Shoni Schimmel Still Unsigned
Posted by: elma19 on: May 11, 2010
Ever since I last blogged about Shoni and her amazing talent, I have been keeping an eye out for any news about her. Since this was her last year in high school and she is the #8 recruited player in the Nation for girls basketball, I was expecting to hear news about her commitment to a school. She has been offered countless scholarships to great universities and she has yet to sign to any. Most are wondering what is taking so long. Out of all top 100 recruited players in the nation, Shoni is the only one that has yet to sign to a school. This is strange considering most top recruits usually do not take this long to make a decision. However, she still has a couple of days left. May 19 is the last day for her and she will have to have made up her mind by then if she wants to play college ball at one of the big universities offering her scholarships. People at the University of Louisville are pretty confident that the Native will sign with them, although she has mentioned that her top schools also include: UCLA, Oregon, Rutgers, and South Carolina. But even with Louisville being a bit confident, rumors have it that Oregon might get both Shoni and her mom. The Portland paper has rumored that her mother may potentially go to Oregon or Oregon State as an assistant coach and Shoni might follow.
And well, with multiple rumors going around it seems nothing is certain until Shoni has made a clear and official decision. All we know is that whichever school she chooses will greatly benefit from this talented and skilled Native player.
Native Arts
Posted by: elma19 on: May 9, 2010
I recently went home and took a nice trip to the mall in order to find something nice for my mom. Mother’s Day was just around the corner and I was cutting it close. I hadn’t been home in awhile and also hadn’t visited the mall near home for quite some time. I guess that while I was off at school a new store called ‘Native Arts’ opened up. It looked interesting enough so I decided to look around before continuing on with my shopping.
Native Arts
The shop was pretty small but it was also filled with a bunch of items. There was clothing, musical instruments (like flutes), dream catchers, CDs from Native artists, decoration items, and so much more. My sister, who was with me at the time, mentioned to me that this store had opened up at another mall a bit farther away from home, thus, I assume that the store was a hit at the other mall since they decided to open up this one here as well.
I have to be honest and say I am not sure if all the items at the store are actually made by Natives (like, for example, the dream catchers). I know that items like those need to be made by actual Natives in order to be considered to actually work. But I was not that concerned with that aspect. I was happy that people were buying items from there and having a sort of connection with Natives, but at the same time I was not completely sure if I wanted others to just have that sort of image about Indians. I would like people to not just go into the store and buy a hat with a Native design or a shirt, I want people to know the background and history that comes with the Native people.
Clothing, CDs, and More
I plan on going back to the store and asking the workers there if they, themselves are Natives and what their connection is with the store and the items being sold there. Also, if the items are made by actual Natives or not.
And I may buy a CD or two that caught my eye … 
Anti-Meth Campaign Targets Native Americans
Posted by: elma19 on: May 3, 2010
“There are a lot of cool things about being native. Meth isn’t one of them.”
On Wednesday, April 28th a new anti-meth campaign was launched by the government targeting methamphetamine users in the American Indian communities. This new campaign will continue to run until August in the 15 states that contain the most Indian populations; New Mexico, Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Wyoming, South Dakota, Washington, Wisconsin and Utah.
This new ad campaign was started because of the high rates of meth use for American Indian/Alaska Native populations. According to the 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the American Indian/Alaska Native populations have the highest user rate than any other ethnicity. To add to this, another study done in 2005 among Native teens (high school students) showed that 14 percent of them had used meth one or more times during their life. The Navajo Nation has been the hardest hit with this meth use. The Navajo-area Indian Health Service reported “that 2,167 individuals were treated for meth use in 2000 and 4,077 were treated in eight months in 2004.”
Anti-Meth Campaign
Alvin Warren, secretary of the New Mexico Department of Indian Affairs, states that this problem is caused by various reasons. Some of them being the “lack of police and law enforcement in many tribal communities, the historical trauma, the poverty, the lack of opportunity, loss of language and culture, and challenging family circumstances.” There are so many different circumstances and factors that not one is just to blame.
Besides meth prevention, the ad also advertises education and aims to encourage Indian adults to protect their children. The campaign will be run as billboards and radio ads throughout the states involved until August.
