Rick Kearns, Indian Country Today

Who Are American Indians in the 21st Century? is the title of an interactive presentation by John Sanchez, an associate professor at Penn State University, and a member of the Yaqui/Apache.

When Professor Sanchez visited his son’s elementary school to speak to the students and teachers about his culture, he was dressed in a suit with a tie and he carried a briefcase. He was surprised by the response he received:

“I went and spoke to the teacher and many students and I told them that even though we lived in Washington, D.C. we were still Indian and they didn’t understand, they thought that when I was coming to speak to them I would be wearing buckskins, feathers and war paint.”

Based on this reaction Professor Sanchez decided to perform an experiment with the aid of the school officials. Students in the second through the fifth grades were asked to draw a picture of an American Indian family.

You have to read the article to find out the unbelievable results!

This is only part of the work Professor Sanchez has accomplished and is completing. He has also done extensive research of the three major networks and discovered that between 1990 and 1999, out of a total of 175,889 newscasts only 98, or .05 percent were about American Indians.

Professor Sanchez points out that young American Indians have a suicide rate 5 times higher than other young people in that age group. He believes that young Indians need positive reinforcement of their cultures’ values and that there has to be a stronger connection among the tribes, “…We need to know more about each other.”

Professor Sanchez has made ( and continues to make) strong efforts in this direction.

Read the article and share your thoughts with us.

Tags: American Indian Identity, Apache Indian, networks, Penn State University, Professor John Sanchez, research, school, Washington D. C., Yaqui Indian

By Cindy Yurth,  The Navajo Times

The Navajo Code Talkers were instrumental in helping the United States defeat the Japanese during World War II. Young Navajo men created an ingenious form of secret code for communications that was based on the Navajo language.  Because the Japanese were never able to decipher the code,  many lives were saved and the United States was able to make advances to end the war.

There are many people (Indian and non-Indian) who are not aware of these brave men and their important role during the war. Code Talkers Bill Toledo of Torreon, N.M., and Frank Chee Willeto of  Pueblo Pintado, N.M., participated in a memoir-writing workshop at the Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C. The goal of the program is to eventually obtain videos of the remaining Code Talkers and record their stories so that more people will learn about who the the Navajo Code Talkers are, and their important contribution during WW II.

Read the article, then share your thoughts with us.

Sources for further information about Code Talkers:

Navajo Code Talkers: World War II Fact Sheet

Logoi.com

OracleThinkQuest

Tags: Bill Toledo, Frank Chee Willeto, Japanese, Navajo, Navy Memorial, United States, Washington D. C., WWII

By Fritz Faerber, June 8, 2010 National Geographic

The catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has caused irreparable damage to people and wildlife, but might it also cause the extinction of an American Indian tribe?

The Atakapa-Ishak Indians are a small group of Indians living in the marshes of  Louisiana in the Grand Bayou Village.  Rosina Philippe, a spokesperson for the tribe had this to say.

” The Atakapa have survived smallpox, Manifest Destiny and a millennium of hurricanes, but the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which represents a complete unknown, is the scariest threat of all…”

Maurice Phillips, another member of the Atakapa-Ishak Tribe had this comment,

“I’ve been a shrimper all my life, and trapping. That’s all I ever did. We live off the land. We get all our wildlife, seafood, and everything off the land…I can’t even think about leaving it. And the way the economy is, where are you going to go and live?”

Ruby Ancar, is also a member of the Atakapa-Ishak and here are her thoughts,

“Nature, you can’t control. You can’t control a hurricane you can’t control a tornado. But when you have things that are man made: that destroys a person’s life or an entire village or an entire community, I mean, that’s uncalled for.“

A big “thank you” to National Geographic for calling public attention to the  plight of the Atakapa-Ishak Indians.

Read the article, view the video, and share your  thoughts with us!

Tags: American Indian tribe, Atakapa-Ishak Indians, Grand Bayou Village, Louisiana, National Geographic, oil spill, Ruby Ancar, wildlife

by Babette Herrmann, Indian Country Today

The focus of the Talking Feather site is predominantly about the positive effects of education, specifically the education we receive from our cultures and the formal training we receive in schools.

This is a wonderful article about a 96 year-old woman who has acquired both types of education and who has shared her time, knowledge and love with other people.

Agnes Dill, a member of the Isleta Pueblo Indians, spent over 70 years working with American Indian tribes. She recently received an honorary degree from the University of New Mexico, on May 15, the day of graduation!

What is more amazing is the fact that although Agnes Dill has had her share of difficulties in her life, she has persevered, and has managed to find the time to empower others.

During her travels in the ’70s, she encouraged Native women to obtain degrees in professional areas such as law, business and medicine, which were usually reserved for men during that time. Agnes Dill stated,

“Anything a man was doing, I tried to get women to do.”

Today, she continues to be an advocate for Indian causes, especially in the areas concerning Native health and culture.

As for her honorary doctorate from UNM, Mrs. Dill stated,

“I received this honor, but I don’t believe I received it for myself, it’s for all North American Indian people.”

Agnes Dill is an inspiration to us all.

Read this article!

Tags: 96 years-old, Agnes Dill, degree, Education, graduation, honorary, Isleta Pueblo Indians, University of New Mexico