Manataka American Indian Council Volume XI Issue 08 AUGUST 2007
Manataka - Preserving The Past Today For Tomorrow
Dedicated this month to:
HONORING OUR RELATIONS
Animal People
Earth Mother
Ancestor Spirit People
Faster download! The Smoke Signal this month is on 3 web pages.
WANNA BECOME A MEMBER OF MANATAKA?
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO JOIN!
Aug. 2
Nuestra Senora de los Angeles Feast Day. Corn Dance at Jemez Pueblo. For information: in New Mexico (505) 843-7270; out of state (800) 766-4405.
Aug. 4
Feast Day and Corn Dance. Santo Domingo Pueblo. For information: (505) 465-2214.
Aug. 8-12
Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial. At Red Rock State Park near Gallup. Parades, rodeo, arts and crafts, dances, food, golf tourney, auctions, more. Parking and admission fees at Red Rock State Park. For information: (505) 722-3839.
Aug. 9, 10
Aug. 9 San Lorenzo Feast Day; Aug. 10 Trade Fair and Races at the Picuris Pueblo. For information: in New Mexico (505) 843-7270; out of state (800) 766-4405.
Aug. 10
San Lorenzo Feast Day. Throw Day and dances at Acoma Pueblo. For information: (505) 252-1139 or (800) 747-0181.
San Lorenzo Feast Day. Cochiti Pueblo. For information: (505) 465-2244.
San Lorenzo Feast Day. Throw Day and dancing at Laguna Pueblo where people named Lawrence or Lorenzo throw gifts to visitors. For information: (505) 552-6654.
Aug. 12
Santa Clara Feast Day. Buffalo and other dances at Santa Clara Pueblo. For information: (505) 753-7326.
Aug. 15
Assumption of Our Blessed Mother's Feast Day. Harvest and other dances at Mesita, Laguna Pueblo. For information: (505) 552-6654.
Feast Day and Corn Dance. Zia Pueblo. For information: (505) 867-3304.
Aug. TBA
3rd week of August. Zuni Tribal Fair. Zuni Pueblo. For information: (505) 782-4403.
Aug. 18, 19
Santa Fe Indian Market. At the Plaza in Santa Fe. Native American artists and craftspeople from all over the country exhibit. Juried competition, dances, food. No admission fee. For information: www.swaia.org or (505) 983-5220.
August 18, Saturday
Native & Adirondack
Performance Series
seating is limited, bring a folding chair.
Concert will benefit the Mohawk Community of Kanatsiohareke
Aug. Last Weekend
Picuris Tri-Cultural Arts & Crafts Show. At Picuris Pueblo. For information: (505) 587-2519.
Aug. TBA
Ramah Fair. Parade, powwow, arts and crafts, sanctioned and open show rodeos, queen's contest, barbeque, baby contest, 5k run, more. At Pinehill Chapter House, Ramah, New Mexico, Navajo Reservation.
Aug. 28
Saint Augustine Feast Day. Morning mass followed by a procession. Dances in the afternoon at the Isleta Pueblo. For information: (505) 869-3111.
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October 08, 2007
Union of Polarities -- St. Croix Valley Area
October 20 - 21, 2007
World Drum Project Coming to Manataka
The World Drum will be played for 48 hours straight while at Manataka. The one-year anniversary of the World Drum project will be at Manataka October 20-21 according to Amanda Morningstar Moore, coordinator of the Manataka event. Watch for future announcements regarding this event.
November 05, 2007
Live and Learn Seminars - Maya Journey
December 7 - 9, 2007
Peace and Conflict Resolution Conference
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
NativeGatherings.com lists hundreds of Native American events including concerts, seminars, conferences, sporting events, and more.
"The hearts of little children are pure, and therefore, the Great Spirit may show to them many things which older people miss." -Black Elk (Hehaka Sapa) Oglala Lakota
Sometimes adults think they know more than the children. But the children are closer to the truth. Have you ever noticed how they can read people? Have you ever noticed how quickly they can let go of resentments? Have you ever noticed how free they are of prejudice? Have you ever noticed how well the children listen to their bodies? Maybe adults need to be more like children. They are so innocent. The children pray to the Creator and trust that He will take care of them.
