Miss Navajo

On Saturday night a new Miss America was crowned. The pageant got me thinking about whether a Native American woman has ever won. Way back in 1926, Norma Smallwood was not only given the Miss America title but also the honor of being the first Native American to win. During my research, I found a pageant strictly for Native American women called Miss Navajo. Pageant contestants must be unmarried, over 18 years of age, be a high school graduate, and be able to speak the Navajo language. They compete in such activities such as: answering traditional and modern Navajo customs questions both in Navajo and English, sheep butchering, and performing a talent. Unlike most pageants, Miss Navajo focuses on the beauty within.

Here's a link to their website: http://www.missnavajocouncil.org/main.htm

Also, can you image the Miss America contestants trying to butcher a sheep?

one of my favorite scenes from Disney's Peter Pan. I never realized how stereotypical it is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_at9dOElQk

Love Medicine Quizzes

Here is a site that has some quizzes for each chapter of Love Medicine. You have to pay to get the full version, but the free version still has plenty of questions for each chapter might help you prepare for a quiz or test on Love Medicine.

http://www.enotes.com/love-medicine/quizzes

study guide

I was trying to start that working on the study guide that is due on the day of the test and was wondering what things we should put on it besides quotes and ids?

Flesh and Blood

For some reason I never quite understand the end of the chapter. I know y'all probably already talked about this too, on Friday, but I wasn't there. I was wondering if anyone understood the end of the Flesh and Blood Chapter. It says, "I put my hand through what scarred him. I held it out for him. And when he took it with all the strength of his arms, I pulled him in." What is it that scarred him? The letter? I know she left whether she found the letter or not up in the air... for him to figure out on his own ... the whole sugar or salt thing. Anyway, if anyone knows exactly what it's getting at, let me know.

Notes?

Hey guys, I wasn't here on Friday. If anyone has any notes that they took that may be important, could you please e-mail them to me. The chapter was "Flesh and Blood." Thank you!! (=

Native Americans in Video Games

http://www.gamesradar.com/f/the-top-7-native-american-stereotypes/a-20081124115245683057

This is a fun article worth reading. It goes through just about every stereotypical depiction of Native Americans in video games.
Personal favorite has to be #6.

Bridges, bridges, bridges!

http://www.mythsdreamssymbols.com/dsbridge.html

http://www.houseofnames.com/xq/asp/keyword.bridge/qx/symbolism_details.htm

http://themoderatevoice.com/14347/the-bridge-as-dream-symbol-the-rainbow-bridge/

"Generically, the symbol of the Bridge is an archetypal representation. An archetype is thought to be a universal, primal idea, ‘a first model,’ a sub strata of the psyche that cannot be grasped in its entirety, so we perceive that phenomena through representations or symbols."

Just a smorgasbord of information of bridges, symbolism, and the whatnot.

Shroud of Turin

This is the image of the Shroud of Turin. Sister Leopolda mentions that Marie's dress looks like a shroud in the book. We talked about this in class today so I looked it up. The shroud of Turin is a linen cloth which displays the image of what appears to be Jesus Christ. People believe that the shroud is the cloth that was placed on the body of Jesus Christ at his death.

I was just wondering, at the end of the chapter The Plunge of The Brave, why did Nector just let the house burn and why did Marie take him back after or is that just Nector's imagination?

andrew.

I was just looking up native american war paint symbols and I found this site with a lot of different symbols and their meanings/significance. There was one in particular that I liked. It is a handprint which symbolized Man, his existence/ presence in our lives, whether he is still with us or not. This could possible be symbolic for someone who was lost in battle but remains with the tribe in spirit. I found that pretty relevant for the time.

http://www.kivatrading.com/symbol1.htm

funny essay about Oedipus

Extremely funny! You should read this!

http://www.scribd.com/doc/91/It-seems-this-essay-was-written-while-the-guy-was-high-hilarious-#

Nash Ambassador Custom

This is the type of car that Lulu is driving during the "butter" deliveries!

Pretty sweet wheels huh?

Lulu and Beverly

http://www.lyricsbox.com/disney-lyrics-bibbidi-bobbidi-boo-wstzlm6.html

Fun Fact About Swastikas

Hilda Ellis Davidson theorized that the swastika symbol was associated with Thor, possibly representing his hammer Mjolnir - symbolic of thunder - and possibly being connected to the Bronze Age sun wheel.

