Articles appearing have been previously posted for public dissemination
and/or permission for inclusion has been secured.
Letters of authorization are on file. A list of those granting permission
to repost their words in this issue are listed at the end of part A.
I thank each of you for allowing your words to be shared with the people.
<----<<<< >>>>---->
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 to include in the NATIVE-L lists.(part A)
It is echoed on AISESnet, IND-NET, and EIRP listservers and archived
by AISESnet.
Thanks to Marc Becker, mbecker@uclink2.berkeley.edu, issues of Wotanging
Ikche/Kanoheda Aniyvwiya are now being archived at a World-Wide-Web site.
The URL is http://ukanaix.cc.ukans.edu/~marc/journals/nanews/
This is a test site, and at some point in the future the location of these
files will change.
Thanks to Phil Duran, duranp@wsuvm1.csc.wsu.edu, issues are now being
archived at the Washington State University gopher in the following
directory:
gopher.wsu.edu /WSU Campuses Info /Public Services /Native Peoples
"Old age was simply a delightful time when the old people sat on sunny
doorsteps playing in the sun with the children, until they fell asleep.
At last, they failed to wake up."
__ James Paytiamo, Acoma Pueblo
+- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+
| 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!
A lot of wise and caring letters have been emailed in response to the
anger I felt over the injustice I have seen with my Mescalero Brother,
Red Hawk. I shared my frustration in the last issue of this newsletter.
To all who have written and to all who did not write, but sent prayers, I
thank you. Much that was given in these letters has brought some balance
back to me, and to Red Hawk. You have given us vision we needed and
strength to continue a long walk.
The article posted in Usenet alt.native by M.Council about Little Rock
Reed's release from the Taos jail also brought joy and hope. I share it
with you now.
Date: Thu, 26 Jan 1995 10:46:58 -0500
From: "M. Council" <council@luna.cas.usf.edu>
Subj: Little Rock Reed is FREE!
Newsgroups: alt.native
Hey, all,
A quick note to let you know that Little Rock Reed was released from
imprisonment in Taos, NM on Friday, Jan. 20. Thanks to all who
contributed in securing his release!
Peace! Night Owl
, , Gary Night Owl gars@genie.geis.com
(*,*) P. O. Box 672168 gars@netcom.com
(`-') Marietta, GA 30067, U.S.A. gars@igc.apc.org
===w=w=== NativeNet Node 90:133/2501 FidoNet 1:133/2501
----------- News of the people featured in this issue ----------
Part A: Usenet and e-mail Part B: NATCHAT and NATIVE-L lists
- Little Rock Reed is FREE!(in preface) - Western Shoshone Situation
- The Salmon People - USAF to Train over Innu Land
- A Time for Reflection - Eagle Feather Story Update
- James Duncan - Waste, Water, Sour Gas
- Native American Youth Academy /SOSC
- Oklahoma Rock Carving Proves
Ethiopian Bible
- Wabigoon Metis
- Poem: Water that is Stopped
- Poem: Great Spirit Hear My Words
- Poem: Extermination of a Nation(rev2)
- Verse: Hawai'ian Book of Days
- Conferences and Powwows - offline
--------- "RE: The Salmon People" ---------
Date: Thu, 19 Jan 95 20:32:07 MST
From: milo@scicom.alphacdc.com (Michele Lord)
Subj: The Salmon People
UUCP email
[Editorial Note: Sincere thank you to Michele for obtaining permission
to repost these stories from Indigenous Women's Network
and a prayer of thanks to these ladies for giving these
stories to the People]
Hi Gary,
I thought I'd mail these directly to you and let you know
that the magazine, Indigenous Woman, has no copyright. It
states: "Our purpose is to increase the visibility of Native
Women and empower them to participate in political, social and
cultural processes while working toward the betterment of
ourselves as Native women and improving the conditions within
our communities."
I've talked with several women and with the Network office and
they're happy to let more people have the opportunity to read
the articles as long as the information about the Network is
posted with each one.
Regards,
Michele
--------------------------------------------------------------------
>From Volume II, Number 1, Indigenous Woman, A publication of the
Indigenous Women's Network.
The SALMON PEOPLE: Susanna Santos
by Winona LaDuke, Ojibwe
I have known her a good portion of my life. Now as I watch her,
it is past midnight. She seems dark, tiny, weary. Yes, weary.
I never thought I would describe Susanna as such, she has always
been taunt as a big cat, in between springs, and in possession of
unending creativity. It is not the time of night at all. It is
the time on the land, and on her river, the Deschutes. She is
wearied, it seems, from the seemingly infinite battles, yet
somehow, she smiles at me, laughs again, and reassures me that she
is still alive, still resisting.
"The people are the salmon." It is that clear. Spanning the
Pacific Coast from Prince William Sound to the Klamath River,
salmon and people are intertwined through centuries of ceremony,
creation stories, sacred sites, sustenance, economics, and
ecosystems. 1993's Salmon Summit (Portland) of the West Coast
Indigenous peoples brought it home through words and strategies,
and as I sit and watch her talk, pace, laugh and cry, I am
reminded over and over again, "The people are the salmon...
