By: Doreen Yellow Bird
Another white buffalo calf was born Saturday at the National Buffalo Museum and Culture Center in Jamestown, N.D., making it third white buffalo calf born there. These white buffalo currently live in the Jamestown museum’s pasture.
White buffalo calves have a special spiritual meaning for American Indian people. So, many Indian people hail the birth as a spiritual event.
The birth of a white buffalo calf is rare but not unheard of. Records indicate in 1833, a white buffalo was killed by the Cheyenne, and the skin is hanging in the Bent’s Old Fort in Colorado. On Oct. 7, 1876, Wright Mooar killed a white buffalo, and he kept the hide his whole life, despite reports that Teddy Roosevelt tried to buy it from him for $5,000.
Spirit Mountain Ranch in Flagstaff, Ariz., has bred three generations of white buffalo, and there are reports of other white calves in different parts of the nation. Yet they remain rare and don’t seem to live as long as the brown buffalo.
A white buffalo calf, later named Miracle, was born on the Heider farm near Janesville, Wis., in 1994. Since that time, nine white buffalo calves have been born to their herd.
The white buffalo currently in the Jamestown museum was born in Michigan, N.D., then leased to the Jamestown museum. The white buffalo is named White Cloud or Mahpiya Ska. White Cloud gave birth to a white calf in January. One of White Cloud’s four brown calves gave birth to the white calf on Saturday, so this new calf is White Cloud’s grandchild.
There's more here: http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm?id=78631
Monday, June 9, 2008
Mt. Rushmore through Native eyes
By: Tim Giago
Memorial Day usually kicks off the tourist season. So far the tourist attractions in South Dakota seem to be holding their own despite the spike in gasoline prices.
For those tourists feeling the pangs of patriotism, a visit to Mount Rushmore should fill that void. It truly is one of the seven modern wonders of the world. One thing to keep in mind when visiting; many Native Americans see those faces on the Mountain in a different way. So if you look at those carvings through the eyes of Native Americans, you may see them as you have never seen them before.
Teddy Roosevelt talked about taking the remaining Indian lands by war. He said, “It is a primeval warfare and it is waged as war was waged in the ages of bronze and of iron. All the merciful humanity that even war has gained during the last two thousand years is lost. It is a warfare where no pity is shown to non-combatants.”
Abraham Lincoln gave the go-ahead to the U. S. Army to hang 38 Dakota warriors in Minnesota in the largest mass hanging in the history of America. Thomas Jefferson, a slave owner, signed on to the Louisiana Purchase, a deal that took millions of acres of land from many Indian tribes without their approval, including South Dakota, and in the end, caused misery, suffering, death and poverty that is felt by the Native Americans of this region even to this day. And we should not forget that the man known as the father of this country (at least to the white people), George Washington, ordered the extermination of the Indian people of New England. He was also a slave holder.
Native American activist Russell Means has labeled Mount Rushmore, The Shrine of Hypocrisy. In this instance he speaks for many Native Americans. You must also remember that Native Americans had a history long before the coming of the white man. Most Indians do not consider the signors of the Declaration of Independence to be their “Founding Fathers.”
Keep reading here: http://www.indianz.com/News/2008/009175.asp
Memorial Day usually kicks off the tourist season. So far the tourist attractions in South Dakota seem to be holding their own despite the spike in gasoline prices.
For those tourists feeling the pangs of patriotism, a visit to Mount Rushmore should fill that void. It truly is one of the seven modern wonders of the world. One thing to keep in mind when visiting; many Native Americans see those faces on the Mountain in a different way. So if you look at those carvings through the eyes of Native Americans, you may see them as you have never seen them before.
Teddy Roosevelt talked about taking the remaining Indian lands by war. He said, “It is a primeval warfare and it is waged as war was waged in the ages of bronze and of iron. All the merciful humanity that even war has gained during the last two thousand years is lost. It is a warfare where no pity is shown to non-combatants.”
