A Repository for Eagles Finds Itself In Demand  By Dan Frosch, The New York Times

Eagle in flight. Photo credit: John Sather Series.

O’siyo. For centuries American Indians have used Eagle feathers in their sacred ceremonies.  Today, because eagles are an endangered species, federal law protects all eagles, including their feathers. Unauthorized possession or distribution  of eagle feathers is illegal.

Excerpt:

“Miles from downtown Denver, in a small warehouse on the city’s edge, Bernadette Atencio watched as two men methodically bundled piles of dead eagles into boxes, careful to include enough frozen gel packs so the remains would not thaw…Despite appearances, this was not some surreptitious animal-smuggling ring. It was a typical Wednesday at the National Eagle Repository, the only place where American Indians can legally obtain bald and golden eagles from the federal government for traditional ceremonies.

Zuni Eagle Sanctuary. Photo credit:Knau-Earth Notes

Through a series of federal acts dating to the 1940s, bald and golden eagles have been fiercely protected. It is illegal to hunt the birds and also to collect feathers or eagle parts without the proper permit.

And so, for more than 30 years, this United States Fish and Wildlife Service program has been shipping thousands of eagle carcasses and parts to American Indians, who view the animals as sacred.

But a growing backlog of applications, and a slew of recent court battles over when American Indians can lawfully obtain eagles on their own, has raised questions about whether the repository is sufficient.

Lee Plenty Wolf held a fan made of eagle feathers. Photo credit: Matthew Staver The New York Times

More and more of our young people are going back to our spiritual way of life, and we can’t do our ceremonies without the eagles,” said Lee Plenty Wolf, a member of the Oglala Sioux tribe who lives in Fort Collins, Colo., and received a bald eagle on April 26 after waiting almost three years…

This is an issue across all tribal nations,” said Myron Pourier [executive board member for the Oglala Sioux tribe in South Dakota] All of them are going through the same federal red tape when they shouldn’t be. Especially when this is a part of our way of life.”

Read the article in its entirety and share your thoughts.

 

“The day is done, and the darkness, Falls from the wings of Night, As a feather is wafted downward, From an eagle in his flight”  

 ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow~ (1807 – 1882)

Legend of the Talking Feather: Kanati and Asgaya Gigagei Bestow the Gift of The Talking Feather

There are many legends about how the Indians learned about the Talking Feather”. Here is one of them…

Long years ago, when gods walked this earth and the land beyond, Kanati and Asgaya Gigagei, were together enjoying the warm summer day. It was a day when the crickets chirrupted in the waving, green grass,when they noticed a figure moving towards them.

As the figure approached closer Kanati said “Look, that woman is crying, what could be the matter?” “I can not imagine why anyone would cry on such a glorious day.” Replied Asgaya Gigagei. “Let’s ask her.”

As the woman drew nearer, they could see her buckskin was decorated with beautiful designs and colors. She carried a bundle filled with leaves, sage, and colorful stones and feathers. They knew immediately this woman was a holy being.

Kanati asked her “Holy mother, why are you crying so?” The woman looked up in wonder, because she had been walking with her head down. “I’m crying because the men of my village are fighting constantly! Each thinks his ideas for leading the tribe is the best!” Kanati and Asgaya Gigagei glanced at one another, in perplexity. “Why, if there are so many good ideas for leading your tribe, why are the men fighting? And why aren’t you and the other members happy!” The poor woman shook her head sadly and replied, “Yes, you are right, the men do have very good ideas, but every man wants to speak his own ideas, and not listen to anyone else. They all shout and scream at one another so loudly, that it frightens the children who run and hide behind their mothers. The women are sad because their husbands come to the house upset and angry. Furthermore, the tribe is suffering, because no one can seem to make a decision.”  Just then a beautiful Eagle was soaring overhead, Kanati called out “Brother Eagle, may I have one of your feathers, there are poor humans in desperate need!”

Bother Eagle replied “Yes” and shook himself until a single iridescent, large feather fell to the ground. “Many thanks and Blessings on you” said Kanati. Kanati made secret signs and prayers over the Feather. Asgaya Gigagei helped him with the blessings. Kanati then said to the woman “This is the sacred Talking Father, it holds great power for the one who holds it. Go back to your people, hold this feather up in the air, all who see it will fall silent, and listen to what you have to say. Tell all who listen that from now on, who ever holds this feather, all present within the Circle Council must listen to his words. The feather must then be passed on to the next speaker.”

