And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
From: James Craven via Warriornet
Indian totem at Clark
promotes awareness
By RICHARD S. CLAYTON
Columbian staff writer
A cluster of curious Clark College students peered and
listened through an open door at the Eagle Valley Singers.
Some stood on their tiptoes to get a better
look inside the conference room. One smirked as the American
Indian musicians pounded on a large rawhide Makah tribe
drum and sang a native song.
members face death threats.
When the drum went silent, most onlookers went their own way. But a few
stepped inside to see what was going on. Clark's Native
American Student Council hopes many more will do so
during the two-day celebration on campus.
A commemoration of the completion of the plaza around
the campus totem pole, the gathering also is an effort to
foster better understanding of American Indian culture,
challenges and concerns.
Pole
'Indians are far closer to
extinction than whales.'
>From Page A1
"This event is (meant) to break down some stereotypes
and characterizations about how Indians act and think",
said Jim Craven, an adviser to the student group.
The event began Thursday with several native speakers
and dedication of the plaza. American Indian storytellers
shared native tales earlier today.
Tonight the council will put on a play about the role
of American Indians in the Lewis and Clark expedition,
followed by a gathering of native drummers and other
musicians.
Representative from about 10 Northwest tribes are
expected to take part.
The gathering was scheduled long before the recent
Makah whale hunt and efforts by the Shoalwater Bay
Indian Tribe to use property in Ridgefield for a large
housing development.
But American Indian presenters spoke passionately
to Clark students and staff Thursday about the cultural
tensions and misunderstanding sparked by the Makah
hunt.
Craven, a Clark professor and member of the Blackhawk
Confederacy, called most opponents of the whale hunt
hypocrites, because they aren't equally as angered by the
killing of cows or other livestock.
Or the decimation of American Indians and their
culture.
"Indians are far closer to extinction than any whales,"
Craven said.
"What they are saying is 'Whales are cute; Indians
aren't,'" he said.
Robert Ward, an attorney and member of the Cherokee
Nation, said the United States continues to conduct
several forms of warfare on American Indians.
Economically, the government prevents tribes-despite
their status as sovereign nations-from selling untaxed
cigarettes and conducting some forms of gambling on
reservations, he said.
Psychologically, the government pays for schools and
doesn't crack down on professional sports teams with
mascots that disparage American Indians.
"We are destroying the self-esteem of our Indian
children," he said.
The lessons continued with the dedication of the
totem plaza, located south of Foster Hall.
The student council erected the 26-foot totem pole
two years ago but couldn't afford to complete the plaza
until now.
Clark's student body, the campus foundation and the
college's multicultural office helped the council pay
for the $26,000 project.
A 4-foot-tall cedar beaver and plaque were added to the
plaza Thursday.
Craven explained the cultural significance of the newest
totem, as well as parts of the pole.
The eagle at the top of the pole represents closeness to
the Creator.
The beaver symbolizes hard work, diligence, wealth and
the powers to heal and change cold weather.
The circular plaza around the pole signifies the circle
of life, death and rebirth.
Craven compared the pole to the Iwo Jima memorial in
Washington, D.C.: a sophisticated collection of meaningful
history and symbols.
April Conner, one of the Clark students lured to Thursday's
speakers by the drum performance, said she was unaware of
some of the continued repression of American Indians.
Conner, 24, wants to make sure her children, ages 2 and 4,
Aren't taught stereotypes people learn about American Indians.
Conner's roommate, Michelle Wright, is happy to see the
Tribes asserting their treaty rights to do such things as
building homes in Ridgefield.
"Tribes are being a lot bolder now", said Conner, who is
a quarter Cherokee. "That's awesome. Our government pretty
much screwed them over."
But she is troubled with the Makah whale hunt.
"It might be cultural, (but) they could have done
something else," she said.
Reprinted under the fair use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html
doctrine of international copyright law.
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Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit)
Unenh onhwa' Awayaton
http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/
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