November is American Indian and Alaskan Native Heritage Month — so naturally, the Lieutenant Governor’s Office, which oversees the Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs, is celebrating with a show of skateboard art at the State Capitol. A public reception for the show, curated as part of the Colorado Creative Industries Creative Capitol series, will run from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in the Capitol’s first floor lobby and Rotunda Gallery. The artwork will be on display through January 30.
Deana Spinuzzi Miller Walt Pourier’s “Raven Cry” paintings are on display in the Capitol, along with skateboard graphics by Pourier and other Native American artists
“Skateboarding as a means of expression in itself and the art that so often goes with it have been a huge part of what we’re calling our Live Life Call to Action movement,” says featured artist Walt Pourier, an Oglala Lakota artist based in Denver. His graphics on decks for Wounded Knee Skateboards are featured in the exhibit, alongside the “Raven Cry” series of paintings he completed earlier this year during his artist-in-residence stint at the Denver Art Museum and photographs from this summer’s One Gathering Skate for Life, an annual event at the Denver Skatepark hosted by Pourier’s non-profit organization, the Stronghold Society.
Pourier’s Denver-based graphic design firm, Nakota Designs, produces art for a number of Native American non-profit organizations, and his involvement with skateboarding has taken him all the way to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. His deck graphics for Wounded Knee — including stark portraits of Black Elk, Crazy Horse and the White Buffalo — have won him plenty of fans in the skateboarding world and among young Native skaters, but Pourier says getting local recognition in 2013 has been one of the biggest honors of his career.
“It really means a lot to be getting these opportunities, like the artist-in-residence thing at the Denver Art Museum, the Mayor’s Diversity Award we won last year for our work with the Stronghold Society, and now to have our work hanging in the State Capitol,” Pourier says. “We see Denver as center of Native country here in the United States, with a huge Native urban population, and these kinds of recognitions are really helping us to make Denver our base, a center point we can reach out from to serve this community and also the surrounding states and Native communities around us.”
Deana Spinuzzi Miller Walt Pourier’s skateboard decks and other artwork, hanging in the State Capitol’s
That work has included getting skateparks built at Pine Ridge in South Dakota and other reservations, and working with young people through other efforts like the Kimimila Age of the Daughters Gathering for young women and Tusweca Tiospaye, an annual Nakota Dakota language summit. “Our young people are learning the value of Native art, language, and culture, and not just preserving it or appreciating the historical value but very much making it a part of their lives now and in the future,” Pourier says. “Nothing gives me greater hope for our Native youth than to overhear a bunch of kids out at the Denver Skatepark or the Wounded Knee 4-Directions skatepark in Pine Ridge, speaking to each other in Lakota or other Native languages.”
SAN FRANCISCO – On Nov. 10, the 38th Annual American Indian Film Festival Awards Ceremony premiered at the San Francisco Jazz Center.
This year marked a change from the usual Palace of Fine Arts to this new, centrally located venue. The Jazz Center provided a state of the art theater on two levels plus a restaurant/bar that served a full dinner menu. The stage and theater design provided an intimate and warm relationship between the performers and audience.
Mike Smith (Dakota), festival director of the American Indian Film Institute welcomed those in attendance by reminding us of the important role the arts have always played in American Indian life; from storytelling, songs and dance, crafts and arts to now include media arts. Many of these arts were traditionally considered medicine. This was also the first year that the film festival was streamed live via the internet. There are plans going forward for the Awards to be broadcast on national television.
The Opening Prayer was offered by Lorraine Laiwa and Pomo singers from Northern California.
Actress Tonantzin Carmelo and actor Michael Spears were the Awards host. This year’s film festival included more feature length films than in any previous year. They were all stunning, and included “The Cherokee Word for Water,” directed by Charlie Soap; “Chasing Shakespeare,” directed by Norry Niven; “Bury My Heart with Tonawanda”, directed by Gary Sundown; “The Activist,” directed by Cyril Moron; “Moose River Crossing,” directed by Shirley Cheechoo; “Star Wars: Episode IV-A New Hope,” directed by George Lucas, and dubbed entirely in the Navajo language with no English subtitles; “The Lesser Blessed,” directed by Anita Doron; “Winter in the Blood,” directed by Alex and Andrew Smith and “Maina,” directed by Michael Poulette.