The woman thanked Kanati and Asgaya Gigagei and hurried back to her village where there was total chaos!. Everyone was talking at once, children were crying, men were screaming at each other. As soon as she held the feather over her head, all became quiet! No one could utter a sound! the holy woman proceeded to give the directions given to her by the gods. She then passed the feather to the first man. He called the Talking Circle together, and each man had his say as he held the feather. From that time on that tribe flourished because they now had direction, and each person could hear and understand what their peers said. The people worked together, to build a great nation. Along the way, they shared the wonders of the Talking Feather with other tribes they met. “And that my friends is the true story of  how the Talking Feather came to be!”

 

 

As Bison Return to Prairie, Some Rejoice, Others Worry  By Nate Schweber, The New York times

American Buffalo- Spirit of a Nation-Photo credit- PBS, Nature Episodes

“America’s Great Plains in the early 1800s,…the rumbling of thunder could be heard in the distance, though no storm clouds could be seen. Then the ground would begin to tremble, and suddenly the astonished newcomers would be surrounded by a thundering herd of hulking animals that stretched further than the eye could see…the buffalo nation — a land where tens of million of American Bison held sway.”-American Buffalo: Spirit of a Nation

O’siyo. These words conjure up a beautiful, almost surreal image of a world long ago forgotten, and one that unfortunately, will probably never really exist again. This is due to the fact that although the buffalo are returning to the plains, not everyone is pleased about their coming. For many American Indians the return of the Buffalo signal  joy and hope, but for others, their return triggers trepidation and anger.

Excerpt:

“WOLF POINT, Mont. — Sioux and Assiniboine tribe members wailed a welcome song last month as around 60 bison from Yellowstone National Park stormed onto a prairie pasture that had not felt a bison’s hoof for almost 140 years. That historic homecoming came just 11 days after 71 pureblood bison, descended from one of Montana’s last wild herds, were released nearby onto untilled grassland owned by a charity with a vision of building a haven for prairie wildlife. Some hunters and conservationists are now calling for bison to be reintroduced to a million-acre wildlife refuge spanning this remote region.

Bison. Photo credit- Lynn Donaldson for The New York Times

“Populations of all native Montana wildlife have been allowed to rebound except bison; it’s time to take care of them like they once took care of us,” said Robert Magnan, 58, director of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation’s Fish and Game Department, who will oversee the transplanted Yellowstone bison program. Many farmers and ranchers fear that bison, particularly those from Yellowstone, might be mismanaged and damage private property, and worry that they would compete for grass with their own herds. “Bison are a romantic notion, but they don’t belong today,” said Curt McCann, 46, a Chinook rancher… Scientists estimate that tens of millions of bison once roamed America, but by 1902 there were only 23 known survivors in the wild, all hiding from poachers in a remote Yellowstone valley. For decades, attempts to transplant bison from the rebounding Yellowstone herd were thwarted, despite requests from tribes to steward some of the animals.

“I call them my brothers and sisters because they are a genetic link to the same ones my ancestors hunted,” said Tote Gray Hawk, 54, a Sioux who has brought the Fort Peck bison hay and water each day since their arrival. Their meat, lower in cholesterol than beef, will feed elderly tribe members and their skulls will be used in traditional sun dance ceremonies, he said.

The last hunt for indigenous bison on the Fort Peck reservation happened in 1873… The arrival of Yellowstone bison was welcome news around the troubled Fort Peck reservation…“These bison represent healing,” said Iris Greybull, 62, of Poplar. The bison debate has dredged up old tensions between tribes and their neighbors…“I took a lot of arrows for this, but it was the right thing to do,” Mr. Schweitzer said. “If you want to get into a fistfight in Montana, go into a bar and share your opinion about bison or wolves.”

Read the article in its entirety and share your thoughts with us. Also, view the video below Facing the Storm: Story of the American Bison to see some beautiful  footage of Bison, and to find out where they are today in 2012.

