Native Village News

Native Village

Youth and Education News

May 1, 2006 Issue 167 Volume 4

"It’s what you’ve done that’s worthy, not how many possessions or how much wealth you have." Scott McGowan, Chippewa

Top 12 Ways You Can Reduce Global Warming
According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, the two biggest contributors to global warming are cars and coal-burning power plants. Power plants produce 2,300,000,000 tons of carbon-dioxide (CO2) emissions every year, while cars produce 1,100,000,000 tons. These emissions, along with other air pollution, collect in the atmosphere and trap heat from the sun causing the planet to warm up. Here are 12 simple ways you can help save energy while saving yourself money:
1. Change Five Lights. Replace your 5 most frequently used lights or bulbs with ones that have earned the Energy Star. You'll save about 700 pounds of carbon dioxide a year and $90 in energy costs.
2. Heat and Cool Smartly. About half the energy we use in our homes goes to heating and cooling. Change air filters and have your system checked each year. Use a programmable thermostat to save about 1,800 pounds of CO2 a year and about $100 in energy costs.
3. Use efficient appliances. Get rid of energy inefficient appliances and replace with energy efficient models. A high-efficiency refrigerator will save you $100 per year and reduce CO2 emissions by 500 pounds a year. Use a low-energy, low-water-use machine and wash clothes in cold or warm water. This saves about 500 pounds of CO2 per year.
4. Reduce and Recycle. Reducing your garbage by 25% can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1,000 pounds per year. Recycle aluminum cans, glass bottles, plastic, cardboard and newspapers reduces CO2 emissions by 850 pounds per year.
5. Don't Give Energy Away. Caulk and weather strip around doors and windows and reduce CO2 emissions by 1,700 pounds per year.
6. Take the Green Way: Leave your car at home two days a week (walk, bike, take public transit) and reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by 1,590 pounds per year.
7. Buy Products That Have Earned the Energy Star: Over 40 different kind of products now carry the Energy Star, the government backed symbol for energy efficiency.    Energy Star products can save 30% on your energy bills (about $450 a year).
8. Slow the Flow: If purchasing a new vehicle, buy one that gets more miles to the gallon than your current vehicle. The potential CO2 reduction for a car that gets 32 miles per gallon is 5,600 pounds per year.
9. Make the Right Move: If you have a long commute to work, save time and money by moving closer to your job.
10. Be a Turnoff: Turn off your TV, video player, stereo and computer when you aren't using them. Turn off your lights when you don't need them and you start saving within a minute or two.
11. Trim Your Load: Keep your car tuned up and the tires properly inflate . A tune-up could boost your miles per gallon from 4%-40%; a new air filter could get you 10% more miles per gallon. Remove your car's roof rack when not using it.
12. Keep Your Water Heater Cozy: Wrap an insulating jacket around your water heater and reduce carbon dioxide emission by 1,000 pounds per year. Keep your water heater thermostat no higher than 120 degrees F and you can reduce CO2 emissions by 550 pounds per year.
For information on high efficiency appliances and other products, visit the Energy Star web site: www.energystar.gov
AOL News

Monster Rabbit Stalks U.K. Village
England: Residents in Felton confirm that a huge, floppy-eared creature is leaving behind giant paw prints and a trail of destroyed carrots, leeks, onions, and turnips following nighttime raids. The black and brown, dog-size bunny could be an escaped giant breed of pet rabbit, experts say. The real-life rabbit—Bigs Bunny, could be an escaped giant domestic rabbit. Gordon Marshall, a show rabbit breeder, says Britain is importing larger and larger pet rabbit breeds. "These rabbits have very large appetites," he added. "A giant continental can get through a couple of pounds [about a kilogram] of feed in a day. If they got into a garden, they would devastate a vegetable patch in no time. They'll eat nearly anything."   England currently claims the world's largest bunny, a giant continental rabbit named Roberto. He weighs 35 pounds (15.9 kilograms) and measures 3 feet, 6 inches (107 centimeters) long. photo: national geographic
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/04/0411_060411_rabbit.html

