Manataka American Indian Council Volume XII Issue 9
SEPTEMBER 2008
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 SMOKE
SIGNAL
NEWS
Manataka
- Preserving The Past Today
For
Tomorrow
SEPTEMBER ISSUE
Page 2 of 3
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LEGENDS OF OLD:
Raccoon and the Waterfall
Alban the Raccoon - Abenaki Story
Wowigit ndatlokangan wa AAzban. Here camps my story of Azban.
One day, Azban the Raccoon was walking around. There were many things which
Zaban could have done back at his own lodge.
However, those were boring
things, everyday things, things which he was supposed to do. Azban would
much rather do things he wasn't supposed to do, especially on a fine day
like this one. His long fingers were just itching to get into something. As
always, Azban was looking for trouble.
READ MORE...
FEATURE STORY
Mistake
on
the Mountain
By
David B. Conrad
Can you imagine if
Mount Rushmore was sculpted with George Washington picking his nose? It would
be an outrage to have such an unethical pose to be sculpted in stone forever.
What would it say for the culture of our people? Surely, someone would not
knowingly create a monument of such proportion in an unethical pose.
There is a sculpture in progress at
this time dedicated to the Native American Indian People clearly depicting an an
unethical pose. The Crazy Horse Memorial started in 1948 by Korczazk Ziolkowski
is located in the Black Hills region of South Dakota. This controversial site is
now considered sacred to many Sioux People.
The
memorial depicts the great Oglala Sioux warrior Crazy Horse on horseback
throwing his left arm out over his horse’s head pointing with the index finger
in answer to a question asked by a white man, “Where are your lands now?” Crazy
Horse replied, “My lands are where my dead lie buried.”
When
completed it will be the world’s largest sculpture, at a height of 563 feet and
a length of 641 feet. At more than three times the height of Niagara Falls, it
is larger than the Pyramid of Giza and far larger than Mount Rushmore. This
monument could soon become the largest oversight in history.
SOUNDS OF MANATAKA
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR...
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.
Put Our Health
Before Industry Profits!
Dear Manataka Editor,
In CAFOs (confined animal feeding operations), antibiotics
are widely used without prescription in the feed and water of animals that are
not sick. Bacteria that are constantly exposed to antibiotics develop resistance
to these drugs. When humans get sick from resistant bacteria, the antibiotics
prescribed will no longer work. Today, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is
virtually ignoring this problem.
The Senate is set to renew an FDA program that funds the
review of applications for new animal drugs. The Union of Concerned Scientists
is calling on the Senate to attach landmark legislation to this bill that could
finally limit antibiotic overuse in CAFOs and preserve these precious drugs for
future generations.
Write today and tell your senators to pass a bill that
includes provisions to protect human health and keep antibiotics working!
~Jennifer Palembas, National Field organizer
Food and Environment Program.
Jennifer,
Manataka is active in advocating the
reduction of antibiotics in feed lot operations. Our members have sent hundreds
of letters to Congress. We are planning an extensive story this fall.
~Editor
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Hawks Come to Talk
Dear Editor,
My daughter
had a hawk swoop down to land in front of her on her way to
swimming. She was startled and though it sat there for a
little while she couldn't help but stare at it for some
time. Upon leaving she discovered it had left a dead bird in
its place. I have researched the meaning of Hawks and find
some understanding for this fine bird but don't quite
understand this particular act. I suppose I'm trying to find
some understanding for this and wonder if you could help.
I'm not one to believe coincidences - though finding
understanding for the hawk leaving its prey behind, I can't
fathom. Could you help shed any light on this? Thank
you ~Kathy Williams
If the hawk has a
definite message to deliver, the hawk will make repeated
attempts to get her attention until the message is
received and acted upon. The message will not be lost
by her limited understanding, but will utilize her
innocence to achieve clarity. Therefore, it is best to
allow her to seek out and make communication on her
level. This is the way for all humans who must make
their own connections to the Creator, the Spirits and
Messengers. Because you have taken an interest in the
potential message and begun researching the
possibilities, you are teaching your daughter in a good
way. ~Editor
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East Indian Wants American Indian
Pen Pal
Hello Manataka,
I am a
student of Indology and am interested in the ancient
connections that the people of India are supposed to
have had with the American Indians, though how far it is
true I do not know. But I am also interested in
contacting some American Indians by email if possible so
that we can c\start a dialogue. My name is Subhash
Madiman and I am from a South India town called Hubli.
If you would help me to make new friends out there I
would be very happy. ~Subhash
sbmadiman@gmail.com
Subhash,
We believe all things are connected,
but we lack hard evidence that says American Indians are
connected culturally or genealogically to East Indians.
Yes, we encourage readers to contact you. ~Editor
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"One of our own is down!"
