Daniel HOFFMAN Sr.
73, of Springfield, IL, passed away
peacefully in his sleep Friday, September 21, 2012 at his residence.
Daniel was born on July 3, 1939 in Springfield, the son of Joseph and
Ida Etheridge Hoffman. He married Carol LeSeure Feb., 27, 1972.
He had worked for Barnaby
Dental Lab and Paul Davis Dentist Office as a Dental Tech, Daniel then
became a Deputy for the Sangamon County Sheriff's Department, Retiring
from the Sangamon County Civil Division. He was a member of the
Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall.
He was preceded in death by
two Brothers; Joe and Tom Hoffman and 1 sister, Mary Hoffman.
He is survived by his wife,
Carol Hoffman of Springfield; his son, Daniel (Laurel) Hoffman Jr. of
FL; Two granddaughters, Cambri (James) Cooper and Brittney Hoffman, both
of FL; 2 sisters Barbara Bartnick and Annie (Ron) Walsh, both of
Springfield; Three Brothers, Mike (Sharron) Hoffman of FL, Paul (Karen)
Hoffman of Washington, and Richard (June) Hoffman of New Hampshire;
Ex-wife, Margaret Parks of Springfield; Several great grandchildren,
nieces, nephews and cousins.
Daniel Hawk
With Seven Eyes Hoffman, is retired law enforcement officer,
grandfather, and teacher. He is a founding member of the Taylorville
Black Horse Powwow, Inc,' a nonprofit charitable and
educational organization. He has given presentations at schools in
Central Illinois area on the history, culture and religious beliefs of
the Native American people for over 28 years. Hawk and members of his
group present dance demonstrations for students, teachers and parents
who are also invited to dance. Hawk believes children are the future.
Hawk Hoffman
became a member of the Manataka American Indian Council 1999 and was
elected to the Elder Council in 2008. He served as chairman of the
event committee and was a favorite contributor of articles to the Smoke
Signal News. His sage advise and beautiful demeanor were valued
greatly by other council members, volunteers and members of Manataka.
Hawk is not
only a highly respected elder among his own people, but his love and
concern for all people, all life and things of the Earth Mother is
legendary and word of his good works has spread across the country. Hawk
is a plain spoken man that is not timid about sharing his many years of
wisdom and good advise.
Memorial Services will be at
4:00 p.m. Monday, September 24, 2012 at Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall,
4800 Old Jacksonville Rd., Springfield, Illinois. No flowers or
memorial contributions requested. Ellinger-Kunz & Park
Funeral Home, 530 N. 5th Street, Springfield, IL 62702 is charge of
arrangements.
Memorial
Services will be held at Manataka when Fred Blackhorse Dubay arrives
from IL to conduct ceremonies.
FEATURE STORY
Hummingbird Medicine
By Takatoka
In
numerous cultures, the
hummingbird has powerful spiritual
significance. These magical
beings are most often viewed as a symbol of joy, happiness and love
and come to awaken us to the beauty of the present moment. Many people
develop a mysterious bond with this tiny creature.
About
ten years ago, just before his 104th birthday, Grandfather Aduvir,
the last Tiger Dancer of the Quechua
people in the Andes of Peru sent a magnificent necklace made of the huayruro
macho beans and carved birds to Lee Standing Bear Moore at Manataka.
According to Aduvir, the hummingbird is a symbol of resurrection. This is
because each hummer becomes lifeless and seems to die on cold nights, but it
comes back to life again when the miraculous sunrise brings warmth.
The
hummingbird is the creature that opens the heart.
Read
More...
The 13th Step: Peyote
Ceremony Cured Author’s Addictions
By Jordan Wright,
Indian Country Today Media Network
By
the time Robert Hayward, Winnebago, decided to write about his journey
to redemption, he had been through hell. His résumé read like a psych
report—drug dealer, addict and full-blown alcoholic. After 26 years of
self-destruction he found that his physical health had evaporated, his
mind had melted, and his relationships with his parents, wife and three
kids were on a fast track to nowhere.
But he emerged, intact, to
write The Thirteenth Step: One Man’s Odyssey of Recovery
(Native Son Publishers, Inc., 2011).
What makes this revelatory
book so compelling is Hayward’s honesty and heartfelt sincerity, coupled
with his admission of failure and his decision to turn to tribal wisdom
to heal. It is an intriguing insight into the Native American Church’s
peyote cleansing rituals, yet a cautionary tale to all substance
abusers. Though the church’s practice of using peyote as a sacrament in
its ceremonies is legal for tribal members (under the American Indian
Religious Freedom Act Amendments of 1994), it is still controversial and
has been fraught with negative connotations since the 1960s, when it was
used experimentally by the counterculture.
To this day there are very
few members permitted to conduct this sacred religious ritual, and they
are referred to as roadmen. During the lengthy, cabalistic
event, Hayward experienced powerful revelations. Eventually, with the
trust and guidance of the church’s leaders, he was granted permission to
reveal the ceremony to the world and give his profoundly personal
account.
