Native Village
Youth and Education News
March 1, 2006 Issue 165 Volume 1
"Laughter is a necessity in life that does not cost much, and the Old Ones say that one of the greatest healing powers in our life is the ability to laugh." Larry P. Aitken, Chippewa
Nez
Perce Youth Reclaim Bison Hunting Tradition
Montana: An 1855 treaty with the Nez Perce gave the U.S. thousands of acres of
land. That same treaty gave the Nez Perce the right to "forever" hunt buffalo on
the tribe's hunting grounds. However, with tragic declines in both the bison
and tribe's populations, the Nez Perce buffalo hunts ended in the 19th century.
This year, those hunts resumed. On Feb. 4, 2006, 17-year-old Justin Gould
became the first Nez Perce Indian in 140 years to shoot a buffalo on his tribe's
ancestral hunting lands. "There was so much adrenaline, I had to wait to make
sure my hands didn't shake," Gould said. " I wanted to make sure I got a good
shot." It wasn't only a good shot; it was a historic shot. It was called a
"great day for Indian people" by the hunt's quality control officer. " I pray
that we will be able to connect with our past," he said. " I pray for our
future, that this will be taken in a good way and not a negative way. I hope
people can learn by having our children at the forefront of something historic.
This is a day that can never be taken away from them, something they'll take
when they meet their maker and will be able to report to their ancestors and
make them proud."
H-Amindian List serve
Running down through the centuries: The Hopi way
Arizona: Today Hopi runners are traveling 2,000 miles to the 4th World Water
Forum in Mexico City this month. They carry jubilant messages about Black Mesa
Trust forcing the worlds' largest coal company to stop pumping and polluting
Hopi Water for their business. They are also honoring 19 Hopi leaders
imprisoned at Alcatraz in 1895. The Hopi had refused to let the government take
their children to schools for the "civilizing" process.
History of Hopi Runners
For centuries Hopi men and boys have run back and forth from mesa-top pueblos to
their cornfields 500 feet below;
Running is a part of many Hopi ceremonies; it is connected with bringing
life-giving rain to the land;
Before horses, Hopi hunters ran great distances at great speeds to capture game;
Running was also a way to carry messages long distances. In 1903, Charlie
Talawepi ran a message from Orabi to Keams Canyon. The round-trip distance was
72 miles. He ran it in 36 hours.
At the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, Hopi runners carried messages to nearby pueblos
that called all warriors to battle. The pueblos defeated the Spanish
Missionaries;
In 1912, Louis Tewanima won an Olympic silver medal for distance running;
In 1927, Hopi runner Nicholas Quamawahu won the Long Beach - New York marathon.
http://indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096412461
Navajo Sees Miss USA Pageant as Step in Her Journey
New Mexico: Owana Lacy will wear the Miss New Mexico sash during this year's
Miss USA contest. Owana, who is half Anglo and half Navajo, is the first member
of the Navajo Nation to compete in the Miss USA pageant. The University of New
Mexico student says the Miss USA contest is another step in her journey to learn
about herself through the pageant stage. Raised mostly with her non-Navajo
relatives, Lacy longed to understand her Indian side, and took elementary Navajo
as a language credit in high school. "Being biracial, it has been a struggle for
me to know who I am," Lacy said. "That is when I really thought of pageantry as
an avenue to learn the language and culture." Lacy entered several contests
and won 2003's Miss Indian World pageant, the most prestigious contest in Indian
Country. After her reign was over, she decided to enter mainstream pageants
where she earned the Miss New Mexico title. Now she is preparing for the Miss
USA pageant. "Being the first Native American Miss New Mexico USA has really
opened my eyes to the lack of knowledge of Native American culture in mainstream
America," Lacy said. If Lacy wins, she'll make national history as the first
American Indian Miss USA. "I want to enlighten people about how we live on a
day-to-day basis and share that cultural knowledge," Lacy said. The Miss USA
Pageant will be televised on April 21. Following her reign as either Miss New
Mexico or Miss USA, Lacy will return to UNM and study law.
