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Power Point presentation of Native American Medal
of Honor winners. Click
here.
Rich-Heape Films is a fantastic Native American company that
produces some truly wonderful videos. I have chosen to
feature then on my web site to help promote their cause and
business. I hope that you will consider their wonderful
documentaries and check out
their web site.
James
Earl Jones narrates Rich-Heape Films
"The Trail of Tears Cherokee Legacy" Noted actor
James Earl Jones had previously provided his voice to
Rich-Heape Films, Inc. award-winning documentary
Black Indians: An American Story.
Mr. Jones, who is of blended African and Cherokee heritage,
narrates in his customary and convincing tones and will lead
an already distinguished group of celebrity voices. Wes Studi,
the best known Cherokee actor, presents the documentary
film, speaking on camera in his native tongue (with
subtitles). Mr. Jones and Mr. Studi are supported by the
celebrity voices of actor James Garner, singers Crystal
Gayle and Rita Coolidge, actor John Buttram and former
Virginia Gov. Douglas Wilder reading diary excerpts, and a
host of historical experts from major universities.
Approximate running time 2 hours.
Walela in Concert
Experience the magic of a Walela live concert on this new
DVD, VHS or Audio CD. Performed and recorded on HDTV and
Surround sound at the Dallas Theater Center, Kalita
Humphreys Theater, Dallas, Texas. Benefiting SNPPI's
diabetes awareness projects. 12 of the most beautiful and
melodic songs created by Walela. An inspirational musical
journey of the Spirit. Open your heart to the marvelous and
magical harmony of this very special experience. This
wonderful Walela Live In Concert release is a must-have
addition for anyone who loves their Cherokee heritage!
Running time one delightful hour.
Black Indians: An American Story
Narrated by: James Earl JonesVoted the
Best Native American Film 2001The blending of Native Americans & African Americans A society that wants to build the future must know its past,
its real past, as it was.” But what if that past had been
lost, forgotten, hidden, or denied?
“Black Indians: An American Story,”
explores the issue of racial identity among
Native and African Americans. This in-depth documentary
examines the coalescence of these two groups in American
history. Discounted, and often ignored by mainstream
America, these minority peoples have often shared a common
past. However, with their heritage ignored and their
contributions denied they are all but invisible at the dawn
of the new millennium. It was a black and white world in the
early days of the Republic and little or no thought was
given to people of mixed race, especially if they looked
"black.” “We were told ‘if you could pass for white, that's
who you'd be; if not, it was usually better to be identified
as black than Indian,’" recalls Executive Producer Steven
Heape. "It was this kind of thinking that later led to
‘pencil genocide’--changing one’s race on a birth
certificate to fit the skin color of the child.”
How to Trace Your Native American Heritage Find
your place in the circle of life.
This process could have you enrolled in as little as ninety
days. Discover your Native American Heritage...for you, for
your children, and for their children after them. This is an
informative new video that will help you discover your
Native American Heritage and Ancestry. Use it as a guide to
search out the path of your ancestors and establish your
roots within the Circle of Life.
Native American Healing in the 21st Century Ancient Remedies Now Endorsed by Modern Medicine
A comprehensive look at the healing practices of American
Indians and how many of those natural remedies are
applicable to today's alternative health-conscious society.
This video looks at the ancient health, and healing methods
of American Indians, comparing and contrasting their
techniques for maintaining their health with those of China
and India. The video discusses the invaluable contributions
the Native Americans made to our early frontier heritage and
shows how many of those same healing plants and herbs are an
important source of today’s modern methods of maintaining
health. The point is clearly made that what has been
effective for thousands of years may still be the best means
of maintaining a healthy lifestyle today. VHS - Running Time
40 minutes
- Learn from today's respected physicians the crossover of
ancient Native
- American healing remedies to present-day medical
practices.
- Explore for Native American healing plants and herbs.
- Learn from tribal elders traditional healing practices and
philosophies.
- Discover the contents of a 350 year old Indian medicine
bag.
- Compare the similarities of Native American and Chinese
healing.
- Learn Native American healing remedies for....
Heart/Circulatory
Arthritis
Female conditions
Respiratory
Asthma
Skin Conditions
Digestive tract
Sinus and more...
Tales
of Wonder I An enchanting collection of Indian stories and
legends told from generation to generation. Entertainment
for the whole family. This video is narrated by acclaimed
storyteller and linguist, Gregg Howard. who was recently
awarded Storyteller of the Year by the Wordcraft Circle of
Native Writers and Storytellers. Accompanied by Flutist Nash
Hernandez and gifted sketch artist Kathleen Raymond Roan,
who illustrates the stories as they unfold, Gregg entertains
his audience with nine stories in all.
Tales of Wonder II
Tales of Wonder II is produced in the same award winning
style as Tales of Wonder which has received numerous awards.
