( N A T I V E A M E R I C A N N E W S )
This issue contains articles from FidoNet Indian Affairs Conference,
UseNet alt.native Newsgroup, NATIVE-L and NATCHAT Mailing Lists,
and by members of the Invisible Band.
<----<<<< >>>>---->
This newsletter is a way of keeping the brothers and sisters who share our
spirit informed about current events within the lives of those who walk the
Red Road.
It is archived at the Native American FTP site ftp.cit.cornell.edu
in the directory /pub/special/NativeProfs/newsletters; and is being
sent to gst@gnosys.svle.ma.us (Gary S. Trujillo) should he wish to
include it in his NATIVE-L or NATCHAT lists.
"The ground on which we stand is sacred ground. It is the dust and
blood of our ancestors."
__ Chief Plenty Coups, Crow
+- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+
| Indian Pledge of Allegiance | The Indian Pledge of Alleg-
| | iance was first presented
| I pledge allegiance to my Tribe,| on 2 December '93 during the
| to the democratic principles | opening address of the Nat-
| of the Republic | ional Congress of American
| and to the individual freedoms | Indian Tribal-States Relat-
| borrowed from the Iroquois and | ions Panel in Reno, NV. NCAI
| Choctaw Confederacies, | plans distribution of the
| as incorporated in the United | Indian Pledge to all Indian
| States Constitution, | Nations.
| so that my forefathers |
| shall not have died in vain | Walk in Beauty! Night Owl
+- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+
O'siyo Brothers and Sisters!
Play your drum, shake your rattle, sit in silence and look within. Do
what you must to make your spirit strong and to strengthen your touch
with Creator and all the people. Make your walk a good walk. Be very
sure you are leaving a path for others. In this way you will be helping
mend the great hoop others seem determined to bend to their way, even if
in bending it there is a break.
Mitakuye Oyasin! Night Owl
, ,
(*,*) Gary Night Owl gars%owlstar.UUCP@mathcs.emory.edu
(`-') P. O. Box 672168 gars@genie.geis.com
===w=w=== Marietta, GA 30067, U.S.A. gars@netcom.com
----------- News of the people featured in this issue ----------
Part A: FidoNet, Usenet and e-mail Part B: NATCHAT and NATIVE-L lists
- Tribal Members To Stop Dumping - Conferences and Powwows - online
- Eight Named National Advisors - Adopted Mohawk Finds Parents
- Prayer Circle, Washington D.C. - Trailer Park Built on Burial Mounds
- Poem: Floating - Resisting Imperialism
- Verse: Hawai'ian Book of Days
- Conferences and Powwows - offline
------------------ clip here for news feature -- 8< ------------
--------- "RE: Tribal Members To Stop Dumping" ---------
Date: 4 Aug 94 21:10:17 GMT
From: milo@scicom.AlphaCDC.COM (Michele Lord)
Subj: Torres Martinez Tribal Members To Stop Dumping
Newsgroup: alt.native
Indigenous Environmental Network
PO Box 485 - Bemidji MN 56601-0485
Ph: 218-751-4967 Fax: 218-751-0561
E-mail: ien@igc.apc.org
A Turtle Island alliance empowering grassroots communities towards
sustainable livelihoods and protection of our lands, water, air,
and maintaining the Sacred Fire of our traditions.
+++++++++++ Press Advisory +++++++++++
+++++ EMBARGO +++++ Until Thursday, August 4, 9:45 A.M.
Contact: Joe Loya/Torres Martinez/ (619) 399-8110
Bradley Angel/Greenpeace (415) 512-9025
Marina Ortega/CICEP (619) 782-3703
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Torres Martinez Tribal Members Against Sludge and Allies
To Announce New Plans To Stop Dumping
Thursday August 4, 9:45 A.M.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
(Torres Martinez Indian Reservation, Thermal, CA) -- Tribal members
from the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indian Reservation will
hold an emergency press conference Thursday, August 4, beginning
at 9:45 a.m. sharp.
The press conference will take place at the Catfish Farm,
87-900 Avenue 66, Thermal CA near the controversial sludge
facilities located on the Torres Martinez Reservation.
At Thursday's press conference, tribal members and their
Indian and environmental allies will announce unprecedented steps
in the campaign to shut the illegal sludge facilities.