Read More...
ELDER MEDITATION
"So don't be afraid. What we left behind, leave it back there.
Try to do some good. Let's try to take a step, try to think
something good." -- Wallace Black Elk,
Lakota
Every
day is a new day. Sometimes we make mistakes. We do not need to
carry these mistakes along with us. Take the lessons and leave
the mistakes behind. Look forward to today. Today we can do
something good. Today we can have good thoughts. Today we can
think kind, uplifting thoughts about ourselves. Today I will
think good about ...
My Creator, today I ask You to
direct my thoughts.
"Columbus started off not knowing
where he was going and upon his arrival, did not
know where he was. When he returned to Europe,
he did not know where he had been -- and, he did
it all on borrowed money."
~Author
Unknown
Was Christopher
Columbus the first to 'discover' North America? Absolutely not.
There were millions of indigenous people here eons before
Europeans stumbled on this continent. Asians, Africans and
people from the Middle East probably came centuries before
Erickson or Columbus. Contrary to almost every school textbook,
Columbus did not prove the world is round. This fact was proved
centuries before Columbus was born.
A short time after Columbus' arrival
in the Caribbean, he began enslaving
and slaughtering thousands indigenous people. In the name of
God, church and greed millions of people needless died during
the ensuing period of 'discovery' and colonization. The Roman
Catholic Church issued the Papal Bull of 1493 giving permission
to the kings of Europe to rape, pillage, slaughter and steal
property. The Papal Bull became a legal precedent known as the
The Doctrine of
Discovery the spawned hundreds of new laws used by
discoverers, colonists and later by the U.S. government to
justify forced confiscation of personal property. (see
Native America,
Discovered and Conquered)
Mother Earth is in for
a destructive ride into the future, according to the full report
from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released this
week called
“Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance
Climate Change Adaptation,” or SREX for short. Tribal
nations and Indigenous Peoples, who generate fewer greenhouse
emissions than any other group, could be among communities hit
the hardest.
After 220 scientists
from 62 countries finalized the report in Uganda last fall, the
IPCC published a 19-page Summary to give policy makers tools
ahead of the COP18 in Qatar this November to shape adaptation
strategies to extreme weather events. A
three-page fact sheet makes the technical report even easier
to digest.
Do you think Wes Studi would make a good Tonto?
He made a good Apache. Hell, as Magua he made a good Huron/Mohawk, I never
was clear what tribe he was supposed to be from, but he sure was bad ass and
ugly. Even while he and Russell Means were busy killing other Indians he
charged our imaginations about ourselves. Was that the right message? Not
one peep from the Indian movie image police. Indianicide? Indianicide wants
me, lord I can’t go back there. Well, anyway.
I read a blog earlier and the owner of the blog
said she was pissed that Johnny Depp is playing Tonto because she did not
believe he was Indian enough for that particular role, what ever the heck
that means. The blogger guesses that Tonto was/is Apache and the whole
Apache nation should have been consulted about the role, who should play it
and what that actor should wear so as to project the right “image” in a
politically correct way so as not to make restless the, er, ah, well,
Natives. The blogger basically expressed, I am Native and I am restless over
this affront to our good nature and reputation.
Read More...
You have noticed that everything an Indian
does is in a circle, and that is because the power of the world always works
in circles, and everything tries to be round. In the old days all our power
came to us from the sacred hoop of the nation and so long as the hoop was
unbroken the people flourished. – Black Elk, from the book Black Elk Speaks.
Dallas Arcand creating a hoop ladder
Eleven, twelve, thirteen hoops weave around
Dallas Arcand’s arms and legs as he keeps time to a drumbeat. He makes
birds, flowers and buffalo spring around his body as the hoops join,
separate and link together again in fantastic shapes that transform the man
into whatever being he chooses. Then he brings down the house with a
one-handed cartwheel over a rolling hoop.
“I can’t even understand how he did some of those
moves,” said Jocy Bird, Dakota Sioux/Mandan/Hidatsa, one of five judges who
named Arcand the winner of the 22nd Annaul Heard Museum Hoop Dance
Championship in Arizona this year.
Hoop’s popularity is on the rise and dancers are
continually innovating with new steps and formations. Performed at powwows
across North America and dance showcases aimed at Native and non-Native
audiences around the world, the dance wows crowds everywhere.
At the annual Heard Museum competition dancers
are judged on precision, timing/rhythm, showmanship, creativeness and speed.
They pick up the rings, which are often made of light plastic tubing, one by
one with their feet while keeping time to a drumbeat. Then dancers work the
hoops around their bodies, bringing them into tight balls before fanning the
hoops out into forms that speak clearly about nature and unity without using
a single word.
Read More...