What kind of daughter are you quiz...

http://quizilla.teennick.com/quizzes/140905/what-kind-of-daughter-are-you

We talked a lot about the different types of daughters, so here is a quiz to figure out just what kind you are.

swastikas

Here is the link to the wikipedia page about the history of swastikas

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika

Here is the link to a video of Louise Erdrich talking about her Native American Indian Books

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CL1FYe-GtX0

love medicine

This is a link to a website for more information on the book love medicine that we are reading: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://members.home.nl/ja.goris/Louise%2520Erdrich.jpg&imgrefurl=http://members.home.nl/ja.goris/lovemedicine.htm&usg=__-qefs8yIq4Y5rYFw7vrHFCfAbuo=&h=102&w=85&sz=3&hl=en&start=7&tbnid=jTa05qOp7xR0bM:&tbnh=83&tbnw=69&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dlulu%2Bnanapush%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den

Swastika in Native American Culture

"The swastika shape was used by some Native Americans. It has been found in excavations of Mississippian-era sites in the Ohio valley. It was widely used by many southwestern tribes, most notably the Navajo. Among various tribes, the swastika carried different meanings. To the Hopi it represented the wandering Hopi clan; to the Navajo it was one symbol for a whirling log (tsil no'oli'), a sacred image representing a legend that was used in healing rituals (after learning of the Nazi association, the Navajo discontinued use of the symbol).[39] A brightly colored First Nations saddle featuring swastika designs is on display at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum in Canada.[40]

A swastika shape is a symbol in the culture of the Kuna people of Kuna Yala, Panama. In Kuna tradition, it symbolizes the octopus that created the world; its tentacles, pointing to the four cardinal points."

Winigo MOVIE TRAILER

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YK6RDnGH3E

Just some extra info...

The Algonkian Windigo (or Witiko) is a seasonal, subarctic man-eating species. During the winter moons when food is scarce, there is a fear of the creature. The Windigo have been described as giants with hearts of ice. Many who have been in close proximity to them have experienced chills and the since that their own hearts were freezing over. The earliest sightings of this species are reported by Jesuit missionaries in the 1600's. The Hudson Bay Company diaries of the 1700's mention the species quite often.
How a Windigo becomes a Windigo is usually the same story. You have a group of travelers, they may be hunters, trappers, hikers, or even a tribe of Indians. They become lost, it's winter time, and they run out of food. To survive, the group turns to cannibalism to survive. Many cultures around the world believe that to eat human flesh, is to gain the knowledge and strength from that person. The Windigo most likely hibernates, and stores food (such as lost hunters, hikers, or campers) because if there is one thing that a Windigo would know, it how to survive a long winter. They are extremely strong, and use human emotions to lure you deeper into the forest. Some say a silver bullet will kill these creatures, but I tend to believe that that is more folklore then anything. The only other way that I have read is to cut the body into pieces and burn it. But good luck getting close enough to one to actually get a swing in with an axe. Best bet is to stay on the paths when your in the forest and don't go in unless you know what you're doing.

Wendigo Movie

http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0275067/

This is the link to the movie WENDIGO!

The Tales of Burning Love Book

Wendigo Picture

http://www.filmforum.org/archivedfilms/wendigo/wendigocomicmed.jpg
This picture shows how big Wendigo are in comparison to a car, and shows it as a Deer-Headed monster

Snakes and Sparklers

When i was watching Joe Dirt tonight, there was a scene where Joe goes to an Indian Reservation to get someone to help him find his family. He decides to hire an Indian tracker because "they can find anything... just like in the movies!"

check out the clip!

wendigo

the wendigo's weakness in its frozen heart is similar to the weakness that Davy Jones has with his buried heart in Pirates of the carribean.

Haunted

In this book called, Haunted, one of the short stories in it humerically involves a certain tribe of Native Americans that supposedly transform into sasqwatches and that is the origins behind the sasqwatch

X-Men Wendigo

The Wendigo has it's foot set in popular culture.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendigo_(comics)

P.S. - Include this post towards the previous week please.

There's actually a horror movie called "Wendigo." It is about a family who travels to upstate New York for vacation, but learn that a Wendigo, who in the movie is half man, half deer, lives nearby where they are staying and haunts them throughout the movie.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0275067/

It is believed that starvation and cannibalism can lead to turning into a Wendigo. The Ojibwa actually had a satirical ceremonial dance which was originally performed during times of famine to reinforce the seriousness of the Wendigo taboo. The ceremonial dance, known as a wiindigookaanzhimowin in Ojibwe and today performed as part of the last day activities of the Sun Dance, involves wearing a mask and dancing about the drum backwards. The last known Wendigo Ceremony conducted in the United States was at Lake Wendigo of Star Island of Cass Lake, located within the Leech Lake Indian Reservation in Northern Minnesota. - Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cryptids

Here's a list of a bunch of cryptids. It's pretty interesting.

Weird Windigo Death

Windigo Psychosis
The Edmonton Sun offers this description of a bizarre murder that occurred in 1887 near Canada's Slave Lake:

Marie Courtereille, 40, died after being struck four times with an axe -- twice by her husband Michel Courtereille and twice by her son Cecil. Testimony at their trial indicated that Marie had begged to be killed because she believed she was possessed by a Windigo, telling them, "I am bound to eat you." Over a period of several weeks, she became increasingly aggressive, "roaring like an animal" and attacking her husband.
Eventually, she was tied down and guarded around the clock until it was decided that there was no choice but to kill her. The community supported the killing.

A Windigo (also spelled Wendigo) is a creature from Algonquin mythology. The Algonquins believed that Windigos were malevolent spirits who could possess people, transforming them into "wild-eyed, violent, flesh-eating maniacs with superhuman strength." Horror fans will be familiar with Windigos, since they've featured in a number of horror books and movies.

The term "Windigo psychosis" describes a psychological condition in which people who believed they were possessed by a Windigo would go on cannibalistic rampages.

Many researchers regard Windigo psychosis as something of an Algonquin urban legend, but ethno-historian Nathan Carlson argues that it was a real phenomenon "which haunted communities right across northern Alberta in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries and cost dozens of lives." Carlson is working on a book that will documents dozens of cases of Windigo psychosis. Sounds like fun reading.

Interesting Windigo Death..

http://www.weirduniverse.net/blog/permalink/windigo_psychosis/

Windigo and other supernatural creatures

This website has information about the Windigo and other supernatuarl creatures--including the skin-walker.

http://www.supernatural.tv/reviews/legends/wendigo.htm

"Skin-walkers are perhaps best documented among the beliefs of the Navajo tribes. The Navajo believe that the Skin-walker, more commonly referred to as Yenaldooshi, is an evil human being who has gained the supernatural power to assume the form of an animal through breaking cultural taboo. More specifically, a person is said to gain the power of a Skin-walker by murdering a close relative. Skin-walkers are often described as naked wanderers, who wear nothing but the skin of an animal, wandering the community by night spreading misery and desecration everywhere they go. Skin-Walkers are also often found in Norse folklore, that speak of a person who can travel in the shape of an animal to learn secrets and take on certain animalistic traits. The most common example, found in Norse folklore, of a Skin-Walker is that of a warrior who takes on the strength and stamina of a bear!"

Grendel = Wendigo

Distant cousins perhaps?

Murderer claims to be windigo?

This murder took place in CA in 2008.

El chupacabra

We talked about how someone allegedly found one some time ago and this article happened to pop up today. I can't say I'm surprised with what it ended up being. www.mcclatchydc.com/nation/story/82769.html

Creation Myths

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creation_myth
This is a link to a wikipedia page with many different creation myths, you'd be surprised at how rediculous these get.

This is what I found when I typed Windigo into Google Images... I thought this was a very crazy picture.

For the class to watch before going to bed:

I'm sure some of us remember the book Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark due to it's awesomeness and creepy pictures.

Well, there's a scary story about the beloved Wendigo in the book, and I found a youtube video of a reading of the story.

Fun fact: I once watched a horror movie done completely in the same art style as the pictures of SStTitD, in that it was either black or white without many gray spots . . . I don't recommend it. It has absolutely no dialogue and is heavy on symbols that you probably wouldn't catch on your own. The worst part is, during the first fifteen minutes in an extremely graphic scene, I was eating a delicious oven-baked pizza.

