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Post by blackcrowheart on Jun 23, 2008 17:24:22 GMT -5
Inca Skull Rewrites History of Conquest www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/19/AR2007061901929.htmlBy Marc Kaufman Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, June 20, 2007; Page A03 www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/19/AR2007061901929.htmlPhoto: media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2007/06/19/PH2007061901856.jpgVideo: www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/gallery/070619/GAL-07Jun19-78470/index.htmlThe 500-year-old skull, found in a long-forgotten Inca cemetery outside Lima, Peru, had two round holes just across from each other. Nearby was a plug of bone, recovered intact, that carried the distinct markings of an old musket ball. Archaeologists sensed they had unearthed an important find, but it wasn't until months later that a powerful electron microscope scan confirmed it by finding traces of lead in the skull. The victim, who was between 18 and 22 years old when he died, had been shot by a Spanish conquistador. Given the age of the remains, as well as the age of other remains buried nearby, the archaeologists came to the conclusion that they had identified the earliest victim of a gunshot wound ever found in the Americas. "There may have been Incas and other native people killed by Europeans before him, but this is our oldest example so far," said Peruvian archaeologist Guillermo cock, who has excavated in the area for more than 20 years. "This happened at the beginning of a long and difficult history." Based on carbon dating, as well as analysis of the hundreds of other bodies buried in the area, cock believes the man was shot in the 1530s, just a few years after Francisco Pizarro and his small army of conquistadors arrived in Peru. That arrival led to one of the most disastrous population declines in recorded history -- up to 80 percent of the 12 million people in the Inca empire died within 70 years. The history of the Incas' rapid defeat and decline, written almost entirely by the Spanish victors, has emphasized the valor and skill of the greatly outnumbered Europeans. cock said the relatively new field of Inca archaeology is beginning to rewrite some of that story. For instance, cock said, there is good reason to believe the young gunshot victim died during the siege of Lima in 1536 -- one of numerous Inca uprisings following the execution of their leader, Atahualpa, by the Spanish. He also said there is archaeological and historical evidence to suggest those insurrections were put down with the help of native peoples who opposed the Incas' rule. "We are just now starting to really compare what was written with the material evidence being uncovered," cock said. "There is a lot that was never told before." The musket victim was one of 72 people who appear to have been hastily placed in a formal Inca burial ground where hundreds of others had been meticulously wrapped, honored and interred in the traditional Inca way. The 72 were barely wrapped, had no ceremonial offerings with them and were in shallow graves. These signs of a speedy burial, along with tentative evidence that two others may have died of gunshot wounds and that several more had been crushed by swinging maces, led cock to conclude they died during the little-known siege of Lima. He said relatives probably took them from the battlefield and buried them quickly in the traditional cemetery. The remains of women and children, who most likely traveled with the Inca forces, were also found. cock's research was funded by National Geographic and will be the subject of a "Nova" TV special on PBS next Tuesday. The discovery of the lead deep in the bone of the skull was made at the University of New Haven's Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science. cock, who is trained as a historian as well as an archaeologist, said about 30 of the 72 bodies had been killed by native weapons -- lending support to his theory that Pizarro succeeded only because he enlisted the help of other tribes who were enemies of the Incas. Pizarro's closest allies are believed to have been the Huaylas, who lived about 100 miles north of Lima, cock said. Pizarro is known to have taken a prominent Huayla woman to be his mistress, and Huayla forces are believed to have had a decisive impact during the Lima siege. Richard Burger, a Yale University anthropology professor, said that if the finding holds up, it will indeed represent the first example of a Native American killed by guns. He said Spanish colonists were in the Caribbean and Mexico decades before they came to Peru in 1532, and some native people were probably shot during those years. But their remains have not been unearthed. "There hasn't been much archaeological evidence in this area, so the finding could be very important," Burger said. "There's a lot of interest now in learning more about the Inca decline from sources other than the victors." Before the Spanish arrived, the Inca empire controlled the entire Andean region, later earning the designation "Romans of the New World." Highly accomplished builders, the Incas built the city of Machu Picchu on a mountaintop 8,000 feet above sea level. The fast decline of the Incas has generally been attributed to the far more advanced Spanish weaponry, the spread of European diseases to which native people had no immunity, and malnutrition and illness caused by the harsh working conditions imposed by the colonists. cock said all those factors doubtless played a role, but the ability of the Spaniards to establish native allies was also important and has been generally ignored. "They joined Pizarro in the hope of being rewarded with more independence and freedom," cock said. "I believe they wanted a more equal, more horizontal relationship with the Spaniards. Clearly, that did not happen." ====== Researchers Find 'First Gun Victim' By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID The Associated Press Wednesday, June 20, 2007; 12:12 AM www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/20/AR2007062000017.htmlWASHINGTON -- The musket blast was sudden and deadly, the killing nearly 500 years ago of what may have been the first gunshot victim in the Western Hemisphere. "We didn't expect it. We saw this skull and saw the almost round hole and thought people must have been shooting around here recently," said Guillermo cock, an archaeologist who found the remains near Lima, Peru. But he realized that the skull was ancient, and a recent bullet strike would simply have shattered it, cock said in a telephone interview. The skull was found among a large group of bones of ancient Incas, who had died violently in the early 1500s as the Spanish Conquistadors battled the native empire. The bones were in shallow graves, leading the archaeologist to speculate the burials were done hurriedly during conflict, perhaps an uprising against the Spanish in 1536. To be sure this was a gunshot wound _ making it the earliest one documented in the Americas _ the skull was studied by forensics expert Tim Palmbach at the University of New Haven, who brought in other experts. Al Harper, director of the Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science in New Haven, Conn., said the team "tried to rule out all kinds of causes of the hole _ a rock from a slingshot, spear, sledgehammer." Harper and Palmbach studied the skull with a powerful scanning electronic microscope. "We all thought it was a million-to-one chance that we would find any traces of metal on a skull that old, but it was worth a try," Harper said in a statement. But there they were, fragments of metal from a musket ball impregnated the area surrounding the hole. cock and archaeologist Elena Goycochea discovered the burials in a Lima suburb in 2004 and have since recovered 72 apparent victims of violence from the site. "These bodies were strangely buried," cock said. "They were not facing the right direction, they were tied up or hastily wrapped in a simple cloth, they had no offerings and they were buried at a shallow depth. "Some of the bodies also showed signs of terrible violence. They had been hacked, torn, impaled _ injuries that looked as if they had been caused by iron weapons _ and several had injuries on their heads and faces that looked as if they were caused by gunshots." One skull in particular had both an entrance and exit wound, suggestive of a musket ball and prompting him to seek experts to study it. A plug of bone from one of the holes was recovered nearby, he added. The conclusion: A musket ball less than an inch in diameter struck the back of the skull and passed through the head. "This conclusively proves that the person was killed by a gunshot, and he is the first identified shooting victim in the Americas," cock said. Since the initial find, at least two other apparent gunshot victims have been identified and the research is continuing. cock discussed his find during a visit to the National Geographic Society, which supported the work. His findings will be detailed June 26 on a NOVA/National Geographic television special, "The Great Inca Rebellion." In 2002, cock reported finding more than 2,000 Inca mummies buried beneath a shantytown near Lima, a find he said helped shed light on the life, health and culture of this civilization.
