The Independence of Eddie Rose

The play, directed by NAS faculty member Sheila Rocha, was presented this weekend at The Rose Theater. Cast members were:
Jorge Gomez-Chichimec-Eddie Rose
Moody Plenty Wounds-Lakota-Lenny boyfriend
Richard Barea-Omaha-Sam detention officer
Andre Nunez-Winnebago, Chicano-Mike
Antoine Edwards-Lakota/Omaha-Healer
Andrea Rodriguez-Navajo-Theia
Pat Lamere-Winnebago-Spirit Woman
Cathy Bauer-Kahterine
Cassie Rhoads-Cheyenne-Auntie Thelma
Serena Valerio-Mescalero Apache/Pure'pecha-spirit daughter
Winya Edwards-Lakota/Omaha-spirit daughter

Chancellor and Vice Chancelor honored at UNO ITSC Pow Wow

The UNO Native Studies Program and the UNO Native American Cabinet presented Pendleton blankets April 24 to Chancellor John Christensen and Interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs David Cicotello. The two UNO administrators were honored on behalf of their commitment to the NAS program and American Indian community.

Call for papers: Exploring the Red Atlantic

PRESS RELEASE -- The Institute of Native American Studies (“INAS”) at the University of Georgia (“UGA”) invites submissions of paper proposals for the conference “Exploring the Red Atlantic” to be held at the University of Georgia November 12-13, 2010.

Howard Buffett to speak at UNO for Hike to Help Refugees

Raffle tickets support UNO Pow Wow

To get your raffle tickets, contact Cindy Krafka at lkrafka@unomaha.edu

The UNO Native American Studies Alumni Association is still selling raffle tickets to raise funds for the UNO Pow Wow. Included among the prizes are:

A free belly dancing or hula hooping lesson at the Bedouin Start Ethnic Dance Studio and Boutique
Read about other prizes:
A blanket
NARF T Shirts and small blankets
Crocheted small Christmas blanket and napkins
$25 of Famous Dave's coupons
Autographed MAV Basketball
Two sets of single game tickets for next year's UNO Hockey
Set of season tickets for the MAV's football games next year
Set of 12 Donel Keeler notecards
Two tickets to the Love Fest
Assorted T shirts
Native notecards
Beautiful wooden box with inlay

Radio Advertising for the UNO Pow Wow

Radio ads and Remote for the Pow Wow - Listen for and pass the information on.

REMOTE at 1-3 p,m,, on Saturday, 101.9 FM (the Big "O")

RADIO ADS this week:

30 second commercials on FM stations 94.1, 92.3, 104.5

15 second commercials on TRAFFIC NOW network: FM stations 98.5, 101.9, 106.9; AM stations 11180, 1290, and 1620

New online magazine launches

Native Literatures: Generations
Publishing literature of substance and consequence
www.nativeliteratures.com

NLG is dedicated to providing a global forum for original works of literature by writers from the indigenous nations of North America and Hawai‛i. Our goal is to support writers in their endeavors by offering a venue linking them with new audiences and potential publishers. Moreover, our magazine is designed to generate funds to provide financial support for writers through scholarships for their studies or for specific writing projects.

UPCOMING EVENTS

By Cindy Krafka

You may be interested in upcoming events which are presented here in chronological order.

• A fund-raising concert for NASAA is to be held the Friday night, April 23, 7PM in the Milo Bail Student Center Ballroom. Doors open at 6:30. The performing duo, Indigie Femme, has their own separate facebook page, as well as a website http://www.indigiefemme.com/ On youtube.com, there are some video clips of them performing at previous events.

• The UNO Spring Pow Wow will be held the next day, Saturday, April 24. The grand entry is at noon. There will be drums and dancers, vendors and food. Come support the UNO ITSC, the UNO Native American Studies program, faculty and community members.

The Omaha Theater Company at The Rose presents
The Four Directions 2010 Performance of . . .

The Independence
of Eddie Rose
a play by a play by William Yellow Robe Jr

Directed by Sheila Rocha

The Rose Theater
2001 Farnam Street, Omaha NE
Hitchcock Stage
Thursday April 22, 7:00 pm
Sunday April 25, 2:00 pm and 4:30 pm

Former Cherokee Nation Chief Wilma Mankiller passes away

Read article in Osage News

UNO Pow Wow silent auction now online

The silent auction is featured on the Honor Indians Institute website. The two featured items are a Donnell Keeler framed print and a Granite Counter top (installation included) with 10 colors to choose from. The counter top is valued at $560. A Star Quilt will be added to the auction soon.

Bidding ends 5 p.m., April 23, 2010.

2010 All Nations Pow-Wow at Creighton University

Creighton University's Office of Multicultural Affairs and the Native American Association (NAA) present the 6th Annual All Nations Pow-Wow Saturday, April 10, from Noon to 10 p.m. in the Kiewit Fitness Center.

