For the Seventh Fire, choosing a good path
Elder's Meditation of the Day - September 5
"Decisions that have been made for the last couple of centuries have been decisions made without the presence of a real God....from the vision, not of God, but of money."
--Tom Porter, MOHAWK
As we view the world today, it's easy to see the people are off track. We are no longer living in harmony. Focusing on the material only leads us from the path of the Creator. We must now pray for ourselves and the people in a pitiful way. We must be humble and ask the Great Spirit to intervene because if we don't, our children will continue to have troubles. They are acting out our behavior as adults. Today is a good time to start. We need to get the spiritual way back into our lives. We need to focus on the spiritual.
My Creator, help me to focus on the spiritual way.
the ongoing saga of the Indian Mounds at Fort Wayne
This afternoon I went to the Indian Mound at Fort Wayne for a clean up project. There are conflicting ideas of what this means. I went specifically to clean up trash that has been thrown in there, and deadwood. Others apparently were there to clear off as many grapevines and small trees as they could. The first to go was an elm sapling.
The plan I heard was for the clean up to be conducted by women in skirts. That means traditionally dressed women, wearing skirts to cover our legs for ceremonies. The idea behind having women do it is, nothing can be removed that a woman can't pick up or pull out with her hands, AND it will be done with ceremony for the things that are sacrificed. It was my understanding we weren't to get to the sacrifice part until after a meeting with tribal advisors later this month.
Some men came with saws and pruners, and proceeded to clear the grapevines off the fence. I was apparently the only one present who wanted to wait for the vines to have their season. We could cut them in the fall after the fruit is borne, and any beings that want to have made use of it. That is the traditional way, and there are others who feel that way, but they weren't there to express their point of view. I was brushed off, and the cutting continued. The only trash that was found along the eastern fence was a 1969 Orange Crush bottle. There was a lot of deadwood, and several dead sumac trees were taken down.
The good thing is, if you go to Fort Wayne, you can now get a nice eastern view of the mound, which has been hidden for years behind a wall of grapevines. There should be a huge brush pile inside the fence on the north side, waiting to be removed for ceremonial disposal. I was told the Hurons are going to take care of that part. Someone will have a good bonfire.
There is a conflict between traditional ways and today's fast pace. No one wants to wait for things to have their season. We have to get them out of the way now, while we are here with our tools and the time to do it. One of the men has been watching the vegetation grow over the years with increasing irritation. He had taken responsibility for keeping the Mound clean and clear until the fence was put up, and even then, until the Medicine Bear Academy was closed. It seems the wild appearance is a thorn in his side, and he worked very hard today clearing brush and vines. It is an illustration of the conflicts in our culture. I admire him and respect him, but I passionately believe the vines should have been left until November.
There will be some events at the Fort in October. Why not pay it a visit and see the Mound as it is refreshed. Here is a link to the Events Calendar:
http://www.historicfortwaynecoalition.com/Events.html
I though I'd tell one for the busted Chrysler workers
You may have thought your ancestors knew all about buffalo hunting but here is a corollary. I have not seen anyone explain this as well as Cliff Clavin, on Cheers.
One afternoon at Cheers, Cliff Clavin was explaining the Buffalo Theory to his buddy Norm. and here's how it went: "Well ya see, Norm, it's like this... A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members.
"In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells. But naturally it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. That's why you always feel smarter after a few beers."
"Do you live in a covered wagon" joke
This wagon train is heading across the desert, when all of a sudden the wagon master notices that on all sides of the valley, there are Indian guys. He quickly forms the wagons into the "Hollywood" circle, to protect the families in the train. Nothing happens. Soon, drums are heard pounding out in the distance, BUM, bum, bum, bum, BUM, bum, bum, bum, BUM, bum, bum, bum.......[[the famous Hollywood drumbeat from the John Ford movies)
The wagon master tells the train, "I don't like the sound of this...."
From out in the distance comes another voice, saying, "We don't like the sound of it either. He's not our regular drummer!"