Tales of Wonder II, includes nine fireside stories told in
the Native American tradition by acclaimed storyteller and
linguist, Gregg Howard and accompanied by Flutist, William
P. Gutierrez. Talented sketch artist Haley Burke creates
drawings as the stories come to life. Tales of Wonder II
entertains children and adults alike with Gregg's
traditional way of Native American storytelling.
Here is some info on the
Cherokee Clan system. It comes from Grandmother Anita Atsila Davis,
Bird Clan Mother of the
Southern Cherokee Tribe and Associated Bands in Texas. She is a
wonderful woman and a wealth of knowledge. It is truly an honor to
know her.
"There is no such thing as 'Part-Cherokee'. Either you're Cherokee
or you're not. It isn't the quantity of Cherokee blood in your veins
that is important, but the quality of it . . . your pride in it. I
have seen full-bloods who have virtually no idea of the great legacy
entrusted to their care. Yet, I have seen people with as little as
1/500th blood quantum who inspire the spirits of their ancestors
because they make being Cherokee a proud part of a their everyday
life."
AniWahya - Wolf
The Clan color of the AniWahya is Red.
The Wolf Clan is the largest clan. The most prominent clan, providing most of the war chiefs.
Wolf clan are Keepers of the wolves. Clan who could kill a wolf.
AniTsiskwa - Bird
The Clan color for the AniTsisqua is Purple.
Bird Clan are the Keepers of the birds. Bird Clan was skilled in using blowguns
and snares for bird hunting.
AniKawi - Deer
The Clan color for the AniKawi is Brown. Deer Clan are the Keepers and hunters of the Deer.
AniGilohi - LongHair
The Clan color for the AniGilohi is Yellow.
Long Hair Clan also known as Twister Clan, Hair Hanging Down Clan or Wind Clan.
Clan wore their hair in elaborate hairdos, walked proud and vain manner.
Peace chiefs are usually from this clan.
AniWodi - Paint
The Clan color for the AniWodi is White. The Paint Clan made red paint and the
medicine men come for this clan.
AniGatowegi - Wild Potato
The Clan color for the AniGatogewi is Green. Wild Potato Clan are also known as the Bear Clan,
Raccoon Clan or Blind Savannah Clan. They gather the wild potato plants in swamps and
along streams for food.
Ani Sahoni - Blue
The Clan color for the Ani Sahoni is Blue.
Blue or Panther Clan made blue medicine from a special blue plant to keep the children.
Also known as the Wildcat Clan.
Clan
membership was always inherited through the mother and children
belonged to their mother's clan and sat with them at the
ceremonials. The children's father sat with his mother's clan. A
child's uncle on his mother's side was a very important figure, and
had a great deal to do with the rearing and discipline of the child.
The father would be more concerned with his sister's children.
There was love and respect between children and their father, but it
was the mother's brother, as a member of their own clan who had the
most to say about their upbringing.
It was also the clan who protected,
supported, a and looked out for
its members. Clan loyalty was the strongest bond among the Cherokee.
It was also the clan that revenged wrongs, and the law of blood
revenge survived into the nineteenth century. By the 1890's the
bilateral extended family had taken the place of the clan as a
support group.
Traditional Tribal Leaders
UKU –
Chief – principle/peace Ulotv – Chiefs –principle chiefs right hand man
Kalanu – War Chief – Chief Justice as in US courts
Utsidihi –War Chief right hand man Beloved Woman
The ones listed above sit on National council.
Council of Advisors consist of
One Man from Each of these Clans
Clan Advisor of Ani Wodi (Paint) Clan
Clan Advisor of Ani Waya (Wolf) Clan Clan Advisor of Ani Kawi (Deer) Clan
Clan Advisor of Ani Sahoni (Blue) Clan Clan Advisor of Ani Gilahi (Long Hair) Clan
Clan Advisor of Ani Tsiskwa (Bird) Clan Clan Advisor of Ani Gatogewi (Wild Potato) Clan
Speaker for Council of Advisors : He speaks for all the men on council.
Council of Honored Women consists of One Woman from each of these Clans.
