Paging Gazhekwe

[qweek]

I have spent the past two hours reading some of the posts here tonight for the first time! Happy anniversary to a fine and fascinating thread. Gazhekwe, you are amazing, thanks for sharing your history. Ravine and Gazhekwe, much love to you both.

[Wingnatic]

I've also enjoyed this thread . I'm Cherokee on my fathers side and don't know a whole lot about Native American culture . I used to spend my summers in the late 60's early 70's on theWalpole Island reservation [[ Ojibwe / Potawatomi ) in Canada across from Algonac . I believe they are bands of the Chippewa ? The highlight of the summer was their annual pow wow's and because I was a familar face , they would let me sit in on storytelling [[mostly kids) but I enjoyed the storytelling anyways . I still pass through Walpole on my way to visit friends in Chatham , Ontario .

[gazhekwe]

Thank you, Qweek and Wingnatic. This has been lots of fun.

Wingatic, to answer your question, the people at Bkwejwanong [[Walpole) are of the Three Fires [[Potawatomi, Ojibwa and Odawa). They have a heritage center and a website: http://www.bkejwanong.com/home.asp

[gazhekwe]

I think this speaks to a lot of people, those who know they have "some Indian" in them, and those who know they are of Indian descent and which tribe, but have been raised with none of the culture, and those of us born with anger in our hearts for the injustices done.

Elder's Meditation of the Day - August 15

"There are many people who could claim and learn from their Indian ancestry, but because of the fear their parents and grandparents knew, because of past and present prejudice against Indian people, that part of their heritage is clouded or denied."
--Joseph Bruchac, ABENAKI

There were many injustices done to Native people. Sometimes I wonder; why am I connected to the past injustices done to Indian people? Why am I so angry about the past? The Elders say our ancestors are alive within each of us. Therefore, I may experience anger and resentment inside of me because of the injustice done to them. The way I get rid of these past feelings is to forgive. It may be necessary to even learn to forgive the unforgivable.

Great Spirit, teach me the path of forgiveness; teach me the courage to forgive; teach me to let go. Give to me a forgiving heart.

[Ravine]

I am delighted by the healthy endurance of this thread.
I initiated it to ask Gazhekwe a relatively simple question, and while the answer was not as simple as the question, it is now quite apparent that the Q&A opened a door, in a sense, and to now see how many times that door has swung open [[or has been peeked through, out of curiosity,) and how much information and lore Gaz has passed through it, is truly amazing, to me.
I think the aspect which I like best is that the vigor of this thread demonstrates that there are still some folks whose interests reach beyond TV reality shows, dirty politics, sports, and celebrity gossip.
I think we all can agree that we should thank the Great Spirit for that.
Funny: I am only now suddenly remembering that my Mom told me that when she once asked me, at a very young age, what I wanted to be when I grew up, I replied, "an Indian."
Coverage of the recent furor as re: Arts, Beats, & Eats has gone a long way toward reinforcing an impression which, apparently, I've felt since a very young age: most of the gun-toting cowboys are morons.
Har!! Which just goes to show ya: regardless of the subject matter at hand, or how sincere my post may actually be, I can still always find a way to slip in a snarky comment.

[gazhekwe]

Interesting news! Senator Mike Prusi of Ishpeming's bill to allow non-certified language experts to teach Anishinaabemowin in Michigan schools passed the Senate:

2010-08-12

Senate Passes Prusi Bill to Ensure Students Receive Proper Credit for Native American Culture and Language Class

Prusi bill will allow Native American tribes to pass on culture, language and heritage to students

LANSING—The Michigan Senate unanimously passed legislation yesterday introduced by Senate Democratic Leader Mike Prusi [[D-Ishpeming) that will allow students to get credit for Native American tribal language and culture classes taught by tribal elders rather than traditional certified educators.

“The Native American community was here in Michigan long before it was settled by European immigrants. It is important that we help preserve and pass along their culture and language to the next generation,” said Sen. Prusi. “This legislation will allow Native American and non-Native American students alike to better understand tribal heritage and get credit for this class as taught by the tribal members who have the most knowledge on the subject.”

