Kim Kalliber, Author at Tulalip News

Katherine Josephine Yant

Katherine Josephine Yant, 76, of Vancouver, WA passed away April 18, 2013 at home with her family present.
She was born May 18, 1936 in Esquimalt, BC to Edward and Mary Ann Williams. She and her husband, Fred had lived in Vancouver, BC for 33 years.

Katherine is survived by her husband of 55 years, Fred; children, Thomas Yant, Kenneth Yant, James Yant, Sally Peacock and
Melissa Peacock; and ten grandchildren.

Services will be held Tuesday, April 23, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. at the Tulalip Tribal Gym, Tulalip, WA.

Arrangements entrusted to Schaefer-Shipman Funeral Home, Marysville.

Oklahoma Native Woody Crumbo’s Art Featured at Gilcrease Museum

Chickasaw Author Perry Part Of Exhibit

Source: Chickasaw Nation Media

More than 55 original paintings by Woody Crumbo, most of which have not been seen in more than 25 years, are on display at Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa now through May 19. An accompanying book, Woody Crumbo, is part of the exhibit and features a chapter written by Chickasaw author Robert Perry.

In this book, Perry relates Crumbo’s story as told by the people who knew Crumbo best – his wife and friends. While much of the story deals with an artist struggling to achieve his dreams, Perry’s book also tells the story of a Native American man as he faces both prosperity and difficulties in the 20^th century.

Mr. Perry’s participation in the Woody Crumbo book for the Gilcrease exhibit isn’t the first time he has written about Crumbo. He previously wrote a book on Crumbo called Uprising! Woody Crumbo’s Indian Art which was one of five titles to receive Honorable Mention in art category of the 2010 Eric Hoffer Award for short prose and independent books.

Perry is a member of the Chickasaw Council of Elders that advises on tribal cultural issues, an emeritus board member of the Chickasaw Historical Society, and a board member of the Chickasaw Press. He is a member of the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers. Other books by Perry include Life with the Little People and The Turkey Feather Cape.

The Gilcrease exhibition is titled Bending, Weaving, Dancing: The Art of Woody Crumbo. According to the museum website, the exhibition shows audiences why this artist holds a pivotal place in what has been called the “Golden Age” of Native American painting.

Star Wars Saga to be translated into Diné language

By Bill Donovan, Navajo Times

Coming as a surprise to everyone, especially members of the Navajo Tribe, Obi-Wan Kenobi will soon say, “May the Force be with you” in the Diné language.

Navajo members will soon be able to hear the beloved character from the Star Wars Saga say this and more as the Navajo Nation Museum, Navajo Parks and Recreation, and Lucasfilm, Ltd. have joined forces to dub Episode IV of the classic space fantasy film, Star Wars into the Diné language. This marks the first time that a mainstream movie will be dubbed into the Navajo language.

Manuelito Wheeler, the director of the Navajo Nation Museum, said he’s been working on the idea of getting a popular film dubbed into Navajo for more than three years as a way to preserve the Navajo language.

“By preserving the Navajo language and encouraging Navajo youth to learn their language, we will also be preserving Navajo culture,” Wheeler said.

He said when he approached Lucasfilm officials with the idea, he found that they were excited about the project.

“Since its inception, the Star Wars Saga has been experienced and shared all over the world. Its timeless themes of good versus evil have resonated with cultures far and wide. The movies have been translated across multiple languages and Lucasfilm Ltd. is proud to have Navajo as its most recent addition.”

The first hurdle, Wheeler said, was to come up with the funding it would take to do the dubbing but with the generous help of the Navajo Parks and Recreation Department that has finally been done.

“Navajo Parks and Recreation Department is proud and honored to be a part of this innovative and entertaining approach to helping preserve our Navajo language,” said Martin Begaye, department director.

The Navajo Nation Museum is now working with Deluxe Studio and plans are underway to dub the movie into the Navajo language using a group of Navajo-speaking members, who will be going over each spoken word in the movie and translating it into the Diné language.

Shana Priesz, senior director of Localization at Deluxe said, “While we have dubbed many films in the past into a variety of languages, this project ranks among the most significant. Every time we dub a film, we recognize the fact that we are helping to bridge cultural and communications gaps among societies. In this case, however, we have the unique privilege of contributing to the preservation of a storied and noble culture, the Navajo.

“The staff at Deluxe is looking forward to traveling to Navajo Nation to supervise the adaptation and recording process. It’s always a challenge to dub a complicated film like Star Wars, but we welcome the challenge and look forward to learning a lot about the Navajo from our hosts. We are confident that working together with native speakers, we will be able to produce a final product that creates joy and pride from viewers and contributors alike.”

