And now:[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Date: Thu, 30 Sep 1999 10:47:15 -0400 From: "Scott Tippetts" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I feel a little bit like that Paul Harvey guy..... because I want to let you in on "the rest of the story," that the Washington Post did not mention in THEIR article on the Smithsonian's NMAI (National Museum of the American Indian).... I arrived to the NMAI groundbreaking ceremony about 10-15 minutes late (what's with this weird procedure of 'starting things on time' anyway?), so I was at the very back, I could barely see, and couldn't hear very well either - it doesn't help that I'm hard of hearing to begin with. So, when I got there, the introductory speaking stuff was over, and I had missed the honoring song offered by White Oak Singers - an excellent drum, very well known on the mid-Atlantic powwow circuit. They were just starting the actual blessing ceremony part of the program, the symbolism of which the Washington Post completely ignored in their article (I guess we can always count on the dominant culture to miss the point of what's *really* important). The blessing ceremony was offered in 4 parts (for the each of the 4 directions), with each part given by a different set of tribal representatives or elders from a nation representing that direction: the Piscataway from Maryland (east), Quechua from Peru (south), Hawaiian (west), and Innuit (north). If my grandmother could have made the trip, she would have reprimanded somebody for ignoring the most-important 5th direction: northeast Oklahoma! But 4 is ok. The first blessing was given by Piscataway Chief Billy Redwing Tayac and his son Mark. And to conclude their blessing, they sang an honoring song. And from where I was in the back, I could barely hear it, but the faint snippets that managed to reach my ear were somehow, very familiar. I thought, wait - I KNOW that song! And I could not hold back a big smile. I felt obligated to sing along with it - quieter than a mouse so as to not distract anyone, just under my breath. I looked around the crowd to see if anyone else's face would register any signs of recognition of the honoring song, maybe a raised eyebrow, or a half-grin, or a sideways glance at a friend to acknowledge the irony. But nobody that I could see showed any signs of recognition. Guess that's what happens when you enter the suit & tie world. But I felt light-hearted the rest of the day, knowing that the grounds for the new NMAI had been blessed.... with the AIM song. Way to go, Billy & Mark!! Reprinted under the Fair Use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html doctrine of international copyright law. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ UPDATES: CAMP JUSTICE http://shell.webbernet.net/~ishgooda/oglala/ &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
