White House to host gathering for Tribal youth, build on Gen-I initiative
WASHINGTON – On July 9,
the White House will host the first
White House Tribal Youth Gathering
to provide American Indian and Alaska
Native youth from across the country
the opportunity to interact directly
with senior administration officials and
the White House Council on Native
American Affairs.
The Tribal Youth Gathering, a col-
laboration between the White House and
Unity Inc., will continue to build upon
the president’s Generation Indigenous
(Gen-I) initiative and his commitment to
improve the lives of Native youth across
the country.
President Obama launched the Gen-I
initiative at the 2014 White House Tribal
Nations Conference to focus on improv-
ing the lives of Native youth through new
investments and increased engagement.
This initiative takes a comprehensive,
culturally appropriate approach to ensure
all young Native people can reach their
full potential.
The Gen-I Native Youth Challenge
invites Native youth and organizations
across the country to become a part of the
administration’s Gen-I initiative by join-
ing the National Native Youth Network – a
White House effort in partnership with
the Aspen Institute’s Center for Native
American Youth and the U.S. Department
of the Interior.
NMAI seeks individuals, organizations for its Artist Leadership Program
The National Museum of the
American Indian (NMAI) invites
community-based artists of the Americas
and Hawai`i to apply to the Artist Lead-
ership Program (ALP) for Individual
Artists. Museums, arts organizations
and cultural institutions in the U.S. and
Canada are invited to apply to the ALP’s
organization track.
ALP is an incredible personal and
artistic experience that reconnects art-
ists to indigenous cultural materials for
inspiration and discovery, and encourages
them to challenge personal boundaries.
ALP artists have access to more than
800,000 objects, photographs and paper
archives in the NMAI’s collections at
the Cultural Resources Center and the
museum on the National Mall in Wash-
ington, D.C.
ALP artists return home empowered
with new insights, skills and techniques
to share in community workshops and
public arts programs.
ALP seeks to inspire artistic practice
and creativity, mentor young people
through pride in learning about their
cultural and artistic heritage, and reflect
the fact that indigenous arts hold value
and knowledge and offer communities
a means for healing and new ways to
exchange cultural information.
For detailed program information and
to apply online, please visit nmai.si.edu/
connect/artist-leadership-program/.
Applications are due June 15 by
5 p.m. EDT.
iTunes ® now offers Onondaga lacrosse documentary The Medicine Game
LINCOLN, Neb. – Tucked away in
central New York state is the Onondaga
Nation, a sovereign American Indian
community known to produce some of
the top lacrosse players in the world.
Yet the fear of leaving their community,
substance abuse and poverty have kept far
too many of these players from venturing
off the “rez” and into collegiate or profes-
sional ranks.
Enter the Thompson brothers –
Jerome “Hiana” and Jeremy – who are
driven by a single goal of beating the
odds against them and playing lacrosse for
national powerhouse Syracuse University.
“They started school late and they’ve
come from so far behind to catch up and
do as well as they’re doing now,” said
Jerome “Ji” Thompson, Hiana and Jer-
emy’s father. “And just to get that degree
to show everybody, because I know there
are people out there that actually know
them that don’t think they can do it.”
“Lacrosse is more than just a game –
it’s a way of life, it’s a heritage,” said Pro-
ducer/Director Luke Korver. “It’s being
Iroquois. It’s being Native American. It’s
a part of their culture, their religion, who
they are.”
The brothers heavily pursued their
ongoing shared vision of playing lacrosse
for Syracuse University. Athletically, the
brothers were standouts, but academi-
cally, they struggled.
The obstacles in their way were
frequent and daunting, but their love for
the game, each other and their family’s
unyielding determination helped propel
these youth against the odds.
in the iTunes Store search box and view
listing under the movies section. iTunes
works on Mac, PC, iPad, iPhone, iPod
touch and Apple TV. Visit apple.com/
itunes to download iTunes.
Vision Maker Media, a nonprofit
501(c)(3) that receives major funding
from the Corporation for Public Broad-
casting, shares Native stories with the
world by advancing media that represents
the experiences, values and cultures of
American Indians and Alaska Natives.
All aspects of our programs encour-
age the involvement of young people to
learn more about careers in the media – to
be the next generation of storytellers.
The Past Is Present
BASKETS OF THE SILETZ TRIBE
Courtesy photo by Erik Korver
A Benefit for the
Jeremy and Jerome “Hiana” Thompson
Siletz Tribal
“I titled the film The Medicine Game
because the game has helped not only the
Thompsons, but many families and com-
munities to stay healthy both physically
and mentally, to bond with one another
and to learn many powerful life lessons,”
said Korver.
To watch the film’s trailer, visit
visionmakermedia.org/medicine_game.
The Medicine Game is now available
to own ($14.99) or rent ($4.99) from the
iTunes ® store. Type The Medicine Game
Cultural Center
Saturday, June 20th
at
Chinook Winds
Casino
1pm - 5pm
*Silent Auction*
1pm to 4pm
Keynote Speaker:
Edmond Ben - Is a Siletz
Tribal Elder, sharing his first-
hand knowledge of the Siletz
Tribes’ history and culture.
Siletz Featured Weavers:
Lori Brown , Nora Williams-Wood, and Mitzi Brown
It is a pleasure to present three Siletz Tribal members who are accomplished
artists, carrying our traditions into the present. They will be
using traditional basketry materials to demonstrate Siletz basket weaving.
* Siletz Basket Display * Siletz Tribal Craft Vendors * Silent Auction *
Confederated Tribes of
Siletz Tribal Arts and Heritage Society 501 c (3)
For more information please visit:
huu-cha.org
Siletz Indians
Contact: Kathy@stahs.org
June 2015
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