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[gazhekwe]

Original Navajo Code Talker still tells his story
By Felicia Fonseca
Albuquerque, New Mexico [[AP) September 2010

Tourists hurry inside a shop here to buy books about the famed Navajo Code Talkers, warriors who used their native language as their primary weapon. Outside, on a walk sheltered from the sun, nine of the Code Talkers sit at a table autographing the books. Each is an old man now. They wear similar caps and shirts, the scarlet and gold of the Marine Corps, and turquoise jewlery.

One of these men, who signs his name as Cpl. Chester Nez, is distinguished from the others. Below his signature, he jots down why:

1st Original 29.

Before hundreds of Code Talkers were recruited from the Navajo Nation to join the elite unit, 29 Navajos were recruited to develop the code – based on the then-unwritten Navajo language – that would confound
Japanese military cryptologists and help win World War II. Of the Original 29, only three survive. Nez is one.

The Code Talkers took part in every assault the Marines conducted in the Pacific, sending thousands of messages without error on Japanese troop movements, battlefield tactics and other communications critical to the war’s ultimate outcome.

“It’s one of the greatest parts of history that we used our own native language during World War II,” Nez said in an interview with The Associated Press. “We’re very proud of it.”

Nez tells the story succinctly. He is the last of the original group to be able to do so. One can hardly speak or hear and the memory of the third is severely tested by Alzheimer’s disease.

The 89-year-old Nez is limited, too. He is in a wheelchair after diabetes led to the amputation of both legs. These days, he’d rather “just sit around, take it easy,” he said.

As a boy, Nez lived in a traditional Navajo home and helped his family tend to sheep in Two Wells on the eastern side of the vast 27,000 square-mile reservation.

He played with matchbox toy cars, went barefoot, and spoke only his native language. That changed when he was sent to one of the boarding schools set up by the federal government to assimilate American Indian
children into the broader culture. At boarding school, Nez said he had his mouth washed out with soap for speaking Navajo – ironic indeed, considering the vital role that the unique language – and Nez – would come to play.

Nez was in 10th grade when a Marine recruiter came looking for young Navajos who were fluent in Navajo and English to serve in World War II. He jumped at the chance to defend his country, and to leave boarding school. He kept the decision to enlist a secret from his family, and lied about his age, as did many others.

“I told my roommate, ‘Let’s try it out,’ and that’s what we did,” Nez said. “One reason we joined is the uniform – they were so pretty, dress uniforms.”

About 250 Navajos showed up at Fort Defiance, Ariz., then a U.S. Army base. But only 29 were selected to join the first all-Native American unit of Marines. They were inducted in May 1942. After basic training, the 382nd Platoon was tasked with developing the code. There Nez met Allen Dale June and Lloyd Oliver, among the others. Using Navajo words for red soil, war chief, clan, braided hair, beads, ant and hummingbird, for example, they came up with a glossary of more than 200 terms, later expanded, and an alphabet.

At first, Nez said, the concern was whether or not the code could work. Then it proved inpenetrable. “The Japanese did everything in their power to break the code but they never did,” he said.

Nez no longer remembers the code in its entirety, but easily switches from English to Navajo to repeat one instruction he delivered during fighting on Guadalcanal.

“I always remember this one,” Nez said. “‘Enemy machine gun on your right flank, destroy!”’

The Navajos trained in radio communications were walking copies of the code. Each message read aloud by a Code Talker was immediately destroyed.

“When you’re involved in the world of cryptology, you not only have to provide information, you have to protect that,” said Patrick Weadon, curator of the National Cryptologic Museum. “And there’s no better example than the Navajo Code Talkers during World War II.”

The Code Talkers were constantly on the move, often from foxhole to foxhole. Nez had a close call in Guam with a sniper’s bullet that whizzed past his head and struck a palm tree.

Once while running a message, Nez and his partner were mistaken for Japanese soldiers and were threatened at gunpoint until a Marine lieutenant cleared up the confusion, his son, Michael, said.

“Of course Dad couldn’t tell them he was a Code Talker,” Nez’s son said.

The Code Talkers had orders not to discuss their roles – not during the war and not until their mission was declassified 23 years later. In 2001 Nez, Dale and June traveled aboard the same plane to Washington, D.C., to receive the Congressional Gold Medal. The recognition, which they didn’t receive returning home from war, propelled them to a sort of celebrity status, along with the release of a movie based on the Code
Talkers the following year

They appeared on television, rode on floats in parades and were asked to speak to veterans groups and students. Nez threw the opening pitch at a 2004 Major League Baseball game and blessed the presidential campaign of John Kerry. Oliver traveled with other Code Talkers as guests of honor in the nation’s largest Veterans Day parade in New York last year. When residents of Longmont, Colo., heard that June and his wife did not have a permanent home, they raised money to buy one for the couple.

