 |
 |
 |
 |
|
May Day May 1 |
Cinco de Mayo May 5 |
Mother's Day May 9 |
Memorial Day May 31 |
Manataka™ American Indian
Council Volume XVII Issue 05
May 2011
SMOKE SIGNAL NEWS
Preserving The Past Today For Tomorrow
May 2011
|
|
|
|
|
|
May Day May 1 |
Cinco de Mayo May 5 |
Mother's Day May 9 |
Memorial Day May 31 |
"The month of May is a time of remembering -- the Gifts of the Creator, Freedom, Mothers and family, and Fallen Warriors"
~Lee Standing Bear Moore
Page 1 of 3 Pages
"We must remember that the heart of our religion is alive and that each person has the ability within to awaken and walk in a sacred manner." ---- Thomas Yellowtail, Crow
The Native Spirituality is full of life. When we seek it we become alive. Even if we have gone astray and have conducted ourselves in a bad way, we can look within and have a new awakening to life. Maybe we have drunk too much alcohol; maybe we have cheated on our spouse; maybe we have done things that make us feel guilty and ashamed. If we look outside ourselves, we will not find life; if we look inside, we will find life. Anytime we choose to change our lives, we only need to look inside. How do we do this? Take some sage and light it, close your eyes and say to the Great Spirit, I'm tired, I need your help. Please help me change.
Great Spirit, I know you exist inside of myself. Let me awaken to your teachings.
RESCHEDULED TO A BETTER
DATE...
Manataka Powwow
Dancers, Drummers, Singers,
Vendors, and Volunteers
Sign-up
today!
Bald Mountain Park and Campground
Located off
Westinghouse Road,
Between Hwy 70 East and Hwy 270 East
Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas
FREE
Admission for
Veterans, Seniors,
and Kids under 5
EXCITING
Dancing - Drumming -
Storytelling -
COLORFUL
Tipi Village
Indian Food and Crafts
FREE Camping
Plenty of
Parking
Bleacher Seating
Bring Lawn Chairs and or
Blankets
Join
the Manataka Powwow Committee Now! As chairman of the
September 30 - October 2 Manataka Powwow, Grandfather Hawk Hoffman will share many
years of powwow experience as you provide needed assistance in
organizing, promoting, supervising details and working at the event.
the Manataka Powwow will have a
huge arena.
Send us your contact information
and join the fun!
PowwowCommittee@manataka.org See the Manataka Powwow flyer
here Vendors: Sign up for booth space
here...before they are gone...
As chairman of the
September 30 - October 2, 2011 Manataka Powwow at Hot Springs
National Park, Arkansas, Grandfather Hawk Hoffman will share many
years of powwow experience as you provide needed assistance in
organizing, promoting, supervising details and working at the event.
The 2011 Manataka Powwow will have a
huge arena at Bald Mountain Park and Campgrounds to host dancers, drummers, special
entertainment, and vendors. Send us your contact information
and what you would like to do to help.
PowwowCommittee@manataka.org See the Manataka Powwow flyer
here Vendors: Sign up for booth space
here...before they are gone...
Mark you calendar - Call for hotel reservations
Join
the Manataka Powwow Committee Now!
|
is Raising Funds While Saving The Environment
Help the MOTHER EARTH! Help Our Cause!
Ink Jet Cartridges & Cell Phones
Manataka
American Indian Council
Over $35 Million Paid Out To Date! to various organizations nationwide.
Collect as many Ink Jet Cartridges & Cell Phones as you can
Mail to: MAIC - Planet Green P.O. Box 476, Hot Springs, AR 71902-0476
|
Volunteer and Contribute to Manataka's
Feed Our Friends
A Project for Wildlife
Deep
in the Ouachita National Forest is a wildlife rehabilitation center that quietly
cares for hundreds of animals and birds on an annual basis.
The
Arkansas Native Plant and Wildlife Center, operated by Tommy Young, a
Master Falconer and Ornithologist,
is a caring place for those who can least take care of themselves.
The Center has mountain lions, cougars, bears, raccoons, otters, alligators, skunks, deer, eagles, hawks, falcons, rabbits, beavers, deer, possums, snakes and other reptiles who have been injured and require rehabilitation before being released back in the forest. In some cases, the injuries are so severe the animal cannot be released but are cared for throughout their lives in a kind, suitable environment.
