Agua Caliente Cultural Center Underway

Plans for a striking new cultural center and museum in the heart of downtown Palm Springs, California are taking shape under the direction of the Agua Caliente Band of the Cahuilla Indians. The spiral-shaped Agua Caliente Cultural Museum, evocative of the symbol for eternity and the universe found in numerous ancient American Indian petroglyphs and pictographs, will cost an estimated $40 million. Ground is expected to be broken for the center in 2007.

The solar-powered, spiral-shaped Agua Caliente Cultural Museum was designed by Jones & Jones architecture.

The solar-powered facility will include a 150-seat multi-purpose theater, a library, an archive, an education center, a 5,000-square-foot gallery for changing exhibitions, a 15,000-square-foot gallery for a permanent exhibition, a café with an outdoor terrace, and a museum shop. Visitors will approach the entrance through a “canyon” walkway lined with palm trees, natural boulders, and a stream and waterfall flanked by a welcoming terrace with shaded seating.

The museum will be officially affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution, allowing access to its vast collections and traveling exhibitions.

The tribe currently operates a small museum in Palm Springs where it presents exhibitions, lectures, films and traditional arts workshops, but it has been dreaming for more than a decade of opening a new state-of-the-art facility. “As interest in the rich cultural heritage of the Cahuilla has grown among the tribe and across the country, the need for an expanded museum has become clear,” notes Michael Hammond, museum executive director.

The nonprofit center will be located on an 8.5-acre plot of land near the city’s convention center, and offers outstanding views of nearby mountain ranges. It is being designed by Jones & Jones Architects and incorporates natural materials to blend into the open landscape, as well as elements drawn from Cahuilla traditional architecture, pottery and basketry.

Details: www.accmuseum.org

On the Tube & Silver Screen

Making their way to film festivals, commercial theaters or television are the following projects.

Gil Birmingham (Into the West) and Kalani Queypo (Juror, The New World) both appear in End of the Spear, released nationwide in late January. Birmingham has a major role, playing the fierce warrior Moipa. The story takes place in the rainforests of Ecuador and is based on a true story of the Waodani tribe’s transformation from one of the world’s most violent people into pacifists.

Connecticut Public Television has teamed up with Native American Public Telecommunications to produce a 13-part series titled Seasoned With Spirit: A Native Cook’s Journey. The cook is Loretta Oden (Citizen Potawatomi) of Oklahoma, who ran the Blue Corn Restaurant in Santa Fe for many years. The ethnobotanist and Native food historian has completed five episodes so far, each shot entirely on location—including a show on buffalo and related foods filmed on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation, a segment on wild ricing with Winona LaDuke (see Sept./Oct. 2001 issue) taped on the White Earth Reservation, and a segment on “the original gumbo” of the Houma people of Louisiana. The series is slated to begin airing in April on PBS.

Phoenix Pictures/20th-Century Fox has completed shooting in Vancouver on Pathfinder, starring Jay Tavare (White Mt. Apache/Navajo), Nathaniel Arcand (Plains Cree), Russell Means (Oglala/Lakota) and other Native talent. The interesting story focuses on the tale of a 15-year-old boy left behind by Norsemen in New York around 1000 A.D. during their explorations of what the Vikings called Vinland. The boy has been raised by American Indians for a decade when the Norsemen return on a raiding expedition. It is slated for a June 16 release.

The Barona Band of Mission (Kumeyaay) Indians of southern California’s rise from poverty to relative affluence is chronicled in the documentary Reserved Wealth, following one particular family. It was written and produced by Kevin VanWanseele, who grew up on the Barona reservation.

Director/producer Chris Eyre (N. Cheyenne/Arapaho) and director/ producer Scott Garen have formed a new film production company, Seven Arrows Signature, on the heels of their successful collaboration, A Thousand Roads. The duo is considering a handful of possible projects, including several to be made for various tribal governments.

Director Shonie de la Rosa (Navajo) and his wife Andee de la Rosa are busy tracking down funds to complete their contemporary slice-of-life feature-length tale on the Navajo rez, Milepost 398. Work will resume this spring featuring an all-Navajo cast and crew. “There will be no flute music, eagle screams or drums in the film,” says Rosa. “All that has been used over and over; we want to create a film depicting real life on the Navajo Nation.” Details: www.sheepheadfilms.com

Music Notes

Among the many CDs crossing our desk recently are these releases.

