Paging Gazhekwe

[gazhekwe]

See a couple of posts on this thread, where I couldn't resist throwing in the unknown history of Native Americas.

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthr...9-I-m-lovin-it

[gazhekwe]

​​

Tom Laughlin, 'Billy Jack' creator, dead at age 82

Published December 16, 2013 Associated Press

Actor-writer-director Tom Laughlin, whose production and marketing of "Billy Jack" set a standard for breaking the rules on and off screen, has died.

Laughlin's daughter told The Associated Press that he died Thursday at Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Laughlin was 82 and Teresa Laughlin, who acted in the Billy Jack movies, said the cause of death was complications from pneumonia.

"Billy Jack" was released in 1971 after a long struggle by Laughlin to gain control of the low-budget, self-financed movie, a model for guerrilla filmmaking.

He wrote, directed and produced "Billy Jack" and starred as the ex-Green Beret who defends a progressive school against the racists of a conservative Western community. The film became a counterculture favorite and the theme song, "One Tin Soldier," was a hit single for the rock group Coven.

Laughlin was in his mid-30s when he created Billy Jack with his wife and collaborator, Delores Taylor. Billy Jack was half-white, half Native American, a Vietnam veteran and practitioner of martial arts who had come to hate war. Billy Jack was first seen in the 1968 biker movie "Born Losers," but became widely known after "Billy Jack," the second of four films Laughlin made about him [[only three made it to theaters).

"Billy Jack" was completed in 1969, but its release was delayed for two years as Laughlin struggled to find studio backing. He eventually successfully sued Warner Bros. to retain rights and — with no support from Hollywood or from theater chains — Laughlin made a radical decision: Distribute the movie himself and rent theaters to show it in. He also was among the first to advertise on television and to immediately open a movie nationwide, rather than release it gradually.

"Billy Jack" initially flopped at the box office, but generated an underground following and became a substantial commercial success and inspiration to independent filmmakers. The title character has been cited as a forerunner for such screen avengers as Rambo.

Laughlin was born in 1931 and grew up in Milwaukee. He played football for the University of South Dakota [[where he met his future wife) and Marquette University, but decided he wanted to become an actor after seeing a stage production of "A Streetcar Named Desire."

"He was profoundly affected by the poverty he saw on the Indian reservations near the University of South Dakota," Teresa Laughlin said. "I think the seeds of the Billy Jack character started there."

His early film credits included "South Pacific," ''Gidget" and Robert Altman's "The Delinquents." Laughlin also was interested in directing and writing and by 1960 had directed, written and starred in "The Young Sinner."

Laughlin wasn't only a filmmaker. He ran for president as both a Republican and Democrat and founded a Montessori school in California. He was an opponent of nuclear energy and a longtime advocate for Native Americans and bonded with another actor-activist, Marlon Brando.

In recent years, he wrote books and attempted to make another Billy Jack movie.

"There had been lots of interest and deals would sort of come together and not happen," said Teresa Laughlin, who noted that her father had also battled cancer. "One of the prime reasons that he couldn't get a deal was his failing health and, I think, his inability to come to terms with that. In his mind's eye, he remained Billy Jack."

He is survived by his wife, a sister, three children and five grandchildren.

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment...-jack-creator/

[Jimaz]

One tin soldier rides away.

• BillyJackRights.com

[gazhekwe]

5 Pow Wow/Christmas-Style Treats That’ll Bring Santa Into Your Kitchen

Vincent Schilling 12/21/13

Now that we are at the height of the Christmas and holiday season, all of those little Elves and Santa will surely be making their way into your kitchen to sample some of those Christmas snacks and goodies.

Not wanting to disappoint our dear readers, in this light, we are introducing a few luscious holiday treats “Native and Pow Wow Style.”

Enjoy the Native deliciousness!

1. A Gingerbread Longhouse
In the midst of the Squamish Nation [[about 40 miles North of Vancouver), Alice Guss took the time to teach Rachel, her daughter, and her daughter’s friend to create an amazingGingerbread Longhouse [[pictured above). The template was created by Alice’s brother Rick.
“We’ve been doing this for a long time. We put candy on the longhouses and blinking lights to make it look like fire,” said Guss. “I just did a workshop for seven-year-olds, and they piled so much candy on the roofs [that] the roofs started to collapse!”