WINDIGO

Kinikinnick

"Also called Bearberries, they may be eaten, although they are mealy, tasteless and not choice. Cooking and blending with other berries helps make them more palatable. The leaves make a pleasant tea, which is popular in some parts of the world. The tea or tincture is astrin gent, used as a disinfectant diuretic. Recommended for nephritis, kidney stones, cystitis and bedwet ting. A commercial drug, arbutin is derived from the leaves. Uva-ursi leaves have been traditionally used as a tobacco; “Kinikinnick" is an Algonquian word meaning “something to smoke.”" http://www.alaskaherbtea.com/Foraging/kinikinnick.htm

The Island Chapter.

I just finished reading "The Island" chapter, and I was a bit confused. I'm not sure why Lulu wants to go to the island to see him in the first place. She likes him, but he's her cousin?! And what's the deal with all the lurky, creepy cats everywhere she goes on the island. This guy Moses (not even his real name) - I'm not exactly positive as to what happened that he and his mother felt the need to trick the spirits to enable him to heal from a sickness? I mean this guy seems kind of odd and so does Lulu, they don't even speak to each other. Strange...

Classwork Assignment

Did Ms. Deckard say to hand in the completed classwork tomorrow, or does that just serve as a study guide?

Man with twin living INSIDE him

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=2346476&page=2
This is the link to an article about a man named Bhagat who lived for 36 years not knowing there was another twin inside of him. The doctors were amazed the twins did not die in the womb, but had to remove a twin from Bhagat's abdomen.

Native American Civil Rights

This article is from Martin Luther King Day. It is about how Native Americans deserve justice and equality just like everyone else.

http://www.kpvi.com/Global/story.asp?S=11842497

Native Americans and Alcohol

There is a common connection between alcohol and Native Americans. We see this in love medicine with King. This articles tries to justify a reason why Alcoholism is so prevalent in this ethnic group.
http://www.essortment.com/all/nativeamerican_ragq.htm

Reservation Life

I did not realize how low the quality of life is on most Indian reservations. I also did not realize how many Indians live in poverty. Here is an article that expands on this http://mises.org/story/2324

People Whose Stories will Inspire You

I've been thinking about how strange it seems in some ways that Marie, an almost-14-year-old girl who is dirt poor, uneducated, and comes from a family who really doesn't care (you'll learn more about her family in later chapters), would think she could become a saint ("Saint Marie"). But in other ways, it is an average dream. How many of you admire someone who came from nothing and has changed the world? Think of all the people you know of who did this.
Here's my list of people who inspire me with links to short videos about them. One woman though is so awesome in my opinion that I'm putting her video right here. Please watch it.
Jody Williams - Nobel Peace Prize 1997:


Leigh Anne Tuohy - Took in the young Michael Oher when she saw him walking down the street one day. Michael Oher is the man whose life story inspired the film The Blind Side. His mother had 6 kids, all with different men, he grew up in the projects, was homeless, met Leigh Anne Tuohy and her family, and his life was changed forever.

Mother Theresa - Nobel Peace Prize 1979. Born in 1910 in Albania. "Her father, who was involved in Albanian politics, died in 1919 when she was eight years old. After her father's death, her mother raised her as a Roman Catholic. According to a biography by Joan Graff Clucas, in her early years Agnes was fascinated by stories of the lives of missionaries and their service, and by age 12 was convinced that she should commit herself to a religious life. She left home at age 18 to join the Sisters of Loreto as a missionary. She never again saw her mother or sister." (Wikipedia).

Sandy Shepherd - An American woman who agreed to host seven boys who had been enslaved. The Zambian boy's choir that had visited her church was actually a group of enslaved children who were being exploited to enrich their choir "master." She offered them a place to stay for the night, and as a result became a reluctant voice against child slavery. She ended up helping the boys with their legal battles against deportation and further exploitation.

Kevin Bales - This man used to be the president of the organization Free The Slaves. There are 29 million people enslaved in the world today - more than any other time in history. In 2001 Free The Slaves discovered that cocoa (the raw product that chocolate is processed from) was being produced by child slaves. Since then, he and Free The Slaves have done amazing things to help end slavery in the chocolate fields. They aren't done, but they have done a lot.

I hope these stories amaze and inspire you.

First Nation?