The unique fiddler, songwriter and vocalist Arvel Bird (Shivwit Paiute) has a new DVD out, Arvel Live (Singing Wolf Records), which captures his performance at Schemitzun 2005. It runs 50 minutes and costs $20. Another notable project is Sacred Ground: A Tribute to Mother Earth (Katahdin/Silver Wave Records), a compilation nominated for a Grammy Award. It features new works by well-known artists like Bill Miller, Joanne Shenandoah, Primeaux & Mike, Robert Mirabal, Walela and Star Nayea, as well as up-and-coming musicians. It was produced by Jim Wilson, who has worked with Robbie Robertson and other prominent musicians. The final track, “Mother Earth,” a collaboration between Shenandoah and Walela, was used in the outstanding documentary film Homeland: Four Portraits of Native Action.

From the prominent powwow group Northern Cree and friends comes Slide and Sway (Canyon Records). Rhythm of Love (Canyon Records) is the outstanding debut release of Navajo singer Tiinesha Begaye, daughter of famed singer Jay Begaye, which mixes traditional Canadian style hand drumming with elements of Diné social singing. From the young but accomplished Tony Duncan (San Carlos Apache/ Arikara/Hidatsa/Mandan) comes the self-produced Estun-Bah: Melodies of the Cane Flute (www.estunbah.com), a collection of 15 traditional and contemporary love songs, with fine acoustic guitar accompaniment by Darrin Yazzie.

Also out are Hear Our Prayers (Canyon) by Grammy-winning peyote singer Johnny Mike (Navajo) and Red Beads (Makoche) by Joseph Fire Crow. The latter contains 14 tracks (all but one written or arranged by Fire Crow), with flutes, hand drums and vocals by the artist. A noteworthy CD released in 2004 that escaped our attention at the time is From All Directions by BlueDog (Oyate Music), a five-piece rockin’ blues band from the Twin Cities area. The nine high-energy tracks were co-written by Eric Buffalohead (Ponca) and vocalist Joni Weston-Buffalohead (Mdewakantonwan/Sisseton).

passages

In December, Aymaran Indian Evo Morales was elected president of Bolivia, making him the first Indian to hold this position in South America’s most heavily Native populated nation. Morales has vowed to nationalize the oil and gas industry and take other steps to improve the country’s financial picture, particularly for its poor Indian inhabitants.

Paulette Aguilar (Santo Domingo Pueblo) has been appointed the first curator of the Indigenous Nations Library Program at the University of New Mexico. The program is building a collection of books and videos focused on tourism, language revitalization and Indian gaming.

Mary Kim Titla (San Carlos Apache) has left her high-profile television-reporting role in Phoenix to assume full-time duties as publisher of the online Native Youth Magazine (www.nativeyouthmagazine.com).

Amanda Cobb (Chickasaw) has been selected as the new editor of American Indian Quarterly.

John Herrington (Chickasaw), the first Native American astronaut, has left NASA to join a commercial space development company, Rocketplane Limited, Inc.

Dr. Jill Hoffman, who has more than a decade of experience with museums specializing in Southwestern and Native American art and culture, has been selected as the new executive director of the Millicent Rogers Museum in Taos, New Mexico. The museum has a fine collection of Native American works, among other strengths.

Pablita Velarde (Santa Clara Pueblo), the great traditional-style painter, passed away on Jan. 11 in Albuquerque at age 87 from pneumonia. She first rose to prominence after receiving a commission from the National Park Service to produce a series of paintings and murals at Bandelier National Monument depicting scenes of traditional Pueblo life. Between 1937 and 1943, she created more than 70 works. This was but the beginning of a long and fruitful career, but one that cost her as well, for she was shunned by some elements within her pueblo for her unconventional life and spent most of her middle and later years living in Albuquerque. She was preceded in death by her daughter, artist Helen Hardin, and is survived by her granddaughter, artist Margaret Bagshaw-Tindel.

Artist Tina Garcia, a well-known and beloved potter from Santa Clara Pueblo, passed away on Nov. 12 from complications of a long illness. She was 48 years old. Her bear paw–impression works, shoulder vases and gourd bowls were known for their impeccable form and finish.

A famed Indian cowboy, Roger Lupe (White Mountain Apache), has died after a lengthy battle with cancer. Lupe retired from the sport in 1993 after winning many championships and coaching his sons, daughters and granddaughters to title ride. He also spent 40 years working for the Fort Apache BIA Agency.

honoring

The Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards honorees for 2005 included the group Tagaq (left) for their CD Sinaa, which took awards for Best Female Artist (Tanya Gillis), Best Producer/Engineer and Best Album Design. Best Album of the Year and Best Folk Album went to the band Little Hawk for 1492–1975. The Best Female Traditional Roots Album award went to the group Asani, an a cappella trio, for Rattle & Drum. Diga took honors for Best Male Artist for Earth is Crying. Jason Burnstick & The Rhythm took the Best Instrumental Album award for Burn. Best Powwow Album-Contemporary went to Blackstone Singers for Back in the Day. Musicologist, writer and radio host Brian Wright-McLeod (right) was honored for his contributions to the Canadian Native music industry.

