NCGLNAC Newsletter

The National Center for Great Lakes
Native American Culture, Inc.

Volume 4, Number 3 August 2004 Thirteenth Issue

Summer Workshops

The Freeman Scouting Facility near Portland was everything we could have hoped for the location of NCGLNAC’s 7^th Traditional Great Lakes Native American Arts and Crafts Workshops.

Most classes were held in the beautiful log lodge. The carpeted upstairs were reserved for the historical class and the lower floor was perfect for the other classes.

The new format for the historical class turned out to be very successful and will be repeated in future workshops. Wednesday afternoon Professor Donald Cochran of Ball State’s Anthropology Department presented a very educational overview of the area’s pre-contact mounds and other archaeological discoveries. On Thursday, Board member Rick Wagar, Principal Chief of the Piqua Shawnee tribe, presented a very interesting and informative class on Shawnee traditions and history. Friday morning Paula Butcher presented an excellent class on the Hopewell and Adena cultures. Friday afternoon the class and others toured the Godfroy house in Pennville.

Dani Tippmann’s students enjoyed learning about native plants, gathering, preparing and even cooking them. Jerry Cochrane’s bow making class accomplished much in three days of hard work. The bows were handsome. Boni Bent-Nelson’s quill workers made some really beautiful pieces. Paula Butcher’s coiled pottery class made many outstanding pots which were fired Wednesday at the campground. Eugene Brown’s students created fine-looking cane loon flutes, flute stands and found out they could do good wood carving, as well. Sue Snow Willi taught her students the techniques for the stunning Seneca raised bead work. The large gourd drums made by Carolyn Rushton’s class were made of gourds and rawhide and decorated with paint and wood burning.

Everyone enjoyed the location and the close fellowship of friends. Most participants camped behind the pond near the shelter. Many of the participants brought delicious dishes to enjoy with Boni Nelson’s tasty buffalo and noodles at Sunday evening’s welcome meal. Several new participants were welcomed, as were some whom had not been with us for a while.

Bow making is hard work

Drumming and Dancing Demonstration

The weather was perfect, the location at the Jay County Fairgrounds was ideal, the Host Drum Painted Turtle couldn’t have played or sung any better and all the dancers danced beautifully. Our first venture into a drumming and dancing demonstration proved to be far more successful than we had hoped it would be. We were blessed with many spectators.
Emcee Greg Dorin did an excellent job of involving the spectators and explaining the different dances and traditions. The Head Dancers were superb: Eugene Brown was Head Veteran, Robin McBride Scott and Jason Dorin were Head Lady and Head Man Dancers, respectively. We were delighted with the number and variety of dances and dancers that participated.

Robin McBride Scott and Jason Dorin

NCGLNAC is very grateful to the local sponsors of this year’s drumming and dancing demonstration: First National Bank, MainSource Bank, Qualtech Tool & Engineering and Ryan Vannetter. The support of the Portland and Jay County community and the Jay County Fair Board and their warm welcome to NCGLNAC has been nothing less than astounding. The beautiful programs were created by Board Member Linda Andrews.

Everyone enjoys dancing the Two-Step
The 2005 Drumming and Dancing Demonstration will be held again at the Jay County Fairgrounds Saturday, June 25. Please plan to join us again.

Fort Recovery Trip

Thanks to Board Secretary Pat Broom who made arrangements for our group to tour Ft. Recovery, in nearby Ohio, several of the workshop participants enjoyed a tour of their excellent facility Wednesday evening, June 23. Museum Director Helen LeFevre showed the group one of the blockhouses, the grounds and their outstanding museum. Her historical knowledge was quite impressive, and she was quite excited about learning the history of the area from the Native American point of view. It was a very moving experience for those attending.
Many thanks to Pat and Helen for this opportunity.

Silent Auction a Success

A silent auction was held in conjunction with the Summer Workshops and the Drumming and Dancing demonstration. Five outstanding museum-quality articles were donated by:

Ø         Paula Butcher – Feather dance fan with peyote beaded handle, dream catcher
Ø         Jerry Cochrane – Hand knapped black obsidian knife with elk bone handle and sinew
Ø         Boni Nelson – Numbered loon print
Ø         Sue Templin – Framed original oil painting by J. Garcia
Ø         Sue Snow Willi – Seneca raised bead work purse

Thanks to their generosity, about $500 was raised for future NCGLNAC needs. We hope to be able to repeat the silent auction next year for an annual fund-raising event.

