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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (June 19, 2008)
News from Indian C ountry Page 10 Spilyay Tym oo June 19, 2 0 0 8 Tribes clash, vying for place in Yosemite history Y O S E M IT E N A T IO N A L PARK, Calif. (AP)— Visitors to Y osem ite Valley have for de cades been taught ab o u t the Southern Sierra Miwok, whose ancestral ties to th e park are venerated in books, brochures and a replica village built near the park’s roaring falls. N ow , a n o th e r b a n d o f American Indians is calling part o f that story a total invention. Jo e Rhoan, w ho traces his ancestry to Paiute peoples from the park’s eastern edge, claims his elders were Yosemite’s first stewards and that the Miwok are playing down the Paiute role in the area. “T he park m anufactured a lot o f its history,” said Rhoan, o f Roseville, a suburb o f Sac ramento. ‘Y o u ’ve got living di rect descendants o f the people in old photos displayed in exhib its telling the park they have the w rong signs up,-and they’re not listening to us.” Yosemite historians chafe at th e suggestion th eir exhibits could be wrong, and say they’ve been crafted over years draw ing fro m academ ic research , geological records andeconsul- tations with seven American In dian tribes that advise the park on its interpretive programs, in cluding two Paiute bands in the Eastern Sierra. Such disputes are beginning to surface as the nation’s parks start to reconcile the sometimes brutal events that helped to cre ate today’s cherished preserves, said Bob Sutton, the N ational Park Service’s chief historian. “In the past, we.operated with this idea that great m en made American parks what they were, so we wrote stories about a lot o f g reat w hite m en,” S utto n said. “In some instances, the his tory we have on the books may n o t be accurate, and we need to take a lot o f care in making sure we’re telling it correctly.” R hoan’s great grandm other Maria Lebrado was one o f few su rv iv o rs o f a m a ssa c re in 1851, in w hich w hite settlers drove o u t the native families w h o liv ed in a n d m ig ra te d through the valley. Five years later, tourist maga zines were promoting Yosemite as a pleasuring ground for the mon eyed classes o f San Francisco. By 1892, most surviving Indians had left the area, or had taken jobs working as maids, tree fellers or dancers to entertain visitors. Tony Brochini, chairman o f the 800-member Southern Sierra' Miwok tribe, was b o m in the last Indian village in the valley in 1951, and grew up exploring the park’s flowering meadows and swift rivers as his backyard. H e says th e M iw ok have been w orking to keep Indian cultural and spiritual traditions alive in Yosemite. The tribe plans to build a new cultural center on the old village grounds with a sweat lodge and a roundhouse th ey p ro p o se as a g ath erin g place for all area tribes. “We’re the indigenous people o f Yosemite Valley and have the m ost lineal descent to this area, and are the spiritual leaders for all tribal activities,” he said. “The disgruntled ones want that whole history changed.” Rhoan and another Paiute ac tivist, David Andrews, have sent Yosemite’s tribal liaison reams o f in fo rm atio n they say dem on strates the park’s improprieties. A n d rew s, a m em b er o f th e Walker River Paiute reservation in Nevada, cites early photos of Yosemite as evidence that early inhabitants were Paiute. B ro c h in i, a P ark S erv ice employee w ho also has Italian and Paiute blood, acknowledges that interm arrying means some early valley re s id e n ts w ere Yokut, Chukchansi and M ono _ as well as Paiute. Rhoan is a distant cousin o f Brochini. P a iu te s are alread y m e n tio n ed in displays at a refu r b is h e d v is ito r ’s c e n te r th a t opened last year, and on signs in the native museum. But Andrews wants the park to go further: h e’d like to see signs rewritten and photographs relabeled to say the park’s origi nal stewards were all Paiute. H e also objects to the thousands o f dollars in payments for cultural services the park has made to the nonprofit organization the M iw ok trib e fo rm ed as they seek federal recognition. Officials said such criticisms have in part spurred park histori ans to consider taking a second look at its Indian historical mate rials when funding is available. G erard Baker has been over h a u lin g ex h ib its a t M o u n t R ushm ore N ational M emorial since he became the park’s first American Indian superintendent in 2004. This spring, he orga n iz e d a su m m it o f L a k o ta , N akota and D akota eld.ers to discuss issues including ways to help heail w ounds stem m ing from the country’s violent his tory with American Indians. In D e a th Valley N a tio n al Park, members o f the federally recognized Tim bisha Shoshone Tribe are working under a Park Service grant to m ap sites o f cultural and historical signifi cance. In 2000, after decades o f negotiation, the tribe was ceded acres o f park land as a part o f their ancestral territory. P at Parker, chief o f the Park Service’s American Indian liai son office in Washington, lauded such efforts, and said the agency plans to issue guidelines detail ing how parks should work with tribes to ensure visitors are told a