Prusi’s legislation, Senate Bill 1014, would permit the Michigan Department of Education to work with a federally-recognized Native American tribe to allow a tribe, school district, or public school academy to use teachers who did not possess a valid Michigan teaching certificate to teach a Native American tribal language and culture class. The teacher would need to demonstrate a mastery of the tribal language, and the plan would include requirements for renewal or continuing approval of the teacher. This bill will enable students to receive credit for a Native American tribal language class and apply it toward their foreign language requirements.

“We at the Hannahville Indian Community are very pleased with senate passage of SB 1014. If enacted, it will mean that we can employ our best teachers, our elders, as teachers of Potawatomi language in our schools. Our elders are the holders of precious knowledge that we want passed on to our children,” said Hannahville Tribal Chairman Kenneth Meshigaud. “Presently, the state requires that only certified teachers can teach a subject that will qualify for credit toward graduation. The legislative change will allow our elders to teach only Native language in a structured class room. This is good news for all schools that wish to teach our nation's Native languages.”

[Wingnatic]

Thanks for the link to their website , I visit it from time to time to see whats new on the reservation where I spent my summers . My favorite activity back in the late 60's early 70's on the reservation was a weekly lacrosse game between the indians [[called First Nation people in Canada ) and Canadian/American summer residents . I was given a nickname of Mad Dog because I didn't complain when the indians got alittle rough like the rest of my team and gave it right back , so I think I gained some respect . When I think back to my summers on Walpole , they only has a Canadian Customs shack and a small store by the car ferry from Algonac . Now 30 some years later they have their own schools , restaurants , more stores , gas stations , hell they even have a hockey rink on the reservation , community center , etc . They seem happier now than they did back then . I get the impression that these First Nation people know that their Canadian , but they consider themselves indian first , and also consider their tribal counterparts in the U.S. as indians not Americans . Is that a correct assumption ? Anyways whenever I pass through the reservation , I make it a point to stop and get something to eat , drink , etc . , maybe someday I'll run into someone who will recognize me from back then .

[Wingnatic]

Thats awesome ! After all this is a huge part of our history just about anywhere you go including Michigan

[gazhekwe]

Because Canada abides by the Jay Treaty, First Nations People may have an easier time with border crossings. They receive the benefit of having been a nation on both sides of the border before the artificial border was created by Canada and the US.

Members of the First Nations and Native Americans Born in Canada
The Jay Treaty, signed in 1794 between Great Britain and the United States, provided that American Indians could travel freely across the international boundary. The United States has codified this obligation in the provisions of Section 289 of the Immigration and Nationality Act [[INA) as amended. Native Indians born in Canada are therefore entitled to enter the United States for the purpose of employment, study, retirement, investing, and/or immigration.

http://www.consular.canada.usembassy...ons_canada.asp

At the International Bridge last month, my granddaughter who does not drive or have ID was able to cross with her tribal ID. I have found agents here in Detroit get kind of obnoxious when you try that here.

As for how we feel, I guess we have dual citizenship. We are citizens of the US thanks to the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924. We also are citizens of our tribe.

[gazhekwe]

Elder's Meditation of the Day - August 17

"If a child hasn't been given spiritual values within the family setting, they have no familiarity with the values that are necessary for the just and peaceful functioning in society."
--Eunice Baumann-Nelson, Ph.D, PENOBSCOT

When we are born, we start with a beautiful empty mind ready to be given our beliefs, attitudes, habits and expectations. Most of our true learning comes from watching the actions of others. As we watch our family or relatives, whatever their actions and values are, so will be the children's values and acts. If we see our families living a just and peaceful way of life, so then will the children. If we see our family shouting, arguing, and hateful, so will it be for the children. The cycle of life - baby, youth, adult and Elder is all connected. If the older ones have good values, it will be connected to the children.

Oh my Creator, if there are values I have missed, it is not too late. I can get them from You. Teach me today Your spiritual values. Respect, trust, giving, honesty, wisdom - teach me these.