Eagle Rock Updates -- Welcome to the short end of the stick
Rally to protect public lands and treaty rights: Message from Cynthia Pryor to help support Charlotte Loonsfoot
Posted on September 24, 2010 by carrotrunner| 1 Comment
We need to call out the troops for as large a rally on the Marquette County Courthouse steps as we possibly can – with flags, banners and signs flying. September 28th, 8 am [[pleas revisit the website for possible time change).
Charlotte will not be in court long as she countered a plea bargain for one of NO CONTEST and only one month of probation! It became obvious to her attorneys that the prosecutor was going to use the same motion used in Cynthia’s trial to keep the permit/lease from discussion and there is no way to win that – so she will walk out with a few fines and short time to be under their control – which will be a good thing.
...
Tuesday Morning – 8:00 am. CAN WE DO IT? YES, WE CAN!!
Thanks and see you there! Wear BLUE! It IS our Water and we need to protect it! We really need to honor our brave people who put their lives on the line. BE THERE!
www.standfortheland.com
Opinion in Local Newspaper Posted on September 26, 2010 by carrotrunner| 1 Comment
The Sept. 15 Mining Journal quotes Rio Tinto’s Matt Johnson saying the company is still “considering our power generation options at the mine site.”
In case no one noticed, these past couple years tall power poles holding seven thick wires have been erected on Marquette County Road 550, all paid for by Rio Tinto. [[Recently) they are digging trenches to run power to the mine site. And Rio Tinto’s looking at other options?
Under Michigan’s new mining law, “construction of utilities or extension of existing utilities” is considered to be “mining activity.”
Regardless, the DNRE’s Hal Fitch claims Rio Tinto is simply running the power to a huge “core shed” and because the shed “is not a mining operation” Rio Tinto doesn’t need to follow the provisions of our mining law.
Instead, we’re supposed to believe that Rio Tinto paid millions to run a line capable of powering thousands of homes from Marquette down county roads 550, 510 and the AAA road just to service a few hundred homes in Big Bay and keep the lights and heat on in their shed.
In July 2008, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Deputy Director Jim Sygo wrote that Rio Tinto “would have to apply for an amendment to its Part 632 mining permit before beginning activities to extend electrical service from CR 550 to the Eagle Project mine site.”
Curiously, something changed his mind and Sygo wrote Rio Tinto only three months later that supplying power to the shed was okay since the shed would not be in the “actual mining area” and is used for exploration. If the shed, located in the center of the fenced-in mining area isn’t within the “actual mining area,” then what is?
It’s interesting to watch the DNRE use our mining law to say both that Rio Tinto couldn’t run electric lines to the mine site and that Rio Tinto actually could run power from Marquette all the way to the Yellow Dog Plains to power a shed smack dab in the middle of the mining area because the DNRE considers the shed to have the distinction of being located within the mining area but not the “actual” mining area.
No wonder Aquila, trying to mine for gold and zinc on the banks of the Menominee River, the Upper Peninsula’s largest river system, bragged that the “tough” new law is “mining friendly legislation.”
http://standfortheland.com/2010/09/2...per/#more-1073
Michigan Regulators Unsure How To Enforce Changes to Rio Tinto’s Eagle Mine
By Gabriel Caplett – September 21, 2010
Marquette, MI – Since earlier this month Rio Tinto has been burying electric lines underneath County Road AAA in northern Marquette County. The underground lines will connect the company’s Eagle Mine with new power lines running on County Road 550, leading to a coal-fired power station in Marquette.
According to regulators at the Department of Natural Resources and Environment [[DNRE), connecting the electric line to the mine site would be illegal. Or, it isn’t. It really depends who you talk with.
While Rio Tinto stretches the boundaries of Michigan’s new nonferrous mining law in the construction of its Eagle Mine, state regulators seem unsure how to apply the law, and the law’s interpretation seems to change from day to day.