Fossil Called Missing Link From Sea to Land Animals
Illinois: Scientists have discovered fossils of a 375,000,000-year-old fish believed to be the long-sought missing link of how fish evolved to a life on land. Scientists uncovered several well-preserved skeletons of the fossil fish in Canadian stream beds 600 miles from the North Pole. The skeletons have the same fins, scales and other attributes of a fish that is 4-9 feet long. But on closer examination, the scientists found changes that anticipate the emergence of land animals:
The fishes' forward fins show evidence of limbs in the making. There are the beginnings of digits, proto-wrists, elbows and shoulders;
The fish had a neck, ribs, flat skulls resembling a crocodile's and other parts similar to four-legged tetrapods (land animals).
The fish has been named Tiktaalik roseae, at the suggestion of elders in Canada's Nunavut Territory. Tiktaalik (pronounced tic-TAH-lick) means "large shallow water fish." The scientists say the Tiktaalik fossils are the most compelling examples fish in transition to a tetrapod.
What scientists said:
''This may be a critical phase in [the sea-land] transition that we haven't had before. A good fossil cuts through a lot of scientific argument.'' Neil H. Shubin, University of Chicago, expedition leader.
''These exciting discoveries are providing fossil 'Rosetta Stones' for a deeper understanding of this evolutionary milestone -- fish to land-roaming tetrapods.'' Michael J. Novace, American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan.
"The fossil ''might in time become as much an evolutionary icon as the proto-bird Archaeopteryx.'' H. Richard Lane, National Science Foundation.
'It's a really amazing, remarkable intermediate fossil. It's like, holy cow.'' Neil H. Shubin, University of Chicago, expedition leader.
http://articles.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20060406093109990001&ncid=NWS00010000000001

Artcirq to stage first show outside Arctic
Ireland: Two members of the Inuit circus troupe Artcirq are attending a week-long residency at the Project Arts Centre in Dublin. Musician, juggler and acrobat, Derek Aqqiaruq, is also leader of the Igloolik rock band, The Eskies. Leah Angutimariq is a throat singer, juggler and acrobat and actress. Artcirq was founded in 1998 to help combat suicides among young people. This is the first time artists have performed outside Igloolik. "Artcirq is the first time a group of Inuit have worked together, understanding the concept of learning new skills, which in this case is circus, and adapting it with their own culture in an artistic way," said Guillaume Saladan. "It's very powerful. We're making a show built on their traditions."
http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newsstory.php/12350/artcirq-to-stage-first-show-outside-arctic

Totem by Jim Hart will welcome visitors to Los Angeles museum
California: Haida artist Jim Hart is carving a massive red cedar into an interior house pole for the ''Totems to Turquoise'' exhibit in Los Angeles. The 435-year-old cedar was felled two winters ago on Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands). The 1,600-pound log was then prepared for shipment to the mainland. ''We come from the land of big trees, big cedars like this one,'' Hart said. ''We used to make big canoes from one log, and they're ocean-going canoes.'   Harts newest totem will be a bear, with a museum entryway through the bear's stomach. ''It has a lot of meanings,'' he said. ''It's not just a doorway. This is a bear mother and it has the tongue hanging out, so as you're going through the doorway it's actually licking you: it expresses the mother instinct. The door also represents stepping back into the womb at night when you're going back to safety, so that's your center of the world. The next morning when you get up and you want to go out, you're like reborn. There's a lot to it, you know. Plus it's defensive. You have to crouch down to go through, so if you're a bad person going in there to do damage, somebody can wait for you on the other side and conk you on the head.''
http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096412894

