dxʷshudičup honored by Coast Salish Tribal Leaders

From the Facebook page of  Miranda Belarde-Lewis:

Bernie Sanders receiving his Lushootseed name from Coast Salish Tribal Leaders. 


dxʷshudičup (pronounced dooh-s-who-dee-choop) is the Coast Salish name given to Bernie Sanders. The Lushootseed meaning is "the one lighting the fires for change and unity." 

John Trudell's Vision and Wishes

It must have been in 1983 or 1984 that I first heard John Trudell's strong clear voice while waiting for a Bob Dylan concert to begin and during the intermission of that concert in Vancouver, British Columbia, and soon after I bought a copy of the tape he had made with Jesse Ed Davis:



Along with:



On December 8, 2015, I learned that John Trudell had died.

December 10, 2015 -- Open letter from the family of John Trudell:

“We know all the people who love John want to know about plans and how to pay their respects. John left clear instructions for his passage and for what he wanted to happen after he crossed over. He did not want a funeral or any kind of single gathering. He also did not want his family to write a standard style obituary or ‘toot his horn.’ He didn’t want to tell people how to remember him.

“His wishes are for people to celebrate life and love, pray and remember him in their own ways in their own communities.

Read more at http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2015/12/10/open-letter-family-john-trudell-162719

Some things I learned on the 4th of July 2015

This morning when I got together with a group of friends, there was some talk about celebrating the 4th of July and freedom. A man who is a member of the Lummi Nation quietly said that he had been giving considerable thought this year as to what the 4th of July means to him as a Native American, and his conclusion was "nothing," except that it is an occasion to honor tribal veterans. He said this in a matter of fact way that startled all of us awake. He is a kind man with a keen sense of humor, and his life is devoted to helping others. I'm grateful for his honesty. His words gave me much to think about.

It's been a long long time since I read the Declaration of Independence. He inspired me to find a reading of it on YouTube by a diverse group of readers. Watch for Graham Greene, a First Nations actor who was chosen to read, with some irony, about "merciless Indian savages" at 6:25:



"... He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare, is undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions..."

Here's Morgan Freeman's introduction to the above reading of the Declaration of Independence.  It was featured on the Doonesbury website today and was part of the inspiration for my blog post today:



From the article from "Indian Country":

As Americans everywhere celebrate the 4th of July, I think about how many American Indians are taking their yearly vacations back to their reservations and home communities. All across Indian country, tribes hold modern celebrations -- including powwows, rodeos, and homecomings -- that coincide with the United States' Independence Day celebrations.

As for me, I'll be with my two daughters, and we'll watch a huge fireworks display!

-- Dennis Zotigh (Kiowa/San Juan Pueblo/Santee Dakota Indian) is a writer and cultural specialist at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.

Radiant Woman with Cedar Hat and A Young Man Speaking from Indian Country

While looking at the above photo from the news today of the signing of the Violence Against Women Act, I noticed a woman wearing a woven cedar hat much like those woven at the Lummi Nation -- a few miles from where I live.

With a little Googling, I was able to identify the woman as Deborah Parker, the Vice Chairwoman of the Tulalip Tribes of Washington State.  Listen to her story (recorded in 2012):



Now read the words of activist Gyasi Ross of the Blackfeet Nation writing from Indian Country yesterday:



"The President's legacy with Native people will ultimately be determined by how he deals with the environment, climate change and Keystone XL. Why?  We're the stewards of this land -- we cannot "go back to where we came from." We come from right here.  Some, that do not understand Native people's relationship to the land, will argue "there are no federally protected sacred sites affected!" Those folks just don't get it -- it's not just the few places that the government determines are "sacred" that we're concerned about.  No, all of this land is sacred and is not supposed to be ripped apart for a few coins.  Soon, after the euphoria of winning the VAWA war wears off, we'll realize that the Obama Administration snuck a fast one past us--the day after VAWA passed!"

Please read the entire article for context.

We can celebrate the signing of the VAWA and International Women's Day and not forget the problem of violence against Mother Earth.