M3 Blog

For the Module 3 blog, I reviewed the ipl2 database of Native American authors through the Internet Public Library.  At first I thought it would just be a listing of authors but it is much more comprehensive than that.  By clicking on a tribal name, it lists all the authors from that tribe as well as links to additional information.  From the main screen, a search can be done to find authors, titles or tribes.  This website is a gold mine and I wish I had looked at it before now as it would have been helpful in my previous studies.  Since Chief Joseph from the Nez Perce tribe is the voice I am studying, I clicked on the Nez Perce tribal link which showed me that there are three authors – Joe McLellan, W.S. Penn and Elizabeth Wilson.  Further scrolling down the page there are listings for online resources about the Nez Perce tribe which is a wealth of information.  I’m always happy to see anything that women have accomplished so I was drawn to find more information about Elizabeth Wilson. 

While Elizabeth is a descendant of Chief Joseph, her father was a non-Indian so the “folklore, customs and living skills” were taught to her by her mother, Tukpe-me.  She also attended the Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania for seven years and one of her accomplishments was becoming a pianist.  She was involved in other projects that promoted keeping the Nez Perce language and customs alive but is best known for her oral recordings that can be used by future generations.  When I clicked on the Ojibwe tribe, I expected to find Anton Treuer listed but I did not.  While this web page is active, it is no longer being updated so perhaps that is the reason.  

                                                                Elizabeth Wilson 

http://www.ipl.org/div/natam/bin/browse.pl/t60

http://lmtribune.com/feature/elizabeth-wilson-guardian-of-traditions/article_fdec24ff-3eeb-5b97-bc7b-9b08bc991bf3.html

https://www.google.com/search?q=Elizabeth+Wilson+native+american&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwil34Kmv4TNAhVIdT4KHRmYBqwQ_AUICCgC&biw=1024&bih=685#imgrc=mbzfJpe2YZexuM%3A

Mohawk Singing, Strawberry Festival, Language School, Chief Jake Swamp and the Wiping of the Tears

Hi Professor and Student Friends,
I'm really loving our 'Native Voices' theme right now.  This is partly because I am interested the languages that spring from the indigenous land I (and we all) live on.  How do the various American Indian language sounds and meanings reflect the wind in the trees, the sound of water, the spirit of the sky, the relationships between people?  

I am moved by Ojibwe writer Anton Treuer's telling of how English speaks of elders in terms of age, but in Ojibwe it's different. 'You don't have to tell Ojibwe speakers to respect their elders.  The respect is built right in with every word one would use to refer to them.  Even the gender-neutral term for elder in Ojibwe, gichiaya'aa, literally means 'great being' (Treuer, 85).'

I am also interested in the 'Native Voices' theme because I want to learn the songs that are meant to be shared for the healing of all nations, songs sung in languages rooted in the natural world and relationships of respect.

On this quest I have connected with Theresa Bear Fox, a singer of the Mohawk Nation.  She's co-organizing the Mohawk Strawberry Music Festival at the Kanatsiohareke Mohawk Community near Albany, NY.  This festival is open to the public; it would be wonderful for you all to come!  Theresa Bear Fox and many others will be singing there (link below). 

The late Mohawk Chief Jake Swamp shares part of the tender Wiping of the Tears Ceremony which helps release the grief that sticks in our throats and makes it hard to speak.  Once our grief has been cared for and our burdens released, we can speak again.  This Wiping of the Tears Ceremony is something the Mohawk people can lead to help clear the sorrow of what has happened over the last five hundred years.  Perhaps this will help open our voices to learn and speak the original languages again, too (link below...go to minute 48.31 when he comes on).

Anton Treuer appreciates European Americans showing respect for American Indians and sustaining American Indian culture through learning American Indian languages (Treuer, 160).  Toward this endeavor I found a Mohawk Language Summer Camp in our area.  Perhaps my son and I will go next year.  What a great way to learn the local language of the people and the land, and also to give financially to the first peoples here (link below).

