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SMOKE SIGNAL NEWS Manataka - Preserving The Past Today For Tomorrow
April Issue Page 1 of 3
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Manataka American Indian Council Volume XIII Issue 04 April 2009
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SMOKE SIGNAL NEWS Manataka - Preserving The Past Today For Tomorrow
April Issue Page 1 of 3
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"It's time. If you are to walk the path of heart, then it is time..." --Nippawanock, Arapahoe
If not now, when? If not me, who? To walk the path of the heart is a great honor. Every human has the choice to walk this path, but very few will decide to make it. Why? Well, because you can't act and behave like everyone else behaves. You must be the person who will learn to look within. You must be the person who will be fully accountable for yourself. You must be the person who prays and meditates. You must be the person who will sacrifice. You must decide to be a Peaceful Warrior. What will you decide today?
Oh, Great Mystery, lead me on the path of the heart.
WANNA BECOME A MEMBER OF MANATAKA?
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO JOIN!
UPCOMING EVENTS
Manataka Event
The Sixth Sun Aztec Dancers and Grandfather Jorge Ortega will perform the sacred dances at Manataka (Hot Springs National Park, AR)
at 1 p.m. on June 20. Location to be announced. Free and open admission. Members and non-members and guests are welcome to respectfully join in prayerful ceremonies and witness the colorful and exciting ancient dance of the Aztec.
Announcements - Attention!
Native Youth Camp Needs Help
Each
year the Traditional Ecological Program (TEK) hosts two
Paiute Mountain School/Camps for children
ages of 8-15 in our Eastern Sierra Mountains.
The camps teach the youth leadership, environmental
education on land, water, plants and animals. Children are
taught family values, discuss teen pregnancy, alcohol and
drug abuse prevention. The kids have wholesome fun in
fishing, hiking, games, and other outdoor and indoor
activities. The camps focus on traditional ways and
science. The
Paiute Mountain School Camps aim to
make Mother Earth a better place.
Unfortunately, funding has been cut by 80% this year due to all the freezes in grants throughout the nation. They are asking for your help.
This is the only time during the year participants experience something positive in their lives, and many look forward to the summer for these camps.
Make a donation for our Native Youth Camps & Workshops. Please call us for more information (760) 937-3391 or (760) 873-3041
TEK PROGRAM
250 Bell St.
Reno, NV 89509
Visit our webiste at http://healingsyoti.com/native_youth_programs
Irma Nieves-West nievesyoti@yahoo.com
Please help!
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2009 CHEROKEE HERITAGE CALENDAR
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Welcoming Spring at the Place of Peace
If
I can be anywhere upon our Mother Earth at Sunrise during the Spring Equinox, I
will be on Goat Rock on the East side of Manataka Mountain above the Gulpha
Gorge campground. It has been a very long winter and I am ready to great the
Sun in it’s triumph. In the warmth of the embrace of Brother Sun, I know I can
accomplish the work Creator has given me to do.
Springtime on the sacred Manataka Mountain. The comforting aroma of the campfires in the Gorge as people waken to prepare the morning meal. The sense of the sacred everywhere is present. As we look forward to this annual renewal of our Mother Earth, we also look for renewal of spirit and vision for the coming season of abundance and growth. As with other cultures on Turtle Island and beyond, the Spring Equinox inspires us with joy and hope.
Astrologically, the Spring Equinox occurs on March 20th. At this time the Light is ready to triumph over the darkness of the winter and day and night stand equal. On March 21st, our Brother, the Sun, will be in triumph as the day now outlasts the night. From that time until the Autumn Equinox, the Sun reigns supreme.
People have celebrated this astrological event from pre-history and into the present day. First Nations people created many stone structures which are still standing in North America that mark the timing for the Equinoxes and the Solstices.
In Vermont, a natural amphitheater occupying about 20 acres has been named Calendar One. A stone structure was erected in the center from which one can see where the positions of the Sun during the Equinoxes and Solstices were marked on the edges of the bowl of the amphitheater with vertical rocks.
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Free Online Lessons on the Medicine Way Eight lessons plus a glossary, bibliographic notes and more. [Editor's Note: This is the first installment of ten monthly installments of the book entitled, "The Shores Within" that will cover the entire book from April to December 2009. Each chapter contains links to the Glossary that provided definitions to various Medicine Way terminology.