Over the weekend I attended the LASC Convention in Shreveport. Cassidy, Christina, Molly, and I were roommates. One night while in the hotel room, Molly and I got into a great conversation about how much we love learning about Native American literature! Cassidy piped up with what I thought was a very interesting fact. Did you know that what we call Native Americans do not actually want to be called Native Americans. First, Indians(which is understandable), and now Native Americans. They want to be called the "First Nation". I did some research and this proves to be true.

cherokee

this was a song made in the 80's by the band, Europe, who made the song "the final countdown". http://www.pandora.com/music/song/europe/cherokee#lyrics

Native American Love Song

It's called You Have No Horses, by the Teton Sioux tribe.

Well, when I was courting
"Horses you have none"
To me was said.

Therefore, over the land
I roam.

It's open to your own interpretations.

Native American Herbalism

This was a website I used for the glogster project. It's really intriguing on the variety of medical uses for different plants.

http://www.nativetech.org/plantgath/plantgaht.htm

Spiritual Beliefs

The Ojibwe have a number of spiritual beliefs passed down by oral tradition under the Midewiwin teachings. These include a creation myth and a recounting of the origins of ceremonies and rituals. Spiritual beliefs and rituals were very important to the Ojibwe because spirits guided them through life.

Kinship and Clan System

Love Medicine can be sort of confusing at times because there are so many different characters. Well the Chippewa's actually have a very complex understanding of kinship. As with any bifurcate merging kinship system, siblings generally share the same term with parallel cousins, because they are all part of the same clan. But the modified system allows for younger siblings to share the same kinship term with younger cross-cousins. Complexity wanes further from the speaker's immediate generation, but some complexity is retained with female relatives. For example, ninooshenh is "my mother's sister" or "my father's sister-in-law"—i.e., my parallel-aunt—but also "my parent's female cross-cousin". Great-grandparents and older generations, as well as great-grandchildren and younger generations are collectively called aanikoobijigan. This system of kinship speaks of the nature of the Anishinaabe's philosophy and lifestyle, that is of interconnectedness and balance between all living generations and all generations of the past and of the future. - Wikipedia

Chippewa Beadwork art

http://www.tuspirits.com/images/474a.jpg

The people in Love Medicine are from the Chippewa tribe. The Chippewa tribe is also referred to as the Ojibwe tribe. I looked up what the word Chippewa means on Wikipedia and this is what I found:
The autonym for this group of Anishinaabeg is "Ojibwe" (plural: Ojibweg). This name is also commonly anglicized as "Ojibwa" or "Ojibway." The name "Chippewa" is an alternative anglicization. Although many variations exist in literature, "Chippewa" is more common in the United States and "Ojibwa" predominates in Canada, but both terms exist in both countries. However, in many Ojibwe communities throughout Canada and the U.S., the more generalized name "Anishinaabe(-g)" is becoming more common. The exact meaning of the name "Ojibwe" is not known; the most common explanations on the name derivations are:

* from ojiibwabwe (/o/ + /jiibw/ + /abwe/), meaning "those who cook\roast until it puckers", referring to their fire-curing of moccasin seams to make them water-proof[3], though some sources instead say this was a method of torture the Ojibwe implemented upon their enemies.[4]
* from ozhibii'iwe (/o/ + /zhibii'/ + /iwe/), meaning "those who keep records [of a Vision]", referring to their form of pictorial writing, and pictographs used in Midewiwin rites[5]
* from ojiibwe (/o/ + /jiib/ + /we/), meaning "those who speak-stiffly"\"those who stammer", referring to how the Ojibwe sounded to the Cree

love medicine

What is the significance of the book starting at Easter time?

Eli Kashpaw

As I was reading this next chapter, i realized that Nector's brother, Eli Kashpaw's name has a very religious connotation to it. Elijah the prophet appears in every major book, based of the Old Testament. "According to the Books of Kings, Elijah raised the dead, brought fire down from the sky, and ascended into heaven in a whirlwind.. Elijah's return is prophesied "before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord,"[4] making him a harbinger of the Messiah and the eschaton in various faiths that revere the Hebrew Bible."

Side note: In the movie "The Book of Eli," Eliyahu HaNavi, or Elijah the Prophet, is a very prominent theme.

Avatar Plot - Funny

this will make you smile

What Makes the Red Man Red?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_at9dOElQk

Here is the video from Peter Pan of the scene with the Indians. This may explain why so many little kids portray Indians in this way in their everyday play. They are influenced by these movies, and have little to no other knowlege of native american culture.

Louise Erdrich

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_Erdrich
This is the wikipedia article for the author of Love Medicine, Louise Erdrich. Thee are many interesting facts on her in this article, such as her birth year, 1954, and many other things. Also, Louise Erdrich is a Chippewa Indian.

