leap in two

My page, at Red Nation Society; Native social network site.

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Top 15 Misconceptions about Evolution.

Native American Astronomy Immersion Experience (NAAIE), Indiana University Dept of Astronomy; April 1 , 2008 deadline.

Giago article

United Indians of All Tribes Foundation

"(UIATF) is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded in Seattle, Washington in 1970. The mission of United Indians is to foster and sustain a strong sense of identity, tradition, and well-being among the Indian people in the Puget Sound area by promoting their cultural, economic, and social welfare. .."

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Flat peyote-stitch earrings [minus wires; click to enlarge].











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FirstNationInitiative.Ca

"We are not-for-profit organization focused on film and video production and distribution for and by First Nations people. We are based in the heart of Anishinawbe territory on the North Shore of Lake Superior in the city of Thunder Bay, Northwestern Ontario, Canada."

Canadian Doll Artists Assoc., upcoming conference. Ajax, Ontario; April 24-27, 2008.

Royals weren't only builders of Maya temples

"... judging by the varieties of construction and materials, any number of different groups - nobles, priests and even commoners - may have built temples, Lucero said, and their temples undoubtedly served their different purposes and gods.
That different groups had the wherewithal - the will, resources and freedom - to build temples suggests to Lucero that "the Maya could choose which temples to worship in and support; they had a voice in who succeeded politically."

Older Than America Premieres at Walker Art Center.

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I love the colour usage of this woodlands-school style painter, Moses Beaver. It looks like he's been experimenting with his palette.
Link goes to his gallery.
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My friend and fellow artist, Harriet Rosenberg, will be having a reception at the Elk Creek Cafe and Aleworks, in Millheim, PA. March 2; 3-5 pm

BIL Conference; a cheaper alternative to the TED conference.

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"Effective Negative Reinforcement", in child training.

Prozac, used by 40m people, does not work say scientists.

"The study examined all available data on the drugs, including results from clinical trials that the manufacturers chose not to publish at the time. The trials compared the effect on patients taking the drugs with those given a placebo or sugar pill."

CBC podcast listings.

The Impact of Bottom Trawling as Seen from Space.

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Tags: red nation society, evolution, flat peyote stitch, bottom trawling,beadwork earrings, Maya, BIL & TED, prozac,Bingorage, Broken Vulture Art, blog,pics

post valentine collateral

The Garden River First Nation [Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario], will be the first Canadian "tribe" to use biometric ID.

"...multi-purpose cards which will serve as Tribal Member ID, Border-crossing (from and to Ontario, Canada) control and passport-backup ID cards. The technology stores the individual's fingerprint minutiae..."

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There are some long-overdue updates and a new posting at Anurag Art Online. Please check out my bronze guys' webpage.

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I've been experimenting with peyote stitch; these pieces are "ruffled" peyote stitch. Starting with bracelets and necklaces; may try earrings.

[Pics click to enlarge.]







A couple finished pieces:


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These pics show the first stages of a "ruffled" peyote stitch necklace. I'll post the finished product, shortly.











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UCLA American Indian Studies Center.

"The American Indian Studies Center is an Organized Research Unit (ORU), and as such, its mission is to promote research, education, and community service within an academic framework."

Actress stays true to native roots.

"The troupe was so impressed with Johnson that they quickly chose to induct her as a full-fledged member of the ensemble.
"Falen is a generous and focused actor and is wonderful to work with," said group co-founder Michelle St.John. "She has brought a great deal of enthusiasm and youthful energy to Turtle Gals."

North Carolina Native art show. NC state fairgrounds, February 22-24, 2008.

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Indian Arts Research Center

"... houses one of the world's most significant collections of traditional Southwest Indian arts and artifacts, spanning the 450-year period from Spanish contact to the present. These collections and a range of associated programs have made the IARC an outstanding cultural and educational resource for the Native American community, researchers, scholars, and the public."

The Dubin Fellowship deadline is March 15.

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Hey. US artists in 'emerging arts', look at Creative Capital grants.March 4 deadline.

"2008 Grants: Emerging Fields, Innovative Literature and Performing Arts."

The Longhouse Education and Cultural Center Evergreen State Colleg, Washington.

"The Longhouse exists to provide service and hospitality to students, the college, and surrounding Native communities. With a design based in the Northwest Indigenous Nations' philosophy of hospitality, its primary functions are to provide a gathering place for hosting cultural ceremonies, classes, conferences, performances, art exhibits and community events."

Turquoise Rose, "What Navajo made that movie?"

I found an interesting "cellini spiral" tutorial, at Tarnhelm.com. A type of round peyote stitch; I'll post with any experiments, later.

There is a March 8 postmark deadline for artist internships at Franconia Sculpture Park, in Taylors Falls, MN.

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National Post article, Natives roll the dice on life after casino.

"Certainly, whatever wealth casinos promise to First Nations communities threaten greater social risks than something like a power mall or a natural gas well. But then, few communities are blessed with substantial rich resource deposits (and much of that wealth ends up in the hands of the federal government, anyway, which controls the mineral rights)..."