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Post by blackcrowheart on Jun 23, 2008 17:23:45 GMT -5
Holy Story - Dakota
Now I will tell the story of how a Holy Man, the greatest in the tribe, made mystery-power in days of old. The people were encamped in a circle with the opening towards the east. In the middle of the circle they set up a great tipi made of several tipis put together. On one side of the tipi sat the women, on the other side the men. And they made ready a great feast. Beyond the central fire, opposite the doorway, the Holy Man made mystery. With a stick like an arrow he made a line of holes in the ground a finger's length deep. Then he touched the ground in front of all the people and came back to the doorway and sat down. And he bade the people hasten to prepare the mystery. So they took the clay and filled the holes with it and covered the holes with earth. When they had done this the Holy Man touched ground. Then he came back to the doorway and was about to sing. And the people watched the ground where the clay was buried and, behold, young plants began to sprout. Then, before he sang, the Holy Man said:
Far to the west, Far by the sky Stands a blue Elk. That Elk standing watches over all the females On the earth. Far to the east, Far by the sky Stands a blue Elk. That Elk standing watches over all the females On the earth.
Thus he spoke. And then he said, "Now I will sing," on the drum he sang a holy song. When he had sung he bade the people pull up the sprouts, and they did so; one by one they pulled them up. And behold, roots were holy mystery-power. And the people took the mystery-power and laid it on sprigs of sage, for sage is holy because it heals. This mystery would protect the warriors in war. No arrow could pierce them, no arrow could strike them, unharmed would they pass through every danger. So have I told of how a Holy Man made mystery to help the people.
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Post by blackcrowheart on Jun 23, 2008 17:23:13 GMT -5
Holy One and His Brother - Winnebago
There two brothers were living together by a lake. One day the elder said, "Younger brother, as long as I am here you will have nothing to fear, for I am the only holy one in existence, and I am the great power on this earth." Unbeknownst to him, the Waterspirits had overheard what he had said, and soon it became known to the spirits generally. All the spirits of the heavens, the earth, and the waters held a council to discuss the matter. It was decided that since he had boasted that he was the only holy one on earth, that he must be punished. It was decided that the Waterspirits would carry out the sentence.
One day the brother of Holy One did not return at his usual time. He waited a long time for his younger brother to show up, but he never came, so Holy One went out searching for him. He searched all over, but could not find him. When he stopped, he wept so many tears that a lake formed around his feet, and when he gave a sigh, the hills collapsed into valleys. As he was searching he came across Wolf and asked him, "Younger brother, I am out looking for my brother, but I fear that he is dead -- have you seen him?" Wolf replied, "I have been all over the earth, but I have heard nothing of him. Is it now my task to keep track of your brother?" This remark infuriated Holy One, and he chased after Wolf. They ran a long way, but Holy One finally caught up with him and hit him so hard with his bow that it broke apart his jaw and killed him. "I suppose you were part of the conspiracy against me," he muttered. After he hung the wolf's body on a tree, he went on. Soon he encountered Fox and said, "Little brother, you get about a lot, perhaps you have seen something of my brother. I fear he may be dead." Fox replied, "I have traveled all over, but I have heard nothing of him. Am I suppose to keep track of your brother for you?" After this remark, Fox took off running, but Holy One caught up to him and broke his jaw open, killing him. "It seems that you too were part of the conspiracy against me," he said. He hung Fox up on a tree, then moved on. Then he encountered Kaghi, the raven, and said, "Kaghi, you are one who knows much, tell me, have you knowledge of what befell my brother? I fear that he may be dead." Then Kaghi said, "I have flown all over the earth and heavens, but I have heard nothing about him. Am I suppose to keep track of your brother for you?" When Holy One heard this, he swatted Kaghi down with his bow just as the bird was taking off. Then he ripped his jaws apart, killing him. "I suppose even a little guy like you could be in on the conspiracy against me," he said. After hanging him on a tree like the others, Holy One moved on.
Now evening was setting in and Holy One started back to his lodge. On the way a little bird flew right by his face, almost hitting him. This happened twice more, much to the annoyance of Holy One. When the bird nearly hit him in the face a fourth time, he said, "Ho!" and looked up to see what it was. It was the kind of bird that they call a "woodpecker." Then Holy One spoke to it and said, "What an evil little bird you are that pecks my face and will not let me weep in peace!" Then the woodpecker said, "My grandson, I have news for you." "Forgive me," he said, "had I know it was you, grandmother, I would not have spoken as I did. Tell me everything that you know, and I will give you my paint so that ;you can paint your face, and I will give you my awl so that you can use it for a bill." "All right," she said, "I will tell you what I know. The spirits called a great council to conspire against you, but they did not invite me and my husband, so that is why I am telling you this. The Chief of the Waterspirits caused your brother to be killed, and the Waterspirits ate his flesh; but they kept his hide to use as a door flap on the chief's lodge. I will also tell you this: on nice days the Waterspirit's two sons like to bask in the sun on a sandbar just south of the shoreline." "It is good, grandmother," said Holy One. Then he took out his paints and painted her face, and she was beautiful to look upon. Then he attached his awl to her beak. When he was done, she flew off to a hardwood tree and pecked it with her new beak. The awl went right through the wood, which made her very proud. Holy One set out for the sandbar. On the way he caught many mice alive and took them with him. When he got to the shore, he turned himself into a willow stump and set the mice about as though they nested there. Soon the waters began to roar and two spirits arose form the depths. One of them looked around, then said, "Brother, there is Holy One standing on the shore," and they both retreated back to the depths. After awhile they came up again, but they still felt that Holy One was there, and they sank back down into the depths again. They did this yet again, but the fourth time they came up, one said,"That's not Holy One, that's just an old stump that's always been there." "Well," said the other,"you had better check it out just to make sure." So he went over to the stump, but when he got there a hoard of mice scurried out of it, running away in every direction. Then the Waterspirit said to his brother, "Look at all the mice that live in this stump. It cannot possibly be Holy One, as he would not have mice living all over him; besides, like I say, this stump has always been here." Then they came out and went to the sandbar. Then they spread out their entrails (omentums?) as Waterspirits always do. They laid out their fat and then lay down to bask in the sun. As they lay there asleep, Holy One crept up to them. He took out his bow and shot each one of them in his heart. They jumped up, scooped up their entrails, and crashed back into the water where they disappeared. After this, Holy One went home.
The next morning Holy One retuned to the same spot to find out what he could overhear. Soon he heard someone singing, so he followed the sound and soon came upon someone who was chopping wood. He stopped by an old burnt stump and there he blacked his face. He then went to where the person was, and found an old woman who was singing,
You chiefs;
You chiefs!