Abraham Lincoln gave the go-ahead to the U. S. Army to hang 38 Dakota warriors in Minnesota in the largest mass hanging in the history of America. Thomas Jefferson, a slave owner, signed on to the Louisiana Purchase, a deal that took millions of acres of land from many Indian tribes without their approval, including South Dakota, and in the end, caused misery, suffering, death and poverty that is felt by the Native Americans of this region even to this day. And we should not forget that the man known as the father of this country (at least to the white people), George Washington, ordered the extermination of the Indian people of New England. He was also a slave holder.
Native American activist Russell Means has labeled Mount Rushmore, The Shrine of Hypocrisy. In this instance he speaks for many Native Americans. You must also remember that Native Americans had a history long before the coming of the white man. Most Indians do not consider the signors of the Declaration of Independence to be their “Founding Fathers.”
Keep reading here: http://www.indianz.com/News/2008/009175.asp
Concerns Over School’s Refusal to Allow Student to Wear Spiritual Attire at Graduation
Press release -
PEMBROKE The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina (ACLU-NC) and the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) today sent a letter to the Robeson County School District expressing concern over a school system policy for graduation attire that provides no exception for religious and/or spiritual beliefs, resulting in an unreasonable application to one student. That student is Corey Bird, a senior at Purnell Swett High School in Pembroke who is Lumbee and an enrolled member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Tribe of South Dakota. Bird has been told by school officials that school policy does not permit him to wear an eagle feather during graduation on June 13.
The organizations became involved after the student and his father, Samuel Bird, requested backing from Lumbee tribal leaders, who called the school’s enforcement of its policy in this instance “a disgrace.” The Sisseton-Wahpeton tribe and other American Indian tribes traditionally use eagle feathers for ceremonial purposes. Typically, an eagle feather is given only in times of great honor for example, eagle feathers are given to mark great personal achievement. The gift of an eagle feather to a youth is a great honor and is typically given to recognize an important transition in his or her life. Many young people are given eagle feathers upon graduation from high school to signify achievement of this important educational journey and the honor the graduate brings to his or her family, community and tribe. Corey’s feathers were gifted to him by his father for this occasion, and they have even greater meaning to him because Corey wants to spiritually honor his mother and grandfather, who are both deceased.
The Lumbee Tribal Council passed a resolution of support for Corey to wear the eagle feathers to graduation, but still the school would not budge, prompting the organizations to step in. The following quote can be attributed to Katherine Parker of ACLU-NC: “In addition to being just plain bad policy, the school district’s decision also appears to violate Corey’s right to freely exercise his religion under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, as well as Corey’s father’s fundamental right to parent under the Fourteenth Amendment. We urge the school district to rethink its short-sighted decision.”
The following quote can be attributed to Steve Moore of NARF: “Given the Native American reverence for eagles, and the high honor represented by a school graduation, we at NARF cannot imagine a more appropriate setting for the dignified wearing of an eagle feather. Most schools in America that have struggled with this issue in the past few decades have understood that permitting the wearing of eagle feathers at graduation is not only good policy but the right thing to do from a human perspective.”
Robeson County is approximately 40% Lumbee, according to the U.S. Census. The Robeson County School Board’s next scheduled meeting is June 10. The organizations look forward to attending along with parents, community members and supporters to address the matter.
The Native American Rights Fund is a national organization that provides legal representation and technical assistance to Indian tribes, organizations and individuals nationwide. The ACLU-NC, a nonprofit organization with 9,000 members in North Carolina, is dedicated to defending the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States.
PEMBROKE The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina (ACLU-NC) and the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) today sent a letter to the Robeson County School District expressing concern over a school system policy for graduation attire that provides no exception for religious and/or spiritual beliefs, resulting in an unreasonable application to one student. That student is Corey Bird, a senior at Purnell Swett High School in Pembroke who is Lumbee and an enrolled member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Tribe of South Dakota. Bird has been told by school officials that school policy does not permit him to wear an eagle feather during graduation on June 13.