Listen to a radio ad yourself: Hear That? – Radio Ad
I am glad there is finally more notice being placed upon the Native Americans and the government is placing special attention on their issues. Although, it does anger me that it took so long for the government to take action. The number of meth users and rates should never have to reach the types of numbers that have been reached in order for something to be done. On the other hand, this reminds me of the Native Americans Suicide Prevention Program (NASPP) and how it specializes on Natives and helping them overcome challenges (if you haven’t read about the NASPP scroll down and read!).
To learn more about this campaign go to the official National Indian Country Methamphetamine Initiative website.
Nideiltihi Navajo Elite Runners
Posted by: elma19 on: May 1, 2010
The weather lately has been a wonder. One day, it is nice, the next it is raining, and the following has winds that might blow people over. On Friday, the wind was making its presence known, especially to the athletes competing and performing at the only Home Track and Field meet here, at the University of Illinois. Just as spectators, my friends and I were having a bit of trouble with the wind. It was random and harsh, we could only wonder how the competitors were thinking. We were able to watch pole-vault, girl’s high-jump, and tons of the running events. As we were watching the events, my mind wandered to the thousands of others athletes that were in town awaiting today and their race (be it either the 5K, half or full marathon). I was hoping the wind would die down for them, but if it did not, I knew that wind would not stop the runners and they would continue with the race, just like the Navajo Elite Runners keep on running.
Look at some of the pictures from past events and training practices;
The Nideiltihi Navajo Elite Runners’ (NNER) mission is to “foster Native American Indian distance runners, in Four Corner’s States [AZ, NM, CO, and UT], to represent USA in national road and track competitions; encourages wellness, relevant life skills, and supporting elite youth in post season national competition while integrating traditions, culture and Native language.” They are also planning to expand in order to include others such as; Hopi Tribe, Ute Mountain Tribe, Southern, and many more. The entire non-profit organization is volunteer driven. The NNER is trying to create partnerships and gather more attention in order to help their developing athletes in hopes of allowing them to compete in international competitions, including major championship events which lead to the Olympic Trials in distance events. The London 2010 Olympics are what the Navajo Elite Runners have set their mind to.
Runners in the NNER
Check out more about this organization and more ways in which you can help out at the official website!
Film; Something’s Moving
Posted by: elma19 on: April 28, 2010
Something’s Moving, which will be released sometime next year, is a film which illustrates the boarding school controversy. Walter Littlemoon, Lakota, attended a federal Indian boarding school in South Dakota sixty years ago. Something’s Moving is a film telling Walter’s story during his times at the boarding school along with others who shared his experience at the school. The film also shows how alcoholism, suicide, and domestic abuse, all which are high among Native Americans, correlate with their experiences in boarding schools. It shows Walter’s life now and the results of attending that boarding school.
Check out the trailer/informational clip for the film:
When I heard about this film, They Called it Prairie Light was the first thing that came to mind. I do not know much more about Something’s Moving, but I did read Prairie Light and know about the troubles and experiences Indian children had to endure during their times at these schools. We all know about the “kill the Indian and save the man” mission these institutions had. I believe this will be a good film to watch after reading a book that deals with Indian boarding schools, such as They Called it Prairie Light because it will be a good way to see, first hand, how these schools impacted young Indians and how their lives are currently because of it.
And also learn more about this film by going to the official site of Something’s Moving.
Natives on Facebook & NASPO
Posted by: elma19 on: April 25, 2010
Everyone has one.
It’s clear to everyone who owns a computer how popular social networks are, especially ones such as Facebook (Fb) or Twitter (and kinda, still, for the younger ones – Myspace). You get to talk to all your friends even after you just saw them, look at all their new pictures (even though you were probably there when they were taken, or you are in the pictures with them), and creep on all they say to other people they know. Besides connecting with actual people though, the recent popular thing on Facebook is to “Become a fan” [or as it has been recently changed into “Like”] of a certain group. For those few who are not familiar with this, let me give you the low-down – basically, someone creates a new group/fan page of anything they like and if you see this page on Fb and you are, in fact, ‘a fan’ (or ‘like’) of whatever the fan page is advertising, you click the button and become a fan! People do this for celebrities (or celebrities themselves create their official Fb fan pages where their fans can keep up-to-date with whatever they are doing), sports teams, schools (for example, UIUC has a ton of pages you can become a fan/member of), sayings, and anything else you can think of! There’s a million groups to become members of, including things about involving Natives.