Located at the foot of Rich Mountain and Queen Wilhelmina State Park in the middle of the Ouachita National Forest, hundreds of wildlife come to the Wildlife Center, even from the Ozark National Forest north of the Arkansas River and thousands of surrounding pockets of wildlife -- over 3 million acres and thousands of miles of wild territory. Winter is here and more animals and birds are found injured every month.
The Center has cared for thousands of wildlife over the past two decades, but this winter promises to be especially rough because of the summer drought. A poor economy and high unemployment in the area have slowed contributions to the Center. Winter is coming.
We need food - thousands of pounds of it... Now! Read More>>>
Grandfather Robert Gray Hawk Coke Speaks
|
AN
UNCERTAIN WORLD
By Grandfather Robert Gray Hawk Coke
As I stated last month, we have several ways to approach these uncertain times. When we don’t have all the information to make our decisions, we tend to decide that it is” too much of a mystery.” If the picture seems too big and complicated or scary to understand, we hope that somebody else will figure it all out for us. Yet when I look back, I have often felt that others have not done a good job at solving our problems. I now take what facts I have and try to work things out one day at a time, as opposed to those who stick their heads in the sand, denying that the problems exist.
I am always looking for some kind of plan. Let me be clear. I do not have the answer for anyone else because I believe that one size does not fit all. I will, however offer suggestions as to what you might do to find your own answer.
Whenever our personal world becomes uncertain or
starts to rattle (comes unglued), we have a tendency to grab
whatever seems solid and hold on with a death grip. The growing
tension of opposing forces and conflicting opinions can be very
frightening. We want the complexities of life to be simplified by
somebody else to the lowest common denominator. Yet, this works for
a while only.
|
No offense intended for any individuals or tribes.
"Dad, do you think that the American Indians were
superior to the white men who took this land from them?" asked the young boy.
"You bet," replied the father. "When the Indians were
the sole occupants of this land, they had no taxes, no national debt, no
centralized government, no military draft, no foreign aid programs, no banks, no
stock markets, no nuclear weapons, and their women did
all the work. What could be more superior to that?"
FEATURE STORY
This is an important story to Manataka -- The prophesy unfolds before our eyes!
Gorge Dig Yields ‘Significant’ FindsBy: Jim Newsom - The Sentinel-Record - Published: 03/30/2011, Hot Springs National Park, ARLast week’s
shallow-shovel archaeological dig in the Gulpha Gorge Campground in Hot
Springs National Park has yielded “important” and “significant” evidence
about human life here thousands of years ago, National Park Service
archaeologist Bill Hunt said.
Read Manataka Elders Thoughts on this discovery...
|
M
anataka Number 8 among the top 40 American Indian Heritage Blogshttp://www.onlinemarketingdegree.org/top-39-native-american-heritage-blogs
Taino People on the Rise
Borikén/Puerto
Rico (UCTP Taino News) - The 2010 U.S. Census count for Borikén (Puerto Rico)
had some significant surprises. The census reveals a 48.8 percent gain over the
last 2000 census in the American Indian category, which is a verifiable
resurgence of indigenous affirmation among families on the island. With DNA
research documenting the continuation of the pre-Colombian indigenous Taino
gene-pool and the increasing visibility of active Taino community organizations
and cultural manifestations – the myth of extinction is finally being dispelled.
The Director of the United Confederation of Taino People's Borikén Liaison
Office, Roger Guayakan Hernandez attributes the increase in the census count to
expansion of information and communications technologies available today.
"We have always been here but recently there has been an explosion of pertinent
information regarding Borikén's indigenous heritage. The difference is that now
there are more ways to get the information to the people" stated Hernandez.
Hernandez noted that the Confederation, an official Census partner, used the
increased focus on Taino heritage as well as new technologies like social
networks in its campaign to raise awareness about the census process.
With the 2010 U.S. Census counting 19,839 individuals living in Puerto Rico
officially claiming American Indian heritage, the Taino community is indeed
becoming visible after two centuries of near invisibility.
Hernandez continued stating that "the whole chapter on the Caribbean's
Amerindian history is being reexamined and supports the affirmation of
indigenous descendant families on and even off the island".
A 1790 Puerto Rican Census count in an area called "Las Indieras" documented
fewer than 3,000 `Indios (Indians)' on the western side of the island. Since
then, with official census terminology changing to discount the indigenous
population, a reversal has taken place revealing how Taino families see
themselves in the 21st Century.
