"But little remains of my ancestors' domain, and I am resolved not to see the day when I have no country." -
Metacom - Wampanoag
Monday, June 16, 2008
Why Moles Live Underground
Cherokee Legend
Many ages ago there was a man who was in love with a young woman. But she disliked him and wanted nothing to do with this young man. He tried in every way to win her favor, but with no success. At last he grew discouraged and made himself sick thinking about it.
Then one day as the man sat alone in his despair, Mole came along, and finding the man so low in his mind, asked what the trouble was. The man told him the whole story of the woman he loved, and her dislike of him. When he had finished, Mole said, "I can help you. Not only will she like you, but she will come to you of her own free will."
That night, while the village slept, burrowing underground to the place where the girl was in bed asleep, Mole took out her Spirit Heart. He came back by the same way and gave her heart to the discouraged lover, who couldn't see it even when it was in his hands. "There," said Mole. "Swallow it, and she will be so drawn to you that she has to come to you."
The man swallowed her heart and felt a warmth in his soul as it went down, and in the morning when the girl woke up she somehow thought of him at once. She felt a strange desire to be with him, to go to him that minute. She couldn't understand it, because she had always disliked him, but the feeling grew so strong that she was compelled to find the man and tell him that she loved him and wanted to be his wife. And so they were married.
All the magicians who knew them both were surprised and wondered how it had come about. When they found that it was the work of Mole, whom they had always thought too insignificant to notice, they were jealous and threatened to kill him. That's why Mole hides under the ground and still doesn't dare to come up.
Many ages ago there was a man who was in love with a young woman. But she disliked him and wanted nothing to do with this young man. He tried in every way to win her favor, but with no success. At last he grew discouraged and made himself sick thinking about it.
Then one day as the man sat alone in his despair, Mole came along, and finding the man so low in his mind, asked what the trouble was. The man told him the whole story of the woman he loved, and her dislike of him. When he had finished, Mole said, "I can help you. Not only will she like you, but she will come to you of her own free will."
That night, while the village slept, burrowing underground to the place where the girl was in bed asleep, Mole took out her Spirit Heart. He came back by the same way and gave her heart to the discouraged lover, who couldn't see it even when it was in his hands. "There," said Mole. "Swallow it, and she will be so drawn to you that she has to come to you."
The man swallowed her heart and felt a warmth in his soul as it went down, and in the morning when the girl woke up she somehow thought of him at once. She felt a strange desire to be with him, to go to him that minute. She couldn't understand it, because she had always disliked him, but the feeling grew so strong that she was compelled to find the man and tell him that she loved him and wanted to be his wife. And so they were married.
All the magicians who knew them both were surprised and wondered how it had come about. When they found that it was the work of Mole, whom they had always thought too insignificant to notice, they were jealous and threatened to kill him. That's why Mole hides under the ground and still doesn't dare to come up.
Five tribes seek to protect Mount Taylor from development
By: Staci Matlock
The state Cultural Properties Review Committee will reconsider a decision to temporarily list Mount Taylor as a cultural resource at a public hearing Saturday in Grants.
In February, the committee approved a temporary listing of 422,840 acres including and around Mount Taylor at the request of five tribes — Navajo, Hopi, Acoma, Laguna and Zuni.
"The tribes were concerned over the years with the unimpeded development" in the area, said Theresa Pasqual, director of the Acoma Pueblo Historic Preservation Office.
The temporary listing gives the tribes and the state Historic Preservation Division one year to gather evidence to get the mountain permanently listed.
The new public hearing was prompted by a recent state attorney general finding that the committee had failed to properly advertise the February meeting and some impacted landowners weren't notified.
There's more here: http://www.santafenewmexican.com/SantaFeNorthernNM/State-reconsiders-temporary-listing-of-Mount-Taylor
The state Cultural Properties Review Committee will reconsider a decision to temporarily list Mount Taylor as a cultural resource at a public hearing Saturday in Grants.
In February, the committee approved a temporary listing of 422,840 acres including and around Mount Taylor at the request of five tribes — Navajo, Hopi, Acoma, Laguna and Zuni.
"The tribes were concerned over the years with the unimpeded development" in the area, said Theresa Pasqual, director of the Acoma Pueblo Historic Preservation Office.
The temporary listing gives the tribes and the state Historic Preservation Division one year to gather evidence to get the mountain permanently listed.
The new public hearing was prompted by a recent state attorney general finding that the committee had failed to properly advertise the February meeting and some impacted landowners weren't notified.
There's more here: http://www.santafenewmexican.com/SantaFeNorthernNM/State-reconsiders-temporary-listing-of-Mount-Taylor
Conservative MP apologizes for 'hurtful' comments on aboriginal people
Posted on CBC News.ca
A Conservative MP who on Wednesday told an Ottawa radio station that former residential school students need a stronger work ethic, not more compensation dollars, has apologized for his comments.Pierre Poilievre apologized Thursday for questioning the value of residential school compensation.