Dear Manataka,
The frantic cry was in the language of crows, coming from an
unusually large and gleaming black bird sitting on the top of our
backyard fence. The response was almost immediate, and
undeniable. Within moments there were eleven of the shining
creatures arrayed on the edge of the neighboring garage, with an
additional nine joining the alert-giver on the fence.
My husband had just come back from filling the bird feeders in the
yard, telling me that there was a sick or injured crow down in the
grass. As he reached for the phone to call The Humane Society, I
stepped onto the back patio to see if there was anything I could do.
It was just then that the large crow settled onto the fence and
raised the alarm..."One of our own is down!"
While I have seen flocks of crows many times in my life, never had I
witnessed such a scene. The gathering crows were silent. A few
landed on the ground near the dying bird, but most clustered on the
fence and the garage roof. The cry from the original bird continued,
the sole call to be heard..."One of our own is down."
The flock remained in place until there was no more movement from
the downed bird. Then, as one, they rose and flew into the morning
sky. --Judie Heller
Judie,
We have seen many animal species react
emotionally and physically to the injury or death of one of their
own. As humans, we have the ability to feel the
vibration and understand the ways of our four legged brothers and
sisters. This form of communication and love is blessed by the
Creator.
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Wings of Peace
International
Manataka,
Please have a look at my friend Barbara's Wings of Peace
International updated web site.
www.wingsofpeaceinternational.org In 1996, Barbara
while traveling in Thailand found herself in a remote area where
the Hill Tribe people who offered their own threadbare blankets
to the visitors on a night that was so cold, Barbara says they
were unable to sleep at all, even huddled close together. When
she later learned that native people lose their lives every year
due to the harsh climate, and realized the extent of their
sacrifice in trying to make their visitors more
comfortable, Barbara determined to find a way to help them.
In 1998, she returned to Thailand with many
blankets for distribution to the Hill Tribe people. This simple
act of gratitude was the seed for her organization, which has
grown to include agriculture and irrigation systems, education,
health, and other quality of life areas. Please check it out
... it's a remarkable endeavor, doing remarkable work, and
Barbara is such a remarkable woman. I'm very honored to be able
to call her my friend. - Juli Maltagliati
Juli,
Manataka has kept an eye on Barbara for
a long time. We support her wonderful work. Our love and
prayers go out to her and all the beautiful folks who support
the work.
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Who Should Control
our Food & Water?
Mankind is failing itself. If
there is a survival instinct, then there is some hope. China
and India stood up to the World Trade Organization and is
forcing them to rewrite their international domination and
control. That is a slap in the face to unfettered capitalism so
maybe that is a positive turn of events.
India as well as China is saying
no to others controlling their food security.
I wish the American Indians would
wake up to this and stop the idea that money is going to solve
their problems. If they want to be a sovereign national, then
be sovereign and find a way to become self-supporting,
especially when it comes to the food.
The UN uses the definition of
poverty as "those who grow their own food." It really is a
platform for slavery.
If you can con others into feeding
you and giving you products to sell where you get to reap the
rewards; then you have found a way to dominate and CREATE
greed. But, those who can feed themselves and their children
are the formula for survival.
I don't mean that we all will
become subsistence farmers, but that we will find methods and
way to support our own food chain with fairness. When we buy
local, we enable those who want to farm a way to make a living;
this means that they will sell more; more will be available.
The scale can't be too small or weather would wipe out the
progress but I think India is probably going to model the
solution. They are smart enough to fear loosing their
biodiversity. For generations they grew and made their own oils
until the mono-crops came in and dumped soy and corn oil at
cheaper prices. That is one example of one product..
Gandhi had the vision and I think others can and will imitate
it.
Maybe
it sounds highly idealistic but when someone sitting in a plush
skyscraper in New York City can profit by selling water to some
peasants on the other side of the globe, the system is corrupt
and now has gotten to such a scale that it cannot sustain
itself. Who is the most expendable? That is where I see the
leading edge of change; not on Wall Street and certainly not on
K Street. We are following the lemmings over the edge and those
who follow probably will suffer the most - mostly just their ego
drive to control god and others. ~Bill
& Estelle Marder
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Unconditional
love is...
Dear
Manataka Friends,
For eons of time we have played
out the duality of wealth and poverty in this physical world.
When we have felt opulence in our heart we have created a
renaissance in our lives. In the moments where we have allowed
our individual and collective fear to be our master, our
reaction has typically been to destroy the things we hold most
dear. Now we find ourselves at a critical juncture in our
evolution. The extremes are obvious. Great material wealth is
matched by unbelievable poverty. Will we go beyond this duality
and embrace the potential of unconditional love where wealth and
poverty merge into abundance for all? Can we allow the wisdom
of our heart to decide the course of our collective humanity?
