Today our lives are like a scrabble game. We are divvied out our individual pieces with which we will play the game. The game board is universal (the land). Our job is to create our own words and our own concepts. That was what we did recently when we responded to the request of a local grandmother to organize a a project to benefit our tribal youth.

She presented the social turmoil that so many young people are made to navigate through on a daily basis. Our grandmother said she believes our youth need spiritual guidance. She said that in order for them to appreciate what our ceremonies mean versus merely dressing in regalia and going through the motions they need to have spiritual guidance. They are good kids, she said, doing good in school, but without spiritual guidance, the peer pressure to “join in” the social turmoil was resulting in kids going astray.

The request was a huge responsibility. With best intentions this month the first version of the Karuk Youth Camp was realized. For those who have organized sprawling events involving youth, the complexities and problems are overwhelming in the beginning. It was our job to resolve problems–and we had lots of cool problems to deal with. The main problem is always communication–or lack thereof. It is especially difficult when key people are only periodically online due to lack of access, no internet, a job for 3 being executed by 1. We persevered.

After arriving to the camp location the day before to set up the kitchen we were warned that the “bears” were friskier than usual this year. We set up a plan to put all of the food into one of the pickups with a covered bed. We then discovered that two of the tents had broken poles! The list of unforeseen problems made our set up quite fun. Especially since our late arrival meant that we finished our set up after dark. Sure enough the local dogs had a bear, or something treed down by the river for about an hour or so in the middle of the night. Their barks and bawls echoed along the river canyon.

Next day when the kids started arriving we had them set up their own tents and then help those that came into camp after them. All went well. We were ready for the camp to offically start and we were more or less on time! It looked like all of the pre-planning was going to pay off.

The kids fell within the 10 to 15 year old range with a few being younger than expected. Our youth leaders were oriented to provide the leadership and direction for the younger and less culturally experienced kids in the camp. A series of activities were scheduled to provide a cultural understanding of what a ceremony means to our people. They were also taught songs used during the ceremony known as IHUK. A language component was scheduled, as were hikes and a short stint at forest management (our tanoak acorn grove was in need of clearing). They also made dance wands and headbands.

Looking back on the weekend there were a few rough spots here and there. The kids were great. We had a great group of adults, food was exceptional and plentiful. Most important, the bears were nowhere to be seen. We came home after introducing a group of kids to our ceremonial way, demonstrating the need for  cooperation and with hope showing that our cultural future requires belief and dedication by our people. We had fun and worked hard. In the end ‘a good time was had by all’.

The baby basket's lifeline

The basket for swaddling babies differs in form from baby baskets in other regions. Cradleboards are common throughout North America. In northwestern California the baby carriers are woven using fine straight sticks (the term used interchangeably for the hazel withes and the willow sticks). The shape is a sort of trapezoidal container, open weaved most often, with a hoop handle at the top of the basket. The baby is placed inside the basket and is lashed in with leather or cloth lashings. First the baby is wrapped with its arms at its side. There are many babies in our communities right now so it is common to see a baby in his or her basket.

In northwestern California the baby carriers are woven using fine straight sticks (the term used interchangeably for the hazel withes and the willow sticks). The shape is a sort of trapezoidal container, open weaved most often, with a hoop handle at the top of the basket. The baby is placed inside the basket and is lashed in with leather or cloth lashings. First the baby is wrapped in a blanket, soft deerskin, or other swaddling with its arms at its sides. Currently there are many babies in our communities so it is common to see a baby in his or her basket.

The weavers are women although there is one male weaver. The baskets have a trick bend at the bottom of the basket. So the weaver must weave the foot of the basket first and then bend the sticks so that they run up along the sides and the back. Ideally the weaver has gathered fine straight and long sticks. If not, sticks are added as necessary to build the basket to about 36 inches in length. Several sticks are lashed together to create the edge and hoop of the basket. The edge is then lashed to the body of the basket.

