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 Radiation
Warning Signs Placed on Cheyenne River
South Dakota: Radiation warning signs were posted on the Pine Ridge
Reservation after high nuclear radiation levels were found in the
Cheyenne River and some Red Shirt Village wells. While a DENR report
claims the uranium is naturally occurring, the founder and
Coordinator of Defenders of the Black Hills disagrees. “If that was
the case, there would not have been villages there for thousands of
years," said Charmaine White-Face. "There would have been no fish
or any aquatic life previously in this river. We sampled the river
with nets for aquatic life and found only 2 crayfish and about 10
minnows in more than 100 yards of the river. In essence, it's a dead
river." This portion of the river basin drains about 16,500 square
miles, including the Black Hills and Badlands, rangeland, irrigated
cropland, and mining areas. It wanders through half the state before
flowing into Lake Oahe, a reservoir on the Missouri River. Two
endangered species, the Sturgeon chubb and the Bald Eagle, depend on
river waters.
Defenders of the Black Hills:
http://www.defendblackhills.org
Disney rides into trouble with story of cowboy who conquers the
Middle East
"Pony baloney," one critic has called it. "Liar, liar, chaps on
fire," intoned another. Historians, Native Americans and Arab and
Muslim interest groups are angry with Disney studios for promoting
their new movie, Hildago, as a true story. The movie tells a story
of Frank Hopkins, a Lakota/white cowboy, racing his horse Hildago
3,000 miles across the Arabian Desert. But research by more than
70 academics and experts has found no evidence to support that Frank
Hopkins was a cowboy, part Lakota, or even a horseracer. As for the
race, called Oceans of Fire, an Arab newspaper said a race of that
length would finish up "somewhere in Romania." "The idea of a
historic trans-Arabian horse race ever having been run is pure
nonsense ... simply from a technical, logistical, cultural and
geopolitical point of view," said Awad al-Bad. Even Nina Heyn, a
Disney executive, was quoted last year as saying that "no one here
really cares about the historical aspects," a line the company has
not repeated. However, Disney Studios is still claiming the movie is
based on a true story. Some believe its's because the studio must
protect its investment of over $80,000,000 in production costs.
Roubideaux Named "Indian Physician of the Year"
Dr. Yvette D. Roubideaux has been named “Indian Physician of the
Year” by the Association of American Indian Physicians. The Rosebud
Lakota doctor has done extensive work with diabetes patients. She
helped develop the “Controlling Your Diabetes For Life” campaign, as
well as the “Move It” program for Native youth. Yvette also worked
to secure a grants for AAIP’s Diabetes Program. She is currently
working in the INMED program at the University of Arizona and
provides guidance and counseling to Native students pursuing degrees
in health. “I am honored to receive the Indian Physician of the
Year Award from AAIP because this organization was an important
source of support and inspiration for me as a student, and is now an
important resource and network of support for me in my current
career activities. I hope to continue to support the activities for
AAIP in the future,” Roubideaux said.
Saving dying dialects
The Siceca Learning Center is a Dakota language immersion program
housed at Sisseton Wahpeton College. "The immersion program grew out
of the desire of the Dakota people to do something to preserve the
Dakota language, " said Bill Lonefight, president of the college.
At Siceca, Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate elders help students and
caregivers correctly say the words. They also help translate books
and songs into Dakota. "Dakota language is so deep it comes from the
heart," said elder Orsen Bernard. "Whatever I say in Dakota, it has
a deeper meaning because that's the way the Dakota language is."
Lonefight said another reason Sisseton-Wahpeton is getting involved
is that research proves bilingual children use more areas of their
brains "They do better in school. They have increased higher order
of thinking skills. They are able to make connections," Lonefight
said. "It's a little odd that at the same time schools were
pressing children to learn Spanish, French, Japanese and Russian
they were pressing the other way to extinguish the Dakota, the
Cherokee, the Muskogee and Lakota (languages)." Less than 10% of
tribal population speaks Dakota; most are over age 60.
Plant a traditional-foods
garden
North Dakota: This year, Aubry Skye, Lakota, will help plant 32
gardens around the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. The gardening
project began five years ago when community members decided they
wanted a holistic way to prevent and control diabetes. They put in
their first plot near the reservation's high school to catch the
attention of the youngsters and inspire them to eat more vegetables
and fewer commodity foods. "Gardening is an excellent way to
improve health, especially for people with diabetes,'' said Skye.
