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Native Traditions Tales, 39899 Balentine Drive, Suite 200, Newark, Burbank, CA (2026)

09/19/2025

They were offered luxury hotel suites — but chose the open sky instead.In 1913, members of the Blackfoot Nation made headlines in the heart of New York City… by sleeping on a rooftop.
They were guests at the brand-new Hotel McAlpin, one of the tallest and most luxurious hotels in the world at the time.
They could have stayed in richly furnished rooms overlooking Herald Square.
Instead, they carried their beds up to the roof.
Why?
Because high above Broadway, surrounded by towers and electric lights, they could still see the night sky.
They could still feel the air and sleep under the stars — as their people had done for generations.
For the Blackfoot, this wasn’t a stunt or a protest.
It was a quiet act of cultural preservation.
Even in the middle of Manhattan’s noise, they remained connected to the traditions of the plains.
Imagine the sight: buffalo robes spread out on a rooftop, skyscrapers all around, the rumble of streetcars below, and a group of Blackfoot people looking upward, unshaken by the pull of city luxury.
In a time when Indigenous cultures were under immense pressure to assimilate, this moment stood out.
It was a simple but powerful reminder — they would not abandon who they were, no matter where they stood.
If you were them in 1913… would you choose the soft bed indoors or the open sky above the city?

09/19/2025

Northern Shoshone family members on the Fort Hall Reservation in Pocatello, Idaho - 1901
*In back: James Edmo (Northern Shoshone), the younger brother to Jack Edmo.
*In front L-R: Estella Edmo (Northern Shoshone/Bannock) with her father, Jack Edmo (Northern Shoshone) and her brother, Eugene Edmo (Northern Shoshone/Bannock).

Note: Jack Edmo was born in 1863, the son of Chief Arimo & Pishe'. In 1885, Jack Edmo married the Bannock woman known as Lizzie Randall. Jack Edmo died in 1929.

09/19/2025

Comanche portraitsNorth America was a place of great turbulence and many conflicts when the newcomers decided to inhabit the land and take parts of it for themselves.
In the 18th and 19th century, many tribes, such as Iroquois, Cherokee and Shawnee were overwhelmed by the number of settlers moving westward across America.
When the settlers started moving to the southern edges of the continent their movement was put to a halt for some time. A fierce tribe of Comanche were the reason for it.Even though many tribes have adapted to the introduction of the horse, the Comanche were the group who took most advantage out of it.Previously being an obscure mountain tribe, the Comanche became the fiercest and most famous riders that caused many troubles to the settlers.
In contrast to, for example, Sioux and Cheyenne that would dismount their horses before battle, Comanche continued riding in a fight, which gave them a significant advantage

09/19/2025

As we reflect on 154 years of confederation as a nation, and the many positive things about Canada, it's important to acknowledge that our home is on Indigenous land. The Indigenous people we share this land with are celebrating around 15,000+ years of culture.
The residential "school" system, and indeed all our systems that exist today, were designed to destroy Indigenous cultures and subjugate Indigenous peoples. Thankfully, because of the resilience and strength of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples, Canada did not fully succeed in that attempted genocide. Only when we fully acknowledge the truth, and completely own it and understand the true horror of it, can we move toward reconciliation and make Canada a nation that we ALL can joyfully celebrate.

We can and we will, but it takes all Canadians to be part of the solution by committing to educating ourselves and calling on all levels of government, and the churches involved, for action. Allons-y!

Photo: 1938 Jasper, Alberta - from Library and Archives Canada.

09/19/2025

**Happy Birthday to the remarkable Lily Gladstone! **
Lily Gladstone for being the first Native Indigenous Blackfeet/Nimíipuu Female in its eighty one year history, to win the Best Actress at the Golden Globe Awards for her role in "Killers of the Flower Moon!"

"We Are Still Here!"

"The villains are fairly obvious in “Flower Moon,” but Scorsese asks audiences to take a wider look at systemic racism, historical injustice and the corruptive influence of power and money, intriguingly tying together our past and present." ~ Brian Truitt,

"Gladstone, in the rare Scorsese film that gives center stage to a female character, is the emotional core here, and it's her face that stays etched in our memory." .

~ Jocelyn Noveck

“This is for every little Rez kid, every little urban kid, every little Native kid out there who has a dream and is seeing themselves represented in our stories told by ourselves, in our own words..." ~ Lily Gladstone

Happy Birthday to the remarkable Lily Gladstone!

From your powerful performances to your unwavering dedication to representing Indigenous stories and voices, you continue to inspire us all. Your work brings pride and visibility to our communities, and we are grateful for your contributions. May your special day be filled with love, joy, and blessings. Here’s to another year of breaking barriers and shining brightly.

