**~**:._.:**~**:._.:**~**:._.:**~**:._.:**~**:._.:**~**:._.:**~**:._.:**~**:._.:**~**:._.:**
Education & Culture (Josi Willcox) - Graduation ceremonies were held Friday, June 10th at the school. We want to say tsin'aen siigu to everyone who came out to show their love and support for our kids! We had so many people to thank for their generosity, love and support throughout the year. The potluck dishes were absolutely delicious, and Gabe Carmen did his usual fantastic job of cooking the hamburgers and hot dogs for the crowd. There were heartfelt and heartwarming speeches from our Elders, Markle Pete and Jeanie Maxim, and from Chief Gary Harrison, reminding us all of the important work our school is doing. The Ya Ne Dah Ah Dancers did a wonderful job of sharing some of the traditional songs and dances and everyone had a great time!
We want to thank Sleeping Lady Drummers for joining us and sharing their love and support for our kids. We greatly enjoyed having them participate in our ceremony and for helping us close the event with the Honor Song. Tsin'aen siigu.
We also want to thank the CVTC Health Dept. for their generosity and support by providing the tables, chairs, condiments and other items necessary to host the event. We couldn't have done it without you! Tsin'aen, Paul Pike, for bringing the PA system so everyone could hear the words of wisdom from our Elders and the accomplishments of our children.
We'd like to say tsin'aen to Dr. Burnley, Superintendent of the MatSu Borough School District for taking the time to join us for our graduation ceremony. We appreciate not only the words of encouragement he shared with the audience, but also that he took the time to speak with our supporters and Tribal citizens individually during the event.
Culture Camp begins June 12th and goes until the 17th at the Goodlataw Camp in Tazlina. The goal is to encourage youth to learn about the Ahtna Athabascan traditions and re-connect with Mother Earth. We are in need of cash donations for food items, as all meals are communal and we are expecting over 75 attendees. This is the 10th year for Culture Camp and it is a drug and alcohol free family camp, connecting children, youth and adults to their language and traditions. If you'd like to donate or attend, contact Kari Shaginoff at 745-0722 karis@chickaloon.org or Josi Willcox at 745-0793 josiw@chickaloon.org. Due to the weekend, calls to the school or language department may not get answered, so email will be the most efficient means of contact. We have schedules and maps available.
Each person who attends culture camp should bring the following supplies:
o Tent
o Tarp to cover tent (optional, but highly recommended)
o Sleeping bag
o Sleeping mat
o Pillow
o Clothing for as many days as you will be attending (bring clothes suitable for cool or warm weather...it gets cold at night)
o Extra shoes/boots
o Towel
o Toiletries
o Rain gear
o Snack food (optional)
o Drinking water
o Camp chair (optional)
o Mosquito repellant
o Eating utensils (dishes, spoons, fork)
o Cooler (optional)
o Trash bags
o Any medications necessary
(Tina Farley) - Here are our Ahtna words for last week: Nadosi (ant), C'etaan gguugge' (aphid), ts'endziidi (bumble bee), naltsibaay (butterfly), tselc'utsaey (dragonfly), celts'ezi (fly eggs), don' (fly). We had fun year at Ya Ne Dah Ah School. Graduation turned out great. Sleeping Lady singers came to sing for us. We're looking forward to going camping next week at Tazlina. Come and join us. We'll have activities for the children. I will be reading the Katie Wade stories.
**~**:._.:**~**:._.:**~**:._.:**~**:._.:**~**:._.:**~**
Health and Social Services (Dorothy Boatright) - On Wednesday, June 8th I took Albert Harrison and Franky Corey to Anchorage to see the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense ships that were docked at the Anchorage Port. The ships arrived Monday the 6th, and were docked until Thursday the 9th.
We parked at the Alaska Railroad Freight Shed, and patiently waited approximately 45 minutes in a line of about 400 people to ride the shuttle bus to tour the ships. We were unfortunate enough to have to pass several dumpsters that contained fish guts from people fishing at Ship Creek. Wow! The aroma on a hot day like Wednesday was pretty cruel! But we braved it through, and finally boarded our cruise bus (which held about 40 people, and there were at least 10 buses ahead of ours).
We first boarded the JS ASAGIRI TV3516, the 1st ship of ASAGIRI class, which is a multipurpose destroyer having anti-air, anti-surface, and anti-submarine warfare capabilities to cope with various types of operations. This ship was converted into a training vessel in February 2005, and their mission now is marine training for students of 1st Maritime Service School, National Defense Academy cadets, and Maritime Officer Candidate School cadets. This is the largest of the ships with miscellaneous rescue boats attached on the side.
