www.facebook.com/pages/Code-Talker-Memoir-of-WWII-Navajo-Marine-Chester-Nez/130983513645672 Chester Nez, the last surviving Original 29 Navajo Code Talker
Source: Indian Country Today Media Network
One way to honor the service and sacrifice of our American Indian Warriors is to carry forth their stories. Introduced here are three tremendous recent books presenting these stories, including those of Original 29 Navajo Code Talker Chester Nez.
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE CODE TALKER
By Chester Nez, with Judith Schiess Avila
Penguin, 2012
After the publication of his acclaimed book, Code Talker, Navajo Code Talker Chester Nez reflects on the path that took him to where he is today—from growing up on the New Mexico reservation steeped in the traditions of his Native American ancestors, to his days fighting alongside other Code Talkers, to his hardships and triumphs after the war. Here are stories of his family, then and now, tales of his close relationship to nature and her creatures, accounts of how his life and legacy have changed since publishing his memoir, and a tribute to his fallen friends.
AMERICA’S FIRST WARRIORS: NATIVE AMERICANS AND IRAQ
By Steven Clevenger
Museum of New Mexico Press, 2010
A timely and moving book that beautifully documents the service of Native Americans in the armed forces. Interviews with Pueblo, Apache, Navajo, Osage, and other Native American service men and women give insight into the warrior spirit. Striking images capture stirring moments of war, grief, community, family bonds, and homecoming.
For an NPR interview with the author, clickhere. For a slide show of photos by the author from the book, clickhere.
Native Americans have served in the U.S. military during each of this country’s wars, and their stories encompass heroism, tragedy, humor, stoicism, loyalty and conflict. This illustrated history tells the exploits of the last Confederate general—a Cherokee—to lay down his arms, the code talkers who used tribal languages to thwart the enemy in World War II, the first Native American woman to give her life as a soldier, and those serving in Iraq today. Spiritual, poignant, gripping, even shocking (warriors still took scalps in Vietnam), it reveals how ancient traditions of war persevere and how the warrior designation is a great honor to the Native American community. Packed with first person accounts and sharing little-known insights into a culture that is still misunderstood, this page-turning epic includes a stunning gallery of never-before-seen artifacts from personal collections.
By Rob Capriccioso, Indian Country Today Media Network
U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (D-Hawaii), elected to the House in 2010, has quickly found herself appointed the new ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs, and she’s set to become a strong force on American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian issues in the months to come. In an interview with Indian Country Today Media Network, she shared her thoughts on being idealistic on a clean Carcieri fix, dealing with the tough Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), and overseeing the Department of the Interior, which she says has “blown it” on some tribal issues.
What excites you about your new leadership position on the House Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs?
As you know, we’ve recently lost our two senators from Hawaii [Sen. Daniel Akaka retired in January and Sen. Daniel Inouye passed away in December], and they were big advocates for Indian country and Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians. It is so thrilling to continue in their footsteps. There is also a very humbling part to all this. How it works in the House, for someone like myself, basically just in my second term—there are many others with seniority. I came in during the 112thCongress, so I was 13thin terms of seniority on the committees. Some of my colleagues stepped aside so that I could be ranking member of this subcommittee. They felt that these issues were so important to me that they stepped aside. That is an amazing and humbling experience.
Was this a role you planned on having so soon?
The only way I got an idea that this could happen was when Congressmen Lujan and Boren came up to me one day and said to me that they felt I should go for this position. I was stunned, because I don’t really have the seniority in the committee to be able to say it’s mine. They said they would help in any way, and they did. In addition, I had the support of Chairman Don Young (R-Alaska), who has also been very supportive of me during my time in Congress.
Rep. Young has a reputation of sometimes being quite tough, especially toward Democrats—it sounds like you have a strong relationship?
You know, I believe it is [a strong relationship]. I believe that when you look at not only Congressman Young, but at the history of Alaska and Hawaii, there’s always been a special bond there. I don’t know whether it’s because we’re the two non-contiguous states, or whether it’s the timing of when we both became states, or if there is some unwritten rule that we would work together, but it has not been a challenge, as others have had, to work with Congressman Young. Even as a new kid on the block, he always welcomed me. He’s been supportive.
Do you see Indian issues as being able to continue to be bipartisan in this politicized Congress?
