Jake Thomas Learning Centre

My  Module  2  resource  is  all  about  learning.  "Jake  Thomas  Learning  Centre"  located  on  Six  Nations  of  the  Grand  River,  On,  Canada;  Preserves  and  promotes  the  traditional  Haudenosaunee  ways  through  language  and  Artesan  Workshops.  Founder  Cayuga  Chief  Jake  Thomas  or  Hadajihgre:ta  meaning  Decending  Cloud,  started  the  center  in  1993.  Chief  Jake  Thomas  was  truly  amazing  as  he  could  recite  the  historic,  "Great  Law  of  Peace"  from  memory,  along  with  the  "Creation  Story"  and  the  "Code  of  Handsome  Lake."  Chief  Thomas  was  a  well  educated  man,  he  spoke  all  five  Haudenosaunee  languages,  he  was  a  respected  elder,  a  teacher  and  a  professor  at  Trent  University.  Chief  Jake  Thomas  would  even  go  on  to  write  a  book  titled,  "Teachings  From  The  Longhouse".  In  his  book,  Chief  Thomas  dives  in  to  the  "Handsome  Lake  Code"  as  well  as  new  teaching  for  contemporary  living.  His  book  also  explains  the  traditional  spiritual  and  moral  teachings  of  the  Six  Nation  Iroquois.  Chief  Jake  Thomas  would  also  go  on  and  become  one  of  the  founders  of  the  "Woodland  Cultural  Centre"  in  Brantford,  Ontario,  Canada.  Chief  Jake  Thomas  would  return  to  the  great  spirit  in  1998,  but  his  legacy  lives  on.





Chief  Jake  Thomas's  wife  Yvonne  Thomas,  aka  Kanhontonkwas ( It-Opens-The-Door )  Seneca  Nation,  Snipe  Clan,  has  picked  up  where  Chief  Jake  left  off.  Yvonne  runs  the  center  on  a  daily  basis  and  it's  carrying  on  Chief  Jake's  message.  She  is  well  educated  with  over  15  years  of  teaching  native  languages.  Yvonne  has  taught  at  Mohawk  College,  Trent  University,  The  Iroquoian  and  Indian,  Northern  Affairs  of  Canada,  and  The  Jake  Thomas  Learning  Center.  She  is  also  a  gifted  healer  who  provides  sweats  and  other  cultural  activities.  She  is  teaching  the  traditional  Haudenosaunee  ways  that  her  husband  was  so  passionate  about.  The  center  offers  many  opportunities  through  guided  workshops,  these  workshops  are  offered  are  different  times  of  the  year  to  fit  everyone's  schedule.  While  history  is  truly  represented  at  the  center,  part  of  that  history  is  the  Wampum  Belt.  The  original  Wampum  Belts  are  at  the  Onondaga  Nation  and  Six  Nations  of  the  Grand  River.  Here  at  the  center  Yvonne  makes  replica  Wampum  Belts  that  are  for  sale.  The  Jake  Thomas  Learning  Center  has  some  much  tradition  and  new  learning  opportunities,  you  must  check  it  out.

 http://www.jakethomaslearningcentre.ca/index.html
http://www.haudenosauneeconfederacy.com/jthomas.html  

Museum of the Southeast American Indian

What source did you review and who created it?

My web source that I have researched is the Museum of the Southeast American Indian. This web source is found at the University of North Carolina Pembroke and the museum is an integral part of the University and is a multifaceted museum and resource for scholarly research and also a community outreach. This source was created and is maintained by UNCP and the webpages form a living document and are regularly updated (uncp.edu, Legal, Copyright, and Privacy). The website is very well laid out and is user friendly in that the items that a person would usually need to find or locate are easily labeled and easy to find. I explored the web pages and started with the section called ‘about us’. This part of the web source gives a detailed mission statement that reads” The mission of the Museum of the Southeast American Indian is to educate and serve the public about the prehistory, history, culture art, and contemporary issues of American Indians, with special emphasis on the Native American communities of Robeson County, of North Carolina”. It continues to state, “They conduct scholarly research to collect and preserve the material culture of Native America”.

