Navajo filmmaker still shining at Sundance, By: Bernie Dotson, Gallup Independent, Native American Times.

Filmaker Ramona Emerson. photo credit: Kickstarter

Osiyo. Ramona Emerson a member of the Navajo Nation, has written  directed, and co-produced a wonderful film entitled Opal.  The film centers on the lives of  Navajo children, specifically a young Navajo girl (Opal) who is tough, and has a mind of her own. When she is accosted by the town bully,  Opal and her friend take steps to handle the situation. In addition to this wonderful film, Ramona and her husband Kelly Byars, a member of the  Choctaw Nation,  run their own company Reel Indian Pictures located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Ramona received her B.A in Media Arts in 1997 from the University of New Mexico, one of the first two graduates of the program. Excerpt:

“Ramona Emerson swept into Park City, Utah, in 2010 as one of four writers and filmmakers selected to participate in the Sundance Film Festival’s Native Filmmakers Ford Foundation Fellowship Program…Opal is a short film about a young Navajo girl who takes on the town bully. When Opal is beat up by the bully, she and her friend Bunny take matters into their own hands. The importance of Opal’ goes beyond just getting my story on the screen,” Emerson explained. It is also a portrait of a tough little girl who won’t take no for an answer. It serves as a metaphor for all of the places that little girls aren’t allowed to go, the things they are forbidden to do. This is every little Navajo girl’s chance to power through diversity, to push by the people who are keeping you from what you want to do…Raised in Tohatchi and Santa Fe, where her mother attended art school, Emerson said she gravitates toward subjects she encountered as a youngster growing up around the Navajo Nation…Since everyone on the cast is under 12 years old, we had to work around schedules, during weekends and when we could get our lead actress (Magdalena Begay) into town from Flagstaff, Ariz…Emerson, 38, said she’s eager to enter Opal again at Sundance come 2013…”

Read the entire article to learn more about this wonderful, thought-provoking film. Click to see the film OPAL, and  the other films Ramona Emerson and her husband  have  produced.

Lead actress Magdalena Begay from Opal. photo credit- Reel Indian Pictures

“My hope is to create a story that reflects a very true representation of what it’s like to grow up on the Navajo Nation, but more importantly, questions the roles of women and girls both on and off the reservation.”

~Ramona Emerson~(1974-)

Tags: Navajo, Opal, Ramona Emerson

Martha Redbone charts her own distinctive course, marches to her own beat By Kara Briggs, American Indian News Service

Martha Redbone, Skintalk. photo- home page

Martha Redbone in performance at Hopestock-NMAI. photo By Craig Bailey, Perspective Photos

Osiyo, Singer Martha Redbone’s music is an intriguing blend that reflects her rich heritage. The cool R&B of her African-American father mixes well with the rhythmic sounds of the Cherokee-Shawne-Choctaw from her mother’s tribes…

Her songs first  became hits in Europe and England,  where the people weren’t aware there were “American Indians still alive” in this country.  This exceptional lady has also continuously helped the youth from the Houma Nation, and other tribes. Excerpt:

“New York—Recording artist Martha Redbone’s Native American-infused soul is all her own. Redbone is an independent artist who is as likely to include a powwow drum as she is jazz riffs in her highly danceable music. Her second album, “Skintalk,” is a sophisticated blend that is powered not by electronics but by a funk-rock band of veteran musicians…Redbone, who grew up in Brooklyn and calls herself a mixed blood, Cherokee, Shawnee and Choctaw on her mother’s side, and African American on her father’s… As a young artist rooted in Otis Redding, Earth, Wind & Fire, and the Stomp Dance songs of her mother’s tribes, Redbone already had this vision for blending musical traditions…