I would like to think that, but the issue gets a bit cloudy when there’s the interjection of gaming into the equation. Whenever a tribe has issues with land exchanges and issues of tribal recognition – and of course we still haven’t cured theCarcieriissue – I always see somewhere lurking, a township, a county, or someone else objecting. The reason for their objection has tended to be on the gaming rights issue. When you see theCarcieri[2009 U.S. Supreme Court] decision, and the lacking ability the Department of the Interior now has to take land into trust for tribes, I feel like gaming is one of the issues that breaks it away from bipartisan consideration.
Since the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, tribal gaming has been the law of the land, but some politicians on both sides of the aisle want to tinker with that law. How do you personally feel about Indian gaming?
I feel that Indian gaming is part of the rights, which are inherent to the tribes and the recognition of them. I do not feel that we, Congress, should in any way step in or limit or redefine those rights.
You mentionedCarcieriand the gaming-related component there, but the case actually involves the Narragansett Tribe’s ability to get lands placed into trust for non-gaming related housing development. You recently sponsored a bill for aCarcierifix—what makes you confident that your legislation will overcome the gaming-related hurdles?
I don’t know if confident is the exact word. It’s the same basic bill that Sen. Akaka offered when he chaired the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and I am hoping it will carry. The concern I have is that we have seen otherCarcieribills offered from the other side of the aisle, and they also haven’t been able to be successful. I am confident that my bill is the right version of the bill. Other versions have had elements of Native Alaskans also in there, and I think that that muddies the situation. There is still discussion on whether that would be the appropriate way to assist the Native Alaskans. I think what we need to do is join hands both on the Democratic and Republican sides, and move it out of committee—that will rely on Congressmen Markey, Young, and Doc Hastings. I think a cleanCarcierifix is the version that everyone can get behind and move forward.
Clarify for me, if you will, the Alaska Native provisions of your bill—what does it do there?
It doesn’t mention them. You have seen versions in the 112ththat said aCarcierifix would not apply to Alaska Natives. When I say my bill is a cleanCarcierifix, it just addresses the 1934 [Indian Reorganization Act] issue and what the Secretary of Interior has done subsequent to that.
There have been some folks who say if this is going to move, it might have to be compromised—maybe gaming will need to be limited for tribes in a particular region to appease certain politicians or other big-gaming tribes, or maybe off-reservation gaming will need to be limited. How do you feel about going down the compromise route?
I’m of the opinion that it should be clean and not compromised. I don’t believe it’s Congress’ place to impose that on any Indian tribe. The [Indian Reorganization Act] was never intended to be limited to applying to tribes only recognized after 1934. I don’t believe Congress should be able to dictate how tribes are going to be able to have their lands.
So if someone said Rep. Hanabusa is being too idealistic, that the perfect might be the enemy of the good here for many tribes, what would you respond?
I would say that if the tribes come forward and say they want their rights limited, then Congress would have the obligation to look at that. But that’s different than if we in Congress oppose it, trying to impose our will on the tribes.
In your role, you will be overseeing the Department of the Interior and what they do on Indian affairs—are there concerns on your radar that you want the Department to address?
I’ve always been someone who believes that Departments require strong oversight. This Department has a trust relationship with tribes, so Congress must work to ensure that it is carrying out its fiduciary duties properly. I have been concerned – even on the issues involving theCobellsettlement – you wonder, how did this come to be? And is this being executed properly? Because of the unique obligation the government has to Indian country, we have the obligation to ensure that the Department is acting in the right manner. If they hadn’t blown it in the past, we wouldn’t be in this position. They have brought the scrutiny upon themselves.
Do you think Democrats should be critical of the Obama administration, pushing for improvements for Indian country, such as increased economic development tribal initiatives?
I believe Democrats should be. I don’t think this needs to be a partisan issue. I’d like to think if the administration is incorrect on an issue, we should be there asking for accountability and transparency.
Sens. Akaka and Inouye spent much of their time in Congress working to achieve Native Hawaiian recognition, but they did not succeed. Are you going to be successful in that area?
We are going to have to hope that they have laid a sufficient groundwork to build on. A political relationship between Native Hawaiians and the United States is necessary in order for various entitlements and trusts, such as in education, at home to survive. I hope that the other Native peoples in the United States will assist us in moving it forward. I think we should ask for the recognition, and ask for the right of self-determination. We’ve had insertions in the legislation to prohibit gaming because that was necessary to get some support. We are different than Native Americans because we do not have the same historical treaty relationships with the federal government. So we do not have the same gaming rights, like those we discussed earlier. But we are a Native people, and we are entitled to the recognition.
Luck o’ the Irish: Get in the mood for St. Patrick’s Day with this roundup of events coming up this weekend. There’s food, drink, music, dance and a lot more.
