text:
Manataka American Indian Council Volume VII Issue 12 DECEMBER 2005
SMOKE SIGNAL NEWSLETTER
32 printed pages in this issue
Book Review:
Circle of Wonder: Christmas
Justice Corner:
Threat of Hope in Latin America
Indian Christmas Customs
Legends of Old:
Fire comes to the Six Nations
Ecology Front:
Toxins in Cosmetics!!
An important message...
Eco-Notes:
Sneak Attack - Organic Foods
MAIC Messages:
New Council Appointments
Turtleheart, Teton Sioux
Poetry Circle:
A Native American Prayer
Feature Story:
A Native Christmas
Tribal Politics:
Bearskin: My Indian world
Hawk Speaks:
A Spoke In The Wheel
Manataka Holiday Parade!
Healing Basket:
Sickness and Injuries Healed
Manataka Gift Basket:
Health Front:
Water Fluoridation: It can hurt!
Women's Circle:
Beauty of a Woman...
Hill & Holler:
Prozac Drugs Blamed...
Women's Medicine:
The Light That Shines
A BRAND NEW MUSIC CD
Purchase a Manataka Flag!
Have Pride - Fly it High!
We are trying to raise money for the Elder's Welfare and Travel fund with these beautiful 3' x 5' feet, woven polyester Manataka flags. Each long-lasting flag has two brass grommets and is suitable for indoor or outdoor use.
Our beautiful flags are not Wally World cheapies. Each 3' x 5' flag is made from high-strength, top-quality woven polyester bunting material. Four full rows of stitching in the fly and two rows of white canvas header are carefully sewn around the entire outside border to provide excellent durability.
HOLIDAY SALE!
BUY ANY FLAG $85.00
Flag Choice:
Please Highlight Choice Manataka Organization Flag Abenaki Absentee Shawnee Arapaho of Wyoming Aroostook Assiniboine Assinboine of Fort Peck Blackfeet Cherokee, Eastern Cheyenne River Sioux Chirakawa Apache Clatsop/Nehalem Colville Confederated Tribes Comanche Coeur D'Alene Confed. Grande Ronde Crow Creek Sioux Crow Nation Eastern Shawnee Flandreau Sioux Ho Chunk Iowa Tribe of KS/NE Iroquois Confederacy Jatibonicu Taino Ketchikan of Alaska Kalispel Ketchikan Kickapoo Kootenai Leech Lake Ojibwe Lenni Lenape Lower Brule Sioux Makah Nation Mandan Miccosukee Micmac Mille Lac Ojibwe Mohawk Tribe Nez Perce Northern Cheyenne Oglala Sioux Osage Otoe-Missouria Passamaquoddy Pawnee Penobscot Nation Pokanoket and Wampanoag Ponca of NE Quileute Red Lake Ojibwe Rosebud Sioux Sac and Fox of Iowa Sac and Fox of OK Saint Ste. Marie Chippewa San Carlos Apache Santa Clara Pueblo Santee Sioux Seneca of New York Shawnee Nation (4350) Shoshone-Bannock Siletz Sisseton Sioux Spokane Suquamish Standing Rock Sioux Thunder Mountain Lenape Tlingit - Haida Tohono O'Odham Torrres Matinez Cahuilla Tulalip Uintah-Ouray Ute United Sioux Upper Skagit Wampanoag Warm Springs Yakama Yankton Sioux Yavapai Zia Pueblo
REDUCED PRICE FOR ALL TRIBAL FLAGS FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY
Manataka has the world's largest stock of American Indian Tribal Flags!
HOLIDAY PARADE...
JOIN THE MANATAKA HOLIDAY PARADE!
The annual Hot Springs Christmas Parade is Thursday, December 1 at 5:30 p.m. Manataka members, family and friends will ride the Manataka low-boy trailer festooned with decorations and MAIC banners and others will carry flags. Drummers and singers will perform during the parade. Dress in regalia or not. Everyone bring a least three (3) non-perishable canned food. Come to Desoto Park on Hwy 7 North at Hwy 70B (Gulpha Gorge Road) no later than 5:30 p.m. on December 1. Come 30-45 minutes earlier to help decorate. Call 501-627-0555.
NOTICE: Coming Feature
A new Latin American section of the Manataka website and Smoke Signal newsletter is on its way! Elder Jim Path Finder Ewing and Manataka Ambassador to Spiritual Elders of Latin America, Otto Riollano Davilá are currently working to reach out to our brothers and sisters in the South.
NOTICE: Event Volunteers
Event Elder Rick Wind Call-er Porea has issued a call for volunteers to assist with upcoming future gatherings. Workers are needed on the Membership table (2 hours only); Visitor Relations (security, parking); and Lodge Keeping. Please contact events@manataka.org
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 during the upcoming Fall Gathering. A wolf pelt is not required to dance. Powerful stuff. manataka@sbcglobal.net
Also See Powwow Now! One of the largest powwow calendars on the Internet today!
American Indian Christmas Customs
© 1999-2003 by Maria Hubert. All rights reserved
Reprint from Dec. 2004 Smoke Signal
Many of the AmerIndian peoples have been Christianized for several hundred years. Over this time customs which were introduced to them by the missionaries have become adapted and are an integral part of the traditions, especially around the Christian festivals of Easter and Christmas.
Many Tribes, including the Laguna Indians, who accepted Christianity some 400 years ago, have the custom of a dance on Christmas Eve, where gifts are offered at the Manger. There are many examples of representations of the Christmas Crib where the glad tidings are brought to braves in the fields by the great Thunderbird; or scenes with the wise men being replaced by the chiefs representing the great Nations.
Handsome Fellow
There is a mysterious fellow whom I have been told about on several occasions. He is a handsome brave who wears white buckskins, and brings gifts. His name, appropriately is 'Handsome Fellow'. I would love to tell you more about him, but so far no-one has come forward with that information! Other gift bringers come at different times of the year, often in the summertime, but the gift bringing element is definitely part of the American Indian culture.
The First Christmas Carol
According to Huron tradition, their first Christmas Carol was written by a Jesuit missionary priest, Fr Jean de Brebeuf, around 1640-41. The Hurons had a particular devotion to Christmas. Fr Brebeuf wrote about the devotions they had. He said that they built a small chapel of fir tree and bark in honour of the manger at Bethlehem. This became the 'stable' where Jesus was born. Some travelled as much as two days to be there for the Christmas celebration.
The Huron Carol has become a well known and much loved carol today. The original was written in the Huron tongue, with a symbol like a figure '8' to represent a vowel sound not common in the English tongue. This sound was 'ou' .
Estennialon de tson8e Jes8s ahatonhia
Onna8ate8a d'oki n'on8andask8aentak
Ennonchien sk8atrihotat n'on8andilonrachatha
Jes8s ahatonhia
The original words were written in French and Huronian. The carol we all sing today was an interpretation of the original, and not a translation. There were five verses. The first verse is as follows:
Chrétiens, prenez courage,
Jésus Sauveur est né!
Du malin les ouvrages
A jamais sont ruinés.
Quand il chant mervielle,
A ces troublants appas
No prâtez plus l'orielle:
Jésus est né, In excelsis gloria!
At the third verse, the chiefs would process solemnly towards the little chapel, bearing gifts for the christchild:
Voici que trois Rois Mages,
Perdus en Orient,
Déchiffrent ce message
Encrit au firmamente:
A'Astre nouveau les hante
Ils la suivront lá-bas,
Cette étoile marchante:
Jésus est né: In excelsis gloria!
Amerindian Christmas Cribs
Many lovely cribs have been made by American Indians. Keena Cribs from Canada are wonderfully hand painted clay crib with the chiefs of the Plains, Forest and Inuit Tribes bringing gifts. The animals at the manger are the Fox, the Buffalo and the Bear. The Hurons made a traditional tent of skins and their figures were all dressed as native Americans. I have in my own collection a colourful wool nativity made by the Hopi tribe, with the Thunderbird bringing the glad tidings, which I purchased from Wallys Christmas Wonderland in Michigan, some years ago. One of the loveliest scenes I have ever seen is a painting by Yellowman. It appeared in a copy of the Augsburg Christmas Annual some years ago.
http://www.christmasarchives.com/amerind.html
BOOK REVIEW...
Circle of Wonder:
A Native American Christmas Story
by N. Scott Momaday
Clear Light Publishers, Santa Fe, NM 1994.
Description: 40 p. : col. ill. ; 26 cm.
A mute Indian child has an extraordinary experience one Christmas when, following a figure who seems to be his beloved grandfather who has died, he becomes part of a circle in which he, animals, nature, and all the world join in a moment of peace and good will.
Drawing on childhood memories of Christmas in a New Mexican village, Momaday produces a poetic story that skillfully blends Christian and Native American traditions. On Christmas Eve, Tolo, a lonely mute boy, is drawn by the spirit of his beloved grandfather to a bonfire in the mountains, where he shares a ``circle of wonder and good will'' with an elk, a wolf and an eagle. His heart fills with love for his family, for the Christ child and for all creation, and in this brief glimpse of the interconnectedness of all life his loneliness is banished forever. Features Momaday's singular, impressionistic artwork. All ages.
Purchase This book now for only $19.95
Toxins in Cosmetics &
by Liora Leah Zack, MAIC Correspondent
Harmful chemicals in cosmetic and personal care products can cause cancer, birth defects, allergic reaction, and other health problems. TAKE ACTION to protect your health!
Chemicals that may be harmful to our health are found in our every day cosmetic and personal care products such as shampoo and conditioner, soaps, deodorant, perfume, body and hand lotion, shaving cream, makeup, toothpaste, facial cleansers, hair dye, to name just a few. Products that are labeled "natural" are not necessarily free from these ingredients and also require close scrutiny by the consumer.
For example, chemical ingredients of concern include fragrance, phthalates, coal tar hair dye, and alpha hydroxy acids (skin peelers):
Fragrances can consist of hundreds of ingredients, and are common human allergens. One in 50 people suffer immune system damage from fragrance exposures.
