Manataka American Indian Council              Volume VIII  Issue 2  FEBRUARY 2006


SMOKE SIGNAL NEWSLETTER

Manataka - Preserving the past today for tomorrow

 

 

Sacred Places of Winter

41 printed pages in this issue 


 

Contents:

Animal Rights: Journey's End Animal Sanctuary
Bennie LeBeau A Message to Wisdom Keepers

Eco-Notes:

Reducing PBDE's
Elder Council Meeting: January Meeting Minutes

Elder's Meditation:

Wallace Black Elk

Feature Story: 

Indians decry banishment by tribes

Hawk Speaks:

Creator's Gifts 

Healing Basket:

George Bearclaw

Health Watch:

Master Tonic: Modern Plague Antidote

Hill & Holler:

Tribes Denied Recognition 
Indigenous Perspective: The Great Mystery

Legends of Old:

Honoring Corn Mother

Letters to the Editor:

Look Whose Digging Up Grandma

MAIC Messages:

Elder Council Positions Open

Poetry Circle:

Rainbow Warriors

Tribal Politics:

The Indians are coming! 

Upcoming Events: 

Indigenous Entrepreneurship

Website Updates: 

Acercamiento A La Américan Latina

Women's Circle:

How to Impress an Indian Woman

Women's Medicine:

My Beautiful Sisters
Women's Calendar: February through June Calendar

A BRAND NEW MUSIC CD

Ghost Trails to Manataka

Read More...


ANNOUNCEMENTS...

 

GOAL EXCEEDED:  Manataka's goal to supply 444 "honoring gifts" to be gifted through Marcine Quenzer for Spiritual and Tribal leaders across the country was reached within one day of the announcement.  Now, the new goal is 4,444 gifts.  See related story below.

 

NEW INDIAN RADIO SHOW

"Mitakuye Oyasin"  hosts Winona Yellowhammer and Bill Patton, 98.9 radio WRFN-FM in Nashville 8:00 to 9:00 pm on Sunday nights.  www.radiofreenashville.org click on "Listen Online".  sponsored by NAIA of Tennessee www.naiatn.org  ~Submitted by Jennifer WhiteFeather Attaway, Alabama

 

NEW EUROPEAN INDIAN CLUB ORGANIZED

The Native American Indian Club of  Luxemburg, Europe was formed recently.  No fees or dues.  

For more information or to join:  nativeamericanindianclubofluxemburg@groups.msn.com  or oyisofirewalker@yahoo.com   352-061-925685 Firewalker Jervis, Director.

 

 


 

NOTICE: Wolf Dancers 

Wolf Dancers Needed. Rocky Thunder Wolf Miller of the Manataka Wolf Society is asking people who dance the Wolf or those who wish to learn to contact him.  The Wolf Society will dance in April 2006.  A wolf pelt is not required to dance, but we have them if needed -- cost $400-$500. Powerful stuff. manataka@sbcglobal.net 

 

Also See Powwow Now! One of the largest powwow calendars on the Internet today!

 


UPCOMING EVENTS

The Ceremony of 8,000 Sacred Drums
March 21, 2006
Otomi Ceremonial Center
Temoaya, Mexico

The International Indigenous University presents: The Ceremony of 8,000 Sacred Drums. According to a Sacred Prophecy revealed at the Otomi Ceremonial Center by the Otomi Elder Sages as a Vision of our Venerable Ancestors, the day when the sounds of 8,000 Sacred Drums join together will be the beginning of the healing of Mother Earth, of all the species and the human family in order to be able to live together on the road to Sacred Peace.  http://www.indigenousuniversity.org/sacred_drums.htm

International Indigenous Business and Entrepreneurship Conference

June 19-22, 2006, 

Albuquerque, NM USA. 

"Fostering Indigenous Entrepreneurship"

http://iibec.mgt.unm.edu/

 


BIG TIME NOTICE...

 

People of the Manataka Longhouse,

 

In last month's Smoke Signal, we asked you, our readers, commit to making 444 small 'honoring' gifts to be presented by Marcine Quenzer while delivering her special message of peace to spiritual and tribal elders during her travels across the continent.   Read last month's issue -- 

Two days later we exceeded the commitment.  

Our new goal is 4,444 honoring gifts!   

Can we achieve this goal?  

If you want to participate, send us a brief message to PeaceGifts@manataka.org saying what you plan to make and how many of each item.  


MANATAKA.ORG WEBSITE DECEMBER UPDATES

# 1 ACERCAMIENTO A LA AMÉRICA LATINA
# 2 Native Remedies - Herbal cures for what ails you
# 3 Diabeticine  An Herbal Treatment for Diabetes
# 4 "The Shores Within" - eBook - 8 Medicine Way Lessons

 

Ghost Trails to Manataka CD

By Del Lillard

Stirring music. Intense, emotional and beautiful. Hear the legends of the Place of Peace. A Moving Experience. Only $19.95  Read More

Manataka Flag

Now Available!

Only $85

See

 


Eco-Notes:

 

Reducing PBDE's

By Lori Leah

 

Flame retardant chemicals, known as  polybrominated diphenyls (PBDE's) found in furniture, clothing, and carpet padding manufactured in the U.S and Europe have been found to accumulate in women's breast milk.  They have also found their way to the Arctic, poisoning Indigenous peoples and endangering Arctic polar bears and other wildlife. Here is what you can do to reduce PBDE's and other toxic chemicals in your home and the environment.

http://curezone.com/upload/members/new01/polarbears2.jpg1) Consider buying used furniture, mattresses, and clothing from thrift stores, antique shops, estate sales, or e-bay. This way, you are not adding any new PBDE's or other flame retardants into the environment as you would with the purchase of new items, and you'll be saving money, too!  

