-sea waters
400 years earlier than the Polynesian-Chumash contact that Klar and Jones believed. As it turns out, the original
carbon-14 date was wrong, and new testing places the headdress at 600 AD--in the same time period Klar and Jones believe
ancient Polynesians sailed to Southern California;
Another piece of evidence was found more than a decade ago when archaeological
evidence proved that ancient Polynesians ate sweet potatoes, which are native to South America. Presumably, Polynesian
sailors ventured to South America, obtained sweet potatoes and brought them back to their home islands. Still,
direct evidence for Polynesian contact with North America has been scarce. Until now.
The San Francisco Chronicle
DNA Links Native American
to Prehistoric Ancestor
California: DNA from a California Native American who died 800 -1,000
years ago matches that of a woman now living in the same region as her early ancestor. The finding bolsters the theory
that many modern Native American populations have direct ties to prehistoric North American inhabitants. It also
suggests that the Vanyume tribe, to which the modern woman belongs, has occupied the same region continuously for
hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years. Anthropologist Phillip Walker began the research after a construction crew found
a Native American burial site while developing property near Palmdale. The remains of six people were found buried at
the site. Researchers extracted and sequenced mitochondrial DNA from a tooth taken from one set of remains and
compared it to a databank of modern Native Americans. One woman, Donna Yocum, was found to have mtDNA that perfectly
matches that of the ancient remains. The DNA from Yocum's great aunt, Lyda Manriquez, also matched the early
Californian's. "It is highly significant that prehistoric burials found in the same general region the Western
Mojave Desert match those from Donna and her great aunt because it shows the connection between the contemporary
population and those who lived in the region in the past," said Walker. The Vanyume - also called "Desert
Serrano" because they once spoke the Serrano language -- have probably occupied the Western Mojave Desert region
for more than 1,000 years. Yocum, a member of the Mojave Desert Vanyume tribe, was thrilled by the discovery, but also
saddened that a Native American burial site had been disturbed.
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20050620/nativeamerican_print.html
Seneca Nation Celebrates
Return Of 51-acre Plot Of Land
New York: Federal judge John Curtin settled a land claim agreement giving
the Seneca Nation a 51.3-acre piece of land in Cuba Lake. The land had been part of the Seneca's Oil Spring Reservation.
The state condemned it in 1858 for the purpose of serving the Erie and Genessee canals. "It's a
historic day,'" said Seneca council chairman Richard Nephew. 'It's evidence to us that there are people in the
federal government and state government that are interested in seeing justice for the Seneca Nation." Under
the agreement reached last October, the state will pay the Senecas $500,000. It also cost the state and federal
governments $3,900,000 to appropriate the land -- which included 19 cottages -- from its previous leaseholders.
Associated Press
Roots draw Kanza back
| Kansas: In the early 1800s, the Kanza claimed a territory that covered roughly two-fifths of modern-day Kansas. In 1873, Kanza tribal member were forced by the federal government to leave the state and move to Indian Territory. Recently the Kanza Tribe, also known as Kaw, opened Allegawaho Memorial Heritage Park near Council Grove. The Park's 150 acres were purchased | |
 |
by the Kaw in 2000. "[The Park] is an opportunity to help our own tribal members relearn their heritage and culture," said Guy Munroe, chairman of the Kaw Nation. "Kansas kicked us out 133 years ago.... And (now) it is going to give us a chance to share with all visitors the story of the Kaw Nation and history." The two-mile Kanza Heritage trail winds through a timbered valley and follows Little John Creek. In the trees are the remains a few limestone huts built for the Kanza when the government tried turning them into farmers. The park is also the site where Chief Allegawaho pleaded with officials to let his people remain in Kansas. "Great Father, you whites treat us Kanza like a flock of turkeys," he told them. "You chase us to one stream, then you chase us to another stream. Soon you will chase us over the mountains and into the ocean." |
The Wichita Eagle
Tribe Pays Tribute to a
Savior
Washington: On a grassy knoll near Satus is the grave of Kis-'am-xay, a
woman many say once saved the Yakama Nation. Kis-'am-xay, (pronounced Ki-sum-hi), was 5 years old when she watched her
elders sign the Treaty of 1855 in Walla Walla. A century later, at the age of about 105, she was called on to testify
before members of Congress who were considering a request to buy the reservation and offer job relocation in return.
Yakama tribal officials maintained that losing the reservation would undermine everything the treaty stands for, so they
began calling on Kis-'am-xay, the only living witness to the treaty's signing. Kis-'am-xay was persuaded to talk,
but only on one condition: "They're coming here or I'm not going to speak." On a winter day in 1954, a fleet
of large black cars arrived at the two-bedroom home in Satus. Men wearing suits and carrying briefcases gathered in her
living room. Although blind, the frail, wrinkled elder could still give vivid accounts of the tribe's oral history and
sacred teachings. She said, "I'm going to speak from my heart, and I can't speak until I give thanks to the Creator
through Washat songs and prayer." After seven songs, Kis-'am-xay began speaking through a translator about
the Grandfather Sky, Father Sun and Mother Earth. She told them of her traditional teachings about creation. "She
spoke on everything: territories, treaty signers, food, religion," said her granddaughter, Delores George.
"Everything concerning our culture she spoke on." Especially about the tribe's desire to keep its culture
alive for future generations. Kis-'am-xay often spoke of the unborn, "those yet to come," George said.