FEATURE STORY
Mohawk
Haircut A
Current Rage
Painting by
John Thomas
NASA’s
‘Mohawk Guy’
and 18 Other
Famous
Hairstyle
Appropriators
From Indian
Country
Today Media
Network
The
Curiosity,
NASA’s
latest Mars
rover,
touched down
on the Red
Planet on
August 6,
and what was
a pretty
gee-whiz
moment for
science fans
soon flared
into a game
of Who’s
That Guy?
So
mainstream
America has
decided the
Mohawk is
cool again.
But does
this
hairstyle,
other than
its name,
have
anything to
do with
Mohawk
Indians
anymore? We
asked Ray
Cook,
Mohawk,
ICTMN’s
opinions
editor, who
told us the
traditional
warrior’s
hairstyle is
better
described as
a “scalp
lock.” “The
Mohawk is
known as
scalp lock
because it
makes it
very hard
for an enemy
to lift
one’s hair
for a
trophy,” he
says. “But,
on a
practical
note—we are
a woodland
people, bugs
and ticks
like to hide
in lots of
hair, a
scalp-lock
frustrates
them too.”
Cook points
to the
paintings of
Mohawk
artist John
Thomas as
illustrations
of the
pre-Colonial
Mohawk scalp
lock.
The
Sequoyah National Research Center at the University of
Arkansas at Little Rock
The Sequoya
National Research Center is accepting proposals for its
2013 Research Fellowship Program, which fosters research
involving forms of
Native American expression in a range of
disciplines.
“The program encourages scholars
and artists to conduct research in the American
Native Press Archives and the Dr. J. W. Wiggins
Collection of
Native American Art to support significant
studies in a wide range of fields and subjects such
as Indian removal from the Southeast, Native
journalism and journalists, late 20th century and
early 21st century tribal societies and economics,
literary artists, visual arts and artists, art
history, entertainment, and others,” reads a press
release announcing the fellowships.
At least six fellowships of
$1,500 will be offered, which are meant to alleviate
some of the cost of living and travel expenses while
fellows are conducting research at the
Sequoyah National Research Center.
Letters of inquiry can be sent
to
dflittlefiel@ualr.edu and will be considered
until January 31, 2013.
Support the Native American Education Act of 2012
U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado introduced The Native
American Education Act of 2012 in August. It would direct the federal government
to continue tuition waivers for Native American students at certain institutions
of higher education. The bill would call for the Secretary of Education to pay
tuition costs for Native American students attending designated, four-year,
Native American-serving nontribal institutions of higher education. This cost
currently falls to states. Schools like Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado,
and the University of Minnesota at Morris all have existing programs that allow
Native American students, including those who reside out of state, to attend
with a waiver of tuition.
These institutions of higher education have allowed many Native students to gain
access to education, thus we are asking that you learn more about this bill
here and show your support. You can notify your U.S. senators on that
same webpage
2013
CALENDARS
Since the 1800s, Native American Plains tribes have gathered for powwows to
celebrate their rich heritage. the tradition continues with emphasis on
spiritual and competitive dances. Photographer Chris roberts shares the
tradition through photographs. POWWOW 2013 captures the energy of powwow dancers
who proudly preserve their ancestral traditions. 11 x 28 inches open
Regular Price $14.95 SKU:900871-2 Ships in June.
"The honor of the people lies in the
moccasin tracks of the woman. Walk the good road.... Be dutiful, respectful,
gentle and modest my daughter... Be strong with the warm, strong heart of
the earth. No people goes down until their women are weak and dishonored, or
dead upon the ground. Be strong and sing the strength of the Great Powers
within you, all around you." --Village Wise Man, Sioux
The Elders say the Native American women will
lead the healing among the tribes. We need to especially pray for our women,
and ask the Creator to bless them and give them strength. Inside them are
the powers of love and strength given by the Moon and the Earth. When
everyone else gives up, it is the women who sings the songs of strength. She
is the backbone of the people. So, to our women we say, sing your songs of
strength; pray for your special powers; keep our people strong; be
respectful, gentle and modest.
Oh, Great One, bless our women.
Make them strong today.
The U.S.
Department of the Interior has a webpage dedicated to offering
helpful tips and information on tracing Native American
ancestry. The
Trace Indian Ancestry page has seven subsections including
Ancestry, Genealogical Research, Enrollment Process, Benefits &
Services Provided to American Indians and Alaska Natives,
Cherokee Indian Ancestry, Dawes Rolls and Contacting a Tribal
Entity – The BIA Tribal Leaders Directory.
The
Ancestry section describes how genealogical documentation is
needed for tribal enrollment and that the Bureau of Indian
Affairs does not conduct genealogy research for individuals.
Read More...
VENDOR
Esther Pearson's
TURQUOISE
TREASURERS
Bracelets
Only $10
each!
Your Choice!