The Seven Grandfathers that we all must learn and listen to:

Nbwaa kaa win Wisdom

Zaagidwin Love

MnaadendimowinRespect

Aakwade’ewin Bravery

Gwekwaadiziwin Honesty

Dbaadendiziwin Humility

Debwewin Truth

[gazhekwe]

Cowboys and Indians: Bloomberg Shoots From the Hip
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-..._b_686363.html

Imagine for a moment: New York Governor David Paterson finds himself in the eleventh hour of a controversy involving an African American group exerting its fundamental rights against the State of New York. He turns to Mayor Bloomberg for advice, thinking the Mayor may have a promising diplomatic strategy to suggest. Instead, the Mayor quips, "Get a white robe and piece of rope, and show them who's boss -- now that would be a great video!" Shock. Outrage from all corners. Marching in the streets. Political heads roll.

The real shock and outrage is that Bloomberg recently made essentially the same statements about Native Americans, and no one raised an eyebrow. Last week, in response to the Governor's request for guidance on how to deal with the sensitive issue of the sale of tax-free cigarettes on sovereign Indian lands within New York State, the Mayor suggested -- cowboy up. With the diplomatic grace of a wrangler hunting Indian scalps, his government-to-government negotiation advice was:

"You know, get yourself a cowboy hat and a shotgun. If there's ever a great video, it's you standing in the middle of the New York State Thruway saying, you know, 'Read my lips -- the law of the land is this, and we're going to enforce the law.'"

Brilliant. As an enrolled citizen of the Seneca Nation of Indians, who lives and works on Seneca territory, I am outraged and deeply saddened by the Mayor's cavalier and insensitive remarks. They smack of the not so distant past when states would offer cold hard cash for the scalps of Indian men, women and children. It was not that long ago U.S. political leaders proclaimed that the only good Indian is a dead Indian. The Mayor's shoot-from- the-hip statements are truly unbelievable in this day and age. Such statements against any other ethnic group would be unfathomable, and answered with quick condemnation.

Indians, however, have always been the weakest ethnic group [[economically and politically), and an easy and safe target for verbal gunslingers like Bloomberg. After being forced and coerced to give up our vast tracts of lands, in exchange for immutable treaty rights to conduct commerce without state interference on the minuscule reservations we now call home, we found a way to eek out a living for our people through the tobacco trade. Native Americans have the highest rate of poverty of any ethnic group in the U.S. A visit to any Indian territory would be a true culture shock for most non- Natives. But New York State needs to shore up its widening budget gap. So, let's shake down the Indians -- an easy and defenseless target. While we're at it, let's threaten them with shotguns and cowboy hats, and remind them that we're not that far from taking scalps.

In addition to being a citizen of the Seneca Nation and an Indian, my father is Jewish. This makes me doubly insulted by the Mayor's remarks. As two of the most persecuted groups in history, there are many parallels between Indians and Jews. It's incredible that Bloomberg, as a Jew, would go so far as to conjure up images of an oppressor doling out rough shotgun justice on a minority ethnic group. Taking away economic livelihood by force was a strategy employed by Hitler against the Jews. This strikes a similar chord. The Mayor's statements are shameful. They further the notion that Native Americans are not a distinct people deserving of respect. Instead, the Mayor reduces Native Americans to an inferior group that can only be dealt with in one way -- with the butt of a shotgun. These types of statements prey on our small populations and lack of meaningful mainstream representation.

Native Americans have risen above incredible obstacles. Our lands were taken away. Our populations were purposefully decimated in order to make way for Europeans. Many of our parents and grandparents were forced to attend Indian boarding assimilation schools, where students were beaten and sexually assaulted if they dared to speak their Native languages. We're trying to recover. We're trying to regain our culture, customs and ways through the few economic channels that are available to us.

For Mayor Bloomberg to so callously reduce us to shooting targets for cowboys resurrects years of suffering and abuse in the minds of many Native Americans. The Mayor's statements shouldn't just outrage Native Americans. All Americans, regardless of ethnic group, should be deeply upset. The day a government official, in one of the most multi-racial cities in the United States, singles out an ethnic group as an object of unprovoked attack, is a sad day for all of us. Cowboy hats and shotguns have no place in the Native American discourse.

David Kimelberg is an enrolled citizen [[Bear clan) of the Seneca Nation of Indians. He is the CEO of Seneca Holdings LLC, the investment arm of the Seneca Nation, and the founder of nativeinvestment.com, an online forum and blog about economic development in Indian Country. His views are his own and not necessarily those of the Seneca Nation of Indians or Seneca Holdings.