“Maina,” starring Roseanne Supernault won the award for Best Feature film. Roseanne Supernault also won an award for Best Actress for her role in this feature film. Chaske Spencer won Best Actor for his role in the feature film, “Winter in the Blood.” Actress Tantoo Cardinal won Best Supporting Actress for her role in ”Maina” and Kiowa Gordon won Best Supporting Actor for his role in “The Lesser Blessed.” “Dancing on the Run,” directed by Cowboy Smith and featuring the music of Inez Jasper won the Best Music Video category.
“Standing on Sacred Ground: Pilgrims and Tourists” directed by Toby McCloud won for Best Documentary Feature and is a tremendously important film. The film documents indigenous shamans of the Altai Republic in southern Siberia, and the Winnemum Wintu of Northern California, led by tribal Chief Caleen Sisk. These two diverse groups find common ground resisting government mega projects. The issues the Winemum Wintu face are complex and center around federal recognition for the tribe, land and water rights, and protecting sacred sites.
“We have been battling PG&E and water bottling companies because our sacred springs (located on Mt. Shasta) have been dry now for two weeks. This is only the second time, in the entire history of our people that this has occurred. These artisan springs are being drained off. That coupled with the strange snow that contains siridite chemicals from the trails of jets, and poor rainfall in general has been disastrous. If this continues, our sacred springs will never be the same again. This isn’t a good sign at all”, remarked Tribal Chair Sisk.
The evening entertainment began with Swil Kanim playing his virtuoso violin, and his comedic storytelling, poetry and audience interaction. Vaugn Eaglebear, a Lakota/Colville comedian, had the audience laughing until tears flowed with his own brand of dead-pan, rez humor. Lines like, “My goal in life is to move to India and open a convenience store and sell cigarettes, gas…” or “I left my coat hanger in my car. Good thing I’ve got my car keys in my pocket. I left the kids in there too”, or “you know you’re poor when you use coffee filters for toilet paper, and toilet paper for coffee filters”. Cody Sunbear Blackbird (Eastern Band Cherokee/Dakota) flute player and the youngest recipient of the Flutist of the Year Award from the Native American Music Association graced us with his music. He played both the single cedar bird flute and a duet on the drone flute (double style) with Swil Kanim that was exquisite. The audience was also treated to “Twice As Good” the father and son blues duo and their band from the Elem Pomo Indian Colony in Northern Calif., as well as Inez Jasper, pop singer from Canada. “Scatter Their Own,” from Pine Ridge, South Dakota provided alternative Native rock music.
The very prestigious Eagle Spirit Award for excellence in film arts was awarded to Sacheen Littlefeather. This was the highlight of the evening.
“I’m better known for refusing awards than for receiving them,” said Littlefeather. “Even though refusing the Academy Award for Marlon Brando cut short my acting career, I was so lucky to participate and be a part of important Native American events during these past 40 plus years,” she continued.
Some of the events she has been part of include the occupation of Alcatraz Island, the 7 month sacred Indian run across Europe and behind the Iron Curtain, into the Soviet Union to protect Mother Earth and promote peace.
She was a founding member of the Red Earth Indian Theater Company in Seattle, Washington during the 1970s. This was the very first American Indian Theater Company in the United States. Littlefeather worked tirelessly to bring about change and awareness about the misuse of sports mascots. She was also one of the consultants to the San Francisco Ballet Company’s production of “Song for a Dead Warrior” based on the life of Richard Oaks.
“This ballet was performed worldwide and in the United States at the Kennedy Center. It was also featured on KQED’s Great Performances in Dance”, said Sacheen. “I am so very proud of the work I did with Mother Teresa in Aids and Hospice while she was here in San Francisco. From that experience, I became a founding board member of the American Indian Aids Institute, where I continued to work”, remembered Littlefeather.
For the past 25 years, She has pushed for the sainthood of Kateri Tekakiwitha by the Catholic Church. Her dreams came true recently when she traveled with 900 other Natives from the United States and Canada to the Vatican City.
“It was the first time in history that Mohawk was spoken in the Vatican. What a thrill”, recalled Littlefeather. Currently Sacheen Littlefeather is a member of the Marin Indian Alliance, a founding member of “breast friends for life”, a member of SAG (screen actors guild) and AFTRA. “I am so honored and grateful to be a part of the ever growing Bay Area Indian community, our powwows and to witness our growth and our growing pains. I have an acute appreciation for life and beauty and a belief in the stories told from our native point of view. We now have the right to tell our own stories, act in them, direct them, produce them, all of it”, said Littlefeather.