Plant sale: Get ready for spring gardening with Seattle Tilth’s edible plant sale. The free sale is Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Seattle. Seattle Tilth is well-known as an authority on gardening. You’ll find plenty of plants, selected to grow well in our area. There will also be classes to help you learn more about growing food. Click here for all the details, including a list of plants that will be available for sale.
Quilt show: The Quilters Anonymous Quilt Guild annual show is 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds. The theme is “Out of this World.” More than 500 quilts, ranging from traditional to innovative, will be on display. There will also be demonstrations about quilting techniques. Admission is $7 and includes entry for all three days. For information, click here.
Taste wine: Chateau Ste. Michelle is offering a rare barrel tasting event from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The winery only offers the barrel tastings once a year. You can taste several wines that are still barrel-aging and speak with the winemakers. The event is $20 and includes tastings and a glass of a finished wine. Buy tickets the day of the event at the wine shop. Click here for more information.
Outdoors: Cabela’s is getting ready for spring with Spring Great Outdoor Days from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Attendees can participate in lots of free activities such as youth and adult turkey call contests. Other events include a laser shoot, wooden bow-making, and duck decoy carving and painting. There will also be a spring fashion show and a variety of free seminars and workshops with topics that include the basics of reloading, bear-proofing your campsite and preparing Dutch oven meals. Read more in our story here.
Visit Wonderland: The students from the Farraige Mhor Academy of Irish Dance journey down a rabbit hole to follow Alice on her whimsical trip. The musical show is at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Tim Noah Thumbnail Theatre, 1211 Fourth St., Snohomish. Tickets are $15 general, $10 for students and seniors, free for children younger than 5. Go to www.brownpapertickets.com or buy at the door if available.
What is that thing? Got a strange artifact? Bring it here. The Monroe Historical Society invites the community to its annual membership meeting and program, 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Monroe Library, 1070 Village Way. Laura Phillips, archaeology collections manager at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, will speak about local archaeology followed by an artifact identification session. Residents are encouraged to bring up to two items for identification, including American Indian artifacts from the Pacific Northwest made from bones, antlers, rocks and shells. No appraisals will be given. The experts do not authenticate items for sale.
Fill out your bracket: The NCAA men’s basketball pairings will be announced at 3 p.m. Sunday. If you’re not busy celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, you can spend the afternoon filling out your bracket.
Ballet for kids: Pacific Northwest Ballet is presenting a family-friendly version of “Hansel & Gretel” to help introduce children to ballet. The ballet is performed as an hourlong matinee and is narrated. The ballet shows twice Sunday. Click here for the details.
Music for all: The Hometown Hootenanny presents its “Family Ties” concert on Saturday in Everett. The performance plays on the theme that families that play together, stay together, and the songs celebrate the strength of families, whether it’s good or bad or special moments in family life. Read more in our story here.
Art walk: Wander through Everett, from one art studio to the next, on Saturday from 4 to 7 p.m. Galleries and studios will be open and snacks and drinks will be available. Local restaurants will also be displaying art. Click here for more details, including a map of participating locations.
By Eisa Ulen Richardson, Indian Country Today Media Network
source: hopscotchfilms.com.au
Too often, movies about brown people devolve very quickly into movies about a single white person surrounded by brown people. It’s not just that a white person is in the film – it’s that a white person becomes the film. The white, usually male, lead overwhelms the narrative, privileging the privileged, and disappointing those of us who paid the price of a ticket and a bucket of popcorn to see ourselves onscreen.
Finally, an unexpectedly delightful story featuring indigenous people has been produced for the big screen. Like magic, this movie does not show us the story through the lens of the white male lead, and so does not distort the image of the four beautiful brown women to whom the story belongs. It does not cater to the fantasy of white people dancing with wolves. Instead, this heartwarming, wonderful, joyous Australian film tells the story of four Aboriginal women from the point-of-view of the women themselves.
The Sapphires is a triumph.
It is also true. In the 1960s, a real-life quartet of sisters and cousins, one of whom had been ripped away from her family as one of the 100,000 Aboriginal children that formed Australia’s “Stolen Generation,” reunited and formed a soul-singing girl group. Styled and billed like The Supremes or The Shirelles of the same era, these women traveled to Vietnam to perform for American troops stationed there during the war.
