Glorioski, Check this out, and this is 2010
This is from CBC News, cite at the end.
First Nations leaders in Manitoba are expressing outrage about an online classified ad that offered to round up and "extract" aboriginal youth from parts of Winnipeg and transport them like wild animals to reserves or an area of the city where many aboriginal people live.
The ad, titled "Native Extraction Service," was posted on the website
UsedWinnipeg.com, but was taken down by 1:38 p.m. CT on Thursday.
Underneath the title was a picture of three aboriginal males, who look to be in their mid to late teens.
The text of the ad read: "Have you ever had the experience of getting home to find those pesky little buggers hanging outside your home, in the back alley or on the corner???
"Well fear no more, with my service I will simply do a harmless relocation. With one phone call I will arrive and net the pest, load them in the containment unit [[pickup truck) and then relocate them to their habitat.
It doesn't matter if they need to be dropped off on Salter [[Street, in Winnipeg's North End) or the rez, I will go that extra mile." The North End of Winnipeg is where many city dwellers of First Nations descent live.
"My service is free because I want to live in the same city you do, a clean one," the ad said.
On Thursday, First Nations leaders at Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak [[MKO), an organization representing most First Nations communities in northern Manitoba, said they want police to investigate the ad as a hate crime. [Northern Chiefs -- Gaz]
"The way it's worded, 'to relocate them to their habitat.' Here we are trying to teach our kids better. The kids out there are told they're not wanted," said MKO Grand Chief David Harper. "This is unacceptable," he added.
The website where the ad was posted is owned by a Victoria-based company called Black Press, which owns a separate enterprise called UsedEverywhere.com.That business operates 47 online classified sites, including the UsedWinnipeg.com site.
On Thursday, UsedEverywhere.com apologized for the ad, which had been posted at midnight on Wednesday.
General manager Tish Hill said it was pulled after users deemed it offensive. Hill said that although the company conducts active monitoring of ads that get placed, offensive material does slip through on occasion.
While Hill said she would not reveal to CBC News who posted the ad, she said the information would be turned over to police should they choose to investigate.
Manabozho and the Maple Trees
This is an Ojibwe story. In some parts of our land, this person is called Nanabozho or Nanabush. In others, he is Manabozho.
A very long time ago, when the world was new, Gitchee Manitou made things so that life was very easy for the people. There was plenty of game and the weather was always good and the maple trees were filled with thick sweet syrup. Whenever anyone wanted to get maple syrup from the trees, all they had to do was break off a twig and collect it as it dripped out.
One day, Manabozho went walking around. "I think I'll go see how my friends the Anishinaabe are doing," he said. So, he went to a village of Indian people. But, there was no one around. So, Manbozho looked for the people. They were not fishing in the streams or the lake. They were not working in the fields hoeing their crops. They were not gathering berries. Finally, he found them. They were in the grove of maple trees near the village. They were just lying on their backs with their mouths open, letting maple syrup drip into their mouths.
"This will NOT do!" Manabozho said. "My people are all going to be fat and lazy if they keep on living this way."
So, Manabozho went down to the river. He took with him a big basket he had made of birch bark. With this basket, he brought back many buckets of water. He went to the top of the maple trees and poured water in, so that it thinned out the syrup. Now, thick maple syrup no longer dripped out of the broken twigs. Now what came out was thin and watery and just barely sweet to the taste.
"This is how it will be from now on," Manabozho said. "No longer will syrup drip from the maple trees. Now there will only be this watery sap. When people want to make maple syrup they will have to gather many buckets full of the sap in a birch bark basket like mine. They will have to gather wood and make fires so they can heat stones to drop into the baskets. They will have to boil the water with the heated stones for a long time to make even a little maple syrup. Then my people will no longer grow fat and lazy. Then they will appreciate this maple syrup Gitchee Manitou made available to them. Not only that, this sap will drip only from the trees at a certain time of the year. Then it will not keep people from hunting and fishing and gathering and hoeing in the fields. This is how it is going to be," Manabozho said.
And, that is how it is to this day.
Who Discovered Maple Syrup? Algonquin version
Woksis was going hunting one day early in March. He yanked his tomahawk from the tree where he had hurled it the night before, and went off for the day. The weather turned warm and the gash in the tree, a maple tree, dripped sap into a vessel that happened to stand close to the trunk.
Toward evening Woksis's wife needed water in which to boil their dinner. She saw the trough full of sap and thought that would save her a trip to get water. Besides, she was a careful woman and didn't like to waste anything. So she tasted the maple sap and found it good-a little sweet, but not bad. She used it to cook her venison.