2. Healthy Snack Bites [[Healthy? Yes, and Yummy!)

86Lemons.com

Using earthly, fun-food treasures, such as sunflower seeds, agave and cacao powder, you can have an easy and cholesterol-free snack bites to offer Santa.

He’s eaten so many cookies, he’ll probably be appreciative!

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup each: raisins, coconut and sesame seeds
2 tbsp. each raw agave nectar and cacao powder
1/4 tsp. salt
Steps – Food process Sunflower seeds and raisins until coarse, add agave and cacao powder. Roll into a golfball-sized ball, coat with coconut or sesame seeds and chill.
See86Lemons.com.

3. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

TwoPeasandTheirPod.com

Wait a minute, do we even need to add a description here? I was a sucker at Pumpkin chocolate! Add the word “cookie” and the show is over. Sign me up!!

The recipe's fromTwoPeasandTheirPod.com. Turns out, there is a healthy, and even healthier version. It’s a win-win, YUM!

I am preheating my oven...now.

Complete recipe, here:TwoPeasandTheirPod.com

Even healthier, cholesterol free version, here:TwoPeasandTheirPod.com

4. Chocolate Fry Bread

PhoenixNewTimes.com

In 2011, Laura Hahnefeld of thePhoenix New TimesnamedChocolate Fry Breadfrom the Fry Bread House as one of the top 100 Favorite Dishes of 2011.

I don’t know about you, but I think Santa would come running full-speed to come get a taste of this one!

5. Nopalitos [[Cactus) Salad

Last but not least, a “guilt reliever” dish.

Not wanting to “over-sweet” your Christmas or holiday season, let’s at least throw in a salad to offset some goodie calories. Not just any old salad, but a cactus salad, that's a pretty cool indigenous-themed dish!

Nopales are the edible cactus leafs or pads that are cultivated in the mountainous areas near Mexico City. It is also known as prickly pear and, surprisingly, can be found at many specialty grocery stores such as Whole Foods Market.

Check out the full recipe, which includes Nopales, onion, tomato, cilantro, jalapeno, avocado and lime, at WhatsCookingMexico.com.

Read more at http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwor...kitchen-152823

[gazhekwe]

Native American actor Charlie Hill, 62, has lost battle with lymphoma

The Two Row Times | By Nahnda Garlow @Posted: 12/30/2013 12:00 pm EST




Two Row Times has confirmed that Haudenosaune/Cree actor Charlie Hill passed away early Monday morning following a lengthy illness. He was 62 years old.


Six Nations actor Gary Farmer took to social media Monday morning offering condolences after learning his friend, Haudenosaune actor Charlie Hill, passed away after battling lymphoma for the last year.


Farmer posted on his Facebook, “My sincere condolences to family, friends, and fans for my long time friend, Charlie Hill who passed on early this morning.”

http://tworowtimes.com/news/internat...ttle-lymphoma/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wh6e...Y&noredirect=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOf-3TShBio

[gazhekwe]

Tribes and one state lining up in support of Bay Mills, other states lining up in support of Michigan.

CN files amicus brief on Bay Mills case

1/8/2014 8:12:52 AM

BY STAFF REPORTS WASHINGTON –

The Cherokee Nation has joined 11 other tribes in support of the Bay Mills Indian Community in its lawsuit against the state of Michigan, which is set to go before the U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 2.

The state is at odds with BMIC because it believes it can order the tribe’s casino to be closed because it is not on the tribe’s lands. A federal judge agreed with the state and issued an injunction in 2011 ordering the casino closed. However, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals threw out the judge’s injunction in 2012.

The Vanderbilt casino opened in November 2010 and is located about 125 miles south of the Bay Mills reservation in the upper Michigan peninsula. The Bay Mills tribe is asking Supreme Court justices to uphold the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling.

Questions presented by the BMIC attorneys on Oct. 31 to the U.S. Supreme Court ask whether a federal court has jurisdiction to enjoin activity that violates the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act but takes place outside of Indian lands, and whether tribal sovereign immunity bars a state from suing in federal court to enjoin a tribe from violating IGRA outside of Indian lands.

