Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Thurtles

My previous posting of this item had a broken link; repost is fixed.

From Assembly of First Nations Press Release:
"Assembly of First Nations, Anishinabek Nations to Host Historic Three Fires Confederacy Gathering, August 20-26, 2007 at Garden River First Nation, Ontario...
The Anishinabek is the nation and people known also as the Ojibway, Odawa and Pottawatomi who together form the Three Fires Confederacy. Historically, the tribes met regularly for social, spiritual, military and political purposes...
The first two days of the gathering will bring together leadership and citizens and will be devoted to sharing the history and the protocol of the Three Fires Confederacy. It will provide leadership an opportunity to discuss important issues such as relationships with governments, border crossing issues, water and Great Lakes management."



[Update May 25]

Three Fires Confederacy homepage.
"A Homecoming of the Anishinaabe

We truly want this gathering to be a homecoming of the Anishinaabe.

For so long, we have been held back by that imaginary line between the colonial nations of Canada and the United States. This separated our family members. It separated our clans. It separated our communities.

Before the border was established, our people crossed freely. We were a single Nation under the Three Fires Confederacy. We have family members across the border still. Our clans were forced apart and rarely even coming together.

We were held back by the Indian Act, back in Canada. We were held back by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, in the U.S. We were forbidden from meeting and practicing our culture and spirituality.

We need to get re-acquainted with one another. To find our clan brothers and sisters again. This is one of the main purposes of the Three Fires Confederacy gathering."

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New Zoto "album" for "the Seeker" figure. Here are some of the initial stages of the papier-mache figure.
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Vine Deloria Indigenous Studies Symposium. July 26-28, 2007.
"Call for Papers: The deadline for receiving abstracts will be June 15th. Those whose presentation abstracts have been accepted will be notified by June 22nd."


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Allied Media Conference.
"...an annual, weekend-long gathering of influential alternative media-makers and committed social justice activists."


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Protect Sacred Sites.Org.
"-The Protect Sacred Sites as "Indigenous People, One Nation" organization's goal is to help educate people across the Nation regarding the continual desecration and need for protection of our sacred sites. -We are a grass roots organization and work in-conjunction with Tribal Councils, Tribal Preservation Officers, Attorney's, other Organizations and Conservation Groups. -We have committee members across the Nation and are growing each day. Our organization is very pro-active and endorses peaceful gatherings for the protection of sacred sites."
Their myspace page.

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Where is the patchwork?
"... where is patchwork today? It is hard to find. Not many people among the Seminole & Miccosukee still make it. Many of the younger ones don't know how to make it. Of the very few places where you can still find it for sale, you have to pay a fortune."


An article from Jana Hollingsworth Duluth News Tribune, about the need for Language preservation and vitality. "Saving sounds from silence""... The Fond du Lac reservation exhibits seven or eight signs of the 10 that signify a dying language, Jones said. Those include a lack of first-language speakers, which several members have estimated to be fewer than 10 on the reservation; not speaking the language as a first language at home; and not using it as the primary language at community gatherings."

First Nation Tax Commission
"All First Nations have potential property tax bases; however, some are more administratively viable than others. For those First Nations that do choose to enter property taxation, the exercise of their jurisdiction must be supported. Property tax is an important component of government revenue that is essential to the provision of services. Supreme Court of Canada rulings have reinforced the importance of these powers for First Nations governments.

Currently, more than 100 First Nations are collecting property tax in diverse circumstances across Canada. Fifty more have expressed interest in taxation. The composition of these tax bases is as diverse as First Nations themselves. Rural and remote First Nations have greater focus on utility, railway, industrial, or recreational taxpayers, while First Nations that are closer to municipalities are likely to have more residential and commercial taxpayers."


Graham Greene set to play "non-native" theatrical roles, this summer: Shylock from Merchant of Venice and Lennie in Of Mice and Men.

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A couple of NIMBY cases, concerning First Nations expansions and health services;

Curve Lake expansion.

Saskatchewan cases.

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