Native Village
Youth and Education News
December 1, 2007 Issue 182 Volume 1
"The hearts of little children are pure, therefore, the Great Spirit may show to
them many things which older people miss." Black Elk (Hehaka
Sapa) Oglala Lakota
Appeals
Court Plans Unexpected Review of Native American Religious Freedom Ruling
California: The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will hold an 11-judge review
of a critical decision involving the rights of Native American tribes' sacred
lands. The case involves the U.S. Forest Service and Arizona Snowbowl Resort.
In March, a three-judge court panel voted to block the resort's plan to extended
the skiing season by using reclaimed wastewater to make snow. Several tribes,
including the Hopi and Navajo, sued to protect their sacred mountains. While
they lost in the district court, they won on the same appeal that will now be
reviewed. Oral arguments will take place in Pasadena, Calif., on Dec. 11. Hopi Tribal Chairman Benjamin H. Nuvamsa is disappointed that the federal court
would review the case. The Peaks are sacred to Hopi and many of the surrounding
tribes. They are home to the Katsinam, spirits of Hopi ancestors.
H-Amindian Listserve
Native Americans Hold Annual Sunrise Ceremony at Alcatraz
California: Almost 1,000 Native Americans and supporters gathered on Alcatraz
Island for their annual Thanksgiving Sunrise Ceremony. The event honors the
birth of the modern American Indian civil rights movement. AIM earned national
attention when San Francisco State students occupied the abandoned prison site
in 1969 and 1970. "We consider it relighting the fire of Indian survival,
Indian resistance here in this hemisphere. To remind people that first of all,
John Wayne didn't kill us all. That we're still alive, distinct cultures that
are thriving here in America,” explained Bill Means, Lakota. Means credits
the Alcatraz protest as the first in a world-wide movement that's still alive
today. "It started out here as a small spark, a small fire of resistance and
survival. It's now become a worldwide movement of indigenous people culminated
by the recent declaration that was recently passed at the United Nations."
Listen to an interview with Bill Means:
http://www.kcbs.com/Native-Americans-Hold-Annual-Sunrise-Ceremony-at-A/1242263
Watch a previous Thanksgiving at Alcatraz:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHkzdRdU7G8
http://www.kcbs.com
Save
Our Oaks... off with the fence
California: The Memorial Grove Tree-Sit is nearly one-year old, the longest
ongoing urban tree-sit protest in history. Along with tree-sitters, 50 people
held a protest and prayer vigil by the sacred oaks on the UC Berkeley campus.
The protestors lit candles, burned sage and demanded that the trees be preserved
to honor the Ohlone people and their ancestors. The Memorial Grove is a native
California Coast Live Oak ecosystem, a National Historic Site, and a memorial to
Californians who died in World War I. UC Berkeley plans a stadium expansion that
would destroy the trees, while the stadium itself is built over a Native
American burial ground. UCB has erected a chain link fence around the area
pending a court case which will determine expansion plans. In the meantime,
police arrested three people during the protest.
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/11/15/18461299.php
As Year's End Nears, Disappointment
Virginia: Leaders from Virginia's state-recognized tribes donned their regalia
and offered their annual Thanksgiving tribute to the governor. The gift of fish
and game honors a 1646 treaty with Britain that gave them their reservation
lands. Today only two tribes, the Pamunkey and Mattaponi, have been allowed to
keep their lands. None of the tribes have gained federal recognition. "First to
greet. Last to be recognized..." is their rallying cry. Federal recognition is
difficult, if not impossible, for many tribes. The Bureau of Indian Affairs
requires tribes to have piles of documents and genealogies proving they were
here when Europeans invaded. That's 400 years for Virginia Indians. "The
procedures put in place were so stringent, they were designed to limit the
groups that could come in," said historian Mark E. Miller. Federal recognition
would provide federal funds for housing, health care and development and enable
children to apply for Native scholarships. They could also petition the U.S. to
return their ancestors' bones for a respectful burial, something only
federally-recognized tribes can do. While Virginia tribes have appealed to
Congress, powerful figures such as Sen. John McCain argue that lawmakers do not
have the expertise to decide. Congress is nearly unapproachable since the Jack Abramoff scandal sent lobbyists to jail for defrauding Indian tribes.
Meanwhile, some are calling the lack of recognition "bureaucratic genocide."
"You're left feeling that this is all kind of superficial, from the Indian point
of view. Like we were used one more time. You feel like in 2008, they might
just forget about us again." Chief Ann Richardson, Rappahannock
"Broken promises to Indians. The cycle does repeat itself, doesn't it?" Chief Ken
Adams, Upper Mattaponi
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/22/AR2007112201416_pf.html
By the year 2020 there will be no indigenous population in India
I
India: The world's Indigenous communities and their resources are being
exploited by development and governments. Most mega projects have forced
people, especially tribal communities, to leave their natural habitats. In
India, if indigenous people oppose or resist the intrusions, their actions are
viewed as anti-state activity. For example:
Tribal settlements in Chhattisgarh are forced to move into makeshift camps
guarded by militia. Those who oppose are booked under an extremely harsh law,
the Chhattisgarh Special Security Act, 2006;
Indigenous communities in northeast India also face extermination and forced
"civilization". The opposition has been so strong that it has spiraled out of
control;
The Narmada dam project submerged the homes of thousands of people, forcing them
to relocate to new areas.