Based on a hugely successful 2004 stage play of the same name, The Sapphires was written by Tony Briggs, whose mother was the youngest member of the group. The director, Wayne Blair, is also Aboriginal. Chris O’Dowd, who held his own as the good cop that almost got away in the estrogen-packed 2011 hit Bridesmaids, is just as charmingly flawed in The Sapphires. A reluctant manager with a drinking problem and a string of personal and professional misses haunting his heart of gold, O’Dowd’s character transforms into an unlikely hero. He plays the frog that needs a perfectly placed kiss to transform into a scruffy prince.
But the movie, of course, is not about him.
The four women who sing and dance their way through this film also transform. From country western singers who “love Charley Pride” to soul-singing divas who dominate the stage for increasingly larger audiences throughout Vietnam, the women experience a kind of coming-of-age as witnesses to the horrors of war and participants in their own liberation from the racism of mid-20th century Australian society.
Styled in sequins, go-go boots, and miniskirts, these women shine. Their wardrobe expresses their characters’ growing sense of empowerment without positioning them as hyper-sexualized “exotic others.” Though thrilling, their performances do not titillate or play to stereotypes about brown girls and white male access to their bodies. Indeed, their sexuality is expressed in relationships — affirming, sensual relationships, with black men whose romantic gestures are sure to make hearts swoon.
Intimacy grows between O’Dowd’s character and one of the four Sapphires, Gail, the “Mamma Bear” played by Deborah Mailman, who leads the group with loving command that remains unflinching even as the other three women find their own paths to personal power. The friendship and mutual respect expressed by these two characters offers a compelling counter-narrative to the myth of blond, blue-eyed desirability. Rather than detract from the women as the central focus of the film, this relationship only reinforces that focus.
Jessica Mauboy plays Julie, who fights hardest for the chance at something greater than her everyday life. Shari Sebbens plays Kay, the whitest looking of the girls, the one who was stolen, and the one who has the longest journey to make to get back home, and Miranda Tapsell is Cynthia.
Tapsell, whose great grandmother was taken from her family as one of the Stolen Generation, says the authenticity of the film is matched only by the enthusiastic response of the Aboriginal community. The experience of indigenous audiences is unsurprising. From the opening sequence, where four young girls sing in the Aboriginal language of their ancestors to an audience of family and friends, to the final scene, The Sapphires is a film that honors the original people of Australia and life in the missions where they are forced to live.
The Sapphires manages to examine the dispossession of Aboriginal people, the fragmentation of family, cultural dislocation, poverty, the particular plight of women who are also mothers, and the horrors of the Vietnam War — all without losing its upbeat tone, its rhythmic joy, its hopeful expression of uplift. Perhaps because the filmmaker, writer, and four lead actresses are Aboriginal, The Sapphires celebrates the beautiful, flawed, imperfect, glorious humanity of the indigenous people this film showcases.
Aboriginal people, an entire diverse community of the original people of Australia, are on the stage with The Sapphires each and every time they perform, and every round of applause, every cheer, every whistle and shimmy and shake, is for them — for the great-grandmothers who were stolen, and their descendants, the children who grow up to write the stories of their people’s ultimate triumph.
Home, Aboriginal home, though situated on the margins of Australian society, occupies center stage in this glorious film. Grab a batch of tissues, clutch hands with the one you love, and run. Go see it. Go and see yourself.
Courtesy American Indian College Fund Dr. Cheryl Crazy Bull is the president and CEO of the American Indian College Fund.
Source: Indian Country Today Media Network
The Cobell Education Scholarship Fund will be administered by the American Indian College Fund with a fifth of the annual scholarships awarded by the American Indian Graduate Center, announced Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar on March 12.
“This scholarship fund for Native American students will be a lasting, meaningful legacy of the Cobell Settlement that will help strengthen Indian communities, advance tribal progress and secure a better future for the first Americans,” Salazar said in a press release.
As part of the Cobell settlement a copy.9 billion land buy-back program was established to purchase land for tribal governments. For each purchase, a donation will be made to the scholarship fund. The Interior is authorized to set aside up to $60 million for fund from these purchases. According to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, for land purchases less than $200, copy0 will go to the scholarship fund; for land purchases between $200 and $500, $25 goes to the fund; and for any land purchases over $500, five percent of the purchase price is donated to the fund.
“My mother, Elouise Cobell, cared deeply about the next generation of Native people and she insisted on this scholarship as part of the settlement,” said Turk Cobell in the release. “It is a fitting tribute to her courageous work and will be a longstanding and appropriate legacy of her extraordinary perseverance and vision.”
