Manataka American Indian Council Volume XI Issue 06 JUNE 2007
Manataka - Preserving The Past Today For Tomorrow
Faster download! The Smoke Signal this month is on 3 web pages.
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Contents: |
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| 2 | Legends of Old: | Creation Story - Mayan | |
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Letters to the Editor: |
8 Excellent Letters | |
| 2 | Politics Watch: | Steal Their Land, Steal Their Money | |
| 2 | Elder's Meditations: | Rolling Thunder, Cherokee | |
| 2 | Member Recognition: | David Quiet Wind Furr | |
| 2 | Organic Consumer Watch: | Pet Food Contamination | |
| 2 | Health Watch: | Artificial Sweetener Explodes Internally | |
| 2 | Fluoride Watch: | Arsenic in my Fluoride? CDC admits Yes | |
| 2 | Animal Rights and Wrongs: | A | Extreme Wolf Killing in Alaska |
| 2 | Sacred Site Watch: |
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Creation Story - Mayan
From the Popul-Vuh of the Quiche Maya
"God
made some men of mud, but they were very soft and limp and couldn't see. They
could speak, but what they said didn't make sense. When they got wet the
couldn't even stand up. God saw that they were of no use so he broke them up and
said "I will try again".
"Then he made men out of wood. The wooden men were better; they
could walk and talk. They built houses and had children, and there were very
many of them. But they were dry and yellow, and their faces had no expression,
because they had no minds nor souls or hearts. They beat their dogs and they
burned the bottoms of their cooking pots. They had forgotten how they were made
and could not remember any of the names of God. So he said.
"These men will not do either. I must destroy them also".
And he sent a great flood and the houses of the wooden men fell down. The wooden men wanted to escape, but the animals they had starved and beaten, and cooking pots they had burned, and the trees whose branches they had chopped off, all turned against them and wouldn't help them. Only a few of them escaped from the flood, and it is said that their descendants are the monkeys.
And it still hadn't dawned; and God wanted to make real men when the dawn came and the sun rose. . . .
He took ears of yellow corn of white corn and ground them into meal. With the corn meal he make nine kinds of liquor, and these became man's strength and energies. With the dough of the meal he shaped the body and he made four men, very strong and handsome.
They were called the Wizard of the Fatal Laugh, the Wizard of the
Night, the Careless and the Black Wizard. They were gifted with intelligence and
they managed to know everything there is in the world. While the men slept, he
made four women very carefully, and when the men woke, each found at his side a
beautiful wife.
When they looked they would see everything that was around them, and they
constantly contemplated the arch of the sky and the round face of the earth.
"Thank you for our life!" they said. "We can see, we can hear, we can move and think and speak, we feel and know everything, we can see everything in the earth and in the sky. Thank you for having made us, Oh Father!"
Then the Creator was troubled, for he realized that these men could see too much and too far, so that they would not really be men, but gods. He saw that he had to change them so that they could be what he needed. So he leaned down and blew mist in their eyes and clouded their vision, like breathing on a mirror, and from then on nothing was clear to their sight except what was close to them.
The four men and their wives went up on a mountain and waited for
the dawn. First they saw the shining face of the great star, the Morning Star
which comes ahead of the sun, and burned incense and unwrapped three gifts to
offer the sun. Then the sun came up. Then the puma and the jaguar roared and all
the birds stretched their wings and sang, and the men and their wives danced
with joy because the sun had risen.
From Blue Panther Keeper of Stories.
"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the
men of old; Seek what they sought."
~Matsuo Basho
Manataka receives dozens of letters each week. Space does not allow us to publish all letters but we make a concerted effort to
print letters that are representative of a majority. Let us know if there is a topic you feel needs to be addressed.