Necklaces
Earrings
Clearance Sale -- only $10.00 each! -- Your Choice --
Dozens more to select
CP 687-
NATIVE PLANTS NATIVE HEALING: Traditional Muskogee Way By Tis Mal Crow
This book is a must for beginners and serious students of herbs and
of Native American ways.
This set of herbal teachings draws from the Muscogee tradition,
presents an understanding of the healing
nature of plants for the first time in book form and examines common
wild plants in a clear and authoritative style explains how to
identify, honor, select, and prepare them for use. Illustrated and
indexed by plant name and medical topic. New Lower Price!! Was
$16.95 Now Only $ 14.95 + s/h
Honey is the only food on the planet that will not spoil or rot.
What it will do is what some call 'turning to sugar'. In reality,
honey is always honey. However, when left in a cool dark place for a
long time it will "crystallize". When this happens loosen the lid,
boil some water and sit the honey container in the hot water, but
turn off the heat and let it liquefy naturally. It is then as good
as it ever was. Never boil honey or put it in a microwave. This will
kill the enzymes in the honey.
Drug companies won't like this one getting around. Facts on Honey
and Cinnamon: It is found that a mixture of honey and Cinnamon cures
most diseases. Honey is produced in most of the countries of the
world. Scientists of today also accept honey as a 'Ram Ban' (very
effective) medicine for all kinds of diseases. Honey can be used
without side effects for any kind of diseases. Today's science says
that even though honey is sweet, when it is taken in the right
dosage as a medicine, it does not harm even diabetic patients.
Weekly World News, a magazine in Canada, in its issue dated 17
January,1995 has given the following list of diseases that can be
cured by honey and cinnamon, as researched by western scientists:
Read
More...
To my Brothers and Sisters in the
Native American Community:
This
is an unusual letter in that I have never sent one like this
before. I am asking for help for one of our smallest members.
Wade (Wes) Smith is the son of Chief Mel Charlton-Smith and Mike
Two Wolves Smith—a Tribal Council member. Wes is 5 years old and
was born with Williams Syndrome and with only one hand. He has
had numerous health problems during his short life including
heart surgery at age 3 months. Last Thanksgiving, Wes was rushed
to the hospital and diagnosed with acute kidney failure. After
months of treatment and repeated hospitalizations, his kidneys
have all but completely failed. He will shortly begin dialysis
(rough on any 5 year old) and the prognosis is not good unless
he has a kidney transplant. Even with insurance, a kidney
transplant is a very expensive proposition and Mel and Mike need
all the help they can get. In order to fund this transplant, Mel
and Mike have established a fundraising campaign in Wes’ honor
with
HelpHOPELive,
a nonprofit
organization that has been
working with the
transplant community for nearly 30 years.
If you can make a
donation—or if you can help with fundraising, you can learn more by
visiting
Wes’ fundraising page. Go to
www.helphopelive.org and type
Wade Smith
in the "Find
a Patient" section on the home page. This will give you more
information about Wes and show you the many ways you can help to
give this dear child a future. Thank you for your consideration.
September 17, 2012
Journey to Chief Crazy Horse
National Monument, South Dakota
Darryl
Grey Grey Eagle Brown, a member of the Choctaw Nation from Hugo,
Oklahoma and his family journeyed to the Chief Crazy Horse
National Monument in South Dakota in September to perform the
Honoring the Circle ceremony. Grey Eagle shares photos and
his own words in this brief diary:
Greetings All My Relations,
Many relatives came together in the
beginning of this vision, to Create this wonderful event. We
were truly Honored that the amazing family who are creating the
largest monument in the United States accepted us and allowed us
to come together for this time at this awesome site in South
Dakota.
Many prayers were answered along the
way and as we gathered and offered tobacco in respect of our
time and the powerful energy and spirit of this place. We are so
thankful for the many elders, leaders, children, artists, and
relatives of all four colors that attended. It was a great
day and a sign that we are all working together to bring the
Light of Peace to this place and beyond," said Grey Eagle.
Read More...
It
is our prayer to one day add an American Indian museum on these
grounds.
It is our prayer that problems with
the National Park Service will cease to exist.
It is our prayer that people of all
nations will come to Manataka to give thanks
To the Creator of All Things
As
we hike the trails of Manataka Mountain today, we find no monuments to
the gentle people who were once the keepers of Manataka (Place of
Peace). Only the Grandfathers now tell the story of the Rainbow Woman
who blessed and guarded the Valley and the healing waters of Nówâ-sa-lon,
the hot springs.
But this is about to change. On the southeast slope of Manataka (Hot
Springs) Mountain, cross the street from Hot Springs National Park,
there was a small house built in 1920 that was demolished in 2010. This
little house sat on a half-acre, three city lots, of sacred ground; a
little piece of the sacred mountain.
Read More...
