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to tell us what you're working on, share your show & tell, vent, whatever you want...
...this is an open thread. Nothing is off topic.
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Boujou!
We lead today with an update on the Lakota/Bureau of Indian Affairs [BIA] summit scheduled for mid-May. I did not think this was public, but as of Saturday morning, the Associated Press is reporting it in a local South Dakota news outlet, so it's now out there.
Two weeks ago, I wrote about the "Lakota Spring," including a pair of upcoming hearings organized by the Standing Rock Sioux Nation in preparation for the summit. The BIA agreed to the summit after members of Congress, under pressure from Sioux tribal members, demanded an investigation into reports that South Dakota state officials intentionally engaged in repeated violations of the Indian Child Welfare Act [ICWA] by improperly removing Indian children from their families and placing them in white foster or adoptive homes. In any other context, we'd call that what it is: Kidnapping. In South Dakota, it's called capitalism, since it's a moneymaker for both white families and the state.
Well, after much apparent hemming and hawing, the BIA has released its agenda for the summit - an agenda, I remind you, that was supposed to be a joint project between BIA officials and tribal leaders.
And it's a whitewash. In the multiple senses of that term.
Yes, I do know this, because I've seen the agenda.
Standing Rock officials agreed to this summit on condition that it would address the facts of the kidnapping of their children and work to correct the ongoing violations. They did not agree to help cover them up. Among their very reasonable conditions was that former South Dakota Senator James Abourezk, the original architect of the ICWA, be included in the program to speak about the conditions that compelled him to act in the first place. (Here's a hint: The conditions in 1970s Indian Country looked very much like the conditions in South Dakota today.)
I've seen no official public response from the BIA yet, and I'm not taking bets at this point as to whether the summit will actually occur.
ANTI-INDIAN GROUPS MOUNTING EFFORT TO UNDERMINE TREATIES
AND DESTROY TRIBAL SOVEREIGNTY
 What, you thought it was over? Oh, no - not by a long shot.
And I can tell you with complete confidence that not a single Indian on this site will be surprised by this story.
On Friday, the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights [IREHR] published an online exposé of two associated anti-Indian groups that have thus far flown mostly under the national radar: the Citizens Equal Rights Alliance [CERA] and the Citizens Equal Rights Foundation [CERF].
In Bellingham, Washington, Idle No More activists recently staged a protest, with drumming and singing, outside a conference of anti-Indian, anti-treaty, anti-sovereignty "activists":
Inside a Lakeway Inn conference room, about fifty people were gathered to hear a lineup of speakers assail the very ideas of tribal sovereignty and treaty rights – of tribal nationhood. The anti-Indian movement had come to town. The concerns of Idle No More Bellingham were entirely justified.
The Bellingham conference was sponsored by the Citizens Equal Rights Alliance (CERA) and Citizens Equal Rights Foundation (CERF), one of a series of events being hosted around the country by these closely-linked national anti-Indian groups. CERA/CERF held previous meetings in New York and Massachusetts; others are slated for late April in the Midwest and June in Northern California. CERA/CERF organized these forums after canceling their regular annual Washington D.C. conference.
CERA and CERF are the "educational" and fundraising arms, respectively, of the same group of white anti-Indian bigots. Co-opting the language of diversity and civil rights, they protest that "we are all one nation," making "sovereignty" not merely a "legal fiction" but a racist violation of their civil rights. Further, in their warped worldview, since there's no such thing as tribal sovereignty, there are no longer any treaties to be honored, and any attempt to do so is likewise a racist violation of their civil rights.
CERA's Web site is positively Orwellian. Prominently displayed at the top of the main page is the following:
CERF/CERA does not tolerate racial prejudice of any kind. We don't knowingly associate with anyone who discriminates against people based on race. CERF/CERA supports and defends the constitutional rights of Indians and non-Indians. Our mission is to change federal Indian policies that restrict or threaten the individual rights of Indians and non-Indians living on or near Indian reservations.
Our position is critical of discriminatory federal policies and laws that deny Indian reservation residents their Constitutional rights. It is our intent to raise awareness and debate over these federal policies, regulations and the poorly understood body of "Indian Law". Our criticism of these federal policies and laws should not be construed as prejudice against Indian people or culture.
Got that? They're actually here to help us Indians, because the big bad government is violating our constitutional rights by, you know, upholding treaties and so forth.