"Colonial history may have counted us out in Puerto Rico, but today the Taino
People have clearly counted ourselves back in" declared Hernandez.
Sources: www.uctp.org
www.uctp.blogspot.com
www.indigenousportal.com
The Cobell Settlement, part of the Claims Settlement Act of 2010, included $2 billion in funding for consolidating fractionated land in Indian country. Earlier this month, Reps. Don Young (AK) and Doc Hastings (WA) introduced legislation that would direct the Department of the Interior to conduct a comprehensive assessment of Indian land fractionation and submit a report of the findings and a plan for consolidation to the Congressional committees. The bill (H.R. 887) would also prevent the compensation of attorney's fees in the Cobell v. Salazar from exceeding $50 million. Next Tuesday, April 5th, the subcommittee on Indian affairs of the House Natural Resources Committee will host a hearing on H.R. 887.
|
What is fractionated land, anyway? Fractionated land is when land ownership is divided among heirs from generation to generation, resulting in many – sometimes hundreds or thousands – of owners of parcels of land. When 200 people share ownership of a plot of land and majority consent is required to make any decisions, it's hard to use the land for agricultural, commercial, even residential purposes. |
Outside Washington DC, tribes are helping members make sense of the
settlement. Beneficiaries, or people with Individual Indian Money (IIM)
accounts, have until April 20th to object or comment on the settlement, and
request to speak at the fairness hearing scheduled for mid-June. April 20th
is also the deadline to opt out of the settlement, which a handful of
beneficiaries have already chosen to do. Some members of the Quapaw tribe,
for example,
have chosen to opt out of the settlement and file a damages lawsuit in
the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, arguing that their allotment through the
settlement was mismanaged.
In all,
only 28 beneficiaries have opted out of the settlement so far, according
to the acting head of the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians
Ray Joseph. Provided there isn't an appeal following the fairness hearing
in June, it is expected that payments to IIM account holders will begin in
October.
The Tribal Law and Order Act, passed in July of last year, empowers tribal courts and justice systems, and strengthens relations between tribal and non-tribal law enforcement to better address crime in Indian Country, especially violence against women. Starting today at 2pm, the National Congress of American Indians and the National Criminal Justice Association will be hosting a four-part webinar series designed to develop policy recommendations to include in any long-term detention plan submitted to Congress under the TLOA. Today's webinar is titled "Overhauling the System: A Long Term Plan to Address Detention in Indian Country." Find out more about the April 13th, April 27th, and May 11th webinars.
The Department of Energy's Office of Indian Energy has begun outreach to Indian tribes and tribal leadership to discuss issues and opportunities related to energy on tribal lands. As a part of this effort, the Office of Indian Energy has begun hosting roundtable sessions with tribal leaders around the country to discuss current priorities related to Indian energy policies and programs. Topics of discussion include: conventional and renewable energy development, public-private partnerships, energy efficiency and management, and education and workforce development. Find a roundtable conversation near you.
|
Talking Bear’s Talking Circles — Book One (ISBN 978-0-9748668-3-3)
About the Author: George Walking Bear Gillette is an American Indian elder spiritual leader and medicine man. He is a member of the Kern River Indian Community known as the Tubatulabl Tribe, which is a Shoshone/Paiute band in California. Family history claims he also has Blackfoot and English blood from Canada. His full Indian name is Walking Bear Has Two Eagles. He was born at the foot of Mt. Shasta in the town of McCloud, California in June of 1927 and served in the Navy during World War II.
Walking Bear became a Behavioral Therapist in 1968, successfully combining Indian doctoring and hypnotherapy into his practice. Drawing from real experiences over the course of his life work, he has authored and illustrated seven books: Talking Bear’s Talking Circles—Book One, Talking Bear’s Talking Circles—Book Two, To Hell With My Soul Mate: The Greatest Love Story Ever Told, The Secret Success of Life and Its Problems, From Here to Eternity, Divine Design, and Life Goes On.
