The Story of Elder Katherine Siva Saubeland the Cahuilla Indians of Southern California
Director: Leigh Podgorski
57 Minutes • Documentary Feature
We are still Here documents the tenacious struggle of elder and tribal chair, Dr. Katherine Siva Saubel, and her efforts to preserve the culture, history and traditions of the Cahuilla people.
Presented through in-depth interviews with Dr. Saubel and her brother, traditional Cahuilla Bird Singer, Alvino Siva; the film also portrays the powerful Creation Stories of the Cahuilla performed by a stellar all Native American cast. Footage also includes Cahuilla festivals and traditional arts of basket weaving and pottery.
Katherine Saubel also introduces the viewer to the ethnobotany of the Cahuilla people. The Cahuilla people have preserved the tradition of their ancestors and are teachers of their language and songs that maintain their culture.
In 1999, playwright and Project Director Leigh Podgorski created a play based on her oral history of Dr. Katherine Saubel, a Cahuilla Elder living on the Morongo Indian Reservation east of Los Angeles who is both an ethno-botanist and tribal historian.
Saubel has traveled extensively around the world lecturing on Cahuilla history and culture, as well as plant foods and medicines. This project will create a DVD featuring the creation mythology from Podgorski’s play and other material about the Cahuilla, including footage of original Cahuilla territory and additional oral histories.
“By sharing Katherine Saubel’s story and the story of her people and other Cahuilla elders who have flourished in this seemingly inhospitable desert land for thousands of years, it is our hope that the public will recognize the critical need for continued preservation of this land and its people,” said Podgorski.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Indian genocide resolution stirs debate
Bill cites Sand Creek massacre, removal of Cherokees from Georgia
By: Joe Hanel
DENVER - Lawmakers paused Wednesday for the third time in a week to remember a genocide. But this time, the memorial turned into an uncomfortable debate about American history.
Senate Joint Resolution 31 recites the history of horrors that fell upon American Indians after European settlement. The native population of 18 million north of the Rio Grande in the late 1400s had plunged to about 200,000 by 1900 - nearly a 99 percent drop.
But unlike previous condemnations of genocide, Wednesday's vote wasn't unanimous.
"There's a wholesale condemnation of European settlement in this resolution that I find troubling," said Rep. Kevin Lundberg, R-Berthoud, who voted no.
Sen. Bill Cadman, R-Colorado Springs, made similar arguments in the Senate.
The House voted 59-4 for the resolution, and the Senate passed it 22-12.
It was the Legislature's third resolution on genocide in the last week. Lawmakers voted unanimously for a Holocaust memorial, and there was just one dissenting vote against a memorial of the Ottoman Empire's genocide of Armenians in 1915.
Lawmakers also voted unanimously for a resolution condemning China's human-rights record early last month.
"As we wagged our finger at Turkey about a week ago for not coming face-to-face with its own history, we see now how hard it is to come face-to-face with our own history," said Rep. Mike May of Parker, the House's top Republican, who voted yes.
Want to know more? Click here: http://durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&article_path=/news/08/news080501_5.htm
By: Joe Hanel
DENVER - Lawmakers paused Wednesday for the third time in a week to remember a genocide. But this time, the memorial turned into an uncomfortable debate about American history.
Senate Joint Resolution 31 recites the history of horrors that fell upon American Indians after European settlement. The native population of 18 million north of the Rio Grande in the late 1400s had plunged to about 200,000 by 1900 - nearly a 99 percent drop.
But unlike previous condemnations of genocide, Wednesday's vote wasn't unanimous.
"There's a wholesale condemnation of European settlement in this resolution that I find troubling," said Rep. Kevin Lundberg, R-Berthoud, who voted no.
Sen. Bill Cadman, R-Colorado Springs, made similar arguments in the Senate.
The House voted 59-4 for the resolution, and the Senate passed it 22-12.