 

Check out Furniture Shopping Tips/Used Furniture: http://www.furnitureshoppingtips.com/usedfurniture.html

 

photo from: http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article337581.ece

 

2) Join a recycling co-op on-line, where you can list used items you have for trade or give-away, and see if anyone else has posted items you may need. And, be sure to donate any unwanted used furniture to nonprofit organizations; this ensures the furniture will be recycled rather than dumped into a landfill. Check out this fantastic website to find out where you can recycle just about anything, including furniture, mattresses, and carpet padding (look under "Miscellaneous"): 

 

Earth 911/Reuse & Recycling Services: http://www.earth911.org/master.asp?s=ls&a=Recycle&cat=1&serviceid=

 

3) Buy organic clothing--there are innumerable websites listing organic cotton and/or hemp clothing for sale, or check out the on-line Co-op America's National Green Pages:  http://www.coopamerica.org/pubs/greenpages/  and type in "organic clothing" or "hemp clothing"  under "key word" on search guide.  New organic clothing tends to be pricey; I prefer to buy everyday clothing from thrift stores, and go to re-sale shops for nicer items.  About the only clothing I buy new anymore are undergarments.

 

4) If you must buy new furniture, consider furniture made without flame retardants. Check out EcoChoices Natural Living http://www.ecochoices.com/  or Furniture http://www.furnature.com . Custom eco-furniture is very expensive, but high quality. You can purchase organic mattresses without flame retardant through these companies as well. For more choices in eco-furniture and organic mattresses, go to National Green Pages http://www.coopamerica.org/pubs/greenpages/ and type in "furniture" "mattresses" "sofas", etc.

 

5) When it's time to replace your old carpeting, consider alternative flooring instead, such as tile, cork, or bamboo. Purchase used, antique, or organic fiber area rugs for warmth. Again, National Green Pages is a great resource for "green" businesses supplying eco-flooring: http://www.coopamerica.org/pubs/greenpages/ and type in "flooring" for many choices of eco-companies. If you decide to go with a wood floor, be sure it's sustainably harvested (FSC certified).  If you decide to go with new carpeting, consider 100% biodegradable wool carpeting without carpet padding.

 

No matter what type of flooring you choose, whether you are a do-it-yourselfer or are hiring a flooring installation crew, I'd recommend you contact American Formulating & Manufacturing (AFM) to talk to a representative about zero or low-VOC, least-toxic floor glues, tile sealants, and floor finishes. They also have a great line of low-VOC house paint: 1-800-239-0321 or http://www.afmsafecoat.com/FrontPage.html. VOC's, or Volatile Organic Compounds, are highly toxic in the environment and add to indoor air pollution.  Recommended article about VOC's:  http://www.afmsafecoat.com/VocStory.html .

 

Thanks for going Green!

 

The Polar Bears and Great Mother Earth will thank you!

 

Liora Leah


 

Ecology Front 

 

 

From:  Patricia McNaughton <phog@kc.rr.com>

Subject:  Help Protect Our National Forests

 

I just signed the Citizen's Petition for Roadless Forests at http://action.defenders.org to protect our national forests, and I hope you will, too.

 

The Bush administration has finalized its plan to repeal the Roadless Rule, paving the way for rampant logging and mining in our nation's forests.

 

The Bush plan could lead to the destruction of some of the most pristine forests in the country. Under the Administration's proposal, not a single acre of the national forests that was shielded under the Roadless Rule is guaranteed protection from the timber and mining industries. Scarce habitat for grizzly bears, wolves, bald eagles and salmon could be threatened under the proposal.

 

Help protect our national forests. Go to http://action.defenders.org now to tell your Congressional representative that you oppose lifting the Roadless Rule.

Thanks for helping preserve America's wild places and the animals that need them to survive.

 

To take action on this issue, click on the link below:

https://secure2.convio.net/dow/site/Advocacy?s_oo=nSxwbPOGucGinq5jA4aBog..&amp;id=203
If the text above does not appear as a link or it wraps across multiple lines, then copy and paste it into the address area of your browser.  

 

 


Manataka Video Store   New!


FEATURE STORY...

 

Indians decry banishment by their tribes

Protesters say power struggles, mainly over casinos, have stripped them of gaming profits

By Michael Martinez
Chicago Tribune national correspondent
Published January 14, 2006

PALM SPRINGS , Calif. -- Dozens of American Indians in several states tried to launch a national movement this week as they protested the growing trend of Native Americans being denied profits from tribal casinos following political disputes.

They denounced what they said was tribal corruption during demonstrations outside the Western Indian Gaming Conference here, a meeting already overshadowed by the scandal over Capitol Hill lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who pleaded guilty this month to conspiracy to defraud Indians with casino interests of more than $20 million.

Thousands of Indians nationwide--including 4,000 in
California --have been stripped of or denied rightful membership in their tribes, and 75 percent of the California cases involved controversies over casinos, said Laura Wass, founder of the Many Lightnings American Indian Legacy Center in Fresno .

One of the protesters this week was Donald Wanatee, who lived for nearly all of his 73 years on an
Iowa reservation but one day last spring went from tribal elder to outcast.

His exile followed a struggle over a tribal casino that pitted Indian against Indian within the Sac and Fox Tribe of the
Mississippi in Iowa . He, his brother and 16 other members of the tribe ultimately lost to a rival faction. Last May they stopped receiving their share of gaming profits amounting to $2,000 a month each in the 1,300-member nation in central Iowa , Wanatee said.

Disenrollments often are appealed to
U.S. courts, but tribal leaders have defeated or deferred the challenges by asserting that Indian nations have sovereignty in determining membership. Tribal councils have defended the removals as legitimate and allowable under their constitutions, with due process given to all.

