Native Nations Good Politics Radio

Link List - Tracing the Cherokee people West to California

Tracing the Cherokee People West to Tuolumne County, California

One group of Cherokee, in 1848, made their way to California in search for new settlement lands. The Cherokee Trail, also known as the Rocky Mountain Trail, was the route they took, some finding their way to prospecting for gold on arrival in California.

Awareness and Prevention of Substance Abuse

Tribal Journeys blog

Read recent Press Release article about media support for awareness and prevention of substance abuse among Native American population.

Press Release

Read the entire Press Release of the media campaign for awareness and prevention of substance abuse among Native Americans.

Awareness Info - Meth Fact Sheets

Informative Meth Fact Sheets help with understanding this substance abuse problem.

11 Points for Parents to Protect Their Kids

Substance abuse is preventable. We, as parents, are much more powerful than we think. ... Kids who learn about drug risks from parents are only half as likely to start using. LEARN MORE.. Clikc on title.

National Institute on Drug Abuse: Info for Students & Young Adults

Materials developed specifically for students and young adults. For more information about specific drugs, please see Drugs of Abuse & Related Topics.

National Institute on Drug Abuse: Info packs for Parents and Teachers

Materials developed to inform parents & teachers about the health effects and consequences of drug abuse and addiction. LEARN MORE... click on title.

Sharing Our Knowledge, Clan Conference, Sitka, Alaska, March 21-25, 2007

CLICK HERE to view flyer for Sharing Our Knowledge Conference

Sharing our Knowledge: A Conference of Tsimshian, Haida and Tlingit Tribes and Clans, March 21-25, 2007.

Many key topics specific to Tribes and Clans of Alaska Native, and other First Nations people will be offered at the March 21-25, 2007 Conference, hosted in Sitka, Alaska.

To learn more... click on the title.

Efforts to Save Bear Butte Increase

Indigenous summit at Bear Butte asks pope for help

Rapid City Journal, Rapid City, South Dakota reports "Tribal leaders and indigenous rights groups will ask the pope to rescind a 1493 Vatican document which they believe paved the legal road for Europeans to take land from indigenous American people."

With signatures of a score of orginazations and 100 individuals, a resolution will be sent to the Vatican, "targets the Papal Bull Inter Caetera of 1493, in which Vatican officials urged Christopher Columbus to convert indigenous Americans to Catholicism."

This approach continues the efforts to stop the desecration of the sacred Bear Butte area. Developers plans would multiply the traffic, noise and ruckus that already disrupts the spiritual atmosphere that has been at Bear Butte since ancient times.
Read more... Click on title.

Bear Butte Protest Planned

Reported on KELOLAND.com

"A coalition of those who opposed increased development of biker bars and campgrounds near Bear Butte plans a march this afternoon.

The protesters will walk from the intersection of Highway 79 and Highway 34, east of Sturgis, to Bear Butte."

The protest on August 4th hopes to draw the attention of tribes across the America's, lawmakers, and citizens to set up to the plate and protect the sacred are of Bear Butte from "noise and commotion from area businesses that cater largely to the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally will disrupt the tranquility of the sacred mountain".

The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally draws a crowd of thousands who are notorious for loud partying and "disgusting" behavior. The rally is due to begin on Monday, Aug. 7th.
Read More... click on the title above.

Tribes Get Ready For Rally March

Reported on KELOLAND.com

"Thousands of motorcyclists are headed to Sturgis for the motorcycle rally that begins Monday. However, hundreds of Native Americans are also preparing for the event, concerned it's getting too close to their sacred site at Bear Butte."

There are some bikers who are supporting the efforts to save the sacred trust of Bear Butte. It is reported that they are "organizing and trying to keep their clubs away from Sturgis."

Will this have the desired effect? Only time will tell.
Read More... click on the title above.

Native Americans Protest By Camping

"Protest leaders plan to hold a meeting for Indian tribes before the Sturgis Rally. They want to educate rally goers about the significance of Bear Butte."

In the meantime, a camp out at the base of Bear Butte takes place to protest biker bars being built nearby.

Indian tribes from across the nation are expected to take part in the six week long protest.

Read More... Click on the title above

Learn More about the Tribal Journeys Events

Official Paddle to Lummi 2007 website

Lummi Tribe Hosts 2007 Native Canoe Journey, end of journey events from July 30 through August 4.

Tribal Journeys info page

Native Canoe Journey info, schedules and maps for the journey, news from the journey, updates, volunteer opportunities, directions to various key points, and more.

PADDLE JOURNEYS

Info-site often used by schools and colleges as a curriculum tool for Native American Studies programs. It contains background information about the "return of the native traditional canoes" to the water. You can learn about various traditions and protocol, and what they mean, and more...

CANOE-INFO

Learn what to do if you want to participate, how to prepare, what to expect, and more.