It was the Legislature's third resolution on genocide in the last week. Lawmakers voted unanimously for a Holocaust memorial, and there was just one dissenting vote against a memorial of the Ottoman Empire's genocide of Armenians in 1915.
Lawmakers also voted unanimously for a resolution condemning China's human-rights record early last month.
"As we wagged our finger at Turkey about a week ago for not coming face-to-face with its own history, we see now how hard it is to come face-to-face with our own history," said Rep. Mike May of Parker, the House's top Republican, who voted yes.
Want to know more? Click here: http://durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&article_path=/news/08/news080501_5.htm
E. Montpelier welcomes Abenaki Museum
By: Kelly Janis
"For years, they've been fighting," said Cowasuck tribe member Todd Hebert, pointing to portraits of several Abenaki tribes, situated side-by-side on the walls of the Ndakinna Cultural Center. "They've been against each other. And now, here they are in the same room, facing each other."
Such unity was apparent as members of Native American bands from across the state converged in drum circles, singing and craft demonstrations to celebrate the grand opening of the Abenaki Indian Museum - dedicated to the preservation of native heritage by means of classes, workshops and exhibitions - on April 26 and 27 in East Montpelier, Vt.
"This museum was created for the people in honor of our Grand Mothers and Grand Fathers that walked on this beautiful Mother Earth before us," reads a sign in the Campbell Museum room, which showcases a wide array of Native American artifacts, including a dugout canoe, medicine bag, turtle rattle and soapstone pipe, examples of traditional regalia, jewelry and a selection of reading materials. "The spirits of our ancestors are here with us today. They are guiding us to teach now that it is okay to share some of our secrets and some of our past."
Keep reading here: http://media.www.middleburycampus.com/media/storage/paper446/news/2008/05/01/LocalNews/E.Montpelier.Welcomes.Abenaki.Museum-3359293.shtml
"For years, they've been fighting," said Cowasuck tribe member Todd Hebert, pointing to portraits of several Abenaki tribes, situated side-by-side on the walls of the Ndakinna Cultural Center. "They've been against each other. And now, here they are in the same room, facing each other."
Such unity was apparent as members of Native American bands from across the state converged in drum circles, singing and craft demonstrations to celebrate the grand opening of the Abenaki Indian Museum - dedicated to the preservation of native heritage by means of classes, workshops and exhibitions - on April 26 and 27 in East Montpelier, Vt.
"This museum was created for the people in honor of our Grand Mothers and Grand Fathers that walked on this beautiful Mother Earth before us," reads a sign in the Campbell Museum room, which showcases a wide array of Native American artifacts, including a dugout canoe, medicine bag, turtle rattle and soapstone pipe, examples of traditional regalia, jewelry and a selection of reading materials. "The spirits of our ancestors are here with us today. They are guiding us to teach now that it is okay to share some of our secrets and some of our past."
Keep reading here: http://media.www.middleburycampus.com/media/storage/paper446/news/2008/05/01/LocalNews/E.Montpelier.Welcomes.Abenaki.Museum-3359293.shtml
Our View: Tribe should have role in Badlands
Editorial - The Daily Republic - Mitchell, SD
South Dakota’s Badlands are known for sweeping vistas, wonderful colors and roving herds of bison.
The Badlands also are known as a tourist attraction, each year drawing approximately a million visitors, some of whom hike the numerous scenic trails while the majority stick to the single paved highway that winds throughout.
But whereas Badlands National Park is one of South Dakota’s top tourist destinations, that only can be said about the North Unit, which is near Interstate 90 and an easy side trip for travelers.
The South Unit, equally majestic but lesser known because of its remote location in the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, is the subject of debate as the National Park Service considers the unit’s future management.
Four options are proposed:
Leave it as is with NPS in charge and a small management role for the Oglala Sioux Tribe.
Increase the tribe’s role to more of an equal partnership.
Have the tribe take over but with technical assistance from the NPS.
End the park service’s role entirely and hand the unit over to the tribe.