Honored Woman of Honor of Ani Wodi Clan Honored Woman of Honor of Ani Waya Clan
Honored Woman of Honor of Ani Kawi Clan Honored Woman of Honor of Ani Sahoni Clan
Honored Woman of Honor of Ani Gilahi Clan Honored Woman of Honor of Ani Tsiskwa Clan
Honored Woman of Honor of Ani Gatogewi Clan
Beloved Woman : Speaks for the council of Women
For more information on
Cherokee culture, check out these two web sites:
1. * One (var. sp.) would have been made
with the hide of #41A 5. * Member of an indigenous people of northeastern
Nebraska 10. Autumn 14. Twos opposites
15. * Buffy Sainte-___ (Singer-songwriter who wrote
"Native North American Child") 16. Hamitic language
17. * They were set to catch beavers (See #43D for a
Related Clue) 19. * Northwest Coast Indians were skilled craftsmen who
made fine wood carvings, and carved things such as these:
Markers for ___ 21. Initials of a former First Lady
22. eeB retfa retteL 23. Thanks, in Britain
25. "That hurts!" 26. * Said long ago: "Don't you find ___ that even though
we were here first, the European explorers think they can just
come in and take over?" (See #12D for a Related Clue)
28. * An ___ captured in battle by the Northwest Coast
Indians (which included the Bella Coola, Chinook, Haida and
Nootka) would be kept as a slave --and regarded as a very
valuable possession, and marker of wealth 32. * Many indigenous cultures of North America believe
in a powerful ___ world 33. * Adolescent (See #10D for a Related Clue)
34. Unemotional, without the "Sto" 36. * Some northern tribes would use stone to make these:
___ Blades 37. "Gotcha!" 38. Smitten
40. "lufn" eht sunim ,yhcA 41. * Animal that was crucial to the survival of the
Plains Indians 45. Sports org. 46. Place at an angle
48. * Hard-shelled seed that was part of the diet of many
aboriginal peoples 49. Playful trick ...all shook up?
51. Ms. Hinton 52. Duo ...on the fritz?
54. * Weapons in Westerns 56. * They were used to travel by water
60. Perspire (bkwds.) 61. Blood Type: O ___ Negative
62. "Big whoop!" 63. Tic-___-Toe
65. Doc's assistant 66. * European Explorer's comment: "This looks like ___
of some kind. Let's follow it to see where it leads."
69. * Dentalia Shells = ___ Shells 71. Ceremonial Staff ...spelled backwards?
73. Thoughts 75. * Algonquian language
76. Types of fish 77. Suit 78. Sort of Sovereign
Down
1. * Beautifully carved pole
2. Concerning, for short 3. * Ceremonial Calumet
4. AOL, e.g. 5. Mantric word 6. Periodic Publication, punily
7. * Weapon used in battle 8. * Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem about a legendary
hero: "The Song of ___" (1855) 9. "l" eht sunim ,taeM fo epyT
10. * A boy who was a #33A might have gone through an
initiation ceremony to enter adulthood that involved ___ or
going out all alone into the wilderness for a period of time
11. * Navajo artists are renowned for creating beautiful
jewelry of silver. Question: What is the symbol for silver?
12. * Treaties sometimes are passed to resolve injustices
concerning these 13. * ___ Dunmore's War (The white man against the
Shawnee, Delaware, Wyandot and Cayuga) 18. Certain Caps ...flipped around?
20. Ireland 24. Pierre's Pal 27. Singer (Initials) of Black Sabbath
29. Finial on a Fish ...but it's backwards? 30. Metallic Element, minus the "trium"
31. Not fake 32. * Ceremony of the Hopi
35. * Where some of the Mohave people were from, without
the "fornia" 36. Legendary rock group
37. Situated at the Stern of a Ship 39. * An oral history was passed down by the ___ of
indigenous clans 42. Sort of Sloth 43. * Native Americans partook in the ___ with the
Europeans 44. * In search of food, it's how aboriginal peoples
roamed the land before the Europeans introduced the horse to the
New World 47. * Dome-shaped dwellings 50. Ginger's follower
53. * Piece of timber in a traditional structure
54. Sun God, in Egyptian Mythology 55. And Outs starter
57. Sticky Stuff, without the "Gl" 58. * Tribe leader
59. * Reddish earth used for decoration 60. * It would be used to create various structures and
things: ___ Bark 64. * In past times, some people would make ___ from
plants such as the sassafras or wintergreen 67. Chest bone
68. Landowner, without the "rd" 70. * On the 10th day of this mo. the war at #13D ended
at Point Pleasant, West Virginia 72. Mr. Pacino
74. Road, for short
In the
beginning of the world, there was no fire. The animal people were often
cold. Only the Thunders, who lived in the world beyond the sky arch, had
fire. At last they sent Lightning down to an island. Lightning put fire
into the bottom of a hollow sycamore tree.
The animal
people knew that the fire was there, because they could see smoke rising
from the top of the tree. But they could not get to it on account of the
water. So they held a council to decide what to do.
Everyone
that could fly or could swim was eager to go after the fire. Raven said,
"Let me go. I am large and strong." At that time Raven was white. He
flew high and far across the water and reached the top of the sycamore
tree. While he sat there wondering what to do, the heat scorched all his
feathers black. The frightened Raven flew home without the fire, and his
feathers have been black ever since.
Then the
council sent Screech Owl. He flew to the island. But while he was
looking down into the hollow tree, a blast of hot air came up and nearly
burned out his eyes. He flew home and to this day, Screech Owl's eyes
are red.