On Thursday, two dozen Torres Martinez Tribal members were
joined by other Indian and non-Indian community and environmental
groups in a protest on the steps of the Los Angeles County
Supervisors Building. Tribal members and their allies are angry
that Los Angeles County Sanitation District refuses to stop
sending sewage sludge to the reservation in defiance of a Tribal
cease and desist order and a notice from the U.S. Department of
Interior/Bureau of Indian Affairs that the sludge facilities are
operating in defiance of federal law.
Directions From Los Angeles: 10 East to Indio, then south on
86 to the Torres Martinez Reservation. Left on Avenue 66, and
proceed about 1 1/2 miles on Avenue 66. Immediately past the
sludge operations, you will see the Catfish Farm operations and a
large house. Park.
~+*~+*~+*~+*~+~+*~+*~+*~+*~+~+*~+*~+*~+*~+~+*~+*~+*~+*~+~+*~+*~+*~+*+
"When we walk upon Mother Earth, we always plant our feet carefully
because we know the faces of our future generations are looking
up at us from beneath the ground. We never forget them."
-Oren Lyons, Onondaga Nation
~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+~*
milo@scicom.alphacdc.com Michele Lord Alpha Institute
+*+ +*+ +*+ +*+ +*+ +*+
--------- "RE: Eight Named National Advisors" ---------
Date: Mon, 8 Aug 1994 10:13:22 -0500 (CDT)
From: mwilson@convex.csd.uwm.edu (Michael)
Subj: Eight Named National Advisors on Indian Education -Forwarded (fwd)
Newsgroup: alt.native
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release August 2, 1994
PRESIDENT CLINTON NAMES 8 TO THE NATIONAL ADVISORY
BOARD ON INDIAN EDUCATION
The President announced today his intention to appoint the
following individuals to the National Advisory Board on Indian
Education:
JOSEPH ABEYTA of New Mexico is the Superintendent
of the Santa Fe Indian School.
AGNES CHAVIS of North Carolina formerly served as
Chair of the North Carolina Consortium on Indian
Education and has served as Chair of the American
Indian/Alaska Native Caucus of the National
Education Association. Ms. Chavis is a member of
the Lumbee Tribe, which is recognized by the State
of North Carolina.
ROSEMARY ACKLEY CHRISTENSEN of Minnesota is a
Curriculum Specialist with Ojibwe Mekana/American
Indian Associates, Inc. She formerly served as
the Director of Indian Education for the
Minneapolis Public School system.
MARK MARYBOY of Utah is a member of the San Juan
County Commission and the Navajo National Budget
and Finance Committee.
ALETA PAISANO-SUAZO of New Mexico is the
Coordinator of Student Services/Counseling for the
Albuquerque Public School system. She was
appointed by Governor King to the New Mexico State
Commission on National and Community Service and
is a member of the Board of Trustees of the New
Mexico Children's Trust Fund.
JANINE PEASE-WINDY BOY of Montana is the President
of Little Big Horn Community College.
SCOTT RATLIFF of Wyoming is a counselor at Central
Wyoming College. He formerly served six terms in
the Wyoming legislature and as Coordinator of
Indian Education at the Wyoming Department of
Education.
SHERRY RED OWL of South Dakota is the President of
the Board of Directors of the Rosebud Sioux
Education Society.
The National Advisory Council on Indian Education
(NACIE) advises the Secretary of Education with respect
to the evaluation of educational programs and
applications for assistance under the Indian Education
Act. NACIE also provides technical assistance to local
and Indian educational agencies, institutions and
organizations; submits nominees to the Secretary for
the position of Director of the Office of Indian
Education; and makes recommendations to the Secretary
regarding the funding and improvement of Federal
education programs.
--------- "RE: Prayer Circle, Washington D.C." ---------
Date: 5 Aug 94 21:34:57 GMT
From: milo@scicom.AlphaCDC.COM (Michele Lord)
Subj: Prayer Circle, Washington D.C.
Newsgroup: alt.native
The Wittenberg Center For Alternative Resources
188 Wittenberg Road, Bearsville, NY 12409
PH: 914-679-9764 FAX: 914-595-7813
Dear Friends,
We have reached the time that many indigenous prophecies have
referred to as Purification. A portal has been opened, we stand at
the doorway. We face a choice of two roads; the one we will take is
up to each of us. What will we walk towards, destruction or
rebirth? The time of decision is now.
The landscape of the coming days will reflect all of our
actions. It is not only important to rally to the aid of the Hopi
and other precious traditional caretakers of this Earth, but we
must commit to being caretakers ourselves now. What actions have we
been postponing in our own families, communities and businesses
that will bring the Earth back into balance before it is too late?