''We Native people are blessed with the ability to lower blood sugar
levels quickly with exercise. Gardening offers both functional
exercise and high-quality, culturally appropriate nutrition -
another key to wellness.''
Skye's suggestions for reaping an abundance of fresh, healthy food:
Obtain heirloom seeds saved by members of your own community. Also
check out Native Seeds/SEARCH (www.nativeseeds.org),
which offers indigenous farmers free heirloom seeds, Horizon Herbs (www.horizonherbs.com),
and Seeds of Change (www.seedsofchange.com.);
Build a raised-bed garden in a spot that receives about six hours of
sun a day;
Plant your seeds following directions from the seed packets, your
tribal gardening program, your local extension service, a garden
center or an experienced gardener. Store extra seeds in a cool dry
place to use next year;
Mulch the soil to prevent weeds and conserve moisture;
Welcome bugs. Put in flowers to draw bees and other pollinators,
and rely on beneficial insects, such as praying mantises, to eat
pests;
Irrigate: Take 2-liter plastic soda bottles, poke holes in the neck,
fill with water, and insert upside down into the soil near groups of
plants.
Use Organic fertilizer such as composted manure or fish emulsion;
Make compost from garden cuttings, grass clippings, leavens and
kitchen scraps (vegetables, fruits, and eggshells only.)
Each week, mix the heap and dampen it. The compost is ready when
it's black and crumbly
Wounded Knee '73 revisited
People's Weekly World.
South Dakota: On Feb. 27, 1973, a handful of American Indians took
over a church to protest racism and corruption in the Oglala Sioux
government. Traditional Oglala people claimed they were ignored, and
some were afraid to go into town (Pine Ridge village) for essential
items such as food. That's when Severt Young Bear, Lakota elder,
called in the American Indian Movement, and traditional people and
AIM members stood together in a standoff that attracted the media
and gathered nationwide support. The events brought thousands of
protesters to the area. Arrests were made and buildings burned. The
demonstrations spilled over to the Pine Ridge Reservation, the
occupation of Wounded Knee began, and a a 71-day war took place. A
new documentary film, ''A Tattoo on My Heart,'' presents the
warriors' point of view through actual film footage from the
occupation and contemporary interviews. The film tells their story
and their feelings about their stand against the most powerful
military in the world -- and how they became heroes.
Doctor Brings 'Coyote
Wisdom' To Town
New Mexico: Dr. Lewis Mehl-Madrona says modern medicine can be
wonderful. "The medical model is great if you're in congestive heart
failure and you are dying. It's a wonderful model; it works," he
said. "Once you're out of congestive heart failure, it doesn't work
so well because it doesn't explore all the factors that are needed
to prevent that next episode from happening sooner than later."
Mehl-Madrona believes indigenous healing traditions could help
people with chronic ailments truly heal -- not just temporarily
relieve their symptoms or pull them out of crisis. Lewis, who has
Cherokee and Lakota heritage, wasn't really aware of the richness of
his culture until he got to medical school. "What really struck me
(at medical school) was the absence of healing, the complete
biological genetic determinism that wasn't at all what I grew up
with," he said. "I grew up in a world in which spiritual powers
healed people and people got better by virtue of their own actions
in the world, or the spirits' actions." After graduating from
Stanford Medical School at the age of 21, Mehl-Madrona has devoted
his career to integrating what he calls Western and Indigenous
science. Mehl-Madrona has written three books about his work: Coyote
Medicine, Coyote Healing, and, Coyote Wisdom: The Power of Story in
Healing.
Jane Goodall visits school
on Pine Ridge Reservation
South Dakota: Jane Goodall recently visited science classes at Red
Cloud and Porcupine schools on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
Goodall, who is an author and primate researcher at Jane Goodall
Institute for Wildlife Research Center in Africa, spoke to students
about the need to conserve the environment. She also asked them to
continue fostering their Lakota culture and beliefs and to become
leaders who make a difference in the world.