BOOK REVIEW
Listen
To The Wind by Tom Haley
A magnificent collection of American
Indian poems, prayers and wisdom by a new member of Manataka,
Reverend Tom Haley, pastor of the Rock Creek Christian Church in Hot
Springs National Park, Arkansas. Rev. Haley is a graduate of
Hendrix College and Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist
University. He has written a number of books including
God and Son, Inc
(2012),
The Laughing Jesus: and His Other
Faces(2012);
Along the Path: Meditations and
Reflections on Life(2012);
Haley's Comments(1991);
Prayers with Wings(1985); and
Anchors in the Storm(1983). He and his wife,
Amanda, have three adult children and three grandchildren.
His newest book shares the beautiful depth and breadth of American
Indian wisdom.
Listen To The Wind is only
$10.00 and proceeds from this book go to the Manataka American
Indian Council.
Buy Now!
No person among us desires any other reward for performing a
brave and worthy action, but the consciousness of having
served his nation. ~Joseph
Brant ‘Thayendanegea’ Mohawk
The following is just one of thousands of stories about
first responders who on a daily basis risk their lives to
come to the aid of those in need. I believe that it is as
important to remember and to pray for the safety and health
of our troops at home and abroad, and all of the first
responders from Police, Fire, EMS, Public Services, and
Clergy who serve us twenty-four hours a day seven days a
week.
On the afternoon of November 21, 2008, a tanker filled with
propane gas overturned on I-80 at the mouth of Parleys
Canyon spilling its contents. When paramedics and fire crews
arrived they found the driver alive but trapped in the
vehicle.
Read More...
ELDERS SPEAK
The Legacy
By Grandmother L.Cota Nupa Maka
When
my mother and father passed into spirit in 1985 it was a dark
time in my life. Living on the East Coast and them on the West,
we had only been together twice in 25 years. We had however
written and called each other but that was not somehow the same
as a face to face hug and visit. Or one of those good old
fashion gatherings of the clan around a holiday meal with music,
dancing, and singing.
The words from
an old ballad of the three Mary’s of Scotland, come to my mind
as I sit here thinking of the space and time that has elapsed.
“Little did my
Mother think when first she cradled me, the lands I was to
travel in and the death I was to die.”
We never know
what will happen or when we will meet again from the time of
separation, be it a day, or many years. The years passed after
that and faded into distant memory. The longing for home that
was at first so sharp and painful, also passed in time, as I
made Maine my second home. I came to be at peace with the rugged
coast line and the cold Atlantic waters. The trees that filled
the land for miles and miles with no break they went on forever.
Lakes and lush green fields separated with the ever present
stone walls. I came to find a connection with the land and the
animals along with the healing plants that I found there.
Read More..
PRAYER
BASKET
ILLNESS and ACCIDENTS
John "Baz" Guy,
Gleneagle, Australia. A few weeks ago Baz complained of a persistent
sore throat. Two different types of antibiotics did no good. After
tests last week, we found out last Thursday that Baz has cancer in his
left tonsils. He came home yesterday and we are going to local doc's now
to get CT scans to begin his treatment. Probably tonsils out and chemo +
radiation ... Not sure yet. Prognosis pretty good as the doc hasn't been
able to detect any nodes. Baz pretty chirpy about it all and we are
determined to see him through this in a good way. Your love & prayers
for Baz speedy recovery are gratefully received. ~Lynn Smith 08-2-12
Helen RedWing Vinson,
Memphis, TN did not have good news from the foot doctor.
Foot is severely
infected and where bones moved to the right from the toe amputation it
has caused bone infection again plus the open wound leg and foot wrapped
to the knee.. She goes back in a week to see if antibiotics worked if
not may be in hospital for a while and right side of foot be gone.
~Bear 08-21-12
Dwayne
Stewart,
Lawrenceburg, TN
used to set up at powwows in middle Tennessee and his wife
makes the best fry bread that can be found.
He had a blockage and his Intestines ruptured and bile went
into the body cavity and they cleaned it up and cut out part
of his intestines. He has a Colostomy bag. They have NO
Insurance.
Donations can be mailed to Cathy Stewart
470 Chief Creek Road, Lawrenceburg, TN. 38464
Cathy-931-242-4275
We are asking everyone to say a prayer for "Darkhorse" 3rd Battalion
5th Marines and their families. They are fighting it out in
Afghanistan & they have lost 9 marines in 4 days. IT WOULD BE NICE TO
SEE the message spread if more could pass it on. Nothing in the media
about these guys because no one seems to care: Justin Allen, 23;
Brett Linley, 29; Matthew Weikert, 29; Justus Bartett, 27; Dave Santos,
21; Chase Stanley, 21; Jesse Reed, 26; Matthew Johnson, 21; Zachary
Fisher, 24; Brandon King, 23; Christopher Goeke, 23; Sheldon Tate, 27.
