# Native American Mamas tribe



## Little Bear's Mama

Any other Native American Mamas out there? Post here!


----------



## ~member~

Hello Little Bear's Mama! I am Lakota and Anishinaabe. No longer on the rez. Going to college to become a doctor. Somedays I feel so out of place...some days I am on top of the world and feel so proud of myself. For not only have I survived but am trying to thrive. I want my children to be safe. Did you ever realize that our ppl have only suffered oppression for less than 400 yrs? Think of all the other ppl's who have endured thousands of years! So little time, I feel like I could make this a better world for my children, kwim? I want to make it possible for our people to be able to practice our healing ceremonies without fear of being arrested and thrown in jail.

Well, I'll check in again soon! Time for baby...


----------



## JessicaS

I am Leni Lenape (Delaware) from my father's side and Lakota from my mother's


















400 years of oppression from who? We did oppress each other a bit.


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Hi! How exciting to meet you!
Mamaintheboonies,it is wonderful to hear you are going to college to be a doctor! I can imagine why you sometimes feel out of place,but it is great that you are strong and you preservere. Your family must be so proud!
Hiya,abbimommy!









As for myself,I am Creek and my dh is Southern Cheyenne/Winnebago. He is originally from OK and we usually travel there for ceremonies in the summer.







I'm a SAHM. Our ds is 4(he'll be be 5 soon







). I am hoping to homeschool his kindergarten.

The thing I find the hardest,is exposing to my ds to his culture where there is a cultural void. I mean,he is exposed to pow wow culture(my dh sings),but I wonder about him understanding where he comes from when we are so far from everyone. Do either of you feel that way?

And thanks for replying to this thread. This is gonna be fun!


----------



## Jane

I'm not a mama, yet, but I will be someday. My dad was Choctaw and Cherokee. I am saddened sometimes to know that my kids won't be indian. So Little Bear's Mama, I don't have an answer for you. If you don't mind, I'll just go back to lurking here?


----------



## ~member~

abimommy - I was refering to ppl always talking about how the 'White Man' has been oppressing our ppl for 500 yrs. Columbus may have landed on Plymouth Rock 500 yrs ago, but that doesn't mean that settlers were all over America. It has really only been the last 300 yrs, if that.

Little Bear's Mama - I still speak both my languages and speak them to my children. I am very tradional, ie- pipe carrier, I am the person who names the children, healing ceremonies, etc. I also sing. I do know what you mean, tho, about being away from it all. I had to hide all my ceremonial stuff because of ppl's b.s. Long story short, I was being racially harrassed and was and still am in fear of them calling the police. It is sad that my children see this. I want to be able for us to live in peace and without fear.
My 7 yr old dd struggles with knowing who she is, but that is because of all the stereotyping out there. The kids at school make fun of her skin color and her hair. The teacher told her that 'You get to go to school for free because you are an indian.'







My dd was really confused by that statement. The teacher also told the other kids that the reason my dd always has nice clothes and new toys is because all indians get casino money. Arghhhhh!!!









So, lots of discussions and talk and dealing with hurt feelings. I really wish I had never sent her to school, kwim? I won't even go into the crap around Thanksgiving. needless to say my dd was volunteered to be the indian.









Okay, no more ranting lol! Our children will do just fine. If we talk to them and tell them the stories, they will know who they are. I have always taught my children they are human beings worthy of being loved before teaching them anything else, kwim? I just figure that is what we all are first and foremost.


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

I understand what you mean my dh is a ceremonial person,too.







He has that to show our ds and I am glad of it. My has an Uncle and cousins that leave in a nearby state and they come to visit regularly,which is helpful.
How wonderful to hear that you are passing your ways on to your children.








My dh is fluent in his language and neither am I. Quite sad,really. Luckily,my dh Uncle works with the Johnson O'Malley(sp?) folks for his community and are teaching the Cheyenne language to the kids in head start. So,I will be able to get the materials to begin teaching my ds his language(or one of them







) at home.
It is SO sad to hear you had to hide your ceremonial objects.








I'm sorry you are being harrassed. Please stay safe.
May I ask where you're located? Are you far from home?(feel free to pm me).
I'm sorry your daughter is facing the stereotyping. I,too,have heard the "free school" comments along with the whole free healthcare,no taxes,B.S. If people only knew.







It amazes me the kind of misinformation that is out there. This is one reason I plan to homeschool my ds kindergarten.


----------



## ~member~

I'm about three hours drive from home, so not too bad.
I am so happy to hear you will be able to homeschool! I so wished I could! Being a full time student myself leaves no time for anything. I barely get supper made and then it's time for bed. At least my children see me reading all the time, so they are all into reading lol!
When I was younger I was fortunate that I got to go to school that was all ojibwe's and they taught class in ojibwe. I didn't have to speak english until third grade, when my mom moved to the cities. But, even then, it was mostly Native children. So, I have very little knowledge of what my dd is going through, kwim? I just try to be supportive of who she is and wants to be.
Does your son dance? My ds is a grassdancer, my dd is jingle dress but wants to start fancy shawl this year. We'll see how it goes lol! I found my shawl from when I was her age, but she doesn't have a dress yet. I'll have to make a visit to my aunty's lol! I never did learn how to sew!








I do beadwork, and can make moccasins and shawls, but the dresses and everything else...







:
I DO have a sewing machine tho!!!







just don't know how to use it...


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

LOL!!! I'm not a very good seamstress,either. I can sew better by hand than by machine! I like to make dance shawls,that is my thing. I'm not very good at beadwork or leatherwork. Glad to hear that you are!
My ds does not dance. He had a slammin' grass dance outfit,but he didn't like to wear it(mind you this was 2 years ago) he was really liked the bells,though.







Last time I put it on him,he said "Mama I don't want to dance". I said "why not?" he said "I sing". So there you go! He enjoys singing with his daddy,and that is good enough for me! Glad to hear your children are dancing.







I wish your dd lots of luck with fancy shawl.
I'm glad to hear you have instilled a love of reading in your children. I have tried to do so in my ds. Story time is one of his favorite things!


----------



## plum

Hi. My mom is Lakota and Hidatsa and my dad is Mandan. My husband is white and we live about an hour from my reservation. I'm excited to see this thread. I didn't expect to see Indian women on this site.

Umm, not sure what else to say. I'm due in September, but I would like to start school again in January. I would also like to be a doctor.

It's interesting that you mentioned dresses and dancing, because I'm going to start making one. I am not very good at sewing, but I got a sewing maching as a wedding present and lately I've felt like making things. I'm thinking I might be having a boy, so I also want to make a little ribbon shirt.

Speaking of kids in school: my little brother is in third grade. The boys in his class were giving each other nicknames and Justin ended up with 'Chief Joseph.'


----------



## JessicaS

Wow, MamaInTheBoonies I would definately complain to that teacher's superior about her behavior. That is completely and totally inappropiate.

My dh is Blackfoot but they don't know much about it so dd is registered with the Lenape (Delaware) as I am.


----------



## FroNuff

to you MamaintheBoonies

Just passing through and read about how horrible you and your DD have been treated. I agree with abimommy -- that teacher should be reported to her supervisor.

My father was Ramapough and Penobscot. His sister definitely identifies with being Ramapough, but I wasn't raised by that family and only see her occasionally. I don't really identify with being Indian. I love going to powwows, but am cautious because I don't want to seem like someone who just jumped on the bandwagon because they found some distant relative who is a 1/4 Indian, KWIM? I inquired about registering with the Ramapoughs, but I never got a response back, and I'm not even sure it's a possibility since they aren't a federally recognized tribe. So much for me to learn, but I'm too shy to ask more questions.


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Hi,Apple! Great news about your baby. Congrats!


----------



## roarzilla

Hey ladies! I'm SARAH







I live in Mpls, MN. Anyway I personally have no Indian heritage of my own but my DF does. And we have chosen to follow the Indian ways. DD had a baby naming ceremony and everything. MIL is very into her Indian heritage and is a Medicine Woman. I am always wanting to learn more. We are expecting our 2nd DD very soon now too.


----------



## JessicaS

Mom2AliKat, you can be registered with tribes even if they are not federally recognized.

Was your grandfather on the rolls for the tribe? I would also try asking his sister about it. Non-recognized tribes are often run by all volunteers and it really is a lot of work to get everything straightened out. Try contacting them again.

A lot of times things are lost when the older generation gets very old or passes away. I would really try and talk with ehr about it. I am sure she would be glad to see you had interest.


----------



## FroNuff

Abimommy, thanks for the info.







I don't keep in touch with my aunt nearly as much as I should, but I'll have to talk to her about it. I've never really brought it up to her because she has cancer, and tends to be very sick off and on. Plus, I had to question my reasonings why I wanted to be on the tribal rolls in the first place. I don't want to do it for selfish reasons, and when I was younger that was certainly part of my reasons for looking into it.


----------



## JessicaS

Why do you have to have a reason?? It is your birthright.


----------



## FroNuff

Quote:

_Originally posted by abimommy_
*Why do you have to have a reason?? It is your birthright.*








I guess I felt like since I'm not full-blooded, and I only found about being Indian when I was 19 (now 27), I don't have the same right as someone who has been living their whole life knowing they were Indian. I really don't want to step on anyone's toes or be out of place, y'know?

If you all don't mind me asking, how does one get started in dancing? Is it ok to ask someone that already dances? I know they probably won't teach you *everything* (so you don't copy them step-for-step), but perhaps they would teach you some basics?


----------



## JessicaS

I am sure you can find someone who knows at a pow wow, when you mentioned your tribe I hadn't heard of it and did a search on google and some things came up..maybe you can get an idea there..

Every tribe is different about that sort of thing really, some have tapes, some have classes and some people have to find someone to teach them...

I don't think it matters if you are not full blooded. A lot of tribes don't have any full blood members.


----------



## ~member~

Topic of my dd and her teacher - reporting it to her supervisor would do nothing, as her supervisor is even more ignorant. He believes all non-white children are savages and need to be taken from their parents and raised by non-savages so they learn how not to be savages. Thankfully, with the help of a lot, and I mean a LOT, of people, the charges against me were dismissed. THat man seriously wanted my children removed from my home purely based on the color of our skin.
My youngest dd was born by emergency c-section and I am a single mom with no family near by. So, september 24 until the 27 my dd was not in school because she was in the hospital with me, I have all the documentation and even the nurses notes saying that she was there. The principal waited until January 14 to file charges against me for educational negelct, because in MN it is a crime if your child misses or is even tardy more than 7 times!!!!

Okay, onto other stuff - if you want to learn how to dance at pow-wows, do as the children do and all other beginners...you watch and practice and learn. And, yes, ppl will laugh at your mistakes, but if you stick with it and actually learn, you will be very respected. I have been dancing for 20 odd years and I still don't know all the dances, and that is just for fancy shawl! But I did only put effort into the fun dances lol! Not that they can't all be fun, just that there are a lot of ceremonial ones that I never learned. Now that i am a mother, tho, I no longer dance. Someday, maybe lol!

baby cryin', gotta go


----------



## JessicaS

That is SHOCKING!!!! WHAT A LUNATIC!!! I would complain to the superintendant that these people are crazy.

If that doesn't work I would continue to find people to complain to until I got results.

My grandmother lobbied congress to get the tribal funds that had been placed in trust released to the tribe. One congressman just shrugged and said, "I don't want to, sue me."

She sued the US in a case that became landmark in Native American law. I still have the Supreme Courts with her name on it vs the United States.

That congressman later shook her hand and said "Wow, I didn't think you would really sue.."







:

That is chilling people are so ignorant. There was a movie recently made about such things happening in Australia "Rabbit Poof Fence" it is very good.


----------



## Jane

I'm just horrified. I cannot believe some people. And he is an administrator, a person respected in his community! Awful! I'm really mad that that is happening anywhere.
My co-workers do not believe that indians are really harassed by police here. They just don't think police are human, too, with prejudices and everything. Well, the one black guy believes me, but why not everyone else? On the grand scheme of life, I think having bad policemen pales in comparison to having it pervade even social government, like teachers and social workers.
I thought it was federal law that foster children had to be placed with indian families?? Our state operates that way and I know oklahoma does, too. When you take away an indian child, there is virtually no possibility that they will go to a white home. The tribal governments also get first "dibs" on the child's case and it reverts to the state only when the tribe says no. And even when the state has the child, he/she still goes to an indian home. Does this man not understand that? What an idiot!


----------



## plum

About that federal law- People still don't like to follow it, though. It's called the Indian Child Welfare Act and when an Indian child is up for a foster home or adoption, someone in the family or tribe gets first 'dibs', in order to keep them in the community.

However, when my mom tried to adopt my little brother (my older sister's son, so he's really my nephew, which he knows), she had the worst time. Even with a law like that, she met with so much resistance. She even had a lawyer helping her.
It just seems so archaic that people still try to take Indian kids away from their families.

I am also appalled that the school would treat you like that and I don't know what to say.


----------



## ~member~

well, that's the other issue...ickwe only supports those children that are enrolled. The government has implemented a policy of paper genocide. ie - blood quantum is based on land, not actual blood, that is why when two full bloods have children, their oldest is considered 3/4, the next child is half, and so on and so forth. So, even tho I come from a lineage of only natives, my blood quantum is 1/8 less than 3/8 on my mom's side and 1/64 less than 25/64 on my fathers side. So, I am unable to be enrolled in either of my tribes. My children are also unable to be enrolled. There are thousands of indian children who are unable to be enrolled and therefore no longer exist as indian in the eyes of the governement. Both my dd's are considered less than 1/8. Anyone looking at them can see they are full blooded.









So, if my children were taken from me, they WOULD be placed in a non-native home and probably adopted. sucks...always have to be on my toes. CPS has been called on me for breastfeeding my newborn, for not vaccinating, for educational neglect...Arghhhhh! I have social workers and guardian ad lidems visiting unannounced all the time. I have been in court too many times to count, for just stupid shit. I have never drank, never used/abused drugs, don't spank, anyone and just about everyone who meets my girls are so amazed at how loving and caring they are....As most of you know, that's not easy!!! I see my friends and neighbors who yell and spank their kids and it just saddens me, but I know that it is easier to lose your patience and just lash out. It takes a strong mind/will to think clearly ALL the time and be aware of how your actions affect your children. I don't care if my children never have name brand clothes, or even brand new clothes, I just want them to feel loved and cared about, I want them to feel safe and be able to love others and care about others. I don't want my children to think it is okay to hurt others just because they are upset or angry. So many years I have been parenting and doing my best and all this petty stuff keeps happening. It just makes me sick, sometimes.

ok, well, i need to stop. I am on a friends computer. it's raining today, so I didn't want to walk in the rain with my babies, to go to the library.


----------



## JessicaS

What!??!!?!?!?!???!?!?!!?!?!?!?

Um, screw that I would sue. That is TOTAL BULLCRAP!! TOTAL!!

When did this happen? It isn't like that with all tribes!


----------



## ~member~

This has all taken place this last year. the case against me for educational neglect was just dimissed June 2, seven days ago. nice.
Who would I sue? How does one sue? I have no money for attorneys or anything like that. On paper, we are not even indian, so we couldn't sue for racial discrimination.


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Just checking in. Hope everyone here is doing well.








Not much to report,really. Just enjoying the great weather! My dh's drum is hoping to compete at the 4rth of July pow wow in Cherokee,NC. My ds and I will be staying home







On the up side, I will be able to participate in the online chats that coincide with the LLL International Conference.









Mama In The Boonies, I'm so sorry to hear about all the struggles you have been through. I hope that everything is on the mend for you! Stay strong.


----------



## JessicaS

I wouldn't sue for discrimination but I would look into breech of contract. See what kind of agreements the gov had with your tribe. It must be something or they wouldn't have done this.

And talk to the elders about getting on the roles. This sounds like a heck of a fight but it would certainly be interesting.


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Just checking in. Hope all is well with all of you.








Do any of you post at www.powwows.com?


----------



## ~member~

CarrieBeary77 - as far as I know, lineage is usually passed down from the females side. In a lot of tribes it doesn't matter if your great-great-great grandfather was indian or not, even if it's your father. Offspring are usually considered indian if their mother was indian. It is different for some tribes, tho. Also, if you were never involved with your tribe, they may not recognize you as a part of them. A lot of enrollment issues are dealt with by a committee and if the ppl on the committee don't know you, they won't let you get enrolled. It's all politics, anyways. It has nothing to do with ancestry. If you are truly interested in connecting with your tribe, I would find out if they have a newsletter or newspaper and start attending the events they offer. One thing to remember is that these are tribal ppl, not an organization or religious group. If you have never been involved with tribal ppl, there are some huge differences in the way of thinking and living. For example - I can go anywhere on this earth and be welcomed into any tribe, it is a way of life, we recognize one another. It is hard living in two worlds, but it is possible.

It takes time, but if you are willing to put in the time and effort, you will be accepted.

Is anyone else on the pow-wow trail?
i am thinking about dancing again! I am still trying to decide if I should continue in fancy shawl or take the time to learn jingle...I feel like an old woman, sometimes, tho, lol! Maybe I should do jingle so I don't break any bones lol! Does anyone know any mothers who dance fancy?


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Hi mama!
Long time no "see".








YES! I know several moms that dance fancy. One mom I know is in her 30's and has 5 children! If you still enjoy it,I say go for it!
If,on the otherhand,you're being called to jingle,it is a beautiful dance and I'm sure you would be great at it.
I danced southern cloth,although I have not danced in regalia since I became pregnant with my ds. I often think I would like to dance again. Maybe I will someday. A friend of mine is doing some applique work for my shawl(every woman needs a shawl!). I will do the fringe work myself. I can't wait to get it! I haven't had a new shawl in YEARS! Eventhough I don't wear regalia,I still need a good shawl for intertribals and for ceremonies.


----------



## plum

I worried about that, too. I fancydanced when I was younger and now that I'm older, I would like to start again. But I was worried that, as a mother, that would be considered inappropriate. I wasn't sure if my age mattered at all (21). But my mom said 'It's up to you'.

I am HOT. And VERY pregnant and I am uncomfortable now. It is so humid, too. I am getting to the point I get to every summer, which is 'My hair is too thick and I want to cut it all off!' I hate when it's hot like this because it feels so much heavier and I don't even like touching it. My mom and sisters are coming this weekend and we're going out to the reservation to cook with my grandma. My husband has only been there once (when we went to the casino







: ) and my mom wants to show him stuff.


----------



## JessicaS

Carrie, if your mother has a card you should be able to get one too. Some tribes follow a mother's lineage but most just sign someone onto the rolls if one of their parents are from that tribe.

Get all your birth certificates together and go and see them. You'll need a copy of everyone's back to the person on the rolls for your tribe. They shouldn't refuse you.

I know any dances..







There aren't really many dances for women in our Tribe. I do a lot on the buisness side. I am on the board of Directors for my Tribe I was just elected to it this year and am really excited.

I am supposed to be planning an event for next year..has anyone done this before?? Anyone have recommendations??

We are getting our paperwork together to sue for recognition.







We have already sued the US once (won) and don't mind doing so again.







My group tends to be troublemakers..heh


----------



## mamabuzzybee

YeeeHaw! Indian mommas!







I'm SO happy to have found ya'll. Hmm. I'm momma to 18 month old Ma'iingan Elizabeth. I'm Anishinaabe from WI, and my partner is Ho-Chunk. I'm a SAHM during the summers, and a graduate student during the school year, though she's with her Jaji (dad in Ho-Chunk) and her Jaji CR (her other dad, her dad's brother) when I'm in class and working a few hours on campus. We're "natural" parents







: --though I'd say in Indian way, we're just doing traditional raising--extended breastfeeding, cosleeping, babywearing, and not letting her cry it out "for her own good". Well, I just wanted to introduce myself and say I'm happy to have met this group. Take care all!







Lea


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Welcome,mamabuzzybee!!
My dh is Nebraska Ho-Chunk! Small world,eh?


----------



## rrr

fantastic to see native mother discussion. i was just at the international La Leche League conference in san francisco asking around about native breastfeeding support groups. especially la leche groups. found very little. LLL alaska has some.

do you all have any info or experience with breastfeeding education and support as a native issue?

i am Lower Columbia Chinook. the chinook lived on both sides of the columbia from the ocean at Astoria, Oregon (and on the washington side, of course) all the way to the Dalles, oregon. if you want to consult map. they continue to be concentrated in washington on the olympic peninsula not far from astoria, oregon.

any other natives from the pacific NW? a discussion about full blood or what percent is silly here, because we are so dispersed with no res. unrecognized. and yet-- the greeters of Lewis and Clark! Welcome to the Pacific! well...anyway, i know my ancestry and that is enough, if not plentiful.

who are you and what are your visions for native mothers? rrr


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Welcome rrr!
It's great that you got to go to the conference. I couldn't go to SF,but I attended virtually via the chats.









Native breastfeeding support...I know of one group in WI that has a whole program. They even have breastfeeding videos specific to Native American culture. That might be one place to start. I'll see if I can find the info I have,it's around here....somewhere.








This is a topic I am very interested in. I would love to brain storm with you. I do not know of any Native specific LLL groups,but I know there are several groups in areas where there is a large NA population. If only more Native women would take the intiative and move the groups into their communities!

I have set up some information on breastfeeding and Native health at pow wows I have attended before. I have also considered sponsoring a nursing mothers booth or baby changing station at a pow wow to help get some information out there. Have you ever seen this and what would you think about it if you did?

Quote:

Who are you and what are your visions for native mothers?
I am a SAHM to one ds(age 5)whom I am currently homeschooling,and wife to my dh of 6 years. I am a great supporter of breastfeeding and all of it's benefits. I am caregiver for my family,immediate and extended. I am a mother,wife,daughter,sister,aunt,friend,and confidant.
My vision for Native mothers is to regain the strength to do for our families what is right and good. That mothers would return to mothering through breastfeeding,following their mothering insticts, baby wearing and co-sleeping. That women would understand the problems that alcohol and drugs can cause and avoid them,and help her partner to avoid them as well. That women would help their families to return to a more natural diet,and realize that the commodity diet is one that is slowly but surely killing off the Native people(I have witnessed this myself),that women would help their children learn the language,lest it be lost. And that Native mothers would learn to love themselves like they should.


----------



## rrr

terrific. hope for more responses. send info and experiences.

if you can attend LLL area conference this next year and especially get to know LLL leaders in local chapter, i bet they would be interested in directing breastfeeding support toward natives.

they would be an excellent source of support and materials for setting up at powwow. why not invite leader to hold an LLL meeting at the pow wow?

giving info and demo to middle and high school kids reaches mothers b4 they are mothers. if you can set something up and invite LLL leader to present info. or a good LC.

how about organize a native nurse in and invite the press. we are getting new long house here, and that wd be good location for that. or just wherever people like to hang out. like the bowling alley. ? where do people hang out, anyway?

or write a story about how natives used to care for their babies. do you know anyone who can tell you? rrr


----------



## Potty Diva

Hi native Mamas!

I am not a native american, but I am mother to one, and wife to one.

My husband is Lumbee, and of course Kailey is part as well. Both hold cards for their tribe.

I am really interested in learning more about the Lumbee traditions, so we can incorporate them into our lives. We also plan on attending more ceremonies this year. DH's family like to say they are native when they can get something by it. I really want to live it!

I know a lot about the Lumbee history, and am fascinated by all the folklore and legend surrounding dh's ancestors(namely Henry Berry Lowry).

PS- I think getting native mamas to realize and take control of their environment, bodies, and history is a fabulous idea!


----------



## Potty Diva

Quote:

Who are you and what are your visions for native mothers?
I have a vested interest in this, since I am raising a native child.









I am Teresa, NOW SAHM to Kailey who is 29 months old. We practice EBF, family bed(she occasionally wants to sleep in her own bed), we cloth diapered until she decided she wanted panties, use gentle discipline, and try to be an open loving fmaily.

My vision for native mamas? To feel strong enough to rise up against oppression and make a change in society(both nationally and locally). To be able to live their lives as they see fit without harrassment(either in a tradional or western setting). To not be judge by color, but by ability, but mostly I want my daughter to feel the power of her ancestors, to gain strength from their struggles, and to live proudly and happily.


----------



## mamabuzzybee

Hi all--
The woman in WI who runs the breastfeeding advocacy program is a great asset--she's non-native but has a passion that is extraordinary. Her name is Barb Stoddard and she works for Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council, and their number toll free is 800-472-7207 (that's from memory, it its wrong their other number is 715 588 3324). She worked with my mom when I was a teen, and it is because of her that I new as a 15 year old that feeding formula (if you can breastfeed) is doing a detriment to your child and that longterm breastfeeding is natural. And that breastfeeding is beautiful.

Little Bear's Mama said (sorry I can't figure out quotes once you start a message)
"I have set up some information on breastfeeding and Native health at pow wows I have attended before. I have also considered sponsoring a nursing mothers booth or baby changing station at a pow wow to help get some information out there. Have you ever seen this and what would you think about it if you did?"

I've been playing around with starting a business so I can be home with my kiddo (and potential kiddos) after I'm done with grad school, and the focus would be stuff for Native kids--for a pow-wow stand and an online store. One aspect I really want with the vending stand is a tent for moms to come and breastfeed--and others are welcome also. There would be toys, and a place to do diapers, and food and snacks for the breastfeeding mothers. I think I could actually find grant monies that could help defray the costs. And of course there would be plenty of informational stuff. I'd like to do some Native-specific breastfeeding advocacy products too. The only stuff I can really find has a woman in buckskin, with her long black hair flowing, and feathers in her hair--don't get me wrong, I don't HATE that kind of stuff, but I really think its important to show women that all Native women can relate to. Plus I think those kinds of images seem like ones white people do because they can only see is as positive when viewed through the lens of the past.

Alrighty, my kiddo wants a bath, so I'll write more in a bit.


----------



## rrr

what about those breastfeeding dolls like what they sell thru LLL catalogue? those could be made native american specific and wd. be great for kids? my kids love ours. baby fits up inside tummy, too. rrr


----------



## Potty Diva

There's a mama on Amitymamas who does Waldorf style dolls and Iam sure I have seen her do native ones as well. I know I have seen multi-cultural nursing dolls from LLL.


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Welcome Potty Diva!
My SIL is dating a Lumbee. He sings with the koatano(sp?)jrs.









Wow! Alot of great ideas floating around. I'm so excited to "meet" other moms with the same vision as mine. I hope we all can continue brainstorming and perhaps put some of these ideas into action!

I live far away from any large NA communities,but I can bring the info to the places where people gather,such as pow wows. At the booth I mentioned,a friend and I gave out info sheets on whole foods,diabetes,using native foods to prevent and heal disease,and breastfeeding. I also included some LLL pamphlets.







We sold some fruit juices and coffee to help with our expenses. We broke even.







I have an idea for something similar to what you mentioned,rrr...well,it's EXACTLY what you mentioned.







I would like to have a booth in an area facing the arena where the moms could still watch,and not feel cut-off. I would like to have some comfy chairs,nutritious snacks,maybe a fan?,a diaper changing area,and TONS of info. AND I agree that I would like to see some breastfeeding info geared towards the NA mom. In fact,I have a friend who might be able to help me there!

This is so cool


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

I LOVE the doll idea,and those would be fairly easy to make!
What about nursing necklaces with a NA theme?
Baby Pendletons,or Star blankets?


----------



## rrr

what is a nursing necklace. what wd. it looke like? the nursing dolls we bought at LLL conference were on sale for 10$. veryaffordable, but too much time to make. they had 3 or 4 little pieces of clothing. a lot of work---but a great idea. how to simplify?

new idea: are there native chat groups? how about a breastfeeding forum there? or set up a link to this forum? what could be easier?

chinook have a website. i'm gonna see if i can set up a link. tell us what you know about native communications besides the less convenient pow wow. rrr


----------



## Potty Diva

The Lumbee Tribe has an official site with links to other Lumbee members site and businesses. It would seem most tribes would have a site. Perhaps advertising/advocating natural/breastfeeding info and products there?


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Nursing necklaces:necklaces made to be worn while nursing,used to distract busy hands and keep a distractable baby interested in nursing. They are made out of beads(different shapes,sizes,colors)and are usually made of brightly colored,muted,or even red,white and black beads for the newer babies.









Communications: I know that the Winnebago of NE have a website,and the Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho(C&A)has one as well.
I don't know of any NA chat,aside from those on MSN. I know of www.powwows.com ,we could probably get a link there.
What about setting up a chat room on AIM or something similar?


----------



## mamabuzzybee

Yahoo has a ton of groups that are focused on Native people, though I've tried to subscribe to them an there's so much in fighting or other bullsh*t that it wasn't worth staying.

I think nowadays almost every tribe that has any money coming in has a website, though I question how much use posting on individual tribal sites might be. I guess although we are all computer savvy, I think of my home and my sister and friends, who although they may know how, aren't really online much. I'm one who's more for face to face stuff, which is why being at pow-wows and conferences really appeals to me.

Do any of you struggle with how to be traditionally respectful while doing advocation work? I am a relatively young person, 24, and I have a hard time imagining doing advocation work in my community because of issues with respect, and a long tradition of refraining from telling others what to do. I'd like to consider getting certified as a lactation consultant and doula when I'm done with school and serving in a consultancy basis where the information is provided when it is requested--I feel comfortable with that, but outright advocation seems touchy to me.

JMO







Lea


----------



## plum

Hi, I'm Jamie and I am going to have my first baby in a couple of weeks. Just wanted to say hi to the new Indian moms on the thread.


----------



## rrr

First why don't you describe what you think would be disrespectful. then we can think of alternative ways to reach same goals. rrr


----------



## MFuglei

Hey ladies, wanted to introduce myself. I'm Tinde (Jicarilla Apache) and Tsa La Gi (yup, my grandmother was a Cherokee princess :LOL ). I'm not enrolled in either tribe due to a slacker of a grandfather who abandoned the family - a long and sadly not uncommon story. I'm a 26 year old mama to an 8 1/2 month old baby girl, Lilly. I'm married to a Amer-European guy with little to no knowledge of NA issues. . . he's not dismissive of me, culturally, he just doesn't know much. I took him to Denver March powwow this year and he was in AWE (well, DUH!). Wanted to put that intro before I popped out of the blue to address this:

Quote:

_Originally posted by mamabuzzybee_
*
Do any of you struggle with how to be traditionally respectful while doing advocation work? I am a relatively young person, 24, and I have a hard time imagining doing advocation work in my community because of issues with respect, and a long tradition of refraining from telling others what to do. I'd like to consider getting certified as a lactation consultant and doula when I'm done with school and serving in a consultancy basis where the information is provided when it is requested--I feel comfortable with that, but outright advocation seems touchy to me.
*
Mamabuzzybee - that's been an issue for me for a lng time. I'm very fair complected despite our heritage and I grew up far far away from the rez, your typical disconnected Urban ndn. What was even harder was that most of my activism was in Omaha, NE -- and while I loved working with the U'ma'ha and Ponca, it was tough because it took lots of time and patience to earn a presence in the community.

Most of my advocacy work was for the University of Nebraska in recruitment and retention of NA students as well as teaching many of them in my English courses, doing volunteer tutoring, and just keeping track of everyone. It was much easier because they came to me -- with one NA graduate student on campus, where else were they to go???

But now - I find myself in a new town (Denver) and I've only been here for a few years. I'm completely tribally disconnected and suffering from some major homesickness. I've sort of been floundering and it's been difficult. . . that said, it's nice to find you mamas!


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Welcome back,Apple! Glad to hear you're doing well.









Welcome,MFuglei!









Mamabuzzybee,
I understand what you mean about being disrespectful. I'm sure,together,we can find a way to state what needs to be stated and offend the least amount of people possible while doing it!








IMHO,NA women really do need the kind of support that we mostly aren't getting elsewhere. I would LOVE to see that changed. I think it would be great to have some info out there that is geared towards the NA woman that takes into account the concerns that are unique to NA culture. Maybe more women would accept the info that way? Maybe together we can find a way to state the important information without sounding "preachy",or crossing the line into being disrespectful.
Is that addressing your concern at all? Or is your concern something entirely different? Please feel free to explain,I'm quite dense sometimes.


----------



## onecolville

Hey,
I'm colville and living in the midwest....


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Welcome,onecolville!


----------



## rrr

what kind of interaction feels disrespectful to you? specifics will lead to productive ideas. thanks, rrr


----------



## JessicaS

I am not certain what you mean either. I do know NAs are more prone to ear infections and nursing helps lower the risk. So maybe compile a comprehensive list of things that NAs are more at risk for and various ways to help them avoid those things.

Is that what you mean?


----------



## mamabuzzybee

Sorry for the delay--I had a very long post ready to send, but got called away from the computer, then someone closed my browser. D*mn!

BTW-Hey OneColville









Alrighty. There are a number of reasons why I'd say that I'm hesitant about advocacy in my community. Some for personal reasons and some for traditional reasons. Firstly, the personal. I'm the youngest in a family of 8--I've learned how to keep my mouth shut. I left the reservation 7 years ago to go to school and although I return at least once a month, I am no longer really a part of the community. Don't know if I ever truly was-I was a "good" girl-like school, wasn't allowed out of the house to party, wasn't allowed to 49 at pow-wows (I was a "camper" girl as my partner calls it-I had to stay at the camp with my gramma). So though I lived on the rez, and danced at pow-wows all my life, I spent most of my time with my family, and knew the pow-wow dancing/singing crowd, but did not interact with the party crowd, which is a lot of the rez. When I go home now and talk with friends who are having kids, I ask about breastfeeding and they firmly reply it isn't anything they are interested in, or that they tried and it didn't work. And from here, the traditional teachings come in-though traditional child rearing practices are far and few in between (with the exception of extended family involvement)-what is still traditional are the notions about telling people what to do. I have to dance around the concept of breastfeeding-I talk about myself and what a good experience it has been for me, trying to work in obesity/SIDs/diabetes factors when I can without sounding preachy. There have always been subtle insinuations that I thought I knew more than everyone else-even from my family-so to try to find a way to speak about breastfeeding and childrearing without getting those vibes is difficult. I am also a relative young person, though not a young mom by rez standards, LOL, at 24, and that also makes it hard.

I see advocacy folks around here in Madison as being out there, and at times, being in your face. And I cheer inside for them. But I couldn't do that at home. I would be shunned as a no-it-all and dismissed as quick as can be. At this point all I feel like I can do is be an example, bf my 19mo old in public, carrying her in a sling and raving about it when people are curious. I also try to be a gentle parent, and be very patient and gentle with other kids when their parents are around.

At this point, I'm thinking of getting certified as a lactation consultant when I finish grad school, and that I'd do consultation work with tribes who request help. I'm in WI and we have the breastfeeding program through Great Lake Inter-Tribal Council, and that's a good resource. However, as dedicated and wonderful as the woman who runs it is, she is non-Native and that does make a difference-sometimes good and sometimes bad. I'd like to be able to do hands-on work with Native women.

So, I'm comfortable with the thought of helping people who ask, but and uncomfortable with finding the means to actively advocate breastfeeding among the folks most unlikely to be willing to try (and who are most in need of help).

I feel like there have been 2 or 3 generations of non-breastfeeders, and the "geez, when my gramma didn't breastfeed, why should I?" attitude is very strong. And on my rez, body image among women isn't exactly strong-most of us still wear Tshirts and shorts to swim, and those who have bodies seem to showcase them only in sexual ways. I think breastfeeding freaks a lot of women out because breasts are seen as sexual in the mainstream and that's it.

Ahhhh. Please excuse my ramblings. This is a hard one for me. I so strongly have the urge to advocate, but don't know how to go about doing it. I've played around with switching my field of study from education to family studies so I can work with families. I'd love to work with elders who were raised in traditional ways and write down their narratives. My partner's gramma is so supportive of what we're doing, not because she understands it on an intellectual level, but because it was what she was taught. Most important thing for a mother to do is never let your infant cry. She told us that "those babies choose to come here and if they're not happy, they'll leave" and you have to work to make them comfortable and happy.

I think about that when I think of our astronomical SIDs rates. I thing I believe that basic (and advanced too) science and spirituality are one in the same-that the energy science talks about is a spiritual thing. And that part of who a spirit comes from who you are-and part of who you are depends on your genes. If those spirits are coming to us and they are a part of what came before, then they remember how spirits should be treated because it was only a few generations ago that we all raised babies in respectful ways. Maybe those spirits leave because they're not getting what they expect. Does that make sense? It does to me, particularly when I think about the "scientific" facts that breastfeeding and cosleeping reduce the rates of SIDs.

Alrighty, that's enough for now. I could go on and on and on. J Thanks Mommas.


----------



## plum

Wow, mamabuzzybee, that was very well-put.

I understand what you are saying about breastfeeding being lost and breasts being seen as only sexual. I had to laugh about the girls swimming in shirts and shorts because my younger sisters all do that and they were scandalized when I bought a (modest) bikini.

I am seeing this now in my own family. I am planning on breastfeeding and while I know it is better, I wouldn't feel comfortable telling anyone else in my family they should do it (for instance, my SIL). Mostly because it would turn them off and they would think I thought I was better than them. My mom breastfed, but she still doesn't expect that anyone else would want to.


----------



## rrr

AHHHHH. good answer. now we have something to think about. one idea leads to another.

1. can you start interviewing the elder women on the topic of traditional childbirth and babyrearing, including breastfeeding. buy a small tape recorder and gather a bit of priceless history.

2. the venues for sharing the stories of these women are endless, but here's a great one: middle and high school health class.
you can approach individual teachers about this idea and also find out who creates the curriculum for helath classes in the district. are there classes in school designed to teach traditional ways, too?

children and young teens are the perfect audience for teaching abuot breasts and breastfeeding. of course, later they find out that the breast has some sexual applications, but then primary function of the breast is to feed children! it should be the first lesson that kids have about the breast, too.

the secondary function of the breast, is that through the act of breastfeeding, especially extended breastfeeding, the mother builds up her own health. 2 ways are reduced breast and ovarian cancer risk. i've been nursing everyday for the last 7 years and can attest to the daily and monthly benefit of evenly regulated hormones and neurotransmitters. feel better, think clearly, bond to my children.

if there are elder women who want a chance to talk about the ancient ways of childbirth and babyrearing/breastfeeding, maybe you could show them how the studies confirm them. you could help to create a 20 or 30 minute program using video or live speakers. show how things are coming full circle.

how's that for ambitious? rrr


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Apple,
It's great that you're going to breastfeed your baby.







If you ever need info or support,please don't hesitate to let us know. AND...you may not realize it,but when your breastfeed your baby,you ARE advocating to others.









Mamabuzzybee,
I am right with you on everything you said! I,too,heard that you should never let a baby cry. I just remembered that when others have told me that I was "spoiling" my baby.








Yes,you are correct that there is sort of a barrier there,a way of not PUSHING info on others. We just have to remember that the info still needs to get out there. This is something that has been on my mind for YEARS and I really don't think it's a coincidence that we are discussing this here,now.







I believe,together, we could find a way of stating information where it would not be offensive. We would give "suggestions" instead of advice. And information,where moms could make informed choices. If the information and support are not there,fewer moms will make these choices. They might,instead,choose to use "free" formula instead of free breastmilk,you know? I think there is alot of misinformation out there,and moms might be led to believe that breastfeeding is more of a burden than a joy. Family might pressure them to use bottles so they can care for the baby,the father might pressure mom to use forumla so they can take off on a whim or he doesn't want her to "expose" herself,or she may choose to use formula because she mistakenly thinks it is simpler,better for baby,she needs to work and thinks she can't breastfeed,ect. That being said,I feel that not only mothers and potential mothers need this information but fathers,grandmothers,and the whole community as well. Perhaps if we could find a way of stating the info in in reference to the difference it will make in the present and the future(especially in relation to diabetes),as well as the way breastfeeding helps us to "reconnect" with the past,which is pretty much what rrr has stated.









rrr,
I really like your ideas. Say,we have the information. We have interviewed,we have researched,we are prepared. What next? How do we compile the info? Any ideas for funding?
P.S. There is NOTHING wrong with ambition.


----------



## rrr

have you already done interviews like that? at the library or the used bookstore you could find books on interviewing basics.

call the journalism school at your local college or university and ask them to recommend a basic interviewing text. or ask if they would give you some handouts. my reporter husband may still have something like that. i'll ask him.

develop a relationship with a like-minded newspaper or tv news reporter. ask them for interviewing tips. if you know an elder woman who has something to say, is ready to talk, perhaps you've already done some interviewing yourself, you could suggest this to said reporter as a story idea.

young native mom gathering native childbirth and babyrearing history from elder women.

someone would definitely want that story. if one news organization does a story, others will follow. local news as well as historical publications, magazines like mothering, indian country today, etc.

you can create news by starting a research project.

this build interest, creates awareness, draws support. it may also hook you up with elders who want to talk.

do you know that steven spilberg has poured a huge amount of money into interviewing every single holocaust survivor. he is very committed. he is doing it for history. we can do the same. most of the old ways are lost for most tribes.

what to do with the information? write a play! write songs! write a musical! create a video documentary! (collaborate with film school students) write social studies or health curriculum, create a position paper supporting traditional childbirth and babyrearing and get your tribal council to recognize it. ask them to add it to their agenda somehow. create handouts for hospitals or birthcenters or ob/gyn or pediatrician. create a partnership with a pediatric group to promote healthy native ways to native mothers. (BREASTFEEDING!)

the easiest way to change the future is to focus on kids.

create a page of media contacts and then once you get going, you inform them whenever anything significant is going to happen.

hold a creative press conference. we had one in my backyard last summer in the pouring rain. we wore crazy hats and sang a song to kick off the gold ribbon for breastfeeding campaign. we in vited breastfeeding mothers who had challenging situations. got a long time on the health segment.

well--- we're way ahead of ourlelves now. what are your ideas!?

rrr


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

You have some really great ideas,rrr.

My ideas? I would like to compile information that would include childbirth,breastfeeding,family bed,baby wearing,nutrition ect. of the past and add it to facts about the great things about these same things that we can do now,and how they will benefit baby,mama,family,and community.
I would like to have pamplets,videos,booklets,and perhaps even a book with this information written for and by NA women. I also would like to see an organization that would back these things up in the communities. Something that would cross the tribal lines and be national(thinking big,huh?







).


----------



## rrr

how will you start? and when?

when you look at your community, who would want to talk about these things?

who would want to learn about these things.

you know who is fascinated with these topics...young girls. my daughter is 7 and she can't get enough of this stuff.

"tell me a story about when you were a girl" and she remembers everything. rrr


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Good questions.
Well,the "now" research would be easy for me. I have access to lots of resources(written and persons with experience). The "then" will be somewhat harder as I live an an area that is basicly void of NA culture,and the people that are around most are men!







But,I could look ahead to the pow wows(I have several women in mind)and when we travel back to Okalahoma. I could interview and ask for insight then.
How will I start? By compiling information over time.
When do I begin? Anytime I would guess. A few lines here,and a few lines there.
Who would I want to learn about these things? Young girls,teenagers,mothers-to-be,mothers,fathers,grandmothers,sisters...you get the idea. I think there could be different forms of the information. Some would be written for young people,some from a woman who is pregnant's perspective,some for new mothers,some for fathers,and some for the community.
Is that too broad?


----------



## rrr

it can be helpful to pick one action, give yourself a short timeline to finish and gather info specific to completing your action.

example: a handout for new fathers (studies show that the main reason women quit breasfeeding early is for lack of husband support.)

what do you want them to know? what are you asking them to do? who and what are your sources of information?

keep it simple, do it in a month. or by christmas.

network as you go. have LLL and lactation consultants and pediatrician review your work. have native experts and elders revies and endorse that particular handout.

find printing business to print it for free.

decide and put it where you think it should go. doctors' offices, tribal center, health center, teen pregnancy program, pow wow, etc.

if you make it finite, with a deadline, you'll get something valuable done. something that didn't exist before. rrr


----------



## mamabuzzybee

Someone posted this on another list I'm on. Interesting for me to think of how many women use welfare programs or WIC at home.
Lea

Here's an article declaring that some US States' welfare work
requirements significantly decrease breastfeeding rates.

"If welfare reform's work requirements had not been adopted beginning in
1996, national breastfeeding rates six months after birth would have
been 5.5 percent higher than they were in 2000, according to a study
published in the August issue of the journal Demography.

By 2000, states with the most stringent welfare work requirements for
new mothers had breastfeeding rates 9 percent lower than expected based
on trends in states with more lenient policies, the study found.

