Native Village
Youth and Education News
September 1, 2006 Issue 171 Volume 1
""Popular culture seems to represent Native Americans as these
mythical beings of the past, and the Heritage month activities are trying to break down those stereotypes. People should
know that we aren't a monolithic group of people. We are comedians, authors, singers, and our cultures are very much
alive today." Nickole Fox
Trail
honors Arapaho, Cheyenne ancestors killed in massacre
Colorado:
Arapaho and Cheyenne tribal members are celebrating the creation of the Sand
Creek Massacre Trail to remember their ancestors murdered by the U.S. soldiers.
On the morning of Nov. 29, 1864, members of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes
camping along Big Sandy Creek were attacked by Col. John Chivington and his 800
militia troops. Most Indian men were away hunting and had left their women,
children and the elderly in the camp. An estimated 150 Arapaho and Cheyenne
were killed, and less than a dozen soldiers died. A later investigation
concluded that the Indians were "surprised and murdered, in cold blood," but
neither Chivington nor his men were ever punished. Gail Ridgley is a Northern
Arapaho whose ancestor, Lame Man, survived the Sand Creek Massacre. "This
[trail] is about historical and educational awareness and about the spiritual
healing of the Cheyenne and Arapaho people," she said. " This is to memorialize
and remember those who fell innocently at Sand Creek to memorialize because
they're still there, and the trauma is still there."
Photo:
Black Head, Cheyenne and Sand Creek Survivor
©
Western History Collections, University of Oklahoma Library
http://www.examiner.com/a-224515~Trail_honors_Arapaho__Cheyenne_ancestors_killed_in_massacre.html
Native
American artists gather to support Karuk sacred dance house
California: Approximately 100 people attended the Folklife Festival’s “Native
Traditions” performance. The event was held to raise funds for rebuilding the
Karuk tribal dance house, called Kaatimiin, that burned down last month. The
tribe and law enforcement are looking for the arsonists. “You could say it is
akin to burning down a church," said Patrick Cleary. "The FBI is involved and
they are estimating $50,000 or $60,000 for rebuilding.” The Festival's theater
was nearly filled to capacity, and the performers were eager to provide
spiritual support for those mourning the loss of the dance house. Tickets were
sold at $10, and the Folklife Society donated at least $1,000 to the rebuilding
of the Karuk dance house. Performances included traditional drum, poetry
reading, storytelling and song performances. Cleary said that they have seen a
groundswell of support from both native and nonnative individuals.
Donation information:
http://listserv.arizona.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0607&L=ilat&T=0&P=4717
Photo: Kaatimiin Remains, www. Eurekareporter.com
http://www.eurekareporter.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ArticleID=13151
106-year-old's birthday gala stirs many
memories
Oklahoma:- Martha Berryhill shared her 106th birthday with family and friends.
The oldest living Creek Indian patiently listened to many of the same comments
she heard on her 100th birthday party through the 105th party. But then a
stranger sat down to wish her "happy birthday" in the Creek language. That
stranger was Chanenna Davis, a fluent Tewa speaker from the tribe's higher
education department. Hearing her native language, Martha began sharing
stories. "Oh, she says she was in boarding school in Eufaula, but then her
father, the minister, became ill," Davis said, interpreting Berryhill's native
language. Berryhill wasn't finished and motioned to Davis that she had more to
say. "She had to come home to take care of her father, and she never got to
finish school," Davis translated. When a 100-year-old photo was produced,
Martha excitedly pointed. "That's my sister, she went to the Haskell Institute.
And that's me. My mother made me wear that," Berryhill said of the little girl,
about age 4, with a cloth barrette in her hair. Berryhill was born July 12,
1900. She was 18 months old when she was added to the Dawes Rolls -- No. 9671 --
and allotted land from the federal government. Now Martha lives with her
85-year-old daughter, Ruby Mauk, in an Okmulgee home purchased for them by the
Creek Nation. The tribe provides the women assistance with cleaning and
errands, but breakfast remains Martha's domain. "She cooks her own breakfast
almost every morning: scrambled eggs, toast and sausage gravy," Mauk said. "She
eats real good. There's nothing wrong with her appetite."
http://www.tulsaworld.com/NewsStory.asp?ID=060713_Ne_A1_106ye
Tsimshian Historic Cultural Event 2007
Alaska: In August, 2007, the Tsimshian Tribe of Metlakatla will participate in
Tsimshians at Sea, a celebrations of their historic trade routes.