There is a special infant basket that is constructed with the same materials but is created in a flat circular shape. It is then bent up at the sides creating a taco-shell shape. It is our belief that the infant for its first 10 days remains connected to the Spirit World. On the 10th day the baby joins the human race. As a result the new infant is considered Ikxaréeyav, a spirit being. In past times a newborn was considered an oracle to the Spirit World.

While in this state family members were able to come to the baby and “confess” their wrong-doings. A man or woman whispered their story into the ear of the baby. In this way the wrong-doer confessed and the potential for mishaps was diminished or ended. It was important to the families since a wrong-doing might effect a future baby, or another family member in the form of sickness or some other malady.

On the 10th day the baby slept in its first human basket. A baby might go through several baskets before learning to walk. Many babies like their basket so much that they want to sleep in their basket sometimes long after walking. There are many stories of big kids walking around with their baskets still strapped to their backs, looking like turtles waddling around.

One boy was sleeping in his basket. The kids in the other room were playing loudly and the boy came walking into the room still strapped into his basket to say: You kids better settle down! An elder woman told the story of her family as they were gathering seaweed at the ocean. The boy was about 5 years old and still slept in his basket. She said her mother set him up against a rock away from the water. Suddenly she noticed the baby was gone! She ran to the rock and followed his footprints where she found him, his basket still strapped to his back, helping himself to the lunch she had prepared.

There are many rules and beliefs relating to the thaxtuuy. First, it is believed that the basket is the baby’s “home”. His home was considered sacred and also portended the baby’s future. Each basket was equipped with a lifeline, a short length that stretched across the hoop of the basket. If a boy the line was adorned with those items considered male or often adorned with dentalium, a shell that we consider traditional “money”. The belief is that Money will come to favor the boy so that when he grew up ‘money would come his way’. A girl’s lifeline was adorned with the feminine items, abalone shells most often.

There is a sacred bond that exists between the baby, the family and the weaver of the baby basket. The belief that the basket helped shape the baby’s destiny meant that the weaver must weave in the most respectful and diligent manner. The straightest sticks assured a strong “straight” baby. A flimsy basket might suggest a weak or sickly child. So it was important to use the best materials for the basket.

Wow and I know what he feels like. For years Native Peoples have been urged to give up the old ways and get with the newest program being promoted by whatever governmental agency that happens to have the microphone that day. I recall being given advice by a rancher-land owner from Willow Creek when I was in college. ‘The problem with Indian People is that they are hanging onto the past. They don’t adopt the modern ways.’ I listened to him as he tipped back his cowboy. ‘Poor soul’, I thought, ‘living in the past.’

But it is true. The Greek economist, Manos Matsagonis, is onto something. When you are descended from people like those ancestors from who Native People are descended–well, it’s hard to take half-baked ideas and policies as anything more than empty promises. We are, afterall, descended from ancestors who had the wisdom of the ages as their guide to living on this earth. Why would we listen to a bureacrat whose main goal in life was to retire from society and live in their own particular past?

You can see the news video here: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/video/module.html?s=news01s419dqf1c

The moon has returned. And I forgot it’s Indian name. There are 13 moons. Some have names. Some have Indian numbers.

Yæ hæ! Tanipikrôoktih péethvuy: Náaseep. ATAFÂAT, ayu’âach ífuth payêem vakûusrah nuu vúra áxakyaan numúustiheesh poosípaamtiheeshak peekxaramkûusrah

Oh yeah! I remember the name: Náaseep. PERHAPS, because next month we will see the full moon twice.

Vúr uum áthiik ôok. Kúna vúra pupikxárampahara. Vaa kumá’ii vúr uum yêeshiip panimúustih peekxaramkûusrah.
It’s cold here. But it isn’t cloudy. That’s why one sees the moon so well.

Kunipéentih ímaan usípaamheesh peekxarmkûusrah.
They say tomorrow the moon will be full.