The 12 other tribes are joining the BMIC through a brief of amici curiae or “friends of the court.” They are not a party to the suit, but they have a strong interest in the outcome lawsuit and can offer information on the case. The Lytton Rancheria, Coeur d’Alene Tribe, Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas, Pueblo of Acoma, Absentee Shawnee Tribe, Navajo Nation, Wichita and Affiliated Tribes, Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, Seminole Nation of Florida, Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians and Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe are a part of the amici curiae along with the CN.

The BMIC brief to the Supreme Court states the tribes believe their briefs will aid the court by clarifying both the central role of tribal-state compacts in providing enforcement remedies under the IGRA, and the importance of preserving the ability of tribes to negotiate the scope and extent of sovereign immunity waivers when entering into agreements with non-tribal parties.

Like the BMIC, several of the amici tribes have entered into IGRA tribal-state compacts, all of which include specific negotiated dispute resolution provisions.

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette has argued the tribe violated federal law regarding Indian gaming by opening a casino on land outside the tribe’s reservation. The tribe’s attorneys have argued that by purchasing the land using trust funds, the casino site became tribal lands and therefore eligible for gaming. The tribe also maintains that it is entitled to sovereign immunity from being sued by Michigan, a position the U.S. Solicitor General agreed with in advising the court not to take up the case.

The case has drawn interest from other states where tribes operate casinos. The attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Utah filed a joint “friend of the court” brief in support of Michigan’s argument. Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt filed a separate brief also supporting Michigan.

The states argue that federal courts have jurisdiction to consider whether or not the tribe has violated federal law and that Indian tribes are not entitled to immunity from suits filed by state governments.

The Bay Mills tribe has already discussed plans to open additional casinos in Port Huron and Flint Township. Those plans were put on hold by the suit over the Vanderbilt site. The tribe does operate two casinos in the upper peninsula of Michigan.


http://www.cherokeephoenix.org/Article/Index/7879

[gazhekwe]

What a winter this has been. I am climbing out of my hidey hole to take a peek at the world. Well, I have to admit, where I am is just fine, thank you. I don't think Florida Phil even missed a step on Feb. 2. Might have seen his shadow, just another day to him. But in the D, wow! It has been an old fashion lesson teacher of a winter.

The Spring thaw will happen, and maybe sooner than we think, but probably not soon enough for the snowbound.

This is the time for baby bears to be born. Tiny little bundles, when they emerge from the safety of their mother's womb, they take their first breath. If you see that morning fog, just as the light is coming to our part of the world, that represents the baby bears' first breath.

First, we must begin to get ready for Maple Syrup time. It is a lot of work to prepare the things we need to make our traditional syrup and it will soon be time. The days will warm as the nights remain freezing, and the sap will begin to run.

When we see that early fog, we can begin to anticipate the coming of the Thunders, Animikiiak. The first Thunders are the best sign that the old man Bboon is finally on his way to the rivulets of Ziigwan. After this long cold snowy winter, it will be a welcome time. The day after the First Thunders is a day of ceremony and feasting. Gather your family and your neighbors, all who are important to you and your community, and celebrate the arrival of the Thunders. Celebrate our relations with the Earth and all her Beings. We are thankful for all that has helped us get through another winter, and ready to prepare ourselves for our Spring planting. It is time to begin our spiritual cleansing for another season as we continue our path around the Sun.

[gazhekwe]

It is the 127th anniversary of this infamous Act designed to turn all native dwellers into FFA. THis was a case of unregulated immigrants forcing the original inhabitants into the immigrants' chosen lifestyle. It did not provoke a welcome reaction, and it did destroy native communities.



Native History: Dawes Act Signed Into Law to 'Civilize' Indians

Alysa Landry 2/8/14

This Date in Native History: On February 8, 1887, U.S. President Grover Cleveland signed the Dawes Severalty Act into law, introducing private land ownership to American Indians.

Arguably one of the most devastating for Natives, the act slashed millions of acres from the existing land base, broke up tribes as communal units and threatened tribal sovereignty. It applied to all Indian nations, with exceptions in the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Seminole, Osage, Miami, Sac and Fox, Peoria and Seneca nations.

The act, also known as the General Allotment Act, was named for Massachusetts Congressman Henry Dawes, who declared that private property had the power to civilize.

