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

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

By Talking Feather, 3/19/11

Radmilla Cody has her own page on facebook.  Cody is a member of the Navajo Nation, and she has reigned as Miss Navajo Nation from 1997-98.

She is known for her extensive work with youth organizations, that are concerned with issues such as domestic violence, gang activity, child abuse, drug/alcohol abuse, and issues concerning the welfare of the elderly. The film Hearing Radmilla, by director Angela Webb tells the life story of Ms. Cody. Radmilla is also known for her beautiful singing. Here are her cds: Seed of Life Precious Friends, Spirit of a Woman, Within The Four Directions: A Tribute To The Navajo Way of Life

Kudos to Radmilla and to Ms. Webb for sharing this important information with us. We urge you to stay connected and help!

Post Comments

Fun: visit ESLVoices!

Teachers’ Guide and Answer Key: Cherokee lessons Parts I and II.

Tags: Navajo, Radmilla Cody, Talking Feather, Talking Stick

Mireya Navarro, The New York Times

With the coming election for president of the Navajo Nation on November 2, one major topic is environmental healing.  Candidates feel that it’s time for people to build more solar farms to replace coal mining.

Here are several reasons stated in the article for why the tribe should  go green,

“…At the grass-roots level, the internal movement advocating a retreat from coal is both a reaction to the environmental damage and the health consequences of mining — water loss and contamination, smog and soot pollution — and a reconsideration of centuries-old tenets.”

“…In Navajo culture, some spiritual guides say, digging up the earth to retrieve resources like coal and uranium (which the reservation also produced until health issues led to a ban in 2005) is tantamount to cutting skin and represents a betrayal of a duty to protect the land.”

There are also economical reasons for the change,

“…Tribal leaders say the Navajo Nation’s income from coal has dwindled 15 percent to 20 percent in recent years as federal and state pollution regulations have imposed costly restrictions and lessened the demand for mining.”

An important article — read it and share your thoughts with us.

Tags: coal mining, elections, Navajo, Solar Energy

Donald Bradley, (Kansas City Star) Native American Times

Mioshia Wagoner-Photo credit Nick Krug.

Osiyo,

Mioshia Wagoner, also known as “Yosh” is a member of the Navajo community, ready to complete her Master’s degree, and she holds the Olympic silver medal for light-heavyweight boxing! After receiving her undergraduate degree from Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Yosh went to China to compete in the World Championships and brought home the silver medal for Team USA.
In China, she defeated the fighters from Egypt and Romania. The fighter from the host country won the gold (this time). How she became fascinated with boxing is an interesting story.
She was covering amateur fight night at the Haskell Boxing Club. while working as a reporter for The Haskell college newspaper, The Indian Leader.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Read the article and share your thoughts.

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

Newsroom, Argonne National Laboratory

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

According to the statistics,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Cindy Yurth,  The Navajo Times

The Navajo Code Talkers were instrumental in helping the United States defeat the Japanese during World War II. Young Navajo men created an ingenious form of secret code for communications that was based on the Navajo language.  Because the Japanese were never able to decipher the code,  many lives were saved and the United States was able to make advances to end the war.

There are many people (Indian and non-Indian) who are not aware of these brave men and their important role during the war. Code Talkers Bill Toledo of Torreon, N.M., and Frank Chee Willeto of  Pueblo Pintado, N.M., participated in a memoir-writing workshop at the Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C. The goal of the program is to eventually obtain videos of the remaining Code Talkers and record their stories so that more people will learn about who the the Navajo Code Talkers are, and their important contribution during WW II.

Read the article, then share your thoughts with us.

Sources for further information about Code Talkers:

Navajo Code Talkers: World War II Fact Sheet

Logoi.com

OracleThinkQuest

Tags: Bill Toledo, Frank Chee Willeto, Japanese, Navajo, Navy Memorial, United States, Washington D. C., WWII

By Linda Braden Albert, The Daily Times, Originally published: March 28. 2010

Children and their parents enjoyed the celebration in honor of the Historic Sam Houston School House, and had a wonderful time learning about Sam Houston, American Indian history, and culture. Members of the Cherokee and Navajo tribes performed. The festivities included Indian storytelling, native American dances, flute playing, tomahawk throwing, and singing. It was a fund raiser for the school house.

An enjoyable article.

Tags: American Indian history, celebration, cherokee, dances, festival, flute playing, Navajo, Sam Houston School House, tomahawk

NM School Goes From Worst to Among Best in 3 Years By Heather Clark, Published: Oct 19, 2009 in Indian Country Today.

This article discusses first-year principal George Bickert and how he encouraged the students of Tohatchi Public School located on the Navajo lands in Tohatchi, New Mexico.  Before the arrival of Mr. Bickert, the students were struggling academically, with many of them classified as English language learners.

He found a way to make learning fun and challenging for the students. Part of his strategy was using  lots of smiles and hugs with the students. The other part was knowing his students.

A couple of important  points to note in this article (other than the influence of Mr. Bickert, and the amazing  progress of the Indian students)  is that there are many American Indian children (and adults) whose first language is not English. Many of the Indigenous Indian people of this country still struggle with learning  English as a second language.  Another equally important fact this article discusses is that many of our Native schools are impoverished, as are the living conditions of the people.

This is such an inspiring and informative piece, that I  highly recommend teachers have students read the article in its entirety online.

Find addittional information and lessons plans for the Navajo people here.

Suggested Exercises based on this news article:

Vocabulary Exercise:

1. In groups designate paragraphs from the article.

Discussion Questions for Comprehension:

1. Where is the school located?
2. What are some of the problems children face in this area?
3. Why do you think that 80% of the students are English language learners?
4. Identify and discuss the two main causes for the low scores of the students.
5. Discuss the ways Mr. Bickert  motivated the students.
6. In addition to English language learners, what other group of students does Mr. Bickert mention?
7. Compare the education system in your home city, to that of the Navajo Indian school in this article. Discuss the similarities or the differences.

Tags: American Indian children, George Bickert, indigenous, Navajo, Tohatchi New Mexico, Tohatchi Public School