Brothers After All

Indigenous Diva: Dame Kiri Te Kanawa

2010-02-14T22:26:00.000-08:00

I have been a fan of Maori opera singer Dame Kiri Te Kanawa since high school when I first heard her beautiful soprano voice in the film "A Room With a View" singing Puccini's aria "O mio babbino caro". My iTunes library is full of her pieces and I've had the pleasure of hearing her sing in person several times. I can think of few individuals who have lived in two worlds as visibly as Dame Te Kanawa. She embraces her Maori and New Zealand roots boldly, has sung in operas and recitals around the globe, and today is one of the most beloved opera singers of all time.

(Image courtesy Ravinia Festival)

I recently came across this video below of Dame Te Kanawa singing "Tarahiki", an ancient Maori song/chant about the beauty and strength of the cicada dance. It totally blew me away.

Read more about Dame Te Kanawa on her Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation website, her IMG Artists website, and Wikipedia. There are many more videos of her singing on YouTube as well.

And here is another version with Maori chorus from millennium celebrations in NZ...

A couple other favorite vids of mine...Dame Te Kanawa singing "Pokarekare Ana" in 1990 and more recently for the NZ millennium celebrations.

Basket Diaries: Bubbling Brook

2010-02-05T12:18:00.001-08:00

Fibonaaci-based design that reminded me of the mountain streams and brooks I would come across during my years doing wildlife research in the Northwest. This is the 2nd basket of my 'Thirty Four Fibonaccis' project.

Basket Diaries: Longhouse Lines

2010-02-05T12:14:00.001-08:00

Fibonacci-based design. It reminded me of the floor plans of several modern longhouses I've visited recently...a large room, a kitchen, an office, and - of course - two small restrooms. This is the first of 'Thirty Four Fibonaccis' I will gift as a group someday.

Basket Diaries: Modern Medicine

2010-02-05T10:41:00.001-08:00

Fibonnaci-based design with circles in the four directions, overall design and colors inspired by Andrew's work. Gifted to Andrew Dexel (en paa uk).

Basket Diaries: World map

2010-01-26T11:32:00.001-08:00

Gifted to Amy Anderson-Merácz (a geography teacher).

Lushootseed on Tulalip Casino TV ad

2010-01-26T07:23:00.000-08:00

I've always been impressed with how the Tulalip Resort Casino has integrated the culture throughout the casino and resort. Starting with the huge Orca fountain in front of the casino to see Lushootseeed you see next to the English names of restaurants and other key rooms. Recently, Tulalip notched up their efforts. I've now seen several TV commercials for Tulalip in which they end by printing and saying the Lushootseed word for "fun" or "welcome". Pretty darn cool that millions of people around the Puget Sound are watching these commercials and now get to see and hear Lushootseed for the first time. Kudos to Tulalip! Now that I'm taking Lushootseed at the Duwamish Longhouse with Mike Evans, we'll see if I can understand more next time I pay a visit.

Thirty Four Fibonaccis

2010-01-01T12:22:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the 'Thirty Four Fibonaccis' project page. For this project I will weave thirty four Plateau style baskets with Fibonacci-based designs.

I am a Non-Native weaver who learned to weave from Colville Tribe artist and Evergreen Professor Joe Feddersen and his Sister, Vicki Harlan at the Tacoma Art Museum in the Fall of 2009. My friend, Patti Stennett, and I took the class so that we could make baskets for potlatch gifts. One of the things that I bring to my weaving is a great passion for science and design so I often try to incorporate this interest into the baskets I weave. Fibonacci-inspired designs are perfect for this so that's why I set out on this project.

Why 34? Well, first of all, 34 is one of the numbers in the Fibonacci number string...1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, etc. No other profound reason, I just thought that 'Thirty Four Fibonaccis' sounded better than 'Twenty One' or any of the other numbers in the Fibonacci sequence.

Please come back soon and often to check on on my progress.

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Basket Diaries

2009-11-15T09:42:00.000-08:00

Thank you for visiting the 'Basket Diaries' home page.

I am a Non-Native weaver who learned to weave plateau style round baskets (also called Sally bags) and flat baskets from Colville Tribe artist and Evergreen Professor Joe Feddersen and his Sister, Vicki Harlan, at the Tacoma Art Museum in the Fall of 2009. My friend, Patti Stennett, and I took the class so that we could make baskets for potlatch gifts during the annual Tribal Journey event.