To be civilized, he said, was to “wear civilized clothes, cultivate the ground, live in houses, ride in Studebaker wagons, send children to school, drink whiskey [[and) own property.” Dawes’s plan was to extend the protection of the nation’s laws to American Indians by allotting reservation land in parcels of 40 to 160 acres to individuals and heads of households.Allottees would hold the land for 25 years, after which individuals or their heirs would own the land and become citizens of the United States if their “residence [[is) separate and apart from any tribe of Indians… and [[if they have) adopted the habits of civilized life.”

Signed 22 years after the Civil War ended, the act came as a way to deal with the “Indian problem,” said Don Wharton, a senior attorney at the Native American Rights Fund. During the war, the government suspended its concern about handling the indigenous population. In the following decades, settlers resumed their journeys westward and found that some of the best land was on reservations.

“They had to figure out what to do with the Indian problem—the problem being that they were Indian and were not sufficiently becoming Christian farmers,” Wharton said. “The goal was to open the reservations to settlement by non-Indians, who would, because of proximity, help the Indians become Christian farmers.”

The act also allowed the government to consolidate Natives on smaller tracts of land. After reservations were divided into allotments, any remaining land was declared surplus and became available for public sale. This led to the loss of 90 million acres of Indian land by 1934, or about two-thirds of the 1887 land base.

“The Dawes act came at a time when the federal government was trying to put lands into private hands,” said Terry Anderson, president of the Property and Environment Research Center, a Bozeman, Montana-based think tank that specializes in property rights and markets. “It was a way the federal government could open lands to non-Indians.”

Much of the land allotted to Natives also was lost, Anderson said. Individuals deemed competent to farm and given the title to the land often were tricked into selling it to non-Natives. Others earned the titles, but lost the land when they were unable to pay taxes.
Some tribes opposed the act, leading to Supreme Court decisions that further damaged sovereignty, Wharton said. The nation’s high court ruled in 1903 that the government didn’t have to get permission from tribes before dividing the land.

“It ruled that Congress has plenary power to decide what’s best for the Indians, even if that’s taking the land,” he said. “It ruled that you can unilaterally breach the treaty without recourse by the tribes to any legal authority.”

Despite termination of the allotment process in 1934, repercussions of the act continue today. As original allottees died, their heirs received equal undivided interests to the land. These “fractionated interests” grew exponentially during the last 125 years, making it nearly impossible for individuals to use or develop the land.

“Ultimately, the Dawes Act has kept individual Indians at the mercy of the federal government,” Anderson said. “It is virtually impossible for individuals to borrow against their allotted lands and get capital to develop those lands.
”
The act also established a trust fund, administered by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, to collect and distribute revenues from oil, mineral, timber and other leases on tribal lands. The government’s improper management of this trust resulted in the largest-ever class-action lawsuit. Spearheaded by Elouise Cobell of the Blackfoot Confederacy, the case was settled in 2009 for $3.4 billion.
Allotments did come with a silver lining, however, said Ervin Chavez, president of the Shii Shi Keyah Allottee Association, an organization on the Navajo Nation that watches out for the rights of individual allottees.

“The allotment act was meant by the U.S. government for one thing, but Indian people also benefited,” he said. Despite the issues of fractionation, Natives “actually have tangible land which is theirs. That gives Indian people the pride of land ownership.”

Read more athttp://indiancountrytodaymedianetwor...indians-153467

[gazhekwe]

Who remembers the story of the old man sitting in his wigwam biding his time as the cold and snow held on outside? He was lonely and would welcome some company for sure...

[gazhekwe]

On This Day [[2/12/1599):
In 1599 the Acoma Massacre took place, in which 500 Acoma people were killed for defending their home from the Spanish in present-day New Mexico. Another 500 were taken prisoner and later sentenced to a variety of punishments. All were found guilty and Juan de Onate ordered their punishment.

All men over 25 years old had one foot cut off and were forced to serve as slaves for 20 years.
Everyone between 12 and 25 years old only had one foot cut off.

The massacre was the result of a failed peace negotiation between the Acoma people and the nephew of Juan de Onate, Captain Juan de Zaldivar. When Zaldivar arrived at the pueblo, he demanded food and supplies, which the Acoma people were reluctant to give. Zaldivar then attacked some women, which for the Acoma, was extremely disgraceful. They in turn attacked Zaldivar and killed him. As a result, Juan de Onate sent Vincente de Zaldivar to punish the Acoma people and to burn their pueblo.

In 1998, during the 400-year anniversary of Spain's founding of New Mexico colony, a group of Acomas cut off the right foot of Onate's twelve-foot statue in Alcalde, New Mexico.

They later issued a statement about the incident: "We took the liberty of removing Onate's right foot on behalf of our brothers and sister of Acoma Pueblo ... We see no glory in celebrating Onate's fourth centennial, and we do not want our faces rubbed in it."

One Acoma man, Darrell Chino, said, "It was funny when it happened to the statue, but it wasn't funny when it happened to the real people."

At the Onate Monument and Visitors Center, Estevan Arrellano, the director of the site, supervised the attachment of a new foot to the statue. He later said, "Give me a break – it was 400 years ago. It's okay to hold a grudge, but for 400 years?"

NOTE:

It has been 2000 years since Jesus was crucified. Have the Christians forgotten? Nope.

It has been 550 years since the Papal Bull dictating Christian superiority solidifying Manifest Destiny. Have the colonizers forgotten? Nope.

It has been nearly 70 years since the Holocaust ended. Think anyone shows signs of getting over it any time soon?

How come we are expected to forget our history?

[gazhekwe]

[Pam]

Saw this on another site I go to:

http://www.tacomaartmuseum.org/Page.aspx?nid=513

Washington photographer Matika Wilbur, a member of the Swinomish and Tulalip tribes, showcases her work-in-progress, a new collection of images of contemporary American Indians. Her goal is to photograph members of all 562 federally-recognized tribes in the United States. This artistic and spiritual journey has already taken Wilbur on a 1,000-mile adventure across the country.

[gazhekwe]

Thanks, Pam. That looks like a great project, and very timely. Bierstadt and Remington painted the western people on the brink of change in the latter half of the 1800s. Other artists concentrated on different groups of that period. Edward Curtis's photo project started over 100 years ago, showing our people in the process of change. Now is a good time to register what has happened along the decades.

[gazhekwe]

"My people will sleep for one hundred years but when they awaken it will be the artists who give them their spirit back."

-Louis Riel

Happy Louis Riel Day!

Louis Riel was a revolutionary, politician, freedom fighter, prophet, lunatic, and one of Canada's Founding Fathers - all depending on who you ask. What is indisputable is that he went toe to toe with the Canadian government to protect his people.

John A MacDonald, the first Prime Minister of Canada, was eager to build a Trans Canada railway to tie the nation together before the US absorbed British Columbia.

It was also to serve in getting armed troops across the nation faster and speed the process of immigration.

First Nations were worried the train would lead to death and the destruction of the buffalo [[they were right to fear as that's exactly what happened).

The Metis in Manitoba feared that the government would seize the lands they had carved out and settled, would break the tenuous peace with the First Nations. They were also right to fear, as this is what happened.

Louis Riel led the fight against the government but was ultimately captured and hanged for treason in 1885.

He was killed but the spirit of the Resistance carried on, led by such men as Poundmaker, Big Bear and Gabriel Dumont.

John A MacDonald despised the French and Indigenous people in Canada, and therefore the Metis people represented the worst of all worlds to him. Throwing the weight of the Canadian Armed Forces [[and the now fully operational and battle ready Canadian Pacific Railway) he eventually crushed the Rebellion, or at least the soul of it, with the help of local and provincial governments.

The Battle of Batoche was the beginning of the end and thus marked the beginning of undisputed Anglo European rule over the West and the end of a dream for a better, more peaceful way of life for Metis and First Nations.

[gazhekwe]

[gazhekwe]

Got Land? Thank An Indian!

Christine Smith McFarlane 3/2/14

This slogan has stirred up a lot of controversy and one of the creators of this slogan, Jeff Menard, has been featured in the news several times because of the reactions it has received from mainstream society. But first, little background on what happened.

In mid-January 2014, CBC News reported that 13-year-old Tenelle Starr, a First Nations student in Saskatchewan, was told not to wear the “Got Land? Thank An Indian” hoodie to school after some parents, students and school officials took offense.

Starr, a member of the nearby Star Blanket First Nation, goes to school in Balcarres about 90 kilometers northeast of Regina. “ I wear it proudly around the school,” she told CBC News, even though some students told her the message was “cheeky” and “rude”.

The controversy was eventually resolved through meetings between the school and Star Blanket First Nations’ leaders, leading to greater understanding and acceptance about Star’s sweatshirt, and its message. I still find the whole situation infuriating on so many levels.