The healing of Mother Earth depends on all of us. She cries out in
pain. Where are her children? Why do they not respond?
We have been told that this time was coming. Now it is here.
Can we summon forth the best of ourselves to effect a healing? Can
we join as a circle of love and support, coming from the four
directions - red, white, black, and yellow - and bring our wisdom
together? The Elders are waiting. They have spent their lifetimes
bringing their messages to us. Now, they say we must act.
If you ask what you can do to make a difference from where you
are, remember the Creator put you there for a purpose, and has
given you the gifts you need. Now is the time to use them, lest the
time run out for all. Today, in this moment, are we walking our
talk? Our we living in accordance with our true values? This life,
this Earth, is a precious gift, and now it is up to all of us to
preserve that gift. Let us all join in heart and mind with the
understanding that we are a family of spirit. Let us commit to the
uplifting and transformation of our relationship with each other
and our Earth.
There are many specific political actions that you can take.
You can write your congresspeople, senators, governors, the
President, and the Department of Interior, saying that as a voter,
as a Native American, you wish to stand in solidarity with the
traditional spiritual caretakers of this land, and that you will
not vote for anyone who continues allowing the violation of
treaties and the desecration of sacred lands. You can become
educated on these issues, and use your creativity to make a
difference.
On Saturday, October 1 and Sunday, October 2, 1994, we are
issuing a call to all of those who know themselves as caretakers of
this land, this Turtle Island, to show that the hoop can be mended
and that all the colors of life have a place on the circle today.
We will be gathering in Washington DC to let the government know
that we stand united in caring for our Mother, and that these
grandmothers and grandfathers are our elders too, that they are
precious to us, and that their voices must be heard.
To participate, and for more information, call or send SASE to:
Northwest - Sacred Life Association PO Box 409, Maple Valley, WA
98038 (206) 432-5030
Southwest - From the Circle 56 Joaquin Court, Oakland, CA 94611
(510) 531-3842
Northeast - The Wittenberg Center 188 Wittenberg Road, Bearsville,
NY 12409 (914) 679-9764
May you walk in peace, for all our relations
From The Circle Native American Assistance Fund
56 Joaquin Miller Ct. Ph: 510-531-7527
Oakland CA 94611 E-mail ddalcorso@igc.apc.org
An Open Letter to:
President Bill Clinton
The White House
Washington DC October 10, 1993
Dear President and Mrs. Clinton,
Last night, on the grass between the Washington Monument and the
Whitehouse, a unique prayer vigil and an unprecedented historic
meeting took place to the sound of drums you may have heard in your
sleep.
Representatives of many smaller nations within our great nation
gathered there to pray for peace and for the future generations of
all peoples. There were people of the Dine'h (Navajo), Hopi,
Cherokee, Shoshone, Cheyenne, Lakota, Dakota, Nakota, Piscataway,
Micmac, Mohawk, Aztec, Mapuche and many other native nations of
North and South America. The 19th Generation Keeper of the Sacred
Pipe of the Lakota, Dakota, Nakota met for the first time with the
Keeper of the Sacred Hat of the Northern Cheyenne, who had never
before left his nation, but had come with difficulty in his advanced
age to negotiate, after long struggle, the return of ancestral
bones with the Smithsonian.
The Indigenous Americans, including venerated elders, well into
their eighties, stood for hours on end in the sun, wind and rain,
in the cold night and before dawn to greet the sun on two
consecutive days with their prayers for you, Mr. President, and
for all people. Hopi and Dine'h embraced as brothers and sisters,
the way they always have, despite the ongoing efforts of the
government of the United States to separate them with barbed wire
fences and to forcibly relocate them from their traditional homes
to other sides of an artificially created border. A Mohawk told
his fellow Indigenous Americans and the non-Indian supporters
gathered with them of suicides among their youth who despair of
a future. The people together prayed for a presidential pardon
for Leonard Peltier, who remains in prison these many years despite
lack of evidence against him. Many other painful events of the past
and present were told and forgiven in prayer.
While in Washington, these indigenous people were taken on a tour
of the Holocaust Museum, and saw the great, if painful, tribute
paid to the millions of holocaust victims in this monumental,
impressive building. As I pushed the wheelchair of one indigenous
elder through the museum, feeling her pain and that of the others,
I wondered when our own nation would acknowledge the even greater
holocaust here at home against the indigenous peoples of the
Americas.
