grouse, beaver dams, rain and electioneering

Mohawk activist, Shawn Brant, avoids jail time.

"... He was sentenced to time already served, a three-month conditional term and one-year's probation. He can't leave his reserve during his conditional sentence, and is barred from "unlawful protest" until the end of his probation. He won't serve jail time.
"I feel good. I feel there's been a weight lifted off my shoulders," Mr. Brant said in an interview yesterday. But he also said he was disappointed, having hoped to lay out details of alleged OPP misconduct..."

NativeVote.Org

"Welcome to the National Congress of American Indians' 2008 Native Vote Campaign official website! We hope this site will be an instrumental tool for your community as we gear up for one of the biggest elections in years."

Humorous blowback from RNC fascist takeover of St. Paul, MN. Specifically the raid on activist/dance-teacher's home.Cops reveal Irish dance instructor's disturbing secret.

"... He is the only man I know who can get a room full of Minnesotans to do "The Siege of Ennis" and "The Haymakers' Jig," set dances that are not for the feeble and which, despite Whalen's skills, can end up with lines of sweaty participants crashing into each other like a rugby scrum.... it's mighty suspicious, you have to admit, that a large, mustachioed Irish dance instructor should accept vegan pamphlets in the mail. He didn't get that big from eating tofu..."

State of Indian Affairs in Kentucky; at The Rural Democrat. Looks like a Native Blog.

Welcome to 2030 NORTH: A National Planning Conference.

"Canada is waking up to the reality of a North transformed by climate change, challenges to northern sovereignty, and rapidly increasing natural resource exploration and development. But beyond vague and often contradictory messages about polar bears or the Northwest Passage, Canadians have no clear picture of what this will mean to their lands and waters, wildlife and peoples of the circumpolar world. 2030 NORTH will assemble the best data and expertise about the north to create the first comprehensive picture of the Arctic 20 years from now - and beyond..."

The trial of John Graham, accused of the murder of Anna Mae Aquash, has been stalled because the judge is not convinced that he is legally an :Indian", under U.S. law.

(Canadian) Government Seizes Control of Pine Creek Reservation.

Northern Aboriginal leaders tired of being ignored by Ottawa.

New Jersey Gov. Corzine issues order to improve life for Native people

Arvel Bird to perform for anti-drug coalition, wolf sanctuary.

"... hosted by Unity of the White Mountains in Lakeside and will be held Saturday, Oct. 18, from 7-9 p.m. ... Unity of the White Mountains is located at 257 N. Woodland Road (Arizona)..."

Experience Native American Culture With Tchin.

"... Tchin is a multitalented Blackfoot/Narragansett artist and will be hosted by the Jackson (NJ) Library on November 8..."

Alaska Natives question Palin's support.

NavajoGreenJobs.Com

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Poker site cheating plot a high-stakes whodunit

"... The company that claims ownership of UltimateBet — Tokwiro Enterprises, headquartered in the Kahnawake Mohawk Territory in southern Canada — has issued some refunds and promised to repay any players who lost money once an outside investigation is completed..."

Kahnawake Gaming Commission Announces Sanctions

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Dad walks ahead and checks out the road, overflowed by beaver dam.



Old wolf scat, with deer hair.



"A grouse in the hand..."



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From the TED Conference.

"Anthropologist Wade Davis muses on the worldwide web of belief and ritual that makes us human. He shares breathtaking photos and stories of the Elder Brothers, a group of Sierra Nevada indians whose spiritual practice holds the world in balance."

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Finally, a blog to document the happenings at the West Bank School of Art.

Native blog, Granny Rants ON.

Digital Storytelling: A Tutorial in 10 Easy Steps Expert tips on creating a polished, professional digital video.

Festival of Trees 28, at Arboreality blog.

New Native forums, Native Network.

Sing Me Your Story, Dance Me Home: Art and Poetry from Native California.