Contemporary painter Gerald Cournoyer (Oglala Sioux) was invited to show work at a major exhibition in Shanghai, China in the fall of 2005, Artesia Shanghai Contemporary.

Mandy Cisneros (Kickapoo) is a youngster on the go. Last fall the 24-year-old interned with the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, and in January she began her graduate studies at the University of Kansas, where she plans to earn a master’s degree in Indigenous Nation Studies with an emphasis on tribal sovereignty, and then to become a lawyer.

First Peoples Fund, the noteworthy nonprofit based in Rapid City, South Dakota, presented its 2006 Community Spirit Awards in December to Nellie Two Bulls (Oglala Lakota) of Pine Ridge, South Dakota; David Moses Bridges (Passamaquoddy) of Perry, Maine, for his revival and teaching of traditional canoe making skills, birch bark arts and environmental leadership; Apolonia Susana Santos (Tygh/ Yakama) of Warm Springs, Oregon; and Lois Chichinoff Thadei (Aleut) of Olympia, Washington.

Award winners at the 30th annual American Indian Film Festival in San Francisco include Shirley Cheecho (Cree), director of Johnny Tootall (Best Film), Aaron James Sorensen, director of Hank Williams First Nation (Best Director), and Heather Rae (Cherokee), director of Trudell (Best Documentary).

Flute player Andrew Thomas (Navajo) toured Pakistan in late November, 2005 to participate in the World Performing and Visual Arts Festival. He is believed to be the first Native American musician ever to perform in Pakistan.

Award winners at the Intertribal Marketplace of the Southwest Museum in Los Angeles included the best of show award for Ernest Benally (Navajo) for his metal jewelry, Joe Reano (Santo Domingo Pueblo) in non-metal jewelry, Macile Reevis (Choctaw) and Steve Reevis (Blackfeet/Sioux) in beadwork, Richard Aitson (Kiowa/Kiowa-Apache) in cultural items, Samuel Manymules (Navajo) in pottery, Adrian Wall (Jemez Pueblo) in sculpture, Mona Laughing (Navajo) in weaving, and Gerry Quotskuyva (Hopi) in woodcarving and painting/mixed media. The purchase prize went to Gerald Lomaventema (Hopi) for his overlay jewelry.

shards

Making a splash is the all-male Native model/ actor calendar 21st Century Skins. The calendar was photographed and produced by Native professionals led by Shaunya Manus. Principal photography was done by Mihio Manus (Navajo/ Omaha).

left: Kalani Queypo is one of the models shot for the all-male 21st Century Skins calendar. Details: mrsviewfinder@yahoo.com

Artist Darlene Gait (Coast Salish) is pairing her artistic talent with involvement in many civic, social and cultural programs and projects. Among other things, the painter and printmaker is a board member for Partners for Prosperity (www.partnersforprosperity.org) and the Arts for Development Foundation (www.a4dfoundation.org), and in the fall was invited to exhibit her work and paint a special image for the National Canadian Symposium on First Nations Dance (www.inthespiritofdance.com). Details: www.darlenegait.com

Outstanding bead artisan Pennie Opal Plant (Yaqui/Mestiza) and actor and artist Michael Horse (Mescalero Apache/Yaqui) have a large family now. In October, the duo adopted the United Houma Nation of Louisiana, which was extremely hard hit by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Entire villages of the 15,000-member state-recognized tribe were destroyed, and most tribal members were uninsured or underinsured. They have raised more than $11,000 for relief efforts so far, as well as many boxes of sheets, blankets, clothes and quilts. Contributions: Hurricane Relief, United Houma Nation, Highway 1, Golden Meadow, LA 70357. Information or credit card donations: pennie@gatheringtribes.com.

An impressive new interactive Web site, www.cherokee.org/allotment, focuses on the Allotment Era in Cherokee history—the period from 1887 to 1934, when Congress divided American Indian reservation lands into privately owned parcels that could be (and widely were) sold to non-Indians, threatening tribal existence. Michigan State University students created and designed the content, including firsthand recollections, old photos, and video and audio files, for the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.