Video clip curtesy- PBS Independent Lens, Facing the Storm- Story of the American Bison

 

 

 

 

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The American Indian is of the soil, whether it  be the region of forests, plains, pueblos, or mesas. He fits into  the landscape, for the hand that fashioned the continent also fashioned the man for his  surroundings. He once grew as naturally as the wild sunflowers, he belongs just as the buffalo belonged….”  ~Luther Standing Bear~ Oglala Sioux, 1868-1937

Legend of the Talking Feather: Kanati and Asgaya Gigagei Bestow the Gift of The Talking Feather

UN to investigate plight of US Native Americans for first time By Ewen MacAskill, The Guardian

James Anaya at Arizona U. conference Photo credit- The University of Arizona

Osiyo. James Anaya, is originally from New Mexico and is well versed in Native American issues. He is the UN special rapporteur for Indigenous people and he will lead an investigation into the rights of Native Americans which will be presented to the United Nations. This is the first time in history an inquiry on behalf of Indians has taken place at the UN.
Excerpt:

“The UN is to conduct an investigation into the plight of US Native Americans, the first such mission in its history.
The human rights inquiry led by James Anaya, the UN special rapporteur on indigenous peoples, is scheduled to begin on Monday.
Many of the country’s estimated 2.7 million Native Americans live in federally recognized tribal areas which are plagued with unemployment, alcoholism, high suicide rates, incest and other social problems…A UN statement said: This will be the first mission to the US by an independent expert designated by the UN human rights council to report on the rights of the indigenous peoples.

James Anaya. Photo credit UN News Centre.

Anaya, a University of Arizona professor of human rights said: “I will examine the situation of the American Indian/Native American, Alaska Native and Hawaiian peoples against the background of the United States’ endorsement of the UN declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples.”

Apart from social issues, US Native Americans are involved in near continuous disputes over sovereignty and land rights. Although they were given power over large areas, most of it in the west, their rights are repeatedly challenged by state governments.

Most Americans have little contact with those living in the 500-plus tribal areas, except as tourists on trips to casinos allowed on land outside federal jurisdiction or to view spectacular landscapes…Anaya’s past record shows a deep sympathy with Native Americans’ plight. In one development dispute, he told the council that the desecration of sacred sites was an urgent human rights issue…”

Read the article in its entirety and share your thoughts with us!

“A very great vision is needed and the man who has it must follow it as the eagle seeks the deepest blue of the sky.”~Tȟašúŋke Witkó~
(Crazy Horse-1840 – 1877)

Legend of the Talking Feather: Kanati and Asgaya Gigagei Bestow the Gift of The Talking Feather

Education…The Right Place for a Native American Man?  By Lance A. Twitchell, The Huffington Post

University of Alaska Southeast Professor Lance A. Twitchell

Osiyo. Professor Lance Twitchell is from the Tlingit, Haida, and Yup’ik native nations. He speaks and studies the Tlingit language, and creates designs that reflect his rich cultural background.He is an Assistant Professor of Alaska Native Languages at the University of Alaska Southeast, and has written several books of poems and short stories.
Recently he wrote an intriguing article that discusses how the American education system fails the American Indian Male. Lance points out, “they are depicted as “angry abusers, savage killers, stoic bare-chested beasts, and one-with-nature kind of guys” take your choice. Although most of these stereotypes are media driven, many American Indian men face disturbing problems within the education system…and are walking away in defiance.

“In recent discussions with colleagues, the topic of Native American men has come up a lot… things are looking pretty bleak for education in Indian Country, especially for the men…the problem is the system. I think back to my days at the University of Minnesota. I took an Intro to World History class that probably had 300 students… I was seated near the front of the class, and the professor was lecturing about the formation of populations in the Americas. What he said struck me as incorrect, placing Native American history entirely within the land bridge theory which he said dated back to about 5,000 years ago. I raised my hand, and when called upon, told him about Tlingit oral traditions: we come from the South, we came up to the interior and then down to the coast of what is now Southeast Alaska about 10,000 years ago. He said, “weʼre not here to talk about that” and carried on with his version of the story. It was a matter of power. He had the position…not one person in the room seemed to care about any other versions of history. So I decided I wanted his job. But I know that many others would want to walk away. 

Sitka Totem Poles-The Sitka National Historical Park. Photo credit Northrop and Johnson

The role of the Native American male is incredibly complicated these days. The most violently treated demographic in America is the Native American female, and so the most powerless just may be the Native American male.   The other week, a student of mine was passing me on my way to class and stopped to talk. He was upset about one of his classes and the way Alaska Natives were talked about.  According to him, the teacher was basically saying that if you are born Alaska Native, you are born with disadvantages. He had never felt bad about being Alaska Native until that day.