Anthony Miranda, chairman of the California Nations Indian Gaming Association that sponsored the gaming conference, said his group did not involve itself in enrollment disputes, saying they were local matters.

"As an association we view that as an internal government issue," Miranda said. "You really have to look at that on a tribe-by-tribe basis."

About 1,500 of the disenrollments occurred after an official challenge by another tribe member or leader who questioned a fellow member's blood percentage or alleged that an ancestor left the reservation or tribe's rolls decades ago, voiding descendants' standing, according to protesters here.

In the other cases, Indians often were denied recognition after tribes imposed a moratorium on enrollments, despite the individuals' long-standing ties, said Mark Maslin, a protest organizer.

Protesters reject explanations

But the official explanations, protesters said, are a pretext for purging tribe members seen as a threat by a ruling faction, frequently after an argument over a tribal casino.

In Maslin's case, his Indian wife, Carla, and 75 members of her extended family were thrown out of the 295-member Redding Rancheria tribe in
Northern California in 2004 after a woman elder questioned a maternal lineage of Carla Maslin's grandmother. Each of the 76 lost $3,000 a month in casino profits, Mark Maslin said.

At stake is the wealth created by lucrative casinos, granted by the government since the 1980s to long-subjugated and impoverished Indian nations to promote economic development and self-sufficiency. In one tribe, the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians in
California , annual payments to each member exceed $100,000, according to one disenrolled family.

Claiming civil rights violations, protesters demanded a congressional hearing to raise public awareness of the disenrollments, but Andrea Jones, a spokeswoman for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, declined to comment.

While fellow protesters burned sage, some even asserted that tribal sovereignty, long a sacred political tenet among Native Americans, needs a system of checks and balances.

"The corrupt tribal leadership has been using sovereignty as a personal tool to hurt you," said protester Vicky Schenandoah, 44, disenrolled and fired from her $20,000-a-year job as tribal language teacher in the Oneida Nation in New York in 1995 after she and dozens of other tribe members demonstrated for open meetings on casino operations. At the time, her casino rights paid her $1,500 a month.

"What's really happening in Indian country, with the weapon of a casino in place, the tribes are using that as a weapon of mass destruction against Indians that oppose them and anybody else," said John Gomez, 57, who was disenrolled from California's Pechanga tribe a few years ago and now is out of more than $100,000 a year in casino profit-sharing.

Losing end of power struggle

"They are planning to disenroll us and banish us from the tribe," said Wanatee, who was aligned with a faction that lost a power struggle over how to conduct 2003 council elections and casino operations. The dispute shut down the casino for half of 2003. "They are going to throw us off our land," he said.

A spokesman for Wanatee's tribe declined to comment.

In an encounter that illustrated the divisiveness caused by disenrollments, Lorena Foreman-Ackerman, 65, walked across a giant lawn outside the convention center and approached a member of the Redding Rancheria council that ousted her and 75 relatives.

Feeling trepidation at first while wearing a black T-shirt stating "Stop Tribal Disenrollment," Foreman-Ackerman was surprised to receive a hug from the council member, Jason Hayward. Representing the tribe in this week's gaming conference,
Hayward has a son by a niece of Foreman-Ackerman's, she said.

"I never voted for you to be out,"
Hayward told Foreman-Ackerman. "I should have said something. I think it was wrong."

Foreman-Ackerman blamed another woman for starting rumors that led to the family's banishment.

"To me, when somebody knows the truth and doesn't step forward ..." Foreman-Ackerman told
Hayward , completing her statement with an expression of exasperation.

But
Hayward , approached by a reporter, said only: "I don't want to make speeches."

 

~Submitted by Mark and Carla Maslin


Legends of Old:



Honoring Corn Mother

Mother Corn is honored in Sahnish/Arikira households

From Doreen Yellowbird


 

There is one Supreme Being of power and wisdom, the Chief above, Nishanu Natchitak. He rules the world. But he made Mother Corn intermediary with human beings on earth.

At the time of the beginning, there were no living creatures of any kind in the light of the sun on the lap of mother earth. All were still covered beneath her bosom. All creatures were striving and doing their best, each in its own way, but they all met difficulties and obstacles, which were hard to overcome.

Different kinds of creatures tried to make their way through to the surface of the earth into the light and air. One of the first animals which tried was the beaver. Then the shrew bore through the ground to the surface and came into the light. But he was blinded by the brightness of the sun. He drew back from the dazzling light, and so to the present time, when he does come out on the surface, he does so only at night. When the first opening thus was made by the shrew people, then all other people, that is to say living creatures of all kinds, began to come forth from the opening of the earth.

Then a voice was heard which told the people to travel toward the west, and promised that if they did, they would find a suitable place to dwell.

"Go with confidence," the voice said. "Do not turn back. If you turn back, you will suffer."

So the living things which came forth from the surface of the earth began to move, and they traveled forward in accordance with the voice.   In their journeying, they met many difficulties, many things which at first filled them with terror. But they were continually exhorted and encouraged by the mysterious voice. And so they kept on and made progress, overcoming one obstacle after another, never turning back.

As they traveled, they came to a great water. To overcome this difficulty, their powers must be exerted. There seemed to be no way to cross. Then came a mysterious bird, which made its way through the water. But before all had overcome the difficulty, the waters closed on
part of them. And so we still have the people of the water, such as the fishes of all kinds, and her creatures, which live in the water. 


They came to an impassable cliff. The mysterious bird, which had helped them before now came again. It flew against the bank and broke out a way for the passage. After a time, they came to a great, dense forest which seemed impenetrable. Here again, as before, they prayed and called upon the elements of the world, and tried their best to put open a way to pass through this great forest. Screech owl found a way and the other people followed. But some, as in previous cases, did not win through. Those remained in the woods and still live there. These people are the deer, the moose, the bear, the porcupines, the forest-dwelling kinds, large and small.

