For Native people and others who feel the dangers of the dominant materialistic world view, education is a double-edged sword. Mainstream education and the skills it teaches are necessary to survive in contemporary life, but mainstream values may be destructive to humanity and must be balanced by learning activities that promote heart,…

At a panel discussion held at Imagining Indians Native American Film and Video Festival (Scottsdale, Arizona, June 1994), Americans Indians debated and expressed their concerns regarding intellectual property rights and the effects of commercialism on the integrity of Native American cultural beliefs and practices. Tribes must decide which aspects…

Profiles four American Indians of Oklahoma who strove to preserve their languages and traditions and pass them on to future generations: Kiowa grandmother and educator Evalu Ware Russell, Cherokee minister Sam Hider, Kialegee (Muskogee Creek) elder James Wesley, and Choctaw leader Charley Jones. (SV)

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…

Recounts the history of tobacco and its use, emphasizing the difference between American Indians' sacred relationship with "sacred" tobacco and the hedonistic use of "secular" tobacco. Recommends reviving the distinction between the two, especially in substance abuse programs. Sidebars discuss the Traditional Native American…

Native American storytelling contributes to maintenance of Native cultures; development of individual identities rooted in awareness of family, community, heritage, and land; and the flourishing of contemporary Native American fiction. Today, stories are transmitted by oral tradition and the writer's craft. Includes author's recollections of…

Three Native Americans working in sports training, film making, and engineering discuss their thoughts on leadership. Each one defines leadership in terms of their own experiences, aspirations, and successes, but all three come to similar conclusions: community members must be willing to nurture leadership in young people by acting as role models…

A nonprofit indigenous rights organization in California helps indigenous communities safeguard their lands and culture. Recordings of the last speakers of endangered languages and their tribes' stories and creation songs are used in language restoration programs and to establish historical evidence of tribal land use through landmarks described.…

A Mohawk herbalist combines scientific and traditional indigenous knowledge to treat her patients. At her retreat she grows medicinal herbs and treats Native women who suffered physical and sexual abuse in Canada's residential schools. Women are the lifegivers and caregivers in Canada's Six Nations Confederacy; once they know how to heal…

Profiles 20 emerging young leaders in Indian Country, Hawaii, and Alaska, who have contributed to their indigenous communities in diverse ways, including educators; college students; tribal leaders and managers; businessmen; and professionals in law, archeology, and public health. Includes descriptions of accomplishments and educational background…

Some American Indians view the opening of American Indian reservations to tourists as contributing to the desecration of sacred Indian lands, whereas others see it as a way for Indians to control their own economy and provide non-Indians a better appreciation of Indian cultures. (LP)

Winona LaDuke discusses Indian leadership, her role models, her experiences running for vice president with the Green Party, ways to encourage leadership among Indians, and her future plans. A sidebar describes the White Earth Land Recovery Project, founded by LaDuke, which facilitates reservation land recovery, Indian cultural revitalization,…

Recounts the author's, and his family's, relationship with tobacco. Identifies tobacco's role in traditional Native American ceremonies as encouraging communication and self-reflection. Describes Tionantati: Native Tobacco People, an intervention program that returns tobacco to its traditional use and eschews recreational use of commercial…

In this interview, Professor Harald Gaski, a Sami from Arctic Norway, notes similarities and differences in Sami and American-Indian cultures related to forced boarding schools for assimilation purposes, traditional education, religion, "yoiking" (singing) and music, connection to nature, and tribal schools. He advocates the…

An offshoot of a Denver, Colorado, alcohol and drug abuse prevention program, Blue Pony reclaims lacrosse as a Native American sport, and uses it to bridge tribal differences and promote cultural awareness, self-empowerment, and healthy lifestyles among urban Native American children. Discusses the game's history, a literacy program utilizing…