In 2000, Redbone released the solo album, “Home of the Brave”…The album won her the Best Debut Artist award at the Native American Music Awards and Indian Summer Music Award for Best Pop Album… Redbone’s powerful Native-infused soul delivery and social commentary won her accolades in the indie music world…Redbone’s heritage guides her life.When after a performance at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival she met Brenda Dardar-Robichaux, then the principle chief of the United Houma Nation, and heard about the tribe’s efforts to share culture with their youth. For the last four summers she has traveled to this bayou nation where she shares songs that are culturally relevant to Houma’s six to 12-year-olds. Some songs are Choctaw, some in Houma French, and others are just beautiful when sung with a hand drum… Redbone’s hybridization of soul, R&B and Native music is in the tradition of contemporary artists like Keith Secola and Bill Miller...She is constantly brainstorming how she can help not only the Houma but youth across Indian Country…It’s really important that there are people like me representing and telling our stories to the world, Redbone said.”

We encourage everyone to read the entire article about this fascinating woman!

“…there are only 12 notes in a scale, or only so far that each style of music can go before it runs out of fresh material. The only way forward is to make new hybridizations” ~Artist Quincy Jones~ (1933-)

“We-sha-cat-we-lo-ke-we-la-wapa (Shawnee) Let us always do good for the world…”~Martha Redbone~

Tags: Martha Redbone

Navajo Craig Curley Juggles Work and Training for Olympic Marathon Trials by ICTMN Staff, Indian Country Today

Craig Curley-photo NNER

Osiyo,

Navajo Craig Curley is a long distance runner from  Kinlichee, Arizona, and he will compete in the Olympic Marathon Trials in Houston, Texas.  He hopes to be  among the first  (three men and women will be chosen) to cross the finish line in time to qualify as a representative of the United States in the marathon at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London, held July through August 2012.  Craig receives support from his family, friends, co-workers and from Nideiltihi Native Elite Runners (NNER), which sponsors runners in the Four Corners Region.

Excerpt:

“… NNNER “helps with the cost of travel to races, lodging and gym access,” Curley told Runners Feed. “More significantly this organization is geared toward helping the youth on the Navajo Reservation. NNER is one way I keep in touch with the my hometown and reach out to the community with my running…Even though running has the potential to send Curley to the 2012 Olympics and powerfully impact his life, at the same time, it grounds him and keeps him connected to his Native roots. As a Native American, growing up I was shown how to value life and cherish the world that surrounds me. Even though this is a small part of the Native American Tradition and Culture, the mindset can be applied to running,” Curley said in an interview for NNER’s blog. “You run to care/cherish your body and in return you get the exercise that benefits you to live a healthy lifestyle…”

Brandon Leslie (2007) photo- NNER

Alvina Begay is another hopeful. photo ICT

Read this uplifting story about this extraordinary young man, and an additional article about Alvina Begay, another Navajo competitor.  It is beautiful to see our young engaging in healthy and productive activities. Kudos to NNER for their support. We at Talking Feather wish both Craig and Alvina our best!

“…the teaching of the Tradition is there for youngsters to develop a sentimental connection to the natural world in hopes that the youngsters will learn to respect/value all the gifts of the world.” ~ Craig Curley-Navajo Nation (2012-)~

Tags: 2012 Olympic Marathon, Navajo, NNER

Navajo Nation confronts HIV and AIDS , By Stephen Ceasar, Los Angeles Times

Navajo Elsie Smith and her granddaughters. Photo:Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times / December 11, 2011

Osiyo,

It is sad to think that in the year 2012, there are people who do not know about HIV or AIDS, yet this is true. It appears that in the Navajo community these diseases are on the rise in comparison to other tribes where the number of AIDS and HIV cases are  either remaining the same or better still showing signs of  declining. As always, the main solution is to “educate” all people.  Here is an excerpt from the article about how some people are coping and some trying to help others with this crisis in Gallup, New Mexico:

“Infections are rising within the tribe at a time when they are holding steady or declining in other groups across the country. Poor education is partly to blame, with some tribal members learning about HIV and AIDS only upon diagnosis.— Five years ago, the man Elsie Smith loved told her calmly from his hospital bed that it was time for him to go. He died with a hushed goodbye and a squeeze of her hand. Smith herself had been feeling ill for a while. Her bones ached and she vomited often. She soon mourned him from her own hospital bed. A doctor explained to the Navajo woman that her lover had died of AIDS. It was important that they check her blood, he said. She agreed.Two days later, the doctor told her that she had HIV. Her tired mind became flustered with questions, but she asked only one. ”What is HIV?”