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Tags: ruffled peyote stitch, beadwork, Anurag Art, garden river first nation, Turtle Gals, Franconia Sculpture Park, jewelry,Bingorage, Broken Vulture Art, blog,pics,native art,Ojibway

Go Giants! Go, Obama! Get gone, dmca.

Another incredible SuperBowl pick!!!
Thank you, all, for your support.

It seems that American lobbying efforts are working to persuade our Canadian representatives to undermine "fair use/fair dealing" rights under existing law. Check out the story at BoingBoing and write your MP.

Native
community divided on mascots

"Many in Arizona's Native American community feel conflicted about the league, which has supported their causes in other ways. In January, the Super Bowl Host Committee sponsored a three-day Arizona Indian Festival in Phoenix"

New Sun "Reaching Back and Reaching Out"; 7'th annual conference on Aboriginal Arts. March1, 2008, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario.

Salmon return to the Coquitlam River.

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A little experiment, using a modified Daisy-Chain Stitch, to create a textured bracelet.





As I kept adding new 'daisies', textures emerge from the folds. This may become a way to add foliage-type additions to other projects, but, I am also working on a freeform peyote-stitch piece [my first] that has a lot of possibility for organic bead sculpture.












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An LA Times essay about MN-based efforts to keep the Ojibway language alive. A language too beautiful to lose.

"If my language does die -- not now, not tomorrow, but, unless something changes, in the near future -- many understandings, not to mention the words that contain them, will die as well. If my language dies, our word for "bear," makwa, will disappear, and with it the understanding that makwa is derived from the word for box, makak (because black bears box themselves up, sleeping, for the winter)..."

"Finding Our Balance" Churchill County [NV] Museum; Feb.2-Feb.29.

"The exhibit is presented on multiple two-sided panels and six subjects chronicle the struggles and choices made by Native American peoples today -- how to embrace the past, move forward into the future and how to share this knowledge with younger generations."

Native film fest. Palace Theatre, Syracuse, NY, Feb. 16, 2008

Ancient Nasca Iron Ore Mine In Peru

"The researchers determined that the mine is a human-made cave that was first created around 2,000 years ago. An estimated 3,710 metric tons was extracted from the mine during more than 1,400 years of use. The mine, which is nearly 700 cubic meters, is in a cliffside facing a modern ochre mine.
Vaughn hypothesizes that the Nasca people used the red-pigmented mineral primarily for ceramic paints, but they also could have used it as body paint, to paint textiles and even to paint adobe walls..."

Native audio content, at Irked Magazine.Com.

Soaring Heart Pictures.

"Dancing with Spirit" is a six-part 30-minute dance series profiling aboriginal dancers from across Canada. Produced by Soaring Heart Pictures Inc. in association with Bravo!, the series presents a rare glimpse into native mythology – combining traditional dance, music and landscape with modern interpretive dance to create a visually emotional program."

Homepage for Santee Smith, contemporary Native dancer.

The 2008 Seminole Tribal Fair will be webcast live, at Powwows.com.

The 15th annual National Aboriginal Achievement Awards. March 7, 2008. Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto, Ontario.

New Tim Giago article, Honoring the Spirit of Carol Anne Heart.

"She had created a saying that went, "Don't get sick after June." She said it because by June most of the funds allocated to the Indian health programs across America had run out because they were so badly underfunded. New appropriations would not come until the budget was approved for October 1 every year. This meant that the Indian hospitals and health service programs were totally underfunded or without funds entirely for nearly 4 months."

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History Is A Weapon

"This is an online Left reader focusing largely on American resistance history... If you are struggling with a particular question, you can go that chapter. For example, if you want to know "Why are there so many people in prison?" you can go to "Chapter 3: The Long Chain". We'll include a good starter essay here for each.
If you aren't dealing with a particular question, feel free to work your way through all the starter essays and head back to the issues that stirred you the most..."

Rethinking the reserve: Problems of governance.

"...Nearly all Canadians have an expectation that any public official in charge of urban planning, water systems or health administration has some kind of experience and training. Not so on reserves. Positions are frequently allotted to members wholly unqualified to hold them, either out of nepotism, patronage or simply because there are no properly trained or educated people to hire..."

Burmese women in Thai 'human zoo'. The famous "Giraffe-women" of the Kayan tribe bring in tourism dollars.

"The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) says that for the past two years, the Thai authorities have refused to allow a group of 20 Kayan to leave the country, despite firm offers to resettle them in Finland and New Zealand."

2008 Student Artist Competitio at IndianEducation.Org.

"The 2008 competition for the first time will include a personal narrative category for writers from grades six through 12. Entries for the 2008 Native American Student Artist Competition should relate to the theme Circle of Empowerment: Education, Language, Culture, Tradition and reflect the promise and importance of pursuing an education for Native youth."

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Tags: Copyfight,Indian mascots, reaching out and reaching back, ojibway ojibwe chippewa language, aboriginal arts, daisy chain stitch bracelet, beadworkSantee SmithNasca Iron mine, national aboriginal achievement awards,native art,ojibway art,beaded jewelry,Bingorage, Broken Vulture Art, blog,pics

Beads, beads, beads

[Pics click to enlarge]
Some new coral-stitch earrings:









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Hey there, Bingoragers. I put a trio of earrings up on Ebay; check out the auction, here.



