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Manataka American Indian Council Volume XIII Issue 09 SEPTEMBER 2009
SMOKE SIGNAL NEWS
Page 2 of 3 Pages
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Contents of Page 2 |
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| Legends of Old: | First Contact with Europeans | |
| Feature Story 3: | Sovereignty Is an Asset | |
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Letters to the Editor: |
Fort Ancient, Cherokee, Ceremony Money | |
| Organic Consumers: | Meat Eating is 'Huge Contributor' to Climate Change | |
| Elder's Meditations: | Audrey Shenandoah, Onondaga | |
| Plant Medicine: | Native American Healer | |
| Fluoride: | Dog Food Contaminated! | |
| Animal Rights and Wrongs: | A | The Thrill of the Kill: Captive Hunts |
| Sacred Sites: | The Meadowcroft Rockshelter | |
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Manataka
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First Contact with Europeans Cherokee Story
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Sovereignty Is an AssetSherry Salway Black (Oglala Lakota), Board Member, First Nations Development Institute
Native nations are discovering solutions to such problems. We are asserting control over land functions previously controlled by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. We are imposing regulations over lands we do own. We are using geographic information systems to track land ownership. Some tribes are even beginning to purchase back lands that have gone out of Native ownership in order to reconsolidate their holdings. These strategies restore this critical asset into our control.
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Manataka receives dozens of letters each week. Space does not allow us to publish all letters but we make a concerted effort to print letters that are representative of a majority. Let us know if there is a topic you feel needs to be addressed.
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Fort Ancient Update
Halito Everyone:
I wanted to update you on what is happening at Fort Ancient. All is not as good as we thought. We had a meeting at Fort Ancient and met the new managers. They made it clear that their specialty is archeology and that is what they intend at the site. There were many Native people there. The meeting was held in a fairly large room which was filled and the crowd spilled out into the lobby area. About 80% were Native. The good news is that they are going to open for more days and longer hours and reduce the admission fee. The bad news is that their primary interest is archeology. They found a Ceremonial Circle 200 feet in diameter. It was surrounded by posts. In the center of the Circle is red earth which was taken from another location. Now of course the Circle is very Sacred to Native people and this clearly has great significance. Around the red earth at the center of the Circle, in a trough 18 inches deep they found artifacts of various kinds, pottery, etc. They removed the red earth and the artifacts. They will not return the artifacts to the location. This completely despoils the Spiritual integrity of the Circle. Those items clearly were placed there as offerings or to prepare a Spiritual seal around the center of the Circle. Native people recognize that the center of the Circle is the most powerful point on the Circle. It is the place of balance. This is very upsetting and they are telling us those artifacts will never be returned. At the meeting, we told them that Fort Ancient is church. One person told them that if Fort Ancient was Catholic it would be Rome. They agreed that Fort Ancient is one of the most significant Native locations in the US. If we went into a Catholic church and took out the wafers, the wine, all of the crosses, and the chalices, and put them in a building to examine them as curiosities of the White man's civilization, we would go to prison. I really don't know what to do. If we create too much trouble, then the Dayton museum will simply go away and Fort Ancient will be at risk again. I thought we might see if we can't get some of this covered in some Native publications. ~Richard "Thunder Wolf" Wilson
Manataka, I just came back
from Fort Ancient today. The place is going to be kept open
through the help of the Dayton Historical Society. They
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$$$ Sacred Ceremonies For A Price $$$ Dear Manataka:
Thank you and well said! In
my travels as a native musician, I see a lot of this disrespectful
act going on too much. I urge people to have faith and develop a
close relationship with your God/Creator. Please don't use native
spirituality as your answer to your problems, try using your faith
and prayer to your God/Creator. Worship however you choose, just
beware of any human being who claims he or she can heal you, only
God/Creator can do that, and he's never asked me for money, yet
through my faith and prayer, he has given me a new lease on life. I
urge anyone who has ever paid for ceremony to consider what the
results were, did it heal you? Probably not. Plastic medicine men,
just another way for wannabees to make money from uninformed
suckers, stealing from the real indigenous peoples. Bottom line,
faith and prayer, not money and lies. ~With Respect, Mike Serna
(Mescalero Apache/Gabrileno) |
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Sacred Ceremonies Dear Editor:
Thank you for including in your newsletter, the article of "Sacred Ceremonies for a Price?"!! Some may never quite 'get it' but that's only because their minds are not on the sacred but on another plane altogether. ~Xielolixii, Chief, Salina-Chumash Nation, CA
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Sacred Ceremonies For A Price on 09-09-09 Dear Manataka, ,
I sent a message to you a couple
weeks ago, it was a question about the intentions of the publication and more
specifically about the articles relating to the crystal activation date 9-9-09.