People gather in front of the new, 26,000-square-foot Nisqually Tribal Center, during a dedication ceremony, Friday May 3, 2013, in Olympia. The building, which was built opposite the tribe’s previous center, will house most of the governmental services provided to tribal members. Tribal history, tradition and culture are incorporated into the building’s design.(Janet Jensen/Staff photographer) JANET JENSEN — Staff photographer
November 9, 2013
The Olympian
A bright light in the regional economic recovery is shining as years of planning, perseverance and investment by the Nisqually Tribe are coming into fruition.
Already one of Thurston County’s largest nonstate agency employers, the tribe is using revenue from our gaming enterprise to prime the broader economy by making investments in nongaming initiatives that benefit everyone.
Recent investments coming on-line include:
• Two new market/gasoline stations — one in Lakewood and another in Nisqually Valley — are open, and a third on Marvin Road will be under construction soon. Total investment is more than $3 million and the outlets will provide more than 50 full- and part-time jobs.
• In partnership with developer Wig Properties, the tribe has acquired the 215-acre Lacey Gateway property, next to and around Cabela’s in Lacey. We expect to site a large-scale phased mixed-use retail development on the property as the market demand grows.
• WHH Nisqually Services is a construction and construction management company launched by the tribe that expects to be providing services to Joint Base Lewis McCord, Navy installations, and other major facilities.
• She-Nah-Nam Seafoods is a new enterprise established to buy, process and sell high-quality, branded seafood. The operation will work in tandem with the shellfish farm the tribe has acquired and is operating on Henderson Inlet.
• The new Public Safety Complex will provide up to 100 new jobs when it is completed later this year. In addition to the 60,000-square-foot building, contractors also extended fresh and wastewater lines and are building a wastewater treatment plant. Future plans call for a new fire station and judicial services facility at the site.
• Private contractors, architects, landscapers and others collaborated on construction of important tribal infrastructure, including the new $10 million Tribal Center and the $7.6 million Youth and Community Center.
Nisqually’s annual payroll is more than $50 million, paid to more than 1,000 employees who live throughout Thurston and Pierce counties – and we’re hiring more people. The tribe spends tens of millions of dollars a year buying goods and services from private companies — and we’re increasing spending each year. We’re generating more taxes for local and state government.
Last year the tribe donated $2.5 million to charitable and local government partners to help keep people safe, to help children succeed, to improve community health, to honor veterans and to protect the environment.
Nisqually’s economic progress, and the contribution the tribe is making to the regional economic recovery, has been made possible with the exceptional support we receive from local governments — especially the cities of Olympia, Lakewood, Lacey, and Thurston and Pierce counties — and from state and federal elected officials and agencies.
At Nisqually, we are just getting started. Our goal is to diversify the tribal economy, provide jobs and opportunities for our members, and create benefits for the entire region.
Cynthia Iyall is chairwoman of the Nisqually Tribal Council.
Francis Whitebird of the Sicangu Lakota Warriors leads people to the Committal Shelter during services for Lakota code talker Clarence Wolf Guts at the Black Hills National Cemetery outside Sturgis, S.D. Wolf Guts was the last living Lakota code talker. American Indians who sent coded messages to shield U.S. military communications from the enemy during World Wars I and II are being honored this week in Washington. (Ryan Soderlin / Rapid City Journal / June 22, 2010)
WASHINGTON — When Congress awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to the famous Navajo code talkers a decade ago, it failed to recognize members of other tribes who also used their native tongues to transmit wartime messages the enemy could not decipher.
This week, the “forgotten” heroes from 33 tribes will receive the Congressional Gold Medal, the nation’s highest civilian honor.
At least one code talker – 96-year-old Edmond Harjo, a member of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma – is planning to attend the Capitol Hill ceremony Wednesday.
Representatives of tribes from as far away as Alaska also plan to be there.
“It’s been a long time coming, but much deserved,’’ A.J. Foster, a spokesman for the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, told the Los Angeles Times.
In 2000, President Clintonsigned legislation awarding the medal to the Navajo code talkers, whose story was told in the 2002 movie “Windtalkers.’’
Eight years later, Congress approved and President George W. Bush signed the Code Talkers Recognition Act to recognize all Native American code talkers for their contributions during World Wars I and II.