On top of that, word has made it back to me that classes and programs that focus on Alaska Native issues and languages should be paid for by Alaska Native tribes and corporations (as if Microsoft pays for computer classes or the Crown pays for composition). These are telling signs that the door is not open yet for an indigenous consciousness in higher education…

The classroom must become a different place if we are going to move away from mono-linguistic and mono-cultural mechanisms that destroy indigenous cultures and languages.

When a Native American man walks away from a classroom, it is probably an act of defiance, turning away from a system that rejects, demeans, ignores, or incorrectly represents what that man loves the most: his people…”

Read this article in its entirety, and share your thoughts with us!

Lance Twitchell as Troubled Raven. Photo credit Lance Twitchell site.

In our language, we call a warrior xʼéighaa kháa, which means a true person, because the term comes from a place of strength, protection, and sacrifice. ~Lance Twichell~

Tags: Education, Lance A. Twitchell

Gambling On Nation-Building, The Economist

HAN-DAH White Mountain Apache Casino. Photo credit: Snowflake News.

The question of sovereignty is still unclear for many tribes. Sovereignty appears to be based on several factors. The strongest being the foundation of an efficient tribal government. The next factor is one of economics. Does the tribe have enough money to support its members? Naturally, this is where casinos come into the picture. This article explores this issue of sovereignty, tribal government, and the effects gaming  has on some Indian tribes. Excerpt:

“Meeting  Ronnie Lupe, the chairman of the White Mountain Apache tribe, is rather like an audience with the chieftain he would once have been. At 82 he has a sage’s bearing, takes his time speaking and does not allow himself to be interrupted… Mr Lupe has been in tribal government, off and on, since 1964. His career thus spans several historic changes for Indian tribes, each of which affirmed and increased their sovereignty…That sovereignty is still a topic of discussion at all should be surprising… America’s constitution names three sovereigns: the federal government, states and tribes…The biggest step towards de facto sovereignty came in 1975, with the Indian Self-Determination Act. It began the transfer of administration from the BIA to the tribal governments…It also made possible the biggest economic change of the past century, the entry of tribes into the gaming business.

This began with the Seminole tribe in Florida and the Cabazon Mission Band of Indians, a tiny tribe in southern California. The Seminole took their case for running a bingo parlour to a federal appeals court, and won it in 1981.Soon tribes all over the country built casinos. Mr Lupe’s Apache opened theirs in 1993. Called Hon-Dah (“Welcome” in Apache), it is, like most casinos in America, a somewhat depressing place, with people in track suits yanking on slot machines in clouds of cigarette smoke.Almost half of the tribes—239 out of the 565—are now at it. A few, including the Cabazon Band, are rolling in money, whereas others make hardly anything. The key, not surprisingly, is location. Casinos on reservations near cities (the Cabazon are near Palm Springs) get many customers, whereas those in the middle of nowhere (the majority, like Hon-Dah) get few.

Fantasy Spring Casino-The Cabazon Mission Band of Indians. Photo credit:Destination 360

For the tribes with lucrative casinos, gambling has become the biggest thing since the fur trade of the 19th century… When the proceeds are used wisely—to build schools, provide health care, and so forth—gambling can indeed help with tribal nation-building…But casinos also bring problems. Some tribes consider gambling a vice. This is why the Hopi, for instance, have rejected gambling, and why the Navajo repeatedly voted against it in referendums before grudgingly accepting it for the revenues… Indirectly the casinos have also highlighted some bizarre, sometimes unsavoury, aspects of tribal sovereignty. One of the biggest problems has always been deciding who is or is not a member. Most tribes do this with blood-quantum laws…The motive is to share gambling revenues among fewer members. For the outcasts, this can mean losing tribal housing, education, welfare and sometimes cash payments, not to mention identity and community.

The biggest factor, says Mr Begay, is the government institutions tribes have chosen to build since then. Is their administration efficient? Are the courts clean, fair and strong? When it comes to governance, American Indians are still all too likely to make news of the wrong sort… The bigger question is whether sovereignty in general and gambling in particular have, on balance, improved the lot of tribes…”

Read the article in its entirety and share your thoughts with us.