Mohawk Strawberry Festival! http://www.mohawkcommunity.com/festival.html

Women's Power Song; Theresa Bear Fox is in the center.  They are singing in Mohawk.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m85N5CFvUMg 

Mohawk Chief Jake Swamp speaks on the Wiping of the Tears Ceremony.  Go to minute 48.31 when he comes on.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAlRwi9mnwA

Mohawk Language Summer Camp.  Open to all. 
http://www.mohawkcommunity.com/images/2016_Mohawk_Language_Camp.Flyer.pdf












 
  

The Oneida Nation

   As a white outsider, I often think that I am practicing reflexive techniques that allow me to see the world through the Native American lens…only to step back and realize that I need to keep myself in check.  I found this article concerning the controversy over the Washington Redskins’ namesake.  The Oneida Nation is leading the campaign to influence the NFL team to drop the “R” word, a name that tribe leader and CEO Ray Halbritter considers derogatory, perpetuating centuries of Native American discrimination and persecution.  The football team’s owner Dan Snyder hasn’t budged, citing a poll claiming that nine out of ten Native Americans do not find it offensive, and actually take pride in the name.  When I initially read the results of the poll, I thought “ok, great, Native Americans are not offended, and the name can be preserved.” After all, it’s not as bad as the “Saltine Warrior” of Syracuse University, the former mascot depicted by costumes worn by fraternity brothers, etc.  After all, the Washington helmet logo is kind of nice right…wrong!!!  Feelings of guilt quickly took over as I remembered almost picking the team as my favorite, years ago…the reason I didn’t was because I had reservations about the name!  As if some skewed poll cleared that guilt?  Then I thought, well what about the 10% of people that are offended by the name?  Isn’t that enough to change it? After all, isn’t that what racial stereotyping and discrimination is all about?  That’s right; it affects the minority, not the majority.
   The reality is that no matter how much tradition and nostalgia clouds perception, we must understand what’s in a name, so to speak.  However, I preface this by pointing out that the mere use of an ethnic group as a team mascot, by a dominant culture, is going to be perceived as derogatory, no matter how blatant or implied.  Historically, Redskin referred to bounty hunters  who “would murder Native people then rip the skin from their bodies in order to receive payment” (Change para 2).  “The dictionary defines as “an offensive term” and the U.S. Trademark and Patent Office has refused to grant trademarks to products bearing the R-Word calling it a ’a derogatory slang word’” (Change para 3).  Ray Halbritter’s website lists the many reasons for changing the name, including research conducted on the psychological effects of racial slurs.  After reading the website and related sources, I find the argument against Indian-related mascots compelling.
   Ray Halbritter is a success story in his own right, rising from the poverty and despair of the Oneida Reservation in Central New York.  He tells of the story of how his Aunt and Uncle died in a fire on the reservation in 1976.  Their trailer was ablaze, but despite repeated calls to the town fire department, they had orders from the mayor not to go.  Apparently relations between  the tribe and local officials had become intense resulting in orders to stay off Indian territory.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t until that fire, that the Department of Justice ordered the city of Oneida to provide emergency services to the tribe.  That experience inspired Halbritter to learn the ways of the white man to help his people, and earn degrees in business and law from Syracuse University and Harvard.  Then in 1993, he opened Turning Stone, which has grown from a Casino to a multi-million dollar resort.  He has led the Oneida Nation in various business ventures such as an animation company, the Indian  Country Today Media Network, and the chain of convenience stores called SaVon, which sell untaxed, Indian-made cigarettes.  As a leader of the Oneida Nation, Halbritter has been their savior, employing thousands of Indian and non-Indians, but he also runs a tight ship.  Payouts to tribal members are set at a certain amount so they will keep working, while the rest of the profits get reinvested into the Oneida Nation.  In fact, his integrity has been question by tribal members for dictator-like rule, and his appropriation of Oneida Nation funds.  Outsiders have questioned the fairness of the Oneida Empire’s right to tax-free status in respect to its many enterprises.  However, without knowing all details, it appears that his ways of leadership are for the better of the tribe, and the Oneida Nation did agree recently to pay New York State approximately $50 million a year.  Resolutions to land disputes are also included between the Oneida Nation and Madison and Oneida counties.  Since the Nonintercourse act of 1790, New York repeatedly violated its terms, which provides: 
“No sale of lands made by any Indians, or any nation or tribe of Indians within the United States, shall be valid to any person or persons, or to any state, whether having the right of pre-emption to such lands or not, unless the same shall be made and duly executed at some public treaty, held under the authority of the United States“ (Yale para 1).
The State of New York continued to purchase Indian Land, leaving the Oneida Nation virtually nothing compared to the six million acres it once occupied.  The Indian Removal act of 1830 led to half of the Oneida Nation to move to Wisconsin, while the rest stayed on reservations in New York.  Led by Halbritter, law suits were filed against New York to establish tribal sovereignty back to some 250,000 acres of land originally owned by the tribe.  Decades have past, with an agreement finally reached to cap 25,000 acres as the limit of land restored to tribal sovereignty.  The Oneida Nation has also agreed to charge sales tax equivalent to the current state rate on cigarettes and other goods. In exchange, New York has also agreed to preserve the Oneida casino monopoly in ten counties of central New York.  Governor Cuomo touted the multi-level agreement as “leveling the playing field.”  It’s hard to say who exactly benefited the most out of the agreement, however, I do find Halbritter’s work inspiring.  To take a tribe on the brink of despair to a revitalized powerhouse of a nation is nothing short of miraculous.