I'll toss in an extra set, if a Bingorager wins!
8-)

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Some, random, mixed beads; larger size suitable for desktop wallpaper:





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WEST VALLEY INVITATIONAL NATIVE AMERICAN ARTS FESTIVAL. January 12 and 13, 2008; Litchfield Park, Arizona.

A blog about Native Art, with a scholarly perspective: Native Art Practices

"A research project comparing archaic and petroglyphic art practices with modern Western practices, and examining the unique challenge that traditional practices pose for contemporary artists."

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Is aspartame really dangerous? Check out this posting for some eye-opening info.

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Tags: beads, beadwork, earrings, jewelry, ebay auction, native art, ojibway art,aspartame,Bingorage, Broken Vulture Art, blog,pics

Coral Stitch: "how-to"

[Pics click to enlarge.]

The body of the typical coral-stitch earring is composed of:

- The main "trunks" of the "coral" which dangle from the "head" and connection point for the earwire.
- The "head"; what I usually call the -one or more- larger beads between the trunks and the connection point. I usually choose them for the way their colours and shape complement the "coral".
- The "connection point" is usually a split ring [or soldered split ring if I can find them]; the hardware.
- "Y-branches" off the main trunks.
- "Fringe" on the Y-branches; usually 3 beads, of a separate colour from the main "body". I have used large, single stone chips and shell components as the fringe element, however.

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Considerations, before starting:

- Size and colours of the main body and fringe beads.
- Shape, size, number and colour of the "head" beads.
- Number and length of main trunks. This is an important decision, determining the length and "bushiness" of the earrings. Also; I like to use numbers that are one or two digits above a multiple of 3 for the trunks. Since I usually space the Y-branches 3 beads apart, this puts Y-branches near the head and keeps the hole in the bottom of the head bead relatively clear.
- I use a fine nylon thread, with the narrowest beading needle that I can find in my tackle box.

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What I call "Y-branch", is the basic unit of coral-stitch.

In order to create the "Y":

-Thread on 6 beads of the main body colour and the beads (usually 3) of Fringe "B" ["B" comes first in my drawing].
Three of the 6 body beads will be the "stem" of the Y, the next 3 beads make Branch "B" of the Y.
- Pass the needle through the fringe beads, keeping tension on the thread and pass the needle back through the beads of Branch "B", again.
- String on 3 beads of main colour (Branch "A" in drawing) and another set of fringe beads. Before passing the needle back through the Branch "A" beads, make sure that Branch "B" hasn't picked up any slack. If necessary, gently pinch "B" between fingers and pull on the needle end of the thread to regain tension. Use this technique often to maintain thread tension.
- Pass the needle back through the beads of Branch "A", check tension and then pass needle back through the "stem" beads.

You're done the Y-branch!



N.B. - At the bottom of the trunk, the "first" Y-branch utilizes 6 of the trunk beads in its construction; 3 trunk beads comprise Branch "B" and 3 more, the stem. It's easy to forget that the "first stem" also counts as the 3-bead space in the trunk, before the next Y-branch.



After finishing a Y-branch, pass the needle back inside the trunk and up, a 3-bead space, towards the head. Exit the trunk at that point and start the next Y-branch. Repeat.



Once you reach the "head" beads, pass the needle through the head and the jumpring, then back down through the head beads.
Take care that your needle doesn't pass through the top beads of previous trunk, immediately under the head. String on the beads of the new trunk.

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Variations:

Add different fringe colours/beads.


"Extend" the length of a Y-branch stem, creating a trunk bifurcation; then add more Y-branches.


Instead of just a two branch split in the Y, add a third and make tetrahedrons.


Experiment away.

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New coral-stitch earrings:

This is the pair of earrings created by the above demo. Various colours and sizes of glass bead and quartz crystal.



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Black and silver glass, wooden disks and white marble beads.



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Red and black glass, blue glass chips and red wood beads.



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Transparent blue and bronze glass and 'redstone' beads.



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Various coloured glass, wooden disk and moss agate beads.



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Loomwork beadwork, applied to carved leather purse.



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New visitor?

My coral-stitch beadwork photo gallery and general beadwork photo gallery
Updated,when new pics uploaded.

Few fave posts:

Busted pictograph trip.

Last tasty bit.

Bringing the Bassalope.

Merry season.


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Remember:
- Johnny has thumbs.
- He's prolly bigger than you are.
- His evil is weak.
- His squeak is worse than his bite.
- Johnny's the goof, but he once saved Sage from a Rottweiler pup by busting his harness and charging the beastie.



Remember:
- Sage is small and fraidy.
- Her growl is incongruous.
- (She's the serious one).
- You can call her "Kiiiittty".
- She wants to check her email... Now.



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Tags: beadwork, coral stitch, loomwork, native art, ojibway art,how to, cats, earring, jewelry,Bingorage, Broken Vulture Art, blog,pics