Monday, July 27, 2009

Tribes Diminishing Down South in the Amazon...

Published: July 24, 2009

XINGU NATIONAL PARK, Brazil — As the naked, painted young men of the Kamayurá tribe prepare for the ritualized war games of a festival, they end their haunting fireside chant with a blowing sound — “whoosh, whoosh” — a symbolic attempt to eliminate the scent of fish so they will not be detected by enemies. For centuries, fish from jungle lakes and rivers have been a staple of the Kamayurá diet, the tribe’s primary source of protein.

Damon Winter/The New York Times

Kamayurá children ran to their Brazilian village on June 6 with a macaw, to later use its feathers.

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But fish smells are not a problem for the warriors anymore. Deforestationand, some scientists contend, globalclimate change are making the Amazon region drier and hotter, decimating fish stocks in this area and imperiling the Kamayurá’s very existence. Like other small indigenous cultures around the world with little money or capacity to move, they are struggling to adapt to the changes.

“Us old monkeys can take the hunger, but the little ones suffer — they’re always asking for fish,” said Kotok, the tribe’s chief, who stood in front of a hut containing the tribe’s sacred flutes on a recent evening. He wore a white T-shirt over the tribe’s traditional dress, which is basically nothing.

Chief Kotok, who like all of the Kamayurá people goes by only one name, said that men can now fish all night without a bite in streams where fish used to be abundant; they safely swim in lakes previously teeming with piranhas.

Responsible for 3 wives, 24 children and hundreds of other tribe members, he said his once-idyllic existence had turned into a kind of bad dream.

“I’m stressed and anxious — this has all changed so quickly, and life has become very hard,” he said in Portuguese, speaking through an interpreter. “As a chief, I have to have vision and look down the road, but I don’t know what will happen to my children and grandchildren.”

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says that up to 30 percent of animals and plants face an increased risk of extinction if global temperatures rise 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) in coming decades. But anthropologists also fear a wave of cultural extinction for dozens of small indigenous groups — the loss of their traditions, their arts, their languages.

“In some places, people will have to move to preserve their culture,” said Gonzalo Oviedo, a senior adviser on social policy at the International Union for Conservation of Nature in Gland, Switzerland. “But some of those that are small and marginal will assimilate and disappear.”

To make do without fish, Kamayurá children are eating ants on their traditional spongy flatbread, made from tropical cassava flour. “There aren’t as many around because the kids have eaten them,” Chief Kotok said of the ants. Sometimes members of the tribe kill monkeys for their meat, but, the chief said, “You have to eat 30 monkeys to fill your stomach.”

Living deep in the forest with no transportation and little money, he noted, “We don’t have a way to go to the grocery store for rice and beans to supplement what is missing.”

Tacuma, the tribe’s wizened senior shaman, said that the only threat he could remember rivaling climate change was a measles virus that arrived deep in the Amazon in 1954, killing more than 90 percent of the Kamayurá.

Cultures threatened by climate change span the globe. They include rainforest residents like the Kamayurá who face dwindling food supplies; remote Arctic communities where the only roads were frozen rivers that are now flowing most of the year; and residents of low-lying islands whose land is threatened by rising seas.

Many indigenous people depend intimately on the cycles of nature and have had to adapt to climate variations — a season of drought, for example, or a hurricane that kills animals.

But worldwide, the change is large, rapid and inexorable, heading in only one direction: warmer. Eskimo settlements like Kivalina and Shishmaref in Alaska are “literally being washed away,” said Thomas Thornton, an anthropologist who studies the region, because the sea ice that long protected their shores is melting and the seas around are rising. Without that hard ice, it becomes difficult, if not impossible, to hunt for seals, a mainstay of the traditional diet....

MORE>> http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/25/science/earth/25tribe.html?_r=1

Monday, July 20, 2009

From Twitter....Stop Sacred Burial Mounds from becoming a Sam's Club

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=118679542703


A 1,500 year old Native American stone mound was about to be bulldozed near Oxford, Alabama, and the earth used for a landfill to build a Sam's Club, a BIG BOX discount store owned by Walmart.
Protesters there have managed to stop the shovels temporarily but 320 acres of Sacred burial grounds, temples and sanctuaries are at risk.
An Oxford City council member reportedly said, "it ain't no sacred site, it was just used to blow smoke signals"!! Me thinks me smells the whiff of Colonialism in the forms of ignorance, Consumerism and Globalization...