Soon, the term "indigenous community" in India might be a misnomer. As things
stand now, the fate of India's indigenous people is quite certain. They will be
wiped out.
http://www.ahrchk.net/statements/mainfile.php/2007statements/1145
Ancient Temple Unearthed in Peru
Peru: A 4,000-year-old clay temple has been unearthed on the northern coast of
Peru. Located in Lambayeque, the Temple is inside a larger ruin. It includes a
staircase that leads up to an altar used for fire worship. The Temple is also
filled with murals that are fascinating experts. "What's surprising are the
construction methods, the architectural design and most of all the existence of
murals that could be the oldest in the Americas," said Walter Alva, who led the
dig. Peru is rich in archaeological treasures. Until Spanish invasion in the
1500s, the Incas had ruled an empire for several centuries. That empire
stretched from today's Colombia and Ecuador to Peru and Chile. "The discovery of
this temple reveals evidence suggesting the region of Lambayeque was one of
great cultural exchange between the Pacific coast and the rest of Peru," said
Alva. Archaeologists say the temple find is among the oldest finds in the
Americas.
http://news.aol.com/story/a/ancient-temple-unearthed-in-peru/20071111160209990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001
Visitors guide puts history in hand
South Carolina: South Carolina is brimming with Native American sites, from
shell rings on the coast to Cherokee towns in the mountains. Now a new visitors
guide will feature the state’s Native American culture. “It’s time for us to
come out of hiding,” said Will Goins from the Eastern Cherokee/Southern Iroquois
United Tribe. “We are among the few states that don’t celebrate Native American
Indian heritage with something like this." Besides educating others, the tribes
hope to benefit from tourism. “This is just the first step to show the
potential," Goins said. "It’s something that is helping to create a niche
market.” Natives lived in South Carolina at least 13,000 years ago and possibly
much earlier. When Europeans invaded, disease and war nearly wiped out some
tribes. Others were forced from their homelands. But remnants of many tribes
persevered. Today, South Carolina has one federally recognized tribe, the
Catawbas, and 11 tribes or groups recognized by the state.
View a map of South Carolina's Native sites:
http://maps.google.com/
http://www.thestate.com/local/story/226374.html
Argentine Indian Beatified by
Catholic Church in Patagonia
South America: Ceferino Namuncura became the first Argentine Indian to be
beatified by the Roman Catholic Church. His ceremony took place in Chimpay
before 80,000 people including Mapuche Indians in bright ponchos and plumed
headdresses. The celebrations included traditional Catholic rites mixed with
drumming, cow horns and Mapuche chants. Namuncura, who lived from 1886-1905, is
revered for his piety and humility.
H-Amindian Listserve
Weaving a sacred ceremony
Utah: Adopt-A-Native Elder recently hosted the 18th annual Navajo Rug Show and
Sale in Deer Valley. The first rug show was nearly 20 years ago. Now it's
become a 3-day event for artists and buyers across the country and requires
more than 100 volunteers to run. The program assists Navajo elders by providing
food, clothing, heating fuel and medical supplies to the reservation, said Mary
Phillips, development director.
Adopt-A-Native Elder Program: www.anelder.org
H-Amindian Listserve
Code from the Choctaw
Oklahoma: Few Choctaw Indians still speak their ancient tongue after U.S. and
church residential schools prohibited native children from speaking it. But few
people realize the Choctaw language saved lives. Choctaws were the first "code
talkers" in the U.S. military, a full generation before the
Navajo Code Talkers
of World War II. In World War I, a small band of Choctaw Indians joined the
36th Infantry Division. Their complicated language and codes tricked German
eavesdroppers and helped win the war. However, these Choctaw soldiers have not
been recognized by the government. Now their descendants believe their ancestors
deserve a Congressional Gold Medal, the same as received by the Navajos for
their code talking efforts. "The public thinks they know about the code
talkers, but they don't know all of the history," said Tewanna Edwards, the
great-niece of Choctaw veteran Otis Leader. "These men went forward; they
volunteered to fight for their country. And you can't put a number on the lives
they might have saved through their code talking." The French government
honored the Comanches for their role in liberating France, and the Defense
Department honored the Navajos and Comanches in a Pentagon exhibit during the
1990s. But the Choctaws' story remains a one-sentence footnote of history.
Choctaw Codetalker Recognition Act:
http://www.choctawnation.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=pages&pageid=66
http://www.grandforksherald.com
Tribal language fading away
Oklahoma: Doris Jean Lamar was born in 1927. Her first spoken words were not
English but Wichita, taught to her by her grandparents. "I never thought of
myself as white; to me, I was Wichita," she said. "The old ladies of our tribe
thought it was something to hear this little white girl speak Wichita." Today,
Lamar is the last fluent speaker in the Wichita, a language once spoken by
thousands of people. However,hope exists for the Wichitas' dying language.
Linguist David Rood is working with Lamar and the Wichitas to record the their
language into a dictionary. They are also creating a CD about creation stories,
verbs, nouns and names. An immersion class for children and language classes
for adults have been organized. Now the Wichitas are crossing another obstacle:
language retention. "For children, when they have no one at home to speak the
language with, there is no one to practice the sounds with and they lose it,"
said one tribal member. "When you're around the language, you learn it better."
Slideshow: Doris Lamar tells a tribal story in Wichita and English:
http://www.tulsaworld.com/webextra/content/2007/slideshows/wichitaspeaker/index.html
Photo and article: www.tulsaworld.com
Tribe's book wins award
Maine: "Wind Bird: Gift of the Mist" has won a Gold Medal Moonbeam Award at the
2007 Children’s Humanities Festival in Chicago. The children's book was a joint
project between the Passamaquoddy Tribe and a Maine conservation group. Author
Sara Stiles Bright worked closely with Passamaquoddy elders to adapt the tale of
" Wind Bird" into book form. The book tells the Passamaquoddy oral history of
Gluskop, who learns a harsh but valuable lesson about how his village is
inter-connected with the natural world.
Wind Bird: Gift of the Mist: http://www.mlci.org/pdf/WB_Promo.pdf
Photo: bangordailynews.com/
http://www.nativebiz.com/community/News,file=article,nid=17072.html
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