Native Village
Youth and Education News
Aug 1, 2006 Issue 169 Volume 3
"
People need to understand who we are today, and the struggles we’ve had to go
through just to remain who we are, just to live our culture. We’re part of
mainstream America but we still have to live in two lives" Chief Steve Adkins,
Chickahominy
The Top 100 National Colleges and
Universities That Graduate the Most Minority Students
Diverse: Issues in Higher Education is a bi-weekly publication dedicated to
addressing the issues of minorities in the higher education arena. The July,
2006 magazine has ranked the Top 100 U.S. colleges and universities that
graduate the most minority students. The detailed data, compiled by Dr. Victor
Borden from Indiana, ranks the total number of master's, doctoral, and first
professional degrees awarded at every American college.
Samples:
 The
top 10 schools for Native American Baccalaureate, all disciplines
combined:Northeastern State University, Oklahoma Oklahoma State University University of Oklahoma University of New Mexico Northern Arizona University Arizona State University, Tempe Southeastern Oklahoma State University University of North Carolina-Pembroke Fort Lewis College East Central University |
Native American Education
Baccalaureates: Northeastern State University Northern Arizona University Southeastern Oklahoma State University University of New Mexico Oklahoma State University Haskell Indian Nations University University of North Carolina-Pembroke East Central University Arizona State University - Tempe University of Oklahoma University of Central Oklahoma |
To see the entire list of undergraduate and graduate degrees, by discipline:
http://www.diverseeducation.com/Top100Home.asp
Scholarship Posthumously Fills
Wish Of Tohono O’odham Woman
Arizona: In 1999, Pauline Miguel of the Tohono O'odham tribe passed away.
The week before she died, Pauline told her daughters to sell her truck and house
and use the money for scholarships to help Tohono O'odham students pay for
college. Pauline's three daughters, Alberta Flannery, Neddie Blaine and Mary
Bliss, also contributed $4,000 each for the scholarship fund. Today, the Pauline
Miguel Scholarship Fund still awards $1,000 each year to one or two deserving
students. Pauline's daughters remember their mother as a women who never
allowed her daughters to skip classes. "She was very pro-education," said
Flannery, a retired administrator for the Tucson Unified School District. "We
never missed a day of school. Every year we'd get those little certificates on
the last day of school." Pauline was a shining example of community
involvement. She attended the Tucson Indian Training School before it closed in
1960, participated in the women's rights movements during the 1960s, spoke on
welfare rights, and helped the Tohono O'odham Nation' create a nursing home for
its elderly.
H-Amindian Listserve
Indian doctor program threatened
Oklahoma: On August 31, 2006, the University of Oklahoma will eliminate a
program that recruits and supports Indian medical students. The Native American
Center of Excellence Consortium is losing about $520,000 due to funding cuts.
Philip McHale, the director of the center, is seeking an extension through May
2007. He will also ask tribes to provide funding for a scaled-back program. The
Center for American Indian and Minority Health at the University of Minnesota
Medical School also faces a funding cut. There are only three centers in the
U.S. that encourage Indians to enter the medical field.
Indianz.com
SIPI Names Tribal Educator to Be
President
New Mexico: Jeffrey Hamley, a career tribal college educator, is the new
president of Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in Albuquerque. Hamley
served from 2001-05 as president of Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College in Michigan.
In his new position, he plans to build strong ties with New Mexico tribes and
pueblos. "I'd like to do outreach with the tribal communities and let them know
we want to serve them and have mutually beneficial relationships," Hamley said.
Frances Tafoya, chairman of SIPI's Board of Regents, said Hamley was chosen
because of his experience in higher education and in grant writing. Hamley is a
member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewas. He will take office by Aug. 1.
Another Idaho School Receives Million-Dollar Gift To Help Indians
Idaho: Anne Voilleque and Louise Nelson have given $1,000,000 to Idaho State
University/Pocatello to create the school's first endowed professorship. The two
philanthropists and education supporters donated the money for the Native
American Business Administration program. They donated the money to help
college students from Idaho's five tribes find a more positive experience in the
college environment.
http://www.ndnnews.com/
Oglala Tribe Teams with Orthodox
Jews to Run Gordon Meat Plant
South Dakota: Oglala from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and an
ultra-orthodox Jewish family from New York City have partnered to start a kosher
meat packing plant in Gordon. Recently, they showed their progress to the
community and, in the process, got to know each other a little better. Local
Pride hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a free lunch of grilled kosher
hamburgers and hot dogs. Several hundred people, including plant workers,
community officials, politicians and business leaders, shared the meal. Sholom
Rubashkin, one of the plant's owners, mused about his family's latest business
venture. "Why did we come to Gordon, Nebraska?" he asked. "...Good cattle,
good water, good people.’ Walt Big Crow, a member of the Oglala Tribal Council,
asked if the man in the black yarmulke is a rabbi. "I thought all of them were
rabbis," Big Crow smiled. "Like we all live in tipis."
H-Amindian Listserve
From Bowery to the Side Streets, to Where?
