Native Village
Youth and Education News
May 1, 2006 Issue 167 Volume 1
"It’s what you’ve done that’s worthy, not how many possessions or how much wealth you have." Scott McGowan, Chippewa
NYM TAKES
SOLIDARITY ACTION TO SUPPORT SIX NATIONS
Secwepemc Territory: The Secwepemc Native Youth Movement has set up an
information picket at Neskonlith Reserve in solidarity for First Nations
protesters at Six Nations, near Caledonia, Ontario. Billboards, banners and
Warrior flags are posted along a highway used by 10,000 travelers per day. The
billboards read: "Stop OPP Terrorism" "OPP out of SIX NATIONS." Since February
28, the Six Nations have been occupying land near Caledonia to protest a housing
development. The First Nations claim the land was given to them in treaty, and
Ontario is selling the land without true ownership. On April 20, 2006, more
than 150 heavily armed Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) with M-16's and riot gear
moved in to try and end the 52-day occupation at Six Nations. The OPP arrested
16 Natives, assaulted others, threw tear gas at them and tasered some during the
arrest, but police retreated as Natives chased them off and more Natives
arrived.
http://mostlywater.org/node/5020
AN ANGRY GENERATION
Ontario: Near Caledonia, First Nations people and supporters are standing up to
the Government and developers over land rights. Among the most enthusiastic
supporters are large numbers of Native youth ages 15-20 years old. They remember
the 1990 stand-off in Oka, Quebec, between the government and the Kahnawake
Mohawks. For youth, Caledonia is the first opportunity since Oka where they can
take action in a public forum. "They watched Oka unfold," says Dawn
Martin-Hill. "I don't think there's a native kid across Canada who wasn't
influenced by what they saw on TV." While this generation of First Nations
young people is angry and seriously pumped, some Aboriginal leaders are
worried. "Our leadership has always been able to soothe outyoung people in
situations like this," said one elder. "It may not be possible from now on."
And while some are concerned about youth anger, others believe in the positive
side. "You have a young, very active population that tends to support each
other's initiatives," she says. "They can now work as a group, telegraph each
other instantly with cellphones and Blackberries, and understand more easily
than their parents how the political and social levers of Canada operate -- both
against them and in their favour. Because they have been well tutored by their
elders in the history and culture of oppression in which the First Nations
people believe, this group also thinks communally." Sean Mt. Pleasant and Wes
Hill, both 19, say there are many issues their parents have carried for years
and are now too tired to bear -- the residue of residential schools,
alcoholism, poverty and abuse. There are also the land claims, unresolved by
the aging members of First Nations. "It's right to take a stand now," Mt.
Pleasant says. "They can't fight no more." For others, the youth protesters
are part of a prophecy. Dean Doxtator, 26, tells about an ancient Ojibwa belief
called the Seven Fires. It says that prophets arrived when the people were
living a peaceful life in North America. They predicted a time would come when a
younger generation would restore its people's pride and greatness after a period
of loss, tragedy and alienation. A significant number of the younger generation
at Caledonia believe they are this seventh generation. "I would say I consider
myself a man of peace engaged in an act of defence for my people," Doxtator
says. "To me, it's just something that's inside us, that has to be carried
out." The under-25 age group makes up half of Canada's aboriginal population.
They already have enough numbers and common experiences to heavily influence
native affairs.