The outer world of physical form
is our creative playground and allows us an infinite number of
ways to express our potential. Yet, long ago we established a
false premise that there is a limited amount of resources and
that only by control and manipulation can we maintain an orderly
reality. As a result, we have built our lives and civilizations
to great heights and also destroyed them in the same breath
because we have forgotten the innate and inexhaustible resource
of unconditional love.
In many ways we have applied our
outer pursuits of materialism to our expectation and experience
of love and limited it as a simple commodity: either as an
emotional sentiment, physiological expression or brokering tool
for affection and acceptance. Yet real love encompasses every
facet of our life and is an ever present potential in every
moment of our existence. When we invoke unconditional love we
instantly rise above the duality. From this expansive
perspective we immediately see the intricate web and eternal
design of a wise world already filled with love.
Unconditional love is the one
resource that is always available to everyone in limitless
supply. In this way we are all equal and infinitely abundant
and when we give and receive from the heart, everyone benefits.
If we are affluent yet hoard our resources for fear of loss, or
feel impoverished and continue to accept poverty as our destiny,
we deny the opulence that surrounds us right now. In reality,
these are ultimately two sides of the same coin as neither
embraces the unlimited potential that love creates.
We stand upon the crossroads of a
new world where love dissolves the extremes and everyone shares
the bounty of creative potential. Which path will you choose?
Love, light and peace,
Harold W. Becker
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Maggie's
SOAP NUTS
THE SOAP THAT GROWS ON TREESTM
READ MORE
Back to School / Back to Work
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As the end of summer draws closer, so does the beginning of a
new school year. Taking the time now to prepare your child for school can make
the transition out of summer smooth for both of you.
One of the simplest ways to shift into your child’s
school-time routine is to establish a holistic approach to
controlling hyperactivity and improving concentration early.
Often parents wait until problems arise to begin the regimen
of
Focus Formula™ and
Bright Spark™
but to make the most of these natural remedies we recommend starting at least
3 weeks prior to classes – when school starts it’s already too late– and
using the complete solution for the best results.
What is the
Complete Solution to Focus & Concentration Problems?
For children and
teens suffering from learning and concentration difficulties, even
routine tasks can become complex challenges, not only for the
student but often for the parents, teachers and even classmates. In
frustration, parents searching for a solution often look for a “quick fix”,
and although it may mask symptoms, it frequently ignores the root of the
problem.
Herbal and homeopathic remedies offer a truly
complete solution to reducing hyperactivity,
improving focus and eliminating concentration problems in students
of all ages.
It often takes a combination of natural remedies
to obtain the complete solution, like using both a herbal product and
homeopathic product in combination. Both natural remedies support a holistic
approach to health, as they work in different ways.
Read More About
ELDER'S MEDITATION
"The first thing that we want you to understand is that spirit
has no color or race to it. It doesn't matter whether your skin
is white, black, red, Hispanic, whatever. No one out there is
any better than you, and you are no better than anyone else out
there." -John Peters (Slow Turtle),
Wampanoag
We are all created to be of equal
worth. We may be different sizes, different heights, different
ages, different colors, we may have different beliefs and be of
different cultures. In the unseen world, we are all spirit
formed into different shapes and colors but we are all worthy.
For example, you can have water, you can
have steam, or you can have ice, Which
of these is not make up of H2O?
My Creator,
today, let me
see equal
worthiness in
all people.
By Don Coyhis
How to Get Sick:
A Modern Prescription for Illness
How to Get
Sick: Use Artificial Sweeteners
As
bad as sugar can be in its various forms, artificial sweeteners are worse! Some
are downright deadly because of their carcinogenic properties. Also, they are
used in such high-volume products as diet soft drinks and sugar-free foods.
Chief among sinners is aspartame, which is marketed as NutraSweet or Equal.
Renowned diabetes expert Dr. H. J. Roberts believes there is a clear scientific
link between aspartame and increased incidence of brain tumors, seizure
disorders, chronic headaches, and hyperactivity in children. As for saccharin,
the "cancer-causing" warning labels still apply. The newcomer on the block is
sucralose (used in Splenda), but the jury of scientific research still seems to
be awaiting further testimony on this one. (If the Maker didn't produce it "as
is," then it probably isn't much better than the other synthetic sugar
substitutes.
~by Sherri Awi Anida Waya Burnett
Adults
Children
NEW!
Mothers and Babies
NEW!
Pets
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Cure the Cause
Don't just treat the symptoms
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Manufactured under strict guidelines
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Read More...
Herbal control solutions and natural remedies for what ails you.
PLANT MEDICINE...