Except, of course, the whole purpose of CERA, as manifested in its recent fundraising and organizing efforts, is to "take these tribes down":
"We have at our disposal what we need - the weapon, the means, the opportunity and the financial support to take these tribes down. What do we get for our trouble: the opportunity to strike a most devastating psychological blow to Northwest tribes’ pride and their sense of well-being."
Let's be really clear here: This is about money and resources and white privilege turned full-throated, vicious racism. These are hate groups. Perhaps someone should encourage the Southern Poverty Law Center to add them to their list.
I realize that this is very abbreviated, but I only became aware of this yesterday. In the next week or two, I'm going to try to flesh this out into a full diary. We need to know what these groups are doing, and we need to push back. Hard.
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NEED TO SAVE AN INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE? THERE'S AN APP FOR THAT
 Yes, there is now. The latest resources in the effort to save our traditional languages are apps and iPads and other tools of technology.
[Brendan] St. Cyr, who serves as media specialist for the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska’s Ho-Chunk Renaissance Program, says he’s always on the lookout for creative ways to bring the Ho-Chunk language back to life. So far, he’s worked up a language quiz game based on the show "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" and has been using Facebook and YouTube videos to get young people engaged.
"The world is moving so fast with technology, and our youth are the ones who are going to carry the language on,"' he said. "I think it’s received pretty well."
The Ho-Chunk language-learning app is the latest idea he’s brought to the table. If tribal leaders give the OK, the tool could be circulated among the approximately 2,600 tribal members who live on the reservation, as well as those who have moved away.
The effort is not without controversy, and predictably, The Washington Post fails utterly at actually identifying and describing the nature of that controversy. The article quotes the technology company owner, who says:
"When we started out, there was hesitance to use technology," Thornton said. "Sometimes people said it was the wrong way to go, that we should go straight through elders."
But the reporter doesn't bother to talk to, you know, any of the Indians with those very real questions and concerns who might be able to shed light on why they have them - nor on how they might suggest such concerns be resolved. The article does quote a linguistics professor who says that "most tribes across the country are making some type of effort toward a language comeback." What it doesn't do is even mention the fact that there are numerous indigenous languages that are, by design, not written, and that many of those are still the first language spoken in tribal households. Saving indigenous languages - those that actually do need "saving" - still will occur only via the native speakers of those languages. These are new and in some cases very welcome tools in that constant effort by our peoples. But with all the shiny new technology, let's not forget those who actually keep the languages (along with the cultures and traditions and identities) alive - the Indians whose people have spoken these languages for millennia.
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LUKE SKYWALKER SPEAKS NAVAJO? HE WILL THIS SUMMER
 Speaking of Native languages, for the first time, Hollywood is translating a dominant-culture story into an Indian language, rather than attempting (and botching) the reverse. The chosen movie? Star Wars.
Yes, really. Star Wars.
It's apparently the joint brainchild of Manuelito Wheeler, the director of the Navajo Nation Museum, and the folks at Lucasfilm. No word yet on how successful they will be in translating an American cult favorite with its own subtextual themes and language into an indigenous tongue where not only words, but even concepts, don't always transfer. Mr. Wheeler notes the magnitude of the problem:
"Diné, the Navajo language, often uses a description of what a word does to convey meaning so that several English words are needed to produce a translation."
Their timetable is a tight one: The plan is to premiere the dubbed Navajo-language version of the film at the museum's July Fourth celebration in Window Rock, Arizona. Auditions for native speakers of Navajo to provide voices for the dubbing will be held on May 3 and 4.
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MORE NDN NEWS and Latest Updates on Kossack Regional Meet-Up News Below the Frybead Thingey
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WES STUDI INDUCTED INTO HALL OF GREAT WESTERN ACTORS
 Last Saturday, Wes Studi (Cherokee) became only the second Native actor to be inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers at Oklahoma City's National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. The first was Canadian First Nations actor Jay Silverheels (Six Nations of the Grand River), who is best known for playing Tonto in the 1950s television series The Lone Ranger. Considering the truly unfortunate omission in the museum's name, for Indians, irony abounds: Of a total of four inductees in the Class of 2013, only the Indian is still alive.
Most non-Indians probably know Wes Studi as "that guy in Dances With Wolves" or in The Last of the Mohicans or, more recently, as Joe Leaphorn in the PBS adaptation of Tony Hillerman's novels. But he's always been much, much more than an actor:
Growing up in northeastern Oklahoma, Studi spoke only the Cherokee language until he went to boarding school. He remains an advocate of preserving native languages. After serving in the Army in Vietnam — in what he has described as a form of catharsis — he joined the American Indian Movement. That led to him participating in the Trail of Broken Treaties protest march and the occupation of the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs building in Washington, D.C., in 1972 and the occupation of Wounded Knee, S.D., in 1973.
He returned to the Cherokee reservation in Oklahoma, attended college on the GI Bill, helped start a Cherokee newspaper and then ran his own horse ranch and became a professional horse trainer. It wasn’t until the 1980s that Studi turned to acting — live theater in Oklahoma, television and then his first feature film role in Powwow Highway, partly filmed in New Mexico.
Mr. Studi is still an activist, and that part of his life is reflected in some of the film projects he chooses. One of his latest is Road to Paloma, slated for release later this year, and one that features a storyline that is close to my own heart:
"It’s basically an action-biker kind of movie," he said. "But it's [sic] core story has to do with domestic violence against women on reservations in Indian Country by people not of the reservations or Indian Country and the ability of tribal authorities to actually prosecute those crimes. While we stepped up a little bit in terms of the Violence Against Women Act that was signed within the past month — there are a few provisions in there that allow for tribal governments and their law-enforcement agencies to be able to respond to these crimes — it’s a very small half-step in the right direction."
Fun fact that even we didn't know: Wes Studi now lives in Arroyo Hondo, New Mexico, about a five-minute drive from us.
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WORLD'S LARGEST POWWOW CELEBRATES 30TH ANNIVERSARY,
CROWNS MISS INDIAN WORLD 2013
 For the 30th consecutive year, Albuquerque has played host to what for years has been the largest powwow in the world, the Gathering of Nations. The Gathering attracts indigenous dancers, drummers, and singers from all over the United States and Canada, and sometimes even participants from Mexico and Central and South America. This year, participant totals were expected to exceed 3,000, plus another 800+ tribal artists and artisans selling art, music, food, traditional regalia, and a host of other products and services. Early numbers estimate that more than 700 tribal nations were represented, and more than 100,000 visitors attended over the course of the the three-day event.
If you've never been to the GoN, it's worth it just for the spectacle. It bears little relationship to a traditional local powwow - it's grown far too big for that. But it's an opportunity to see some of the world's best traditional dancers, from the toddlers in the "Tiny Tots" category to the elders in the "Golden Age" groups. The event features a number of contests; among non-Indian visitors, the most popular seem to be strictly the dancing, but the talent found in the singing, drumming, and hand-drum contests is outstanding.
The event also includes the crowning of Miss Indian World, a young woman who will spend a year serving as an international ambassador for tribal nations generally and her own nation specifically. The 2013-2014 Miss Indian World is Kansas K. Begaye (Diné), of Waterflow, New Mexico. Now, Miss Indian World is not a beauty pageant in the dominant-culture sense of the term. There is no swimsuit competition, although there is one for traditional dress. Each contestant is judged on her knowledge and presentation of her traditional culture, an essay, an interview, public speaking abilities, and performance of one of her people's traditional dances. The point is not to choose someone who fits artificial and unhealthy media-set standards of "beauty," but rather, to select a representative for tribal nations who exemplifies traditional beauty: thoroughly immersed in her own culture and able to speak about it with both authority and respect, and able to educate both Native and non-native audiences about Indian cultures (including the importance of respecting and preserving them).
And once again, Red Thunder Rolling, a biker club comprising Indian veterans, coordinated its annual motorcycle ride and fundraiser to coincide with the Gathering. This year's ride raised funds for the Chichiltah Veterans Memorial Park; past years' recipients have included other Native vets and community projects, including the National Navajo Code Talkers Museum & Veterans Center, which was the group's 2012 fundraising recipient. [Be sure to click on the link and have a look at the littlest biker.]
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Chi miigwech.
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:: COMMUNITY BUILDING UPDATES ::
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Let's build communities!
Every region needs a meatspace community like SFKossacks.
We take care of each other in real life.
I urge YOU to take the lead and organize one in your region.
Please tell us about it if you do and we're here for advice.