The last three survivors of the Original 29 don’t live on the Navajo Nation, where they are celebrated with a tribal holiday. They wonder about each other, but it’s unlikely they’ll reunite again.

After World War II, Nez volunteered to serve two more years during the Korean War and retired in 1974 after a 25-year career as a painter at the Veterans hospital in Albuquerque.

June, 88, has spent the past few weeks in and out of hospitals in Wyoming and Arizona, and requires round-the-clock care. His third wife, Virginia, calls herself “the charm” and the protector of an endangered
species. She’s a walking promotion for him and the Marine Corps, yet she’s careful of how much she says because he thinks it is unwelcomed bragging.

Oliver’s wife, Lucille, echoes similar sentiments about her husband. Oliver displayed few reminders in what, until earlier this year, was his home on the Yavapai Indian reservation in Camp Verde, Ariz. – a few framed pictures, a Marine cap above his bedroom window and a U.S. flag above the doorway.

“He just put the past behind him, I guess,” she says.

Oliver, 87, speaks audibly but his words are difficult to understand. His hearing is impaired and he prefers not to have a hearing aid.

Both June and Oliver had brothers who later served as Code Talkers. Nez tells the tourists seeking autographs in Albuquerque that he’s part of the Original 29, but few appear to grasp what that means.

“Most of them,” he says of the tourists, “they just thank me for what we did.”

News From Indian Country
http://indiancountrynews.net

[Jimaz]

At first, Nez said, the concern was whether or not the code could work. Then it proved impenetrable. “The Japanese did everything in their power to break the code but they never did,” he said.

Never has a greater case been made for diversity, the inclusion of especially the smallest of minorities, in the social fabric of the United States of America. Ironically, the Japanese were not at all adept at employing this kind of cultural Jujutsu to benefit from what might otherwise be foolishly considered a "social impurity."

Arabic translators play a related role in today's military. May they too be so respected someday.

[gazhekwe]

So true, Jim. Look how long it took for this to become known.

The code was so fiendishly simple, too, yet it required such precise memory and instant fluent application. Each letter of the English alphabet was given a matching English word. H - hummingbird, A - ant. The word was translated into Dine, and then the Dine words would be strung together. The Code Talker on the sending end had to translate messages given in English instantly, and the one on the receiving end had to translate back into English instantly.

It was so telling, they had been punished as children for speaking that language, yet they freely shared it for the good of the nation.

[gazhekwe]

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.

[gazhekwe]

This report on Ricing was on Great Lakes Environment Report this morning. There's a link to listen to the report, and a nice slide show.

http://www.environmentreport.org/

Summary:
For thousands of years, Native American tribes in the Great Lakes region have been harvesting wild rice. They call it manoomin. [correctly pronounced ma no' min, good berry.]

But over the past few centuries, this tradition has been dying out. The rice beds have been shrinking, and the cultural knowledge has been disappearing. Many tribes were forced to relocate away from the wild rice beds. Starting in the 1870s, some children were taken from their families, into boarding schools. They were given English names and cut off from their culture and from the knowledge of how to harvest rice.

In Michigan, some people are trying to bring the tradition back.

[gazhekwe]

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

[gazhekwe]

Some people who visit the Mound at Fort Wayne may like to leave some kind of prayer offering. One way to do that in a traditional way is with tobacco ties. These little pouches of tobacco, made by the person who leaves them, carry that person's thoughts and prayers to the spirits who inhabit that place.

To make the ties, gather the materials you will need together where you can sit and pray with them.

Colorful squares of natural, not synthetic, cloth, about 4" square. Traditional ties are white, red or yellow. Don't use black. Colorful calico ties in green, red or yellow can be used as well.
String or yarn. Good strong kite string will last. I like to use red yarn.
Natural tobacco like Native Spirit or Bugler. In a pinch, you can use other tobacco. People have even used cigarette tobacco.
Sage for smudging as you begin the process. Be sure to smudge your scissors you will use to cut the cloth.

Hold the tobacco in your left hand as you pray. The left hand is closest to the heart. You may pray or think about whatever you wish to accomplish or someone you want to help, or someone in the spirit world.