Mold session suggests fixes
South Dakota: Representatives from five South Dakota reservations
recently attended sessions to learn ways of dealing with a growing
problem in reservation housing: mold and moisture. On the Pine Ridge
reservation alone, 73% of 1,700 housing units contain mold. Mold,
which grows in a moist environment, causes severe health problems,
including respiratory and other chronic illnesses. "Fifteen years
ago, we didn't have mold. The problems came from houses wrapped so
tight that they couldn't breathe," said Ric Palmier of the Oglala
Lakota Sioux Housing Authority. "Basically, it's a moisture problem
that needs to be dealt with by the housing authority, tenants and
Housing and Urban Development." According to officials, there are
approaches to treating mold and preventing it before it begins to
grow:
-- Remove mold with soap and water.
-- Check occupancy. Too many people or creatures living in a small
space leads to a higher degree of moisture.
-- Immediately check for and repair water and plumbing leaks.
-- Keep cold air exchanges open and avoid blocking bathroom fans or
range fans.
-- Use fans while using showers, bathtubs and while cooking.
-- Clothes dryers should be properly vented outdoors.
Other contributors to creating moisture problems include a large
number of fish aquariums, an overabundance of indoor plants,
constant steaming tea kettles and soup pots and drying clothing
indoors.
http://www.rapidcityjournal.com
Tribes And Forest Service
Discuss Sacred Sites
South Dakota: In February, tribal leaders, elders and members met
with National Forest Service officials to begin forming an advisory
group to define and protect sacred sites. Three words from the
Forest Service described the intent of the conference:
collaboration, communication and coordination. "We want to put more
emphasis on tribal relations," said Brad Exton from the Black Hills
National Forest. "We want to continue -- working with tribes in
many areas. It's your ancestors that were in the Black Hills. We
are working on partnerships to see how we can make the Black Hills
for everyone." At an earlier meeting, Alex White Plume, Oglala
Sioux, told a group of park officials that the Lakota people no
longer visit the Black Hills because of what they have become. But
the healing process is taking place, and the people will once again
return to the sacred hills for ceremony and biological and spiritual
nurturing. The Black Hills is claimed as ancestral lands by some 22
different tribes.
Digging in Folklore,
Unearthing Science
Adrienne Mayor's new book--a combination of history, archaeology,
folklore and detective work--is the first scholarly attempt to focus
on Native American contributions to paleontology. Mayor documented
the oral traditions of many Indians about their historical knowledge
of fossils. "In Pine Ridge, SD, I knocked on the door of Johnson
Holy Rock," she recalled, referring to an 87-year-old Lakota
historian. "...He recalled an old story about warriors watching
thunder in the valley and finding the carcass of a creature they'd
never seen before, a gigantic rhinoceros-like beast." The Comanche
people in Oklahoma, she said, told stories about grandmothers'
sending them out to find the bones of monsters. They would then
grind the bone into a powder for medicine and, when mixed with
water, to help set bones. Ms. Mayor said she was mostly surprised
and delighted by the interest in her work. In August the History
Channel plans to broadcast a show about the first fossil hunters,
based on her first book. "I think she is very courageous to take on
the archaeological and anthropological establishment," said Vine
Deloria Jr., a leading Native American scholar. "From our
correspondence, I feel it will be a well-researched book asking
piercing questions." Ms. Mayor's new book, "Fossil Legends of the
First Americans," will be published by Princeton next spring.
Project Moccasins gives
Native soldiers comfort, tie to culture
Minnesota: Project Moccasins aims to give a free pair of moccasins
to every Native soldier overseas and those returning home from
overseas deployment. "I spent seven years in the Special Forces,
and I was disconnected from my heritage," says Anthony DeClue, a
38-year-old Lakota Native Veteran. "I want the warriors over there
to feel connected. When they take off their boots and put their feet
in the moccasins, they might feel a little closer to where they are
from." DeClue threads up the moccasins, then sends them on to a
leatherworker who stamps on eagle feathers and returns it for
painting. The moccasins are smudged before DeClue puts in a "piece
of Mother Earth so that our warriors will come home." Each pair of
moccasins is sent with a little dreamcatcher. DeClue estimates he
has 300 requests to fill, and "we are doing it until all the Natives
come home and everyone has one." DeClue and his friends perform
this service free-of charge
Buffalo to be moved from
Catalina Island to South Dakota
California: Nearly half the buffalo herd that runs free on Santa
Catalina Island will be rounded up and shipped to a Lakota
reservation in South Dakota next month. The move will return the
animals to their ancestral home and easing ecological pressure on
the island. The island's buffalo, descendants of 14 brought there
for a movie in the 1920s, are a favorite with tourists and island
residents. But since 1972, some have been removed every few years
to keep the herd from growing so large that island plants are
ravaged and the buffalo begin to starve. Currently, about 250
buffalo live on the island.