"Celilo or Tixni means the Falls of the Women's Hair," Susanna
translates for me , is the heart of Salmon culture on the Columbia
River, a location now spanned by the Dalles Dam complex. "That's
why I came back to fish. I wanted to dance the salmon, know the
salmon, and say goodbye to the salmon. I grew up on the river
(the Deschutes) in a tent, so it's not like I went away very long.
Now I am looking at the completion of the destruction. The
destruction of the salmon by all of them - the Exxon Valdez,
Trojan Nuclear Power Plant, Hanford, logging and those dams.
Commodities, that's the future of Indian food here. To me, that's
the future."
Susanna Santos, artist, historian and fisherwoman is from the
Tygh band of the Lower Deschutes, a resident of the Warm Springs
reservation in central Oregon. Her band today includes a scant 30
families, endangered peoples, themselves struggling to continue
their instructions and relationship to the salmon. This past
year, some seventeen fish were caught off the scaffolds on the
Deschutes. The stories of the people and the fish are not so
different.
"We are on the brink and we're looking down into the abyss,"
exclaims Geoff Pampush, director of Oregon Trout, a sportsman and
environmental organization which has joined in concern over the
salmon. One hundred seven stocks of salmon have already become
extinct in the Pacific region, and 89 others are "at risk of
extinction."
Indigenous peoples speak of salmon as plentiful for as long as
people can remember. American scientists estimate that 100
million salmon a year once emerged from the rivers along the
coasts of California, Oregon and Washington. Today, these fish are
extinct in Southern California, and the remainder of the region
produces perhaps 15 million annually, most of them from
hatcheries.
Stocks, or runs, of salmon are those of a single species that
emerge from the same spawning grounds, travel to the ocean
together and return to spawn again at the same time. That means
there can be hundreds of separate stocks, which the government
typically regards as genetically distinctive creatures under the
Endangered Species Act (ESA), although there are only five actual
species of salmon in the northwest - Chinook, sockeye, coho, pink
and chum. Closely related and also suffering in the region are
the steelhead and sea-run cutthroat trout.
It is no coincidence that virtually every river has a people,
each as distinct as the salmon species. Traveling down the
"Oregon" coast 150 years ago, starting from the Columbia, one
would have found a distinct language at almost every river mouth
along the way. Clatsop at the Columbia, then Tillamook and
Siletz, Yaquina and Alsea, Coquille, Tututni, Shasta Costa and
Chetco. In all there are six families of languages that belong to
the land and peoples of Oregon, none intelligible to the others,
and all, not unlike the salmon, on the verge of extinction.
"At one time, we had 1400 people. Then relocation happened. The
government tried to force us to move. Our people kept relocating
back to Shugar's Bridge (named after a so-called "discoverer").
My grandmother and her brother hid out in the hills. At night they
killed almost everyone. A couple dozen people were hiding out in
the hills, there at Sheer Falls. They killed a lot of women..."
Today, it seems little has changed. Susanna is,
understandably, angry. "There are only two families fishing here
on the Deschutes, and they've closed us down. We are still
fighting them." She pauses, then continues, "What they are trying
to do is genocide. They don't want us to fish and we're a strong
matriarchal family. To take away our fishing rights and customs
is the process of genocide. Part of that is the self-hatred and
racism. Since the destruction of Celilo Falls, men's humanity
becomes predatory - every species grasping for the little food
left."
The listing of the salmon as threatened and endangered,
finally, forced the Northwest residents to acknowledge the
problem. Years of talk, political and social struggle over
forests and owls has left the region keenly aware of what happens
when the economic practices of manifest destiny come into conflict
with biological sustainability., and more recently, laws like the
Endangered Species Act.
In response to the congressionally mandated studies, a series of
dams were proposed to be built along the Columbia River. The
Bonneville Dam was the first dam to be built in accordance with
the Corp of Engineers proposals. Construction of the Bonneville
Dam inundated the river tribes' fishing grounds from the dam site
to above The Dalles, Oregon. In 1939, a settlement agreement was
reached between the tribes and the United States relative to the
flooding. This agreement, approved by the Secretary of War in
1940, provided that the War Department would acquire approximately
four hundred acres of lands along the Columbia River and install
ancillary fishing facilities to be used by the treaty tribes.
After 20 years, the Army Corp of Engineers had provided 40 acres
of "in lieu" sites, not 400. One of the sites - Lyle Point - is
now the subject of a major confrontation between developers and
Indians.
Unkept Promises and the Future
Environmentalists argue that more water needs to be released
according to the schedule of the salmon, not according to the
electricity demands of the aluminum companies. Some go further
and insist that the only way to save the Columbia River Salmon is
to pull down some of the great dams.
