"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

A Hollow Apology to Indian People

By: Kevin Abourezk

"Good words cannot give me back my children. Good words will not give my people good health and stop them from dying. ... I am tired of talk that comes to nothing. It makes my heart sick when I remember all the good words and all the broken promises."
— Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce

It's a question likely born of the Civil Rights Movement, when this country finally began to take a hard look at how it treats its people of color.

Should the United States apologize for its mistreatment of Indian people?

A Kansas senator wants his government to again wrestle with that question, proposing that the U.S. Senate issue a formal apology to Native people.

In an amendment attached to the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, Sen. Sam Brownback proposes apologizing to Native people.

For the many treaties the government has broken with Indian people.

For its policies of extermination and assimilation of Native people.

For outlawing indigenous religions and forcing tribes out of their traditional homelands.

For the massacre of Native people at places like Sand Creek and Wounded Knee.

For the devastating effect the government's failed policies have had on succeeding generations of Native people.

Get the whole story here: http://www.reznetnews.org/blogs/red-clout/hollow-apology-indian-people
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