I wrote the first few paragraphs of the story many years ago, imagining that I might one day turn it into a memoir. I had recently visited the Erdrich-family butcher shop, which still exists, in Little Falls, Minnesota, though it is long out of business. Standing in the back yard of the butcher shop’s living quarters, I thought of Nero. When I was a child, I had a record of a staging of “King Lear,” so I was attuned to the notion of tragic loss. Because the life of a dog is short and speechless, I witnessed Nero’s fierce vigor and his decline into madness. But even if I began with an attempt to remain faithful to the truth, I couldn’t help veering off. I added a skinny uncle (who resembles no uncle of mine), and then the girlfriend and her vicious spaniel. There was no going back. Full story at:
“Pow-Wow is a spiritual and celebratory way of expressing Native culture and heritage,” says Autumn White Eyes ’14, co-president of the 40th Annual Dartmouth Pow-Wow, being held May 12 and 13 on the Dartmouth Green.
The 40th Annual Dartmouth Pow-Wow will be held May 12 and 13 on the Green. The Pow-Wow honors and celebrates Native culture through traditional dancing, singing, prayer, arts, and food. (photo courtesy of Native Americans at Dartmouth)
The Pow-Wow—hosted by the Native Americans at Dartmouth (NAD) student organization—honors and celebrates Native culture through traditional dancing, singing, prayer, arts, and food. “I’ve been participating in powwows since I was born,” says Christina Goodson ’14, who also serves as co-president of the Dartmouth Pow-Wow. “It is very much a part of who I am and it brings me great joy to be able to share this with the Dartmouth community.”
The first Dartmouth Pow-Wow was held in 1973, during the presidency of John G. Kemeny, who rededicated the College to its historic mission of educating Native students. In recognition of his commitment to Dartmouth’s Native American students, this year’s Pow-Wow will include a tribute to the late President Kemeny.
Preparation for the 40th Annual Dartmouth Pow-Wow began during the fall term. The event is organized by the students of NAD, who serve on a variety of planning committees. “We meet every week and spend a large amount of our free time working on making sure that Pow-Wow runs smoothly,” says Goodson.
The weekend’s events will take place on the Green, weather permitting (rain location: Leede Arena). The schedule includes grand entry at noon on both Saturday and Sunday. Two new dance categories—men’s Eastern War Dance and women’s Eastern Blanket Dance—were added this year, explained White Eyes, to celebrate Northeastern Native American tribes.
This event is free and open to the public, and is sponsored by Native Americans at Dartmouth, the Special Programs and Events Committee, the President’s Office, the Council on Student Organizations, the Native American Alumni Association of Dartmouth, the Mohegan Tribe, and the Panhellenic Council.
In addition to celebrating the College’s 40th Pow-Wow this year, Dartmouth’s Native American Program (NAP) is also marking its 40th anniversary. Special events will be held throughout the year to recognize this milestone. Provost Carol Folt will speak at the kick-off event for invited Native American students, alumni, and faculty on Friday, May 11. That afternoon also marks the start of a special Native American Alumni Association of Dartmouth reunion weekend in honor of the 40th Pow-Wow.
The founding of Dartmouth’s Native American Program in 1972 was spearheaded by President John Kemeny to rededicate the College to its historic mission of educating Native students. Under the directorship of Molly Springer, NAP is regarded as a model collegiate program that mentors Native students, develops their leadership skills, and empowers them to address the social, political, and economic needs of Native peoples. Dartmouth has 885 Native American graduates, more than all the other Ivy League institutions combined, and there are currently 185 Native American students at the College.
 Tribal Consultation Session |
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will be holding a series of tribal consultations regarding a draft Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that would frame a partnership between the departments to implement President Obama’s White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Education (Initiative), established by Executive Order 13592 on December 2, 2011. The Departments would like to consult on the following objectives: (1) the development and content of the MOU between the departments and (2) the strategic implementation of the Initiative.
The departments are registering participants only for the consultation on Thursday, May 24, 2012 (8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. MST), at Northern Arizona University, Ashurst Hall Auditorium, Building #11, 321 McMullen Circle, Flagstaff, AZ 86001.
The upcoming tribal consultations build upon four recent Tribal Leader roundtable discussions held early in 2012 that focus on the proposed MOU between the Department of the Interior and the Department of Education to improve American Indian and Alaska Native education.
To register for the Flagstaff, AZ session, please visit www.edtribalconsultations.org.
To submit written comments on Indian education or education matters more generally, email TribalConsultation@ed.gov.
*Please note that comments will also be forwarded to the Bureau of Indian Education.
May 18, 2012 | May 24, 2012 | May 31, 2012 | June 5, 2012 |
Thunder Valley Resort 1200 Athens Avenue Lincoln, California 95648 (877) 468-8777 | Northern Arizona University Ashurst Hall Auditorium, Building #11 321 McMullen Circle Flagstaff, Arizona 86001 (928) 523-4120 | BLN Office Park Conference Room 3 2001 Killebrew Drive Bloomington, Minnesota 55425 (952) 851-5427 | Renaissance Inn 611 Commerce Street Nashville, Tennessee 37203 (615) 255-8400 |
Time: 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm | Time: 8:00 am - 12:00 pm | Time: 8:00 am - 12:00 pm | Time: 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm |
The Indian Country Today Media Network is reporting that the U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to mark up a Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) reauthorization bill today that will likely strip out Native American protections from the legislation that passed the U.S. Senate in late April.
“The House bill … eliminates Senate language that would provide major tribal court jurisdiction and protection order provisions for tribes in the lower 48 states meant to curb the violence epidemic that exists on many reservations,” according to Indian Country Today. “The Obama administration and a bipartisan majority of the Senate have agreed that the protections are necessary. U.S. Justice Department officials have said that provisions are constitutional, and would help curb high crime rates facing many reservations.”
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