Stringing Day Lilies for Drying

Evelyn Bellmyer to Attend
NMAI Opening Ceremonies

Tradition Bearer Evelyn Bellmyer of Miami, Oklahoma, will be one of four Elder Princesses representing the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma at the Opening Ceremonies of the National Museum of the American Indian on the National Mall in Washington, DC, September 21 – 26.

The NMAI/Smithsonian was nearly 15 years in the making. The museum will offer public programs in partnership with Native peoples of the Western Hemisphere in an effort to educate all peoples about Native traditions, histories, languages and cultural arts. An interesting fact is that originally $2.5 million was expected to be raised from Native American sources. In the end, $36 million in funds were from Native peoples. Founding Director W. Richard West, Jr., is Southern Cheyenne.

NCGLNAC members Pat Broom, Linda Andrews and her nephew Ian Wittingham also plan to attend the opening ceremonies.

Dates to Remember

ü         August 14-15, 2004. 10^th Annual Mihsihkinaahkwa Traditional Pow Wow at Morches Park, Columbia City, IN. Contact 260-892-7172.
ü         August 21-22, 2004. 22^nd Annual American Indiana Council Traditional PowWow at the Boone County 4-H Fairgrounds, Lebanon, IN. Contact 765-482-3315
ü         September 4-5, 2004. Annual Tecumseh Lodge Pow Wow at Tipton County Fairgrounds, Tipton, IN.
ü         September 25-26, 2004. Friendship Pow Wow, Seven Circles Heritage Center, Edwards, IL Contact 309-968-6848.
ü         October 2-3, 2004 NCGLNAC Fall Workshops, Women’s Building, Jay County Fairgrounds, Portland. Contact Kay Neumayr at 765-572-2574 or hyperlink.
ü         October 2-3, 2004. Jay County Historical Society Heritage Festival, Jay County History Museum, Portland. Contact Rosie Grapner at 260-726-4468.
ü         March 5-6, 2005. NCGLNAC 9^th Traditional Arts and Crafts Workshops in conjunction with the Indiana Historical Society, Indiana History Center, Indianapolis.

Painted Turtle Drum

2004 Jay County Fair

It rained, and then rained some more, but our time spent at NCGLNAC’s booth at the Jay County Fair July 26 - 31 was worth the time and wet weather. Many new contacts were accomplished even though Fair attendance was down because of the persistent rain.

Volunteer booth helpers were Kent Horine, Linda Andrews, Kay Neumayr, Rick Wagar, Ted and Sharon Fisher, Mickie Mann, Phil Crouch, Nick Poeppelman and Rose Hannon. A big thank you goes to all who helped. And special thanks to Kent Horine and Ted and Sharon Fisher who took down the booth and returned everything to storage.
Membership Dues are Due

NCGLNAC is empowered by a membership of Native and non-Native people as well as private donors who are dedicated to the preservation of Great Lakes Native American culture and to ensuring that the knowledge is passed on to the next generations. The members of NCGLNAC support the various programs conducted each year by the organization.

The NCGLNAC membership year is from June 1 through May 31. If you have not renewed your membership yet or have been thinking about joining the organization but have not yet done so, please fill in the membership form included in this newsletter and mail it to Janice Tierney, Membership Chair at NCGLNAC, P.O. Box 1063, Portland, IN 47371.

As NCGLNAC enters into the second phase of its development, increased funding will be needed to support our accelerated level of programming. We are significantly increasing our school and library programs, educational outreach to Boy and Girl Scouts, our participation in local Portland, Jay County and area events, as well as initiating many new programs.

Additional funding is required for liability insurance, the archaeological survey, the master site plan, and many other site-related expenses. The membership dues also support the newsletter, postage, display materials, creation and printing of promotional materials and the development of educational materials for use in the schools and Scouting programs.

The support of a strong membership base is essential to the very survival of any non-profit organization. NCGLNAC is blessed with a hard-working volunteer Board of Directors, who attends board meetings and other promotional events at their own expense. NCGLNAC is also blessed with very generous members who have given freely of their time and resources.

NCGLNAC is entering the most exciting stage of our development to date…the planning of the future Cultural Center, trails, native gardens, constructing the early contact village, clearing of invasive plants to name a few. Be a part of this exciting time!

