Keeping an eye on Native Art and Culture in Canada and the states, as well as the works-in-progress of Broken Vulture Art. Cyber-sulking, writing and virtual humour included.
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Overall rank: 96943 Number of inbound blogs: 52 Number of incoming links: 247 ATOM: ATOM feed Author: eric keast Last update: 2007-06-06 19:32:11 GMT Estimated value: $167,359
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"... the Bush IT expert who has been directly implicated in the rigging of George Bush's 2000 and 2004 elections, was killed last night when his single engine plane crashed three miles short of the Akron airport..."
"... it's reassuring to see both Canada and the U.S. poised to bring in leaders with roots in academia -- incoming leaders who are engaged in public discourse and who have the requisite qualifications to lead their countries. In the case of the U.S. it's a done deal; as for Canadians it's still within the realm of wishful thinking..."
"... This is part of a growing body of research that shows that groups of people in lowlands in Brazil had large, socially complex groupings, sociopolitical organization and social patterns including feasting..."
"Starch grains preserved on human teeth reveal that ancient Peruvians ate a variety of cultivated crops including squash, beans, peanuts and the fruit of cultivated pacay trees..."
"... presented the award... by Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief John Beaucage at the Canadian Aboriginal Festival..."
New impact crater discovered in western Canada, using technology to strip vegetation from imaging.
Climate change wiped out cave bears, 13 millenia earlier than previously thought.
Terra Preta, Native "Superdirt" made Amazonian civilisations possible.
"... The special soil has been touted as a way to restore more sustainable farming to the Amazon, feed the world's hungry, and combat global warming..."
"... For 12 years, the Forensic Anthropology Foundation of Guatemala (FAFG) has been exhuming clandestine graves that hold victims killed in political massacres. Most of the people killed in Guatemala's 36-year civil war were indigenous. The army's scorched-earth policy sometimes leveled entire villages..."
Translated page for Peruvian activist, Hugo Blanco. His Wikipedia page and a translated page of his online paper, Lucha Indigena, which seems to translate to Indian Fight.
"... Felipe has often used his long standing fame to help make a difference for the Lakota people living on reservations in South Dakota. He has also donated his time for many years for various programs and projects benefiting all Native people. His involvement includes helping with organizations such as the American Indian College Fund, Unity, United Nation Tribal Youth Council, and One Nation Walking Together..."
"The Crook County School District has temporarily removed a book from classrooms after one parent complained to the school board that the National Book Award winner was "trashy" and "inappropriate."... "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian," which is based on (Sherman) Alexie's own experiences, follows a boy who leaves the Spokane Indian Reservation to attend an all-white school "where the only other Indian is the school mascot"..."
A people, at last. Overdue recognition for Japan's ethnic minority, before it disappears.
"... the Ainu called their place Ainu Mosir, "the land of human beings", Hokkaido means "the road to the northern sea", and the Japanese settling of their new frontier was every bit as brutal as America's..."
"Gordon Dick fulfilled a decade-strong dream this month with the opening of Ahtsik Native Art Gallery on Pacific Rim Highway, north of Port Alberni..."
"... On February 17, 2009, polar explorer Lonnie Dupre, a team of Arctic explorers and Inuit companions will begin an epic 1,600-mile dog sled journey through the polar reaches of the high Arctic in the footsteps of Robert E. Peary... homage to the Inuit people, unsung heroes of countless Arctic expeditions, whose culture now hangs on the edge of existence due to the ravages of global warming and pollution."
"NishTV is Northern Ontario’s hottest website that captures the heartbeat of the Anishinabek Community. We use video-media in a youthful, trendy and positive way to give the Native experience more zest and coolness. Our aim is to represent and give exposure to those cool people who never get recognized for the things they are doing or who need a little exposure because they are stepping out in the community with arts, leadership, business or other creative projects..."
Before deer season, one of our hunters sent me this pic and description of the work being done by the MNR, with Sturgeon research near Nipigon, Ontario.
"The fish was caught just into Black Sturgeon Lake at the mouth of the Spruce River. 49º 17' 14.66" - 88º 50' 49.32" The Black Sturgeon system empties out of Black Sturgeon Lake and travels through 3 lakes to the south before eventually draining into Lake Superior at Black Bay. We have tagged 3 fish at a set of rapids about 5km upstream in the river itself. Last fall we tagged 2 fish at the above location and 5 more this fall.