During debate on the bill, then-Rep. Dan Boren (D-Okla.) called the code talkers a “forgotten group of American war heroes.’’
“Native American Code Talkers of the First and Second World War are true American heroes without whose efforts our troops would have certainly suffered greater casualties and would have certainly experienced slower progress in their efforts to end these conflicts,’’ Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), a member of the Chickasaw Nation, said at the time. “For too long, our country has failed to recognize the efforts made by these great Native American citizens.’’
Delegations representing tribes from Arizona, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wisconsin also will attend the ceremony, along with family members of code talkers.
Duplicate silver medals will be presented to about 200 code talkers and the families of those deceased, according to the office of House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio).
In addition to the ceremony in the Capitol Visitor Center, a reception will be held at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian, which is featuring an exhibit on the code talkers.
The government has been stepping up efforts to recognize World War II groups before it is too late.
President Obama signed legislation last summer to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the 1st Special Service Force, the U.S.-Canadian commando unit immortalized in the 1968 movie “The Devil’s Brigade.’’
Legislation has been introduced to award gold medals to the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders, Filipino World War II veterans and World War II members of the Civil Air Patrol.
World War II veterans have been dying at a rate of 420 a day, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Of 16 million World War II veterans, fewer than 1.2 million survive today. Only two World War II veterans still serve in Congress.
Congress has awarded gold medals to other World War II-era groups, including the Tuskegee Airmen; the Women Airforce Service Pilots, or WASPs; the first black Marines, known as the Montford Point Marines; and Japanese American members of the 100th Infantry Battalion, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and the Military Intelligence Service.
Chandler, Arizona–United National Indian Tribal Youth, Inc. (UNITY) has entered into a four-year cooperative agreement with the US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) to plan and implement the National Intertribal Youth Leadership Development Initiative. The Initiative’s goal is to offer opportunities for Native American youth to, “Reduce risk factors and enhance protective factors in youth, schools, communities, and families.” To accomplish this goal, the Initiative will conduct a series of national and regional Intertribal Youth Leadership Development gatherings and a range of related youth leadership development opportunities for Native American and Alaska Native youth.
UNITY, Inc. is a national network organization promoting personal development, citizenship, and leadership among Native youth between the ages of 14 – 24. UNITY affiliated youth councils that make up the National UNITY Council will have an opportunity to put the training their youth members receive through the Initiative to good use within their communities as the youth themselves learn by doing. The training will enable the youth to plan, organize, and carry out service projects within their respective communities. These youth led projects will benefit tribal communities while providing valuable real world leadership experiences that will better prepare the involved youth to assume and succeed in their future leadership roles. UNITY and a team of technical assistance providers will offer guidance and support to engaged youth and their adult advisors throughout the project to help ensure the successful completion of the service projects.
“The Initiative provides welcome resources that will help make it possible for UNITY to continue the important work that it has performed for the past 37 years. The UNITY staff, members of the Council of Trustees, and the youth leaders of the National UNITY Council are looking forward to working with the OJJDP staff and its team of consultants and trainers to provide our Native American youth with the added opportunities for personal development the Initiative makes possible. I personally encourage Native youth and youth-serving programs throughout Native America to take part in this important Initiative,” said Mary Kim Titla, UNITY Executive Director.
UNITY staff, OJJDP staff, trainers and technical assistance providers will collaboratively develop and adopt specific project objectives along with a plan for accomplishing the Initiative’s overall goals. The schedule for all project activities and events is expected to be completed and announced on the UNITY website (www.unityinc.org) as well as through other media outlets shortly after the start of the New Year.
UNITY’s mission is to foster the spiritual, mental, physical and social development of American Indian and Alaska Native Youth and to help build a strong, unified, and self-reliant Native America through greater youth involvement. UNITY’s network currently includes 132 affiliated youth councils in 35 states. Youth Councils are sponsored by Tribes, Alaska Native villages, high schools, colleges, urban centers, and others. To learn more about UNITY, visit the website at http://www.unityinc.org.
Corn bread just doesn’t taste, or feel, the same way made with any other method. The key is the oiled, preheated cast iron pan, which gives the finished bread that incredible crisp around the edges texture.