In a late Spring ruling by the 9th Circuit Federal Court judge,
Malcolm Marsh, the federal government will have to do more to care
for the salmon of the Northwest. Ruling in favor of lawsuits
brought by Idaho, Oregon, Indian tribes and environmentalists,
declaring that the National Marine Fisheries Service and the
Bonneville Power Administration had violated the Endangered
Species Act, March required the federal agencies to make some
dramatic changes. Susanna waits to see, one eye on the river and
one on her canvas.
It is a macabre scene. Against the stark background of hills,
power lines, and nuclear power plants, Yakima Indians are tending
fish in cooling ponds at the Hanford Nuclear reservation in
Washington State. A facility battled for years by Yakimas (on
whose treaty land the facility was constructed) and
environmentalists. Hanford is the single largest source of
radioactive contamination in the region. More than half a million
Chinook salmon smolts are being released into the river in this
project, fish which have tested free of radio-nuclides.
Throughout the Northwest, many runs are now so depleted that
some Washington treaty tribes are having to purchase "farm fish"
for their annual First Salmon Ceremonies, an event of central
cultural importance to Salmon Peoples. "These fish are our hope,"
says Jerry Menick, Yakima Tribal Chair. "They (the ones reared at
Hanford) are our future. If the salmon survive and return to
spawning the Columbia, we may again someday have a real harvest."
Works in Progress
It is a time of ultimate ironies. I wander through Susanna's
house, into her bedroom and studio. At my home, her paintings
fill my walls with vibrant colors. Today, I look at her newest
works in progress. All of them are dark, filled with shadow,
pain. There is a painting of a white man caught in a fishing net,
one of the impacts of "ecotourism."
Susanna's family was on their fishing scaffold when the white
man came down the river, "drinking and partying." She saw him
drown.
The man was in a party of river rafters, who like so many
others, whitewater down the river whenever they feel like it,
Indians fishing in ceremony or not. "In the drowning, he violated
us by rafting down the river in front of us. That's like a person
opening the doors of the longhouse. I might have pulled him up,
but it would have torn my arm off." She sighs, then gives a
disgusted look. "I pulled his shorts up in my net."
To the north of her on Lyle Point, a familiar battle between
Indians and affluent developers rages. Seventy miles east of
Portland, fishing scaffolds at a so-called "in lieu" traditional
fishing village on the Columbia River have become inaccessible as
gates walls and utilities push through for a housing development.
Some 33 half-a-million-dollar homes are planned at Lyle Point by
developers from the Columbia Gorge Investor Limited Partnership.
Columbia River fishing people call the area Nanaimi Waki
Uulktt and vow to resist the development, and expansion of a wind
surfing area, in their traditional territory , so-called "in lieu"
sites (the meager 40 acres) guaranteed after the big dams
devastated the traditional sites. "I have fished here forever,
through my ancestors," says Margaret Palmer, a member of the
Yakima Nation. She stands by an ancestral fishing scaffold, where
she has staged an encampment to protect her fishing rights along
the Columbia. Margaret and other tribal members find the 100-foot
allotment provided by Lyle Point developers as access to fishing
sites, unacceptable. "This is where the fish come to give up
their spirits. It is a sacred place," she explains. "I will not
come here to fish for my family next to tennis courts and the
swimming pool of a luxury home development."
I look at Susanna's artwork again. The dark shadows punch me
in my gut. Susanna breaks into my thoughts. "I am just boiling
inside. I want to explode. I have to tell these stories in my
paintings. As an artist, I have to take responsibility to rid
myself of this pain, and the impact on the people who are seeing
it. I don't always live in this world. I live in the other
world."
"Nothing can prepare you for the death of the Salmon," she
says. "It couldn't. What are we going to do? The fish is the
spiritual food, the brain food, and without it that fish, that
food, the elders are going to die. They are now. I feel like we
are going through another cycle of genocide, suicide and all that.
Now is the calm before the storm."
"That is why I paint. I am trying to document history. To
document us. To document we are alive. We're going to protect
sacred lands and other sacred places. I have to paint all that I
am seeing. The things we are doing 50-100 years from now, they are
going to have an impact, long-lasting effects. We are going to
host an After the Salmon Summit. That's what we have to do."
"how you live and conduct your life is a part of the solution.
Only when men start to respect women is it going to happen." She
has an intergenerational hope, a hope for the time ahead, and, a
sense of sureness that she will see it. "I want to see a land
base back, a living band of people. I won't settle for anything
else in my lifetime. You can't make compromises anymore. You
can't settle for less."
-30-
Indigenous Women is an official publication of the Indigenous
Women's Network, a continental and pacific network of women who
are actively involved in work in their communities. IWN emerged
from a gathering of around 200 Indigenous women Yelm, Washington
in 1985. Women came from the Americas and the Pacific to tell
their stories, present testimony as to conditions, and to look for
strategies and alternatives to make a better future for our
families and communities. We discussed the issues of political
prisoners, land rights, environmental degradation, domestic
violence, health problems and other concerns which are pressing in
our community. We learned from each other and we found courage in
the experience. We wanted to continue this work.