One of the things that I bring to my weaving is a great passion for science and design so I often try to incorporate this interest into the baskets I weave including many baskets with Fibonacci-inspired designs.

You can follow my weaving activities by clicking here.

Lost boys of Aamjiwnaang

2009-11-13T22:50:00.000-08:00

The December issue of Men's Health Magazine features an outstanding article on the impact of industrial chemicals on human (particularly men's) health. The lost boys of Aamijiwnaang showcases the fall of male births on the Aamjiwnaang First Nation in Canada. The article includes some exceptional sidebars as well on key toxins at issue, nonprofit groups working on the issue, etc. I've seen such treatment on chemical toxins for women (see The Breast Cancer Fund), but this is by far the best information I've seen on industrial chemicals and men's health. Originally posted on haberdash.org

Basket Diaries: Horses

2009-11-12T22:23:00.001-08:00

My fourth basket with a pattern I've wanted to try out from the start...horses. Gifted to Ingrid Schmidt-Buchanan.

Basket Diaries: Endless Knot

2009-11-12T21:07:00.001-08:00

My third basket with an Celtic endless knot design. Gifted to Patty Foster.

Basket Diaries: Fibonacci inspired

2009-11-12T20:59:00.000-08:00

My second basket with a Fibonacci inspired deisgn. Gifted to Daina Taimina.

Basket Diaries: clam design

2009-11-12T20:47:00.000-08:00

I recently took a twining class from Colville artist Joe Feddersen at the Tacoma Art Museum and learned how to weave these plateau style round baskets, also called Sally bags. Here is my first basket! Clamshell design, gifted to Patti Stennett.

imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival | October 14-18, 2009

2009-09-30T23:22:00.000-07:00

10th Annual imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival

October 14-18, 2009

Toronto

www.imaginenative.org

8th Generaton shoes for walking in two worlds

2009-09-30T22:40:00.000-07:00

Louie Gong's Eighth Generation shoes are gaining ground fast. A Native American of mixed heritage (Nooksack, Chinese, French, Scottish), Gong understands the challenges and opportunities that exist today for people of mixed heritage living in a modern world while trying to honor cultural identity. His hand crafted Coast Salish designs on the iconic Vans shoes reflect this understanding and they are becoming as popular as any new fashion on the Paris catwalks. Gong is also an activist for people living in multiple worlds as President of the Mavin Foundation among other innovative projects.

Rhodes scholar, athlete works to improve Native youth health education

2009-09-30T20:31:00.000-07:00

All-American college football player and Rhodes Scholar Myron Rolle recently was asked by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk to expand a program he developed as part of the Myron Rolle Foundation. The 'Our Way to Health Program', initially developed with the Seminole Tribe for American Indian fifth-graders at a charter school in Okeechobee, Florida, aims to encourage and help American Indian children in middle school to manage their own diet and exercise, as well as inspire others around them to do the same. The program provides incentive-based learning experiences, team-building physical activities in the outdoors, health education and diabetes awareness sessions. An All-American safety for Florida State University in 2008-2009, Rolle delayed a professional career to pursue studies in medical anthropology as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford.

Read the full press release here.

Joe Feddersen - Vital Signs

2009-09-29T23:19:00.000-07:00

Today I had the great pleasure off viewing a new exhibit at the Tacoma Art Museum, a retrospective of Joe Fedderson's work. I was at the Museum with Patty, a fellow member of the Carver Camp Canoe Family from the past two years of Tribal Journey. Patty was a student of Joe's at Evergreen so she thought it would be fun to view the exhibit before we headed to the Chehalis Tribe where we would help Phil Red Eagle with a Copper Ring Ceremony at their Tribal Journey potlatch. The exhibit was absolutely amazing, one could very quickly pick up on the 'Urban Indian' vibe of Joe's work along with his sense of humor. Below is the Culture Icon entry I posted on my other blog, The Smart Set:

"Joe Feddersen's internationally renowned artistry comes in many forms...prints, collage, glass, and weaving. But across these media, several themes stand out: Urban Indian, a sense of place, a keen eye for pattern, and a bit of humor. His works are quintessentially Native yet thoroughly modern as they chronicle human relationships with place. His geometric prints echo the landscape of the Plateau area where he grew up and his glass and weaving pieces capture both the traditional Plateau culture and key features of the changing urban landscape such as tire treads, parking lots, and power lines. Born in 1953 in Omak, Washington of Okanogan and Lakes ancestry, Feddersen spent his early days on the Colville Indian Reservation. Later, he received a BFA from the University of Washington in Seattle and received his Master of Fine Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1989. In 2009, Feddersen retired from Evergreen State College after twenty years. A retrospective of Feddersen's work, Vital Signs, is on exhibit at the Tacoma Art Museum through January 10, 2009."

New Book | Conservation Refugees

2009-09-25T20:21:00.000-07:00

A much anticipated book by Mark Dowie explores the tenuous relationship between global conservation efforts and indigenous peoples. Conservation Refugees shows that even though conservation and indigenous movements share many objectives, they also come into conflict, particularly when Western ideas, opinions, and worldviews don't match up with Indigenous ways of thinking, being, and doing. The field of integrated conservation and development (ICD), also referred to as community-based conservation and/or participatory conservation, has been around for several decades but the challenge of protecting diversity without impacting the indigenous peoples that often inhabit the same critical areas is still just that...a challenge. Heated discussions on ICD have played out in both the academic and mainstream press but in the end, Indigenous Peoples are still becoming refugees in the name of conservation. Perhaps Dowie's book will bring a new perspective to the diversity dilemma.

Rugby, Maori style

2009-09-19T16:45:00.000-07:00

The New Zealand national rugby team, the Allblacks, may all dress alike in their black uniforms, but one this is for sure...they will certainly never lose their identity as a team inspired and energized by Tikanga Maori (Maori ways of thiking, being, doing). The Allblacks start each match with their traditional war dance, the Haka. Sport, competition, and warrior-athletes have been a part of human culture for thousands of years around the world so its good to see that the Allblacks and other teams honor both sport and their culture with this modern tradition. A little surfing on YouTube and you'll also find the Somoan national team performing their Siva Tau, as well as Tonga with thier Sipi Tau and Fiji with their Cibi.

Below the Allblacks take on France in 2009:

And here the Allblacks take on Tonga who reply with their Sipi Tau:

An evening with Melanie Cheung

2009-09-19T00:19:00.000-07:00

This evening I had the great honor of attending a lecture by Maori neuroscientist Melanie Cheung on her research into Huntington's disease, her efforts to apply Tikanga Maori (Maori ways of thinking, being, doing) to her work with human brain tissue in a culturally safe and sensitive way, and her experience in both Indigenous and Western science. Cheung's lecture was part of the Indigenous Wellness Research Institutes annual celebration and having just finished Gregory Cajete's book, Native Science, and then finding a fantastic article by Cheung on Indigenous science, I was very much looking forward to hearing Cheung in person.

The results...she was FABULOUS!. Her research is fascinating and her journey to apply Tikanga Maori to her work is nothing less than inspiring as it invites a deep respect and sensitivity for people, protocol, and life back into science, something that has been lacking in Western science...well for centuries. As opposed to the Western worldview in which science and spirituality don't get along so well, in Indigenous Science science and spirituality are often one and the same. In fact, Cheung considers her ability to bridge the two worldviews as a benefit as it allows for more open-mindedness and more diverse perspectives in both asking and answering research questions. Add to all this a great sense of humor and fantastic storytelling skills and you've got one really fun, really inspiring evening.

Willie K...Hawaiian tenor

2009-09-14T01:01:00.000-07:00

I had the awesome opportunity to hear Hawaiian musician and entertainer Willie K strum tonight at the Seattle Live Aloha Festival. I knew he was an awesome musician from hearing him on KBCS's Hawaii Radio Connection but WOW...I was even more impressed with Willie K in person. Hawaiian, jazz, rock, opera...you name it, Willie can do it. Apparently, Willie K's been spending a lot of time in Germany opening for Simply Red and one of the things he's picked up is a love for opera...with a touch of Hawaiian. That's right...check out "O Sole Mio" with ukulele below...

or how about "Nessun Dorma" with guitar opening the 2009 Hawaii Legislative session...