We were able to introduce three Dine'h and Hopi elders to Molly
Olson, newly appointed Executive Director of your Council on
Sustainability, who gave generously of her time. We impressed on
her the importance of consulting these elders, who belong not only
to their own nations but to all of us as American Elders, as our
nation discusses sustainability, for they are the ones who are
living testimony to sustainability in all its deepest meaning.
Thank you for your attention.
Your respectfully,
Elizabet Sahtouris, Ph.D.
Geobiologist, author, speaker, environmental/sustainability
Consultant
cc: Washington Post, representatives of indigenous nations,
President's Council on Sustainability
~+*~+*~+*~+*~+~+*~+*~+*~+*~+~+*~+*~+*~+*~+~+*~+*~+*~+*~+~+*~+*~+*~+*+
"When we walk upon Mother Earth, we always plant our feet carefully
because we know the faces of our future generations are looking
up at us from beneath the ground. We never forget them."
-Oren Lyons, Onondaga Nation
~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+~*
milo@scicom.alphacdc.com Michele Lord Alpha Institute
+*+ +*+ +*+ +*+ +*+ +*+
--------- "RE: Poem: Floating" ---------
Date: 4 Aug 1994 16:41:29 -0500
From: turtle@aicap.s21.com (Turtle Heart)
Subj: Floating
Newsgroup: alt.native
Coyote runs along the river
trees
offer their roots to the rhythm
which is deeper
quieter
moving with the sun
my memories are a 4-legged
song
Tobacco Indian
--
Turtle Heart turtle@soft21.s21.com (Ahnishinabeg)
American Indian Computer Art Project BBS 619-374-2100
Land of Kaw-ii-su ancestor: Land of Light
--
--------- "RE: Verse: Hawai'ian Book of Days" ---------
Date: 94/08/07 14:03
From: Kepola (dfsanders@genie.geis.com)
Subj: A HAWAI'IAN BOOK OF DAYS, week of August 14-20
GE Electronic Mail
A HAWAI'IAN BOOK OF DAYS, week of August 14-20
AUKAKE
(August)
(Mahoe-mua)
14
The fullness of each day is made up of both light,
malamalama, and shadow, ke aka.
15
The gecko sings inside my home, blessing it.
16
Tiny lights bob in the darkness as paper boats carry them
out to sea on the evening tide -- we are one with our past.
17
The bird of paradise flower erupts with bright color amidst
the green coolness of the ferns.
18
Arise with joy to greet the day!
19
Accept what cannot be easily explained.
20
Sculpting molten lava is an act of devotion only a few
artists can perform.
(c) Copyright 1991 by D. F. Sanders
Me ke aloha i ka nani, ... Moe'uhanekeanuenue
(With love and beauty, ... Rainbow Dream)
--------- "RE: Conferences and Powwows - offline" ---------
Date: Thu, 11 August 94 08:00 -0500
From: Janet Smith (Evening Star) (jans@genie.geis.com)
Subj: Upcoming conferences and powwows not previously posted
to Mailing Lists NATCHAT or NATIVE-L
GE Electronic Mail
=POWWOWS=
=:=:=:=:=:=:=:0:0:0:=:=:=:=:=:=:=
From GEnie's Bulletin Boards:
A.HOROVITCH [Art/Sue]
For the latest on Ontario's Indian culture call 800-461-3786... the
last four digits spell out DRUM. Then press 1 for pow wows, 2 for
drumming, 3 for Indian culture
Brave Star
------------
K.NEWMAN9 [KAY/MAW]
De:YO GWA:HAT'E DOH
Brighten The Vision
Contest Powwow
At
The Dome Center
2695 East Henrietta Rd.
Henrietta, NY
September 17 & 18, 1994, Opens 10:00a.m.
General Admission: $5.00, Elders & Children (5-12yrs.) $3.00
Sponsored by The Native American Cultural Center
for more information call: (716) 482-1100
Indian Summer Festival
October 1 & 2, 1994
10:00a.m.-5:00p.m. each day.
Iroquois Dancers, Iroquois Smoke Dance Competition, Traditional
Pow Wow Dancers, Native American Foods & Crafts, Children's Activities,
Guided Trail Walks, and Storytelling.
The Friends of Ganondagan
(716) 742-1690
Ganondagan State Historic Site
1488 Victor-Holcomb Rd.
Victor, NY
Admission: $4.00 Adults, $2.00 Children, $2.00 Senior Citizens
The George Washington Belt and The Two Row Wampum Belt
200th. Anniversary
You are cordially invited to attend the Commemoration Ceremony of
the 1794 Canandaigua Treaty between The Six Nations and The United
States
3:00p.m. Council Rock November 11, 1994
The County Court House
Main Street
Canandaigua, NY
Parade Preceding Commemoration Speakers Following Treaty Ceremony
------------
September 10-11, 1994 Seneca Indian Fall Festival (716) 532-5777.