"... Yuba City museum... through Nov. 16... The sculptures, paintings, photos, poems and baskets were collected through the California Exhibition Resources Alliance, which organized the traveling, grant-funded exhibit..."

Red Earth.

"... The Red Earth Museum hosts a diverse and changing schedule of traveling exhibitions and is custodian of a permanent collection of more than 1,400 items of fine art, pottery, basketry, textiles and beadwork... The juried art competition and dance competition at the annual Red Earth Native American Cultural Festival has established Oklahoma City as a Native American art and cultural center, rivaling other southwestern cities as a showcase of Indian art..."

Pamyua.

"... Pamyua started ten years ago as a dream by two brothers to share the ancient stories of their people through music and dance. Stephen and Phillip Blanchett, who are of Yup’ik Inuit and African American decent, quickly gained the attention from music lovers of all types... Ossie Kairaiuak, grew up traditional dancing in Chefornak, Alaska... in 1996 when Pamyua met Karina Møller. The Greenlandic Inuit singer joined the group"

A blog posting, about making acorn flour; Precolumbian food staple. Looks pretty easy; at "Ramshackle".

Ancient whalers leave their mark on the north. The remains of whale skeletons in lakeshore camps, over hundreds of years changed the chemistry and flora/fauna of associated lakes.

Metis stories captured in graphic novel anthology.

How-to create a bush knife with layered wood handle, at Instructables.com. Great lesson for the budding primitive camper.

4'th annual ALL DOLLED UP: BEADED ART DOLL COMPETITION.
August 31, 2009 deadline; Theme : Earthen Mother

"Entries will be judged by a panel from The Center for Beadwork & Jewelry Arts. These distinguished Beadwork and Jewelry Artist instructors will judge each doll based on
1. INSIGHT: The Bead Artist’s inner awareness and powers of self-expression through sculptural beadwork, particularly in terms of how well this year’s Competition theme is incorporated into the piece.
2. TECHNIQUE(S):
a. Primarily, how well a particular stitch or stitches (or any other technique for applying the beads and embellishing the doll) is (are) executed within and around the piece.
b. Secondarily, how cleverly the internal structure/form/body of the doll has been created/constructed/chosen in relation to the artist’s goals.
3. USE OF BEADS/BEADING AS ARTISTIC MEDIUM: To what extent the doll may be viewed as a work of "art", rather than "craft"; has the artist fully utilized the power of the "bead/beading stitch" as a medium for art -- an expression of color, light, tactile sense and emotion; to what degree does the piece make you want to view the doll from all sides?
4. VISUAL APPEAL: The overall visual appeal of the doll.
5. QUALITY OF WRITTEN STORY: How well the written short story enhances an appreciation of the Beaded Art Doll, as well as the Artist’s talents in design, insight and implementation."

New Tim Giago article, "Time for Indians to Think Independent".

"... Native Americans must unshackle themselves from any one political party and sign up as Independents for the next election. There are many reasons why I think this is necessary.
As an example let's look at the failure of Democrats to appoint Native Americans to serve as judges in U. S. District Courts. Appointments are usually made by the senior senator from a given state. There has never been an Indian appointed to the federal courts in South Dakota. Why is there something wrong with this picture? The senior senators from South Dakota for the past several years have been Democrats..."

Panel discussion in Toronto, Ontario, October 15, 2008: The Greatest Canadian Media Failure of the Century: Reporting on Aboriginal Issues.

Public Theater Announces Native Theater Festival, November 12-15, 2008, at the Public Theatre, NY< NY.

"... is proud to announce the return of the Native Theater Festival, a four day festival dedicated to presenting extraordinary theatrical work by Native theater artists from the U.S. and Canada... will feature three free readings of new works by Native playwrights followed by post-show discussions; a concert by Native and African-American singer Martha Redbone; topical field discussions on issues of particular concern to artists in the Native theater community; and a conversation with Oskar Eustis and other artists on politics and performance that will be open to the general public..."