http://www.nyfedstatetribalcourtsforum.org/history.shtml
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/na024.asp
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/oneida-indian-nation-is-the-tiny-tribe-taking-on-the-nfl-and-dan-snyder-over-redskins-name/2013/11/16/10ef9290-4c88-11e3-be6b-d3d28122e6d4_story.html
http://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/02/nyregion/where-profit-tradition-mingle-oneida-nation-s-ceo-runs-new-york-s-first-indian.html?pagewanted=all
http://www.changethemascot.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/ChangeTheMascotFactSheet2016.pdf
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/new-poll-finds-9-in-10-native-americans-arent-offended-by-redskins-name/2016/05/18/3ea11cfa-161a-11e6-924d-838753295f9a_story.html
http://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-announces-landmark-agreement-between-state-oneida-nation-and-oneida-and-madison

M3 Post on Website Resources

I chose the United South and Eastern Tribes web site as a discussion topic for this blog. The USET is a 26 Tribal member organization dedicated to the protection of Native Tribes right to sovereignty with the motto “because there is strength in unity”. Posted on the site is a video that gives background history to not only USET but to the history of development of indigenous Native peoples within North America and the various members tribes that cover areas from Texas to Maine. (USET n.d.) The USET shows the continued ability of the Native Peoples to learn and adapt to the changes in political environments they were faced with from first contact, learn how those political systems work and intelligently fight for continued Native sovereignty within those political systems.

My mind is having difficulty grasping a group of peoples that developed in the Americas for 14,000-20,000 years and how these cultures were able to develop similar spiritual documentation of creation of such similarity among the various indigenous tribes. I think my difficulty may be due to my limited knowledge biased by atypical Christian teachings of a relatively shorter time span of 2000 years in comparison. I think there is a historical significance in the disparity of these varying time spans and the sustainability of the spiritual beliefs of the Native Peoples that I am just beginning to grasp and believe there may be a higher meaning to. Perhaps it is the peace and tranquility of opening one’s mind that all things are significant to life no matter how seemingly insignificant they may initially appear, at peace with things surrounded by. As I was writing this I let the USET video stream in the background, and listened, perhaps that may be best to read this post with also.

 

USET. United South and Eastern Tribes. n.d. http://www.usetinc.org/ (accessed May 28, 2016).

End of Module 2

Module 2

    I have always been interested in different facets of American history, after all this is where I was born and raised.  I have always been open to the facts, and will at least investigate if the facts state I should.  I am proud to be an American but we where not always peaceful but sometime ago we where conquers.  I guess in some ways not much has changed, we do have militaries all over the world but I will state for the most part it is to discourage violence, not enhance it.  We have learned so much about Indians and the different facets and tribes in this class it is truly amazing.  I just got done visiting Alabama a couple of summers ago.  I also just got done having a child, and this made me look at some recent family photos.  I know this seems to have nothing to do with this class but it got me thinking about what Indians lived in Alabama.  I went through (https://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/alabama-indian-tribes.htm) which states all different kinds of states and Indians that resided their.  This awesome article state "

Apalachicola Indians =
Very early this tribe lived on the Apalachicola and Chattahoochee Rivers, partly in Alabama. Sometime after 1715 they settled in Russell County, on the Chattahoochee River where they occupied at least two different sites before removing with the rest of the Creeks to the other side of the Mississippi.

Atasi Indians=
A division or subtribe of the Muskogee.

Chatot Indians=
This tribe settled near Mobile after having been driven from Florida and moved to Louisiana about the same time as the Apalachee."  These are only the top three Indian tribes, but I am just showing this example to promote and help any one trying to complete their final reflection project.  As we all have learned most Indian tribes enjoy song, lived of the land.   Some enjoyed the buffalo, while others tried to become "friends with the white man" but all in all I hope all of you are enjoying this class as much as I am.

Module 2

I visited the American Indian Civic project site which was set up to provide educators with a curriculum to teach about Native American History. The site had history lessons for grades k-12. The Curriculum guide was very useful to teachers because it had a step by step method in which the lesson can be taught. I immediately began to think that I would love to see this information in a textbook format.  We don’t have textbooks that strictly cover the Native American History/experience on a middle school, high School level.  I found this web resource holds reliable information about the different tribes. This is important because some of the ones that I searched may not have been factual because of the ability to add information by anyone. One of the publishers of information on this site is Dr Gayle Olson-Rayner, adjunct professor in HSU’s department and School of Education. Being an educational site for teachers the purpose is to provide factual information about historical information regarding economic, political and social ways of particular Native American societies. 