Phthalates are found in personal care products such as perfume and nail polish. These chemicals can disrupt the human reproductive system and have been linked to birth defects in male babies.
Coal tar hair dyes are widely used in popular brands despite studies linking them to bladder cancer and immune system damage.
Alpha hydroxy acids, or skin peeling products, are designed to diminish wrinkles and blemishes by stripping off outer layers of skin. Their use may lead to increased skin cancer risk, chemical burns and permanent scarring. 1
The ingredients listed here are just the tip of the iceberg; these and other chemicals known or suspected of causing cancer, birth defects, allergic reaction, and other health effects are found in thousands of cosmetic and personal care products.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) published a study titled "Skin Deep" in June, 2004 and updated in October, 2005, details over 14,000 common, name-brand personal-care products and almost 7,000 of their chemical ingredients. Over 44% of these products contain chemicals that are possible human carcinogens. Almost 46% of the products contain ingredients that may contribute to birth defects. nearly 86% of the products contain ingredients that may cause allergic reactions. 2
More than 99 percent of all personal care products on the market have at least one or more ingredients that have not been publicly assessed for safety.
"Most of the products you use have chemicals that haven't been tested for safety at all...Most people assume that if you see something on the shelf, it's safe for you. The findings of our study really contradict that" states Dr. Tim Kropp, a toxicologist with EWG. 3
In response to a cosmetic safety petition filed by the EWG in June 2004, the Food and Drug Administration issued a report that "revealed deep deficiencies in its power to protect the public health under the nation's cosmetics law. Notably, FDA affirmed its inability to enforce a requirement that a warning label be posted on products that have not been substantiated for safety". 4
What can we do about the safety of the ingredients we use daily in our cosmetics and personal care products? We can Take Action:
1) Join The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is a coalition of public health, educational, faith, labor, women's, environmental and consumer groups. The mission of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is to protect the health of consumers and workers by requiring the cosmetics industry to phase out the use of chemicals that are known or suspected to cause cancer, genetic mutation or reproductive harm:
2) Sign a Petition Demand that companies that make cosmetics and personal care products stop using chemicals known or suspected of causing cancer, birth defects, allergic reactions, and other health effects:
3) Environmental Working Group Report, "Skin Deep" Read more from the EWG about cosmetics and personal care products and their ingredients:
Do a "home survey" of your own cosmetic and personal care products. Look up the ingredients at the Environmental Working Group's on-line study:
4) Letter Writing Campaign Over 200 companies have signed the "Compact for Safe Cosmetics", agreeing to formulate the products they manufacture domestically and/or globally to use only ingredients that are not known or suspected of causing cancer, mutation, or birth defects. Look up the names of the companies whose products you buy on:
Write the companies that are on the list, thanking them for their pledge and letting them know you will continue to buy their products. If the company is NOT on the list, write that company and ask them why they have not signed the pledge.
5) Sign an online letter Tell CEOs of Avon, Proctor and Gamble, and L'Oreal to Sign the Compact for Safe Cosmetics:
6) For future updates, alerts, and information on how you can take action in your community:
Resources used for this article:
(3) Ethier, Marc, "Under Our Skin" Friends of the Earth, Fall 2004, Volume 34, No.3.
Eco-Notes
Sneak Attack on Organic Food Standards
After 35 years of hard work, the U.S. organic community has built up a multi-billion dollar alternative to industrial agriculture, based upon strict organic standards and organic community control over modification to these standards.
Now, large corporations, such as Kraft, Wal-Mart, & Dean Foods -- aided and abetted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and members of the Organic Trade Association, are moving to lower organic standards by allowing Bush appointees in the USDA National Organic Program to approve a broad list of synthetic ingredients and processing aids that would be allowed in organic production. Even worse these proposed regulatory changes will reduce future public discussion and input and take away the National Organic Standards Board's (NOSB) traditional lead jurisdiction in setting standards.
"What this means, in blunt terms. is that USDA bureaucrats and industry lobbyists, not consumers, will have near total control over what can go into organic foods and products."
(Send a quick letter to your Congresspersons online here)
During the next week, acting in haste and near-total secrecy, the U.S. Congress is being lobbied by industry to vote on a rider in the House/Senate Conference Committee to the 2006 Agriculture Appropriations Bill that could take away control over organic standards from the National Standards Board and put this control in the hands of federal bureaucrats in the USDA (remember the USDA proposal in 1997-98 that said that genetic engineering, toxic sludge, and food irradiation would be OK on organic farms, or USDA suggestions in 2004 that heretofore banned pesticides, hormones, tainted feeds, and animal drugs would be OK?).
For the past week in Washington, OCA has been urging members of Congress not to reopen and subvert the federal statute that governs U.S. Organic standards (the Organic Food Production Act: OFPA), but rather to let the organic community and the National Organic Standards Board resolve our differences over issues like synthetics and animal feed internally, and then proceed to a open public comment period. Unfortunately most members of Congress seem to be listening to industry lobbyists more closely than to us. We need to raise our voices.
Federal Funding for Organics:
The current five year $220 billion US Farm Bill allocates less than $5 million annually for organic research, promotion and marketing...approximately one-hundredth of one percent. This means that Congress is using billions of our tax dollars to reward chemical-intensive, factory farm style operations, while penalizing non-chemical farmers. This, despite the fact that organic food has been the fasting growing segment in the food marketplace for over 13 years. To move beyond using pesticides, chemicals and genetically modified seeds, conventional farmers need government subsidies and conversion programs that prioritize local and regional organic production. These misguided priorities must be reversed in the upcoming 2007 Farm Bill.
In the past, grassroots mobilization and mass pressure by organic consumers have been able to stop the USDA and Congress from degrading organic standards. This time Washington insiders tell us that the "fix is already in." So we must take decisive action now. We need you to call your Congressional Representatives and Senators today. We need you to sign the following petition and send it to everyone you know. We also desperately need funds to head off this attack in the weeks and months to come. Thank you for your support. Together we will take back citizen control over organic standards and preserve organic integrity.
Call the Capital Switchboard here: 202-224-3121, and tell your Congresspersons not to support any amendments to the ag appropriations bill that would lower organic standards. You can send a quick letter to your Congresspersons online here: www.organicconsumers.org/rd-ofpa.htm
~Submitted by Crystal Harvey, MAIC Correspondent
Manataka Video Store New!
FEATURE STORY...
by Looks for Buffalo and Sandie Lee
European Christmas for Native Americans actually started when the Europeans came over to America. They taught the Indian about Christianity, gift-giving , and St. Nicholas. There are actually two religious types of Indian people in existence. One of these is the Traditionalist, usually full-blooded Indians that grew up on the reservations. The second type is the Contemporary Indian that grew up in an urban area, usually of mixed blood, and brought up with Christian philosophy.
Traditionalists are raised to respect the Christian Star and the birth of the first Indian Spiritual Leader. He was a Star Person and Avatar. His name was Jesus. He was a Hebrew, a Red Man. He received his education from the wilderness. John the Baptist, Moses, and other excellent teachers that came before Jesus provided an educational foundation with the Holistic Method.
Everyday is our Christmas. Every meal is our Christmas. At every meal we take a little portion of the food we are eating, and we offer it to the spirit world on behalf of the four legged, and the winged, and the two legged. We pray--not the way most Christians pray-- but we thank the Grandfathers, the Spirit, and the Guardian Angel.
The Indian Culture is actually grounded in the traditions of a Roving Angel. The life-ways of Roving Angels are actually the way Indian People live. They hold out their hands and help the sick and the needy. They feed and clothe the poor. We have high respect for the avatar because we believe that it is in giving that we receive.
We are taught as Traditional children that we have abundance. The Creator has given us everything: the water, the air we breathe, the earth as our flesh, and our energy force: our heart. We are thankful every day. We pray early in the morning, before sunrise, the morning star, and the evening star. We pray for our relatives who are in the universe that someday they will come. We also pray that the Great Spirit's son will live again.
To the Indian People Christmas is everyday and the don't believe in taking without asking. Herbs are prayed over before being gathered by asking the plant for permission to take some cuttings. An offer of tobacco is made to the plant in gratitude. We do not pull the herb out by its roots, but cut the plant even with the surface of the earth, so that another generation will be born its place.
It is really important that these ways never be lost. And to this day we feed the elders, we feed the family on Christmas day, we honor Saint Nicholas. We explain to the little children that to receive a gift is to enjoy it, and when the enjoyment is gone, they are pass it on to the another child, so that they, too, can enjoy it. If a child gets a doll, that doll will change hands about eight times in a year, from one child to another.
Everyday is Christmas in Indian Country. Daily living is centered around the spirit of giving and walking the Red Road. Walking the Red Road means making everything you do a spiritual act. If your neighbor, John Running Deer, needs a potato masher; and you have one that you are not using, you offer him yours in the spirit of giving. It doesn't matter if it is Christmas or not.
If neighbors or strangers stop over to visit at your house, we offer them dinner We bring out the T-Bone steak, not the cabbage. If we don't have enough, we send someone in the family out to get some more and mention nothing of the inconvenience to our guests. The more one gives, the more spiritual we become. The Christ Consciousness, the same spirit of giving that is present at Christmas, is present everyday in Indian Country.
Looks for Buffalo is an Oglala Sioux Spiritual Leader, the full-blood Oglala grandson of Chief Red Cloud and White Cow Killer, and a Cheyenne Oglala Leader. Sandie Lee Bohlig, spiritual healer, counsels and teaches around the globe.
http://www.ewebtribe.com/Christmas/NAChristmas.htm
MANATAKA.ORG HOLIDAY GIFT BASKET
TOP TEN INEXPENSIVE GIFT IDEAS
#10 Children's Décor & Gifts
# 9 Jewelry - Over 900 Inexpensive Styles!
# 8 Personal Drum - Beautiful Sounds!
# 7 Language Books / Tapes / CD's
# 6 Children's Books
# 4 Music - Powwow - Country/Folk, Contemporary, Rock
# 3 Home Decor - Pottery, Figurines
# 2 Videos - Dance, History, How-To's, & More!
# 1 Books - History Books, Culture, Spiritual, Cookbooks, Genealogy, Herbal Healing, Crafting and Hobby
MORE GREAT GIFT IDEAS...