Haida,Tsimshian , and other Native carvers and artists are planning to build 14
traditional canoes to travel to the ice edge of the Arctic Circle where they
traded with the Makah Tribe. Their travels will also extend along the California
Coast to seek the abalone shells used in Tsimshian Regalia, headdresses and
Tsimshian Button Blankets. The carvers and artists hope their efforts will
revive the art of canoe-building among tribal members. "There's all kinds of
sentiment involved," explains Jeff Smith, a Makah tribal member. "The real
meaning of the canoe journey is at getting healthy — physical is only a part of
it — but it will be recorded, documented, filmed, photographed and placed on
CDs."
For more information, contact Eli Milton at:
jadesign1@comcast.netor
terrancehboothsr@gmail.co
Photo: Tsimshian Button Blanket © Anchorage Museum Association.
Nativeshare
Longest-serving Gwich'in chief dies at
96
Northwest Territory: Hyacinthe Andre, a respected Gwich'in elder in the
Mackenzie Delta region of the Northwest Territories, recently passed away at age
96. Andre led the Gwichya Gwich'in of Tsiigehtchic from 1942 to 1980.
Gwich'in Tribal Council president Fred Carmichael described Andre as one of the
last remaining traditional leaders. "The youth wanted a youth centre,"
Carmichael recalled, "and Andre said, 'Okay you want a hall? Okay, you come
with me,' and he got them to cut some logs. Today, too many people want
everything on a silver platter but that wasn't his way."
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2006/08/23/north-hyacinthe.html
New Orleans' Black Indians visit
Flagstaff
Arizona: Members of the Mardi Gras Tribe of New Orleans traveled to northern
Arizona to share their culture with other tribes.
The group included adult and youth drummers, dancers and storytellers. Ashton
Ramsey, a 71 year-old storyteller and historian, recalled the history that gave
birth to the Black Indians of New Orleans. "Native Americans and slaves got
together in Congo Square on Sundays. That was the slaves' only day off," Ramsey
said. "They sold dresses, beadwork and headscarves. They jumped the broom [the
marriage ceremony practiced by slaves]. The Native Americans taught us their
culture, and we taught them ours." As the cultures combined, local native
tribes took in escaped slaves. "Native people received us, offering freedom,"
said Reverend Bill Carson. "We aligned ourselves with Native Americans."
Radmilla Cody, former Miss Navajo Nation, also met and performed for the Black
Indians. Cody herself is of Navajo and African American ancestry. "This is an
honor to hear your beautiful voices," Cody said. She shared her experiences of
being a member of two cultures. "When I was with Black folks, I wanted to
please them. I was criticized for being Navajo. When I was with the Navajo, I
was criticized for being Black. In our society the women carry on the clan."
Cody continued, "One day I decided to participate in the Miss Navajo pageant.
It is not a beauty pageant. It is a contest based on culture and Navajo ways. I
butchered a sheep for my skill. I am proud to be who I am. I have embraced
womanhood in a way that I know who I am. Yes, I have had adversity in my life,
but I carry the positive." The Mardi Gras Tribe of New Orleans met with
several groups and other tribes during their recent visit. The cultural
exchange visit was coordinated by Jacob Devaney and Elizabeth Newman, Arizona
White Buffalo Children's Foundation.
http://www.navajohopiobserver.com/print.asp?ArticleID=5050&SectionID=29&SubSectionID=41
Landmark decision for Canadian
indigenous community
Ontario: A remote northern Ontario Aboriginal community won the first step in a
legal suit protecting their land and mineral rights. The Kitchenuhmaykoosib
Inninuwug counter sued the Platinex Company which, in turn, was suing the tribe
to accept $10,000,000,000 so PC could mine platinum on KI traditional territory.
