"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, April 18, 2008

Students dance, drum, learn American Indian culture

By: Diane Huber

The Evergreen Forest Elementary School gym reverberated with drumbeats as the Nisqually Tribe Canoe Family performed traditional songs.

The performers included four drummers and six youth dancers, some from North Thurston Public Schools, which serves the Lacey area of Thurston County. They wore traditional regalia with symbols and pictures. Some carried drums made of deer and elk hide.

Tanisha Rattler, a freshman at River Ridge High School, said each song tells a story. “It’s not just about dancing. It’s about being around our friends in a good way that doesn’t involve drugs or alcohol,” she said.

The dancing was part of a Family Cultural Activity Night, a program that reaches out to North Thurston’s 500 American Indian students and their families. The program is funded by a grant from the Office of Indian Education.

It’s designed to teach tribal history and culture and help American Indian students meet academic standards, said Laura Lynn, the district’s native student program specialist.

“It’s about connecting their cultural history and practices to their experience in school,” she said.

The rest of the story is here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/336420.html
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