LOL. How bout , how native is your white world?

[Hwii Siziinii]

did you ever stop and think that maybe what you think is good for us isnt what we think is good for us? over the years i have seen this time and time again...ndn support groups coming to ndn people and saying"heres what we're gonna do for you" like we're some kind of moronic idiots who can determine what we need and dont need...the biggest issue i see facing ndn people is the right to SELF DETERMINATION..maybe respect and acknowledgement arent what WE want or need at all hwii...

You're right. Maybe it's not. What is is that you do want then? I hear people voicing concerns but nobody really doing anything about it. It's not an outsider's place to tell you what you need or want. Sorry, didn't mean to come off that way. There isn't a large group of people that want to help out but there are some people anyway who do. How to help is the question. And it's not an easy subject to approach either. I get involved with the Navajo language programs here and just help by being there and voicing my opinion (not as a loudmouth, just a concerned citizen). I'd like to do more but I don't know how or where to start or if it's my place or what.

[Hwii Siziinii]

hwii how after studying Dine ppl for a few years do you feel qualified and comfortable to comment on their ways? amazing....

I just base it on my observations and knowledge I've aquired over the years. I absolutely do not claim to be any kind of expert and I'm not trying to speak for anyone. It took this long to feel comfortable to start voicing my opinions on these subjects. It's taken quite a bit of encouragement from some of my Dine friends to speak out. I don't want to be overstepping any lines or boundries. And I certainly don't want to offend anyone. This is something I've been around and seen for myself and heard people voice these opinions. Again, I know, on the whole, I don't know jack. But if I can contribute in a positive way at all, then I want to.

[sokoki_wolf]

I think people get tired of fighting. It's always easier to go with the flow. But you have to hold on to who you are and at least command respect. Equality will never be granted. The majority is going to hold on to every single advantage they have. Do you really think there'll ever be a black (or woman) president? Do you really think the majority's ever going to let that happen? Natives are virtually ignored. I think if it ever gets to the point where they're actually respected and acknowledged, that would be a major victory. I think that's what we should all continue fighting for.

did you ever stop and think that maybe what you think is good for us isnt what we think is good for us? over the years i have seen this time and time again...ndn support groups coming to ndn people and saying"heres what we're gonna do for you" like we're some kind of moronic idiots who can determine what we need and dont need...the biggest issue i see facing ndn people is the right to SELF DETERMINATION..maybe respect and acknowledgement arent what WE want or need at all hwii...

[Hwii Siziinii]

I think people get tired of fighting. It's always easier to go with the flow. But you have to hold on to who you are and at least command respect. Equality will never be granted. The majority is going to hold on to every single advantage they have. Do you really think there'll ever be a black (or woman) president? Do you really think the majority's ever going to let that happen? Natives are virtually ignored. I think if it ever gets to the point where they're actually respected and acknowledged, that would be a major victory. I think that's what we should all continue fighting for.

[sokoki_wolf]

In addition to what injunboy's already said, the dine way also says that night time is to be spent with family, sharing stories and teachings. Usually, this is to be done around the fire in the hooghan but I guess it's ok to go outside too...

hwii how after studying Dine ppl for a few years do you feel qualified and comfortable to comment on their ways? amazing....

[sokoki_wolf]

judging from alot of the comments and replies and general apathy on threads here on powwows,it looks like they have already won and "they" didnt have to do anything really...ndn people do it to themselves as well as non ndn's

[Hwii Siziinii]

I hope this is a trend that continues to grow strong all over North America. Navajo langauge and culture classes are in danger of being eliminated at the Phoenix Indian Center, who has operated this program since 2002. While classes are still offered at Phoenix College, those are mainly language classes offered for college students at college prices. The programs at PIC are free and family orientated. They also bring medicine men down from the rez to talk on various subjects, mainly relating to the season that they are appropriate to. Phoenix Dine Inc. is (in theory) going to start up a language / cultural program but, so far, their track record isn't very good at producing actual results. It is SO important to keep these languages and cultures alive. The goverment's plan in the 1800's was to assimilate. If you let these languages and cultures fade, they win.