JOIN US in the larger fight to stop the destruction of a sacred ancestral site of historical, spiritual and archaeological importance. Stand up and say Enough!
517 years of Colonialism on this land is enough,
WE are still standing and
WE WILL NOT be erased by Globalization or Consumerism.
We have already paid with the bones of our ancestors, and they will NOT be taken from us any more. Their skin will not be traded or made into boots
Their flesh and bones will not be put on display in a circus or a store display
ENOUGH - we have given enough
TOO MUCH - you have taken too much


NOBODY is going to
"Bury My Heart at Walmart"
NO WAY!
ESPECIALLY NOT those of OUR ancestors.
When are human beings finally going to realize that
WE ARE ALL ONE,
We are all inter-related both to the Earth our Mother and to every living thing?

"Mitakuye Oyesin" -Oglala wisdom*


These bones in the Burial Mounds in Oxford, AL
THESE BONES are the bones of ALL OF OUR ANCESTORS!
They represent the bones of all indigenous peoples who where crushed and desecrated to build the empires of the world. That means all of us, every last human being on this planet is a descendant of indigenous peoples.

Join us in the battle of the just, a battle that was meant to be won.
This is both a war for a powerful paradigm shift as well as for the sacred grounds in Alabama.
INVERT "the sterotypes and archaic notions of indianness,
THIS IS WHAT DECOLONIZATION LOOKS LIKE"*

Yes we are "BAD NDNZ"* - Living,breathing, building a legacy for future generations.
COME B BAD NDNZ too!
-Refuse to Burry your heart at Walmart!
-Refuse racial stereotypes and hatred!
-BOYCOT WALMART & SAM'S CLUB!
-Do not participate in violence or hateful expressions of civil disobedience
-Protest with us through coordinated boycott, social media, mass social media protests (to be scheduled via fax,sms,twitter,facebook)
-USE consensus, cultural paradigm shift as your weapons. These are the most powerful, the most respectful of our ancestors and the most effective:

WEAPONS OF MASS MEDIA, SOCIAL MEDIA & POP CULTURE.

Respectfully,
Carolyn Chambliss


Mitakuye Oyesin - http://www.russellmeans.com/
"Bad Indian" Poem by Ryan Red Corn http://ow.ly/hcEa
"amazing man, woli'won from the woolastooqiyik nation" - (BringItBackC)
-This "Powerful poem invites all who may watch to rethink, re-imagine, re-frame and reposition current thinking. Finding relevance in today's context and value in the revival of [the]indigenous voice. Mauri ora!
*Above quotes by the following users on Youtube
(greatsleep), (Itehira1)

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Respectfully , Anthony Andreas has passed....


Mr. Anthony Andreas was a uncle of a friend of mine.... Sean Milanovich of Agua Caliente band of Cahuilla Indians in Palm Springs ca... I never had the honor of meeting such a big Legend in the Cahuilla Bird Singing World.... but wish I have.

Mr. A. Andreas was a believer in Cahuilla culture continuing on with the younger generation... another source of the "LIVING PAST" for the Cahuilla people at Agua Caliente. With all my heart and Soul, my deepest condolences for the Major losss of a great Man, Leader and Cultural historian. Thank you Mr. Anthony Andreas... for never giving up on your dreams of preservation.

Albert Chacon


Bellow.... the services for uncle Biff... All please be careful and safe driving....

Tribal singer Anthony J. Andreas Jr. Has saddly Passed Away ...


Debra Gruszecki • The Desert Sun

Anthony J. Andreas Jr., a former vice chairman of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians and who was described in 2004 as the eldest living descendent of the Pai-nik-tem clan of Cahuilla Indians, died Tuesday.

In fitting form, the funeral will be held next weekend at Andreas Ranch.

“It holds special memories for us,” said Antoinette Saubel, one of six daughters of the Andreas family that also includes three brothers.

With its palm-covered palapas and Western look, Andreas Ranch was a tranquil reprieve near the mouth of Andreas Canyon - a spot the Pai-nik-tem or “early morning” clan settled many centuries ago - that hosted fiestas, cultural exchanges, basket-weaving and events to preserve and carry on the Cahuilla Indian ceremonial bird songs.

Andreas, whom some knew as Biff, called the ranch a safe haven. It had its own bird-singing corral.