Something was telling me something is not right with this. I may have no right
to say this, since I am not Native American, I know very little about the
organization, am not planning on attending the event, and many other reasons. I
feel a great need to speak about what I have finally figured out about my
feelings on this. I am trusting my instincts on this, and I hope that someone
else may as well. I hope that you hear what I have to say, for the good of the world. This indeed is an important event for the world, and I believe that the intentions of those participating will be the driving force behind the changes to take place. I read an article "Sacred Ceremonies for a Price?" in your newsletter about charging money for the services of healing and ceremony. The elder who was withdrawn is correct, the event organizer is completely wrong. I urge that the words of this elder be taken to heart and the event changed for the sake of our Mother and the good of humanity. This should be handled with love and purity of heart not tainted with the greed money brings, and the confused energies of those who trade the services of any God or Goddess for money. This will only advance the purposes of greed and corruption.
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Thank you for the Summer Gathering Hello Manataka!
Oh how much I enjoy reading the beautiful teachings of Magdala. I can't even imagine this wonderful world she speaks of as it has only existed in my dreams. I feel it is very important to teach the children about what is to come for it is their generation that will be living this dream and bringing it to reality. I would also like to thank Magdala for taking the time to speak with my daughter and niece when we visited Hot Springs. Thanks to the Manataka Elders for the warm welcome, wonderful meal, the singing of Morning Star whose voice surely lifted all our spirits as she always does with her drumming and singing. And, what can you say about the Sixth Sun Aztec Dancers but Wow!. They were absolutely wonderful. I am so thankful that my thirteen year old niece got to meet Grandma Dottie, Lloyd, and all of my Manataka family. Thank you! I love all of you and am looking forward to being with all of you again. ~Donna Lee, AR |
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Looking for Yaqui Dear Editor:
I just read "A short History of the Yaqui Indians" and wow!!!! Thank you for offering that. I am very hungry to find my Yaqui heritage. My grandmother was Yaqui she lived and grew up in Sonora, Mexico her father moved his family to Arizona. I was hoping someone can help me start my quest as I want to get some history on my family. Thank you. ~ Lisa Nassar
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Cherokee Nation Declares War on Cherokees My Brothers and Sisters,
Many of our people have read, and some have signed, your petition to stop this insanity of discrimination as proposed by Chad Smith and the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. I wanted to take this opportunity to congratulate you for this action that you are pursuing. Also, I want to explain something that we are considering: We may also post a very similar petition in the same place. Our logic is this, though we will no doubt end up with the same Total signatures on both our petitions, we felt it might improve the chances of actually being looked at by those in Washington, DC if they saw more Nations and/or Tribes being represented. We by no means wish you to feel that we are encroaching or being disrespectful to your honored group. Our people wish to honor your efforts by mirroring them. In effect, we add our names to your petition but are adding our “Nation” to the battle as well. We have not yet created the petition and I await your respected opinion of our proposal. ~Dave Fallis, Vice-Chief, Southern Cherokee Nation of Kentucky
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Cherokee Nation Declares War On
Its Own Blood!
O’Siyo My Brothers and Sisters, My
name is Chief Marvin Walking Bear Tucker. Some
of you know me, some of you do not and some of
you could care less who I am.
We held a Chiefs
Meeting in Winston Salem NC on July 10th-12th to
discuss what we can do to stop the Cherokee
Nation of OK (CNO) and the Eastern Band of
Cherokee from doing what they are doing to their
own blood.
There were several Chiefs from all over the USA
there who signed the Peace Treaty. We
invite you to join in the Coalition. If you care
about the rights of your people then this is the
time to speak up. There is power in numbers.