Then Hooting
Owl and Horned Owl were sent to the island together. But the smoke
nearly blinded them, and the ashes carried up by the wind made white
rings about their eyes. They had to come home, and were never able to
get rid of the white rings.
Then Little
Snake swam across to the island, crawled through the grass to the tree,
and entered it through a small hole at the bottom. But the smoke and the
heat were too much for him, too. He escaped alive, but his body had been
scorched black. And it was so twisted that he doubled on his track as if
always trying to escape from a small space.
Big Snake,
the climber, offered to go for fire, but he fell into the burning stump
and became as black as Little Snake. He has been the great blacksnake
ever since.
At last
Water Spider said that she would go. Water Spider has black downy hair
and red stripes on her body. She could run on top of water and she could
dive to the bottom. She would have no trouble in getting to the island.
"But you are so little, how will you carry enough fire?" the council
asked. "I'll manage all right," answered Water Spider. "I can spin a
web." so she spun a thread from her body and wove it into a little bowl
and fastened the little bowl on her back. Then she crossed over to the
island and through the grass. She put one little coal of fire into
her bowl and brought it across to the people.
Every since,
we have had fire. And the Water Spider still has her little bowl on her
back.
The old ones tell us that one
time, the animals challenged the birds to a great ballgame, and the
birds accepted. The leaders of each made the plans and set the date, and
when the time came, both parties met at the place for the ball dance.
The animals met on a nice smooth grassy area near the river, and the
birds perched in the treetops overlooking the animals. The captain of
the animal team was Yo-na, the bear, and he was strong and heavy, and
could take care of anyone who got in his way. All along the way to the
ballgame, he was showing his strength by tossing logs and boulders into
the air. He boasted of what he would do to the birds at the ballgame.
Da-ga-si, the terrapin, was a hige terrapin, and his shell was so hard,
not even the heaviest blow to him would hurt. He kept standing on his
hind legs and then dropping to the ground, bragging that this is what he
would do at the ballgame. He would crush any bird that tried to take the
ball from him. There was also A-wi, the deer, who could easily outrun
any and every animal. They thought they had a great team.
The birds had A-wo-ha-li, the
eagle, as their captain. Ta-wo-di, the hawk, and other strong birds were
on their side. Although they were swift and strong, they were still a
little afraid of the animals. After the dance, they were all pruning
their feathers while perched in the trees, and waited for the captain to
give the word. All of a sudden, here came two little things hardly
bigger than field mice, and they climbed up the tree where A-wo-ha-li,
the bird captain, was sitting. They asked to join in the game. The
captain looked at them, and seeing that they were four-legged, asked why
they didn’t go down to the animal team. They said they had, but the
animals laughed at them, and made fun of them, because they were so
small. A-wo-ha-li felt sorry for them, and wanted to take them.
But they had no wings. A-wo-ha-li,
Ta-wo-di, and the others consulted, and finally decided to make some
wings for the little ones. They tried for a very long time to think of a
solution, when finally someone thought about the drum they had used in
the dance. The head was made of ground-hog skin, and maybe they could
take off a corner of it and make some wings. They took two pieces from
the drum head and cut them into shape for wings, and stretched them with
cane splints and fastened them to the front legs of one of the little
animals.
This is how Tla-me-ha, the
bat, came to be.
They threw the ball to him and
told him to catch it. He dodged and circled about, and always kept the
ball in the air and never let it hit the ground. The birds soon felt
that he would be one of their best players.
Now they figured they better
fix the other poor animal, but they had no more leather to make wings.
Somebody thought of stretching his skin, the way the leather had been
stretched on the drum. Two large birds took ahold from each side of him
with their strong beaks, and pulled at his fur for several minutes. They
managed to stretch the skin between his front and back legs, until they
had Te-wa, the flying squirrel. To see how well he could play, the
captain threw the ball up in the air, and Te-wa leaped off the limb,
caught it in his teeth, and carried it through the air until he reached
another tree, far, far away.
When everyone was ready, the
signal was given and the game began. Almost at the very first, Te-wa
caught the ball and carried it to a tree, from which he threw it to the
other birds. They kept it in the air for a very long time, but it
finally dropped. Yona rushed to grab it, but Tlu-tlu, the martin, darted
after it and threw it to Tla-me-ha. By his dodging and circling, he kept
it out of the way of even A-wi, until he finally threw it to the pole
and won the game for the birds.
Yo-na and Da-ga-si, who had
bragged about how good they were and what they would do to the birds,
never even got a chance to play. For saving the ball when it dropped,
they gave Tlu-tlu a beautiful gourd in which he could build his nest.
Today, he still has it.
Daughters of American
Revolution Libraryat 1776 D Street NW, Washington,
DC; TEL: 202.628.1776. They have information broken down
by States. In addition, the DAR has microfilm of the
Census Records.
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