Today for our service day, the man in charge of our project was Native American and his name was "Grey Hawk". I thought that was interesting!

Finding Nemo Indian Scene

So I happened to be watching "Finding Nemo" again last night. There is a scene right after he gets captured and put into the fish tank where they do an Indian initiation ritual to swim through the "Ring of Fire" on Mt. Wanahackalugie. Y'all should check it out..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c07rCLO3hjc

Love Medicine -

I was just wondering about the first passage we read.. the scene where June locks herself the bathroom before she leaves with Andy.. What exactly happens?

Merry Melodies - "The Song of Hiawatha"

I'm sorry that this cuts off a little, but the aspect ratio is wrong.

Senator's offensive remark against Native Americans

This article is about Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) and his history of racist remarks. Last Monday, on Fox news, Reid made a racist statement towards Native American Indians.

http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/23264

savages

so this song wasnt in the original pocahontas but was later in the special edition. its made with the same movie magic as the others http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSu4hOLYrXk

Map of Where Indians Lived.

http://www.artistcolony.net/tommyorear/images/AmericanIndianTribeMap.jpg

This is a really cool map of where they lived.

Link to Lucy's Wikipedia Page and Ardi

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_%28Australopithecus%29
This is a link to Lucy's Wikipedia Page, this contains many interesting facts about her including:
- Lucy lived 3.2 Million Years ago
- We have 40% of Lucy's full skeleton
Also, I have included a link to Ardi's Wikipedia, the most recently found oldest fossil of a bipedal from 4.4 Million years ago:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ardi

Great Website

This is a great website about the Iroquois Indians if you ever needed information

http://www.mce.k12tn.net/indians/reports1/Iroquois2.htm

Ravenous

Ravenous is a film that stars Guy Pearce and it is about the Wendigo curse that is a Native American myth about how eating another man gives you their essence, making you stronger, but then the more you eat the less satisfied you are until you eventually die.

Myths

I found the myths interesting on this website because they tell the story of why nature's the way it is. www.americanfolklore.net/ee.html

Another question about the Hawatha stuff.

I get what I read, I'm just confused as to how it all relates back to Hiawatha. In the beginning, Nokomis has a daughter, not a son. So, i'm guessing that Hiawatha is not the son of Nokomis? Also I know they have a few different names for Hiawatha, I just keep getting a little confused on some parts, although I undersrand what the stories mean.

Hiawatha

Does anybody understand he end of the sections we had to read over the weekend. I get the main gist of it and how Osseo and Oweenee had a son. I just don't get what it has to do with Hiawatha at all. I also don't understand the part about the sisters and husbands taking their human form again when the son shoots one of them women, as a bird. So if you understand it, please let me know.

Parody

Hiawatha is parodied very often and is said by some to be the most parodied poem in the English language. One of the parodies is a 1941 Warner Bros. cartoon, Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt, which features Bugs Bunny and a pint sized version of Hiawatha. This cartoon was actually nominated for an Academy Award.

After we did that Native American project, it definitely made me more aware of how many things are associated with Native American culture. It is interesting that the song of Hiawatha has actually popped in pop culture including Johnny Cash, who has actually quoted excerpts from it in his songs.

Grizzly Bear

This is a myth from the Shoshone tribe located in Wyoming, Southern Idaho.
"A grizzly bear (Cygnus) climbed up a tall mountain to go hunting in the sky. As he climbed, snow and ice clung to the fur of his feet and legs. Crossing the sky the ice crystals trailed behind him forming the Milky Way."

Spider Woman

The Native Americans believe that the world derives it origins from a woman. She is simply referred to as the Spider Woman.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/352395/the_native_american_myth_of_the_spider.html

Buffalo Wings

Buffalo Wild Wings gets its name from Buffalo, NY, where that type of hot wing was invented. As hot wing aficionados know, the perfect type of hot wing is NOT breaded, but fried quickly in very hot grease and then soaked in a vinegar-based hot sauce. Durkee hot sauce is closest to the original. True Buffalo style hot wings are not sweet at all, are not b-b-q, and are definitely NOT breaded (EVER).

Buffalo, NY was named after the Buffalo, the indigenous quadruped that once freely roamed the Great Plains of North America. So, Buffalo Wild Wings has nothing to do with Native Americans really, but the buffalo was used as food by some Native American groups (as you know).

