American Indian Heritage Month - Native American Newsletter 11-20-2004

American Indian Heritage Month - Native American Newsletter 11-20-2004
"During National American Indian Heritage Month, I call on all Americans to learn more about the history and
heritage of the Native peoples of this great land." ~ George W. Bush ~ Pesident, United States of America

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The Creation of American Indian Heritage Month A brief history
Source: U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs - BIA
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Dr. Arthur C. Parker
What started at the turn of the century as an effort to gain a day of recognition for the significant contributions the first Americans made to the establishment and growth of the U.S., has resulted in a whole month being designated for that purpose.
Early Proponents
One of the very proponents of an American Indian Day was Dr. Arthur C. Parker, a Seneca Indian, who was the director of the Museum of Arts and Science in Rochester, N.Y. He persuaded the Boy Scouts of America to set aside a day for the "First Americans" and for three years they adopted such a day. In 1915, the annual Congress of the American Indian Association meeting in Lawrence, Kans., formally approved a plan concerning American Indian Day. It directed its president, Rev. Sherman Coolidge, an Arapahoe, to call upon the country to observe such a day. Coolidge issued a proclamation on Sept. 28, 1915, which declared the second Saturday of each May as an American Indian Day and contained the first formal appeal for recognition of Indians as citizens.
The year before this proclamation was issued, Red Fox James, a Blackfoot Indian, rode horseback from state to state seeking approval for a day to honor Indians. On December 14, 1915, he presented the endorsements of 24 state governments at the White House. There is no record, however, of such a national day being proclaimed.
State Celebrations
The first American Indian Day in a state was declared on the second Saturday in May 1916 by the governor of N.Y. Several states celebrate the fourth Friday in September. In Illinois, for example, legislators enacted such a day in 1919. Presently, several states have designated Columbus Day as Native American Day, but it continues to be a day we observe without any recognition as a national legal holiday.
Heritage Months
In 1990 President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November 1990 "National American Indian Heritage Month." Similar proclamations have been issued each year since 1994. The theme for 2004 is "Celebrating our Strengths."

The National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) was chartered by Congress in 1989 as the 16th museum of the Smithsonian Institution. The NMAI is the only national museum dedicated to the Native peoples of North, South, and Central America. Our educational mission is to preserve, present, and celebrate the Native cultures of the Americas.
The NMAI has one of the largest and most extensive collection of Native American art and artifacts in the world—approximately 800,000 objects representing over 10,000 years of history, from more than 1,000 indigenous cultures through the Western Hemisphere. Much more than a collection of exhibition galleries and artifacts, the NMAI actively promotes “cultural continuance.” Through our exhibitions, and most importantly, through our educational programs and outreach to Native communities, the NMAI helps Native people revive and sustain their cultural heritage. In doing so, the NMAI has established collaborative and mutually beneficial relationships with tribal communities throughout North, South, and Central America. The hallmark of this museum is that all aspects of our exhibitions and programs are presented from the Native perspective—“in the Native voice.”
Collections
The collections of the former Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, form the cornerstone of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian. Assembled at the turn of the twentieth century by wealthy New Yorker George Gustav Heye (1874–1957), the collections are distinguished by thousands of masterworks, including intricate wood and stone carvings and masks from the Northwest Coast of North America; elegantly painted and quilled hides, clothing, and feather bonnets from the North American Plains; pottery and basketry from the southwestern United States; eighteenth-century materials from the Great Lakes region; the C.B. Moore collection from the southeastern United States; and Navajo weavings illustrating a broad range of very early types. Works on paper and canvas include Plains ledger drawings as well as contemporary prints and paintings. The museum's collections also include a substantial array of materials from the Caribbean, Mexico, Central, and South America, including a wide representation of archaeological objects from the Caribbean; ceramics from Costa Rica, central Mexico, and Peru; beautifully carved jade from the Olmec and Maya peoples; textiles and gold from the Andean cultures; and elaborate featherwork from the peoples of Amazonia.
NMAI's collections include materials not only of cultural, historical, and aesthetic interest, but also of spiritual significance. Funerary, religious, and ceremonial objects associated with living cultures are displayed only with the approval of the appropriate tribes. Repatriation is another important concern being addressed by the museum. Human remains and funerary objects, religious and ceremonial artifacts, communally owned tribal property, or any holdings acquired illegally are returned upon request to individual descendants or tribal groups who can demonstrate a cultural affiliation and factual claim to the property in question.

