© 1995 SENAA International

 





Vol. 1; No. 4                                             7 December1995

                            MEETING SCHEDULE

Next Executive Council Meeting:  Thursday, 28 December 1995; to be held
                                 at 1314 Wildwood Lake Road
                                 Cleveland, Tennessee  37311.
Next General Meeting:  Thursday, 4 January 1996; place to be announced.
      *                   *                   *                   *

                         DON'T FORGET THE SOCIAL

  A final reminder that our  first    1314 WildwoodLake Road, Cleveland,
SENAA social, a pot-luck luncheon,    Tennessee, beginning at 12:30 p.m.
on Saturday, 16 December 1995,  at        *            *            *
 

                    WILLIAM JOHNSON, III: SENAA's MVP

  A  great big  "Attaboy"  goes to     We deeply appreciate the funds he
William  Johnson, III,   for   his    so selflessly gave, but  William's
generous donation to SENAA.           real gift to this organization was
  Every professional  sports  team    much more profound.  As a wise man
has a Most Valuable Player; a team    once said:  "A  penny  given  with
member  who  has  contributed most    conviction is  more  valuable than
to the  team's  success  in one or    a  kingdom's  riches   given  with
more areas of endeavor.  SENAA  is    contempt."
no  sports team,  and  we're  just     William's gift was much more than
getting started,  but  we  already    the proverbial penny,  to be sure;
have  what this  writer  considers    and  it  will be put  to good use;
to  be the organization's own  MVP    but  to think William's  only gift
(Most   Valuable   Person),    who    to SENAA was the money is to  miss
epitomizes what  SENAA  stands for    the real blessing.  The  money  is
and all we hope it will become.       simply   a  tangible  token  of  a
  Showing  outstanding  dedication    greater gift  to  each of us,  the
clearly  above and beyond the call    value of which is immeasurable.
of   duty,   William  Johnson, III      He  worked hard and well for the
presented  SENAA  with  a generous    money he gave. It is this selfless
donation   toward   our    current          (See MVP, page 2)
project.
 

 7 December 1995              SENAA Newsletter                          2
 

MVP (continued from page 1)

act of  giving of himself  to help    for.
others that is his true gift. With     Our warmest thanks to the Johnson
that, he gave us renewed hope  for    family,  for  rearing   such  fine
the future, not only for SENAA and    children as William and his sister
Native  American  people,  but for    Virginia,  and  for  sharing  them
the rest  of the world,  as  well.    with SENAA.
 Certainly his greatest gift is to      Thanks, William, for your valued
his parents, Bill  and  Jacqualine    contributions to SENAA.  You're an
Johnson,  and to his grandparents,    inspiration to us all.
Virginia and William Johnson, Sr.;      May the Creator protect you  and
who   have,   without   a   doubt,    bless your life.
received  the  highest tribute any         *           *          *
parent or grandparent  could  hope
 

                       AUTHOR ALETHEA ADAMS-WELLS
                 GIVES DONATION AND BEST WISHES TO SENAA

   Ms.  Alethea   Adams - Wells, a      Remembering  several  of us from
comrade-in-arms from the Cleveland    Rattlesnake  Springs   and   CITA,
Airport campaign,  and  author  of    Alethea expressed  an  interest in
of  a  new book,  A Message On the    SENAA  and in  helping us,  saying
Wind, was in Cleveland  4 November    she  wanted  to receive  our news-
at  the  Rocking  W  Western Store    letter each month.  She ultimately
(where the  book  is available for    made a very generous $100 donation
$24.95 + local  sales  tax)  for a    to SENAA.
promotional book-signing.               A  formal  "wa-do,"  along  with
 Our Treasurer, J.R. Davis visited    copies  of  our newsletters,  were
with Alethea  and bought a copy of    sent to Alethea for her generosity
her  book,  whereupon  he told her    and good will.
about SENAA.                              *            *           *
 