Controversial Loony Tunes Episode featuring Hiawatha.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVj9gm9S4EI

While Loony Tunes is meant to be goofy, it does push a few stereotypes of Native Americans.

1973 Seige at Wounded Knee

http://siouxme.com/siege.html - This is an interesting article telling the story of the 2nd battle of wounded knee starting in 1968 during AIM (American Indian Movement) and tells the story through the battle. In the end, the Native Americans lose the 2nd battle and the soldiers stood off against held their demands and got the things they want from the Native Americans.
- Zach

The Bear Maiden

So I just read The Bear Maiden and I thought the story was very odd but interesting. However, I found the end very confusing. The youngest sister asked to be thrown into a fire, but then jumped out of it. What is the significance of that? I do not understand at all.

Beautiful weather in Aberdeen, SD,

http://www.weather.com/weather/local/USSD0001

-7 feels like -31

Avatar

Did anyone else see the parallel of what white people, who came to the new world, did to the Indians and the storyline of the Movie avatar?

Indian Video Notes

1492

· Colombus came to new world

· New route to India

· Therefore Indians

· Enslaved indians

· Tortured and killed

1539

· Hernando Desoto

· Looking for gold

· Murder torture and terror to find gold

· Brought war dogs to assure cooperation

· Brought small pox to new world

1607

· Jamestown settlement

· People escaping religious prosecution

1620

· Plymouth settlement

· Thanksgiving with Indians and English

· New Americans moved Indians aside

· No matter how much land the english wanted more

1636 – Pequot War (Massachusetts) – Indians could not hold up. 450 slaughtered.

· First war fought with Indians in New England

· Burned in village

· First war of many

Indian Removal Act – 1830

· Government pressure by the whites

· Law: required Indians to give up land and move to less valuable land

· Under Indian removal Act

· Tribes in east moved to Oklahoma

· Convinced Indians it would be better than them

Trail of Tears

· 1848 - Soldiers brought in and forced Indians to march

· 4,000 Cherokees died

· "Exile"

Osceola

· Semiole chief

· Captured and followers surrendered

· Escaped to the everglades

Buffalo

· Migration of buffalo interfered by trains

· Killed for hides and food

· Free guns for hunters of buffalo

· Tourists shot buffalo from trains as went by

Treaties of Fort Laramie - 1851 & 1868

· US met with plains tribes

· Made reservations - land set aside for Indians

· Peace did not last from treaty

· Led to raids of the people

Minnesota Massacre

· James Carrolton ordered to kill ALL apache men

· Apache and others fled to safe zones

· Killed many Indians

Native American Project

I enjoyed doing this project over break. I was unaware of how many things we use today are influenced by the Native Americans. We should do projects like that more often!

70's PSA

I saw this old public service aannouncement on tv, and it's relevent to Native Americans because it features a Native American who is sadden by people littering on his land. The commercial is a really be stereotype because it's the 70's and the Native American is still in native dress, living in the wilderness, and has a canoe on the banks of the city. Its still pretty funny though, so enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_R-FZsysQNw

Mobile Posting

Did you know you can blog from your phone or via e-mail?
Just send your post to: jessica.deckard.postnow@blogger.com

Maps of culture areas

This glog is from Sam's project and is very easy to understand.
http://smaynard.glogster.com/tribe-and-maps/

Interesting Documentary about Man's Evolution

Over the Christmas holiday, I watched this documentary from the History Channel about human evolution from ape to man, called Ape to Man (go figure). I thought it was really interesting, and the History Channel always knows how to teach in an entertaining manner.

Luckily, I found it on the Tube of You, so if anyone is interested, you can watch it at your leisure. I figured it might help us understand that humans have a long lineage, and that they existed long before ancient civilizations such as Greece.

Click for the playlist, it is separated into eight parts.

It's interesting to watch how the fossils that revolutionized the knowledge we have of our lineage came about almost by chance. Plus, it's kind of funny when every fossil find is narrated with, "But then, something caught his/her eye" or, "But then, s/he had a hunch".

Enjoy, and here's a picture of a reconstruction of A. afarensis, the species Lucy is from.

Just think, a monkey actually is your uncle. Only you're separated by a few million years of evolution.

project

Is our project due tomorrow?