Then he asked her, "Grandmother, why are you singing that?" She said, "Are you Holy One?" "No," he replied, "I am not Holy One; indeed, I should think that by now he has cried himself to death." "Well, grandson," she said, "I am chopping wood for the two sons of the chief who were shot with arrows yesterday." "What do you suppose they plan to do about that?" he asked. She said, "You are Holy One, aren't you?" "No, grandmother," he said, "I am not. Don't talk foolishly. I have been fasting on the other side of the hill for days. I only came over here because I heard you chopping wood. I have not heard news from the village for some time, that is why I am asking you these questions. Beside, I'm sure that Holy One is dead by now." "I guess you are right, grandson," she said. "In the morning they are going to go to Hawk so that he can cure them, unless he is too late." "What time does he have to be there?" asked Holy One. Then the old woman began to wonder and said, "Aren't you the Holy One?" "No, grandmother," he replied, "I am not. He has been long dead by now." "Very well," she said, "the hawk will arrive when the sun stands straight in the sky." "What direction will he come from," he asked. "He will come from the ridge in the east," she replied. "Tell me, grandmother," he asked, "what will they do to the Holy One?" "They will kill him," she said. Then he asked, "How will they do that?" She told him, "They will send snakes to entwine themselves around his body and kill him that way." "If they were to do that," he said, "Holy One would put on turtle shell moccasins and trample the snakes to death." The old woman asked, "Are you sure you're not the Holy One?" "Of course not," he said. "What will they do if the snakes fail?" "Then, grandson," she said, "they will cause a blizzard that will snow him in so that he cannot hunt, and when he has eaten even his bowstring, they will send against him a four-cornered herd of buffalo to trample him to death." "All that will happen," he said, "is that he will have plenty of meat to eat. If the buffalo fail, then what will they do?" She asked again, "Are you not Holy One?" "How could I be him?" he replied. "Well grandson," she said, "they will next create a flood so great that the whole earth will be covered." Then he asked, "What will they do if he gets into his metal boat?" She replied, "Then they will send Waterspirits who will capsize him with their tails." He declared, "All that will happen then, is that he will have a good time cutting off their tails." "Are you sure that you're not Holy One?" she asked. "Grandmother," he replied, "how could I be Holy One? But tell me, if the Waterspirits fail, what will they do then?" "Well, grandson," she said, "they will send the Muskrat Spirits to chew a hole in his boat." "All that will happen then," he declared, "is that he will take out his metal oars and cut the muskrats in two." "Are you sure you're not Holy One?" she asked. "How could I be?" he replied. "Now tell me, is that all that they will do?" She told him, "Yes, that is all; but I should add that I will be one of them who eats a hole in his boat." "How can you do that, grandmother, as age has surely left your teeth in bad condition?" he said. She said, "Take a look at them," and closed her eyes while she opened her mouth very wide. He took his bow and knocked out her teeth. There the old muskrat fell to the ground dead.
The next morning Holy One went to where the hawk was to come. Just at noon he saw Hawk flying on his way singing a song:
Hawk, they came to you as a doctor;
Hawk, what will you do?
Hawk, you may carry the gourd;
Hawk, you may carry the gourd;
Hawk, you may carry the gourd!
Thus he sang. He carried a black bag with a gourd attached to the top of it, and as he tilted from side to side, the gourd rattled in time with his song. As Hawk came to where Holy One was waiting, the latter said, "Grandfather, you look magnificent!" Then Hawk circled around to talk. Holy One asked, "Grandfather, what brings you here?" He replied,"Grandson, I am going to doctor the sons of the chief who have been shot with arrows." He asked, "Grandfather, what will you do when you get there?" Then Hawk told him,"Grandson, I will go on singing as I have been, and when I get near, they will open the flap of the lodge and I will fly in." "Grandfather," said Holy One, "you look so magnificent. I wonder if you could fly back down as you did before, only this time turn from side to side more and fly lower. It is such an impressive sight!" So Hawk was happy to oblige, and swooped down singing as he had been before. "Now, grandfather," said Holy One, "swoop even lower!" And as Hawk dipped down very low where Holy One was standing, he struck the hawk a fatal blow. Then he skinned him and put on his hide. Now he flew off singing just as the hawk had done.
Then Holy One flew to the Waterspirit village in the outer form of the hawk. They all yelled when they saw him, "There he is! The hawk is coming just in time to save the chief's sons. Now they will live for sure." As Holy One descended they flung open the flap of the lodge for him, then he said to himself, "Oh my brother." "What did he say?" some of them asked. "He said, 'Oh my brother'," they answered. "No," said Holy One, "what I really said was, 'The chief's son and his brother'." "Ah yes," some said, "that is what he said." Then they showed him his patients. Each one had an arrow buried in him all the way to the feathered shafts. "Put two kettles on to boil," he ordered, "they must be given a bath. Also bring me two iron rods." They put the kettles on to boil, then he told them, "Put the two iron rods in the fire to heat." Then he added, "I want the whole village to go beyond the hill out of range of hearing, as I will work very hard to effect the cure." They did as he bid them, and when they were gone, he got up and went over to one of the brothers. As he walked he made a sing-song kind of noise. Then he grasped the arrow and shaking it, he pulled it out. This made the patient groan. Then he took the red hot iron and thrust it into the wound. This made his patient groan even loader. Then he thrust the iron rod all the way to the heart. "There," he said, "now you will not feeling like groaning anymore." Then the other one said, "I think you have killed my brother!" but Holy One replied,"Nothing of the kind, I have merely relieved him of his pain." Then he pulled the arrow out of the remaining patient, then jammed the hot rod down into his heart and killed him as well. Both the brothers he chopped into small pieces and threw them into the pot to boil. While they were cooking he took down the skin flap made from his brother's hide and rolled it up. Then he had a hearty meal of Waterspirit.
After some time had passed, the Waterspirits said, "Let's send son-in-law to find out what has happened." So the son-in-law went under ground and came up to where the two brothers had been. He stuck out his tongue and Holy One saw it. He said, "Well, little brother, there is plenty enough here for you," and filled his mouth with pieces of fat. Then he told him, "When ;you return, just say, 'Holy One, Holy One'." So he returned, and said, "It is Holy One, it is Holy One." They told one another, "He says that it is Holy One, so let's go get him." Then they all set out after Holy One, who took off running. As they closed on him they would come with waves of water, but as he shot at the waves, they would recede. Thus they kept coming at him, and they kept falling back. Finally, they said, "Let us stop now -- he has gotten away from us." By then he had killed many Waterspirits.
Now Holy One was at his home by the lake. Then, one day, the snakes began to come, but Holy One merely put on his turtle shell shoes and stepped on their heads. Soon they were saying, "Let's get out of here, he has killed many of us." Thus they retreated and stopped their attacks against him.
Then it began to snow, but Holy One was prepared for what was to come: he had stockpiled both wood and food. The blizzard was indeed terrible, and soon the snow piled up so high that he could see out only trough the smoke hole in the roof of his lodge. After a time, the spirits said, "Let us send our son-in-law to see how things are going with Holy One." So they sent their son-in-law to investigate. He was a little bird. Four times he flew over, and only the last time did he land on the smoke hole and peep in. Holy One saw him and said, "I wish that I could eat that little bird -- he would keep me alive for another four days. But what am I saying? I have my bowstring, I can eat that." So he took off his bow and laid it on some coals. The little bird flew back and told the spirits that he was reduced to cooking his bowstring and that he wanted to eat him as well. "Ah," said the spirits,"it is about time." So they gathered together a four-cornered herd of buffalo and sent them to trample Holy One to death. However, Holy One slipped out and waited in ambush. When the herd came they trampled everywhere that Holy One had stayed, but as they were running around, he shot at them until he had killed many of them. Then the buffalo said, "Let's get out of here before he rubs us out." When he came out of his blind, he saw that only his lodge had been snowed upon and all the rest of the ground was completely bare. So he dressed and packed away the buffalo and had plenty of meat to eat.
One day it began to rain. The rain kept coming and there was no let up. Soon it began to flood in many places, but the rain did not stop. In time the whole earth was flooded. However, Holy One was prepared and had set sail in his metal boat. As he was floating along, he heard something scrape the side of his boat. He took out his metal oar and swept it across the side of his boat. This sliced the tail right off a Waterspirit. Then he heard another scraping sound on the other side of the boat, and did the same. Once again he cut off a Waterspirit's tail. Soon he was chopping off the tails of Waterspirits right and left. He found this to be a very enjoyable sport. Then he heard the sound of something scraping under his boat. So he took his oar and swept it below his boat and cut a Muskrat Spirit in two. This happened several more times until, finally, the Muskrat Spirits said, "Let us quit before he kills us all." Thus they stopped attacking his boat. At that time the whole world had been flooded, and to this day the water marks can be seen on the striations of the hills.
