Siksika Nation Rainbow Shawls
A handful of Blackfoot women and two teenage girls gathered at Lavina Crossgun’s Redwings Custom Design Studio on a crisp fall morning in 2006 on the Siksika Nation, about an hour’s drive east of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Each participant was given a two-yard piece of ivory-colored satin cloth. Michelle Newman, a visiting textile designer and teacher, provided a quick demonstration and reviewed the basics of fabric painting, color theory and color mixing, and then set the novice fabric painters to their task.

One by one, the women took turns painting their yards of white cloth. They first started with a gradation technique, creating swaths of color that subtly blend into one another, creating a third color. Gasps of oohs and aahs were frequently heard as the bright colors were applied.

The project was launched in October 2000 when Alberta Premier Ralph Klein made arrangements for Newman to live periodically with Chief Adrian Stimson and his wife Lesley on the Siksika Nation. Explains Newman, “During this time I attended ceremonies, ate Native food and was blessed by an elder on my birthday. As a textile designer, my goal was to implement an arts and crafts cottage-industry program for the tribe’s women and children to establish additional income and gain economic independence. These new skills can be successfully combined with their traditional designs to create new products.”

Noted Crystal Black Horse, who, at 19 years of age, is displaying impressive creative and entrepreneurial qualities, “It gave me new ideas on how to make my fancy dance shawl outfit. It is something I can use in the future, perhaps as a business.” Added Lavina Crossguns, “I will share this craft with the Nation and introduce it to the powwow trail.”
Newman next hopes to find business leaders willing to teach the budding-entrepreneur artists about marketing, product design and development, and packaging. “With the new Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park Interpretive Centre scheduled to open in summer 2007,” notes Newman, “there is a need for quality handmade Native crafts for the gallery and gift shop.” Details: e-mail michellenewmandesigns@hotmail.com

Dancing and Drumming in the White River Valley
The Utes have returned to the White River Valley and the town of Meeker, Colorado. More than a century ago, the “Meeker Massacre” led to the White River Band of Utes being forced out of Colorado at gunpoint and onto a reservation in Fort Duchesne, Utah. The “massacre” occurred when Ute warriors responded to abuses by the BIA Indian agent, Nathan Meeker, and an occupation of the Ute reservation by the U.S. Army. The battles left Nathan Meeker dead, along with dozens of Ute warriors and U.S. soldiers. For more than a century, the Utes have had little connection with their ancestral homelands in western Colorado.

Now, civic leaders of Meeker are working to re-establish a connection with the Utes from Fort Duchesne and welcome them back to the White River Valley. In late September, a group of Ute leaders, dancers and drummers visited Meeker. The group spoke and performed in the Meeker schools and also performed the traditional Bear Dance in City Park. Speaking to a group of civic leaders, Gloria Thompson, a Ute tribal historian and educator, said, “The Meeker tragedy had a profound impact on my Ute people. But we have survived, we are well and we are happy to be here. We are remembering our past, but in a good way, and we are drawing strength from that.”

Liz Turner, a long-term resident of Meeker and one of the organizers of the visit, said, “In the past, everyone has struggled with how to embrace the Utes—what do we say? How do we make them feel welcome? Hopefully, we are moving past that this weekend.” It is hoped the event will become an annual gathering.

Glen Adams, a district ranger with the U.S. Forest Service, has helped facilitate the growing relationship between Ute tribal elders and Meeker community leaders. He became interested in the project when he found out that the Utes have lost all connection to sacred sites on the public lands that surround the town. “I met Clifford Duncan, a Ute tribal elder, at a powwow in a nearby town. He told me that many Utes were interested in coming back to visit special places, but they had a fear of coming to Meeker, and they really did not feel comfortable coming here. That made the hair stand up on the back of my neck.” —Josh McDaniel

National Native News is 20 Years Old
In January 2007, National Native News—the nation’s only syndicated radio newscast that provides the Native perspective in all its stories—will celebrate 20 years on the air. The program is carried on stations in 231 communities in the United States and Canada, with an estimated audience of more than 1 million people.

Producer and anchor Antonia Gonzales (Navajo), says, “NNN works hard to get the Native angle out. Just give us a story and we’ll find out how it impacts Indian Country.” Gonzales recognizes the need to groom more Native broadcast journalists, so they’ve recently added student journalists reporting from across Indian Country on the last Friday of each month.

National Native News is a production of Koahnic Broadcast Corporation, a Native-owned and -operated media corporation based in Anchorage, Alaska. “Koahnic” is an Athabascan word meaning “live air.” The newscast—produced in Albuquerque at the studios of KUNM—is also streamed live on the Internet and offers podcasts. Visit the Web site at nativenews.net.

Young Artist Transcends
Ophelia Smith (Navajo) could be a bitter person, having been born with Down’s syndrome, but instead she has turned her anguish inside out through her talents as an artist. Since childhood she has been drawing and painting to express her rich emotional, creative and intellectual attributes.

When she is not in Window Rock, Arizona stocking vending machines, Smith resides in Santa Fe, where a family friend, Sherry Houck, has encouraged her art career, producing a series of charming greeting cards, as well as prints and original works on paper. Her favorite medium is felt marking pens. In 2005, her work garnered a second-place prize in mixed media at the Gallup Inter-Tribal Ceremonial.

The cards are sold at local businesses, including the acclaimed restaurant Pasquale’s, The Marketplace and the Museum of International Folk Art. Details: 1306 Via Robles, Santa Fe, NM 87501