By Tsolagiu RuizRazo
Raising children in today's world is difficult. This book teaches parents how to raise children according to traditional customs and values. A good book! $21.95 Read More
Wisdom of Elders:
Traditional American Indian Food and Recipes
70+ page, soft-bound cookbook is brimming with recipes, tribal profiles, authentic preparation methods, as well as colorful ideas for menu planning. $21.95
Ghost Trails to Manataka CD
By Del Lillard
Wisdom Walkers
By Corina Roberts
A provocative novel about ancient North America and the journey of two women. Dispels migration myths. Only $19.95 Read More
LETTER TO THE EDITOR...
Attacks Against Manataka
The Smoke Signal is uplifting to say the least. Good job and continue. When you are a positive influence in this world there will always be critics. Do not give it a second thought. I join and commit myself to the preservation of our Sacred site in the Valley of the Vapors. I have made a request that the Valley be a place of refuge where no harm may come to anyone there and that it truly be the Place of Peace and harmony for all man and woman kind.
The Great Spirit is everywhere, it is in this special location that we seek to be closer to him and find the place within us all, where peace reigns and we fulfill the purposes Creator put us hear to achieve. May the Father of us all, grant you peace and prosperity. I send you much love and respect.
There are many things resisting the movement of God in this world and I note them but go on with the mission I am given, praying for power and knowledge. Forgive our lost brothers and stay soft hearted. Bannasiah
~M. Burton
Enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma
Cree Indians are traditional sustenance hunters who live off the land. For over 30 years they've been disrupted by environmental changes. The water on Maniwaki (Kitigan Zibi) is polluted and radioactive. No one knows where it is coming from. They have shut down 20 wells. E-Coli bacteria is shutting down wells across many Canadian reservations.
One Cree Elder saw four geese fall dead from the sky. They were all skin and bones. The prophecies talks about a time when birds fall dead out of sky. After this, there is no hope. If the disease gets to the eagles, it's the ultimate sign there is no hope. The Canadian government said they found flu in Canadian geese. What the government is not saying is the rest of the story: if people can't eat the birds or drink the water, how will they survive?
William Commanda, (James Bay, Canada,) carries the Prophecy Belt for the 7 Fires. He prayed with the Hopi and Mayan traditional leaders and discovered all prophecies are the same: the great change will happen in 7 years: 2012. The leaders still pray, but there is not much more they can do. Instead, they have turned the matter over to humanity.
We must make changes fast. Sacrifices must be made now. The power of the changes we need are equivalent to the power of a tsunami sweeping across the whole of America. The combination of contaminated water and food supplies and avian bird flu are to be feared. We have a choice: either to continue as we are and let Nature run it's course, or make changes to help the earth and ourselves in good ways. Mother Earth has to rebalance herself, and have to create people in the tribe to "redefine ourselves."
What each person must do is create a tribal entity in their own communities.
Algonquin Elder Tom Dostou
~Submitted by Helen RedWing, MAIC Correspondent
Thank you Manataka...
On behalf of the Tennessee Ancient Sites Conservancy, Inc. ("TASC"), we thank the Elders and members of the Manataka American Indian Council for your letter of support and contribution to help in our fight to protect Pinson Mounds State Park.
Mark M. Tolley, President
Tennessee Ancient Sites Conservancy, Inc.
tolleymm@yahoo.com
Elders and elders... an explanation
Sitting at the feet of elders is still possible. An elder is someone who is old and has many stories of their life time we can learn from.
Sitting at the feet of an Elder is much different. The capital E... Elder is an honored person who knows much about the culture and traditions and has an instinct to how things are suppose to be. These Elders are named when they
have proved themselves worthy of the title. When one get the opportunity to learn from one of these .it is an honor indeed and certain rules of respect are to be followed.
I hope this helps distinguish the two for those who did not know and not to step on any toes for those who did know. Many people are searching for truth and looking for their path to follow. Learning this path takes a long time
and it is not something that is learned in a year or two but a lifetime comment. Something that many grow weary of when the path gets rocky.
~Reposted with Permission from Lonewolf
~From Blue Panther Keeper of Stories
Prayer of Peace...
Oh Great Spirit
Oh Great Spirit, Whose voice I hear in the winds,
And whose voice gives life to the whole world,
hear me, I am small and weak,
I need your strength and wisdom.
Let me walk in beauty and make my eyes
ever behold the red and purple sunset.
Make my hands respect the things you have
made and my ears sharp to hear your voice.
Make me wise so I may understand the things
you have taught humankind.
Let me learn the lessons you have left under
every leaf and every rock.
I seek strength, not to be greater than my brother,
but to fight my greatest enemy, myself!
Make me always ready to come to you with
clean hands and straight eyes.
So when life fades, like the fading sunset,
my spirit will come to you without shame.
written and translated by, Lakota Sioux Chief Yellow Lark in 1887
FUNNY BONES...
SURVIVOR: THE RESERVATION
DON'T MISS THE TELEVISION PREMIERE OF "SURVIVOR:
THE RESERVATION"
Starting on January 1, 2006, ten non-Indians will be dropped onto a Reservation where they will have to endure one week of hardship (gossiping, backstabbing, jealousy, teepee creeping, 49ing, etc.) and be able to survive on USDA-approved high-fat, high cholesterol foods.
10 contestants will be given:
* Five sacred rocks.
* One Rez car with no doors and no back glass.
* One unwinterized HUD house.
* Three days worth of food stamps.
* Cigarettes
* Five days of continuous "PowWow Highway" clips
* Moccasins, headbands, and feathers to wear around the Rez (which demonstrates cultural sensitivity to
Reservation inhabitants).
The lone survivor of the RESERVATION, will receive:
* 1 Casino coupon book (a $10.00 value).
* 1 Authentic, Indian-made dream catcher.
* 27 Homemade hand tattoos (with ink pen).
* A "Princess Pale Moon" Edition Pendleton blanket.
* A 1 month supply of commodity cheese.
Elder's Meditation
"The obstacle to the internal nature is the mind. If it relies on logic such as the white man's mind, the domain of the inner nature is inaccessible. The simple fact is a man does not challenge the wisdom of the Holy Mystery. --Turtleheart, Teton Sioux
Why is it we need to analyze and understand everything? The Great Mystery has designed certain areas of creation to be a mystery because humans usually miss-use it. We use the Great Mystery and see It unfold only
under the direction of the Great Spirit. The Creator is in charge.
Great Spirit, let me realize You are in charge. I'm to do what You want.
-- Elders.meditation@whitebison.org
HEALTH FRONT
Water Fluoridation:
What you don't know can hurt you.
by Crystal Harvey, MAIC Correspondent
Every day of the week, most Americans are exposed to an influence that can be a cause of serious health problems: the addition of chemical fluoride to our drinking water.
What do you know about the history, politics, and toxicology of this claimed "dental benefit"?
The USA started fluoridation in the 1940s, followed by a handful of other countries in the 50s and 60s. Only about eight countries keep up the practice. The continental European countries that tried it in the
past have all discontinued. And many of them have achieved lower rates of tooth decay than the highly fluoridated USA.
Holland quit fluoridation in the 1970s after a large medical team performed a double-blind test on people who reported that the fluoride was making them sick. This study showed that up to 3% of residents in
the fluoridated section of Amsterdam were suffering symptoms such as stomach pains, mouth ulcers, skin irritation, migraine-like headaches, worsening of allergic complaints, and joint pains. The symptoms stopped when they switched to non-fluoride water. Along with these acute reactions, there are serious concerns about the long-term health effects of fluoride exposure.
Everything about fluoridation is bizarre, including the two very different stories about its origin. There is the official story - given by some health departments and dental associations. And there is the
story based on sources such as (1) archival records of the industrial interests that played a big part in funding the fluoridation project, and (2) dissident authorities and scientists who have taken a critical look at the science.
According to the fluoride-promoting agencies, in the 1930s researchers observed lower rates of tooth decay in regions where people showed "Colorado Brown Stain" on their teeth. When this defect was identified to be fluoride poisoning from the water, it was claimed that a certain level of fluoride was actually good. It could protect teeth without causing too much of the staining and brittleness known as dental fluorosis. Officialdom has ignored that these early studies were very poor quality and non- scientific. They also ignored that the dose to consumers would be uncontrolled and vary dramatically with how much water people drank.
But there is a darker history of fluoridation that has been spoken about by industry insiders and some dentists for decades. In 2004, award-winning journalist Christopher Bryson shined a light on the
history of fluoridation in his meticulously researched book The Fluoride Deception .Bryson's book studies the correspondence and meeting reports from industry and laboratory archives and shows a chilling collaboration between polluting industries and certain maverick scientists.
Aluminum smelting and many other wartime and post-war boom industries used massive amounts of fluoride in their processes. In the unregulated 1940s, fluoride waste products were polluting the atmosphere and building up in huge waste piles. The fledgling environmental watchdogs of the day were crying out about serious fluoride damage to workers and surrounding crops and animals. A number of lawsuits were launched against companies, including Alcoa and Reynolds Metals.
The archival material shows great concern among the industrialists and their attorneys and scientists. Rather than cease production or find fluoride-free technologies, a systematic project was commenced to
whitewash the emerging evidence of fluoride's health hazards. Fluoride was too important to industry to bow to health and environmental pressures.
The theory that fluoride might be a dental-health treatment, in water supplies or toothpaste, was a trump card for this conglomerate. Industry contributed enormous funds to dental researchers to show fluoride to be a "wonder dental drug." Researchers showing findings detrimental to fluoride's new image mysteriously lost their funding. When toothpaste manufacturers jumped on the fluoride wagon, a virtually unlimited advertising budget was unleashed to complete the transformation of fluoride from pollutant to panacea.
In the 1950s and 60s, sodium fluoride from the aluminum industry was added to the water supplies. In a sinister twist of logic, Alcoa advertised their fluoride in water industry journals for it to be added to water supplies ... while simultaneously advertising in chemical journals for its use as a rat poison.
The chemicals most widely used in fluoridation now are two waste products of the phosphate fertilizer industry, hydrofluorosilicic acid and sodium silicofluoride. These chemicals have never undergone safety
studies, nor have they ever had FDA approval. However, numerous studies have shown them to cause harm.
Furthermore, a dozen studies have shown higher rates of bone fracture in fluoridated areas. Many regions of Asia have both high and moderate levels of calcium fluoride present in water supplies. Though calcium fluoride is considered less harmful than the industrial fluorides we use, they still result in dreadful epidemics of skeletal fluorosis and nervous system illness. India spends a lot of money on defluoridation,
and where it can't be afforded people develop crippling bone deformities. Chinese scientists have shown nervous system defects including significantly lowered average IQs, even with moderate fluoride
levels in water.
The latest alarming finding is Harvard researcher Elise Bassin's Ph.D. study showing greatly increased bone cancer rates among boys in the USA consuming fluoridated water during their years of growth. Bassin's supervisor, Professor Chester Douglass, is now under investigation by Harvard for suppressing and stopping publication of her work. He has also denied her findings at conferences. However, Douglass has a considerable conflict of interests. He also works for the toothpaste manufacturer Colgate, which reaps huge profits from the public's believing that fluoride is a "healthy" chemical.
The science-based website www.fluorideaction.net links to a large compilation of peer-reviewed medical literature. These studies show links between fluoride exposure and kidney disease; pineal,
thyroid, and reproductive gland problems; arthritis; and bone, tooth, and nervous system disorders.
Reviews of the science also show that water fluoridation may not even prevent tooth decay. There are more studies showing zero or negligible reductions in tooth decay than those showing real benefits. And most researchers agree that any benefits from fluoride are from surface application to the teeth, NOT from ingesting it into the system. Thus drinking fluoride in water is as dumb as eating sunscreen to prevent sunburn or swallowing condoms for safe sex!
The current science on fluoridation suggests that we are exposing children and adults to a great health risk ... for an imagined or real benefit to less than 1 child in 10. Fluoridation is looking like one of
the great medical follies of the 20th century. If even half of Bryson's book is correct, it is more than a folly ... it is fraud.
Enforced medication without consumer consent, even if there were no side effects, is highly unethical. Fluoridation is compulsory mass-medication, at uncontrolled dosage, with toxic, industrial waste.
In August of this year, 11 Environmental Protection Agency unions, representing over 7,000 environmental and public health professionals, called for a moratorium on drinking water fluoridation and asked the EPA to recognize fluoride as posing a serious risk of causing cancer. An online petition to show support of the EPA unions actions can be read and signed at http://www.powalliance.org/petition/index.html
[Editors Note: In 2001 and again in 2004 MAIC endorsed efforts to stop fluoridation on the basis that:
1) Studies show an extreme detrimental affect on wildlife and domesticated animals -- they drink the same water we do. No studies have been done on other elements of the environment. 2) The artificial injection of industrial waste-by products such as hydrofluorosilicic acid and sodium silicofluoride into public water systems is mass-medicating the public in the absence of any over-riding health threat and is against basic human rights. 3) The preponderance of scientific evidence disproves the idea that fluoride prevents tooth decay.]
WHAT PEACE REALLY LOOKS LIKE...
~submitted by Juli Maltagliati
Health Watch...
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 the Cause: 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
Tribal Politics...
NativeNews OnLine
I have been chief of the Wyandotte Nation for 23 years. These opinions are my own. They are not influenced by anyone or anything except my observations of the American Indian world.
Our Indian world has never been a pleasant place to be. Our past, present and future appear to be a never-changing picture. We cannot change the past, and the present seems to be following along the same pathway. The future cannot be left alone to stumble along without direction.
The best way to handle our future is to take over the leadership of our world ourselves. Strong leaders are needed, planned objectives should be established, and down-to-earth, good, hard work needs to be the order of the day.
One of my first observations is that the majority of Indian tribes are small. Many of them do not possess the capability to compete with the rest of the world for contracts, small or large business ventures. Some chiefs
operate their trib es out of their homes. They do not have attorneys, grant writers or secretaries to assist them. These facts should be made known to congressmen, the secretary of Interior, the BIA, IHS, and state and community governments. All policies and procedures developed for American Indians should take this into consideration.
We all don't have casinos or huge contracts with the federal government. We barely exist with scarce assistance from the federal government. Our unemployment status is far above the norm. Our health statistics are deplorable. I was taught by the U.S. Air Force that one of the best incentives for success is proper planning for obtaining any major objective.
I believe that the secretary of the Interior, the BIA and IHS should have a long-range plan for fixing the problems of our Indian world. To my knowledge there has never been any planning accomplished to even find out what our problems really are. I have always heard that our world has numerous problems, but I have never heard any of the above-named agencies define those problems. You cannot fix anything if you don't know what you are attempting to fix.
I believe that a long-range plan should be developed that defines the source of our problems and then adopt a 25-year or a 50-year plan for solving those problems. This should be accomplished by the secretary of
Interior, BIA, IHS and tribal leaders. In my opinion we still have the same problems we had some 200 years ago when our lands were taken from us and we were placed behind barbed wire. It is also my opinion that most of those in power don't care or give a damn.
Are there solutions to our problems? I believe there are. I believe that our biggest problem is that we are our own worst enemy.
In 1983, when I was elected chief, I heard other tribal leaders complain that our worst problem was we don't get together to fight for our people. I have heard this for 23 years. We are still s aying the same thing. Unity
is paramount to success. If there are 600 tribes in the United States, there should be 600 tribal leaders speaking in unison.
There should be a communication system developed to keep us all updated on our efforts. It should be directed upstairs and downstairs. Governors and attorneys general should be included. Many of our states have large numbers of Indians in their populations. In those states we have two powerful weapons at our disposal. Those two weapons are the pen and the vote. The pen can be used to publicize our efforts and to advise the powers that be of our objectives as well as our wants and needs. The pen can tell our side of the story.
The other power is the most potent weapon that now exists - the power of the vote. Every adult American Indian must not only be registered to vote - they must vote!
In those areas where our votes count we should be electing our people to public offices. This includes local governments, state governments and the Congress of the United States. It is my opinion that candidates get
elected because most people don't vote. If people who do vote have a well-organized vote-getting effort, their candidate can be elected. Our own elected officials can represent us better than anyone else. We can
have our own people helping run counties, states and Congress. Let's elect American Indians to these offices.
This brings another important thought to mind. We have several congressmen in Washington, D.C. who have been our friends over the years. These congressmen are reaching an age when they are likely looking to retirement in the not too distant future. When that happens, our friends in Congress will be practically nil. We need to start immediately to be prepared to replace them with people of our own choice.
There are other things that should be looked at and corrected. We need to clean up our own act. There are some people among us who create situations that give us all a bad reputation ... embezzlers, crooks, thieves,
etc. We need to take care of these types ourselves. We cannot be successful with people of that nature on board.
It is my opinion that every person in the United States who holds an elected position should be a role model for children - presidents, congressmen, and state and county officials. Others who should be role models for the children are movie actors and actresses; professional football, baseball and basketball players; Hollywood directors and writers; and, especially, teachers, moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas, and all tribal leaders. Myriad others could and should be included.
There are many tribes that have become successful in gaming, contractual economic projects, etc. who set a fine example for all the rest of us. If those folks have any surplus money, it could be spent on upgrading our
laws that govern our Indian world. It would be the greatest assistance they could provide to all Indians.
Can all this be accomplished? I believe it can. Dedication, sacrifice, teamwork, proper planning and hard work are essential. The time frame must start today. The handwriting is on the wall.
All the above are the writings of an old man. I am proud of my ancestry. I am proud of my Wyandotte Nation. I am proud to be an American. You might say I am the proudest chief in the Indian world. There really is a Great Spirit.
Leaford Bearskin is chief of the Wyandotte Nation and served as a lieutenant colonel (retired) in the U.S. Air Force.
Petition of Protest
Sign a Petition of Protest in the matter of the beating death of Mr. David Croud of the White Earth reservation on 10\12\2005. Every signature matters.
http://www.petitiononline.com/Croud/petition.html
Note AOL users: Copy and paste the petition link directly into your internet browser (ie Internet Explorer), do not click on the link in the email. Questions: Tamra@NDNnews.com
POETRY CIRCLE
Santa Clause Is An Indian
By Helen Red Wing Wagner-Vinson
Santa Clause is an Indian just like me.
Santa Clause is an Indian and lives in a tipi.
Now, if I was a Wannabee Indian,
I'd wannabee Santa Clause who lives in a tipi.
But I am not a Wannabee, I want you to know
I am an Indian from my head to my toes,
And when you see me dancing on the ground
My moccasins are smokin' all around.
Now if I was a Wannabee Indian,
Santa brings gifts to all girls and boys,
Fills their hearts with laughter and lots of joy.
When he comes to your house you will see,
Written and translated by Lakota Sioux Chief Yellow Lark in 1887
~Submitted by Romaine Garcia
HILL & HOLLER NEWS COLUMN
By Susan Bates
NEWS AND NOTES FROM INDIAN COUNTRY
Prozac Blamed For Youth's Murder Spree Jeff Weise was in pain long before he killed 10 people, including himself, in Red Lake, Minnesota. The 16 year old boy had watched helplessly as those who were supposed to love him and take care of him, slipped away. The suicide of his father and alcohol related car crash that turned his mother into a brain - damaged nursing home resident were too much for him to cope with. Looking back it was plain to see that he had cried out for help in every way he knew how. Why is it that nobody was able to prevent this senseless tragedy?