Sturgeon have recently been designated a Species at Risk in Ontario - see http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/Species/index.html for more details. Tagging these fish with transmitters allows us to learn their seasonal movements and habitat requirements. We have also been able to locate spawning areas from these fish. We track these fish by boat once a week and have set up a base station at the mouth of the river to record their movements from the Lake up the River."
:Bryan Livingston
Brian later sent me this pic of a St. Lawrence River Muskie; click the pic to check out "Musky Hunter" entry for this fish.
Here's a couple of monster Walleye that I pulled outta da lake, just before we started deer-hunting.
The modified slip-bobber rig that I was using as the weather turned colder. The small oval bobber on top of the large black/white bobber is fixed-position, so that I can tell when the slip-bobber ices up and prevents the line from fully deploying. Bobber stops are too small to see at a distance. Under the bobbers are several split shot and a snelled #4 octopus hook.
Tosh, in his cold weather walleye gear. Plenty of snow on the dock and the first skim of ice forming on the water. Frozen beer foaming out of the bottle neck.
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Johnny Cat guarding the rifle cases.
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Mark and I took an afternoon to put together the new two-seater treestand. It was seriously heavy (ladder not shown). There had been a plan to put it up on the side of a ridge overlooking a poplar meadow, bog and cedar hollow; a perfect spot that would take us a whole day to install, no doubt. The property's landowner had leased the area to another group of hunters, however, and we never got around to putting it up anywhere else.
Tosh bagged the first deer of the trip, second day at sunset. Young buck, small four point rack, good size body. We used the "rickshaw" to get it off the field; this device has really cut dragging times over open ground.
Dad bagged the second deer; the big buck of the expedition. Although the rack wasn't that large, a thin-beamed seven-pointer; but, the body mass was about two hundred pounds before dressing. Good deer. Yay, Dad!!
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The rest of the first week went slowly. The weather was constantly windy, whether dry or drenching, and the rut hadn't started, yet. This property belonged to a friend of one of our group. The centre of which was taken up by an old gravel quarry which has overgrown beautifully, resembling some of the mule deer country out west, surrounded by boreal forest. The day was noisy and unproductive, with several grouse crashing about at all times. I was fortunate to see a weasel, fur gone to ermine, bouncing around the foot of my stand. I was far too entranced to take a picture, however. The rest of the first week was a bust. It became insanely wet and windy, keeping the deer deep and bedded. Most of our guys had to leave and get back to the real world and their jobs; the die-hards, the real deer-hunters, the vaguely-employed... we stayed to get the job done.
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Mark finally broke us out, a week after the second deer was on the pole. Nice doe. He also got a second deer, a small buck, of which we seem not to have taken any pictures. At least we finally had snow by this point, and a possibility of the rut taking off.
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Note snow; the Off Lake property.
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On the last day of non-resident deer season, at the last hour of legal hunt, I finally got my deer. Let me tell you about the hunt, first:
I had gone to sit at the head of a bog which was crossed by a skidder trail. From where I was sitting, I could see across the bog, down a major deer highway (upwind) and down the trail behind me. A great spot. A great spot with nothing happening on it. After freezing my tuckus off for a couple hours and choking loudly on some inhaled cola, I decided to walk back to the truck and sit on the intersection f trails, there, because we have taken deer there at last light, previously.
Hanging out at the truck seemed a little defeatist, but I decided to rattle and call again, since the wind was favourable. Ten minutes after rattling, I moved from the back of the truck to the front and then looked up; there was a deer standing broadside down the trail, about 80 yards away. It hadn't been there before I moved. The deer gave me plenty of time, I needed it because the cold left me shaking. I leaned against the truck and took the shot. The deer wheeled and ran back into the bush, the way that it came from. I figured that it was a miss.
I called the guys on the radio to let them know that I had taken the shot and waited for them to get there. We waited nearly half an hour before walking up to check out the shot site.
No blood.
But; there was hair, dark hair. Okay.
We walked in and found the deer bedded, about fifty yards in. It tried to get up and couldn't, we finished the deer off and dragged it back to the truck before dressing it. A good-sized spiker buck, to finish off Deer Camp 2008.
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Bryan sent this pic a week later, having got his buck in the Great Nipigon Deer Hunt 2008.
When Dad and I went to pick up the wrapped deer steaks, chops, roasts and sausage, this great buck was waiting to be serviced by Kent at Cloverleaf foods, in Emo.
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Dad and I went out to the cabin a couple more times and spent a few more days trying to add another deer to the five taken, but we saw no more deer in the woods. There was a foot of snow in the bush and temperatures had plummeted; in addition, a brisk north wind has been blowing fairly steady. The deers did not come out to play.
After the last trip, we arrived back at the house to find deer tracks all around our cedar trees, browsed; clearly we were being dissed in our own yard. Oh well... next year.
I would like to thank Dave and Rene, at Definitely Superior Art Gallery, for the opportunity to show my work and be part of this great show. The performances were fine, the visual art was stimulating and the conversations with viewers, satisfying. The Ontario Arts Council and Canada Council for the Arts also supported the opening and exhibition. I'll update this posting with any new articles/reviews about the exhibit.
Websites that mentioned the NOCAA-10 opening and show.
The sleeping Giant (from Prince Arthur Hotel) under ravenous cloudbank.
The Giant, engulfed by winter fog
Christian Chapman and one of his entries at NOCAA-10;
Danny CutFeet and one of my fave pieces in the show, "Chief".
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The opening at Definitely Superior Art Gallery was accompanied by several performance artists. Performances included spoken word, pop music, jazzz and hip-hop "flow".
The conservative party is trying to deny the coalition of NDP, Liberal and BQ from booting their arrogant butts out of the Prime Minter's office and creating the next government.
The last straw that made this incredible circumstances necessary was the Conservatives hamhanded pledge to stop public financing of electoral campaigns (basking in the oily glow of their tarsands backers).
The Tories have been able to hang on as a minority government, as long as they have because the opposition did not wish to put itself in the position of forcing an election. Then Stephen Harper broke his own "fixed date" election law to call the most recent election, feeling that the timing favoured his party.
And now, that the combined opposition has decided to form a coalition government, Stephen Harper is threatening the country with something called "prorogation". Essentially closing the government and taking his ball home until he sees fit.
So; the point of this blog post is to encourage you alls, Canadians, to sign the petition asking the Governor General to give the Conservative extortionists the constitutional smackdown and shepherd the coalition government into reality. Especially after they started gutting arts and culture funding in Canada.
:Eric
PS My American friends... Ignore the big words and look at the shiny thing.
I've been so wrapped up in hunting, fishing, carousing, bingo-calling and paint-tweaking the last few weeks that I forgot to mention that I will be showing several pieces at the Definitely Superior Art Gallery in Thunder Bay. I am particularly honoured to have my piece "Miss LoonTrout got a crappy boobjob..." as the main image in the promotional flyer.
There will be performance artists, as well as visual artists.
10 Northwestern Ontario Contemporary Aboriginal Artists; December 6, 2008 - January 10, 2009.
"NOCAA-10" - Opening: Saturday, December 6 @ 7pm
So. If you're in the neighbourhood, drop by. Let me know if you came to it by the blog post. Thanks.
Click the poster for Def. Sup. "Current Exhibitions" page.
"(AMN) is a cooperative website that supports aboriginal and indigenous peoples facing similar issues such as land claims, treaty negotiations and resource development. Common tools, such as traditional use studies, GIS mapping and other information systems are used in a collaborative manner, benefiting users of the AMN."
"For all the recognition he received, Mr. Hillerman once said, he was most gladdened by the status of Special Friend of the Dineh (the Navajo people) conferred on him in 1987 by the Navajo Nation. He was also proud that his books were taught at reservation schools and colleges. "Good reviews delight me when I get them," he said. "But I am far more delighted by being voted the most popular author by the students of St. Catherine Indian school, and even more by middle-aged Navajos who tell me that reading my mysteries revived their children’s interest in the Navajo Way."
"About 50 Aboriginal protesters attempted to gain access to the Conservative Party policy convention held in Winnipeg to present a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Nov. 13... Defenders of the Land Gathering to strategize for recognition of land rights they say are not recognized by both provincial and federal jurisdictions..."
"After much of the project was completed, the CEO who had approved the film was fired and a replacement brought in who hired a new editing team from Half Yard Productions and a non-Native script writer whose changes fundamentally altered the project's original vision..."
"These individuals probably ingested harmine in therapeutic or medicinal practices, some maybe related to pregnancy and childbirth," said study co-author Juan Pablo Ogalde, a chemical archaeologist at the University of Tarapacá in Arica, Chile..."
"Heirlooms are portable objects that are inherited by family members and kept in circulation for generations, Fitzpatrick says, and are frequently part of important rituals. The objects tested for this study are ceramic inhaling bowls that were likely used for the ingestion of hallucinogenic substances. Fitzpatrick says the luminescence dates of the bowls, as well as analysis of the material from which the bowls were made, indicate that the artifacts "appear to have been transported to Carriacou when it was colonized - possibly hundreds of years after they were made..."
"In the short term, small islands often are superior to larger islands, and for a variety of reasons, they were actually people's first choice," Keegan said. "They had better wind flow, fewer mosquitoes and more plentiful marine resources. With sufficient water and a relatively small amount of land to grow certain kinds of crops, they had everything one would need..."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New Tim Giago articles:
"The Professional Native Indian Artists Incorporation, better known as the Indian Group of Seven, was a group of professional Indian artist from Canada, founded in November 1973. The group combined forces to promote their art work and Indian art in general, into the world of western art and to a change the way the world looked at this art. A shift from an emphasis on "Indigenous (Native)" to "artistic" value. The group consisted of Daphne Odjig, Alex Janvier, Jackson Beardy, Eddy Cobiness, Norval Morrisseau, Carl Ray and Joseph Sanchez..."
"Community youth spokesperson Marylynn Poucachiche, mother of five and organizer of the community school, was [also] arrested at one of the morning blockades after being reassured by police that no arrests would be made since protesters had agreed to leave peacefully. Another community member was shoved to the ground and then kicked by several officers before he was arrested. "The police dragged him with his head on the ground all the way to the police car", said one observer..."
Video from October barricade.
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Technology developed to train military personnel in foreign languages is being reworked to keep Native Languages alive. RezWorld currently supports Cherokee and needs input for other languages. If your Native tongue is a concern, consider checking it out.
Modern "ledger artist", Donald Montileaux, showing in Rapid City this December.
"By the 1860s, Montileaux said, the buffalo were gone and the tribes began trading with the settlers for used ledger books, the pages of which replaced hides as a canvas. From about 1860 to 1910, the tribal history was recorded and preserved through the use of ledger drawings..."
"several artisans who share their stories of cultural continuity and pride in a new documentary... Weaving Worlds also reveals the often controversial relationship with Anglo traders and the challenges of maintaining aspects of a traditional lifestyle..."
"Random Outdoorsy Clips From Northwestern Ontario"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Some of these pics are included in the video, or have corresponding clips. [Click to enlarge.]
Lunker perch. We've been catching a bunch of these off the dock at Sportsman's Landing, Clearwater Lake. All the big ones were full of roe, surprising us. This site indicates that perch are early spring spawners, but the roe take 180-some days of "chill" to mature. So, we are looking at next year's spawn.
Dad gets his hands on a biggun.
Dad bags first grouse with new 20-Gauge.
Decadent feast of grouse, jumbo perch and steak.
Helliars Resort client with crappie fishing bycatch.
"... The effectiveness of this unprecedented transfer of wealth from ordinary citizens to the top tiers of the business world remains to be seen. It will certainly insulate the very rich from the consequences of their own greed and folly and fraud; but it is not at all clear how much these measures will shield the vast majority of people from the catastrophe that has been visited upon them by the elite... government after government... fell to the onslaught of an extremist faith... the rigid doctrine held that an unregulated market would always "correct" itself... This was of course an absurdly reductive and savagely ignorant view of history, money and human nature; but because it flattered the rich and powerful, offering an "intellectual" justification for rapacious greed and ever-widening economic and social inequality, it was adopted as holy writ by the elite and promulgated as public policy.... took its strongest hold in the United States and Britain, and was then imposed on many weaker nations through the IMF-led "Washington Consensus"... not only were markets to be freed from the constraints placed on them after the world-shattering effects of the Great Depression, but all public spending was to be slashed ruthlessly to the bone. (Although exceptions were always made for the Pentagon war machine.) After all, every dollar spent by a public entity on public services and amenities was a dollar taken away from the private wheeler-dealers who could more usefully employ it in increasing the wealth of the elite -- who would then allow some of their vast profits to "trickle down" to the lower orders... Regulation and oversight of financial markets were systematically stripped away or rendered toothless. Essential public services were sold off, for chump change, to corporate interests. Public spending on anything other than making war, threatening war and profiting from war was pared back or eliminated... ordinary citizens were told by their governments: we have no money to spend on your needs, on your communities, on your infrastructure, on your health, on your children, on your environment, on your quality of life. We can't do those kinds of things any more... But now, as the emptiness and falsity of the Chicago cargo cult stands nakedly revealed, even to some of its most faithful and fanatical adherents, we can see that this 30-year mantra by our governments has been a deliberate and outright lie. The money was there -- billions and billions and billions of dollars of it, trillions of dollars of it. We can see it before our very eyes today -- being whisked away from our public treasuries and showered upon the banks and the brokerages."
Please read entire article at the linked blog, Empire Burlesque
"The Canadian state, built on the theft and occupation of indigenous lands, continues to benefit from its unjustly acquired assets. Equipped with an ultra-security state apparatus, Canada's repressive and suppressive anti-terrorist and security measures have historically struck hardest against those that have the most to gain, namely aboriginal nations and their legitimate claims for their rights to land and dignity... Indigenous resistance to Olympic development has been criminalized... resulted in the punishment of Harriet Nahanee... She died of pneumonia and complications at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver on Feb. 24th, one month after her sentence. It is suspected that Nahanee's condition worsened during her incarceration at the Surrey Pre-Trial centre. Solicitor-General John Les denied any government responsibility and refused requests for an inquiry..."
"... the president of Colombia has declared a state of emergency and sent in the para-militarises and the police. Already 35 indigenous activists have been injured in the area, of whom two seriously. Security forces have attacked the unarmed indigenous protesters with everything from machetes to long-range rifles."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Graffiti portrait; "King of the Hill". Painted on the fort at my friend Zzzorhn's Spiritfire Paintball Park.
"... will dedicate the installation of a single wind turbine which will entirely power the station through renewable energy... Expected to produce more than 92 MWh of electricity annually, the turbine will save the radio station $12,000 in energy costs..."
"... We must not forget that 400 years ago, Canada was a land of savages, with scarcely 10,000 inhabitants of European origin, while in China, we're talking about a 5,000-year-old civilization," said Mr. (Dick) Pound in the interview..."
"... The first, a measure to transfer more than 1,000 acres of federal land to the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians... A second bill... establishes the day after Thanksgiving as Native American Heritage Day..."
"Tahlequah author Karen Coody Cooper, a retiree from the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., has researched American Indian activism and the ensuing protests regarding museums... American Indian protests caught the attention of the U.S. Congress in 1987 when hearings disclosed that the Smithsonian Institution alone possessed 34,000 American Indian remains. Native activists pushed for passage of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.The enactment of NAGPRA in 1990 served to transform museums by requiring them to release information about their holdings to pertinent federally recognized tribes and to return Native remains, burial goods and ceremonial objects to their homeland governments."
"... The symbols of civic pride placed at the Pike Place Market and Pioneer Square actually trace to the Haida people, of southern Alaska and coastal British Columbia... Coast Salish people hope to set the record straight when an unprecedented exhibition opens Friday at Seattle Art Museum. "S'abadeb — The Gifts: Pacific Coast Salish Art and Artists" showcases the living culture of some 70 tribes and groups... whose territory once encompassed the Puget Sound region, together with the sites of Seattle and Vancouver and Victoria, B.C."
"Unconquered- Allan Houser and the Legacy of One Apache Family" opens at the Oklahoma Historical Society on October 24, 2008. The exhibition of artworks, artifacts, and photographs will illustrate cultural survival and expression through five generations of one Apache family – the Haozous/Houser family. Spanning the years of 1886 to 2008 the exhibition will trace the family’s history in Oklahoma. Allan’s father, Sam Haozous, was among the Chiricahua Apaches forced from their New Mexico homelands, imprisoned in Florida, then Alabama, and finally assigned to the Ft. Sill Army base in Oklahoma..."
"Cody Nick and Travis, three teens from the Swinomish Indian Tribe, wanted to make a gangster movie or rap video. But instead they were asked to investigate the impact of two oil refineries on their tribal community. March Point follows their journey as they come to understand themselves, the environment and the threat their people face... March Point is the story of three boys awakening to the destruction these refineries have wrought in their communities. Ambivalent environmental ambassadors at the onset, the boys grapple with their assignment through humor, sarcasm and a candid self-knowledge..."
"A personal story of how a multimillion dollar project displaced the Mandan/Hidatsa/Arikara Nation in North Dakota. Producer J. Carlos Peinado returns to the Fort Berthold Reservation and discovers stories of the past as he assesses tribal identity. Through interviews and archival footage, a uniquely Native American perspective emerges, giving light to a portrait of resilience and survival in the face of catastrophic change."
"... a feature-length documentary film that tells the story of Jack Kohler, a city-born American Indian who travels through the land from which his ancestors came. His journey of self-discovery reveals to the public a region, a people, and the river that gives life to both..."
"Onondaga Nation leader Freida Jacques will give a talk on "Haudenosaunee Culture, Life in the Long House" on Monday, Oct. 27, at SUNY Cortland, as the College’s Native American Studies launches a cultural events series during November. Events are free and open to the public..."
OVIDE MERCREDI, gives alecture on TVOntario's Big Ideas lecture program. Audio and Video downloads available.
"The legacy of residential schools in Canada lives on, and the historic Truth and Reconciliation Commission will soon commence its work to contribute to truth, healing, and reconciliation. In this lecture, Ovide Mercredi, chief of the Misipawistic Cree nation and former chief of the Assembly of First Nations, reflects on what true reconciliation means and explains that it will only work if the reconciliation process engages aboriginals as equal partners..."
"On November 4, 2008 the people of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota are looking at new choices. Neither of the top two candidates has ever served as president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Russell Means, commonly known as an Indian activist, and Theresa "Huck" Two Bulls, the current South Dakota State Senator, former Vice President of the Tribe and four-time elected Tribal Secretary are facing off for the office of President of the Oglala Sioux Tribe..."
"... He was sentenced to time already served, a three-month conditional term and one-year's probation. He can't leave his reserve during his conditional sentence, and is barred from "unlawful protest" until the end of his probation. He won't serve jail time. "I feel good. I feel there's been a weight lifted off my shoulders," Mr. Brant said in an interview yesterday. But he also said he was disappointed, having hoped to lay out details of alleged OPP misconduct..."
"Welcome to the National Congress of American Indians' 2008 Native Vote Campaign official website! We hope this site will be an instrumental tool for your community as we gear up for one of the biggest elections in years."
"... He is the only man I know who can get a room full of Minnesotans to do "The Siege of Ennis" and "The Haymakers' Jig," set dances that are not for the feeble and which, despite Whalen's skills, can end up with lines of sweaty participants crashing into each other like a rugby scrum.... it's mighty suspicious, you have to admit, that a large, mustachioed Irish dance instructor should accept vegan pamphlets in the mail. He didn't get that big from eating tofu..."
"Canada is waking up to the reality of a North transformed by climate change, challenges to northern sovereignty, and rapidly increasing natural resource exploration and development. But beyond vague and often contradictory messages about polar bears or the Northwest Passage, Canadians have no clear picture of what this will mean to their lands and waters, wildlife and peoples of the circumpolar world. 2030 NORTH will assemble the best data and expertise about the north to create the first comprehensive picture of the Arctic 20 years from now - and beyond..."
"... hosted by Unity of the White Mountains in Lakeside and will be held Saturday, Oct. 18, from 7-9 p.m. ... Unity of the White Mountains is located at 257 N. Woodland Road (Arizona)..."
"... The company that claims ownership of UltimateBet — Tokwiro Enterprises, headquartered in the Kahnawake Mohawk Territory in southern Canada — has issued some refunds and promised to repay any players who lost money once an outside investigation is completed..."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dad walks ahead and checks out the road, overflowed by beaver dam.
Old wolf scat, with deer hair.
"A grouse in the hand..."
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From the TED Conference.
"Anthropologist Wade Davis muses on the worldwide web of belief and ritual that makes us human. He shares breathtaking photos and stories of the Elder Brothers, a group of Sierra Nevada indians whose spiritual practice holds the world in balance."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, a blog to document the happenings at the West Bank School of Art.
"... Yuba City museum... through Nov. 16... The sculptures, paintings, photos, poems and baskets were collected through the California Exhibition Resources Alliance, which organized the traveling, grant-funded exhibit..."
"... The Red Earth Museum hosts a diverse and changing schedule of traveling exhibitions and is custodian of a permanent collection of more than 1,400 items of fine art, pottery, basketry, textiles and beadwork... The juried art competition and dance competition at the annual Red Earth Native American Cultural Festival has established Oklahoma City as a Native American art and cultural center, rivaling other southwestern cities as a showcase of Indian art..."
"... Pamyua started ten years ago as a dream by two brothers to share the ancient stories of their people through music and dance. Stephen and Phillip Blanchett, who are of Yup’ik Inuit and African American decent, quickly gained the attention from music lovers of all types... Ossie Kairaiuak, grew up traditional dancing in Chefornak, Alaska... in 1996 when Pamyua met Karina Møller. The Greenlandic Inuit singer joined the group"
A blog posting, about making acorn flour; Precolumbian food staple. Looks pretty easy; at "Ramshackle".
"Entries will be judged by a panel from The Center for Beadwork & Jewelry Arts. These distinguished Beadwork and Jewelry Artist instructors will judge each doll based on 1. INSIGHT: The Bead Artist’s inner awareness and powers of self-expression through sculptural beadwork, particularly in terms of how well this year’s Competition theme is incorporated into the piece. 2. TECHNIQUE(S): a. Primarily, how well a particular stitch or stitches (or any other technique for applying the beads and embellishing the doll) is (are) executed within and around the piece. b. Secondarily, how cleverly the internal structure/form/body of the doll has been created/constructed/chosen in relation to the artist’s goals. 3. USE OF BEADS/BEADING AS ARTISTIC MEDIUM: To what extent the doll may be viewed as a work of "art", rather than "craft"; has the artist fully utilized the power of the "bead/beading stitch" as a medium for art -- an expression of color, light, tactile sense and emotion; to what degree does the piece make you want to view the doll from all sides? 4. VISUAL APPEAL: The overall visual appeal of the doll. 5. QUALITY OF WRITTEN STORY: How well the written short story enhances an appreciation of the Beaded Art Doll, as well as the Artist’s talents in design, insight and implementation."
"... Native Americans must unshackle themselves from any one political party and sign up as Independents for the next election. There are many reasons why I think this is necessary. As an example let's look at the failure of Democrats to appoint Native Americans to serve as judges in U. S. District Courts. Appointments are usually made by the senior senator from a given state. There has never been an Indian appointed to the federal courts in South Dakota. Why is there something wrong with this picture? The senior senators from South Dakota for the past several years have been Democrats..."
"... is proud to announce the return of the Native Theater Festival, a four day festival dedicated to presenting extraordinary theatrical work by Native theater artists from the U.S. and Canada... will feature three free readings of new works by Native playwrights followed by post-show discussions; a concert by Native and African-American singer Martha Redbone; topical field discussions on issues of particular concern to artists in the Native theater community; and a conversation with Oskar Eustis and other artists on politics and performance that will be open to the general public..."
"Three fellowships and two internships are offered yearly for Native American artists and scholars by the Indian Arts Research Center. Artist fellowships provide time for exploration of new ideas in art and contemporary issues. Internships provide professional development for those interested in museum work..."
"Raven Brass goes to high school, works in a store and likes sports. She's a typical teenager -- if you don't count the fact that she's on the brink of winning a national TV award. Brass, 15, is part of the cast of Wapos Bay, the Saskatoon-produced stop-action animation show nominated for a Gemini..."
"... The Equinox Petroglyph Project is an effort to document and interpret the ‘Picture Rocks’ from the female point of view and that of the Passamaquoddy youth through visual, auditory, and tactile works of art. Through a traveling exhibition we hope to educate and bring greater awareness of the Passamaquoddy culture to a wider public..."
"Bill Brown... will focus on the sculpture of the contemporary Native American artist Brian Jungen to begin his lecture, "Objects, Other and Us." In his presentation, Brown will examine a question at the heart of his current research: How do works of art teach us about our object culture—about the ways that human subjects and inanimate objects define one another? Brown will concentrate on the artist’s re-fabrications—his use of baseball bats and sneakers, leather sofas and plastic chairs, the bits and pieces of consumer culture that become, in his hands, "authentic" native artifacts. Brown will lecture from 2 to 3 p.m. in Harper 130, 1116 E. 59th St."
"The Office of Multicultural Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Superior is seeking Native American high school students and professional Native American artists to exhibit their artwork at UWS’s 10th annual American Indian Art Scholarship Exhibit April 6-29, 2009, in the university’s Kruk Gallery..."
"Lakota Artist Shoot" and is looking for interested parties. The event is meant for painters and sculptors to photograph Native American reenactors in scenes that they can later use as inspiration for their artwork. The reenactors provide regalia, horses, teepees, etc. to create authentic scenes of the Old West. The artists give monetary tips to each reenactor appearing in their photos. Similar events are held in South Dakota and elsewhere, but this is the only one I am aware of that is exclusively Native American..."
"is a Native American owned company with a critical mission to preserve the living history of indigenous cultures. Thorough digital video production and unique educational programming, we strive to honor the voices and traditions of the past. As most indigenous history is taught orally, much has been lost as the Elders pass on. MPP has developed these specialized services dedicated to capturing and preserving their legacy, not only for our own children but for all future generations..."
Google will pony up $10 000 000.00, if you've got an idea to help "change the world by helping as many people as possible". Project 10 to the 100. Deadline, October 20, 2008.
"... But the victory is dampened by a poison pill provision slipped in by Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) that explicitly restricts abortions under IHS programs. The amendment was approved along with the bill in February... Speaking at a Right to Life rally in January, Vitter boasted that his amendment put "clear, strong, pro-life language in that Indian healthcare bill."... "It's a race-based amendment, because it's trying to reduce our right to access abortion more than any other race of women in this country," says Charon Asetoyer of the Native American Women's Health Education Resource Center... But since the Vitter amendment would not dramatically change current abortion policies at IHS, the bigger concern is that it will sink the Native health bill altogether, killing prospects for a much needed funding infusion.That would still be a victory for Vitter, who voted against the bill even with his amendment.... "
"An inner-city drama club tries to stage a Cree version of Bye Bye Birdie in the Saskatchewan Native Theatre Company's production of Bye Bye Beneshe. The play, a comedy with serious elements, is being performed by youth actors who are part of the theatre's Circle of Voices program..."
"Located high on the side of a sheer cliff in a rugged place in central Utah named Nine Mile Canyon is an ancient petroglyph dating back over 1,000 years... Almost as fascinating as the petroglyph, is where it was carved... over 100 feet above ground on the side of a cliff. Unfortunately, this panel, along with 1000's of other ancient works of art, are in danger of being destroyed by industrial gas and oil development in the area..."
Online exhibit from Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, Beauty Surrounds Us. [Flash site.]
"... The group is conducting what it calls the Colorado Wickiup Project, a project to document little-researched primitive shelters known as wickiups and other wooden aboriginal structures in the state. The group already is in a race against time, thanks to the natural rate of decay of wood. But its efforts are becoming more urgent, thanks to Colorado's energy development boom. Much of that boom consists of oil and gas drilling in northwest Colorado, which overlaps the locations of many of the state's known wickiup sites. Many of those sites are believed to have been used by the Ute Indians..."
"... features what the tribes consider their finest artwork, items they wear and use in private ceremonies and rituals. Hand-crafted dance outfits, jewelry, staffs, headdresses, musical instruments and a 21-foot cedar canoe — many on loan from Native families across the state — are among the items to be displayed..."
Native music and artist interviews podcast, Indigitunes.
"IndigiTunes.com is a weekly podcast featuring music from Native American artists. Selections include Pow Wow, traditional, flute, jazz, rock, and more!..."
Not just another Native Blog; Daughter of Tse Whit Zen documents the destruction of a graveyard -and a community- by developers in Port Angeles, Washington State.
"... The heritage center, also known as the Haida Gwaii Museum at Kaay Linagaay, sits in the same spot as an ancient Haida village. Festivities began Aug. 23 with a traditional food burning to honor their ancestors and a parade of clans. As the parade drew near the facility, three new cedar canoes were launched followed by the official ribbon-cutting with a cedar bark rope. "This has been a dream of the community of Skidegate for 30 years, from the time the first museum opened in 1976,'' said museum director Nathalie Macfarlane." The idea of expanded facilities is to provide more educational opport