Salazar named the American Indian College fund after receiving nominations from the lead plaintiff and evaluating them through a selection committee. The committee recommended the college fund as the recipient organization saying the money it receives should be devoted to scholarships for vocational certificates and four-year accredited colleges, including tribal colleges. The graduate center will provide 20 percent of yearly scholarships to encourage Native graduates to continue their education and get professional and doctoral degrees.
“We are honored to have been selected to administer the largest scholarship fund ever established on behalf American Indian and Alaska Native students,” said Dr. Cheryl Crazy Bull, president and CEO of the American Indian College Fund, in the release. “I look forward to working with the American Indian Graduate Center to provide greater opportunities for higher education to the next generation of Indian leaders and professionals.”
The graduate center is looking forward to fulfilling its end of the scholarship fund as well.
“We congratulate our colleagues at AICF on the award of this historic scholarship fund to their administration. AIGC is humbled and honored to be part of it. Elouise Cobell’s legacy will live on through our future scholars,” said Sam Deloria, director of AIGC, in a press release.
Now comes the task of appointing a Board of Trustees to oversee the college fund. The board will consist of no more than five members—two to be selected by the secretary, two to by the lead plaintiff and one to be selected by the college fund.
Board members will serve an initial four-year term and can be reappointed for an unlimited number of successive terms.
Tribal nominations for board members should send a curriculum vitae, letter of intent which indicates willingness to serve and a 250-word statement to:
Lizzie Marsters
Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary
Department of the Interior
1849 C Street NW
Room 6118
Washington, DC 20240
Nominations should be postmarked no later than April 11, 2013.
Drum circle during the 120th Engineer Combat Battalion pow wow at Al Taqaddum Air Base, Iraq, 2004. Photo by Master Sergeant Chuck Boers (Lipan Apache/Oklahoma Cherokee, b. 1964). Gift of Sergeant Debra K. Mooney and members of the 120th Engineer Combat Battalion. Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian
In 2004, U.S. Army Sergeant Debra Mooney, Choctaw, and the 120th Engineer Combat Battalion staged the first pow wow held in a U.S. combat zone by Native Americans. The Native American Inter-Tribal Pow Wow was held in Al Taqaddum, Iraq, during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
According to the National Museum of the American Indian, the two-day event, held at the Al Taqaddum Air Base near Fallujah, featured Native regalia, dancing and singing, and traditional games and foods, including genuine frybread. Participants made their pow wow drum from a discarded 55-gallon oil barrel and canvas from a cot. The goal of the pow wow was to bring a piece of home to Native Americans serving in Iraq while sharing their cultural heritage with fellow soldiers, marines, and sailors.
American Indians have served in the U.S. military since the American revolution, before they were allowed U.S. citizenship, and by percentage they serve more than any other ethnic group. The 120th Engineer Combat Battalion has its headquarters in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, also home to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.
Lower: Drum, stand, and drumsticks, 2004. Metal, canvas, wood, commercially tanned leather, plastic, nylon cord, adhesive tape, metal nails. Made by members of the U.S. Army’s 120th Engineer Combat Battalion, headquartered in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, and used during their Al Taqaddum Inter-Tribal Powwow, September 17–18, 2004, in Al Taqaddum, Iraq. Gift of Sergeant Debra K. Mooney and members of the 120th Engineer Combat Battalion. (Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian)
US Army (USA) Soldiers of Native American Indian heritage, participate in a game of Native American Indian Stick Ball during the Native American Inter-Tribal Pow Wow held at Al Taqaddum, Iraq, during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. The Pow Wow was held to honor all past, present, and future Native American Veterans, and this events marks the first time that a Pow Wow was held in a Combat Zone by Native Americans (Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian)
Native American Indians came from all over Iraq to play a game of Native American Indian Stick Ball during the Native American Inter-Tribal Pow Wow that was held on Al Taqaddum near Fallujah on the 17-18th of September 2004 during Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Pow Was planned from start to finish in less than five weeks, and all the items from the tomahawks to the drum was hand-made by the Native Americans in Iraq. The Pow Wow was held to honor all past, present, and future Native American Veterans, this was the first time that a Pow Wow was held in a Combat Zone by Native Americans. Photo by SFC Johancharles Van Boers (Apache/Cherokee), 55th Signal Company, Combat Camera, Fort Meade, Maryland. “Released for Public Use”
Soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 120th Engineer Combat Battalion (headquartered in Okmulgee, Oklahoma) participating in a tomahawk throwing contest. Man throws a tomahawk at a wooden post while others look on (NMAI object 265139.000) . Photo taken during the powwow events held at Camp Taqaddum, Iraq in 2004. (National Museum of the American Indian)
April 2013 Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture Seattle, WA
First Woman. Yellow Cedar. By Luke Marston. Photo by Armstrong Creative.