At the early time, the people were unorganized. They had no chief to guide them. They only had the guidance of the mysterious voice, which counseled and encouraged them. And Nishanu Natchitak blessed the people of the human race and showed them still greater favor.

To those who sought earnestly in prayer and fasting to know his will, he gave them a sacred bundle and a pipe to be used in prayer, and taught them religion. And as our ancestors were instructed to do so long ago, so do we even today. And the Chief above gave the people gifts of roots of all kinds of plants from mother earth, that these should be medicines for healing of wounds and cure of sickness.

And the Chief above blessed all living creatures on the earth. He blessed all the plants, and animals. Plants should not be abused, should be treated with respect. It was taught that the pipe should be used to offer smoke to all things, which the chief above had blessed.

As the people traveled onward, guided and encouraged by the mysterious voice, they at least found themselves in a good land. There were streams and woods and open grasslands. There were good fruit in abundance, and many animals and numerous birds.

And now this good earth appeared to them a beautiful woman, a stranger. She came into their midst and greeted them with smiles. And even while she was still far off, the people could smell her a fragrance, like one of holy sweet-grass, and then like the odor of the holy cedar tree, and
then like the fragrance which come from a fresh green meadow, then the fragrance of the wild prairie wild rose, and of many other fragrant wild plants of prairie and woodland, and of the delightful fragrance that come from a corn-field.

Music needs to be noted
The people invited her to enter the lodge, and she sat down and rest in the place reserved for honored guests. After she had rested, she spoke to the people who were assembled there. She said: "Why do you seem so fearful of me, and so strange towards me? You have seen me before."

Then a wise man said: "I believe you are the one whose voice we have heard, the voice that has directed us on our way."

She replied "Yes, it is my voice which you have heard. And I have come to give you good teachings from my father, who is also your father, the chief above. He loves you and cares for you. And that is why I am sent. 


And the lovely visitor, whom now they knew as Mother Corn, taught them with words of wisdom of the high and deep things in life, of human beings in their duties to the Chief above and all the mysterious beings who are aides and assistants to the Chief above. She also taught the people the right ways of living with respect to one another and all living things in the world.

She also gave the people instructions in useful arts. She taught them how to build a house to keep them comfortable and protect them from the weather. They were taught that the house should be a home for the family, as the world is the home for the human race. The structure of 
the dwelling, and also of the holy lodge, should be symbolic of the structure of the world. As the world extends about us like a great circle, so should the house be circular in the ground plan.

Mother Corn has taught us that smoke offerings should always be made toward the four quarters on all occasions, and at feasts, before we partake offering of food should be made in order that our food may be blessed to us, and that we may be blessed in eating. We shall remember and be thankful to all powers and elements of the world about us and to the Chief above, who ordains all things in wisdom for good, and to mother earth, in the shelter of whose bosom we rest, and from whose breast we are fed.


Doreen Yellow Bird, who is Sahnish, or Arikira, is a member of the Grand Forks Herald Editorial Board, Grand Forks, North Dakota, and a member of the Sahnish Cultural Society. Their work can be found on the web at Dakota science dot com. She is currently writing and researching a historical narrative of the Sahnish people, and concurrently writing a fiction based on the legends of her tribe.

 

~Submitted by Andre Cramblit, Indigenous News Network 


 

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR...  

 

Hello. I read the article Look Who Is Digging Up Grandmas Bones by Takaoka with great interest and would like to speak as a arrowhead collector. I have great respect for the native spirituality and the scared places you speak of. I have been trying to learn as much as I can about these things and would honor your wishes if the opportunity to consult with you arose.

 

 I personally have NEVER dug for any of these artifacts. I have NEVER purchased a single arrowhead. I walk the shores of a lake in south west  Nebraska when the water is released during irrigation season in the summer. I have given serious consideration to putting them back where I found them before I pass on. I do not know of any museum that is worthy of them and no one in the family that cares at all for them.

 

I am acquainted with professional  archaeologists. These people dig for mammoth bones not peoples bones. I find them to be very much like the ones in your article. Disdainful of any one who is outside there small community. Even somewhat clueless about the world around them. And they seem quite angry that Indians are trying to interfere with their work.  They also express a disregard for there own ancestors so it is of little wonder they have such low regard for some one else's.

 

Please know that I am quite vocal in my disproval of their ways and will continue to do so.

 

Respectfully yours,

 

Karen Hamburger

Hastings, Nebraska


LETTER TO THE EDITOR... 

 

Just wanted to let you know how thankful I am that we're now receiving the Smoke Signal. It is a honor and a privilge to be in some way associated with such a wonderful group of People and look forward to each issue. Aho!  

 

~Dave Hagstrom, Buffalo Heart Studio


LETTER TO THE EDITOR... 

 

Hello there, this is Romaine Garcia.  I just wanted to give my thanks to you and all the members, workers, submitters of the Manataka Newsletter for sharing your hearts. Your newsletters have been such an inspiration for me.   The one I just received answered so many of my questions and assisted me (once again) in finding my inner strength.  You see I am going to rough times right now and the Great Spirit spoke to me through your Newsletter and gave light to my life's path once again. 

 

Thank-you with all of my heart. 

 

~Romaine Garcia, Colorado


LETTER TO THE EDITOR... 

 

A Time of Great Change

 

There has been a shift, did you feel it? Have you seen it?

 

There has been a birth, an " Awakenin of Spirit" some choose to listen others choose to ignore.

The Lakota have seen the birth of the " White Buffalo". It is a sign to them that the " White Buffalo Calf Woman " is near.   The Cherokee believe in the " Warrior Woman" she is special to them.