NASPO on Facebook
I was creeping on Facebook (come on, you know everyone else does it too!) and decided to check out some pages/applications dedicated to Native Americans. On my search, I came across a ton of pages and some of the ones that caught my eye were once such as the Native Americans Suicide Prevention Program, National Initiative for Native Americans on the Federal Bench, and Native American’s friends. Each page has more than a thousand members! The one that most impressed me was the N.A. Suicide Prevention Program page (NASPO) which was recently founded in 2010. Inside it gives advice to Natives who are not doing well in life, and to others who are non-Indians but can still help. Also, people leave comments and kind words of support that can be read by everyone. NASPO “aims to educate the youth, parents, schools and Native American tribes of the state of South Dakota about the prevalence of suicide among the Native American peoples, the warning signs indicating a person is at increased risk for attempting suicide, strategies for intervening with those at risk for attempting suicide and the availability of resources on and off the reservations, in order to reduce the risk of suicide in the state of South Dakota.”
This page seems great and I’m glad programs like this have begun to use social networks such as Facebook to reach more people since it is proven that they do work in spreading news and information throughout the world very quickly. Hopefully, this program obtains the attention it deserves and continues to spread its message to others who are willing to listen.
Chehaw Native American Festival
Posted by: elma19 on: April 23, 2010
Okay… so, I’m a little late with these news, but it’s the thought that counts. If we would have happened to be at Chehaw Park in Albany, Georgia on April 16th-18th last week, we would have gotten to see quite a show. On these three days the Chehaw Native American Festival is under way. This cultural festival is full of great and informative spectacles for people of all ages. They have things such as; tribal dancers, educational demonstrations, and vendors. The even have a Pow Wow dancing exhibition along with Aztec dancers. There will be multiple dances shown to the public, like; the Grass dance (nature based dance), Jingle Dress dance (spiritual dance preformed by ladies only), Shawl dance (also known as Northern Shawl), Fancy dance (also known as Feather Dance, it was started in Oklahoma, the “brightest and fastest of men’s dance styles), and the Traditional dance (“gentlemen’s dance”).
Besides all the dancing, the vendors will have various types of Native food available for everyone to try. Also, along with just entertainment, there is also a lot of learning involved in this festival. Kids are thought about how arrowheads, bow and arrows, pottery, and fires were made by Native Americans and historians. This is a great way to teach young ones about Native Americans, hopefully, next time I will know ahead of time of this event.
Check out the short commercial below.
And also the official site for this festival; Chehaw Native American Festival.
All Nations Skate Jam 2010!
Posted by: elma19 on: April 21, 2010
If you are a skater and Native American, you already know what the All Nations Skate Jam (ANSJ) is all about. If you are neither of the above, then let me inform you a little about this event. On April 24th and 25th, the 4th Annual All Nations Skate Jam is going to be held at the Los Altos Skatepark in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It’s basically a skateboarding contest (only $5 dollars per skater, after admission) for Natives from all over the states to come and show their skill. This event is going to be packed with live music and entertainment all day, both days. The people behind this event is actually Nibwaakaawin (Wisdom), and it’s a non-profit organization whose mission is to “foster creativity, build courage, enable cultural identity and pride, and promote non-violent and healthy physical activity through skateboarding.”
an Apache Skateboarder
After first hearing about the All Nations Skate Jam and learning that it mostly just involves Native Americans, I was surprised. I had no idea skating was a big thing to young Natives or that they were interested in such sports. I mean, I know most kids go through certain phases as they grow up – I went through a skateboarding phase myself (begged my parents to buy me a skateboard, road it for a few months, thought I was pretty cool, until I fell and then never used it again), but this seems more than just that.
