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

Frybread,  by Jen Miller,  The Smithsonian

Woman making fry bread. photo: The Taos Unlimited

National Native and Alaskan Indian Heritage month is a time  for celebration and joy…Fry Bread is a traditional and important part of American Indian Pow-Wows and other Native gatherings.  There has been much controversy about fry bread, from its sad  beginnings to its poor nutritional quality.  And in between, it has become an integral part of Native culture and pride.   The following excerpt discusses the topic:

On Dwayne Lewis’s first night home on the reservation in northeastern Arizona, he sat in the kitchen, watching his mother prepare dinner. Etta Lewis, 71, set the cast iron skillet on the burner, poured in corn oil, and lit the stove. She began moving a ball of dough back and forth between her hands, until she’d formed a large pancake. She then pierced a hole in the center of the pancake with the back of her thumb, and laid it in the skillet… It’s not easy to fashion the perfect piece of frybead, but it had only taken Etta a few seconds to do it. She’d been making the food for so long that the work seemed part of her…Frybread appears to be nothing more than fried dough— but it is revered by some as a symbol of Native pride and unity. Indian rocker Keith Secola celebrates the food in his popular song “Frybread.” In Sherman Alexie’s award-winning film Smoke Signals, one character wears a “Frybread Power” T-shirt… “Frybread is the story of our survival,” says Alexie…

An interesting and necessary article to read, including the comments from the readers!

Keith Secola-photo Secola website

Sherman Alexie-photo- Wikipedia

…He doesn’t seem to mind,
a mile long Frybread line
cause we’re all the same inside,
we need fry bread all the time…~Keith Secola~
(words from his song Frybread)

Women’s Buckskin Dance by Pow Wow.com

Northern Buckskin Red Earth

Osiyo,

Women’s Buckskin Dance is one of the oldest forms of American Indian dancing. In the coming festivities to celebrate Native and Alaskan Indian Heritage month, the ladies will be performing this and other cultural dances. Here is an excerpt describing the dance. From the elegant and graceful steps, to the beautiful dresses.

“…One of the oldest forms of  Native American Women’s Dance is Buckskin… This is a dance of elegance and grace. The movement is smooth and flowing.

The ladies wear fine, hand-crafted buckskin dresses, decorated with intricate bead designs. Northern dresses are fully beaded on the shoulders, or cape. Southern ones, the beadwork is mainly used to accent. They are equally beautiful. The women carry fringed shawls over one arm…The jewelry is breath taking…Breastplates made from hair bone pipe, and glass beads can hang to the waist, or all the way to the ankles… Circling the drum, they bob to the beat of the drum, letting the long fringe on their sleeves sway in time… This slight movement, however, creates a beautiful effect in moving their leather fringe in a breezy swaying motion…”

Visit the Pow Wow site to read the entire article and to learn more about Pow Wows!

Grand-entry- Woman and child
Rear view of this magnificent dress.	Northern Buckskin Morongo

“A modest woman, dressed out in all her finery, is the most tremendous object of the whole creation.”

~ Oliver Goldsmith~

Osiyo,

November is American Indian and Alaskan Native Heritage Month . This is the time for songs, dances, and reflections. Talking Feather features Lesson plans (with teachers’ guide and Answer Keys) Tribalpedia,  featuring the Inuit and Alaskan Nations. Be sure to visit and feel free to utilize the material, especially if you are a teacher.

President Obama at 2010 White House Tribal Nations Conference.

There are many wonderful events taking place. To begin  the celebrations, an article from Domestic Policy Council,  by Kimberly Teehee, the White House Senior Policy Advisor for Native American Affairs. She discusses the upcoming Tribal Nations Conference  2011. Excerpt: …”As you may have already heard, the President, along with members of the Cabinet, Senior Administration officials, and tribal leaders will gather at the 2011 White House Tribal Nations Conference on December 2nd. As part of President Obama’s ongoing outreach to the American people…”

We encourage everyone to read the entire article to learn more about the conference.