IndigenousNewsNetwork
Sacred Run from California to Washington, DC
California: The Sacred Run has its roots in Native tradition of running to
share knowledge and join in partnership. On February 11, runners and supporters
gathered on Alcatraz, then rallied at DQ-University, before beginning a
3-month Sacred Run to Washington, DC. This Sacred Run promotes the need to
honor and protect the sacred relationship between Mother Earth and all other
living things. “I am running for my loved ones and family, and to represent my
people and where I come from," said 20-year-old Greg Feather of the PIt River
Nation. The Sacred Run includes people from many Native nations, states and
foreign countries including Japan, Ireland and Australia. Runners will cover 12
states and many Native communities before arriving in Washington, DC on Earth
Day, April 22, 2006. Sacred Runs have taken place in CA, Alaska, Minnesota,
North and South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona, Kansas, Ohio, Indiana,
Kentucky, Ireland, Scotland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Russia,
Japan and other places.
IndigenousNewsNetwork
Oldest moccasin in Canada found in Yukon ice patch
Yukon: A 1,400-year old moccasin has been discovered in a Yukon ice patch.
"This is truly an amazing discovery," said Elaine Taylor, Tourism and Culture
Minister. "It is a significant addition to the wealth of archaeological
artifacts that have been found at Yukon ice patches. We are pleased that work
being done in partnership with our department and six First Nations has produced
an artifact of such importance." Named "The Ice Patch Moccasin," it's Canada's
oldest moccasin and was found in 2003 by Cody Joe of the Champagne and Aishihik
First Nations."We are delighted that it was one of our young people who found
their ancestor's belonging," said Chief James Allen said. "This project gives
our young people a sense of belonging and a clear connection to their
ancestors." At first, researchers thought the pieces were a hunting bag. They
kept it frozen until Conservator Valery Monahan could clean and assemble the
pieces. After 240 hours of painstaking work, Monahan realized the pieces
formed a moccasin.
Ice Patch Moccasin - Background
The moccasin is 1440 +/- 40 years old, making it the oldest known moccasin found
in Canada;
It is approximately 1,200 years older than known examples of early Yukon
footwear;
The Ice Patch Moccasin is among an extremely few pre-European worked-hide
objects found in Canada. Most other examples relate to ancestral the Inuit
culture;
All "early" Yukon moccasins date from after European trade/contact, so they may
have European materials and designs. This moccasin clearly pre-dates any
European trade or contact.
The moccasin is even rarer as it comes from the boreal forest;
It was likely made and worn by early Athapaskan people;
The moccasin is the first sewn hide object to be found in an ice patch.
http://www.aborinews.com/contenu/bulletin/bulletin.asp?cat=CommuniquesEn&id=1430
Ancient blubber gives scientists something to chew on
Alaska: Last summer Douglas Henry found a slab of mangtak -- whale blubber
with skin -- in a food cache. The 27-year-old Gambell resident knew it was old,
but he never imaged its actual age. Thanks to help from carbon dating, the
blubber is estimated to be 1030-1070 years old. "I thought it might have been
500 or so years old, but over 1,000 -- that's quite amazing," Henry said.
Henry found the blubber, a 24-inch x 24-inch x 10-inch-thick slab, about 8-10
feet down. The meat was encased in 6 feet of firm ice. "It took me three days
of chipping the ice away to get to it," he said. Whaling captain Merlin
Koonooka was not surprised at the blubber's age since some whaling harpoons have
been dated to be 2,000 years old. "We've told people from outside that we've
been doing this for a long time. Now we have good proof for that claim."
Koonooka said. "We're trying to save our subsistence way, our way of whaling.
It's our way of life. This dating proves that we have done this for a very
long time."
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/7467551p-7377824c.html
Indians Honor Colonial-Era Tribal Leader
Brazil: The Guarani Indians were the dominant people in southern Brazil,
Paraguay, Bolivia and northern Argentina before Europeans invasion. Recently,
thousands of them marched 900 miles to Rio De Janeiro where, in 1756, chief Sepe
Tiaraju was killed by Portuguese and Spanish soldiers. Upon their arrival,
Guarani marchers called for the "resurrection" of their nations. The marchers
also carried signs saying "Our forefathers illuminate our path for the
recuperation of the Guarani land" and "Memory and resistance."
H-Amindian Listserve
Oldest Cree man passes away
Quebec: Matthew Coon Come Sr., the oldest known Quebec Cree man and one of
Canada's oldest citizens, recently passed away. Matthew, who was 114, is the
grandfather of Matthew Coon Come, former head of the Assembly of First
Nations. Julie Winnefred Bertrand, born Sept. 16, 1891, is the oldest living
Canadian and sixth oldest person in the world.
http://www.cbc.ca/north/story/cree-elder-old-16022006.html
Coeur d'Alene tribal elder dies at 104
Idaho: Ann Antelope Samuels, the eldest member of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, has
died at age 104. Samuels was born on April 18, 1901 at Lake Chatcole before the
U.S. removed the tribe from their homelands on the lake. The tribal schools'
yearly "Antelope Run," which honors past Coeur d'Alene long distance runners,
was named for Samuel's grandfather, Chief Morris Antelope. Ann launched each run
by presenting a staff for the lead runner to pass in a the 31-mile relay.