What perspective do you think it is meant to convey? 

I think that the University of North Carolina at Pembroke has established a great resource that not only has the school’s scholarly interest in mind but also has the capacity to keep and preserve the local Native American culture and to help to resolve the issues in that are facing the Native American communities in North Carolina. I believe that they are trying to convey that even though an educational institution can be where scholarly research on Native American culture takes place, they can also double as a local museum and resource center for the local Native American culture and help to preserve them also. The university does seem to want to share this information with not only the local communities but along with this web source, it gives almost anyone who can access their web source the chance to explore and find out more about the school’s Southeast American Studies program and conduct their own research within the website.

www.uncp.edu/academics/opportunities-programs-resources/opportunities-programs/museum-southeast-american-indian/about-us

Gloria Tara Lowery, Lumbee Artist

The West: Big Foot

I have grown up around the Seneca nation and have a lot of different interactions with them. Also because of being so close tribal information is always around. I though never read or learned about “Big Foot”, and I don’t mean the simian like creature of folklore. The Big foot I am talking about was the leader of the Miniconjou.

Big foot and his people where very enthusiastic believers in the ghost dance. The ghost dance was a ritual performed and was hoped that it would bring an end to the westward expansion of the whites and a return of the land to Native Americans.

Big foot and his people lived in the Cheyenne River reservation but later had to move his people south toward the reservation and pine ridge. They had to move due to confrontations over the ghost dance. During the Move Big Foot and his people set up camp and were eventually surrounded by soldiers. The soldiers while disarming Big Foots people had a gun accidentally go off and then the soldiers just opened fire on everyone it was said that deaths were found to happen as far as 2 miles away from the original confrontation. It states that some 370 Lakota lay dead in a matter of minutes and that Big Foot was one of the 1^st to be killed.  Big Foot Lived from 1825 to 1890.

I found this story to be very interesting to me. I like to learn about new people in history that I have never heard of.

http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/a_c/bigfoot.htm

A look at Red Cloud

            Growing up, I learned of a handful of Native Americans in school.  These said Native Americans, were usually written as to be on friendly terms with our country.  One great influence in Native American history was Red Cloud, from the Lokata tribe.  For someone who did so much against the United States, he sure did elude my history books.

           

            Early in his life, Red Cloud gained experience in warfare.  During this time he battled with neighboring tribes, and even killed his uncle’s main rival.  This may not seem like much to anyone, but it did divide his nation, the Oglala for fifty years. 

            

            Red Cloud was also the mastermind in the most efficacious war ever fought against the United States by a Native American tribe.  While the United States army was building forts along the Bozeman Trail, Red Cloud was devising a plan to rid them of the area.  He attacked the Forts multiple times, including defeating an army of 80 men in December of 1866.  For the rest of the winter the forts were in constant fear that they would be next.

             

            Red Cloud’s success led to the United States issuing the Fort Laramie Treaty.  This treaty stated that the Lokata tribe was entitled to half of South Dakota and parts of South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana.  However, this eventually came to an end after Custer brought troops into the area, which spelt the end of independent tribes. 

            

            Later in his life, Red Cloud would continue to butt heads with the United States government.  He fought over the dispersal of food and supplies as well as control of the Native American police force.  He wanted to not only fight to keep his lands, but also to keep the Chief’s authority and was opposed of the Dawes Act of 1877. 

            

            In school we tend to learn about only a few Native Americans in history class, as well as learn about some in popular television of movies.  Rarely, in my life have I read about a Native American who opposed the United States.  It baffles my mind that I have not learned of Red Cloud and his battles with the United States government until now.

http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/i_r/redcloud.htm

http://native-american-indian-facts.com/Images/Chief-Red-Cloud.jpg

New perspectives on The West

I would like to submit the following online resource to Module 1. This resource for New Perspectives on the West is a great and easy to navigate online resource for a variety of Native American subjects. I have used this particular website for additional information about Crazy Horse but it can very easily be used for others as well. Other biographical information is included on such people as Kit Carson, John M. Chivington, Red Cloud, and Chief Joseph. The website is arranged with the biographies in alphabetical order which does make it easier to find the person who you need to gain more information on. I have really enjoyed using this website as a resource for more personal information for my ‘voice’ and hopefully will give you more insight as well.