"Let us put our minds together to see what we can build for our children." Sitting Bull
Help Native American Lakota Children in Wakpala, South Dakota
Wakpala Public School is seeking donations from caring individuals and businesses.
~ All Donations Are Tax Deductible ~
Smee School District #15-3 is a public school located in Wakpala, South Dakota on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. We are dedicated to the intellectual and social growth of each student as they learn to live effectively in a contemporary bi-cultural world. Our school educates students to help them become successful in all aspects of life with attention to individual differences.
If you would like to help support efforts to provide a healthy learning environment for these deserving young Native American minds, please contact:

Smee School District 15-3
Contact:
Mrs. Sherrie Walthers - Elementary Principal
Box B, 12250 SD HWY 1806
Wakpala, SD 57658
Phone: 605-845-3040
Fax: 605-845-7244
Email: sherrie.walterh@k12.sd.us

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Native American Poem
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Submitted by: Del "Abe" Jones - White Bluff, TN

THE NEVER ENDING TRAIL
The whites honor the "Heritage"
And the man who once lived there -

But, that leader of our Nation
Was cruel, unjust, unfair -

He ordered the removal
Of the Cherokee from their land

And forced them on a trek
That the Devil must have planned -

One thousand miles of misery -
Of pain and suffering -

Because greed of man
Could not even wait till spring -

We should bow our heads in shame
Even unto this day

About "The Trail Of Tears"
And those who died along the way.

It was October, eighteen thirty-eight
When seven thousand troops in blue

Began the story of the "Trail"
Which, so sadly, is so true -

Jackson ordered General Scott
To rout the Indian from their home -

The "Center Of The World" they loved -
The only one they'd known -

The Braves working in the fields
Arrested, placed in a stockade -

Women and children dragged from home
In the bluecoats shameful raid -

Some were prodded with bayonets
When, they were deemed to move too slow

To where the Sky was their blanket
And the cold Earth, their pillow -

In one home a Babe had died
Sometime in the night before -

And women mourning, planning burial
Were cruelly herded out the door -

In another, a frail Mother -
Papoose on back and two in tow

Was told she must leave her home
Was told that she must go -

She uttered a quiet prayer -
Told the old family dog good-bye -

Then, her broken heart gave out
And she sank slowly down to die -

Chief Junaluska witnessed this -
Tears streaming down his face -

Said if he could have known this
It would have never taken place -

For, at the battle of Horse Shoe
With five hundred Warriors, his best -

Helped Andrew Jackson win that battle
And lay thirty-three Braves to rest -

And the Chief drove his tomahawk
Through a Creek Warrior's head

Who was about to kill Jackson -
But whose life was saved, instead -

Chief John Ross knew this story
And once sent Junaluska to plead -

Thinking Jackson would listen to
This Chief who did that deed -

But, Jackson was cold, indifferent
To the one he owed his life to

Said, "The Cherokee's fate is sealed -
There's nothing, I can do."

Washington, D.C. had decreed
They must be moved Westward -

And all their pleas and protests
To this day still go unheard.

On November, the seventeenth
Old Man Winter reared his head -

And freezing cold, sleet and snow
Littered that trail with the dead

On one night, at least twenty-two
Were released from their torment

To join that Great Spirit in the Sky
Where all good souls are sent -

Many humane, heroic stories
Were written 'long the way -

A monument, for one of them -
Still stands until this day -

It seems one noble woman
It was Chief Ross' wife -

Gave her blanket to a sick child
And in so doing, gave her life -

She is buried in an unmarked grave -
Dug shallow near the "Trail" -

Just one more tragic ending
In this tragic, shameful tale -

Mother Nature showed no mercy
Till they reached the end of the line

When that fateful journey ended
On March twenty-sixth, eighteen thirty-nine.