                   GHOST DANCE SHIRT FOUND IN SCOTLAND
                        TO BE RETURNED TO LAKOTA

   In  September  of  1992,  while      "I  had  completed  viewing  the
touring  Scotland  with  his  wife    artifacts  in  all  but  the  last
Charlene,  John Earl,  an attorney    room,"   said   John.   "I  walked
of  Cherokee descent, discovered a    through  the  door  into  the last
Lakota Ghost Dance Shirt  on  dis-    exhibit room, and at the other end
play at Glasgow's  Kelvingrove Art    there  was  a garment  in  a glass
Gallery  and  Museum   during   an    case  which  was  set  apart  from
exhibition  entitled  "Home of the    other items on display. When I saw
Brave"   celebrating   the   500th    the garment,  I immediately became
anniversary of Columbus' discovery    emotional .  .  .  I  turned to my
of the Native Americans' world.       wife  and  said,   'That's a Ghost
   The  exhibition displayed arti-    Dance shirt  and it should not  be
facts from various Native American    here.'  At  that  time,  I did not
cultures,   beginning  with  South    approach the case,  but  looked at
American contact with the  Spanish    other  items  on display.
and  proceeding forward in time to    (See "Ghost Dance Shirt"; page 3)
the late 1800s.
 

 7 December 1995              SENAA Newsletter                          3

GHOST DANCE SHIRT
(Continued from page 2)
  "Shortly  after  telling my wife    Association  (WKSA).   After  much
about the shirt, I heard her gasp.    deliberation,  it  was  decided to
She turned around and said,'You're    officially request repatriation of
right,  it is a Ghost Dance Shirt,    the Ghost Dance Shirt through WKSA
and it was taken off the body of a    which consists of  descendants  of
person  who was killed at  Wounded    the Lakota victims of the massacre
Knee.'                                and  is  officially recognized  by
 "That night I had a dream about a    the  Pine Ridge Tribal Council  to
man wearing a shirt.  His features    speak  on their behalf.   With the
were gaunt,  his hair was straight    assistance of John Earl and  Mario
and  cut  a little  past  shoulder    Gonzales,  a  written request  was
length.  He  did not  speak to me,    made by Marie Not-Help-Him, Presi-
but  stared at me  for the longest    dent of  WKSA,  for the  return of
time. In the morning, I awoke with    the  shirt  based  "upon spiritual
this dream still  very vivid in my    grounds and upon the traditions of
memory. I couldn't get the specter    the Sioux People."
of  the man out of my thoughts the       At  first,  the  management  of
rest of the trip." Soon thereafter    Kelvingrove  didn't  see things in
John  promised to return the Ghost    such  an  enlightened fashion  and
Dance Shirt  to the Lakota people.    responded,  "After  preserving the
  The Ghost Dance Shirt is stained    shirt for over a hundred years, we
with  the  blood  of a  Lakota man    feel  very strongly that this pre-
murdered on 29 December 1890, dur-    servation  should  be continued so
ing  the Massacre at Wounded Knee.    that  future  generations  .  .  .
It  was  most likely stripped from    should  be able  to see  the shirt
his  frozen  body  by  one  of the    and through this experience under-
thirty   government    contractors    stand  better  the history  of the
hired by the U.S. Army to bury the    First Americans  and in particular
bodies of the victims in a trench,    the  history  of  the  Massacre at
at  two  dollars  per  body.   The    Wounded Knee.  Our strongest argu-
burial  detail  removed   numerous    ment  for retaining the shirt here
items  from  the 150-350 massacred    is  that  the  Museum  can preform
Lakota   as   "momentos   of   the    this key educational task both for
occasion,"  and for  later sale to    our local citizens on whose behalf
collectors of Indian artifacts.       we  own  the  object  and  for our
  Kelvingrove  acquired  the shirt    many  British  and   international
in   1892   from   George  Crager,    visitors."
a  collector  of  Native  American      There was also pressure put upon
artifacts who was at Wounded  Knee    Kelvingrove  not  to   return  the
several  days  after the massacre.    shirt  because  "Return  of sacred
He   most  likely   purchased  the    items  opens the  floodgates,  and
shirt  from one of the members  of    sets  a  dangerous  precedent. Re-
the   burial  detail,  then  later    sponding in such a way to requests
sold the shirt  to the museum when    when  there is no legal obligation
he was in  Glasgow   working  with    is creating a problem . . ."
Buffalo  Bill's  Wild  West   Show      "The  Curator,   North  American
during  their   1891-92   European    Ethnology, Smithsonian Institution
Tour.                                 would   unofficially   suggest  we
  Upon his return home,  John Earl    think hard about keeping the shirt
contacted  some   Native  American    as  in  5 or 10 years  time, . . .
friends, including Mario Gonzales,    there  will be no such shirts,  or
former  Tribal  Attorney   of  the    other  sacred  items,  left in the
Oglala Lakota, and was referred to    U.S. museums.
the    Wounded   Knee   Survivors'    (See "Ghost Dance Shirt," page 4)
 