 

All tribes have their beliefs in the " Spirit Woman " who is to lead a Nation. A Nation of like minded " People". They will not all be Native American but their hearts will be chosen by Creator to join this journey that is to come. One of Healing a Nation. Some call them the " Rainbow Warriors" So many have lost their way because of the times we are in and choose to stay where they are but there are others who have started back to where they belong.

 

I have a special place along the " Trail of Tears " that I go to when I am able, to be able to touch those that have gone before me. At times I am shown things other times I am told things. It has been said. " That the Earth and Water will give up their dead and those in Christ shall Rise ". I wasn't sure why this was told to me.. but this was the message I got this visit that I had made. 

 

I believe that this is talking about those that came before us, the ones Creator had placed here that lived in peace and those that followed the path of Creator and Mother Earth. They will live again. Thats why so many have been going thru a " Spiritual Awakening" They have been waking up in a time of Great importance, a time of Change. 

 

They are the ones that respected each other and themselves, all were family, they did not see color but saw " Spirit". They took in those that were of good heart and made them family. 

 

This is why we are reaching back into the past and why so many others are searching for something they do not understand.. its because they are waking up. They have been sleeping and now the time has come. 

 

Thats why when something is shown to us or told to us it makes perfect sence .. its like we have known all thi these things all along and the ways of doing things... the Spirit is remembering.

 

Thats why many of us have been going back to the old ways of doing things. such as the " Sweatlodges.. the " Bear dances" the " Story telling" this has always been a part of us and will always be... This is why so much of what we are doing or starting to do is by hand and with prayers. This is why we Gather as a 

"People" and teach each other as we have done in the past. This is why we are camping out and are coming together as Family.. because we are.

 

All my Relations.... Aho

~Sees Spirit Far Away Woman


 

 

Qua' Ti' Si' - Spirits of the Wind

UPDATE

 

Smoke Signal readers have been asking about our beautiful friend and mega-artist Qua' Ti' Si -- where is she and what is she up to these days after her bout last year with Trismus, a motor disturbance of the trigeminal nerve?

 

Qua' Ti' Si is of the Cree Nation.  Her tremendous natural singing talent is a gift of the Creator honed to perfection.  

 

We are happy to report that Qua' Ti' Si is busier that ever with a full slate of projects: 

  • Qua' Ti' Si is making a new video with the Buffalo Field Campaign www.BuffaloFieldCampaign.org of Montana , for her new song "Buffalo" featuring clips of the sacred buffalo that are being slaughtered.

  • Qua' Ti' Si is setting up tours with radio stations in Australia and Canada and the Yellow Knife Clan.

  • Qua' Ti' Si is  working on a new CD called "Sticks That Made Thunder" with Anthony Martin of BMG.  

  • Qua' Ti' Si will soon start working on a program with the Renaissances Center to perform and teach children and their families about native life.  The work also features J.J. Kent, a speaker, musician, and educator who represents the Oglala Nation of Pine Ridge, SD.

  • Qua' Ti' Si just finished a project featuring Jimmy Lee Young and Yolanda and Felipe Rose on a new song called "AnDuhyaun" dedicated to woman's abuse.

  • Qua' Ti' Si is collaborating with her talented husband, Jim Monahon producing a musical/story cartoon for children.

In addition to all the above, Qua' Ti' Si is in contact with other native artists setting up joint tours, making and commercial radio spots, performing on radio shows, writing new songs, performing in Nashville and other scheduled shows around the country.

 

Qua' Ti' Si says she is "driving my husband crazy to work more, finish a addition to the house, get me more gigs, do more promotion, and figure out a way he can get more done while he's trying to sleep!"   I am just feeding my horses, keeping my two Tea Cup Yorkies, Dak and Coty, clean because they have to go every where I go, they have to look good for their showing too."   

 

Qua' Ti' Si is like many native American Indian artists who supports her people, the music and ideals, but she is a dynamo of energy that far outshines others.    

ka ki ke mina ka ki ke  

(forever an ever)

 


 

[Smoke Signals is proud to welcome Bennie E. "Blue Thunder" LeBeau Sr., an enrolled member of the Eastern Shoshone Nation, Wind River Indian Reservation, Ft. Washakie, Wyoming to our growing list of MAIC Newsletter Correspondents.  His "Teton Rainbow" column will become a regular feature on these pages starting this month.]

 

January 17th, 2006

 

Greetings my Fellow brothers, sisters & relatives; All Nations,            

 

This is a message to all wisdom keepers within the Indigenous Nations of the America's.  I have been asked to spread the word of White Eagle, a sacred Holy One who is working from the East-bringing message towards the west with sacred messages for peace.  As an Eastern Shoshone messenger, a Peacemaker I pray that leaders within the Dakota/Lakota Nations, Navajo Nations, Shoshone Nations, Chumash Nations will take this message to the heart.  Including all other Indigenous Nations that receive this message with a peaceful spirit.  This is to be given to all Leaders/Advisors and Spiritual Leaders within the Indigenous Nations of the America's.  Please forward this to those influential individuals that you know far and wide.  Those that want to get in touch with me please call me at 307 851-6249 or my email at bzahants@yahoo.com.  I thank you all on Behalf of White Eagle and White Thunder as Peacemakers from the past, a spirit that brought peace to the America’s.  This Peacemaker was recognized by many names in the Tribal Nations of the America's.  

 

May the Great Spirit Continue to Bless Each and Everyone in Wisdom and Knowledge for Mother Earth as the Great Spirit intended within the Central Sun, the Creator our Father.

 

Many Zahaunts, meaning many thank yous for your help in sending this message for peace, within the America’s for the world at large.  Those Chiefs that receive this message I respectfully request that you contact me at my telephone or my email address.