 The lessons also included what I thought were current events. What I was shocked to learn was the debate about using Native Americans as mascots went back to 1970. It has been at-least thirty-five years of disputes and what do we have? Well, Sports teams that proudly wear the mark of Native imagery and large mascots that run onto the floor at half-time.  It certainly adds to the stereotyping that is still present in today’s society. Let’s not revisit the days of offensive names that were called to various ethnicities. Oh, but wait… the Washington Redskins are still allowed to carry on as if their name has no offensive connotation.  

http://americanindiantah.com/lesson_plans/ml_mascots.html

The American Indian Cultural Center and Museum

I’ve only been to one museum in my life, but they still fascinate me. When I saw a link for an American Indian Center in Oklahoma, I got really excited. My family is from Oklahoma and the past few days I’ve been extensively researching my genealogy trying to find the link to our Indian heritage.

The web link took me to The American Indian Cultural Center and Museum run by the Native American Cultural and Educational Authority (NACEA). I was quickly upset to find the center never opened. Construction was suspended in 2012 due to funding.

The NACEA was created in 1994 by the Oklahoma Legislature. “The American Indian Culture Center and Museum (The Center) is one of four components that makes up the nearly 250 acre site on the Oklahoma River.” The other three are an Outdoor Cultural Park, a centralized visitor information center, and shopping and dining.

Despite its suspension, their website holds good information. The center’s mission statement: “To serve as a living center for cultural expression promoting awareness and understanding for people regarding Oklahoma American Indian cultures and heritage.” The site also has links to tribes throughout the U.S and Canada. They give contact information for each tribe. I followed the Cherokee link and went to Cherokee.org. Something I found that was really awesome is that they offer online language classes. They are open to anyone and are free.

It’s pretty upsetting that construction has halted on the center. It’s been four years and still no new news. The center would be such an important institute. I hope that the NACEA finds the funds to finish it.

http://www.theamericanindiancenter.org/

http://www.cherokee.org/Home.aspx

Here is a photo of the unfinished site.

Module 2 - Museum of the Southeast American Indian

Because I find value in visiting museums (but don’t get to them as much as I would like), I chose the online resource of the Museum of the Southeast American Indian.  This museum was formerly named the Native American Resource Center under the direction of the University of North Carolina Pembroke. The introductory page on the website explains that the museum can be described as a ”multi-faceted museum and resource for scholarly research and community outreach”.  Their mission is similar in nature to other organizations that work to ensure that artifacts are preserved and opportunities are provided for scholarly research and community involvement.  This particular resource is very effective because it provides links to materials that are visually pleasing such as the various art pieces which include masks, paintings and wood carving pieces. 

By far the most interesting thing I learned was regarding Indian involvement in dismantling a meeting of the Ku Klux Klan in Maxton, NC in 1958.  Despite the mayor’s attempts at preventing this gathering which was specifically aimed at the Indians, the members of the Ku Klux Klan gathered.  With support from members of the community, including the black community, they successfully ended the meeting without any record of injuries.  Curt Locklear, one of the members who attended said, “It was something that you would hope would never happen again.  It was nonsense, but uh, it was scary.” 

The final thing that I most enjoyed about this link is that there are several documentaries available for viewing as well as a news and announcements section which unfortunately didn’t have much listed since July of 2015 except they do list a conference that was held in April of 2016.  After viewing this site, I became curious as to where there would be an Indian museum near me and I found one that’s approximately two hours away and it is the Iroquois Indian Museum in Howes Cave, NY.  Howes Cave is also known for its famous underground caverns called Howe Caverns.  Here is a link to both:

http://www.iroquoismuseum.org/#!contact/c1cv9

https://howecaverns.com/

Now, who says New York State is boring?  

                                          Blacks and Indians fighting with the KKK

"The Singer", one of the masks located in the Museum.  I've never been a fan of masks but this one is interesting. 

http://www.uncp.edu/academics/opportunities-programs-resources/opportunities-programs/museum-southeast-american-indian

Tribes of the Northeast - The Canoe

Native Americans of the Northeast because very familiar with water, particularly how to use it to their own advantage. During times of war, Native American tribes would often flee to remote islands and prepare them for defense. Many tribes quickly learned how to fish, which obviously because a very valuable resource. Navigating on the many waterways the northeast was definitely a hassle, however, one particular invention greatly helped them navigate the waterways.