When Woksis came home from hunting, he smelled the unique maple aroma and from far off knew that something especially good was brewing. The water had boiled down to syrup, which sweetened their meal with maple. Woksis found the gravy sweet and delicious.
He spread the good news how the Great Spirit had guided his wife in making the delicious new food, Sinzibuckwud [[drawn from the wood). Soon all the women were sugar-making [[seensibaukwut) and the braves began performing the Sugar Dance.
Thereafter, maple sugar was produced and celebrated each spring after the long, cold winter during the Season of the Melting Snow.
To show language similarities, in Anishinaabemowin, Sugar is Siisibaakwat [[Fiero spelling). I heard this story as a young girl, but the resourceful woman was called lazy because she didn't want to go to the trouble of hauling water. In that, I feel a certain amount of internalized stereotyping. I like this version which plays up her resourcefulness and thrift.
The Origin of Mandaamin, Indian Corn, Part I
The snow around here is going, going, GONE! Stories will cease with the waning moon, so only a few more are left for the season. Here is a story as recorded by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, with the unsung efforts of his wife, Jane [[Obaabaamwaywaygizhegokwe).
“Mon-Daw-Min or the Origin of Indian Corn: An Odjibwa Tale.” Originally published in 1956 by Michigan State University Press. Schoolcraft, H.R. Schoolcraft’s Indian Legends: Algic Researches. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 1956. pp. 58-61.
In times past, a poor Indian was living with his wife and children in a beautiful part of the country. He was not only poor, but inexpert in procuring food for his family, and his children were all too young to give him assistance. Although poor, he was a man of a kind and contented disposition. He was always thankful to the Great Spirit for everything he received. The same disposition was inherited by his eldest son, who had now arrived at the proper age to undertake the ceremony of the Ke-ig-uish-im-o-win, or fast, to see what kind of a spirit would be his guide and guardian through life. Wunzh, for this was his name, had been an obedient boy from his infancy, and was of a pensive, thoughtful, and mild disposition, so that he was beloved by the whole family.
As soon as the first indications of spring appeared, they built him the customary little lodge, at a retired spot some distance from their own, where he would not be disturbed during this solemn rite. In the meantime he prepared himself, and immediately went into it and commenced his fast. The first few days he amused himself in the mornings by walking in the woods and over the mountains, examining the early plants and flowers, and in this way prepared himself to enjoy his sleep, and, at the same time, stored his mind with pleasant ideas for his dreams. While he rambled through the woods, he felt a strong desire to know how the plants, herbs, and berries grew, without any aid from man, and why it was that some species were good to eat, and others possessed medicinal or poisonous juices.
He recalled these thoughts to mind after he became too languid to walk about, and had confined himself strictly to the lodge; he wished he could dream of something that would prove a benefit to his father and family, and to all others. "True!" he thought, "the Great Spirit made all things, and it is to him that we owe our lives. But could he not make it easier for us to get our food, than by hunting animals and taking fish? I must try to find out this in my visions."
On the third day he became weak and faint, and kept his bed. He fancied, while thus lying, that he saw a handsome young man coming down from the sky and advancing towards him. He was richly and gaily dressed, having on a great many garments of green and yellow colors, but differing in their deeper or lighter shades. He had a plume of waving feathers on his head, and all his motions were graceful.
Story of the First Robin, another version
This is the version I heard. I suspect it was specially arranged for kids, as no one dies and there are lessons for kids about responsibility.
Long long ago, the People had fire, but they did not have a way to start fire, so they had to keep it going day and night. They would carry live coals with them when traveling so they could start fires for their night camps.
It was the custom for the eldest boy in the family to take his turn for keeping the fire going at night once he reached a good age for doing so. In this one village, there was a very influential man who always liked to be first with things, so the other people would continue to respect him. His son was just a little boy, but he kept telling him about the keeping of the fire,and how important it was, and what a fine young man he would be once he could keep the fire all night.
The little boy was eager to try it, but his mother worried that he was still too young and would not be able to stay awake long enough. The father grudgingly agreed. Month after month, the impatient boy and father and the cautious mother sparred. Finally, the boy prevailed and the parents gave their blessing for him to try. The mother resolved to stay awake herself just in case the young boy fell asleep and the fire started to go out.
The night wore on, and the boy sat up by the fire, singing to himself and sometimes getting up and walking about to sort the firewood. Satisfied that he was getting along all right, the mother lay down to be comfortable and she soon drifted off to sleep. In her dreams the boy began to nod off and she desperately wanted to help him, but she could not move.