New York: Michael Azeez describes himself as the only American Indian street
food vendor in New York. Mr. Azeez, 45, is having a rough year: first, city
health code prevented him from selling wild game and other traditional Mohawk
dishes; second, a building owner forced him to relocate in a less-traveled
area; third, the rock club at his corner is closing in October, and he will
lose an important customer base. But Mr. Azeez is handling it in stride. “Why
should I be upset?” he says. “It’s about destiny. Whatever happens, we’re not
in control.” Azeez's food cart, named From Atlantis With Love, sells fresh
kebabs from 7 p.m. -4 a. m. Michael charges from as much as $5 a kebab to as
little as nothing for customers he thinks need the money more than he does. He
says he makes $500 a week on average. Asked if he worries about the future, he
grins. “I’m like a species on the brink of extinction," he said. "Or I’ll just
move.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/18/nyregion/18ink.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Feds may bring Amber Alert to
American Indian country
New Mexico: The U.S. Department of Justice and tribal leaders are in
discussions to bring the Amber Alert system to America's Indian Reservations.
Amber Alerts are issued to the media by law enforcement when a child has been
abducted and is considered to be in danger. Regina Schofield from the Office of
Justice Programs met with Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. in discussions
described as "primarily a get-acquainted meeting." Schofield says she's
confident the Amber Alert program will be effective on tribal reservations.
http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/15097137.htm
Indoor Air Quality in Schools
The toll of air quality related health conditions on education is large. Nearly
55,000,000 people spend their days in U.S. elementary and secondary schools.
Students are at greatest risk because they are especially susceptible to
pollutants. EPA studies show that:
20%
of our nation's
110,000
schools have unsatisfactory indoor air quality;
25%
have unsatisfactory ventilation systems;
Asthma, which has been on a steep rise since
1980,
accounts for
14,000,000 missed school
days each year;
Allergies cause an additional
2,000,000 lost school days
each year annually;
Poor indoor air quality leads to viral infections which can trigger asthma and
allergies and colds;
Schoolchildren are estimated to experience
7-10 colds each year.
The US EPA provides a variety of resources to help educators with improving air
quality in schools. The Environmental Education Outreach Program is interested
in working with tribal schools to improve indoor air quality. For more
information, visit: http://www4.nau.edu/eeop/aqcp/
Nurse switches to natural medicine
West Virginia: During a lifetime in the medical field, Mary Kathryn Saville
has decided to help people get healthy before they end up in a hospital bed.
Saville, 52, is opening Charleston's first naturopathic practice to help people
manage and prevent stress, diabetes, cancer and obesity. Besides using herbs
and natural substances to help patients manage chronic illnesses, Saville will
also work with conventional doctors. "I will help with stress and lifestyle
changes but make no diagnoses," Saville said. "If they need a physician or
therapist, I would refer them. But, many people don't need that. They just need
someone to talk to. They come back when they feel the need.." Saville grew up
around doctors -- her father, brother, uncle, great grandfather and grandmother
were all in health care. After graduating from nursing school in 1978, Mary
pursued natural ways to prevent illness by studying Native American healing and
naturopathic medicine. In 2002, Saville was accepted into Alabama's Clayton
College distance education program to become a naturopathic doctor. She
completed the program last September. "The underlying point we are promoting is
that the naturopathic doctor is more of teacher than some sort of wizard," said
Caleb Cooks from The American Association of Naturopathic Physicians. Saville
is the state's only naturopathic doctor who is also a registered nurse. She is
designing her medical practice around relaxation. "We have to be at peace to be
healthy, peaceful people," Saville said about her clinic's design. "It is not a
spa but a sanctuary where people can have their questions answered and be given
good information that can be put into use right away."
http://www.dailymail.com/news/Life/2006072646/
Poisonous Tree Frog Could Bring
Wealth to Tribe in Brazilian Amazon
Brazil: In the Amazon rainforest, tribal shamans have used poisonous tree
frog slime as an ancestral remedy for illness, pain, and even laziness.
Scientists are now seeking $1,000,000 in donations or grants to learn more and
to reimburse the tribes for their knowledge. "Traditional knowledge can help
modern medicine and generate significant economic benefits, too," said Bruno
Filizola, a Brazilian biologist. Fernando Katukina is chief of an Amazon tribe
without running water, electricity, or links to the world. He is working with
the Brazilian government in accessing the tree frog. Katukina's help is crucial
because Brazil, like other developing nations, is fighting biopiracy. Biopiracy
is the theft of biological resources from the country's native habitats for
commercial use.
H-Amindian Listserve
Project gets a taste of Ontario
natives' medicinal plants
Ontario:
The Mohawk of Akwesasne are concerned about the decreased potency of their
traditional medicines. They believe pollution from the St. Lawrence River has
weakened their area's plants. Richard David says the Mohawks have tested some
plants and found disturbing results. "We discovered high levels of mercury and
(the pesticide) myrex, and fluorides," David says. "We decided if we have high
levels here, is that a natural level, or is that something brought on by the
industries?" Now researchers are compiling a thorough inventory of native
medicinal plants in Eastern Ontario. Reserve officials and conservationists
want to make sure the plants aren't accidentally over-harvested, so the
information will remain closely guarded. Even natural medicine experts will
only learn where the plants are on a need-to-know basis.
CBC
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