A Slur for Sacred Ground

Yosemite National ParkPhoto credit:  National Park Service

It's summer, which means it's hiking and campaign season. It's also national parks season.

Did you know that one of the nation's most beloved is named with a slur? It is, of course, manifestly stolen ground. That goes almost without saying. But few know how it came to be: to be stolen; to be claimed as community property in the name of the U.S. Government to be given a "new" name, with a complete absence of irony, that was nothing more than old epithet given new voice. 

My friend rb137 has been to this place, up close and personal. She knows it well. And she knows its history equally well. She's written about it here, and I'd like you to go and take a look.

There'll be a lot in her piece that you didn't know. There's a lot I didn't know. But I know now, and as I read her piece, I felt yet another little crack erupt across my heart, a new abrasion form in my soul. Because while she confines her words to what is well-established, she summons the spirit of what lies beneath. 

I know what lies beneath; our peoples have lived it — and died for it — for half a millennium now.

So go. Read. And then carry the story with you, when you visit, when you talk with others about this bit of national "hallowed ground." Because it's "hallowed" in ways that almost no one remembers, and that no one should ever be allowed to forget.

Turquoise Tuesdays!

Photo copyright Wings, 2014; all rights reserved.

Today at The NDN Silver Blog we're launching a new weekly series: "Turquoise Tuesdays." It'll cover the Skystone in all its forms and facets, covering everything from types of turquoise to color variation to uses in traditional Native jewelry and more.

Today's post is an introduction and overview: a little geology, a little gemology, a little inspired and inspirited art and history.

Go check it out, and watch for future Tuesday editions that go into greater detail about this magnificent gemstone. And, of course, social-media shares from the link (and of Wings's Web site generally) are very welcome.

Thanks.

Sun and Shadows

Photo copyright Wings, 2014; all rights reserved.

I know, I know. I've written a lot about interstices lately, and it's mostly difficult stuff. [Some of it, while seeming not to be directly on point, in fact is, and is difficult in the extreme.]

But this is different.

This is a meditation on imagery, via one of Wings's photo entries in his recent show. It's much more pleasant, even if not exactly easy; it does require some thought.

And it's up now at The NDN Silver Blog.

Go take a look, and use the social-media buttons at the link to share if you're so inclined.  Thanks.

Shells

Photo copyright Wings, 2014; all rights reserved.

For those who missed it this morning (which would be most folks not on Facebook and Twitter, probably), here's today's entry at The NDN Silver Blog: "Conchas (Shells)."

As always, it's in no way limited to the piece shown. I Include some history, some language notes, a bit about the role colonialism plays in the use of the word, and, of course, information about its central role in Southwest Native art (specifically, silversmithing of Native jewelry). I think the one thing I did forget was a pronunciation guide: It's KŌN'chah, not kahn-chah (or, worse yet, kahn-choh).

At any rate, if you're interested in Wings's art, particularly with some historical context, check it out. And, also as always, social-media shares from the link itself are welcome [particularly now; lots of expenses looming, and sales are slow all over the area.] Thanks.

So, time to get down to the business of Summer . . . .

Photo copyright Wings, 2014; all rights reserved.

This guy certainly has. He's watching from a safe (i.e., not too far to swoop in if needed) distance while the little ones stretch their wings.

For me, I think that means playing in the dirt today, otherwise known as "gardening." I have a lot to get done out there, and after last night's rain, the soil should be just about perfect.

Besides, it'll be good for my head, both figuratively and literally. Figuratively in the sense that I haven't been able to spend nearly time so far this season with my hands in the earth, and my mood needs that connection with the soil right now. Literally in the sense that three times this week — every other weekday, in other words — I've awakened with a vicious migraine, and maybe this will help.

Drums, Buffalo, Independence: NDN Fourth

Photo copyright Aji, 2014; all rights reserved.

For those not on Facebook and Twitter who haven't seen it yet, this is today's featured item over at The NDN Silver Blog.

The particular drum plays a relatively short song in the larger post. Most of it is devoted to a new view of today, and what "independence" sometimes means for us. The white buffalo and the drum itself both are central to that meaning.

More here. Shares, tweets, etc. always welcome. Meanwhile, pray for rain; no fireworks mean the animals will thank you.




All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

"A Different Kind of 'Throwback Thursday'"

Photo copyright Wings, 2014; all rights reserved.

A lot to do, so for today, it's just a quick referral to my latest post up at The NDN Silver Blog.  

Around here, you can't find a throwback that goes back much farther than this. More at the lined piece, including one to more information about the place and its history and present.

Expect a lot more of these referral posts. We have a lot to do on a daily basis, and it's pretty clear that my time is better invested in Wings's work than it is in "think pieces," so that's where I'll be focused for a while.