Our June meeting will feature an evening of fun, learning and participation.
Board members, Joe Williams and Jimmy Melton, will lead the group in
learning about Cherokee weaponry and games. We will not only be hearing,
but also doing. Please put this meeting on your calendar.
Thanks so much for your expression of good wishes. The love and support has
been pouring in which has made it impossible for me to respond personally,
but I wanted you to know how very grateful I am to hear from you. I
appreciate your continued prayers and friendship. Wado! Wilma
This exhibition of 23 living Cherokee artists has been curated in the spirit of education. It shares with the viewer a representative sampling of what our art practice is today. Originally we had no word for "art". There was no separation between art and craft. All people created things for themselves, the family, the community, the earth, and the universe. All things made were imbued with spirit and vision. The creative process allowed us to participate in an artistic continuum which demonstrated creative invention. Each artist in the exhibition demonstrates his or her ideas of inventiveness which offer unique insight into the social, spiritual, political and artistic concerns of Cherokee artists who are creating new visions.
All the artists are citizens of the Cherokee Nation. Some of the artist are self-taught, others have learned techniques from Elders, and many times, work with more traditional forms. There are also those who have studied in art schools or universities. It is the presence and combination of all of these approaches that provides the viewer with a sense of what artmaking is for...our living culture today.
The exhibit is on display at the Cherokee National Museum and will be open
from May 11 to Labor Day Weekend, 1996.
The great losses incurred during the Removal should become a part of the story ritual we share with our children, and even though it is more important to look forward than to look back, we should never forget the sacrifices of our ancestors.
This first day of remembering will hopefully start a tradition that can be shared with other groups and nations as we each mark our people's history.
The Cherokee Cultural Society got so excited about the project that they decided to start activities in October, commemorating the beginning of the Removal. At each meeting from October to March, we will plan an activity that will tie the past to the present.
If you have ideas or suggestions, or would like to be a part of the Planning
Committee, please call (713) 668-9998.
Several recommendations were made:
You can help us to identify American Indians who have been living with disabilities in Houston since early 1993, who might be willing to be interviewed for this project. People we interview will be paid $20 for their time (Unfortunately, however, we cannot pay cash on the spot.). Please contact us if you can help!
Robert M. Schacht
American Indian Rehabilitation Research and Training Center
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, AZ 86011-5630
1-800-553-0714
This information will be included in the United Way Needs Assessment report and community-wide assessment. We hope, in the future, to be a part of the problem resolution as well as the problem identification.
Our thanks to the United Way for giving us an opportunity to share our concerns with them.
My name is Richard Francis, uwenai awohali w aya
I have been asked to write a language column for the newsletter. Since we also have many new readers I will begin at the beginning.
It is my intent that the column be somewhat interactive. By this, I mean that I will give you things to do to enhance your learning. For example - as we learn new words there will be space beside them to write the words in the syllabary. In this way you begin to learn to write the language and read it and learn the words of the language all at the same time. This is not the overwhelming task it may seem to be. We will take small bites and review from time to time. Before you know it, you will be reading and writing simple sentences in the language and then more complicated ones. Learning to speak the language will also become easier because of the vocabulary you will pick up.
Grammatical Rules: Keep these in mind when pronouncing words.
Syllabary:
You will need a copy of the syllabary to fully benefit from the lessons.
Let's begin with counting. Use the syllabary chart to fill in the blanks. The first one is done to illustrate.
One _______________ sa' quu i
Two _______________ ta? li
Three _______________ tso: i'
Four _______________ nv: gi'
Five _______________ hi: s gi'
No promises, but I will try to get together with some of the elders
and/or other speakers to make some audio tapes. Remember that no task is
great enough to defeat the will of a Cherokee, so said my grandmother.