Tradition
In early 2010, the Washington State Department of Corrections stripped the American Indian men and women incarcerated in its twelve prisons of virtually everything that makes them tribal. Agency religious practices policies were changed, ostensibly to help balance the state’s budget.
Kanatsiohareke, a Mohawk community located in central New York State, is working hard to help revitalize Kanienkeha, the Mohawk language. The community has been offering Mohawk language immersion classes for the last fourteen years.
Over-regulation and anti-Native bias seem to touch every aspect of life for Native peoples in Southeast Alaska, from how our people make teddy bears to whether the U.S. will keep its pledge to restore85,000 acres of our homelands to us.
Our Language is a Gift from the Creator
Perhaps you’ve noticed that the Indigenous tradition of storytelling is not only alive, but it is thriving. There is interest in learning and remembering the stories that have been passed down through the oral tradition.
When the letter arrived at our village, I wasn’t around, but my mom and dad told me they picked it up like it weighed a thousand pounds. They held it up to the light and joked about trying to figure out what it said before I could see it.
The dominant culture in North America tends to make a big deal out of the vernal equinox, around March 20, when night and day are about equal in length.
A recent spot on National Public Radio brought deserved attention to a most sacred ceremony of Indian peoples.