Then we boarded the DD124 Mineyuki, which was commissioned as the third ship of "YUKI" (meaning: snow) class multi-purpose JMSDF destroyer. This ship is equipped with many computerized and modernized weapon systems and possesses strong capability of quick response to air, surface, and submarine threat. We crossed over onto the helicopter deck where Albert was able to climb into and take a seat in the helicopter which holds eight crew members.
The Japanese crew was very hospitable and friendly, saluting and shaking hands, and also allowing people to take pictures with them. There were three ships total.
The last was the KASHIMA TV3508. The training squadron has approximately 720 officers and crew, including 176 newly commissioned officers. The March 11th earthquake and tsunami in Japan struck just days before the officers were set to graduate.
Alaska was their first stop on their world overseas training cruise. While in Anchorage, they visited Elmendorf and Fort Richardson. They plan to stop at 14 other ports around the world, visiting six other countries. They started their cruise May 24 and will continue through Oct 27 and will cover approximately 29,580 NM. While we were there we also saw several coast guard ships, got a fairly good view of Point McKenzie and their loading ramp for cargo ships, which looked like a giant carnival slide from our location, and we also saw our own fighter jets (formation of 4) fly over the ships, not to mention we got a very good view of "Sleeping Lady", and we saw umpteen Tesoro Tanks.
After being shuttled back to the railroad station, we headed to Eagle River where we stopped at Bear Mt. Restaurant, and had dinner. We had a great day!
**~**:._.:**~**:._.:**~**:._.:**~**:._.:**~**:._.:**~**
The Chickaloon News (Patricia Wade) - I attended the River Rally in South Carolina June 3-7. Cuzn Jan dropped me at the airport at 8:30PM and I waited till 10:15 before US Airways flew me into the night skies. We hit a few rough spots and I got to doze off a few times, head hanging forward like I had just been hung in a noose. Flying in to Charlotte the pilot said there were scattered clouds. From my window it looked like a thick quilt but when we got through that first layer there were huge, puffy clouds everywhere. I was watching one mountainous cloud as the airplane smacked right into it and we were jolted around like a candle in the wind. Such magnificent power for us insignificant humans. They said it was 71 degrees, and I can feel the wet heat. I heard it was in the 90s at Charleston. I might melt.
1988 is when they started organizing watersheds. 1999 was the first River Rally. There were 450 attendees. Mickey Fearn, Deputy Director for Communications and Community Assistance, National Park Service was the first speaker. He said we can tell the quality of any society by three factors: condition of children and elders; condition of the environment; and how people use their free time.
BP oil spill discussion - five bayou communities were shrimpers and BP employees. After the spill they were in disbelief and denial. There was a period of time when people couldn't even imagine how big it really was. People's lives were interrupted. Many people were considered poor and had survived on subsistence foods, now there is uncertainty of the future. The corporations could not know what the long term impacts will be. Many claims people filed have fallen through the cracks and they're falling on tough times.
BP refused to let the shrimpers wear respirators as they sprayed toxic chemicals and now they're getting sick and don't have health insurance. They are losing land, much of it because of BP dredging. The waves are washing away more of the soil. But the people pay the ultimate price and have no way to stop the oil and gas industry, they have no voice. It's a unique environment, delta on the largest river on the continent. Cherri walked to DC to raise awareness. When she got there she realized there was no point person to talk to about the sick people.
210 million gallons released into the gulf. The boom captured 8%; the rest is on the floor of the gulf. As soon as the announcement was made the spill was 75% dissipated, the media turned its back and started reporting on the nonsense of the day (my words here).
There are 10,000-11,000 sick residents including cleanup people. All legislation that would help died on the floor.
When it first happened, Cherri went out with the media and saw what we saw on the news. She went out on another boat with a fisherman and his five year old son. There was already oil in the marsh. Oil surrounded them. A pelican was covered with oil. They tried to save it but it was too late. They cried.
The government has decreed only NOAA can test dead animals. Gulf Restoration Network is helping.
If water is healthy, the people are healthy. Louisiana water is ill and the people are ill.
I picked up the Orion magazine March/April 2011 and read The Age of Ooops by Derrick Jensen. Here are some of his comments.