 

Bennie E. LeBeau, aka BlueThunder

 

Book Of Trust 

Brother to my people, Saviour to many Nations.
Open with me, walk beside all.
Offer own hand of peace; Challenge no meaning Trust in all Spoken Truth.
Knowledge I give, Wisdom I share.

Open the mind, share amongst those, teach through visions shown.
Feel the wisdom I bring to enable walkways of harmony to balance Nature’s forces.

Touch the heart and soul of those who walk within the shadows of darkness.
Radiate with the love and warmth I bring in peace.
Understand the hand I offer.
Search no more, wisdom I bring. Each Warrior bring forth meanings of the soul.
Tether no more. Wisdom Keepers unleash knowledge of old.

White Eagle

Many walkways of peace shadowed by mysteries of doubt.  Each pathway shown by me throughout past time glistens with true vibrations of Natures Glory.  Many wish to walk upon footsteps laid down by Ancient Ones in the hope of balancing all Tribal Nations throughout.  Each Warrior understands the true beliefs handed down through time.  Peace Brothers give much from within depth of own self, teachings of wisdom shared by many who walked upon the lands that were once of plenty.  Eyes closed by the blinkers of doubt change nothing; eyes open bring forth new beginnings.  Walk with me along pathways of brightness.  True beings of Old walk beside those of true belief.  Hands cross many palms of all races, each palm toughed by those chosen by me, share the vibrations of love.  Each barrier of doubt cast shadows from which fears dwell deep within.  We acknowledge those of troubled minds, peace from within will shine once more, begin the journeys forward, enhance the true meaning of life itself.  Bring forth the true meaning of trust, open own heart to walk the pathway forgotten by many.  I bring Truth and Honesty back for all to share, and walk beside the one who carries the hurts and sorrows for all Nations.

Walk within the Golden Rays I bring.

These words I have been given to pass through the Wisdom Keepers of many Tribal Nations.  I offer the openness of my being to share with many Nations the teachings I bring from many Warriors of Old to enable the worth of many to flourish and to begin the sacredness of journey’s of time past.  Each Warrior of today releases energies from within to shine the true colors of Peace and Harmony for which the walkway to eternity forms the Rainbow Bridge of many colors.

Aho!!!  White Thunder

 


FRY BREAD RECIPES...

 

Native American Fry Breads

 

Let your kids help with the dough, but keep them away from the frying process.
You've heard of quick breads, homemade from scratch or baked from a packaged mix. Here are four bread recipes from four Native American tribes -- Navajo, Chippewa, Oneida, and Cheyenne. The first three recipes are flour-based and require a deft, confident hand and, since the frying instructions for all three are similar, directions are at the end. The fourth featuring corn meal calls for a strong stirring arm, and is baked in oven.

 

Navajo Fry Bread: 1 cup white flour, 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, 1 tbsp. sugar, 1/2 tsp. baking powder, pinch of salt, water. Mix dry ingredients together with only enough water to form the dough into a firm ball. Knead until smooth.

Chippewa Fry Bread: 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 tbsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. salt, 3/4 cup warm water, 1 tbsp. vegetable oil, 1 tbsp. nonfat dry milk powder. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in large bowl. Mix water with oil and dry milk powder and stir into dry ingredients until smooth dough forms. Knead briefly on a floured surface, then cover and let rest 10 minutes.

Oneida Fry Bread: 4 cups all-purpose flour, two tsps. salt, 4 heaping teaspoons baking powder. Mix flours, salt, baking powder with just enough water to make a dough. Knead 2 or 3 minutes.

Now, for all three fry breads: pinch off enough dough to make a round patty, flatten with your hand and punch a hole in center. Drop into skillet with about 1 inch of hot oil or shortening, fry over medium high heat until puffed and light brown on both sides, turning once. Remove, drain on paper towels. Can be served with cinnamon-sugar, honey, or jelly.

Cheyenne Batter Bread: 1 quart milk, 1 tbsp. melted butter, 2 cups white cornmeal, 1/2 tsp. salt, 2 large eggs. Slowly stir cornmeal into boiling milk. Remove from heat. Cool to very warm to the touch, add beaten eggs, melted butter, and salt. Pour into greased 9x13 casserole dish and bake at 375 until firm.

Q:   What do fry bread and Indian men have in common?
A:   They're both round, brown, and greasy.

Q:   What did the Indian girl say her first trip off the reservation to a pizzeria? 

A:   Who threw up on my fry bread?

 
More Fry Bread Recipes
Blackfeet Chickasaw Osage
Cherokee Navajo Seminole
Creek Old Fashioned Traditional

 

~This article courtesy of http://nativeamericanoutlet.com. The author, Stephania is a human service professional with nearly 40 years in the field. She publishes a content-rich ezine, "Tidbits from the Pantry," about self-help, growth, and relationships to over 11,000 subscribers, and offers a life coaching service. To subscribe to her ezine, mailto: info@humansrv.net?subject=SUB Visit her site at http://www.humansrv.net

~Submitted by Paula Unega Ulogidv Phillips

Healthier Fry Bread

My new recipe for frybread is a bit healthier than the more traditional fry breads....

I don't measure anything.... sometimes when i try a new recipe - but usually it's a few scoops of this - a half a palm of that - a pinch etc!.... so i'll try to estimate as best i can when giving measures.... and it isn't that much different - i just substitute a few ingredients as follows:

Instead of white flour ....I use unbleached and unbromated flour - King Aurthur brand is good and any of that from organic/co-ops etc....

I also add about 2/3 cup flax seed meal - or substitute some of your flour - I use about 4/5 cups of flour to start - so 2/3 cup of that is flax seed meal....