complete history. “W hat people know about the landscape in our parks, the body o f knowledge that they’ve carried through from generation to generation and have m em o rialized in songs and stories, is a resource to be, protected just as m uch as the trees and the rocks and the fish,” Parker said. Mohegan medicine woman follows great aunt’s path N E W L O N D O N , Conn. (AP)— As a child she spent m u c h o f h e r tim e a t th e Tantaquidgeon Museum with h er great au n t G ladys, its founder. M elissa T an taq u id g eo n Z o b e l w o u ld ta k e in as m uch in fo rm a tio n as she could a b o u t th e M ohegan T ribe’s past and its cultural richness. A nd fo r m o st o f her life, Z obel could look to Gladys T antaquidgeon for guidance. So it was difficult for her to imagine herself ever assum ing the role o f m edicine woman, which was left vacant after Gladys died in 2005 at the age o f 106. B ut w hen the M ohegan T rib e’s C ouncil o f E lders came to Z obel last m onth, asking if she w ould be willing to take on the position o f medi cine woman, she accepted. The council said Z o b el w ould be “preserving the spiritual, physi cal and emotional health o f in dividual tribal members.” While the appointm ent will not change her life dramatically, it signals a shift. For so long she and o ther tribal m em bers had Gladys, w ho was wholly dedi cated to her tribe and comm u nity, to turn to. A nd now, at the age o f 48, Zobel has become that person. “This is a position that I really, really had terrible trepidation about ever even thinking about assuming,” Zobel said. “I think it’s knowing that you no longer have someone else to go to.” While some people may en vision the medicine person as som eone w ith vast knowledge in ancien t h erbs and healing techniques, Zobel said different people have different gifts.. She said th at w ithin tribes sometimes there is an individual who is a “seer.” Some may prac tice herbal healing and yet oth ers may have a gift for working with children or the elderly. But no m atter w hat som eone’s gift or strength is, Z obel said the intent never changes. “T he goal is simple: to do w hat’s best for your tribe and “The official duties are just being the medicine woman pe riod,” Gray said. The role o f medicine woman is defined by the person occu pying the position. Gladys’ way was to spend her life researching the history and traditions o f the tribe. In doing so, she created, along with her brother and father, H arold and John, the T antaquidgeon M u seum, which the Mohegans be lieve to be the oldest native- owned and operated museum in for the community as a whole,” the country. she said, “to bring good things to th e place that you live and the world that you live in.” Joseph Gray, vice chairman o f the Council o f Elders, said the position is meant to prom ote “harm ony and well being in the tribe as a collective whole.” “ (Gladys) focused on learn ing m ore about our ancient tra ditions as a way to make our people whole,” Zobel said. “A nd because I saw so m uch success in w hat she did, that’s the path that I w anted to follow.” In many ways Zobel has fo Committee grants protection of Mount Taylor A L B U Q U E R Q U E , N .M . (AP)— A state com m ittee has approved a proposal from five American Indian tribes to give central N ew M exico’s M ou n t Taylor temporary protection as a cultural property at a conten tious meeting attended by hun dreds o f people. The state Cultural Properties Review C om m ittee voted 4-2 Saturday in G rants for an emer g ency listin g o f m o re th a n 422,000 acres (660 sq u are m iles) su rro u n d in g th e mountain’s summit on the state Register o f Cultural Properties. T h e N av ajo N a tio n , th e Acoma, Laguna and Zuni pueb los and the H opi tribe o f Ari zona asked the state to approve the listing for a mountain they consider sacred to p ro te c t it from an anticipated uranium mining boom , according to the nomination report. T he listing lasts for a year, a fte r w h ic h th e c o m m itte e w ould determ ine w hether the mountain that can be seen from many regions o f N ew Mexico should be listed permanently. “W e’re quite happy,” said Acom a Pueblo Lt. Gov. Mark T hom pson, w ho attended the meeting. But he said those w ho support the mountain’s listing on the state registry have a lot o f work ahead o f them. H e said the tribes will welcome help from other com munities that support the cultural property designation. ‘W e have to try to m end some fences. T h e re w ere a lo t o f m isp erce p tio n s,” T h o m p so n said. “We need to try and edu cate people more, if they’re will ing to listen and learn and trust.” Opponents o f the temporary listing say it will open the door to m ore go v ern m en t co n tro l o f natural areas across the country. “I f this is allowed and permit ted here on this mountain, then the Sandias (near Albuquerque) are next and this will go across the nation as a way to control property,” said Ronny Pynes, a Grants businessman concerned about how the listing would af fect outdoors enthusiasts and nearby property owners. Pynes and o th ers said th e meeting was very divisive with opponents and supporters o f the listing sitting opposite each other across a high school gymnasium. “It’s a very dividing issue for the