The Shores Within originally copyrighted © 1999 Living With Me Surrounded By You. Cover Design by Wendy "Sunshine" Slee. Author’s photo by Steve Moeller. |
The
Shores Within
By Boe Glasschild
& Laughing Dog Red Feather
ISBN 0-9721943-1-2
The Medicine Way has been exclusively an oral tradition for centuries. Now, Choctaw Spiritual Elder Boe Many Knives Glasschild, Bvshpo Lawa, puts these teachings in writing for all to read and understand.
"In the last few decades, formerly secret teachings (the Mystery Schools) of many different spiritual disciplines worldwide have been made available to the public. Some see this as a sign of the natural maturing of humanity, such that many more of us can qualify to make good use of these teachings; others see it as a desperate attempt in desperate times to recruit more of humanity into these higher states of awareness..." ~Pamela Jaye Smith ~ Author of Inner Drives:
…About the author…
My
name is Boe Glasschild. I am of Choctaw and African heritage. I am a tribal
member of
the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, a member of the Manataka American Indian Council
and president of ANASCA (The Alliance of Native
Americans of Southern California). I formerly lived in McCool, Mississippi
and I
presently reside
in Flint, Michigan, living my daily life in acknowledgement of these first Nations’ ancestors.
The Shores Within
is a book on shamanism and self-discovery. It contains stories, meditations, and the dialogue of Laughing-Dog-Red-Feather, a teacher of Spirit. This book has power – it can help us find the magic of Great Spirit in our lives again, it can move us into the space of being the magic, and it can strengthen our spiritual muscles as we rewrite our books of life. The power of these teachings is relative to the reader. I have created this piece of literature based on my life as a shaman.
The stories call attention to the magical moments in our daily life. The dialogue of healing reawakens our inner child to the call of adventure, a letting go of the "normal" for the non-ordinary. The meditations open our pathways to new perceptions as we learn to gather information in nontraditional methods. We have so much potential, yet we miss these moments as we have made the choice not to see these things. Now we change.
READ MORE... Preface and Forethought
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RED
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Fringe Bags |
Totem Necklaces |
Pipe Bags |
Beautifully Handcrafted Jewelry |
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Great prices - Wonderful Craftsmanship
- Special Orders Accepted -
Toxic Dryer Sheets
I
received a story about how dryer sheets leave a residue on your dryer
lint filter and potentially cause fires in your dryer. The story goes on
to say how one should clean the filter with soap and water every 6
months to get the dryer sheet residue off.
I'd recommend something else entirely: stop using dryer sheets! They
contain toxic chemicals that coat your clothes. I received the following
ASK UMBRA article about dryer sheets. Read on:
"You've been programmed to use them since the day your parents forced you to start doing your own laundry. Put the clothes in the dryer, then toss in one of those springtime-fresh fabric sheets to make them come out all soft and static-free. Sounds so cuddly! But you're actually coating your clothes in a chemical cocktail, says advice maven Umbra Fisk, who suggests some alternatives."
"...the contents of mainstream dryer sheets can indeed be rather toxic. Unfortunately, we don't actually know everything that's in them, since the contents are treated as trade secrets by the manufacturers. But a few ingredients that have been identified in some formulations are benzyl acetate, limonene, and chloroform. Individually, these chemicals have been linked to cancer, and it's not likely they've been studied much in combination.
...The good news is that dryer sheets and their cousins, fabric softeners, are not at all necessary.
No Need for Fabric Softener or Dryer Sheets!
Maggie's SOAP NUTS
A Great NEW Gift IDEA for the Holidays
THE SOAP THAT GROWS ON TREESTM
No offense intended for any individuals or tribes.
Anglos have BC and AD to measure time. American Indians have the four BC's
| Before Columbus |
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Before Custer |
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Before Costner |
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Before Commodities |
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Indian Commodities are white flour, white sugar, white salt and white rice. All four look alike, are bleached and bad for Indians. |
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The Differences
Between Power and Force
Today, we are all experiencing trying times. Have you felt powerless to do what you know you should be able to do? I have experienced that feeling at times. Let me explain the proper use of the words, and then we can see how to always keep our power to do what we need to do. Some people use the words power and force as if they are interchangeable, but they are not. Actually, force is the result of power.
Thoughts hold power but create no motion until we choose to act on the thought. Force is created by motion once we choose to act.