All are Marines who gave their lives for YOU this week. Please Honor
THEM by forwarding this. Semper Fi ("Always faithful.") I just
did. ~Helen Vinson 07-26-12
My oldest sister Anna
Beasley, 85-years old had to be put in for emergency surgery this
morning due to “several” blockages in her arteries. She is in University
Hospital in Augusta, GA. Nat her husband, Sandy and Gary, daughter and
Son in law are there with her. Please pray that all will go well...
either way. I know she would rather just go on to Heaven than go into an
operating room. Red Wing 05-31-12
Elder Rose Marie Pleasants
Barron. Hospitalized in Hot Springs. Rosetta Pleasants'
Aunt, friend of the Batts family and hundreds of other friends and
family. I ask that you pray for her. ~Cheryl L. Batts,
B.A.
Manataka Elder, 76-year old
Grandfather Jimmie A. Looking For Wind Keefauver, recently underwent
hospitalization for a serious blood disease and infections and is
recovering at home. Jimmie appears to be doing much better now.
We are offering up prayers for our revered friend and honored elder.
CROSSED OVER
Wilcoxson, Freda Hope
(88). of Longwood, FL passed away at her home on
October 4, 2012 surrounded by her loved ones. She was preceded in death
by her loving husband William I. Wilcoxson. She is survived by her son
The Reverend Dr. Fred Wilcoxson, PHD., (JoAnn), of Clermont, her
daughter Roberta Pletsch of Longwood, and her sister Phyllis Burk of
Pawhuska, OK. She had seven grandchildren, fifteen great-children and 1
great-great grandchild. Born in Eldorado KS on September 1, 1924, she
lived most of her life in Oklahoma and Illinois before retiring to
Florida with her husband in 1977. As a lover of all things creative, she
enjoyed crafting, painting, sewing, cooking, decorating, and
transforming ordinary objects into things of beauty. She was a devoted
and caring wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and a wonderful
friend and neighbor who will be missed by all who knew her. A memorial
Service will be held at the Episcopal Church of the Messiah,
260 North Woodland St., Winter Garden, FL
34787, 407-656-3212, October 15, 2012 at 4:00 PM.
Daniel HOFFMAN Sr.
73, of Springfield, IL, passed away
peacefully in his sleep Friday, September 21, 2012 at his residence.
Daniel was born on July 3, 1939 in Springfield, the son of Joseph and
Ida Etheridge Hoffman. He married Carol LeSeure Feb., 27, 1972. He had worked for Barnaby
Dental Lab and Paul Davis Dentist Office as a Dental Tech, Daniel then
became a Deputy for the Sangamon County Sheriff's Department, Retiring
from the Sangamon County Civil Division. He was a member of the
Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall. He was preceded in death by
two Brothers; Joe and Tom Hoffman and 1 sister, Mary Hoffman. He is survived by his wife,
Carol Hoffman of Springfield; his son, Daniel (Laurel) Hoffman Jr. of
FL; Two granddaughters, Cambri (James) Cooper and Brittney Hoffman, both
of FL; 2 sisters Barbara Bartnick and Annie (Ron) Walsh, both of
Springfield; Three Brothers, Mike (Sharron) Hoffman of FL, Paul (Karen)
Hoffman of Washington, and Richard (June) Hoffman of New Hampshire;
Ex-wife, Margaret Parks of Springfield; Several great grandchildren,
nieces, nephews and cousins. Daniel Hawk
With Seven Eyes Hoffman, is retired law enforcement officer,
grandfather, and teacher. He is a founding member of the Taylorville
Black Horse Powwow, Inc,' a nonprofit charitable and
educational organization. He has given presentations at schools in
Central Illinois area on the history, culture and religious beliefs of
the Native American people for over 28 years. Hawk and members of his
group present dance demonstrations for students, teachers and parents
who are also invited to dance. Hawk believes children are the future.
Hawk Hoffman
became a member of the Manataka American Indian Council 1999 and was
elected to the Elder Council in 2008. He served as chairman of the
event committee and was a favorite contributor of articles to the Smoke
Signal News. His sage advise and beautiful demeanor were valued
greatly by other council members, volunteers and members of Manataka. Hawk is not
only a highly respected elder among his own people, but his love and
concern for all people, all life and things of the Earth Mother is
legendary and word of his good works has spread across the country. Hawk
is a plain spoken man that is not timid about sharing his many years of
wisdom and good advise. Memorial Services will be at
4:00 p.m. Monday, September 24, 2012 at Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall,
4800 Old Jacksonville Rd., Springfield, Illinois. No flowers or
memorial contributions requested. Ellinger-Kunz & Park
Funeral Home, 530 N. 5th Street, Springfield, IL 62702 is charge of
arrangements. Memorial
Services will be held at Manataka when Fred Blackhorse Dubay arrives
from IL to conduct ceremonies.