Native-Canoes, a message board group

Message board, discussion group on Yahoo specifically for Native canoe journeys and other native culture related topics.

Tribal Journeys lens

More information about Native Tribal Canoe Journeys of the Pacific Northwest

Recognize Depression, Learn What to Do

Resources For Depression - CLICK HERE

If you know someone who you think may be suffering with depression:

Encourage him or her to get treatment and stick with it. Remind the person about taking medication or keeping therapy appointments. Don't ignore comments about suicide. If you believe your loved one is suicidal, call his or her doctor or therapist. If neither is available, call a local crisis center or emergency room.

Offer emotional support. Your patience and love can make a huge difference. Ask questions and listen carefully to the answers. Try not to brush off or judge the other person's feelings, but do offer hope. Suggest activities that you can do together, and keep in mind that it takes time to get better. Remind yourself that a disease is causing your loved one to act differently or perhaps be difficult. Do not blame him or her, just like you wouldn't if it were chronic physical pain that caused the person to change in certain ways.

Try to prevent reckless acts during manic episodes. It's all too common for a person to make poor decisions when manic, so it's a good idea to try to prevent this problem by limiting access to cars, credit cards, and bank accounts. Watch for signs that a manic episode is emerging (see Manic Episode Checklist). Disruption of sleep patterns can trigger an episode, so support your loved one in keeping a regular sleep schedule. Consistent patterns for other activities such as eating, exercising, and socializing may also help.

New Washington State Quarter Design

Read the Story - Salmon on Quarter

The Salmon and Mt. Rainier design, chosen for the best representation of the entire state,
Governor Chris Gregoire spoke with school students about the significance of the the salmon breaching in front of Mount Rainier, as Washington's state commemorative quarter.

"I think it's important that we have something natural. We are really a state that thinks much of our natural heritage," Gregoire said.

Gov. Gregoire announced her choice May 4, 2006 at Centennial Elementary School in Olympia in front of an audience of students.

More About the Miss USA Pageant

2006 Miss USA Delegates List

Many young women presented their beauty and brains and talent in the 2006 Miss USA Pageant.

Who represented your state?

All of these women were winners. They forged new and special bonds of friendship, and learned more about who they truely are through the experience.

Onawa Lynn Lacy, Miss New Mexico 2006

Gallup's Onawa Lacy named Miss New Mexico USA.

Onawa Lynn Lacy - Interview page

The 16 state wide Miss delegates converged at the Court Youth Center in Las Cruces. And one outstanding young lady walked away with the title, Miss New Mexico USA 2006 and now will represent the "Land of Enchantment" at the Miss USA Pageant.

Miss New Mexico USA

The new Miss New Mexico USA 2006 is Onawa Lynn Lacy, 23 of Gallup. She is the first Native American Indian of Navajo origin to win the title. This was her first attempt at the title. Her title during the pageant was Miss Nizhoni USA. In 2003, Onawa won the title of Miss Indian World. She was crowned by outgoing queen, Jackie Deaner of Albuquerque.

Indian Queen

Onawa Lynn Lacy (Navajo) is Miss New Mexico, 2006. She is the first American Indian woman to ever hold the title. Onawa (23) is from Gamerco, outside Gallup, and will represent New Mexico in the Miss USA Pageant next month, April 21, 2006, in Baltimore, MD.

Breaking Down Barriers

Gallup's Onawa Lacy named Miss New Mexico USA. Lacy said she is looking forward to showcasing the beauty of Native American culture at the Miss USA venue. Both Miss USA and Miss America have historically had few Native American women contestants, she said, although Vanessa Shortbull did represent South Dakota in both pageants.

DEFEND SACRED LANDS - DEFEND BEAR BUTTE - Here is some of the basics on the topic

DEFEND BEAR BUTTE - Read more on the issue

Excerpts from the DEFEND BEAR BUTTE page...

The greater society in America does not seem to be able to grasp what we mean as we repeat to them.... "Bear Butte is Sacred", "Bear Butte is Sacred to us", "Bear Butte is a Holy Mountain", "Bear Butte is where we pray",...

We have told them this since the very first Euro came among us.... we told them as friends welcoming strangers into our lands, we told their missionaries and explorers, we told them in meetings with their fur trading companies, we told Custer, Crook, Grant and all their soldier leaders, we told them in treaty meetings as we lost our lands, we told them in "Land Claims Commission" hearings, we told them in court room after court room.... but in two centuries, rare is the whiteman with ears.

Now once again the sanctity of the Sacred Mountain is under attack. The "Sturgis Bike Rally" has become such a gigantic cash machine for the hedonistic purveyors of sin and sex that the land encircling Bear Butte is coveted as drunken sites of noisy debauchery. Land once used for agriculture is now bringing astronomical prices and a liquor license in Meade County is now worth $500,000! Evel Kneival and "Lynyrd Skynyrd" play to thousands of screaming fans in a concert venue and beer bash campground elegantly called "Buffalo Chip".