[Migiziwomen]

thanks bear, on my next break i will go liik at this site. and for POPCAN-yes the other day i was trying to send shorty a message, and it just was not working had me going grrrrrrrrrrrrrr. lol, hey thanks to everyone no here that make me smile, makes me think deep thoughts, makes me remember stories. when i was working in the headstart room at Ney Ah Shing( in mille lacs) my auntie would teach language to the little ones. one day we were sitting there and she had a little tear in her eye. she shared with me that she remembers sitting around her grama or auntie in a circle around her feet and them teaching english words so that they(the kids) would fit in and not be made fun of....now she sits her with all these little faces so eager to learn what they worked so hard to try to stop. everything is a circle she says. my love to you Deloros Eagle, you are a wonderful strong women who teaches our children to be hungry for our culture, and i thank you.

http://www.science-art.com/image.asp?id=1882&m=0 (picture of three sisters garden)
A three sisters garden consists of corn, beans and squash. The three grown together benefit each other... eh, I'll let you read what this site says cause they explain it better than I do LOL!! Corn has a hard time growing up here in alaska cause the summer is so short, but I'm thinking I start about 12 plants indoors starting next month maybe, and by time it's warm and ready to plant they should be ready to go in the ground and get the beans and squash going. The corn has to be so high before you start the other two anyhow.

http://www.kidsgardening.com/growing.../mar02-pg1.htm

[kiowakat]

well my opinion again... it's sad ....go ahead and let them wannabe's take ove and the FAKES AND FRAUDS, eventually its gonna be that way...Cultural Integritity will be ruined.....we need to fight for all the rights of our sovereign nations not just one or two... Over looking fake and frauds will only undermind our plight as much as any other issue concerning native americans

[Blackbear]

i know i am not that old of a person but alot of the stuff you guys are writing brings back memories of when i was a child. the winters here in the mountains we would go without power. we would have no running water because the pipes would freeze. luckily though we had a spring back behind our house so we were able to get water and boil it on top of the wood stove. i remember mom cooking soup and stuff on the wood stove. i had fun in those days because it makes me appreciate what we have now. todays kids are so disrespectful and think everything should just be given to them. it is like they are ashamed od who they really are. i am proud to be who i am and i am so happy that there is an immersion class in the daycare system which is teaching the young one the language. my child is in that class and there is another class so we have two of them now. hopefully though the whole school systems here will taught in our language.

We grow up and do everything we can to provide a life for our children that's better, easier, and not so hard as we had it. And in the process we find we've spoiled them, made them unappreciative and disrespectful and then suddenly.. we think we must have had it pretty good because it taught us to be a certain way... how is that for irony?

[sokoki_wolf]

so...does any one have any recipes for powdered eggs?

[marie_popcan@hotmail]

They're too busy watching morons on 'reality' tv. Now THAT'S depressing...

The only T.V. watching I do is the movies I rent or Like last night`s Oscar Awards and George Clooney won the first one...........Oscar...................THE specials on Native people and that is it for me. Not much for it...rather read a good book or on-line with friends...............now that is great. So new to me.

[Cherie]

They're too busy watching morons on 'reality' tv. Now THAT'S depressing...

lol: I can see you're in rare form today.

[Hwii Siziinii]

They're too busy watching morons on 'reality' tv. Now THAT'S depressing...

[Cherie]

I know.........but the "bickering", sorry to say, will never seize in our life time. Go for the "How Bleak is you Native World", can you imagine the responses?

As for going for the ' How bleak is your Native World ' I'll let someone else write that book. Yes, I can imagine the responses from that one.

If Uncle pain in the butt keeps cutting the budget our Native world will be more then bleak. There may not be a Native World.

I read on the indianz.com website the other day that the American Indian housing training funds are slated for a cut. The news is so depressing that I rarely watch or read it. Just once I'd like to hear/read about something positive but of course that wouldn't sell newspapers and people wouldn't watch the news programs. Oh well such is life.