Jess
Green, an attorney and citizen of the
Chickasaw Nation, who dedicated his life to advocating for Native
American people lost his battle with neuroendocrine carcinoma on
September 8, 2012. He was 59. He was born September 21, 1952 to in Ada,
Oklahoma to J. L. and Mary Jo Green and graduated from McLish High
School in Fittstown, Oklahoma in 1970. In 1974, he graduated with honors
from
East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma and in 1977 he received his
Juris Doctorate from the University of Oklahoma School of Law. Green’s
law career spanned more than 30 years. He served in the first Chickasaw
legislature and was legislative chairman while also serving as Pontotoc
County Associate District Judge. Soon after the passage of the
Indian Child Welfare Act in 1978, Green started the first juvenile
court with the
Comanche Tribe. Green argued in the Tenth Circuit Court in the
MegaMania case and the Seneca-Cayuga case, both of which led to Class II
gaming as it is known today in Oklahoma. His experience also
includes eight years as a state district court judge, he served as a
tribal court prosecutor, a tribal court trial judge, and chief justice
of a tribal supreme court. Green was honored with a number of awards
throughout his career including being inducted into the Chickasaw Nation
Hall of Fame in 2011 and was given a
National Indian Gaming Association Lifetime Achievement Award this
year. Green is survived by his wife, Nancy McAlister Green of Ada;
parents, J. L. and Mary Jo Thomas Green of Ada; daughter, Destiny Jade
Green of Austin, Texas; son, Judd Lawrence Green of Ada; stepdaughter,
Charity Risner of Ada; granddaughter, Nixie Eppler of Ada; grandson, Van
Risner of Ada; sister, Melissa Green Wilkerson and her husband, Richard,
of Sunshine; sister-in-law, Sharon McAlister of Henryetta;
brother-in-law, Gerald McAlister and his wife, Doreen, of Ada;
brother-in-law, Jerry McAlister of Oklahoma City; niece, Keisha Sweeney
Factor and her husband, Terry, of Ada; niece, Kristin Barbour of Ada;
niece, Kandi Stuckey and her husband, Matt, of Edmond; nephew, Jeff
McAlister of Ada; niece, Natalie Richards of Ada; nephew, Jerry Richards
of Tribbey; niece, Amy Drescher and husband, John, of Ada; special
“Mom,” Georgia Stewart of Fittstown; special “brother,” Jimmy Don Barlow
of Tulsa; lifetime friends Steve Gregory, Ron Davidson, David Hatton and
Eddie Easterling; numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, in-laws and friends.
Services were held Wednesday, September 10 at Chickasaw Nation Community
Center in Ada, Oklahoma.
Stanley R.
Crooks, the longtime chairman of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux
Community and a renowned Indian country leader, passed away on Saturday,
August 25. Philip Baker-Shenk, an attorney with the firm Holland
and Knight, notified Indian Country Today Media Network of the
chairman’s passing late Saturday. Crooks had endured a long respiratory
illness that turned acute in the last several weeks, Baker-Shenk said.
“Stan was a dear friend. And a tireless defender of tribal sovereignty.
And a huge patron of so many good causes and a giant mentor for so many
good people in Indian country. Original giants like Chairman Stanley
Crooks can never be replaced; at best they can only be copied,” Shenk
said.
Maj.
William R. Fredenberg of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin
walked on July 21. He was a retired United States Air Force veteran and
a distinguished member of the tribe. “On behalf of the Menominee Indian
Tribe, I extend to Major Fredenberg’s wife Elizabeth and to his children
our heartfelt sympathy. We also express our deepest appreciation for his
extraordinary service to our country. His continuous acts of bravery in
the face of adversity will forever remain symbolic of a Menominee
warrior,” Craig Corn, tribal chairman, said upon learning of his death
according to a Menominee press release. Fredenberg, who enlisted
in the Army Air Corps in 1942, went to Europe where he was assigned to a
fighter-bomber squadron, flying bombing missions following his
graduation from flight training. He was shot down over France and taken
prisoner during his 27th mission on June 17, 1944. He led a
successful escape of 13 prisoners, joining the Free French in sabotaging
and attacking the enemy. Fredenberg returned to Europe in October
1944 and was discharged in 1945 after receiving the Distinguished Flying
Cross and the Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters. But for
Fredenberg, his service time wasn’t over. In 1950 he re-entered the Air
Force and was sent to Japan. After three years, he returned to the
United States and became an instructor pilot only to head back into
combat during the Vietnam War.
According to the press release,
“[o]n August 2 and 3, 1966, he distinguished himself by extraordinary
achievement while participating in aerial flight as an AC-47 Gunship
pilot near Pleiku Air Base [, Vietnam]. For his courage, skill and
resolute determination, he received his second Distinguished Flying
Cross. He retired from active duty in 1969 having been awarded the
Distinguished Flying Cross with two oak leaf clusters and the Air Medal
with 15 oak leaf clusters.” A memorial services was held for
Fredenberg on August 18th.
Agnes
Dill, a renowned educator and lifelong proponent of American
Indian rights passed away March 17. She was 98.