Read more here: http://www.mitchellrepublic.com/articles/index.cfm?id=26467§ion=Opinion&freebie_check&CFID=31948729&CFTOKEN=12351912&jsessionid=8830cebc334c1a7e1927
South Dakota’s Badlands are known for sweeping vistas, wonderful colors and roving herds of bison.
The Badlands also are known as a tourist attraction, each year drawing approximately a million visitors, some of whom hike the numerous scenic trails while the majority stick to the single paved highway that winds throughout.
But whereas Badlands National Park is one of South Dakota’s top tourist destinations, that only can be said about the North Unit, which is near Interstate 90 and an easy side trip for travelers.
The South Unit, equally majestic but lesser known because of its remote location in the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, is the subject of debate as the National Park Service considers the unit’s future management.
Four options are proposed:
Leave it as is with NPS in charge and a small management role for the Oglala Sioux Tribe.
Increase the tribe’s role to more of an equal partnership.
Have the tribe take over but with technical assistance from the NPS.
End the park service’s role entirely and hand the unit over to the tribe.
Read more here: http://www.mitchellrepublic.com/articles/index.cfm?id=26467§ion=Opinion&freebie_check&CFID=31948729&CFTOKEN=12351912&jsessionid=8830cebc334c1a7e1927
Friday, May 2, 2008
Important dates in May
May 5, 1969: N. Scott Momaday wins Pulitzer Prize for House Made of Dawn.
May 6, 1626: Manhattan people of the Wappinger Confederacy receive sixty guilders (about $24) from Peter Minuit, Dutch Governor of New Amsterdam, for the island of Manhattan. Manhattan people believed payment was rent for one year.
May 23, 1838: Cherokee removal “Trail of Tears” begins.
May 25, 1637: About one thousand Pequot men, women, and children are massacred by the English of Plymouth colony. The two hundred survivors are sold into slavery.
May 28, 1830: The Indian Removal Act is passed by Congress.
May 6, 1626: Manhattan people of the Wappinger Confederacy receive sixty guilders (about $24) from Peter Minuit, Dutch Governor of New Amsterdam, for the island of Manhattan. Manhattan people believed payment was rent for one year.
May 23, 1838: Cherokee removal “Trail of Tears” begins.
May 25, 1637: About one thousand Pequot men, women, and children are massacred by the English of Plymouth colony. The two hundred survivors are sold into slavery.
May 28, 1830: The Indian Removal Act is passed by Congress.
A question of identity
By: Darla Slipke
The Comanche Nation has disputed the claims of a KU professor that he is a Comanche Indian, and accused him of benefiting professionally and financially from his unconfirmed ethnicity.
Ray Pierotti, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology who also teaches in the indigenous nations studies program, told The University Daily Kansan in an e-mail that he has never identified himself as an officially enrolled member of the tribe. However, he has claimed to be Comanche in numerous public forums and in a federal discrimination lawsuit he and his wife, Cynthia Annett, filed against the University of Kansas.
While Ray Pierotti acknowledges he is not an enrolled Comanche, he claims Comanche ethnicity, which has a role in University hiring and personnel matters. Although at one time being an ethnic minority could result in discrimination, today it can be an attractive asset to job applicants as universities seek to increase diversity among faculty and staff. The University keeps track of the ethnic makeup of faculty, but equal-opportunity officers said faculty and applicants identified their own ethnicity and the University, unlike tribal authorities, did not require them to provide evidence. Racial and ethnic identity have long been contentious issues. The issue has become more prevalent since equal opportunity laws have passed and Americans have been asked to identify their racial and ethnic backgrounds more frequently.
Pierotti, who said in an e-mail that he was not teaching this semester because he was on “bereavement-related Family Medical Leave,” declined repeated requests by The Kansan to discuss his ethnicity or the allegations that have been raised against him. One of his brothers, David Pierotti, said in a telephone interview from his home in California that their mother told him that her mother was a Comanche from Oklahoma. However, another brother, Nick Pierotti, and an uncle and cousin said that Pierotti’s great-grandparents on their mother’s side were Polish and immigrated to the United States from Europe.