Seattle – The Burke Museum is pleased to offer a variety of programs featuring the groundbreaking artwork of Coast Salish artists. In April, attend a discussion panel with practicing artists, see art demonstrations and talk to artists about their work, and view Coast Salish art from the Burke Museum collections.
Discussion Panel: Coast Salish Art in the 21st Century Friday, April 5, 2013 • Kane Hall 120, UW Campus • 7 pm
Coast Salish artists are using computer graphics, laser cutters, and glass hot shops, as well as adzes, knives, and looms to bring traditional forms into the 21st century. Join a panel of artists lead by Shaun Peterson as they share the challenges and rewards of transporting the vision of their grandparents into the modern world.
Panelists include artists Heather Johnson-Jock, lessLIE, Luke Marston, and Danielle Morsette.
FREE for all and open to the public. Pre-registration recommended. Reserve your seat today at www.burkemuseum.org/events.
Special Event: Coast Salish Art & Artists Day Saturday, April 6, 2013 • Burke Museum • 10 am – 3 pm
Explore artwork and demonstrations by notable Coast Salish artists in mediums such as weaving, sculpture, and print-making. Attend film screenings, and try your hand at a communal weaving piece on a large loom.
Art demonstrations include:
Coast Salish weaving on tabletop and upright frame looms
Cedar bark basketry weaving
Hand spinning yarn with a spindle whorl
Acrylic on paper pieces
Film screenings of Teachings of the Tree People: The Work of Bruce Miller and Killer Whale and Crocodile
Participating artists include Bill and Fran James, Heather Johnson-Jock, lessLIE, Luke Marston, Danielle Morsette, and Karen Reed.
Included with museum admission; FREE for Burke members.
Coast Salish Art programs are supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and 4Culture.
Weekend Activities @ the Burke: Coast Salish Art Saturdays & Sundays in April • Burke Museum • 11 am – 3 pm
Every weekend in April, enjoy Coast Salish art activities at the Burke. See Coast Salish weaving pieces not normally on display, and try your hand at a large weaving loom. Also enjoy guided exhibit tours every Saturday at 1 pm.
Included with museum admission; FREE for Burke members.
The Burke Museum is located on the University of Washington campus, at the corner of NE 45th St. and 17th Ave. NE. Hours are 10 am to 5 pm daily, and until 8 pm on first Thursdays. Admission: $10 general, $8 senior, $7.50 student/ youth. Admission is free to children four and under, Burke members, UW students, faculty, and staff. Admission is free to the public on the first Thursday of each month. Prorated parking fees are $15 and partially refundable upon exit if paid in cash. Call 206-543-5590 or visit www.burkemuseum.org. The Burke Museum is an American Association of Museums accredited museum.
To request disability accommodation, contact the Disability Services Office at: 206.543.6450 (voice), 206.543.6452 (TTY), 206.685.7264 (fax), or email at dso@u.washington.edu. The University of Washington makes every effort to honor disability accommodation requests. Requests can be responded to most effectively if received as far in advance of the event as possible, preferably at least 10 days.
By Alyssa Landry, Indian Country Today Media Network
Dennis wants to photograph people in their home environment, which means he needs a big truck. (Vanishing Cultures Project)
A two-story-high photograph of Joe Yazzie towers over the viewer—every scar, wrinkle and hint of emotion on his face magnified. That face, larger than life, is the very essence of a Navajo man caught between traditional and modern worlds.
Yazzie’s portrait will greet the curious who come to see what promises to be the largest photo exhibit in history—not in terms of the number of photos, but in the size and resolution of those photographs.
Chicago-based photographer Dennis Manarchy is making photographs that dwarf most other prints: at 24 feet tall and with a resolution of 97,000 megapixels, he hopes each portrait will tell the story of one of America’s vanishing cultures.
“We’re going to start the exhibit with my portrait of Joe Yazzie, who is Navajo,” Manarchy says. “When you walk into the exhibit, you’ll see Joe. Your head will be smaller than his pupil. As you approach, you will be engulfed by him.”
That “total cultural immersion” is what Manarchy has in mind for the exhibit, which has been in the works for 12 years. “You’ll remember this for the rest of your life,” he says.
Manarchy plans to unveil his supersize, traveling exhibit, Vanishing Cultures: An American Portrait, by 2014. The exhibit space, which will be about two-thirds the size of a football field, will show America a snapshot of itself, Manarchy claims—a snapshot taken before some of the most precious and endangered cultures in the country deteriorate further.