Together we stand, divided we fall and I don't
want to fall any further. If
the CNO and Eastern Band do not want to except
members then why do they not just close
enrollment? and I must assume that out of the 5
tribes that were denied recognition in
Tennessee, that only 1 was native American,
sorry that does not work out. So out of the 4
tribes deleted there were no native Americans.
I also think that these two groups need to
remember who walked that trail, I will bet my
best hunting knife that they were not all
Cherokee. So now you be the judge, should these
groups of individuals, this corporation (CNO) or
the Eastern Band have the right to judge what is I
know you have heard about what the CNO is doing.
If you haven’t heard then this is what they
intend to do in congress. The are representing
themselves as the only Cherokee People in this
country, and they want the Congress of The
United States to make it a law. They want to
make it unlawful to call yourself Cherokee if
you don’t live on the reservation. They are
stating that the only Cherokee People in this
country are the ones that are listed on the
Dawes Roll and only if you live on the
reservation can you claim the bloodline. To me
this is the same thing Hitler wanted to do with
the world. Hitler wanted only blue eyed, blond
hair and fair skin people to live on this earth.
Well
The CNO has started something that I don’t think
they considered. They have declared war against
their own blood Brothers and Sisters that out
number them by several million. Now that isn’t
very good planning on their part. They have
awakened a sleeping giant that will not stand
for being bullied around anymore. I am
here to talk about something very important to
all of us. In the past we have been standing
alone against our Enemy’s and getting no where
fast. I am here to talk to you about bringing
the Gathering together of all Cherokee Nations
into one Nation. Now is the time to make the
prophesy come true. We have to stand together if
we are to survive. No one can stand in the way
of a Cherokee Tribe that is 2 million strong,
not even the great CNO. In my
opinion this is the only way we can live in the
Cherokee way. By signing a peace treaty with all
Cherokee people and agreeing to work together to
stop the ones that would like to see our way of
life die. There is power in numbers if we want
to stay who we are (and we are the Principal
People) We are the Cherokee people and if
I have to go to the end of my days fighting
alone I will do so. No one Tribal Council can
take that away from us, unless we stand by and
do nothing. Now,
Chief Jim Wilson and I have been working on this
for several months and all we need is for you,
as (Honorable Chiefs and Elders) to come to an
agreement here and join with us as one Nation,
The United Cherokee People of America coalition.
If
you would like to be a part of the effort please
get in touch with me at any time. Chief
Marvin "Walking Bear" Tucker, Principal Chief
The United Cherokee People,
drumkeeper@earthlink.net
www.theunitedcherokeepeople.com |
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Readin' The Smoke Signal Dear Manataka,
Glad to get your newsletter great stuff cannot find other places thanks again. ~Tony Carangio, FL
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Squamish Squabbles Hello Manataka,
Hello everybody, I would like to get some form of
relief as my roof leaks like a tap and I would like to get
renovation funding or be allocated a house as you know Squamish
nation is allocating housing to people who do not live in
Squamish and allocating members from the United States of
America and we as the people do not want them in our back yards,
we also have to sit and watch the chief and council let the USA
and Vancouver Island vote for business that the Chief and
council are selling our lands out and leasing lands and buying
lands without Squamish nation band members knowing how they are
doing the business with government and others., and we do not
think that is fair. We want our homes first and do not want out
of towns in our backyards in the Wa Wai Kum Reserve in
Brackendale and surrounding areas. And we also want our fishing
grounds back as you know councilors have sold our fishing
grounds out to white people and have it blocked off ! We want
business to be fair and councilors and the Chief are not acting
on behalf of our people, and not telling the people what's
happening! Do something about them being unfair. Stop
selling us out! ~Diana Billy, Canada |
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Native Culture is the Solution Dear Manataka:
I think it is time that native people became more active in advocating more human and civil rights for Indian country. They need to become pro-active of setting more realistic goals to resolve the issues of unemployment and poverty within Indian Country. Native People must be empowered to become political strong within mainstream culture. Our Native Spirituality and Culture, is of the Creator's plan and design. We Indian Country are preparing for Creator's World Renewal Medicine. As Robbie Robertson says in his song: 'The Ghost Dance' " You can kill my body." " You can dam my soul." " But you don't stand a chance against my love." " And you don't stand a chance against my prayers." We believe Native Culture is Native Prevention, and Native Culture is the solution to all challenges of Indian Country today! ~ Mike Raccoon Eyes McKinney, CA
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Hey!