Yields: 6-8 wedges
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups buttermilk
1 egg
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Add the oil to a 10-inch cast iron skillet, and put it in the oven for 5 minutes to get the oil very hot. Combine all the dry ingredients together and mix very well. Whisk the egg and buttermilk until completely mixed. Add to the dry ingredients, and mix enough to form a batter. Be careful not to over-mix.
Remove the cast iron pan out from the oven, and pour the oil into batter and stir in. Pour the batter back into the cast iron skillet, bake for about 20 minutes. The top of the cornbread should be golden-brown, and the bread should be pulling away slightly from the sides of the pan. Let cool for 10 minutes before trying to cut and serve.
Principal Chief Bill John Baker and blanket designer Dan Mink stand with the Cherokee Nation’s newest Pendleton Blanket, now on sale at Cherokee gift shops.
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – It’s the time of year when the weather turns cold, and the Cherokee Nation is selling a new Pendleton blanket that can be used to stay warm this winter.
The blanket was made by iconic Pendleton Woolen Mills and retails for $250. It can be purchased at the Cherokee Nation Gift Shop in Tahlequah and the Cherokee Art Gallery inside Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tulsa.
Designed by award-winning Cherokee Nation Lead Graphic Designer Dan Mink, of Stilwell, the blanket is rich in earth tone colors and features culturally significant detail.
“The time was right for a new customized blanket for the Cherokee Nation. We wanted to create a piece that was visually appealing and culturally significant,” said Principal Chief Bill John Baker. “While this blanket appears vibrant and modern, in actuality it is composed of historic and cultural motifs and colors that are important to the Cherokee people. It is a beautiful design that symbolizes the strength and unity of our people, our rich history, our cultural identity and our sovereign government.”
Central to the Pendleton design is a seven-pointed star, reflecting the seven clans of the Cherokee people. Mink also chose a starburst pattern to represent the three federally recognized Cherokee tribes originating from one fire. The color tan represents buck skin; red, black and yellow are artistic colors found in Cherokee artifacts; and gold comes from the Cherokee Nation seal. The border of the blanket is a Southeastern motif, and basket weaving was the inspiration for the inner corners.
“To stay authentic, traditional Cherokee colors are incorporated into the blanket design, as well as circles, which are never ending and always a theme in Native American art,” Mink said. “It was a great honor to be asked by Chief Baker to design the new Pendleton. It’s a joy to express my interpretation of what our Cherokee Nation stands for, both culturally and contemporarily.”
Ornamental kale, as edible as any other kind of kale, blooms all winter long. It is the cold that makes it take on its vivid coloring; ornamental kale is not as colorful in the warm months. Photo by Terren
With leaves off the trees and gardens dormant, it might not seem like the time to plant anything.
But nothing could be further from the truth.
An array of packets of bulbs fills a large display at Pine Creek Nursery. Now is the time to get bulbs in the ground for a colorful early spring garden.
Photo by Polly Keary
In fact, to ensure a beautiful and healthy display in your yard next spring, or to keep your yard as lively as possible through the winter, head to local nurseries and pick up shrubs, trees and bulbs and get them in the ground.
“It’s the number one time to plant, because you are getting them in the ground where they get rained on all winter,” said Gwen Sayers at Pine Creek Nursery in Monroe, which has a wide variety of shrubs on the premises right now. “They don’t get stressed by heat, and they get all winter and spring to get established and get roots.”
Among the shrubs that are good to plant right now are evergreens, cypress, Japanese holly, juniper, cedar and weeping evergreens.
Also, flowering kale is actually at its brightest and most vivid in the winter months.
“Kale does great,” said Sayers. “It’s ornamental. They don’t grow a lot in spring and summer. They develop their color from the cold.”
Just because it’s winter doesn’t mean that you can’t have container gardens. In fact, they can do a lot to liven up patios and corners in the colder months.
“That’s something we love to do is do planters with evergreen and things like kale,” said Sayers. “A lot of that stuff will go into the summer, because it’s perennial.”
In the summer, you can plant annual flowers around a central perennial, and the perennial will still be there through the winter.
Another plant that is nice in winter container gardens, as it’s not hardy enough to be in the ground through a cold winter, is lemon cypress, a bright green-gold shrub that forms into low bushes.
Also right now is the time to plant your bulbs for early spring displays.
Garden stores everywhere are stocked up on tulips, crocus, hyacinth, daffodils and other bulbs right now, and perusing the colorful aisles planning next year’s garden-scape can be a lot of fun on a rainy afternoon.