See video slides and post for this article- Navajo infecting Navajo, by Mare Martin

Smith learned of her diagnosis at the Indian Medical Center in Gallup, where Western medicine and traditional healing converge to treat members of the Navajo Nation and where a ceremonial hogan — or sacred structure — sits on hospital grounds…It is where Jerry Archuleta and Emerson Scott, partners who are both HIV-positive, go for their monthly checkup…Most of the infections are occurring in the Navajo Nation, a vast expanse in the Four Corners region where poverty, poor education, alcohol abuse and the hardships of reservation life cultivate an environment in which the virus can spread…Like Smith, some Navajo learn of HIV and AIDS upon diagnosis. Others believe it’s a white man’s disease. Doctors, meanwhile, must explain the virus and disease in round-about ways because, in traditional Navajo culture, to speak of death is to bring it about…The Indian Medical Center and its clinics scattered across the reservation log about 35 new cases a year. But that’s about three times the number recorded a decade ago..Signs of trouble emerged in 2001, when about half a dozen patients trickled into the Indian Medical Center with severe fevers, rashes and headaches… Dr. Jonathan Iralu, the hospital’s infectious disease specialist, called for HIV tests. HIV was rare among Navajo then. The first documented case surfaced in 1987… Emerson Scott sometimes stands outside the Gallup city library to hand out condoms and pamphlets to encourage people to get tested for the virus he’s lived with for 13 years…

They are among the small number of Indians trying to warn Navajos about the dangers of AIDS… “People just don’t want to change here. They are so stuck in their ways,” said Jerry Archuleta, Scott’s partner. Both volunteer with the Navajo AIDS Network and work with several support groups for HIV and AIDS patients…”

To gain insight and knowledge, Talking Feather encourages everyone to read the complete article.

“…Maintaining harmony is the driving force in Navajo life, a concept captured in hozho, a complicated word that can be translated as harmony, balance but also beauty…” ~excerpt from article ~

Tags: AIDS, HIV, Navajo Nation

Phillip Charette And MR. ELIVE Release New Music Album…PRWeb

Albmn cover for Phillip Charette and Mr. Elive

Osiyo,

Phillip “Aarnaquq” Charette is both a member of the Alaskan Native Yup’ik Nation, and of  French Canadian descent. He holds degrees from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and Harvard University in Education, Native Studies, and Administration. He is especially known for his traditional Yup’ik masks, for which he has won a number of awards.

MR.ELIVE is a producer and musician from the northwest, working with new styles of music and many different artists.

These two gifted artists have gotten together to create a beautiful music album which combines traditional ancient Native Alaskan verse with Authentic Hip-Hop beat.

Phillip John "Aarnaquq" Charette

Excerpt:“This is the first official album from Native American artist Phillip “Aarnaquq” Charette and producer, performer MR.ELIVE. Traditional Yup’ik Alaskan verse over authentic hip-hop beats creates a new sound that is already being played in native dance venues as early copies have found their way north to Alaska and are also now requested in dance clubs throughout the Northwest. The album’s title, hard to pronounce, is in traditional Yup’ik and loosely translates to ‘we are flying’. Seven songs in all – this first album sets the bar where it will be hard for others to mimic without paying homage to these two pioneers of a ancient but new style… Phillip is internationally renowned for his contemporary expression of traditional Yup’ik masks. Phillip’s work has been shown at the Smithsonian, Eiteljorg, Bishop, Hallie Ford, Washington State History, and Heard Museums…”

For more information, media interviews or to review or purchase the album visit: http://www.mrelive.com

Read the article, and enjoy the new sound!