Get on the ball!
Sign me!
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The Manataka American Indian Council supports:
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"May there be peace when we meet." --Audrey Shenandoah, Onondaga
The Elders tell us the greatest gift we can seek is peace of mind; to walk in balance, to respect all things. For us to do this, we must have peace within ourselves and peace within ourselves cannot come unless we are walking the path the Creator would have us walk. Sometimes the tests on this path are difficult, but we know that each test makes us stronger.
Oh Great Spirit, I ask You to whisper Your wisdom in my heart.
You are the only one who knows the secret to peaceful living and the mystery of harmony.
Teach me of Your peace, understanding and balance, and guide me onto your good path
http://www.whitebison.org/meditation/index.php
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WASHINGTON, June 26 (AScribe Newswire) -- Eight of 10 dog food brands tested by an independent laboratory commissioned by Environmental Working Group (EWG) contain fluoride in amounts up to 2.5 times higher than the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) national drinking water standard.
Study: http://www.ewg.org/pethealth/report/fluoride-in-dog-food
The eight dog foods, all of them major national brands, were found to contain significantly more fluoride than levels implicated by a 2006 Harvard study in bone cancer in young boys.
In all eight cases, the likely sources of excess fluoride were bone meal and animal byproducts.
"Due to a failed regulatory system and suspect practices by some in the pet food industry, countless dogs may be ingesting excessive fluoride that could put them at risk," Olga Naidenko, Ph.D, lead researcher of the EWG-sponsored study, said.
Moreover, Naidenko said, the fact so many popular national pet food brands contain previously undetected health hazards is one more symptom of the federal food safety system's overall laxity.
No offense intended for any individuals or tribes.
Indian Speeding
One Sunday, sitting on the side of the highway waiting to catch speeding drivers, a State Police Officer sees a car puttering along at 22 MPH.
He thinks to himself,
"This driver is just as dangerous as a speeder!" So he turns on his lights and
pulls the driver over.
Approaching the car, he notices that there are five little old Indian ladies -
two in the front seat and three in the back - wide eyed and white as ghosts. The
driver, obviously confused, says to him, "Officer, I don't understand, I was
doing exactly the speed limit! I always go exactly the speed limit. What seems
to be the problem?"
"Ma'am," the officer replies, "you weren't speeding, but you should know that
driving slower than the speed limit can also be a danger to other drivers."
"Slower than the speed limit? No sir, I was doing the speed limit exactly!
Twenty-two miles an hour!" the old Indian woman says a bit proudly.
The State Police officer, trying to contain a chuckle explains to her that "22"
was the route number, not the speed limit.
A bit embarrassed, the woman grinned and thanked the officer for pointing out
her error.
"But before I let you go, Ma'am, I have to ask . . . Is everyone in this car
OK? These women seem awfully shaken and they haven't muttered a single peep this
whole time," the officer asks with concern.
"Oh, they'll be all right, officer. We just got off Route 110."
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The Thrill of the Kill: Captive Hunts
What are captive hunts? Captive hunting operations—also referred to as "shooting preserves," "canned hunts" or "game ranches"—are private trophy hunting facilities that offer their customers the opportunity to kill exotic and native animals trapped within enclosures. Some facilities have even allowed their clients to kill animals remotely via the Internet.
Who are the victims? The animals killed in captive hunts may come from private breeders, animal dealers, circuses or even zoos. These animals are frequently hand raised and bottle fed, so they have lost their natural fear of people. In many facilities, the animals expect to be fed at regular times by familiar people—and the shooters will be there waiting for them.
Semi-tame animals make easy targets, so captive hunt operators can offer their customers a guarantee of "no kill, no pay." The animals are guaranteed something as well—that there will be no escape.