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THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY
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Click >>>HERE to see a list of all the regional Kossack groups that have organized for social and activism events. There are handy links to contact each organizer to join.
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>>>Instructions on HOW TO FORM A NEW DAILY KOS GROUP
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:: Events Currently on the Books for ALL Kossacks ::
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Thursday, May 16th
Chicago Kossacks Celebrate the 101st Anniversary of Studs Terkel's Birth
TIME: 6:00 PM (drinks & apps) 7:00 PM (dinner, optional)
LOCATION: Pegasus Restaurant
130 South Halsted St. • Chicago (Greek Town!)
figbash will be dressing like Studs and others can do the same. There will be SWAG for all attendees. Plus door prizes!
ORGANIZER: Send figbash a kosmail to attend.
RSVPs:
1. figbash
2. broths
3. Mr. broths
4. NormAl1792
5. winifred
6. Empower Ink
7. BobboSphere
8. Marzook
9. ipmurphy
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Maybees:
freshwater dan
Tim DeLaney
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Latest diary: Chicago Kossacks and Studs Terkel: Thurs, May 16th
Saturday, June 1st
Atlanta Area Kossacks Kick-off Meet-up
TIME: 2:30 PM
LOCATION: Manuel's Tavern
602 N Highland Avenue Northeast • Atlanta
ORGANIZER: Send racheltracks a kosmail to attend.
RSVPs:
1. One Pissed Off Liberal
2. racheltracks
3. annrose
4. nawlinscate
5. Burned
6. treesrock
7. Grapes
8. jobird
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Maybees:
pragmaticidealist
xxdr zombiexx
eeff
Ashaman
lam2b2g
foresterbob
Lily O Lady
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Latest diary: Atlanta Meet-Up
New York Hudson Valley Kossacks
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boran2
NY Hudson Valley Kossacks' First Meet-up
TIME: TBD
LOCATION: Hudson House
2 Main Street • Cold Spring, NY
ORGANIZER: Send boran2 a kosmail to attend.
RSVPs:
1. boran2
2. thankgodforairamerica
3. betson08 (if event is in April)
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Maybees: |
Latest diary: [Waiting for linked diary]
June 20th - 23rd • REGISTER HERE • BOOK YOUR HOTEL!
Wednesday, June 19th
Cheers & Jeers-* New Day * Dinner
TIME: 5:30 PM
LOCATION: The Brit (Britannia Arms)
173 W. Santa Clara St. (walking distance from Conv. Center) • Downtown San Jose
Every year since 2007, Common Sense Mainer has organized a dinner for the readers of Cheers & Jeers who attend Netroots Nation. It has grown every year. Last year we had over 100 Kossacks attend. CSM always chooses a restaurant willing to handle a large crowd WITH SEPARATE CHECKS. (!?!) Yes, I know, hard to believe but it's worked the last several years. This year CSM has negotiated with The Brit for a special menu and separate checks are secured. If you'd like to join us please leave a comment in this diary and you'll be put on the RSVP list below. This year * New Day * and SFKossacks are co-hosting. All regional groups are invited to attend in addition to the loyal C&J following that Bill and Michael have.
ORGANIZER: Send navajo a kosmail to attend or leave a comment.
The plenary table list below will also be the RSVP list for this event. Dinner attendees will have an asterisk by their name.
Wednesday, June 19th
Liquid Courage party to open NN13
Our friends at the Courage Campaign have announced that they’re throwing a party to open Netroots Nation 2013. Gov. Howard Dean will be there!
TIME: 7:30 - 9:30 PM
LOCATION: The Tech Museum
201 South Market St. (walking distance from Conv. Center) • Downtown San Jose
Arrive early on Wednesday to pick up your credentials at the Convention Center which will get you into the Liquid Courage event.