After the water had receded, Holy One built himself a new lodge. Then he built a platform and unrolled his brother's hide and placed it there. He wept for days on end, until one day he heard his brother's voice say, "Older brother, you have wept for me long enough. Now you may cease, as I have come back." But Holy One said, "Indeed I have wept long for you, but now a feel that it would be better if you returned to the form you had before you came back.," There was a great cry of anguish, and his brother said, "Oh! oh! brother, why have you have treated me so badly? Because you have said this, from now on whenever anyone dies, I will take care of his soul." Then he walked away in the direction of the setting sun, but Holy One, regretting what he had said, now followed after him. When evening fell, Holy One built a fire and said, "Come, brother, and share the fire with me," but his brother refused, saying, "Now I cannot do that anymore, for it is one thing to be in the flesh and another to be a ghost." After they had camped that night they set out again for the west, but Holy One could not see his brother. He saw a fire up ahead, but when he got there, all he could see of his brother was that part of his body that was below his neck. Again they went west, and his brother got well ahead of him. That evening he saw his campfire in the distance, but when he got there, all he could see of his brother was his legs. The next day the brother went even farther ahead, and when Holy One reached his campfire at night, all he could see of his brother was his feet. That night they reached the end of the earth. He could no longer see his brother at the campfire, but he heard his voice say, "Older brother, I can no longer abide with you. This is your own doing. As long as your nephews and nieces live on this earth, death will be with them because of what you did. Whoever dies will end up here." Holy One wept bitterly and returned home. When Holy One arrived home he said, "Now I shall roam the earth. Thus he did ever after, and wherever he went, he called all living beings his brothers.
Because of what Holy One did, death is always with us. His brother rules over the spirit village of the dead, but he is the only spirit who is still in the flesh. These are the ones who go to the spirit village of Holy One's brother when they die: all those who have not won a victory on the warpath; all who know nothing about the origin of their clan; all those who have no clan home. (All those who belong to a clan have their own clan home.)
This is the waikâ of Holy One and his brother and what they caused to happen in the world.
Paul Radin, "The Story of Holy One," [unpublished] Notebooks, Winnebago IV, #4, Freeman #3859 (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society) 59-77 [= 969-987].
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Post by blackcrowheart on Jun 23, 2008 17:22:05 GMT -5
Church Denies Tribe from Stewarding Mass Grave Site Posted by: "Kapoonis1959@aol.com" Kapoonis1959@aol.com anahooey Thu Jun 21, 2007 7:41 pm (PST) SALT LAKE CITY - Descendants of the 120-member Arkansas immigrant party slaughtered in southern Utah by pioneer Mormon settlers say their plea for federal stewardship of the Mountain Meadows mass grave site has been rejected by leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Phil Bolinger of Hindsville and Scott Fancher of Harrison, both members of the Arkansas-based Mountain Meadows Monument Foundation, say they got the news June 6 in a telephone call from Elder Marlin Jensen, who supervises the church history department. "He told us that President [Gordon B. ] Hinckley had turned us down. He doesn ´t think it´s in the best interests of the church to allow federal stewardship in the meadows," said Bolinger, the foundation president who is related to 30 of those killed. "That really bit me bad." Jensen declined an interview, but confirmed through spokesman Kim Farah that the church will not pursue federal stewardship of the site. A similar request also was rejected in 1999. Descendants want the site in the hands of a neutral third party because they believe the institutional church was complicit in the murders. "It´s not right for the people who had complicity to the killings to be the grave owner," said Bolinger, who discussed the issue with Jensen on April 25 in Salt Lake City. "I asked him, ` How you do you think the Kennedy family would feel if the Lee Harvey Oswald family had control of the Kennedy tomb ?´" History hangs the Sept. 11, 1857, event on southern Utah Mormon leaders and a small band of Paiute Indians, leaving the culpability of then-church president Brigham Young up for debate. A forthcoming book from church historians takes the same position. Headed to California, the wagon train led by Capt. Alexander Fancher and John Baker arrived in the Utah territory at the same time the federal government was mounting pressure on the Mormon church for its practice of polygamy and disregard of federal oversight. They camped first near Salt Lake City and then headed south to the meadow, a well-known stopover on the Old Spanish Trail. The immigrants were attacked and spent a week engaged in gun skirmishes before local Mormon Elder John D. Lee rode in on horseback with a white flag to negotiate their rescue. Persuaded to walk singlefile and unarmed from the valley, the immigrants were shot at close range, stabbed or beaten to death. Their bodies were not buried. Seventeen children were spared, all of them under age six - young enough, some said, not to remember or speak of what they saw. The youngsters were adopted by local families and later returned to their relatives in Arkansas. Lee was tried, convicted and executed for the massacre 20 years later and is the only person ever held responsible. Today, the Mountain Meadows monument site is a 2, 500-acre parcel in a rolling scrubpine and sagebrush valley about 35 miles northwest of St. George. The land is a patchwork of public and private holdings, some of which was passed down through families from pioneer ancestors. There are four known mass grave sites and two memorials - the rock pyramid known as the Carelton Cairn on the valley floor and a memorial wall on Dan Sill Hill, which overlooks the valley and is inscribed with the known names of victims from the 29 different families on the wagon train. The monument is already on the National Park Service´s Register of Historic Places, but the designation doesn´t guarantee public access or public input before construction or other site changes, foundation attorney Scott Fancher said. Foundation members believe a higher designation, such as national monument status, would better protect the interests of all and salve the wounds of many Fancher party descendants, Bolinger said. "Federal stewardship of this grave site... that´s all it would take to put this to bed," he said. The foundation has support for a higher designation from the Arkansas congressional delegation, but the Mormon church would have to donate the land to the U. S. Department of Interior for that effort to begin, Fancher said. Federal oversight might also have prevented the Aug. 3, 1999, maintenance work on the cairn when a church crew accidentally unearthed the remains of at least 28 men, women and children. A forensic evaluation was begun, but cut short on an order from Utah´s then-Gov. Mike Leavitt, a descendant of some who participated in the massacre. At a dedication ceremony of the rebuilt cairn that September, Hinckley said the church carries a moral responsibility to remember the victims, but fell short of acknowledging church complicity in the crime. Mormon church leaders are committed to appropriately preserving the Mountain Meadows site, Farah said. "The church has owned the monument site at Mountain Meadows for many years. The property is open to the public and considerable time and resources are allocated to ensure that the property is well-maintained, open to the public and that those who perished there are appropriately remembered," she said. Farah also confirmed what Washington County recorder´s office records show - over the past few months, the church has increased its holdings in the meadow. Since March, at least two families have deeded their property over to the church. "The church intends to administer and maintain this property in like manner, thereby preserving it from either residential or commercial development," said Farah. Bolinger said the foundation, one of three descendant groups, shared concerns that residential development in fast-growing Washington County would damage the site. But he´s rankled by the church´s acquisition of more land and says he´ll continue to push for federal stewardship. "It´s the highest honor we could pay these people," Bolinger said.
Tue - June 19, 2007 By Jennifer Dobner - AP
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Post by blackcrowheart on Jun 23, 2008 17:21:23 GMT -5
Federal Regs make Traditional Foods Scarce Posted by: "Kapoonis1959@aol.com" Kapoonis1959@aol.com anahooey Thu Jun 21, 2007 7:41 pm (PST) WATERFLOW - The Original Sweetmeat, Inc. has served a landmark for Waterflow and the nearby communities since 1958.
"Squeak" R.G. Hunt, Jr. third-generation owner of Original Sweetmeat, Inc., and wife Carla Hunt, store manager, have formed many personal relationships with families, and provide services for the Navajo and Hispanic population what many grocery stores and meat shops just can't offer.