The Mystery of Green Tea
Solved
This
basic information about green tea, uses, potential side effects, and
resources will help resolve some of the mystery about green tea. All
types of tea (green, black, and oolong) are produced from the
Camellia sinensis plant using different methods. Fresh leaves
from the Camellia sinensis plant are steamed to produce
green tea. The common names for green tea are: Chinese tea,
Japanese tea.
Green tea and green tea extracts, such as its
component EGCG, have been used to prevent and treat a variety of
cancers, including breast, stomach, and skin cancers.
READ MORE...
FLUORIDE WATCH...
Submitted by:
Crystal Harvey, MAIC Correspondent
Fluoride's Impact on Brain
NEW YORK, PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- - New science
indicating fluoride's dangers to the brain and other organs was
the focus of two recent conferences presented by prominent
fluoride research scientists during meetings of the
International Society for Fluoride Research (ISFR) and the
Fluoride Action Network (FAN) in Toronto.
According to ISFR conference
organizer, Dr. Hardy Limeback, "Our conference features experts
who researched the dangers that fluoride poses to human health.
Our keynote speaker, Dr. A.K. Susheela, probably knows more
about this subject than any other living scientist. It is
important that officials who promote water fluoridation hear
what she and others have to say."
The latest issue of ISFR's journal,
Fluoride, published 12 newly-translated Chinese studies, which
report fluoride's effects on the brain, including the lowering
of IQ in children. These and other brain studies will be
reviewed at both conferences.
READ MORE...
FUNNY
BONES
No offense intended for any individuals or tribes.
An Apache woman walked into the kitchen to find her
husband stalking around with a fly swatter.
"What are you doing?" She asked.
"Huntin' Flies" He responded.
"Oh. ! Killing any?" She asked.
"Yep, 3 males, 2 Females," he replied.
Intrigued, she asked. "How can you tell them apart?"
He responded, "3 were on a beer can, 2 were on the phone."
ANIMAL
RIGHTS... AND WRONGS
In
the past few years, thousands wolves were brutally gunned down by government
bureaucrats. Wolves in Alaska, Montana, Colorado, Utah and other
states, were exterminated by aerial wolf killing programs of the National
Park Service and other government agencies. Aerial gunners can kill
males, females and even wolf pups as part of this program. These massacres,
together with fully legal hunting and trapping, will result in the
annihilation of thousands more wolves. You can help stop the slaughter
-- contact your congressional representatives today.
In August, 2008 a
federal judge ordered the Bush administration to restore endangered species
protections for gray wolves in Greater Yellowstone and the northern Rockies
until the full case can be heard in court. In the months leading up to the
court's ruling, more than 110 wolves were killed in Idaho, Montana and
Wyoming -- about one per day.
Study: Return of Wolves Changes Ecosystem
By JEFF BARNARD,
Associated Press Writer
GRANTS PASS, Ore. - Scientists studying the broader
effects of wolf reintroduction said a growing body of evidence suggests that
killing off predators such as wolves and grizzly bears in the last century
started a cascade of effects that threw ecosystems out of balance.
Researchers from Oregon State University found that a
thriving wolf population not only changes where and how elk browse — it even
reverberates down to the number of willows that grow next to streams.
READ MORE...
ENDANGERED SACRED SITES:
Cranbrook to give bones to Odawa Indian tribe
Museum
wants to do 'right thing' with old remains
Associated
Press
BLOOMFIELD HILLS - It's a matter of "doing the right thing," according to
the director of the Cranbrook Institute of Science, which plans to turn over the
remains of about 60 Native Americans to the Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa
Indians.
The bones have spent decades in the back rooms of the museum, part of its
vast collection of artifacts from cultures around the world. They belong to
people who hunted and fished in what is now Oakland County hundreds of years
before the first Europeans arrived.
This fall, Cranbrook expects to surrender the remains after publication of a
notice in the Federal Register to alert other tribes that might want to claim
the bones.
READ MORE...
SEPTEMBER 2008 SMOKE SIGNAL - PAGE 1
SEPTEMBER 2008 SMOKE SIGNAL - PAGE 2
SEPTEMBER 2008 SMOKE SIGNAL - PAGE 3
SMOKE SIGNAL NEWS ARCHIVES
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Reprinted under the Fair Use doctrine of international copyright
law.
http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html
Non-profit/Teaching/Educational
©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
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entirety and no reproduction, republishing, copying, or
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prosecuted.
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EMAIL HOME INDEX TRADING
POST
Over
the last two weeks, thousands of OCA
supporters have taken action, signing-on
to our Boycott of Kellogg's and
Morningstar Farms products, sending
hundreds of letters to the editor to
their local newspaper and making the
news!
EPA
DROPS VALUE OF AMERICAN LIFE
FAKE
"ORGANIC" BODYCARE CARE COMPANIES GO TO
COURT 
STUDY
OF THE MONTH:
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"GOOD NEWS" TIDBIT: