UO seminar examines Curtis photos of Indians in western North America
The University of Oregon Librar-
ies Special Collections and University
Archives will offer an inside look at the
photographic work of Edward Curtis in
a half-day UO Insight Seminar entitled
Native American Photographs: The Art
of Edward Curtis.
The seminar is scheduled for May 3
from 9:15 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Knight
Library Browsing Room, 1501 Kincaid
St. The registration fee for the noncredit,
ungraded public seminar is $45.
The seminar will be taught by James
Fox, head of Special Collections and
University Archives, and Jennifer O’Neal,
university historian and archivist. Learn
more and register online at https://library.
uoregon.edu/administration/insight.html.
The rare, original photographs cov-
ered in the seminar are a treasure from
the UO Libraries Special Collections.
From the mid-1890s to the late 1920s,
Curtis roamed throughout western North
America documenting what he perceived
to be the “vanishing” lifeways of Indians.
More than 2,000 of Curtis’ images
appear in his monumental The North
American Indians (1907-1930), which
comprises 20 volumes of large photogra-
vures and 20 corresponding volumes of
photogravures and text.
The seminar will examine Curtis’
own copy of this stunning work, discuss
its aesthetic value and evaluate it from a
Native perspective.
No textbook is needed for the seminar.
The full volumes and images, however,
can be accessed through the American
Memory project at memory.loc.gov/
ammem/award98/ienhtml/curthome.html.
In addition, the new book Short
Nights of the Shadow Catcher: The
Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of
Edward Curtis by Timothy Egan (timothy-
eganbooks.com/books-2/short-nights-of-
the-shadow-catcher/) will be referenced
in the seminar.
UO Insight Seminars provide an
opportunity for the general public to re-
engage with the liberal arts and experi-
ence the intellectual fulfillment that is
the hallmark of a university education.
The seminars focus on the humanities,
particularly on “meaning of life” topics
of keen interest to adults.
They are aimed at people eager to
return to real college-level reading and
study. Led by UO faculty members who
are experts on the topics, the seminars
require careful reading of both primary
and secondary materials.
Full details and information can be
found at library.uoregon.edu/node/4150.
First Nations receives AARP grant to address hunger, food security of elders
LONGMONT, Colo. – First Nations
Development Institute (First Nations)
announced earlier this year that it has
received a $250,000 grant from AARP
Foundation to fund a project to address
hunger, nutrition and food insecurity
among Native American Tribal Elders.
The new grant expands work that
began in 2012 when AARP Foundation
provided First Nations with a $187,660
grant under First Nations’ Native Ameri-
can Food Security project.
Under the first grant, First Nations
awarded funding to four projects that
have been successfully completed and
evaluated. They were to the Ponca Tribe
of Oklahoma, the Pueblo of Nambe and
Santo Domingo Pueblo in New Mexico
and Sipaulovi Development Corporation
(Hopi) in Arizona.
Under the new grant, First Nations
will award funding to additional Ameri-
can Indian projects. A proposal process is
now under way for those grants.
The Native American Food Security
project assists American Indian Tribes or
organizations working to eliminate food
insecurity among senior populations.
National statistics show that Ameri-
can Indians continue to experience
high rates of poverty, contributing to
food insecurity in many Native communities.
According to the most recent Ameri-
can Community Survey, about 26 percent
of American Indians live at or below the
poverty line. The same survey indicates that
roughly 12 percent of all American Indians
living in poverty are age 55 and older.
Other studies conducted by the
National Resource Center on Native
American Aging note that Native seniors
suffer from higher rates of obesity, diabetes
and other negative health indicators when
compared to other senior groups in the U.S.
“Our grant from AARP Foundation
bore significantly positive results during
the first round and we are excited and
very thankful that the foundation has pro-
vided additional funding for this effort,”
said First Nations President Michael E.
Roberts. “With a combination of direct
grants and technical assistance and train-
ing made possible by the new funding,
we will grow this project to increase the
quantity and healthful quality of food
for Tribal Elders while documenting the
best models for broader dissemination
throughout Indian Country.”
“AARP Foundation’s $250,000 grant
to First Nations helps bolster the contin-
ued efforts of both of our organizations in
the fight against older adult hunger,” said
AARP Foundation President Lisa Marsh
Ryerson. “By aligning with an organiza-
tion that has a proven record in hunger
relief, we are pleased to be able do it again
and we are looking forward to watching
the new programs grow further and fight
hunger for Native American Elders.”
AARP Foundation is working to win
back opportunity for struggling Ameri-
cans 50 + by being a force for change on
the most serious issues they face today
– housing, hunger, income and isolation.
By coordinating responses to these
issues on all four fronts at once and sup-
porting them with legal advocacy, the foun-
dation serves the needs of those 50 + while
working with local organizations nation-
wide to reach more people, work more
efficiently and make resources go further.
AARP Foundation is a charitable
affiliate of AARP. Learn more at aarp-
foundation.org.
For 34 years, using a three-pronged
strategy of educating grassroots practi-
tioners, advocating for systemic change
and capitalizing Indian communities,
First Nations has been working to restore
American Indian control and culturally
compatible stewardship of the assets they
own – be they land, human potential, cul-
tural heritage or natural resources – and to
establish new assets for ensuring the long-
term vitality of American Indian commu-
nities throughout the United States.
For more information about First
Nations, visit firstnations.org.
Become an American Indian credit
counselor or financial coach
You are invited to join Rural Dynam-
ics’ (RDI) ever-growing group of financial
coaches and credit counselors across the
nation who provide culturally competent
financial counseling and education to clients
who have set lifelong goals such as buying
a home, starting a small business, building
their credit or just repaying their debt.
RDI’s Native American Credit Coun-
seling Program is focused on identifying
attainable dreams/goals; evaluating one’s
financial situation; creating a workable,
realistic budget; setting next steps; and pro-
viding mentoring throughout the process.
A key component to financial inde-
pendence and self-sufficiency is having
the tools and resources to get there. Sitting
down for a one-on-one financial counsel-
ing session helps clients organize and
determine what is going to work best for
their family’s situation.
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Siletz News
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May 2014
The course consists of 10 weekly
web-based conferences, which are fol-
lowed by a week of in-person intensive
review (not mandatory) and the final exam
(in Great Falls, Mont.).
The next session is scheduled to begin
May 8. The cost of the complete course is
$1,899 and includes course registration,
study materials, webinars, examination
and technical assistance.
Successful participants become
accredited credit counselors with the
AFCPE (Association for Financial Coun-
seling and Planning Education).
A discounted option also is available
for those who want to provide more of a
financial coaching piece, not necessarily
the full-fledged certified credit counselor
piece. This option is just $250 plus books.
For more details or to enroll, visit
naccprogram.weebly.com.