Grandfather,
today let the
children be my
teacher.
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MANATAKA FALL GATHERING ANNOUNCEMENT
(Manataka, AR) The Council of Elders unanimously decided during their July meeting to restrict attendance to 'members only' for the upcoming Fall Gathering. The by-invitation-only gathering will not be advertised or otherwise announced to the public.
David Quiet Wind Furr, MAIC Chairman said, "This move will help us return to our original purpose and traditions. Our time together will be dedicated to spiritual, family and cultural pursuits. Some say, the gathering has become an entertainment event with too many tourists and otherwise negative influences while away from our traditional sacred grounds."
Written requests for an invitation will be accepted until October 5. The number of participants will be limited. Once our capacity is reached no further invitations will be issued. Invited guests will receive a packet of information to prepare for the gathering.
Special accommodation will be made for the elderly and physically challenged. Grandfather Robert Gray Hawk Coke said, "Our backs will be turned against gate crashers." |
JULY WEBSITE UPDATES
HONORING OUR RELATIONS
- The Animal People
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A Call from the Wild
By Linda Bear Heart
Red Jacket stood tall and proud, surveying the audience with sharp, watchful eyes, the only male in a circle of women. The women around the campfire sat in appropriate silence and awe. The raucous calls from nearby crows made him nervous, hyper-alert. Like his namesake, Chief Red Jacket, he was ‘always ready’. Red Jacket is a majestic red-tail hawk with only one wing.
Red
Jacket was just one of the animal relatives that the women at the Strawberry
Moon Gathering in Lily Dale, New York, were honored to greet. Red Jackets
family includes a Gidget, a small kestrel hawk; Sweetie, a pigeon whose had been
almost totally plucked naked by crows; Peanut, a lop-eared rabbit that had been
abandoned by a local school and found starving by a janitor; a full grown grey
wolf named Shaman and two women with hearts the size of the moon.
Cathy Eimers and her partner, Dee Garrido, live in Brant, New York. Almost all their time is spent growing food – all organic – and taking care of their animals. Cathy and Dee own and run The Rehab Rez, a 24 hour wildlife hospital for injured and orphaned wild life. “To the best of my knowledge we are the only wildlife hospital run by native people on Turtle Island,” Cathy writes.
Not all the animals that find their way to Cathy’s hospital can be released back into the wild. This single, simple fact speaks to the dedication of two wonderful women. Many animals have life spans of twenty years or longer. If they can’t be released, they become a part of Cathy and Dee’s family.
Red Jacket was named for one of Cathy’s heroes, Chief Red Jacket, the great Seneca orator known for his tolerance. Red Jacket argued for religious tolerance, pointing out that if Creator made so many different people, why would he not also make many different religions? Cathy’s Red Jacket is also a spokesman for his kind and participates in wildlife handling training. “That’s one of the reason I called him Red Jacket,” says Cathy. “He has to tolerate everything I put him through.”
Red-tail hawks tolerate a wide variety of habitats and altitudes. They live throughout North America in deserts, grasslands, coniferous and deciduous forests, tropical rainforests, agricultural fields and cities. Popular for falconry, red-tail hawks account for 60% of all raptors under one year of age taken from the wild, in spite of being ‘protected’ by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.
Red
Jacket had been illegally taken from the wild. When his captors were on verge
of being arrested they threw him out of their vehicle. And shot him. This
sacred, winged relation will never fly again. He will live with Cathy and Dee
for the rest of his life.
Shaman, another permanent member of the family, is a full grown grey wolf. Shaman was the runt of an illegally bred litter of wolf pups. Being the runt, he was abandoned. One of Shaman’s brothers, Arrow, was rescued later, but did not live. Shaman loves to sing. He not only howled when Cathy did, to demonstrate his musical ability, he joined other songs at the gathering.
