"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, June 20, 2008

Telling the Native American story to all

By: Caitlin Wolter

Montville - Amid the oak trees behind the small stone building that is home to the Tantaquidgeon Museum, firekeepers squatted around a mound of wood and grass, starting a ceremonial fire to bless the land.

The reopening of the museum Wednesday welcomed visitors and tribal members to once again take in the array of artifacts from the Mohegan tribe and other Native American cultures.
The museum had been closed for renovations.

Larry “Red Moon” Shultz, adorned with a 200-year-old turkey-feather headdress, started the ceremonial fire along with Jay “Two Trees” Ihloff, Justin Scott and Tom Epps, who prefers to be called “Throws His Hatchet.”

Ihloff explained that the fire is built up in a specific manner. It contains cedar and sweet grass, he explained, and the wood is laid in the four sacred directions.

Throws His Hatchet explained the significance of a dugout wooden canoe, one of the museum's many artifacts. The State of Connecticut asked tribal member Charlie Two Bears, who works with people in rehab facilities and prisons for the Mohegan Tribe's Behavioral Health Department, to help a group of six juvenile offenders. In turn, he then asked Throws His Hatchet, who works with troubled kids, to help.

Get the rest of the story here: http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=69aa3d73-a238-4d0a-b748-76e4a04f8d91
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