Another shade of green: Tribes tap into golf
Minnesota: More and more American Indian tribes are venturing into the golf course business. There are more than 50 tribal-owned courses in 16 states, and another 20 or so are planned.   New tribal courses are routinely named on must-play lists of leading golf magazines. "The native tribes that own casinos are realizing that you have to have something more than just a casino to bring guests in," said Henry Boulley, a member of Michigan's Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa. "When Native American tribes put up a course next to their resort, they don't put up just a run-of-the-mill course," he added. This year, the Native American Cup golf tournament will be held on the Sault Ste Marie course. The NAC will use the funds it raises to award college scholarships to Native American students.
Native American Cup: http://www.nativeamericancup.org
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/business/14397973.htm

Arrow throwers carry on tradition
Montana: Instead of it's annual spring Powwow, the American Indian Cultural Association at Rocky Mountain College hosted an arrow-throwing tournament. Arrow throwing is a traditional Crow sport in which men throw handmade arrows at a target arrow jabbed into the ground. The men take two strides and hurl the arrow, somewhat like a javelin. Seniors throw 40 yards; youth 18 and under throw 38 yards. Throwers are awarded points for the arrow that lands closest to the target, and points are added for level of difficulty, such as landing an arrow shaft-to-shaft, feather-to-feather and perfectly parallel with the target. Depending on a host's rules, if the thrower's arrow splits the shaft of the target arrow, he receives extra points and could win the tournament. Eynard Left Hand, who has been throwing arrows for more than 50 years, has never seen an arrow ricochet off the other shafts. It's kind of a mystery, he said, how the arrows always find ground, sometimes with a "clack" as they hit other shafts. "Maybe it's the eagle feathers," he said. "But it never bounces off; it just sticks in the middle." Arrow Throwing is commonplace across the Crow reservation, said Janine Pease from RMC. Families have throwing areas carefully paced out and will invite groups to compete on any given weekend. Arrow throwing is exclusively for men. Traditionally, women are not allowed even to touch the arrows; instead, they watch the competition and prepare the food, an expected part of every competition.
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/04/23/news/local/43-arrows_m.txt

2009 games will play up tribes' past
Colorado: In July 2009, the first Native American Indian Historical Games will be held in Parker. The 5-day event will offer U.S. tribes a unique chance to reconnect with their heritage and a chance to accurately portray how their tribes lived and played. "This is an opportunity for us to describe who we are, where we came from," said Ken Klaudt, an elder in the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara tribes, and commissioner of the games.
Among the schedules games:
Wrestling alligators;
Catching arrows in flight;
Throwing a tomahawk from a galloping horse;
Fishing with spears;
Buffalo robe keepaway.
Organizers hope to have 560 tribes represented at the games. Klaudt envisions the event drawing 150,000 visitors. The games will also become a major musical event. Klaudt, 62, is a member of the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame and several of his friends including Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton and the Oak Ridge Boys are expected to perform during the five-day event. "We'll have exciting historical Indian games during the day, and good old country and gospel music at night," Klaudt said.
http://www.denverpost.com/portlet/article/html/fragments/print_article.jsp?article=3663948

Salt River community to host basketball invitational
Arizona: This year the Native American Basketball Invitational tournament will be hosted by The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. Sponsored by Nike, the NABI is the largest all-Native tournament in North America. It's sole purposed is to create college scholarship opportunities for American Indian High School athletes. 'We are using basketball as a tool to encourage Native youth to pursue higher education,'' said Mark West, vice president of player programs for the Phoenix Suns and NABI co-founder. ''Their exceptional talent and passion for the game make them prime candidates for scholarship opportunities but, due to the demographics of most reservations, they do not always get to show off their talents to college recruiters.'' 'The NABI tournament will host 64 tribal teams from the United States and Canada. Championship games will be played at the U.S. Airways Center and televised live on KAZ-TV, which reaches 75% of the Arizona market. ''Having the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community as our title sponsor brings endless opportunities for both the tribe, NABI and our Native youth,'' said Gina Marie Scarpa-Mabry, co-founder and organizer of NABI. ''We look forward to growing with them.''
Native American Basketball Invitational: http://www.nabihoops.com/
http://indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096412849

Volume 3

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