Canku Ota - March 2016

	Canku Ota (Many Paths) An Online Newsletter Celebrating Native America
	March 2016 - Volume 14 Number 3


	"Wáa sá iyatee?" The Tlingit Greeting How are you?
	Calliope Hummingbird (Selasphorus calliope)

	SHAWI Or SHA-KONO the moon (Month) of the FLOWERS VALLEY MAIDU

"A Warrior is challenged to assume responsibility, practice humility, and display the power of giving, and then center his or her life around a core of spirituality. I challenge today's youth to live like a warrior." ~Billy Mills~

We Salute
Melanie Mark, B.C.'s First Female Aboriginal MLA

Drummers, dancers and politicians welcomed the first aboriginal woman elected to British Columbia's legislature in an emotional ceremony that saw Melanie Mark wipe away tears.

Our Featured Artist:		Honoring Students
Elizabeth Doxtator Elizabeth Doxtator's Encircles Everything is a diorama telling the story of the Great Law of Peace. The diorama is the focal point of Doxtator's Everything Cornhusk Gallery. Every nook and cranny of the small space is packed with Doxtator's cornhusk creations, posters and educational material.		WESTERN AGENCY'S FIVE CHAMPS HEAD TO NAVAJO NATION BEE Karin Jones pronounced each spelling word and gave the definition immediately. When asked, she was also able to provide the definition once more, the language of origin, the alternate pronunciation, and the usage of the word in a sentence.

Our Featured Story:		First Person History:
Montana's Indian Education Director Appointed To President's Advisory Council On Indian Education		History of the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians of Michigan Chapter Thirteen

Preserving Language		Preserving Language
Anishinaabe Cook Uses Language To Teach About Traditional Food An Anishinaabe cook is using his indigenous language and knowledge of traditional foods to teach people about culture and healthy eating at the Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health.		Yurok Language Being Preserved Through Youth Education Foreign language is a current requirement at many high schools across the North Coast. At Eureka High School, instead of taking common languages such as Spanish or French, students have the option of learning a language that has local cultural significance, the Yurok language.

Living Traditions		Living Traditions
"Three Sisters" Featured On Pendleton Blanket Chickasaw Artist Brenda Kingery's Design Available A small painting created by a Chickasaw artist during her quest to better understand her native culture is now the inspiration for a heritage blanket. Brenda Kingery's "Three Sisters" blanket, produced by Pendleton Woolen Mills, is now available exclusively at the Chickasaw Cultural Center in Sulphur.		Headdresses Not Traditional For Potawatomi The resurgence in positive portrayals of Native American culture has come with unforeseen consequences in recent decades. A drive for purity – specifically in terms of defining what it means to be Indian – has become a prominent topic of discussion in places like Oklahoma, where so many tribal nations, cultures and peoples intermingled.

Living Traditions		Living Traditions
Kirk’s Passion Stems From Homemade Christmas Gifts When Cherokee Nation citizen Ray Kirk tried crafting knives as Christmas gifts for his family in 1989, he had no idea knife making would become his passion. “I first started forging knives because I wanted to make some Christmas presents and that seemed like the easiest, simplest thing to do,” he said. “Just make some knives. I was a welding instructor at a vo-tech at that time and we went to forging some, and one of my night class students gave me a book and some stuff on how to make knives.		Artist, Educator And Soldier Edgar Heap Of Birds On "Dead Indian Stories" Now on view in the gallery of the Arts of the Americas is a print series by Oklahoma-based artist Edgar Heap of Birds. The text-based works are a scathing indictment of crimes committed against Native Americans and hang next the museum's mid to late 1870s painting by Cheyenne warrior Howling Wolf, who became a proficient artist in the Ledger style while imprisoned in Ft. Marion, Florida, in 1875.

Living Traditions		Preserving Language
Cherokee Nation, IHS Sign Agreement For Largest Tribal Health Center Ever Built The Cherokee Nation signed an agreement with Indian Health Service Wednesday to secure the largest joint venture funding project ever among tribes. The agreement allows for IHS to fund the hospital at an estimated $80 million or more per year. The funding would last a minimum of 20 years, or potentially for the life of the hospital.		Learn 4 Words In 4 Indigenous Languages In 4 Videos Many indigenous languages have been lost or forgotten, but many are being reclaimed, revitalized and shared by teachers dedicated to preserving their history. Unreserved's Erica Daniels shot four videos to teach you four words in as many indigenous languages.

Preserving Language		Preserving Language
First Mesa Elementary Hopi Lavayi Class Presents Neyangmamaqa Through Performance The First Mesa Elementary School (FMES) Hopilavayi Program, counseling service and the library service hosted a Hopi Storytelling event and performance on Jan. 25. Radio DJ’s Bruce Talawyma and Moonie Nuvangyaoma from KUYI Hopi radio, were on hand to broadcast the event live.		Three Tips For Learning Your Traditional Tongue Reclaiming your traditional tongue is not as hard as you might think, according to Ojibwe language teacher Patricia Ningewance. She encourages everyone to give it a shot, no matter what your age. Ningewance, from Lac Seul First Nation, Ont., said for indigenous people, it is also critical to keep the languages alive.

Education News		Living Traditions
Manitoba Students To Learn Role Of Treaties In Province's History The Manitoba government and the Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba said Tuesday it's time for both non-aboriginal and First Nations students to learn about each other, starting with the treaties that form the basis of Manitoba's history. The Treaty Education Initiative, first introduced as a pilot project for Grades 5 to 6 in 2010, then Grades K to 4 in 2012-2013 and Grades 7 to 12 last year, will now be rolled out province-wide.		New Tulalip Skate Park Named After Woman Who Pushed Tribe To Build It Debra Barto’s son, Shane McLean, said his mom weathered the trauma of growing up on the Tulalip Reservation before Native American heritage was as accepted as it is now. "Like skateboarding, you get hurt and fall down, but she got up and kept on riding," Shane said at the dedication of the new $400,000 skate park in her honor Feb. 19. "She was all about uplifting our people. We're all one family, connected in a spiritual way, and we can heal each other."

Living Traditions		Living Traditions
Osage Nation Wins Bid To Purchase Ted Turner's 43,000-acre Bluestem Ranch After the Nation officially purchases Ted Turner's Bluestem Ranch, the Nation will once again be one of the largest landowners in Osage County. The Nation won the bid to purchase the 43,000-acre ranch on Jan. 28, but the actual purchase won't take place until early February when the Purchase of Sale Agreement is signed.		Nation Announces Bidding Completion Of Turner Ranch The Office of the Chiefs has announced progress towards the purchase of Ted Turner’s 43,000-acre Bluestem Ranch. “The bidding process for the Bluestem Ranch is completed. The Osage Nation is bound by a confidentiality agreement with the Turner Group through the broker regarding the details of the transaction.

About This Issue's Greeting - "Wáa sá iyatee?"

"How are you?" is "Wáa sá iyatee?" in Tlingit. That is pronounced similar to "wah sah ee-yah-te." But that is not generally used as a greeting. Modern Tlingit people sometimes greet each other with "Yak'éi yagiyee" which literally means "good day."

Nature's Beauty: Calliope Hummingbird	This Issue's Favorite Web sites	A Story To Share: Why Hummingbirds Drink Only Dew







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