“Portraits are powerful,” he explains, “but they are so much more powerful with stories. In America, there are essential cultures that are vanishing. The people aren’t vanishing, but the cultural identification is vanishing.”
Take Yazzie, for example. Born near Gallup, New Mexico, he attended boarding schools in which he was forbidden to use his native language. After boarding school, he relocated to Chicago, then was drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War. In the process, Yazzie lost much of his Navajo culture. “When you leave your culture, when you’re very young and you move to the city, then when you go home, you don’t fit in,” Yazzie says. “You miss what you were supposed to be, what you were supposed to learn from your parents, your grandparents, the medicine men.”
Yazzie (Dennis Manarchy)
Yazzie married an Italian woman after his wartime service. His two sons had little interest in the Navajo culture, and his 8-year-old grandson has no knowledge of it. “We are losing our tongue, our songs, our culture, our heritage,” he says. “It will not be brought back.
“This project is really about a face that’s going away soon,” Yazzie says. “They’re saying, You better get to know this face because you’ll never see it again. And it’s not just the face, but the story behind it.”
The portrait of Yazzie, 70, a graphic artist in Chicago, represents one of 50 cultures Manarchy hopes to capture on film during a year-long journey that will take him from the Inuit people in Alaska to the Cajun communities in the swamps of Louisiana. The project will include about a dozen American Indian tribes, many of which are experiencing loss of culture and language at alarming rates as the younger generations move to cities.
Manarchy is focusing on cultures that are intact and represent an important chunk of American history. His itinerary includes stops among the Amish of Pennsylvania, railroaders of West Virginia, cowboys of Idaho, motorcyclists of South Dakota and blues women of his hometown of Chicago. Tribes on the itinerary include the Chickasaw and Shawnee in Tennessee, the Comanche Nation in Texas, Taos Pueblo in New Mexico, Hopi in Arizona, Navajo in Utah, Northwest Indians in Washington, Blackfoot in Montana, Cheyenne in Wyoming, the Inuit in Alaska and the Pine Ridge Reservation.
Manarchy and his team plan to stay for a week or two each in 25 to 35 locations, shooting portraits of people representing 50 unique cultures that are being swallowed up or homogenized.
“The purpose of the project is to go to the home environments of different cultures,” project director Chad Tepley says. “Most of these people won’t travel 10 to 15 miles from their homes in their lifetimes, so it’s really important to get the camera to them.”
Manarchy, a commercial photographer with decades of experience, is looking to tell the stories behind every photo, and to preserve cultures with the biggest snapshots he can manage. For that, he insists he needs a big camera. His will fit snugly inside a semi-trailer and produce negatives that are six feet tall.
He also plans to produce documentary films and other educational materials about every culture he encounters. The finished exhibit will include portraits, filmed footage, the negatives and the giant camera itself, which weighs about one ton. “This will be a powerful educational tool,” Tepley says. “It will be a visual social studies class with videos of the cultures. It will be a very powerful way to show children what’s out there.”
The exhibit will be particularly poignant when it comes to teaching children about American Indians, Tepley says. The federal government recognizes 566 American Indian tribes today, though many children grow up believing tribes are the stuff of history or folklore. “They are not aware of the role these people played or the true perspective of how tribes have evolved,” Tepley adds.”
During the planning of the project, Tepley and Manarchy researched tribes to pinpoint the ones whose cultures were most intact. They enlisted help from an advisory committee, including members of several different
Chandra Brown, Gullah Geechee (Dennis Manarchy)
American Indian tribes who are offering cultural advice and will introduce him and his camera to Native communities.
By its nature, the project is bringing various cultures together, says Wendy White Eagle, Ho-Chunk, a project advisor. “I think the conversation today is more important than ever about how everyone is connected,” she says.
Although the exhibit will preserve the cultures as they are being expressed now, the project is not meant to discount future generations who will continue to celebrate tradition. “The world is evolving, not [so] much vanishing,” White Eagle says. “There are people coming behind them, and the expression of the culture might be different, but the core values might not be.”
Opening day of the exhibit still is about two years in the future. He is raising money to pay for the journey, which he estimates will cost more than copy7 million—he and his team hope to embark on the 20,000-mile, cross-country expedition by spring. He will spend a minimum of one year traveling and shooting, then at least six months editing before his exhibit opens in Chicago. Manarchy hopes to have 500 to 600 giant portraits to choose from when setting up the exhibit. He knows that each portrait will tell a story.