[gazhekwe]

Mayor Bloomberg, channeling his inner Wyatt Earp, shot himself in the foot Friday. The tough-talking mayor infuriated Native Americans by urging Gov. Paterson to handle a dispute over cigarette taxes by delivering some Dodge City-style justice.

"I've said this to David Paterson, I said, 'You know, get yourself a cowboy hat and a shotgun,'" said Bloomberg, blasting from the hip on his weekly radio show. "If there's ever a great video, it's you standing in the middle of the New York State Thruway saying, you know, 'Read my lips - the law of the land is this, and we're going to enforce the law.'"

The politically incorrect crack - pitting cowboy Paterson against the state's Indians - drew a pointed rebuke from Barry Snyder Sr., president of the Seneca Nation of Indians.

"Regrettably, Mayor Bloomberg has made some reckless and insensitive statements to the people of the Seneca Nation, all Native Americans living in New York State and throughout the country," Snyder fired back.

The state plans a Sept. 1 crackdown on the Native American tribe's longstanding sales of its untaxed cigarettes to the general public. The plan is expected to generate $150 million in new revenues.

"None of New York's previous efforts to impose taxes on sovereign Indian nations have ever succeeded, and there is no reason to believe this latest effort will succeed either," said Mark Emery, spokesman for the Oneida Indian Nation.

A Paterson spokesman said the governor feels no need to strap on his six-guns over the dispute.

The Paterson policy, said spokesman Morgan Hook, is: "Negotiation, litigation and enforcement."

The mayor's reference to the Thruway invoked a 1997 battle over cigarette taxes where the Indian nations burned tires in protest on the highway.

Bloomberg spokesman Stu Loeser said the complaints about the comment missed the point.

"These arguments have nothing to do with the federal law, which applies to tribes," Loeser said.

lmcshane@nydailynews.com

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/...#ixzz0x3YKbz8a

[gazhekwe]

An interesting take on Mayor Bloomberg's advice, as in the above two posts:

"The law of the land is this, and we're going to enforce the law."

The law of the land is that the Indian nations have the right to sell tobacco without paying federal and state taxes. Agreements can be negotiated that favor the state, as in Michigan, but the law of the land supports the Indians as sovereign nations.

[Wingnatic]

Greed lol Its not like its '' name brand '' smokes either , and only sold on indian land . So if someone lives say 50 miles from a reservation for example , will they spend more money on gas getting there to buy smokes ? Its not like half a State or Province will swarm a reservation to buy smokes lol
I smell a court battle lol

[gazhekwe]

Yes, there is a court battle, and a lot of heated rhetoric like the mayor's. It's kind of scary. It reminds me of the days when the men of my tribe were fighting for our treaty fishing rights. It was a dangerous time to be Indian. Seems like the same kind of atmosphere in NY state.

I don't know if it is worse now, it just seems to permeate our entire lives, this hateful speech. People need to know that hateful speech breeds hateful actions. It is just one small step from listening to speaking, and then to acting.

[gazhekwe]

Elder's Meditation of the Day - August 24

"The mind's eye changes the way we judge things."
--Fools Crow, LAKOTA

"What you see is what you get." Our head has inside it a movie projector that projects out from our foreheads and shines on a screen a picture of our true thoughts. This is our reality. We can only see what we project [[our beliefs). If we believe someone is a jerk, every time we see them we reflect our beliefs about what we think about that person and that is all we can see. Even if someone tells us this person is a kind, loving, caring, intelligent individual, we wouldn't be able to see it. If we change our belief about them, that person will change and so will our judgment about that person.

My Creator, let me realize the power of choice. Let me see the advantages of changing my beliefs. Today, if I am judging my brother, let me change my beliefs to acceptance. If my thoughts are of anger, let me change them to love. Let my eyes only see you in everything and every person.

[gazhekwe]

Elder's Meditation of the Day - August 26

"Those who live for one another learn that love is the bond of perfect unity."
--Fools Crow, LAKOTA

To serve each other, to respect each other, to trust each other, to honor each other, to love each other, to cooperate with each other, to care for each other, to forgive one another, to focus on peoples' good, to laugh with one another, to learn from one another, to pray for each other; these are all acts of love. These values and actions will connect us to one another in the Unseen World. Nature is a good example of how we should get along with one another. Watch nature. She is our teacher. Nature lives to give to one another. The insects give to the birds, who give to the four legged, who give to the two legged. The Creator made all things perfect.