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See an amazing film about Austrailia's Aboriginal peoples.
Traditional Whale Dreamers http://www.whaledreamers.com
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It is implied but unstated in the
article below that once again this blows apart the Bering Strait
hypothesis, promoted by Euro archaeologists, which claims
humanity came into the Americas about 11,000 years ago over a
former land bridge called the Bering Strait into what is now
Alaska. If this were the case, then the most ancient sites would
be found in Alaska and the Yukon, with relatively newer ones
found at increasingly greater distances there from. But ancient
sites have been found all over the Americas, with no clear
spread of humanity from one region outward. Moreover, most
Onkwehonwe, Original People, have very different stories as to
their origins, and, as archeo-historians know, memorized and
ritualized oral history remains intact for extremely long
periods of time. ~From Distant Eagle
In
between the two fire rings? The oldest site of human habitation
in North America, at least 16,000 years old. That's the
surprise of Pennsylvania's Meadowcroft Rockshelter, an inviting
sandstone overhang in a tributary valley of the Ohio River
that's been welcoming fishers, hunters and travelers since the
Paleo-Indians. The site in Avella, 30 miles southwest of
Pittsburgh, is now a National Historic Landmark, set amid
towering sycamore and pawpaw trees. Its 52 carbon dates, in
almost perfect stratigraphic order, reflect a continuous human
record for 16,000-plus years. |
SOUNDS OF MANATAKA
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Disclaimer, Trademark and Copyright Information
©2008 ManatakaTM American Indian Council. The word "Manataka" is a registered trademark exclusively owned by the Manataka American Indian Council. Use of this trademark without the expressed written permission of MAIC is prohibited and violators will be prosecuted. 15 U.S.C. Section 1051(a), (b). The Smoke Signal News is copyrighted in its entirety and no reproduction, republishing, copying, or distribution is permitted without the expressed written permission of MAIC is strictly prohibited and violations will be prosecuted.
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The
first recorded European contact with the Cherokee was Hernando De Soto's
expedition of 1540. Records of the expedition refer to the tribe as "Chalaque",
probably from the Mobilian trade language (a corrupted Choctaw jargon used by
the tribes of the Southeast), probably meaning "cave people".
Successful
economic development in Indian Country is occurring as
Native nations and individuals assert control over that
development. In the past, Native economic development
was driven from the outside. Tribes didn’t control their
economic development; they rarely even controlled their
own assets. In the past, strategies of economic
development—strategies imposed by outsiders—focused on
employment opportunities and income generation. While
these strategies have a place, current asset-based
strategies are succeeding because they are
Native-controlled strategies that generate wealth. As
Native nations and individuals control and build their
assets, they generate the jobs and incomes that sustain
Native economies.
Native
nations are increasingly asserting such control. Tribes
own many assets—land, natural resources, financial
resources, and institutions—and are controlling these
assets. Asserting control over assets, however, can be
complicated. Consider land. Many of our reservations are
fractionated. Native owned and non-Native owned lands
are intermingled within reservation borders. How can we
use our land for purposes of economic development or
protect it environmentally when our ownership is
fractionated? 
Quote of the Month
The
emperor of natural foods, Whole Foods Market (WFM),
has no clothes. Throughout the 2009 summer
months, OCA has been alerting organic consumers
to the troubling fact that the overwhelming
majority of grocery items (approximately 2/3)
sold by WFM, even their private label "365"
brand, are not certified organic, but rather
so-called "natural" products that are typically
just conventional products in disguise. After
being defensive and unresponsive at first
(basically saying "we sell more" organic food
than any other retailer), and after putting
pressure on OCA's advertisers to stop supporting
us, WFM seems to finally be "seeing the light."
Last
week, the Washington Post summarized a
number of recent reports indicating that one
of the best things you can do to reduce your
carbon footprint or greenhouse gas pollution
is to reduce your meat consumption. Here are
some quick highlights:
Beer
cans crumpled round a dead campfire, signs of late-night
partying scorched into the sandstone. In a cutaway 15 feet below
the modern fire circle, there's more charred stone, flecked with
the shells of Ohio River mussels and the bones of passenger
pigeons — both long extinct.