 7 December 1995              SENAA Newsletter                          4
 

GHOST DANCE SHIRT (From page 3):

  On 7 April 1995, John Earl,         with  the   Glasgow  City  Council
Mario Gonzales and Marcella LeBeau    (owners   of   the   museum),  had
(granddaughter  of  Chief Rain-In-    officially  voted  to  return  the
The-Face and  WKSA Red River chap-    shirt to the Lakota people.
ter representative)  travelled  to      The  date of the return  has not
Scotland to reinforce  the written    yet been determined,  nor have any
request   with   a    face-to-face    arrangements    been    confirmed.
request, to demonstrate their com-    However,   the   shirt   will   be
mitment to and the  seriousness of    temporarily housed in a museum  in
the request,  and to continue with    South  Dakota   until  a  memorial
the public relations effort in the    center is constructed  at the site
British media.                        of the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre.
  Nearly  three years of  academic    There,  the  shirt  will be housed
foot-dragging   and   intellectual    permanently  under the auspices of
rationalizations  for keeping  the    the Lakota People.  In addition, a
shirt with the Kelvingrove finally    beaded  vest  owned by Chief Rain-
proved futile  for Director Julian    In-The-Face  will be returned.  It
Spalding.   With  significant pub-    was  removed  by  souvenir hunters
licity  in  the British media  and    from  the home  after his death in
public  pressure  rising  for  the    1905.  Other items  will remain in
return of the shirt to the Lakota,    the collection of  the  museum be-
the  museum  began to  realize the    cause they can't be  authenticated
public   reactions   nightmare  it    and  were  most likely sold by the
faced.   It  also  discovered  its    Lakota  members of  Buffalo Bill's
defiant  position   was   publicly    Wild  West  Show   after  it  went
indefensible  in light  of today's    bankrupt  during  their   European
cultural  sensitivities and desire    Tour.
for   returning   the   ill-gotten      In 1992, one hundred years after
artifacts    to   their   rightful    being  sold  to  Kelvingrove,  the
owners.   The  museum  has finally    Ghost Dance Shirt was 'discovered'
shifted   its   position    toward    by John Earl, and will finally  be
fulfilling its moral obligation to    returned to its rightful owners --
preserve  today's  living cultures    the descendants of victims  of the
and  strengthening the heritage of    Wounded  Knee  massacre   and  the
the Lakota people.                    Lakota People.
  On  2 September,  John  received      No NACOG funds  were expended on
a   phone   call  from  Mrs.  Iian    this project.  All expenses  -- as
Sinclair,  a teacher  in  Scotland    well  as time  --  were donated by
who,  along with  Suzie MacNeil of    John.
TV station ABU-Telle, serve as the      John Earl has served as the Vice
official  WKSA liaisons in Britain    Chairperson of the Native American
and    coordinate    the    public    Center of Georgia since  19 August
relations   effort   there.   Iian    1993,  and  can be reached  at his
called  to  inform  John  that the    law office in Woodstock.
management of  Kelvingrove,  along        *           *          *

[Paraphrased from The Cherokee One Feather; 1 November 1995 edition.]
 