Indian educator asks
Congress for help
Washington DC: Ryan
Wilson (Oglala Lakota) made a plea to Congress to recognize and help
solve the problems facing Indian youth. Wilson, who heads the
National Indian Education Association, began his address with a
history lesson: In 1969, Congress requested a study of the learning
conditions in Indian Country. The study, named “Indian Education: A
National Tragedy - A National Challenge, " was a “stinging
critique,” Wilson said. “We ranked at the bottom of every social,
health, economic, and yes, education indicator in America.”
Fast-forward 37 years, he says, and things have not improved much.
“The conscience of America can never be clear, the state of American
education can never be strong, so long as Indian Country lives on a
lonely island of educational poverty, amidst of vast ocean of wealth
and educational opportunity for all Americans, except the first
Americans,” Wilson said.
National Statistics:
American Indian and Alaska Native children are:
300% more likely to live in poverty than white children;
More than 200% likely to commit suicide;
200% more likely to die in a car accident, because reservation roads
are the most dangerous in the country.
Wilson's commendations:
Tribal colleges have produced more Native graduates in the last 30
years than all mainstream universities combined;
Thousands of Native children have graduated from Indian Head Start
programs and are doing remarkably better than youth who didn't
attend.
Wilson requested from Congress:
Convene an Indian education summit;
Help tribal language movements;
Create greater teacher support;
More flexibility and acknowledgment of the unique contexts of Native
schools;
Data collection and research with culturally appropriate design
models and methodologies;
Re-authorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act;
Increase and include input from Native leaders when Congress debates
the No Child Left Behind Act.
Pine Ridge treatment program
saved
On the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, The Flowering Tree program for
women and their children had closed for three months because of
funding problems. But thanks to Sen. Tom Daschle’s office, it has
found new life. Flowering Tree, which had been promised $300,000 by
October 1, was surprised by an additional $200,000. "The staff said
they would kiss [Daschle] if he got close," said Illa Red Owl,
acting director. "He and his wife have seen the program and know the
work we do. When Daschle added that $200,000 to the grant it made us
jump for joy." The program has been honored throughout Indian
country. Many tribes come to Pine Ridge to learn how it works.
People from foreign countries have also studied the program which
includes:
Alcohol and drug treatment program for women;
Parenting skills program;
GED help;
Drug and alcohol abuse counseling;
Nutritionist and Health assistance;
Classes in household management, bill paying and personal finances;
Children's daycare.
At the heart of Flowering Tree--and the secret of its success--is
the spiritual and cultural education the women and children
receive. It uses Lakota Culturalal traditions as the basis for
treatment and family values. Since its inception in 1992, Flowering
Tree has graduated more than 400 women and their families from the
program. Many have since moved on to find meaningful jobs and have
remained alcohol and drug free.
Euro Leaders Support Native
American Olympic Inclusion
Switzerland and Colorado: The International Olympic Committee is
championing Native American inclusion as Sovereign Nations in future
Olympic Games. Only one Native American, Naomi Lang (Cal Karuk
Tribe), has competed in the last two Games, and only a handful in
history. Yet a group of world Olympians at the Athens Games honored
the American Indians for inventing the roots of 10 Olympic sports.
Following the IOC Eco recommendation to include Indigenous Peoples
in the Olympics, the First Nations of Canada received a $3,000,000
Legacy Fund to train a team of Snowboarders. With the IOC's
opening their doors to welcome American Indian Nations into the
Olympic Family, Native youth can have the opportunity and motivation
to train for international competition in some of the sports they
invented.