Want to know more? Click here: http://www.kansan.com/stories/2008/may/02/question_identity/?news
The Comanche Nation has disputed the claims of a KU professor that he is a Comanche Indian, and accused him of benefiting professionally and financially from his unconfirmed ethnicity.
Ray Pierotti, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology who also teaches in the indigenous nations studies program, told The University Daily Kansan in an e-mail that he has never identified himself as an officially enrolled member of the tribe. However, he has claimed to be Comanche in numerous public forums and in a federal discrimination lawsuit he and his wife, Cynthia Annett, filed against the University of Kansas.
While Ray Pierotti acknowledges he is not an enrolled Comanche, he claims Comanche ethnicity, which has a role in University hiring and personnel matters. Although at one time being an ethnic minority could result in discrimination, today it can be an attractive asset to job applicants as universities seek to increase diversity among faculty and staff. The University keeps track of the ethnic makeup of faculty, but equal-opportunity officers said faculty and applicants identified their own ethnicity and the University, unlike tribal authorities, did not require them to provide evidence. Racial and ethnic identity have long been contentious issues. The issue has become more prevalent since equal opportunity laws have passed and Americans have been asked to identify their racial and ethnic backgrounds more frequently.
Pierotti, who said in an e-mail that he was not teaching this semester because he was on “bereavement-related Family Medical Leave,” declined repeated requests by The Kansan to discuss his ethnicity or the allegations that have been raised against him. One of his brothers, David Pierotti, said in a telephone interview from his home in California that their mother told him that her mother was a Comanche from Oklahoma. However, another brother, Nick Pierotti, and an uncle and cousin said that Pierotti’s great-grandparents on their mother’s side were Polish and immigrated to the United States from Europe.
Want to know more? Click here: http://www.kansan.com/stories/2008/may/02/question_identity/?news
Leech Lake Band, county and state governments celebrate cooperative plan
By: Molly Miron
Culturally appropriate child welfare and protection is the goal of a Memorandum of Understanding developed by the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, state of Minnesota and counties of Beltrami, Cass, Hubbard and Itasca.
The MOU gives the Leech Lake Band Human Services and Child Welfare department full responsibility for out-of-home child placement.
“Who knows better how to take care of our children than we do,” said Leech Lake Chairman George Goggleye Jr.
Kris Johnson of the Minnesota Department of Human services agreed, saying the Leech Lake Band is best qualified to oversee child welfare on the reservation.
“Down the road there’s a hope of seeing fewer American Indian children in foster care,” Johnson said.
The White Earth Band of Ojibwe is the other tribe in Minnesota with a similar arrangement with the state and surrounding counties, Goggleye said.
There's more to the story here: http://www.bemidjipioneer.com/articles/index.cfm?id=15599§ion=news&freebie_check&CFID=31100980&CFTOKEN=85217825&jsessionid=883058f92db12038d1a5
Culturally appropriate child welfare and protection is the goal of a Memorandum of Understanding developed by the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, state of Minnesota and counties of Beltrami, Cass, Hubbard and Itasca.
The MOU gives the Leech Lake Band Human Services and Child Welfare department full responsibility for out-of-home child placement.
“Who knows better how to take care of our children than we do,” said Leech Lake Chairman George Goggleye Jr.
Kris Johnson of the Minnesota Department of Human services agreed, saying the Leech Lake Band is best qualified to oversee child welfare on the reservation.
“Down the road there’s a hope of seeing fewer American Indian children in foster care,” Johnson said.
The White Earth Band of Ojibwe is the other tribe in Minnesota with a similar arrangement with the state and surrounding counties, Goggleye said.
There's more to the story here: http://www.bemidjipioneer.com/articles/index.cfm?id=15599§ion=news&freebie_check&CFID=31100980&CFTOKEN=85217825&jsessionid=883058f92db12038d1a5
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