Wheeler said this group consists not only of linguists but young Navajos and even a Navajo actress, who are all Navajo speakers.

“This is going to be a challenge since there are many words in the movie for which there are no counterpart in the Navajo language,” Wheeler said. “The Navajo language is a descriptive language that, in many cases, uses a description of what the word does to relay its meaning. This results in a word in English taking several words in Navajo to convey the same meaning.

“That’s going to make it difficult at times,” added Wheeler. “What we don’t want is a situation like what people saw in the old Kung fu movies when the lip movements didn’t coincide at all with what was said. I don’t want to disparage the Kung fu movies because I loved watching them, but this can become very distracting and we don’t want to see that happen here.”

This means the linguists will have to work with the dubbing director to ensure that the adaptation is done well, said Wheeler.

One of the best dubbing directors in the business, Richard Epcar, has been tapped for this project. He is a well-known voice actor and director who has directed dubs of many projects including many Academy Award winning films.

The next step in the process will be casting men and women fluent in Navajo to be voice actors.

Auditions for the roles of Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Princess Leia, Han Solo, C-3PO, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Grand Moff Tarkin will be held at the Navajo Nation Museum on Friday, May 3 and Saturday, May 4.

If you are interested in trying out, call 928-871-7941 to book your time slot.

Walk-ins are welcome as well.

The tribe isn’t necessarily looking for people who sound like Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill or the others, but rather for performers who have the ability to speak the dialogue with the force and emotions of the original actors, according to Wheeler.

The plans are to premier the Navajo version of the movie at the upcoming Fourth of July fair. While this will be an educational tool for those learning Navajo, Wheeler stressed that the main purpose is to encourage the preservation of the language and to show that the language is still vital today.

Since this is a cultural project, there will be no admission charged to see the movie. Wheeler said he hopes that the success of this project could result in more funds to be made available to do projects like this in the future that promote the Navajo language and Navajo culture, and encourage young Navajos to seek out more about their heritage.

Earth Day and Sex: Watch Director’s Cut of Documentary on Global Population and the Environment, Livestreamed

Source: Indian Country Today Media Network

What is the true cost of overpopulation on the environment? In a world containing seven billion people needing food, energy and other means to survival, the question is ever more urgent as the effects of human-fueled climate change close in.

A 2011 documentary examines every facet of this question, from the point of view of those who serve as the gateway: women.

In honor of Earth Day the makers of the award-winning environmental documentary Mother: Caring for 7 Billion are livestreaming the hour-long film starting on Friday April 19. It will run continuously on the filmmakers’ website and on YouTube through the end of May.

“We want Mother to be viewed by as many people as possible for Earth Day because Mother holds up a mirror and shows people a very different way to look at their role on this planet,” said director and co-producer Christophe Fauchere in a statement.

“This is not your father’s population documentary,” wrote Grist senior editor Lisa Hymas upon the film’s release. “Mother takes a feminist/humanist view as it explores the issues of our exploding numbers.”

The opening sequence is stark, a black-and-white pile of squalling infants being powdered and diapered en masse by hands as big as they are. Between this sight and the camera, a row of bellowing babies files by on a conveyor belt. American Beth Osnes, the youngest of 10 children, serves as a protagonist of sorts, discovering along with the viewer her role in the population crisis. It makes her rethink her entire family-planning philosophy.

Simply put, “Our demand for resources is increasing, but the size of the planet is not,” says Mathis Wackernagel, executive director of the Global Footprint Network, an organization devoted to creating sustainability.

“We have reached a real important threshold in our relationship with the planet,” intones a voiceover. “We are the major agent of change.”

View the full film below as it is livestreamed, through the end of May.

National Park Week: Visit Parks for Free

Source: Indian Country Today Media Network

It’s National Park Week, and the National Park Service is throwing a party. All week there will be opportunities to hike, explore, learn, share, bird-watch, view wildlife, and give back–all for free.

From today, April 22, through Friday, April 26, all entrance fees are waived at the national parks.

From morning birding tours at Padre Island National Seashore to reef bay hikes at Virgin Islands National Park to a wetlands walk at Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Peserve, there are hundreds of special events going on at the parks this week to celebrate. To search for an event, click here.

To find a national park near you, click here. For more info on National Park Week, click here.