‘We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of the dream.Wandering by lone sea breakers, and sitting by desolate streams. World losers and world forsakers, for whom the pale moon gleams. Yet we are movers and the shakers of the world forever it seems”

~ Arhtur O’Shanessey ~(1844-1881)

Tags: MR.ELIVE, Phillip "Aarnaquq" Charette, Yup'ik

After Miracle, American Indian Woman…for Sainthood, by Kie Relyea, Eagle-Tribune-McClatchy Newspapers

Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha-photo- Catholic org.

Osiyo, A wonderful  event has occurred over the Christmas holiday. The  Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, who was a member of the Mohawk-Alogonquain Nation will be the first American Indian to be canonized. For  many American Indian Catholics, Blessed Kateri’s canonization was a cause for celebration. Excerpt:

“BELLINGHAM, Wash. — Pope Benedict XVI has decreed that a Washington state boy’s recovery from the flesh-eating bacteria that nearly killed him in 2006 is a miracle that can be attributed to Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha’s help, making possible the canonization of the first American Indian saint in the Catholic Church. Monsignor Paul A. Lenz, the vice postulator for the cause of Blessed Kateri, confirmed on Monday, Dec. 19, the link to Jake Finkbonner.

Doctors who treated Jake, as well as a committee of doctors at the Vatican, came to the same conclusion…They didn’t think any of their medical expertise was the cure…They thought every night he was going to die. As Jake lay near death, the Rev. Tim Sauer, a longtime family friend, advised his mom and dad, Elsa and Donny Finkbonner, to pray to Blessed Kateri, who is the patroness for American Indians, for her intercession. That is akin to asking Blessed Kateri to pray to God to perform a miracle on Jake’s behalf. The boy is of Lummi descent.

The Vatican decided Jake’s recovery was a miracle that is beyond the explanation of medicine and that could be attributed to the intercession on his behalf by Blessed Kateri, who was born in 1656…Known as the Lily of the Mohawks, she was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1980, becoming the first American Indian to be so honored.”

A Must read article! It provides us with Inspiration and most importantly Hope for the New Year.

Painting of The Blessed Kateri photo: The Tamastslikt Cultural Institute

Biography  for The  Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha can be read here.

YouTube Video: courtesy of the Jesuit Community of Auriesville, NY

To learn more, See the video narrated by Father John Paret, SJ, Father Victor Hoagland, CP, and Eleonora Centrone. (click on photo)

“I am not my own; I have given myself to Jesus. He must be my only love…With the work of my hands I shall always earn what is necessary and what is left over I’ll give to my relatives and to the poor… If I should become sick and unable to work, then I shall be like the Lord on the cross. He will have mercy on me and help me, I am sure.”  ~The  Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha~

To all of our readers, (and those yet to join us) please be safe, and may you have a Happy and Prosperous New Year…alihelisdi itse udetiyvsadisvi

Tags: Pope Benedict XVI, The Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha

American Indian Christmas, by Floyd Looks for Buffalo Hand

Floyd Looks for Buffalo Hand-photo:Manataka American Indian Council

Floyd Looks for Buffalo Hand is a member of the Oglala Sioux, and a spiritual leader, and an artist. He has also written a book entitled, Learning Journey on the Red Road. In addition, he has written one of the best essays about American Indians and the Christmas celebration that we have ever read. Here is an excerpt from his essay:

Painting by Floyd Looks for Buffalo Hand

“Traditional American Indians are raised to respect the Christian Star and the birth of the first Indian Spiritual Leader… His name was Jesus. He was a Hebrew, a Red Man. He received his education from the wilderness. ..
“Everyday is our Christmas. Every meal is our Christmas. At every meal we take a little portion of the food we are eating, and we offer it to the spirit world on behalf of the four legged, and the winged, and the two legged. We pray–not the way most Christians pray– but we thank the Grandfathers, the Spirit, and the Guardian Angel… The life-ways of Roving Angels are actually the way Indian People live. They hold out their hands and help the sick and the needy. They feed and clothe the poor…

Everyday is Christmas in Indian Country. Daily living is centered around the spirit of giving and walking the Red Road. Walking the Red Road means making everything you do a spiritual act. If your neighbor, John Running Deer, needs a potato masher; and you have one that you are not using, you offer him yours in the spirit of giving. It doesn’t matter if it is Christmas or not.”