Ôok imúskiinveesh peekxaramkûusrah VIDEO-piit.
Here you will see the new Moon Video.

Full Moon’s Wives Pt 2

Personally Friday evenings are special for the punditry on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). I rarely watch the Sunday morning talking head programs for many reasons (we are not cable or satellite people). Besides that, on Sundays I prefer to go to my life drawing class at the local arts organization, the Ink People. I thought I might use Fridays to reflect on the news of the week, to the headlines, and to what I’m hearing hear in my own Native community here in northwestern California.

Ft. Hood: There is a curious situation that occurs while we are participating in our multi-day ceremonies hereabouts. Those of us who conduct the ceremonies are left out in the mountains for weeks without any connection whatever to the outside world. When we return to the everyday world we are often startled by the events that happened during our ceremonial respite when we were transported to our own indigenous Nirvana. We discover that wars have started, debacles of all colors and categories topped the headlines: political, social, educational and environmental cataclysms are endemic.

On Thursday I heard about the killings that occured at Ft. Hood. What a splash of ice water to the face. The act itself is horrendous, but the details are completely perplexing. There is fear of a backlash aimed at the Muslim people among us. A very real concern in my opinion. But what about the reason for the attack?

Fear and dread of being sent to Afghanistan. This fear must be bad enough if you are an American, but what pictures might flash through your head when you are a Muslim, albeit and American Muslim? Clearly the perpetrator, who is mortally wounded by gunshots, had gone over the edge. His fear of being sent to Afghanistan was so overwhelming that he killed those to whom he would likely would have been providing emotional and psychological therapy sessions! The real bugaboo, in my opinion, is stress.

It is a sad, a truly sad event for us all. And it illuminates that we continue to be a nation in a war mode versus one of peace. I’ve seen the effects of the overwhelming pressure that a war can have on a once “normal” person. Who do we blame when we lose a loved one to a nation’s war, when they are not a casualty on the battle field, but come home psychically battered and even crippled? The shootings at Ft. Hood reflect the complexity of war, its effects on the individual and the stresses that a war demands of our military leaders and on us as citizens.

Economy: The recent announcement that our Nation’s unemployment rates have once again increased is troublesome at least. It’s obvious that the economy will remain the number one concern for Americans for some time ahead. The “professionals” had been expecting the increase and what’s more they expect further increases. Some expect rises for 6 months, some for 15 months and still others expect that the rise will continue somewhere in between or even further into the near future.

The economy is a personal concern. Most of what I do is contracting with other groups and organizations, providing for them with services that will ultimately cost them less if they hire me rather than do it in-house. Well, the fact is that awarding contracts has become pretty stagnant. That’s my reality. We are all in the same sail boat, for the near term, and unfortunately our boat is caught in a doldrums. The waves rise and fall but without wind any progress will be the result of blood, sweat and tears. Tightening our belts until we look like wasps is the future that we can expect.

The Alaska Heritage Foundation announced the winners of its contest to award 6 $10,000 checks for Native writers who were asked to write essays on the subject: Recommendations to stimulate the economy that Native people can provide to the President and Congress. It will be interesting to read the essays. I submitted an essay and didn’t make the cut. As a result I am very interested to read the essays that won. As an aside our local Native community included several writers that made the cut. One person, Jacquelyn Dyer, won! Congratulations to her.

Native News: The much anticipated Native American Summit with the President occured this week. I will be contacting several individuals that attended the Summit to get their reactions and assessments of the historic event.

The Water Summit occured in Sacramento this week. I’m not well informed on the subject. Nevertheless there is a great concern, or at least there should be, for Native tribes to be involved in these discussions. Our lives are connected to the land. As we all know water is the essential ingredient for life on Earth.

It is a fact contained in our mythology. We, the Karuk People, believe that the Klamath River, for instance, was created when one of our most important Spirit People, viewed the Earth that had been created. It was a sandy, hilly landscape without “substance”. This Spirit Person considered the paltriness of what had been created and the Human Beings who were going to inhabit this Earth. He created rock so as to help keeping the land from being swept away.