Pierre Poilievre stood in the House of Commons Thursday to say he was sorry for his remarks, which were made just hours before Prime Minister Stephen Harper delivered a public, formal apology to former students of the native residential school program.
"Yesterday on a day when the House and all Canadians were celebrating a new beginning, I made remarks that were hurtful and wrong," Poilievre said.
"I accept responsibility for them and I apologize."
Poilievre had come under heavy criticism for telling CFRA News Talk Radio that he wasn't sure Canada was "getting value for all of this money" being spent to compensate former students of federally financed residential schools.
"My view is that we need to engender the values of hard work and independence and self-reliance. That's the solution in the long run — more money will not solve it," Poilievre said.
The MP for Nepean-Carleton also suggested that aboriginal chiefs have too much power.
"That gets to the heart of the problem on these reserves where there is too much power concentrated in the hands of the leadership, and it makes you wonder where all of this money is going."
Keep reading here: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/06/12/poilievre-aboriginals.html
A Conservative MP who on Wednesday told an Ottawa radio station that former residential school students need a stronger work ethic, not more compensation dollars, has apologized for his comments.Pierre Poilievre apologized Thursday for questioning the value of residential school compensation.
Pierre Poilievre stood in the House of Commons Thursday to say he was sorry for his remarks, which were made just hours before Prime Minister Stephen Harper delivered a public, formal apology to former students of the native residential school program.
"Yesterday on a day when the House and all Canadians were celebrating a new beginning, I made remarks that were hurtful and wrong," Poilievre said.
"I accept responsibility for them and I apologize."
Poilievre had come under heavy criticism for telling CFRA News Talk Radio that he wasn't sure Canada was "getting value for all of this money" being spent to compensate former students of federally financed residential schools.
"My view is that we need to engender the values of hard work and independence and self-reliance. That's the solution in the long run — more money will not solve it," Poilievre said.
The MP for Nepean-Carleton also suggested that aboriginal chiefs have too much power.
"That gets to the heart of the problem on these reserves where there is too much power concentrated in the hands of the leadership, and it makes you wonder where all of this money is going."
Keep reading here: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/06/12/poilievre-aboriginals.html
Friday, June 13, 2008
A Tribal College With an ‘Edge’
By: Mary Annette Pember
Although 39 federally recognized American Indian tribes are headquartered in the state of Oklahoma, it comes as some surprise that there were no tribal colleges in the state until this century. During the past eight years, however, tribal colleges have been cropping up throughout the state, including the Comanche Nation College, the College of the Muscogee Nation, the Pawnee Nation College and most recently the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribal College.
The Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribal College (CATC) is located on the campus of the Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU) in the city of Weatherford. Like the other tribal colleges in Oklahoma, CATC has an academic relationship with its sponsoring college as it pursues independent accreditation. CATC opened its doors in 2006 with fewer than 20 students in the “old” science building on the SWOSU campus. The tribal college’s students are dually enrolled at SWOSU and subject to its rules and requirements.
The tiny college, which Cheyenne and Arapaho chief Lawrence Hart admits has a lot of “ifs” associated with its survival, has a definite edge. That edge comes in the form of Dr. Henrietta Mann, newly inaugurated college president. Mann, of the Cheyenne tribe, is a well-known powerhouse in Indian education circles. A native of Hammon, Okla., Mann earned a bachelor’s at SWOSU. Mann also holds the first endowed chair in Native American studies at Montana State University. She is also the author of Cheyenne-Arapaho Education, 1871-1982.
Mann began serving on the board of CATC regents at its inception in 2003 before agreeing to serve as interim president when the college opened. This past April she was formally inaugurated as the college’s first president.
CATC, she says, will teach Cheyenne and Arapaho history through the voices of its people. She maintains that this will help give Indian students a strong sense of who they are as they gain an understanding of Cheyenne and Arapaho culture, values and language.
“Our culture has sustained us for a long time; that’s why it’s so important for Indian people to know who they are,” she says. “It’s been my self-appointed task to help ensure that American Indian young people learn these lessons.”
There's more to the story here: http://www.diverseeducation.com/artman/publish/article_11266.shtml
Although 39 federally recognized American Indian tribes are headquartered in the state of Oklahoma, it comes as some surprise that there were no tribal colleges in the state until this century. During the past eight years, however, tribal colleges have been cropping up throughout the state, including the Comanche Nation College, the College of the Muscogee Nation, the Pawnee Nation College and most recently the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribal College.
The Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribal College (CATC) is located on the campus of the Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU) in the city of Weatherford. Like the other tribal colleges in Oklahoma, CATC has an academic relationship with its sponsoring college as it pursues independent accreditation. CATC opened its doors in 2006 with fewer than 20 students in the “old” science building on the SWOSU campus. The tribal college’s students are dually enrolled at SWOSU and subject to its rules and requirements.