Please read this wonderful and informative piece in its entirety.

We wish to thank all of our readers, especially those who sent encouraging comments, and valuable information.

Our hope is that in return, we  have  pointed the way to new insights, and information about Natives, their lives, and the people involved with them.

Art by Floyd Looks for Buffalo Hand

Talking Feather wishes you: A Blessed Holiday, and A Prosperous New Year!

Tags: Floyd Looks for Buffalo Hand, Indian Christmas, Oglala Sioux

Osiyo,

There have been many Native Indian legends about the White Deer,  such as the following excerpt  from the Lenape Nation Prophesy:

White Deer. photo credit: Encyclopedia Britannica: Advocacy for Animals

“It has long been predicted that there would come a time when a white male and female deer would be seen together, and that this would be a sign to the people to come together.”- from the Seneca White Deer

A reader of Talking Feather told us about a place where these beautiful animals actually exist!  (many thanks CH)

To learn about the White Deer visit The White Deer of the Former Seneca Army Depot. (Note that the Seneca Army Depot is located in Seneca County, NY, but is not located on the Seneca Indian Reservation).

Another informative site is the Encyclopedia Britannica: Advocacy for Animals

They present an article that explains the Seneca Army Depot, the genetic make-up of the White Deer, and how we can help protect and preserve these magnificent animals.  Excerpt:

White Doe with fawns-photo credit: Encyclopedia Britannica: Advocacy for Animals

“Advocacy for Animals is pleased to present this article on an unusual population of white deer in upstate New York and the efforts of animal protectionists to encourage ecotourism around them rather than allowing hunters to kill them. The article was written by Peter Muller, a vice-president and board member of Wildlife Watch, Inc. Mr. Muller has had a longstanding interest in animal protection and was a founding member of Wildlife Watch, Inc…In 1941 the U.S. Army peremptorily decided to locate an ammunitions depot in Seneca county, in western New York state. To establish such a depot, the army seized over 10,000 acres of farmland near Seneca Falls by right of eminent domain. During World War II, the depot was used to store, maintain, and supply ammunition to army units around the world. The exact function of the depot since World War II has been subject to much speculation, most of which the army has neither confirmed nor denied…Whatever was the true purpose for their base, this much is known with certainty: In 1941 the army enclosed the entire area with 24 miles of 12-foot-high fencing, unintentionally entrapping a small herd of white-tailed deer…White-tailed deer (as well as other animals) have a recessive gene that causes leucism. Leucism is a condition that results in an absence of cells capable of making pigment. That condition turns their coats white instead of the usual brown color. They are not albinos… That is why… such white deer have always engendered awe and have been the subject of legends…”

Visit Tribalpedia Seneca to read their legend of the White Deer.

The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.

~Mohandas Gandhi~ (1869 – 1948)

Related Material

The White Deer and Other Stories Told by the Lenape,  by John Bierhorst

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: Lenape Tribe, Seneca Army Depot, Seneca White Deer

Indian ‘Shadow Wolves’ stalk smugglers on Arizona reservation, By Brian Bennett, Los Angeles Times

Kevin Carlos,Tohono O'odham "Shadow Wolf" photo- Brian Bennett LATimes

Osiyo,

Members of the Tohono O’odham Nation have always had trouble with their borders that separate the United States and Mexico. Now, members of the tribe are taking steps to protect their lands themselves. Excerpt:  ”They work for the federal government — and also to protect sacred lands of the Tohono O’odham Nation along the border with Mexico. Reporting from the Tohono O’odham Nation,— Kevin Carlos hates how the drug runners tramp through the ancient cemeteries and holy places he holds dear.