Netroots Nation 2013 in San Jose: Plenary Session Table Reservations
SFKossacks:
1. side pocket *
2. mrs. side pocket *
3. kimoconnor *
4. citisven
5. lineatus
6. Cali Scribe
7. Glen the Plumber *
8. remembrance *
9. jotter *
10. aha aha *
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SFKossacks:
1. Lusty *
2. RainyDay *
3. norm *
4. boran2 (Honorary)
5. Lorikeet *
6. madhaus
7. boatsie
8. maggiejean *
9. paradise50 *
10. smileycreek *
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SFKossacks:
1. Kamakhya
2. dharmasyd *
3. Ebby
4. Bustergirl
5. BeninSC (Honorary)
6. sfbaytransplant
7. Senor Unoball
8. paradox
9. slouching
10. shanikka
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SFKossacks:
1. edrie *
2. Jeff in CA
3. Mrs. Jeff in CA
4. mber *
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
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Native American Netroots:
1. navajo *
2. Meteor Blades
3. 4Freedom * (maybe)
4. no way lack of brain
5. translatorpro
6. Kitsap River
7. Charles Curtis Stanley
8. TheFatLadySings
9. TFLS's guest
10. TFLS's guest
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Central Valley Kossacks:
1. tgypsy
2. Kestrel *
3. Caddis Fly
4. Sychotic1
5. peregrine kate (honorary)
6. ProvokingMeaning (honorary)
7. mrsgoo * (mrgoo *)
8.
9.
10.
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Lone Star Kossacks:
1. nomandates *
2. texasmom *
3. texasdad *
4. doraphasia
5. krwheaton
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
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Los Angeles Kossacks:
1. Shockwave
2. jakedog42 *
3. susans *
4. murphy
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
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NYC and beyond:
1. sidnora *
2. belinda ridgewood *
3. hayden
4. Jimdotz
5. theroaringgirl
6. thankgodforairamerica
7.
8.
9.
10.
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Community Quilt Project:
1. Sara R
2. winglion
3. loggersbrat *
4. ramara (Arizona)
5. Horace Boothroyd III
6. linkage
7.
8.
9.
10.
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Military Community Members:
1. DaNang65
2. drnatrl
3. angelajean (Maybe)
4. exlrrp (Maybe)
5. ccasas
6. llbear (Maybe)
7.
8.
9.
10.
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Cheers & Jeers Readers:
1. vicki
2. Sharoney
3. Spousal Unit
4. brillig *
5. mik *
6. K1 *
7. cskendrick
8. Arenosa *
9.
10.
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Gay Men of ANY Certain Age:
1. gizmo59
2. gizmo59's partner?
3. Dave in Northridge *
4. Steveningen
5. scaboni?
6. cooper888
7. gotmooned
8. FogCityJohn
9. slksfca
10.
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Misc Kossacks, new tables?:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
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Community Quilt Project NN13 Flash Mob Photo
smileycreek is organizing and asking all Community Quilt recipients to bring their quilts to NN13. We'll assemble at a pre-designated location and time for a group photo with one of the NN13 professional photographers. It will be a group hug celebrating one of the most beloved community building projects we have here at Daily Kos with Sara R and winglion at the center of it. navajo and Glen the Plumber are going to scout out and select a location in advance for all to meet with their quilts for a memorable photo opportunity. Stay tuned.
Date: TBD Time: TBD
1. paradise50
2. Dave in Northridge
3. remembrance
4. BeninSC
5. mimi
6. cskendrick
7. DaNang65
8. llbear (not attending, quilt only)
9. Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse (may not attend)
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10. Smoh (not attending, quilt only)
11. slksfca
12. belinda ridgewood
13. Ebby
14. Bustergirl
15. Kitsap River
16. Charles Curtis Stanley
17. Dr. Lori (not attending, quilt only)
18. MsSpentYouth
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June 27- June 30th
Glacier National Park Kossack EPIC Meetup!
TIME: 24/7
LOCATION: Glacier National Park
402 9th St W • Columbia Falls, Montana
ORGANIZER: Send arizonablue a kosmail to attend.
RSVPs:
1. BlueJessamine
2. arizonablue
3. Mr.arizonablue
4. Truman
5. Ojibwa - arriving for the weekend
6. MTmofo
7. figbash!
8. spottedbear
9. jakedog42
10. Oke
11. cooltraveler
12. Mr.cooltraveler
13. state of confusion
14. Lute the Norwegian
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15. Josh Blue
16. Thinking Fella
17. Blu Gal in DE
18. NormAl1792
19. winifred3
Maybees:
Joan McCarter
slksfca
Ed in Montana
BoiseBlue
BoiseBlue GF
Dave in Northridge
Timmethy
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Latest diary: Glacier National Park Check In! Glacier National Park Meetup - Part II w/ lodging and campground info!
Send navajo a kosmail if you post a diary about an event so we can update our round-up.
Okay. Floor's open.
Tell us what you are doing on this NEW DAY?