9:00a.m.- 6:00p.m.
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From the Internet:
From: Barbara Wallace
Subject: Schemitzun
FROM THE TUESDAY, AUGUST 2, 1994 NORWICH BULLETIN
TRIBES TAKE CENTER STAGE
Native Americans Nationwide Will Join Schemitzun Festival
By Andrew d Blechman--Norwich Bulletin
Mashantucket--Thousands of Native Americans will compete for
$500,000 in prizes at the Mashantucket Pequots' third annual Feast
of Green Corn and Dance, called Schemitzun.
The festival once again will be held at the Hartford Civic Center,
featuring more than 1,500 Native American dancers from 250 tribes
across the United States and Canada. There will also be song contests
and 100 Native American vendors.
Tickets for the event, running from Sept. 15-18, can be bought at
the Civic Center or Foxwoods box office.
Foxwoods celebrated the Schemitzun (pronounced Ski-Met-Zun) kickoff
Monday with traditional dances performed by the brightly costumed
Foxwoods Dance Troupe beside the Rainmaker fountain. The dancers,
belonging to 30 nations and ranging in age from 5 to 76 years old,
displayed their footwork for reporters and casino-goers.
The troupe just returned from a European tour highlighted by a
performance at the Goodwill Games in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Wayne Reels, a leader of the dance troupe and Schemitzun, said
the green corn festival traces back to before European contact.
"Schemitzun was celebrated around harvest time," Reels said. "Tribal
members prepared for winter and at the same time passed traditions on to
their children. Later, the festival was used to revive traditions and
keep our culture alive."
The casino has been integral in reviving the festival, Reels said.
"Without the casino, we wouldn't be able to bring together the
largest gathering of Native Americans," Reels said. "It gives us the
chance to share our culture because we can afford to."
Reels said the vast majority of dancers won't be Pequot again this
year. "A lot of our adults may not get on the dance floor this year,
but they'll still get the chance to share our culture."
Hartford Mayor Micheal P. Peters said the festival was a real
windfall for the city.
"The economic impact is astounding," Peters said. "Last year the
hotels were all full and the restaurants were crowded."
The Pequots have declared the first day of Shemitzun to be North
American Native Awareness Day, and have given away 14,000 tickets to
schools throughout the state.
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From Gai hwa na ge' (Onondaga Nation newsletter)
Aug 13-14 3rd Annual Thousand Islands Pow Wow
Captain Clayton Campgrounds, Rt. 12, Clayton, NY
Info: 315-446-9128 (night), 315-434-9236 (day)
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From: Indian Country Today
Aug 11-14 34th Annual Kyle Fair & Pow Wow "Honoring the Women"
Kyle, SD
Info: 605-455-2304 (days) 605-455-2422 (evenings)
Aug 19-21 25th Anniversary Celebration, Annual Shakopee
Mdewakanton Dakota Community Powwow
Mystic Lake Casino, Dakota Meadows
Info: 612-445-9058
Aug 19-21 1994 Crow Creek Sioux Nation Powwow
Ft. Thompson, SD
Info: 245-2537 (evenings)
Aug 26-28 20th Annual Baltimore Pow Wow
Baltimore, MD
Info: 410-675-3535
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From News from Indian Country:
Aug 18-22 76th Crow Fair, Crow Reservation, Montana
Info: 406-638-2601
Aug 19-21 15th Kamloopa, Kamloops, BC
Info: 604-828-9700
Aug 19-21 28th Mille Lacs, Mille Lacs, MN
Info: 612-532-4181 x 810
Aug 19-21 83rd Chief Seattle Days, Saquamish, WA
Info: 206-598-3311
Aug 19-21 11th Grande Ronde, Grande Ronde OR
Info: 503-879-2035
Aug 19-21 Chief Looking Glass, Kamiah, ID
Info: 208-935-2502
Aug 20-21 38th O-Sa-Wan, Belvedere, IL
Info: 815-568-7997
Aug 20-21 12th AIC Traditional, Lebanon, IN
Info: 317-482-3315
Aug 20 5th Community Powwow, Rio Linda, CA
Info: 916-441-0918
Send notices of forthcoming powwows, conferences and gatherings to:
jans@genie.geis.com
gars@netcom.com