• Noon: Doors Open, Dancer Registration (limited) Princess Registration (Ages 13-21) Invited drums only

• 1 pm: Grand Entry

• 5 pm: Feed

• 7 pm: Grand Entry

• 10 pm Closing Ceremony, Dancer payout

ITSC president promotes UNO Pow Wow

Michael Leading Horse, president of the Inter Tribal Student Council, will appear Thursday, April 22, on Action 3 News at Noon (KMTV) to promote UNO's Pow Wow.

Stay tuned for Indigie Femme

The indigenous performers will be in Omaha later this month. We will post more details soon. In the meantime, check out the group on the following links:
http://www.indigiefemme.com/
http://www.nativenetwork.org/IndigieFemme/

Bellevue U panelists to discuss Pine Ridge Reservation alcohol concern

PRESS RELEASE -- (Bellevue, Neb. – March 5, 2010) Bellevue University will host a panel discussion titled “Whiteclay: The Next Generation” on April 7. The discussion will take place at 11 a.m. in the Hitchcock Humanities Center located on the University’s main Bellevue campus. The hour long event will include presentations and discussions centering on issues surrounding the sale and distribution of alcohol between Whiteclay businesses and residents of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The panel will include regional Native American dignitaries, individuals who have published books or created films on the topic, economic development experts, and a member of the religious community with ties to the reservation.

Creighton University offers pre-dental summer program

Creighton dental school is offering a Pre-dental Summer Enrichment Program for 6 Native American undergraduate students (or students who just graduated from high school are also eligible).

The Frontier Newspapers and the Coverage of the Plains Indian Wars

This book by Associate Professor Hugh Reilly offers a revealing look at how newspapers covered the key events of the Plains Indian Wars between 1862-1891—reporting that offers some surprising viewpoints as well as biases and misrepresentations.
As the Plains Indian Wars consumed the American West, the public turned to the nation’s newspapers for information about the fighting. The vivid, colorful accounts captivated the nation—and in hindsight, revealed much about the attitudes and prejudices of the public and the press.
The Frontier Newspapers and the Coverage of the Plains Indian Wars takes readers back to the late 19th century to show how newspaper reporting impacted attitudes toward the conflict between the United States and Native Americans.

Suicide Prevention Training

Nebraska Urban Indian Health Coalition is pleased to offer Question, Persuade and Refer Suicide Prevention Training and Training the Trainer as part of the Soaring over Meth and Suicide Grant.

Participants qualify for CEU credit through the National Board of Certified Counselors as well. The training is free, and for those who attend the training on both days we will be offering breakfast and lunch on the second day. Please let Karen Lyles at klyles@nuihc.com know by March 11th so that we can order enough lunches for everyone.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death in Nebraska for Nebraska youth
15-19 years old, and has been the second leading cause of death for the last 25 years among American Indian and Alaska Native youth 15-24 years old.
--- Information provided by Anita Wisecup, Project Coordinator

Native American book fair at UNO library

Photos by Linda Parker.


In photo below, Cassie Carroll visits with Ed Zendejas who was at the book fair to sign copies of his book about Indian mascots. For more information or to order the book "Honor Indians" visit the website at http://honorindians.com/

NAS takes road trip to Sheldon art show

A group of four took a road trip Saturday, Feb. 26, to the Sheldon Museum of Art on the UNL campus to see the exhibit "Migrations: New Directions in Native American Art." The exhibit features the contemporary work of six emerging Native American artists who completed residencies at the Tamarind Institute in Albuquerque, N.M., or at the Crow's Shadow Institute of the Arts in Pendleton, Or.

Cassie Carroll, Linda Parker, Barbara Robins, and Teresa Lamsam dined on fine "Indian" food at the Indian Oven before enjoying the performance of the Standing Eagle Drum Group and the art exhibit.

NAS faculty members receive teaching awards

Two Native American Studies faculty members have received their college's Alumni Outstanding Teaching Award. Dr. Timi Barone, associate professor of Anthropology, received the award for the College of Arts and Sciences, and Hugh Reilly, associate professor of Communication, received the award for the College of Communication, Fine Arts, and Media. Barone and Reilly were among 8 college-wide recipients of the award, which was established in 1997 to honor distinguished teaching in the classroom.