They carry large quantities of traditional foods, like a'chii, or "bunitas" in Spanish, that cannot be found in large grocery chains. A'chii is prepared by wrapping sheep intestines around fat from the sheep, and then fried.
Navajo customers often go to the store and request that the store butcher a sheep by hand because the meat will be used in traditional ceremonies. Respectful and understanding of the culture, the Hunts comply with these requests.
They also fill large mutton orders for special occasions, like election fund-raisers or special homecoming events for soldiers. Other local grocery stores, like Albertson's and Safeway, are not able to fill such special orders, Hunt said.
Standards and requirements Over the years, the standards and requirements for slaughterhouses have becoming increasingly strict, causing six similar locally owned shops in the area to permanently close.
Ray Begaye, New Mexico State Representative for District 4, became more familiar with the strict federal and state requirements that were putting small slaughterhouses out of business after he was contacted by El Rito, a meat processing company based in Chama, whose owners shared with him the obstacles they were facing.
"They did close their business because the federal food inspector got really strict," Begaye said.
It was just over three months ago when the owners of the Original Sweetmeat, Inc. were instructed to stop selling a'chii and were forced by the New Mexico State Livestock Board to destroy 400 pieces of the prepared meat the same day.
The concern about a'chii processing came in January 2005 when a USDA Food and Safety Inspection Service program review officer from Omaha, Neb., saw the item for sale at the store. The food was unfamiliar, and inspectors questioned its safety, though the store had offered the food since it opened nearly 40 years ago.
Two months after a'chii was banned, the Hunts fought for the item to be sold once again, sending e-mails and making calls back and forth between federal and state officials. On March 19, they were allowed to start selling the meat again.
Begaye said he did not know about the difficulties that the store was facing when he introduced a joint memorial at the 48th Legislature First Session in late March that would help to retain small businesses in communities throughout the state and preserve traditional practices of Native American and Hispanic communities.
The memorial urges that cultural and traditional practices be considered by the USDA in adopting regulations for meat inspection of slaughterhouses, especially since 10 percent of the New Mexico population is Native American and over 50 percent of the overall population is of Spanish ancestry.
The joint memorial states that food and food preparation are basic to maintaining belief systems and the traditional practices of both the Hispanic and Nave American populations of New Mexico.
Begaye also explained that these slaughterhouses are disappearing from communities due to expense of having to implement sophisticated equipment to stay open.
"The federal government has been very naive in who they're been dealing with in Native American foods and Hispanic foods," Begaye said.
Neither officials with the USDA program in Washington or the New Mexico Livestock Board could be reached for comment.
While the USDA has taken other religious groups' food preparations into consideration, like Jewish dietary guidelines of kosher foods, they are far behind when it comes to Native Americans and Hispanic foods. As far as meat processing, there are no written standards on how to prepare mutton or traditional foods from the area.
"This has been our diet for such a long time," Begaye said. "Both the meat and by-products have been since the introduction of sheep and goat in this area."
The legislation was signed by Gov. Bill Richardson in March and is pending review from the New Mexico congressional delegation. It was also sent to the USDA and New Mexico Livestock Board.
Generations The possibility of the store closing because of the strict standards set by the federal and state governments makes Hunt uneasy, even though his store equipment and technology has been praised in written reviews. Hunt has been around sheep and livestock his whole life. At the age of 7, his late father "Slim" R.G. Hunt put him to work at the store. In 1995, after his father passed away, Squeak was given the store to continue, and he plans to one day give it to his 30-year old son "Skeeter" R.G. Hunt, Jr., who is hopes will be continued to be passed on for generations to come. Taking care of sheep, Hunt said, is what he was raised doing.
"It's a lot of hard work, but it's all I know," said Hunt.
For Hunt, raising and being around sheep is an integral part of his life, much like the Navajo people.
"One time there was an old lady that came in named Mary Jumbo from Sanostee," Hunt recalled from his early teens. Hunt remembers when Jumbo, who was a frequent customer, shared a story about the federal livestock reduction.
"She said 'when they loaded up sheep and goats, I just cried and cried,'" remembers Hunt.
Being a 15-year old teenager, Hunt did not understand what she meant.
"I asked her, 'Why?', and she said, 'I became poor then. I didn't have no sheep or goats.'"
It would not be until years later when Hunt said he would be able to understand just what she meant.
"A sheep is a lot if you don't have a sheep. A dollar was a lot if you didn't have a dollar," Hunt said. "It made a big change in my life on how I look at things."
Even 40 years after her passing, he said he still remembers her so well, and keeps her story close to his heart.
"I always admired seeing Mary come in," he said. "Some of the best people I've seen in my life have been the Navajo people."
Wed. June 20, 2007 By Natasha Kaye Johnson - Dine Bureau
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Post by blackcrowheart on Jun 23, 2008 17:19:58 GMT -5
Horned Toad Sings In Black Boy's Stomach - Cochiti
Black Boy (Munaga) was planting cotton. Horned Toad came along and asked, "What are you doing? What are you planting?" "I am planting cotton." Horned Toad did not know cotton. He said again, "Tell me straight. If you don't tell me what you are planting, I'll eat you." "I am telling you. I am planting cotton." Still Horned Toad did not know what he was doing. He said, "I shall ask you four times. If you don't tell me it plainly I shall swallow you." Every little while he said, "What are you planting?" and Black Boy answered, "Cotton." "That is once. I shall ask you again." When the four times were up Black Boy jumped on Horned Toad and swallowed him. He kept on planting. While he was working along he heard a song. He said to himself, "I thought I heard somebody singing." At last he discovered it was in his belly.
Black Boy, Black Boy, I am in your belly; Whatever is there, Your stomach, liver, lungs, heart, I am eating them!
Black Boy got scared. He stopped planting and said, "Why did I tell her right, for she is eating my belly all up?" He thought, "I'll go down to the river and at the river there will be the Flint medicine man. He will have his obsidian knife (the stone knife of the medicine societies) to open my belly." He kept hearing the song and he was scared. He ran as fast as he could. When he got there he found the medicine, man by the edge of the river. Black Boy said to him, "Are you waiting here for anybody to come?" "Yes." "I came down to ask you to open my stomach. A horned toad went into it." "All right. Let me go into the river to get my sharp stone." He went into the river. He was gone a long time, but finally he came out again. He brought out his thunder knife and told Black Boy to lie down on his back. He cut into his belly and Horned Toad jumped out and ran off to the west. The medicine man went back into the river and came out again. He rubbed Black Boy's body and it closed where he had cut it open. He went back into the river, and Black Boy got up and went home.
Tales of the Cochiti Indians, by Ruth Benedict; U.S. Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin no. 98; US Government Printing Office; [1931] and is now in the public domain
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Post by blackcrowheart on Jun 23, 2008 17:19:27 GMT -5
Horses - Utes
The Utes were not always so strong and feared by others. In the years before the introduction of the horse, they were nomadic bands who roamed the mountain and valleys of the west. The horse allowed them to become proud people feared by other Indian tribes. If their own harvests weren't large enough to feed their people, the Utes would often raid other Indian villages taking their goods and horses. When the Spanish came to America, they brought the horse with them and introduced it to the native people who had never seen a horse. The Utes quickly learned how the horses could be very useful to them. When they moved from camp to camp, the horses could carry their load. With horses, they could ride out on the plains to hunt buffalo. Then the people would have plenty to eat. When the enemies came to find them in the mountains, the Utes could either stand and fight or get away quickly with fast horses. This was very important as their enemies would soon have horses, too.