That peak up there, he says, speeding toward the reservation’s border with Mexico. That’s where the creator lives. His name is I’itoi, the elder brother. He created the tribe out of wet clay after a summer rain. Tribe members still bring him offerings — shell bracelets, beargrass baskets and family photos — and leave them in his

Kevin Carlos photo Brian Bennett, LA Times

cave scooped out of the peak. But the drug smugglers don’t know that. On their way to supply America’s drug markets, they use these sacred hilltops as lookouts, water holes as toilets and the desert as a trash can. So Carlos hunts them.   The Shadow Wolves use GPS locaters, high-powered radios and other modern tools, but it is their tracking skills and their feel for the hidden box canyons, caves and seasonal watering holes that make them formidable counter-narcotics agents…”It takes patience. These guys think they are out in the middle of nowhere, scot-free,” Carlos says. “Then we find them.” Read this article for more information.

“…Question: How does the boy become a dancer?  He just knows. His mother said he had dreams when he was just a little boy…He has made many sacrifices for his dancing even for just a young boy. The people concur, “Yes, you can see it in his face.

~ Ofelia Zepeda ~ (Tohono O’odham  member) “Deer Dance Exhibiton”

Note: Re: Tribalpedia. In keeping with Talking Feather’s ESL teaching orientation, we will be adding Questions for Comprehension and Discussion to each of the tribal entries; the questions will mostly be drawn from the histories of the tribes. This will provide teachers with additional material for the classroom to help students.

The Tribes with questions thus far:  Acoma, Anasazi, Apache, Arapaho, Blackfeet, Catawba, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Comanche, Crow, Delaware/Lenape, Hawaii, Hopi, Inuit, Iroquois,  Laguna, Navajo,  Seneca, Shawnee,  Sioux,  Zuni,

 

Tags: drug smuggling, Mexico, Shadow Wolves', Tohono O'odham Nation, U.S.

The MacArthur Foundation, Jessie Little Doe Baird

Osiyo,

We find ourselves once again at the holiday known as Thanksgiving, which for some is a time for celebration, and for others a time for reflection on disastrous past historical events. These events involved the pilgrims and the American Indian tribe  The Wampanoag who helped the first group of pilgrims survive… and later regretted it. The result was that the tribe was nearly decimated, and lost everything, including their language.

Jessie Little Doe Baird photo Courtesy the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

No… not quite everything, they kept their spirit. Because of this spirit, Jessie Little Doe Baird, a member of  the Mashpee Wampanoag Nation was determined to revive the Wampanoag language which was an important part of their culture. An excerpt from the article:

“….She undertook graduate training in linguistics and language pedagogy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she worked with the late Kenneth Hale, a scholar of indigenous languages, to decipher grammatical patterns and compile vocabulary lists from archival Wampanoag documents… Baird founded the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project, an intertribal effort that aims to return fluency to the Wampanoag Nation…” A must read article.

Professor Ken Hale (August 15, 1934 – October 8, 2001)

With the help  and guidance of the venerable Linguist, Professor Kenneth L. Hale, of MIT, the Wampanoag language has been revived.

In addition, Independent Lens created a film about the Wampanoag Language Reclamation Project  entitled  We Still Live Here:

“Celebrated every Thanksgiving as the ‘Indians’ who saved the Pilgrims from starvation and then largely forgotten, the Wampanoag communities of southeastern Massachusetts are reviving their native tongue, a language that had been silenced for more than 100 years.” Independent Lens-

“Language is the blood of the soul into which thoughts run and out of which they grow.” ~   Oliver Wendell Holmes~

Related Material

Kenneth L. Hale- MIT News

Lesson Plan: The Wampanoag By Grace Arai, Indian Education Program Anchorage School District.

This is a wonderful lesson plan that is well organized and covers the main aspects of  the Wampanoags’ life including their relationship with the pilgrims.  She also includes an answer key for questions, and a bibliography for further study.  This information is from Ms. Arai’s book:  The World of the Wampanoag: The Indians Who Met the Pilgrims

Visit Wampanoags, Plymouth, Massachusetts: Plymouth Plantation has created a 1620 date example of Hobbamock’s Homesite