The first issue is the right to have the fundamental freedom to express oneself. According to Section 2 of theCanadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, there fundamental freedoms we Canadian citizens are allowed, including: freedom of expression, freedom of religion, freedom of thought, freedom of belief, freedom of peaceful assembly, and lastly, freedom of association.

I believe that all Canadian citizens should have freedom of expression in a manner that is conducive to invoking discussion and proactive action. I don’t condone harmful words, but that’s another story. The key question I have is why was mainstream society so troubled by a 13-year-old girl wearing a hoodie? The slogan on her hoodie is not the only slogan on other merchandise that can be seen as “cheeky.” Just conjure up the infamous image of Geronimo on the T-shirts labeled “ Homeland Security, Fighting Terrorism since 1492.” No one has been getting up in arms over that slogan.

I find it most disturbing that the fiasco was created by the actions of Vancouver-based Michelle Tittler, 59, who runs End Race Based Laws [[ERBL) that was created a year ago in reaction to the Idle No More Movement. Tittler had the nerve to go on a 13-year-old girl’s Facebook page and leave such harassing posts that the girl’s parents felt the need to shut down her account in order to protect her.

According to CBC, Tittler is known for aggressive online trolling, and for posting inflammatory comments about Aboriginal issues and people that led to at least two police probes.

An ongoing investigation of this woman found that Tittler has a history of harassing people. “In 2006, a criminal court judge in B.C. granted a peace bond against Tittler after a neighbor complained of harassment,” according to the CBC. Yet this hasn’t deterred Tittler from harassing people through BRBL, a not-for-profit organization.
ERBL’s Facebook page has 3,330 likes and Tittler told the CBC that “she is unemployed and spends most of her time online denouncing Aboriginal treaties, posting rants on YouTube, and engaging in caustic debates with vocal critics.”

She also has registered several domain names containing the words “Idle No More” to intercept web traffic from the group’s actual site, and has filed formal complaints against people on Facebook and other sites alleging they are promoting racism.

Well, I took a brief look at her page, and I found it quite disturbing that her most recent post says,“Treaties ALL broken by the natives.....all. Canada has more than fulfilled the Treaties by billions and billions EACH AND EVERY YEAR, it's the natives who haven't, so IT'S A LIE when they say Canada has not fulfilled the treaties....a total 100 percent lie. Not even one bit of it is true.”

Without making an effort to know or understand our histories and treaty rights as Indigenous peoples, this woman is promoting racism and hatred—and it needs to be stopped now.

Lastly, I would like to know how Michelle Tittler feels it’s her right to harass a young girl over the Internet. If this person were doing this to my nieces, I would be extremely infuriated and would do what I could to stop her actions! Boycott the ERBL and do not give into this vitriolic hatred being spread by an obviously racist woman.
Tennelle Starr deserves to be applauded as a young person taking a stand about First Nations land and treaty rights. It’s good to see her assert a stance on something as pivotal as First Nations land and treaty rights because when one youth takes a stance, other youth are encouraged to do the same.

Jeff Menard, the creator of this hoodie, said, "I found it unbelievable that this is happening here in Canada because every Canadian should have the right to freedom of speech and be able to express their opinion.”

Menard said he started the “Got Land, Thank An Indian” line in the summer of 2012. “At first I sold it out of my girlfriend’s home, but then as the news of the hoodie started to spread like wildfire, I started selling it online, and out of the city and at the gas station by Roseau River Band Line.”

Menard said, “By creating this hoodie, I wanted to create awareness and bring back pride to the Native communities, and help bands with land treaty rights. I also want to see our Prime Minister Stephen Harper wear this hoodie, because if he wants to deal with Natives, it would be a show of good faith.”

The “Got land? Thank an Indian” slogan goes a lot deeper than just words on a hoodie. It speaks of the many injustices that the First Nations of Canada have faced since European contact. I'm talking about racism, discrimination, land theft, and First Nations peoples being uprooted and placed on lands that are prone to flooding and are unsustainable when it comes to living the way we were traditionally taught.

It speaks of the assimilationist policies put in practice by the Canadian government, and its outright denial to respect our treaties and treat us as the original stewards of the land.

It speaks truth to power.

For more information on Jeff Menards “Got Land, Thank an Indian” line,please click here.