Indian Arts Research Center.

"Three fellowships and two internships are offered yearly for Native American artists and scholars by the Indian Arts Research Center. Artist fellowships provide time for exploration of new ideas in art and contemporary issues. Internships provide professional development for those interested in museum work..."

Charter school for O'odham succeeds.

Trickster Gallery presents Veteran's DayPowwow, November 11, 2008, Schaumburg, Illinois (Chicago area).
Urban Shaman Gallery in Winnipeg announces their
new director, KC Adams.

Lake Superior Art Gallery presents Ahnishnawbe Heritage Art Show, October 19-November 19, 2008. Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Tim Giago article, Forming a Native American Party.

Public (Theater)'s Second Annual Native Theater Festival to Begin Nov. 12, until November 15, 2008.

Wapos stars to shine at Gemini Awards.

"Raven Brass goes to high school, works in a store and likes sports. She's a typical teenager -- if you don't count the fact that she's on the brink of winning a national TV award.
Brass, 15, is part of the cast of Wapos Bay, the Saskatoon-produced stop-action animation show nominated for a Gemini..."

Native American legends directory, at FirstPeople.US

Opportunities page, at NativeTelecom.Org

The Equinox Petroglyph Project: Interpretations by Women and Children

"... The Equinox Petroglyph Project is an effort to document and interpret the ‘Picture Rocks’ from the female point of view and that of the Passamaquoddy youth through visual, auditory, and tactile works of art. Through a traveling exhibition we hope to educate and bring greater awareness of the Passamaquoddy culture to a wider public..."

(Chicago) Humanities Day provides new opportunities for discovery.Saturday, Oct. 25, 2008.

"Bill Brown... will focus on the sculpture of the contemporary Native American artist Brian Jungen to begin his lecture, "Objects, Other and Us." In his presentation, Brown will examine a question at the heart of his current research: How do works of art teach us about our object culture—about the ways that human subjects and inanimate objects define one another? Brown will concentrate on the artist’s re-fabrications—his use of baseball bats and sneakers, leather sofas and plastic chairs, the bits and pieces of consumer culture that become, in his hands, "authentic" native artifacts. Brown will lecture from 2 to 3 p.m. in Harper 130, 1116 E. 59th St."

Tenth Annual Native American Music Awards Winners Announced.

Regional Native American artists sought for UWS art exhibit.

"The Office of Multicultural Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Superior is seeking Native American high school students and professional Native American artists to exhibit their artwork at UWS’s 10th annual American Indian Art Scholarship Exhibit April 6-29, 2009, in the university’s Kruk Gallery..."

Attn: Artists and Native reenactors"Chief David Bald Eagle of Howes, South Dakota has created the

"Lakota Artist Shoot" and is looking for interested parties.
The event is meant for painters and sculptors to photograph Native American reenactors in scenes that they can later use as inspiration for their artwork. The reenactors provide regalia, horses, teepees, etc. to create authentic scenes of the Old West. The artists give monetary tips to each reenactor appearing in their photos.
Similar events are held in South Dakota and elsewhere, but this is the only one I am aware of that is exclusively Native American..."

Henderson folk artist’s dolls inspired by research on Sioux heritage.

Blog post, Beaded Dresses and the Native American Artist.

Moccasin Path Productions

"is a Native American owned company with a critical mission to preserve the living history of indigenous cultures. Thorough digital video production and unique educational programming, we strive to honor the voices and traditions of the past.
As most indigenous history is taught orally, much has been lost as the Elders pass on. MPP has developed these specialized services dedicated to capturing and preserving their legacy, not only for our own children but for all future generations..."

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Tags: Shawn Brant, John Graham, 2030 North, Arvel Bird, Tchin, Brian Jungen, acorn flour, Urban Shaman Gallery, Tim Giago, Wapos, Canadian blog, First Nation, Native blog,Bingorage, Broken Vulture Art, blog,pics