The organizations became involved after the student and his father, Samuel Bird, requested backing from Lumbee tribal leaders, who called the school’s enforcement of its policy in this instance “a disgrace.” The Sisseton-Wahpeton tribe and other American Indian tribes traditionally use eagle feathers for ceremonial purposes. Typically, an eagle feather is given only in times of great honor for example, eagle feathers are given to mark great personal achievement. The gift of an eagle feather to a youth is a great honor and is typically given to recognize an important transition in his or her life. Many young people are given eagle feathers upon graduation from high school to signify achievement of this important educational journey and the honor the graduate brings to his or her family, community and tribe. Corey’s feathers were gifted to him by his father for this occasion, and they have even greater meaning to him because Corey wants to spiritually honor his mother and grandfather, who are both deceased.
The Lumbee Tribal Council passed a resolution of support for Corey to wear the eagle feathers to graduation, but still the school would not budge, prompting the organizations to step in. The following quote can be attributed to Katherine Parker of ACLU-NC: “In addition to being just plain bad policy, the school district’s decision also appears to violate Corey’s right to freely exercise his religion under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, as well as Corey’s father’s fundamental right to parent under the Fourteenth Amendment. We urge the school district to rethink its short-sighted decision.”
The following quote can be attributed to Steve Moore of NARF: “Given the Native American reverence for eagles, and the high honor represented by a school graduation, we at NARF cannot imagine a more appropriate setting for the dignified wearing of an eagle feather. Most schools in America that have struggled with this issue in the past few decades have understood that permitting the wearing of eagle feathers at graduation is not only good policy but the right thing to do from a human perspective.”
Robeson County is approximately 40% Lumbee, according to the U.S. Census. The Robeson County School Board’s next scheduled meeting is June 10. The organizations look forward to attending along with parents, community members and supporters to address the matter.
The Native American Rights Fund is a national organization that provides legal representation and technical assistance to Indian tribes, organizations and individuals nationwide. The ACLU-NC, a nonprofit organization with 9,000 members in North Carolina, is dedicated to defending the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States.
Oglala Sioux could regain Badlands national parkland
By: Nicholas Ricarrdi
BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK, S.D. -- The southern half of this swath of grasslands and chiseled pink spires looks untouched from a distance. Closer up, the scars of history are easy to see.
Unexploded bombs lie in ravines, a reminder of when the military confiscated the land from the Oglala Sioux tribe during World War II and turned it into an artillery range. Poachers who have stolen thousands of fossils over the years have left gouges in the landscape. On a plateau, a solitary makeshift hut sits ringed by empty Coke cans and shaving cream canisters. It is the only remnant of a three-year occupation by militant tribal activists who had demanded that the land be returned.
Now the National Park Service is contemplating doing just that: giving the 133,000-acre southern half of Badlands National Park back to the tribe. The northern half, which has a paved road and a visitor center, would remain with the park system.
The park service has dissolved 23 parks and historic sites since 1930, but none has been returned to tribes. "It's really exciting for us to think about walking down this road," said Sandra J. Washington, head of planning for the service's Omaha office, which oversees Badlands. "The intention is to be as honorable as possible."
Want to know more? Click here: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-badlands8-2008jun08%2C0%2C5620198.story
BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK, S.D. -- The southern half of this swath of grasslands and chiseled pink spires looks untouched from a distance. Closer up, the scars of history are easy to see.
Unexploded bombs lie in ravines, a reminder of when the military confiscated the land from the Oglala Sioux tribe during World War II and turned it into an artillery range. Poachers who have stolen thousands of fossils over the years have left gouges in the landscape. On a plateau, a solitary makeshift hut sits ringed by empty Coke cans and shaving cream canisters. It is the only remnant of a three-year occupation by militant tribal activists who had demanded that the land be returned.
Now the National Park Service is contemplating doing just that: giving the 133,000-acre southern half of Badlands National Park back to the tribe. The northern half, which has a paved road and a visitor center, would remain with the park system.
The park service has dissolved 23 parks and historic sites since 1930, but none has been returned to tribes. "It's really exciting for us to think about walking down this road," said Sandra J. Washington, head of planning for the service's Omaha office, which oversees Badlands. "The intention is to be as honorable as possible."
Want to know more? Click here: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-badlands8-2008jun08%2C0%2C5620198.story
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