He looked at the Earth once again and nothing was growing. There was no food for the Human Beings. And he sat on the highest peak and cried for us all. “They will have a hard time”, he thought. And then he cried for us. His tears flowed and from his tears the major creeks of our local land filled and flowed down to the path that was created when the Sun walked on the Earth. (Before he was flung up into the sky.) The sun’s path filled with his tears and the Klamath River was formed.

Our point of view and responsibility is undeniable. Our river is the testament of the Spirit’s love for us all. It is our job to protect it. It is our duty to make the waters fully flow once again.

A Final Note: Many of us are artists. We are singers and painters and creators of objects that possess the meanings and life spirit that will carry us forward. The idea that we can bulldoze our way forward is contrary to our indigenous sensibility. Ours is a process that is not invented, not conceived, but applied using knowledge that has been provided for us.

Peace to all
Julian Lang

Ikxaramkûusrah was not a well liked man. Now his house returns each month (the full). In his house we see his 3 wives: Rattlesnake Woman, Frog and Grizzly Bear. The following video vignette is WIFE 1 revealed. Go out and see if you can find Pirishkâarim, Grizzly Bear.

Full Moon’s Wives

The accompanying video was taken during a recent journey to gather one of our favorite foods: acorns, xuntápan. After gathering for a while (they weren’t quite ready), we drove on up into the mountains. It was very nice.

Enjoy the video.

A full moon reveals Moon's 3 wives.

Julian Lang
It is a beautiful full moon. It sits above the horizon big as a digitally altered image in a sci-fi movie. The haze causes its light to read orange and aluminum. It is like a magnet the moon. I demands attention when it enters the room. And that is what I was told years ago.

So today I think of you moon. I think of the creation stories that remind us of who you are. And I love your story. I love that you have 3 wives but I, for the life of me, cannot fathom how you do it. Then again you are the MOON.

For generations you have given us a long-life. Today I am thanking you for that on behalf of all of my ancestors.

Gram used to say, “the old Indians went out to the nearest knoll or small hill when you appeared and yelled out, Give me a long life (May I live to be a long time.)!”

She believed in you and I believe in you…. Read More

The white man says he is going to explode a rocket on your surface–it’s your house that we see. They, NASA, has decided to explode this rocket and to do so in such a big way that we can see the damage from Earth.

Man alive Moon I am sorry. Perhaps it’s time to fast for you. Perhaps it’s time to tell your story to all. I WILL! Soon. You were a mean and vain man. But you are the moon. And those of us who know your story knew that it might come to this, because it’s a natural path to go from landing on the moon to exploding tons of TNT on your surface.

Let it be know that you are a doctor. A kind of meanish man but your surface still reveals your story. I saw you wives: the Rattlesnake, the Frog and the Grizzly Beear during the last full moon a week ago. They were all there.

I hope it doesn’t hurt too much. Maybe we can pray that the rocket doesn’t hit the surface and flies atray. That would be nice, ennit? Hámi.

Matêe xarah imyaahtiheesh, may you live to be a long time. Ikxaramkûusrah, dark sun!

The Masters and Apprentices in action!

Some of the videos prepared by Lang and Tripp are located on the Institute’s site. More are forthcoming. This marks the first week of the new program year. The plan for the Institute is to post a language blog article once a week.

Keep a look out.

The women folks at the luncheon.

The men's table at the Karuk language luncheon

Frank Tuttle suggested that the Karuk language videos be accompanied by a Karuk script or text along with the English subtitles. Good idea and I’ll see what can work best. We’ll try out a few approaches: a second subtitle? (ie, both in English and in Karuk language); a text crawl across the top or bottom of the screen?

KITTY MOVIE:
Here’s the most recent movie created last week. It’s about feeding the cat, Músmuus.
Feeding Músmuus