Each mile of this infamous "Trail"
Marks the graves of four who died -

Four thousand poor souls in all
Marks the shame we try to hide -

You still can hear them crying
Along "The Trail Of Tears"

If you listen with your heart
And not with just your ears.

The preceding was partly inspired by a story told to children by John Burnett on the occasion of his eightieth birthday in 1890. It was printed in a book titled "Cherokee Legends And The Trail Of Tears", adapted by Thomas Bryan Underwood.
My main inspiration, though is the shame and disgust I feel as I learn more about the atrocities perpetrated by our forefathers and the injustices which still occur to the true Native Americans.
John Burnett was a Private in an infantry company which took part in the Cherokee Removal of 1838-1839. Near the end of his story he says, in part, "Future generations will read and condemn the act .....".
Do we?
Del "Abe" Jones is now collaborating with a photographer, Dominic Alessandra on a book of his photos and my accompanying poetry. It's about indigenous peoples around the world. Be sure to visit his website!http://www.paxcorps.com You are sure to be pleased!
Suggest a Native American poem you would like to be included in future issues.

Photo Essays

Submitted by: Ilka Hartmann

I wanted to let you know that I have on my website http://www.ilkahartmann.com a large number of other Native American photographs of Urban Indians, Indian Activism, different tribes and well known Indian people taken during the last 30 years. A complete list of all of my Native American topics is on my website, not all photographs are on my website yet, but many are, I have extensive archives which might be interesting for people who are researching a certain topic, or looking for a photo of a particular person. ~ Ilka Hartmann ~

Original Art © C.R. John 1958-2000 (Cheyenne/Santee Sioux)
Image donated in loving memory by his wife, Marietha - Hammon, Ok

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A Veterans Christmas
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Submitted by: Shadow Wolf Diana And Lakota

'Twas the night before Christmas, he lived all alone,
In a one bedroom house made of plaster and stone.
I had come down the chimney with presents to give,
And to see just who in this home did live.
I looked all about, a strange sight I did see,
No tinsel, no presents, not even a tree.
No stocking by mantle, just boots filled with sand,
On the wall hung pictures of far distance lands.
With medals and badges, awards of all kinds,
A sober thought came through my mind.
For this house was different, it was dark and dreary,
I found the home of a soldier, once I could see clearly.
The soldier lay sleeping, silent, alone,
Curled up on the floor in this one bedroom home.
The face was so gentle, the room in such disorder,
Not how I pictured a United States Soldier.
Was this the hero of whom I'd just read?
Curled up on a poncho, the floor for a bed?
I realized the families that I saw this night,
Owed their lives to these soldiers who were willing to fight.
Soon round the world, the children would play,
And grownups would celebrate a bright Christmas day.
They all enjoyed freedom each month of the year,
Because of the soldiers, like the one lying here.
I couldn't help wonder how many lay alone,
On a cold Christmas Eve in a land far from home.
The very thought brought a tear to my eye,
I dropped to my knees and started to cry.
The soldier awakened and I heard a rough voice,
"Santa don't cry, this life is my choice."
"I fight for freedom, I don't ask for more,
My life is my GOD, my country, my Corps."
The soldier rolled over and drifted to sleep,
I couldn't control it, I continued to weep.
I kept watch for hours, so silent and still,
And we both shivered from the cold night's chill.
I didn't want to leave on that cold dark night,
This guardian of honor so willing to fight.
Then the soldier rolled over, with a voice soft and pure,
Whispered, "Carry on Santa, it's Christmas Day, all is secure."
One look at my watch, and I knew he was right,
"Merry Christmas my friend, and to all a good night."
This poem was written by a Marine stationed in Okinawa, Japan.
The following is his request. I think it is reasonable..... don't you?