“When I was first elected, I received no financial reports, no letters, they all went… to a branch of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), … Over the years I took their power away…I’m not responsible to you, I’m a sovereign nation.” ~ Ronnie Lupe~  Chairman, White Mountain Apache.

Tags: Casinos, The Economist, White Mountain Apache

Foxwoods Is Fighting for Its Life, By Michael Sokolove, The New York Times

The Pequot Tribal Council. Photo credit Tribal Home

The Pequot tribe, owners of the famous Foxwoods Resort Casino, are proud people. The tribal members built Foxwoods  through hard work, keeping their population low (there are only 900 members)  and by smart planning. It is amazing how this tribe almost driven to extinction, has turned itself into one of the largest American Indian conglomerates known throughout the western hemisphere. Although it appears that the tribe is in debt, they are hardly going “under”. In fact, in many ways they have gained valuable insight from this experience which will make them stronger.

Excerpt:

Nearly everything about the Foxwoods Resort Casino is improbable, beginning with its scale. It is the largest casino in the Western Hemisphere — a gigantic, labyrinthine wonderland set down in a cedar forest and swamp in an otherwise sleepy corner of southeastern Connecticut. Forty thousand patrons pack into Foxwoods on weekend days. The place has 6,300 slot machines. Ten thousand employees. If you include everything — hotel space, bars and restaurants, theaters and ballrooms, spa, bowling alley — Foxwoods measures about 6.7 million square feet, more than the Pentagon. The owner of this enterprise is the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. Once powerful and even feared, the Pequots were nearly extinguished in one day — in fact, in just one hour — when English colonists and their Indian allies attacked and torched the main Pequot village near Mystic in the spring of 1637. The survivors were sold into slavery or given over to neighboring tribes…

Foxwoods Resort Casino. Google images

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the early 1970s, just one resident remained on a Pequot reservation in Ledyard, now the site of Foxwoods — an elderly woman named Elizabeth George. Her grandson was Richard Hayward (known as Skip), a pipe welder and a former short-order cook with an audacious vision, innate political skills and a flair for dealmaking. Through his efforts, the tribe won federal recognition in 1983. In 1986, it opened a high-stakes bingo hall. Full-blown casino gambling came to Foxwoods in 1992 and in the two decades since has produced not millions but billions of dollars of revenue. Not surprisingly, the casino and its largess rejuvenated the tribe, whose population is now about 900…[In the beginning] $100,000 was given to each adult member of the tribe…they built new housing, a child-development center, ballfields and tennis courts, a spacious community building with a health club and an indoor-outdoor pool…The pièce de résistance was a $225 million museum to commemorate the Pequots’ tragic history and stunning resurrection… Children began getting the disbursements when they turned 18. Luxury automobiles abounded… The payments stopped… in late 2010, and more Pequots have been going to work at Foxwoods. You had this big moneymaking enterprise with a limited amount of mouths to feed…But everything’s about austerity now. It’s no different than what a family would do. You’ve got to get rid of the cable TV. You’ve got to get rid of the Cadillac. You’re not going to go out to eat anymore.. [With strategic guidance and planning] the casino’s profits have been increasing… Foxwoods had been an early mover, built to stand astride a huge geographic area — much like the Pequot tribe once dominated a big swath of New England… Foxwoods will expand…”

The Pequot Museum and Research Center at Foxwoods.

A good article about the tribe, and about the casino industry in general. Kudos to the Pequots for holding their own, and for taking care of their tribal members, especially their young. They have demonstrated true leadership and sovereignty.

It was a vision that would not die, one that endured through years of hardship and loss. It was the dream of a small group of Mashantucket Pequot Indians to rebuild their nation and to bring its members home. That was the legacy of Elizabeth George, who protected the Pequots’ right to live on the Mashantucket reservation and who instilled in those around her a love for and desire to keep their land, at any cost…~Pequots Museum~

Tags: Foxwoods, The Pequot Nation

Report: Native American women face high barriers to getting Plan B By Stephanie Siek, CNN

Anadarko Community Esteem Project Photo credit: ACEP site

Osiyo. Native women, especially those living in isolated areas on reservations face many barriers to obtaining  proper health care, including  access to emergency contraceptives. More over, many Native American females are not aware of the existence of the pill Plan B, nor of  the important function it serves.
Excerpt:

“In most of the United States, a woman 17 years or older who needs Plan B, an emergency contraceptive that can prevent pregnancy up to 72 hours after intercourse, can walk up to a pharmacy counter and request it without a prescription. But for Native American women served by the Indian Health Service, obtaining Plan B might require a drive of hundreds of miles, a wait beyond the pill’s window of effectiveness, and a price beyond what the IHS would charge. According to a recent report by the Native American Women’s Health Education Resource Center (NAWHERC),Native American women living on reservations can face significant barriers when trying to access emergency contraception..almost all IHS facilities they dealt with require women to see a doctor or get a prescription in order to get Plan B. The medicine is offered without additional cost at IHS pharmacies, but not all pharmacies stock it.

Anadarko Community Esteem Project. Photo credit ACEP site

…if a woman happens to need the medication outside of business hours or on the weekend, she has to wait until the facility reopens – which could be up to several days… If we want it, we have to leave the reservation…. one, you have to have a car or hire someone to drive you, two, you have to have the time to access it, three you have to have the money to access it…. Adding to the urgency of the matter is that many women seeking Plan B need it because they have been raped…Maya Torralba a member of the Kiowa, Comanche and Wichita tribes, is the founder and director of the Anadarko Community Esteem Project,  which counsels and helps females…

I didn’t even know about Plan B until I did this roundtable.I didn’t know that was an option, or that we had access to it, and here I am an advocate for young women. Now that I do know this, I am trying to make sure that women are aware of it…”

This is an important article that should be read by all.  Kudos to all of the organiztions and  people who are trying to help Native females keep on the right path…

“We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.”~Dr. Maya Angelou~

Tags: ACEP, contraceptives, Plan B

An Echo of Harvard in New Mexico By Jon Chase, The Harvard Gazette

Jason Packineau, Community Coordinator for the Harvard Native American Program -photo: Jon Chase

Osiyo. Education is one of the most important elements in one’s life. According to many Native people,  there are two types of education.  “Mother wit” education is where you gather vital knowledge from parents, caregivers,  culture, and community. The other type of education  is often referred to as “Book learning”  where you gather information about everything else from formal school training.

Which institution you attend to receive this second wave of education depends on many elements, and can get confusing, especially  for many high school students. Fortunately, there  are people such as Jason Packineau, an American Indian  who guides students and shows them the  many different paths and opportunities leading to various to colleges.

Excerpt:

“My name is Jason. I am Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara, Jemez, Laguna. I was born here. This is my home, said Jason Packineau, community coordinator for the Harvard University Native American Program, as he opened his presentation at the Native American Community Academy in Albuquerque in typical fashion by naming his tribal affiliations.

The Albuquerque academy was one of four schools that Packineau and I visited on a recent trip to New Mexico. We also stopped at Bernalillo High School outside Albuquerque, at the Santa Fe Indian School, and at the Walatowa Charter High School in Jemez Pueblo, one of 19 pueblos that are self-governing entities in New Mexico. The purpose of the trip was to generate interest for Harvard among Native American students, as well as to host a Harvard booth at the National Indian Education Association conference in Albuquerque…

For many of the high school students we visited, the Harvard name was simply an abstraction. But when they learned the College waives tuition for families earning less than $65,000, and will even fly out prospective students who have been accepted, you could almost see the wheels turning in their heads as they gathered up more Harvard literature from the table…”

Kudos to Jason Packineau, Harvard, and others who help further education for American Indians. Read the entire article, and for more information visit  Harvard University Native American Program

Jason Packineau speaks with a student at Bernalillo High School, as Native American student counselor Tom Williams looks on. Photo: Jon Chase

Packineau speaks to a group of Bernalillo High School students. Photo; Jon Chase

Education should consist of a series of enchantments, each raising the individual to a higherlevel of awareness, understanding, and kinship with all living things. ~Author Unknown~

Legend of the Talking Feather: Kanati and Asgaya Gigagei Bestow the Gift of The Talking Feather

There are many legends about how the Indians learned about the Talking Feather”. Here is one of them…

Long years ago, when gods walked this earth and the land beyond, Kanati and Asgaya Gigagei, were together enjoying the warm summer day. It was a day when the crickets chirrupted in the waving, green grass,when they noticed a figure moving towards them.