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Senate Flushes Herbal Medicines.... Dear Manataka, This pertains to the law that was recently passed in the Senate that effectively has the power to regulate our access to dietary supplements & basically nulls DESHA. This means herbs, vitamins, etc....you name it. This was going to be the land of the free..... Have you been keeping up with this? Aurora |
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White Spirit Born Dear Manataka,
LOL to all of you |
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I sit in silence and see the harmony growing strong
Dear Manataka, Thank you
once again for a beautiful publication of your newsletter. You all
do such great work. I read and feel the love that you all put into
it. I acknowledge your hard work and dedication. You give this
young spirit much hope for the future of the sacred hoop. Your hard work
helps me find the desire to keep learning so i can teach my children a
better way. The way of the Earth, I take my responsibility of being a
caretaker of the earth so much more seriously now that I have contact
with people of like mindedness. I feel the good you do in this
world...and I support you all and send prayers up on the smoke to join
your efforts of healing the sacred hoop. I sit in silence and see the
harmony growing strong. Our children will know a better world. I
feel it. Love and Respect
Niki Godfrey
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Thanks From Uruguay
Dear friends,
First of all let me congratulate you for your wonderful web page.
My name is Gustavo and I like very much your spirituality. I would like to have
friends from the Lakota people to share and learn about their culture and
spirituality. How can I do that? Your friend from Paysandu, Uruguay, South
America.
Sincerely,
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FDA Limits Health Freedom
Manataka,
There is a crisis in health
freedom. On April 30, 2007 the FDA closed public comment period on a
"Guidance" which will classify every alternative practice as
medicine so that only licensed physicians can carry out the
procedure AND vitamins, minerals, herbs, etc., will suddenly become
"untested drugs" which will be forbidden. |
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Steal
Their Lands, Their Heritage and Their Pride Manataka,
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Protests
Cherokee Nation Vote Hello Editor
Like most Manataka readers, we know that racism, greed and consolidation of political power were at the root of the despicable vote to disenfranchise black Cherokees. We don't ignore it, we simply do not dwell on negative political issues that serve to further divide. The last word has not be heard on this issue. A day of truth and justice will prevail. ~Editor
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Whose History? O'ciyo Manataka:
O'conostota was actually the
most respected person in the Cherokee Nation but Standing Turkey was
appointed by the National Council to serve as Uka or principal Chief
for a 7 year term. During the Revolutionary war in 1776-1783. Oconostotah, despite his reluctance at the onset, did eventually take the position of head war captain over Dragging Canoe. I discovered many letters from the Virginia colonial records that substantiates this claim; these are letters addressed directly to him by the rebel leaders of Virginia. As far as his death, it is said that he died in 1783, his grave is allegedly the one at Old Chota town (the Chota memorial ) in Tennessee.
Standing Turkey remained a
Chief and can be located on the Treaty of 1798 and a letter
addressed to
As far as the State of Arkansas [History Commission], I have an attorney looking into it. They are truly and deliberately corrupting our history. There are no federal law's that we can sue under, but there has to be something that will force them to stop this!! We continue to solicit your support in this matter.
"Chiefs of Nations Crash
Course" is available at my website
www.arkansascherokees.com |
Steal Their Land, Steal Their Money
Robert J. Miller
Robert J. Miller is a law professor at Lewis & Clark College and the chief justice of the Grand Ronde Tribe. He is the author of Native America: Discovered and Conquered
The United States owes a lot to the Indian Nations. American
Indians helped early European settlers survive and succeed on this continent and
American Indian governments contributed extensively to the political thinking
that led to the creation of the federal government
by our Founders.
The United States, however, also owes over 300,000 American Indians something
else: up to $200 billion for the mismanagement of their property over the past
one hundred years.
In 1996, the Native American Rights Fund filed a class-action law
suit against the United States for the mismanagement of tribal and individual
Indian assets-Cobell v. Kempthorne.
The case has already resulted in more than 12 federal court opinions but has not
even progressed beyond the discovery phase. The federal government and its
attorneys have actively resisted this case every step of the way. In fact, two
Cabinet secretaries and the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs were held in
contempt of court in 1999 and fined more than $625,000 for discovery violations.
Recently, the government went so far as to remove federal
district court judge Royce Lamberth from the case for his alleged growing bias
in favor of the Indian plaintiffs.