 

 7 December 1995              SENAA Newsletter                          5
 

                            OUR NATIVE TONGUE

NOTICE: Last month's column had a typographical error in one example
        listed under "Do you want. . ."
        The phrase, "Se-lu tsa-du-li," was incorrectly translated "Do
        you want bean bread?"  The correct translation is "Do you want
        corn?"  My apologies for having beans for brains when I made the
        error, and for any confusion it may have caused.  I promise to
        to do better in the future.    -- Al

Syllabary     Tsa-La-Gi            Pronunciation            English
              A-ni                 Ah-nee          Prefix for a group of
                                                   people

              E-qwa                Ay-gwah                  Big

              U-s-ti               Oo-stee                  Little

              E-do-da              Ay-doe-dah               Father

              E-tsi           (E.) Ay-see
                              (W.) Ay-jee                   Mother

              E-lo-hi         (E.) Ay-low-hee
              E-lo-hi-no      (W.) Ay-low-hee-no            Earth

              Ga-lv-lo-li     (E.) Gah-luh-low-lee
              Ga-lv-lo-i      (W.) Gah-luh-low'--ee         Sky

              Ka-lv-gv-i           Kah-luh-guh-ee           East

              Tsu-ga-na-wv-i       Soo-gah-nah-wuh-ee       South

              Wu-de-li-gv-i        Woo-day-lee-guh-ee       West

              Tsu-yv-tlv-i         Soo-yuh-tlv-ee           North

      *              *              *               *             *

                  NEW EASTERN CHEROKEE LEADER PROMISES
                    TRIBAL GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY

                     [Cherokee Advocate; Nov. 1995]

  Immediately   after her  inaugu-      Dugan appeared to be making good
ration  on  3 October,  the  first    on  her  campaign  pledge  to hold
female  chief  of  the   Cherokee,    tribal  government  accountable to
N.C.,  Eastern Band  of Cherokees,    the Cherokee People.   "It is time
Joyce  Dugan,  scheduled  a  grand    that  the government is given back
council meeting for 5 October.        to  the  people,"  she said  after
   A    grand   council    is   an    being  sworn in  before a crowd of
opportunity   for   all   enrolled    more than 3,000.
members  of  the  tribe to let the      Critics   of   the   old  tribal
tribal council  know how they want    government    have   said   tribal
the tribal government to be run.      (See "Tribal Government," page 6)
 

 7 December 1995              SENAA Newsletter                          6
 

TRIBAL GOVERNMENT (from page 5)
leaders  have  avoided  calling  a    out of office in September.
grand council  because they feared      "We have just come through a sad
what  the  people might say.  "No     time in our history,"  said Dugan.
elected official  owns the govern-    "But rather than  dwelling on that
ment,"   said  Vice  Chief  Gerard    time,  let us use it  as  a lesson
Parker.   "The government is owned    for the future."
by the people."                         Dugan  said   she   would   make
  Former  chief  Jonathan  Taylor,    regular  addresses  on the tribe's
who led the tribe for eight years,    cable  access channel  and work to
operated  a political machine  run    improve the tribal newspaper.
on patronage and favors  which led
to him being impeached  and forced          *          *          *
 

              CHRISTMAS FOR EASTERN BAND TSA-LA-GI CHILDREN

  SENAA  members  and friends  who    Please specify on packages whether
wish  to  donate  new  toys  to be    the gift is for a boy or girl, and
distributed  among   Eastern  Band    the age group it is intended for.
Tsa-La-Gi  children  at  Christmas     We appreciate your thoughtfulness
are  asked  to  bring  them to the    and generosity.
social  on  Saturday, 16 December.          *          *          *

                          CHIEF SEATHL'S LETTER

 In 1852,  when  the United States    the juices in the meadow, the body
Government  inquired about  buying    heat  of  the pony,  and man,  all
his tribe's  lands  to  accomodate    belong to the same family.
white settlers,  Chief Seathl,  of      "The shining water that moves in
the  Duwamish   tribe   wrote  the    the streams and rivers is not just
following letter in reply:            water,   but  the  blood  of   our
  "The  President   in  Washington    ancestors. If we sell you our land
sends word  that  he wishes to buy    you  must  remember   that  it  is
our land.  But how can you buy  or    sacred.   Each  ghostly reflection
sell the sky?  The land?  The idea    in  the clear waters  of the lakes
is strange to us.   If we  do  not    tells  of  events  and memories in
own the freshness of  the air  and    the life of my people. The water's
the sparkle of the water,  how can    murmur is the voice of my father's
you buy them?                         father.
  "Every  part  of  this earth  is      "The  rivers  are  our brothers.
sacred to my people. Every shining    They quench our thirst. They carry
pine  needle,  every  sandy shore,    our canoes and feed our  children.
every  mist  in  the  dark  woods,    So you must give to the rivers the
every   meadow,    every   humming    kindness  you   would   give   any
insect. All are holy in the memory    brother.
and experience of my people.            "If  we   sell  you   our  land,
  "We  know  the sap which courses    remember that the air is  precious
through  the trees  as we know the    to us,  that  the  air  shares its
blood  that  courses  through  our    spirit   with   all  the  life  it
veins.  We  are part  of the earth    supports.  The wind  that gave our
and it is part of us. The perfumed    grandfather  his first breath also
flowers are our sisters. The bear,    receives his last sigh.   The wind
the deer,  the great eagle,  these    also gives our children the spirit
are our brothers. The rocky crests    (See "Seathl's Letter," page 7)
 