As the figure approached closer Kanati said “Look, that woman is crying, what could be the matter?” “I can not imagine why anyone would cry on such a glorious day.” Replied Asgaya Gigagei. “Let’s ask her.”

As the woman drew nearer, they could see her buckskin was decorated with beautiful designs and colors. She carried a bundle filled with leaves, sage, and colorful stones and feathers. They knew immediately this woman was a holy being.

Kanati asked her “Holy mother, why are you crying so?” The woman looked up in wonder, because she had been walking with her head down. “I’m crying because the men of my village are fighting constantly! Each thinks his ideas for leading the tribe is the best!” Kanati and Asgaya Gigagei glanced at one another, in perplexity. “Why, if there are so many good ideas for leading your tribe, why are the men fighting? And why aren’t you and the other members happy!” The poor woman shook her head sadly and replied, “Yes, you are right, the men do have very good ideas, but every man wants to speak his own ideas, and not listen to anyone else. They all shout and scream at one another so loudly, that it frightens the children who run and hide behind their mothers. The women are sad because their husbands come to the house upset and angry. Furthermore, the tribe is suffering, because no one can seem to make a decision.”  Just then a beautiful Eagle was soaring overhead, Kanati called out “Brother Eagle, may I have one of your feathers, there are poor humans in desperate need!”

Bother Eagle replied “Yes” and shook himself until a single iridescent, large feather fell to the ground. “Many thanks and Blessings on you” said Kanati. Kanati made secret signs and prayers over the Feather. Asgaya Gigagei helped him with the blessings. Kanati then said to the woman “This is the sacred Talking Father, it holds great power for the one who holds it. Go back to your people, hold this feather up in the air, all who see it will fall silent, and listen to what you have to say. Tell all who listen that from now on, who ever holds this feather, all present within the Circle Council must listen to his words. The feather must then be passed on to the next speaker.”

The woman thanked Kanati and Asgaya Gigagei and hurried back to her village where there was total chaos!. Everyone was talking at once, children were crying, men were screaming at each other. As soon as she held the feather over her head, all became quiet! No one could utter a sound! the holy woman proceeded to give the directions given to her by the gods. She then passed the feather to the first man. He called the Talking Circle together, and each man had his say as he held the feather. From that time on that tribe flourished because they now had direction, and each person could hear and understand what their peers said. The people worked together, to build a great nation. Along the way, they shared the wonders of the Talking Feather with other tribes they met. “And that my friends is the true story of  how the Talking Feather came to be!”

Tags: American Indian Program, Harvard University, Jason Packineau

A Native American Student Responds to a Times Article About His Home, By Katherine Schulten,The New York Times Learning Network

Willow Pingree a student at Fort Washakie Charter High

Osiyo: Willow Pingree  is a student at Fort Washakie Charter High School, located on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming. He has an intense love and pride for his community, and wrote an essay that proves it.  His  essay was in response to an article he read written by journalist Timothy Williams.

Mr. Williams wrote an article published in The New York Times, February 3, 2012 entitled, “Brutal Crimes Grip an Indian Reservation,”

In his article, Mr. Williams described the  usual, drug addictions, alcohol abuse, domestic violence, and suicides that occurred on the Wind River Reservation.  He referred to the “long history” of homicides that has plagued the community, which is composed primarily of the Eastern Shoshone and the Northern Arapaho, making it one the country’s most dangerous areas. The only “bright” note was at the beginning of the article where Mr. Williams wrote about the school’s basketball team.

Wyoming Indian High Basketball Team-photo credit WIHS

 

 

 

 

 

“At a boys’ basketball game here last month, Wyoming Indian High School, a perennial state power, was trading baskets with a local rival. The players, long-limbed and athletic, are among the area’s undisputed stars, and their games one of its few diversions. On this night, more than 2,500 cheering, stomping people came to watch…”

In response to this article the principal of  Fort Washakie Charter High School Shad Hamilton, invited the journalist  Mr. Williams, to learn more about the school and about the community.  There was a meeting via conference call between the students, faculty members, and Mr. Williams. English teacher  Michael L. Read  was also involved in helping the students, among them Willow Pingree. The following is an excerpt from the essay:

A student from Wyoming Indian High School, dignity and pride prevails.