Meantime, a little brown bird was sleeping on a branch near the warm fire. As the fire began to cool, the bird awoke and saw the boy was sleeping soundly.
Oh, no! This will never do! thought the bird, Opichi by name. If the fire goes out, the boy will be in big trouble, and the people will be cold and not be able to cook their food!
Down she flew to the fireside. She tried in vain to wake the boy, but the fire was almost out. Quick as thought, she leaped to the very edge of the coals and began fanning them with her wings. As a little flame flared, she quickly fed it a twig, then another, then another, until the fire was going just a bit. She quickly gathered more sticks and took up her post by the fire.
When the sun came up, Opichi was still there, fanning the tiny fire as the little boy slept on. The father, coming to see how his son was doing, was astonished at the little bird, whose breast had been scorched red by the heat of the fire. Her head was blackened by the ashes she had scratched up to get the twigs into the fire.
The father woke up his son and showed him the bird. He told his son they had both learned a lesson that night. The father had learned not to rush things so much, and he was very grateful that his son would not have to bear the burden of his impatience. The little boy had been spared the shame of letting the fire go out. The father and son both spoke to the bird.
"Little Opichi! Thank you so much for your kindness and bravery in keeping the fire going for our people. We will always be grateful to you, and happy to hear your joyful song. We will always remember what a friend you are to us. None of us shall hurt you. You will always wear these colors as a badge of your courage and loyalty."
The Bear's Feast, Part One
One day near the end of summer, Mkwa [[Bear) decided to give a feast to celebrate all the good food and to gather everyone for a good time in the good weather. He gathered food for some time and when he was almost ready he sent his friends Bineshiisak [[Birds) to invite everyone to the feast.
Bineshiisak flew here, there and everywhere and invited all they met to the Bear's feast. All they spoke to eagerly agreed to attend the feast, Mooshkaas [[Crane), Amik [[Beaver), Wawaashkesh [[Deer), Maingan [[Wolf), Mkina [[Turtle), Wagosh [[Fox), and more.
As the day of the feast arrived, the sun shone beautifully. Mkwa carefully laid out the feast, with everything just so. Wiiaas [[Meat), Netawging [[Vegetables), Manomin [[WIld Rice), all laid out in order. At the very end of the table he placed his little boxes of Siisibaakwaat [[Sugar).
Soon, everyone was arriving and circling the table, exclaiming about the bounty before them. There was much talking and laughing among the guests as they waited for the feast to begin. At last Mkwa stood before them and gave his opening greeting, talking about the wonderful generosity of Gzhemnido and Gushnaan Aki, then inviting everyone to step up and help themselves.
Soon, though, there was an outcry! "There is no Mide [[Grease). Mkwa has forgotten the Mide."
"Oh, that will never do," said Mkwa. I must take care of that right away."
He had built a hot fire to make tea for later, and he took a bark bowl to the fire and set it down. He then began to dance around the fire, holding his paws over the coals. Soon his paws became very hot, and he wrung them over the bowl. Good clear grease ran down into the bowl. Mkwa kept doing that until the bowl was full, then he set it on the table after the meat.
The feast then went on and everyone ate till they were beyond full and enjoyed themselves very much. Afterward, they sat around the fire with cups of hot Labrador tea, and told stories about hunting and great things they had caught or harvested. Mooshkaas [[Crane) had more fun than anyone, as his loud voice was busy laughing and talking all evening with stories of things he had seen. Late into the evening, everyone ate some more, then everyone curled up to sleep til morning.
The Bear's Feast, Part Two
Mooshkaas [[Crane) had such a great time at Mkwa's feast, and so did everyone else. They talked about it for many days. Mooshkaas decided he would like to have a feast too. He wanted to make his feast as good as Mkwa's or better, so everyone would have a great time and talk about how great it was.
Mooshkaas did just like Mkwa, he gathered food for some time and when he was almost ready he sent Bineshiisak [[Birds) to invite everyone to the feast.
Bineshiisak flew here, there and everywhere and invited all they met to the Bear's feast. All they spoke to eagerly agreed to attend the feast, Mkwa [[Bear), Amik [[Beaver), Wawaashkesh [[Deer), Maingan [[Wolf), Mkina [[Turtle), Wagosh [[Fox), and more
As the day of the feast arrived, the sun shone beautifully. Mooshkaas worked very hard to lay out the feast, with everything just so, just like Mkwa had done. Wiiaas [[Meat), Giigoonh [[Fish), Netawging [[Vegetables), Manomin [[WIld Rice), all laid out in order. At the very end of the table he placed little boxes of Siisibaakwaat [[Sugar). He was satisfied that everything was just like Mkwa's Feast.