“He was all about community, about keeping the culture going as much as he could,” said O’Jay Vanegas, director of education for the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum. “He was very significant in revitalizing bird singing, and with Matt and Gene Pablo, bringing it back to Palm Springs and the Morongo area.”

Andreas learned the Cahuilla Indian bird songs from Joseph Patencio.

Joe Benitez, a tribal elder of the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians, said Andreas was very involved in his heritage and was a leader in teaching young men of the reservation the bird songs and the Cahuilla culture.

“He was very cognizant of who he was, what he was and what he could give to his heritage,” Benitez said. “That’s very honorable for him.”

In recent years, Andreas had been invited to sit on the board for the Native American Land Conservancy. He also opposed an initial plan to place the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum in Andreas Canyon, arguing the ancestral homeland was sacred.

In 2005, a new site for the museum was announced just east of downtown Palm Springs.

“The whole point was to conserve and preserve the entire area,” said Vanegas, a bird singer himself. “To us, he is an icon: If you’re in a bird singing community now, how you got there was because of Tony.”

Ernie Siva, founder of the Dorothy Ramone Learning Center, said Andreas also learned the songs through his grandmother.

“She would sing to them when they were kids,” Siva recalled. “He said, they’d go to sleep under the stars, and she’d sing and tell stories to them.”

Siva said Andreas loved the Cahuilla language and songs of creation so much that he built a spot on his ranch exclusively for bird singing.

“He was one of the first to pick up the ball, so to speak, when the bird songs were dying out,” he said.

Ginger Ridgway, curator and director of programs at the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum, said Andreas was active with the museum since its inception.

“He was very involved with our design of the permanent exhibit for the new building,” she said. “He knew the traditional ways.”

Debra Gruszecki covers business and Indian gaming for The Desert Sun. She can be reached at Debra.Gruszecki@thedesertsun.com or at (760) 778-4643.
Copyright ©2009
MyDesert.com

Press Enterprise on Alvino's Passing.

Alvino Siva, who strove to preserve ancient Cahuilla Indian bird songs, culture and language, died of natural causes June 26 at his Banning home. He was 86.

“It’s sad to see him go,” said friend Albert Chacon, of Moreno Valley.

Cahuilla bird songs describe the early days, the lives and movement, of these American Indian people.

“The language and the bird songs, that tells us who we are,” said Sean Milanovich, a member of an Agua Caliente historic preservation committee.

Mr. Siva, a Cahuilla elder and member of the Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla & Cupeño Indians, helped preserve the songs by teaching them to others, including younger Cahuilla generations. He sang them in the Cahuilla language.

Mr. Siva was one of the few remaining Cahuilla people fluent in the language, according to Daniel McCarthy, a U.S. Forest Service tribal liaison.

Cahuilla culture was important to Mr. Siva.

“Language, too. He was preserving the language,” said his friend, Palm Springs anthropologist Lowell Bean.

“He would say language is the culture,” added another friend, Tim Toenjes, also of Palm Springs.

In a 1999 article in The Press-Enterprise, Mr. Siva said: “When a people lose their language, they lose their identity.”

Milanovich, of Cathedral City, said: “He really tried so much in his final years to try to get that language out there. … He worked with every reservation, every different youth group. He’d go, wherever he was asked.”

Mr. Siva was born March 1, 1923. Originally from the Los Coyotes reservation in northern San Diego County, he grew up in Palm Springs.

Cahuilla was his first language.

Mr. Siva learned bird songs at a young age.

Listening to him sing, “You got the feeling of tradition, the authenticity of it. It had the heart and passion of something that was real,” said his cousin Ernest Siva, of Banning.

Mr. Siva lobbied for a state landmark that pays tribute to a distant cousin, Chief Juan Antonio. Located at the Brookside rest area on Interstate 10 in Calimesa, the marker recognizes that in the 19th century in San Bernardino County, Antonio and his band of Cahuilla Indians protected white settlers’ property from outlaws.

It also notes a Cahuilla belief that the U.S. government sent Army blankets infected with smallpox. This part of the marker was controversial, and Mr. Siva stood up for it.

McCarthy said Mr. Siva “was an honorable man” who tried to balance his life “between the dominant white society and the Cahuilla culture that he grew up in.”

Mr. Siva served in the U.S. Army for 20 years and earned the rank of master drill sergeant. He was a World War II and Korean War veteran.

“He was a very patriotic man,” Bean said.

Mr. Siva is survived by his wife, Pat Siva, sister Katherine Siva Saubel and brother Paul Siva.

Celebration

A celebration of Alvino Siva’s life will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Malki Museum on the Morongo Indian Reservation. It’s a potluck luncheon, and guests are asked to bring a side dish or dessert.

Reach Erin Waldner at 951-763-3473 or ewaldner@PE.com
© 2009 Press-Enterprise Company

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Record Gazette 7/11/2009


1923-2009: Tribal elder Alvino Siva taught Cahuilla songs, traditions

Alvino Siva

Published: Friday, July 10, 2009 12:21 AM CDT
Known for his qualities as being a natural leader and a wonderful singer, Alvino Siva will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

Siva, 86, passed away at his home in Banning on June 26, 2009. He was born in Palm Springs on March 1, 1923.

“He was the type of man, who when he said he would get something done, he would,” said Albert Chacon.

Chacon met Siva three years ago and would visit Siva at his home for lunch or dinner. During his visits with Siva, Chacon learned a lot about him and admired the man that he was.

“I feel terrible that he is gone,” he said.

Ernest Siva, whose father was Alvino’s first cousin, said Alvino was a strong leader and someone who always made sure things were done right.

“I guess it is a trait that runs in the family because my father was like that too,” Ernest said.

Ernest said younger males always asked Alvino for advice and he would gladly provide it for them.

“They looked up to him,” Ernest said. “He was a strong person and a natural leader.”

Alvino Siva was the last Cahuilla Indian cowboy. He lived his life learning and performing the Cahuilla Indian ceremonial bird songs, which tell the story of the Cahuilla’s creation in a way that alludes to the migratory movement of birds.

Much of his musical knowledge was passed on to him in his youth by bird singer Mariano Patencio; his friend and mentor, Pedro Chino, who was the last Cahuilla shaman, relayed other traditions.

Siva was a natural on horseback by age 7, and was roping cattle by the age of 8.

He ran cattle in California throughout his life.

Even though he took fierce strides to preserve his vanishing culture, Siva was a true American patriot.

A 20-year Army veteran, Siva was a master drill sergeant and served in WWII and Korea. He wore his uniform proudly at events for the remainder of his life.

As a tribal elder, his knowledge of his region’s history was unmatched, and he was constantly in demand for his input on many books and films. His later years were completely devoted to teaching the Cahuilla songs, language, and traditions to younger generations.

He is survived by his wife Pat Siva, sister Katherine Siva Saubel, brother Paul Siva, and an endless extended family.

As per Alvino’s wishes, he is to be cremated and his ashes will be spread at a later date. A potluck luncheon will be held on Saturday, July 11 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Malki Museum located at the Morongo Indian Reservation in Cabazon.

Anyone who knew Alvino and would like to celebrate his life is welcome to attend the event. Guests are asked to bring a side dish or dessert to the event.

“We love Alvino and I miss him so much,” Chacon said. “Our people have lost part of it’s living past. Only a very few carry it now.”



Copyright © 2009 - Record Gazette

Friday, July 10, 2009

Alvino Siva's Memorial....

Yet again, our Cahuilla People Have Lost part of our " Living Past "....
... Alvino Siva has sadly passed away. Another piece of Cahuilla history has now gone with him... :(
A great friend and Tribal Leader,
Sean Milanovich, of the...
Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, has
announced for us to attend Alvino's Celebration of
our old Uncle/Friends life.
He will be dearly missed and always Remembered
for his unbending strength and determination to continue on what the old ones knew. He was and Is one of the best men "I" have ever personally met in my lifetime... He is a big influence on my life...A definite positive one and I'm very sure there are thousands of others who he has impacted positively & Spiritually
You go Good everyone and please be careful on the way home and back.
Albert Chacon

Once , when I first met Alvino, A Harris's-Hawk I was handling, gifted him with a beautiful Tail feather...
I knew from then at the start he had Good Medicine within him. Alvino became one of a very few men I would call my Teacher...
Mentor, and Great friend. His "Unceasing Conviction" to continue the Cahuilla cultural traditions to the next generation
impressed all who knew him. We all admired that part of his personality. My wife and I, Mr. Chase Welmas with all of the
students that met him will always remember him giving of himself and of his culture. We miss and love you Alvino....