Four years later, the Indigenous Women's Network was formally
organized by a group of women who were committed keeping up the
links between women working in their communities, and finding a
way to strengthen that work. Our philosophy is to "work within the
framework of the vision of our elders," and through this process,
to rebuild our families, communities, and nations. This publication
is one part of that process.
The Indigenous Women's Network is a membership organization
comprised of Indigenous women (voting members) and others who are
interested (supporting members). Membership dues are $15 annually
for voting members and $25 for supporting members which can be an
organization or individual. Both receive periodic updates and our
publication which is intended to appear at least two times a year.
Membership information can be obtained at:
Indigenous Women's Network
P.O. Box 174
Lake Elmo, MN 55042
612-777-3629
Indigenous women are invited and encouraged to submit articles,
poetry and artwork/graphics within the visions of this magazine.
Please do not send originals and include stamped, self-addressed
return packaging for your items if you wish them returned.
Editorial and production collective: Nilak Butler, Lea Foushee,
Marsha Gomez, Winona LaDuke, Ingrid Washinawatok-El Issa, Renee
Senogles, Lisa Bellanger.
Contributing writers and artists: Katsi Cook, W. Stolzenburg,
Rosalina Aida-Hernandez-Castillo, Susanna Santos, Kerri Vera, Sue
Erickson, Carol Craig, Esther Yazzie, EK Caldwell, Catie Giles,
Joy Blue Bird, John Trudell, Winona LaDuke
--------- "RE: A Time for Reflection" ---------
Date: Sat, 28 Jan 1995 12:01:56 -0800
From: wpowell@ccmail.sunysb.edu
Subj: A time for reflection...
For those who have not heard the news, I thought I would pass this along
via the electronic moccasin telegraph.
Allan Houser has gone to be with the ancestors recently. Allan is a
sculptor of great talent and popularity, his is the sculpture Offering the
Great Pipe that is at the US mission to the UN here in NYC. His work is
all over the place, I have seen it at the Smithsonian and the Met I
believe.
Allan is (I believe) of the Apache nation, Chiricahua. His work
represents some of the best known of our NA artists in the whole world.
Allan Houser's work, I have heard those who know say, is some of the work
that has brought attention and opportunity to many of our artists. I hear
also he was a great person.
I submit this with respect and a touch of sadness, and pay respect to a
great artist and fellow human.
--------- "RE: James Duncan" ---------
Date: thu, 26 jan 95 22:34 est
From: "Steven C. Schiavi" <0005408096@mcimail.com>
Subj: James Duncan
UUCP email
to: gary night owl smith <gars@netcom.com>
I received a form letter, part of a mass mailing, the other day.
it was from a man named James Duncan. In it, he describes his blood, his
quantum, his conception, his birth, his visions, the famous and mysterious
people he has met. He goes on to describe his "trail of joy, the return".
this is walking the Trail of Tears backwards. Mr. Duncan says many nice
things about bringing the people back together, and laying "down the arms of
hatred, mistrust, and jealousy". But he also says "it is because all too
many of us have chosen to walk our own paths that we are where we are
today". He goes on to say "it is time for all my brothers and sisters to
join me on the path of the good red road".
Following one's own path...the path the Creator has laid out for one,
discovered through vision, prayer and dream...is the essence of all I under-
stand to be Indian.
Those of us who walk the Good Red Road will find each other, regardless of
blood, quantum or any other obstacles. "Follow the leader" is not a game
I care to play, with Mr. Duncan or anyone else. Our elders are elders
because they have earned the respect of the People. They don't have to
send out letters proclaiming their visions; if we are to share in those
visions, we will be in the place at the time when it is right that it be so.
I have no intention of judging the visions of another. That is between an
individual and the Creator. But I do have every intention of questioning
how Mr. Duncan, or anyone else, expects the rebirth of the Sacred Hoop of all
the nations to take place by expecting everyone to act as white as possible?
Mass mailings and support groups and requests for money...this sounds more
like tel evangelism than it does like the Red Road. I fly from anyone who
proclaims them self to be anything. If the Indian People need another (and
more successful) Tecumseh, The Creator will send one, and do it in such a
way that no one who is Indian will need to question the ethics or methods
of this person.
Judgement is for The Creator. But we all have the right to an opinion; and
this has been mine.
I have said that I am of two minds about everything.
I must now qualify that and say, "everything but this".
Two minds, but always one heart, and one Spirit.
Wado
Rainbow Walker
--------- "RE: Native American Youth Academy /SOSC" ---------
Date: 31 Jan 1995 01:44:54 GMT
From: JKHT97A@prodigy.com (Catherine Windsor)
Subj: Native American Youth Academy /SOSC
Newsgroup: alt.native
The Youth Programs Office and the Native American Student Union with the
assistance of interested individuals on and off campus of Southern Oregon
State College in Ashland, Oregon, are at the beginning of putting
together the first Native American Youth Academy for native american
students in Oregon.