How did the Utes get horses? The Spanish and the other Indians would not give their horses away. And the Utes did not have gold or silver to buy horses. The Utes saw that they had to trade things in order to get what they wanted from the Spanish. But the Utes were poor Indians and often had only enough meat and hides for their own needs. When they could, they traded these items for the valuable horses. The Spanish needed people to care for their horses and sheep on their huge ranches. Sometimes the Spanish captured Ute children and sometimes the children voluntarily worked on the ranched so they could learn how to ride and to take care of the horses. And, sometimes these Utes stole the horses and took them back to their families.
Chief Ouray, one of the most famous Ute chiefs, was one of these children who worked on the Spanish ranches. While he worked on theses ranches, he learned to speak four languages and later in his life became a statesman for his people in the treaty negotiations in Washington, D.C.
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Post by blackcrowheart on Jun 23, 2008 17:18:19 GMT -5
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Post by blackcrowheart on Jun 23, 2008 17:17:05 GMT -5
Tribe Pleads for Artifacts Posted by: "Kapoonis1959@aol.com" Kapoonis1959@aol.com anahooey Thu Jun 21, 2007 9:35 am (PST) BARRE- American Indians who believe the spirits of their ancestors are trapped among items from the 1890 Wounded Knee, S.D., massacre in a museum at the Henry Woods Memorial Library plan to visit the facility and hold a peaceful protest later this month.
The group hopes to encourage library officials to return the artifacts to tribe members during a visit slated for June 30.
Peter Bormuth, one of the organizers of the event, said that since members of the Lakota Sioux tribe of South Dakota first visited the library in 1993, only one of about 100 artifacts displayed there has been repatriated, despite requests that the items be returned to the tribe.
A lock of hair believed to have been taken from the body of Chief Big Foot, the Sioux leader at Wounded Knee, was returned to his great-great-grandson, Leonard Little Finger, in 2000. The hair was burned in a sacred ceremony to release Big Foot´s soul, in accordance with the tribe´s beliefs.
While he is not an American Indian, Mr. Bormuth has, along with a handful of others, taken up the cause.
Organizers expect to be joined by Alex White Plume, a past president of the Oglala Lakota Tribe; Mr. Little Finger; Rebecca Three Stars, who is the descendant of a Wounded Knee victim; and John Fusco, screenwriter of the movie " Hidalgo."
Mr. Bormuth said tribe members were told during earlier visits to the museum several years ago that items would be repatriated, but an inactive member of the library association said that´s not the case.
"At one time, they were hoping to obtain some items," John Cirelli said. " But no promises were made."
Mr. Cirelli recalled the 1993 visit and said he smoked a pipe with some tribe members. He said they seemed satisfied with the respectful way the items were displayed and there was no agreement to return anything at that time.
Still, a 1993 article published in The New York Times quotes then-Librarian James Sullivan as saying, "Eventually it (the collection) will be repatriated. "
At that time, some were concerned over the Sioux tribe´s plans to burn or bury sacred artifacts, and they worried the tribe would place the delicate items in storage because they have no appropriate place to display them.
Mr. Bormuth said what becomes of the items should be of no concern to anyone but the rightful owners.
"It is our contention that the Lakota have the right to do anything they want with these artifacts when they are returned," he said via e-mail. "These things are the property of their people, stripped from the bodies of their ancestors on a field of infamy." About 300 Indians, including Big Foot, were massacred at Wounded Knee by members of the 7th U.S. Cavalry.
The collection came to Barre more than a century ago, when it was brought to the area by Frank R. Root. Among the items is a Ghost Dance shirt similar to one returned to the tribe in 1998 from Glasgow, Scotland. The collection also includes scalps, umbilical cord medicine bags, beaded items and sacred pipes.
Under the federal Repatriation Act, the items would have to be returned if the library had ever taken federal funding.
Mr. Cirelli said the library has not used such money because trustees never saw the need. He said keeping the collection was not a consideration in the decision to avoid using federal funding.
The library recently lost its state certification after refusing to accept state funding. The facility can no longer borrow materials through the interlibrary loan service. Librarian James K. Knowlton has said the move was part of a rebuilding plan.
Mr. Bormuth said the protest next week will be peaceful and include a purification (smudging), an opening invocation, speeches, poetry, drumming, singing and chanting. He is hopeful that there will also be opportunities to view the museum.
Tiokasin Ghosthorse of New York, whose great-great-grandmother survived the massacre, said he believes the Repatriation Act should extend beyond its current limits to "people´s conscience."
He said in a telephone interview that since the items were taken at a time of terror, those who think they are preserving the items are likely being affected by the negative energy. "Once the native people receive these things back, and they will, there will be great blessings," he said.
Mr. Ghosthorse said he has not seen the museum and though he would like to, he finds such visits difficult.
"It´s like seeing myself on display," he said. "As a kid, I got sick (visiting a museum display). I felt like I was dead."
Mr. Knowlton said yesterday he has been told not to discuss the issue.
Calls made to the association president and the group´s lawyer were not returned last night.
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Post by blackcrowheart on Jun 23, 2008 17:16:19 GMT -5
Indigenous Veterans Honored Posted by: "Kapoonis1959@aol.com" Kapoonis1959@aol.com anahooey Thu Jun 21, 2007 9:35 am (PST) KYLE, S.D. (AP) A monument honoring more than 18-hundred American Indian military veterans will be dedicated Saturday six miles southwest of Kyle, South Dakota at the administrative headquarters of Oglala Lakota College.
College President Thomas Shortbull says the monument will include the names of Indians who served in both World wars, the Korean War and Vietnam.
Shortbull says American Indians have had the highest rate of military service during wars of any racial group.
The monument features life-size bronze statues of a male Indian veteran and a female Indian veteran.
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Post by blackcrowheart on Jun 23, 2008 17:15:26 GMT -5
Hopoe, The Dancing Stone - Hawaiian
"Moving back and forth in the wind Softly moving in the quiet breeze Rocking by the side of the sea."
--Ancient Hopoe Chant.
ON the southeastern seacoast of the island Hawaii, near a hamlet called Keaau, is a large stone which was formerly so balanced that it could be easily moved. One of the severe earthquake shocks of the last century overthrew the stone and it now lies a great black mass of lava rock near the seashore.
This stone in the long ago was called by the natives Hopoe, because Hopoe, the graceful dancer of Puna who taught Hiiaka, the youngest sister of Pele, how to dance, was changed into this rock. The story of the jealousy and anger of Pele, which resulted in overwhelming Hopoe in a flood of lava and placing her in the form of a balanced rock to dance by the sea to the music of the eternally moving surf, is a story which must be kept on record for the lovers of Hawaiian folk-lore.
Pele had come from the islands of the South seas and had found the Hawaiian Islands as they are at the present day. After visiting all the other islands she settled in Puna, on the large island Hawaii. There she had her long sleep in which she went to the island Kauai and found her lover Lohiau, whom she promised to send for that he might come to her home in the volcano Kilauea.
Pele called her sisters one by one and told them to go to Kauai, but they feared the uncertainty of Pele's jealousy and wrath and refused to go. At last she called for Hiiaka, but she was down by the seashore with her friend Hopoe. There in a beautiful garden spot grew the fine food plants of the old Hawaiians. There were ohias[1] (apples) and the brilliant red, feathery blossoms of the lehua trees, and there grew the hala, from which sweet-scented skirts and mats were woven.
Hopoe was very graceful and knew all the dances of the ancient people. Hour after hour she taught Hiiaka the oldest hulas (dances) known among the Hawaiians until Hiiaka excelled in all beautiful motions of the human form. Hopoe taught Hiiaka how to make leis (wreaths) from the most fragrant and splendid flowers. Together they went out into the white-capped waves bathing and swimming and seeking the fish of the coral caves. Thus they learned to have great love for each other. The girl from the south seas promised to care for the Hawaiian girl whose home was in the midst of volcanic fires, and the Hawaiian gave pledge to aid and serve as best she could.