![[3865060303_c81574488f.jpg]](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_IXyIOmfR5T0/S4vcGlwlagI/AAAAAAAAAOM/lJDxHrr9fko/s1600/3865060303_c81574488f.jpg)
Some brilliant designs
And as I look at more pictures of Native skaters with their skateboards online, the designs seem to get better and better. I wish I could go to New Mexico in order to attend this event, but since I am too far away (and have retired my skateboarding ways) I guess I will just have to wait until I find some Youtube clips or videos later to see what happened.
Also, check out the ANSJ website on WordPress and a short article on DNAinfo about some of the Native’s designs being displayed at the National Museum of the American Indian.
White Wolf & Running Bear .. ?!?
Posted by: elma19 on: April 17, 2010
Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt
Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt have been around the news for a couple of years now. They have become the annoying couple that does anything in order to get the media’s attention. The couple has been on various reality TV shows and it seems as though they cannot do anything else that could be their new low. Wrong! It turns out that earlier this month, the couple found just the thing to (once again) attain the spotlight for another 15 minutes. But this time, instead of disfiguring themselves any further with more plastic surgery or things like that, they decided to insult a whole group and culture. Heidi and Spencer decided to “give themselves ‘true native-American names’ in an effort to become more spiritual.” Heidi and Spencer are now ‘White Wolf’ and ‘Running Bear’, respectively.
The couple has reached a new low.
So, I think we are all in the same page and agree with the fact that these people really have nothing better to do with their live’s and money. What’s worse about this is that I don’t believe they understand how ignorant and disrespectful they are being. They change their names in order to be more ‘spiritual’ but have no real knowledge or respect to and for Native Americans. They are offending an entire group of people just because they desire more media coverage. It’s a shame and I really am embarrassed for them. The fact that they act without thinking of their actions and the effect it has to others is unnerving. The only consequences they foretold themselves were the media coverage they would obtain, not the offense they would commit toward actual Native American people. Hopefully, (but I high doubt) they realize their mistake and change their names back along with offer an apology for the insult and disrespect they showed with this foolish stunt.
New Kicks Inspired by Native American Designs
Posted by: elma19 on: April 11, 2010
I find it funny when trends begin; a few people start wearing something that a certain celebrity was seen wearing, and suddenly – everyone is wearing the same thing (even if it looks ridiculous on them). For example, leggings being worn as a substitute for pants. Why? I don’t understand how a skin-tight, thin, piece of cloth can be combined with just a shirt and some Ugg boots and be considered pants. But anyway, another trend that was popular not that long ago was the multi-colored Nikes. I have to admit, I thought some of them were pretty cool and even have a pair of my own. But also, there were some patterns and colors that were a bit too extravagant for my liking. Yesterday, I was looking at some of the crazy Nike designs they have passed through the years and I found these bad-boys:
Unique sneaker elements are the cracked leather and traditional Native American prints on the upper, rawhide laces with beads, and a spearhead at the ends.
I was a bit stunned when I first saw them and then realized they had a bit of a Native American feel to them. I did a bit of research and found out that Nike is not the only shoe brand out there with designs inspired by Native Americans; Vans has actually dedicated an entire line for the 2010 Spring called “Binding” and New Balance had a new boot out in the Fall of 2009 inspired by Native Americans.
Here are some of the Vans designs:
Vans (One-Piece)
Here’s a look at the New Balance boot:
A suede upper, native-evoking stitches, corded laces, laced collar and tongue tag.
Back & Front of New Balance
Now, to go back to Nike – I am unsure of what to think of the footwear. I admire the thought and like the concept, but I’m not sure if I like the actual execution. There seems to be too much going on with the shoe, although, at times it seems like that’s the point of most modern designs. Anyway, besides that design, I discovered Nike’s N7 collection. According to Sam McCracken, General Manager of Nike’s Native American Business, “for more than 10 years Nike has worked closely with Native American communities to provide support through product innovations specific to the needs of Native Americans and by providing grants to support sport programs through the N7 Fund.” This collection is also targeting to make environmentally friendly shoes.
Check out some of the shoes in the N7 collection:
Some of Nike's N7 Collection
I like the N7 collection, they seem to have a great balance of the sporty look, but you can still make out the Native American factors. But I’m just one person, what do you guys think? How do you think Native Americans feel about the first Nike design I spoke of? Would people in general buy the shoe? Why or why not?