Artist James Luna: "Take a picture with a real Indian" exhibit.

Another site of interest is the Smithsonian “Infinity of Nations” The review of the exhibition by  Jess Righthand, explores thousands of years of artwork from the Native nations of North, Central and South America… One “very interesting” artist in the program is James Luna: “Standing at a podium wearing an outfit, I announce: “Take a picture with a real Indian. Take a picture here, in Washington, D.C. on this beautiful Monday morning, on this holiday called Columbus Day…And then I just stand there. Eventually, one person will pose with me. After that they just start lining up. I’ll do that for a while until I get mad enough or humiliated enough….”

Inuit woman's Tuilli, or Parka NMAI.

Another beautiful exhibit are the artifacts and clothing representing the various tribal Nations, such as this Inuit woman’s Tuilli.

R.C. Gorman painting

Included are the wonderful paintings, and drawings of  Navajo artist R.C. Gorman.

The N.C. Museum of History in downtown Raleigh, will hold its celebration Saturday, Nov. 19, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission and parking are FREE.

There are many up-coming events, and we will enjoy presenting as many as we can!

If you would like your celebration to be announced on Talking Feather send us an email (see below).  In the meantime, love who you are, and enjoy your life!

“What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences…Life is plurality, death is uniformity…Every culture that disappears, diminishes a possibility of life.” ~Octavio Paz~ Mexican poet and writer (1914-1998)
 

Native Foster Care: Lost Children and Shattered Families, NPR, by L. Sullivan and A. Walters

Derrin Yellow Robe-3- Crow Creek Reservation- photo: John Poole:NPR

Osiyo,

Recently NPR has been conducting an investigation into the removal of Native American children from their families and into foster care.  The result of their findings were shocking…

The following is an excerpt from the overview:

“Nearly 700 Native American children in South Dakota are being removed from their homes every year, sometimes under questionable circumstances. An NPR News investigation has found that the state is largely failing to place them according to the law. The vast majority of native kids in foster care in South Dakota are in nonnative homes or group homes, according to an NPR analysis of state records. Years ago, thousands of Native American children were forcibly removed from their homes and sent to boarding schools…Many suffered horrible abuse, leaving entire generations missing from the one place whose future depended on them —their tribes

In 1978, Congress tried to put a stop to it. They passed the Indian Child Welfare Act, which says except in the rarest circumstances, Native American children must be placed with their relatives or tribes. It also says states must do everything it can to keep native families together.

But 32 states are failing to abide by the act in one way or another, and, an NPR investigation has found, nowhere is that more apparent than in South Dakota. “Cousins are disappearing; family members are disappearing,” said Peter Lengkeek, a Crow Creek Tribal Council member. “It’s kidnapping. That’s how we see it.” State officials say they have to do what’s in the best interest of the child, but the state does have a financial incentive to remove the children. The state receives thousands of dollars from the federal government for every child it takes from a family, and in some cases the state gets even more money if the child is Native American. The result is that South Dakota is now removing children at a rate higher than the vast majority of other states in the country…”

We urge you to read (or listen to) the entire NPR series..

Our “heart-felt” thanks to our reader LJ!

Part 1: Incentives And Cultural Bias Fuel Foster System-

Part 2: Tribes Question Foster Group’s Power And Influence

Part 3: Native Survivors Of Foster Care Return Home

Suzanne Crow photo:John Poole/NPR

A Fight For Her Grandchildren Mirrors A Native Past- by Nathan Rott

Grown men can learn from very little children, for the hearts of little children are pure. Therefore, the Great Spirit may show to them many things which older people miss.~Black Elk~

(1863-1950-Holy Man of the Oglala Lakota Sioux)

Osiyo,

Talking Feather now has a Teachers’ Guide and Answer Key for the Iroquois Tribe. In addition, photos have been added of the animals in the myth “Why The Owl Has Big Eyes” to help students better understand.