“I have lived on the reservation since I was born. I will be only twenty in July, but as far as I’m concerned, I’ve seen my share of good and bad things on this reservation. Not EVERTHING about this reservation is bad. Sure there is a huge problem with domestic violence and alcoholism, but we try to work together as a community to fight it. We have not given up. …The tribal councils grant funding to different programs to help the people overcome addiction…Education is an important aspect of our culture. Long before the white education system, Native people all across the continent learned education from the teachings of their elders. Young people were taught to respect everything and everyone around them and to have a positive attitude to maintain balance and harmony in their lives…The Wind River Reservation has a youth council called United National Indian Tribal Youth, or Unity, Its motive is to encourage kids and young adults to step up to be the voice for all young people. ”

We encourage everyone to read this beautiful essay by Willow Pingree, and the original article by Timothy Williams.

Kudos to Willow, his schoolmates, Shad Hamilton,  and to the faculty in all of the schools in this area keeping up the fight against the negative elements!

We’d like to also acknowledge journalists Katherine Schulten, Timothy Williams, and The New York Times Learning Network .

“No matter what negative things we face every day, nothing can break our spirit. We will not give up the war to save our culture or our languages, the war that all Native people in America have been fighting for since 1492. I will fight to ensure the survival of our cultures and languages for the rest of my days on this Earth.  Ha’ho! Hoo-wee-hoo! (Thank you!)”

~Willow Pingree~ Fort Washakie Charter High School

We at Talking-Feather wish to thank our readers for their continued support. We also wish to thank our new readers. Our numbers have increased in 2012 — we do appreciate all of you! -Wado-

Tags: New York Times, Willow Pingree, Wind River Indian Reservation

At Diné Bi Olta, Girl Scouting is a Hit By Alastair Lee Bitsoi, Navajo Times

Tiajia Gamble and Alena Crotty sell Girl Scouts cookies with handmade posters. Photo Credit: Amber Crotty

Osiyo!  It is always a pleasure to pass along information about positive environments for Native children, and the wonderful adults who serve as strong role-models for these youngsters.  In this article, the adults are Amber Crotty and Nikke Alex, and the good work they and others are doing for the Cactus Pine Troop No. 3053.

Excerpt:

“When Amber Crotty decided to establish a Brownie troop at Tséhootsooí Diné Bi Olta, little did she foresee the response: Over 50 girls – about 20 percent of the student body – signed up to become members of the newly formed Arizona Cactus Pine Troop No. 3053… If you build, they will come, Crotty said during a Feb. 9 troop meeting, while simultaneously teaching a group of Daisies and Brownies how to sell cookies for the year’s big fundraiser…Crotty, who together with co-leader Nikki Alex started organizing the troop in November, said the strong response indicates a need for after-school programs not just at the Navajo language immersion school, but in most other schools as well…Before the DBI Girl Scout troop was organized, most of the girls said they either went home after school or to the local Boy’s and Girl’s Club, where they only did homework…

We’re learning the First Aid badge, said Yazzie, who is Tó áhání (Near to Water Clan), born for áshiihí (Salt Clan). The badges represent what we accomplish and what we can do… Amber supports us and encourages us to do this,” added Yazzie.  It feels a lot better because she didn’t abandon us and leave us out in the cold…

Brownie Megan Sells, …sold 150 boxes during the pre-order period. Sells said she enjoys the range of activities scouting offers such as arts and crafts and singing. I’m learning you have to respect yourself and others, and to help people, not just yourself,  she said.

Crotty also said the troop has been lucky this year to get support from the Navajo United Way and other sponsors, which helped finance uniforms for the troop…The girls plan to use of their earnings to attend horse and art camps this summer, and some to buy gloves and scarves for local elders next winter…”

For Information Contact: Amber Crotty, 505-567-0069, or Nikke Alex, 505-399-8650.

We encourage everyone to read this uplifting article and to offer what you can to help make their young dreams happen!  Kudos to Amber Crotty, Nikke Alex, The Navajo United Way, and to all of the good souls who help to make life better for children…

“These girls are our future business entrepreneurs…This cookie sale is planting the seed and your support has strengthened their confidence to dream big, plan goals,… If you build, they will come… ” ~Amber Crotty~