Among those promoting and initiation action are:
Stew Young-- Native American Ski Team and World Cup speed skier;
Suzy Chaffee, Olympic ski champ;
Jean Marie Fournier, owner of the Veysonnaz Swiss Ski Resort,
Princess Caroline Murat, world-renowned pianist inspired by a Ute
Chief in Aspen, and the closest descendent of Napoleon;
Francoise Zweifel, former Secretary General of the IOC;
Princess Lea of Belgium;
Olympian Prince Albert of Monaco (adopted by Lakota-Sioux Tribe);
The Guinness's, the most ancient tribe of Ireland;
Aaron Marchant of the Squamish Nation;
Jacques Rogge;
Princess Caroline, Monaco;
Oren Lyons, Chief of the Onondaga Nation;
Billy Kidd (Abenaki), captain of the Native American Ski Team and
1964 Alpine Silver Medalist.
Chief Dull Knife Chief
Little Wolf
South Dakota: Something magical happened in the Black Hills during
the recent Fort Robinson Outbreak Spiritual Run. One young Northern
Cheyenne runner accidentally dropped the sacred eagle feather staff
that had been carried by hand for hundreds of miles. Phillip
Whiteman Jr., the relay- run's founder, picked it up and said a
prayer. When he looked overhead, he saw two eagles circling and
screeching. Not far away, he saw a buffalo. He took this as a
message. "The Cheyenne are known as the buffalo people," Whiteman
said. This year, a record 120 runners participated in the Fort
Robinson Outbreak Spiritual Run. The runners were accompanied by a
fleet of vans, chaperones and supporters who met cheering
spectators along the way. Before the run and along the way, leaders
and participants prayed, told their ancestors' story and focused on
team-building, communication, unity, discipline and honor. "It's
planting seeds," Whiteman said. The annual run remembers the
Cheyenne who broke out of their wooden barracks and escaped from
Nebraska's Fort Robinson in 1879. At that time, Dull Knife and
Little Wolf decided to lead 300 tribal members from Oklahoma, where
they were dying, to their ancestral land in Montana. (Those who
remained behind are known today as Southern Cheyenne.) When the
marchers reached Nebraska, , they split into two bands. Little Wolf
led the healthy to Montana; Dull Knife took the sick and weak and
seek help from the Lakota tribe. The U.S. Cavalry caught Dull
Knife's band and took them to Fort Robinson. That winter, troops
locked the Cheyenne's in the barracks without food, water or heat.
After five days, they decided to break out. On Jan. 9, 1879, the
band fled the barracks, and a bloody gun battle ensued. Most of the
band was killed within minutes; many survivors were later killed by
U.S. soldiers. But Dull Knife and a few others survived and
embarked on a long, difficult journey to the north. Among the
comments by this year's Spiritual Runners:
What was the hardest part? "Running up the hills," said Brandi
Nightwalker, 7
"It means a lot to do it for our ancestors," said Shann Wolfname,
17
Teen scientists fight
noxious weeds holistically
North Dakota: In Porcupine, nine high school students have a
mission: to get rid of leafy spurge, a fast-spreading weed that
causes millions of dollars in damage to grazing and agricultural
land. Under the supervision of Gary Halvorson from Sitting Bull
College, students are identifying Porcupine's plant composition
while checking on the progress of previously released flea beetles.
Flea beetles, whose root-eating larvae are an environmentally safe
way to attack the weed, is a sharp contrast to government methods,
which include spraying powerful herbicides across their town.
''Nothing's growing in sprayed areas,'' said Monica Skye. ''How can
it be an improvement to kill everything for years? The chokecherries
were a food source. And what about the children? Those must have
been very dangerous chemicals.'' In addition to doing plant
population studies, the students are capturing flea beetles and
releasing where leafy spurge has newly appeared. "We keep track of
the treated areas with a GPS so we can go back and re-evaluate
them,'' said Dee Paint, Lakota. ''We run the numbers through the
computer, then make comparisons over time.'' In addition to
applauding the teen scientists' work, Porcupine hopes to stake out
angora goats in infested areas. The goats will consume the
high-protein leafy spurge, which causes their valuable coats to
grow, providing raw material for yarn.