The tiny college, which Cheyenne and Arapaho chief Lawrence Hart admits has a lot of “ifs” associated with its survival, has a definite edge. That edge comes in the form of Dr. Henrietta Mann, newly inaugurated college president. Mann, of the Cheyenne tribe, is a well-known powerhouse in Indian education circles. A native of Hammon, Okla., Mann earned a bachelor’s at SWOSU. Mann also holds the first endowed chair in Native American studies at Montana State University. She is also the author of Cheyenne-Arapaho Education, 1871-1982.
Mann began serving on the board of CATC regents at its inception in 2003 before agreeing to serve as interim president when the college opened. This past April she was formally inaugurated as the college’s first president.
CATC, she says, will teach Cheyenne and Arapaho history through the voices of its people. She maintains that this will help give Indian students a strong sense of who they are as they gain an understanding of Cheyenne and Arapaho culture, values and language.
“Our culture has sustained us for a long time; that’s why it’s so important for Indian people to know who they are,” she says. “It’s been my self-appointed task to help ensure that American Indian young people learn these lessons.”
There's more to the story here: http://www.diverseeducation.com/artman/publish/article_11266.shtml
Grassy Narrows Victory - Company Pulls Out
As posted on Manitoba Wildlands.org
One of the largest logging companies in North America has surrendered its license to log in the Whiskey Jack forest of northwestern Ontario.
The one-million-hectare boreal forest region is considered sacred by Grassy Narrows First Nation and is within their traditional territory. Grassy Narrows First Nation has held the longest running blockade in Canadian history. A recent campaign to end logging in the entire Whiskey Jack forest has gathered support from consumers, environmental, and human rights groups.
Abitibi Bowater is willing to surrender its license to cut 700,000 cubic meters of wood each year from the Whiskey Jack forest until 2023 to avoid years of negotiations with Grassy Narrows First Nation.
"All companies operating in the boreal forest should take this as a wake-up call," said David Sone of the Rainforest Action Network. "This is proof that communities can say 'no' and enforce their right to control development in their traditional territory."
One of the largest logging companies in North America has surrendered its license to log in the Whiskey Jack forest of northwestern Ontario.
The one-million-hectare boreal forest region is considered sacred by Grassy Narrows First Nation and is within their traditional territory. Grassy Narrows First Nation has held the longest running blockade in Canadian history. A recent campaign to end logging in the entire Whiskey Jack forest has gathered support from consumers, environmental, and human rights groups.
Abitibi Bowater is willing to surrender its license to cut 700,000 cubic meters of wood each year from the Whiskey Jack forest until 2023 to avoid years of negotiations with Grassy Narrows First Nation.
"All companies operating in the boreal forest should take this as a wake-up call," said David Sone of the Rainforest Action Network. "This is proof that communities can say 'no' and enforce their right to control development in their traditional territory."
Apology part of healing process
Caroline Zentner
Treaty 7 Grand Chief Charles Weaselhead described the government’s apology as a watershed in the history of the residential schools.
“This apology is an important part of this whole process leading to healing and reconciliation. The organization that did the damage has come forward with an apology,” he said in a telephone interview from the Tsuu T’ina First Nation. “It definitely puts a mark of accountability on everybody’s shoulder. Aboriginal people will no longer bear the full burden of what happened in Indian residential schools.”
Weaselhead, Chief of the Blood Nation, is a survivor of the residential schools who was only six years old when he was taken from his family.
As he listened to Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s apology, he did so as both a leader and an individual. The schools and the repeated abuses created “a great divide between First Nations people and who we were” and the government’s policy was nothing more than the “execution of our uniqueness as a people.”
The results are evident in the addictions, crime, suicide, poverty and dysfunctional communities First Nations people experience.
“These problems are not because we are aboriginal but the way history has forced us into a situation,” Weaselhead said. “I know, as a leader, we cannot continue on this path of destruction.”
Want to know more? Click here: http://www.lethbridgeherald.com/article_11068.php
Treaty 7 Grand Chief Charles Weaselhead described the government’s apology as a watershed in the history of the residential schools.
“This apology is an important part of this whole process leading to healing and reconciliation. The organization that did the damage has come forward with an apology,” he said in a telephone interview from the Tsuu T’ina First Nation. “It definitely puts a mark of accountability on everybody’s shoulder. Aboriginal people will no longer bear the full burden of what happened in Indian residential schools.”
Weaselhead, Chief of the Blood Nation, is a survivor of the residential schools who was only six years old when he was taken from his family.
As he listened to Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s apology, he did so as both a leader and an individual. The schools and the repeated abuses created “a great divide between First Nations people and who we were” and the government’s policy was nothing more than the “execution of our uniqueness as a people.”
The results are evident in the addictions, crime, suicide, poverty and dysfunctional communities First Nations people experience.
“These problems are not because we are aboriginal but the way history has forced us into a situation,” Weaselhead said. “I know, as a leader, we cannot continue on this path of destruction.”
Want to know more? Click here: http://www.lethbridgeherald.com/article_11068.php
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