Using force to take action requires a justification (thought) for that action. Often, that justification is negative and not best for all people. We can see this in big business and in the Government.
A good example would be the story of England’s King Richard, The Lion Hearted. His religious belief was that he could justify raising a large army to go to the Holy Land and defeat the non-believers and free the land for the Christians. His justification to do this came from his church’s interpretation of the Bible. The thought (belief) was his power, and his action was his force. I believe the thought (power) was misguided because the interpretation was self-serving. This led to his action (force) being self-serving. A person not of his religious belief would not see the action or force as properly justified.
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Lots More Videos - DVD and VHS - Fast Delivery |
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GRANDFATHER
SEVEN HAWK EYES SPEAKS
Are You At Risk For A Stroke?
(Springfield, IL March 5, 2009) - I awoke with a tingling in my right arm. It kind of felt like I might have slept on the arm the wrong way. The tingling went away after I sat and relaxed. Later I got out of my recliner and walked into the kitchen and the feeling came back again. I was not too concerned until the tingling traveled to my right lower leg. It was at this time I called my doctor. I explained the symptoms to him and he immediately told me to get to the hospital. “It sounds like you are having a Transient Ischemic Attack.” TIA is one of the many types of strokes.
I
arrived at the hospital and after telling the emergency personal that I was
possibly having a TIA the nurse immediately got me into a room where three
additional nurses began to check my vital signs and started treatment. I was
administered several types of medication. A doctor came in and began to ask
questions. Blood pressure and other vital signs told the doctor that he needed
to run tests. I was administered a CAT Scan and told that I would have to spend
the night for additional tests to be done in the morning.
Rather then waiting for the next day a neurologist ordered a MRI so he could see if he could find anything. At about 3:00 a.m. Friday morning I was able to get to sleep. At about 9:00 a.m. the neurologist advised that he had found the problem. “You are a very lucky person.” He told me. “You have a very small even tiny, tiny blockage in the part of the brain that supplies blood to the right side of the body.” He said I needed more exercise and to stay away from ‘fatty foods.’ I was given a prescription for ‘Lipitor’ for my Cholesterol and a blood thinner called ‘Plavix.’ All in all, I was very fortunate to have such good treatment. I wanted to share this with everyone, if you even suspect something wrong, something you have never felt before, seek medical help right away it could save your life or perhaps keep you from being crippled up for the rest of your life.
I will return to my regular Smoke Signal Article next month. I just thought this was important. Be Blessed and take care of yourself.
~Hawk With Seven Eyes
[We at Manataka are most grateful to the Creator for allowing our blessed elder and friend to quickly seek medical attention at the first sign of a stroke. We are thankful for the professional staff and doctors who reacted promptly. We are thankful that Daniel Hawk With Seven Eyes' first reaction after receiving medical help was to think of others by writing this story about his experience. ~Editor]
Going Green on a Budget
With all of the concerns about today’s economy, some people may assume that
actions we can take to reduce our global warming pollution will be too
expensive. Yet, some of the most significant actions can also help you save
money. Here are a few examples:
Travel options. A couple traveling by motor coach
(or bus) can cut their carbon emissions in half compared with
driving, and as much as 75 percent compared with flying, depending
on the distance traveled. It’s also one of the least expensive
transportation options—some bus companies offer fares on new motor
coaches for as low as one dollar each way.
Your car/truck
Home appliances
Food choices
On Cold Winter Nights Snuggle Up with These Great Indian Movies
State Recognition of The Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas
March 18, 2009
Representatives, members, and supporters of the Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas entered and assembled at 8:00 am. At 9:30 am, they were escorted to the gallery of the Texas House of Representatives. The House came to session at 10:00 am. At approximately 10:26 am, House of Representative HR 812 bill, recognizing the Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas, was introduced by Representative Todd Hunter, Republican State Representative from District 32. Bill HR 812 is a resolution to acknowledge the Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas as a recognized Native American tribe. The 150 to 200 Lipan Apache and supporters gathered in the gallery cheered...
By Del Quentin Wilber, Washington Post Staff Writer
A lawsuit over billions of dollars in royalties collected from oil and gas companies that leased Native American land has meandered through the court system for so long that a federal judge recently compared the case to Charles Dickens's "Bleak House," a tome about a long-running and convoluted legal dispute.