An Inuksuk in Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Alaska. An inuksuk, or a stone stood on end to help herd caribou, stands on the tundra in front of a mountain. (NPS)

Did you know…America’s 401 national parks include more than:

84 million acres of spectacular scenery, historic landmarks and cultural treasures
17,000 miles of trails
43,000 miles of shoreline
27,000 historic and prehistoric structures
100 million museum items
12,000 campsites

Grand Canyon National Park (NPS)

An Emmy-Winning Producer’s Doc About Lacrosse’s Native Origins

By Vincent Shilling, Indian Country Today Media Network

Dennis Deninger, an Emmy-winning production executive, was one of the first coordinating producers of ESPN’s SportsCenter. He has produced live sports television from six continents and across the United States; he has currently set his sights to produce a documentary entitled America’s First Sport, on the history of lacrosse.

In an interview with ICTMN, Deninger, who is also a professor of practice in sports management at Syracuse University, talked about what he has learned in the process of making the documentary, and where he sees lacrosse going in the future.

How did your film get started?
I started teaching a course in the fall semester of 2012 called the History of Sport. We took students from the first accounts of sport being observed in the United States—which was lacrosse, when the Jesuits saw it in the 1630s for the first time—all the way up through the first Kentucky Derby, the origins of baseball, the invention of basketball, Teddy Roosevelt’s role in founding the NCAA and up to the present

Legends of the sacred game: Deninger with Jacques, left, Chief Powless, top, and Stenersen. (Courtesy Dennis Deninger)

day. That was the first two months of the semester—the last month of the semester, we focused on one topic. This year it was lacrosse. Each of our 15 students had to do a final research project that focused on lacrosse, and we’ve taken that research and hired a production company to work with us.

Who have you interviewed for the documentary?
We are not completely done, but we have interviewed 46 people so far. It’s going to be tough because this is only a one-hour documentary, so nobody gets to talk for more than a minute. We have strict rules here. [Laughs.] We’ve been to Baltimore to interview Steve Stenersen, the president and chief executive officer of U.S. Lacrosse. I interviewed Neal Powless who is an assistant director of the Native Student Program here at Syracuse; I also interviewed [Onondaga] Chief Irving Powless. There is a long list of lacrosse standouts in the Powless family. We also visited Alf Jacques, an Onondaga lacrosse stick-maker. It’s amazing to watch the stick being created—we were in the workshop for a few hours.

I talked to a number of Native American players and coaches, including Darris and Rich Kilgour [Tuscarora Nation] of the Buffalo Bandits in the National Lacrosse League. We’ve talked to women and men players. There is a young man who is a freshman at Onondaga Community College, Warren Hill, a goalie for the Iroquois Nationals. He grew up on Six Nations in southern Ontario. He is an all-world goalie and so humble about his accomplishments.

We sat down with Stan Cockerton, the president of the Federation of International Lacrosse. We found out about the effort to make lacrosse an Olympic sport again. We spoke with Jim Calder who is a co-author of Lacrosse, The Ancient Game. I spoke with Curt Styres, the owner of a Major League Lacrosse and a National Lacrosse League franchise. I also talked to him about the Lacrosse for Development Program, which is helping to fund an effort to put hundreds of sticks into the hands of indigenous young people to develop their knowledge of the ancient and sacred origins of the sport.

I have heard [Onondaga Turtle Clan Faithkeeper and Iroquois Nationals honorary chairman] Oren Lyons speak, and we are still waiting to interview him. I don’t want to go on without having his voice in this.

One of the longest interviews was with Chief Powless in his home. He is in his 80s now and confined to a wheelchair. We talked for over an hour and he told me wonderful stories of when he was 144 pounds playing against [NFL and lacrosse legend] Jim Brown. He talked about his knowledge of the hip bump and how he knocked Jim Brown on his back. When we stopped the interview, he says ‘Dennis, is that it? There’s so much more to tell!’ And that is true, there is so much more to tell.

When is this film due to be finished?
It will serve as the centerpiece for a symposium we are planning at Syracuse University on April 22 (Read more: ‘America’s First Sport’ Lacrosse Documentary Premiere and Symposium TODAY). We will play the film and have guests talk about the current state of lacrosse and the issues it faces, and where it is headed. We are hopeful to get an air date on the local PBS station and beyond that. We set our standards pretty high. If it goes beyond the local PBS station, that would be wonderful.

Where do you see lacrosse going?

I see a distinct trend toward making it more diverse. It separated in the 1860s and 1870s, when the Europeans set down rules. They said the Natives are professionals and professionals can’t play—because they were too damn good! The sport separated at that time.

What is encouraging to me is to see lacrosse programs get diverse youth involved, the recognition Native players are getting and how there is an opportunity for the Iroquois Nationals to compete as a team at the Olympics beginning in 2024. How exciting would that be?

I think there are wonderful things that lie ahead for lacrosse.