Harvard to honor Rosebud
alumnus
Massachusetts: Archie Beauvais will be honored by Harvard University
Graduate School of Education during its 2006 Alumni of Color Award.
Beauvais, who lives on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation, was
selected for his work and achievements that reflect "Growth,
strength and action: honoring our commitment to communities and
Individuals of color." Beauvais, the only Sicangu Lakota with
doctoral level credentials from Harvard, has worked for 20 years
as Dean and Chairman for Sinte Gleska University Graduate Studies.
Soul Wound: The Legacy of
Native American Schools
More than 100,000 Native Americans were forced by the U.S.
government to attend Christian schools. The system, which began in
1869, continued well into the 20th century. Some were forced to
enroll in reservation Christian day schools. Others, some as young
as 5, were forcibly shipped off to Christian boarding schools.
There, the youth were separated from their families for most of the
year, sometimes without a single family visit. Parents caught
trying to hide their children lost food rations. Virtually
imprisoned in the schools, children experienced devastating abuses,
from forced assimilation and grueling labor to widespread sexual and
physical abuse. “Native America knows all too well the reality of
the boarding schools,” writes Native American Bar Association
President Richard Monette, who attended a North Dakota boarding
school. In sharing his experiences, Monette said boarding school
was a place:
"Where the fine art of standing in line single-file for hours
without moving a hair, as a lesson in discipline;
"Where where our best and brightest earned graduation certificates
for homemaking and masonry;
"Where the sharp rules of immaculate living were instilled through
blistered hands and knees on the floor with scouring toothbrushes;
"Where mouths were scrubbed with lye and chlorine solutions for
uttering Native words.”
To help residential school students, Sammy Toineeta (Lakota) helped
found the national Boarding School Healing Project to document such
abuses. “Human rights activists must talk about the issue of
boarding schools,” says Toineeta. “It is one of the grossest human
rights violations because it targeted children and was the tool for
perpetrating cultural genocide. To ignore this issue would be to
ignore the human rights of indigenous peoples, not only in the U.S.,
but around the world.”
Wear feather and plumes for
graduation
Ryan Wilson has a message for Native American graduates: Don't be
afraid to display your cultural identity when you get that diploma.
Wilson, who heads the National Indian Education Association, worries
about "misguided administrators" opposed to students wearing plumes
and eagle feathers on their caps and gowns. Among recent examples:
A Blackfeet girl from Oregon had eagle plumes physically ripped from
her graduation cap;
A Navajo in Oklahoma was not permitted to wear an eagle plume to her
commencement.
A Cherokee student in Maryland was prevented from receiving his
diploma after wearing a bolo tie to graduation.
"This is a phenomenon that is occurring in graduation ceremonies
throughout America," said Wilson, who is Oglala Lakota. He said
officials limit what students wear to prevent them from "making a
mockery out of the cap and gown. Unfortunately, Native American
students who wish to honor the graduation event and their academic
experience are punished by schools because of the acts of their
non-Indian counterparts." Wilson says students should defy the
rules and don them anyway. "The [NIEA] not only supports this, but
we encourage it, even if it's in defiance of ill-conceived school
district policies," he said. "When Native students wear these
feathers and plumes, they are actually honoring and blessing the
cap/mortar board and gown, the graduation ceremony itself, their
classmates, and the schools in which they are graduating from. This
is completely opposite of what mainstream students do when they are
mocking the event by writing on the mortar board, wearing
inappropriate clothes and shoes. The symbolism itself of honoring
both cultures, and elevating the status of academic attire by being
willing to attach our plumes and feathers to the cap and gown
completes the commitment of Native peoples to advance cultural
integrity in education."
AMERICAN INDIAN COLLEGE FUND
PRESIDENT RECEIVES NATIONAL EDUCATION HONOR
The Council for Opportunity in Education has named Richard B.
Williams, president and CEO of the American Indian College Fund, as
a National TRIO Achiever. "Williams was chosen for the award by the
National TRIO Achievers Committee because of the extraordinary
circumstances he faced as a low-income, first generation American
Indian student and for his tremendous contributions to educational
opportunity for American Indians and all Americans," said Tressa
Penrod of TRIO. Williams, a member of the Oglala Lakota Tribe, has
served as president and CEO of the American Indian College Fund
since October 1997
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