Judge GP Smith of the Ontario Superior Court agreed that the land has huge
cultural and spiritual importance for the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug. The
landmark decision represents one of the most important victories empowering
Aboriginal communities in Ontario's judicial history. Any mining by Platinex
would have to be agreed to in negotiations.
H-Amindian Listserve
Settlement reached in Indian burial site
Washington: Washington state will pay more than $17,000,000 to tribal and local
officials for disturbing an ancient American Indian village and burial ground in
Port Angeles. In 2003, work on a bridge construction yard stopped after human
remains were discovered. Construction resumed less than a year later, but was
halted for good in December 2004. More than 350 skeletal remains and numerous
Indian artifacts eventually were found at the site, where Lower Elwha Klallam
members had lived in a village called Tse-whit-zen.
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/15274953.htm
Proposed Bill Would Allow For Discovered Ancient Remains To Be Studied
A federal law protecting American Indian graves could soon be amended to allow
scientific study of ancient remains. Those remains must be
discovered on federal lands and not tied to a current tribe in North America.
The bill, introduced by Senator Doc Hastings, R-Wash., is a result of the
Kennewick Man discovery. Kennewick Man is among the oldest complete skeletons
found in North America. For nine years, Indian tribes and researchers battled
over rights to the 9,300-year-old remains before a federal court sided with the
scientists and allowed them to study the bones. Hastings's bill counters
efforts in the Senate that would prevent ancient remains from being studied in
the future. He cited a case in Nevada where tribal leaders have filed suit
against the government to rebury the Spirit Cave Man remains, believed to be
more than 10,000 years old.
H-Amindian Listserve
Scientific research, Cherokee tales of
'little people' give clues about our world
The term “multiverse,” a universe with many dimensions, describes the ideas of
unseen dimensions within our world and solar system. Some scientists who study
this phenomena agree the Cherokee legends of the little people fit into this
research. Ancient Cherokee stories from the Smokey Mountain and Appalachian
Mountains include accounts of “Yunwi Tsunsdi.” or “the little people.” The
Yunwi Tsunsdi are sometimes called spirits, and other times are small human-like
people, about two feet to four feet tall. They may choose to remain invisible,
but at times will reveal themselves. According to legend, these little people
can be kind and helpful, especially to children, and can also play tricks on
people. They may be dangerous if a human intrudes on them, and they are able to
confuse human minds. They live close to nature, in the forests and mountains.
They are spiritual and try to teach humans about kindness, joy and respect. The
little people also like to dance to rhythmic drumming and music. Are these
Cherokee legends true? Did the native people of North America and ancient
people elsewhere have contact similar to this? Some stories, legends and other
indications say yes, and it is important that scientists listen. Other dimensions, other planets,
the existence of other civilizations, the membranes and veils separating our
reality from other fields in a multiverse are all worthy endeavors of research.
www.legalbrief.co.za/
Ex-Post editor writes biography of
female Indian chief
Oklahoma: Alice BrownDavis was the first female Indian chief of the Seminole
tribe. Her older brother, John F. Brown, preceded her as chief. Published 50
years ago, the last major account of Seminole history hardly mentioned Brown and
Davis. Now Pulitzer Prize winner Vance Trimble has written a biography of them
called "Alice and J.F.B." Brown was chief from 1885-1919 and died in office.
Davis became chief in 1922, but was fired in 1924 after President Warren G.
Harding asked her to sign away Indian land. She regained the position after
three appointees also refused to sign away the land. "I wanted to use as much
information necessary to show how these people were living, breathing humans and
the triumphs and tragedies that they encountered," said Trimble, a past editor
of the Kentucky Post. Trimble sifted through diaries and photographs, pored over
memoirs, letters, and government records, and spent time with 100 sources and
relatives. "You have to create the person and know everything about them," he
said.
http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060705/NEWS01/607050367&template=printpicart
The 2005 Mexican Conteo (Count)
The 2005 Mexican Conteo (Count) has been published. Compared with the 2000
Mexican Censo, the new count indicates a decline in the numbers of Mexican
citizens who speak indigenous languages: from
6,044,547
in
2000
to
6,011,202
in
2005.