Willie K...you da man!

Indigenous knowledge valuable in mitigating natural disasters

2009-09-14T00:29:00.000-07:00

An article by Andrew Stevens on emergencymgmt.com demonstrates how Western emergency managers benefit from Idigenous Knowledge in mitigating damage from natrual disasters.

Image: The Barangay Disaster Coordinating Council gives out the initial warning using the kanungkung, from "Indigenous Knowledge for Disaster Risk Reduction: Good Practices and Lessons Learned from Experiences in the Asia-Pacific Region", available here.

Maika'i Maui | Dispatch 4

2009-08-16T11:01:00.000-07:00

The latest news to report is that I finally was able to take the Ka'anapali Historical Trail & History and Legends Tour. Learning the history of people and place is very important to me so it was awesome to finally be able to catch this tour after several years of trying. The images above are of a display of Canoes I stumbled across during the tour. As I expected, Ka'anapali, the area where I stay each year, is rich with the history of larger than life poeple and meaningful places. An example are the Pohaku of Moemoe and Wahine O Manua/Wahine Pe'e pictured below that lie in the Royal Lahaina golf course. According to legend, Moemoe (the larger pohaku) was turned to stone by Maui because of his laziness. The smaller pohaku has two legends tied to it. The first of Wahine Pe'e is involves a love story with Moemoe. The second story is that Pueo, the owl guardian spirit, helped protect a woman from an abusive husband here and now here spirit rests in the pohaku.

Our guide was Thadd Camara (left), Hawaiian Culturalist at the Westin Hotel. The tour stories were great but Thadd's personal stories made the tour even better. You can find the brochure for the tour here. Thadd also gave me a heads up that there was going to be a canoe race on Saturday that would end right at Hanakao'o Beach (aka Canoe Beach), home of Kahana and other Canoe clubs. I ended up going to watch the landing on Saturday and got a chance to speak with some folks from the Hawaiiian Canoe Club out of Kahului. It was all pretty cool having just finished the 2009 Tribal Journey in the Puget Sound.

In the afternoon I did a bit more walking around Lahaina. Below are a couple favorite shots.

The final four images are of a sculpture titled "United" that a came across at the Episcopal Cemetary in Lahaina, one of the stops in the Lahaina Historical Tour. I added a little tinting for fun.

Saturday ended with another visit to the Whaler's Village Hula show by KM Polynesian Productions lead by Kumu Keoni Manuel. A special treat this evening was that Keoni actually came out and danced with the troop.

Maika'i Maui - Dispatch 3

2009-08-13T11:03:00.000-07:00

Lots of great things to report in this dispatch. First, one of my favorite restaurants on Maui, Aloha Mixed Plate has gone full-on biodegradable with all their disposable plates and utensils. This is a pretty big committment for a quick serve restaurant that is always busy. Another great food discovery, Roselani Ice Cream made just around the Island in Wailuku...I'm totally addicted. These are all part of my efforts to join the Kanu Hawaii Eat Kocal Campaign.

Wednesday was a full day of activities. I started early in the morning with a stop in the Pacific Whale Foundation store where I bought my annual t-shirt. I figure its a win-win when you can buy a t-shirt and/or gifts that are cool AND support a great cause. Next, it was off to Maui Nui Botanical Gardens (MNBG) where I've wanted to go for several years now. The gardens were a bit smaller than I expected but they had a really extensive collection of native plants, from Ape to Wiliwili. One could spend a short time at the gardens or the whole day if you really spend the time to get to know the plants with all their beauty and cultural meanings. Best of all, their website features a video with my favorite song in the background, "Maunaleo" by Kealii Reichel.

Next it was off to the Maui Tropical Plantation, another great stop for anyone into plants. Maui Tropical Plantation is certainly more commercial than MNBG, but beautiful nonetheless. The grounds were extensive and the tram tour is a blast. Feeding the pond fish and local ducks shouldn't be missed either. And yes, there is a GIANT - like five story - windmill on the grounds (pictured above). I could sit and watch it spin and respond to the wind all day...very relaxing.