Originally, this case was discussed as being worth between $2-10 billion in
damages that the U.S. either embezzled from Indians or had just "lost" through
its incompetence. Today, even Attorney General Gonzalez believes that the case
may be worth up to $200 billion for the over 300,000 plaintiffs.
The case arose from the complicated history of federal Indian policies and
because the United States became the trustee for the Indian Nations and
individual Indian people.
Starting with the passage of the General Allotment Act in 1887,
the United States has been responsible for the oversight and management of most
of the tribal and Indian land and assets in Indian country.
Under trust law, the U.S. was responsible for reasonably leasing and developing
the land, then collecting the rents and profits and paying them to the Indian
owners. The allegation of the Cobell plaintiffs-and the
widely accepted truth of the matter-is that the U.S. has failed miserably in
exercising its fiduciary and trust responsibilities to carefully protect these
assets, collect the monies due and pay them to the Indian
owners.
Under the law, the U.S. owes an accounting to the Cobell
plaintiffs, identifying all these funds and then personally paying for any lost
or uncollected funds. The U.S. has actively resisted performing an accounting
and seems reticent to find out what it owes these Indian people-people who are
among the poorest of the poorest U.S. citizens.
Instead, the United States has claimed that it would cost more
than $500 million to perform an accounting for the past 120 years of its
trusteeship over Indian assets. The U.S. appears to be fighting a rearguard
action in
court while hoping for some kind of legislative fix.
Many people would like to see the Cobell case disappear: Congress has twice
already considered "midnight" riders to kill the case. Senator John McCain and
the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs have talked about
proposing settlement amounts between $7-8 billion and recent Senate and House
bills have proposed such amounts.
On March 1, 2007, the Bush administration responded to questions from the Senate
Committee on Indian Affairs. The administration now proposes to settle all the
trust mismanagement claims and to pay for all the needed Indian trust reform
efforts with $7 billion.
This, in spite of the acknowledgement that the true price tag of
the lost and mismanaged funds could run into the hundreds of billions of
dollars.
In their letter, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Interior Secretary Dirk
Kempthorne told the Senate Committee that the administration was prepared to
"invest" $7 billion to settle all trust mismanagement claims.
But they also appear to demand that the Congress extinguish the government's
liability for all future trust claims. This last statement is the most
egregious aspect of this sordid history.
The United States government apparently wants to continue managing Indian assets
but, at the same time, wants to prevent any future possible liability, no matter
how woefully it might manage and fail to protect
these assets.
The proposal was immediately called a "bad-faith offer" by the
Cobell attorney.
You might also call it a bad-faith settlement if it were your assets that the
U.S. controlled but wanted to avoid any responsibility for. Senator Byron
Dorgan, D-N.D., the chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee,
said:
This is the first time that the federal government has acknowledged a
multi-billion dollar liability for the mismanagement of the Indian trust funds
over the past century and more. That is a significant admission.
A more significant admission would be for the United States to
live up to the debt it owes these Indian people and to account for and pay them
the money that is legally theirs but that has been mismanaged and withheld
from them for the past hundred years.
Credit: http://www.tompaine.com/print/steal_their_land_steal_their_money.php
Submitted by Abe WalkingBear Sanchez abe@armg-usa.com
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PRODUCT PLUNDER
OF THE MONTH:
QUICK FACTS OF THE MONTH:
Each
year, the average American consumes 260 pounds of imported food.
98.7% of foods imported into the U.S. are NOT inspected by the
FDA for safety.
Of
the scant 1.3% of imported foods the FDA tests, over 200
shipments of grains, fish, vegetables, nuts, spice, oils and
other imported foods are detained each month for issues ranging
from filth to unsafe food coloring to contamination with
pesticides to salmonella. The other 98.7% of untested food is
immediately green-lighted for the American diet.
The
U.S. imports almost twice as much food today as it did just ten
years ago, yet the FDA's budget for testing imports has been cut
nearly in half since 2000.
