Ngii Bwaa Naa Migizi - I Dreamed of the Eagle

To the left is the view of the Empire Bluffs from a secret spot I know of near Empire, Michigan! It is a heavenly place, folks!

I was just at Spirit of the Woods Music Festival in Brethren, Michigan on Saturday, June, 21st. I picked up this amazing cd called Sweet Water by the Sweet Water Women. They sing in Ojibway for many of their songs which is very lovely! I was excited to hear and to learn of this folk musician Ember Swift as she was amazing! She sang this song called "Bliss" which I love! I believe the song is about Bliss, Michigan. The song reminds me of many towns here in Michigan.

"here is a town called Bliss
first thing you'll see are mobile homes
perched on cinder blocks looking dusty and forlorn
rusted tractors, three-legged mutts,
peeling paint and jacked up trucks
boarded up shops, vacant lots
curtains and faces drawn

how could we let it come to this?
this silent scene of emptiness
how could we let it come to this?
this backwards bliss.

do you wanna know the answer?
do you wanna know, do you wanna know?"

-Bliss-Ember Swift

As I was driving across Wisconsin I just spoke (because I was driving so I could not write) a poem similar to this song before I even heard it! I asked for directions at a gas station in Rhinelander, Wisconsin and the answer I got from the gas station clerk inspired the creation of this poem.

The Town Consciousness

June 13, 2008

They pined for the land,
They longed for the land,
They had worked for the land,
And they had moved to the land,
They found themselves grabbing hold of metal,
Plastic,
Steel,
And rusted machinery,
As they entered the building that is made of all those materials,
And they are finding themselves,
Longing for the land which they have moved to,
When their hands are tired,
Their eyes are weary,
Their hearts are sad,
And they are looking outward into the land,
Inside the building.

-----

Native News...

High Country News has an excellent article on Navajo women and breast cancer. Plus I recommend High Country News as it is always a great read!

The Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission has two great stories worth checking out! Just to let you know the files are in a PDF format. One article on page 17 (actually you will have to go to page 16 in the PDF tab) recognizes eight women in the Great Lakes region who participate in tribal government. On page 20 (which is actually page 18 in the PDF tab) read "Giganawaydamin Nibi (We will all take of the water)." This article is about water, policy and Indigenous Women's Leadership Training.

Please read about Jessica Yee's story on Shameless Magazine about Borderline Racism. This is very sad that she had to experience this but sharing her story is very important to read.

Rosalie Little Thunder is introducing her blog, Indigenous P.O.V. on the Rapid City Journal. She is the Chair of the Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Development.

Dr. Audrey Read will be a part of a private audience to meet Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican in July. She served as the production director for the documentary called Grandmothers Speak on the International Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers. Also check out the Center for Sacred Studies for more information.

Barack Obama speaks to female workers in Albuquerque, New Mexico. “Too many American daughters grow up facing barriers to their dreams, barriers that their male counterparts don’t have to deal with and that have consequences for all American families,” said Obama, the son of a single mother, the husband of a working mother and the father of two daughters."

June 21st was National Aboriginal Day in Canada. Explore aboriginal heritage with some great information about Buffy Saint Marie! Below is one of my favorite songs by her.