Weise had been put on Prozac after a suicide attempt last year. According to an article written by David Hanners for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, his dosage had recently been doubled to 60 mg. a day. According to the "black box warnings" for prozac, he should have been seen by a mental health worker once a week for the first month and twice monthly thereafter. According to his grandmother his last visit with a therapist occurred on Feb. 21, exactly one month before the shootings. One more Indian fell through the cracks. How many others fell with him?
Drugs. The modern answer to everything. Ignore the problems. Camouflage the symptoms. Pretend it will all go away. Swallow all the pills you want, but until we understand the real problems, nothing will improve.
Once this land was inhabited by People who knew how to live in harmony with the Earth and Creator. Our ancient traditions and spiritual beliefs sustained us and made us strong. Now we have become a shadow of our former selves. Memories of the way it was clash with how it is.
Before the coming of the white people, we had our own clan system which dictated our moral values and addressed every need we had in this life. Each tribe had their own "religion" handed down by Creator taught to us through the stories passed orally from generation to generation. The sharing of these stories made us strong - made us ONE.
We do have the power to get it back. Many of us are trying. But until we go ALL THE WAY BACK, nothing will change. I see too many people trying to blend our two cultures. Like a man straddling a barbed wire fence, as long as you have a leg on both sides, you're gonna be in pain.
Creator didn't make "Inferior People." Those who came to "Save" us only came to rape, plunder and pillage. Behold the outcome.
The knowledge of who we are is still with us. We can regain what we once had. It only takes the courage to do so.
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"Among the Indians there have been no written laws. Customs handed down from generation to generation have been the only laws to guide them. Every one might act different from what was considered right did he choose to do so, but such acts would bring upon him the censure of the
Nation.... This fear of the Nation's censure acted as a mighty band, binding all in one social, honorable compact."
George Copway (Kah-ge-ga-bowh)
Ojibwa Chief - 1818-1863
susanbates@webtv.net
THE HAWK SPEAKS
When I was a young boy ("a-ni-s-ga-yv"), I was interested in the way a bicycle was made. I was very interested in the wheels! I noticed the way the spokes supported the entire wheel. Many things can be compared to a wheel. The center of the wheel can be likened to the elders and council. The spokes which are attached to the center are the members who give their support to the wheel. If some of the spokes get out of line or damaged they need to be readjusted, straightened or replaced in order for the wheel to once again run efficiently. The tire and tube can be likened to the outside support given to the organization which helps it to run smoother. I look forward to the day when I too can be one of the council or elders which these spokes depend upon for guidance and assistance. However, I am proud to be, "Just A Spoke In The Wheel."
~Hawk With Seven Eyes Hoffman
MAIC Correspondent
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BEAR REMOVERS...?
A man wakes up one morning to find a bear on his roof. So he looks in the yellow pages and sure enough, there's an ad for "Bear Removers."
He calls the number, and the bear remover says he'll be over in 30 minutes. The bear remover arrives, and gets out of his van. He's got a ladder, a baseball bat, a shotgun and a mean pit bull.
"What are you going to do," the homeowner asks?
"I'm going to put this ladder up against the roof, then I'm going to go up there and knock the bear off the roof with this baseball bat.
When the bear falls off, the pit bull is trained to grab his testicles and not let go. The bear will then be subdued enough for me to put him in the cage in the back of the van."
He hands the shotgun to the homeowner.
"What's the shotgun for?" asks the homeowner.
"If the bear knocks me off the roof, shoot the dog."
~Submitted by Bobby Joe Runningbear, MAIC Correspondent
WOMEN'S CIRCLE
Beauty of a Woman . . . .
The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears,
The figure she carries,
or the way she combs her hair.
The beauty of a woman must be seen from her eyes,
Because that is the doorway to her heart,
The place where love resides.
The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole,
But true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul.
It is the caring that she lovingly gives,
The passion that she shows.
The beauty of a woman
With time, only grows.
WOMEN'S MEDICINE CIRCLE
By Magdala, Maya Priestess
Beautiful Ones,
Many truths has been spoken and embraced into the deep silence. The knowledge of the all is always at hand and open for the ones that recognize the truths.
For eons we have walked in many worlds that shown the way of the dance. The dance leads us into the time space of bonding of all understanding and of all love that becomes one.
It is a special time to stay connected into the Spirit. It is time to embrace your own light so shiny, so bright that it will become the path of the ones that follow you. It is a special time when all the light people will be tested. Many techniques from dozens of cultures are used to stay focused on the light. There are many backgrounds, so many lifetimes, so many experiences that will take us into the bonding. Yet we know the one place, common among all cultures and all people to make the light shine brightest is... love.
When you gently touch the love waves that come from the heart and go deeper into love's embrace inside you, the purified water comes out from all your pores in your body. Surrender to the love that makes the salty tears flow for they will protect and direct you.
By doing this in your deepest silence, you are dropping the proud, anger, frustration and many other emotions that separates. The only things left is the true gift that you born with, the love as the power to recognize all truths.
Go into your purification and no sickness or separation of any kind can touch you or your love ones. Purify your silence, your wind, fire, waters, earth with the Light That Shines.
By creating tears of love vibration, the purity of love created will remove any ignorance or blockage from you -your other selves and those around you.
I am you
Fire had come to the Six Nations - Haudenosaunee
Often, around the fire in the long house of the Haudenosaunee , during the Moon of the Long Nights, this tale is told.
Three Arrows was a boy of the Mohawk tribe. Although he had not yet seen fourteen winters he was already known among the Iroquois for his skill and daring. His arrows sped true to their mark. His name was given him when with three bone-tipped arrows he brought down three flying wild geese from the same flock. He could travel in the forest as softly as the south wind and he was a skillful hunter, but he never killed a bird or animal unless his clan needed food. He was well-versed in woodcraft, fleet of foot, and a clever wrestler. His people said, 'Soon he will be a chief like his father.'
The sun shone strong in the heart of Three Arrows, because soon he would have to meet the test of strength and endurance through which the boys of his clan attained manhood. He had no fear of the outcome of the dream fast which was so soon to take. (to fast means to go without food or water)
Three Arrow's father was a great chief and a good man, and the boy's life had been patterned after that of his father.
When the grass was knee-high, Three Arrows left his village with his father. They climbed to a sacred place in the mountains. They found a narrow cave at the back of a little plateau. Here Three Arrows decided to live for his few days of prayer and vigil. He was not permitted to eat anything during the days and nights of his dream fast. He had no weapons, and his only clothing was a breechcloth and moccasins. His father left the boy with the promise that he would visit him each day that the ceremony lasted, at dawn.
Three Arrows prayed to the Great Spirit. He begged that his clan spirit would soon appear in a dream and tell him what his guardian animal or bird was to be. When he knew this, he would adopt that bird or animal as his special guardian for the rest of his life. When the dream came he would be free to return to his people, his dream fast successfully achieved.
For five suns Three Arrows spent his days and nights on the rocky plateau, only climbing down to the little spring for water after each sunset. His heart was filled with a dark cloud because that morning his father had sadly warned him that the next day, the sixth sun, he must return to his village even if no dream had come to him in the night. This meant returning to his people in disgrace without the chance of taking another dream fast.
That night Tree Arrows, weak from hunger and weary from ceaseless watch, cried out to the Great Mystery. 'O Great Spirit, have pity on him who stands humbly before Thee. Let his clan spirit or a sign from beyond the thunderbird come to him before tomorrow's sunrise, if it be Thy will.'
As he prayed, the wind suddenly veered from east too north. This cheered Three Arrows because the wind was now the wind of the great bear, and the bear was the totem of his clan. When he entered the cavern he smelled for the first time the unmistakable odor of a bear. This was strong medicine.
He crouched at the opening of the cave, too excited to lie down although his tire body craved rest. As he gazed out into the night he heard the rumble of thunder, saw the lightning flash, and felt the fierce breath of the wind from the north. Suddenly a vision came to him, and a gigantic bear stood beside him in the cave. Then Three Arrows heard it say, 'Listen well, Mohawk. Your clan spirit has heard your prayer. Tonight you will learn a great mystery which will bring help and gladness to all your people.'
A terrible clash of thunder brought the dazed boy to his feet as the bear disappeared. He looked from the cave just as a streak of lightning flashed across the sky in the form of a blazing arrow. Was this the sign from the thunderbird ?
Suddenly the air was filled with a fearful sound. A shrill shrieking came from the ledge just above the cave. It sounded as though mountain lions fought in the storm; yet Three Arrows felt no fear as he climbed toward the ledge. As his keen eyes grew accustomed to the dim light he saw that the force of the wind was causing two young balsam trees to rub violently against each other. The strange noise was caused by friction, and as he listened and watched fear filled his heart, for, from where the two trees rubbed together a flash of lightning show smoke. Fascinated, he watched until flickers of flames followed the smoke.
Three Arrows had never seen fire of any kind at close range nor had any of his people. He scrambled down to the cave and covered his eyes in dread of this strange magic. Then he smelt bear again and he thought of his vision, his clan spirit, the bear, and its message. This was the mystery which he was to reveal to his people. The blazing arrow in the sky was to be his totem, and his new name - Blazing Arrow.
At daybreak, Blazing Arrow climbed onto the ledge and broke two dried sticks from what remained of one of the balsams. He rubbed them violently together, but nothing happened. 'The magic is too powerful for me,' he thought.
Then a picture of his clan and village formed in his mind, and he patiently rubbed the hot sticks together again. His will power took the place of his tired muscles. Soon a little wisp of smoke greeted his renewed efforts, then came a bright spark on one of the stick. Blazing Arrow waved it as he had seen the fiery arrow wave in the night sky. A resinous blister on the stick glowed, then flamed.