“All we really have is our stories,” says Nora Lloyd, Ojibwe, another advisor for the project.
Lloyd, who also posed in front of the camera, praises the project because of its ability to preserve history. She does, however, have some trepidation about seeing a 24-foot-tall reproduction of her face. “Dennis is doing a huge service by preserving things that people otherwise would never hear about, and in an enormously dramatic fashion,” she says. “A face with wrinkles and imperfections makes more interesting subjects. It really does show the essence of someone.”
Holton family member Randy Reeves shows Elizabeth Guss of the Whidbey Camano Land Trust around a lovely wooded area on the Holton Conservation Easement, which the family placed in the trust. The property, more than 30 acres adjacent to Cama Beach State Park, will now remain wild. Photo: Dan Bates/The Herald
Family donates conservation easement
By Gale Fiege, HeraldNet.com
CAMANO ISLAND — More than 30 acres of forest and wetlands located adjacent to Cama Beach State Park will be preserved forever thanks to a gift from a Camano Island couple.
Joe and Cathy Holton, along with their four sons and seven grandchildren, donated a conservation easement on their property to Whidbey Camano Land Trust, which now ensures that the land remains perpetually protected and free from development.
The Holtons could have made a lot of money selling the property, where theoretically a developer could have built up to 30 houses. At the very least, the family might have sold it for a half-million dollars, said Cathy Holton’s son Randy Reeves, a real estate broker.
“It’s not all altruistic, however,” Reeves said. “My folks have a connection to the land and they happen to have the economic means to preserve it. We have seen our share of misguided, unsustainable development. We believe this is the highest and best use of the property.”
In August 2011, the Holtons attended a community meeting called by the land trust, which was seeking to find potential conservation easements among property owners living near the state parks on Camano.
The Holtons stepped right up, said Elizabeth Guss, development director with the Whidbey Camano Land Trust.
“Their contribution is a beautiful illustration of a family thinking ahead into the future and seeing the big picture,” Guss said. “It’s a way to marry private property rights with the common good.”
Joe and Cathy Holton are known on the island for their generosity and their volunteer work with the Friends of Camano Island Parks. Conservation of some of their property was something they had been considering since they bought it in the 1990s. The Holtons also own a house near the beach as well as a pasture adjacent to the preserved land.
Together, the three generations of the family compared the development opportunities to the conservation values and decided to donate the conservation easement, said Joe Holton, 83.
“The decision was unanimous,” Holton said. “We didn’t want to see a high-density residential development there. We wanted to leave a legacy into the future, for our family and for the community.”
Jeff Wheeler, manager of the Cama Beach State Park said he is pleased with the donation and the buffer it provides for the park.
“I’ve known Joe and Cathy for years and have found them to be wonderful people and great volunteers. With the thoughtful actions of people like Cathy and Joe, this island is a great place for people and the environment to co-exist,” Wheeler said. “(The Holton property) preserves an animal corridor between the two state parks.”
With the donation of the conservation easement, the Holton’s property doesn’t become a public park. It remains in private hands. However, the benefits to the community are numerous, Guss said.
“It’s a significant gift to the larger good, in terms of water sources, wildlife and clean air,” she said.
A public trail that connects Cama Beach and Camano Island Island State Park runs along the east side of the Holton property. On the other side, the property has views of Saratoga Passage.
The 30 acres includes a peat bog, a 10-acre wetland, an upland mature forest that is home to trees estimated to be more than 250 years old.
“My parents didn’t want to see any wildlife move away from here,” Reeves said on Monday as he walked through the property on a deer trail.
The trees on the property include big-leaf maple, vine maple, Western red cedar, Douglas fir, hemlock, madrona and grand fir. The land is covered with sword fern, native nettle, salmonberries and elderberry.
Along with deer, the land is home to other animals and many species of birds.
“We have even seen red-legged frogs, which are not common here, so that’s a good sign that the forest is healthy,” Reeves said. “We have few invasive species here.”
Reeves said trees on the Holton property tell a story.
One can see evidence of a fire that raged across the island in the 1920s along with stumps that are reminders of the logging that took place there in the late 1890s and early 1900s.
“It’s a great example of the regeneration of a forest,” he said.
In his job, Reeves, 52, said he often has real estate clients who aim to pave paradise.
“We want to inspire others to make gifts of conservation easements, which can sometimes mean tax advantages for people,” he said. “Land is a precious resource. It’s about preserving it for future generations.