After your prayers you are ready to assemble your ties. Put the squares down one at a time, with the corners facing the four directions. The easiest way is to put a small handful of tobacco in the middle of each square, then bring the corners together in order, east, south, west, north, and tie with the string around the little ball of tobacco. Be sure to leave enough string to tie the bundle to the fence or branch.

I like to do separate bundles. You can also tie them in a continuous strand buy not cutting your string between ties.

Smudge the bundles again and offer them to Creator.

Now they are ready to take your prayers to the Creator. They can be offered through the air by tying them to a branch or fence, to the fire by burning them, to the water by putting them in the river, even to the earth by burying them.

Tobacco ties can be given as an offering to a healer, or to an elder one asks for a spirit name, you can put one into the sacred fire at a pow wow. You can tie one or more onto the fence at the Mound at Fort Wayne, which is fenced with the four sides facing the four directions. You can also bring some to a sweat lodge.

[gazhekwe]

Wiingashk, Sweetgrass, is one of the four sacred herbs, and represents the North.

It is past time to gather sweetgrass. I have a patch and will be harvesting it as soon as the rain dries off it. This will be my first harvest. I could probably have gotten an earlier harvest but I wanted to let it grow this first year.

To harvest, take a bunch and cut the blades off with a scissors, leaving at least 3 inches on the plant. Cutting them too close or pulling up roots kills the plant. Give thanks to the plants for their contribution to your life. The right way would leave at least half the plants in the area to finish their cycle.

In my case, I need to pull up the plants around the edge of my sweetgrass bed to prevent them from spreading into my garden. If anyone would like a plant or two, please PM me and I will let you know when you can get them. I probably will have about ten plants.

I will make sweetgrass braids this time. These are the length of the stalks, and about 30-40 stalks.

• Take the bunch of grass stalks about the size of the space in a circle made between you thumb and "pointer" finger.
• Tie one end off with a single stalk or thin string or thread. I find the thread works best for me.
• Divide this into 3 equal bunches.
• Hold the 3 bunches together in one hand: but still keep them separate with your fingers.
• Now, just like braiding hair with three stands...
  
• Cross the right bunch over the center bunch.
• The center then is pushed to the right: the right is now the center bunch.
• The left bunch is now brought over the center, the left is now the center.
• Repeat over and over, eventually one hand will hold the top while the other will do the braiding. You want to keep the braiding tight but not too tight. Remember it will shrink some when it dries. With practice you will learn just how tight to make the braids.
• When you get to the end, take a length of grass and wrap it around and tie with another single stalk, string or thread.
• It takes practice. Be patient.

When you're done, dry the braids on a screen or flat basket out of direct sun.


http://www.altnature.com/thegarden/sweet.htm

One way to use the braids is for smudging. Light the small end, blow it out and waft the smoke through the area you want to smudge, as always with reverent thoughts or prayers.

[gazhekwe]

Elder's Meditation of the Day - September 18

"I walk in and out of many worlds."
--Joy Harjo, CREEK/CHEROKEE

In my mind are many dwellings. Each of the dwellings we create ourselves - the house of anger, the house of despair, the house of self pity, the house of indifference, the house of negative, the house of positive, the house of hope, the house of joy, the house of peace, the house of enthusiasm, the house of cooperation, the house of giving. Each of these houses we visit each day. We can stay in any house for as long as we want. We can leave these mental houses any time we wish. We create the dwelling, we stay in the dwelling, we leave the dwelling whenever we wish. We can create new rooms, new houses. Whenever we enter these dwellings, this becomes our world until we leave for another. What world will we live in today?

Creator, no one can determine which dwelling I choose to enter. No one has the power to do so, only me. Let me choose wisely today

[Wingnatic]

Something for Canadians to ponder

Michael Ignatieff was invited to address a major gathering of the Indian Nation in British Columbia recently.
He spoke for almost an hour on his future plans for increasing every First Nation's present standard of living
if he were elected Prime Minister. He assured them he was always urging the present government to address
more of the native community's concerns.
At the conclusion of his speech, the Tribe presented Ignatieff with a plaque inscribed with his new
Indian name - "Walking Eagle". The proud Ignatieff then departed in his motorcade, waving to the crowds.
A news reporter later inquired to the group of chiefs of how they came to select the new name given to Ignatieff.
They explained that Walking Eagle is the name given to a bird so full of sh** it can no longer fly.

