Tag Archives: culture

Evening of Storytelling – Reflections

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On Friday, February 3, TLAM attended The University of Wisconsin American Indian Studies Program’s 15th annual Evening of Storytelling. The night began with the Wunk Sheek Drum Group silencing us with their native song, sparking the mood that would encompass the night.

After a prayer, given to us by John Teller, onto the stage came Sunny Dooley, a storyteller from the Four Corners area of the southwest and member of the Chi Chil’ Tah community.  Sunny regaled us in Dine (or Navajo); an epic tale of Coyote and how his mischievous behavior led to his death.  Before stepping off the stage, she left us with a message to live your life in the best way possible.  Following Ms. Dooley was John Teller, the Menominee Language Liaison at College of Menominee Nation.  He told the story of the creation of the North Star by Manabush, a Menominee hero.  Last, but not least, Mark Dennings, a member of the Ojibwe, Oneida, and Menominee tribes, stepping in for Mary Louise Defender-Wilson, who was unable to participate, delivered a multimedia presentation which included personal anecdotes that related to traditional stories from his youth.  His stories illustrated a different way of looking at life, from a native perspective (clearly demonstrated by listening to two versions of the same song: Judy Garland versus Israel Kaʻanoʻi Kamakawiwoʻole’s Somewhere Over the Rainbow). He expressed how the native way is already in the place that Judy Garland yearns to be a part of, they do not have to wish for it because that is home.

Overall, the evening of storytelling left the audience with an incredible feeling of community. We left with the knowledge that this event was gift and that it should be cherished. For the two hours that we were among these storytellers, we became unified in the offering being bestowed upon us and we each grew in our own way from this gift.

- Dorothy Terry

Conference on Global Climate Change and Indigenous Communities

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On Friday March 6th, the law school held a conference addressing Global Climate Change. I attended a panel discussion on the effect of climate change on indigenous communities. Although this is off topic from libraries, archives and museums, I thought there may be some correlation in so far as education and information exchange is concerned.
The speaker addressed climate change in the Arctic and talked specifically of the Inuit peoples in northern Canada. These people depend on the ice for their livelihood. They are primarily hunters and are endangered by the melting ice, as this limits access to hunting territory and poses risks (i.e. falling through ice).
As of right now, traditional hunting practices are still being preserved, but more and more food is having to be shipped because of melting ice, reduction of hunting area etc…
Although it too soon to measure the affects this will have on the population researchers as well as the local population fear that this dramatic change of diet and lifestyle could have dire consequences to the overall health of the community.
Our speaker, Rica, from Ebling Library, on Thursday addressed issues of Native American Health in correlation with libraries and specifically what resources librarians can provide to tribes/communities. During the talk I pondered the consequences of climate change on this particular community and how information services could possibly be useful.
It seems that with more information the Inuit community could better prepare for the inevitable warming and melting of the ice. Unfortunately, it does not seem likely that life will be able to stay the same for this particular population, simply because the trends of warming are so drastic, seemingly irreversible at this point. But can the community survive and adapt to the rapid changes? The work being done now suggests that people are beginning to prepare for major changes of livelihood and lifestyle- but this is where libraries, archives and museums could be very useful for the community.
Libraries obviously can provide information and help people make more informed choices about anything from economics to healthy diets, but archives and museums are the places where the culture, stories, and artifacts can be preserved.
It is sad and unfortunate that museums and archives may one day soon be the only place that one can recall the original history of the Inuit, but it is better than having that information lost forever. It seems that until we as a global community start making efforts to slow down global climate change, libraries, museums and archives are going to be invaluable deposits for many peoples history.

Oneida Part I (February 27, 2009)

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Oneida wasn’t a trip so much as an experience. An experience that presented engaging tours galore, fascinating community members and consummate professionals–librarians, archivists, curators, bus-drivers, tour guides–that ran the gamut of the Oneida nation of Green Bay.  In short, there wasn’t one among us who didn’t come away feeling they had been given something–what that was was different for all of us. More important, I think, the trip imbued us with a sense of WHO the Oneida were and continue to be: gracious, warm, and utterly dedicated to preserving and adapting their culture and community in the 21st century.

The day was a whirlwind. So, in an attempt to save some digital space, I will recount some highlights.

Kirby Metoxin acted as guide, entertainer, and all-around “Mr. Oneida” for the duration of our day. His insights into the history, geography, genealogy, and pulse of the community were invaluable as we went from the Library, the Norbert Hill Community Center, the Cultural Heritage Division, the Museum, and lunch at Jimmy Seas. It struck me that Kirby has a particular talent for tying community matters at-large (ancestry) to informative, entertaining stories people (including, thankfully, outsiders like myself) can relate to. For instance, Kirby told us that the young man along for our tour (from Milwaukee), who had never met his father, was Oneida. In Kirby’s estimation, the young man’s father was most likely a cousin of his. (Keith’s light eyes, like Kirby’s, was a pretty strong substantiation of this, too.) I enjoyed the telling, but it wasn’t until later that I realized I cared about the story because who can’t identify with issues of identity and family–they’re universal. And Kirby tapped into this all day and should be commended for it.

The community library was a treat for librarians and would-be’s alike. They run their library efficiently–from their use of shelf space to their community programs. The best compliment I can give it is that if I were kid in that community, I would want to go there. The director, Ron Williams (?), emphasized it was the quality of the people working there that made the library what it is. Indeed.

Brandon Stevens, the young counsel member, impressed on me that Oneida looks to be in good hands down the road. I thought it remarkable that Obama inspired him not to wait for change or improvement in his community–but to challenge himself to make that change come from within himself and channel it into Oneida. (Stevens’ talk was made all the more impressive by his backdrop– the 30′ turtle mural.)

Tom Webster, our bus-driver for the day, was the unexpected but awesome X-factor of the day–to the extent that he was easily my favorite person at Oneida. Tom recently represented the Oneida Nation as an elder dancer at President Obama’s Inauguration. With prideful, welled-up eyes Tom spoke about what a prestigious honorit was for his family and the Nation to have the privilege to pay their respects and get the recognition to do so. Also, as an elder dancer, it is often his duty to ensure that if an eagle feather–considered sacred– falls off a dancer in competition (this is also considered an embarrassment to the dancer and his/her family), he makes the decision to send it back with the dancer to ensure it is used to honor a fallen soldier from the dancer’s community (Tom checks to make sure); or, if the dancer is disrespectful, keep the feather to honor someone of his choice.

As a vet, he also spoke about the amount of enthusiasm he now receives going to do 1/2 times at sporting events from fellow vets and community members. This wasn’t always the case, as Tom pointed out that he and some others were booed years ago  by crowd-members at certain events in the Green Bay area. Tom followed this with the statement that, “We’ve come along away.” I took this to mean that while Oneida’s relations with other communities are far from perfect, they’re better than in year’s past. On a final note, I was just struck by the sheer honesty and pride of this man and was left wanting to talk more life with him over a cold one at his local dive, Beaver’s.