Sherman Alexie is a Spokane/Coeur d’Alene Indian, and he grew up on the Spokane Reservation located in Wellpinit, WA. Due to brain surgery at six months-old (he was diagnosed as hydrocephalic at birth) he was not expected to live. But he survived to become one of the most prolific American Indian authors of this era.

Prior to writing novels, Sherman studied poetry at Washington State University. Shortly after graduating, and receiving his second fellowship, two of his poetry collections were published, The Business of Fancydancing and I Would Steal Horses.

He has also written a number of best selling novels. One of my favorites is The Lone Ranger and Tonto Have A Fist Fight In Heaven. The book has 22 short stories that are interconnected  and follow the lives of Victor Joseph and Thomas Builds-the-Fire, two American Indians who live on the Spokane Indian Reservation.

The following is an excerpt from one short story entitled Indian Education; First Grade, which is a series of short vignettes, each describing grades 1 through 12 in Victor’s education. This is the first one;

” My hair was too short and my U.S. Government glasses were horn-rimmed, ugly, and all that first winter in school, the other Indian boys chased me from one corner of the playground to the other…They stole my glasses and threw them over my head, around my outstretched hands, just beyond my reach, until someone tripped me and sent me falling again, face down in the snow. I was always falling down; my Indian name was Junior Falls Down. Sometimes it was Bloody Nose or Steal-His-Lunch. Once it was Cries-Like-a-White-Boy, even though none of us had seen a white boy cry.”

Great book by a great author!

For more information about Alexie and for a list of his works: Here

Tags: novels. poetry, Sherman Alexie, Spokane/Coeur d' Alene Indians, the Lone Ranger, Tonto, Writer

Donald Bradley, (Kansas City Star) Native American Times

Mioshia Wagoner, also known as “Yosh” is a member of the Navajo community, ready to complete her Master’s degree, and she holds the Olympic silver medal for light-heavyweight boxing!

After receiving her undergraduate degree from Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Yosh went to China to compete in the World Championships and brought home the silver medal for Team USA.

In China, she defeated the fighters from Egypt and Romania. The fighter from the host country won the gold (this time).

It is interesting how she became interested in boxing.

She was covering amateur fight night at the Haskell Boxing Club. while working as a reporter for The Haskell college newspaper, The Indian Leader.

For  Yosh, most of the evening was boring until she saw two women fight.
 According to Yosh,

“One was higher-skilled, quicker and, kicked butt.”

After the fight, She spoke to Darren Jacobs a trainer about wanting to box.  Jacobs states,

“[I] wasn’t impressed. She wasn’t the first girl who had seen Million Dollar Baby.
But from the first punch, I knew she was born to fight,…
And now? …She’s fast and hits real hard.”

Ms. Yosh Wagoner is highly intelligent, and cares deeply for her people. She is pretty, and possesses a warm smile. She has also won the Native American Championships for  2007 and 2008.

She’s  the second best fighter in the world,  and she  just might become the first in her division.

This is an inspirational article about a wonderful, strong, and  independent  young woman! We want to hear more about her in the future.

Read the article and share your thoughts.

Tags: Boxing, Haskell Indian Nations University, Mioshia Wagoner, Navajo, Olympics

Kim Baca, Native American Times

Soccer fever is upon us, and for the children of the Pueblo of San Felipe in Albuquerque NM, soccer is the new “rez” ball. It’s interesting to note that soccer was started five years ago in the Pueblo by Notah Begay a professional golfer who grew up in the area.

“… After injuring his back, Begay saw what diabetes and other harmful diseases did to Native people while giving motivational speeches on the reservations.  He decided to start a foundation focusing on decreasing diabetes and obesity in children one starting with his own community.  Begay chose soccer as one of the vehicles because it was a sport he enjoyed playing as a youngster—the game also involves multiple players who have varying skill levels…”

Mike Ansera, a volunteer soccer coach from the Pueblo, and a cousin of Begay, explains that in the beginning, it was challenging to explain the game to the elders of the tribe.