Oh Great Spirit, let me serve the people today. Let me see that it is better to give than it is to receive. Be with me today.

[Wingnatic]

Wise words , there's a whole world out there to see and listen to if one is willing to hear and see it . I see and hear it every day .

[gazhekwe]

Remember the First Prophecy?

In the time of the First Fire, the Anishinabe nation will rise up and follow the sacred shell of the Midewiwin Lodge. The Midewiwin Lodge will serve as a rallying point for the people and its traditional ways will be the source of much strength. The Sacred Megis will lead the way to the chosen ground of the Anishinabe. You are to look for a turtle shaped island that is linked to the purification of the earth. You will find such an island at the beginning and end of your journey. There will be seven stopping places along the way. You will know the chosen ground has been reached when you come to a land where food grows on water. If you do not move you will be destroyed.

Food growing on the water = Manomin, wild rice. This is the time of the sacred harvest, we commonly call ricing time. This is a process that starts with the canoes and ricing sticks. Two people take the canoe, one to pole the canoe through the rice, the other to wield the ricing sticks.

Ricing sticks are carved from cedar, and are just long enough to be extended from the canoe by hand, one stick to bend the stalks over so the heads of the rice are over the canoe, and the other to thresh the grains from the stalks into the canoe. A sharp blow sends most of the rice into the canoe, and some will fall back into the water to make more plants. This does not hurt the plants. Tobacco must be left through this process so the plants are thanked for their contribution to our tables.

Next the harvested rice must be dried for 2-3 days to prevent rot. Once dry, the rice is put into a kettle over a good fire, and stirred constantly as it slowly dries completely and the husks are loosened.

Winnowing takes out any loose hulls. The rice is tossed up from flat containers so the chaff blows away and the grains fall back into the container. Now the fun part! This is fun to watch, as the participants are usually handsome young men. The rice is placed into a pit lined with skins, and a man dances on it with a twisting motion of his feet to hull it completely. There are supports on the sides of the pit so the dancer doesn't put his full weight on the rice. Another man plays a drum to keep the rice dancer on task and on pace. After about fifteen minutes, it is checked, and if needed, more dancing.

When sufficiently hulled, the rice is again winnowed, then placed into flat containers for the final task, hand sorting. The whole family gets into this. The goal is to pick out any unhulled grains and any hard malformed kernels.

Now we're ready to have some wild rice! Here's how to cook it:

1 1/2 c wild rice, rinsed and sorted [[just in case any hulls and hard kernels were missed)
4 c water
1 tsp salt [[optional)

Place rice, water and salt in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer; cover and cook 45 minutes or until tender. Uncover and fluff with a fork. Simmer uncovered for 5 additional minutes or until liquid is absorbed. [[If there is a lot of liquid and the grains are puffed, you can drain it, but save the liquid for soup.)
Some hand harvested rice cooks shorter, more like regular rice, 1 cup rice to 3 cups water, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 20-25 minutes. This rice will 'pop' if cooked longer. It is still edible and tasted good once it is popped.

You can treat this like any other cooked rice. Serve it for breakfast with a handful of blueberries and some maple syrup. Make rice pudding with milk and fruit. Add it to soup. Make a pilaf with sauteed onions, celery, walnuts and crumbled bacon. Wild rice loves bacon. Put it in stuffing for your chicken.

The first meal of the wild rice harvest should be shared, just another good reason to party with friends and family after all this hard work.

[gazhekwe]

Michigan Senate Bill 1014 – enabling noncertified teachers to teach Native Language & Culture in Michigan – unanimously passed in the Michigan State Senate last week.

From the Analysis explaining the Bill:

Specifically, the bill would permit the Michigan Department of Education [[MDE) to enter into a memorandum of understanding [[MOU) with a federally recognized Native American tribe, the board of a school district, or the board of directors of a public school academy [[PSA) authorizing the Superintendent of Public Instruction to issue a three-year letter of approval or continuing approval to allow the tribe, district, or PSA to use teachers who did not possess a valid Michigan teaching certificate to teach a Native American tribal language and culture class.