Archaeological Survey

Professor Donald Cochran of the Department of Anthropology of Ball State University will begin the archaeological survey of the site on Saturday, October 2, 2004, during the Fall Workshops. He plans to begin at 1 p.m. and work until around 5 p.m. Professor Cochran hopes several of the workshop attendees will participate in this survey. He will present his findings during the survey in the program after the Saturday evening meal.

Spring 2005 Workshops

The Indiana Historical Society has again asked NCGLNAC to collaborate with them in offering a traditional arts and crafts workshop to their members and ours March 5 and 6, 2005, at the Indiana History Center in Indianapolis. Their year-long theme is ``Creative Spirit.'' More information will be in the November newsletter.

Ziibiwing Center Opens

The Saginaw Chippewa tribe opened a new state-of-the-art, 32,000 sq. ft. cultural center in Mt. Pleasant, MI in May, 2004. The $10 million facility has been planned for many years and has been funded exclusively by the Saginaw Chippewa tribe. The Ziibiwing Center was created to enlighten and educate all communities in the rich culture, heritage and history of the Anishinabek, Native Peoples of the Great Lakes.

The 9,000 sq. ft. permanent exhibit, entitled Diba Jimooyung (Telling Our Story) is the showpiece of the center. Through the use of artifacts, language, historical documents, computer technology, contemporary and traditional art, dioramas, multimedia presentations, and video productions, this exhibit will provide visitors with an Anishinabek perspective on the past, present and future. The center also hosts changing exhibits, research center, retail store, café, meeting rooms and conference facilities.

The Ziibiwing Center is located next to the Soaring Eagle Casino at 6650 E. Broadway, Mt. Pleasant, MI. and is open seven days a week. Phone 989-775-4770 for more information.
Submitted by Janice Tierney

Fancy Dancer Emeline Scott

2004 Eiteljorg Indian Market

The 12^th Eiteljorg Museum Indian Market, an annual two-day event, was held in Indianapolis June 26 and 27. The Indian Market features the largest juried show and sale of authentic, handmade Native American fine art in the Midwest. The majority of artists come from the Southwest, but Miami, Seminole, Oneida, Ojibwe, Potawatomi and Cherokee are also present.

An Indian Market Preview Party, sponsored by the Perelman Charitable Foundation, Inc., was held Friday, June 25. One of the most important reasons for attending the Preview Party is the opportunity to be among the first to visit the 175 Native American artist booths.
Board Member Linda Andrews attended the Preview Party, accompanied by her daughter Amber and son-in-law Seth. Linda reports that attending the Preview Party was one of the highlights of her summer. Linda, Amber and Seth plan to attend again next year and she recommends that if you like Native American art, dinner outdoors in a relaxed atmosphere, try attending next year’s Indiana Market Preview Party.
Submitted by Linda Andrews

2004 Fall Workshops

An outstanding event is being planned for NCGLNAC’s 8^th Traditional Arts and Crafts Workshop, October 2 and 3, 2004 at the Women’s Building at the Jay County Fairgrounds, Portland. The workshops will be held in cooperation with the Jay County Historical Society’s Heritage Festival. A living history camp will be at their Museum.

Tradition Bearer Catherine Nagy Mowry will teach traditional Miami corn husk dolls, Tradition Bearer Christine Rapp Morseau will teach Potawatomi black ash baskets and sweet grass turtles will be taught by Tradition Bearer Robin McBride Scott who is of Cherokee descent.

The culture class will be broken down into segments again this time. Saturday morning, Dr. Elizabeth Glenn, Professor Emerita of Anthro-pology, Ball State University will present ``Implications of the Fur Trade to the Great Lakes Peoples.'' Sunday morning will find Louis Bubb, a graduate student in the Archaeological Resources Management Service, Department of Anthropology, Ball State University, presenting details of his research in the excavation of Henry Aussom’s cabin site at the Forks of the Wabash at Huntington. Henry Aussom married Susan Richardville in 1842.

Saturday afternoon the culture class will be involved in the actual archaeological survey of the site of our future home in Portland. Professor Donald R. Cochran, Director of the Archaeological Resources Management Service, Department of Anthropology, Ball State University and his team will conduct this archaeological survey and wishes to involve NCGLNAC members and others interested in this endeavor. He will present a talk on his findings Saturday evening after dinner.