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/02/10/news/state/85-elder-dies.txt
PERU: Uncontacted Indians flee as loggers invade
Peru: Illegal loggers in Purús National Park are causing large numbers of
uncontacted Indians to flee their traditional territories. Included are the Piro
Indians, who have been forced across the border into Brazilian territory
occupied by isolated Brazilian tribes. FUNAI officials (Brazil's department of
Indian affairs) worry that the Piro may contact diseases for which they have no
resistance. FUNAI also worries about conflicts among the isolated tribes who
are now competing for resources. According to José Carlos Meirelles from FUNAI,
illegal loggers and settlers are rapidly invading and destroying what was once
"an untouched sanctuary and refuge for uncontacted peoples. " Officials believe
the Piro have about 300 members and move around to satisfy their hunting needs.
The three uncontacted Indian groups on the Brazilian side of the border are not
nomadic and live in large malocas and plant crops in gardens. They too have
suffered from periodic invasion of their land, and in June 2000 shot at a group
of uncontacted Indians in the Alto Tarauaca river, killing one of them
http://www.survival-international.org/news.php?id=1403
Ancient Tongue Linked to Aztec Past
California: Although he's lived in California for 15 years, David Vazquez still
speaks and teaches his native language, Nahuatl. Nahuatl, (NAH-wa-tl, with the
‘l’ nearly silent), was spoken by the ancient Aztecs. It's still spoken in
different forms by more than 25,000 Mexican immigrants in the U.S. and 1,000,000
people in central Mexico. For Vazquez and his students, learning the language
is a way to link themselves to Mexico's core. "Promoting this language helps
preserve my culture," he said. "This is our mother tongue and offers a direct
route to express yourself and understand the culture." More Mexican Americans
in Southern California are learning the language "as a journey to their past,"
said Lupe Lopez, from the Indigenous Peoples Alliance, an organization that
offers the classes. Books are being published in Nahuatl and classes are
offered throughout Southern California, she said.
Los Angeles Times
Census report offers insight into Native American life today
In the Census 2000 report:
More people
claiming American Indian heritage identify with the Cherokees than
any other tribe;
4,300,000 people, (1.5% of the total U.S. population) reported they were
American Indian and Alaska Native;
Of those. 2,447,989 (1%) reported ONLY American Indian or Alaska Native status;
302,569 of those reporting NA/AN status report they are Cherokee;
276,775 of those reporting NA/AN status report they are Navajo;
40,487 of those reporting NA/AN status report they are Creek;
Those who claim themselves as Native and another ethnic group(s) shows
875,000 part Cherokees and
310,000 part-Navajos.
--- 33% of AI/AN population are under age
18, (26% of the total population);
12.4% of the total population was 65 and older;
The median age is 29 years for AI/AN compares to the national median of 35 years;
---AI/AN had a higher percentage of single parent households than the total
population;
More than 25% of Sioux, Pueblo, and Navajo households are maintained by women
with no husband present;
42% of Eskimo households were married-couple families;
31% of Alaskan Athabascan households were married couple families.
---72% of AI/AN individuals 5 years and older spoke only English at home;
18% spoke a language other than English at home, yet spoke English “very well”;
10% spoke a language other than English at home and spoke English less than
“very well;”
More than 90% of Cherokee, Chippewa, Creek, Iroquois, Lumbee, and Tlingit- Haida
spoke only English at home;
25% of Navajo spoke a non-English language at home and spoke English less than
“very well”;
91% of Haida spoke only English at home;
53% of Eskimo spoke only English at home.
---71%
of American Indians and Alaska Natives
25 and older had at least a high
school education, compared with 80%
of the total population.
11% of the AI/AN population had at least a bachelor’s degree, compared with 24%
of all people.
---The labor force participation rate for AI/AN men is 66% compared to 71% for
all men;
The labor force participation rate for AI/AN women is 57%, compared to 58% for all
women.
IndigenousNewsNetwork
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