Fire had come to the Six Nations!
Our Thanks to Blue Panther-- Keeper of Stories
JUSTICE CORNER
The Threat of Hope in Latin America
by Naomi Klein The Nation Magazine, November 21, 2005 issue
When Manuel Rozental got home one night last month, friends told him two strange men had been asking questions about him. In this close-knit indigenous community in southwestern Colombia ringed by soldiers, right-wing paramilitaries and left-wing guerrillas, strangers asking questions about you is never a good thing.
The Association of Indigenous Councils of Northern Cauca, which leads a political movement that is autonomous from all those armed forces, held an emergency meeting. They decided that Rozental, their communications coordinator, who had been instrumental in campaigns for agrarian reform and against a Free Trade Agreement with the United States, had to get out of the country--fast.
They were certain that those strangers had been sent to kill Rozental--the only question was, by whom? The US-backed national government, which notoriously uses right-wing paramilitaries to do its dirty work? Or was it the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC), Latin America's oldest Marxist guerrilla army, which does its dirty work all on its own? Oddly, both were distinct possibilities. Despite being on opposing sides of a forty-one-year civil war, the Uribe government and the FARC wholeheartedly agree that life would be infinitely simpler without Cauca's increasingly powerful indigenous movement.
Prominent indigenous leaders in northern Cauca have been kidnapped or assassinated by the FARC, which seeks to be the exclusive voice of Colombia's poor. And indigenous authorities had been informed that the FARC wanted Rozental dead. For months rumors had been circulated that he was the worst thing you can be in the books of a left-wing guerrilla movement: a CIA agent. But that doesn't mean the strangers were FARC assassins, because there had been other rumors too, spread through the media by government officials. They held that Rozental was the worst thing you can be in the books of a right-wing, Bush-bankrolled politician: "an international terrorist."
On October 27 the Indigenous Council, representing the roughly 110,000 Nasa Indians in the region, issued an angry communiqué: "Manuel is no terrorist. He is no paramilitary. He is no agent of the CIA. He is a part of our community who must not be silenced by bullets." The Nasa leaders say they know why Rozental, now living in exile in Canada, has come under threat. It is the same reason that this past April two peaceful indigenous villages in Northern Cauca were turned into war zones after the FARC attacked police posts in the town centers, giving the government an excuse for a full-scale occupation.
All of this is happening because the indigenous movement is on a roll. In the past year the Nasa of northern Cauca have held the largest antigovernment protests in recent Colombian history and organized local referendums against free trade that had a turnout of 70 percent, higher than any official election (with a near unanimous "no" result). And in September thousands took over two large haciendas, forcing the government to make good on a long-promised land settlement. All these actions unfolded under the protection of the Nasa's unique Indigenous Guard, who patrol their territory armed only with sticks.
In a country ruled by M-16s, AK-47s, pipe bombs and Black Hawk helicopters, this combination of militancy and nonviolence is unheard of. And that is the quiet miracle the Nasa have accomplished: They revived the hope killed when paramilitaries systematically slaughtered left-wing politicians, including dozens of elected officials and two Unión Patriótica presidential candidates. At the end of that bloody campaign in the early nineties, the FARC understandably concluded that engaging in open politics was a suicide mission. The key to the Nasa's success, Rozental says, is that they are not trying to take over state institutions, which "have lost all legitimacy." They are instead "building a new legitimacy based on an indigenous and popular mandate that has grown out of participatory congresses, assemblies and elections. Our process and our alternative institutions have put the official democracy to shame. That's why the government is so angry."
The Nasa have shattered the illusion, cherished by both sides, that Colombia's conflict can be reduced to a binary war. Their free-trade referendums have been imitated by nonindigenous unions, students, farmers and local politicians nationwide; their land takeovers have inspired other indigenous and peasant groups to do the same. A year ago 60,000 marched demanding peace and autonomy; last month those same demands were echoed by simultaneous marches in thirty-two of Colombia's thirty-three provinces. Each action, explains Hector Mondragon, well-known Colombian economist and activist, "has had a multiplier effect."
Across Latin America a similarly explosive multiplier effect is under way, with indigenous movements redrawing the continent's political map, demanding not just "rights" but a reinvention of the state along deeply democratic lines. In Bolivia and Ecuador, indigenous groups have shown they have the power to topple governments. In Argentina, when mass protests ousted five presidents in 2001 and '02, the words of Mexico's Zapatistas were shouted on the streets of Buenos Aires. At this writing, George W. Bush is on his way to Argentina, where he will discover that the spirit of that revolt is alive and well.
As in northern Cauca, governments attempt to brand these indigenous-inspired movements as terrorist. And not surprisingly Washington is offering military and ideological assistance: There has been a marked increase in US troop activity near the Bolivian border in Paraguay, and a recent study by the National Intelligence Council warned that indigenous movements, although peaceful now, could "consider more drastic means" in the future.
Indigenous movements are indeed a threat to the exhausted free-trade policies Bush is currently hawking, with ever fewer buyers, across Latin America. Their power comes not from terror but from a new terror-resistant strain of hope, one so sturdy it can take root in the midst of Colombia's seemingly hopeless civil war. And if it can grow there, it can take root anywhere.
http://www.thenationcom/doc/20051121/klein
GOT SOME NEWS TO SHARE? manataka@sbcglobal.net
HEALING PRAYER BASKET
Prayer and ceremony work. Creator heals and brings peace.
Crossing Over...
Vine Deloria Jr., Champion of Indian Rights, Dies at 72 in Golden, Co. Deloria a Standing Rock Sioux who burst into the American consciousness in 1969 with his book "Custer Died for Your Sins" and later amplified his message through 20 more books about the Native American. In "God is Red" (1973), he took that position of deliverance-through-Indian-ways further, arguing that American Indian spiritual traditions, far from being dated, were in fact more in tune with the needs of the modern world than Christianity, which Mr. Deloria said fostered imperialism and disregard for the planet's ecology. 11-14-05
Ralph F. Christnot passed on into the spirit world. Born June 25, 1937, on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in SD and was an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota. Since 1975, Ralph was an out-spoken educator and ambassador of Native American culture, traditions and the rights of tribes. He is survived by his 9 children and 9 grandchildren. ~Submitted by Helen RedWing. 11/09/05
Sickness and Injuries
Larry Irons - Still battling cancer. Came back in his spine and right leg. Very sick and on morphine in 4th stage of the disease. Walks only about 20 feet. ~Charles Irons 11-26-05
Julian Hays - 83-year old White County, Arkansas grandfather stricken with cancer ~Ken Riehle 11-25-05
J.M. Herriott - Has multiple physical problems in Newark, AR. ~Tammy Timberlake 11-22-05
Sharon Barnett - She has a brain injury. Short term memory and other health problems. ~Ruth Mountain Wind Song 11-21-05
Bernard and Hazel - Bernie was diagnosed as having lymphoma cancer spread over most of his body and Hazel had a toe on her left foot removed. ~Helen RedWing 11-21-05
Starfire - she is 25 years old diagnosed with cervical caner ~Alan Spirithawk 11/11/05
Keith Mosher - Has Hep C. The medication is extremely hard on his body, has taken most of his energy away and he suffers with fever, headaches and itching, chills. But he is my warrior and is strong in mind and is taking it like an Indian would. We need prayers! ~Deena 11/09/05
Clay Charlton -Father of Heather Charlton in critical condition in ICU in Asheville, NC ~Jennifer Attaway
Susan Barnett - Brain and nerve injury with lots of pain from a car accident. ~Ruth King 10/15/05
Delores - Sister-in-law attempted suicide, nearly succeeded. ~Mountain Wind Song 10/05/05
Grandfather Russell Loud Hawk ~ [Rapid City, SD] Founder of the Takola Akicita and the 85 year-old Elder who hid Leonard Peltier remains stable at Denver's University Hospital. ~Cherokee Mangus 10/01/05
Vinson Family - Helen RedWing and GrayBeard - RedWing having problems with neck and back pain - rotator cup misalignment. Walking better without a cane some. Graybeard general health ailments. Grand daughter Reagan Vinson diagnosed with serious disease. Pray for these good people. Graybeard was recently forced into early retirement by the U.S. Post Office after 26 years of good service. The family is financially needy and needs your help now! Please say you will help! 10/01/05
Beulah Maltagliati - My beloved dog has recovered from pancreatitis.
Alaris, Alida Baker, James Greason, Judy Filmore,
Jessica, Jeremy King, Bobby Joe Runninbear are all recovering from some pretty serious stuff.
Did you submit a prayer request above? If so, please send us an update. We are reluctant to remove anyone without knowing if more prayers are needed.
MANATAKA ORGANIZATIONAL MESSAGES
ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICES:
NOTICE 1: ELDER COUNCIL POSITIONS DECLARED OPEN New seats on the Elder Council were recently declared open. The Education Elder position will concentrate on developing public school curriculum based on American Indian philosophy and coordinating presentations to schools, civic organizations and churches. The Public Relations Elder position is being expanded to give more volunteer opportunities to members. Read More Information If you feel qualified for either position, please submit your information now.
NOTICE 2: COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS If you are a member and have not received a committee assignment, please contact the MAIC office now. manataka@sbcglobal.net
NOTICE 3: FOOD BASKET NEEDED NOW! people are hungry often throughout the year. Please bring or send non-perishable food items. Gift cards for food from Walmart, Safeway and other stores are great. Our project to help 79 NDN brothers and sisters caught in the grip of Katrina was good. They are laughing again! They have food, shelter, clothing, medical attention. Thank you to all those who helped. Creator knows who you are.
NOTICE 4: REGULAR MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS - 1:00 p.m., 3rd Sunday of each month at Gulpha Gorge - bad weather at Phil's Restaurant on E. Grand.