Birch trees were very common in the northeast, and the Native Americans realized that birch bark could be used to form strong and stable canoes. The wood of the birch tree was light – however – it proved to be extremely sturdy in rough waters. Native Americans discovered that the bark was water resistant, helping to repel water from entering the canoe. These canoes made from the birch tree were made for unique purposes. For example, many Native Americans to pride in fashioning their own individual canoe and using it only for him or her. There are also reports of Native Americans building birch bark canoes reaching an incredible 30 feet that could hold up to 50 individual paddlers. These new canoes quickly helped the Native American tribes travel great distances than they ever have before. The birch bark canoes could be used for exploring, hunting, fishing and for war campaigns.

 

Bibliography

http://www.warpaths2peacepipes.com/native-american-life/birch-bark-canoe.htm

 

 

Response to Wayne's post

Wayne,

  One has to look no further than Onondaga Lake in Syracuse, N.Y. to find a prime example of pristine and sacred lands ripped away from Native American Nations, and desecrated in return, only to be promised a fraction of it back after the carnage of environmental destruction has rendered it utterly useless.  It became known as the most polluted lake in the United States.  As the Onondaga Nation website states, “Centuries ago, the Peacemaker brought the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, and the Mohawk Nations together on the shores of Onondaga Lake.  At the lakeshore, these warring nations accepted the message of peace, laid down their arms, and formed the Haudenosaunee Confederacy - the first representative democracy in the West.  The lake became a sacred place, one that must be cared for and respected.  The Onondagas were good stewards of the lake, until New York, in defiance of federal law, took control of the lake, and its surrounding areas” (Para 2).  The lake was once rich in supply of fish such as Atlantic Salmon, Sturgeon and Eel.  The website goes on listing in great detail the various industry-dumped toxins in the lake and the algae blooms resulting from sewage with little or no treatment also released into the lake.  They also outline their plan for recovery, their philosophy and indigenous knowledge shining throughout.  In 2014, as reported in the New York Law Journal, the Onondaga Nation, represented by legal counsel Joe Heath,  filed a petition against the American Government with human rights violations for refusing to consider gross violations of treaty obligations under the 1794 Treaty of Canandaigua…for denial of justice in the federal courts and for environmental destruction of the original Onondaga lands and waters” (Para 1).
  In 2012, Honeywell began dredging of the lake, and competed the removal of 2.2 million cubic yards in 2014.  There was a big deal made about this, and now there is much press on the drastic improvement of the lake.  It has been opened for swimming and fishing, and an amphitheater has been built on top of a major toxic site on the shore of lake.  The Onondaga, however, think otherwise.  The reason is that the remediation program basically called for dredging a portion of the lake sediment, and capping of the rest, leaving toxic soil underneath to be dealt with once the caps fail in the future.  They point out the safety concerns of building an amphitheater directly on top of a contaminated superfund site.  The local government could care less, and has repeatedly brushed aside these concerns, contending that the remediation efforts are adequate.  The Onondaga Nation was actually promised property on the shores of the lake, but the county reneged on it, and said that they will give a different parcel (when they figure out which one)…but all of this is nothing new for the Onondaga Nation, as with most Tribes, they have been fighting for their rights ever since their first encounters with the White Man. 
  As far as sports mascots, Syracuse University had the “Saltine Warrior” for nearly fifty years from 1931 to 1978.  The legend was started in the campus magazine, and told of the remains of an Indian Warrior unearthed during an excavation one of the campus buildings.  The article claimed the site to be an ancient Native American dwelling where artifacts, arrowheads, etc. were found.  The story was believed as true from 1931 until 1976, when it was disproved.  Throughout that time, the Indian mascot was a tradition, with frat guys dressing up and running around during sports games.  Eventually, in 1978, the Onkwehonweneha Native American student group protested the mascot, because of its derogatory nature, ending its official use.
    


http://wrvo.org/post/onondaga-nation-expresses-environments-concerns-about-site-lakeview-amphitheater

http://www.npr.org/2012/07/31/157413747/americas-most-polluted-lake-finally-comes-clean

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2014/11/onondaga_nation_honeywell_onondaga_lake_cleanup_dec.html

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2016/05/county_well_give_onondaga_nation_a_different_shoreline_parcel_location_tbd.html

http://www.onondaganation.org/land-rights/onondaga-lake/
http://www.newyorklawjournal.com/id=1202754628225/US-Should-Honor-Onondaga-Treaty?slreturn=20160406233801

http://archives.syr.edu/history/mascots.html

http://syrguide.com/guide/2013/04/10/history-of-the-saltine-warrior/