The program is the concept of Dr Jean Maxwell, Professor of Anthropology
of the School of Social Science and Education at Southern Oregon State
College in Ashland. The first Academy will hopefully be this summer on
the SOSC campus. She is working with the college, students, native
american residents in the Valley and around the State.
Any input, documentation on similar programs or wisdom from the elders
will be appreciated. The students are of junior and high school level
and the program will encourage students to continue their education into
college and consequently a degree.
Dr Maxwell is working with Carol Jensen, Director of Youth Programs at
SOSC but you can e-mail your offerings of information and assistance to
Dr Maxwell at the following: maxwell@wpo.sosc.osshe.edu ; please let her
know who referred you (see below).
If you have questions for me, please e-mail me directly. Thank you all in
ad-
vance for your help in helping us help our children and our people.
Walk in beauty,
Catherine Windsor (Choctaw)
JKHT97A@prodigy.com
--------- "RE: Oklahoma Rock Carving Proves Ethiopian Bible" ---------
Date: Sat, 28 Jan 1995 22:14:47 GMT
From: meus0001@maroon.tc.umn.edu (William E Meuse)
Subj: Oklahoma rock carving proves Ethiopian Bible
Newsgroup: alt.native
There is a rock carving on the Cimmarron Bluffs in Oklahoma. I have
read about it in the book, America B.C. The inscription is in two
languages, which have been determined (see the book) to be Canaanite
(Phoenician) and Celtic (Ogham). It is the word for the same thing in
both languages: "Whites".
The interesting thing about this is that according to the Book of
Jubilees, which is known only through the Dead Sea Scrolls and also the
Bible of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church (The oldest branch of
Christianity, which never passed through European hands) the whole Earth
was divided around the time of the fall of the Tower of Babel among
Noah's 16 grandchildren. The boundaries given specify that the line
separating Ham's land to the South from Yafiet's land to the North ran
due West from "Gadir" i.e. Gibraltar. Also through the Mediterranean: Ham
received Africa and Yafiet Europe. Since Gibraltar is on the 36th
parallel, a line running due West does not strike land until it hits
Albemarle Sound, North Carolina. Yet Jubilees clearly details how within
Ham's inheritance, the sub-portion "on the sea" falls to Canaan, while
within Yafiet's inheritance, the sub-portion "on the sea" is given to
Moshakh.
If you guessed that this line crosses the Cimmarron cliffs where the word
"whites" appears in both Canaanite and Ogham, you'd be right.
The descendants of Moshakh were not the Celts, but evidently knew them.
Their name is seen in Massachusetts, the oldest land, also in the
Tsenakomakan
(Powhatan) word MONSHAKWATUHW meaning Heaven an the Linneelinapie (Delaware)
have a similar word for Heaven. Other groups in Moshakia include:
Wabenaqodee & Meegmagheek, Wingandaghwa (Pimlico), Shawania,
Anishnabiewakee, Tseehistano, Seekseekia, Heenono'eyno, Nieheeyowa.
There was also an Anatolian tribe called Mushki who disappeared early in
history (Though some groups in x-Soviet Georgia claim descent from them too)
around the time of the Hittite Empire. The trail of "Sea Peoples" leads
from them to Cyprus, Crete, the Aegean, Sicily, Etruria, North Africa,
and Iberia, preceding the general rush of pioneers from the Middle
East across the virgin seas.
By the way - Jubilees also chronicles how Canaan was the first to break
the treaty by settling in Palestine. But the abundance of Canaanite,
Phoenician and Carthaginian inscriptions found in both North and South
America indicates that they did indeed find their inheritance "on the
sea". Later admixtures of blood made the "whites" distinction less easy
to distinguish - hence all are called "Indian" including other groups
that found their way across the Pacific or even from Wales.
--------- "RE: Wabigoon Metis" ---------
Date: 95/01/30 18:13
From: Suzan Horovitch (a.horovitch@genie.geis.com)
Subj: Wabigoon Metis
GE Electronic Mail
I have gotten the phone number for the Wabigoon Metis Abor. Dev. Corp AND
permission to use the article.
The following article is reprinted from COGNITION: The Voice of
Canadian Organic Growers (Winter 1995) with the kind permission of
both the editors of Cognition and the author. ( Article slightly
edited for length).
CERTIFIED BLUEBERRIES AND CRANBERRIES PROMOTING SELF SUFFICIENCY IN
NORTHERN ONTARIO
By: Lorne C. Mitchell; General Manager of the Wabigoon Metis
Aboriginal Development Corporation
Submitted by Brave Star
The rugged area of Northern Ontario from Lakes Superior and
Nipigon to the Manitoba border has a short growing season,
extremely cold winters and hot summers - conditions that aren't
conducive to many cultivated crops. Wild blueberries, however,
grow in such profusion that for years people from far and wide
would flock to the area each summer to cash in on the harvest.
Unfortunately, there was little or no economic benefit to the
community.
In 1989 the local aboriginal people decided to take control of
this valuable resource. Today, over 90% of the money generated by
the blueberry harvest stays in the community and self-sufficiency
is starting to become a reality.
