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

Tags: American Buffalo, Fort Peck Indian Reservation, Yellowstone bison program

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

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~

Sacred N.M. Mountain Remains at Center of Uranium Fight, by R. Reese, The New York Times

It is true that people desperately need jobs, that our historical and sacred places should be maintained,and all  health issues concerning people, and the environment need to be addressed.  This article has all of these elements and more.  The heated debate concerns whether a mining company (Rio Grande Resources Corp.) should be allowed to continue to  delay cleaning up a mine that is dormant. This particular mine is located  on Mount Taylor, in Grants, NM. The mine holds the nation’s largest uranium deposit. Mount Taylor is held sacred by many of the Pueblo tribes in the Southwest. Particularly the Hopi, Acoma, Laguna, and Zuni.   The Navajo Nation also views the mountain as a sacred place.  In addition, there are concerns involving health issues

“At the hearing, held by the New Mexico Mining and Minerals Division, testimony was divided roughly equally between those who support the renewal of the company’s five-year standby permit, with an eye toward the local economic benefits that could come from reopening the mine, and those who oppose it out of concerns that contamination could worsen if the site remains un-remediated for another five years… Eric Jantz, an attorney with the New Mexico Environmental Law Center…noted that the New Mexico Environment Department has found elevated levels of nitrates and uranium in an old underground waste lagoon at the mine site, and expressed concern that delaying a comprehensive cleanup could put the environment further at risk.”

Steve Juanico of Acoma Pueblo stated: “ Everybody’s fighting for survival — we need that economic viability, But it’s short lived. … We really need to protect our water resources. Are we doing the right thing?” One remedy to fight contamination that was offered by the company according to Joe Lister, who manages the Mount Taylor mine site for the company:

“… involves planting salt cedar trees to soak up contaminated water. The trees will then be uprooted and destroyed.”

Nadine Padilla, who is of Navajo and Pueblo ancestry, is also a member of  the Multi-Cultural Alliance for a Safe Environment stated;  “ We’re not only concerned about the quality of the environment and possible contamination of the site; we’re also concerned because it’s a sacred place, a place that tribes regard as holy.”

Read the article and share your thoughts with us.

“Only after the last tree has been cut down, Only after the last river has been poisoned, Only after the last fish has been caught, Only then will you find money cannot be eaten.”   ~ Cree Prophecy ~

Photos:

top: Mt. Taylor at sunset

courtesy of L.Dietershagen-Sanchez

bottom: Ceremony for Mother Earth. photo Google Images.