09/19/2025

“If anything at all, perfection is not when there is nothing to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”
- Maria Tallchief
Oklahoma-born dancer Maria Tallchief revolutionized the world of ballet by becoming one of the first-ever prima ballerinas hailing from the United States. She inhabited a space that was largely populated by European dancers and shocked audiences across the world while eloquently representing her Native American roots.
- L’Officiel Magazine
Photo courtesy of George Platt Lynes.

09/19/2025

Chief Running Rabbit
Aatsista-Mahkan or Running Rabbit (c. 1833 – probably 24 January 1911) was a chief of the Siksika First Nation. He was the son of Akamukai (Many Swans), chief of the Biters band, and following the death of his father in 1871, Aatsista-Mahkan took control of the band. He was known for his generosity and kindness, and for his loyal protection of his family.
In 1877 , he was a signatory to Treaty 7, but he and his people continued to follow the bison until 1881, when he and his people were designated to settle on a reserve, 60 miles east of today's Calgary, Alberta.
Running Rabbit was born into a prominent family. His older brother Many Swans, who took their father's name, was chief of Biters band of Siksikas to which they belonged. As a teenager and young warrior, Running Rabbit had not performed any great deeds worthy of recognition until his brother lent him an amulet said to have spiritual powers made from a mirror decorated with eagle feathers, ermine skins, and magpie feathers. Running Rabbit was successful during his first ever raid as a warrior, gaining himself two enemy horses which he captured and gifted to Many Swans. Similar success during following expeditions resulted in Many Swans giving Running Rabbit the amulet as a gift. Word of Running Rabbit's success spread throughout the Biters band and many referred to him as the "young chief" before he earned or was appointed any leadership position in the band.

09/19/2025

Why Isn’t This Map in the History Books?
By the age of 10, most children in the United States have been taught all 50 states that make up the country. But centuries ago, the land that is now the United States was a very different place. Over 20 million Native Americans dispersed across over 1,000 distinct tribes, bands, and ethnic groups populated the territory.

The ancestors of living Native Americans arrived in North America about 15 thousand years ago.

As a result, a wide diversity of communities, societies, and cultures finally developed on the continent over the millennia. The population figure for Indigenous peoples in the Americas before the 1492 voyage of Christopher Columbus was 70 million or more.

About 562 tribes inhabited the contiguous U.S. territory. Ten largest North American Indian tribes: Arikara, Cherokee, Iroquois, Pawnee, Sioux, Apache, Eskimo, Comanche, Choctaw, Cree, Ojibwa, Mohawk, Cheyenne, Navajo, Seminole, Hope, Shoshone, Mohican, Shawnee, Mi’kmaq, Paiute, Wampanoag, Ho-Chunk, Chumash, Haida. Below is the tribal map of Pre-European North America.

The old map below gives a Native American perspective by placing the tribes in full flower ~ the “Glory Days.” It is pre-contact from across the eastern sea or, at least, before that contact seriously affected change. Stretching over 400 years, the time of contact was quite different from tribe to tribe.

For instance, the “Glory Days” of the Maya and Aztec came to an end very long before the interior tribes of other areas, with some still resisting almost until the 20th Century. At one time, numbering in the millions, the native peoples spoke close to 4,000 languages. The Americas’ European conquest, which began in 1492, ended in a sharp drop in the Native American population through epidemics, hostilities, ethnic cleansing, and slavery.

When the United States was founded, established Native American tribes were viewed as semi-independent nations, as they commonly lived in communities separate from white immigrants.

History is not there for you to like or dislike. It is there for you to learn from it. And if it offends you, even better. Because then you are less likely to repeat it. It’s not yours for you to erase or destroy.

Thank you for taking some time to view my article!

09/19/2025

In Navajo culture, laughter is seen as a powerful symbol of connection. The moment a baby laughs for the first time, it is believed they are choosing to join the human community. Until then, the baby is viewed as still being in transition between the spiritual and physical worlds.
This tradition, known as the A’wee Chi’deedloh ceremony, is typically observed around three months of age. Family members pay close attention during this period, eager to be the one who makes the child laugh. Whoever succeeds earns the honor of hosting the celebration, often preparing a meal of salted food and gifts to mark the occasion.

The ceremony not only celebrates the baby’s first expression of joy, but also emphasizes generosity and community. Salt is symbolically offered to guests to encourage the child to grow up to be generous and kind. It’s one of the earliest social teachings given to a Navajo child—using joy as a path toward belonging and humanity.

09/19/2025

MONTANA WINTER, circa 1908.
The solitary Crow tepee had leather thongs that secured the tepee poles for transport by horse. The Crow Indian Reservation, southeast of Billings (Montana), is home to 8,000 enrolled members.

Joseph K. Dixon, a former pastor, had worked in the camera department at the first Wanamaker department store. Dixon helped organize three expeditions for Rodman Wanamaker to draw attention to the plight of Native Americans and to help obtain their citizenship. PC users can click to enlarge/clarify this rare image. Text and digital restoration of photo by Gary Coffrin.

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