NOTICE 5: WOMEN'S COUNCIL MEETINGS - 11:30 a.m., 1st Saturday each month. Contact: Jody
NOTICE 6: PAID YOUR DUES?
Now is a good time to support the many programs, services and events of MAIC. We can always use a small donation. Pay by check or credit card online. It's easy, secure and fast! Click Here Or...
NOTICE 7: MATERIAL DONATIONS NEEDED BY MANATAKA
1. Computer needed. A larger mother board is needed for in-office work.
2. Reams of ink jet paper
3. Postage stamps
4. 15 - 30 gallon plastic storage boxes with lids
5. LAND - Donate land to be used as financing leverage for to build a cultural center. Any size or location is acceptable. Certain tax benefits may apply.
6. MEMORIAL GIFTS - When a friend or relative passes, honor their memory and send a tax deductible contribution to MAIC and we will send the family a beautiful letter and memorial certificate in your name.
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO DONATED STAMPS, PAPER AND OTHER SUPPLIES!
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Manataka American Indian Council
Hot Springs, AR 71902-0476
manataka@sbcglobal.net
http://www.manataka.org
Lee Standing Bear Moore
MAIC Correspondents:
Jennifer Attaway, Alabama
Magdala Rameriz, Arkansas
Crystal Harvey, Arkansas
Julie Maltagliati, California
Liora Leah Zack, California
Sheri Burnett, Georgia
Hawk With Seven Eyes Hoffman, Illinois
Helen Red Wing Vinson, Tennessee
Bobby Joe Runninbear, Tennessee
Romaine Garcia, Arizona
Susan Bates, Missouri
Andrea Crambit, Indigenous News Network
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My name is Ana and I am a graphic designer and front-end developer. You're now browsing my online portfolio where you can find examples of my graphic, web and logo design work. Please feel free to contact me if you want to hire me, or if there's something you think I can help with. Visit here my previous portfolio in flash version. Here you can find out more about the Algorithmic Art and enjoy in creating beautiful, unpredictable and never repeatable images!


An unrated cut was released on home video in April of 2017. It is 99 minutes long compared to the original cut of 96 minutes.
The US theatrical release was cut in order to receive a PG-13 classification (the film was originally rated R). The filmmakers cut stronger moments of horror violence and gore from the film. This footage was later restored in the Unrated Cut.


Import & Export Of Plastic Items & Paper Bags .
HAMDA YOUSUF PLASTIC BAGS EST.
MOHD AL MANSOORI TRADING EST.
Trading In Stationery, Paper & Related Paper Products.
Trading In Rubber, Chemicals And Paper & Paper Boards.
AL AREEN TRADING COMPANY L.L.C.


KCPM is a full service television station in Grand Forks, North Dakota , broadcasting on local digital UHF channel 27 and virtual channel 27 to the Fargo / Valley City area. Founded in 2003, it is owned by Central Plains Media. Branded as My KCPM, KCPM is an affiliate of MyNetworkTV, referred to as "My Network," a television broadcast syndication service owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, featuring repeat episodes of other networks highly rated television shows as a syndication programming service for primetime only. In addition to its MyNetwork programs, KCPM airs classic television programs, replays of current programs and nationally syndicated television shows.


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Home News Metro Thugs disrupt TraderMoni scheme in Ilorin
Thugs disrupt TraderMoni scheme in Ilorin
News Agency of Nigeria
Tebogo Letsie/Associated Press
Hoodlums invaded the Mandate Market in Ilorin, Kwara State, on Thursday, scaring away petty traders and TraderMoni agents and disrupting the disbursement of money to beneficiaries of the scheme.
As early as 9 a.m., the hoodlums, some of them wearing 'PDP Atikulated T-shirts', stormed the Mandate Market, insisting that the TraderMoni scheme could not be conducted, because Senate President Bukola Saraki's father donated the land to the state government to build the market.
It was not clear whether they were sent by anyone or whether they were mere party zealots, working on their own.
According to witnesses, including Bank of Industry (BOI) officials who were at the market to supervise the enumeration and disbursement of the N10, 000 collateral free loans, the arrival of the mob at Mandate Market caused some uproar.
The thugs also intimidated the petty traders who had lined up to participate in the programme.
Many of the traders were palpably annoyed and refused to leave the market.
Calm was restored with the intervention of the police.
At the Ipata Market, where enumeration and disbursement of the TraderMoni loans were also going on, market leaders reportedly rebuffed pressure from some officials of the state, urging them to shun the enumerators. The programme went on without incident.
Officials of the Bank of Industry told journalists that enumeration had been going on in the two markets in Kwara State in the last few days, without incident until Thursday.
The vice president, Yemi Osinbajo, is expected in the markets on Friday December 7.
TraderMoni, which is part of the federal government's Social Investment Programme (N-SIP) under GEEP, is designed to assist petty traders across the country expand their trade through the provision of collateral and interest-free loans from N10,000.
The loans are repayable over a period of six months at which point the traders on repayment will receive a fresh N15, 000 loan, which rises to N20, 000 when repaid.
The microcredit scheme, which has since been formally launched nationwide, is expected to reach two million petty traders by the end of the year.
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Bank of Industry
Bukola Saraki
GEEP
Ilorin
Ipata Market
Kwara
Mandate Market
Microcredit Scheme
N-SIP
PDP Atikulated T-shirts
Petty Traders
Social Investment Programme
Thugs
TraderMoni
Yemi Osinbajo
Court remands driver for allegedly defiling six-year old girl
Lagos Airport: Panic as man climbs Azman Air aircraft
Labourer jailed 28 months for indecently touching woman

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


$19.99 for 2 hours, from a maximum of 2 videotapes. Find out more about the possible additional charges by clicking here.
Each DVD can hold up to 2 hours of footage from a maximum of 2 videotapes.
Will Costco repair broken videotapes?


Prolific ed-tech writer Steve Wheeler opens up on the origins of his blog, Learning with 'e's.
The prolific ed-tech writer opens up on the origins of his blog.
Following last week's publishing of EdTech: Focus on Higher Educaton's Top 50 Must-Read IT Blogs of 2014, we chatted with a few of the bloggers that topped the list.
Steve Wheeler's blog, Learning with 'e's, made our roster this year after delivering a consistent barrage of learning technology blogs.
In just a few questions, we learned a little bit more about what makes Wheeler's blog tick.
WHEELER: My blog does what it says on the can. It's all about learning using technology. Some of my content is satirical, such as the post I wrote about the introduction of the pencil into schools or about my personal encounters, such as "Learning from the legends". Most of the content on my blog is serious academic content but with a twist — I try to present my writing in a conversational style and in a way that presents an idea or a concept or a theory in a bite-sized piece that is no longer than 300–400 words. I always use an evocative image of some kind to illustrate the post, too.
WHEELER: I started writing because I wanted a space to create and evolve my own ideas as well as a commentary on the ideas of others. I have always been passionate about learning — well, ever since I left school, anyway. This passion is now my work, and my blog is an inseparable part of my professional practice. Coupled with my social media channels, my blog provides me with my creative space where I can express myself and also engage with readers. My thoughts are often abstract, but once I have written them down and then reflected, edited, polished and posted them in the form of a short blog post, my thoughts have crystallized, and they are clearer to me.
WHEELER: Of course. If I didn't, what would be the point of the blog? Some of the best conversations I have come from interacting with readers on my blog. Often, I have had to delete comments because they are spam; but other than that, anything goes, even if the comment is insulting. If someone is unnecessarily rude to me, that's their problem, and it says more about them than it does about me or the content I'm publishing. Publishing their rude comments on the blog often exposes them for who they are to a large audience, and I am comfortable with letting others make up their own minds about what is acceptable behavior online.
WHEELER: Yes, regularly, including those by Tony Karrer, David Hopkins and Oliver Quinlan, but also my students. Many of my students blog regularly. I encourage them to do so, because if it works for me and I benefit in my professional life as a result, it will work for them, too.


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Triograph 1830 2B
Brand: L&C Hardtmuth
Made in: Czech Republic
Large tri sharped pencil.
About L&C Hardtmuth
L&C Hardtmuth was formed in 1790 by Josef Hardtmuth in Vienna, Austria. In 1802 he patented the first pencil lead made from a combination of clay and graphite, and in 1848 the company was moved to the city of Budweis in what is today the Czech Republic. In 1888 they introduced the KOH-I-NOOR pencil, named after the largest known diamond in the world at that time. Today the company operates under the name KOH-I-NOOR HARDTMUTH. Learn more about this company's fascinating history here.
L & C Hardtmuth No.4
Professional Drawing 1000 2B
Navigator 1335 No.4
Koh-I-Noor 9H


Wrenbury Primary School - Base 4 -Wow!
Home » News » Base 4 -Wow!
Base 4- I have to just say that your writing is incredible! You are writing letters to our local MP about plastics, it is mature, considered and engaging. This is a very complex issue and you have really thrown yourselves into it. You should be very proud of what you have achieved. Well done!


Last week, The Huffington Post published an article featuring our research – a very well written, comprehensive piece about the Gottman approach to managing physiological and emotional flooding in relationship conflict. We have shared the article below, followed by some thoughts we felt were important to consider in response.
We all know what it's like to get carried off by some rough emotional currents when we are dealing with our mate. These aren't the day-to-day flashes of anger or hurt. I am talking about the giant waves of bad feelings that completely knock you down and take any rational thought with them. This is how it usually goes. You are in the middle of a conflict or disagreement, your partner says or does something, and suddenly you fall down a deep dark rabbit hole. The only notes you register are rage, hurt, panic and fear.