When I chose a particular subject such as Chief Crazy Horse, the next page that pops up is a short but very informing biography about him. The short biography has additional links built in to the page that gives you links to some important information that has to deal with the person who you have chosen. When I chose to click on the “Fort Laramie Treaty” link, it leads to another page that outlines and describes the seventeen Articles of the Treaty that was completed in 1868. Just the amount of information that is available about the treaty is complete subject on its own. One can go through and read the entire Treaty or just use what is needed.

This resource website has reaffirmed that the way I feel about Crazy Horse is still true, that he was a fiercely determined leader who wanted to preserve his peoples’ traditional way of life.

http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people

Native American Image Project

The  web  resource  I  chose  for  this  Blog  post  comes  from  the  "American  Philosophical  Society"  (AKA) (A.P.S).  Benjamin  Franklin  founded  the  A.P.S  in  1743  for  promoting  useful knowledge  in  America.  This  is  the  oldest  society  in  America,  but  it  also  studies  cultures  from  different  countries.  Within  the  halls  of  the  A.P.S  lives  the  "Native  American  Images  Project".  Native  Americans  have  always  been  apart  of  American  history  and  It's  shown  here  at  a  mind-blowing  level.  There  are  thousands  of  books,  over  3000  hours  of  language  recordings,  and  over  300  manuscript  and  picture  collections  of  Native  American  topics.  I  was  happy  when  I  found  this  gallery,  there  is  even  material  dating  back  from  the  1600's  to  present  day.  With  this  type  of  resource  we  can  break  the  stereotypes  of  the  past.  Catlin  and  other  artist  tried  to  instill  truth  in  early  America,  but  back  then  folks  didn't  care  to  understand  both  sides  of  the  story.

Cultural  Sensitivity  is  used  at  the  "Native  American  Image  Project",  to  protect  the  different  cultures  and  traditions  of  the  Native  Americans.  That  to  me  is  a  great  thing.  When  we  look  at  today's  America,  much  about  the  Native  American  is  fading  away.  When  I  think  about  American  history  the  Native  American  owned  this  country,  but  now  everything  has  nearly  been  stripped  away  from  them.  Sure  you  can  argue,  what  about  the  reservations?  Have  you  ever  been  to  a  reservation?  The  high  unemployment  rates,  alcohol  and  drug  problems,  broken  cars  litter  the  lawns  and  then  there  is  crime.  White  America  wonders  why,  if  everyone  knew  the  real  history  of  some  settlers  they  wouldn't  wonder  why  at  all.  Even  when  it  comes  to  Cultural  Sensitivity  the  Native  American  have  to  keep  on  fighting.  Maybe  it's  a  NFL  team  that  uses  a  cultural  symbol  in  all  the  wrong  way,  but  when  Native  Americans  challenge  them  they  end  up  losing  apart  of  their  very  culture.  The  latest  wrong  doing  seems  to  be  the  Dakota  Pipeline,  another  important  topic  to  the  Native  American  but  the  powers  that  be  don't  seem  to  care  about  Mother  Earth,  and  continue  with  their  path  of  destruction.

I  for  one  am  happy  that  the  gallery  does  exist,  it  will  help  keep  the  history  of  the  Native  American  alive  and  well.  The " Native  American  Image  Project"  has  an  advisory  committee  made  up  of  members  of  different  Native  American  communities,  they  will  make  sure  all  information  is  genuine  and  cultures  along  with  traditions  are  protected.  Be  sure  to  checkout  this  website  as  it  contains  so  much  great  information.   https://amphilsoc.org/exhibit/natamimages