Christine Smith [[McFarlane) is a First Nations freelance writer based in Toronto, Ontario Canada. She writes forAnishinabek News, New Tribe Magazineand various other First Nations media outlets. She is a contributing editor with Shameless magazine and a contributor to The Toronto Review of Books.Click here to read her blog.

Read more athttp://indiancountrytodaymedianetwor...d-thank-indian

[Pam]

http://www.democraticunderground.com...02&pid=4591493

Keystone pipeline protest in DC. Looks like a lot of Native groups in the pic.

[gazhekwe]

On This Day [[3/8/1782):

In 1782 the Gnadenhutten massacre, also known as the Moravian massacre took place. It was the killing of ninety-six Lenape [[Delaware) by colonial American militia from Pennsylvania during the American Revolutionary War. The incident took place at the Moravian missionary village of Gnadenhütten, Ohio, near present-day Gnadenhutten.

The Lenape were going hungry because of insufficient rations, so in February 1782, more than 100 returned to their old Moravian villages to harvest the crops and collect stored food they had been forced to leave behind.

In early March, the Lenape were surprised by a raiding party of 160 Pennsylvania militia led by Lieutenant Colonel David Williamson. The militia rounded up the Lenape and accused them of taking part in raids into Pennsylvania. Although the Lenape denied the charges, the militia held a council and voted to kill them.

The next morning on March 8, the militia tied the Lenape, stunned them with mallet blows to the head, and killed them with fatal scalping cuts. In all, the militia murdered and scalped 28 men, 29 women, and 39 children. They piled the bodies in the mission buildings and burn​ed the village down.

[Pam]

http://detroithistorical.org/things-...can-experience

Upcoming film at the Detroit Historical Museum.

[gazhekwe]

Pam, thank you for the post about the Keystone Pipeline protest. Yes, seriously, this project will run over a whole lot of what is left of Indian country, not to mention the water resources for almost the entire central US. I love how our people are front and center. The Seventh Generation has found its voice. There is hope for our planet.

Thank you also for posting about the upcoming showing of Our Fires Still Burn. The documentary is receiving much praise in our communities. Here is a trailer of the movie:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0oURgm3fiA

[gazhekwe]

Love those guys! 1491s, Native American Porn Audition

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RKKBkT2kXQ

Whirling logs?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APgBWcEoVQ0

Stoic Off!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpvH59Ttfto

[Pam]

Love those guys! 1491s, Native American Porn Audition

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RKKBkT2kXQ

Whirling logs?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APgBWcEoVQ0

Stoic Off!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpvH59Ttfto

I liked this one:
http://youtu.be/NuzPoidV4nI

[gazhekwe]

I have joined my Crane brothers and sisters on the long flight back to the frozen lakes and snowy fields of Michigan. Here I am, delighted to see just remnants of the hard winter, stubborn snowbanks, flattened grass, debris revealed by the retreating snow.

Meanwhile, my Dad remains marooned here in thawing metro Detroit, as Kiiwenzii Bboon continues to trade stories and powers with the handsome young stranger who smells of flowers farther north. Snow yesterday, snow Friday coming up, lows in the teens, highs in the 20s and 30s. We're told his home is snowed and iced in and he won't be able to get in til it thaws a bit.

Crocus are coming up here, but no spring beauties yet, the true symbol of Kiiwenzii Bboon's departure. Maajaan Oshkiinini Ziigwan!

[old guy]

Gazhekwe, I live in the Wi. Dells. i've been friends with a number of the Talmadge family [[Ho Chunk) for about 40 years. I've always wondered if you are familiar with any of them. Roxanne is my oldest and closest friend of the family. I also know Lance, who has done several great documentaries. Just curious. Realize it's a different area, just wondering.Lance Talmadge: Family History of Education and Presentation - YouTube
This isn't one of his documentaries, they were on PBS.

[gazhekwe]

I am sorry, I don't know the Talmadges, but I bet we have run across each other on the trail. He looks very familiar. I'm so bad with names I could probably have met him in person and wouldn't remember his name the next day. I was over that way working on a census project in the late 70s, could have met him back then at Steven's Point.

I'm glad to see you using the indigenous name, Ho Chunk. It is my understanding the languages, Ho Chunk and Anishinaabemowin are somewhat related.

Thank you for the interesting video.

Looking forward to the powwow trail.