 7 December 1995              SENAA Newsletter                          7
 

SEATHL'S LETTER (from page 6)

of life.   So if we  sell you  our    thicket be?  Gone!  Where will the
land,  you must  keep it apart and    eagle be?  Gone! And what is it to
sacred,  as a place  where man can    say goodbye  to the swift pony and
go  to  taste  the  wind  that  is    the hunt?   The end of living  and
sweetened by the meadow flowers.      the beginning of survival.
  "Will  you teach  your children       "When  the  last  Red  Man   has
what  we have taught our children?    vanished  with his wilderness  and
That the earth is our mother? What    his memory is only the shadow of a
befalls the earth  befalls all the    cloud  moving  across the prairie,
sons of the earth.                    will  these  shores  and   forests
  "This we know:  the  earth  does    still be here?   Will there be any
not belong to man,  man belongs to    of the spirit of my people left?
the  earth.     All   things   are      "We love this earth as a newborn
connected   like  the  blood  that    loves its mother's heartbeat.  So,
unites us all.   Man did not weave    if we  sell you our land,  love it
the  web  of life,  he is merely a    as we  have loved it.  Care for it
strand in it.  Whatever he does to    as we have cared for it.   Hold in
the web, he does to himself.          your  mind the memory  of the land
  "One thing we know:  our  god is    as it is when you receive it.
also  your  god.    The  earth  is    Preserve the land for all children
precious  to  him  and to harm the    and love it, as God loves us all.
earth  is to  heap contempt on its      "As we are part of the land, you
Creator.                              too  are  part of the land.   This
  "Your  destiny  is  a mystery to    earth  is precious  to us.   It is
us.   What  will happen  when  the    also  precious to you.   One thing
buffalo are all slaughtered?   The    we know:  there is  only  one God.
wild  horses  tamed?    What  will    No man,  be he  Red Man  or  White
happen  when the secret corners of    Man, can be apart. We are brothers
the  forest  are  heavy  with  the    after all."
scent of many men  and the view of          -- Chief Seathl; Duwamish
the  ripe  hills   is  blotted  by
talking  wires?   Where  will  the         *           *           *
 

                 HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, PAM & LYNN TRIPLETT

  Charter   members   Pam  &  Lynn    is   also   a   minister.   Native
Triplett   are  celebrating  their    American flute music played in the
first   wedding   anniversary   on    background during the ceremony.
10 December 1995.                       To  celebrate their anniversary,
  Dressed  in their NARF uniforms,    they plan to return to Gatlinburg.
Pam  &  Lynn  were  married  in  a      Congratulations, Pam & Lynn, and
chapel  at  Gatlinburg, Tennessee,            HAPPY ANNIVERSARY.
by the uniformed police chief, who          *           *          *
 

                  CONGRATULATIONS, BRIAN & KELLY DAVIS

  Charter members Brian Davis  and    Georgia.
Kelly Sparkman   were  married  on      CONGRATULATIONS AND BEST WISHES,
Friday  evening,  1  December,  at    Brian & Kelly,  from your brothers
The  Wedding Chapel,  in Ringgold,    and sisters at SENAA.
 7 December 1995              SENAA Newsletter                          8
 

©   1995;  White Eagle Publications; Cleveland, Tennessee  37311
    All Rights Reserved.