Would you do me the kind favor of sending this to as many people as you can?
Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to our U.S. Service Men
and Women for our being able to celebrate these festivities. Let's try in this
small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe.
Make people stop and think of our heroes,
living and dead, who sacrificed themselves for us.
Please, do your small part to plant this small seed.
Dont let it stop here send this out to all your friends
Merry Christmas From Shadow Wolf Diana And Lakota
Suggest a poem about our troops or veterans that you would like to be included in future issues.

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Native American Humor
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Submitted by: Jake

Three-Old-Horses

A couple of old cowboys (Sam and Bubba) were sitting on a fence rail , doing what most old cowboys do; complaining about the heat, the cows and their wives. They weren't exactly the brightest guys, and neither were their comments. Every day they said pretty much the same thing. And it always ended in a contest over who had the worst wife.
Today though something was different. There was a wise looking elderly Indian Chief riding by. They decided to ask him to decide, who had the worst wife.
The first man (Sam) complained that his wife was always arguing with him. No matter what he said, she always said the opposite. She didn't just say it either, she said it so loud that the neighbors complained.
The old Chief listened attentively and then said, "If your wife was Indian, we would name her Fire-Water." Sam asked "Why would you call her Fire-Water?" The Indian Chief replied, "Every time she opens her mouth she breathes fire and your knees turn to water."
The second man (Bubba) said "My wife is so bad that we haven't hadn't slept in the same bed in darn near twenty years." The chief again listened attentively and pronounced Bubba's wife as "Sleeping-Dragon."
When Bubba asked why, the chief replied, "If you try to touch her while she is sleeping, she will become a dragon and bite your head off." Sam and Bubba had a good laugh over their wives new names. Then Sam asked, "Okay, them Indian names are pretty cool, but.... Who has the worst wife?"
The chief replied, "I do." Bubba asked what the chiefs wife name was. The chief replied something along the lines of "Whumpo Havo Noja" Both Sam and Bubba looked very confused, and so the chief explained, "That's my wife's Indian name, it translates in English to "Three-Old-Horses." More puzzled than ever before Bubba asked, "Yeah, but what does it mean? (Three-Old-Horses)
The chief sighed, spun his horse around and said , "Nag, Nag, Nag."

Suggest a Native American joke you would like to be included in future issues.

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Native American Recipe
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Submitted by: Jamie Long

Indian Pemmican

Pemican is a traditional Native American Indian food made from dried meat pounded into a paste. It could be preserved for long periods of time in the form of pressed cakes. It was especially useful on long journeys or hunting expeditions.
Ingredients

4 ounces dried buffalo or beef jerky
blender or food processor
rubber spatula
8 dried apple slices
1/2 cup of raisins or your favorite dried fruit mix
wax paper
rolling pin
Grind the dried jerky in the blender until it is chopped very finely. Add the dried fruit. Grind until fine. Empty the mixture from the blender onto a sheet of wax paper. Lay another sheet of wax paper on top and roll over the top sheet with a rolling pin until the pemmican is approximately 1/8 inch thick. Let dry a day or two in the sun or dry. To dry in an oven: Flip the mixture from the wax paper onto a cookie sheet. Set it in a 250 degree oven for two or three hours, turning over several times until it dries. When completely dry, break the pemican into pieces to eat as a snack. Store pemmican in a sealed container or plastic bag in the refrigerator.

Suggest a Native American recipe you would like to be included in future issues.

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Native American Thanksgiving Prayer
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Submitted by: Rebecca Fortier

Now that I am about to eat,

O Great Spirit,

Give my thanks to the beasts and birds

whom You have provided for my hunger;

and pray deliver my sorrow that living things

must make a sacrifice for my comfort and well-being.

Let the feather of corn spring up in its time

and let it not wither but make full grains

for the fires of our cooking pots,

now that I am about to eat.

Suggest a Native American prayer you would like to be included in future issues.

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