[gazhekwe]

Thanks, Wingnatic! This should be fun. Politicians are always good for poking fun. Here is a similar one I heard many years ago. I can't remember what Indian words were used, so I have substituted Nish words.

A candidate for Congress visited an Indian reservation where there was widespread poverty. He gave a rousing speech all about what good he could do for the community if he were elected. Each point was greeted by a cheer of "Bizhikimoo!" and he picked that up, even using it a time or two himself for emphasis.

After the speech, the head of the tribe took the politician on a tour of the tribe's buffalo pasture so he could see how they were working to traditionally feed their people. As they walked, the head man warned,

"Be careful not to step in the bizhikmoo."

[gazhekwe]

Top Ten Things to Say When Meeting a White Person

10. How much white are you?

09. I'm part white myself, you know.

08. I learned all your people's ways in the Boy Scouts.

07. My great-great-grandmother was a full-blooded white American Princess.

06. Funny, you don't look white.

05. Where's your powdered wig and knickers?

04. Do you live in a covered wagon?

03. What's the meaning behind the square dance?

02. What's your feeling about Detroit casinos? Do they really help your people, or are they just a short-term fix?

01. Hey, can I take your picture?

[gazhekwe]

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."

[gazhekwe]

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!"

[gazhekwe]

COLD WINTER!

The Blackfeet asked their Chief in autumn, if the winter was going to be cold or not. Not really knowing the answer, the chief replies that the winter was going to be cold and that the members of the village were to collect wood to be prepared.
Being a good leader, he then went to the nearest phone booth and called the National Weather Service and asked, "Is this winter going to be cold?"
The man on the phone responded, "This winter is going to be quite cold indeed."
So the Chief went back to speed up his people to collect even more wood to be prepared. A week later he called the National Weather Service again, "Is it going to be a very cold winter?"
"Yes," the man replied, "It's going to be a very cold winter."
So the Chief goes back to his people and orders them to go and find
every scrap of wood they can find. Two weeks later he calls the National Weather Service again and asks, "Are you absolutely sure, that the winter is going to be very cold?"
"Absolutely" the man replies, "the Blackfeet are collecting wood like crazy!"

[gazhekwe]

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.”

Nish News is on Facebook

[gazhekwe]

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.

[Wingnatic]

That sounds like a yummy menu , where can I get recipes ?

[gazhekwe]

I don't have those recipes, unless I look them up. Love Google for that. We can get close. The menu is from the NMAI.

http://www.nmai.si.edu/

No recipes there, unfortunately.

I do make fried kale with bacon frequently. No recipe but here's how.

Wash up a bunch of kale, cut off the big stems and shake off as much water as you can. Chop it up into big pieces.

Fry up a few slices of bacon, say one per person. Good bacon improves this dish.
Now take the bacon out and break it up, set aside.
Leave as much grease in the pan as you feel comfortable.
Add a couple handfuls of sliced green onions and saute lightly. Add the kale and swish it around to coat it with the bacon fat, saute it lightly until it wilts, stir in the bacon, and your healthy tasty side dish is done.

I also make Maple Walnut Pie. Just use a pecan pie recipe and substitute maple syrup instead of corn syrup and walnuts instead of pecans.

[Wingnatic]

Thank you sir , I did find alot of Native American recipes online and intend to try out a few this Fall season

[gazhekwe]

Gashekwe = Cat WOMAN.

Wingnatic, why not share the recipes once you try them. I am going to be starting with the wild rice I've obtained from this year's harvest, and will post some of those recipes.

[gazhekwe]

Seeing as how it is soup and stew season coming up, I will re-cap that famous Buckskin Bread recipe. You can whip this up in a jiffy, and it will be hot and ready to go with your stew in half an hour.

Buckskin Bread
The name comes from the color of the baked loaf.

2 cups unbleached flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup water

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.

Sift dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. quickly mix in the water. Press dough into a greased 9-inch pie plate. Bake bread for about 30 minutes, until very lightly browned on top. Turn bread out and let cool on a rack.

Makes 1 loaf.

[Wingnatic]

'' Gashekwe = Cat WOMAN. ''

Wingnatic ..... you idiot !
My apologies

[gazhekwe]

I didn't call you an idiot, how could you know? says it's just info.

[Stosh]

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.

I guess that I would have to pass on the main dishes, Maple isn't my thing, and neither is venison.

That being said, I love the sides, soups, and salads. Although now I have to watch my leafy greens, unfortunately.

As to the bread recipe above, that is like a flatbread, isn't it?