” In the village growing up, it’s always been about baseball, basketball or softball,…Now it’s soccer and it’s become second nature.  No one says, ‘What is soccer?’ Now it’s, ‘Are you going to play soccer?”

There have been positive results since the game began in the small community of San Felipe. The children get much more exercise and lead healthier lives. The children are also getting better grades in other subjects in school. Parents are becoming involved and some are volunteering their time to the program. The exciting news for the village is the new soccer field scheduled to be completed this fall. The entire community is getting involved.

Read the story and share your thoughts!

Tags: Notah Begay, Pueblo of San Felipe, soccer

Manuel Valdes, Native American Times

It appears that members of the Quileute Nation have become famous as a result of the Twilight vampire movies. The area where the Quileute reside (La Push, Washington)  is where the vampire/werewolf  sagas by  Stephenie Meyer takes place. It is also the home of one of the movie’s main characters, the popular werewolf Jacob Black. The members plan to capitalize on this sudden fame and interest in the tribe’s culture.

“At their Oceanside Resort, the tribe is opening a cabin decorated in a wolf theme (this is in recognition to both the tribe’s folklore story of its origins from wolves transformed into humans, and to the Jacob character) …At a Quileute store in the reservation town of La Push, handmade beanie hats with “Jacob” stitched on them sell for nearly $35. There’s also a “Jacob’s Java” espresso stand.”

Aside from generating money for the members,  many believe that this recognition places the Quileute Nation and other American Indians into a more contemporary  (and much needed) light  (see the Rick Kerns article Who Are American Indians in the 21st Century?)

The members of the Quileute Nation seem very happy about the total experience.

Says tribal chairwoman Anna Rose Counsell-Geyer,

“The interest in our tribe was a surprise, a good surprise. I thought to myself, people are going to actually get to know the Quileute and we are going to be recognized as a people. The real Quileute…This is going to be imprinted on people’s lives for generations to come.”

This is an interesting approach to American Indian recognition that many view as positive. Read the article and share your thoughts with us!

Tags: Quileute Nation, Twilight saga, vampire, werewolf

Newsroom, Argonne National Laboratory

People are discovering that Tribal lands represent enormous potential for the production of renewable energy, and this translates into money for the tribal members. Money for better health care, schools, and living conditions.

According to the statistics,

“The 55 million acres of land across the nation controlled by Native American tribes can potentially produce an estimated 535 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity from wind power and more than 17 trillion kilowatt-hours from solar energy. These projections are equivalent to more than four times the amount of electricity generated annually in the United States, and represent new economic and employment opportunities for many Native American communities.”

Argonne National Laboratory and the U.S. Department of the Interior are working together to develop training opportunities that will educate future tribal leaders on the importance of energy resource development and environmental evaluations. The programs are Tribal Energy Internships and the Indian Education Renewable Energy Challenge.

Argonne is hosting an internship program for summer (this will be it’s second year) specifically for American Indians and Alaska Native college students. This year, the program will include students from the following tribes: Quapaw, Navajo, Shoshone Bannock, Seneca Nation, Confederated Salish and Kootenai, and Eastern Shoshone, Cherokee.

Tony Dvorak, director of Argonne’s Environmental Science Division, make this observation,

“Despite being rich in renewable resource potential, many tribes struggle with poverty and soaring unemployment. This program helps develop renewable energy resources locally that can create jobs and revenue opportunities for tribal communities.”

Students will spend their summer working on a variety of research projects, and will have the opportunity to work with Argonne mentors.

Several colleges already involved in the program are Little Big Horn College, University of New Mexico and San Juan College.

All interested students, parents, and educators  should  read this article and follow up by speaking to the appropriate organizations. Click on any of the highlited areas to receive contact  information.

Tags: Argonne National Lab, cherokee, College, Confederated Salish and Kootenai, Eastern Shoshone, Ennergy, Indian Education Renewable Energy Challenge, Internships, Little Big Horn College, Navajo, Quapaw, San Juan College, Science, Seneca Nation, Shoshone Bannock, Students, U.S. Dept. of the Interior, UNM