"We did not think of the great open plains, the beautiful rolling hills, and winding streams with tangled growth as "wild". To us it was tame. Earth was bountiful and we were surrounded with the blessings of the Great Mystery."

Luther Standing Bear - Rosebud Sioux

Guardian of the Water Medicine

Guardian of the Water Medicine
Dale Auger

Dale Auger

Dale Auger: On Art, Blood and Kindred Spirits
by Terri Mason

Defining Dale Auger in one sentence is akin to releasing the colours of a diamond in one cut. It can’t be done. It’s the many facets that release a diamond’s true brilliance, as it is the many facets of Auger’s life, education, ancestry, experiences and beliefs that have shaped and polished his work into the internationally acclaimed and collected artist that he is today.

Born a Sakaw Cree from the Bigstone Cree Nation in northern Alberta, Auger’s education began as a young boy when his mother would take him to be with the elders. “I used to say to myself, ‘Why is she leaving me with these old people?’ – but today I see the reason; I was being taught in the old way.”

Auger’s respect for traditional teachings led him on a journey to study art, opening the door to a doctorate in education. He is a talented playwright, speaker and visual artist whose vividly coloured acrylics have captured the attention of collectors that reads like an international ‘Who’s Who’ spanning English to Hollywood royalty. The essence of his work is communication, and now Dr. Auger has come full circle, interpreting the life of his culture – from the everyday to the sacred - through the cross-cultural medium of art.

Read the rest here:

http://www.daleauger.com/printversionbio.cfm

Friday, February 15, 2008

March for American Indian awareness comes to Lodi

By: Chris Nichols

More than 50 spirited marchers arrived in Lodi on Wednesday as part of the Longest Walk 2008, a five-month, cross-country trek to raise awareness for American Indian issues.

The group plans to walk to Washington, D.C. to commemorate the 30th anniversary of 1978's Longest Walk.

Like marchers three decades ago, their goals include promoting social justice and protections for the environment and American Indian burial grounds, several said.

The marchers — wearing Longest Walk T-shirts and leather medicine bags and carrying a tall banner lined with eagle feathers — set off from Flag City on Wednesday morning, the third day of their journey, passing scenic grapevines and orchards along Highway 12.

With a diverse collection of participants, including Buddhist monks, Japanese tourists and numerous young people, the rural roadway looked more like downtown Berkeley than San Joaquin County.

Stopping during a break in the march, Larry Bringing Good, of Stockton, one of the walk's organizers, explained a bit of history behind the effort. Threats by the federal government to dissolve treaties with American Indians spurred the first walk. Mining and timber interests had set eyes on reservation lands, he said.

Environmental concerns, such as air and water pollution, along with the first walk's anniversary, drove this year's march.

There's more here: http://www.lodinews.com/articles/2008/02/14/news/1_walk_080214.txt
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