Soon, everyone was arriving and circling the table, exclaiming about the bounty before them. There was much talking and laughing among the guests as they waited for the feast to begin. At last Mooshkaas stood before them and gave his opening greeting, talking about the wonderful generosity of Gzhemnido and Gushnaan Aki and his friends, then inviting everyone to step up and help themselves.
Soon, though, there was an outcry! "There is no Mide [[Grease). Mooshkaas has forgotten the Mide." In so carefully copying Mkwa, Mooshkaas had made the same mistake!
"Gaa injida," he cried, "I didn't mean it! I will see what I can do."
Mooshkaas remembered how Mkwa had gotten Mide, and he decided to try it himself. He built a hot fire and he took a bark bowl to the fire and set it down. He then began to dance around the fire, holding his feet one after the other over the coals. Poor Mooshkaas didn't have big fat paws like Mkwa, and he soon burned his feet and legs and ran crying to the river to soak them. That is why Mooshkaas' legs are so bare even today.
The feast then went on without the Mide, and still everyone ate their fill and had a good time. Whenever they talked about the feast though, everyone talked about how Mooshkaas burned his feet. Mooshkaas had to be satisfied with that as he nursed his poor sore feet back to health.
Some Fun Music to close out our feast
This is Harvey Dreaver doing his thing at the Oji-Cree Hand Drum and Round Dance Contest last week. The man rocks that drum, and can he sing!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSnFzguL7JA
The words to the song:
Take my hand walk with me together you and I. Always remember this sweetheart, I will always be here for you
Welcome to my Happy Place
I can't wait to get up home this spring. This video is all about Bay Mills. It never shows the town of Brimley.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVKCXT3hFLg
And here is a better view of a sacred place, the view of Spectacle Lake from the top of Mission Hill.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nN6n6JPHsHs&NR=1
Beyond, you can see where Whitefish Bay empties into the St. Marys River. At Gros Cap on the Canadian side is the Prince Wind Farm, Canada's leading power generator.
Behind, in the woods, is the cemetery where our people/s remains have been buried for the past hundred fifty years.
Interesting Article about Smudging for Purification
This article discusses many aspects of smudging while noting the need for correct attention to details relating to purification and reducing non-spiritual distraction. NOTE: Use of the term Shaman and discussion of exorcism do not come from native tradition. There is a danger of mixing New Age into ancient traditions. For community or healing ceremonies, a native spiritual leader should conduct the ceremony so as to keep the ceremony on traditional ground. Of course, if you want to purify your house for springtime, which I am going to do on Saturday afternoon, you can do your own ceremony. This will give you pretty good directions for doing that. I will use sage or sweetgrass for the house. If we are going to try and appease Michepichu, we need a spiritual leader and maybe cedar and tobacco.
Smudge Sticks: Not Just Blowing SmokeBy Chris Capps 10/20/09
From the Ojibwe tribes to the south and the Cree to the north along the Upper Peninsula and parts of Canada, smudging has been a long standing tradition that has been integrated into the New Age community with open arms. The ritual has long been revered as a symbol of purification, and is traditionally used in conjunction with a sweat lodge [[such as during the Inipi ceremony performed by the Lakota people) to purify the soul. Modern smudging is often used in the interest of purifying houses of evil spirits and negative energy.
The traditional view of smudging was that it disrupted negative spirits in the environment, allowing for them to be cleaned in a ritual sweat lodge. The modern interpretation of smudging is that during a ritual, such as the spiritual house cleansing ritual [[similar in some respects to a catholic exorcism) the smudge stick is carried through the house and its smoke wafts up and attaches to everything it touches. It then draws out the negative energy in these locations and transports it elsewhere, where it is replaced by positive energy.
Contrary to popular belief, shamans and medicine men object to using the breath to blow smoke, as the human breath is considered disrespectful and imperfect. They suggest using a feather or large leaf to fan the embers. Other tips are to use a large seashell to hold the smudge stick in, turn off electric distractions while smudging, meditate, and cleanse your own mind prior to engaging in this [[or any) ritual. Though it is commonly used as a ritual cleansing of negative energies and spirits, some shamans also suggest you use smudge sticks when you meditate on important future events, when you are depressed, when you are inexplicably feeling a negative "vibe" about your surroundings, and after you have spent time with someone who is sick.