The 'suit has, in course of time, become so complicated' that 'no two lawyers can talk about it for five minutes without coming to a total disagreement as to all the premises,' " U.S. District Judge James Robertson wrote in a long January opinion, using Dickens's words to describe the 12-year odyssey of Cobell v. Kempthorne.
On Monday, Robertson began overseeing what is expected to be a two-week-long bench trial in a contentious saga that has seen numerous legal twists and political turns worthy of Dickens.
Robertson is hoping to answer the last key question in the legal battle: How much money, if any, is owed to hundreds of thousands of Native Americans who sued over alleged improper management of the gas and oil royalties by the Interior Department over the last 121 years? The plaintiffs are seeking at least $58 billion, according to court records.
TEACHING ABOUT AMERICAN INDIANS
Teaching Resources for Educators
Here are resources if you've ever wanted classroom-teaching activities on
American Indians beyond the Thanksgiving holiday or the history of American
Indian Education or best teaching practices addressing American Indian learners.
Resources include books, magazines, articles, bibliographies, maps, etc.
Although often times there is overlap, these resources are organized in four
categories:
Teaching About American Indians
Culturally Responsive Pedagogy for American Indian Learners
Researching American Indian Education
Other Resources
Abundance is mine
A Holy man was having a conversation with the Creator one day and said,
"Creator, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like."
The Spirit of the Creator led the holy man to two lodges. The Spirit of the Creator opened one of the doors and the Holy man looked in. In the middle of the lodge was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the Holy man's mouth water. The people sitting around the pot were thin and sickly. They appeared to be starving. They were holding buffalo horn spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful. But because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths.
The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering. Spirit
of the Creator said, "You have seen Hell."
They went to the next lodge and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the
first one. There was the large pot of stew which made the Holy man's mouth
water. The people had the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were
well nourished and fat, they were laughing and talking.
The Holy man said, "I don't understand."
"It is simple," said Spirit of the Creator, "It requires but one skill.
You see those people have not learned to feed each other while the people have
been sharing and helping each other for many years. Those people are greedy and
will not survive what is to come. They think only of themselves not others. The
People have learned to look around and see understand that if we are all not
being fed then we will all starve. You may not feel you have much to offer but
there are many ways of helping that are not of the material but of the spirit.
Our spirit and soul also need to be fed and we need to be aware at all times of
this."
There are many who are in hunger these days the suffer from neglect of the spirit, and Soul as well as the body and the mind. Do not wait to be ask for help but quietly and in a good way help others in your life or your neighborhood. You will be surprised how one small act of kindness can change a persons life for ever. Offer your help without thought of repayment give of what you have you will be provided for.
"Abundance is mine" said Creator, "and who ever gives from the heart shall be
refilled again."
Submitted by Nupah Makah - L. Cota in honor of the Link Center Foundation who
works on South Dakota reservations.
Link Center Foundation
P.O. Box 576 - Firestone, CO 80520
303-833-6520 - Toll Free Phone: 888-220-1653
admin@linkcenterfoundation.org
www.linkcenterfoundation.org
| NEW ARTICLES IN MARCH 2009 | ||
| Oppose the USDA's Mandatory Property and Animal Surveillance Program | Animal Rights | |
| What Is Happening To Mother Earth? by Hawk Hoffman | Elders Speak | |
| Spinners and Weavers by Waynonaha | Elders Speak | |
| The New Shield by Magdala Rameriz | Elders Speak | |
| Magic of Words - Part II by Robert Gray Hawk Coke | Elders Speak | |
| Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products! | Environment | |
| Australian Manataka Gathering | Feature Story | |
| Indian according to the B.I.A. | Feature Story | |
| Fluoride Spots Harm Kids’ Self-Esteem | Health Watch | |
| How to Reinterpret Your Body | Health Watch | |
| Medicine for the People - Solomon's Seal - Jim McDonald | Herbal Medicine | |
| Turtle Island: The Original Name for North America | History | |
| Power of the Plant by Gerardo Atkinson | Legends | |
| Pauline Whitesinger Continues to Defy Bureau of Indian Affairs | Sacred Sites | |
| Indian Disenrollments, a Nationwide Issue | Tribes and Nations | |
| Indian Women's Group Seeks Solidarity | Women's Council | |
| Cheap Eats: How to Find Healthy Food | Women's Council | |
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©2009 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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