Traditional Cultural Tourism Growing in Alaska

Source: Native News Network

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA – Alaska Native villages in the rural 49th state of Alaska are in pursuit to increase tourism. Their culture is an important component in their approach to attract tourists to the Alaska Native villages.

Chickaloon Native Village Ya Ne Dah Ah School students
with teachers Tina Farley and Daniel Harrison

American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association Executive Director Camille Ferguson gave a keynote presentation on growing cultural tourism in Indian Country at the Chickaloon Native Village Traditional Cultural Tourism Summit, held in her home state of Alaska on April 17 – 19.

“Alaska is making waves in the tourism industry, especially Alaska Native tourism,”

said Ferguson.

“Creating educational tourism summits, like the Chickaloon Native Village and Chickaloon Native Village Council have done here, demonstrates a commitment to growth and sustenance of American Indian and Alaska Native tourism.”

The Summit, “The Power of Place – Strength, Survival and Culture,” was held at the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage and presented by the Tene’ Ninicezet project under the Chickaloon Native Village Traditional Council’s Environmental Stewardship Department.

Ferguson was invited to present at the event, where she explained how the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association is working to grow cultural tourism across the six regions of Indian country.

Ferguson also educated attendees on how the international tourism market is bringing new opportunities for tourism growth to the United States and Indian country.

Summit sessions also addressed cultural program development, ways to offer culturally sensitive authentic experiences, how to develop cultural tourism businesses, cultural tourism training options and statewide cultural tourism opportunities.

To learn more about the Chickaloon Native Village and the Chickaloon Native Village Council visit www.chickaloon.com »

Book Review: Avoid Asking Strange & Embarrassing Questions about Indians by Reading Anton Treuer

Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians
But Were Afraid to Ask
By Anton Treuer
Borealis Books|184pp |$12.59
ISBN: 9780873518611

By Levi Rickert, Native News Network

American Indians are familiar with awkward encounters with non-Natives who sometimes ask strange and embarrassing questions.

Do you simply ignore, laugh or try to forget about
the strange and embarrassing questions?

I once was asked by a high school English teacher if I could come speak to her students about contemporary American Indian literature and if I could come dressed in my costume. I told her I don’t have a costume, but would be happy to wear a bolo tie. Realizing it was an opportunity to educate her, I did take the opportunity to explain to her that what American Indians wear at powwows is called regalia, not costumes.

She called the next day my office to ask my administrative assistant if I was coming because she thought maybe she had offended me. My administrative assistant assured the teacher I would be there.

At the appointed time, I went to the high school wearing a bolo tie and presented a lecture on contemporary American Indian authors before an English literature class.

This encounter happened several years before Anton Treuer, Leech Lake Ojibwe, wrote “Everything You Wanted to Know about Indians but Were Afraid to Ask.” Had it been written then, I would have brought it with me to be part of the mix of what non-Natives should read if they want to learn about American Indians.

“Everything You Wanted to Know about Indians but Were Afraid to Ask” made me think about the incident and about how non-Natives ask us strange questions.

Treuer writes in the book how “a profoundly well-educated Princetonian” asked him:

“Where is your tomahawk? ”

For the most part I think American Indians simply ignore, laugh or try to forget about the strange and embarrassing questions asked by non-Natives.

Treuer, on the other hand, has written an informative book that answers over 100 questions about Indian people, Native culture and belief systems. His answers are on target, well thought out and educational. Sometimes they are laced with Indian humor.

Treuer is the executive director of the American Indian Resource Center at Bemidji State University. He received his undergraduate degree from Princeton University and a master’s of art degree and a PhD from the University of Minnesota.

In “Everything You Wanted to Know about Indians but Were Afraid to Ask,” he covers a wide range of topics, such as terminology, history, religion, culture, powwows, politics, economics, casinos and education. The book can be read from front to cover or can be read by subject.

The chapter on history is a treat because it presents accurate accounts about Columbus, the first Thanksgiving and real story of Pocahontas that school aged never learn in America about the nation’s first people.

The author of nine books, his “Everything You Wanted to Know about Indians but Were Afraid to Ask” will not disappoint American Indians or non-Natives who want to learn more about American Indians so that they don’t end up asking strange and embarrassing questions.

This book was shared with Native News Network by Chicago’s Saint Kateri Center’s White Cedar Room Library.

Doctors warn teens: Don’t take the cinnamon challenge

By Lindsey Tanner, Associated Press

CHICAGO — Don’t take the cinnamon challenge. That’s the advice from doctors in a new report about a dangerous prank depicted in popular YouTube videos but which has led to hospitalizations and a surge in calls to U.S. poison centers.