Source:
http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_4897.cfm
TIP OF THE MONTH:
FIVE
WAYS TO REDUCE YOUR ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT WHEN SHOPPING
Switch to environmentally friendly cleaning supplies. The use of
conventional cleaners exposes your family and our environment to
some very nasty toxic chemicals.
If
you buy only one or two organic items, make them milk and meat.
Most conventional milk and meat are produced on factory farms
that feed their animals massive amounts of pesticide and
fossil-fuel intensive conventional corn, at the same time
creating massive manure lagoons that contaminate local ground
water.
Be
as conscious about the packaging as you are about the product.
The production and disposal of packaging takes a heavy
environmental toll. You can eliminate 1,200 pounds of carbon
dioxide (CO2) every year by simply reducing your waste by 10%.
While you're at it, bring your own shopping bags.
Buy
local and regional, or at least USA-grown, whenever possible, to
reduce energy and pollution from long transportation. But of
course some products are not produced in the US.. For overseas
products, look for the organic and Fair Trade label.
Buy
in bulk. If you regularly buy a certain product, consider buying
it in bulk. It usually has less packaging, is more affordable,
and requires fewer trips to the store.
This article is brought to you by
ORGANIC BYTES, a publication of
Organic Consumers Association
http://www.organicconsumers.org/ |
"...because if you believe in something, and believe in it long enough, it will come into being."
-Rolling Thunder, Cherokee
We are created by the Great One to accomplish His will through our mental pictures or visions. Our thoughts are three dimensional: words, pictures and feelings. We create the vision by thinking the words and we create feeling for the vision by feeling enthusiasm, desire, commitment and other strong beliefs. Once we create the vision, we move toward and become like that which we think about. All visions are tested by our self talk; for ex-
ample, "This isn't going to happen, where is the money coming from anyway?" When this happens, we need to let go of the test and focus on the vision. Why? Because God said if we believe it long enough, He will guarantee it !!!
Great One, let my beliefs be
strong today.
Help me to have faith in
my visions.
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Manataka "Spirit Award" for exemplary volunteer service to the organization and community was awarded by unanimous decision of the Elder Council to the following: |
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The next time you see David Quite Wind, give him a big hug and thank him for all the great work he does for the people of Manataka. |
Artificial Sweetener Explodes Internally - Avoid it in 2007
By Shane Ellison, M.Sc.
Copyright www.healthmyths.net
If there were a contest for the best example of total disregard for human life the victor would be McNeil Nutritionals - makers of SplendaTM. Manufacturers of VioxxTM and LipitorTM would tie for a very distant second.
McNeil Nutritionals is the undisputed drug-pushing champion for disguising their drug SplendaTM as a sweetener. Regardless of its drug qualities and potential for side-effects, McNeil is dead set on putting it on every kitchen table in America. Apparently, VioxxTM and LipitorTM makers can't stoop so low as to deceptively masquerade their drug as a candy of sort. There is no question that their products are drugs and by definition come with negative side-effects. Rather than sell directly to the consumer, these losers have to go through the painful process of using doctors to prescribe their dangerous goods.
A keen student in corporate drug dealing, McNeil learned from aspartame and saccharine pushers that if a drug tastes sweet then let the masses eat it in their cake. First though, you have to create a facade of natural health. They did this using a cute trade name that kind of sounds like splendid and packaged it in pretty colors. Hypnotized, the masses were duped instantly. As unquestionably as a dog humps your leg, millions of diabetics (and non-diabetics) blindly eat sucralose under the trade name SplendaTM in place of real sugar (sucrose).
SplendaTM was strategically released on April fools day in 1998. This day is reserved worldwide for hoaxes and practical jokes on friends and family, the aim of which is to embarrass the gullible. McNeil certainly succeeded.
The splendid SplendaTM hoax is costing gullible Americans $187 million annually. (1) While many people "wonder" about the safety of SplendaTM they rarely question it. Despite its' many "unknowns" and inherent dangers, SplendaTM demand has grown faster than its supply. No longer do I have to question my faith in fellow Man. He is not a total idiot, just a gullible one. McNeil jokesters are laughing all the way to the bank.