The "Chips" extreme noise is only four miles from the base of Bear Butte and close enough for a person praying on Bear Butte to clearly hear every filthy word that spews from their gigantic mega-watt speaker system.

Over the years these venues have crept closer and closer until one even has its filthy toilets on the slope of the Sacred Mountain itself! Each year thousands of motorcycles roar around and upon Bear Butte as America displays it's version of "Sodom and Gomorah" within yards of the spot from which Chief Crazy Horse spoke when he told us never to sell the land.

Recently the trigger to our ongoing and present struggle is the proposal by a developer to turn his 600 acres on the north side of Bear Butte into a gigantic biker bar and concert venue! To make it worse he proposed to erect a giant Indian statue facing Bear Butte and to call the whole place, get this, "Sacred Grounds"!

With one proposal the developer named Ray Allen, aroused the alarm and anger of every Indian person who holds the mountain sacred. The Oglala Sioux Tribe, the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, and the Cheyenne Nation of Montana each immediately responded by passing resolutions condemning all further development and expressing the will of their Nations that Bear Butte be protected by a buffer zone of at least five miles and that all further development be halted until suitable protections can be emplaced. Soon many more traditional Indian Nations, our Societies and organizations, will be making their opposition known and we will work in unity to keep the Mountain sacred.

As soon as the "Sacred Grounds" announcement was made various groups of Indian activists began to work to stop the development. Foremost among them has been the "Defenders of the Black Hills" and the "International Alliance to Protect Bear Butte" and this website will carry their announcements and support their work. "Owe Aku" a grassroots traditionalist group from Pine Ridge immediately began to alert their people to the danger and to successfully lobby the Oglala Tribal Council for the opposing resolution. In the meantime many individual Indian people began to attend meetings and to voice their disapproval of the development and to seek a way to voice their opinions.

More on this story in INDIAN COUNTRY TODAY

STURGIS, S.D. - Another biker bar will live in the shadow of the sacred Bear Butte in the Northern Black Hills.

With a vote of 5 to 0, the Meade County commissioners approved a malt beverage license April 4 for Jay Allen, owner of the soon-to-be Sturgis County Line campground and biker bar, which is located two and one-half miles north of Bear Butte.

Natives Say They Won't Back Down on Bear Butte.... Read the entire story

Native American protesters say they do not intend to back down in their efforts to protect Bear Butte from what they call desecration.

Tuesday evening, the Meade County Commission voted to grant a malt beverage license to Jay ALlan, who is building a combination bar, campground, and biker party spot near Bear Butte.

But Native Americans protesting the decision say they will continue their efforts to stop the proliferation of bars around the Black Hills landmark. They say they will be back next summer for what they are calling a "gathering of nations".

Read more of the LA Times story

Read the entire article.

READ MORE on our sister site: Native Nations GPR

Visit our sister site for more on this topic, and for an interview which will be posted soon in audio Click-and-listen Podcast format.

You may also like to visit the following pages...

Native Nations Good Politics Radio blog

News and articles of national interest and concern to Native Tribes and Nations.

Native Nations - Home page

Home page of the Native Nations Good Politics Radio - Internet information service in the format of text content and on-demand podcast programming.

Good Politics Radio Idaho

Features news, events, and happenings concerning Idaho.

Native Storytelling

Native American stories and legends with Elwha Klallam storyteller, Ben Charles, Sr..

Ben has been a traditional storyteller, speaker, and cultural presenter for many years.

MEET THE SPONSORS

Women's Safety Education Group

In our changing world, it is ever more necessary for women to learn to defend and protect themselves.

Women's Safety Education Group of Washington State

For information and to schedule a Women's Safety Education Group class for your club, church, neighborhood, college, work place, or organization in Washington State area.

The Journey Enterprises

Unique, authentic Native American Jewelry in silver, gold, platinum and turquoise. These are hand-crafted with style.

TWELVE PEARLS

Elegant pearl and crystal jewelry for your best moments. These stunning hand-crafted pieces are unique, and definately style.

Charles Brothers Trio

The Charles Brothers Trio, from Lower Elwha Kalallam Tribe near Port Angeles, WA, USA traveled North America, singing in churches, hospitals, schools, conferences, and youth camps. Now, 40-some years later, their heavenly harmony still is in demand. Their "Collectors Edition" CD is now available with a Song Book of the lyrics of the songs on the CD, history notes and pictures.

Tired of Negative Thoughts Ruling Your Life?

You Have the Power to Change

Change Your Thoughts - Change Your Life

It's the book that's changed the lives of millions.
"I have personally read As a Man Thinketh over 25 times."
- Mark Victor Hansen, co-author, the Chicken Soup books
Download it FREE today at http://www.AsAManThinketh.net?ea
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