The fad involves daring someone to swallow a spoonful of ground cinnamon in 60 seconds without water. But the spice is caustic, and trying to gulp it down can cause choking, throat irritation, breathing trouble and even collapsed lungs, the report said.

Published online Monday in Pediatrics, the report said at least 30 teens nationwide needed medical attention after taking the challenge last year.

The number of poison control center calls about teens doing the prank “has increased dramatically,” from 51 in 2011 to 222 last year, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers.

“People with asthma or other respiratory conditions are at greater risk of having this result in shortness of breath and trouble breathing,” according to an alert posted on the association’s website.

Thousands of YouTube videos depict kids attempting the challenge, resulting in an “orange burst of dragon breath” spewing out of their mouths and sometimes hysterical laughter from friends watching the stunt, said report co-author Dr. Steven E. Lipshultz, a pediatrics professor at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

Cinnamon is made from tree bark and contains cellulose fibers that don’t easily break down. Animal research suggests that when cinnamon gets into the lungs, it can cause scarring, Lipshultz said.

Dr. Stephen Pont, a spokesman for the American Academy of Pediatrics and an Austin, Texas pediatrician, said the report is “a call to arms to parents and doctors to be aware of things like the cinnamon challenge” and to pay attention to what their kids are viewing online.

An Ypsilanti, Mich., teen who was hospitalized for a collapsed lung after trying the cinnamon challenge heartily supports the new advice and started her own website — http://nocinnamonchallenge.com — telling teens to “just say no” to the fad.

Dejah Reed, 16, said she took the challenge four times — the final time was in February last year with a friend who didn’t want to try it alone.

“I was laughing very hard and I coughed it out and I inhaled it into my lungs,” she said. “I couldn’t breathe.”

Her father, Fred Reed, said he arrived home soon after to find Dejah “a pale bluish color. It was very terrifying. I threw her over my shoulder” and drove to a nearby emergency room.

Dejah was hospitalized for four days and went home with an inhaler and said she still has to use it when she gets short of breath from running or talking too fast. Her dad said she’d never had asthma or breathing problems before.

Dejah said she’d read about the challenge on Facebook and other social networking sites and “thought it would be cool” to try.

Now she knows “it’s not cool and it’s dangerous.”

New farmers market anchors larger project

EVERETT — If all goes as planned, Everett should have its own indoor, year-round farmers market as early as summer 2014.

Products at the Everett Farmers Market are likely to include fruits and vegetables, meats and fish, milk, cheese, yogurt and ice cream, as well as fresh-cut and dried flowers, local honey, soaps, beer and wine.

The market is part of a larger development on Grand Avenue with 220 apartments and underground parking. The development includes a 115-room Hampton Inn & Suites hotel that will face West Marine View Drive.

“This is an incredible project,” said Lanie McMullin, the city’s economic development director. “It supplies much needed downtown housing. The more residents downtown, the more everything downtown: the more services, restaurants, wine bars and retail.”

The 60,000-square-foot agriculture center would go far beyond fresh veggies. Fresh crops could be turned into products on site at a commercial kitchen and processing facility.

The commercial kitchen would serve as a job incubator, helping entrepreneurs get started making value-added products such as tamales and selling them on the spot without the expensive investment of a full storefront, McMullin said.

The market also would function as a distribution center, allowing farmers to more easily ship produce to Seattle restaurants and other customers.

The market could give downtown Everett a boost by drawing shoppers and getting a nucleus of people living in the area. The project also calls for restaurants, and the layout of the market should allow for special events such as fundraisers.

“People would have a place to walk to downtown,” McMullin said. “They can sit and listen to buskers, eat something, get a cup of coffee.”

Developer Lobsang Dargey of Dargey Enterprises is paying for the project using private investment money. No public money is being used to build or operate the market.

The developer will get a tax break from the city because the project qualifies for a multiple housing tax exemption meant to encourage that type of development downtown.

Dargey is the same developer behind Potala Village, one block southeast on the corner of Rucker and Pacific avenues. Potala Village includes apartments above street-level retail and restaurant space.

The farmers’ market development includes apartments that are on average 800 to 850 square feet, Dargey said. Inside, the apartments will be outfitted with what he called “condo-grade” amenities such as granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. Tenants of the building would have access to a conference room, fitness room and recreation area.

Outside the market, the developer plans a 4,000-square-foot public plaza at the main entrance, according to plans filed with the city of Everett.

A rooftop garden is planned and below the street-level market, the developer plans two levels of parking, including 229 parking spots for residents and 86 more for the public.