Splenda is not as harmless as McNeil wants you to believe. A mixture of sucralose, maltodextrine and dextrose (a detrimental simple sugar), each of the not-so-splendid SplendaTM ingredients has downfalls. Aside from the fact that it really isn't "sugar and calorie free," here is one big reason to avoid the deceitful mix...Think April fools day:
SplendaTM contains a potential poison
From Crystal Harvey, MAIC Correspondent
Fluoride Action Network
Arsenic in my Fluoride? CDC admits Yes
New York – March 12, 2007 -- Trace amounts of arsenic are found in fluoride chemicals added to drinking water supplies, reports the U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) website. (1)
Fluoridation is a controversial attempt to reduce tooth decay in tap-water consumers.
Fluoridation chemicals - sodium fluoride, sodium fluorosilicate, and fluorosilicic acid (FSA) – are all derived from the manufacture of phosphate fertilizer, reports the CDC. Trace amounts of unwanted contaminants, such as antimony, barium, beryllium, arsenic and others, are allowed to remain in fluoridation chemicals before flowing through America’s faucets (2)
The CDC reports, tests by National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) revealed arsenic was present in sample batches of FSA. When trace amounts were present, the treated water had an average of 0.43 parts per billion (ppb) of arsenic, with a high of 1.66 ppb attributable to the fluoride additive. (2)
The NSF sets the allowable level of arsenic in fluoridation chemicals at 2.5 ppb. The maximum contaminant level of arsenic in treated water is 10 ppb, set by the Environmental Protection Agency.
However, trace levels of arsenic in drinking water increase a person's risk of developing cancer, according to a report from the prestigious US National Academy of Sciences. “People drinking water containing just one part per billion of arsenic have an increased risk of developing bladder or lung cancer of one in 1,000,” reports New Scientist magazine. (3)
In an analysis of 25 states, the National Resources Defense Council found about 8,000 U.S. water systems, serving 57,000,000 people, contained arsenic levels at 1 ppb or higher.(4)
“Fluoridation has proven useless in fighting tooth decay in America’s low-income population as the recent unfortunate ‘tooth-decay’ death of a 12-year-old Maryland boy living in a fluoridated area has proven,” says lawyer Paul Beeber, President, New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation. “No child is or ever was fluoride-deficient. But many are dentist-deficient,” says Beeber.
“No water company should purposely be adding toxins to water supplies – even in trace amounts and even when it’s attached to a chemical perceived to be beneficial,” says Beeber.
“Besides, modern science establishes that fluoridation is ineffective at reducing tooth decay, harmful to health and a waste of taxpayer money,” says Beeber.
"We're glad the CDC finally admits that arsenic can be found in fluoridation chemicals. But CDC should go further and list all undesirable chemicals and impurities allowed in the fluoridation chemicals, and make it publicly known so consumers truly can make an informed choice," says Beeber.
Contact: Paul S. Beeber, Esq., President and General Counsel, New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation, Inc. nyscof@aol.com
http://www.orgsites.com/ny/nyscof
Fluoridation News Releases http://tinyurl.com/6kqtu
Tooth Decay Crises in Fluoridated Areas http://www.fluoridenews.blogspot.com/
Fluoride Action Network http://www.FluorideAction.Net
Fluoride Journal http://www.FluorideResearch.Org
References:
(1) U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dep’t of Health and Human Services – Water Fluoridation – Guidelines & Recommendations – Water Fluoridation Additives (accessed March 11, 2007) http://www.cdc.gov/fluoridation/engineering/wfadditives.htm
(2) April 24,2000 letter from NSF International to State of Florida, Department of Public Health http://www.fluoridealert.org/NSF-Letter.pdf
(3) New Scientist, “Trace arsenic in water raises cancer risk,” by Emma Young, September 14, 2001 http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn1300
(4) National Resources Defense Council, “Arsenic and Old Laws.” Chapter 1 - Arsenic has been found at levels of health concern in the tap water of tens of millions of Americans in 25 states http://www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/arsenic/chap1.asp
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Something
strange is going on in Alaska. Officials have become so extreme in their
efforts to kill wolves that they've proposed downright gruesome measures to
annihilate these furry canines. The amazing news is that our emergency
efforts with Defenders of Wildlife have defeated officials' more barbaric
proposals.