Event: HAZEL HILL - SPOKESPERSON FOR SIX NATIONS World Talk Radio
Wednesday 5/3/06 3pm (Pacific Time)
Listen to first hand details and updates from one the official spokespersons on
the frontlines at the Caledonia Occupation~
http://www.worldtalkradio.com/show.asp?sid=141
Callers welcome ~ Toll Free: 1-866-613-1612
http://www.hamiltonspectator.combr
Government
committee to determine future of Jarawa tribe
India: The Indian government has set up a new committee to decide the future of
the Jarawa tribe of the Andaman Islands. The Jarawa, who have only had contact
with settlers since 1998, are increasingly under threat from outsiders. Poachers
and others enter the Jarawa reserve from the coast and from the Andaman Trunk
Road which cuts through the Jarawa's forest. Once there:
Poachers and settlers hunt the animals on which the Jarawa depend;
Give the Jarawa alcohol, tobacco and food in return for work;
Introduce diseases to which the Jarawa have no immunity;
The Indian supreme court ordered in 2002 that the Andaman Trunk Road must be
closed. But local authorities have left the road open in violation of the court
order.
http://www.survival-international.org/news.php?id=1497
Bushman hunters arrested at gunpoint and tortured
BOTSWANA: Eight Bushmen were threatened, tortured, arrested, and jailed for
hunting in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. The Bushmen, who were evicted
from their Reserve lands years ago, are currently living in Abundance
resettlement camp. Because Botswana's government bans hunting and gathering in
the reserve, the Bushmen have been deprived of their subsistence lifestyle and
forced to depend upon government "destitute rations." The food is not enough,
and the Bushmen are going hungry. Four other Bushmen were arrested for hunting
in the reserve earlier in March.
Learn More:
http://www.survival-international.org//how_to_help.php?howto_help_id=27
http://survival-international.org/news.php?id=1553
Archaeologists Launch Large-Scale Dig, Despite Indian Opposition
Virginia: Archaeologists hope to spend their summer searching thousands of
acres on Virginia's Middle Peninsula for Indian artifacts. The area is the
future site of a reservoir, a project fiercely opposed by the Pamunkey,
Mattaponi and Upper Mattaponi tribes Indian tribes. The tribes also are upset
about the archaeological dig, which will focus on 6,000 acres of forests and
fields. "We've been here ... 10,000 years and (they) have been here 400 years
and they want us to mitigate? That's impossible," said Upper Mattaponi Chief Ken
Adams. The Mattaponi and Pamunkey reservations are within 3 miles of the
reservoir site, and the Upper Mattaponi tribe owns acreage about 8 miles away.
"Let the poor people rest, let the artifacts rest," said Warren Cook of the
Pamunkey Indian Tribe. The planned exploration will be among the largest
investigations of its kind in Virginia history.
Associated Press
Hone Heke's
treasures go home
New Zealand: Hundreds of people attended a ceremony to welcome home 13 taonga
of celebrated Ngapuhi warrior-chief Hone Heke. The artefacts, which include a
greenstone mere of Ngapuhi chief Hongi Hika, an axe, taiaha and a hapu flag,
have returned from a three-year exhibition in Australia. They are from the
collection of Heke descendent David Rankin and will now become part of the
Waitangi Trust. "The trust is the safest place we can keep the taonga where they
will be protected and looked after," he said. "We can no longer keep them
hidden away under our beds. They have to come out. They belong to future
generations to look at." Dr Paul Moon, author of Hone Heke: Ngapuhi Warrior,
said Heke remains one of the best-known Maori leaders throughout the country.
He said Hone Heke was a gifted leader, who was a master of playing off one enemy
against another. Heke also grew increasingly discontent with the invasion of
Pakeha settlers. "Heke was one of the only people who waged war against the
British Empire in the 19th century to go unpunished," he said. Dr Moon said
the leader was also famous for his defiance, such as his response to a £100
reward being placed on his head by the then-Governor Fitzroy. "Heke issued his
own bounty of 10 pounds for the head of Governor Fitzroy, saying he was just a
tenth of the man Heke was," Moon said.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/
UN Treaty to Protect Oral Traditions Enters into Force
On April 20, a United Nations treaty protecting the world's cultures came into
effect. It aims to safeguard:
languages;
oral traditions and expressions;
performing arts;
social practices;
rituals and festive events;
knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe;
knowledge linked to traditional crafts.
