Discusses Indian roots and history of lacrosse, at least 500 years old, and focuses on currently successful Indian team, the Iroquois Nationals. Includes interview material and "war stories" from last generation of Indian lacrosse players. Discusses meaning and implications of game for Indian culture and history. (TES)

Reviews the movie "Lakota Woman," the story of Mary Crow Dog, a young woman who gave birth to her first child during the American Indian Movement's occupation of Wounded Knee, South Dakota, in 1973. Although the majority of the crew and cast were Native Americans, many subtleties and nuances of American Indian culture were overlooked.…

From 1878 to 1923, Hampton Institute enrolled over 1,300 American Indian students in an academic and vocational training program with assimilationist aims. Through the American Indian Educational Opportunities Program, Hampton University is funding the work of five Native American researchers exploring the school's rich archival resources. (SV)

The Milwaukee Public Museum's new exhibit presents a cultural and historical overview of American Indian adaptation and survival from the earliest peopling of the Americas to the present. Wisconsin Indians have been heavily involved in the development of the exhibit, particularly a contemporary area portraying a modern intertribal powwow. (SV)

Describes Lakota belief systems connected with the stars and how those beliefs directed Lakota existence, movements during the year, and ceremonies. Discusses winter camps, associated cultural practices such as storytelling, ancient wisdom, the concept of mirroring (constellations and corresponding land forms on earth), and the Black Hills annual…

At Sequoyah Research Center, University of Arkansas, Little Rock, college students receive credit for participating in the Native Writers Digital Text Project. The project identifies, collects, edits, and archives previously unknown or unavailable works by Native writers and constructs bibliographic guides to Native writing and publishing. A web…

The Seminole Department of Genealogy and Anthropology exists to serve the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Its core work is the reconstruction of families and clans throughout Seminole history. As a non Indian, the department director describes how she has earned tribal members' confidence by learning their ways and showing respect for the information…

Describes the American Indian "Holocaust," decimation of Indian populations following European discovery of the Americas. European and African diseases, warfare with Europeans, and genocide reduced native populations from 75 million to only a few million. Discusses population statistics and demographic effects of epidemics, continuing infection,…

Discusses controversy surrounding books supposedly written by and about American Indians that are fabrications written by whites. Stresses the importance of moving away from American Indian literature that trivializes Indian culture and values, toward more realistic portrayals. Black Elk, whose first name was Nick, is an example of how cultural…

Profiles the career of Barbara Booher, previously first Native American woman to superintend Custer Battlefield National Park (Montana), and now American Indian liaison for the National Park Service. Describes her efforts to persuade Congress to change the park name to Little Bighorn National Monument. Discusses career opportunities for Native…

After years of hardship and despite owning only 12 percent of its own reservation, the Nez Perce tribe is successfully pursuing community development. Factors include energetic tribal government, good intratribal communications, integrated planning for economic development and forest resource management, and emphasis on cultural preservation and…

Historical and recent examples indicate that, in the areas of property ownership/use and tribal self-government, federal policy has frequently ignored complexities and abandoned Indians to learn from their experiences. Indian college students can substitute professional education for practical experience to ensure tribal survival and sensible land…

"Transitions: Destruction of a Mother Tongue" is a documentary film by Blackfeet filmmakers Darrell R. Kipp and Joe Fisher. The film recounts the history of the destructive forces affecting Blackfeet culture and language. Kipp and others created the Piegan Institute, a nonprofit organization that researches, promotes, and preserves…

Karen Gayton Swisher (Sioux), chair of teacher education at Haskell Indian Nations University (Kansas), discusses the history of American Indian education, its effects on Indian families and cultures, overcoming stereotypes, how teachers can teach Indian children more effectively, the importance of Indian interpretations of Indian education and…