"She'd say, 'the children are laughing, I can hear them. They are coming and we have to have something for
them."' Her words confirmed that tribal members were still living by traditional practices and belief, and federal
officials realize that dissolving the Yakama Nation would be a crime. Kis-'am-xay died six years later at about
110 years old
Yakima Herald-Republic
Northern Cheyenne break
vow of silence
Montana: Northern Cheyenne storytellers are compiling an oral history of
the Cheyenne's version of Battle of Little Bighorn. "The chiefs said to keep a vow of silence for 100
summers," said Frank Rowland. "One-hundred summers have now passed, and we're breaking our
silence." In June 1876, George Custer led 647 men with the 7th Cavalry into the valley of the Little Bighorn
River. The Cavalry and their Indian allies attacked the Cheyenne village of 8,000 to 10,000 people. After the battle,
263 U.S. soldiers had perished, including Custer. Rowland said the Northern Cheyenne, fearing retribution, never shared
their version of the battle. Now that the century of silence is over, the Northern Cheyenne hope to make their oral
accounts public later this year. "This is just a platform to build on. We have a moral responsibility to tell
the truth. This is the Cheyenne truth," Rowland said. Eugene Little Coyote agrees. "We've been told we were
the villains of history," he said. "No more. It's important for our young Cheyenne to know the truth. We
want to share our history now."
http://www.helenair.com/articles/2005/06/28/montana_top/a01062805_02.txt
25 Years Later; Nez Perce
Tribe Marks Anniversary Of Crucial Standing-Off Over Salmon
Idaho: Twenty-five years ago, Nez Perce Tribal fishermen were willing to
die for the right to fish. Recently, 150 people gathered by the Rapid River to remember this pivotal point
in the tribe's effort to protect its treaty rights. "Today we sit here peacefully," said tribal
fisherman Elmer Crow. "Twenty-five years ago, that wasn't the situation." Tribal members recalled how, on June
13, 1980, heavily armed state and federal officers tried to enforce a ban on salmon fishing. In the
midst of the tension, six Nez Perce fished anyway, earning them citations and, for some, jail time. On that day
and the weeks to follow, Fish and Game, state, county and National Guard officials surrounded the fishing grounds,
handing out citations and seizing fish. "They were armed with sawed-off shotguns and grenade launchers, and snipers
lined the hillside," Crow said. "All for a handful of Nez Perces." In the end, 33 tribal members
appeared before Magistrate George R. Reinhardt at the Idaho County Courthouse. They pleaded innocent, claiming their
treaty rights superseded state law. The Nez Perce won.
Lewiston Morning Tribune
Recovering Her Roots;
After 17 Years, "Baby K" Begins New Life With Navajo Mother
Washington: Allyssa Keetso-Pitts just received her diploma from Fort
Vancouver High School. She'll experience another "first" when she returns to the Navajo Nation reservation to
make her home. Seventeen years ago, Allyssa made headlines as '"Baby K" who was adopted by a non-Indian couple
after her mother, Patricia Keetso, gave birth. The adoption drew criticism from tribal leaders; their efforts led to a
federal law giving tribal courts jurisdiction over adoptions in order to preserve tribal heritage. In Allyssa's case,
the Navajo tribe granted her adopted parents, Ricardo and Cheryl Pitts, guardianship. Now Allyssa will return to Arizona
and live with her mother, stepfather, and their four children. Allyssa said she loves her adopted family but wants to
immerse herself in her culture and forge a deeper connection with her birth mother and relatives. "It sounds
crazy, but it's something I have to do," she said. "I just need to be there. It's a hard feeling to
explain." Ricardo Pitts said he has mixed emotions about Allyssa's decision to move to Arizona. "It's
hard to see her go, but I am for her," Pitts said. '"If this is what she feels she needs to do to find
herself, to be whole, then I support her.'" Pitts and his wife, who have good relations with Patricia Keetso, plan
to visit Allyssa.
The Colombian
Families Return A Historic
Favor; Pioneer Descendants Helping Duwamish Tribe
Washington: In 1851, Amy Johnson's great-great-grandfather, David Denny,
reached Puget Sound after a half-year journey from Illinois. His group, which later founded Seattle, might have perished
without help from the Duwamish who offered clam broth to revive a sick baby, shelter and protection from hostile
tribes. Today Johnson wants to thank and honor the tribe that enabled her and other settler descendants to
exist. She has organized Coming Full Circle, an opportunity for Johnson descendants to thank the Duwamish by
helping raise $1,500,000 for the tribe's future longhouse and cultural center. "If it hadn't been for the
Duwamish when the first pioneers came, they either wouldn't have survived or they wouldn't have stayed," Johnson
said. "If it hadn't been for the Duwamish, I might not be here today."
H-Amindian Listserve
Tutelo language
revitalized
Virginia: Using an old book of Tutelo grammar and word lists, Karenne Wood
plans to create language lessons and a useful vocabulary for Monacan people. Wood has received a Ford
Foundation Pre-doctoral Fellowship to continue Tutelo language revitalization. The fellowship provides Wood with
three years of support, including one year of tuition, as she pursues her doctorate at the University of Virginia.
''With the understanding that your value system is embedded in your language, I decided to revitalize our language,''
Wood said. She said there are Tutelo descendants in Canada, but no one speaks the language. ''The research I'm
doing ... is for our tribe and other related speakers. It's really not as much about publishing it for
scholarship as it is about creating something that's useful for our people.''
Indian Country Today
New
Haida Dictionary Is Language's Most Thorough Record
Alaska: The most extensive written record of the Haida language is now
available in print. The dictionary contains numerous features, among them word form variations, the class of each word
and examples of word usage. The Alaska Native Language Center published the 2,126 pages Haida dictionary in two volumes.
They describe it as "a complete a record of the language as is possible." The books costs $279.
Anchorage Daily News
Volume 2
Native
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