The MOU would have to require a noncertificated teacher to demonstrate mastery of the tribal language either through a credential issued by a federally recognized tribe, or by another means considered suitable by the MDE. The MOU also would have to include requirements for renewal or continuing approval of the noncertificated teacher as established by the tribe, school district, or PSA in collaboration with the MDE.

A Native American tribe, school district, or PSA could apply credits earned by a pupil in a Native American tribal language taught by a noncertificated teacher for any purpose to the same extent as if taught by a certificated teacher, including credit toward completion of the credit requirements concerning a language other than English.

[gazhekwe]

And you guys think you have it bad. Here is how one says Apple Pie in Anishinaabemowin. And sorry, there are no shortcuts.

Mshiimina Baashminsigan Biitoojiishkwegnigan

Gives a whole new turn to "easy as pie!"

Mshimina - Apples
Baashminsigan - Smashed
Bitoo jiish- Between
Kwegnigan - Bread

[mshe' mina bosh' meen'sigun be' toe jeesh kweg' nigun]

[gazhekwe]

Elder's Meditation of the Day - August 31

"Our Creator makes available to us all that we need. It is an honor to go out and gather it. We must remember to say 'Thank You.' It is honorable to give away, to show our gratitude... and to let the children see this."
--Barney Bush, SHAWNEE

So many times we forget to say "thank You" to the Creator. He made for us an abundant universe. He built the Mother Earth to reproduce plenty of everything. It is an honor to be a part of the Great Spirit's world. The Creator always gives us what we need. When we are given things, we should be willing to share it with others. Whenever we give to others, this makes us feel good inside. The more we give, the better we feel. The better we feel, the more we want to give. We need to teach this to our children. The children learn by our behavior.

My Creator, thank you for today. Thank you for the sun. Thank you for the earth. Thank you for my life. Thank you for......

[gazhekwe]

An American Indian tribe based in northern Michigan requested permission Tuesday to join a lawsuit demanding stronger action to prevent Asian carp from infesting the Great Lakes.
The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians said it fears that five states suing the federal government and Chicago officials over the carp issue will not devote enough attention to the tribe's interests - particularly fishing rights provided under an 1836 treaty.

In a brief filed in U.S. District Court for northern Illinois, the tribe contended those rights are "paramount" to the economic needs of Chicago-area businesses that favor continued operation of navigational locks and gates through which the carp could gain access to the lakes.

A lawsuit filed by Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota and Pennsylvania accuses the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago of creating a public nuisance by refusing to close the locks and gates. A hearing on the suit resumes Sept. 7.

The states want Judge Robert M. Dow Jr. to issue a preliminary order to shutter the locks and take other steps to keep the carp out. The Grand Traverse tribe's motion asks to intervene on the states' side - first as an observer, and later as a full participant if the case advances beyond the preliminary injunction stage.

"Historically, fishing played a central role in the spiritual and cultural framework of Native American life," the tribe said in a brief filed by attorney Bill Rastetter of Traverse City and Matthew Fletcher, a Michigan State University law professor. "Not only are the Great Lakes fish culturally important to the tribes, these communities depend upon fisheries resources for their livelihoods."

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/finan.../D9HV6AE80.htm

[Wingnatic]

The Federal Government has got to stop dragging their feet and act now! Man these fish are like a parasite . Count the Government of Canada in on this as well , they are pretty concerned themselves since we share waterways

[gazhekwe]

See, just about every kind of sea [[or lake) food we eat ends up being overfished and endangered.

There is the slimehead [[orange roughy), or the Patagonian toothfish [[Chilean Sea Bass). Whatever, it couldn't be as ugly as monkfish.

And the Asians seem to love it. Ours seems to taste better than theirs, fresher, wilder, so they say. I can see our great fishermen learning to fish these monsters. Of course, the small boats wouldn't do, these critters can go 40 - 100 pounds or so, and can flop hard enough to break your leg.

How they got here was a typical "white" thing, if you ask me. They brought them in to clean the catfish farm ponds. Never thinking of the seven generations into the future will get you in this kind of trouble.