That said, over 96 wolves have been gunned down so far and Alaskan officials
plan to escalate the killing over the next three weeks! Support Defenders of
Wildlife's emergency campaign to stop extreme wolf-killing:
http://go.care2.com/e/R757/G62y/S9UO
Two of the most barbaric proposals defeated with help from concerned
citizens like you:
PROPOSED:
$150 bounty for killing a wolf, even if she's about to birth her puppies,
so long as the hunter chops off her legs and presents them as proof of the
kill. (DEFEATED last week!)
PROPOSED: Gas subsidies for aerial wolf hunters who cruelly chase wolves
from the air before landing to shoot them point-blank when they're too tired
to run any further. (DEFEATED this week!)
Please help Defenders of Wildlife continue to the fight against Alaska's
extreme aerial gunning agenda. Alaskan voters don't support it, and neither
do wildlife scientists. But, with extreme measures like this continuously
thrown on the table, we must keep fighting to prevent hundreds of wolf
killings before the winter is over.
Officials hope to kill nearly 600 more wolves before the aerial gunning
season's scheduled (more than 96 have been gunned down so far). If the
latest proposal to speed wolf- killing – the introduction of helicopter
gunning – is permitted, the number of wolves killed could spike
dramatically.
Some of these wolves are preparing to birth puppies and desperately
need your help.
Thank you for helping today! It feels so good to see what a difference we're
making!
~Submitted by Sheri Awi Anida Waya Burnett
ANCIENT
(
The
Seaconke Wampanoag tribe claims the piles are a memorial and sacred burial
place kept hidden for centuries. The tribe claims it is as important to
them as
Historians, state
officials, private developers and tribal leaders in
The company claims their hired archaeologist studied the stones and concluded they were likely left in piles by early European settlers who built a network of stone walls in the area. "I don't believe any of these Indian artifacts are on my land," Reuters reports company president John Everson as saying. "The whole area is very stony."
The Seaconke Wampanoag historian has advised since the story broke that the deed for that land contained specific covenants limiting its use to grazing cattle and is specific that houses not be built on it. It also stated that any Indians remaining on that land were required by that deed of sale to wall up their fields from the English cattle. “Those covenants regarding development were in place for a reason, and now you know why,” the historian said citing the deed recorded at RI Colony Records 1, 33. "Any title researcher can verify this restriction," he said.
The Reuters Story by Jason Szep is at:
Reuters Photos by
Brian Snyder are at:
Contact:
Bob
Cooper, prguynow@yahoo.com 401-447-6474
Days/Evenings
Peter Bauer, thinkingbear@verizon.net 401-823-6890
SOUNDS OF MANATAKA
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Lots More CD'S - Fast Delivery - Great Prices! |
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Disclaimer:
Material appearing here is distributed without profit or monetary
gain to those who have expressed an interest in viewing the
material for research and educational purposes.
This is in accordance with Title 17 U. S. C. section 107.
Reprinted under the Fair Use doctrine of international copyright law.http://www4.law.cornell.edu
/uscode/17/107.html
Non-profit/Teaching/Educational
We are proud to announce our new addition to the herd, which arrived this
morning (Thursday, May 17, 2007) at 10:40 A.M. A boy we named "White Spirit"
his mother is Sunrise Spirit father by Arizona Spirit. This baby makes our
ninth white baby in the herd.
It is our normal practice to give this award to a committee member or
dedicated volunteer who largely remains out of the spot light, however,
this month's Spirit Award goes to the most visible and popular member of
the Elder Council, David Quiet Wind Furr who is seldom recognized for
his tremendous contribution to the growth and health of Manataka.