The Wabigoon Metis and Aboriginal Development Corporation, a
community based and owned company represents aboriginal harvesters
from Wabigoon and the surrounding area. any or all profits are
used to generate further economic ventures which will create
employment for aboriginal people of Wabigoon and the surrounding
area.
The products harvested - blueberries, cranberries and
beginning this year mushrooms ( chanterelles) - all grow naturally
in the forests. Except for closely monitoring the crops in spring
and early summer to determine the extent of the harvest, nothing is
done either to enhance the crop or to control natural vegetation;
nature alone dictates the outcome of each crop. All of our
products are advertised as OCIA certified, so we monitor any use of
chemical spraying in the area, either by logging companies or the
Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources to ensure that none of our
crops have been contaminated by such practices.
The blueberries are harvested by hand and if need be, a
fanning mill is set up at camp to ensure that they are cleaned
before they are shipped to the marketplace. The blueberries are
weighted and packaged at the harvesting camp. the camp is set up
right in the bush; it is not uncommon to have sixty to eighty
people participating in the harvest.
The blueberries are marketed mainly in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in
a joint effort with Neechi Foods, an aboriginal cooperative store
within the city. We are also involved with different farmers'
coops in Manitoba. The Mennonite Central Committee of Manitoba
assists us with marketing and sales.
As of 1994 we expanded our market area into Thunder Bay, and
next year we hope to increase our volume of business there.
Highbush cranberries grow along rivers and creeks and are
ready for harvest around mid-September. The first year the
cranberries were harvested commercially was 1993. People went out
to the picking sites and brought the cranberries back to the walk
in freezer plant. After being weighed put into freezer bags and
frozen, the cranberries were then shipped to Wabauskang Wildfruits
to be used for product development.
Five thousand pounds of cranberries were harvested as part of
a pilot project in a joint effort between the Wabigoon Development
Corporation and Wabauskang Wildfruits. Last year, approximately
three thousand pounds ripened earlier than expected. The overripe
berries attracted bears that trampled over the bushes to get at
them. Work will continue with this product to determine whether or
not it will generate future growth for the community.
The Development Corporation works together with companies in
other communities in developing other products from the forests and
lakes. Wabauskang Wildfruits , situated on the Wabauskang First
Nation, is producing blueberry jam, blueberry leather and a
fruitbar, and is also working towards developing jelly from the
highbush cranberries. Kagiwosa Manomin, located on the Wabigoon
Lake first nation, is working with wild rice and has also developed
wild rice mixes.
Skaatge Saigaygun Inc. on the Shoal Lake #39 First Nation, is
presently working to develop a granola bar using dried blueberries,
popped manomin ( wild rice) and maple sugar as well as various
types of popped manomin. together we have formed the Anishnabe
Weeschikewin Alliance in an effort to develop a whole line or
organic food products from the forests and lakes in our region.
--------- "RE: Poem: Water that is Stopped" ---------
Date: 24 Jan 1995 13:23:05 -0600
From: turtle@aicap.s21.com (Turtle Heart)
Subj: Water that is Stopped
Newsgroup: alt.native
Sitting in the waters
the old one tied a cord
tied it up with knots
singing his dreams as he sat there
there it is
somewhere in there
the medicine you were weeping for
yes
there is plenty of it
yes
many have cried thinking it was lost
the sky has followed itself
into his arms
he has allowed himself to depend upon the clear sky
it may be just as I have said
that he was there
gathered with the sky
counting his knots
each time that you wept
counting the medicine that is there
i know how to speak clearly
Tobacco Indian
--
_________________________________________________________________
AICAP Pages copyright 1994 (c)AICAP
http://www.mit.edu:8001/activities/aises/aicap/archive/aicap.html
Turtle Heart turtle@soft21.s21.com (Ahnishinabeg)
American Indian Computer Art Project BBS 619-374-2100
PO Box 111 Johannesburg CA 93528-0111
Land of Kaw-ii-su ancestor: Land of Light
--------- "RE: Poem: Great Spirit Hear My Words" ---------
Date: Tue, 10 Jan 1995 06:40:07 -0800 (PST)
From kibby@scs.unr.edu Tue Jan 10 06:39:38 1995
Subj: "Great Spirit Hear My Words"
UUCP email
"Great Spirit Hear My Words"
Great Spirit Grandfather
These Words are for you,
For father Sun,
Grandmother Moon,
To the Four Winds,
To Mother Earth,
To all my relations.
Great Spirit Grandfather,
Look down upon
Your people,
For we are humble
Before you.
We seek your guidance,
So that we your people
May walk forever
In a proud manner
Before you.
Great Spirit Grandfather,
You gave your people
The breath of life,
So that we may live
With dignity and pride,
To always know
And understand
That life was meant for us
Your most humble
Traditional people,
And all that
Was Created
And given
The breath of life.