The policy changes appear to have had a pronounced impact on low-income
mothers' breastfeeding practices, report demographers Steven Haider of
Michigan State University, Alison Jacknowitz of the RAND Graduate
School, and Robert Schoeni of the University of Michigan.

They also examined breastfeeding rates of mothers enrolled in the Women,
Infants and Children (WIC) nutrition program, a federal program aimed at
low-income women eligible for welfare. Among WIC mothers living in
states with the most stringent welfare work requirements, breastfeeding
rates six months after birth were 22 percent lower than those of WIC
mothers in other states."

Rest of article is at:
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRe...d=115-08212003

The full text of the study can be found at
http://www.prb.org/cpipr/articlesdemography.html


----------



## rrr

hey- there you are. haven't heard from anyone in the native thread for a while.

my mother has made her own paddle in a workshop with our tribe and will use it in a canoe ceremony this weekend. (we are coastal) i ithink it's part of a lewis and clark celebration.

wish she'd been interested in this stuff when we were kids. it would have been fun.

the local wic office does a fair amount to promote breastfeeding. they host an LLL meeting and check out breast pumps.

i will read that whol article later. the names are worth noting. i always wonder who does bf research.

rrr


----------



## onecolville

rrr - what's your tribe?


----------



## mamabuzzybee

Quote:

_Originally posted by rrr_
*hey- there you are. haven't heard from anyone in the native thread for a while.*

Sorry--School is just starting and things are a bit hectic to say the least. Its hard because my school interests are not necessarily congruent with my personal passions right now, so its hard to find a balance. But I need this for my personal fulfillment, so I'll find a way to find time.








*
the local wic office does a fair amount to promote breastfeeding. they host an LLL meeting and check out breast pumps.*

THAT is super cool. That is not the case with our tribe. There is some stuff going on with breastfeeding promotion, but not enough, that's for certain. And certainly no LLL-type supports. I'm really interested in getting certified as a lactation consultant, and doing some support stuff at home. I think its important for Native women to be doing some of it--right now the main breastfeeding person up there is white and she's new to the community, so I don't know how much she'll be able (allowed?) to assist.
*
i will read that whol article later. the names are worth noting. i always wonder who does bf research.*

ME TOO!

rrr [/B]


----------



## rrr

lower columbia chinook. that means on either side of the columbia river close to the pacific ocean. tribal office and meetings are on the washington side, this weekend's celebration is in oregon, close to astoria at ft. clatsop. this is lewis and clark's winter camp where they lived until they could turn around and go back.

ft clatsop is a very interesting historical interpretive center. lots to do and see if you're headed this way.

i live 3 1/2 or 4 hours from where the meetings are, so we don't make the trip. but my mother drives down from seattle and i know other people drive several hours each month.

i would like to be more involved. it will be easier when my kids are older.

clinton recognized our tribe as he walked out the door, and bush unrecognized it as he walked in.

we have no money and we share a lawyer with 2 other tribes who don't want us to be recognized or have any power, so we're a little stuck.

my ancestor, Tonwah, was an orphan ward of john mclaughlin at ft. vancouver. that was 1860' or 1870's. there is lots to read about them.

i never really knew my grandmother's father, but my grandmother didn't think of herself as indian. there was so much racism. she inherited timber land on the quinault reservation, which she eventually sold.

my mother always identified herself as part indian, and was proud of that, but wasn't raised with any native traditions or even basic information. it's only that last few years that she's done tons of research and enrolled and joined committees and bought a little house in bay center, a continuous chinook settlement.

the chinook never had their own reservation, and the descendents are mostly dispersed.

more than you wanted to know?

************************************************** **

is there an LLL meeting in the area? or is there a leader looking for a place to hold a meeting? the wic office is a great place for a meeting. wic mothers get a voucher for attending an LLL meeting.
i might be able to get you some material on how this came about. i'm not sure about other wic offices all over the state. of course, there is a shortage of LLL leaders. you know, it's easier to become an LLL leader than a lactation consultant. look at the LLL website.

do you live far away from the wic office you are talking about?

rrr


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Hi everyone!
I've been busier than a one armed coat hanger,sorry I haven't checked in.








Glad to hear everyone is doing well!

Thanks for the article,mamabuzzybee. That's something to ponder. I do think that WIC and medicaid should be more proactive in getting pumps to mothers who work/go to school/cannot breastfeed for one reason or another. I believe it would make a huge difference.They also need some good,solid information. Moms need to know that they can continue to breastfeed,whatever lies ahead!
About becoming an IBCLC,here is some info on that and becoming a LLL Leader. If you think being a Leader is something you'd like to do,I'm sure you'd be a HUGE asset to your community!
www.lalecheleague.org/FAQ/LC.html
www.lalecheleague.org/FAQ/leader.html


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Hello! Just checking in!
How is everyone doing? Anything new? Anything you want to discuss? Travel lately? New ideas for getting info to other NA moms?

We're all doing well here.







We're going to a pow wow this weekend. My dh drum is host,so I'm sure we'll be busy. I'm looking forward to getting out of the house!
About the pamphlets and stuff,I just heard through an email list I'm on that there is a group that collects books for their group that gives free prenatal care on different reservations. I'm trying to find out more about it. I'll let you all know when I hear anything.


----------



## rrr

hi

nice to hear from someone.

we had a wonderful day with our lower columbia chinook 2 saturdays ago.

ceremonial naming of 3 authentic chinook canoes, ceremonial washing of canoes with cedar boughs. testimony about the canoe way of life from elders. gifts to commemorate the day. potluck. lots of salmon.

then we all went down and took turns paddling up and down a little stretch of the lewis and clark river--a tidal river-- as did my ancestors. it was easy to connect to the past. our culture is all but lost.

my mother was very proud to be in the special canoe with her daughter and grand kids all at once.

we're going to look through a stack of chinook stories for a basis for a wetlands dance. you know, if you research your native stories, you can write a play based on it. everyone would be thrilled.

news: the siletz indians have created a charter school where the local gradeschool was closing. they get state education money. clever and on the ball.

have you been watching the pbs show on race? there was one tonight about an apache-navajo family with small children, living away from home. tune in.

rrr


----------



## plum

hey there. i had my baby and she's awesome.


----------



## Avonlea

Hi, I have a situation to share/questions to ask.

My stepfather is half Seneca Iriqious from the Seneca nation in New York state.

He now lives in Pennsylvania, about three hours drive to the nation. However he has never gone and is afraid to go.

His Mother abandoned him and five of his siblings to different familys/homes accross Arizona and California.

My stepfather looks Very native...This is has been hard for him as he was raised by white familys. Unfortunalty he had an awful non-exsistant childhood and never met his bio dad until he was 36.Long story short..I know he would LIKE to go to the res inNewYork, but I also know he is petrified to go.

He has no understanding of Native culture, but feels drawn to the sound of drums and the call of his people...just very unsure of how to go about it and if he would be welcomed home or scoffed at and told to go back with the white people( whom he feels odd around too.)

Can anyone give me any advice about this? What do you think? Is there any one here from that nation or near it? Can you give me some advice?

My second question:

When I was nine my grandparents took me to the Winnebago res in Nebraska. It was about 1984/85. I went to the pow wow and stayed with the Bird family.

When we left, one of the women came and gave me a beautiful blue shawl .

I have often wondred why she gave me such a beautiful thing.

Was there a signifigance in this, was it out of hospitality? Should I track this woman down and give her something?

I recall so many things from my week there, adn have often wanted to return but I am white and ..so..I just don't go. I don't want to be thought of as one of those weird people who try to pass themselves of as native or what have you..I just had a good time as a kid playing with the other kids, liked fry bread and enjoyed the dancing and music.

anyway, it is late but I wanted to get this out somewhere and see what you ladies thought.

Thanks,


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

rrr,
Thanks for sharing about the naming of the canoes. That sounds wonderful! Also,I'll look into the show about race. I'm sure dh would be interested in it,too.
Apple,
Congratulations!! I'm so happy for you!







Tell his the details. How big? Alot of hair? How are you feeling?
Avonlea,
Your step father could call up to the Seneca and Iriquois nations and see if he is enrolled with either of them. If he was born on the rez,chances are he is enrolled with one or the other of them. If not,if he wants to be enrolled now,he probably has the documents available to do so. Also,I'll bet there is a coming home pow wow or something to that effect up there. Perhaps he could find out when it is and go. Maybe you could go with him for support? Maybe he could do a little research and find out if he has blood relatives living there. If so,I'm sure they would welcome a call from him! Let us know how it goes.
On the subject of the shawl. It was a gift given to *you*. Obviously,you made an impression on the lady that presented it to you.







You wouldn't want to give it back. To do so would be an insult. It was a gift given from the heart and it would be best to keep it. About the Winnebago pow wow...there would be nothing wrong with going if you wanted to. They welcome visitors. About being white pretending to be Native...there is a big difference between someone coming and watching and/or participating with respect and someone going to the pow wow and trying to dance in some made up costume-like regalia,feeling like it's their right because their great great great great great great grandmother was a Cherokee princess,all the while showing no respect for the circle,themselves,or others and making a mockery out of the pow wow.







I'm sure you would be welcomed.








Honestly,it's not the color of the skin,it is the *attitude*. If you show respect,you'll get it. Plain and simple.


----------



## rrr

about the stepfather, i don't know. calling the office is a good idea. email with the office. check the tribe website for news and calender.

most pacific coastal indians are long lost from the native culture. tribes have been wiped out. instead of contrasting natives and whites or indians and whites, i think it's more accurate to contrast natives and non-natives.

i mean, i'm german, english, french and lower columbia chinook. so, i'm both "white" or anglo or european and also native american.

as far as my right to participate, if i don't, who will? there are no full indians among us, that i know of. i feel an obligation to learn and teach the history and culture of a lost people.

and wouldn't you know it, i am descended from a chief named comcomli, who was famous for his dealings with lewis and clark as well as, john mclaughlin of fort vancouver. but that was a long time ago.

did your step father have any natural children? if so, they might be able to be enrolled. it's neat that you are encouraging him in this. your interest reminds him of the value of the connection.

congratulations to the new mother. i wish you wonderful support and help to overcome any breastfeeding trouble. my tip, take magnesium with calcium and full water at bedtime. it's the magnesium that really helps. but think about how much mineral it takes to make milk. if i take magnesium when i get up in the night, i don't lie awake after.

greetings all.

rrr


----------



## JessicaS

Hey, rrr has your tribe contacted NARF? My tribe is working with them. They might be interested in your tribe's case. I know they have won some cases that were similar.

http://www.narf.org/


----------



## JessicaS

Avonlea, I am sure they wouldn't just scoff at someone. I would try and see if his ancestors are on the rolls at least, they may not be aware of his existance if it is as you described. They may welcome him with open arms.

When my own tribe "found" some people we weren't aware of we were thrilled to be reunited with a branch of the tribe we thought was lost and they are now active members.


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Well,I found out about the charity. It is American Indian Relief Council . They don't do the prenatal care as the person told me,but they do give baskets to all the newborns on the Pine Ridge reservation. You can find the info for what is included in the baskets by looking under the heading "infants and elders" then clicking on "baby baskets". My resource said there is another part of the AIRC,the NWAIRC,that gives breast pumps in their baskets.
I don't know what you're thinking,but I'm thinking this might be a nice place to start *doing* something. How would you guys feel about collaborating on a tri-fold info sheet for these baskets? If it's a go,how would you like to go about doing this? Funding for printing? And,most importantly,what would you like to see go *into* the brochure. I was thinking it would be just a print-off type thing,not a professional looking brochure(yet







). So,tell me what you think!


----------



## rrr

great idea. super d duper. sorry to be so silly. it's late.

i would start by looking at the benefits of breastfeeding tear sheet from LLL. you can by a tablet of those from LLL. i will look and see if you can read it on their website.

do you have an LLL catalogue? it has so many good ideas in it.

after close reading of some LLL material, you could decide if you wanted to do something that was tailored to a native audience, instead, or in addition.

LLL has the best breastfeeding info, they work hard at that.

i'll look for appropriate prilnted material. and tell you what i find.

so yesterday, i made signs and posters for an LLL info table at a fashion show, called the best dressed breast. it was breast cancer awareness and prevention for 300 sorority girls.

we were thrilled that the organizers were rightfully promoting breastfeeding as cancer preventative. but the girl i talked to was more impressed with the idea that breastfeeding would give her a break from pms.

all the world's a stage.

rrr


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

The person I know has been donating "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding" and LLL pamphlets to the charity. The person she was working with doesn't seem very receptive to the donations.







But there is another person she is working with now who is a little more receptive,so I think the book and pamphlets might still make it in there.
I think the tear-off sheets are a GREAT idea. They are really inexpensive and have TONS of info on each one.
I would still like to make a sheet or tri-fold with info that would be by Native women for Native women. I think both the charity that distributes them and the moms would really appreciate them.
Thoughts? Anyone?
And,rrr,that is fantastic! You probably reached many more women than you realize.







Keep up the good work!


----------



## rrr

they were children. they were girls. and yet on the doorstep of womanhood.

we decided after, that we would give out candy next time to draw interest.

actually, if we put little how breastfeeding benefits you quizes in each program, they could do the quiz and turn it in for candy.

it's a whole different audience than the new parent who cares about the baby.

i have this theory about appealing to the needs of the more powerful (the desicion maker), rather than to the needs of the powerless (the baby).

OK. so what do youwant to say in your brochure? you gotta' start somewhere.

maybe think about what i just said about the needs of the mother.

and...what about choosing a native principle and applying it to breastfeeding?

let's brainstorm some native themes.

do you know these women personally?

what organizations are connected? for example, does WIC work with LLL? etc.

oh---can you look up and read some native stories from your area? maybe there is one that you cd. use as an intro.

or--learn the attributes of the animals and find one that relates to mothering. these are fun ideas.

here in the LLL catalogue, it says you can buy a sample packet of one of each of the 19 different tear sheets. this might help you with lots of briefly stated info, as well as help you choose an appropriate tear sheet to accompany your native one.

tear sheets are 5.50 for 50.

rrr


----------



## Jane

I think I can write something up this weekend. No obligations to anyone, but I'll see it what I'm thinking comes out well on paper. I'll post it if it's good and get some critique.

My idea:
Your new baby. Positive and breezy, light.
Short paragraph about how the baby was designed for breastmilk, including digestion, immune system, mouth.
Longer paragraph about the benefits to the mother-child duo. Sleeping more, no washing, always available, freedom, contentedness, nursing to sleep, soft stools (ie, no constipation issues), always perfect temp and content, etc.
Shorter paragraph about benefits to mom, weight loss, breast cancer, empowerment?

Phone numbers, with actual names of the people, not just the number (I hope), books titles

Things to leave out:
Insinuations about the reader...too poor to afford formula, don't know about babies, anything negative about formula feeding (as much as possible).


----------



## ~member~

Wow! I missed so much! I have just been so busy, two girls and school and all that fun stuff lol!
I have been trying to get a breastfeeding tent/spce for mom's at the pow-wows for a long time. I am thinking that maybe I should just go to Stanley Crooks and demand that there be a tent with water, snacks, and changing table with a place for washing hands at all the pow-wows his tribe sponsors. Or maybe, all the powwows that Mystic Lake Casino provides funding for....hmmm..
I think in your brochure, you should have pictures of present-day mom's breastfeeding. The n8v women with their Baby Phat clothes and Kangol hats, sitting at the pow-wow nursing, or at the local mall. i would even be willing to volunteer. I could have my friends take pictures of me nursing my babe in public and/or at the pow-wow. I can send them over the email or something, for you to use.

Well, thanxgivin's on its way. My dd is in First Grade! Guess who always gets to be the indian in the plays about the pilgrims landing on plymouth rock?!? Yeah, the only indian in the school...my dd.








She is excited, though. She gets all the attention, but....I just don't know....the lies they are teaching her and the lies she is believing.....arghhhh. The teachers are idiots, as you have heard in previous posts. Their response, "Well, could you come in and teach them?" NO! Idiots. I am NOT responsible for your ignorance, nor am I responsible for teaching you!








I am so sick of it all. i am even considering moving to Ste St. Marie so she can go to the indian school there and i can attend college.
Well, I don't have the money or resources to do that, so any suggestions, ideas on how to keep my sanity?


----------



## CeraMae

Hello Native American mommies. I promise I'm not trying to hijak your thread. I just thought more than anyone you may have faced this issue and may be able to help me.

So sorry that I haven't had the time to read thru the pages of your thread to see if this has already been covered. My brother (half brother but we don't use those labels) is 1/2 Passamoquady (I think that is how you spell it), a costal tribe in Maine. He has a 2.5 yo boy and and I want to get him something for the holidays that will reflect/celebrate his heritage. My bro is just starting to get back to his roots of his spirituality so I'm getting him some great books I found, but as for the boy I'm at a loss. We don't have much $ but what I'm thinking of is a sort of generic Native American doll. I just don't know where to find one. I have a few Waldorf-type toy catalogues and the only ones they have are for older children, or doll-making kits. Can you suggest something? I'll even go FisherPrice if I have to...I'm thinking something more fabric/simple and less plastic/complex. If that makes sense.

Thank you so much in advance, and if you don't want to alter discussion to reply to me feel free to PM.
Warmly,
Sarah


----------



## rrr

look on line at the magic cabin dolls. there are lots of choices there. or try the saturday market if you have one.

can you sew? patterns abound.

ty makes beanie buddies in a variety.

you can buy a long dark haired soft girl doll and make boy clothes for it.

good luck

rrr


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Hey MamaInTheBoonies! LTNS!








Sorry to hear you are dealing w/the same stuff at your dd school. My suggestion? Continue to teach your daughter what you feel she needs to know,and give her to tools to deal with all the inconsistancies and prejudice. With the tools you give her,and alot of support,she'll be fine.







In the meanwhile,if you wanted to speak to her class about Thanksgiving,or even tell a little about *your* people,I think it would be a very good thing. In fact,my dh and father are going to speak to a school next week. It seems one of my dh's customers noticed he was NA and asked him to do a program since the children are celebrating Native American History month. We're hoping something good will come out of it! About the nursing tents,I hope you get them going. What a wonderful thing! Let us know what happens. Oh,and how is school going?

About the pamphlet,no word yet on whether or not this group will allow them to be put into their baby baskets. I will keep you updated.

CeraMae,
As rrr suggested,you could use any doll pattern and add NA features to it. I would also suggest a lovely book. Maybe a book of NA legends?

Hope everyone is doing well. Please check in every now and again and let us know what's up! If you have any ideas for projects,speak up!
Hugs!


----------



## rrr

gerald mcdermott writes such books, but there is another one i like better. i'll find it and tell you tomorrow.

rrr


----------



## ~member~

Arghhh! School is not going well. I am being suspended. LAck of resources for single mom's, lack of daycare, etc. Things were going really well, and then bam! We got sick, one right after the other. So, three weeks out, I fell too far behind. Then there was the week I had no money and no food and was begging the neighbors to feed my girls.
I love this small town and how safe I feel here with my girls, but if I want to finish college and go onto med school, I need to transfer out of here. I am just so scared, kwim? I also have no funds for moving right now, so I would have to spend next semester and the summer working.
I would have to find another college, find schooling for my 7 yr old, and daycare for the baby, and a home for us to live in. Then there's the whole medical insurance and money issue.
Right now, I am just so overwhelmed and exhausted.
I miss my family, but I know that I would never make it back to college if I move home, kwim?
Well, my baby is tearing up my apartment and needs a bath. thanks for letting me vent a little


----------



## plum

mama in the boonies- i'm sorry things are so hard. i'm not sure where you go to school now, but there is a program in grand forks, nd called inmed (indians into medicine). it's at the university of north dakota and i think it's supposed to be a pretty good program. it's aimed at getting indian students into the medical field, like doctors, pharmacists, that sort of thing. maybe that would be worth checking out? i think they'd offer a lot of support.


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Vent away,MamaInTheBoonies! Best not to keep these things bottled up inside.
Plum had a good idea,have you looked into the INMED programs? I'm pretty sure they are nation wide. Also,there are IHS grants that pay for your college,your books,and give you a monthy stippend. They aren't easy to get,but filling out the paperwork would be worth every minute of the time spent on it if you did get it! There are several options out there for you. I hope you can find something that will be helpful.
About medical insurance,have you looked into medicaid or low income health insurance for your children? There is a program that is supposed to be in every state that qualifies all children w/out insurance for some kind of low cost health insurance. You could call your county health department and ask for an application. MANY families have taken advantage of this insurance. It truly can be a life saver when a little one is sick.
I'm so sorry that you ran out of money and was unable to get food. I cannot imagine how scared you must have been.







I pray that this won't happen again.
Hang in there. You'll be in my thoughts!


----------



## ~member~

Thanksgiving pow-wow coming up at the Indian Center in Mpls. Anyone going? Or are there others you will be attending?


----------



## JessicaS

CeraMae, I think a drum would be nice. If you can find someone that makes NA type drums..you might be able to contact the NA students associations at a college (if you have one by you) and see if they know someone that makes them. DD has a rattle that looks like a little drum on a stick with beads or something in it that I got from a lady at my church..it is neat.

Music and chant is a huge part of the Passamaquoddy religion and culture and I think that a drum would be the ideal gift. (IMO of course) You might be able to find an inexpensive one if you ask about one for a child. Or you can try contacting the Passamaquoddy and see if they know of someone who makes drums or what would make a nice gift.

About the doll making...you can find directions for making corn husk dolls. Some of them can be very elaborate and interesting. Course it is just a thought but it would be made of materials that were used for doll making in NA culture. (corn husk dolls were made by the Passamaquoddy, my tribe is in the same language family so there are some similarities)

huge site with Passamaquoddy info

http://www.native-languages.org/passamaquoddy.htm

Looking into the Tribe more I see they practice the Medicine wheel. There are books availible on the subject, I have one but I am not at home to get the title...

MamaintheBoonies, Also look into Haskell which is a NA college in Lawrence Kansas. I think it just has associates programs (not certain though)but it is a NA college and has aid programs for NA students.


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Hi everyone!
Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving,and I hope all is well with each and every one of you.









I would like you all to know about THIS THREAD. If you can help,or if you need help,please contact Trabot. I would love for everyone to have a great Holiday,and this is one way that we can help or get the help we need.









Take care! And I hope you all will check in soon.


----------



## plum

thanksgiving was fun. my mom came and brought a bunch of kids with her. they left yesterday and my house is still a mess.

littlebear'smama- i signed up for that thread. it looks fun.


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

:LOL That sounds about right,Plum!:LOL I shouldn't laugh. It'll be my turn in a week or two!








I'm glad your Thanksgiving was good.







And I'm glad to hear you signed on to help out! I know it will make a difference.
I wanted to tell you that I clicked the link in your siggy and Scout is gorgeous!


----------



## plum

hey how is everyone? did anyone see that movie on tv the last two nights, 'dreamkeepers'? i liked it; i'm all for seeing indians on tv.

you might find this interesting. the bottom three are my ancestors; james is my great grandpa. http://mceweb.cec.umt.edu/tribes/Kni...bjectid506.htm

where could i get a simple pattern for a little dress? i want to start on a dress for scout to dance in, and i figure this winter is a good time to start. either one piece or a simple top and bottom.

thank you, littlebear's mama, i think scout is cute too!


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

I saw the movie,and I *loved* it. I can't believe they actually told REAL legends. I about fell out of my chair when grandfather rock rolled over coyote! I think they did a good job. Most the time when you see NA movies on t.v.,it is from the perspective of another culture. This movie really seemed to be from the perspective of the NA.








Neat pictures,Plum! What a wonderful thing to share w/your dd.








About the dress...what kind are you looking for and about what size? Are you looking for a traditional t-dress...something simple? For that,you might not even need a pattern. Just measure off how big you think she'll be,cut and sew. You can add ribbon,a belt,and maybe some leggings and she'll be good to go.







A simple elastic waisted skirt prolly wouldn't require a pattern,either. If you want a little shawl for her,LMK. I have some extra fringe.








I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday. We did,although we did get the flu to go along with it.








We'll be going to a New Year's benefit dance on the 4th. My dh drum is host. It will be nice to get together with family and friends again.


----------



## plum

i loved how iktomi and his wife looked! with the spiky hair? i loved how the scenes with iktomi and coyote were shot, that black and white looked cool. i about cried at the end when the grandfather died.

about the dress: well, she is only three months but by summer she'll be almost a year and, who knows, maybe she'll be starting to toddle. i want to start her early. i danced when i was younger but i wasn't shy about it. but i've noticed it works best when you start them before they can get shy. by the time my mom tried to get my brother to start dancing, around age four, he was way too self-concious. so, i will probably make it a 2T. she's pretty big already (fifteen pounds at three months). is the t-dress knee length with wide sleeves?

i had wanted my grandma to help me with fringe, but (i posted this elsewhere, too) she died last week. it was a nice ceremony. well, there was one fire and brimstone preacher and one traditional elder. so it was like a clash of cultures, you know? dh finally saw how our people (i don't know how other indians do it, just the ones up here) do it and he says he feels it offers more closure. maybe i should be sadder, but i'm actually happy for her. her husband and two of her kids were already gone so i know she's with them. on the way home, we were in a snowstorm and we saw the strangest thing: a hawk flew in front of our car. i took it as a sign of her watching out for us.


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

I agree about Iktomi. That was hillarious!! I was laughing my tail off when his wife was going for coyote's you-know-whats!!:LOL
I also got teary-eyed with the Grandpa died. And when the Grandson remembered the legends and began sharing them at the pow wow. It was like he wasn't really paying attention,but in the end he remembered.








Yes,that is the dress I am speaking of. I know there is another name for it,but I usually describe it as a t-dress. It's just a simple cut,you know?
It's good to hear that you're starting Scout out early. I'll bet she's gonna love it!








I'm so sorry to hear about your Grandmother.







I understand what you mean about not being sad for her. I think that we are often sad for ourselves and our loss,despite the fact that our loved ones are in a much better place. It's good to hear that you are able to be happy for her and have your closure. And aren't those signs,like the hawk you saw,so comforting?








If you want some fringe,I have extra left over from some shawls I was working on. I have some red,yellow,blue,and black left. I'm sure there is enough of any of the colors to use for a small shawl. You're welcome to it. Or you could use ribbon. It's not as easy to unravel,especially if you use some fray check on the ends.








Can I see pictures when you're done?


----------



## NinaBruja

hi im new... my name is cinder(21) and im mohave, chemouevi and navajo. i have one daughter born october 2003. were living far away from my family, in southern california.
i have a question

is there an age where you have to introduce a cradle board by before it will possibly be rejected?
my daughter got hers at 2 1/2 months and im afraid she doesnt much like it. is there any hope of getting her to like it?


----------



## plum

hi there! (can't help you with the cradleboard, though. i would love to try one.)


----------



## rrr

Hi NA mommies,

it's been a long time since i've seen any action on this thread.

i am very busy with my kids. and i got into and ebay habit over the holidays and i havn't been on the mothering boards.

and i'm trying to go to bed earlier, which should limit my late night computering.

and i'm not making much progress on my musical for the march LLL area conference.

hope january is ending up ok for everyone.

rrr


----------



## ~member~

I am working on Fancy Shawl outfits for me and my girls. I am even beading our mocs! Well, trying to anyway lol! I am having trouble with finding the right needle. The eyes keep breaking when I pull them through the deerskin.
Busy with kids, still looking for work, and busy with kids....lol! But happy. I guess I can say that I am happy! Looking forward to dancing with my girls.
Oh, update about dd's school. I ended up talking to the principal and the school counselor. i basically told them that it was their responsibility to teach their kids basic respect of all ppl. It is not my nor my daughter's responsibilty to educate them about our culture. They've started to teach them about respect and boundaries. So, that's cool.
My baby is a mini-tornado!!! She is just into everything! Still doesn't talk, but that's cuz she doesn't need to, she has her Big Sister lol! And my 7 yr old is reading!!!Actually reading!!! It is just amazing! She has started reading The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. It is so cool! i just love sitting and listening to her read me stories. i think of all the books we can read together and then talk about.


----------



## plum

hey! glad to see you mamaintheboonies! your girls sound adorable.

scout is a pretty mellow baby, but she still doesn't it if i'm not holding her, so i don't get much done if i can't sling her. so, still no dress. plus i'm just intimidated by, of all things, making the neckhole. i think i could just sew the rest of it, but i'm worried about making the hole for her head. i don't want it to be too big or too small.

littlebear'smama- i would love the fringe. i'll let you know when i get to that point. it'll probably be awhile, though :LOL .


----------



## plum

how's everyone doing?

my baby is growing up too fast! she has a tooth now and she can sit up. it breaks my heart.


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Hi everyone! Back from being MIA for awhile.

MamaInTheBoonies,hope everything looks up for you soon.









Plum,how wonderful to hear your Scout has a tooth...or is it *teeth* by now?









Sending a big







out to you all! Let's keep our little thread going.


----------



## plum

hello! scout is doing great! she turned six months old and today cut her fourth tooth. she got number three on monday or tuesday. two in one week! she's a handful now. she pulls herself around the living room (not crawling yet) and tries to eat everything.

i added new pics in my signature.

next weekend is her first pow-wow. it's in grand forks, nd. my mom and i are going to check out the tiny tots because i still haven't decided what kind of dress to make and i think i need to see ideas.


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

She's adorable!
Have a good time at her first pow wow!


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Bringing this thread back from the dead...









How is everyone? Can we have a roll call?? :hello


----------



## mocha09

Hi. I've been lurking, but will introduce myself now.

I am bright-white, and my dd is Menominee from her dad. We live in the Pacific NW, far from her rez (which is in northern Wisconsin). We've been back there twice since she was born. (Her grandparents live there.)

Her dad isn't into Menominee culture in the least. However, I would like dd to have knowledge/roots about this side of her. We have some friends here who are Suquamish and also some who are members of some other local tribes. Does anyone think it's weird if I take her to other tribes' ceremonies and pow wows with my friends? I have mixed feelings about this because I would rather she learn her own history, and don't want to replace it with just any old tribe that seems to be convenient....KWIM? OTOH, we are having fun and learning a lot about the tribes here. Example: Last year our friends' son trained for the annual canoe trip up puget sound and across the strait of juan de fuca. very cool. they spent months making their canoes and we got so see how the canoes were made and blessed.

Or maybe I should just leave all of this for her grandmother to figure out? (her grandmother is pretty active in her tribal community) Her dad isn't going to expose her to any sort of culture, but perhaps I should leave it to her relatives who actually ARE Menominee.

Now I'm rambling. I'm glad for the thread. Thanks.


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Welcome,Mocha!
You know,pow wows are generally "inter-tribal" which means MANY different tribes coming together for fellowship and most often,competition. I would think your dd would get something out of going to any pow wow.
That being said,pow wows and ceremonies are two different things. Pow wows are for fellowship and fun. Ceremonies,in most cases,are pretty much for members of the tribe holding them and for trusted friends and hold a very important meaning to the culture of that tribe. It's great that you're going to these local gatherings,and I'm sure your dd will gain something from that,as well. Just don't forget to to let her know where she comes from,and the traditions of *her* people. If possible,try to get back to WI every now and again. I know it's hard,but it's worth it! Your dd will have the benefit of seeing Native traditions at home,in her community as well as the benefit of seeing her own culture back in WI. It sounds like you really want your dd to have pride in her culture,and in who she is.








Good Lord willing,we're traveling back to OK in July. I'm excited about going and seeing dh family,but I'm not excited about the 12 hour car ride. :LOL


----------



## Joyce in the mts.

Forgive the intrusion, mamas, but was wondering whether y'all are supportive of the opening of the new Museum of the American Indian, in DC. It looks like a beautiful space to me. I knew a Seneca woman...Cheryl...Oh I cannot for the life of me remember her last name...(her mom made the best frybread though)...who was involved years ago in the first steps toward the completion of it.

She has passed and I believe her mother has too, in the years since my last visit to that rez. (I had such a good time)

Anyhow...are any folks going to attend the festivities, participate or vend some wares or food there? It's September 21...there's a weeklong festival in DC.

The museum has put up a nice page on the Web and you can do a search for Museum of the American Indian if you would like to find further info.

Thanks for any thoughts. And if you are going to participate, please include that info too.

I hope my intrusion was not offensive.

I appreciate it and enjoy the longer days!

Warm thoughts...
Joyce in the mts.


----------



## mocha09

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Little Bear's Mama*
Welcome,Mocha!
Ceremonies,in most cases,are pretty much for members of the tribe holding them and for trusted friends and hold a very important meaning to the culture of that tribe. It's great that you're going to these local gatherings,and I'm sure your dd will gain something from that,as well. Just don't forget to to let her know where she comes from,and the traditions of *her* people. If possible,try to get back to WI every now and again.

Thanks, LBM. I am blessed to have friends who will share this and include us! We're trying to get back to WI about twice a year. this summer we're going to try to time it so she can get to one of their events.

I hope you have fun in OK, and survive that car ride. Ouch! I'm sure it will be worth it though.


----------



## plum

glad to see you, littlebear'smama! we are doing well. we just got home for a weekend trip and now dd is wild. i feel guilty when she's in the car that long but she didn't seem to mind.


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Hi Plum! Glad to "see" you,again.







How did your dd enjoy her first pow wow?

Joyce,I haven't heard of anyone being unsupportive of the new museum,but that doens't mean that *someone* out there isn't.
My family won't be attending the opening. Sounds interesting,though. I would like to visit the museum if my family and I get to attend the LLL ICF next year.


----------



## plum

LBM, she loved it! we had fun watching and she napped in the bleachers. we took a lot of pictures and we had fun visiting.

your trip sounds fun! my family reunion is next month, but i don't know if we are going. we had a vacation planned for the week after and don't know if we want to tack on another trip just before, you know? i still have to call my grandma and tell her.


----------



## Joyce in the mts.

LBM...

I certainly do appreciate your reply.

You are so right, there's always someone who will feel negatively about any given event.

The museum has a nice website up, though I don't have a link handy to provide here.

Meanwhile, LBM and you other Mamas, enjoy your day today!
Joyce in the mts.


----------



## 5796

I'm not native american but I am just poking on your thread to ask a question...I think you guys might be able to help...

In the last month and half, hawks have been getting my attention. Squawking, creating a scene and then when I come outside they flap around see me and then fly off. It happened at my father's house 30 miles from my home. It happened while my husband and I were driving in some other area about 10 miles from our house and then yesterday one was in the tree behind my house. He made such a commotion that my neighbors came out to see. I was the one to say, "it's a hawk" and then he flew off. I have never seen him here before. I just am starting to feel a message is there for me.

I have a book with some interpretations on Hawk but if any of you have any thoughts I'd be appreciative. I've been interested in native american culture for some time and have been to several reservations in the west. (Lumi, Navaho, New Mexico tribes)....
thanks in advance..
tracy


----------



## Manaka

I'm Lenape mixed and my husband is Taino.


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

s Manaka. Welcome to our little thread.









Tracy,I don't know what to tell you. Some people do believe they are messengers. I,however,couldn't say what these hawks are trying to tell *you*. If you truly believe they are trying to tell you something,just open your heart,and your eyes,and don't try to put words in their mouths. If the hawks are bringing you a message,it will be clear soon enough.


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

everyone! How about some updates? How is everyone doing?

Things are going pretty good here. Just gearing up for the new school year.







I've been doing lots of research,and I *hope* I found the perfect curriculum.







This weekend we're hosting drum practice at our house,which means a houseful. I know I'll be in the kitchen all day. :LOL But,it really is wonderful. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone. It's be awhile.
Hope you all are doing well!


----------



## plum

we are well. the babe is ten months old already! she is quite the handful. today she trashed our house and is tall enough to reach inside the garbage so she did that several times today.

my sister is having trouble with her eyes. her retinas are detaching







and she has an appt with a specialist coming up. they may have to do laser surgery to repair it. we have a ceremony and a giveaway planned a few days before and we are hoping for the best.


----------



## 5796

Little Bear,
thank you so much for your kind words. I have been reading about Hawk. There is some interesting thoughts on Hawk that feel right. I will continue to go inward and see if I can get the message.
thank you.---tracy


----------



## Mother2Amaya

Where is everyone?









I'm so glad to have found Native mamas! I am Amy, Ojibwe, from Minnesota. I think I look hella Native. LOL!!!

Anyway, I have a 5-month-old daughter, Amaya. We AP parent in style, but I was unable to BF and we can't afford to cloth diaper (it's the upfront cost!) Right now we live in Philadelphia with my husband's family... I don't think there are very many natives out this way, which I think will be hard if my daughter ever goes to school here - my husband is African-American.

I really want to raise Amaya with her culture, which will be hard, but I think if we make a conscious effort to do things like go to the All Nations Powwow every year and things like that, she'll feel better about herself and I will too. I grew up in the culture a little bit and know some of the language, but I know it's something I need to cultivate in both of us.

It's great to be here with you mamas!


----------



## plum

welcome! this thread has been rather quiet as of late







.


----------



## plum

oh, and your baby is quite the cutie!


----------



## Mother2Amaya

Well thank you! She looks less dangerous than she is.









Looks like we'll have to boost this thread up a little and get it going!!


----------



## Joi

Hi.......... I have a long story............ here's the short of it. I just met my biological father and he is Choctaw. We are in the process of amending my birth certificate and he wants to give me my CDIB. I was wondering if there are any other Choctaws on the board because I have about a million questions. Thanks!


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Hi Everyone!
Welcome new folks! Glad you found the thread.









I see congrats are in order,Plum.







Woo hoo!

Angst,I'm not Choctaw,but living here in the SE I know quite a few! I would suggest first talking to your father and your family about the things you want to know. If you don't get the answers you need,perhaps get in touch with someone at the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians or the Oklahoma band(don't know the exact name,but a quick "google" should bring it up). Someone like a historian. They may be able to put you in touch with someone who can talk to you on-to-one.









Update on us: We're currently schooling(yay!),and attending a pow wow when dh work schedule permits. Last week,we were in Rome,GA for the Running Water pow wow. Dh's drum got to sing quite a bit. They were all pleased about that. Other than that,pretty much the same old thing going on here. I'm so boring!:LOL


----------



## boatbaby

I feel a little weird and perhaps out of place here, but I'll give it a shot. I have native american blood, but not north american. My paternal grandmother is pure Inca from Peru. I knew about my heritage, but I've never had the opportunity to go to Peru or meet the family... until my ds was born 3 months ago. My grandmother flew to the USA (major culture shock for her) he meet him. It was truly magical. I wanted to ask her so much and absorb her wisdom, but of course language barriers made it difficult and my dad tires of translating (spanish and quechua).
It was neat to see her take on birth and parenting though. I use a sling which she understood as "normal" - but when we would head to town and she would see people using travel system bucket car seat carriers she just didn't understand how a mother could be so separated from their child! Same with strollers... why is a baby away from mom and why are able bodied todlers not walking or being carried. Such a fresh perspective.
I asked her how she coped with the pain of childbirth, what techniques the Inca use and such. She didn't even understand the question. They just don't perceive it as "pain". She kept repeating, it's natural, it's natural. You only have pain if something goes wrong.
And she had all sorts of interesting remedies for this and that. One thing she said is that breast feeding mommas should drink pineapple skin tea? Anyone hear of this?
I really hope to bring my ds to Peru one day to meet his people and hope I can somehow give him a sense of his heritage. It's challenging in the modern USA.
Anyhow, I know south american is not what one thinks of when the shout out is for native american mommas. But there is another sphere... and other tribes... I've enjoyed reading your posts!
Thanks for listening!


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

So cool,boatbaby! Thanks SO much for sharing!
And,of course,you're input is welcome here.


----------



## hippiediva31

Hey y'all. I'm Choctaw/Coushatta/Cajun (on Dad's side) and my mom's Anglo. I haven't been able to get my CDIB because my grandmother is clueless about which Choctaw tribe she's from, and the Coushattas have a 1/2 blood degree, which sucks for me. My grandparents were never open about being Indian, and my dad sure isn't now. My aunt is the one who told me we're Indian, after some folks at a powwow told me they knew my great-uncles.

My partner is 100% Anglo and not really interested in NA issues. My kids (8 and 3) know they're Indian and are proud of it. I used to go to powwows when we lived in Dallas, and we also attended a NA church there. We also lived in Oklahoma, where I worked at the Choctaw casino. Now we're in Austin, and I don't know any other Indians. I feel isolated. Are there any other NA mamas from Texas here?


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Not that I know of,but welcome to the thread and to MDC!


----------



## plum

i don't know how to help you hippydiva, but hello.

hi little bear's mama! yes, i am pregnant again







. we're very excited about it. the girlie turned 1 recently.


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Yay Plum!!









Not to go all political and stuff,but have ya'll heard of Native Americans for Kerry?
www.johnkerry.com/communities/nativeamericans/


----------



## JessicaS

Manaka!!!!!!!!!

I am so excited! I am Lenape as well! I have never run into anyone that was Lenape on the boards!

Are you associated with any tribe/group?? Which one?


----------



## Mother2Amaya

Well I'm a Native American for John Kerry.









I also have a 19-year-old cousin in Fallujah right now too, so I'm partial.

Not much going on here in Philly... getting colder. Remembering maple syrup time back home in Minnesota.


----------



## asr2004

Hello all. New here.

I'm distant Creek/Blackfoot, both by 3 and 4 generations respectively, and it was something the family just accepted and moved about so I don't have official documentation and only family stories and photographs. It was the South and a lot was going on in those days.







But I'm begining to believe in a genetic memory as I get older (long story) b/c in every phase of life I get a reminder of my NA roots, sometimes completely out of the blue. And for that I am grateful.

My partner is Cherokee on his mother's side and still communicates directly w/ that side of his family and spent time growing up on the rez, and I appreciate being able to give that to our baby (I'm 13 wks PG).

We also are African American, Portuguese, Irish and German to add to the pot, so I guess we'll be checking "Other" or "All of the Above" on the census for now.







It can be difficult to express all of this heritage in one little family, but we focus mostly on AA and NA and sort of just mention the rest in passing, although he's developed an interest in his father's side of the family (Portuguese). So we'll see what comes of it.

I just wanted to send out a big hello b/c I feel a loss of culture for myself and I guess I am still literally looking for my tribe. And don't want my baby to experience that identity crunch, though it's probably going to be inevitable, huh? So much has been lost, but there is also much to be learned and passed on. That is what I hope for my little one.

Sending love and light to you all!


----------



## idocrase

Hi all -

I'm part Tlingit. I say "part" because I am not really part of Tlingit culture, and the blood-quantum thing says I count, but they divide me up into fractions and I guess I've gotten used to it. I have very mixed feelings on this. Anyway, although I live in AK, I live far far away from other Tlingits. I lurk on a Tlingit list-serv, and I've learned so much. And mostly I've learned that if I want to learn more, I've got to go to where the people are, and I can't do that right now. I'm encouraged to hear that other people are struggling with how to give their kids a sense of Native culture as well. I feel really strange, though, because I have so little Tlingit culture to give my dd. I speak maybe 3 or 4 words, and used to dance when I was a small child. That's about it.


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Welcome new mamas!







s

Bumping this thread back up into existance.:LOL


----------



## member

Tres cool! I am so happy to see this thread!

I'm Tsalagi, enrolled Eastern Band and of the Ani Waya clan, but I've also got Cree and Mohawk blood from _way_ back.

I come from a more political (AIM from the beginning) than traditional family, but I am working on learning. Right now I am working on finger weaving, conversational grammar and I am hoping to work with a pan-tribal all-woman drumming group soon <crosses fingers>. Aside from those personal endeavors, I am working with my student orgs at university on a student-initiated powwow, so if anyone is on the circuit or around Central Ohio at the end of February, please come on over! We're hosting three drums and hoping for a dance exhibition - possibly smoke dancers from up north.

I am so happy to see so many AP Native mamas. Yay! --- sg


----------



## plum




----------



## deanna

Wow! I just saw this thread, and it is very timely for me, as I have been thinking for a while now about how to connect with my Native American ancestry. I have always been interested in finding out more about it, but never really knew where to start. My grandfather's grandmother (does that make sense?) was Cherokee, but I didn't know much about that part of the family growing up. It wasn't until my grandfather was in his eighties that he really started getting involved in the culture and talking about his grandmother. He has passed on now, and I wish I had talked to him more while he was alive .









Anyway, I haven't had time to read all 8 pages of this thread, but wanted to say hi!


----------



## hippiediva31

Selu,

Weren't you on hipMama a long time ago?


----------



## DesertFlower

Hi Mamas
I am not a Native American, but I know I do have some blood (it is obvious when you look at my dad and grandma). There is something I would like to ask you help with. I participated in a Ghost Dance last august, and afterwards realize that I got pregnant either right before or during the dance. I am aware of the tradition (in some tribes) of naming the child after an event, and so I would like to find a name meaning Ghost Dance, but I do not speak any native language. Can someone help me with that? Thanks, Meegwetch,
Delphine


----------



## Keetsmama

I'm Tlingit, and live in Southeast Alaska. I actually work for a tribe here, doing some cultural research stuff. My dp is Tsimpsian and Tlingit, and we named our son after a Tlingit word. Now we'll have to find another Tlingit name for the next one...

Hi idocrase! I know what it's like with the fractions, but isn't everyone? I've ceased to believe people who think they're full blood (tlingit). I think the list-serv is a great idea, I think I even know which one you mean. They have a lot of info. After years of struggling to get to know my culture and prove myself, I just have given in. I know what I am, I know who my family is, what my clan and house are, and I don't feel I have to prove myself anymore. Just learn what you can about your culture, and you're doing well.


----------



## MotherEarthMom

Quote:


Originally Posted by *abimommy*
Manaka!!!!!!!!!

I am so excited! I am Lenape as well! I have never run into anyone that was Lenape on the boards!

Are you associated with any tribe/group?? Which one?


Didn't realize I belonged to this board before as Manaka,well anyway I am part Lenape and was born and raised in NJ,my blood line is very little,it's from way back,so it's from the NJ Lenape.But I have danced in pow wows and get recognized by other Lenapes.My husband belonged to the Taino council in NJ also,he was born and raised in Puerto Rico.


----------



## leavesarebrown

It's been a while but I wanted to post about the museum opening since a couple of you expressed interest when I posted a question about it beforehand.

I was definitely feeling like I was at someone else's family reunion, but we have really enjoyed the museum so far. My dh was going to take work off and watch the kids so I could participate in more of the opening week events, but I did get to see the museum opening day, and was at the opening ceremony. Even though I'm not Indian and (as I said) and recognized this was not my gig, it was really cool to see Indians from so many nations celebrating together.

There's one sculpture in the museum that really caught my toddler's interest (she would not leave it). It has an Indian man, woman, and child with George Washington at the base of a fir tree. There is a raven and an eagle in the branches, as well as a stone. At the foot of the tree are a bear and a wolf, a turtle, and a ball. The are also arrows, corn, and beans. The sculpture is brass. I was happy to know enough to explain some of the symoblism to my inquisitive 4 yr old. But I have lots more to learn! And we're close, so we've already been able to go back a couple times. I wish all of you could see it/ be there. It's inspiring to me, and I'm not even Indian! What I've learned so far has definitely impacted the way I teach my children about our own European-American history, and especially about Thanksgiving.


----------



## rrr

hi native mamas, glad to see this thread is having new interest. hope we get some more west coast representation. hello tlingit, glad you are here! from lower columbia chinook (mouth of the columbia at astoria, coastal clan of chinook) our heritage is perhaps more similar. are you close to the ocean? did your ancestors eat salmon and make a thousand things out of cedar? there is a great book at the library called "cedar", that shows photos of all these things. i recommend.

is anyone raising a long-haired boy?

rrr


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Hi,rrr. Yes,I have a VERY long haired boy.:LOL He gets called a girl more often that I care to think about.


----------



## member

Quote:


Originally Posted by *rrr*
is anyone raising a long-haired boy?

Not yet, but I hope to one day soon.









Question Native mamas... I am conflicted on using trad names for my kidlets. It's the pronounciation thing (which I am unsure why I am worried as they will have my last name as it is). What did y'all do?


----------



## mamabuzzybee

My daughter's name is Ma'iingan and we just put up with the constant "can you spell that?" (which doesn't actually help







)and the mispronunciations. I'll be fine with her shortening it to Maya or going by Hinu which is first born daughter and easier for people. We know we made her life kinda complicated when it came to her name, but in the long run, I think she'll be happy with it. And we're fine with shortening or going by a different name (her middle name is Elizabeth).


----------



## Mamabug&co.

Hi! Well, my grandfather on my daddy's side is Azteca, (Aztec from Mexico), and my other grandfather was mixed Apache. Lots of mixed Apache down here in Texas, since Mexicans and Indians mingled so much







Hope I spelled that right. No denying my heritage- I love going to powwows and telling my children where their families come from. I am happy to see this thread


----------



## intentfulady

HI You All!!

Just found you!!

Subscribing and will be lurking around.

Unenrolled, blue eyes and used to be a blonde and OK with it after years of suffering and doubt. Not out to prove anything anymore about how "Indian" I am on the outside.

Decided its whats in my heart that counts.

Mother Earth is my mother.

NIce to meet ya.


----------



## intentfulady

Any Sundance People here?


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Bumping! Seems like there are lots of new Native mamas on the board,maybe they'll find us!


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Hello again!
How's everyone doing?
We've been pow wowing a few times recently,anyone else?


----------



## member

Hi mamas! I wanted to pass on an awesome article that I just found; it's free to read online. Got Tradition? is all about American Indians use native foods to fight diabetes and revive Indian culture. Well written and informative.

My next powwow is Memorial Day weekend. It should be great fun and I am thinking about signing up to dance. I am hedging though because I've not done so for a long time.


----------



## NinaBruja

selu, that was a great article...
ive never cared too much for frybread, until i was pregnant then i was ravenous...

okay i have a question...
i was wondering if anyone could help me...
im wanting to have my daughter officially dance at pow wows...
is there an age they start? is there a website that explains it all?
and the costumes i see on little ones are stunning!
anyone want to share pics of thier little ones in native dress?
after i finish my current project im going to start working on a mohave diamond dress for my daughter...
ive been googling but not finding much in the way of pictures of native dress...
i wanted to make her mohave, navajo and chemouevi outfits but im lacking in knowledge of what that would entail. esspecially chemouevi...
i only had a red mohave diamond dress when i was little...


----------



## Jennbee

Boozhoo, hello,
I'm fairly new here and just happened to find this thread. You might be able to find me on the Law enforcement thread too, DH is a rez cop. I'm Ojibway/Pottawatomi from southwestern Ontario region. I've lived on the rez for most of my life, exceptions were for being away for university and college. I have one child, DD is 15 months old.
I hope to post here more often. I found this place because I was feeling like I didn't really belong to another message board.

mamabuzzybee, does your DD name mean "wolf".


----------



## Mother2Amaya

Boozhoo Jennbee! I'm Ojibwe as well, from Northern Minnesota, and my dh is hoping to become a cop! :cop:







:

Just checking in with everyone. It's been a busy couple of months. Does anyone know where I can find a good powwow calendar online? We are up in Philly and there are very few powwows here that I know of... I'd like to check it out to see if I'm missing something!


----------



## hippymama

What a great thread! I too Walk the Red Road. I was spiritually lost and lonely for a long time. I would lurk around powwows, never expecting to be accepted because I'm a blonde-haired, green-eyed white girl. People love to tell me that I couldn't possibly be Cherokee because of this. Never mind the fact that I'm one of only two blondes in the family. But through prayer to the Creator I have found a great church and some incredible NA friends to sweat and pray with. I don't feel like I have to prove anything because it was never about how "cool it is to be Indian" but what I knew to be true spiritually in my heart. You could say that I'm a recovering baptist and born-again-Indian. :LOL I did register with an intertribal org. to help the cause of many displaced Indians in my state and so that I may wear my feathers without hassle. Though I haven't had my official naming ceremony yet, I was given the name of Red Feather Woman just the other day. I was so proud.







: It is so wonderful to meet you all. The Earth is my living, breathing Mother. wado


----------



## motherscircle

Hi everyone
I have been to the Mothering website before, but did not realize there are forums. I was just directed here to read the thread about "The View" and negativism towards breastfeeding.
I am a WAH mother to 11 yr old Brittany, hubby is a full time airline employee, and part time sheriff deputy and soon to be employed by one of the local casinos.
I walk the red road, but hubby is a confirmed baptist.
I am also an herbalist, pp doula and RN.








Glad to be here and hope to join in discussions


----------



## Mother2Amaya

cool jobs!









So I have a question. My dh and I got married in 2003 and I haven't been to a powwow since!







I feel disconnected!

Anyway, part of it is because dh is African-American and he is actually afraid to go! :LOL First he didn't know what the heck a powwow was (he was 19 when we met and from inner city Philly where there's nare a native in sight!) and when I first told him I was 'indian' he thought I meant "from India!"







: :LOL

So anyway, he is worried he won't be accepted at powwows and will look out of place, which is totally not true because there are so many different people at powwows... not only that but we are such an accepting people, there is no way he'd be made to feel awkward... how can I convince him to go? There is a powwow coming in Baltimore this fall and I wanna take our 13-month-old for the first time. I can't completely avoid the culture because it's my daughter's culture too.

Advice?


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Mother,your dh will be accepted just fine.







I don't see any reason why not!

If you're looking for pow wow info,this site has it all:
www.powwows.com The forums are great for all kinds of info/questions.

If you're looking for a pow wow calender,there is one on powwows.com and here:
http://www.thespike.com/welcome.htm


----------



## lisa78

just wanted to say hi, i am mom to a Inuit baby boy, almost 2 so not much of a baby anymore. He was adopted at 3 months of age.
i am detemined to teach him about his culture. We live in BC so we are learning Salish customs.
i will listen openly to any and all advice you mamma's might have for me, i feel i need alot.


----------



## MotherEarthMom

I don't remember if I posted on this thread before,I am part Lenape and my husband is Taino,we haven't been to a powwow in over 2 yrs,hoping to find some in my area to go to.Nice to see some other native moms.


----------



## mamacitarisa

: My son is half Pipil mayan from el salvador, His father left us and I'm not quit sure how I'll fill the void for him, I'm from Canada originally, and we moved back here. But i feel Oxtlan (my son) will lack his heritage from there, and not growing up with a man around.
Like how am i gonna teach







him to pee standing up! lol things like this cross my mind. But really it's the culture we will both miss experiencing. I think people that grow up in a different country then there country of origin maybe experience displaced, i don't know, Anyway just thought i'd let that fly out there,

Lisa y Ox'tlan


----------



## chancemilomia

Hi, I'm new to this website and was very happy to see your post. I am Cherokee and Crow, and I too have a son whose name is Little Bear! I hope to make some new friends here...we are expecting baby number four in November. See you around!


----------



## boatbaby

Hello again

I realize we are the odd ones here because I have SOUTH American native blood... but I have a question anyhow.

Our family is Inca/ Huanca on my father's side... anyhow -- we did our 1 year check up and my cousin (who I rarely every see) was in town and came with. We opted out of several vaccines and the nurse gave us a bit of a hard time.

My cousin then told the nurse to leave me alone and that since we have indian blood we are at higher risk for bad reactions to vaccines and how she nearly died as a infant from routine immunizations and so on...

The nurse just looked at her like she was nuts.

Anyone else have these issues?


----------



## NinaBruja

Quote:


Originally Posted by *boatbaby*

My cousin then told the nurse to leave me alone and that since we have indian blood we are at higher risk for bad reactions to vaccines and how she nearly died as a infant from routine immunizations and so on...

The nurse just looked at her like she was nuts.

Anyone else have these issues?

we have a higher risk for vax complications?!
eek do you have any other info on that?
i was forced to get a hep vax when i was like 9 and it got swollen like a golfball under my skin. oww. come to think of it all the vaxes i ever remember getting i had swelling and fever...hrrrrm

i find that alot of nurses will give you a dirty look or something if you arent a good patient








i just searched for a supportive caregiver... now i cant even comprehend going back to listening to nonsense, speeches and lectures.
we dont vax at all and were unswayable, you can imagine the times weve had







enough to drive you crazy


----------



## mamacitarisa

I had an Issue in El Salvador when I went to get my son vaccinated, I didn't really understand which vaccines they were gonna give him, it looked like she was preparing to do a small pox vaccine, And i said nobody needs that anymore! And my partner & the nurses argued he needed all of them, In the end I foigured out he ended up getting TB vaccine & Hebatitis B, above his regular ones, But i guess there is alot of TB and Hepatitis in Central America.
Medical treatment in a forein country is one of the most confusing. My Son also spent a week in a hospital in El Salvador with Dengue Fever, scared me to death, I really didn't have confidence the doctors knew what they were doing, there were so many other kids in the same room, with god knows what too... I had to tend to him 24 hours a day sleeping on the floor beside his crib, he couldn't nurse, he had a fever they wouldn't give him anything to hide the symtoms... horrible experience!


----------



## apmama2myboo

I'll just copy this, please bear with me. I am new here and trying to get used to the format of this message board!









Hi ladies. I am Bad River Band, lake superior tribe, Ojibwe. My tribe is a good 7 hour drive from where I currently live. I still have to get around to getting my daughter's application for tribal enrollment, as it wasn't til she was already almost one that i found out that she would have been accepted at birth but since she was older, i have to do more paperwork!

I am a SAHM, BF and AP all the way. my tribal blood is thru my father (his mother more specifically), who passed away a few years ago at 51. My parents divorced when i was very young and he was an alcoholic, and didn't make much effort to spend time with us (my brother or myself). His mother is still alive, but refuses to talk about her heritage. She acts like it's something to be ashamed of, so i don't get much help there. I have taught myself beadwork and have started trying to learn the language, so that I may teach my daughter. I do plan to get up north for the pow-wow this fall if we can.

I am a very strong supporter of BF, and Little Bear's Mama, i think it's great what you're doing. In case you haven't found this video in your search for lactation information, here is a link to a video targeted to native mamas like us.

i haven't personally SEEN the video, but here is the link where it can be ordered:
http://www.glitc.org/health/nursing/default.php
also, here is a link where you can find basic info about health programs as well as Lactation Education Assistance, along with a woman's name, she might be a good resource for you
http://www.glitc.org/programs/default.php

good luck. nice to see so many other native mamas here doing AP

jen
caitlyn 2/9/04


----------



## ~member~

"Once a month, he receives a package of traditional foods from the White Earth Land Recovery Project. The package usually includes buffalo meat and wild rice. Sometimes it includes foods that have been donated, like potatoes. It is a welcome relief to elders on the White Earth Reservation, where the median income is less than $10,000 a year. At the supermarket, buffalo meat is just too expensive for most Indians, says Becky Niemi, development director for the White Earth Land Recovery Project, who adds that traditional foods are out of reach for most Indians." quote from *Got Tradition?*

Selu Gigage - thank you for the article.
My DH has type 2 diabetes. Buffalo, moose, and caribou are too expensive and hard to find. We have switched to wild rice, removed all bread, and only drink water and coffee. Yeah, coffee's hard to give up :LOL
He did get a membership at the local Y. He gets a personal trainer and has to go at least twice a week, or else he loses his membership. Pretty cool incentive, since a membership is over six hundred a year. He got that thru the indian center's diabete's support.
I've been cooking asparagus, leeks, spinach, etc. We don't really like brocolli either. But the 'good' stuff is too expensive. My sister is trying to grow all of the above in her garden. Last year she got two asparagus...imagine all four of us eating them :LOL They were the best tasting aparagus









I am having a hard time finding info that is specifically for anishanaabeg with diabetes, especially concerning diet. Most indianz are poor, yanno? Part of the genocide?
Anyways, we are refusing to die, and would really like to thrive and live to see our babies grow up.

Also, am making fancy shawl outfits for all my nieces. Wondering where to find the really cool iron on appliques....or maybe I am saying it wrong and that is why I can't find any








That's always my problem, spent too many years not speaking english, so I get it all confused








At least I am good enuf that I don't







anymore :LOL

We speak mostly ojibwe to our children. Too many english words that don't exist in ojibwe, or else it is easier to say it in english than go on all day telling your kid what a pencil is lol!


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

MamaInTheBoonies,
A friend of mine had a video about diabetes made specifically for NA. I'll ask her where she got it. I *think* it was from native seed search, but I can't be sure.








Newcomers!







Glad to see this thread growing.


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *chancemilomia*
and I too have a son whose name is Little Bear!

Cool.







Actually Little Bear is ds' nickname. Part of it comes from our last name. :LOL He actually has 3 names.


----------



## Sharlla

My great grandfather was cherokee. So that makes me 1/8 I believe.


----------



## Jennbee

Hi Sharlla and all the new people here.


----------



## ~member~

Have all of us native american mammas moved to powwows.com? :LOL
I have noticed it is much easier to discuss our issues without feeling like someone else is going to butt in and put us down, kwim?
Must be the cultural differences...Like God Forbid my children have been exposed to second hand smoke when we do our pipe ceremonies








Or share germs by passing the cup of cedar water!







:

I keep sage in my car on the dashboard, because I never know when a negative presence will affect me and I feel the need to cleanse my self. I cannot tell you how many ppl have approached me and asked if it was weed







: Doesn't even look CLOSE to it, but I guess some ppl just aren't that smart.

Of course, I have been 'mean' a few times and cheerfully handed some over :LOL Share and share alike, right? :LOL

Or visitors to my house who see my pipe and just assume it is used for smoking illegal substances









Well, my family is doing okay. We made it to the Morton Pow-wow, missed LCO, just too hot and with a small one, didn't want to risk heat sickness.

Any moms want to join me in asking the Arena Directors to provide a safe place for us to nurse our babies? Too many times I have found myself having to plop down on the ground in a itty bitty shade to breastfeed








And, sadly, twice I have had young men standing around trying to get a peek at my niinii's








Our community is losing the respect for nursing moms it once had...it really hurts.
When I was younger, about 15, I was sitting and watching the dancers, when a little girl about 2 yo ran up and lifted my shirt and latched on :LOL Yeah, we were both surprised! She must have been so thirsty and just seen a woman with the same color shirt on as her mommy








I miss seeing all the kids














:









Now, I just see poor babies in their strollers or carseats with the bottle propped in their mouths








while mom and dad dance or visit.


----------



## Jennbee

I have had one weird experience recently while NIP. I was playing in a co-ed baseball tournament and had to nurse my DD during a break. A young man walks by, looks and says "go do that at home". I replied "is that what you do at home?". He was walking away and he laughs and says "give me some doodoo". That's what we call it around here. I said "you wish, ya pervert". Now here's the background on this young man. He has down syndrome, drinks, parties, and talks really offensively. I may have been a little rude, but I didn't care to educate at the moment. There were a lot of people around that didn't seem to care about me NIP, just him. Another guy said that I shouldn't have bothered to say anything to the rude guy.
Have any of you heard any bad remarks from anybody about NIP?


----------



## ~member~

No, but I have been kicked out of Mystic Lake Casino, twice for NIP







:
Once I was in that hallway by the Buffet line, out of sight, blanket and sweatshirt over my babe...I know they saw it on the cameras. The other time I was all the way in the back of that round booth, baby under the table, etc. No way could the general public see what I was doing! Again, those stupid cameras


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

_MamaInTheBoonies_
"Have all of us native american mammas moved to powwows.com? :LOL
I have noticed it is much easier to discuss our issues without feeling like someone else is going to butt in and put us down, kwim?"

*True. :LOL I mostly lurk there. I'm incognito.







:*

"Must be the cultural differences...Like God Forbid my children have been exposed to second hand smoke when we do our pipe ceremonies








Or share germs by passing the cup of cedar water!







: "

*I've never had that problem...yet!*

"I keep sage in my car on the dashboard, because I never know when a negative presence will affect me and I feel the need to cleanse my self. I cannot tell you how many ppl have approached me and asked if it was weed







: Doesn't even look CLOSE to it, but I guess some ppl just aren't that smart.

Of course, I have been 'mean' a few times and cheerfully handed some over :LOL Share and share alike, right? :LOL "

*







I've heard several people say the smell of the smoke reminds them of weed, but I've never heard anyone ask if the actual sage is weed. Wierd.*

"Or visitors to my house who see my pipe and just assume it is used for smoking illegal substances







"

*Dh HATES when someone asks him if he smokes weed in his "peace pipe". First off, it's not a peace pipe. That's a white man thang. Secondly, tobacco and medicine are all that belong in a cermonial pipe. I wonder why that's so hard for people to grasp? And why do people think that's an okay question to ask when you just met five minutes ago?:LOL*

"Well, my family is doing okay. We made it to the Morton Pow-wow, missed LCO, just too hot and with a small one, didn't want to risk heat sickness."

*I'm glad you guys are doing well.*

"Any moms want to join me in asking the Arena Directors to provide a safe place for us to nurse our babies? Too many times I have found myself having to plop down on the ground in a itty bitty shade to breastfeed







"

*That's a fantastic idea! In fact, I might just bring my own canopy to the next pow wow and create a "nursing area" of my own.







I have some phone calls to make.







:*

"And, sadly, twice I have had young men standing around trying to get a peek at my niinii's







"

*EWWWWW. No way.







What is WRONG with people?*

"Our community is losing the respect for nursing moms it once had...it really hurts.
When I was younger, about 15, I was sitting and watching the dancers, when a little girl about 2 yo ran up and lifted my shirt and latched on :LOL Yeah, we were both surprised! She must have been so thirsty and just seen a woman with the same color shirt on as her mommy








I miss seeing all the kids














:







"

*I've never seen that. Occassionally,I'll see a mother nursing with a blanket draped over her shoulders.*

"Now, I just see poor babies in their strollers or carseats with the bottle propped in their mouths







while mom and dad dance or visit."

*I know! Doesn't it seem like so many Native women don't even bother to nurse? I wonder what is at the core of that? I know all of my dh's cousins ffeed,and they also start solids EARLY. Like at 3 wks.







*

We're all doing well here. We have a pow wow next month. Also, we start another year of homeschooling.







And dh's Dad might be coming for a visit. Looks like August is going to be a busy month. :LOL


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

rrr, could you please PM me when you get a chance? I'd love to discuss something with you off this list. Thanks!







Don't worry, it's a good thing. :LOL

Update on the AIRF baby baskets (like from 2 yrs ago:LOL): This morning, I spoke with Susie in the donor relations department. She said they would be DELIGHTED to include any information we come up with in their baby baskets. Would you guys still be interested in collaborating on a pamphlet/trifold? Memory refresher: breastfeeding info by Native women for Native women. Any thoughts? Anyone still willing to share pictures for the info?
If you're lost and wondering what AIRF baby baskets are, you can find that info here:
http://www.airc.org/program_babybasket.cfm?ep=3&ec=3
What AIRC is:
http://www.airc.org/
And if you're wondering what the deal is with a pamphlet, read back about 6 or so pages ago. Which was actually two YEARS ago. :LOL


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Serial posting:
I also asked Susie at AIRF about sending info for breastfeeding classes. She said the classes were included in the baby basket program. In order to qualify for a baby basket, the mothers-to-be are asked to attend a breastfeeding class. There is a blurb about that on the baby basket page and more on this one:
http://www.airc.org/program_health.cfm?ExpandParent=3

Another project:
Could we spam NA message boards and list-servs with breastfeeding info for World Breastfeeding Week?


----------



## ~member~

Liitle Bear's Mama - i would love to participate! I tried pm'ing you, but it said your box was full. I have pics that I would be willing to share also.
As for helping write something...maybe ask us some questions and we can answer and then decide what would be useful information to use in the pamphlets?

I would also love to hand out the baskets you are talking about. Or even just pamphlets...it's just sad that so many of our ppl are illiterate, though...I think more pics would be beneficial... kwim?
Or having the MC's bring it to the publics attention...just some thoughts.
I wish I had the space and time to constructively think and take action :LOL
Either way, you have my complete support and willingness to help in any way I can


----------



## Jennbee

Little Bear's Mama, Are you asking any of us Native mamas if we would share a picture? What kind of pictures are you looking for?


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Any kind,Jennbee. Mama and babe,babe,babe nursing,babe in sling,ect...









What things should we have on this pamphlet/info sheet? Basic info? What are your ideas?
Keep in mind these mamas prolly don't have access to a phone, much less internet. Also, many are low literacy.


----------



## ~member~

Picture of Native mamma breastfeeding and dad looking over shoulder in supportive way, prolly needs to be 'posed', yanno? Maybe even in tradish dance regalia? Or not...hey, how about one in the modern Ecko Red, baggy clothes they wear these days? That would be cool. A mamma nursing and the dad in his baggy clothes being supportive of his 'woman' and child...might work better, kwim?
Maybe a picture of the dad in his baggy clothes throwing the bottle in the garbage? while mom and baby are nursing in background?
This would promote breastfeeding AND promote dads to support breastfeeding...
Show grandma and grandpa smiling while mamma nurses with dad sitting next to her...

I am just trying to think of pictures that would show the more modern day indian, yanno?

Maybe a picture of dad cleaning a mountain of bottles compared to a picture of mom happily nursing with dad by her side?
"right a pic of the urban ghetto with beer cans full of cigg butts and 25 cent chip bags fluttering in the wind and a 1/2 naked native chick on a cell phone with a baby hangin off her tit" Had to add this one from my friend, too funny :LOL :LOL
Not for the rez, but urban indianz, lol! Well, maybe it would work for the rez indianz...

Okay, anyone else have any ideas?


----------



## makawee

hi mamas!

i just got a t shirt for my 6 month old that says "got doodoo" - doodooshaboo is the Ojibwe word for milk. i would so love to send a pic of her in it and a little encouragement is all i need - only problem is the *artist* would have to agree.

i was also thinking about a pic of a mama nursing on the bleachers at a pow-wow. i'm not a dancer - so that's where i'm coming from


----------



## ~member~

Quote:


Originally Posted by *makawee*
hi mamas!

i just got a t shirt for my 6 month old that says "got doodoo" - doodooshaboo is the Ojibwe word for milk. i would so love to send a pic of her in it and a little encouragement is all i need - only problem is the *artist* would have to agree.

i was also thinking about a pic of a mama nursing on the bleachers at a pow-wow. i'm not a dancer - so that's where i'm coming from

i know that our language has tried to be taken from us and we are not always privy to the 'correct' way to say things. My great grandpa was fluent. He always laughed and liked to point out the mistakes made, but he never put ppl down for trying.
doodooshaboo is cow milk...niiniishaboo is momma milk.
And, yes, i can't tell you how many 'arguments' i have been in about this, lol :LOL
Just wanted to share with you all, please do not feel offended or put down. We are all still struggling to reclaim our languages. Even though i am no longer fluent, i still do my best to speak to my children.
Unfortunately, it has, so far, only been males to write our language, and perhaps they did not know themselves, kwim? Or didn't even think about it. Cow's Milk is more common than momma milk or breastfeeding, kwim?


----------



## ~member~

wanted to add 'omoodayasham' is bottlefeed
'Nooni' is breastfeed.
If we want to be PC about breastfeeding anishinabe babies, we would want to say "Got Niiniishaboo?" ie - "Got Breastmilk?"

'Doodoo' by itself doesn't mean anything and non-natives might think we are referring to poop.
"Got Doodooshaboo" Would be PC if we are comparing to the Cow's Milk ads, but since so many Natives are allergic to dairy, that might not be best to promote, kwim?

Okay, I am done with my little ojibwe language lesson, lol :LOL
should get my butt to bed









Hey, Dakota, Lakota, Nakota moms - I can't remember what breastmilk is...do any of you remember or know?

Or other indigenous ppl? what is your word for breastmilk?
I should run over to powwows.com and ask there...hmmm...


----------



## flyingspaghettimama

Sorry to pop in OT, but did any of you mamas have problems with chloasma ("mask of pregnancy") or dark spots popping up on your faces while pregnant? My grandmother (Western Band Cherokee) still has them, 9 kids later...and it appears to be one of the few commonalities I have with my grandmother other than the blood, there certainly isn't a whole lot else...Did yours go away after birth or stick around for life like my grandma's? I am getting them whenever I'm in the sun, and I'm using the strongest sunscreen ever made, I think.


----------



## mamabuzzybee

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MamaInTheBoonies*
i know that our language has tried to be taken from us and we are not always privy to the 'correct' way to say things. My great grandpa was fluent. He always laughed and liked to point out the mistakes made, but he never put ppl down for trying.
doodooshaboo is cow milk...niiniishaboo is momma milk.
And, yes, i can't tell you how many 'arguments' i have been in about this, lol :LOL
Just wanted to share with you all, please do not feel offended or put down. We are all still struggling to reclaim our languages. Even though i am no longer fluent, i still do my best to speak to my children.
Unfortunately, it has, so far, only been males to write our language, and perhaps they did not know themselves, kwim? Or didn't even think about it. Cow's Milk is more common than momma milk or breastfeeding, kwim?

Thanks for that one!! We say "nooni'" for breastfeeding and my dd has just decided that my breasts are nooni's too, we haven't gotten around to saying doodooshaboo for milk, because its just nooni' right now, but I'm happy know to have the right word--and I like the way niiniishaboo sounds much better!!
MIIGWECH!


----------



## mamabuzzybee

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MamaInTheBoonies*
Or other indigenous ppl? what is your word for breastmilk?
I should run over to powwows.com and ask there...hmmm...









I know Sac and Fox/Meskwaki is close to Anishinaabemowin, and the folks I know who are S&F say nuunuu (sp?).....pretty close to nooni'.....


----------



## mamabuzzybee

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MamaInTheBoonies*

'Doodoo' by itself doesn't mean anything and non-natives might think we are referring to poop.
"Got Doodooshaboo" Would be PC if we are comparing to the Cow's Milk ads, but since so many Natives are allergic to dairy, that might not be best to promote, kwim?


Now I learned in an Ojibwe language class (the professor was a white linguist, albeit the most respectful white man I've ever met, but he learned Anishinaabemowin in northern Canada where he lived in a non-English speaking community for several years--but the dialect differences can sometimes be key.....) that breasts are doodooshiimeyag, is that wrong? I don't have my Nichol's Dictionary around at work......


----------



## ~member~

"breasts are doodooshiimeyag" Yep, that's what we say, too. Or for My breast - indoodooshim
The -ag part is the plural part.
All the kids I know call them Niinii's, though :LOL
Probably from the niiniishaboo and the nooni, easier to just say niinii :LOL

I know that with the introduction of the bottle and formula, a lot of kids now say doodoo's...

Hopefully that will change, again, and become niinii's. It will be nice to have our mothers breastfeeding again.

loraeileen - I am not sure. I know that my belly button and the line that goes down, turns brown and takes a long time to fade....never had discoloring on my face or seen it here...if your grandma had it for life and you are now having them, then it might be for life like your grandma...
I know we have the traditional blue butts :LOL Mongolian spots or something like that. My 9yo still has hers, not as noticable, but still there.


----------



## makawee

well i wont think about my little baby t-shirt









good luck!


----------



## mamabuzzybee

Quote:


Originally Posted by *makawee*
well i wont think about my little baby t-shirt









good luck!

I think that since so many of us 'Shinabes thought it was doodooshaboo anyways, you'd get your message across loud and clear!!


----------



## makawee

i edited this since it's been about a month and a half.

things are getting better. much better.


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Oh,makawee. I'm so sorry.







:

I do understand and I know that was a difficult choice for you to make, especially considering your current circumstances. Take care of yourself...and your babies.







Post anytime you need to talk.


----------



## ~member~

Quote:


Originally Posted by *makawee*
well i wont think about my little baby t-shirt









good luck!

don't feel bad! it is our right to reclaim our languages the best way we know how. Let it be a tool for teaching our ppl the words for Cow milk vs. momma milk. Don't let it get you down, please?


----------



## neverdoingitagain

I've been tempted to post on here, though, of course, I've been weighing the odds of you accepting me







:
I'm not First Nations, I'm Metis, my mother is irish/scottish/ummm, okay heinz 57 :LOL , and my father is Cree/Beaver/Blackfoot/french. Does that count?
Both my dh and I have native blood, he's actually treaty(Cree) though neither of us know alot about our Cree hertiage. My dh was adopted by a french/italian couple at birth, so he's a little clueless sometimes







.
I was raised on a Metis settlement in Alberta, and actually got a bit of exposure to the Cree culture, in fact, my uncle is a medicine man.
Anyway, I'm the proud mother to a beautiful little girl, named Shekinah. She is our first and probably only child, is absolutely adored, and yes,"spoiled rotten"







We are a very AP family, and I believe it is very consistent with native traditions, and culture. I like being an instinctual parent, it makes sense to me, and well, frankly, I'm pretty bull-headed, don't like to be told that I "must" ff, "must" cio, "must" use a stroller, crib, disposable diapers... :LOL its the word "must", its good way to get me to do the absolute opposite!








Anyway, I have tons of questions for y'all, and hope to ask them one day, if you let me















Thanks
Tannis
Shekinah 5/10/04


----------



## Jennbee

neverdoingitagain,








Can I start by asking you this, why do you call yourself Metis? I ask because I don't quite understand the definition of Metis. My DH's mom is not Native, and he doesn't call himself Metis or half-white. He's Anishinabe/or Native.
I've found that most people on this thread are accepting of people who aren't "All Native" or whatever you wanna call it. I hope to hear from you again. And once again, Welcome!


----------



## mamabuzzybee

Quote:


Originally Posted by *makawee*
i'm sorry this is off the current topic.

my man and i are done. i gave him a choice between us and drinking- he chose drinking. we have two kids together and he has two from a previous relationship. he says he wants to "take care of our kids", but it's impossible with his alcohol abuse and all the other crap in his life.

i'm not dealing well. i love him very much. i feel abandoned. to make it harder we're staying with my dad, our apt had a fire, we're all ok, but that's how the breakup started, he was too drunk to come over.

i am having a hard time nursing my 2 yo - i'm short on patience. i want to wean him, but now is a time when he needs me. i need me and i feel so empty.

i appreciate Native Mamas response - i know others would understand - but i feel like i can start here.

That sucks mama....really really sucks. My dd's df and I split up a year ago, and wow, I never knew anything could be so difficult. And its hard to realize that your kiddo's df isn't as invested in your children as you are. I'll pm you if that's okay.....


----------



## ~member~

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jennbee*
neverdoingitagain,








Can I start by asking you this, why do you call yourself Metis? I ask because I don't quite understand the definition of Metis. My DH's mom is not Native, and he doesn't call himself Metis or half-white. He's Anishinabe/or Native.
I've found that most people on this thread are accepting of people who aren't "All Native" or whatever you wanna call it. I hope to hear from you again. And once again, Welcome!

The Metis people are a nation of their own...here is a link to a very informative website about who they are and where they came from...Metis People
Another link...Metis history

Hope this helps answer your questions


----------



## neverdoingitagain

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jennbee*
neverdoingitagain,








Can I start by asking you this, why do you call yourself Metis? I ask because I don't quite understand the definition of Metis. My DH's mom is not Native, and he doesn't call himself Metis or half-white. He's Anishinabe/or Native.
I've found that most people on this thread are accepting of people who aren't "All Native" or whatever you wanna call it. I hope to hear from you again. And once again, Welcome!

Hi! And thanks for the welcome!
Metis defined as a person with white and first nations blood lines. Technically that includes "half-breeds" but unfortunately, the way the staus system works here, they are actually considered "indians",first nations, and treaty/status natives. I believe to be considered Metis, one has to have at least 1/16 of native blood, though not exactly sure.
Also Metis people do have their own culture and language(Michif, which is considered a creole mix of french and cree)*On a personal note, my grandfather is french, and my father is Metis. When they met, my dad was speaking Michif, and my Grandpa, french. They understood each other pretty well, but they both insisted each was speaking same language :LOL *
In Canada, we have settlements, like the reservations, and we have rights as a seperate culture. I was raised on a Metis settlement and have a membership.
As for your dh, he could be considered treaty/status if he applied for it, and as Metis.
Hope that answers your question! Also, MamaInTheBoonies, thanks for posting those links,and BTW, love the tag line









Okay, now some questions of my own..
What made you decide to raise your children AP, as opposed to current baby-rearing trends?(CIO,FF,disposables,strollers,cribs)
Do you use any of the current tools(cribs,strollers)?
Do you find it harder or easier to be AP because you are native?
Have you ever had someone say you look tribal when you use a sling







:LOL
I have more, but I can'tthink of them right now.
Tannis
Shekinah 5/10/04































































:


----------



## ~member~

Quote:


Originally Posted by *neverdoingitagain*
What made you decide to raise your children AP, as opposed to current baby-rearing trends?

I was raised surrounded by mothers who breastfed, co-slept, used cradle boards, etc. So, it was never an issue for me.
For a long time, I thought that was universal. :LOL
My mother, my aunts, every woman in my family used cloth diapers. It wasn't until 2002 that I used disposables because I found I could not afford cloth diapering and the Crisis Nurseries only give out disposables. They do not have cloth, laundry soap, or offer money to launder your own cloth diapers.
I am in the same predicament, now.
A lot of times my baby goes without and I just clean the mess up. I try to catch her when she is pooping and put her over the toilet so there is less mess for me to clean. On the MDC boards, they have a fancy name for that now. Elimination communication. :LOL
I have done that for the last three years because I cannot afford diapers.








The diapers I do get, are usully from the Crisis Nursery, gifts from friends, or the Pregnancy and Birth Center. I try to hold onto them for when we have to go out in public, kwim?

Because of my involvement with CPS, I have a crib, changing table, bottles (collecting dust), formula(also collecting dust), Baby soap/shampoo, etc. Just so when they make their home visits they can'y say I am not doing my best to provide for my children.
All my 'baby stuff' was donated to me from Healthy Start, right before their funding was cut and they had to close. I was fortunate that the lady from Healthy Start made a home visit the same day the social worker was here and she heard the social worker telling me what I needed in my home so that CPS will leave me alone.

I find it is harder to AP because of the way I look. It is automatically assumed that I am another drunk indian mom whose children need to be taken away.








I have never drank or done drugs, so it is really heartbreaking at times to know that is the stereotype through which people see me and other Native moms.


----------



## AlleyCat213

hello everyone. i ask, "am i welcome," because i am just coming into discovering the "native" side of myself and i don't know much about it. but particularly since my son has been with us, i've felt a strong need to reach into my roots and discover more about what it means to be native, particularly a native mama.

this seems ridiculous to many people because, despite being a quarter cherokee from my mother's side, i am red-haired, green-eyed, and i couldn't tan if my life depended on it. i'm also not in contact with my mother or anyone on her side of the family so i have no familial relations to native people.







:

but i'm soooo interested in it! i'm taking a class in native american culture and trying to read books about my heritage, but i'd really like to learn about my heritage FROM my heritage, if you know what i mean.









i'm also studying to be a midwife and i'm so fascinated with the spiritualism surrounding many native births. i think it could be something valuable for me to learn, as a midwife.

so please tell me what it's like to be a native mama! things are coming together for me lately in understanding why i've always felt so close to the earth, so much respect for animals, and so impressed upon regarding the importance of family relations, even though i wasn't surrounded with these feelings in my youth. i cloth diaper, i'm raising my child vegan, i wear my son as much as i can with my fibromyalgia, and i would have DEARLY loved to breastfeed but i have recessed milk-glands. i feel deep sadness for this every day.









so...is it dumb that i want to learn about what it means to be a native? i feel like such a poseur sometimes! but i feel a deep need in me to know about this.


----------



## ~member~

AlleyCat213 welcome to our tribe!!!! Yes, of course, you are welcome here!!! It is awesome that you want to reconnect to your roots and learn the ways of your people.
Come walk the Red Road with us.


----------



## Jennbee

Quote:


Originally Posted by *neverdoingitagain*
As for your dh, he could be considered treaty/status if he applied for it, and as Metis.
Hope that answers your question! Also, MamaInTheBoonies, thanks for posting those links,and BTW, love the tag line









Okay, now some questions of my own..
What made you decide to raise your children AP, as opposed to current baby-rearing trends?(CIO,FF,disposables,strollers,cribs)
Do you use any of the current tools(cribs,strollers)?
Do you find it harder or easier to be AP because you are native?
Have you ever had someone say you look tribal when you use a sling







:LOL
I have more, but I can'tthink of them right now.
Tannis
Shekinah 5/10/04































































:

DH does have "status", and his mom acquired it too when she married DH's dad back in the 70's.
Answers to your ?'s: My mom breastfed me and my 6 sisters. I was the earliest weaner at 9 months. BF was just the only option for me. I've tried cloth diapering, and gave up too easily BUT I'm still trying sometimes. I think that CD is more natural and not necessarily AP. The term AP was something I heard of when I was pregnant and reading lots of books. I hold most of the same beliefs. We do use a stroller sometimes (shopping, to carry those bags mostly, jogging, and sometimes for walks). We've never used a crib, but did use a co-sleeper for 5 months.
I don't find that it's harder for me to try and be an Attached Parent because I'm Native. Sometimes what I do find harder is to express my views to younger Native moms who are so mainstream.
I felt like an awesome mom when I was in Cancun, Mexico (friend's wedding) early last winter. I was at a flea market type shopping place and a vendor said that I looked like one of the moms from the Chiapas region. He said that they carry their babies in slings too.


----------



## neverdoingitagain

I just re-read my last post, and I realized that my question"do you find it easier or harder to be AP because you are native?" is a little confusing. Let me put it this way, I looked at it, and I forgot what it meant :LOL I'm losing my mind, my memory, my IQ







:LOL Who knew that having a baby meant losing your mind?
Anyway, this is what I meant be the question. Was this type of child-rearing part of how you were raised, does your native heritage support this, or is it harder to be AP due to the many changes to our lifestyle? Are people in your community more accepting or less?okay maybe thats what I should wrote LOL








BTW, does anyone here speak Cree?
Tannis
Shekinah 5/10/04































































:


----------



## Tuesday

Please excuse me ... I'm not sure if I'm in the right place but don't know where else to ask .... I'm not Native but my son and DS are ... I guess I wondered if any of you had some ideas on how to further learn and explore DH's and DS's heritage. DH's mother was placed in an orphanage when she was very young. She had no familial connections at all. She is a very suppressed woman and has pretty much hidden her own Native connections. She, when pressed, would tell DH and his siblings that they were 1/8 Native. Well, it turns out, after talking with the daughter of my MIL's long lost and estranged brother, that my MIL has been hiding her background. My MIL and her brother were separated when they were very young and just reconnected. This brother of MIL is very proud of his heritage and has been working with his family to establish it legally. So, if this is not confusing yet - my MIL is actually of 100% of Mohawk tribe which makes my DH half Mohawk. DH is very proud and excited to learn more about his Native heritage. The family of my DH's uncle lives in BC and is working to get paperwork completed. They were actually saddened to know that my MIL was in such denial but said it was a traumatic upbringing and given the timeframe of her birth and early years (1938-1950s), it makes sense. But, DH feels like part of his history is a black hole. He wants to learn more on his own. I'm really curious about learning more for my husband's and son's sake. Is there some way we can a) learn more about the Mohawk tribe and Six Nations (Ontario) and b) work towards establishing legal status? My MIL on the other hand is still in denial and refuses to discuss this entire "issue" so we've been communicating with her brother and his family without MIL's input.

I hope this is not too confusing. I guess in the end I just want to help my husband and son know their Native heritage. I'm so proud, too.


----------



## ~member~

Quote:


Originally Posted by *neverdoingitagain*
Was this type of child-rearing part of how you were raised, does your native heritage support this, or is it harder to be AP due to the many changes to our lifestyle? Are people in your community more accepting or less?

I was raised this way and went on to raise my children the same. The community is very accepting. It is hard to cloth diaper because of the extreme poverty I live in. I was able to cloth diaper the first two. my last two use disposables, but mostly I practice what is called Elimination Communication on MDC. I didn't know such a fancy word existed. I did it because I don't like picking up urine and feces all the time. :LOL Since reading on MDC about Elimination Communication, it makes sense. I find you are more in tune with your baby. Well, you _have_ to be. :LOL It gets easier. I find that i have a little 'sensor' that goes off in my head, so, if I am doing dishes or something that doesn't involve the baby directly, I stop and run and put her on the toilet and sure enough, she pees or poops. I have noticed that if I am beading or doing something that requires all of my attention, then accidents are more likely to occur.
Okay, I got off topic for a moment, sorry!









Example: at the powwow this weekend, I nursed my baby, when I had to use the bathroom or my 2 yo dd needed help, someone was always there to hold the baby. I also did my fair share of holding others babies. Everyone watches the little kids. If they are not out dancing, then they are running around chasing each other, and there are cars. One little boy ran out and a car was coming and ten adults ran after him! None of them were his parents, either. But it was fine, because it is expected that every adult keeps an eye out for every child, not just their own, but _every_ child. No one was mad at the parents of the boy, no one even looked for his parents. They just made sure he was safe and when he was, everyone went back to enjoying the powwow.
Everyone is expected to do their part for the whole of the community.

Another nice thing I saw this weekend, was a little boy who was just tired and lost it, kwim? No one looked and gave the parents mean looks. The parents never hit the boy, they just did their best to get him what he needed. When he needed to just cry for a while, his mom brought him away from the dance arena and held him while he cried. He then fell asleep and she carried him back to the circle and laid him down. No one criticised her for letting him cry, no one gave the dad mean looks, etc. The dad was a drummer and singer, so he couldn't leave the circle.

I love my community, I love being a part of my community. When someone does something that is deemed 'bad', they are never put down or shamed. A group of people will surround that person and get them talking and see if it was a one time thing or if the person needs help. If the person needs help, they will get them help immediately. If it was a one time thing, they make sure the person understands what is acceptable and what is not and the person usually apologizes and goes on with life.

Okay, gotta run, baby needs to nurse and I still haven't figured out the nak thing very well.


----------



## onlyzombiecat

Hi everyone,
I don't know if I belong in this thread as I am of European ancestry (English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh and German). My dh and dd are registered members of the Iowa tribe of Kansas and Nebraska though and we currently live on the Sac & Fox reservation in Kansas.
We attend the tribe's pow wow when we can. This year we will probably miss it because dh works on weekends. Dd loves the drums and the dancing. I really like the atmosphere. Are there any pow wows not held solely on weekends?
I am homeschooling dd and hope to incorporate her Native American cultural heritage into that. It will be a learning experience for all of us.


----------



## neverdoingitagain

Okay, I really need some honest opinions here.
I am part of an e-mail group, and every once in awhile we have polls. Its all about parenting issues. Anyway, recently a poll came up and one of the pollsters(known for her sharp wit, and sense of humor) wrote this:

1. How do you feel about a SAHM's child riding the school bus? Back in my day, we didn't have no stinkin' school bus. We walked uphill (both ways), pushing the qaudraplegic school mascot in a wheelchair that was missing a wheel, in the snow. What kind of wimpy kids ride in a friggin' school bus?!?!?!? Tell them to get off their fat @sses and WALK!!! See - this is why child obesity is on the rise. It's those [email protected] school buses, or moms driving their fat kids to school. Sheesh.

2. Do you always wash your hands after changing your baby's diaper? Before serving them food? Never. It builds up their immune system. Besides, native american tribes were known to consume their own feces, and they didn't die from it. Why should it bother my kid? Suck it up, and walk it off.

3. At what age do you think girls should start to wear makeup? As soon as they can properly wield an eyeliner pencil. Get those little harlots out on the street, pronto.

4. If you went on a private vacation for a week, do you think your husband could handle the kids and the household responsibilites as well as you do? Of course. With their personalized straightjackets (known in my house as "Love Me Jackets"), a monkey could manage my hubby and kids for a week.

5. Do you think it is approprate for a baby or young girl to wear a bikini? hmmm.... was I not supposed to have my may baby in a thong yet? Granted, I saw it on the show "So You Wanna Be A Hoochie", but I thought it looked pretty cute.

6. Does your DH manhood have a nickname? If so what is it? Yes, we call it "Hercules". Strong enough to pick up massive amounts of weight. Capable of maintaining good balance. Adored by women everywhere.

7. Do you think throwing your own bridal/baby shower is tacky? Honestly, I'd say it's much tackier of a person to NOT volunteer to host a shower for a friend, and then have the gall to b!tch about them hosting their own. Quit being an @ss, and help the happy couple celebrate in whatever way they choose (or end up doing, as the case may be).

I found her second answer very offensive and said so:

> > 2. Do you always wash your hands after changing
> your baby's diaper? Before serving them food?
> Never. It builds up their immune system. Besides,
> native american tribes were known to consume their
> own feces, and they didn't die from it.

Whoa... Hamster, I know you were just kidding, but this comment is uncool. I know of NO native american tribe that did this, and as a native american...well, you see what I'm getting at? Still, I know you were just kidding and meant no harm... Just don't go there, 'kay?

Tannis
Shekinah 5/10/04

(her knickname is Hamster, IKYWW)
her reply:

Actually, I'm not trying to step on any toes here, but iwhat I said is true, to a degree.

Some of the smaller Texas tribes experienced a serious food shortage at one point in history, and ended up surviving on seeds and nuts. Unfortunately, many of the shells of the seeds were so tough, they couldn't breakthem open, and the only way to obtain the nutrients from them was to consume them once, allow the body's super digestive system to do it's work, and then reconsume them to get the full value.

I'm not criticizing anyone - frankly, it's an ingenious method of obtaining all the nutrients available to ensure the survival of a tribe.

Three years of Texas history, and this is just one of the most (intellectually) fascinating tidbits I remember. I admire the resolve to live, that was evidenced by such a habit. I mean, would you have thought of it in this day and age? I probably wouldn't have, and my tribe would have vanished.

Just defending myself, since I try my best to not say anything critical of ethnic groups. So more than likely, if I say something that might be misinterpreted, there is an explanation behind it and I'm not just being obnoxious and narrowminded.

Hope everyone enjoyed their random informational tidbits on the Texas tribes!









~Heather

Okay, now you got to the end, what do you think? I can't get it out of my head. I'm still really upset. I was trying not to add any drama when I wrote this, but I feel like I copped out:

Heather:
Okay, I see your point. Some smaller native tribes in Texas did this. Unfortunately, you didn't specify that. You said "native american tribes". Makes one believe ALL native american tribes did this.
Now, I know you, and I know that you weren't trying to offend anyone, but when I saw that, I couldn't help it. It was an unexpected slap in the face, even though it was unintentional.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not mad. It just shocked me.
I would like to add, thanks for the anthropology lesson, very interesting.
Tannis
Shekinah 5/10/04

Why did I even add the last part? I was going to say something pretty nasty, thats why. If there is anyone from that area she mentions, how do feel about this piece of history, and how people throw it around?
I would really like your opinions. Should I let it go? Should I confront her again? Am I making too much of it?

Tannis
Shekinah 5/10/04


----------



## ~member~

I would confront her again. How many Jewish people in the concentration camps were forced to eat their feces to survive? How many POWs, white, indigenous, whatever, had to eat their feces as a way of survival?
It is plain wrong to say what she said.
Eating your feces or other human beings as a means of survival is not just a Native American thing. It has and is happening all over this world.


----------



## mamabuzzybee

Quote:


Originally Posted by *neverdoingitagain*
I would really like your opinions. Should I let it go? Should I confront her again? Am I making too much of it?

Tannis
Shekinah 5/10/04

That sucks mama. I have gotten into a couple of email/online "discussions" (arguments) that have to do with Native people. I generally stay out of race discussions, but when Native people come in directly, I have said my mind. In the last one, it was a discussion that was getting somewhat out of hand, and I said my piece and when people started getting (what I would say was) irrational, I bowed out and am very happy I did. I didn't drag myself through the mud just because they were, and the conversation ended on a roll-your-eyes note.

This one is one-on-one and I would wait to see what her response is. My gut is that the way she put it "native americanS" is like saying that Christians promote or practice polygamy (No, they don't, most don't a few select sects do, but it is NOT the norm). But she seems like a strong, strong personality, and isn't likely to back down. Her initial response was very defensive and self-righteous sounding to me--wonder what this next response will be. Good for you mama, for not being nasty--she might be more likely to HEAR you.


----------



## emmalola

Hi- this is a heavy conversation so I just wanted to poke my head in and say hi- My son and I are Chiricahua Fort Sill Apache, and I just found this "tribe" (snicker snicker) on MDC. Hi!


----------



## ~member~

emmalola


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Have you guys heard of Rez Robics? :LOL Check it out! http://www.dreamcatchers.org/rezrobics/


----------



## ~member~

Cool link Little Bear's Mama!
So, I have been doing some research, as best I can with only the internet and ppl IRL.
So far, I have learned that diabete's is a genetic thing. So, there had to have been a gene first before someone would get diabetes, kwim? Also, so far all the indians I talked to who have diabetes type II all have French blood in them....







makes me think that it is not something Native Americans had previous to the introduction of commods, but rather the introduction of the "bad" gene which of course is excaberated by the consumption of commods.
Hope I'm making sense. :LOL
Not trying to shift blame or not raise awareness, just something interesting I stumbled upon and was curious about.


----------



## krisbeany

Hello to All! I am Hoopa and Yurok ( northern California). My last babe just outgrew his baby basket and it now hung on the wall. I just went to dinner w/ a fairly new mommy who had her babe in the cradle board. It was so cute!


----------



## emmalola

Hi!

Our tradition with the cradleboards is to dismantle them and hang the parts from a tree. I'm sad to do that, just because his cradleboard is so precious to me! It will be hard. The good news is that I don't have to do it within any time limit. I'm sure when the time is right, I will know.

Do any of you have boys with long hair? We're planning on letting my son's hair grow. The problem is that now that he's had his haircutting ceremony, his hair is kinda mullet-like. We're very far away from my community because both my husband and I are in school, and I'm a little concerned that we're going to get all sorts of wierd comments while his hair is growing. Can you moms share with me what your experiences have been?


----------



## mamachandi

I just found this thread and would like to be included- I don't have time to elaborate now but am ojibwe on my fathers side.


----------



## Blue Dragonfly

Hi There,

There was a good article on CBC about traditional diet and diabetes. Here is the link.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/science/nati...nal050211.html

Great discussions going on here,

Rebecca


----------



## neverdoingitagain

that kind of reminds me of the alcoholism link to genetics theory for First Nations. Okay, did that make sense? There was a study done awhile ago that found that First Nations people didn't have the gene necessary to process alcohol properly, which caused most First Nations people to become alcoholics, at a higher percentage to people with European blood. Does anyone recall that, or am I imagining things?
Little Bears Mama: Love the Rez Robics! Thats so cool! I'm training to become a fitness instructor, and actually wanted to move back to my settlement and teach there. "couch potato skins" :LOL I love our humor

Weird question, has anyone here ever read the book"HalfBreed" by Marie Campbell?


----------



## Jennbee

I remember hearing about that genetic theory and alcoholism. I don't know much about it though.
I haven't read the "Halfbreed" book, but I can guess what it's about. Did you read it neverdoingitagain?


----------



## ~member~

Here is an awesome link that lists Native American authors and you can even do a search by tribe.
Native American Authors

About the alcohol gene, yes that would make sense, since our ancestors never drank any form of alcohol, we would not carry that particular gene.

Another I have noticed is the citrus fruit. Oranges, pineapples, lemons, and limes and such, everyone in my family who eats or drinks those gets Strep Throat or inflamed tonsils. I figure, since in our family we don't have any ancestoral genetics pertaining to certain foods, then we are more susceptible to harm from them, kwim?

There was two years in my life where I was able to afford to eat the way my ancestors did, and MAN! did I feel awesome! I built up muscle mass, and had energy, no more migraines, no stomach aches, etc. It was great!
I ate cherries, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, wild rice(not the store bought kind, but the kind you go ricing for and parch yourself), moose, caribou, turtle, elk, buffalo, and tons of different greens. There was more, but those are the ones off the top of my head.


----------



## emmalola

The whole alcohol gene theory was just a theory and it has been proven wrong several times. I always felt that the theory was just another thing the federal government could use to patronize and control our people. Like: you can't handle the alcohol? what else can't you handle? Let our oh so benevolent government agency handle it for you....

In contrast, things like lactose intolerance are closely related to our diets pre-contact.

Wow- if I ate my ancestral diet I'd be eating a heck of a lot of cactus and jackrabbit. bleh! I mean, yay!


----------



## ~member~

Quote:


Originally Posted by *emmalola*
The whole alcohol gene theory was just a theory and it has been proven wrong several times. I always felt that the theory was just another thing the federal government could use to patronize and control our people. Like: you can't handle the alcohol? what else can't you handle? Let our oh so benevolent government agency handle it for you....

Wow- if I ate my ancestral diet I'd be eating a heck of a lot of cactus and jackrabbit. bleh! I mean, yay!

It has been known for quite awhile that alcohol has been used as a tool for committing genocide upon our people. Having such a theory proven 'wrong' only helped justify it's continuous use.

As for your ancestral diet, I highly doubt it was only made up of cactus and jackrabbit.

Many tribal diets were quite good and helped the them to thrive. There is a lot of misinformation about how we lived.

All my information comes from my people who lived before the white man showed up. You have to remember the white man has not been here all that long.
My reservation is only 142 years old. Meaning that my great-grandfather (who I was fortunate enough to live with until his death) had many family members who had been alive when the white man came.

Tribes in the South and west have been fighting the white man for even less time than tribes in the East and North.

Tribes in Mexico, Central America and South America have just recently began their fighting. that is why so many Mexicans look indian, because they are.


----------



## emmalola

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MamaInTheBoonies*
It has been known for quite awhile that alcohol has been used as a tool for committing genocide upon our people. Having such a theory proven 'wrong' only helped justify it's continuous use.

As for your ancestral diet, I highly doubt it was only made up of cactus and jackrabbit.

I totally agree that alcohol has been a tool for the oppression and genocide of our people. I'm just saying that we don't need an excuse to be oppressed, and there are people who use the "predisposed to alcohol" line to control us when there is no actual truth to the claim. I am in the midst of writing a dissertation about pain management on the reservation, and the whole "indian's can't genetically handle their liquor/pain medications" line has been used by IHS administrators and clinicians as an excuse to not address the real causes of our chronic and devastating substance abuse.

I was only being glib about the traditional diet. We're from the desert and we were nomadic until 1886, when we were put in prison camp in Oklahoma. Up until incarceration, we managed small seasonal garden plots all over our territory, as well as chasing a lot of game (mostly small animals, being that we were in the deserts of southern AZ and NM. thus the rabbit comment...) Unfortunately, we didn't have the bounty that other regions enjoyed, so our main sustenance did come from mescal and cactus fruit.

I didn't mean to offend- please don't take my words the wrong way!


----------



## ~member~

emmalola- I wasn't offended. I understand that we are all sisters/kin here. We are all looking for support and hopefully, to learn from each other.
I know my posts are sometimes short because I have a nursing baby and want to point something out, but know that if I don't write and post I might forget, kwim?







I try to always come back and clarify.

"indian's can't genetically handle their liquor/pain medications"
That is an interestinng point. In 2002 and 2005 I had cesareans against my will. Both times they refused to give me pain meds and I was left for hours at a time screaming in pain until I passed out.
Then, on both discharges they refused to provide me with a prescription. They sent me home with tylenol and Ibuprofen.
Thankfully, I was able to get prescriptions from my doctor that has treated me for over 20 years.
At the time I thought the nurses were thinking of me as less than human, therefore not really in pain but just pretending. I never thought of it as them rationalizing that I would become addicted or something.

Quote:

Unfortunately, we didn't have the bounty that other regions enjoyed, so our main sustenance did come from mescal and cactus fruit.
I, also think that is misinformation. Our people had trade routes from Russia all the way to South America. A lot of tribes who thought they had come from the desert, really hadn't. they had been pushed there.
The few cities in the deserts were huge trading centers, and I am sure there was probably once a lake or source of water.
My mother is the International Leader for Indigenous Peoples. She travels all over the world and meets with every indigenous peoples. Not just the U.S. or Canada. I have been fortunate to speak to other tribal elders. Many oral stories that have been written down by white men were fibs told by the indigenous people to protect those that were hidden.
I guess, what I am trying to say, is that I trust the oral histories spoken by the elders, more than any books or articles written.
There are stories from African Tribal leaders talking about the Anasazi(?) tribe visiting in boats. I know I am wrong about the Anasazi, it's not that tribe...another with a similar name. 








There is a Tribe in Japan that has an Origin Story saying they came from the corn. Uhm, there's no corn in Japan. It is very similar to the Origin stories of the Dine people.
A lot of the elders do not trust recording devices and I do not have the best memory. I do remember the jist of their stories, though.
A Hmoung elder once told my mom about how the white men came and tried to make them into slaves. She talked about how her people layed down and just died. They had always known the power of the human body and were able to choose death over enslavement.

Oh, I could go on and on, the many stories I was fortunate to have heard by elders from all over the world. My mother has even more stories.

Oral tradition, thankfully, is still alive and thriving. Even today, though, many elders will lie or misinform outsiders. So, I always take them with a grain of salt, so to say. I do trust my elders, the Anishinaabeg and Lakota/Dakota. They have nothing to gain by lying to us, their grandchildren and great-grandchildren, kwim?


----------



## neverdoingitagain

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jennbee*
I remember hearing about that genetic theory and alcoholism. I don't know much about it though.
I haven't read the "Halfbreed" book, but I can guess what it's about. Did you read it neverdoingitagain?

I have the book actually, it an autobiography of a the author. Its empowering in a lot of ways.
She talks alot about alcoholism in it. Especially how it affected the Metis and First Nations people, and it was a cultural thing. The people felt so bad about themselves... It was set in the early 50-the late 70's.
She actually still does lectures, my friend met her a couple months ago at the "Dreamkeeper" premiere.
MamaintheBoonies:







OMG! I can't believe they did that!
About the travelling tribe theory you mentioned, I saw a documentary about that! Some people from China, Mongolia and Russia(uzbakhistan?khaztistan?) came to the NWT to see the Dene people there(Inuit) the genetic similarities were astonishing!
Speaking of diet, IMO, I think that our people haven't adapted to the current diet yet(well, duh, right?) I mean, the white people who brought us this diet had been eating like that for centuries. This diet is very new for us, only about a century old, less for some. Add into it the drop in physical activity, its made a drastic change in our ability to cope. The Cree people were nomads and walked everywhere. Lived on the land, and now, not so common. Heck even in the 70's it was more common. My parents grew a garden,picked berries, Dad hunted, I never even had cow meat until I was around 10. I think that maybe our digestive system hasn't evolved along that line yet. I get the feeling though that our descendants will be able to deal much easier with the current diet.


----------



## ~member~

I was born outside the rez. It was when they would force natives to birth in the hospitals. They tied my mom down and pulled me out using forceps. Then they gave her a bottle of sugar water to feed me. My mom drank it and breastfed me instead.








After that she started training as a midwife so women could stay home and birth.
I was 4 the first time I was taught how to use a rifle to shoot deer. Turned out i was too small, so I had to keep checking traps, fish, and lay traps. I learned how to build my own traps out of red willow and sinew.
I was 7 yo(?) maybe just turned 7 the first time I had McD's. I was sick for a week! Blood came out of my throat.
I know how to hunt Moose and Elk and Caribou. I never got to learn how to tan hides, though.
This month we are going ricing in Mille Lacs. I can't wait!
When I was little we always tapped for Maple syrup, gather berries, nuts, and had a little garden.

People think I am lying when I tell about the first time I ever saw a television. Scared the crap outta me, lol. I destroyed it, though.







That thing wasn't going to get my family! :LOL
Maybe that first experience is why I have never had tv, nor ever will. Still gives me the creeps when i see one.

Quote:

I think that maybe our digestive system hasn't evolved along that line yet.
Nor will it for some time, nor do I think I want it to, kwim?
I never feed my children hot dogs, or anything with high nitrates. We hardly ever eat bread. Bread is actually a treat, because for us it is addictive. We'll eat an entire loaf in one sitting. I know it has to do with it turning to sugar in your body, kwim? The day after, we all feel like crap.
Frybread is the worst! I am so addicted, I even know how to make the really yummy yummy kind with the yeast and you let it rise overnight, and now I am drooling just thinking about it! :LOL
I only make it for very special feasts where I know there won't be leftovers to take home, cuz I'll eat them all!


----------



## NinaBruja

is there a webpage out there that has listed the traditional foods of different tribes? or does anyone know in particular what the traditional foods of mohaves navajos and chemouevis are?
oh and i finally figured out what navajo clan we are ^_^ tangle clan, ta'neeszahnii just like my dads middle name. was right under my nose.
and my aunt is making me a chemouevi cradle board for this new baby. im excited.
weve been using mine from when i was a baby. i was told that every baby needs thier own cradle board and they even made one for my 2 year old but didnt have my address so i used my ancient mohave board. the dowels on the back are breaking and im horrible at maneuvering a baby into one. poor baby kept flying out on my lap when i tried to tie her up heh...
im excited about getting a new board for this baby. eek


----------



## ~member~

Quote:


Originally Posted by *poxybat*
is there a webpage out there that has listed the traditional foods of different tribes? or does anyone know in particular what the traditional foods of mohaves navajos and chemouevis are?
oh and i finally figured out what navajo clan we are ^_^ tangle clan, ta'neeszahnii just like my dads middle name. was right under my nose.
and my aunt is making me a chemouevi cradle board for this new baby. im excited.
weve been using mine from when i was a baby. i was told that every baby needs thier own cradle board and they even made one for my 2 year old but didnt have my address so i used my ancient mohave board. the dowels on the back are breaking and im horrible at maneuvering a baby into one. poor baby kept flying out on my lap when i tried to tie her up heh...
im excited about getting a new board for this baby. eek









Cool! My mom had us in cradle boards. I still have mine, but it was too old to use for my babies. I never got a cradle board for mine, couldn't find anyone who remembered how to make them. Isn't that sad?

A good place to find Traditional food, is to search for the indigeous foods in that area. Also, talk to your elders about what their parents and/or grandparents ate, if they were ever told.

I am fortunate that many of my elders lived over 90 yrs and had asked/learned about our traditions/cultures from their grandparents who had lived before the white man came. Many of our stories are from before the white man and the Church came. Unfortunately, many of our leaders tody have been indoctrinated and use the basis of the Church as their model.








i'll also do a search and see what I can find for you.
I am so happy to hear you and your babies will get to experience having Cradleboards.








My mom has pictures of me and my sisters sleeping in ours, or our relatives carrying us around in them.


----------



## NinaBruja

**Cool! My mom had us in cradle boards. I still have mine, but it was too old to use for my babies. I never got a cradle board for mine, couldn't find anyone who remembered how to make them. Isn't that sad?**
mines definitely an antique. its funny to think about but i didnt even have a thought that i wouldnt use a cradle board. it just came to me like breastfeeding. i once said oh she will have a cradleboard even if i have to tie her to a pillow on a ladder :LOL luckily my mom found mine, cleaned it off and sent it over. its so sad that its a dying art. my aunt's been teaching alot of my cousins how to make them. one thing thats really bad i hear is that mesquite trees arent being sustained like they used to be. my cradleboard was made out of a large long mesquite root. my mom says they dont have them big like that anymore.

**A good place to find Traditional food, is to search for the indigeous foods in that area. Also, talk to your elders about what their parents and/or grandparents ate, if they were ever told.**
i only know whats edible on my reservation i dont know where mohaves or chemouevis come from. one of my other aunts took me to monument valley and told me that is where our navajo people came from. but i dont know what would be there to eat. i dont have access to elders unfortunately. and all the older native people i know seem to spend all thier time in the bar









**i'll also do a search and see what I can find for you.
I am so happy to hear you and your babies will get to experience having Cradleboards.








My mom has pictures of me and my sisters sleeping in ours, or our relatives carrying us around in them.**
awesome.
i have pictures of me, my sister and all the babies who were born in that 2 year span in thier cradleboards







theres this cute one of a get together where everyone lined up thier cradleboard babies along a wall and took a picture of everyone








like i said it didnt even occur to me that i might not have a cradleboard. even my boyfriend was sold on it. we watched a friends baby and he was super fussy because of teething. we were all over the place trying to make him a happy baby, dp was all flustered so i brought out his cradleboard and laced him into it. instant baby bliss







he was sold on the idea instantly. he thought it was the most amazing thing in the entire world. :LOL
i remember being in the cradleboard. so does my mom. we both still sleep best with our arms straight at the sides and wrapped tight in a blanket.
im lucky my paternal side is keeping the cradleboard alive


----------



## JessicaS

That is an interesting thought about diet..I just realised what is likley happening to me.

I have a condition called interstitial cystitis (IC). It requires an extremely strict elimination diet to find what causes irritation and acidic foods are a huge no no.

I have been doing elimination diet for over a year now.

I cannot eat any citris foods
any preservatives or nitrates.

I can eat...tomatoes...one of the most acidic foods there is.
Tomatoes are traditional foods for me...citris is not...

HHmmm....I am going to change elimination diet to traditional foods and see what happens.....and talk to my IC Dr. I never thought about it as a possible genetic diet issue instead of a genetic illness. (we had found this illness in ancestor but well..they were NA too!)

Interesting.


----------



## ~member~

The Navajo, Dine People were huge travelers. They not only had advanced agriculture, corn, squash, etc, they had trade routes from South America to Russia!
I was fortunate to visit Lac Brochet where a Dine set of travellers are now settled. Simon is the Chief's husband and he has many, many stories about their people's travels throughout the Americas and Russia and even Japan. They are an awesome people, who are/were very talented.
The only unforunate thing about them is that a Catholic missionary family found them 25 years ago and has almost destroyed them. They are a population of 700, where 600 are children 14 yrs and younger.








The Church no longer allows them to use birth control or practice birth control. They had specific ceremonies for their men and women and how to tell when the women were fertile an when it was okay to have sex or not.
Since they have reached out for help, ten years ago, they have implemented their traditional customs and ways of life, while still utilyzing the benefits of the Church.

ok, baby nursing, I'll have to come back. too hard to nak. :LOL


----------



## ~member~

poxybat- I never even learned what wood we used...I want to say it must have been some kind of cedar, because everytime I smell cedarwood, I remember my cradleboard. And leather! Our cradleboards are covered completely in leather with beadwork and the ...it's not called a trellis....an overhang where beads and trinkets that hang in front for baby to see, kwim?


----------



## NinaBruja

**The Navajo, Dine People were huge travelers. They not only had advanced agriculture, corn, squash, etc, they had trade routes from South America to Russia! I was fortunate to visit Lac Brochet where a Dine set of travellers are now settled. Simon is the Chief's husband and he has many, many stories about their people's travels throughout the Americas and Russia and even Japan. They are an awesome people, who are/were very talented. **
like gypsies? wow maybe thats why im into all kinds of foods... i have a reslesss streak too, im addicted to traveling. not even the destination. i love the journey!

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MamaInTheBoonies*
poxybat- I never even learned what wood we used...I want to say it must have been some kind of cedar, because everytime I smell cedarwood, I remember my cradleboard. And leather! Our cradleboards are covered completely in leather with beadwork and the ...it's not called a trellis....an overhang where beads and trinkets that hang in front for baby to see, kwim?

whenever i smell cedar i think about moving. my mom was constantly moving us around *i loved it lol* and before we could move anything into the house we had to smoke the whole house with cedar.
my aunt said that the chemouevi board was made with either leather or cloth. she said leather gets warm so its used for colder climates.
she also tells me that with the sunshade boys get feathers and girls get beadwork. im sure some may be cedar. i really wish these things were lookup able.
beadwork sounds beautiful. i really wish i could start beading again but my daughter is adamant about helping and i dont even know how many pretty little beads she has managed to eat. erg. well some of them do look like theyd taste good.
ive had a few







: sparkly diaper changes :LOL


----------



## Jennbee

I'm glad to see everyone share so much about their lives. I would like to find someone to help me make a cradleboard for my next baby, we're TTC#2. I'm Anishinabe and have been told that we used cradleboards too. I'll ask around in my community, but I'm thinking that I won't find anyone cuz I haven't heard of anyone making them.


----------



## ~member~

Jennbee~I am Anishinaabeg, also...seems we might just have to get together and figure out how to make our own!








I have the beads and can get the leather and I have the tools for putting the wood together...I should really go to our Elder in our community and offer tobacco and see if she can point me in the right direction...why didn't I think of that sooner? :LOL

Seems I am always asking her about other traditions/customs in regards to language, ceremony, sweatlodge, etc, but not babies or parenting. I think it is that ....stereotype or something....like old people don't know....or you hear ppl all surprised that elders 'get it on' or punje or whatever you wanna call it. :LOL

I guess I am so used to seeking out my aunts for info about babies and children that I never remember that our Elders have just as much knowledge.







I feel sad for not realizing this sooner.

Once, I find out I will come back and let you all know what they had to say...
any other questions besides Cradleboards?


----------



## mamabuzzybee

Boozhoo Jennbee--
Is your buddy's name Little Bee?
We have a photographer in our community who is "Amoose"--the nasalization got lost, but he too is "little bee"....
Welcome!


----------



## Jennbee

MamaInTheBoonies, we'd have to meet here again to figure the cradleboards out. I have yet to ask around, I think that I'll start with my gramma tomorrow. And I don't even want to think about gramma and grampa "getting it on" anymore. She has told me too many crazy stories about sex.
Mamabuzzybee, yes my little girl is a Little Bee. I see that you're a Bee too. Are you a busy bee?


----------



## ~member~

Yay! I spoke with a few of the elders yesterday! Cedar! I thought I was right, but wasn't sure. The next moon they will show me what I need and how to make one. I have the beads and leather and sinew, so, this will be about how to get the wood and actually make one. I can't wait!







I haven't been this excited in a long time, lol!














:LOL


----------



## Mamapits

Hi ladies,
I hope you don't mind my being here. I am not Native, dh is and of course ds is too. I check in here once in a while to see if I can learn something from you that will help me raise my son so that he will know where he comes from.

Dh has no contact with his mother since he was a baby and we live 2500 miles from Shiprock NM, the birth place of dh. Fil helps alot but you can understand why I look for a womans perspective, I am sure.

Anyway, I noticed the talk about the ancestral diet. I do believe there might be something to that.

There was mention of the traditional Dine diet. Just want to share what I learned from dh and fil and my trips to the southwest with family.

Squash, beans, melon, corn, especially blue corn, pine nuts (they are a treat for us and don't last 5 minutes in my house) onions, (even though fil can't handle them) chiles of many varieties. Apricots and or peaches ( the spanyards introduced them to the Dine, Kit Carson destroyed the orchords)
and of course Mutton. We eat lamb/mutton at least once a week if it is priced reasonably. Lamb is also traditional for my Greek ancestors.

I have a few good blue corn recipies if you are interested.

Someone mentioned something about the diet in this country still being new for the indigenous people here. I think the whole country is eating foods that are new to thier bodies. We are eating foods that have never, ever been eaten in the history of the planet before. Between the GMO, and the labortory Frankenstien foods on top of the pesticides, herbacides, dyes, perservitives and what ever other chemicles it is no wonder we are the sickest, fatest country in the world.


----------



## tofumama

This may not be appropriate for this thread, but I was hoping someone could help me out. My teacher, a Blackfoot, is getting married in a traditional ceremony in a couple weeks. I wondered if anyone could tell me some traditional wedding gifts? TIA


----------



## ~member~

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tofumama*
This may not be appropriate for this thread, but I was hoping someone could help me out. My teacher, a Blackfoot, is getting married in a traditional ceremony in a couple weeks. I wondered if anyone could tell me some traditional wedding gifts? TIA









If you are not Tribal, they may take offense if you give them traditional wedding gifts.
With that in mind, most traditional wedding gifts are Star Quilts, Pendleton Blankets/jackets, brain tanned leather so they can make their mocs and vests, material to make their family's clothes, beads, sinew, and certain shells or symbols of fertility.

They may not take offense to receiving nice Pendleton blankets or jackets, as those are a more 'modern' type gifts, kwim? They also do not require a shared common knowledge of meaning behind them as wedding gifts as do many of the other items.

Hope that helps! Enjoy the wedding!


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

A Pendleton blanket would be a fantastic gift! They're kinda spendy, though. If your teacher is traditional, she might appreciate something she could use to cook in the kitchen and at camp(assuming she participates in ceremonies), like an iron skillet or dutch oven, or even some enamelware (you know, that blue or black speckled stuff you can use on the stove or on an open fire). Come to think of it, she might really appreciate that, regardless! :LOL Oh, and a good coffee pot would be appreciated. Maybe with a basket of coffees, teas, ect? If her family is anything like mine and she'll be cooking a lot, anything for the kitchen is great. Especially things like big stock pots.

HTH


----------



## tofumama

I don't think she would be offended, as she is teaching me the ways of the Path. I was thinking Pendelton banket but I wanted to see if there were other things that would be traditional. Thanks for the ideas/info!


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Reviving this thread.







How is everyone?







Did ya'll survive Thanksgiving?

While I'm here, I thought I would mention that the MDC holiday helpers thread is open for this year! There are so many ways you can help, even if you don't have much to spare. And, if you need help, this is a great place to find it! Want more info? Click on the blinkie in my sigline.


----------



## MrsAngelic

Hi, I'm 23, 1/2 pueblo indian from Nambe, 1/2 hispanic. Never lived on the pueblo before, but my grandmother just graciously gave us a house there so we're moving end of the month. Just wondering if anyone is from the area?, lived in Santa Fe most of my life, but didn't visit Nambe very often so not sure what to expect.

This thread is very interesting btw. My mom taught me to weave belts and bead on a loom and a couple phrases in Tewa but that's about it. For some reason she's embarrassed to speak the language. Also I briefly attended a pueblo day school for 6th grade, wondering if it is the same in other areas because the academic standards were really really low there. Seemed strange to me is all.


----------



## demetria

OMG I would have freaked. Casino money. How about all these little kids have schools, homes, resources,etc.. by STEALING all of the countries resources. Augh. People are so stupid.
Sorry I had to vent....
I am sorry your daughter had to hear that.

Demetria

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Little Bear's Mama*
I understand what you mean my dh is a ceremonial person,too.







He has that to show our ds and I am glad of it. My has an Uncle and cousins that leave in a nearby state and they come to visit regularly,which is helpful.
How wonderful to hear that you are passing your ways on to your children.








My dh is fluent in his language and neither am I. Quite sad,really. Luckily,my dh Uncle works with the Johnson O'Malley(sp?) folks for his community and are teaching the Cheyenne language to the kids in head start. So,I will be able to get the materials to begin teaching my ds his language(or one of them







) at home.
It is SO sad to hear you had to hide your ceremonial objects.








I'm sorry you are being harrassed. Please stay safe.
May I ask where you're located? Are you far from home?(feel free to pm me).
I'm sorry your daughter is facing the stereotyping. I,too,have heard the "free school" comments along with the whole free healthcare,no taxes,B.S. If people only knew.







It amazes me the kind of misinformation that is out there. This is one reason I plan to homeschool my ds kindergarten.


----------



## ~member~

Still haven't made a cradleboard, yet, but I do have a picture of a mini-one that is almost a replica of the one my mother used for me.

I'll try and see if the picture works....
Cradleboard


----------



## Jennbee

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MrsAngelic*
Hi, I'm 23, 1/2 pueblo indian from Nambe, 1/2 hispanic. Never lived on the pueblo before, but my grandmother just graciously gave us a house there so we're moving end of the month. Just wondering if anyone is from the area?, lived in Santa Fe most of my life, but didn't visit Nambe very often so not sure what to expect.

This thread is very interesting btw. My mom taught me to weave belts and bead on a loom and a couple phrases in Tewa but that's about it. For some reason she's embarrassed to speak the language. Also I briefly attended a pueblo day school for 6th grade, wondering if it is the same in other areas because the academic standards were really really low there. Seemed strange to me is all.

wondering how the transition/move is going? Have you asked your mom why she doesn't speak her language. My grandparents generation weren't allowed to speak their lanuage when they were at the residential schools. Did your mom attend a residential school?

Mamaintheboonies, your fuzzy friend in the cradleboard is cute,
what is it







? And I checked out your pics, looks like your kids have lots of fun.

Hope everyone is doing well this winter. We just had a winter storm the other day, it was a very mild January.


----------



## ~member~

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jennbee*
Mamaintheboonies, your fuzzy friend in the cradleboard is cute,
what is it







?

That is my sister's Bear that she got when she was in the Burn Unit. When she was just starting to walk....around 11 months(?) she reached up and grabbed my mom's coffee.







One of those times where baby could never reach and then Voila! Now she can!
The doctors said she was lucky because we were eating noodles and butter at the time and she had butter all in her hair. So much that it saved her life.








In all of our pictures, she is always covered in food. My mom said she would give her one bite of food and it would be everywhere BUT her mouth.









So, I let her put her Bear in my cradleboard, and that is where he has been ever since. His name is Cinnamon Bear.


----------



## indigenousmama

Hi there, I just came across this thread today, and I am so happy to have found it! I am Pottowatami/Ojibway and I live in Toronto, Ontario. I am originally from northern ontario where I grew up on reserve. Most of my family still lives there and we visit frequently. I have a 3 year old daughter and I am expecting baby # 2 in May. My partner is from Germany, so my kids are half native/half german. I want to raise them to honour and respect both sides of their cultural heritage.
At the end of this month, we are moving away to Costa Rica for 5 months. Our baby will be born there and we are very excited. We are planning a midwife attended homebirth, which in Costa Rica, is still very underground, so it should be an interesting experience.
Anyway, I just wanted to say hi and introduce myself.

Billie-Jo


----------



## Jennbee

Boozhoo Indigenousmama, I'm from Ontario too. Two of my cousins are living in Toronto right now.
What's taking you to Costa Rica? The farthest south I've been is to Mexico, Cozumel was relaxing and Cancun was not my ideal vacation spot.


----------



## indigenousmama

Hi Jennbee. We go to Costa Rica every winter. My partner doesn't work in the winter, and he purchased property in Costa Rica several years ago. 3 years ago, we finally built a house and our dream is one day to live there.
I noticed on your profile, you mentioned "unceded island", do you mean manitoulin island? my mom is from there and I have lots of family up there. hope you don't mind me asking.


----------



## ~member~

indigenousmama


----------



## Jennbee

Quote:


Originally Posted by *indigenousmama*
Hi Jennbee. We go to Costa Rica every winter. My partner doesn't work in the winter, and he purchased property in Costa Rica several years ago. 3 years ago, we finally built a house and our dream is one day to live there.
I noticed on your profile, you mentioned "unceded island", do you mean manitoulin island? my mom is from there and I have lots of family up there. hope you don't mind me asking.










I'm from the other unceded island, in the southwestern region.

Today I'm taking my daughter to an Ojibway language immersion event. This months topic is "Maple Syrup, it's going to be at my great-aunt's house. I'm going to ask the language advisory group if they are working on an elementary school immersion program. My DD is a few years away from school age, but I was thinking about homeschooling her. If there was an immersion school, I'd consider taking her there.

Anyone else have an immersion school in their community?


----------



## ~member~

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jennbee*
Anyone else have an immersion school in their community?

Yes, I do. My 9 yo are in a Spanish immersion school this year. Last year, my dd attended Anishinabe Academy, the public school for Native children. She loved it and wants to go back, but I had too many 'issues' with it.








Besides, they are both excelling this year, like taking 5th grade reading/writing and 4th grade math/science!








Neither of them like the Spanish, though. Probably because my ds's dad speaks Spanish, and the school still gives 'lessons'....like proper grammer, etc in Spanish, and the kids just want to either speak it or not, kwim?









I am nearing the deadline for enrolling them for school next year, and I am still undecided about whether to keep them in their current school or put them in Breck, the private school. We'll see. I want them to visit it first and then we'll all talk about it.


----------



## makawee

mama in da boonies - where are you?? been thinking of you!


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Just checking in! Hoping everyone is well.


----------



## ~member~

Anyone attending any powwows today? Ours starts at 1 pm at Little Earth. It is raining here, though, and I need to pack, as I am moving, so, I might run over for the food,


----------



## Jennbee

Life is good here. I started a new job a couple of months ago, I'm working with 'youth at risk'. It's a new experience for me, and I'm learning a lot. I've been going to a lot of training events, and might even get to do some canoeing courses in June and July.
Our first powwow is next weekend. Then there's another one in July and another in September. My mom is trying to get a concession trailer to sell food on the powwow trail. I hope she does, she's dreamed of it for so long.
Hope you're all doing good.


----------



## Emmalina

I hope it is ok that I come on this forum to ask for some advice from native mamas. This is a spiritual question and I hope that it is not out of place for me to ask. I am a british pagan moving to Ottawa permenantly in June. I've been practicing properly here for some years but when I was in Canada last year I found it really difficult to find access to the gods. I think is because they are not a part of my heritage as they are in britain. I don't want to end up being one of those bizzare people who totally appropriate other peoples spiritual paths without understanding them but at the same time I know I need to connect to the spirits and gods of the land. I've been told that it is part of my spiritual path to live in Canada and that I am 'returning' to a previous path. I obviously have a lot to learn though! Can anyone give me any tips on paying homage to the spirits and if there is anything I need to be aware of so as not to upset anyone?!

Many thanks.

Apologies in advance if this is not appropriate - please blame my britishness for any offence caused.


----------



## ~member~

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Emmalina*
I know I need to connect to the spirits and gods of the land. I've been told that it is part of my spiritual path to live in Canada and that I am 'returning' to a previous path.









I have always felt/believed the same. In my travels I found it best to meet with the other women of the land who practiced their spiritual beliefs. They will know how to help you find what you are looking for, as every part of the Earth is different ie-has different channels/ways of communing and those that have lived there will know best.
May your journey be filled with love, laughter and peace.


----------



## Emmalina

Mama,

Thank you for that - at least you don't think I am completely mad! I will take that advice and look for like minded mamas to help me through the transition. I will also keep an eye on my ds as he was born in Canada and so should have a good link with the earth and spirits. Hopefully we will be accepted by the Canadian spirits - I will have to bake some nice cakes and offer them to the land - lots of chocolate chips I think! I hope all is well with you and your loved ones. Blessings on you. Emmalina.


----------



## ~member~

Anyone? Or am I all alone?


----------



## NinaBruja

i guess this is the place to ask








does anyone else do cradle boards and ec?
please tell me theres something easier than this constant wrapping and unwrapping.


----------



## Jennbee

I'm here.


----------



## Jennbee

I have yet to find someone to help me a make a cradleboard, and we don't do EC. We've been TTC#2 for over a year now. I took part in an environmental survey that a PhD student was conducting out here, and she asked about my fertility and if I thought that there was an effect by the environment. I hadn't thought about it before, but maybe, hmmmm.
Oh ya, so if we ever have another baby then I might try EC, but I don't think DH would be up for it. I'll have a year off from work for maternity leave so I think that I'd try it. We'll definitely be cloth diapering full-time though.
MamaInTheBoonies, have you been in able to make a cradleboard?


----------



## ~member~

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jennbee*
MamaInTheBoonies, have you been in able to make a cradleboard?

I have all the materials, but haven't made one, yet.







Just no time. There is a new space for NA moms to make regalia at the Center....Wednesdays from 1-3 pm(?), that I want to start going to, they are also supposed to offer daycare!


----------



## eyelovegoddess

I was happy to see this discussion board! I am Choctaw on my mother’s side. I married a Prairie Band Potawatomi nation member who is also Northern Cheyenne. We have a family drum and our son has been around the drum since he was born. At 14 months he is already singing with us and has impressive rhythm. He also dances around the drum clockwise while we sing at practice. He went to his first powwow when he was 2 weeks old. This is only impressive because we live in an area of the country that very few American Indians live. We try very hard to be sure our son has strong connections to his people but sometimes it is difficult. There are immersion weekend courses in Potawatomi language on the rez but we have not had enough funds to make it to one yet (too far away). The language department sent us some disks but it is not the same as one-on-one instruction. We will get there when we can.


----------



## ~member~

eyelovegoddess


----------



## emmalola

welcome!

We have a cradleboard that my dad made, and I'm planning on making a new one based on this design when my next little (as yet unconceived) one is born. The one that my dad made was also made in part by a medicine man who knows a lot of the old ways. My tribe has been really assimilated, so this is a big treat to have. Hardly anyone uses a cradleboard in our tribe. As it turned out, my baby loved having his, but he busted out of it pretty quickly- next time we'll reinforce it with a lot more sinew. In the old days they used to use them up to age two, but there's no way my son would have put up with a cradleboard for that long.


----------



## eyelovegoddess

Thank you MamaintheBoonies and Emmolala for the welcomes.
I wanted a cradleboard for my son too but it just didn't happen. I am sure it is beautiful. I have seen a few at powwows that were just amazing! Fortunately we were able to have a welcoming ceremony at 2 months and naming ceremony at 3 months for our son. Tonight we have drum practice. I can't wait to see what dances he comes up with or what songs he joins in on.


----------



## ~member~

How is everyone? Anyone get to any good powwows or feasts?


----------



## Jennbee

Doing well here, haven't been to any powwows though, not much of a traveller. The youth that are in my program at work got to make their first hand drums last week. It was nice to see them create something, and to be proud about it. The second day they made bags to carry their drums in. Later this week we are taking the youth to a Traditional Teachings Camp in our community. They'll get to help out and hopefully learn a lot too.


----------



## ~member~

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jennbee*
Doing well here, haven't been to any powwows though, not much of a traveller. The youth that are in my program at work got to make their first hand drums last week. It was nice to see them create something, and to be proud about it. The second day they made bags to carry their drums in. Later this week we are taking the youth to a Traditional Teachings Camp in our community. They'll get to help out and hopefully learn a lot too.

Cool! My dh's job got funding to do the camps, too. They get to go up to the ricing camps in Mille Lacs. All the kids just love it!


----------



## Jennbee

Ricing camp, that sounds like fun. My Dad told me that we have wild rice in our marshes too. I don't know how to harvest it, or even when it's ready. Please tell me more about it.


----------



## ~member~

http://www.kstrom.net/isk/food/wildrice.html this site has some good info.


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Hey ya'll!







s

I love wild rice. And old, dear friend brought some down from his Reserve, and I've been hooked ever since. I think it's best PLAIN.









Not much going on here. No pow wows to speak of. Probably nothing like that until fall. We're camped out in my mother's den right now, so no gatherings at our home, either. We miss our little cabin so.

Hope all is good with all of you! Take care!


----------



## NinaBruja

hello everyone again








i was just wondering how people get/got thier 'indian names' or if other tribes even do that...
my dad's mom gave my sister and i names, i remember sitting under her kitchen table hearing her talk it out with some people who i think might have been my aunts...
she named me evening star and my sister is morning dove...
very fitting...


----------



## ~member~

Quote:


Originally Posted by *poxybat*
hello everyone again








i was just wondering how people get/got thier 'indian names' or if other tribes even do that...
my dad's mom gave my sister and i names, i remember sitting under her kitchen table hearing her talk it out with some people who i think might have been my aunts...
she named me evening star and my sister is morning dove...
very fitting...

We have naming ceremonies where certain ppl name the babies....I have named quite a few, myself.


----------



## Wonderwoman76

Does taino count? does a not yet mommy count?
*peeks her head in*


----------



## ~member~

Wonderwoman76


----------



## MommyHawk

Wow, am I late! I've been searching this forum for just a thread like this!

I'm Lia, my DH is Algonkin, although due to 'federal' crap his grandfather thinks that the Indian blood 'ran out' with his children, so he let it all go. I don't let the governement tell me what I am, so I could care less for thier 'percentage' tables. DNA doesn't run out! it stays with you and you can hear the voices of your ansestors if you listen and don't let the day to day of being in white america silence your inner voice - same thing goes with listening to your inner momma voice.

Anyway, I am doing my own research to find out from what Algonkin tribe they are from and to get in contact with them just for the sole purpose to have my children KNOW from where they came, so they aren't looking when they are in thier 30's, but know from the start.

I want them to learn the language, so I'm looking for books/videos/teaching tools as we homeschool so far.

I'm a proud member of the *American Indian Injustice Group*
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Americ...ian_Injustice/ and learn so much every day!









Hope to keep in touch with some of you.

I think there is way too much on this thread - can't we get a 'Native American Mamas tribe ' within the "find your tribe"?


----------



## MommyHawk

BLOOD MEMORY

I now understand and have verified over the years that there are
people that actually have "Blood Memory" or "Inherited Memory"
or "DNA Memory" . This `Blood Memory' is something that a person with
just a drop of Native American Indian heritage will have.

I also recognize that people from other continents have the same
thing with their ancestry. IE: Irish being called back to their Druid and/or Celtic ancestry. Swedish being called back to their Saami ancestry.
Australian mixed bloods being called to the Aborigine ancestry. And
so on....

Some foreign continental people will misjudge being called to the
Native American ways as theirs, but will refuse to believe that they
are being called back to their own roots.

Blood Memory can manifest itself in many ways:
Sometimes as dejavue experiences. Been there, done that, and know
the right way without ever being taught by someone else.

When reading anything about your ancestry you will, if you can
listen, hear the dissonance of printed errors. [I experienced this,
and I did not know about Blood Memory then, when trying to read
Mooney's book on the Cherokee people. I've found that he used his
euro-centric baseline to erroneously judge what/why the Cherokee
people were doing. Can you just imagine the Elders telling him
stories and laughing behind his back about the `dumb white man'. I am
appalled that the online encyclopedia has now adopted Mooney's
writings as their `facts".]

When you are drawn to a specific place in the forest, a lake, a
boulder, or mountains, or to wild animals, for unknown reasons then
you are being `called'. Your ancestry is pulling you back to where
you belong. You must first learn how to listen by discarding
your preconceived notions about nature and the environment.

When you hear dance drums your feet will move on their own and in
time to the beat.

Most likely you will feel something - a rarely felt before
exhilaration in your mind. It may be like a warm fuzzy feeling of
being home and you will crave more. Listening to a tape
or CD is not the same as being with the `live spiritual feelings'
generated by the attendee's, because the `feelings' are not recorded.

When wild animals or birds will do uncommon things around you. You
can actually talk to them and get a response. [don't plan on getting
a human response tho]. Let your heart experience the utmost warm LOVE
you can think of. They will feel it too.

Your daily life will be more on a spiritual plane. IE: Going to
church will not fulfill your spiritual needs. Hugging a tree will be
more spiritual.

Listening to the dance drums will move your heart more so than a
fiery sermon.

Being silent in a forest listening to the whispering of trees
breathing, the wind thru the branches and leaves, the whooshing of
birds wings, the four legged's, the tiny clatter as ants and other
crawlies clean Elohi Etsi - Mother Earth. Lie on a huge boulder
until you can feel or hear the distant rumble of deep earth.

All will fulfill you more than a day in church.

You may feel, or have felt, that you do not fit in anywhere.
Our white culture is based on greed and ownership. The NA culture is
based on Love and Respect.

Our white culture says you must conform and be like everyone else or
they will kill you.

The NA culture honors and protects individualism. In other
words `proudly be whom you are supposed to be'.

White religions believe that you must have a `preacher' or `pastor'
or `priest' to tell you how to live and how to pray to your God.
Native American Spirituality acknowledges no one between Unequa and
you. When you pray it is direct to Unelanvhi - God.
The only God that all the world's religions pray to.
Your prayer return is direct to you and only you can interpret that
response since no one has ever lived what you have lived and can
never really know nor understand what you actually need.....Only
Unequa - Great Spirit, Unelanvhi - God, or Unetlanvhi - Creator can
do that. Remember that old adage: "Walk a mile in their moccasins
before you try to judge them".

These returns or responses may come as visions, or unconscious
knowing, or a two by four upside the head.

Native American Medicine or Spiritual Leaders and Elders cannot and
will not try to tell you what you need. Not how you must walk your
path nor how you are to pray. Their job is to point you in the right
direction and share their personal trials and tribulations in
getting to where they are today. These Elders teach Respect for all,
Honesty, Compassion and Non-judgmental Love. No one is below nor
above.

Unequa does not allow the true Native American Elders to charge for
their services because their expertise was given to them. We do honor
them with offerings of tobacco, money, food, gasoline, or anything
else they may need.

Staya Udanvti
03 Oct 2004


----------



## MommyHawk

DH and I took the kids to the Baltimore Pow-Wow, but we had to leave due to HOT HOT HOT humid crappy weather...but we did get to see a lot of dancing before we left. The Eagle Dancers were SO amaizing! I've never felt so 'high' before in my life. The dancing just consumed me. I left to get some children's books (not enough, need more!) and DH and DS saw the Aztec Dancers and really loved them the most.

I wish it was in a better location. I'm not a city lover by any means.


----------



## MommyHawk

I didn't find all in this article, but some!

"Native American titles for young readers
KELLY COLLUMS: Special to The Herald

As a multicultural education has become the norm, it is important for young people - especially teens - to be aware of the vast amount of reading material available at the library that deals with other cultures. Native American themes are among those discussed in the classroom, and there are many talented authors who have written both nonfiction and fiction titles on the subject. The Manatee County Central Library should be the first stop in your quest for Native American writing.

Noted author Barbara Kingsolver writes about the Cherokee Indian Nation in her wonderful book, "Pigs in Heaven." Another great selection is "The Shadow Brothers," A. E. Cannon's book about the Navajo. "A Yellow Raft in Blue Water" by Michael Dorris is another excellent example of Native American fiction.

For a look at historical fiction, try "Waterlily" by Ella Cara Deloria. A bittersweet story about a young Inuit boy teased by his peers because he doesn't hunt or fish is "Inunguak, the Greenlander" by Palle Petersen. He just sits around and listens to his grandfather's stories of the "old people" all day long - but one day, bad times come to Greenland and his grandfather's tales become useful.

A superb storyteller and magnificent illustrator, Paul Goble is a prolific author of Native American fiction. Targeted more toward younger children, young adults may find his books delightful as well. Among the many titles offered by the library are "Crow Chief: A Plains Indian Story," "Buffalo Woman" and "The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses."

The Manatee County Public Library has a bountiful collection of nonfiction Native American books, books on tape and videos. "When the Rain Sings: Poems by Young Native Americans" edited by David Gale, is a collection of poems written by young Native Americans. It includes photographs of artifacts of collections of Native Americans from the Smithsonian Institution. Another little gem is titled "Little Firefly: an Algonquian Legend," written and adapted by Terri Cohlene. "The Inuit" by Elizabeth Hahn describes the history, culture and environment of the Eskimos and the many changes brought about by their contact with "white people's" society.

Come to the library and immerse yourself in the rich history of the Native Americans: it will impress your teachers and your peers. See you at the library!

Kelly Collums is a reference librarian at the Central Library."


----------



## MommyHawk

I was wondering if anyone would start a NA mommas yahoo group that we could all join? I've been looking for one but can't find one. Any thoughts? I love MDC, but sometimes there is just so much on one thread that it's impossible to really have a talking circle and hear and understand what everyone is saying all at once.

anyone want to do it?


----------



## ~member~

MommyHawk Good to have you posting here. It's too quiet.









I tried to do Yahoo chats groups, but my computer just doesn't like it or something.


----------



## kittywitty

MommyHawk, that was beautiful. I just wanted to poke my head in here. I am only a small part NA, though I was raised with many of the traditions and beliefs of the Cherokee of SE KY. There is still a lot about my family that I am trying to figure out. I know for certain that I am part Powhatan Algonquin, and part Cherokee, but I think that there is more there. There are family stories and traditions. Most of my ancestors in the 1700's-1900 lived in the hills of Appalachia in caves and marrying Cherokee women. My mother's aunt (title?) is a registered Cherokee, but I am too far removed. I do know that my gggrandmother was Cherokee and had to marry a white man to keep the land. Or that is what my ggrandmother tells me, and she is 90 and the most lucid person I know.

I wish I were "more" NA as I feel very close to the beliefs and the way of life. It was a big shock to me when I found out that I am *not* NA like I was told growing up. Your post, MommyHawk, reminds me of the strangest memory of my childhood. I remember we lived in these apartments (in the city, but there was a decent yard behind them). I woke up in the middle of the night and heard something. I went over and looked out the window and there were NA in full costume dancing around a fire. It was so real and beautiful. I was only about 4 as that is the age I lived there. I had never been to a pow-wow, and my mother had not exposed me to much at that point, as I lived mainly with her ex.

It was very powerful and spiritual and still haunts me to this day. Sorry for the rambling.


----------



## MommyHawk

here are some NA groups that I belong to on Yahoo! that are great sources of info and connection - hope to see you all there









http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Native_land_sisterhood/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Americ...ian_Injustice/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/native_truth/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Native...oiceForHealth/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Powwow_Circle/


----------



## granolamamma

hello. I saw this thread and was so exited I did not know what to do. Then I read every post and did not know if I would be welcomed.
Here is my story. I have only been on the board a few days now. I just moved to Oregon. I was raised in a children's home. I have not spoken to my parents in 13 years now. The only thing I was proud of from my family was my Grandfather on my Father's side. I held onto my memories of my grandfather. He is was (passed away) full blooded Cherokee. I adored him and he adored me from my vivid memories of very young childhood. I did not learn until much lator in life that I was Native American too because of that. In honor of my granfather. I have tried with what little I know to expose my children to anything I can. I want them to know the truth. I have learned from attending fairs and pow wows that I have not always been welcomed. I do not have any papers. I know I could go to court to force my father to take a blood test so I could get them. Do I want to even go there. Would I be excepted more if I did get them. Then I ask myself spirits come back does a piece of paper really make that much differance? I am not sure. I kinda feel like I have been rejected from both sides. Will you welcome me? If you will welcome me would you tell me how I can go to a Native American church? Would you tell me where I can expose my children to the music, dance and food? When I here the music I just well up in tears. I give my highest respect to all of you.


----------



## ~member~

There is no church, it's not a religion, but a way of life.
Keep going to powwows and cultural events. Make friends. THere are open sweat lodges in Oregon....try and find out how to go....maybe check at powwows.com?


----------



## MommyHawk

from all my NDN friends that I know papers mean nothing. It's the governments way of controlling the NDN! Yes, some tribes require them to be 'registered' with them...but not all. And most are wising up to the governments control - it's all very sad. Read "Blood Memory" post and keep doing what you are doing. Join a few of the yahoo groups that I listed

But yes, I'd say you are most definately welcome!


----------



## MommyHawk

this group is AWESOME!!! I have learned so much...culture is in the food and the way we live, and here you can get the best recipes! I hope to see you all there









http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NDNcookingandhomemaking/


----------



## granolamamma

I can't tell you how much it means to me that you have allowed me to be a apart of this group. I will look at powwows.com and see what I can find.


----------



## ~member~




----------



## indigenousmama

thanks mamaintheboonies for finding this thread for me!

i posted here many months ago, but we were away for 5 months in costa rica where our new son was born. his name is Adrian Jakob and he was born on May 17, 2006 in San Jose, Costa Rica. we returned to canada in august of this year and i have had no time at all to get on the computer. we are settled now into our new apartment and i hope to get more active in this thread and the rest of mdc.

hi everyone, and i'm glad to be back!


----------



## ~member~

Congrats!!!!


----------



## MommyHawk

congrats! My DD was born on the 15th


----------



## indigenousmama

thanks, and congrats to you too mommyhawk!


----------



## MommyHawk

With columbus day behind us







: ...and Thanksgiving coming up, I wanted to see what you all do for the holidays that are coming up. For some years we haven't been too keen on Thanksgiving since it all stems from a group of pilgrim men coming back from an Indian masacar and the village was thankful that they returned alive (the pilgrims...). But we are thankful for our lives and family, so there can be good to the holiday...just I remember in 1st grade being in some 'pilgrim/indian' play and I was so mad - which is odd for a 1st grader - because I KNEW there was something wrong with what the teacher was making us do.

Anyway, I'm rambling...my point - *what holidays and traditions do you all do during the fall and winter months?*


----------



## ~member~

In my family, we do the Americanized version of Santa Claus....don'e celebrate the birth of jesus or anything like that.


----------



## dianneharp

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MommyHawk* 
here are some NA groups that I belong to on Yahoo! that are great sources of info and connection - hope to see you all there









http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Native_land_sisterhood/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Americ...ian_Injustice/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/native_truth/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Native...oiceForHealth/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Powwow_Circle/

Thanks for the pointer, Just sent these to my friend.


----------



## mntnmom

I too feel a little odd trying to reclaim my native heritage. I was the only Cherokee kid in a school in Creek nation(Ok). On top of that I'm more than a little on the pale side, since my great-great-grandmother managed to "pass". DH is in the same boat though. The best his family knows, they were Algonquin from Quebec. He looks it, but the traditions have been gone for generations.
I want my kids to grow up feeling connected to ALL of their ancestors, and be proud of the positve aspects. But when the last couple generations(natives AND immigrants) have assimilated to common American culture so well, were do you start?







:


----------



## mntnmom

In response to thanksgiving.. I like the concept of giving thanks. But I make it a point to focus on "indigenous" foods, lots of pumpkin, cranberries, a big turkey.
But I think so long as we remain conscious of the fact that the "pilgrim story" is a cultural myth formed in the desire that we could all "just get along", I don't think its a bad thing


----------



## Jennbee

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MommyHawk* 
Anyway, I'm rambling...my point - *what holidays and traditions do you all do during the fall and winter months?*

Me and DH's parents and most extended family are Christians, so we grew up celebrating Christmas. In my neighbourhood, my mom was the first to buy a Christmas tree and that was just about 20 years ago. I'm not Christian but we do give gifts on Christmas day. I don't really like the idea of Santa, so I don't tell my daughter about him. There are many people who do tell her about Santa though, including DH.
Something I remember from going to Sunday school when I was a little girl was the teacher rearranging the letters to S-A-N-T-A to S-A-T-A-N. At the time I thought it was very wrong even though I knew that Santa wasn't real and not the "true meaning of Christmas".
I've struggled with the idea of Christmas for the past 10 years. Should we continue or not? We always spend way too much money. I like the shopping and giving part, but I would like for there to be more meaning to me.


----------



## MommyHawk

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mntnmom* 
I too feel a little odd trying to reclaim my native heritage...I'm more than a little on the pale side

you should see my blonde DS! doesn't look it at all, but doesn't mean it's not there...even the Italian side of my family doesn't 'see' me as Italian (I'm blonde too) but that just goes to show that 1) some people are close minded and 2) can't judge a book by it's cover!









Quote:


Originally Posted by *mntnmom* 
The best his family knows, they were Algonquin from Quebec.

My DH too!!! small world


----------



## joiedevivre184

Do you mind if i join? I'm Cherokee (TN) on my mom's side....I don't think much though. My great grandfather was 1/2...his mom was full and grew up on a reservation. I don't know too much though, because they both have passed, and i was young when he passed.

I really liked that Blood Memory article btw.


----------



## ~member~

Anyone going or sending their DC's father?
http://www.rlnn.com/ArtNov06/1stAnnN...onference.html

Quote:

The Native American Fatherhood & Family Association (NAFFA) cordially invites you to participate in the 1st National Native American Fatherhood Conference on November 13-15, 2006.


----------



## MommyHawk

does anyone else have trouble adhering to NA wisdom and parenting? I constantly have to remind myself that DS and I are in a mutual relationship, that he is my equal, that I need to be responsive instead of reactive. those are the points I find hard since that's not how I was raised/treated. I really like the book "Native American Wisdom and Parenting" but I wish there were more out there to read/learn from - any tips on books or sites for parenting?

NA parenting IS AP


----------



## Jennbee

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MamaInTheBoonies* 
Anyone going or sending their DC's father?
http://www.rlnn.com/ArtNov06/1stAnnN...onference.html

Too far for DH to go; he isn't intested in conferences anyway. But, I will be passing the info on to social workers in my community. There is a fathering program called Nurturing Fathers Learning (N.F.L.) program here that is only a couple of years old. The facilitators might get some ideas if they attend the next conference.
Thanks for sharing MITB.


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

s

Nice to see you all again! Three years later and this thread is still going!









Not much going on here. Due to lots of changes this year, we haven't made it out to very many pow wows at all. The last one of the Fall season will be in Atmore, which is a good 5 hour drive. I don't think we'll be making that one, either.









Someone asked about Thanksgiving and Christmas...yes, we celebrate. Like another poster said, we try to do Native foods for Thanksgiving, and we celebrate our own style, not neccessarily the "pilgram" version.







For Christmas, we celebrate the traditional Christian way, but we have our own traditions, too. For example, our Christmas tree has NA angels, medicine wheels, and dreamcatchers in addition to the glass balls and lights you would see on any Christmas tree.







This year, I am planning for our holiday feast to include traditional foods, like buffalo and wild rice.


----------



## ~member~

Just got back from the powwow at the Indian Center. It was awesome. They had a huge feast and speakers that were brought from all over....Michael Dahl, Mr. Holy Bull....those are the two I remember....there were more.
It was also my 19 month old's first outing wih NO dipes! We had no accidents! Yay!








I brought our grandson with, also. Their cousins and aunties and uncles were there and they all helped. So, that was nice.

I do have a headache, now, though....I think from lack of coffee. They only served water and some kind of pink lemonade stuff.

And, of course, I forgot the shawls.







The girls didn't mind, though and danced anyways.


----------



## indigenousmama

is anyone going to the skydome pow-wow in toronto this month? we are. my 4 year old daughter has been talking about it all week! she is so excited. my mum is making her a new jingle dress just for the occasion.


----------



## ~member~

http://www.rlnn.com/ArtNov06/Barefoo...SaveLives.html

Quote:

"We had nothing, not even scissors," said Josefina Amable, a 56-year-old Nahua Indian, as she set out shoeless from a mountain hamlet to see a heavily pregnant patient. "We used a machete cleaned with rum and needles for sewing clothes."










But I do like this part of the article.

Quote:

Amable said she was glad she no longer needed to use tools like machetes in her job, but said that there was one concession to modernity she would never make.

"In sandals I would slip in the mud," she said, looking down at her calloused bare feet while striding through a lush valley to a patient's house. "This way I can dig my toes in."
Reminds me of the births I attended on the many Reservations and Reserves.


----------



## ~member~

Quote:

Annual 4 Day Thanksgiving Pow Wow ~ Held Thanksgiving Weekend
'Minneapolis American Indian Center, Minneapolis, MN'
"Sponsored by; Hennepin County Chemical Health Division, Mental
Health Division, Diversity Committee, AFSCME Council 6, MIWRC, St.
Olaf Church, Grotto Foundation, AIBDC, ECI, Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe,
Prairie Island Dakota, The Circle Newspaper, Minneapolis American
Indian Center, MAAJII, Healthy Nations, American Indian Services,
Minneapolis Public Schools."
http://www.thepeoplespaths.net/events.html

I love, LOVE this powwow!!! Looking forward to this week-end.


----------



## redhen

I am possibly half Native American. Sadly, I don't even know. My mom confessed to me about a year ago (at the age of 22) that my "father" is not biologicially my father and that I'm the product of a one night stand she had with a casino employee in Las Vegas.









Which explain why my two 6+ft brothers are pale and have red hair and blue eyes and why I have dark skin, brown eyes, and brown hair. I've been told my entire life by people with zero tact that I "didn't look white" or look like I have "something in me". My mom is seriouysly so ignorant that she doesn't know the ethnicity of my birth father but believes he was Native or Hispanic.







:

Anyway, I know my birth father's name and have gone as far as finding his address but have not yet contacted him. I assume I'm half Native but I'd really like to learn about my true heritage someday.

Hi Mamas!


----------



## angela dawn

Hello all my Indigenous sisters.....

I'm new to this thread, actually I'm kind new to the whole Mothering dot commune neighborhood.

I'm a full blooded Cree from British Columbia. My parents are from Northern Alberta, however, they both left the rez when they were kids. So, I kinda grew up in a small town in BC. I'm currently engaged to a Mohawk man from Eastern Canada (Ontario) and we are gettting ready to have our 2nd baby in March 2007. Our second little indian baby....can't wait. Our first one left to be with the Creator, (another story for another day). I am also raising my sisters 7 year old daughter. She's half Cree and Half Chippewa. I also work in an Aboriginal child welfare agency in Vancouver, BC. I did child protection previously, now I am doing more family support type work.

Glad to see this thread, I didn't think there were too many Indian Momma's that visited this board. I hope we can have interesting conversations, Oh, by the way, as you may have noticed I'm from Canada eh! lol Just wondering if there are any other Anishnabe's from Canada....

Talk to you all later!


----------



## ~member~

Angela! Good to see you post here.


----------



## MommyHawk

Quote:


Originally Posted by *angela dawn* 
Just wondering if there are any other Anishnabe's from Canada....

Welcome!!! And although we're not from Canada, my DH's side is Algonkin from the Quebec area (or so we have been told) and I've been trying to get him to think about moving up there







...used to live in MI, now in MD...if you have any connections with the Algonkin Band I'd love to find out more than I can online...anyway..Welcome!!


----------



## Jennbee

Quote:


Originally Posted by *angela dawn* 

Oh, by the way, as you may have noticed I'm from Canada eh! lol Just wondering if there are any other Anishnabe's from Canada....

Boozhoo, sort of from Canada too.


----------



## indigenousmama

hi there! i'm from canada too! we live in toronto, but i'm from north bay.

i also work for a native child welfare agency here in toronto. i'm currently on mat leave, i'm not planning on going back.

welcome!


----------



## Jennbee

Quote:


Originally Posted by *indigenousmama* 
hi there! i'm from canada too! we live in toronto, but i'm from north bay.

i also work for a native child welfare agency here in toronto. i'm currently on mat leave, i'm not planning on going back.

welcome!

OMG do I know you? You seem familiar, your name and where you're from. Pm'ing you.


----------



## angela dawn

Quote:


Originally Posted by *indigenousmama* 
hi there! i'm from canada too! we live in toronto, but i'm from north bay.

i also work for a native child welfare agency here in toronto. i'm currently on mat leave, i'm not planning on going back.

welcome!

Glad to see some fellow Canadians.....

Your from North Bay, for some reason you sound familiar to me too. I'm not from that area, but my fiance is, he works for First Nations Statistical Institute and I think the Chief lives in North Bay, Chief Tom Bressette.

Anyway, small Indian world, I always say. I also worked in Child protection, I don't blame you for not returning to the field. It takes a toll on ya eh. I am doing family support now, which I really like.

Nice to meet ya'll

Ang


----------



## indigenousmama

hi there. we just might have crossed paths before, indian country is small!

i haven't lived in north bay for many years, but i still go back often to visit my family.

yes, working in child protection is kind of rough at times. oddly though, i think it was having my own kids that helped me let go of the stress i would pick up at work. i mean, yeah, there were some really bad days, but having my own family to take care of is what kept me sane, kwim?

i don't plan on going back to work, i intend to start a business, i have no idea what yet, but i'm working on it! LOL

bye for now,

billie-jo


----------



## japonica

Hi everyone...do you have room for one more?

I'm another Canuck, from Alberta. But my roots are in southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba...Red River Metis at least 5 generations back (genealogy is a hobby as it seems to be with a lot of us Metis--LOL). My father grew up in a mud-wall cabin in a Metis ("halfbreed") settlement just across the river from one of the reserves in southern SK. He spoke Michif (the Metis language that is part French, part Cree), sadly us kids never learned it. He played guitar and a lot of my relatives are still into jigging and dances. It's been a few years since I went to a good Metis square dance though. I do manage some beadwork from time to time, but my bannock is awful







Some of my relatives do a tasty fried version called beignes. So yummy, and so bad for the arteries--LOL.

I am currently a SAHM to my little DD who just turned 2 (Angela, I also have a little angel as well, our left us at 40 weeks, and as you say, that's a whole other story, but the local elders helped us get through that time in our lives). I finished my Master's degree in Anthro this past year (I wanted to continue in Native Studies, as was my undergrad but my uni didn't offer it, so I went into Anthro and shook them up a little and kept them all honest--







). I've been married for 7 years (he's not Aboriginal but I don't hold that against him) and I've travelled quite a bit but I really feel at home back in Saskatchewan and miss it quite a bit. It's been almost a year and a half since I went back there to see my relatives and it's a very tangible longing that I feel everyday.

Anyway, hi to all the mamas...hi MITB







(vax board)

J


----------



## ~member~

japonica


----------



## MommyHawk

japonica!

do you do your Bannock bread with lard or butter? My last one I did with Butter and it might not be what to use, but it's really good and lasted a while - great with honey as DS says...You're from Manitoba - do you have ties with the Algonkin Nation? DH is part Algonkin and we're putting the pieces together - slowly, but surely


----------



## MommyHawk

I might be alone in this, and I can't say this to many others because they are so blind and get so defensive - but I find that every year comes with more doubt when it comes time to celebrate holidays. The church/religion that I was raised with is so riddled with corruption and murderers and child sex offenders...and they don't ever get in trouble, are not repentive, and are hidden in other congregations as a way to 'hide the problem'....I just am having a hard time keeping my mind with it - I don't go to church anymore, I don't have my kids go either. DH stopped going YEARs ago and I always felt that he was doing something wrong until I started to see the light too...and now I don't even want to go - I might belive in God, but I don't believe in the church anymore. It's so one sided, judgemental when the bible says that the only person who can judge is God...and so many other things wrong with it...and to add more negatives I have been doing some reading into *Indian Residential Schools* and although I learned about the abuse in college, I never knew about the murders...and the fact that the church continues to 'hide' them to this day!

I found this site from one of the yahoo lists I'm on http://www.hiddenfromhistory.org/
I know there are still some residential schools out there and from what I can tell, only the kids who are from broken homes are allowed in, so they are sort of like orphan schools...but from the history of people using the church as a way to kidnap, 'educate', abuse, and kill off people...and show no remores and ask no forgiveness...







:

There is a list of people/places to boycott on that site if you are interested.


----------



## japonica

Thanks for the welcomes! I feel so at home already









Mommyhawk: I bake it with butter but my problem is that I don't have the kneading technique down right yet. I always overknead it and it gets rock hard (hockey puck bannock as we call it). My DH though is great at baking breads and can do it no problem, so the running joke in our house is that the bannock is edible if the white guy made it!









I'm actually in Alberta and most of my family is from southern Saskatchewan. The MB relatives lived there ca.1850-1860 before they moved to southern Saskatchewan. They were all gone by the resistance of 1870 for sure.

About the church and schools, yeah it's a tough one. My whole family on my Dad's side is Catholic (except our generation...my parents married inter-faith and we were raised Protestant) but I still attend a local Native Catholic church once in a while on special occasions and as a way of "connecting" with my ancestors and my heritage. I don't know if that makes sense, but going to the church on those occasions makes me feel closer to my family who has gone before me. I had my daughter baptised there as a way of continuing on with her heritage. The church is a Native-influenced Catholic one with sweetgrass and Native sprituality used during mass as well. I don't mind it. But I know what you mean about the feelings of anger and the schools. When I did my university degree in Native Studies and spent those years reading about the schools, the Indian Act, broken treaty promises, gov't fraud and duplicity, I had to process a lot of anger. Some of my classmates were residential school survivors and I could see how it had affected every aspect of their lives. One of them committed suicide a couple of years after we got our degrees. *heavy sigh* Man, oh man.

I don't know. I try to keep separate the Creator and the people who supposedly serve him here on Earth. God/the Creator is holy and sacred and pure and loving and forgiving, but all humans are fallible (even Native healers, some take advantage as well in the Creator's name). I'm not excusing or forgiving anything done in the schools. It was evil and wrong, wrong, wrong. But just for my own ability to still believe and have faith, I keep God separate from organized religion and its proponents.

((HUGS)) and hang in there...

J


----------



## MommyHawk

I know Christmas is a time of joy, but sometimes things do go wrong on happy days - 60 years ago this Christmas Eve Maisie Shaw was murdered because she was crying...she wanted her mommy. She was in a residential school in Canada - stolen away from her family to 'educate' her. She and thousands of children like her went 'missing' and the churches that they were 'at school' at deny it to this day - the murders, the abuse, the abductions...

On Christmas Eve at 10am, we are going to have a vigil to remember Maisie Shaw and the thousands upon thousands of innocent children like her. Light a candle of rememberance for them, outside you local United Church.

http://www.hiddenfromhistory.org/Pub...ec24-2006.html


----------



## MommyHawk

janopica - thanks for the insight! I will do just that, and kind of have been for a while now - keeping Creator and creations seperate









wish we had a Native worship place around here - DH and I haven't gone for a while to anything - we pray and talk to the Creator daily with our children, so really, sometimes I don't see the use to GO anywhere to pray..but I agree with the fellowship - feeling like you're a part of something, even when it's a walk with God on your own.


----------



## angela dawn

Happy New Year!!!!!

Wishing you all the best in 2007!!

Angela


----------



## ~member~

Happy New Year!!!


----------



## Jennbee

Happy New Ya!

Anybody have any New Years resolutions? Any big plans for this year?
I'll be turning 30 this year and it's not just another birthday for me. I'll elaborate later.


----------



## ~member~

I'm going to figure out how to get to Grand Forks, North Dakota and finish college. They are one of the few colleges that offer tuition waivers to Native students, and they have free daycare for student parents for children aged 2-5 yrs old.

They also have the medical school right there and two hospitals and 3 or 4 clinics, so, I can get everything done right there.

I already did 6 yrs of college and am so close to being finished.
Biochemistry/Premed, so, I can become a neurosurgeon....not the brain, but I want to help repair nerves damaged in limbs or other parts of the body. Like the farming accidents, when someone loses an arm and it gets reattached. Instead of having a useless arm, I want to be able to help repair the nerves so their arm works again.


----------



## MommyHawk

MamaInTheBoonies - that is soooo awesome! I wish you the best of luck! your college sounds like the perfect place to get an education. and free care for the kidies! Best of luck


----------



## MommyHawk

my DS is 3 so I'm looking for materials to teach him a few words in a few different languages. I am looking for books, flash cards, movies/short TV shows, music...anything really that keeps kids interested and teaches them new words in different lanugages.

the languages I'm interested in are: Algonkin/Ojibwa, Cherokee, Navajo, Italian, Spanish, French...

thanks in advance!

this is a cross thread from 'learning at home'


----------



## mamachandi

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MommyHawk* 
my DS is 3 so I'm looking for materials to teach him a few words in a few different languages. I am looking for books, flash cards, movies/short TV shows, music...anything really that keeps kids interested and teaches them new words in different lanugages.

the languages I'm interested in are: Algonkin/Ojibwa, Cherokee, Navajo, Italian, Spanish, French...

thanks in advance!

this is a cross thread from 'learning at home'

our library caries "books on tape" of different languages and if they don't have what you want you can order a interlibrary loan of what you want (from another library in their system). Have you checked your local library? We live near a big city so I don't know if this is in every library good luck..


----------



## MommyHawk

what pow wows are you going to this year?

anything you can't wait to happen in 2007 for you?


----------



## Jennbee

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MamaInTheBoonies* 
I'm going to figure out how to get to Grand Forks, North Dakota and finish college. They are one of the few colleges that offer tuition waivers to Native students, and they have free daycare for student parents for children aged 2-5 yrs old.

They also have the medical school right there and two hospitals and 3 or 4 clinics, so, I can get everything done right there.

I already did 6 yrs of college and am so close to being finished.
Biochemistry/Premed, so, I can become a neurosurgeon....not the brain, but I want to help repair nerves damaged in limbs or other parts of the body. Like the farming accidents, when someone loses an arm and it gets reattached. Instead of having a useless arm, I want to be able to help repair the nerves so their arm works again.

Have you made any definite plans yet? That sounds like a really good place to finish college. My sister went to college in Michigan, they have a tuition waiver for Native students too. How much longer will you have to go to finish college?
I have 2.5 years left to finish my college program. It's definitely a lot shorter than your program and even then mine seems like a long time.


----------



## Jennbee

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MommyHawk* 
what pow wows are you going to this year?

anything you can't wait to happen in 2007 for you?

We have a powwow in May on the weekend before Victoria Day (Canada). And then another one in September, that's all I usually go to.

I can't wait to get pregnant. It's been almost 2 years that we've been TTC #2.


----------



## MommyHawk

January 27 - Daily Feast
Volume II

Trust is a fragile gem that most people never intend to lose. Too often a promise is easily made and easily broken. It reveals a deeper nature that may never have been trustworthy. A Cherokee elder once commented, "Indian may forgive - but Indian never forget." No grudge, but wisdom that a trust shattered one time may well be broken again. Trust is a stand - a ga to gv - says the Cherokee. If the Spirit is trustworthy, then we should be trustworthy. He is the Gem, the Power of the stand we take. We personally have no power - but the Gem has it all.

~ The Indian world was devoted to living; the European world to getting. ~

HISTORIAN, 1764

_"A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II" by Joyce Sequichie Hifler_

**<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>**

_Elder's Meditation of the Day - January 27_

"There is no death. Only a change of worlds."

--Chief Seattle, SUQWAMISH AND DUWAMISH

The Elders tell us of the other dimension, the Spirit World. Our spirit in our bodies does not die, it only looks that way to our eyes and our brains. Some of our ceremonies allow us to see into the Spirit World. Death is only part of a process of life. It shows the transition into the Spirit World. The Elders tell us this is a joyful life journey.

My Creator, help me to understand both the seen world and the unseen world. Let me not be afraid of the world You live in.

**<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>**

'THINK on THESE THINGS'
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

There is much to be said of small things. Even in this age of emphasis on bigness we must realize that bigness is only a mass of small things. An idea is a small thing. With it we can change our world. We can take a tiny seed and give it careful attention and reap a hundred fold. We can take a little idea and give it our attention and build it into a fortune.

A smile is a small thing. Smile once at someone in passing and three will return the smile. Smiling is so contagious that it moves from person to person until a hundred smiling faces are the result of one.

A thought is a small thing. One thought inspires another and another until a mental image is formed. From that mental image blueprints are drawn. And from those blueprints worlds are built.

Hope is a small thing. One tiny glimmer of hope can lift us out of the deepest pit of darkness. One whisper of encouragement will help us to know that as long as there's hope there is an excellent chance.

A wish is a small thing. Like a little prayer, it climbs the steps to an idea that makes a smile and gives us hope to make our wishes come true. For in small things are all great things formed, in little beginnings the possibilities of great events.

If you have a chance to make life better for others and fail to do so, you are wasting your time on Earth. No matter what our station in life, we are here to serve, even if that sometimes means making the greatest sacrifice of all.

A warrior is challanged to assume responsibility, practice humility, and display the power of giving, and then center his or her life around a core of spirituality. I challenge todays youth to live like a warrior."
Billy Mills

http://www.theupcn.com/ - The United People of the Cherokee Nation


----------



## joiedevivre184

I was just on that site today! I just







the background song!


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

s

Just checking in with everyone. How are you doing?


----------



## ~member~

Last night I got to see Johny Smith, Jackie Bird, Mitch Walking Elk, and Red Ponie Band perform. It was awesome!


----------



## MommyHawk

if so, how on Earth did you select a curriculum!!! I'm dizzy from all the online resources... my sister uses 'Classical' but I'm not really interested in it. Too 'classical' if you kwim... I'm looking for one that is good in languages and history, especially of the Americas, not just Europe.


----------



## ~member~

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MommyHawk* 
if so, how on Earth did you select a curriculum!!! I'm dizzy from all the online resources... my sister uses 'Classical' but I'm not really interested in it. Too 'classical' if you kwim... I'm looking for one that is good in languages and history, especially of the Americas, not just Europe.

http://www.homeschoolingonashoestrin...firstamer.html

http://www.geocities.com/nuwahti/NAHE.html

Those are two sites I found by googling. Do those help?


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

We homeschool! We're eclectic, we use lots of different types of curriculum.







We also lean strongly towards unschooling.


----------



## Jennbee

Does anyone know if MITB is still here? I was going to try and PM her, but was unable to.


----------



## MommyHawk

has anyone read this book? or heard about it?


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jennbee* 
Does anyone know if MITB is still here? I was going to try and PM her, but was unable to.

She was last month. I haven't noticed her missing. Maybe she turned off the PM option??

I've been missing rrr and plum. Neither have been around in ages!


----------



## Jennbee

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Little Bear's Mama* 
She was last month. I haven't noticed her missing. Maybe she turned off the PM option??

I've been missing rrr and plum. Neither have been around in ages!

pm'd you.
I don't recognize the names rrr and plum. Were they on the NA mamas thread?


----------



## Jennbee

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MommyHawk* 
has anyone read this book? or heard about it?

Sorry, haven't read it or even heard of it.


----------



## MommyHawk

I just bought (don't know WHY I didn't already have it) a CD by Jana...she is brilliant! She sings with so much passion and her voice is so beautiful - if you don't already know who she is (I'm probably the last person to know) then you have to check out her music! I'm getting her Christmas CD next! can't wait!

Jana = http://www.jananation.com/

I wish I was so talented!


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jennbee* 
pm'd you.
I don't recognize the names rrr and plum. Were they on the NA mamas thread?


Thanks.









And yes, both were part of this thread. Both suddenly disappeard. Last I heard from plum, she was expecting again.


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Speaking of positives...Jennbee, is there something you want to tell us?


----------



## MommyHawk

does anyone live in the MD/DC area? pm me if so


----------



## Mamapits

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MommyHawk* 
I just bought (don't know WHY I didn't already have it) a CD by Jana...she is brilliant! She sings with so much passion and her voice is so beautiful - if you don't already know who she is (I'm probably the last person to know) then you have to check out her music! I'm getting her Christmas CD next! can't wait!

Jana = http://www.jananation.com/

I wish I was so talented!









She is in this months Native People magazine

I have never checked out her music. I am going to though


----------



## vivianstcloud

Hi Everyone

Just introducing myself.

I'm Ohkay Owingeh from Northern New Mexico and my partner is Navajo.

I'm @ 2 mos pregnant with my first and we're pretty excited. We live in Albuquerque, but spend as much time as we can with his family on the rez (Navajo Nation) and mine up in Taos.

I've already run into some weird cultural appropriation stuff on MDC with made me feel kind of uncomfortable, so of course I went looking for other Natives/First Nations folks! Haha! Glad to find this group! Look forward to getting to know everyone.


----------



## instant coffee

Osiyo Vivi!







:


----------



## MommyHawk

Osiyo Vivi - what kind of stuff did you see on MDC that you didn't like? If it was racial, they are setting up a racial awareness presentation and it would be good to point out the trouble spots...like NDNs issues being ignored

does anyone have a good link to pow wows? I don't like missing chances to go, but I can't seem to even find one in my area


----------



## emmalola

Hi vivian! I'm Apache, and I live in Santa Fe. Nice to be close to family. Welcome.

My big least favorite cultural appropriation thing that happens in the childbirth community (not limited to just MDC) is the use of the term "blessingway" to indicate a ceremony prior to the birth of a baby. drives me bananas. I actually petitioned at my nursing school to make them stop using that term with the midwifery students when they graduated. (They had a graduation ceremony and called it a blessingway, even though it was in no way, shape, or form anything resembling a real blessingway. they just liked the idea of it and appropriated it. Surprisingly, a lot of the midwifes and the midwifery students were irritated and offended that I would be so vocally against their appropriation. )


----------



## vivianstcloud

Quote:


Originally Posted by *emmalola* 
Hi vivian! I'm Apache, and I live in Santa Fe. Nice to be close to family. Welcome.

My big least favorite cultural appropriation thing that happens in the childbirth community (not limited to just MDC) is the use of the term "blessingway" to indicate a ceremony prior to the birth of a baby. drives me bananas.

That's it!! When I read that, I really flipped out! I had NEVER heard non-Natives, actually non-Navajos, talk about a Blessing Way. And then to find out it's some sort of alternative shower with, honestly, some cheesy sounding beading and drumming, just flabbergasted me! The Blessing Way is like the foundation of Navajo ceremony and to have it disrespected this way..well..ugh.

I know I sound all dramatic, but it really did shock me. Maybe because my man is Navajo (as well as part of my family by marriage, cousins, etc) and I've lived on the Navajo Nation, but it was really offensive. I would say even blasphemous, yanno?

Well, I just had to vent. That kind of disrespect drives me nuts. I mean, people can do what they want, but just don't call it a Blessing Way. Is that so hard? But I guess the cat's out of that bag.

So, yeah, great to meet you! I think we want to end up in Santa Fe eventually, but right now not sure we can afford it.







My man is a jeweler and it would be great for us to be based out of Santa Fe.


----------



## vivianstcloud

Hi MommyHawk! Nice to meet you.

It was the whole blessingway thing. I explained some more in another post. It just really shocked me to read about that and it seems so wrong and disrespectful to me.

I'd love to help raise awareness of Native issues! I work in Indian law and am actively involved in a lot of projects to bring Native issues to the forefront of the legal field. (Although in NM, tribes have a lot of exposure, so we fare a lot better than tribes in other states).

And have you checked http://www.powwows.com/ ? They have a calendar of events. Also ICT puts out a powwow magazine every year, http://www.indiancountrystore.com/mags.html.


----------



## vivianstcloud

Hi Instant Coffee! Nice to meet you.

I LOVE coffee and am suffering trying to balance my caffeine intake with being pregnant. The injustice!! ::: shakes fist:::


----------



## MommyHawk

I really liked this from one of the lists I'm on, so I thought to share it here with you all:

"Seven Natural Laws

By: Ed Littlefox

1. The Law of Cycles
Literally all of life is ruled by Cycles. It is a matter of 8th year science that Plants utilize the waste Carbon Dioxide exhaled by animal life and return Oxygen to the atmosphere. We even call that the Oxygen Cycle. Scientific, yes, but that is neither taught, nor looked upon, as a part, or an example, of a much larger and more
complex system that involves All-Things, whether animate or inanimate, from the smallest constituent of matter, to the Black Hole. Though this Law, as all others, is inescapable, Modernism has, for the most part, robbed us of our aware participation in this Law. For instance, our view of Death. Death ? Yes ! Undeniably, we are alive because something else has died, be it another animal or a plant. For the most part, modernism has also separated us from a knowledge of Death to the extent that we fail to view it as a part of the Cycle of Life. A Mystery ? Yes, but
one that a Traditionalist faces, and understands, every day. An acceptance of Death is an acceptance of Life, as well, and an understanding of why Native People all over the World take the time to speak to the Spirits of those plants and animals who have sacrificed their Lives so that we might Live.

2. The Law of Individuality
Have you ever seen any two things, in Nature, that are alike ? Any two Oaks, Deer, Hawks-or, for that matter, Rocks ? Even leaves on the same Tree ? Even if you think so, look more closely. There are no two things alike; even " identical" Twins. We categorize Animals and Plants with similar physical characteristics into families and species, but individuals within the species differ, and, many times,
greatly. However, there is a great deal more to the Law of
Individuality than is apparent on the surface. Put simply, All-Things are different, and that is where this law becomes very important and complex. That All-Things are Individual means that All-Things are Unique. It is a widely held belief among native people world-wide that Mystery, or "The Creator" created All-Things, and is within All-Things. The
Concept is a simple one to see and to grasp. For example, suppose that you wanted to give a friend a Gift- a pair of Moccasins. You have a choice as to whether to buy them , or to make them. If you choose to buy them, then you have given your friend a pair of moccasins. If you have made them , then you have given your friend a piece of yourself. The same is true of The Creator. That You are Unique among Human Beings means more than just looks, it also means Perceptions. You see and assimilate and think uniquely, and apply knowledge uniquely as well. This also means that everything about you and your interaction with Life is Important both to yourself and Others. It is important also that your Path and your Relations with All-Things and Mystery be a unique expression of yourself, and that it be shared among others, as it is in this way that New Knowledge comes to the People.

3. The Law of Change
All-Things Change. Change is the driving force of Life, Evolution, and Growth. Change is Movement, and it means that nothing is static. It is important to realize that Humanity has the ability to Change the shape of All-Things on the Earth, through the Power of Choice. There are always Three Choices in any decision-making process, and they are; This, That, and Choosing not to Choose. {We will discuss Choice as a subject later in this magazine.} Change means that every day is a different day, and every Now, a different Now, with all of the potentials and possibilities that life and the universe have to offer.

4. The Law of Place
It is that every, unique Thing, has a unique Place ,as well. This goes far beyond the scientific principal that no two masses can occupy the same space at the same time. The Law of Place introduces us to the Web, and I do not mean this one. As this law affects Human Beings, it means that your Place in Life, your Place on the Path, and your particular point of View is Important both to yourself and to the World at large. Nothing either can -or ever will - occupy your Place, or that of anything else. It defines not only that you live, but also how and why.

5. The Law of Twin-ness
This one may be a bit harder to grasp, or maybe not. Everything is Two Things. This is what my People call the Forked-Tree Teaching. Picture in your mind a Tree with two forks, each bearing leaves and limbs and twigs. Imagine that the Forks are Duplicates of each other. Remember that a Duplicate is NOT a Reflection; a reverse image. Label one of these Forks Physical and the other Spirit, and picture yourself as this Tree. Remembering that the Forks are Duplicates and not mirror images, tell me which one of the forks is you. The fact is that Both are. You posses both a Body( the physical fork) and a Spirit ( the Spirit fork). The Forked Tree is both an Ideal and a Fact. Everything is Two Things, but those two things stem from the same Trunk, so that the two things are One Thing- separate, but really together. The Idea here is that without the labels, you do not know which is which. The most important thing about this {at least to me} is that the Forked Tree teaches that all acts are Spiritual Acts, regardless. When the Spirit Acts so does the Body, and vice aversa. It means that care must be taken in the actions of Living, with a constant awareness of the real ramifications of those actions.

6. The Law of Interdependence
Serious business, All-Things are Interdependent. As Humans, we depend on Plants for our breath, and Animals and Plants for our food. Plants are dependent on Animals for food and breath as well. It goes on and on. We are taught by the modern World to be "independent", when there is literally no such thing as independence. This is Circle-Dance. Each Individual Circle dancing together within the Greater Circle of Life, each moving and touching each other in the Dance of Living, each Relating to the Other, and each dependent upon the Earth and Each Other for Life and Living. This is the True meaning and reason for Dance at Pow-Wow; why the Dance Arena is Circular. It is the essence of Pow-wow to present, in microcosm, a picture and demonstration of the Greater Dance of Life. Think about it-All-Things are CONNECTED !!

7. The Law of Synergy
This is the last, and hardest of the Seven laws to comprehend. There are two words I have used which are American Indian, " Skan" and "Orenda". The First is an abbreviated term for the Lakotah phrase" Taku Skan Ska" , and the second is Iriquoian. The concept presented by these two terms is one which has dropped from the English Language over Time. I will not say that because these concept- words are not translatable directly into English that the words for them never existed in English. It would do all of us well to remember that the English language evolved from Tribal Tongues. I have no doubt that this concept and the Words existed in antiquity within the English Language. Literally Translated " Taku Skan Ska" is " That which moves in movement", and "Orenda" may be translated as "presence". Both words allude to the concept of a Force or an essence which authors movement {life as a dynamic} and is a permeating Presence within life. Neither of these terms is a name for a deity. Both Terms connote the presence of " The Web", and I do not mean a facet of the Internet. The Web is a spiritual manifestation formed by the interconnection and the ballanced interaction of All- Things. It is the invisible "energy structure" in which All-Things are suspended. It is the Web woven by Spider Grandmother. If you can imagine a structure in which an Individual point is connected to All other Individual points, then you have a good picture of the Web- it is exquisitely complex and exquisitely beautiful. The Web is the ultimate manifestation of Natural Law and the means by which Mystery applies Natural Law Universally. Synergy is the result achieved when Natural Forces interact in Harmony and Ballance with each other. In Physics, a Balance of Forces produces Stasis. However, we are not dealing with Physics-we are dealing with Life and the Energies of Life-which are dynamic forces. When in Balance, and working in Harmony with each other, they produce another Energy (Synergy) that did not exist before, but is created as a result of the Harmony- and that new Force or Energy is called "Synergy". The Synergy is always greater than the sum of the forces which interact to produce it, and it is that Synergistic Force which supplies the Energy necessary for the continuity of the creative process in the universe. In Terms of the Equine/Human Relationship- this marks the difference between Riding ON a Horse- and Riding WITH a Horse. Horses live under the auspices and dictates of Natural Law-as they are Natural Beings and an integral part of their environment. Humans, however, have chosen to live `artificially' and no longer suscribe to the tennants of Natural Law. What our Horses do Naturally we find difficult for us, and that is mostly because of our artificial lifestyles. To understand fully the Nature of Horses and further our Relationship with them, we need to understand the Dynamics of Natural Law and how they relate to us and our Horses. ( THAT is a step toward fully understanding ourselves, as well.) Our `first reactions' as Humans, whether with Horses or not, needs to evolve from Fear and Doubt to Love and Acceptance. Learn from the domestic Horse that this is his first reaction to you- Love and Acceptance. Your Relationship should always be based on Love and not Fear. Only in this way can your Horse Teach you about himself-and you, in turn, Teach him about you. Remember, there is nothing more fulfilling in your Relationship with your Horse than Unity. That Unity is the first Goal and first step in true communications. Though I have used Horses, and the Equine/Human Relationship as
exmples above, understand that the Horse also Symbolicaly
represents "New Ways". What I have used as examples above, is just as applicable to the Human/Human Relationship. We must in this Time, come to an Understanding of why it is that our first reactions to each other as Nations of People is always Fear. I know of few who would disagree that there needs to Change from this precept of the Modern Era. Change always begins in a small Way, with an Idea, and a Teaching, and a Reaching Out to another. I cannot Change the Fear- based Precepts upon which we have built Modern Governments and Political Regimes-but-we can, and by our own Love, our own Wills, and our Own Choice. History cannot be Changed-but the Future definately can be, and should be. Mystery- a Commentary We have come to the last of the Seven Natural Laws. It is my hope that knowing these Laws and thinking about them individually and together will help to enlighten you to your own power as a Human Being walking your own Path. I have mentioned Mystery and the Web several times in this writing, and I wanted to explain a little more about these two things as I see them . Mystery is not some metaphorical `god' that sits on a throne in a place that I can easily separate from my everyday world and life. I walk in the Mystery like a fish swims in a river. Mystery is everywhere and in everything, even me and you. With Knowledge comes Responsibility, and I am wholly responsible for my own acts in my own Life. I breathe Mystery, and I know that, and that I know that is my decipline.. So, what of the Web ? It is through the Connections provided by the Web that Life-Force travels to and through All-Things. By this means, All-Things are Related. There is an old Chinese Teaching which states, " When a Stone is cast into a Still Pool, the Waves reach all Shores". This is a Noble Truth; the same being True of the Web. Every Act of Living creates `vibrations' which revebrate throughout the structure of the Web-ponder this.Much has been said about "Medicine" and "Guides" or "Animal Spirits", and how they are acquired. If one were to view the Web as a structure of Light, then the strands which connect you to your "Medicines" are the Brightest-and, often, the 'shortest'. As this regards Inter-species Communications, the brightest, closest, shortest connections are the very ones which you find the easiest to communicate with. For most of us, these 'short strands' constitute those which connect us with Domesticated and `Companion' Animals. That these Species are `Domesticated'- meaning that, over time, they have become very closely associated with Humans -has served to 'shorten' their communications connection with us. In essence, their `phone line' is always hot- and they speak to us all of the time when we are in their presence. Whether we `hear' them is another matter- one of our individual Awareness and how well we have developed it. What I have given you, here, is a view-point on what is Possible. It is for us- you and I- to Believe in the Possibilities presented to us in Life, and to do so in a Positive Way; for, if we do not, then nothing ever becomes possible for us !! Taken properly, there are Keys here for far more than Animal Communications-far more.Take the time to look, and moreover Feel- become a bit more vulnerable to the Force of Life so that you may interact with it, and so, other Life. Speaking for myself only, I was lucky enough to learn about these things at a very early age. Over Time and experience, I learned to accept that one can never Love unless one makes himself/herself vulnerable to Love (as an Energy). That I `Love' something means that I am in its Energy-and it in mine- whether Human or Equine. I cannot decide the Truths of Living Life for you- we must all do that for ourselves. For Your-self -Choose to Choose--."


----------



## MommyHawk

has anyone heard if they found the boy? He's 16, was in his school uniform with a back pack and never made it to school


----------



## Jennbee

Quote:


Originally Posted by *vivianstcloud* 
That's it!! When I read that, I really flipped out! I had NEVER heard non-Natives, actually non-Navajos, talk about a Blessing Way. And then to find out it's some sort of alternative shower with, honestly, some cheesy sounding beading and drumming, just flabbergasted me! The Blessing Way is like the foundation of Navajo ceremony and to have it disrespected this way..well..ugh.

I know I sound all dramatic, but it really did shock me. Maybe because my man is Navajo (as well as part of my family by marriage, cousins, etc) and I've lived on the Navajo Nation, but it was really offensive. I would say even blasphemous, yanno?

Well, I just had to vent. That kind of disrespect drives me nuts. I mean, people can do what they want, but just don't call it a Blessing Way. Is that so hard? But I guess the cat's out of that bag.

So, yeah, great to meet you! I think we want to end up in Santa Fe eventually, but right now not sure we can afford it.







My man is a jeweler and it would be great for us to be based out of Santa Fe.

I was keeping up with that thread for a while; it was getting a bit disrespectful by some. Your voice would probably be stronger than some if you spoke up about the issue here at MDC.

BTW, I'm an Anishinaabe kwe living in Ontario. Nice to meet you.


----------



## Jennbee

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Little Bear's Mama* 
Speaking of positives...Jennbee, is there something you want to tell us?









I just finally caught this, yes, I would like to tell the world that I'm expecting another baby. The binoojiinh is expected in mid October. We were trying for so, so long. Our little girl is so excited; she's already picking out baby clothes.

Vivian, are you expecting in October too?


----------



## vivianstcloud

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jennbee* 

Vivian, are you expecting in October too?


I am!! Oct 23 is the date.







How about you??

I wish we could buy some baby clothes! Those little shoes are soooo darn cute! But Navajos can't buy anything for the baby until after it is born.







But you better believe I'm shopping after that! haha!


----------



## Jennbee

Quote:


Originally Posted by *vivianstcloud* 
I am!! Oct 23 is the date.







How about you??

I wish we could buy some baby clothes! Those little shoes are soooo darn cute! But Navajos can't buy anything for the baby until after it is born.







But you better believe I'm shopping after that! haha!

Due date is October 13. My BIL is getting married one week before the due date, so if baby stays in until then, I'm going to be very pregnant.

Do you have to wait a certain length of time after a baby is born before you can take photographs or videos. My friend who is Mohawk has to wait 10 days before they can take pictures. As far as I know there isn't any custom in my community that forbids it.


----------



## MommyHawk

wow, I didn't know that about not taking pictures or buying for the baby until the baby actually is born...makes sense!

thanks for sharing


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Congrats, Jennbee!!


----------



## MommyHawk

I was asking around to people I know if anyone was in need of baby and house items (doing a spring sweep of my home) and a friend showed me this site that lists all items needed on the Pine Ridge Reservation in SD. It is the poorest county in the US...some children don't have paper/pencil to do their homework! I wish I was blessed with means beyond so that I could send more, but I can get the word out to more than myself. So, please, if you have anything that you can send, check out the list on this site

http://www.rainrez.com/

"If you have a chance to make life better for others and fail to do so, you are wasting your time on Earth. No matter what our station in life, we are here to serve, even if that sometimes means making the greatest sacrifice of all."


----------



## MommyHawk

If you get HBO, on May 27th they are showing the new "Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee" movie - from the previews it is from the RIGHT perspective. Adam Beach is awesome! Check out his interview:

http://www.hbo.com/films/burymyheart/interviews/

one of many stories that needs to be told...


----------



## vivianstcloud

Hi Mommyhawk - I sure hope they do a good job. But I have my doubts.

Did you see this article?

http://www.indianz.com/News/2007/002813.asp

"HBO added a mixed-race Indian to its adaptation of Dee Brown's "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" in order to make the film more palatable to white audiences, The New York Times reports.

The book sold five million copies and has been translated into 17 languages. But its popularity wasn't enough for HBO executives.

"Everyone felt very strongly that we needed a white character or a part-white, part-Indian character to carry a contemporary white audience through this project," writer Daniel Giat said at a television group earlier this year, The Times reported."

------------
That's pretty insulting to whites and Natives alike, if you ask me. Ah well. It's Hollywod.


----------



## MommyHawk

nothing from hollywood is going to be 100% worthy... however, I am excited about it, just as I was excited about "Into the West" just for the fact that I don't see any NDN movies about the past of present and I am very interested in not only our ancestors but also in life today. I don't have any clue. I've been to 13 different schools in my life and the closest I've ever been to learning anything real about Native culture, traditions, language, anything has only be recently with the internet! That is the saddest thing in the world. I live in NDN country but we only learn about white stuff. Like this land came alive about 400 years ago...when in actuality it started to die...I know nothing hollywood can do at this time is real truth as they, just like the schools and all of us, are owned and run by the gov't - we're all so busy trying to get ahead, live our lives, find work, whatever that we don't even see it anymore...ok, I'm getting out of hand here - I'm just a bit peeved with the gov't right now - anyway, it's probably not great, but it's better than nothing. These stories NEED to be told one way or the other. If this is the beginning of them being told, than so be it that they have to make a character 'more white'...the educated and enlightened will read the actual book for themselves after getting interested and find the real truth...that is how these things work. Little by little is the only way it's going to work.


----------



## MommyHawk

Quote:


Originally Posted by *vivianstcloud* 
http://www.indianz.com/News/2007/002813.asp

"HBO added a mixed-race Indian to its adaptation of Dee Brown's "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee"

The 'new' character is Charles Eastman and this man was THE MAN! I love all of his writing - he might not be in the original book, but he is a real life person to know and learn about. I hope the movie is done well and draws a lot of attention to a real life subject that has been all but ignored and down played

"This is the first time I've seen a film so accurately portray the impact of federal policy on our people,"

This is the sole purpose to get this movie and this STORY told now, so that we ALL can learn the truth. The schools teach US Americans nothing of all the horrors and atrocities that the gov't and military used to 'rid the land' of the 'pests'...! There has to be something out there to start the conversations and knowledge of what really happened so that people understand NDNs today and how we can move forward and heal the past and live in harmony in the future.

too bad the movie isn't in the big theaters!


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Saw this in Activism, and thought ya'll might be interested.
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/...07/051707.html


----------



## vivianstcloud

Hi NA mamas

Does anyone else come from a culture where you can't receive/purchase anything for the baby until after it is born? How do you deal??

I see some of the cutest stuff, nevermind all the necessities, and I can't get a thing. It's a little depressing and I feel like I can't connect or have the same excitement as a lot of non-Native mamas with their showers and getting their nurseries ready, etc.

Also, we cannot take any hand-me-downs unless we know who they are from, in case the previous owner passed. It would be VERY bad to have things that belonged to the dead. So no thrifting, no resale stores or anything like that.









I'm not sure I have a point. I realize the importance of the traditions. I just wanted to know if anyone has gone through the same thing and if you have any tips to make the restrictions more toerable.


----------



## indigenousmama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MommyHawk* 
The 'new' character is Charles Eastman and this man was THE MAN! I love all of his writing - he might not be in the original book, but he is a real life person to know and learn about. I hope the movie is done well and draws a lot of attention to a real life subject that has been all but ignored and down played

i saw this movie last weekend when it aired here in Canada. i thought it was well done, i liked it. my only complaint is that Adam Beach didn't get credit as being the star of the movie. Aidan Quinn and Anna Paquin were credited as the stars of the movie, and the movie was all about Beach's character. other than that, i thought it was good.


----------



## MommyHawk

Quote:


Originally Posted by *indigenousmama* 
i saw this movie last weekend when it aired here in Canada. i thought it was well done, i liked it. my only complaint is that Adam Beach didn't get credit as being the star of the movie. Aidan Quinn and Anna Paquin were credited as the stars of the movie, and the movie was all about Beach's character. other than that, i thought it was good.

I know! I know!!!







: he was hot, though


----------



## MommyHawk

I was recently asked to tell a few children's NDN stories and after 3 the kids were crazy for more...and I was at a loss for more (after watching 9 kids for 3 hours I was a bit brain dead, I have to admit









I told them the Piscataway proverb/lesson about the little boy and CottonMouth, the rabbit and the wolves, and the Cherokee story of the first strawberries...

what are you favorite NDN stories? If you don't mind sharing some of them here, that would be great







If you want I can write out any of the stories above


----------



## MommyHawk

Where is everybody?!?!?


----------



## mommytomahmoud

iam native american citizen potawatomi nation i want to teach my son about his native side but iam also scared he will be made fun of about it like me iam always getting made fun of for being native american and i dont wnat that to happen for him soo i have not even registered him yet cause of it but he is only half anyways cause my husband is arab


----------



## vivianstcloud

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mommytomahmoud* 
iam native american citizen potawatomi nation i want to teach my son about his native side but iam also scared he will be made fun of about it like me iam always getting made fun of for being native american and i dont wnat that to happen for him soo i have not even registered him yet cause of it but he is only half anyways cause my husband is arab


Hi there - This is just my opinion but you come from a rich cultural heritage. It would be a shame to deny your son that. Teach him about his Native culture and heritage and let him decide what he wants. Besides, even if you don't teach him, there's no guarantee he won't be teased.

You wouldnt deny him his Arab culture, even though many Arabs are made fun of and unfairly targeted right now due to terrorist paranoia. Why would you deny your son his Potawatomi heritage because a few idiots made fun of his mother?? It would be a shame. You need to teach him to proud of who he is, not ashamed and certainly not worried about what other people who are ignorant think.

I wish you luck. It might be hard for you, but it is worth it.


----------



## Jennbee

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MommyHawk* 
Where is everybody?!?!?









I'm home trying to relax a bit before bedtime. I'm starting to get that feeling that I have to clean and declutter before the baby comes in 3 months. It's all good though; my sister came over this afternoon.


----------



## MommyHawk

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mommytomahmoud* 
iam native american citizen potawatomi nation i want to teach my son about his native side but iam also scared he will be made fun of about it like me iam always getting made fun of for being native american and i dont wnat that to happen for him soo i have not even registered him yet cause of it but he is only half anyways cause my husband is arab

I agree with Vivian - plus, it doesn't matter if he's 'half' - if he's got it in him, he's got it in him







He's NDN just like anyone and would be proud to know of and learn about his heritage - he is the only one who can walk his walk, so he will make his own decisions - but it would be great for him to know where he is from - he may 'feel' things and not understand them, 'see' things yet not be able to see the connection if his roots are kept from him. Take it from me, there 'was an Indian in the wood pile' and although I'm certain that I have NDN in me, no one in my family will say yes or no, but I have heard the rumors. At least he has a direct line to his band! That is awesome. I am in the process of finding my DH's Algonkin line, but I have hit so many brick walls that I'm not sure it is recoverable information anymore. Don't let past prejudices tell you what to do...today is different and it's getting better, IMO


----------



## Jennbee

Quote:


Originally Posted by *vivianstcloud* 
Hi NA mamas

Does anyone else come from a culture where you can't receive/purchase anything for the baby until after it is born? How do you deal??

I see some of the cutest stuff, nevermind all the necessities, and I can't get a thing. It's a little depressing and I feel like I can't connect or have the same excitement as a lot of non-Native mamas with their showers and getting their nurseries ready, etc.

Also, we cannot take any hand-me-downs unless we know who they are from, in case the previous owner passed. It would be VERY bad to have things that belonged to the dead. So no thrifting, no resale stores or anything like that.









I'm not sure I have a point. I realize the importance of the traditions. I just wanted to know if anyone has gone through the same thing and if you have any tips to make the restrictions more toerable.









As you may know, I don't have any restrictions on buying or receiving any baby stuff before the baby comes, but I do have an idea of how you can try to make it more tolerable. Have you tried to set up a registry? That way you can look around now and have a good idea of where you might want to pick up some items after the baby arrives. I saved myself a registry at "The Things I Want" website.


----------



## Metiswoman

Hi,

Just introducing myself really quick! I hope no one considers me 'squeezing' in here--I am actually metis--an Catawba/Monocan/Choctaw metis. I am very proud of my family and extremely fortunate to be connected to my roots. It's really hard, though--ain't nobody else around here and I feel very isolated, especially since I'm mostly stuck at home with a chronic illness and have to miss out on gatherings. I belong to some other groups but this is the first one I've seen that focuses on mothering--very different!


----------



## vivianstcloud

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jennbee* 
Have you tried to set up a registry? That way you can look around now and have a good idea of where you might want to pick up some items after the baby arrives. I saved myself a registry at "The Things I Want" website.


Good idea! Thanks for the suggestion! Maybe people can buy things and keep them at their homes and just not tell me. lol. I saw the cutest baby blanket with sheep on it. DP is Navajo, and we just laughed and said it was perfect! I think that'll be the first thing on the registry.


----------



## Jennbee

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Metiswoman* 
Hi,

Just introducing myself really quick! I hope no one considers me 'squeezing' in here--I am actually metis--an Catawba/Monocan/Choctaw metis. I am very proud of my family and extremely fortunate to be connected to my roots. It's really hard, though--ain't nobody else around here and I feel very isolated, especially since I'm mostly stuck at home with a chronic illness and have to miss out on gatherings. I belong to some other groups but this is the first one I've seen that focuses on mothering--very different!









Boozhoo/Hello Metiswoman.


----------



## Caledvwlch

I'm not NA myself, but DP's entire family is Cherokee and therefore DS is as well.


----------



## EdnaMarie

I am replying to Vivian StCloud's post about baby clothes etc.

In my DH's culture, they will not let the baby have anything handed down from a baby that was sickly and he wouldn't let DD wear anything that mom bought at a thrift shop because it might have been from a baby that did not do well.


----------



## vivianstcloud

Quote:


Originally Posted by *izobelle* 
My DH comes from an indigenous culture in Asia (they were forced off their land too many times to count, and then again by the Soviets) and they also practice the don't-buy-anything-for-baby and no-pictures of new babies as well. They also will not let the baby have anything handed down from a baby that was sickly and he wouldn't let DD wear anything that mom bought at a thrift shop because it might have been from a baby that did not do well.

Yes, that's pretty much exactly my situation. So did you as his wife find a good way to feel excited about the coming baby (assuming you've had a baby together) without any of the fun consumerism involved? Or even the practical planning, like buying diapers and a car seat. I do wish we could get thrifts and hand-me-downs. So much cheaper.


----------



## EdnaMarie

Hi vivian!

Well, while living in his home country, I didn't mind it. I didn't buy anything but I did a lot of online shopping, setting up a registry and choosing the kinds of diapers, car seat, etc. I wanted. I was basically window shopping online.

Once I got to the United States, though, my mother was crawling the walls to buy stuff, so at eight months I gave in and we bought a ton of stuff. DH said that the superstition didn't apply in the United States since it wasn't his country, which was very accommodating of him, I think. But if he had refused, I would probably have just planned everything, made a big long list, and borrowed the necessities beforehand.

Here, you don't buy anything for the baby until 40 days are up. So you need to get a lot of stuff borrowed and ready beforehand. Usually every family has several generations in it so they can easily find clothes, a cradle, and so on. Maybe you would enjoy finding cloth diapers (used by a healthy baby who is now grown), a carseat to borrow, etc.


----------



## MommyHawk

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Metiswoman* 
Hi,

Just introducing myself really quick! I hope no one considers me 'squeezing' in here--I am actually metis--an Catawba/Monocan/Choctaw metis. I am very proud of my family and extremely fortunate to be connected to my roots. It's really hard, though--ain't nobody else around here and I feel very isolated, especially since I'm mostly stuck at home with a chronic illness and have to miss out on gatherings. I belong to some other groups but this is the first one I've seen that focuses on mothering--very different!


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Just a heads up...Breastfeeding is the topic on Native America Calling tomorrow (World Breastfeeding Week!







). You can listen online, too!
www.nativeamericacalling.com You can even call in with your questions.


----------



## indigenousmama

thanks for the head's up Little Bear's Mama! i'm happy to see that, and i'd like to see more support for breastfeeding in the native community. i work for an agency that says they fully support breastfeeding, yet they hand out free formula. i find that very frustrating. and in my home community, i've had several people scrunch up their faces in weirdness when they find out that i breasfed my daughter until she was 2 1/2 and i plan on breastfeeding my son that long, maybe longer, too. breastfeeding is something i feel really strongly about and i cherish my breastfeeding relationship with my two kids.


----------



## MommyHawk

I just took the kids to 'Patuxent Encounters' in St. Leonard, Maryland where they have an Eastern Woodland village set up, kind of like walking into a village the way it would be in 1608 with food being smoked and men making hunting tools and such. The day was way too hot, and we didn't get to dance or do much of anything else, but the exhibit was great and if anyone is in the area, I think it is up year round. Many Maryland Natives helped to put it together: Pocomoke, Piscataway, Nause Waisash, Accohannock, and Pocomoke Tribes. It was really great. And the festival was bigger this year than last year, so it can only be better next year!


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

The radio program went GREAT.









That sounds like fun, MommyHawk.









Jennbee, how are you feeling?







:


----------



## Jennbee

I'm feeling swell...lol, as in I'm getting swollen feet, not too bad though. I still have 9.5 wks to go.

A couple of weeks ago me, my sis and our daughters went to a language and culture camp in Michigan. It is a yearly event hosted by the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians (don't like to use that word, but that's what they call themselves). There were probably about 600 people that attended; we were there for 3 days. It was cool to hear so many people speak Anishinaabemowin. The kids made bracelets, necklaces and shakers.


----------



## Jennbee

Quote:


Originally Posted by *indigenousmama* 
thanks for the head's up Little Bear's Mama! i'm happy to see that, and i'd like to see more support for breastfeeding in the native community. i work for an agency that says they fully support breastfeeding, yet they hand out free formula. i find that very frustrating. and in my home community, i've had several people scrunch up their faces in weirdness when they find out that i breasfed my daughter until she was 2 1/2 and i plan on breastfeeding my son that long, maybe longer, too. breastfeeding is something i feel really strongly about and i cherish my breastfeeding relationship with my two kids.









That's how some of the programs/agencies on my rez are. The one program in particular has a Breastfeeding Resource Group and they still hand out free formula. They had a Doodoo Walk (for Breastfeeding Awareness Week) last week, unfortunately I missed it because of work.


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

That's crazy, Jenbee.







Unfortunately, I've seen evidence that it's not that uncommon. I believe that we can change it, though. And I _finally_ am in contact with people who can enact that change! More info when I know something concrete.

And I'm glad to hear that you're doing well. It won't be long now!


----------



## bellymama

hi mamas.
i was wondering if you can help me.
i knew that i had some native blood in me, but i always assumed it was the whole stereoptypical "my great great grandmother was a cherokee princess" BS







...so i never claimed it, yk?
this last year my family found out that my grandmother was 1/2 native. her father was driven off because he was a full blooded native...my grandmother never knew who her father was, and never knew anything about her heritage.
skip to now. so it turns out i am 1/8 native. i don't know what tribe i am of, or how to find out. native american studies has been an area of passionate interest for me since i was very little, but i don't know anything about ME







! do you know how i would go about figuring out which tribe my great grandfather was from?
any thoughts would be appreciated! thanks so much!


----------



## bellymama

oh, my great grandfather was from Maine originally...but with all the relocation, it seems like that wouldn't necessarily be alluding to the fact that he was of one of the Maine area's tribes....would it?


----------



## MommyHawk

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bellymama* 
oh, my great grandfather was from Maine originally...but with all the relocation, it seems like that wouldn't necessarily be alluding to the fact that he was of one of the Maine area's tribes....would it?

love your myspace pics









About your NDN'ness...don't worry about percentages. Don't even do the math! If you have it in you, it is you. The government is the one who says that you are only an NDN if you have such and such % of NDN blood...it's not what they care about, but what you feel in your heart.

With that said, WELCOME







My DH's ancestors are from the Algonkins, which is near Main/Vermont/Canada. You can try there first maybe? I don't know if we'll ever find our real connection, but just knowing that it's there is enough for us.


----------



## bellymama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MommyHawk* 
love your myspace pics









About your NDN'ness...don't worry about percentages. Don't even do the math! If you have it in you, it is you. The government is the one who says that you are only an NDN if you have such and such % of NDN blood...it's not what they care about, but what you feel in your heart.

With that said, WELCOME







My DH's ancestors are from the Algonkins, which is near Main/Vermont/Canada. You can try there first maybe? I don't know if we'll ever find our real connection, but just knowing that it's there is enough for us.

thanks so much for that...
i was thinking of the Algonquin, but i've been reading this great book "Native American Testimony" by Peter Nabakov...and it seems like so much shifting around, not even once but multiple times, would make it so hard to find out.
i contacted my grandmother's closest cousin in hopes that she might remember something about it...haven't heard back yet. i just would love to be able to share with my son something about the specific tribe my grandfather was from...
and i can't help but feel angry and sad that i never knew that i had such a close relation that was native...i am also portugese and irish, and i feel very close to those traditions, which i find very special...i just want to have the same feeling about the native part of me.
anyway, again, thank you for making me feel welcome, and telling me not to worry about the percentages...people always have asked me if i was native, especially now that i live in humboldt, where there is a large population of Hoopa and Yurok, but i always said no, because i figured that the amount i had was so little, i didn't want to be one of those people who glamourizes the native peoples and tries to say that they are when they aren't, yk? it makes me sad that i was denying such a big part of my bloodline.


----------



## EdnaMarie

On the topic of percentages, for those women who have spotty / vague native ancestries, have any of you done genetic testing?

CHeers...


----------



## InaX5

Oh I am SO glad I found this.

I am half Lakota & my dh is half Mohawk. We live a trad life out here in Mohawk country. We are teaching the children the language (although we don't speak it perfectly, we are improving ourselves) We go to ceremony, we dance & sing & my husband is a firekeeper, he trained properly for many years.
You know all that stuff. We do live off rez, but near by which helps. Although we are looking at building much closer (like near the boarder but my dh wants good water access for the community farm so we don't have to rent farm land anymore. We are also politically traditional, we don't vote in non-tribal elections, we fight for our land & all that great stuff.


----------



## MommyHawk

Quote:


Originally Posted by *InaX5* 
Oh I am SO glad I found this.

I am half Lakota & my dh is half Mohawk. We live a trad life out here in Mohawk country. We are teaching the children the language (although we don't speak it perfectly, we are improving ourselves) We go to ceremony, we dance & sing & my husband is a firekeeper, he trained properly for many years.
You know all that stuff. We do live off rez, but near by which helps. Although we are looking at building much closer (like near the boarder but my dh wants good water access for the community farm so we don't have to rent farm land anymore. We are also politically traditional, we don't vote in non-tribal elections, we fight for our land & all that great stuff.

awesome! awesome! awesome!

Welcome


----------



## MommyHawk

Ina - I want to teach my children some Lakota as I think it is the most beautiful language I have ever heard. They are part Algonkin, but I have yet to find any language learning aids for that language. Which ones would you recommend for Lakota?


----------



## InaX5

Elders, only decent way to learn.
I know alot of Algonquin people (being that they are in this area too). I can ask them if they know of any resources. It's easiest to learn from people cause you need to here the pronouciations because many of the sounds are so different from english like the whole K - G thing that's in a lot of the NDN languages, as well as all the gluttal stops, & clipped k's, t's, d's, p's, etc. And it's hard to learn how to pronouce a "pt" sound unless you here it over & over. Do you live near a rez? that would help. My kids pick up Mohawk better because they here it more so learning the nearest language is easier.


----------



## MommyHawk

I live in Maryland. We just went to a NDN festival and there were people from a near by rez there that I had never even heard about - sad, but true - we are going to their Powwows in Oct and Nov. Maybe we'll make some friends! I think the majority of people here speak Lumbee, or just plain ol'stinkin'English







I don't have any contact with anyone other than online







so so far all we know is Osiyo and Wado! which is a start







but sad still - Lakota is beautiful. I heard Jana sing in it on her 'American Indian Story' CD and we have that song memorized. DH and I are thinking of moving to Vermont, so if that ever happens we'll be closer to everyone







That is if he is in fact Algonkin...a few years ago it was thought that his family was Blackfoot...I wish someone would remember SOMETHING!!!







: Aren't you so sick of what the gov't has done?!??! His Grandfather doesn't think there is any NDN blood left in his grandkids, so what's the point...so sad...

HOWEVER, with that said...ever since I've been here (in this tribe on MDC







) and meeting other NDN people online and in person, the more my DH has made sense to me...and his whole family! I am still looking for my NDN lineage, as I've heard as a kid that there was an 'NDN in the woodpile' (not a nice saying, but that's what I heard) but my family is from Michigan...that should pretty much sum up their attitude on the subject...oh well...I will still go to Powwow, learn all I can and be nice to all my relations! (and pray for sleep at 3am!!!)....


----------



## Mamapits

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sjccheerdoll* 
I'm not NA myself, but DP's entire family is Cherokee and therefore DS is as well.

Hi ,
Nice to see you. My DH is 100% Dine. My roots are purely European.

I check this thread once in a while but I don't post much.


----------



## bellymama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MommyHawk* 
I live in Maryland. We just went to a NDN festival and there were people from a near by rez there that I had never even heard about - sad, but true - we are going to their Powwows in Oct and Nov. Maybe we'll make some friends! I think the majority of people here speak Lumbee, or just plain ol'stinkin'English







I don't have any contact with anyone other than online







so so far all we know is Osiyo and Wado! which is a start







but sad still - Lakota is beautiful. I heard Jana sing in it on her 'American Indian Story' CD and we have that song memorized. DH and I are thinking of moving to Vermont, so if that ever happens we'll be closer to everyone







That is if he is in fact Algonkin...a few years ago it was thought that his family was Blackfoot...I wish someone would remember SOMETHING!!!







: Aren't you so sick of what the gov't has done?!??! His Grandfather doesn't think there is any NDN blood left in his grandkids, so what's the point...so sad...

HOWEVER, with that said...ever since I've been here (in this tribe on MDC







) and meeting other NDN people online and in person, the more my DH has made sense to me...and his whole family! I am still looking for my NDN lineage, as I've heard as a kid that there was an 'NDN in the woodpile' (not a nice saying, but that's what I heard) but my family is from Michigan...that should pretty much sum up their attitude on the subject...oh well...I will still go to Powwow, learn all I can and be nice to all my relations! (and pray for sleep at 3am!!!)....

i hear you on the sadness of not knowing your roots. i am having such a hrad time digging out what tribe my great grandfather was from. we have figured out that he was from canada, but thats where the trail ends...so frusterating. i want my son to know more about that part of himself. i am very connected to my other heritages (portugese and irish) and i want to feel some sense of connection to the native part of me...as i said in a pp, my whole life, people have asked me if i was native, and i always said no, because i didn't know my great grandfather was full blooded...i feel sad that i basically dishonored him by doing that. anyway, i just wanted to say i share your frusteration. peace.


----------



## bellymama

anybody want to tell me how to make frybread? i am craving it so bad...there is a salmon cook today in Hoopa, but i can't make it and i want frybread...







:


----------



## MommyHawk

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bellymama* 
anybody want to tell me how to make frybread? i am craving it so bad...there is a salmon cook today in Hoopa, but i can't make it and i want frybread...







:

check out this yahoo group - tons of Native recipes on
everything...fry bread, pumpkin fry bread to name a few
*
NDNcookingandhomemaking*
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NDNcookingandhomemaking/


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bellymama* 
anybody want to tell me how to make frybread? i am craving it so bad...there is a salmon cook today in Hoopa, but i can't make it and i want frybread...







:

I'll make you 50 pieces of frybread for one of those salmon.







Yummy!

My "recipe" evolved over the years, guided by my mom, my MIL, and memories of my grandmother. It's rather simple, too:

Ingredients:

Unbleached flour, self rising if you have it (the unbleached part is important!)
a little salt
a little sugar
warm water
oil (I prefer a canola blend--some folks like to use melted lard or plain veggie oil. Just don't use regular canola or any other oil that has a lower smoking point as you'll end up with a burnt tasting bread)
time
patience

In a large mixing bowl, put your flour (eyeball it--depending on how much you want to make), a dash of salt, and a dash of sugar. Make a well in the center. Pour in some warm water and keep adding (mixing GENTLY) until you get the consistancy of a loose biscuit dough. Don't overmix as the bread will turn out tough. Cover and let sit for about 15-30 minutes.

Heat your oil to frying temp. Either pat the dough out between your two hands (like one would a tortilla) or pat the rounds out on a floured board. The rounds should be not too thick and not too thin. Thick will be dough-y (blech!) and thin will be crisp like a cracker.







Your bread dough should be about 1/2 inch thick. A hole in the center is optional. Lower your bread into the hot oil. It should pop up to the top rather quickly. For best results, fry no more than two breads at a time (one is optimal). When the bread is golden brown around the edges, it's time to flip. After a min or so, check the color. If golden, remove and drain on paper towel, or on a wire rack. Keep as warm as you can (either by covering or with the stove on warm) until serving.

Those instructions were really wordy, but that's my method.







Oh! And if you want a "healthier" version, you could use half whole wheat/half unbleached flour.







I find it helps to add a little extra baking powder to make the whole wheat version lighter.


----------



## bellymama

thanks!


----------



## 50ftQueenie

Quote:

I want to teach my children some Lakota as I think it is the most beautiful language I have ever heard. They are part Algonkin, but I have yet to find any language learning aids for that language. Which ones would you recommend for Lakota?
http://www.alliance2k.org/daklang1/daklang1.html
This is a system a friend developed for teaching Lakota and Dakota. I think you have to hear it/speak it everyday to make it stick. I lived on my DH's reservation for 10 years before (quite suddenly) I could speak in phrases. It just took years of hearing it for it to sink in.
I'm non-Native, by the way. Dh and Baby are enrolled Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota.


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bellymama* 
thanks!

LMK how it turned out!









How is everyone else doing?


----------



## mommaduck

Subbing...and will intro after I get my kids school work going









Back...

I was separated from my father's family for 30 years. I located my siblings this year and have been talking with my dad as well. My grandmother was 1/2 Cherokee, she is the one that looked for me for almost 2 decades before she died. Family was everything to her. I'm told, and have seen pictures, that I look like her. I never took after my mother's side and could never place my features. My children run the range on features...everything from the palest strawberry blonde/blue eyed child to one child that has nothing but NA features. DP has some Cree in him as well, but much farther back. It has been wonderful being able to hear more family stories, FINALLY. Little is known of my great grandmother, but I'm planning on doing more research.

What is amazing is that my mother, not NA, was very interested in NA culture and somewhat instilled that in me on the side. My husband and I were encouraged by a friend in another state to participate in the local pow-wows. We came once, but not again due to a rough pregnancy I was going through and then a move across country. Being there, something spoke to me though, and this was before I found my father and family.

To answer a PP, yes we are considering the DNA test. My husband is actually the one that is really interested in it.

What does it take to be recognised by a tribe? And what would be some ways for me to teach our children actively about this part of their ancestry? I want my children to have a sense of cultural identity.


----------



## mommaduck

BTW, glad to see bellymama here...I have to say you encouraged me like you wouldn't believe on another thread...thank you!


----------



## vivianstcloud

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mommaduck* 
What does it take to be recognised by a tribe? And what would be some ways for me to teach our children actively about this part of their ancestry? I want my children to have a sense of cultural identity.

mammaduck - I am Ohkay Owingeh and work in the field of Indian Law. I don't know any tribe that acknowledges (or really cares about ) DNA testing. In fact, in my experience, most look down on it. What makes you Native is not simply blood, but culture.

I think it's great that you want your kids to grow up understanding their culture, but they do not need a DNA test to do that. They need you to get in touch with your people and maintain those ties to the culture and traditions of your people. Enrollment does not automatically do that for you.

Each tribe has their own qualifications for enrollment. Most tribes have offices that handle such inquiries, so you should contact them directly. Many have websites where you can find the info to get you started.


----------



## mommaduck

Thank you, Vivian. Just to clarify, I didn't think a DNA test had anything to do with being connected to a tribe...it was just something that had been mentioned by several people to my husband and he took interest.

I'll try looking into the Cherokee Nation website to start. We live in PA, so I'm not certain what we could get involved in nearby.


----------



## bellymama

:aw shucks!

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mommaduck* 
BTW, glad to see bellymama here...I have to say you encouraged me like you wouldn't believe on another thread...thank you!


----------



## ~PurityLake~

I just saw this thread.

I am part Cherokee and Sioux.

I can't remember what kind my husband has, though.

Now, I will go read through it.


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Video from the Denver Columbus Day Parade:


----------



## bellymama

thanks for sharing that link!
heres something i found funny!

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w...discovered.jpg


----------



## mommaduck

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bellymama* 
thanks for sharing that link!
heres something i found funny!

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w...discovered.jpg


----------



## MommyHawk

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Little Bear's Mama* 
Video from the Denver Columbus Day Parade:





Next year. Next year I am flying out there! What ever happened to the RIGHT TO PEACEFUL PROTEST!!!!!!









watch this - Russell Means - speaking at the parade protest:


----------



## MommyHawk

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mommaduck* 
What is amazing is that my mother, not NA, was very interested in NA culture and somewhat instilled that in me on the side.

This is me







I am not of NA (that I know of) but it has been my consuming interest since I felt the pulse of Mother Earth when I first walked in the Rockie Mountains as a kid. DH is NA, but has no cultural connection. Just raised 'american' with no culture, just consumerism... I hope I can be like your mother and 'instill' some NDN interest and culture in them. We go to Pau Pau's and DS picked 'backpacks for Pine Ridge' for his annual gift giving - instead of birthday presents we ask guests to bring something that the birthday person picked to donate. Most, if not all, people I know have never been to or on a Reservation. And someone mad the stupidest comment the other day, that the NDNs are getting their land back?!?!??! really?!?!? are you kidding!?!??! I had to leave. What uneducated people we are in the midst of sometimes...

cute short story - my son is blond, but has tons of black and red and brown stands throughout his lovely head of hair. An aunt of his noticed this and started pulling out his black strands!!! ouch!







: He pulled away and asked what she was doing (DS is 3) she said, "you have black hair ruining your blond, so I'm pulling them out"...DS pulled back and calmly but sternly stated, "that black hair is my NDN. Leave my NDN alone!"


----------



## mommytomahmoud

hello my fellow native indians hugs to u all

i know next yr iam sooo their at the parade dressed up in my native dress holding a sign and my war drums hahaha

i was thinking about protesting the thanksgiving parade since that has to do with the last dinner the indians would ever eat


----------



## bellymama

hey mama's! what do you all think about AIM and Leonard Peltier? are you at all politically active in native rights movements?


----------



## vivianstcloud

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bellymama* 
hey mama's! what do you all think about AIM and Leonard Peltier? are you at all politically active in native rights movements?


I work in Indian Law and am very concerned with Native Rights, but not involved with AIM or Peltier or anything like that. There are a lot more contemporary issues facing tribes today that, IMO, we need to be concerned with.

Some of the work I have done is helping inmates with religious freedom issues, eg. keeping their hair long, getting to have sweats, keeping prayer bags, etc. I have also worked with courts creating and maintaining internal tradition-based laws and alternatives to incarceration for misdemeanor offenders. I havent worked much with land-based issues, but water rights and other land rights are a big deal in maintaining sovereignty. There are also huge issues around health care, education, poverty in general, and federal and state government encroachment on tribal sovereignty.

For those that might be interested in what is going on now for tribes, check out Native American Rights Fund (NARF), http://www.narf.org/, and their current cases.


----------



## bellymama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *vivianstcloud* 
I work in Indian Law and am very concerned with Native Rights, but not involved with AIM or Peltier or anything like that. There are a lot more contemporary issues facing tribes today that, IMO, we need to be concerned with.

Some of the work I have done is helping inmates with religious freedom issues, eg. keeping their hair long, getting to have sweats, keeping prayer bags, etc. I have also worked with courts creating and maintaining internal tradition-based laws and alternatives to incarceration for misdemeanor offenders. I havent worked much with land-based issues, but water rights and other land rights are a big deal in maintaining sovereignty. There are also huge issues around health care, education, poverty in general, and federal and state government encroachment on tribal sovereignty.

For those that might be interested in what is going on now for tribes, check out Native American Rights Fund (NARF), http://www.narf.org/, and their current cases.

thanks! that is really awesome, what you are doing. i'll definitely check out the link.
i asked because i just happened upon an article mentioning leonard and was curious what people here thought of that, and if anyone was involved with AIM.


----------



## bellymama

hey mamas...lately i have noticed a couple of businesses in my town with silly indian "mascots" on their signs...
Chiefs Laundromat is one, and another carpet store near my house has Mohawk Color Center on their window
http://www.thefloorauthority.com/Moh...lor-Center.htm (small pic of what they have on this link).
when you guys see stuff like that, does it piss you off? have you ever thought of saying something, or do you just let it roll off your backs?
i take a walk by the Mohawk Color place every day and it just makes me cringe a little every time.


----------



## MommyHawk

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bellymama* 
when you guys see stuff like that, does it piss you off? have you ever thought of saying something, or do you just let it roll off your backs?

I live near DC...'Redsk*n Country' for their NFL team and I say something about how it's a racial word. It's DH's favorite team but I won't let the DC wear anything that has the word on it. I find it offensive. The NFL doesn't have a "Cracker" team or a team with a black-face as a mascot...why should it be ok JUST because 'only some people' have a problem with it. One of my NDN friend doesn't see it as anything problematic but I just do no allow racism in my house. And if you aren't a racist but find it ok to have something racist 'just because' for WHATEVER reason, that, in my book, makes you a bigot. I do not want my children raised thinking it's ok because it's big money, big business, big sports, big whatever. I say something and have tried to do a protest, but the NDNs in my area say that there are bigger fish to fry. I guess I'm just too activist for most. I say make a comment, get a petition going... If you don't say something, then you have something to regret. If you do say something, than that is the warrior in you and you have respected that side of you in doing something...even if it's just piping up in a casual conversation about how it is offensive.


----------



## Greenie

I'm Cherokee and Osage, member of the NAC, checking in!!


----------



## bellymama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MommyHawk* 
I live near DC...'Redsk*n Country' for their NFL team and I say something about how it's a racial word. It's DH's favorite team but I won't let the DC wear anything that has the word on it. I find it offensive. The NFL doesn't have a "Cracker" team or a team with a black-face as a mascot...why should it be ok JUST because 'only some people' have a problem with it. One of my NDN friend doesn't see it as anything problematic but I just do no allow racism in my house. And if you aren't a racist but find it ok to have something racist 'just because' for WHATEVER reason, that, in my book, makes you a bigot. I do not want my children raised thinking it's ok because it's big money, big business, big sports, big whatever. I say something and have tried to do a protest, but the NDNs in my area say that there are bigger fish to fry. I guess I'm just too activist for most. I say make a comment, get a petition going... If you don't say something, then you have something to regret. If you do say something, than that is the warrior in you and you have respected that side of you in doing something...even if it's just piping up in a casual conversation about how it is offensive.


see, it bugs me because i always try and picture it as another racial group, and how it would soooooo not be okay. so there is a "cute" little indian brave on the billboard, ok...so if it was a little black boy with a minstrel face, or a asian boy with the exaggerated features like from old cartoons would it be okay? i don'tt think so. i think people would be all over that. i think it bothers me more that no one cares, and i think its because people think natives are a thing of the past,yk? like they are more of a romantic concept than an actual group that is still alive and striving to survive in this world.
it just irks me...
as for the Braves, Redskins, Indians and Redskins here is a cool article i found when the Indians were still in the running for the World Series. i think the article is a few years old, but i still like it, and i shared it with a few people i know who like the Indians.

http://www.aimovement.org/ncrsm/index.html


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Greenie* 
I'm Cherokee and Osage, member of the NAC, checking in!!

Welcome!


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bellymama* 
see, it bugs me because i always try and picture it as another racial group, and how it would soooooo not be okay. so there is a "cute" little indian brave on the billboard, ok...so if it was a little black boy with a minstrel face, or a asian boy with the exaggerated features like from old cartoons would it be okay? i don'tt think so. i think people would be all over that. i think it bothers me more that no one cares, and i think its because people think natives are a thing of the past,yk? like they are more of a romantic concept than an actual group that is still alive and striving to survive in this world.
it just irks me...


I think it prolly irks a lot of people. Myself included.

For the most part, I just let it roll off my back. There are so many larger issues out there, and I know I can't fight all the battles. But, I'm glad there there are others that are out there fighting for us all.


----------



## bellymama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Little Bear's Mama* 
I think it prolly irks a lot of people. Myself included.

For the most part, I just let it roll off my back. There are so many larger issues out there, and I know I can't fight all the battles. But, I'm glad there there are others that are out there fighting for us all.









yeah, i agree...it can be overwhelming when you think of all the things in the world that need to be fought for.


----------



## MommyHawk

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bellymama* 
yeah, i agree...it can be overwhelming when you think of all the things in the world that need to be fought for.

it can be overwhelming! just the other day my brother and I were discussing how we have the 'save the earth' heart, but what can one person do?!?! so you get heart heavy and sad and frustrated. You just have to focus on a few things that you really care about and go all out!

however, I'm adding this to my signature for all outgoing emails!
"AMERICAN INDIANS ARE PEOPLE, NOT MASCOTS"


----------



## bellymama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MommyHawk* 
it can be overwhelming! just the other day my brother and I were discussing how we have the 'save the earth' heart, but what can one person do?!?! so you get heart heavy and sad and frustrated. You just have to focus on a few things that you really care about and go all out!

however, I'm adding this to my signature for all outgoing emails!
"AMERICAN INDIANS ARE PEOPLE, NOT MASCOTS"

oooooh, can i use that too! i love that.
and i hear you about the save the earth thing.
this year we have changed a lot of our lifestyle to be more sustainable, and i still feel overwhelmed by how much needs to be done. and then no matter what YOU do, there are still so many people who don't do anything...but i guess that is why the saying goes "be the change you want to see in the world"...cause otherwise you would go crazy.


----------



## MommyHawk

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bellymama* 
oooooh, can i use that too! i love that.
and i hear you about the save the earth thing.
this year we have changed a lot of our lifestyle to be more sustainable, and i still feel overwhelmed by how much needs to be done. and then no matter what YOU do, there are still so many people who don't do anything...but i guess that is why the saying goes "be the change you want to see in the world"...cause otherwise you would go crazy.

I know! My BIL was over the other day and I mentioned something that I didn't know how to reuse and if DH had any ideas and BIL said, "just throw it away"...like I was dumb for thinking to reuse such an inconsequential item that could just sit in the Earth for 500 years!...what was I thinking! and when I take the DC outside for a hike or walk, it's all trash...even in remote areas. Just carelessness and it hurts my heart. We often pick it up, but we can't pick it all up...we'll never get going on our hike and make it to our destination...or have any fun either!...But I think to save myself from a heart attack it's nice A) to see others feeling the same as I do and doing something about it, and B) seeing my DC pick up, so effortlessly and without apology, my Mother Earth conscientiousness. I just wish people weren't so stupid/lazy...it can just make your head spin







: Sometimes I think that is why Gandhi did what he did in the end, IMO..


----------



## jackandchloe

Hi there







I'm just now starting to post, although I've been lurking forever







. I'm Marjolaine, mama to Ziigwan and Bnajaaenhs. My DH is Cree/Irish, and I'm Algonquin/Mi'kmaq/Acadian. I teach Anishnaabe language at a school here in Ontario, and I find it difficult, since I don't think my students retain a whole lot, because english is the language at home and out in the world, as well as all other subjects at school....it's sort of paying lip service to cultural preservation, aye? My boys are 5 and 1, and my eldest speaks french, english and Anishnaabe







:







:

I had a pretty funny moment today at the store







. My big boy was asked what his name was, and when he replied "Ziigwan", the lady sort of looked a bit odd, and then said to me "what's his real name?" I replied "Ziigwan", and she says "oh, that's... different...". Ziigwan piped up "it means springtime, when the waters are flowing on the ground and in the trees, and the geese come back. What does _your_ name mean?"







: I snickered to myself... :rofl: that lady looked even more uncomfortable. I think this new generation of little ones is pretty powerful, and is for sure coming out with guns blazing.


----------



## MommyHawk

Quote:


Originally Posted by *jackandchloe* 
Hi there







I'm just now starting to post, although I've been lurking forever







. I'm Marjolaine, mama to Ziigwan and Bnajaaenhs. My DH is Cree/Irish, and I'm Algonquin/Mi'kmaq/Acadian. I teach Anishnaabe language at a school here in Ontario, and I find it difficult, since I don't think my students retain a whole lot, because english is the language at home and out in the world, as well as all other subjects at school....it's sort of paying lip service to cultural preservation, aye? My boys are 5 and 1, and my eldest speaks french, english and Anishnaabe







:







:

I had a pretty funny moment today at the store







. My big boy was asked what his name was, and when he replied "Ziigwan", the lady sort of looked a bit odd, and then said to me "what's his real name?" I replied "Ziigwan", and she says "oh, that's... different...". Ziigwan piped up "it means springtime, when the waters are flowing on the ground and in the trees, and the geese come back. What does _your_ name mean?"







: I snickered to myself... :rofl: that lady looked even more uncomfortable. I think this new generation of little ones is pretty powerful, and is for sure coming out with guns blazing.

Welcome!!! well, welcome to posting in lieu of lurking









My DH is Algonkin and although we live in near DC I still would like my DC to learn some Anishnaabe. What learning materials do you recommend? My DC are 4 and 1.


----------



## bellymama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *jackandchloe* 

I had a pretty funny moment today at the store







. My big boy was asked what his name was, and when he replied "Ziigwan", the lady sort of looked a bit odd, and then said to me "what's his real name?" I replied "Ziigwan", and she says "oh, that's... different...". Ziigwan piped up "it means springtime, when the waters are flowing on the ground and in the trees, and the geese come back. What does _your_ name mean?"







: I snickered to myself... :rofl: that lady looked even more uncomfortable. I think this new generation of little ones is pretty powerful, and is for sure coming out with guns blazing.


i love it!!!!


----------



## HarperRose

I have a question for you guys.

In light of the Blessingway threads floating around, I decided to search for Mohegan ceremonies that are similar. I am Mohegan -- I'm not just pulling a tribe out of the air.







Unfortunately, I have very little involvement w/ the tribe because I live in TX now, not CT. My grandmother is more involved, but I'm not sure she'll know about a birth/new mother/new baby ceremony. I've never heard her mention it and the only ceremony I've ever known/been involved in I don't even know the name of or what it was for. (I was about 18, so it's been several years.)

I feel like any Mohegan culture that I was exposed to growing up is just a big jumble. I can't make any sense of it because it wasn't taught to me as part of my daily life. It was my grandmother who was the most involved and since I didn't live w/ her, I lived w/ my parents, I wasn't exposed to as much of my background as she was.

Additionally, I want to know what to do about naming my children. Their given names are in my signature, but what about their native names? It's my understanding that one is named after much thought and observing the child's temperament and personality. Also, I thought names could change, but I don't remember for sure. (Just a warning -- you will see that they are very very white.







)

I've already been to mohegannation.org and it didn't have a whole lot of information for me. I want to know about sacred ceremonies and mostly I found just general info and news.

I would really love it if someone could point me in the right direction.









~ JTG/Doe Eyes


----------



## jackandchloe

I don't know about Mohegan culture particularly, but here's how we did it at home. I gave an Elder tobacco in a tie, and requested that she name my baby. I did this while still pregnant. She prayed and dreamed, and then in a ceremony in our community lodge, she told us his name when he was a few months old. We had a feast and a giveaway, and it was done







It was sort of the same way with my eldest, too, although the ceremony was done in our living room. Both of their names will probably change as they become adults (Bnajaaehns means Fledgeling, and that probably won't suit a grown man,







: but it so works for my ducky baby), so they'll have to do that on their own, but that was the gist of it. I've seen Namings from a few cultures, and the core of them all are pretty similar, it's just the specifics that change (who speaks, Name sponsors or Aunties and Uncles, indoors or outdoors, time of day etc...). Is there an Elder you could go to and ask?

HTH!


----------



## jackandchloe

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MommyHawk* 
Welcome!!! well, welcome to posting in lieu of lurking









My DH is Algonkin and although we live in near DC I still would like my DC to learn some Anishnaabe. What learning materials do you recommend? My DC are 4 and 1.

I would recommend "Talking Gookum's Language", and any others by that author, and suggest that you and your DH learn it, then teach your kids







That's usually the best way, is if parents are learning side by side with the kids


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *jackandchloe* 
I had a pretty funny moment today at the store







. My big boy was asked what his name was, and when he replied "Ziigwan", the lady sort of looked a bit odd, and then said to me "what's his real name?" I replied "Ziigwan", and she says "oh, that's... different...". Ziigwan piped up "it means springtime, when the waters are flowing on the ground and in the trees, and the geese come back. What does _your_ name mean?"







: I snickered to myself... :rofl: that lady looked even more uncomfortable. I think this new generation of little ones is pretty powerful, and is for sure coming out with guns blazing.

I LOVE it!









Quote:


Originally Posted by *Justthatgirl* 
Additionally, I want to know what to do about naming my children. Their given names are in my signature, but what about their native names? It's my understanding that one is named after much thought and observing the child's temperament and personality. Also, I thought names could change, but I don't remember for sure.

I couldn't tell you the answer for YOUR culture. Every tribe is a little bit different.









Quote:


Originally Posted by *Justthatgirl* 
I've already been to mohegannation.org and it didn't have a whole lot of information for me. I want to know about sacred ceremonies and mostly I found just general info and news.

You won't find information such as you're looking for on the internet. If you do, I would urge you not to trust that it's accurate.







The best way to find out more about ceremonies and traditions (including your question about naming) would be directly from your people, your elders.







If you approach people in a good way (offering a gift of tobacco is pretty much "globally" accepted), they will be willing to help you learn more.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *jackandchloe* 
I don't know about Mohegan culture particularly, but here's how we did it at home. I gave an Elder tobacco in a tie, and requested that she name my baby. I did this while still pregnant. She prayed and dreamed, and then in a ceremony in our community lodge, she told us his name when he was a few months old. We had a feast and a giveaway, and it was done







It was sort of the same way with my eldest, too, although the ceremony was done in our living room. Both of their names will probably change as they become adults (Bnajaaehns means Fledgeling, and that probably won't suit a grown man,







: but it so works for my ducky baby), so they'll have to do that on their own, but that was the gist of it. I've seen Namings from a few cultures, and the core of them all are pretty similar, it's just the specifics that change (who speaks, Name sponsors or Aunties and Uncles, indoors or outdoors, time of day etc...). Is there an Elder you could go to and ask?

How my ds was named in a similar fashion. He was born less than two weeks before ceremonies. I don't know when or exactly how, but my FIL approached one of the priests (a friend of the family) and asked him if he would perform the ceremony. Gifts were given as a token of appreciation. The family (FIL, MIL, dh, BIL, uncles, aunts, cousins...







) stood with my ds in the lodge and the ceremony was performed there. I couldn't go in because I was still healing after the birth, but I could watch from afar. My dh was participating in ceremonies, so we celebrated both events with a meal after ceremonies were complete.

As an aside, my ds wore his first moccassins for the naming ceremony. The day we were living OK (just a few days later), I went to put them on him and they would not fit. He had grew that much in just a few short days!


----------



## Jennbee

Boozhoo jackandchloe,
I know what you're saying about not retaining the language that your students are trying to learn. This past January I started going to our community's language classes again. The people who attend are beginners right on up to fully fluent. My 3 yo DD goes to class with me and I find it very hard to retain anything. She keeps on talking to me and wants me to read and draw with her...good things I know, but make it difficult to hear the speakers. DH is going to start going to class with us now that he's home on parental leave. So, hopefully that'll make it easier for us to remember and bring the language into our home more.
As part of my summer job I helped to develop a community language survey. We had over 600 individual responses and the overwhelming majority felt that language was very important to them and their children. Our volunteer language group presented the survey findings to our Chief & Councillors and they all said "yes to working on keeping our language alive".


----------



## HarperRose

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Little Bear's Mama* 
You won't find information such as you're looking for on the internet. If you do, I would urge you not to trust that it's accurate.







The best way to find out more about ceremonies and traditions (including your question about naming) would be directly from your people, your elders.







If you approach people in a good way (offering a gift of tobacco is pretty much "globally" accepted), they will be willing to help you learn more.

I will ask my grandmother who the elders are! Thank you.


----------



## jackandchloe

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jennbee* 
Boozhoo jackandchloe,
I know what you're saying about not retaining the language that your students are trying to learn. This past January I started going to our community's language classes again. The people who attend are beginners right on up to fully fluent. My 3 yo DD goes to class with me and I find it very hard to retain anything. She keeps on talking to me and wants me to read and draw with her...good things I know, but make it difficult to hear the speakers. DH is going to start going to class with us now that he's home on parental leave. So, hopefully that'll make it easier for us to remember and bring the language into our home more.
As part of my summer job I helped to develop a community language survey. We had over 600 individual responses and the overwhelming majority felt that language was very important to them and their children. Our volunteer language group presented the survey findings to our Chief & Councillors and they all said "yes to working on keeping our language alive".


Aaniin! Aniish ezhiyaayin? Good for you, that you're relearning your language







I teach in the public school system, and I find it tough since there's not much family help available to my students, aye? And it's awesome that your community is getting behind language revitalization! BTW, if the Unceeded Island is the one here in Ontario, that's where I did my teacher's college


----------



## Jennbee

Quote:


Originally Posted by *jackandchloe* 
Aaniin! Aniish ezhiyaayin? Good for you, that you're relearning your language







I teach in the public school system, and I find it tough since there's not much family help available to my students, aye? And it's awesome that your community is getting behind language revitalization! BTW, if the Unceeded Island is the one here in Ontario, that's where I did my teacher's college










i'm from the southernmost unceded island, not wikwemikong. i think it's very important for parents to learn the language too if their child is. maybe an evening class could be offerred for the parents. the class could emphasize what the kids learn and offer ways on how to use the language in everyday situations.


----------



## HarperRose

My mom named the kids today!

Max is Lycosa, Wolf Spider, of the Mohegan Tribe & Nation, the Wolf clan.
Rachel is Meadow Lark.

We're waiting for Thomas's name.


----------



## MommyHawk

Quote:


Originally Posted by *jackandchloe* 
I would recommend "Talking Gookum's Language", and any others by that author, and suggest that you and your DH learn it, then teach your kids







That's usually the best way, is if parents are learning side by side with the kids









Thank you for the reference! Forgive my ignorance. I am just at the beginning of understanding and learning about NDN culture. Is Anishnaabe the language that Algonkins speak?


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Justthatgirl* 
My mom named the kids today!

Max is Lycosa, Wolf Spider, of the Mohegan Tribe & Nation, the Wolf clan.
Rachel is Meadow Lark.

We're waiting for Thomas's name.









Great!







:

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MommyHawk* 
Is Anishnaabe the language that Algonkins speak?

http://www.native-languages.org/ojibwe.htm HTH!


----------



## Motherwolf

hey mamas, just found this tribe page. I just always went to my state tribe page...so good to see this up.
I am part turtle and part hawk and part other things depending on what is going on in my life, but I am also Cherokee and Irish. My nuclear family is known as the Wolf Pack.
I include my kids in any type ceremony that I officiate. Unless it is a Women's Council meeting. Then, I consider that my time with the women. But, here at the house we honor trees by planting them. We buried my ds's placenta in ceremony. I do art projects with women to practice conscious praying. I sit with myself and pray and have small ceremonies. We honor women about to have babies. So many ways to honor the earth and each other. So many ways to give.
I hold my head up proudly the best I can and humbly walk a path as a keeper of old ways. In the process of my walk I plant seeds.
Right now we are evolving to the next vibrational frequency and it is hard to walk or talk any other path than this for me. I can not stay in a drama filled, non-gentle atmosphere for more than just a little while. Anyone else experiencing a Shift internally and externally?


----------



## MommyHawk

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Little Bear's Mama* 
Great!







:

http://www.native-languages.org/ojibwe.htm HTH!









I love this site - I used to frequent it a lot when I had time to read!







now I think what I want is music and stories on CD that we can just listen to. I have Jana's Christmas CD - so beautiful - anyone know where I can find stories and music to purchase?


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

http://www.nativeamericanmusicawards...TOKEN=35403530
http://www.soundofamerica.com/
http://www.canyonrecords.com/sounds.htm

There's a jumping off place.


----------



## 5796

mommyhawk,
i sent you a PM.


----------



## MommyHawk

reprinted with permission

"I" Is Not For Indian

A 56-minute documentary proposal for Public Television
Film Synopsis By
James M. Fortier and Dr. Joely De La Torre
with the support of Oyate, Berkeley, CA
Education Documentary Now in Development

Download Complete Proposal

Program Description:

Synopsis

This 56-minute documentary will explore the social, cultural, political, and personal ramifications of how Native American histories, cultures, stories, and issues are "taught" in California public schools. Presented from a Native American perspective, we will explore the roots of appropriation and objectification of Native cultures and stories as a tool to oppress, assimilate, and acculturate Native peoples. Using personal and dramatic first hand accounts, we will reveal how Californian Indigenous cultures are still presented in California public schools in a way that homogenizes, caricatures, and stereotypes those cultures with damaging results for both Native and non-Native school children. Fundamentally, this is a film about storytelling, who gets to tell indigenous stories and at what cost to our children and communities? Although we are focusing on stories and issues pertinent to California Indians and schools, echoes of this story can be found in schools across the
country with historical roots and national implications leading us to believe that this documentary will have strong national audience appeal.

Introduction and Need

For decades, public education has led the way in producing generations of Native children with historically the highest dropout rates and lowest academic achievement levels nationwide. Low self-esteem, a lack of positive role models and little cultural validation in the curricula are a result of centuries of social, political, and cultural appropriation of Native peoples-particularl y in our public schools. This issue has never been adequately addressed on public television.

Every October in public schools across the country, children are taught that America was "discovered" by Christopher Columbus. "In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blueâ€¦." or so the lesson goes. Paper replicas of the NiÃ±a, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria adorn classroom walls everywhere. In November, children make paper "war bonnets" and they learn the "story" of Squanto the "friendly Indian," and stage elaborate re-enactments of the so-called "First Thanksgiving. " In fourth grade California classrooms, students are required to make replicas of the Spanish Missions that enslaved Native people, and in schools across the country our children are taught that the westward migration and "sacrifices" of frontier "pioneers" were not only necessary to forge a new nation, but were honorable and preordained by "Manifest Destiny." The Native peoples who occupied those lands are presented merely as obstacles to be overcome for the greater good of the majority--primarily white
Euro-Americans. While these "lessons" attempt to paint a noble picture of American history from a predominantly white perspective, many Native American parents, educators, tribal leaders, and most importantly, American Indian children experience these lessons as yet more painful reminders that our cultures, histories, and issues continue to be reinterpreted and marginalized by the dominant society. The perpetuation of these myths as truths in the public school system has churned out generations of Native children growing up with the emotional and psychological scars of low self-esteem, and diminished cultural identity and helplessness; as well as generations of misinformed non-Native students leading to latent and overt anti-Indian racism.

Themes and Issues

We live in an era when as a society we preach tolerance, and on the surface we try not to condone the misrepresentations, inaccuracies, nor harmful stereotypes of a given culture when presented in our public institutions- particularly in our schools. Unfortunately, while it is generally agreed upon that our schools must deal more honestly with America's sometimes-painful past; the histories, cultures, and issues of Native Americans are still being presented through textbooks, children's literature, films and lesson plans that disregard accurate Native American perspectives, our interpretation of history and our input regarding what is culturally appropriate to be taught to non-Native children.

California, like many states, mandates a specific Native American curriculum that routinely sidesteps Native American input, brushes off Native objections, and continues in every grade a presentation of Eurocentric, one-dimensional, offensive stereotypes of Native histories and cultures. This curriculum, along with a never-ending stream of biased textbooks continues to embarrass, shame, and belittle California's Indigenous people, especially children. Furthermore, non-Native authors "retelling" Native American stories predominantly write the thousands of non-fiction and fiction books presenting Native American cultures and histories. Although our stories belong to us, they are seen by the dominant society as "public domain." This mining of our stories is nothing less than cultural theft on a massive scale, leading to cultural genocide. This denial of our right to self-determine who we are has led to an estrangement of tribal identity for many of our people.

Why do professional educators continue to allow, and in many cases condone, the offensive and inaccurate way all of our children are still taught Native American histories, cultures and issues? This 56-minute documentary will explore that question. We will begin with a close examination of the roots of these negative stereotypes, the history of objectifying and marginalizing Native American cultures, and the historic use of presenting a biased history of Indian-white relations as a tool of repression and assimilation of Native peoples-specificall y in our schools. We will provide emotional first hand accounts from California Native children and their parents who have struggled within our public schools in an attempt to shed light on these issues-and the often- hostile reception they receive.

"I was in my daughter's classroomâ€¦the class was reading The Courage of Sarah Noble, and I saw my daughter squirming in her seat. So I picked up the book and saw why. As she was heading out for recess, she started to cry and told me that the kids were making fun of her and no one wanted to play with her because she was Indianâ€¦ All I could do was hold my daughter. I remembered reading books like this when I was her age, and I remembered my own pain. The teacher's response was, "I can't believe you're taking this so seriously." She said, "Lighten up, it's only a book."â€¦ The principalâ€¦started hollering at me, said I was implying that his staff was unprofessional, that the book would not be on the state's recommended reading list if it were not acceptable." --Native American Parent

Our film will demonstrate that this story, sadly, is not an isolated incident, but rather the norm. Historically, American education has been used as a tool to destroy Native cultures, and not a means to celebrate our rich diversity and positive contributions.

Humanities Advisors

We are working closely with a core group of academic advisors whose background and knowledge in the fields of Native American education, mental health, culture, history, and social science will provide the necessary expertise to present the complexities of these issues and stories in a compelling and engaging manner suitable for public television audiences, (see Project Personnel attachment). Furthermore, we will rely heavily on the guidance and input provided by or non-profit fiscal sponsor, The California Indian Museum and Cultural Center, whose community and educational work in the area of California Indian history, education, and cultural interpretation will be essential in expressing the views and perspectives of California Indians throughout this project.

Project Status

We began developing this program five years ago as a PBS documentary. Initially we were going to include profiles and stories from across the country. Budget and logistical considerations have impressed upon us the need to narrow our scope to California Indians and curricula. However, we are confident that the fundamental issues will have a broad national appeal. Some research and development has already been accomplished by James Fortier and Dr. De La Torre at our own expense. A pending grant request from the Community Technology Foundation of California would provide funding to continue research and development of the companion interactive website, as well as to begin videotaping personal testimonials and story profiles. These video clips would be streamed on the interactive website, and will eventually be used to produce an 8-10 minute "clip" or sample tape used for further fundraising for the documentary. We have already identified some stories and profiles that will be
included in the documentary and on the website. Additional money is needed to complete this research, which will include travel expenses, archival research, story development, interviews, and consultation fees. The next step would be to go into full production.

Conclusion

Fundamentally, this project seeks to foster social discourse through various avenues of storytelling, leading to community and self-empowerment. This program, via a national PBS broadcast, as well as the ancillary interactive website and print material, serves to inform, enlighten and inspire change through honest interpretation from a historically underrepresented segment of society, California Indians and Native Americans in general. This "call to action" will empower the American Indian community, and California Indians and educators in particular to become more actively involved in the education process from a local to national level. Parents, teachers, students, and grassroots advocates will be encouraged to get involved to make a positive change in their communities. This project will provide easy to access, yet powerful communications tools for them to bring about enormous beneficial changes in the ways all of our children learn about Native American histories,
cultures, and issues.

Through the tragedy of 9/11 the world has once again witnessed the best and the worst of mankind. It is now more important than ever to foster a society built upon human dignity, tolerance and mutual respect for all our diverse voices. When a single white author (Tony Hellerman) sells more books "about" the American Indian experience than all Native authors combined we are robbed of our authentic Native American voice. The same holds true for textbooks and children's literature, and as a result our children suffer when it is time to teach about "Indians." Native communities suffer from the related social ills of a poorly educated people. Furthermore, society suffers because as long as Native peoples do not control the dissemination of their own stories, histories and cultures, then the authentic voice of Indigenous peoples will remain quiet and what we as Native peoples have to offer to the larger society, to the world even, will remain solely with us. In the absence of our
authentic voice the children of this country will continue to be taught half- truths and outright lies. They will continue to make paper war bonnets, plaster adobes and Spanish Missions. They will perpetuate the myths of Columbus, the First Thanksgiving, and of Manifest Destiny, and they will grow up thinking "I" is for Indian when it really stands for ignorance.

You can download the complete proposal as a PDF document.

You can contact us for more information at 650-738-1834.

Edward Omahkataayo, Esq.
74 Albion Vale Rd.
Glen Eden, Auckland
New Zealand 0602
Ph.







011-649- 818-0688
E-mail: [email protected] yahoo.com

If you have a chance to make life better for others and fail to do so, you are wasting your time on Earth. No matter what our station in life, we are here to serve, even if that sometimes means making the greatest sacrifice of all.

Sooner or later you are going to learn just as I did, that there's a difference between KNOWING the path and WALKING the path.
http://www.theupcn. com/
http://www.freewebs .com/yona- adatiya/


----------



## MommyHawk

I came across this email on the NDNcookingandhomemaking yahoo group of an Ojibway momma in need on the Red Lake reservation. If you are close by and/or have the items she needs, it's getting pretty cold out there fast! here is the email, reprinted with permission.

...............

----- Original Message -----
From: Tracy Morrow
To: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, December 03, 2007 3:58 PM
Subject: [NDNcookingandhomemaking] Ojibwa family

Dear Group,

My dear friend is a counselor at the Red Lake reservation in Minnesota. I wanted to share with you the following letter asking for help. If this is not appropriate on this list, please forgive me. I thought that if there were any Ojibwa relatives here that they might want to know they have family members that need their assistance this year&#8230;

I called Virginia today and she told me that the family needed
very badly, a blanket for each person, and a pillow not to mention boots,
gloves, mittens, coats, and hats. They do not have proper clothes for this season.
Do you have gently things you can donate or is your family or school reaching
out to families in need? This is a traditional Ojibwa family, a mother in her 20's
working hard to support herself and five children on her own. Here are their
names again and ages.
Manuelita age 10, size 3 and 1/2 to 4 in shoes.
Carmelita age 8, size 2 and 1/2 to 3 in shoes.
Aketzelia age 7, size 2 to 2 and 1/2. These three are girls.
Junior is 6, a boy and wears little boys 13. He also wanted you to know he loves Spiderman.
Nathaniel is 5 and wears size 13 too, and loves Batman.
The children like learning and teaching games or tools and would like beginning Spanish materials.
I hope I am not asking too much. Remember how blessed you are and keep in mind Red Lake
Reservation lives 200% below the national average on poverty, can you imagine? I know
you care and will consider giving hand me downs gently used and in good condition, or
maybe you will send something to them.
I deeply appreciate all whom sent clothes and gift certificates over the summer and they
received such nice clothes to wear for that season. I appreciate your love and support
and know I miss all of you deeply. Please forward if you know someone whom might help.
I still love my work here and my Red Lake Nation children, it has changed me for-ever.
Love to you.

Donna Hrabcakova
P.O. Box 1299
Red Lake, MN. 56671

Thank you for your attention to this. I'm not sure what I'll be sending out yet, I'm thinking of a couple of blankets.

Blessings,

Tracy


----------



## sarahwpen

hi, i have a question.







I hope this doesn't offend anyone here, but I don't know who else to ask.

I have always been told that I had Cherokee ancestors. No one in my family has ever tried to get on a tribal roll though. Me and my grandmother did a lot of research a couple of years ago and concluded that we couldn't be counted due to all of our ancestors leaving the tribe before the trail of tears. (They married white people and hid their ancestry due to persecution). When I was a child, my mom wanted to learn and teach us the traditional Cherokee stuff, but whenever she tried people were really rude, and said we were just white people who were gawking and stuff. It really hurts to feel like I have to be excluded from EVERYTHING just because my name isn't on some roll that the government wrote up after they had already scattered everyone. I really want my kids to be able to learn the traditional ways and to be able to feel like they are a part of the tribe instead of growing up feeling like they have to be ashamed because their name isn't on the list and so they can't "prove it". Is there any way that anyone here knows of that we can be included without necessarily having to "be" Cherokee? I don't care about getting stuff from the government or anything like that, I just want to learn and have the community.


----------



## newmama8824

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Little Bear's Mama* 
Any other Native American Mamas out there? Post here!









HELLO! i'm native american. Pottawatomie Indian to be exact. I've danced since I was a little girl, just stopped a few years ago. Hopefully I will get back into it eventually after the babe is here, I would like him to dance and to experience the culture as well.


----------



## kellyh

I'm kind of in the same boat. Though I'm adopted and have found various birth-family members. Cherokee on my paternal grandmothers side. I feel the same way. I'd love to learn more and also have my children be a part of it as well. I did come across a site a while back that had something to do with this. I think it was www.theupcn.com. United People of the Cherokee Nation. Seems like they accept us based on our own knowledge of being Cherokee. They believe that we should be part of a tribe even if we aren't on the rolls. We have Cherokee blood and that's that! So check it out. See if itmight be what you're looking for. I'll do the same. Good luck


----------



## sarahwpen

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kellyh* 
I'm kind of in the same boat. Though I'm adopted and have found various birth-family members. Cherokee on my paternal grandmothers side. I feel the same way. I'd love to learn more and also have my children be a part of it as well. I did come across a site a while back that had something to do with this. I think it was www.theupcn.com. United People of the Cherokee Nation. Seems like they accept us based on our own knowledge of being Cherokee. They believe that we should be part of a tribe even if we aren't on the rolls. We have Cherokee blood and that's that! So check it out. See if itmight be what you're looking for. I'll do the same. Good luck









Thank you so much! I will definitely have to check into that. It really is great to hear somebody else. I do want to learn, and be a part of the tribe, but sometimes the attitudes I run into can be really discouraging. Thanks!


----------



## MommyHawk

please forgive my ignorance. I'd like to ask what exactly does it mean to live a 'traditional lifestyle'? Many PP's have mentioned that they are following a traditional lifestyle with their family. Thank you in advance for any responses


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MommyHawk* 
I called Virginia today and she told me that the family needed
very badly, a blanket for each person, and a pillow not to mention boots,
gloves, mittens, coats, and hats. They do not have proper clothes for this season.
Do you have gently things you can donate or is your family or school reaching
out to families in need? This is a traditional Ojibwa family, a mother in her 20's
working hard to support herself and five children on her own.

Thank you for sharing, MommyHawk. I hope this family recieves everything they need.









There are mamas here on this forum that need help, too. If you want to learn more, click my siggie.









Quote:


Originally Posted by *sarahwpen* 
I really want my kids to be able to learn the traditional ways and to be able to feel like they are a part of the tribe instead of growing up feeling like they have to be ashamed because their name isn't on the list and so they can't "prove it". Is there any way that anyone here knows of that we can be included without necessarily having to "be" Cherokee? I don't care about getting stuff from the government or anything like that, I just want to learn and have the community.

What part of the country do you live in? I know that here, in the Southeast, there are lots of pow wows and festivals that you would be more than welcome to take a part in.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *newmama8824* 
HELLO! i'm native american. Pottawatomie Indian to be exact. I've danced since I was a little girl, just stopped a few years ago. Hopefully I will get back into it eventually after the babe is here, I would like him to dance and to experience the culture as well.

Welcome! So glad to have you here with us!









Quote:


Originally Posted by *MommyHawk* 
please forgive my ignorance. I'd like to ask what exactly does it mean to live a 'traditional lifestyle'? Many PP's have mentioned that they are following a traditional lifestyle with their family. Thank you in advance for any responses









Personally, I think traditional lifestyle means that you follow the traditions of your people. That could mean attending ceremonies, cooking traditional foods, speaking your language in the home...it could also mean more subtle things like respecting yourself and others, and taking care of the Earth.


----------



## MommyHawk

Wow, talk about something to stand for! Something to believe in! Something to be excited about!!! IMO all NDN Nations should do this. I'm sick of the Wasitchu way of life.

http://www.lakotafreedom.com/index.html


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Happy New Year!





















:







:

Best wishes to you all!









How is everyone doing? It's c-c-c-cold here.







:


----------



## Mamapits




----------



## MommyHawk

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Mamapits* 





wado!!!


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Bump! How is everyone?

Jennbee, any update on your new arrival?


----------



## Jennbee

Boozhoo,
I've been quite busy lately...full-time college student, 4 month old and a 4 year old. DH is going back to work this week; he had 17 weeks off for parental leave. My sister and niece moved in with us; she'll be taking care of baby while I'm in classes for the next 3 months. Baby is doing well, but we've been having some problems getting her to drink out of the bottle while I'm gone to class. My 4 yo goes to daycare and seems to have adjusted well to having a new sister....now, if we only had a bigger than king size bed.


----------



## MommyHawk

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jennbee* 
Boozhoo,
I've been quite busy lately...full-time college student, 4 month old and a 4 year old. DH is going back to work this week; he had 17 weeks off for parental leave. My sister and niece moved in with us; she'll be taking care of baby while I'm in classes for the next 3 months. Baby is doing well, but we've been having some problems getting her to drink out of the bottle while I'm gone to class. My 4 yo goes to daycare and seems to have adjusted well to having a new sister....now, if we only had a bigger than king size bed.

wow! full-time student AND new baby AND 4yo...how do you do it?!?!?! I was thinking of going back to school, but didn't think it possible to do anything other than go part-time. What are you going to school for? Congratulations on your baby!

My DS never took anything from a bottle. We used shot glasses and he just sipped out of them or just waited for me to get home. Your baby may just be too smart and knows the difference


----------



## N8'sMom

Wow. I didn't know this tribe was here.
Glad I found it. I"m Cherokee and Choctaw.
More Choctaw blood than Cherokee.
I'm trying to get on the rolls and get our
CDIB but we're having trouble finding out
where our Grandfather was born and the information
they are asking for. The Choctaw Nation here in OK
wanted to know a lot of information for the
Dawes rolls and my Dad and I just couldn't come up with it.
If anyone has any helpful hints pass them my way.
I want my children know their heritage. We go to the
Pottawatomi Nation pow wows here every summer. I do
want them to know more culture and heritage though.


----------



## Jennbee

it's hard, but i'm managing....only have 3.5 days of classes. my live-in sis will be a big help. i'm taking sports and recreation admin.

baby is sipping from a little cup and we got a born free sippy cup that she has to get used to. she definitely loves to nurse.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MommyHawk* 
wow! full-time student AND new baby AND 4yo...how do you do it?!?!?! I was thinking of going back to school, but didn't think it possible to do anything other than go part-time. What are you going to school for? Congratulations on your baby!

My DS never took anything from a bottle. We used shot glasses and he just sipped out of them or just waited for me to get home. Your baby may just be too smart and knows the difference


----------



## Jennbee

we're having a Pottawatomi Gathering this summer in my community... pm me if you want more info.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *N8'sMom* 
Wow. I didn't know this tribe was here.
Glad I found it. I"m Cherokee and Choctaw.
More Choctaw blood than Cherokee.
I'm trying to get on the rolls and get our
CDIB but we're having trouble finding out
where our Grandfather was born and the information
they are asking for. The Choctaw Nation here in OK
wanted to know a lot of information for the
Dawes rolls and my Dad and I just couldn't come up with it.
If anyone has any helpful hints pass them my way.
I want my children know their heritage. We go to the
Pottawatomi Nation pow wows here every summer. I do
want them to know more culture and heritage though.


----------



## Mamapits

http://www.grandmotherscouncil.com/

There is some video of them here as well that you can watch. Pretty amazing women.


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jennbee* 
Boozhoo,
I've been quite busy lately...full-time college student, 4 month old and a 4 year old.

Congratulations!







I'm so happy for you.









Quote:


Originally Posted by *N8'sMom* 
Wow. I didn't know this tribe was here.
Glad I found it.

Welcome!


----------



## Mamapits

http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com/ (Updates from the Northern Route)
http://www.longestwalk.org
http://www.earthcycles.net (audio)

http://www.blackmesais.org


----------



## blueeyes

Hi All! I am Cherokee, Lenape, & Blackfoot (I'm also a genealogist, so who knows what else I might come across in my journeys!)..... not a member of any federally recognized tribe though. This is really great that you have this here. I thought I had searched on these boards before, but somehow I must've missed you guys.
I'm trying to raise my DD's with as much cultural background as I can, although it's hard these days.... I didn't grow up "traditionally" & live in a predominately white area. My gr-grandmother was murdered for being NA & my grandmother grew up in a orphanage & told to always say she was white. There was issues with prejudice on my other side too & I think they just did what they thought they needed to do at the time to survive. Unfortunately a lot was lost with that. So, I'm trying my darnedest to bring back to my family what it's been missing for generations.
Glad to be here & I look forward to good conversations


----------



## Mamapits

http://oyate.org/
Great site.


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Anyone gearing up for the Spring/Summer pow wow season?


----------



## MommyHawk

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Little Bear's Mama* 
Anyone gearing up for the Spring/Summer pow wow season?









I'm hoping to find a pow wow this year before it gets smokin' hot. The Baltimore Powwow is in the heat of August and it just isn't any fun.


----------



## alysmommy2004

Hi, I have three Native American blood lines, but I don't know much about it. When I was growing up we had a program in school called "Indian Education" (in the state of CA) where they would teach us about the culture and we went on special field trips to reservations. I also learned a little from an uncle who lives traditionally. He (and my father) are Ojibwe from Minnesota. I recently found out that they also have some Santee Sioux. On my mother's side of the family we are descendants of Carolina Cherokee. Unfortunately I don't know too much more, but would love to hang around here and see what I learn (If you guys don't mind).


----------



## MommyHawk

Quote:


Originally Posted by *alysmommy2004* 
Hi, I have three Native American blood lines, but I don't know much about it. When I was growing up we had a program in school called "Indian Education" (in the state of CA) where they would teach us about the culture and we went on special field trips to reservations. I also learned a little from an uncle who lives traditionally. He (and my father) are Ojibwe from Minnesota. I recently found out that they also have some Santee Sioux. On my mother's side of the family we are descendants of Carolina Cherokee. Unfortunately I don't know too much more, but would love to hang around here and see what I learn (If you guys don't mind).

looks like you know a lot about your heritage to me









Welcome!!!


----------



## MommyHawk

"During this week in 1910, Congress passed an act that forever waived tuition for Native American students at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. Today, the four year college has an American Indian Studies major, Native student organizations and a Native American Center."

from *National Native News* www.nativenews.net


----------



## alysmommy2004

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MommyHawk* 
looks like you know a lot about your heritage to me









Welcome!!!









Thank you for the welcome! I do know a little, I know the tribes, I know some ancestors names, but I don't know a lot about rituals, beliefs, etc. I'd really love to know more so I can teach my kids about it. I kind of feel guilty for not knowing more when people ask me about it.


----------



## terrordactyl

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MommyHawk* 
"During this week in 1910, Congress passed an act that forever waived tuition for Native American students at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. Today, the four year college has an American Indian Studies major, Native student organizations and a Native American Center."

from *National Native News* www.nativenews.net

i'm not native but i go to this school


----------



## MommyHawk

Quote:


Originally Posted by *alysmommy2004* 
Thank you for the welcome! I do know a little, I know the tribes, I know some ancestors names, but I don't know a lot about rituals, beliefs, etc. I'd really love to know more so I can teach my kids about it. I kind of feel guilty for not knowing more when people ask me about it.

my favorite book, which is a quote-a-day type book with a historical bit too for each day is :

"365 Days of Walking The Red Road - The Native American Path to Leading a Spiritual Life Every Day"
by Terri Jean

link


----------



## Lissacamille

Hi, I didn't know this thread was here. I am half-Indian (Potawatomi and Cherokee) and live in Oklahoma, where our tribe was moved in 1868 from the Illinois - Indiana area near Lake Michigan.
We have a very active tribe with language classes, powwows every summer, health care and other things we've built with our own hands.
I'm very proud to be an Indian mama!


----------



## newmama8824

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Lissacamille* 
Hi, I didn't know this thread was here. I am half-Indian (Potawatomi and Cherokee) and live in Oklahoma, where our tribe was moved in 1868 from the Illinois - Indiana area near Lake Michigan.
We have a very active tribe with language classes, powwows every summer, health care and other things we've built with our own hands.
I'm very proud to be an Indian mama!

Hey MAMA! I'm also Potawatomi and Sac & Fox, too. I attend the Sac & Fox powwows in Stroud every summer though. Welcome : )


----------



## alysmommy2004

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MommyHawk* 
my favorite book, which is a quote-a-day type book with a historical bit too for each day is :

"365 Days of Walking The Red Road - The Native American Path to Leading a Spiritual Life Every Day"
by Terri Jean

link

Thank you so much! I will look into that.


----------



## DocsNemesis

I feel all odd posting here. I'm Chinook on my fathers side, not completely sure of how much, but from what I've been told my grandfather was full native so Id be...1/4. I dont know my dad though, never have, and only know a little from my paternal grandma who I've seen maybe 6 times in my life and actually my maternal grandma, who was the one who originally told me that I had some indian in me. No one can really tell me much though.

I kind of disassociated that part of me when I was in middle school. I had a girl from the Puyallup tribe in my class and when I mentioned I had some native american, she went off on me. I pretty much stopped even thinking about it then. I dont look native at ALL-brown hair, blue eyes, pretty pale. She just assumed I was one of those people who claimed to be indian for the hell of it or something. There was a lot of hatred there-so I just decided to leave it alone. Prior to that though, I had gone to several pow wows and other tribal events that welcomed outsiders and thought it was beautiful.

My son is a lovely combo of me (mostly irish/english/some chinook) and his bio father (mexican and blackfoot). Its funny because he doesnt look it either-he tans more than me, but he has dark blond hair and sort of hazel eyes. Its funny how genetics work!

I dont think I'll ever really identify with my own heritage, but I do have an enormous amount of respect for all native peoples and enjoy looking at their infant/child rearing practices and trying to use that to make me a better parent. Native Americans-the original APers!







Its also so sad to read about all this ignorance and hatred that still exists. I never realised how bad it still is-even though I grew up with very white people (haha), they still always stressed to me the importance of acceptance. Just hearing/reading about how natives were treated (and still are) just blows my mind. How can people think its right???? Even as a young child, I knew that was wrong.

PS that Youtube video makes me wonder why I married an Irishman!!!!


----------



## MommyHawk

anyone know of any great places to visit or powwows in the summer for Southern California? going for a visit maybe this July


----------



## bellymama

bump.


----------



## Mamapits

Any home schoolers here?


----------



## MommyHawk

thank you for the bump!!! I could not find this thread in my subscriptions for some reason.

I'm a homeschooler, preschool homeschool. But I have plans to homeschool up until HS. We'll see if my plans are that of the Creator's. I'm hoping so


----------



## MommyHawk

I have a few questions, hoping someone might have a few answers







Hope this is ok to do. I need a contact or two. Please PM me:

Ok, so I'm writing a novel and my hero is from the Pechanga Nation. Is there anyone here that lives close to or on the rez? I need a contact.

Also, does anyone know someone with the name Cheveyo? How exactly is that pronounced? Like Chevy the truck? or like Kevin? It's Hopi and I love the name.

thirdly, does anyone live on or near a rez that has a casino/resort? I'd love to ask you a few questions.

Thank you soooo much in advance!








:


----------



## Jennbee

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Little Bear's Mama* 
Anyone gearing up for the Spring/Summer pow wow season?









Oh wow, I haven't wrote here in a long time. Responding to say that I made my 4 yo daughter's first regalia last month, along with helping to make my niece's. It's still a work in progress, but she got to wear her shawl, skirt and yoke at our community's pow wow.


----------



## Jennbee

Quote:


Originally Posted by *newmama8824* 
Hey MAMA! I'm also Potawatomi and Sac & Fox, too. I attend the Sac & Fox powwows in Stroud every summer though. Welcome : )

Hey mamas, I have Potawatomi in my bloodline too, from my father's side. The Potawatomi moved her from the US, I'm on the border of Ontario and Michigan.


----------



## Jennbee

Quote:


Originally Posted by *DocsNemesis* 

PS that Youtube video makes me wonder why I married an Irishman!!!!









What was the youtube video about? I have dial-up connection and wouldn't be able to see it.


----------



## crittersmom

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MommyHawk* 
anyone know of any great places to visit or powwows in the summer for Southern California? going for a visit maybe this July

How South will you be?San Diego usually has a big one and I think my grandma use to take us to one LA in the summer too.


----------



## blueeyes

Hey all.. being random here I guess..... but as I read through the thread I realize a few phrases that most of us use. They are "part" "half" "1/4", especially the "part". We say we are part Indian, or part Native American. I used to do this all the time & still catch myself sometimes! Shoot, I may have even written that in my first post here! Well I remember someone saying to me a long time ago after I said I was part Cherokee, and they asked "which part? Your nose, your hand, your foot?" This was said in good humor, but they had a good point. All down the list I was saying I "am" German, Irish, etc.... until I got to the NA, then I was "part". I've come to realize that we have been trained to say that over the generations & it's wrong. We are not part anything, we are ALL..... we are all of whatever blood runs through our veins no matter what nationality it may be and no matter how many nationalities. After all Native American's are the only nationality to have a blood quantum. This was part of the genocide inflicted by the government (really, think about it) to try to get rid of us along with the reservations & it's still working today. We don't even realize that we are doing it..... like I said I too am guilty of this still, even after I learned about my culture (well I'm still learning







). Here is a quote which I've heard many times & it is soooo true:
"Indian blood is like gold....... No matter how thinly it is spun It still shines just as brightly."


----------



## MommyHawk

Save Bear Butte!!!

Sign the petition - hurry, deadline is June 30th


----------



## heket

We have a pow wow in Pomona. This has passed but maybe for next year: http://www.costanoanrumsen.org/powwow.html

It's a great time. Both ds and dd loved the music and got some jewelery. As they grow, I'd like to impart more than shopping to them (the are 3 and 4 now).


----------



## MommyHawk

Is it looked down upon when an NDN man falls for a woman not from his Nation?

Ok, this might seem like an odd post, but I think this is the best place for it. I'm writing a novel and I really wanted to have one of my characters be Native American. However, I feel as though something is holding me back from doing this for two reasons. The man I wanted to be NDN is going to fall in love with the main character who is blonde, therefore white. His family is sort of against it, but he has to walk his own path regardless and she seems to be on it. I don't want to disrespect anyone and I have a feeling that no matter which Nation or Nations I have him come from, the fact that he ends up with a 'white girl' is disrespectful (I come from an Italian family and the fact that I didn't marry Italian was BAD. I married NDN







).

I also wanted to highlight the positive effects that Native gaming is having on many Nations, however I still feel as though something is not wanting me to do this.

My intentions are to highlight Native gaming, the positive effects, inform my readers about different Nations, people living everyday lives in everyday America, and being from a rich and vibrant NDN culture. The setting is Southern California and I wanted to include the Pechanga Nation and their casino in Temecula and have my character be of mixed blood with possibly Dine or Hopi and Ojibwe (now, how his family got to SoCal is still up in the air). But I'm not sure if this is at all plausible.

And, like I said, every time I start doing research or writing it feels 'wrong'. I want my book to be respectful and correct.

Is it looked down upon when an NDN man falls for a woman not from his Nation?

His name was going to be Nikishna "Nik" or Nez.

I want my readers to learn about NDN culture and traditions through the storyline and I want to do it in a respectful way. He was going to be an environmentalist Urban Indian.

any thoughts? I really appreciate any responses.


----------



## ndn

Hi all,

I'm Choctaw (Oklahoma), married to a husband that is Oklahoma Cherokee/Colville. Like many others, we reject the idea of blood quantum. We attend some inter-tribal events & travel to attend Cherokee ceremonies once or twice a year.

We've got a couple of long-haired boys (7 & 5) and a fost/adopt daughter that was placed with us through my tribe.


----------



## bellymama

welcome!


----------



## ndn

Has anyone ever read Sherman Alexie's essay "I Hated Tonto (Still Do)". It's well written and makes some excellant points. I've been studying, and trying to fight, stereotypical images (especially in children's education) for many years, but it's difficult to make much headway. This is all particularly on my mind right now because my boys are in cub scouts. It's exhausting trying to educate the boys scouts of america on things they'd already know if they'd been listening to the complaints that they've gotten for many, many years.Our scout leader is good and responds when I mention something...but it would be nice if she'd do a little bit of research and know some of what will be a problem BEFORE presenting it to the kids. Guess I can't win them all...


----------



## bellymama

i love Sherman Alexie. i had a History of the West class in JC and we read "Indian Killer"....been a fan ever since.
and i really enjoyed that article...


----------



## heket

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MommyHawk* 
Is it looked down upon when an NDN man falls for a woman not from his Nation?

I'm feeling like a dolt, what's NDN?


----------



## bellymama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *heket* 
I'm feeling like a dolt, what's NDN?

it's lolspeak for Indian.


----------



## ndn

so...what's going on in everyones' worlds?


----------



## bellymama

not a damn thing. my baby finally fell asleep.







: so i've got that going for me


----------



## bellymama

so what are you guys thoughts on appropriation of Native culture? like weekend vision quests, psuedo-shamans, blessingways as baby showers, that sort of thing. i found this neat link and it got me wondering what your thoughts were:
http://www.sonomacountyfreepress.com...es/native.html


----------



## Mamapits

*


----------



## MommyHawk

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bellymama* 
so what are you guys thoughts on appropriation of Native culture? like weekend vision quests, psuedo-shamans, blessingways as baby showers, that sort of thing. i found this neat link and it got me wondering what your thoughts were:
http://www.sonomacountyfreepress.com...es/native.html

This New Age thing is not Native American Spirituality at all. NA Spirituality is based on a personal spiritual experience and relationship that you cannot buy. IMO these people are just like some of the Christians that demand you are 'born again' or your not the right kind of Christian. That has nothing to do with it, but they create all kinds of rules and you have to belong to their church or you aren't a real believer. I think every religion/spirituality will always have some group that uses it to gain $/power since there are always people who will be lost spiritually and if they find a connection, they'll pay for it. People in general are really lost. They have no connection to eachother or the Earth or to the Creator. I don't agree with these faux-shamans, but when there is a need, people will always try to make a buck.

I deleted my other response since it had more to do with independence rather than spirituality.


----------



## MommyHawk

Quote:


Originally Posted by *blueeyes* 
Hey all.. being random here I guess..... but as I read through the thread I realize a few phrases that most of us use. They are "part" "half" "1/4", especially the "part". We say we are part Indian, or part Native American. I used to do this all the time & still catch myself sometimes! Shoot, I may have even written that in my first post here! Well I remember someone saying to me a long time ago after I said I was part Cherokee, and they asked "which part? Your nose, your hand, your foot?" This was said in good humor, but they had a good point. All down the list I was saying I "am" German, Irish, etc.... until I got to the NA, then I was "part". I've come to realize that we have been trained to say that over the generations & it's wrong. We are not part anything, we are ALL..... we are all of whatever blood runs through our veins no matter what nationality it may be and no matter how many nationalities. After all Native American's are the only nationality to have a blood quantum. This was part of the genocide inflicted by the government (really, think about it) to try to get rid of us along with the reservations & it's still working today. We don't even realize that we are doing it..... like I said I too am guilty of this still, even after I learned about my culture (well I'm still learning







). Here is a quote which I've heard many times & it is soooo true:
"Indian blood is like gold....... No matter how thinly it is spun It still shines just as brightly."









: Couldn't have said it better.

I have a hard time with this too and DH, but we are getting better. He is not 100% anything, like myself, however his NDN roots is very obvious in his eyes. Other people say that he looks Chinese since his eyes have a slant, but there is no Chinese in his background. DH wasn't raised to relate to any of his roots, but we're slowly changing that. He actually the other day said that no, it's not Chinese and that he's part NDN. That to me doesn't sound negative because he's accepting/understanding that part of him. I think he says that since there is so much he doesn't understand yet.


----------



## bellymama

specifically, what are your guys thoughts on Blessingways as the new baby shower. i have been researching this phenomena a lot this year, and although this New Age Blessingway/baby shower, shares very little with the Dineh ritual it's name is taken from, all the sources i have found credit this new tradition as being "borrowed" from "a native american tradition" (







guess it's too much trouble to state which one)....i personally have a big problem with it, as do most of the native's i have talked to personally about it. what are your thoughts? if you are interested in discussing this topic more, i have a thread elsewhere on MDC discussing it, so pm me for the link. i don't think we are allowed to link threads on other threads.


----------



## MommyHawk

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bellymama* 
i don't think we are allowed to link threads on other threads.

sure we are!







what's the link?


----------



## bellymama

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=778097


----------



## wednesday2004

Hello, I'm jumping in if for no reason other to bump this thread.


----------



## Mamapits

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bellymama* 
http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=778097

Whoa, that thread and the one mentioned in it are way to long for me right now. I only read the first few pages. I don't think that it is so much that people are using the word blessing way so much as it is that they keep saying that the origins of the ceremony are found in the Native or Navajo culture that is so offensive. I think I said it already but I'll say it again, at BEST people can say that the modern non Dineh blessing way was INSPIRED by Native spirituality but is not a form of or related in any other way.
Great job Belly Mama in getting another thread going with so much activity. I educate as much as I can and I must admit that I used to use the term blessing way before I was schooled. That was way before I even met my Dineh husband. I was invited to a Non Native "BlessingWay" ceremony in 1995. It was actually run by the wife of a Chipawa man.

So when ever I get a chance I mention that Mother Blessing or some other term is more culturally sensitive and appropriate.


----------



## Jennbee

A quick invite to all Bodewadomi/Potawatomi to the annual Potawatomi Gathering to be held this year on Bkejwanong Territory, AKA Walpole Island First Nation.
Starts on Friday, August 8 to Sunday the 10th.
Also, starting the morning of August 5th is an Anishinaabe Language Conference on Bkejwanong....workshops such as The Master-Apprentice Language Learning Program, Our Seven Grandmother/Grandfather Teachings, Makizin Damnawin, Understand the Dialect Issue and Respecting It, Technology in the Anishinaabemowin Classroom, Oneida Log School - Immersion in Progress, Residential School Impacts.... The conference is until Thursday.


----------



## jackandchloe

Aaniin Maamaawag









Just checking in, wondering how you all are doing







I've been away for a bit, because my time was too taken up with fighting a uranium mining company that's taken up house on our land







: I'm looking forward to seeing the back end of those guys, that's for sure.


----------



## mommaduck

Osiyo!

Apparently the last thread was recently archived...so here's a new one


----------



## HarperRose

Do we have any Comanche here? We just met with a new doctor today and REALLY like him. He's an MD as well as a homeopath & naturopath and he told us he is Comanche.

Quanah Parker.

I've wiki'd and googled him -- AMAZING family history.

I was hoping to talk with some other Comanches and ask questions. I don't want to be disrespectful.


----------



## theretohere

Anyone else on a rez?


----------



## magentamomma

Cherokee here, but just barely. Enough that I get my health care paid for. I always felt like i'd be taking advantage to get it, but recently my health has been pretty bad and I had no other choice, and I am overwhelmed with gratitude that I can recieve benifits. I feel a little silly signing on here but I have always longed to be connected to this part of me. I was the teenager who made smudge sticks in my bedroom and prayed to the four directions, and swiped books on Native Americans from the library because I felt noone else would care for them like I did.
I read Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee in 8th grade and begged my mom to take me to Little Rock to meet the author. I use to pretend I was Sacagawea and as a 12 yr old tried to write a novel about her. I did speeches on NA genocide in 9th grade(made jocks cry) and a research paper in 10th about Wounded Knee 1973 and the AIM movement.
Its all intelectual though, and as my dad is the Indian and beyond the fact I am estranged from him, that whole side of my family wants to deny their blood. And where I am geographically there aren't many NA. I feel almost stupid posting here, but I wanted to lurk...respectfully.


----------



## Joi

Hey there mamas........ Choctaw here. Living in the PNW


----------



## crittersmom

Hello.I mainly lurk.I know among the mix of my background is Cherokee,Seminole and Cree.My grandmother knew our history but she died a couple of years ago so eventually I'd like to explore more,I do know that some of our past was purposely hidden because of the times.My DH's great grandmother was Apache and recently he has started asking questions so I'd like to look into this history as well.Growing up we used to go to Pow wows from time to time but mainly as visitors.We live in Hawaii now and it is really cool how much the Native Hawaiians have managed to hold onto,I envy it.
So Hi!


----------



## mommaduck

Magentamomma, don't feel stupid or any other negative thing about it. I'm part Cherokee...but still pulling the genealogy together on it. My husband is also Cherokee (and possibly Creek). I'm pulling his genealogy together as well. It is an interesting thing when doing genealogical research, trying to connect the people. Especially when the past two generations have lost so much and could care less. Amoung the Cherokee that made it to Missouri between 1850 and 1935, many kept the fact that they were Cherokee to themselves due to laws against them. My husband's family (both sides) went from NC to TN to AR and finally to MO. I'm from SC and my father's family is from NC, SC, and GA.


----------



## jackandchloe

Aaniin









Not on a rez here, and not a regular poster, but I lurk a whole lot







I'd posted some in the other thread, and I'm glad to see it revived







:


----------



## gerlassie

Well, this is cool! I'm a Blackfoot and have been able to trace bits and pieces of my family back to my great-great grandfather. It's a little confusing and I'm not getting much help from my mother. My family's farm is in a small southern mountain town so, most of what I have been able to find and verify has been through public record. Has anyone used Ancestry.com or others with any success? I'm really anxious to learn more about my family and share wiyh my children.

gerlassie


----------



## User101

for those who are looking for this tribe


----------



## mommaduck

Thank you for bumping it









Anyone here taking online Tsalagi classes?


----------



## User101

I also merged the old thread with the new one.


----------



## mommaduck

Oh good, then we can enjoy the old posts we may (I may) have missed


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Mamapits* 
http://www.longestwalk.org

My family and I met the South route. Great fun! The guys had their picture taken with Dennis Banks afterwards.


----------



## blueeyes

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mommaduck* 
Thank you for bumping it









Anyone here taking online Tsalagi classes?

Is there a particular website that you are taking classes through? Awhile back I had looked into it, but had other things going on at the time. However I would be very interested now


----------



## mommaduck

http://www.cherokee.org/Culture/Language/Default.aspx

This is the last week of classes for this semester. Sign up to the site and email list though! Registration for the next set of classes is at the end of December. They will email a notice


----------



## blueeyes

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mommaduck* 
http://www.cherokee.org/Culture/Language/Default.aspx

This is the last week of classes for this semester. Sign up to the site and email list though! Registration for the next set of classes is at the end of December. They will email a notice










Wado Mommaduck.... I know some basic words, but really would love to learn more.... for myself & my children


----------



## mommyndoula

Hi ladies, I'm Apache, but long story really short know very very very little about my history. I have been working on my family-tree for going on 8 years now and have my maternal side (white side) dating back to the 1500's. But everything for my paternal sides ends with my grandparents, the first born off the reservation (so I'm told). I can't find anything! My grandparents have passed and my dad, aunts/uncles (etc) and I haven't spoken in 17 years.

I would really like to fill in those missing blanks. Does anyone have good resources for finding tribal history (birth/death records)?

I know the tribe is in New Mexico, I know Apache, I have first names of great-grandparents... I don't know much else.

Any help? Where should I look for more info?


----------



## APMomOfKimmyN-Maya

I do not know if I have any Native American blood in me. I'm estranged from my Christian white mother and I never met my father or heard much about him.

I have done a lot of research on the history of Native Americans though and this way of life really resounds with me, so I will be subbing this thread and hoping to learn from you all. I find it challenging to instill values of respect for the Earth and nature in my children in this modern world but I will not give up trying.


----------



## APMomOfKimmyN-Maya

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jennbee* 
I have had one weird experience recently while NIP. I was playing in a co-ed baseball tournament and had to nurse my DD during a break. A young man walks by, looks and says "go do that at home". I replied "is that what you do at home?". He was walking away and he laughs and says "give me some doodoo". That's what we call it around here. I said "you wish, ya pervert". Now here's the background on this young man. He has down syndrome, drinks, parties, and talks really offensively. I may have been a little rude, but I didn't care to educate at the moment. There were a lot of people around that didn't seem to care about me NIP, just him. Another guy said that I shouldn't have bothered to say anything to the rude guy.
Have any of you heard any bad remarks from anybody about NIP?

I was nursing my infant in the E.R. when she had a finger injury and a nurse was trying to force me to put a blanket over her head. I was peeved, and I refused.


----------



## mommaduck

A lot of Cherokee are Christian also.


----------



## APMomOfKimmyN-Maya

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mommaduck* 
A lot of Cherokee are Christian also.

After I posted initially, I figured someone would say that. I obviously have a lot to learn which is why I will mostly be reading and not posting.


----------



## MommyHawk

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Little Bear's Mama* 
My family and I met the South route. Great fun! The guys had their picture taken with Dennis Banks afterwards.

That's awesome!! I wished they had kept a better track of the happenings on their website...maybe next time...do you know when that will be? Hopefully not in another 30 years


----------



## mommaduck

*Announcement:*

Registration for Tsalagi/Cherokee Language Classes is open!!!

http://www.cherokee.org/Culture/Language/Default.aspx


----------



## mntnmom

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mommyndoula* 
Hi ladies, I'm Apache, but long story really short know very very very little about my history. I have been working on my family-tree for going on 8 years now and have my maternal side (white side) dating back to the 1500's. But everything for my paternal sides ends with my grandparents, the first born off the reservation (so I'm told). I can't find anything! My grandparents have passed and my dad, aunts/uncles (etc) and I haven't spoken in 17 years.

I would really like to fill in those missing blanks. Does anyone have good resources for finding tribal history (birth/death records)?

I know the tribe is in New Mexico, I know Apache, I have first names of great-grandparents... I don't know much else.

Any help? Where should I look for more info?

Here are the official sites for the two major Apache bands in New Mexico. Send them a letter, maybe they can help.

jicarillaonline.com

http://www.wmat.nsn.us/


----------



## Shelvicious

Hey, I'm Aniishanaabe from Northern Minnesota. I'm new to this forum.
Just stopping by to say hello to all the other Native moms.


----------



## mommaduck

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Shelvicious* 
Hey, I'm Aniishanaabe from Northern Minnesota. I'm new to this forum.
Just stopping by to say hello to all the other Native moms.

Osiyo, Aniishanaabe!


----------



## theretohere

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Shelvicious* 
Hey, I'm Aniishanaabe from Northern Minnesota. I'm new to this forum.
Just stopping by to say hello to all the other Native moms.

Another northern MN mama popping back in- whereabouts?


----------



## Shelvicious

I'm from Nett Lake, but I am living in Blaine right now. After the baby is born in July, we are moving back up north, maybe Hibbing or Duluth.


----------



## Mamapits

Racism in Waldorf Alphabet Book

Please let Bell Pond Books know that it is racist to place Native American people in the same category as objects and animals.

Bell Pond Books is the publisher of "Waldorf Alphabet Book". It is an alphabet picture book with an "Indian and two "Inuits" as part of the images for the letter "I". All other images in the book are of animals, objects, or of non human beings such as a mermaids and a gnome.
Imagine if we said "B" is for Black (with a black person
depicted e.g. with a Gangster Rap outfit?) "J" is for Jew (e.g. with a
Hassidic Jew depicted?). It does not read very well does it? This kind of objectification of Native Americans directs the young mind of the reader to view them as sub-human, etching a stereotype into their little psyche's that will shape how they view Native People's as they grow into adults. This has been an acceptable form of racism in American culture for years and it is time to stop it NOW.

What you can do

1. Email the CEO of Bell Pond Books and let him know that you want the images edited out or the book to stop being published all together.
Gene Gollogly [email protected]
Here is a sample that you can copy and paste (or you can write your own letter)
Dear Mr Gollogly,
It has come to my attention that one of your publications, "Waldorf Alphabet Book" has racially inappropriate images of Native Americans in it. Due to the socially damaging impact of these images, I ask that you promptly edit out the images or stop publishing this book altogether.

2.Email the bookstores who carry this book and ask them to remove this item from their catalog.
Here is a sample that you can copy and paste:
It has come to my attention that one of the books that you carry in your store has racially inappropriate images of Native Americans in it.
It is titled "Waldorf Alphabet Book".

Under the letter "I " it depicts an "Indian" and two "Inuits". All other
images in the book are of animals and objects. This subtle form of racism
objectifies Native Americans making them like objects in the minds of the
young reader. Imagine if we said "B" is for Black (with a black person
depicted e.g. with a Gangster Rap outfit?) "J" is for Jew (e.g. with a
Hassidic Jew depicted?). It does not read very well does it?

Due to the socially damaging impact of these images, I ask that you promptly
remove this book from your catalogue. These images are appropriate if all
the alphabets were depicted with people of various races, without using any
old clichés and stereotypes.

Due to the socially damaging impact of these images, I ask that you promptly remove this book from your catalog and help the world see all people as equal.

http://www.escapadedirect.com/contact.html

http://www.littlebits.com/product_in...em_number=L839
[email protected]

http://www.spiritualityandpractice.c...s.php?id=15643
[email protected]

http://www.blueberryforest.com/readi...habet-book.htm
[email protected]

http://www.palumba.com/product/107
[email protected]

http://www.overstock.com/Books-Movie...i_sku=10625960
[email protected]

3.Make online review of this book

4.Boycott the book

5.Share this email with others.

I have corresponded with Gene Gollogly CEO of Bell Pond Books about this matter. The response was no. If you would like to see the origianl correspondence with him let me know and I will gladly email it to you.
Thank you
Mary Betsellie


----------



## Elaine_V

In 1999 a Native American writer, born fragile and poor on a destitute Indian reservation, published an essay, "The Blood Runs like a River Through My Dreams," in Esquire. It earned a National Magazine Award nomination and was later expanded into a memoir of the same title that became a finalist for a PEN/Martha Albrand Award. That rez-to-riches tale of courage and redemption sounds like a Horatio Alger story, doesn't it? It should be a movie. Or at least an episode of A&E's Biography. Of course, I'm biased, because, well, it's my story. Kind of.

I did not write "The Blood Runs like a River Through My Dreams." But raised fragile and poor on the destitute Spokane Indian Reservation in Washington State, I published a story, This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona, in Esquire in 1993. My story, which features an autobiographical character named Thomas Builds-the-Fire who suffers a brain injury at birth and experiences visionary seizures into his adulthood, was a finalist for a National Magazine Award and the basis for the film Smoke Signals, which won the Audience Award at Sundance in 1998.

Nasdijj, the one-name author of The Blood Runs like a River Through My Dreams, claimed to be the son of a Navajo mother and a white father. His memoir features a child named Tommy Nothing Fancy who suffers from and dies of a seizure disorder. Quite the coincidence, don't you think?

Of course, after reading Nasdijj's essay and book, I suspected that he was a literary thief and a liar. As a Native American writer and multiculturalist, I worried that Nasdijj was a talented and angry white man who was writing as a Native American in order to mock multicultural literature. I imagined that he would eventually reveal himself as a hoaxer and shout, "You see, people, there is nothing real or authentic about multicultural literature. Anybody can write it."

Angry, competitive, saddened, self-righteous and more than a little jealous that this guy was stealing some of my autobiographical thunder, I approached Nasdijj's publishers and told them his book not only was borderline plagiarism but also failed to mention specific tribal members, clans, ceremonies and locations, all of which are vital to the concept of Indian identity. They took me seriously, but they didn't believe me.

And how do I feel now that the author of an investigative story in L.A. Weekly believes that Nasdijj is a fraud and actually a white writer named Timothy Barrus? Vindicated? Well, sure. I dream of leaving "I told you so" messages on many voice mails, although unlike James Frey's publisher, who initially supported his lies and moral evasions about his exaggerated memoir, A Million Little Pieces, Nasdijj's publisher dropped him because of personality conflicts even before the L.A. Weekly story came out. Of course, Frey has sold millions of books and will probably sell a few million more. Nasdijj hasn't sold millions of books, and he will probably fade into obscurity. In response to the L.A. Weekly story, Nasdijj posted a rambling statement on his blog saying that people should pay attention to "real scandals" like poverty.

So why should we be concerned about his lies? His lies matter because he has cynically co-opted as a literary style the very real suffering endured by generations of very real Indians because of very real injustices caused by very real American aggression that destroyed very real tribes. He isn't the first to do it. In 1991 the American Booksellers Association gave its book-of-the-year award to Forrest Carter's Cherokee-themed memoir, The Education of Little Tree, despite the documented fact that Carter was really Asa Carter, a rabid segregationist and the author of George Wallace's infamous war cry, "Segregation today! Segregation tomorrow! Segregation forever!"

I can only hope that Nasdijj's readers will look to Oprah for inspiration. After initially defending the essential truth of Frey's memoir, a selection for her book club, Oprah changed her mind, admitted that she had been duped, invited Frey back onto her show and called him a liar. When was the last time a public figure like Oprah admitted to being wrong? When was the last time a powerful person like Oprah issued a genuine public apology? I think all the people who profited from Nasdijj's fraud should take heed of that lesson and issue public apologies to Native Americans in general and to Navajo in particular. And I hope we won't be waiting for that apology as long as the rivers flow, the grasses grow and the winds blow.

-- Sherman Alexie, a member of the Spokane tribe, is the author of 17 books, including Ten Little Indians, his latest


----------



## mommaduck

You know, now that I think about it...Abeka does the SAME THING. Hmmm....doubt I could get them to listen though.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Mamapits* 
Racism in Waldorf Alphabet Book

Please let Bell Pond Books know that it is racist to place Native American people in the same category as objects and animals.

Bell Pond Books is the publisher of "Waldorf Alphabet Book". It is an alphabet picture book with an "Indian and two "Inuits" as part of the images for the letter "I". All other images in the book are of animals, objects, or of non human beings such as a mermaids and a gnome.
Imagine if we said "B" is for Black (with a black person
depicted e.g. with a Gangster Rap outfit?) "J" is for Jew (e.g. with a
Hassidic Jew depicted?). It does not read very well does it? This kind of objectification of Native Americans directs the young mind of the reader to view them as sub-human, etching a stereotype into their little psyche's that will shape how they view Native People's as they grow into adults. This has been an acceptable form of racism in American culture for years and it is time to stop it NOW.

What you can do

1. Email the CEO of Bell Pond Books and let him know that you want the images edited out or the book to stop being published all together.
Gene Gollogly [email protected]
Here is a sample that you can copy and paste (or you can write your own letter)
Dear Mr Gollogly,
It has come to my attention that one of your publications, "Waldorf Alphabet Book" has racially inappropriate images of Native Americans in it. Due to the socially damaging impact of these images, I ask that you promptly edit out the images or stop publishing this book altogether.

2.Email the bookstores who carry this book and ask them to remove this item from their catalog.
Here is a sample that you can copy and paste:
It has come to my attention that one of the books that you carry in your store has racially inappropriate images of Native Americans in it.
It is titled "Waldorf Alphabet Book".

Under the letter "I " it depicts an "Indian" and two "Inuits". All other
images in the book are of animals and objects. This subtle form of racism
objectifies Native Americans making them like objects in the minds of the
young reader. Imagine if we said "B" is for Black (with a black person
depicted e.g. with a Gangster Rap outfit?) "J" is for Jew (e.g. with a
Hassidic Jew depicted?). It does not read very well does it?

Due to the socially damaging impact of these images, I ask that you promptly
remove this book from your catalogue. These images are appropriate if all
the alphabets were depicted with people of various races, without using any
old clichés and stereotypes.

Due to the socially damaging impact of these images, I ask that you promptly remove this book from your catalog and help the world see all people as equal.

http://www.escapadedirect.com/contact.html

http://www.littlebits.com/product_in...em_number=L839
[email protected]

http://www.spiritualityandpractice.c...s.php?id=15643
[email protected]

http://www.blueberryforest.com/readi...habet-book.htm
[email protected]

http://www.palumba.com/product/107
[email protected]

http://www.overstock.com/Books-Movie...i_sku=10625960
[email protected]

3.Make online review of this book

4.Boycott the book

5.Share this email with others.

I have corresponded with Gene Gollogly CEO of Bell Pond Books about this matter. The response was no. If you would like to see the origianl correspondence with him let me know and I will gladly email it to you.
Thank you
Mary Betsellie


----------



## Jennbee

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Shelvicious* 
Hey, I'm Aniishanaabe from Northern Minnesota. I'm new to this forum.
Just stopping by to say hello to all the other Native moms.

Boozhoo, I'm Anishinaabe too. I'm somewhere in southern Ontario.


----------



## Shelvicious

Welcome!


----------



## Sol_y_Paz

My grandmother says we are Apache as well, but that cannot be proven.


----------



## ~threemoons~

I have a question that maybe you ladies can help me with. First of all, my name is Nina. My grandmother is Cherokee. Her family left the reservation and settled in the mountains of TN. I have been recently exploring shamanism. I had my power animal retrieved by a shaman last night and I am unable to find the meaning of the animal. She was somewhat stumped too- she said she has never seen this animal in retrieval before.

My power animal is a *blue* ox with really, really long horns.

I would really appreciate any assistance with this.

thank you so much


----------



## neverdoingitagain

Quote:


Originally Posted by *~threemoons~* 
I have a question that maybe you ladies can help me with. First of all, my name is Nina. My grandmother is Cherokee. Her family left the reservation and settled in the mountains of TN. I have been recently exploring shamanism. I had my power animal retrieved by a shaman last night and I am unable to find the meaning of the animal. She was somewhat stumped too- she said she has never seen this animal in retrieval before.

My power animal is a *blue* ox with really, really long horns.

I would really appreciate any assistance with this.

thank you so much 

Ok, am I the only one to think of "Paul Bunyan and Babe" when you said that? What an odd power animal! Awesome too







I would love to be able to find my totem. I *think* it might be a bear, but not sure.
Ayway, I hope you can find an answer to that. Maybe my sort of answer helped? Who knows







Good luck !


----------



## ~PurityLake~

My mom tells me that my father has Apache and Cheyenne in him. That doesn't give me much, but I still feel like I'm part NA.


----------



## Sarah_Lee

Hi I am Sarah lee I am half Arapaho and Shoshoni, my daddy is full blooded.
I am 23 and a married mommy of 4 beautiful children.


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

I haven't checked in here for a while. Hope everyone is well!


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Fall pow wows, anyone?









The economy has seemed to have an affect as there hasn't been any new events scheduled around this area, though the old ones seem to be hanging in there.







There just isn't that many of them. Spring seems to be busier for some reason (used to be the other way around!).


----------



## Little Bear's Mama

Just wanted to remind everyone about Oyate. It's a great website that you can share with your teachers (or fellow homeschoolers) as a resource for choosing books that are both based in fact and respectful.

Hope you all are well!


----------



## MommyHawk

VERY good link! I ended up keeping my DS home on 'christopher columbus day' since we don't view the guy with any amount of respect.


----------



## lil_miss_understood

Manitoba Cree, "adopted" Anishinaabe (Saulteaux foster mom carried a pipe, a drum and a turtle rattle), checking in.
Presently living halfway across the continent, trying to figure out how to keep my culture in my children while surrounded by the dominant North American culture. It was a huge culture shock for me to move here and not many get why so many people I know are dying so young. I mean, I don't get "why" either but I know the statistics, yk?
Anyway, happy to have found you all.









Any Bear clan hiding in here?


----------



## crittersmom

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Little Bear's Mama* 
Fall pow wows, anyone?









The economy has seemed to have an affect as there hasn't been any new events scheduled around this area, though the old ones seem to be hanging in there.







There just isn't that many of them. Spring seems to be busier for some reason (used to be the other way around!).

We went to one here on Oahu back in Sept. It was great, there were some Navajo who flew over from NM.My mom was here and we all danced in the circle.My daughter wants to go back and at least once a week asks to go to "Pow Wow".
I don't know when the next one will but usually they have more on the big island.


----------



## japonica

Hi Mamas,

It's been ages (well, years!







) since I last posted. Just wanted to say a quick tansi to everyone out there.

We've moved to Australia







since I last checked in. My husband got a job offer here and since we figured well...why not try it out...here we are with both kids in tow.

You wouldn't believe what I had to go through in terms of bureaucracy to bring my eagle feathers with me. Local permit, Canadian export permit, Australian import permit. And we were not allowed to transit through the US at all because of the laws there. So, we had some clever routing of our flights to avoid any US stops.

But here we are. It's quite a change from home, but we're slowly getting settled--we've been here 4 months now.

I'm hoping to find a part-time consulting job with some of the local Aboriginal tribal councils. I have a MA in cultural Anthropology and I see ads online every 6 weeks or so looking for researchers to help with land claims. I'd love to help out in some way as the situation here isn't great and there seems to be a strong level of "socially tolerated acceptable" racism that I didn't see as much in Canada (it was there too, but not to the same degree).

Anyway, wishing you all the best and I'll be back to check in more often


----------



## kathryn770

Hey everyone- this is my first post on Mothering.








I'm Kathryn (or Mokek Kwe, Sunrise Woman) and I'm married to Clay and mommy to 9 month old Eleanor. My daughter and I are both Citizen Band Potawatomi (the southernmost of the Potawatomi bands). It's refreshing to see lots of Native AP mamas


----------



## Cherry_Milan

I'm still new to posting. I'm a Alaska Native, Tlingit here! Glad to see other Native moms.


----------



## MommyHawk

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kathryn770* 
Hey everyone- this is my first post on Mothering.








I'm Kathryn (or Mokek Kwe, Sunrise Woman) and I'm married to Clay and mommy to 9 month old Eleanor. My daughter and I are both Citizen Band Potawatomi (the southernmost of the Potawatomi bands). It's refreshing to see lots of Native AP mamas









welcome!!!


----------



## MommyHawk

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Cherry_Milan* 
I'm still new to posting. I'm a Alaska Native, Tlingit here! Glad to see other Native moms.

welcome!!


----------



## Jennbee

Boozhoo everyone and kathryn770,

I just recently came back to MDC after a break. I find that I come here more when I'm pregnant and wanting to connect with a Due Date Club. I'm due in August with my 4th child. I finally received my name a couple of months ago, it's Bineshii Ngamakwe (Bird Singing Woman).

Kathryn770, I'm Anishinaabe from Ontario. There is some Potawatomi in my family too, mostly on my dad's side. In my community there are no fluent Potawatomi speakers left. But, there are some of their words that we use as our predominant word (ex. Mandoozit for witch).

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kathryn770*
> 
> Hey everyone- this is my first post on Mothering.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm Kathryn (or Mokek Kwe, Sunrise Woman) and I'm married to Clay and mommy to 9 month old Eleanor. My daughter and I are both Citizen Band Potawatomi (the southernmost of the Potawatomi bands). It's refreshing to see lots of Native AP mamas


----------



## Panquetzani

Woo hoo! Found my tribe! So nice to meet like minded mamas. I am Coahuilteca and Tlaxcalteca Here's my blog: http://indigenousmother.blogspot.com/


----------



## conniebonnie

Hello- I am excited and nervous to find this tribe. Here goes.

I trace my lineage through my mother- Her parents were English (all the way back to the original Jamestown settlers) with a bit of mixed native blood and her mother was blackfoot and english. My grandmother's grandmother left the reservation with her white husband and moved to the east coast. Her daughter (my grandmothers mother) died when my grandmother was young, and as a result, my grandmother was raised by a white aunt. My grandmother denys being Native at all, but other relatives told my mother the stories and taught her a few things. We have never been affiliated with a tribe. When I was young (12) my family moved from the east coast to Wisconsin, and i grew up on a reservation there. I was tormented by the other native kids in my school whenever I mentioned my background, who said that because I was not Menominee or Stockbridge, I wasnt a real indian, and how could I be white and Indian too (um, genetics folks?) and then was daily asked by clerks and store owners for my tribal number, because they thought I was a member. I grew up going to pow wow and wanting to fit into a tribe that wasnt even mine, and being really confused. When I was an older teenager, my mother and my aunt (they raised me together) who had previously been quite shamanistic, thought from books and not from being taught in the real ways, became born again Christians, and stoped talking about our history and ethnicity. I am now still a christian, but I am not anywhere near mainstream Christianity. (I have tattoos and piercings and have had dreads several times)

This all led to me being very nervous to talk about my history, or to research it or own it very much. I constantly feel like I am being a poser or not genuine. But I feel it. Last summer my husband and daughter and I took a road trip to Glacier Nat. Park to visit some friends who were working there. Without even really thinking about the location. We drove through the Blackfoot reservation, we camped on the mountains that were sacred to my grandmothers' people. I felt like, like I was at home. Like I could lay down on the ground and never need to move again, like I could feel my soul and my physical body being at peace (I have never felt at home my entire life, my family moved so much, every year and a half and had such confusion about my geneology) and at rest. It was amazing.

So that led me to wanting to reconnect. and try again at being a part.

SO, here I am.....

HI.

I live in Michigan, with a lovely husband who is Scottish, Welsh and a tiny bit Blackfoot himself. my daughter is 2 (next week) and we live in the city on a tiny wanna be urban farm.


----------



## umiak

Camaii! Greetings! Wow, Little Bear's Mama, is this one of the longest living threads on the forum??? I've been away for years myself..... I'm a member of the Alutiiq tribe of Alaska. Eldest daughters are turning 23 and 20 this month! They homeschooled most of 16 years, well, 'world-schooled' really. Now the eldest is a junior at Yale and the middle daughter a sophomore at Bowdoin, youngest at a public middle school. We moved back to the US from Ireland -- I will say, Ireland felt like a huge rez! Hugs to all the Native mamas! [smiley w/ feather]


----------



## thesunthesun

is this thread active?

xo

s


----------