Together they were making life happy when Pele called for Hiiaka. Out from the fumes of the crater, echoing from hill to hill through Puna, rustling the leaves of the forest trees, that insistent voice came to the younger sister.
Hiiaka by her magic power quickly passed from the seashore to the volcano. Some of the native legends say that Pele had slept near the seashore where she had commenced to build a volcanic home for herself and her sisters, and that while longing for the coming of her lover Lohiau she had dug feverishly, throwing up hills and digging some of the many pit craters which are famous in the district of Puna.
At last she determined to visit Ailaau, the god residing in Kilauea, but he had fled from her and she had taken his place and found a home in the earthquake-shaken pit of molten lava, leaping fire, and overwhelming sulphur smoke. Here she felt that her burning love could wait no longer and she must send for Lohiau.
To her came Hiiaka fresh from the clear waters of the sea and covered with leis made by her friend Hopoe. For a few minutes she stood fore her sisters. Then untwisting the wreaths one by one she danced until all the household seemed to be overcome by her grace and gladness. She sent the influence of her good-will deep into the hearts of her sisters.
Pele alone looked on with scowling dissatisfied face. As soon as she could she said to Hiiaka: "Go far away; go to Kauai; get a husband for us, and bring him to Hawaii. Do not marry him. Do not even embrace him. He is tabu to you. Go forty days only--no longer for going or coming back."
Hiiaka looked upon the imperious goddess of fire and said: "That is right. I go after your husband but I lay my charge upon you: You must take care of my lehua forest and not permit it to be injured. You may eat all other places of ours, but you must not touch my own lehua grove, my delight. You will be waiting here. Anger will arise in you. You will destroy inland: you will destroy toward the sea; but you must not touch my friend--my Hopoe. You will eat Puna with our burning wrath, but you must not go near Hopoe. This is my covenant with you, O Pele."
Pele replied: ''This is right; I will care for your forest and your friend. Go you for our husband." As Pele had charged Hiiaka so had Hiiaka, laid her commandment on Pele. Hiiaka, like the other sisters, knew how uncertain Pele was in all her moods and how suddenly and unexpectedly her wrath would bring destruction upon anything appearing to oppose her. Therefore she laid upon Pele the responsibility of caring for and protecting Hopoe. This was ceremonial oath-taking between the two.
Hiiaka rose to prepare for the journey, but Pele's impatience at every moment's delay was so great that she forced Hiiaka away without food or extra clothing. Hiiaka slowly went forth catching only a magic pa-u, or skirt, which had the death-dealing power of flashing lightning.
As she climbed the walls of the crater she looked down on her sisters and chanted:
"The traveller is ready to go for the loved one. The husband of the dream. I stand, I journey while you remain, O women with bowed heads. Oh my lehua forest-inland at Kailu, The longing traveller journeys many days For the lover of the sweet dreams. For Lohiau ipo."--Ancient Hiiaka Chant.
When Pele heard this chant from the forgiving love of her little sister she relented somewhat and gave Hiiaka a portion of her divine power with which to wage battle against the demons and dragons and sorcerers innumerable whom she would meet in her journey, and also sent Pauopalae, the woman of supernatural power, who cared for the ferns of all kinds around the volcano, to be her companion.
As Hiiaka went up to the highlands above the volcano she looked down over Puna. Smoke from the volcano fell toward the sea, making dark the forest along the path to Keaau, where Hopoe dwelt. Hiiaka, with a heavy heart, went on her journey, fearing that this smoke might be prophetic of the wrath of the goddess of fire visited at the suggestion of some sudden jealousy or suspicion upon Hopoe and her household.
What the Hawaiians call mana, or supernatural power able to manifest itself in many ways, had come upon Hiiaka. She found this power growing within her as she overcame obstacle after obstacle in the progress of her journey. Thus Hiiaka from time to time as she passed over the mountains of the different islands was able to look back over the dearly loved land of Puna.
At last she saw the smoke, which had clouded the forests along the way to the home of her friend, grow darker and blacker and then change into the orange hues of outbreaking fire. She felt Pele's unfaithfulness and chanted:
"Yellow grows the smoke of Ka-lua (the crater) Turning heavily toward the sea. Turning against my aikane (bosom friend), Coming near to my loved one, Rising up--straight up And going down from the pit."
After many days had passed and she had found Lohiau. she had another vision of Puna and saw a great eruption of lava making desolate the land. There had been many hindrances to the progress of Hiiaka and she had been slow. The waiting and impatient goddess of fire became angry with her messenger and hurled lava from the pit crater down into the forests which she had promised to protect. Hiiaka chanted:
"The smoke bends over Kaliu. I thought my lehuas were tabu. The birds of fire are eating them up. They are picking my lehuas Until they are gone."
Then from that far-off island of Kauai she looked over her burning forest toward the sea and again chanted:
"O my friend of the steep ridges above Keaau, My friend who made garlands Of the lehua blossoms of Kaliu, Hopoe is driven away to the sea-- The sea of Lanahiku."
Fiercer and more devouring were thc lava floods hurled out over the forest so loved Hiiaka. Heavier were the earthquake shocks shaking all the country around the volcano. Then Hiiaka bowed her head and said:
Puna is shaking in the wind, Shaking is the hala grove of Keaau, Tumbling are Haena and Hopoe, Moving is the land--moving is the sea."
Thus by her spirit-power she looked back to Hawaii and saw Puna devastated and the land covered by the destructive floods of lava sent out by Pele.
Hopoe was the last object of Pele's anger at her younger sister, but there was no escape. The slow torrent of lava surrounded the beach where Hopoe waited death. She placed the garlands Hiiaka had loved over her head and shoulders. She wore the finest skirt she had woven from lauhala leaves. She looked out over the death-dealing seas into which she could not flee, and then began the dance of death.
There Pele's fires caught her but did not devour her. The angry goddess of fire took away her human life and gave her goblin power. Pele changed Hopoe into a great block of lava and balanced it on the seashore. Thus Hopoe was able to dance when the winds blew or the earth shook or some human hand touched her and disturbed her delicate poise. it is said that for centuries she has been the dancing stone of Puna.
Hiiaka fulfilled her mission patiently and faithfully, bringing Lohiau even from a grave in which he had been placed back to life and at last presenting him before Pele although all along the return journey she was filled with bitterness because of the injustice of Pele in dealing death to Hopoe.
[1. Ohia ai = Jambosa Malacrensis. Ohia Ha = Syzygium Sandwicense.]
Hawaiian Legends Of Volcanoes,Collected And Translated From The Hawaiian,W. D. WESTERVELT
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Post by blackcrowheart on Jun 23, 2008 17:14:45 GMT -5
Aztec Onion And Lime Soup With Blue Corn Dumplings
Soup; 3 tablespoons corn oil 4 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped or 3 serrano chiles, seeded, chopped fine 1 large tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped 5 cups veggie stock 1/4 cup lime juice 1 tablespoon finely grated lime zest salt to taste black pepper, freshly ground to taste
Blue Corn Dumplings; 1 cup blue corn flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening 1 egg 1/2 cup milk 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
Over low heat, warm the corn oil in a large heavy pot (preferably one that can be carried to the table). Add the onions and stir to coat them with oil. Cover and cook them slowly for 20 minutes. Uncover the pot and raise the heat to moderate. Stir in the garlic and chiles and saute for 2 minutes. Then add the tomato and continue to cook, stirring for 1 more minute. Add the stock, lime juice and zest, and salt and pepper. Bring the soup to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the Blue Corn Dumplings. Sift the corn flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium-sized bowl. Using your fingers, two knives, or a pastry cutter, cut in the vegetable shortening until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. In a small bowl, beat together the egg and milk. Add the cilantro. Gradually stir the egg mixture into the corn flour mixture, adding only enough of the egg to moisten the flour thoroughly. The dough should not be too wet. Depending on the size of the egg, you may not need to use it all. When the soup has cooked for 30 minutes, drop the dough into the simmering broth a tablespoon at a time to make a dozen dumplings. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid, and steam the dumplings for 15 minutes. Keep the soup at a low bubble, and do not lift the lid while the dumplings are cooking. Bring the cooking pot to the table and serve the soup hot in Mexican-style bowls, with two dumplings floating in each. Serves 6.