THE DIRTY PROBLEM WITH LAUNDRY SUPPLIES
Personal Health Laundry Detergents Bleaching Agents
Environmental Solid Waste Energy
Personal Health
Laundry detergent and fabric softener ingredients pose a variety of health risks, ranging from relatively minor—like skin irritants and allergens—to the severe—cancer, poisoning and neurological problems. Knowing which ingredients to avoid, however, will help you control the number of toxins entering your home.
Laundry Detergents
Laundry detergents and laundry stain removers frequently contain alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEs), which are common surfactants. Surfactants, or surface active agents, are chemicals that make surfaces more susceptible to water, allowing cleaners to easily penetrate stains and wash them away. APEs can damage the immune system, and they're suspected hormone disruptors, which means they can mimic hormones in the body that regulate reproduction and development. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has also warned that ethoxylated alcohol surfactants, such as APEs, may be contaminated with carcinogenic 1,4-dioxane, which penetrates skin. Tests conducted in 1997 by the Washington Toxics Coalition found that supermarket or drugstore labels are more likely to contain APEs than name brands.
Linear alkylate sulfonate (LAS), another surfactant used in laundry powders and liquids, causes contact dermatitis, respiratory irritation and, if ingested, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. It is also corrosive to the eyes. In the environment, LAS substance decomposes on heating, producing toxic and corrosive fumes such as sulfur oxides.
Phosphates are water-softening mineral additives that were once widely used in laundry detergents and are sometimes referred to as builders, ingredients that enhance the performance of surfactants. Sodium tripolyphosphate, one of the more common phosphates used, can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea if ingested, and because it is corrosive, it can cause severe skin irritation. Because of their damaging environmental impact (see below), many states have banned the use of phosphates in laundry detergents; as a result most mainstream detergent manufacturers have eliminated them. However, on products that do use them, the percentage used should be disclosed on labels.
The fragrances in detergents, fabric softeners and dryer sheets may provoke skin irritation, allergic reactions and asthma, and they can contain phthalates, chemicals that have been linked to cancer and reproductive system harm in lab tests. Unless they are labeled otherwise, laundry detergents contain synthetic fragrances. Fragrances can cling to fabrics for weeks after washing and may cause stuffy nose, sneezing, headache and other allergic symptoms in sensitive individuals, especially on clothing or bedding that's in close proximity to nose and mouth for extended periods of time.
Other ingredients turn dangerous when combined: Diethanolamine (DEA) and triethanolamine (TEA), which are found in liquid detergents and used to cut through oils, can react with nitrites (an often-undisclosed preservative) to form carcinogenic nitrosamines.
GRANDMOTHERS SPEAK - EAST
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A Hopi Chiefs’ Last Cry
I
am often asked the question… "What are the living Indigenous
elders and spiritual teachers telling us about this time?"…. The
late Chief Dan Evehema, was a personal friend, as well as an
advisor and mentor to me since the Early 70’s.
Dan was also known as the eldest Hopi up in Hopi Land...I like to remember him taking me on journeys as he told stories of what Hopi Land and Arizona was like back in the days before automobiles, and high flying jets spewing "Chemtrails " over the once pristine desert.
Before his passing in 1999 Dan left this message to mankind his Final Warning: it was Chief Dan who worked with me and gave sanction to my writing and delivering the Hopi Messages, in my book Last Cry which was originally to include a documentary film… But life happens. The film was made but the Hopi elected not to release it… only my friend Ingrid know what happened to it, as she holds the original masters.
An Open Letter to Hotevilla, Arizona, Hopi Sovereign Nation
“I am very glad to have this time to send a message to you. We are celebrating a time in our history, which is both filled with joy and sadness we know many of you are
having the same troubles.
“ We Hopi believe that the human race has passed through three different worlds and life ways since the beginning. At the end of each prior world, human life has been purified or punished by the Great Spirit “Massauu” due mainly to corruption, greed and turning away from the Great Spirit’s teachings.
