Native American Heritage Month at MTU
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Story On Friday, November 3, 2000 MTU will host its 5th Annual Native American
Speakers' Forum. The forum will take place from 9:00 - 4:00 p.m. in the
Memorial Union Building Isle Royal Ballrooms B-1 and B-2.
Speaker Schedule:
The Speaker's Forum is free and open to the public, with the exception
of the luncheon. On Saturday, November 4th, the 2nd Annual Walt Bresette Memorial Walk
Run will be held in at the Tech Trails, beginning at the Gates Tennis
Center. Entry fee is $5.00, which includes a T-shirt for those who complete
the walk. The late Walter Bresette, Ojibwa from the Red Cliff Lake Superior
Band of Chippewa, was a former visiting scholar at MTU, and taught the
course "Indigenous Perspectives of the Environment" at MTU. He passed
on to the spirit world in Feb. 1999. We will always remember Walt for
his activism, writings, humor and efforts to save the Lake Superior watershed
and protect our basic rights of clean air and water for generations to
come.
At 1:00 p.m. the Grand Entry for MTU's 5th Annual Spirit of the Harvest
Powwow begins. The powwow is held at the Gates Tennis Center and is open
to the public. Grand entries are at 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Head Dancers
are Karlene and Donald Chosa; Host Drum is Morning Thunder of Marquette,
and Co-Host Drum is Tree Town of Ann Arbor; Visiting Drums include: Buffalo
Bay Singers of Odanah, WI; Smokey Town of Neopit, Wisconsin; Four Winds
of Lac du Flambeau, WI and Bear Town of Keweenaw Bay.The Lac du Flambeau
Veteran's Color Guard will also perform the flag ceremonies this year.
Stanley Spruce of KBIC is emcee for the powwow. There are 12 Native craft
and food vendors, that will feature Native food, crafts and jewelry for
the entire day.
For more information, please call Carole LaPointe at 906/487-2920 or
email Carole at cllapoin@mtu.edu
We also encourage you to tune on to Public Television station TV13
for the following programming for November. Native America Heritage Month
Is Celebrated During November Special Programming On TV 13.
Spirit of the Land From Yup ik Eskimos to Native Hawaiians, this three-part series examines
how the indigenous peoples of North America have had an intimate relatinship
with their natural environment, deriving from it spiritual fulfillment
as well as the resources necessary for survival. Viewers will see how
Native Americans in vastly different environments meet the common challenge
of maintaining ancient traditions while keeping in step with the modern
world.
Kinaalda: A Navajo Rite of Passage Hopi Quilts Warrior in Two Worlds Lost Bird of Wounded Knee Singing Our Stories Electronic Smoke Signals Spirit: A Journey in Dance, Drums and Song On and Off the Res with Charlie Hill Earl's Canoe: A Traditional Ojibwe Craft The Return of Navajo Boy
Native
American
Heritage Activities
Thursdays at 2:00 pm, November 2-16
Sunday, November 26 at 4:00 pm
An inside look at a trandition that has remained unchanged for generations.
This documentary follows 13-year-old Tanya Sheperd s initiation into womanhood
during a rite of passage that also connects her to her Navajo community
and culture. Produced by Lena Carr, who was denied her own kinaalda ceremony
because of her parents desire to integrate her into mainstream culture.
Monday, November 20 at 2:00 pm
Since missionaries introduced the American craft of quilting to Hopi
women in the remote mesas of northern Arizona more than 100 years ago,
simple patchwork bedcoverings have evolved into contemporary works of
art. This special visits quilters, showing how Hopi artisans have adopted
the American quilting tradition and made it uniquely their own.
Tuesday, November 21 at 1:00 pm
The story of Ely S. Parker, a 19th-century Seneca Indian who defied
racial barriers to rise in power in both white and Indian worlds. He was
a Seneca chief, federal engineer, Civil War secretary to Ulysses S. Grant,
and the first Native American commissioner of Indian Affairs. And yet,
his successes would be tainted with controversy--his quest of the American
dream turned tragic.
Tuesday, November 21 at 2:00 pm
Lost Bird was born somewhere on the prairies of South Dakota in 1890.
Fate took her to Wounded Knee Creek on the Pine Ridge Reservation on December
29, that tragic day when some 300 Lakota men, women and children died
in a confrontation with U.S. troops. Four days later, a rescue party found
her---she was adopted by a prominent white couple, only to endure a life
of racism, abuse and poverty. This special tells her story.
Wednesday, November 22 at 1:00 pm
The stories and songs of Native American women link the past to the present
as they trace the voices of their ancestors. This film profiles the "First
Ladies" of indigenous song-- rock icon Rita Coolidge, Tuscarora singer
Pura Fe, Blackfoot composer Olivia Tailfeathers and the traditional music
of the Zuni Olla Maidens.
Wednesday, November 22 at 2:00 pm
Native Americans across the nation are communicating to educate, to inform,
to unite the community. This special looks at four Native American-operated
radio stations in South Dakota, which broadcast a mix of contemporary
music, native music and lore, news, and announcements. For listeners in
often remote areas, these stations are an integral part of life.
Thursday, November 23 at 3:05 pm
This special, featuring more than 70 performers, merges the rich,
mythical fabric of Native American artists and their culture with the
electrifying sound of contemporary music and the power of Broadway choreography.
These divergent art forms join together brilliantly to tell the story
of one man s journey back to the serenity of another time, as emotional
restraints are stripped away from body and soul.
Friday, November 25 at 1:00 pm
A one-hour documentary that delivers a knock-out punch to the sterotype
of the silent, stoic Indian by highlighting the life and career of America
s foremost Indian comedian, Charlie Hill. It s a straight-ahead, inspiring
story that will not only make viewers laugh, but will raise their consciousness
in the process.
Friday, November 25 at 2:00 pm
In the summer of 1997, Earl Nyholm, a member of the L'Anse-Baraga band
of Ojibwe and master of traditional techniques, set out to build what
he said was to be his last birchbark canoe. Few people know how to build
these traditional crafts, the main mode of transportation for the region
for centuries.
Sunday, November 26 at 4:00 pm
Since the 1930s, members of the Cly family have lived in Monument Valley,
Utah, and appeared as subjects in countless photographs and postcards.
In 1997, a man brought a silent film called Navajo Boy to Monument Valley;
when family matriarch watched the film, she was delighted to see the faces
of her late mother and infant brother, John Wayne Cly, who was adopted
by white missionaries and never heard from again. As a result, John Wayne
Cly discovered his past and was reunited with his family.