community,” Pynes said. “It’s created a lot o f animosity, more than I’ve ever seen.” M ount Taylor rises to 11,301 feet. T h e 422,840 acres th at w ould be protected under the emergency designation includes the summit and mesa tops above 8,000 feet, except on the south w est boundary where the area drops to 7,300 feet. Those who support having the mountain listed on the state regis ter permanently have one year to make their case. I f they fail to do so, or if their application is re jected, they must wait five years before trying again, said state his torian Estevan Rael-Galvez, the committee chairman. R ael-G alvez, w h o did n o t vote, said the listing w ould not have an im p act o n p ro p e rty rights or use o f the mountain. “It does n o t have prohibitive restrictions on how the property can be used, how it can be sold, in term s o f public access, in terms o f maintenance and the use o f it,” he said. Citizens group opposes Seneca-Cayuga tribal casino at Grand Lake OKLAHOM A C IT Y (A P)— C alling it a “black hole” that will be a drain on the city’s economy, a group o f Grove citizens is working to p rev en t the Seneca-C a yuga Tribe from building its proposed $60 million casino at G rand Lake. The group, called “N o Ca sino In Grove,” planned a lun cheon Saturday to encourage u citizens to contact lawmakers and write letters opposing the Miami-based tribe’s plans for a lakeside complex that w ould in clude a five-story hotel, three restaurants and a convention center. D arrell M astin, a G rove fi nancial adviser w ho serves as a spokesm an for the “N o Ca sino” group, said he envisions p a tro n s ig n o rin g o th e r city businesses as they drive to and from the casino. “I look at a casino coming in here as allowing a black hole to develop right in the middle o f your economy,” Mastin said. The Seneca-Cayugas already operate the G rand Lake Casino, located about five miles north east o f downtown Grove, and an n o u n ced plans last year to b u ild a 1 0 0 ,0 0 0 -sq u are-fo o t lakefront facility that would em ploy a b o u t 450 people and have about 1,000 gam ing machines. A telephone message left for C hief Leroy H oward and S e c re ta ry -T re a s u re r Ray Rodgers at the Seneca-Ca yuga main office Friday was n o t returned. cused on similar projects. “Per sonality-wise, we’re very differ ent and yet there are very few p e o p le w ith w h o m I w o u ld rather (have) spent time during my life,” Zobel said. Gladys, among her many ac complishments in life, entered the University o f Pennsylvania in 1919, co-founded the m u seum in 1931, did social w ork for the Bureau o f Indian A f fairs in the mid- to late 1930s and in the 1990s provided docu m e n ta tio n th a t h e lp e d th e Mohegan Tribe achieve fcderal recognition. As medicine woman she will have no official duties to per form and she will not hâve to wear any special regalia. Currently, her regalia consists' o f a blue satin top, a velvet col lar and a black skirt that Gladys em broidered for her about 30 years ago. When she wears the rega lia, she also wears two down- turned turkey feathers in her hair. The angle o f the feathers symbolizes that the individual comes in peace. Zobel said no one in her family was entirely surprised by her appointm ent but she expects her three children, D a v id U n cas F ay et, 17, Madeline Fielding Fayet, 18, and Rachel Beth Fayet, 22, may get the biggest thrill p f all. “I don’t think anyone ex pects their m other to be the medicine woman,” she said. “I think for them , this will be interesting to explain to their friends.” PBS taping Trail of Tears documentary C H A T T A N O O G A , Tenn. (A P )— S om e o f a fiv e -p a rt docum entary on the Trail o f Tears is being taped in Tennes see and Georgia for the Public Broadcasting Service. A crew o f about 100 is mak ing the documentary, “We Shall Remain,” for PBS. They have been taping at the C hief Vann H o u se H is to ric Site in C h a tsw o rth , G a., th e N ew E c h o ta H is to ric S ite n e a r C alhoun, G a., an d R ed Clay State Historic Park in Cleveland, Tenn. * A PBS spokesman described th e series as “ a p ro v o cativ e multimedia production that es tablishes Native American his tory as an essential part o f U.S. history.” The entire series cov ers 400 years, ending in 1973 w ith th e o c c u p a tio n o f W ounded Knee. T h e M u s e u m A t W a r m S p r in g s Traditional & Memorial Horse Parade Photograph cojrtesy of the Gladys Thompson Family Pictured: AtMi Irene Thompson Tote ani sister Maria Minton Thursday, June 26, 2008 The Museum Grounds Please join The Museum At Warm Springs as we provide the opportunity to Warm Springs Tribal Members to show their horse Regalia and to pay respect to their Loved Ones that are now gone and free their bereavment. W alkers are welcome! Time starting at 10 am with “Spirit of the Horse" reception and exhibit opening to follow. The Changing Exhibits Gallery and Gift Shop will be open until 6 pm. With permission, photographs will be taken o f Horse regalia for individual records and one copy towards the Museum's Archives during this event. For additional Information and horse trader parking, please contact Rosalind Sampson. Beulah Tsumpti or Natalie Moody at 5415533331)3338 Fax Ad uh Volunteers are requested J