Larry Kibby
kibby@pogonip.scs.unr.edu
--------- "RE: Poem: Extermination of a Nation (revision2)" ---------
Date: Mon, 30 Jan 1995 15:15:48 -0700 (MST)
From: lizfrost@carina.unm.edu (lisa frost)
Subj: extermination of a nation (revision2)
UUCP email
Dear Gray,
I had another revision of this poem, and didn't know if you were still
interested in using it. I also wanted to explain its origin. I had the
fortune of going out to Canocito (little navajo, chimney rock) and
speaking with a wonderful named Leon....
Extermination of a Nation
hope remains
as the sun rises
and the rays
fall on this earth
for another day
and the light fades
and hope remains
for the rising of the sun again
and when the westerners came
the white men
thieves in the night
taking with one hand
and holding with the other
raping, tormenting and killing
the men and women he should have known
as his sister and his brother
killing for the land
which he has raped and destroyed
concept of unity
of which he is devoid
destruction and disregard
for the plants, the animals and the earth
this place of his birth
and in his consciousness he knows
and within his soul the disharmony grows
out of balance with the four elements
now his decedents and his children pay
as this land is ravaged by earthquake and flood
famine and fire
disease, death
and the violent spilling of blood
and as there is light
there is hope
that there is sight
hope that those who have not seen
for so long
will see
and return to a balancing way
for as
voices in song
rise from the center again
the resurrection of the living way
unsung unseen
till now and from the longwalk inbetween
from their voices, their souls
and their hearts
their prayer
their song
it resonates
and the earth
and the universe
know
and with our hope
the rest of us
join in the song
--------- "RE: Verse: Hawai'ian Book of Days" ---------
Date: 95/01/27 23:15
From: Kepola (dfsanders@genie.geis.com)
Subj: A HAWAI'IAN BOOK OF DAYS, week of January 29-February 4
GE Electronic Mail
A HAWAI'IAN BOOK OF DAYS, week of February 5-11
PEPELUALI
(February)
(Kau-lua)
5
For every ending, there is always another beginning.
6
We were not the first in this land: the Gods, ke akua, were here before us.
7
Before you throw a stone, pohaku, ask whose spirit dwells in it.
8
To care for the land is an act of worship.
9
Our seasons are the cycles of the moon, mahina, and the stars, na hoku.
10
Ask the Gods before taking from the land; ask not to take from Pele,
for what is hers belongs to no other.
11
To a place of worship, a heiau, always bring a gift of stone.
(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, 2 February 95 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=
From: EIRP News <EIRPnews@COOPEXT.CAHE.WSU.EDU>
Subject: Elders Gathering
Original Sender: drheault@trentu.ca
** TWELFTH ANNUAL ELDERS' AND TRADITIONAL PEOPLES' GATHERING **
"FAMILY GROWTH THROUGH OUR ELDERS"
WHEN: FEBRUARY 17, 18 & 19, 1995
WHERE: TRENT UNIVERSITY, PETERBOROUGH, ONTARIO, CANADA
Boozhoo!
It is again our great honour to present this year's Elders' Gathering.
There will be 17 Elders this year, each presenting a lecture and/or
workshop on different Native issues:
_Avis Archambault_ is a Native American; Lakota/Gros Ventre from
Ft. Belknap, Montana. This Elder is a Traditional Treatment Practitioner
and she pioneered the "Talking Circle".
_Ernie Benedict_ is from the Akwesasne Mohawk Nation. He is a much sought
after speaker on culture and tradition.
_Marie Campbell_ was born on a trapline in Northern Saskatchewan. She is
the author of _Halfbreed_ and deals with race relations, community
development and creative writing.
_James Carpenter_ is a member of the Attawapiskat First Nations (James Bay
Cree). For the last 20 years he has been involved in working with youth,
being an advisor and teacher of traditions, and organizing festivals and
ceremonies.
_Barbara Clifton (Alaist)_ is the Hereditary Chief of the Ganada Clan
(Frog Clan) in Gitwangak, B.C.
_Dave Couchrene (White Sun Man)_ of the Eagle Clan is a spiritual leader
of the Anishnabe Nation.
_Raphael Fireman_ lives in the bush country of James Bay. He will speak
to us about the medicinal properties of plants and survival in the bush.
_David Gehue_ is a wise man, a medicine man, a healer. From Nova Scotia,
he speaks of the traditional way of life and healing.
_John Hookimaw_ is respected as a spiritual leader and mediator. He is a
member of the Attawapiskat First Nation.
_Edna Manitowabi_ is an Odawa-Ojibwe from Wikwemikong, Manitoulin Island,
and is the Head Woman of the Eastern Doorway of the Three Fires Midewiwin
Lodge.
_Janice Longboat_ is of the Turtle Clan from Six Nations and is a member of
the Cayuga Nation. She is experienced in the use of herbal medicines.
_Sylvia Maracle_ is a member of the Wolf Clan, Mohawk Six nations
Confederacy and a member of the Tyendinega First Nation. She is active in
education development affecting Aboriginal peoples in Ontario.
_Sara Smith_ is Mohawk of the Turtle Clan and has the great gift of her
Nation's Oral Teachings.