Walking Bear has served as guest speaker for Indian Health Services, Urban Indian Health Services, and United Indian Health. He has conducted classes on using hypnosis for childbirth, self-improvement, and surgery, and he taught weight loss with hypnosis at the Stanford Medical Center and in Iceland and Sweden. Walking Bear served on a special committee who made it possible for Native American spiritual leaders to become chaplains in California prisons. Read More>>>
|
By Manataka Elder, Chaplain Fred D. Wilcoxson PhD, PC, BCCC
There are No Swear Words in Indian Languages
“We send our little Indian boys and girls to school, and when they come back talking English, they come back swearing. There is no swear word in the Indian languages, and I haven't yet learned to swear.” Gertrude S. Bonnin (Zitkala-Sa) - Yankton Sioux
School is now back in session. You can see a great gap between what often happens in our schools and what our dedicated and loving teachers want to happen. Much of what our little ones learn doesn’t come from the teachers or the school; it comes from the other children. If you contribute to your children’s vocabulary in a negative way… think about it.
|
NEW ARTICLES IN APRIL |
|
| Animal Rights and Wrongs: | Unimak wildlife to be managed by understanding of caribou decline |
| Beautiful Words: | Moon and Drum by Robert Bandit Eaton |
| Book Review: | George Walking Bear's - Talking Circles - Book One |
|
Elders Speak: |
Current World Events - Maka Nupa L. Cota |
|
Feature Stories:
|
American Indian Poverty is BIG Business for Charity Scams |
|
Health Watch: |
Does topical fluoride really protect tooth enamel? |
| Herbal Medicine: | Radiation and Chemotherapy |
| History: | Pima Indian Tribe History |
|
Legends: |
Coyote Becomes A Buffalo |
| Letters to the Editor: | Letters to the Editor - April 2011 |
| Sacred Sites: | Amazing California Discovery: 12,000 years old Fishing Tackle |
| Tribes and Nations: | Applications for Federal Recognition - 2008 |
|
Women's Council: |
Seneca Hawk Elder Edna Gordon Speaks Out |
Manataka Powwow Sponsorship Form
Nuclear Radiation Fallout Headed for the West Coast
Books - American Indian - Clear Light GIFT BOOKS
Manataka Colorado West -- Fine Leather Apparel
NOTICES:
Manataka Needs Prayer Ties
We need thousands of prayer ties. You can
help by making as many prayer ties as you can and send them to us for
distribution to people and places that need your prayers.
Read More>>>
Join
the Manataka Membership KIT Committee Now!
Keep in Touch (KIT) needs a few folks to help from the comfort of
your home by contacting members on a regular basis via email,
telephone, and computer social networking. It is easy to do,
but requires people who love other people. It only takes a few
minutes each week and the rewards are great. Keeping in touch
with a large family the size of Manataka is not easy with so many
birthdays, anniversaries and special occasions. Email or call
us if you want to make a difference.
KIT@manataka.org
American Indian
Information and Trade Center Needs Your Help
Attention Tribes, Indian Organizations, Media, Museums, Cultural
Centers, Powwows, and Events
Publishers of the
Native American Directory: Alaska, Canada, U.S. and Powwow on the
Road need your help in updating their extensive database. Get a FREE listing in
the best and largest Native American Directory in the country!
Promote your event, powwow, organization! The Native American
Directory is unique with layers of information circulated by 20
individual agencies such as the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of
the Census, Public Health Service, Indian Health Service and all
Native organizations and associations. "information that is
hard to find!" "directory on Indians for the 21st
century" "Indian red page bible.”
Contact As soon as possible: Fred Synder, Director
and Consultant; Deborah Sakiestewa,
Consultant for Revision American Indian
Information and Trade Center, P.O. Box 27626 Tucson,
AZ 85726-7626 520.622.4900 Fax:
520.622.3525 Tue./Wed./Thur. 10am-7pm MST
www.usaindianinfo.org
info@usaindianinfo.org
oodhamgirl@aol.com
Manataka
ambassadors and friends travel to many places around the continent and around
the globe and meet with elders and spiritual leaders of many nations. The
gift of tobacco is a sign of reverence and respect and is a long held tradition
of many peoples. Often, prayer ties are strung together and taken to
sacred sites and or places that require healing (such the Gulf of Mexico).
|
Disclaimer, Trademark and Copyright Information
©2010 ManatakaTM American Indian Council. The word "Manataka" is a registered trademark exclusively owned by the Manataka American Indian Council. Use of this trademark without the expressed written permission of MAIC is prohibited and violators will be prosecuted. 15 U.S.C. Section 1051(a), (b). The Smoke Signal News is copyrighted in its entirety and no reproduction, republishing, copying, or distribution is permitted without the expressed written permission of MAIC is strictly prohibited and violations will be prosecuted.
|
