Tribal Traditions Today

07/06/2024

As requested byMarley Wharau

06/06/2024

The Inuit people can't be imagined without their signature parkas, fashioned from fur and hide of the local wildlife. One of the many reasons why early European voyages into the Arctic circle failed is because they were underprepared for the extreme weather conditions of the north. They wore wool clothing, which kept them hot on the inside, but made them sweat a lot, which made their clothing freeze in the extreme temperatures. The Inuit never faced this problem, as they have been making their parkas from caribou deer or seal hide from as early as 22,000 BC (Siberia). The production of these parkas took weeks, and the tradition of making them was passed down from mother to daughter, taking years to master. Depending on the geographical location of the tribes, the design of the parkas varied according to the types of animals available. Beadwork, fringes and pendants frequently decorated the clothing. Roald Amundsen was the first explorer who outfitted his crew with Inuit clothing, which enabled him to successfully circumvent the North-West Passage in 1906. In the 20th century the use of traditional Inuit clothing declined, but it has seen a recent resurgence, as the Inuit strive to preserve their culture.

06/06/2024

Robert Griffing (b. 1940)
Ottawa Chief (2003)

05/06/2024

May All Native American Peoples Be Respected and Honored...
always in All Ways! Amen.

05/06/2024

Wanada Parker Page (1882-1970)
She was born in 1882 in Indian Territory. Her Indian name was Woon-ardy Parker. "Woon-ardy" in Comanche means "Stand Up and Be Strong," because she was weak in the limbs and had to walk on crutches for a long time. Mrs. Page had also been given her mother's name, Weckeah.
She attended Chilocco Indian School, then in 1894 was sent to Carlisle Indian School, Pa. where she remained several years with her half-brother Harold (oldest of Quanah's sons) and her half-sister Neda.
At Carlisle, her name was spelled at first "Juanada" until it was objected that she was not Mexican or Spanish. She was baptized under the name of "Annie" in 1895 at St. John's Episcopal Church in Carlisle, but nobody called her that.
Wanada attended the Fort Sill Indian School for about a year, about 1903, living in a girl's frame dormitory.
In 1908 she married Walter Komah, a Comanche. They went to Mescalero, N.M., where he died of tuberculosis in 1912. Wanada returned to Lawton shortly after that. She worked at Fort Sill Indian School as assistant matron while her sister Alice was a student.
In 1915 she became a nurse's aide at the Fort Sill Indian Hospital and it was during her work there that she met her future husband, Harrison Page. He was a white soldier in the Medical Corps assigned to the Station Hospital at Fort Sill. They commuted by street car during their courtship and were married on Dec. 18, 1916.
In her later years, Mrs. Page attended the first Parker Family Reunion at Fort Parker, Tex., in 1953, when the Indian Parkers of Oklahoma and the white Parkers of Texas held their first annual get-together.

04/06/2024

PHOTOS:
1. A 1908 Edward S. Curtis photograph of Two Whistles, an Absaroka (Crow) man with face painted, wearing medicine hawk headdress, buckskin shirt, and shell necklaces.
2. Contemporary wolf headdress, possibly in the warrior style of traditional Cheyenne dog soldiers with white painted face with stark dark streaks and black lips. Dog soldiers were so named for the qualities they shared with wolves: ferocious fighters, strong, fearless, loyal, fighting together to protect the pack.
3. A Sia buffalo mask, circa 1925. Photograph by Edward Curtis. The Sia were a Keres or Tiwa pueblo native people of New Mexico. From the Portland Art Museum collection.
4. A modern Dog Soldier headdress with variety of feathers from eagles, hawks, and wild turkey. From the Indian Summer National Festival & Powwow, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 2008.
5. Spectacular modern feathered headdress worn by Native American dancer who also carries an eagle head “spirit stick” or “medicine stick.”
6. Contemporary weasel head headdress. Like beavers and otters, weasels were much admired by Native Americans for being resourceful, crafty, hardworking, playful, and very social.
7. Eagle bonnet worn by Crow warrior of eastern Montana tribe. They called themselves Absaroka, meaning “children of the large-beaked bird.” Long Otter’s raptor headdress was attached with rawhide laces. Before battle, he painted his face yellow, his body blue, and the back of his head red to attract the strongest challengers. Circa 1905. Photo by Gary Coffrin.
8. Famous frontier artist and sculptor, Frederic Remington’s depiction of Medicine Elk, Oglala Sioux shaman wearing an elk headdress with massive rack. Circa 1875.
9. Full-body cougar headdress. Contemporary. Photo from naturepunk.
10. Coyote headdress of a shaman depicting a “trickster spirit” often associated with coyotes, who are cleaver, persistent, curious, and playful.
11. A cinnamon-bear headdress. A cinnamon bear is essentially a cinnamon-colored black bear. Contemporary.
12. Contemporary badger headdress adorned with turkey and sage grouse feathers. The badger pelt includes the head, tail and claws. By Alabama Echota Cherokee Artist Erica Milford.

04/06/2024

Found this article. Interesting read.

04/06/2024

People ask me if I believe in god... I tell them I pray to creator.
They tell me Jesus died for me... I tell them my ancestors did.
They say I will burn in hell for not following the Bible, but yet it has been used as weapon to colonize and murder my people...
for me it’s spirituality over religion. I don’t hate people for going to church, but I do hate what the churches have done to us...
before colonization we had our own ways and ceremonies, I choose the path of my ancestors. 🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡

04/06/2024

Joseph Jason Namakaeha Momoa (born August 1, 1979) is an American actor. He made his acting debut as Jason Ioane on the syndicated action drama series Baywatch: Hawaii (1999–2001), which was followed by portrayals of Ronon Dex on the Syfy science fiction series Stargate Atlantis (2005–2009), and Khal Drogo in the first two seasons of the HBO fantasy drama series Game of Thrones (2011–2012). He went on to play the lead roles in the Discovery Channel historical drama series Frontier (2016–2018) and the Apple TV+ science fiction series See (2019–2022).
From 2016 to 2023, Momoa portrayed Aquaman in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), primarily in the films Justice League (2017), Aquaman (2018), and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023), with cameo appearances in other media. Momoa has also played Duncan Idaho in the science fiction film Dune (2021), and has starred in the action film Fast X (2023).

11/04/2024