_Chief Jake Thomas_ is an Hereditary Chief of his Clan amongst the Iroquois
Nation. He is a carver, translator and consultant on Iroquois language.
He recently published _Teachings from the Longhouse_.
_Michael Thrasher_ is a Metis from Alberta. He has a great background in
the Medicine Wheel, and has worked with orphans and prisoners as well as
drug and alcohol consultation.
_Rachael Uyarasuk_ comes to us from the NWT. This is only the second time
that she has come south in her life.
_Shirley Williams_ is a member of the Bird Clan of the Ojibwe and Odawa
First nations. She has lectured across Canada promoting language and
culture and is now asst. prof. at Trent University.
<*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*>
Workshop registrations will start each day at 8:30 am, with the opening
ceremonies at 11:30 am Friday, Feb. 17.
Registration can be done upon arrival at the University.
weekend daily
adult $50 $30
students/seniors $35 $20
Children $25 $10
Socials are included in Weekend Workshop rates. Otherwise the socials are
$5 each. On Friday night we will have Tom Jackson (North of 60) performing
at the Memorial Centre. $10 at the door.
Cheques and money orders payable to:
(Make cheques out to TRENT UNIVERSITY)
Dept. of Native Studies
Trent University
Otonabee College
Peterborough, Ontario
K9J 7B8
Canada
attn: Kathy Fife
For further information please contact
Kfife@TrentU.ca
or call (705) 748-1443
I hope that many of you will be able to take the time out to visit us. We
are now the largest Traditional Gathering in North America with 2000-5000
people coming for this occasion
Miigwech,
D'Arcy Rheault
============================================================================
This information provided courtesy of the Extension Indian Reservation
Telecommunication Project and EIRPnews:
pablob@coopext.cahe.wsu.edu
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
============================================================================
From: EIRP News <EIRPnews@COOPEXT.CAHE.WSU.EDU>
Subject: Rainwater Sweetheart Pow-Wow
**************************
~~~~~~ RAINWATER SWEETHEART POW-WOW ~~~~~~
**************************
When: Saturday - February 11th
Noon until Midnight
Where: Puyallup Tribal Hall
Puyallup Tribe
GRAND ENTRY 1PM AND 7PM -----------------
HOST DRUM: EAGLE DANCER
MC: TONY MCGRADY WHIP LADY: RIKKI JACOBS
Jackpot Owl Dancing and other Fun Events planned for the day!!!
COASTAL DRUMS *** Please bring a Coastal Song or Two and a Story to Share
from Noon to 1 PM.
***** Help Teach Our Children Their Heritage *****
For more information call 360.273.9182. Ask for Woody.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
This event is alcohol, drug & violence free. No bad attitudes will be
invited or tolerated.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
===========================================================================
This information provided courtesy of the Extension Indian Reservation
Telecommunication Project and EIRPnews:
pablob@coopext.cahe.wsu.edu
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
===========================================================================
From John Blackfeather Jeffries' Quarterly NC/SC Powwow List:
Feb 25 Native American Pow Wow, N.C. School of Science & Mathematics,
Durham, NC
Info: 919-206-9401 (nights/evenings)
Note from Evening Star: This annual event was the first Pow Wow I ever
attended. It's indoor (school gym), VERY crowded, represents most (if not
all) NC tribes. GOOD people there and I recommend it highly.
Feb TBA UNC-Greensboro, Greensboro NC. Traditional Native American
Cultural Festival and Pow Wow.
Info: 910-334-5132
From _News From Indian Country_
Feb 9-12 Seminole Pow Wow, Hollywood, FL
Info: 305-584-0400
Feb 10-12 Lincoln's Birthday Pow-Wow, Warm Springs, OR
Info: 503-553-3393
Feb 11 4th Indian Awareness Day, Wisconsin Rapids, WI
Info: 715-423-1520
Feb 11 Algonquin Social, Providence, RI
Info: 401-421-0888
Feb 11 3rd Early Spring, Tahlequah, OK
Info: 918-456-5740
Feb 11-12 Mid-Winter Escanaba, Escanaba, MI
Info: 906-789-0505
Feb 25-26 Lima Council, Lima OH
Info: 419-228-1097
==========================================================================
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--
Notice of Copyright Clearance by Contributors:
The following have granted permission for their original articles to
be reposted in order to help mend the Sacred Hoop:
Lisa Frost, Kepola, Will Powell, Steven C. Schiavi, Larry Kibby,
Winona LaDuke(Indigenous Women's Network) via Michele Lord, M. Council,
Turtle Heart(mending the Sacred Hoop with Song Poems), Janet Smith,
Alan Dixon, Catherine Windsor, Suzan Horovitch, Larry Innes(Press Release),
Tina Stinnett, William E Meuse,
People's Voice Newspaper, Editor: Kimball Cariou(Permission with Credit)
--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ all items below this line have already been distributed by our
brother, Jay Brummett, via the NATIVE-L or NATCHAT mailing lists.