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Post by blackcrowheart on Jun 23, 2008 17:12:32 GMT -5
Ash Cakes 1 cup white cornmeal 1/2 cup flour (optional) 1/2 tsp. salt Water Mix dry ingredients. Add enough cold water to make a firm dough. Form the dough into thin cakes. Clear coals from an area of the campfire and lay the cakes on the hot earth. Rake coals and ash over the cakes and let them bake for about five minutes. Test for doneness by thumping the cake with a spoon handle or stick. A hollow ringing sound indicates doneness.
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Post by blackcrowheart on Jun 23, 2008 17:07:11 GMT -5
Local filmmaker opens door to past LAS CRUCES — Ed Breeding thinks it's time to draw on the wisdom of the past and the beauty of American wilderness and indigenous cultures to inspire change and healing. Breeding has drawn on many of his own diverse talents —along with those of regional artists — to produce "Echoes From The Ancestors," which he describes as "a 30-minute film featuring quotes, voiceovers and music by Native Americans." The film will be broadcast at 9:30 p.m. today and May 29 on KRWG. "History has taught us that the only thing we learn from history is that we don't learn from history," notes a voiceover on the film, but Breeding has more optimistic goals. "Their wisdom and spirits are reaching out to us from the past," proclaims the "Echoes" DVD cover, which features a painting by Breeding, who is an artist, filmmaker, poet and author who moved to Las Cruces in 2004. He hopes the film "can be that open door whereby the beginning of a deeper understanding and healing begins." Breeding has traveled extensively, making sketches and meeting with indigenous peoples around the world. "The native people of Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras, Cuba, Australia and Canada became the inspiration for much of my paintings and writings," Breeding said. He felt so strongly about the project that he sold his retreat in Cloudcroft to finance the film. "Echoes from the Ancestors" includes 24 quotes by American Indian leaders against a backdrop of locations filmed in remote wilderness areas in Wyoming, New Mexico and Colorado during Breeding's backpacking trips. Also featured are his oil paintings, and American Indian dancers and singers. Music for the film was composed by award-winning Las Cruces musician Yolanda Martinez, who has Apache roots. The film also features Don Pepion, of the Blackfeet tribe, director of New Mexico State University's American Indian Program. "I think it will help people to know that we did have our heroes to look up to," Pepion states in the film's introduction. Narrators include Pepion, Martinez, Alec Mares, who is Navajo, and Matt Runsabove, whose heritage is Sioux. Breeding said quotes from such legendary American Indian leaders as Sitting Bull, Black Elk and Chief Joseph were chosen after extensive research that focused on a central question: "Why did white men do this to us?" It's a question with personal implications for Breeding, whose paternal lineage is Cherokee. He wrote a song for the project and also contributed a voiceover himself about the Cherokee who perished on the Trail of Tears. He was born in eastern Tennessee and grew up in Michigan and has always enjoyed the outdoor life and wild foods. His eclectic background includes service with the U.S. Air Force in Europe, a stint with the CIA in Washington D.C., and an executive post with the La-Z-Boy Corporation. His art career has included a commissioned piece for the Simon Candy Company that sold 400,000 units and works that have appeared on magazine covers and been featured in numerous exhibitions in New Mexico, Michigan, Tennessee, Georgia, California, Wyoming, Montana and throughout the United States. His paintings are currently on exhibit at galleries in St. Petersburg, Fla. and Atlanta. Still photography is another interest, which segued into filmmaking. He has learned by watching great films, he said. "Echoes" is his fifth film. His last film, "Ambassador of the Aztec Nation," about Aztec dancer and philosopher Javier Alarcon, has been shown in Santa Fe and at the Fountain Theatre's "Not Columbus Day" event. Breeding has also published a book of poetry by his late cousin, Ann Russell, whose poem is featured in "Echoes," and has written a dozen manuscripts of his own, including his latest, "The Belt and Beyond," an online book available through Amazon.com, and a recently completed novel, "TULUM," a women's quest adventure set in ancient Mayan ruins in the Yucatan. In addition to this month's two KRWG-TV broadcasts, a screening of "Echoes" is planned this summer at the Fountain Theatre in Mesilla. He has also submitted the film to several film festivals and PBS stations in Tennessee, Kentucky and Michigan. He learned this month that it has been accepted in the Native American and Latino category of the renowned Sundance Film Festival.
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Post by blackcrowheart on Jun 23, 2008 17:02:54 GMT -5
Brazil's Indians offended by Pope comments By Raymond Colitt > Mon May 14, 3:15 PM ET > > news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070514/wl_nm/pope_brazil_indians_dc> > Outraged Indian leaders in Brazil said on Monday they were offended by > Pope Benedict's "arrogant and disrespectful" comments that the Roman > Catholic Church had purified them and a revival of their religions > would be a backward step. > > In a speech to Latin American and Caribbean bishops at the end of a > visit to Brazil, the Pope said the Church had not imposed itself on > the indigenous peoples of the Americas. > > They had welcomed the arrival of European priests at the time of the > conquest as they were "silently longing" for Christianity, he said. > > Millions of tribal Indians are believed to have died as a result of > European colonization backed by the Church since Columbus landed in > the Americas in 1492, through slaughter, disease or enslavement. > > Many Indians today struggle for survival, stripped of their > traditional ways of life and excluded from society. > > "It's arrogant and disrespectful to consider our cultural heritage > secondary to theirs," said Jecinaldo Satere Mawe, chief coordinator of > the Amazon Indian group Coiab. > > Several Indian groups sent a letter to the Pope last week asking for > his support in defending their ancestral lands and culture. They said > the Indians had suffered a "process of genocide" since the first > European colonizers had arrived. > > Priests blessed conquistadors as they waged war on the indigenous > peoples, although some later defended them and many today are the most > vociferous allies of Indians. > > "The state used the Church to do the dirty work in colonizing the > Indians but they already asked forgiveness for that ... so is the Pope > taking back the Church's word?" said Dionito Jose de Souza a leader of > the Makuxi tribe in northern Roraima state. > > Pope John Paul spoke in 1992 of mistakes in the evangelization of > native peoples of the Americas. > > Pope Benedict not only upset many Indians but also Catholic priests > who have joined their struggle, said Sandro Tuxa, who heads the > movement of northeastern tribes. > > "We repudiate the Pope's comments," Tuxa said. "To say the cultural > decimation of our people represents a purification is offensive, and > frankly, frightening. > > "I think (the Pope) has been poorly advised." > > Even the Catholic Church's own Indian advocacy group in Brazil, known > as Cimi, distanced itself from the Pope. > > "The Pope doesn't understand the reality of the Indians here, his > statement was wrong and indefensible," Cimi advisor Father Paulo Suess > told Reuters. "I too was upset." > > >
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