Finally, I discovered in my many conversations that there is a new effort underway to restore Kahoʻolawe, an island in the Hawaiian chain that was used briefly as a penal colony, for sheep and cattle ranching, and as a bombing range for the US Navy. In 2003, the US Navy tranferred control of the island back to the State of Hawaii and now their is a full cultural and environmental restoration taking place. Having just completed the 2009 Tribal Journey in the Puget Sound where several villages were 're' named back to their original Indian names, I can start to understand the importance and meaning of this restoration effort to honor both the people and place of Kaho'olawe. I look forward to following, supporting, and hopefully volunteering with the project going forward.

Photo: from kahoolawe.hawaii.gov)

2009 Tribal Journey

2009-08-10T11:08:00.000-07:00

Image Above: Carver Camp/Steilacoom Tribe Canoe Family land at first stop on the 2009 Tribal Journey southern route at Solo Point south of Steilacoom. From front to back: Steilacoom Tribal Leader Danny Marshall, Danny's daughter Lacie Marshall-Deck, Carver Enrique Leon, Carver Sarah Storm, Skipper Merrie Gough. On shore, Steilacoom Tribal Council Member Ken Dittbenner.

I had the great honor or paddling with Phil Red Eagle's Carver Camp/Steilacoom Tribe Canoe Family again this year for the annual Tribal Journey. This year's host Tribe was Suquamish. We paddled on some of the hottest days of the year and had some pretty long distances as well with one leg being 26 miles. The whole Journey was incredibly inspiring with the wonderful people, ceremonies, and visits to the many Tribal homelands. There were a few highlights too. The first major highlight of this year's Journey for me was that performer Pura Fe was traveling with one of the Canoe Families that also launched from Steilacoom. I've been to several live performances by Pura Fe so it was wonderful to have her great energy and spirit along with us all on the Journey. I actually ran into Pura Fe and her friend at Fred Meyer in Ballard the night before the Journey when I happened to hear her voice in the next isle. Then we discovered we were both going on the Journey. And...when I arrived to Steilacoom for our launch it turned out that the Canoe Family she was traveling with was also launching from Steilacoom.

Another highlight was the many village naming ceremonies conducted at by Delbert Miller, Cultural Resources Director of the Skokomish Tribe. Yet another highlight was a visit to the Suquamish Tribal Reserve, a sacred beachfront and wetland not to far from the final destination. The Reserve was beautiful and one evening we were visited by Larry Echohawk, Asst. Secretary for Indian Affairs in the Obama Administration, a very great honor (and he's related to a good friend from Policy Grad school, Abigail Echohawk). I actually got to walk alone with him on the beach for about five minutes and chat policy. Canoe Journey, Sacred Reserve, and beach chat with Larry Echohawk...strong Medicine for me and pretty awesome graduation gift from the Great Spirit I'd say. Another memory of this year's journey will be the Tribe's incredible efforts to green the event. They did a fantastic job and many people will talk about how their efforts set a new standard for the Tribal Journeys for many years. Finally, it was really great to land and launch on my home beach, Golden Gardens in Ballard.

2009 Southern Journey Route: Launch in Steilacoom (green marker), landing in Suquamish (red marker).

This year I kept everyone up-to-date through my iphone app, Loopt. Below are the iPhone photos from the journey.

1. 7/26 - Arrival at Squaxin, 8:26pm
2. 7/26 - Cultural Center at Squaxin, 9:32pm
3. 7/28 - Arrival at Potlatch, 3:18pm
4. 7/28 - Village naming ceremony at Potlach, 7:36pm
5. 7/29 - Canoes on shore at Potlatch, 6:23pm
6. 7/30 - Rocky Brook Falls near Squaxin, 3:29pm
7. 8/1 - Suquamish Tribal Reserve, 4:08pm
8. 8/1 - Larry Echohawk visits camp at Suquamish
9. 8/2 - Dawn at Suquamish Reserve, 5:00am
10. 8/2 - Soft landing at Golden Gardens, 12:12am
11. 8/3 - Launch from Golden Gardens, 8:09am
12. 8/3 - Final Landing in Suquamish, 5:30pm

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And last but not least, one of my favorite photos from this year's Journey...

many, Many, MANY thank yous to the many paddlers, support crew, and hosts who made this year's Journey so wonderful.