The Iroquois League of Nations was originally known as The Five Nations, and the members were The Mohawk, The Oneida, The Cayuga, The Onadaga, and The Seneca Nations.  When The Tuscadora Nation joined the league in the 1700s,  the Iroquois became known as the Six Nations.

It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken
joy in creative expression and knowledge.
~Albert Einstein~

Member of the Oneida-photo: Jeff Lindsay

Member of the Cayuga photo: Google

Oneida Dancers photo Mrs. Houck

Additional News:

Read The New York Times Article:

Navajo Nation takes on Urban Outfitters, and wins!

Visit Pow Wows.com for the Live webcast 2011 Hunting Moon Powwow

Tags: Iroquois Nation, Teachers' Guide

Pretty Inupat girl with grandmother

Alaskan Traditional Chilkat Dancer.

Orca Totem with snow.

Osiyo,

We are very pleased to have the Alaskan tribes as members of Tribalpedia.

The tribes are listed alphabetically by name,and by the Regional Organization membership. In addition, Tribalpedia has linked  each tribe to its website, the  Alaska Database Community Information Summaries (CIS). Those tribes with (*) in front of  their names have websites. We encourage you to visit and provide support where you can.  (See NYT article about  the traditional Sacred Whale hunt of the Inupiat).

“A culture is made — or destroyed — by its articulate voices.”~Ayn Rand- (Russian born American Writer  and Novelist 1905-1982)~

Also, remember that  October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Take time to visit their site, National coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) to learn more, or to get help and support…You are not alone!

The Blanket Around Her

maybe it is her birth

which she holds close to herself

or her death

which is just as inseparable

and the white wind

that encircles her is a part

just as the blue sky

hanging in turquoise from her neck

oh woman

remember who you are

woman

it is the whole earth

~ Joy Harjo-(Creek Indian-b. 1951-)~

 

 

Tags: Alaskan Tribes

Atanarjuat  ’The Fast Runner” (2001)

"The Fast Runner" stars Natar Ungalaaq (Atanarjuat) and Pakkak Innukshuk (Amaqjuaq).

Osiyo!

Talking Feather is proud to have the Inuit as part of our family. They are the first nation to appear in our Alaskan Nations group. For those of you who may not know of the Inuit film  Atanarjuat “Fast Runner” (2001) it was created by the Inuits with “all” Inuit actors.

The story is an Inuit legend about an evil spirit that enters a small Inuit village, and causes discord among the members. The warrior (Atanarjuat) battles this evil, and has to decide whether to follow the path of good or evil to defeat the evil. The tribal members endure many conflicts within the family (love, jealousy, hate, battles)

The following information is from the Inuit website:

The beautiful Atuat (Sylvis Ivalu) from Fast Runner

“Igloolik is a community of 1200 people located on a small island in the north Baffin region of the Canadian Arctic with archeological evidence of 4000 years of continuous habitation. Throughout these millennia, with no written language, untold numbers of nomadic Inuit renewed their culture and traditional knowledge for every generation entirely through storytelling.

Our film Atanarjuat is part of this continuous stream of oral history carried forward into the new millennium through a marriage of Inuit storytelling skills and new technology.

Atanarjuat is Canada’s first feature-length fiction film written, produced, directed, and acted by Inuit. An exciting action thriller set in ancient Igloolik, the film unfolds as a life-threatening struggle between powerful natural and supernatural characters. Atanarjuat gives international audiences a more authentic view of Inuit culture and oral tradition than ever before, from the inside and through Inuit eyes.

For countless generations, Igloolik elders have kept the legend of Atanarjuat alive to teach young Inuit the danger of setting personal desire above the needs of the group.

The tale of making the film is itself made up of many stories…”

Visit the website to learn more about the film, it’s actors, the  many awards the film has won, and to view more of the photos from the film. Very intriguing!

 
Website: Atanarjuat The Fast Runner

“Who plots evil with deceit in his heart–he always stirs up dissension.”~ Proverbs 6:14~