Then add:
1 tablespoon of Celtic salt or sea salt
1 tablespoon of organic turbinado sugar
1 package yeast - organic or diatinatious earth

- and i'm not sure of measure on this....
fluff up dry ingredients then add:

1/4 cup olive oil 2/3 to 1 1/2 cups of water.... (based on how the mix is ) your initial batter should be loose and flowing .... beat that up good and then start adding flour until the mix is like bread dough - and for all those that aren't bread makers .... the longer you can knead the dough the finer and smoother the bread will be.... and this applies to frying the bread! LOL!

Now, make a pretty ball - leave in bowl and cover with a towel.... let this double or a bit better....
heat up your oil cut dough off the raised ball gently - then gingerly make a ball and then flatten.....  as soon as oil (use peanut) is good and hot.... you know the rest! 

The bread is tan and speckly -  has a good earthy taste and stays soft and good for a few days.....

~Submitted by Kim Summer Moon


Elder's Meditation

 

"So unbelievable things like that happen. But you have to believe it first. Not wait until you see it first, then touch it, then believe it... You have to say it from the heart."  --Wallace Black Elk, Lakota

The power of our belief system is incredible. The power of faith is a very natural power. How do we have faith? Inside of our minds we form a mental picture with our self talk. Self talk is recorded in our minds in three dimensions - words that trigger a picture, which has a feeling or an emotion attached to it. Once we get the words and the picture, it is the emotion that makes the idea turn into a belief. You get the right emotion by
saying things from the heart. The heart is the source of emotions which can cause unbelievable things to happen.

Great Spirit, with You everything is possible.

 -- Elders.meditation@whitebison.org

 


Tribal Politics...


'The Indians are coming! The Indians are coming!' 

 

Are the Indian Wars Not Over?
By Mike Graham


It's a flash back to Paul Revere's famous ride all over again, only this time the cry is about American Indians.  Politicians across the country (mostly Republicans) are rallying the troops against Indians. They are telling anyone that will listen that the Indians are back and they mean business! "Indians are going to take over." they cry.

Well, the meaning business part is right. Indian nations are moving ahead in many business areas like mom and pop neighborhood stores to forming Internet companies. American Indians have come a long way from the days when city storefronts had signs in the window stating "No Dogs - No Indians" allowed.

This new "Indian war" is playing out in our nation's courts to include anti-Indian legislation formed to hold Indians back economically . State and federal  politicians are spending a lot of their time (and taxpayers' money) to put the Indians back in their place, in other words, "back on the reservation".


Behind the scenes these same politicians are doing all they can to steal Indian land. This action is backed by big business giants and their lobbyists.   Each year Indian tribal governments have to spend millions of dollars defending their rights before U.S. courts because U.S. politicians are
filing frivolous lawsuits against them. This money should be going for Indian health care, education and ending poverty. "But this is war" cry the politicians. " Indian governments are not playing fair! They're using our U.S. courts and laws to regain their land and civil rights. They even want us to apologize for the holocaust we committed against them. What's the world coming to?" they ask.

During the past year our elected representatives in their "War against Indians" have introduced more anti-Indian legislation than they have toward the war against foreign terrorists. Forget the U.S. border problem, illegal aliens problem, gangs or energy crises. They say that "The Indians are coming for their land and their legal rights under our U.S. laws." Politicians are working
fast and hard re-writing laws to stop the Indians!


State officials are taking the "Indian War" one step further. They want to offer state tax dollars to local city governments to fight this new "Indian war". They're also pumping out press releases geared to build anti-Indian sentiment like newspaper reports did back in the good old days of
Custer. Their main talking points are Indian gaming, tribal solvencies and reclaiming land
under treaty laws.

Obviously these government officials long for the good old days of their forefathers when they could just sit down with an Indian Chief with a gun to his head, get his x on a treaty written in English, and tell him where his reservation is. 

Our federal and state Politicians kept their mouths shut as long as Indians were enslaved on reservations living in poverty. Now that Indians are finally standing up for their rights again, and moving up the economic ladder, they have to deal with all the hate propaganda their ancestors were confronted with during the Custer years.  

Still today, three of the five most impoverished counties in America are predominately populated by Indians located on reservations. Corporate America avoids Indian reservations like the plague. They hope Indians will abandon their land. If this happened, you would see a Wal-Mart go up overnight, along with banks and all the business that comes with them.  American Indians claim in part that the holocaust committed against them still continues today. Through the federal government's mishandling of the Indian trust fund, ten to forty billion dollars are missing. The federal government says it has no idea where the money went, all the while shredding documents
and spending millions of your tax dollars each year fighting Indians in U.S. courts to make sure no one does! 

The Indian trust fund was set up in 1887. The federal government (by choice) is responsible for collecting royalties from gold, oil, gas, timber, coal and other economic goods removed from Indian land held in federal trust.  Over five hundred thousand American Indians have accounts associated with the Indian trust fund. On top of all this, Indians have to deal with trust fund
payments that are not being paid. The Indian trust fund issue is at the forefront of the
new Indian war. You will not hear about this issue on Fox or CNN News!  The federal government does not "give" Indians free money. It owes the Indians money from treaties made with them under U.S. law, and for the economic goods taken off their land. If the federal government paid up what it owes Indians, they would be the richest (cash wise) group of Americans in the nation.
American Indians now call America the "rented country", and say that the federal government is a bad tenant!!


www.IndianTrust.com
Politicians waging this new "Indian War" are finding members of their ranks running for the hills (no pun intended) in fear of not getting re-elected.  Another big problem these politicians are having to confront is that Americans today are not falling for the wolf cry "The Indians are coming" The vast majority of Americans know Indians got a raw deal from the beginning, and support them today in their quest to regain what is theirs.  