This represented a drop from
7.2%
to
6.7%.
for indigenous speakers 5 years and older.
|
Most spoken languages, number of speakers, and percentage of all indigenous speakers: |
|
|
1. Náhuatl: 1,376,026;
22.89% 2. Maya: 759,000 speakers; 12.63% 3. Mixtec Languages: 423,216; 7.04% |
4. Zapotec Languages:
410,901; 6.84% 5. Tzeltal: 371,730; 6.18% 6. Tzotzil: 329,937; 5.49% 7. Otomí: 239,850; 3.99% |
| The states with the largest number of indigenous speakers and percentages of that state's population: | |
|
1. Oaxaca: 1,091,502
speakers; 35.3% 2. Yucatán: 538,355 speakers, 33.5% 3. Chiapas: 957,255 speakers; 26.1% 4. Quintana Roo: 170,982 speakers' 19.3% 5. Hidalgo: 320,029 speakers; 15.5% |
6. Guerrero: 383,427
speakers; 14.2% 7. Campeche: 89,084 speakers; 13.3% 8. Puebla: 548,723 speakers; 11.7% 9. San Luis Potosí: 234,815 speakers; 11.1% 10. Veracruz: 605,135 – 9.5% |
| Several important Mayan tongues in Chiapas increased between the 2000 Censo and the 2005 Conteo.. The five most widely spoken languages of Chiapas are: | |
|
1. Tzeltal: 362,658
indigenous speakers ; 37.9% of the state’s indigenous population) 2. Tzotzil: 320,921 indigenous speakers; 33.5% |
3. Chol: 161,794
speakers;16.9% 4. Zoque: 43,936 speakers ; 4.6% 5. Tojolabal: 42,798; 4.5% |
IndigenousNewsDigest
Goodyear Man & the Zuni language
New Mexico: When Curtis Cook, 67, studied linguistics in the mid-1960s, he set
out to create a Zuni version of the Bible. But he quickly realized the language
didn't have a written form. So he turned his attention to a more basic task:
creating a Zuni alphabet and putting the language into writing. "I became
concerned that many of their old stories and the richness of their history would
be lost to posterity as the elders, who were the storytellers, began to die
off," Cook said. The elders who helped him were all older than 100 when Cook
began his work. Today Cook's work enables the Zunis to teach their written
language to students in the reservation's K-12 schools. The Zuni language is
everywhere -- even on street signs. Recently, the Library of Congress
discovered Curtis Cook on the Internet. Now, after 15 years of Cook's life and
work, they have asked Cook for his boxes of research -- the origins of the
written Zuni language. The Library plans to preserve the work and make the
traditional Zuni stories more widely available. By the year's end, the Curtis
Cook Collection is expected to be inducted into the Library of Congress'
American Folklife Center. The collection will include tapes, transcriptions,
learning guides and some Zuni publications.
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0713Zuni0712.htm
l
Native
Village is published with the generous help and support of friends, listserves, and online publications.
Without you, Native Village would not exist. Megwich to you all.
To join our mailing list and receive news update
reminders, send email address to: NativeVillage500@aol.com
To contact Native Village staff, email: NativeVillage500@aol.com
Native Village Linking Policy
Our research, study and resource collections cover a lot of Internet territory! We do our best to screen all links and
select only those we designate "kidsafe" and appropriate. However, Native Village does not control the content
found on third-party sites, so we are not always aware when content changes. If you discover a link that contains
inappropriate information, please contact us immediately. In addition, please be aware that each linked site
maintains its own independent data collection, policies and procedures. If you visit a Web site linked
from Native
Village, you should consult that site's privacy policy before providing it with any personal information.
For more information about keeping kids safe online, please read about the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act
(COPPA).In accordance with Title 17
U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment for
non-profit research, archival, news, and educational purposes only.
Native Village © Gina Boltz
All rights reserved