In July 2008 Department of Environmental Quality [[now part of the DNRE) Deputy Director Jim Sygo wrote that Rio Tinto “would have to apply for an amendment to its Part 632 mining permit before beginning activities to extend electrical service from CR 550 to the Eagle Project mine site.”
Curiously, three months later Sygo wrote Rio Tinto’s project manager, Jon Cherry, that the company could, in fact, extend power all the way to the mine site in order to power a “core shed building” used for mining exploration and not have to apply for an amendment.
This month Hal Fitch, head of the DNRE’s Office of Geological Survey, echoed Sygo, claiming that Rio Tinto is simply running the power to the huge core shed, and because the shed “is not a mining operation” Rio Tinto doesn’t need to follow the provisions of current mining law.
“If they do anything different from what is in their permit, then that’s going to require a permit amendment,” said Fitch. “It’s a different purpose. [The] core storage facility is part of mineral exploration, not part of a mining activity. It’s not associated with mining.”
State geologist Joe Maki, coordinator for the review of Rio Tinto’s mining application, disagrees.
“Obviously, that core shed is within the mining area,” said Maki. “At some point in time, unless they take it down, it’s going to have to become amended as part of the mining area.”
According to Maki, running power to the core shed from County Road AAA “would be a violation.”
“The latest we’ve told them was that once you try to extend power onto the mine site, to the mining area, before you do that you must have an amendment,” said Maki.
“That fence line defines the mining area,” Maki said. “It’s clear that that is smack dab in the middle of it.”
According to Maki, the DNRE’s lawyer is crafting a formal position on the electrical issue and will send a letter to groups suing over approval of the mining application within the next two weeks.
Under Michigan’s nonferrous mining law – popularly known as “Part 632” – “construction of utilities or extension of existing utilities” is considered to be “mining activity.” Rio Tinto’s mining plan, approved by the DEQ in 2007, included plans to power the mine with large diesel generators. Very soon after, the company decided to power the mine from an electrical source. In order to make that change Rio Tinto legally must file for an amendment with the DNRE. If the DNRE decides the change isn’t “significant,” the company can go ahead without further review and public hearings.
After two years of construction on the electrical extension, the company has yet to file for such an amendment.
Work began on a 22-mile power line going from Marquette to the small town of Big Bay in 2008. Underground work this year will connect that line to the mine site roughly 13 miles from Big Bay. The line can carry a more than 6-megawatt load, enough to power Rio Tinto’s mining operation.
Although Rio Tinto paid for the entire $6.4 million cost, the company is hesitant to admit the power is for the mine. In an interview with a local newspaper, company spokesperson Matt Johnson said, “At this time, we’re considering our power generation options at the mine site.”
Joe Maki views it differently: “It’s obvious; they’re running power up there to run their mine.”
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Getting Ready for Ghost Supper month (November)
It's never to early to plan, might take some time to accumulate the ingredients.
National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian, Menu for the Holidays --
Lucky people in the DC area can get this to take home for their feast.
Main Course
Maple Brine Turkey
Stuffed Venison
Hot Sides
Chestnut Whipped Potatoes
Roast Sweet Potatoes, Birch Syrup, Pinenut Dust
Wild Mushroom Bread Pudding
Maple Baked Turnips, Grilled Wild Onions
Sauteed Kale, Smoked Bacon
Cold Sides
Wild Rice and Watercress Salad, Cranberries, Carrots, Pumpkin Seeds, Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Root Vegetable Salad, Mustard Vinaigrette
Wheatberry and Dried Fruit Salad, Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette
Miscellaneous Sides
Blue or Yellow Corn Bread
Cranberry Marmalade
Soups
Pumpkin Soup, Cranberry Dust
Quahog Clam Chowder, Parsley Foam
Desserts [[Best part!}
Maple Pecan Pie
Sweet Potato Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Cookies
Complete Meal for 6-8 includes one Main Dish, two large Sides, and Dessert for $125.00.