Common sage [[salvia officinalis), a member of the mint family, is often used in smudging rituals, and has been documented as a mild antibiotic as well as an astringent, estrogent, antifungal, anhidrotic, and antispasmoid. Other commonly used plants are white cedar [[a tradition in Ojibwe tribal rituals), Pine [[known to alleviate hunger), Lavender [[used since pre-Roman days as a cleansing agent), Sweet Grass [[also known as hierochloe odorata meaning literally 'sweet holy smelling grass), mugwort [[to be used with caution as it contains a toxin known as thujone which in large amounts can be harmful), and finally Copal.
In exorcising ghosts, smudging has often been reported with great success at first, but persistent ghosts often find their way back to a house that was cleansed only once using smudge sticks. This could be largely because smudging is primarily used as a cleansing ritual, and ghosts [[as we understand them) are not merely entities that can be cleansed from a location through chemical means. There is also, however, magic in intent, which should be more effective in guiding spiritual entities to their final destination. This has been seen as a more effective means of "cleansing" for haunted houses, as it gives all occupants involved a sense of closure.
A smudging ritual typically involves binding the smudge stick, lighting it in a vessel of some sort [[such as a large seashell), moving to every room in the house, and using a fan to billow the smoke out into the room. Some obvious precautions should be implemented, however, when using smudge sticks. Obviously ensure every room is well ventilated. Smoke inhalation is bad news for everyone, and tar is produced with the burning of any leaves, even spiritually cleansing ones. Pregnant women should not be around burning mugwort as the thujone previously mentioned is particularly dangerous to them when implemented in large amounts.
Smudging, if done properly is a powerful cleansing ritual that can help maintain a positive environment, but it is not the spiritual cure-all that some advertisements would have you believe. If used in conjunction with powerful spiritually positive choices, meditation, and a spiritual attitude, it can be an effective symbol to help bring peace and prosperity to its users.
http://www.unexplainable.net/artman/...le_14080.shtml
Sherman Alexie wins a prize! Ahaaw!
Sherman Alexie wins 2010 Pen/Faulkner fiction prize for 'War Dances'
By Jacqueline Trescott
Wednesday, March 24, 2010; C02
"War Dances" by novelist Sherman Alexie has won the 2010 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, the organizers announced Tuesday.
The prestigious annual award, presented by the Washington-based PEN/Faulkner Foundation, was given to Alexie because of his book's breadth of topics and innovative style, judges said. "War Dances" consists of short stories interspersed with poems.
"That book was the one we all liked immediately," said Kyoko Mori, one of the three judges. "There was something special about the range of characters. It was like watching a dance. I liked how some of the characters were unlikable but compelling."
Alexie was still absorbing the news Tuesday. "It's so cool. You just look at the list of people who've won and it is legendary," he said. "Just having that status was incredible."
He acknowledged that the book's format is unusual. After publishing the young adult novel "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" in 2007, "I wanted to write a book that was a reverse of that," Alexie said. "I wanted to do a weird book and reestablish my independent, small-press roots."
Alexie, 43, likened his writing process to "mixing an old-school music cassette."
"When you construct a mix tape, the first song you come out with has to be a barnburner," he said. "You come out with Marvin Gaye."
Mori, a Washington-based writer, thought the juxtaposition of forms in "War Dances" made it rise above the other entries -- about 350 novels and short story collections this year. "I usually don't like books that combine prose and poetry," she said. "But here the poetry was like listening to an interlude and got you ready for the next story."
Al Young, another judge and the former poet laureate of California, praised the gumbo of story lines. " 'War Dances' taps every vein and nerve, every tissue, every issue that quickens the current blood-pulse: parenthood, divorce, broken links, sex, gender and racial conflict, substance abuse, medical neglect, 9/11, Office Narrative vs. What Really Happened," Young said in a statement.
Alexie, who lives in Seattle, won a National Book Award for Young People's Literature in 2007 and this week, the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Native Writers' Circle of the Americas. He is a Spokane/Coeur d'Alene Indian who grew up on a reservation 50 miles northwest of Spokane. Severely ill as a child, he overcame his conditions and set out for a life of reading and writing. In high school he was the only Native American and became a scholar-athlete, later writing about those experiences in "True Diary."
Many of Alexie's works have been honored, including a story collection, "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven," which was a PEN/Hemingway Award winner for best first book of fiction. The attention led to a film, "Smoke Signals," which won two awards at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival.
Alexie, who receives $15,000 for the PEN/Faulkner honor, will be saluted May 8 on the 30th anniversary of the program.
The other finalists -- Barbara Kingsolver, Lorraine M. Lopez, Lorrie Moore and Colson Whitehead -- will also be recognized.