 

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=4598

 

Mike Graham, member Oklahoma Cherokee Nation Founder United Native America
www.UnitedNativeAmerica.com
email: mikecherokee@aol.com

Submitted by: Andre Cramblit, Indigenous News Network


WHAT PEACE REALLY LOOKS LIKE...

~submitted by Juli Maltagliati


 

Health Watch... 

 

Master Tonic

A Modern Day Plague Antidote

 

What would happen if you and your family were exposed to a killer virus, like the recently discovered flu virus that can kill in a few hours -- that no vaccine can stop?

American Indians were faced with the same terrible dilemma immediately following the first European invasions over five hundred years ago.  Spiritual elders and herbal doctors were not equipped to treat the unknown diseases and millions died as a result. 

The author of the formula below is Dr. Richard Schultz, a student of the late great herbalist, Dr. Christopher.  Dr. Schultz ran a clinic for 20 years saving patients that had been sent home to die.  He now operates the American Botanical Pharmacy from which one can procure books, audio and video tapes, and botanical formulas.  You can acquire a free catalogue by calling 1-800-HERB DOC.

We advise that you make the following tincture formula and keep it on hand at all times.  When problems do occur, there may not be time enough to make it. 

Ingredients
1 part fresh chopped garlic cloves (anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral, anti-parasitical)
1 part fresh chopped white onions, or the hottest onions available (similar properties to garlic)
1 part fresh grated ginger root (increases circulation to the extremities)
1 part fresh grated horseradish root (increases blood flow to the head)
1 part fresh chopped Cayenne peppers, Jalapenos, Serranos, Habeneros, African bird peppers....any combination of the hottest peppers available
Preparation
  • Fill a glass jar 3/4 of the way full with equal parts of the above fresh chopped and grated herbs.  Then fill to the top with raw unfiltered, unbleached, non-distilled apple cider vinegar.
  • Close and shake vigorously and then top off the vinegar if necessary.  Begin this formula on the NEW moon and strain and bottle on the FULL moon, (approximately 14 days).  Filter the mixture through a clean piece of cotton, bottle and label.
  • Make sure that when you are making this tonic that you shake it every time you walk by it, a minimum of once per day.  Remember that all the herbs and vegetables should be fresh (and organic if possible), and to use dried herbs only in an emergency.
Usage:

Strain liquids from solids through muslin cloth or strainer into a 8oz. Glass. Note: the solid ingredients retain almost the same potency as the liquid ingredients; therefore, these solids can be puréed to use with other ingredients like honey and lemon to make a salad dressing or to marinate meats of all sorts.  For example mixing to taste with Peanut oil makes a great sauce to roast chicken.  This formula will not spoil unless mixed with new ingredients.

Dosage:
1/2 to 1 ounce, two or more times daily, gargle and swallow.  My patients swear it is not only the cure for the common cold but every other disease of mankind.
Note:
Store your tincture in a dark place as light will deteriorate it.  You can put the jar in a paper bag for the brewing and shaking process.  “Tinctures last indefinitely, while herbs can lose potency within a year.  Also, tinctures enter your system in seconds, as compared with dry herbs in capsules which have to be digested first.” Advised Schultz.

This tonic is extremely powerful, because all the ingredients are fresh.  Its power should not be underestimated.  This formula is a modern day plague tonic and when added to an incurable routine I have seen it cure the most chronic conditions and stubborn diseases.  It stimulates maximum blood circulation, while putting the best detoxifying herbs into the blood.  This formula is not just for the sniffles, it has helped to turn around the deadliest diseases.

"...I designed this formula as a fresh herb alternative to Dr. Christopher’s plague formula, to be more alive, a herbal juice tonic, and believe me, you don’t want to be without formulas like this when you or your loved ones get ill; it will save your life.  Make up plenty, it can’t go bad because vinegar already is, and will last almost forever..," writes Dr. Shultz.

Quoted from Sam Biser’s “The Last Chance Health Report” on Killer Viruses: A formula for stopping them when drugs fail.

~Submitted by Valerie Eagle Heart

Click here><Click here

DIABETES EPIDEMIC! 

Among American Indians

 

According to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC),  "...diabetes  is a chronic epidemic among American Indians."  On average, they are 2.8 times as likely to have diagnosed diabetes as non-Hispanic whites of similar age.  For example, among the Pima Indians of Arizona, about 50 percent of people between the ages of 30 and 64 have diabetes.  From 1984 to 1986, diabetes was the sixth leading cause of death among American Indians and Alaska Natives.  Between 1986 and 1988, the death rate for diabetes in American Indians is estimated to be 4.3 times the rate in non-Hispanic whites.  Diabetes contributes to several of the leading causes of death in American Indians: heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, pneumonia, and influenza.

 

Manataka is deeply committed to helping our brothers and sisters combat this terrible disease.  Here are two suggestions that will help:

 

1.  Fight One Cause: There are several causes for diabetes. Maintaining a healthy diet is mandatory in fight the causes.  Therefore, stop eating government commodities - especially white flour, white sugar, white salt, white rice -- if it is white -- it ain't right!  

 

2.  Treat Diabetes Effectively:  Take Diabeticine™ tablets daily for at least three months.   

 

Diabeticine™ is proven to be successful and goes to the cellular level to lower your blood sugar level, lower your insulin resistance, and increase insulin production. It contains all-natural ingredients, in its purest form, that are essential to making it gentle and effective, unlike prescription drugs that may have harmful side-effects to you. Diabeticine™ has been scientifically engineered and a partial list of the ingredients are:  

 

Banaba, Guggle, Bitter Melon, Licorice extract, Cinnamon herb powder, Gymnema Sylvestre, Yarrow, Cayenne, Juniper Berries, Huckleberry, Vanadyl Sulfate

 

Read More... Purchase Diabeticine Now!


Animal Rights....

 

Florence's Journey's End Animal Sanctuary