When I'm caught in one of these rip tides, I have the physical sensation of something taking hold of my body — my muscles clench, my temperature skyrockets and my stomach does turns. My mind goes into overdrive. I am deaf to anything my husband is saying and can only hear the blame narrative rapidly evolving in my head. I become a prosecuting attorney endlessly repeating a courtroom argument. Mind you, when I'm all caught up like this, my allegations are usually not terribly sound. Any reasonable judge would probably toss my case right out (or at least knock the charge down from a felony to a misdemeanor). But even knowing that doesn't dampen my prosecutorial zeal.
The difference between flooding and more manageable experiences of our emotions is one of magnitude. You reach the point when your thinking brain — the part that can take in gray areas, consider other sides, stay aware of the real state of affairs — is shut out. Psychologist John Gottman explains this emotional hijacking as the hallmark of our nervous system in overdrive. Something happens — and it could be almost anything — in your interaction with your partner that sets off your internal threat-detection system. This is your parasympathetic nervous system in action, preparing you for battle or flight. In this state, you lose some of your capacity for rational thought. Science describes this is as a decrease of activity in your pre-frontal cortex, the center of higher cognition.
The stuff that works well when you are being chased by a mastodon doesn't work so well in the home. Our instinctive reactions in these moments usually make the situation worse. The fight response we are primed for becomes a cascade of angry words that just deepen wounds. In flight, we might stalk out of the room or shut out our mate with icy silence. Basically, when we react in the grip of emotional flooding, we do and say the kind of things that are likely to trigger emotional flooding in our partner. And then both people in the room are out of control.
Make a commitment to try self-soothing the next time you find yourself caught up in a heavy emotion over this or that with your partner. The reality is that it is not easy to hold back from acting out when we are completely enraged or feeling utterly devastated. But if you have essentially accepted the idea that you can't entirely trust yourself and your perceptions when you are in a state of total reactivity, you at least have a fighting chance of pulling yourself back from the spiral. Some part of you will have registered the notion that you probably shouldn't be so quick to buy whatever blame narrative or catastrophic rendering of things that your mind has come up with.
Mentally store a picture of your partner at their best — a moment when you experience them as loving, generous and well-meaning. Add as much detail as you can to really capture how you experience your partner when you are feeling loved and cared for. I like to picture my husband standing at the top of the stairs waiting to greet me at the end of day with a look of pure happiness. Try shifting your focus to this image when you get trapped in a negative story about them. This helps your brain move out of the reactive myopia and reintegrate a more balanced view of your partner.
When you do get flooded, you need to hit the pause button on your interaction and turn your attention inward. I find that before I can do anything, I need to reassure myself that I will be fine if I wait for this storm to pass. Like a standoff with an armed hostage-taker, I have to convince her to at least put down the gun before we can keep talking.
Observe what's happening. This is the key to creating some distance between yourself and the storm of thoughts and feelings. Mentally note that you have gotten activated. Start to investigate what happens when you get emotionally flooded. Notice what thoughts take shape in your mind and what sensations move through your body.
Use images to ground the process of slowing, observing and letting go. You might want to imagine your mind as a wheel that was suddenly spinning furiously. With each breath, you are able to slow down its speed until it is barely turning. Or picture your racing thoughts as a cloud of sand that has been kicked up in the water. Wait for the sand to sink back down to the seabed, leaving clear water. As your frantic thoughts subside, your nervous system can calm down, too. Imagine any constriction melting. Relax your hands, imagining yourself physically letting go of the story you created about what has happened with your mate.
Take timeouts when you need to. Sometimes you can self-soothe on the spot. At other times, you may need to take a break from the interaction. Make a plan with your partner that if either of you gets too activated in an argument to hear the other — to avoid saying things you will regret — you will take a time out. Agree to come back together to continue the discussion within a certain period of time, but don't delay indefinitely. Use the time to actively soothe yourself rather than obsessing over your version of what went wrong, which will just keep you activated. The point here is to disengage with your reaction so you can re-engage with your mate.
And by all means, don't get down on yourself when you do get tripped up and act out. That's what "I'm sorry" is for.
Click here to read an entry from our Sound Relationship House Series that discusses the aftermath of a fight. In this blog posting, you will find a numbered list. This list will take you through some of our previous entries in the 6 Skills of Conflict Management.
Even if you've seen this list before, take the time to refresh your memory! Though you cannot avoid flooding in all situations, re-acquainting yourself with these conflict management skills can, at the very least, help you to work through areas of disagreement from a gentler place. With the right skills, you will be able to move from the introduction of a difficult subject to the conclusion of your conversation with greater warmth, connection, and mutual understanding.


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Tour the Historic Grovemont Community
When: Jun 3, 2017 @ 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Did you know that Swannanoa's Grovemont neighborhood was America's first planned community? Come learn about Grovemont's fascinating history on Saturday, June 3, 2017, when local historian Bill Alexander takes participants on a tour of Grovemont past and present.
Grovemont was founded in the 1920s by Edwin Wiley "E.W." Grove, who made his fortune selling his 'Tasteless Chill Tonic" for malaria. Grove went on to develop a number of notable residential and commercial properties, including Asheville's Grove Park Inn. In the Grovemont community, Grove sought to recreate the idyllic English village his grandparents had lived in. Located on a broad plateau, set against a backdrop of mountains, the Grovemont residential village was to include homes, shops, a post office, library, a hotel, a country club, two lakes, and a town hall, all centered on a green, linked by a web of roads and sidewalks. Though Grove's dream community was never completed, a number of Grove's original stone and stucco homes remain, along with the Grovemont Square park and playground, which anchors today's vibrant Grovemont community.
The historic Grovemont tour is sponsored by the Swannanoa Valley Museum. Hikers will meet at the museum, 223 West State Street in Black Mountain, at 10:00 a.m. Cost is $25 for museum members; $35 nonmembers; $15 children under 12.
To register, call 828-669-9566 or visit the Swannanoa Valley Museum's website.


This French band's last album was an eccentric mix of black metal and chaotic cabaret jazz. This time they are fully committing to a Circus theme. Seeing this report, I assumed this album was bound to sound like Mr. Bungle. In some ways, they don't prove me wrong.
Yesterday, in a single release, Les Acteurs de l'ombre Productions premiered enough new music from stylistically significant bands to populate an entire SEEN AND HEARD post here, in addition to furnishing many other previously released songs that are well worth hearing and re-hearing.
I spotted this compilation not through the push of press promotion, but because many of my musician friends and other appreciators of extreme music spattered my Facebook feed with notices about it. So glad they did.


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A History of the Presbytery of Detroit
-From the Compilations of The Rev. Edward D. Gehres, Jr., Former Executive Presbyter
A discussion of the history of the Presbytery of Detroit must of necessity begin with the arrival of Presbyterianism in the Territory of Michigan. For unless there are ministers and churches available to be organized in to a presbytery, there can be no presbytery.
In 1827, there was a sufficient number of ministers and churches in the Detroit area to constitute a Presbytery. Accordingly, the General Assembly took the following action during its meeting in May of 1827: "Overture No.8, viz., an application from certain Ministers and churches in the Territory of Michigan to be constituted a Presbytery."
The following facts from independent sources throw some light on the Presbytery of Detroit:
1. The General Assembly of 1828 lists Detroit Presbytery with William Page as Stated Clerk.
2. Theodore Marsh, who was nearer the sources than we are, states that Detroit Presbytery was organized in 1827.
3. Silas Farmer in his History of Detroit gives 1827 as the date when the Presbytery was organized.
After its organization in 1827 the growth of the Presbytery of Detroit was very gratifying. After 1825 many of the settlers to the territory were already seasoned Christians, trained in church work. Of the current churches in the presbytery of Detroit, 28 were organized during the 1800's.
The Church exists for those who do not yet belong to it. Throughout the 20th Century, this fundamental conviction has motivated the Presbytery of Detroit to study the meaning of mission, and of the Church in mission, and to fulfill its task in a growing metropolitan area. In addition to planting new churches, the Presbytery has engaged in a variety of ministries directed toward the social needs of the population. From the community houses of the early 1900's to the camp and conference ministries and the establishment of Presbyterian Villages begun the 1940's; from the Detroit Industrial Mission of the 1950's and 60's, to the urban church redevelopment and racial ethnic ministries of the 70's and 80's, the Presbytery of Detroit has sought to embody the Gospel of Jesus Christ in this ever-changing metropolitan area.
The Presbytery of Detroit looks to the future in terms of strengthening partnerships between congregations throughout the metropolitan area, and through the connectional church in local, regional, and global mission. Unique programs like the The Grandale Mission Center, Barnabas Youth Opportunities Center, and the Presbyterian Development Corporation minister to people of all ages with a range of social and economic needs. A renewed emphasis on New Church Development and Congregation Redevelopment will hopefully provide a wider Presbyterian presence in this metropolitan area.
The Church like its Master is not to be ministered unto, but to minister, to serve in the world, and to become a ransom for those who know not Christ. While we celebrate the past, the Presbytery of Detroit stands ready for the future!


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Mike Cronin
Mike Cronin, Legal Counsel, Johnson Pope
Company Name: StillPoint Capital
City, State, Country: Tampa, Florida, USA
Mike is legal counsel to StillPoint Capital having joined Johnson Pope back in 1987, following a three-year stint with the Division of Corporate Finance at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in Washington, D.C. During that time, he gained significant exposure to all phases of corporate finance, including public offerings, proxy contests, tender offers and private placements of securities.
Few, if any, Tampa Bay Area attorneys can match his CPA and SEC credentials, backed by such deep experience. He's also been heavily involved in the Tampa Bay community as a Founding Director of the Upper Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce, and Founding Director of the Long Foundation, among others.
Distinctions & Memberships
• Clearwater Bar Association Member
• Admitted to The Florida Bar in 1985
• Admitted to The Georgia Bar in 1983
• Certified Public Account – 1977
• University of Florida B.S., B.A. magna cum laude – 1977
• University of Georgia J.D., cum laude – 1983
When He's Not Working Hard For Clients
Mike stays busy following his three sons' sporting events and indulging his love of karate.
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