"Contemporary lifestyles and the process of globalization are undermining
considerably the living cultures inherited through tradition," said UNESCO
Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura. By offering them adequate means for their
preservation, this instrument fills a legal loophole." The treaty, called
"Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage," provides
for:
Drawing up national inventories of cultural elements that must be protected;
The creation of an Intergovernmental Committee comprising experts from States
Parties;The creation of two lists: one covering the intangible heritage of humanity, and
the other featuring parts of that heritage considered to be in urgent need of
safeguarding.
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/culture/rc/ItemDetail.do~1061282?intcmp=700
Cox weaves together ancestral stories
Alaska: Loretta Outwater Cox belongs to the generation of Inupiaq who were
discouraged from learning their Native language. She has felt the loss ever
since. Writing helps her complete the gaps in her knowledge, culture, and
values. Her two books -- "The Winter Walk" and The Storytellers' Club" -- come
from generations of oral literature. As a child Loretta, listened to her
mother's stories. At the same time her father, Walter Outwater, began to tell
her stories of his own. In remembers the 1920s when his grandmother, Sikkitkoq,
and her friends used to get together and tell stories. "The atmosphere in
Sikki's home was filled with respect because that was first of all what the
people felt about each other," Cox's father told her. "It was a way of life.
That was the rule and the law that they lived by, necessary for their people to
survive" Walter remembered that when they left Sikki's sod house, they all had
black lips. Cox learned that the black lips came from licking indelible pencils
to make them write. In the days before the Inupiaq language was written down,
the women illustrated their stories with elaborate "picture writing." Cox
retells some of their stories and re-creates their picture writing in her second
book, "The Storytellers' Club."
http://www.adn.com/play/arts/features/story/7588792p-7499973c.html
Mapping Mandarin, Mohave and Miao-Mien
The Modern Language Association recently updated their Language Map. The map
offers information about 300 languages spoken in the United States. The
association of literature and language professors first introduced the map
project in 2004. The website includes:
Information about each language,
Breaks down the language speaking population so that children can be compared
with their grandparents;
Provides numbers and percentages of language speakers for each state and county;
Includes statistics on the population's English language proficiency.
"What's important about the map is that it demonstrates that the United States,
with the exception of Papua New Guinea, is the country in the world that has the
greatest diversity of language," said J. Michael Holquist from Yale. "It's
clear we have a resource in this country" - in the form of speakers of many
languages - 'that is not available in the rest of the world." Many of those
languages are in danger of extinction. While 125 languages are spoken by a
"significant number" of speakers - between 1,000 and
100,000 people in the
United States - 60 of the 300 languages are spoken by fewer than
100 speakers.
The Modern Language Association Language Map:
http://www.mla.org/census_main
NAME Listserve
Rosetta Stone(R) Releases Interactive Mohawk Language Software
Virginia: Rosetta Stone has just released language-learning software for the
Mohawk (Kanien'keha) language. Spoken by the Kanien'kehaka (People of the Flint)
nation, Kanien'keha is among many of the world's Indigenous languages that are
in danger of becoming extinct. Five hundred years ago, an estimated 300
languages were spoken across North America. Today, only about 25 are now spoken
by children. The remaining languages are likely to disappear with their
generation of speakers. "We believe the best way to preserve a language is
through teaching and learning, keeping it a living language in the hands of the
people to whom it belongs," says Ilse Ackerman from Rosetta Stone. "Technology
can help with this task. Interactive language software is a great resource to
support community language initiatives. It provides learners unlimited exposure
to fluent speech, patient and tireless feedback, and an individually tailored
learning pace." Software development for the Kanien'keha language was sponsored
by the Mohawk language and cultural center of Kahnawake. This is the first
endangered language software to be developed through Rosetta Stone, which
currently teaches 30 other languages to people in over 150 countries.
http://www.aborinews.com/contenu/bulletin/bulletin.asp?cat=CommuniquesEn&id=1529http://www.newswire.c
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