No offense intended for any individuals or tribes.
The lawnmower
When our lawn mower broke and wouldn't run, my wife kept hinting to me that I
should get it fixed.
But, somehow I always had something else to take care of first, the truck, the
car, or golf - always something I thought more important to do. Finally
she thought of a clever way to make her point.
When I arrived home one day, I found her seated in the tall grass, busily
snipping away with a tiny pair of sewing scissors. I watched silently for
a short time and then went into the house. I was gone only a few minutes when I
came out again and handed her a toothbrush.
I said, "When you finish cutting the grass, you might as well sweep the
driveway."
The doctors say I will walk again, but I will always have a limp.
Moral to the story: Marriage is a relationship in which one person is always
right, and the other is the husband
GRANDMOTHERS SPEAK - SOUTH
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From Grandmother Selma |
Will Rogers' Overlooked Cherokee Roots
Posted: June 28, 2007 by Amy Ware
In February 1928, The New York Times reported that, ''Owing to the power of Will Rogers's name, Claremore, Okla., the humorist's old home, seems likely to have a $50,000 Government hospital.'' In large part because of Rogers - in addition to the passage of the 1924 Snyder Act - the first Indian hospital in the country was built near Rogers' hometown of Oolagah in the Cherokee Nation.
While Rogers is now touted as the Favorite Son of Oklahoma, he never lived there. Born in the Cherokee Nation in 1879, Rogers grew up among his people. He left home to travel the world in 1902, five years before Indian Territory - renamed Oklahoma - was subsumed into the United States. ''We spoiled the best Territory in the World to make a State,'' Rogers wrote. Only later would he master the lariat and become one of the most popular men in the country. He would return home throughout his life and always hoped to reside there after his stint in popular culture. Unfortunately, he died in a 1935 plane crash before he was able to retire.
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Manataka welcomes Carol Elk Looks Back Petersen who has been featured in several past Smoke Signal issues. Carol was born on the Temple of Mars in the solar complex called Tlamco by the ancient Toltec. The ancient abode is in a city of seven hills located in Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco, California - in the West. Carol's father is American and her mother is from Nicaragua. As a visionary, author and artist, Carol has traveled extensively and performed ceremony in Mexico’s Yucatan, Nicaragua, Bolivia, and Slovenia.
Petersen is founder of the Rainbow Medicine Blanket Thunderbird Gatherings. According to Petersen, in civilizations past Thunderbirds were said to come from the Pleiades. The Rainbow Bridge as noted in Norse Mythology is the Bi-Frost and the only means for the giants to come to earth or to appear. Thus the Thunderbirds are associated with Rainbows. Thunderbird Gatherings are fundraisers and volunteer supported. The Rainbow Medicine Blanket sustains communities through micro-fund lending. We are a council always learning to co-create with respect and to mutually empower everyone.
"...I bring a basket oval in shape like the egg with gifts. I place it on the ground before you with respect for allowing my presence to be received. I send a joyful and tearful song of gratitude to the Grandmothers who hold the space of the North, East and South. I take a moment to step into the presence of love and hold the place of the West. I honor the Grandmothers and the words you speak on behalf of the experiences and wisdom you impart..."
TRANSFORMATION OF THE SPIRIT
By Carol Elk Looks Back Petersen
I
am in constant transformation. I had a strong vision
holding me to the winds that I call the "Thunderbirds of the
Rainbow Medicine Blanket" in the Temple of the Sun in Bolivia
during the 2007 Summer Solstice. I have had many
visions before, during and after that experience.
Three days before the journey was to begin my passport arrived and the Creator showed me the face of the person whom I was to contact for funding my pilgrimage to the Temple of the Sun. I followed this spirit and within eight hours all the funds needed for the journey to La Paz were provided. I did not know where I would sleep and I had no planned itinerary, but I had become accustomed to jumping off cliffs of faith.