A not very-funny riddle should make my point. Q: What do you get when you cross two nation states, a large corporation, forty tons of poison, and at least eight thousand dead human beings? A: Retirement with full pay and benefits (Warren Anderson, CEO of Union Carbide. I'm not the only person who has noticed that those who are destroying the planet almost never pay any real costs themselves. What happened to Tony Hayward, CEO of British Petroleum, who among others should be held accountable for the massive Deepwater Horizon oil spill? He was released from his position with a $1.6 million severance payment, as well as an annual pension of about $1 million (he also holds several million shares of BP stock).
Regarding Risk Assessment: ...the profits from the projects being assessed generally go to the company's leaders and shareholders while the risks are foisted off on those humans and nonhumans who suffer when things go wrong (or often even when they go right).
It's a ridiculous system that leads unavoidably to atrocity. It's like a gambling house where the heads of corporations make money if the dice roll right, and if the dice roll wrong, you die. No wonder they keep rolling the dice. No wonder we keep dying.
If you are a public servant entrusted to review environmental impact statements for the US Environmental Protection Agency, and you truly believe that deepwater drilling doesn't pose serious risk to oceans, ocean life, or coastal communities, you should be willing to share some of the risk with all the other creatures who will be harmed when that drilling technology does what we all (probably even you) knew all along it could do - fail. And how's this for a novel idea: if you don't truly believe it, you shouldn't sign off on it. To read the article, click here. http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/6173/
Let the River Teach Our Children - this is their 22nd year on the Haw River in North Carolina. Their event held is in September and October and they start to prepare in November. They bring 4th graders to the river to explore water quality, wildlife and history through science and art. They get comments from the kids and compile the evaluations. They have the kids observe the river. What does it smell like, look like, sound like? Take one minute to stand there with eyes closed and afterwards ask what they experienced. It quiets them down. Let them collect critters. Have a poster of pictures of all the critters they collect. Do pH tests.
They have a storm water model, which shows what happens with treatment plants, farms animal waste, golf course, clear cutting, houses, etc., what that does to the water. They call it 'Cluelessville' and the teacher sprinkles dark chocolate for dirt, cars dripping oil, pellets for animal waste, etc. Then four of us 'kids' got to take squirt bottles and rain on the place and see what happens to all that dirt and crap, where it winds up, right in the water of course. She can drain the filthy water and teach them to leave plants and grass and trees by the water so they act as filters. They use sponges to create wetlands, put fake trees, felt by the culverts for erosion control, tell people to scoop the poop. Golf course people can listen to the weather report before they fertilize, farm builds a pond. DOT planted grass. Four other 'kids' get to squirt and there is less water and it stops lots of dirt from running into the stream and lake, so they change the name to "Smartville".
**~**:._.:**~**:._.:**~**:._.:**~**:._.:**~**:._.:**~**
Tribal Department of Transportation (Marilyn Staggs) - Thursday, the Transportation Department attended the Mat-Su Agency Partnership meeting and sat on a Panel of Transportation providers for the Valley area.
· The Wasilla and Palmer Senior Centers noted that they are increasing their transportation services as the economy declines and the senior population grows.
· The Sunshine Center in Talkeetna has also increased their transportation services and the requests for additional services, even into Wasilla and Willow, has grown immensely.
· The Mat-Su Transit services have also grown. However, they are discontinuing the route to and from Anchorage as of July 5, and will be only going to the Trunk Road Park 'n Ride to meet with Valley Movers to get people to Anchorage and back.
· We are trying to coordinate schedules with Mat-Su Transit to ensure our people can reach their destinations easily.
The State of Alaska is one of a very few states that does not, at present, support Transit services for anyone, with the single exception of the Ferry System. Several legislative bills are currently up for review by the governor that include money for Transit throughout the state, and your voice in Juneau should be heard.
The Annual Gathering will be June 18, 2011 at Raven Hall at the Fairgrounds in Palmer. Our Transit bus is offering free rides to and from the event. The schedule is on our website at http://www.chickaloon.org.
Be safe wherever you travel and be sure to pull off the road to us your cell phones or do texting!
**~**:._.:**~**:._.:**~**:._.:**~**:._.:**~**:._.:**~**
Accounting (Ingrid Ling) - We would like to offer a warm welcome to our new Ya Ne Dah Ah school teacher, Donita Dodge. Donita will spend a couple days with us at Fish Camp this summer and then will return fulltime in the fall. Welcome aboard, Donita!
**~**:._.:**~**:._.:**~**:._.:**~**:._.:**~**:._.:**~**:._.:**~**:._.:**~**:._.:**~**:._.:**