Native American book fair coming to UNO

The Word Carrier Trading Post, a Native American-owned business, will sponsor a book fair March 8 and 9 at the UNO Criss Library, Main Floor. The Monday (March 8) fair will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the Tuesday (March 9) hours are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Auditions announced for Yellow Robe play

The Four Directions Theater ensemble announces an audition call for "The Independence of Eddie Rose," a play written by William S. Yellow Robe Jr (Assiniboine Nation). Auditions will be held 6 p.m., Monday, March 8, at The Rose Theater, 2001 Farnam St., Omaha. The play's content calls for mature actors who are secure in their spiritual health and who can handle the show's theme of abuse and alcoholism. Performances of the play will be held April 22 through April 25. For more information, contact Sheila Rocha at sheilarocha@msn.com

Our thoughts for Wilma Mankiller

As we learned this week the news about Chief Mankiller's battle with cancer, NAS faculty member Dale Stover reminds us of "Chief Mankiller's gracious visit to our campus on October 12, 1992, helping the Native American Studies program mark the 500 years since the hostile arrival of Europeans with colonizing intentions in the person of Christopher Columbus. She drew a crowd of nearly 1000 to the Student Center on a Monday night, which stunned Chancellor Weber at the time. Denise Henning was the prime mover bringing this event into being."

Robins presents at Native American Art Studies conference

Barbara Robins, NAS faculty member and associate professor of English, presented at the NAASA (Native American Art Studies) 16th Biennial Conference held in Norman, OK October 21 - 24, 2009. Her talk was titled "Healing a Nation: Native American Artists Respond to 9/11." Immediately after the 9/11 attacks, Jewell James (Lummi Nation) created a series of totem poles to help all Americans heal from those losses. This paper presents a survey of post-9/11 art while focusing on the concern for healing trauma. Representing a dozen tribes/cultures, these artists are participating in a 21st century outreach with concerns for encouraging cultural diversity within a national identity. The presentation examined a wide range of artistic works within a context of current theorizing on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Historic Trauma Response (HTR), and Intergenerational Trauma for the potential to prohibit or promote healing.

NASAA members address IS&T Microenterprise class

Cindy Krafka and Mari Medura were guest speakers in Dr. Sadja Qureshi’s Advanced Research in Information Systems class, a microenterprise development class for doctoral students in the information systems and/or information technology area. Two of Dr. Qureshi’s students, Bo Guo, a doctoral student from Shanxi, China, and Jae Gilbert, a communication graduate student, are researching Indian Country and how IT can contribute to legitimization of UNO’s Native American Studies Alumni Association (NASAA) through the lens of social capital theory. A new and improved website, for example, can assist with fundraising, recruiting and keeping alumni in touch. Cindy and Mari along with other NASAA members have been working at the grassroots level to help fund the Pendleton Indian blankets used in the honoring ceremonies for all students—Native and non-Native—who minor in Native American Studies so that come graduation day each can display their ceremonial objects as they receive their diploma. In the past, NAS faculty purchased the blankets themselves but there are many more students now.
Cindy answered questions from students about Indian Country and told insightful personal stories about her own journey as an urban Indian in Lincoln who spent every summer on the Rez with her grandmother. She believes that sharing parts of her life and those of her ancestors help overcome prejudice.
Jae, who is working with NASAA as part of the microenterprise class and independent study, said that her study thus far of Native American issues has opened her eyes. “What amazes me is that I don’t ever recall studying genocide, treaties, acts, assimilation, urban relocation or issues with sovereignty in Indian Country in high school. Thus, as a nontraditional, middle-aged student at the tail end of graduate school, I am finally learning what I wish I had learned many years ago. Cindy said that ‘once introduced to Indian Country, you’re never the same.’ In that, she is absolutely right. I am so looking forward to the Pow Wow in April.”

Campus workshop on Refworks

NAS faculty members Lyn Holley and Teresa Lamsam attended a RefWorks training session conducted by our own Linda Parker on February 18 in the UNO Library. RefWorks is the electronic equivalent of a research assistant, made freely available to UNO students and faculty. This system is relatively user friendly and very powerful. It imports, labels, sorts and files any electronically accessible resource in each user's own personal library/data base. Once the resource is "filed", RefWorks will assemble bibliographies and will format the bibliography and document automatically according to specified requirements - that is, a document with citations prepared for a journal that requires APA 5 format can be reformatted automatically to meet the format requirements of a different publication. The library/data base can be searched electronically, and references can be pulled up and used for many applications. UNO users can download RefWorks can be downloaded from the Library Home Page, and speed up their research. Call Linda Parker for more information (554-3207). Upcoming workshops: Friday, February 26, 1-3 pm (library lab 107) and Saturday, March 6, 10 am-12 pm (library lab 107).

Desmarais's Book Recognized

The International Society for Science & Religion has selected Michele Desmarais ' book, Changing Minds: Mind, Consciousness and Identity in Patanjali's Yoga Sutra and Cognitive Neuroscience (2008 Motilal Banarsidass), to be part of a foundational library of central texts in the field. The library will consist of more than 250 books chosen by scholars of the society, spanning all-important areas and disciplines, as well as key international and intercultural voices. Colleges and universities can apply for a copy of the entire library. The project was made possible by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation. Desmarais is an associate professor of Religious Studies in UNO's College of Arts and Sciences, a faculty member of Native American Studies, and editor of the Journal of Religion and Film.