Edging close to a century of
life, Dill filled many of those years working for causes close to
her heart. In May 2010, she received an honorary doctorate from the
University of New Mexico. In recent years she was recognized as a
Santa Fe Living Treasure.
Dill, Isleta/Laguna Pueblo,
was born on June 23, 1913 to an Isleta mother and Laguna father. As
a child she spent time on both pueblos prior to attending
Albuquerque Indian School. Recognizing the value in a good education
at a young age, she went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts degree in
English and art history from New Mexico Highlands University in
1937. She spent the early years of her career teaching at Bureau of
Indian Affairs (BIA) schools in Oklahoma. Meanwhile, Dill met
and married her Isleta Pueblo husband, Clarence. The couple settled
in Vinita, Oklahoma, where they operated a museum and trading post
for nearly 20 years. When her husband grew ill from emphysema, the
couple returned to their ancestral home on the Isleta Pueblo in
1965.
Clarence passed away five
years later. She was a founding member of the North American Indian
Women’s Association (NAIWA) and served as the president from
1973-75. In 1975, President Gerald Ford appointed her to the
National Advisory Council on Women’s Education. She traveled the
country to set up job and talent banks to encourage both Native and
non-Native women to pursue career paths considered non-traditional
at the time, such as in medicine, law and business. Dill
continued to find avenues to both serve and socialize. The Chamiza
Foundation of Sante Fe appointed her as one of their lifetime
directors, and she was an active member of the Council of Elders at
the University of New Mexico Geriatric Education Center. Dill was
laid to rest next to her husband at the Santa Fe National Cemetery.
Me Yoti
Ndongu,
Elder, Great Medicine Woman Dearest Dabadi Thaayrohyadi`s Family.
Dear Relatives from the Otomi Toltec
Indian Nation, Indigenous Peoples and Human Family. Sisters and
Brothers from the Four Directions. Greetings from the Otomi Indian
Nation. The Otomi Elders and Wisdom Keepers from the Olmec Toltec
Teotihuacan Lineage share this message from our hearts. Our People
and Communities express our consternation and deepest sorrow for the
death of Me Yoti Ndongu,
Elder, Great Medicine Woman, impeccable and beloved Granma, guide
and wisdom keeper. She was Mother of Our Dabadi
Thaayrohyadi, beloved Toltec Master, Spiritual Leader and Medicine
Man who was doing a Long Pilgrimage to the Native Nations and
Spiritual Communities in the Eagle and Condor Lands in order to
share our message and invitation to everybody for coming and
attending the 8,000 Sacred Drums Ceremony & the Great Gathering for
the Healing of the Earth, Peace and Happiness that will take place
next september 2012, in Temoaya, Mexico. And he must to come back to
our Sacred Lands for attending the funeral of her Mother. We express
him our sincere condolences and to his extended family and
relatives. Last Friday afternoon August 3, 2012 Me Yoti Ndongu
stopped beating the drum of her heart. She was a mother of eight,
she left an example of unconditional love, service and compassion,
so we joined our prayers for the release of his spirit eagle, in
harmony and peace with the Universe and the Great Mystery. We also
continue sending healing energy to the relatives and closer friends
who feel sadness in their hearts. This Sunday August 4th,
Thaayrohyadi`s Mother, Me Yoti Ndongu was guarded and surrounded
with prayers in a overnight ceremony in the family`s house. We thank everyone for your
meditations and prayers, for your compassion, for you moral and
spiritual support to our Otomi Toltec Indian Nation. We welcome your expressions of
condolences and support to Dabadi Thaayrohyadi`s Family, to the
Community and to the Otomi Toltec Elders and Wisdom Keepers:
toltec.elders@gmail.com
Disclaimer,
Trademark and Copyright Information
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.
By
the time Robert Hayward, Winnebago, decided to write about his journey
to redemption, he had been through hell. His résumé read like a psych
report—drug dealer, addict and full-blown alcoholic. After 26 years of
self-destruction he found that his physical health had evaporated, his
mind had melted, and his relationships with his parents, wife and three
kids were on a fast track to nowhere.
Adapt
to Climate Change,
NOW
Tonto
Mania
Miracle
of Honey and Cinnamon 
Darryl
Grey Grey Eagle Brown, a member of the Choctaw Nation from Hugo,
Oklahoma and his family journeyed to the Chief Crazy Horse
National Monument in South Dakota in September to perform the
Honoring the Circle ceremony. Grey Eagle shares photos and
his own words in this brief diary: 
It
is our prayer to one day add an American Indian museum on these
grounds.
When
my mother and father passed into spirit in 1985 it was a dark
time in my life. Living on the East Coast and them on the West,
we had only been together twice in 25 years. We had however
written and called each other but that was not somehow the same
as a face to face hug and visit. Or one of those good old
fashion gatherings of the clan around a holiday meal with music,
dancing, and singing. 
PRAYER
BASKET 
Jess
Green, an attorney and citizen of the