Connecting East TN

This is just a spur of the moment idea, so not fully thought out or developed, but …

Keeping up with issues in 34 counties is definitely a challenge, especially since lots of things never make the radar of the local newspaper or television stations.  I’d like to find out what folks think about setting up a network of one volunteer per county to help keep me and others informed about activities, events, issues, concerns, etc., and, when there is a need for one, setting up meetings (securing a meeting place, getting notices out, etc.).

If you think it’s a good idea, what would you add to it?

If you think it’s a bad idea, why or how would you change it to make it into a better idea?

Let me know what you think about it, good or bad!

If …

If you knew a way to implement a state-wide wellness initiative that would help American Indians living in Tennessee begin a process of healing historical and intergenerational trauma, would you do it?

If you knew that this initiative would not bring instant recognition, wouldn’t immediately resolve other issues like housing, lack of health care access or insurance, or higher academic attainment, but could significantly impact mental well-being, overall physical health and ability to cope, offer networking possibilities to increase reach, application/identification on a grander scale, funding development potential, and strengthen both individuals and communities, would you support implementing it?

If you knew the ultimate outcomes of the initiative could be improving your ability to communicate, educating others outside your community about your issues and culture, advocating more effectively for your community, and strengthening your family, community and organizations, would you take part in it?

If you can answer yes to at least two of these questions, will you call or e-mail me?

Wanishi,
Valerie

Let’s Sit Down Together …

Below are excerpts from posts that have been made to various lists the last few weeks.  The excerpts are in italics. My responses are in normal text.

Excerpt #1:  I am having a real problem with all the unrest that is going on within the NDN community within the state of Tennessee. With all this unrest the state will not allow the commision to continue and there will be no known NDN tribes or tribal land in Tennessee. There are too many people setting themselves up to be the all knowing as to who’s heart is good and who’s is not. Others want to say who is NDN or not. There are also those that don’t want to hear the elders wisdom.

I have a problem with the unrest, too. It, along with the perception that people are being judgemental, are symptoms. So let’s go backwards, find the real illness, and set about curing it. I have a couple ideas on how to do that. I’d like to talk with you (read whoever is willing to meet with me) to discuss them and to hear what ideas you (read whoever is willing to join in a dialogue) have.

Let’s sit down together and see what we can figure out.

Excerpt #2: In anger the will power is charged with evil and the people with the anger becomes a danger to themselves and to others. Anger and self serving is what I mostly see on this board.

Anger and selfishness go hand in hand with illness. They are yet more symptoms. We need to find and treat the real problem.   Let’s sit down together and see what we can figure out.

Excerpt #3: I have spoken many time about we as the first people come together at one fire for strength and unity.

We are a people of many fires and there is beauty in that. But I believe we can come together at a central fire made up of all our many fires and learn to work together peacefully for the good of all. 

Sit down with me and let’s try to figure it out.

Excerpt #4: At the present conditions of things I do not see it happening in my life time or my childrens, childrens life time time.

I want to change your vision and ensure the vision of your children’s children. Sit down with me and let me try. Help me change it.

Excerpt #5: What should be discussed is what the Commission has done, or has not done, for Native Americans in Tennessee. This is a debate that needs to be made - without either side resorting to personal attacks. As they say, just the facts, ma’m.

What the commission has or has not done is moot. Debating it would not change it. It’s already happened or not happened. 

The questions before us are, “What can the commission do and what will the commission not be able to do for Native Americans in Tennessee? What do we need to do to address those things the commission will not be able to do for us?”

Let’s sit down together and try to figure it out.

Excerpt #6: Four years ago, I went to the New Commission’s first meeting, full of hope and expectations. Many of those hopes have been crushed.

I keep chickens. I don’t know a lot about chickens. I just like fresh farm eggs better than the bland store bought kind. But when I first got them, every time I went to the coop, I hoped and expected to find fresh eggs. Afterall, that’s what chickens do, right?

But they didn’t. In fact, they didn’t lay any eggs at all for the longest time. It didn’t make any sense, either. I had a beautiful young rooster. I had young hens and mature hens. I had one hen I knew had laid eggs when she was free range. I had the right food, a good clean coop. I gave them lots of attention, kept them safe and free from parasites.

And still they didn’t lay any eggs.  I could have given up at that point. My hopes and expectations for those fresh farm eggs were pretty much gone. I could have cut my losses and butchered the chickens because they didn’t do what I expected them to do.

Then, when my husband was home last year on medical leave, he decided to do some more work in the coop. He hung a light in there so he could see what he was doing. One night, he left the light on all night. Next morning, we had the first few eggs. Eventually, they leveled out to the point where we didn’t have to keep the light on to get eggs, and they laid eggs for quite some time before they stopped again.

This time, instead of deciding they were no good. We did some research and found out that environment impacts their laying seasons, too.  We were patient, adjusted their feed, found ways to adjust for the enviornment and, again, the eggs came.

Right now, my chickens are - once again - not laying. This time it isn’t just the environment. Their caretaker is also impacting them. We decided our grandson needed to learn some responsibility. One of his chores is to care for our “outside” animals (chickens, ducks & geese). Being 12 and somewhat over-indulged, he does his chores begrudgingly and “pampering” (petting, talking to, and appreciating) the chickens is not in his vocabulary. The chickens were used to things happening in a certain way and the change in routine set them off.

The point is there was a lot more to raising chickens than I understood, there are lots of things - timing, environment, caretaker - that impact what I expect my chickens to do, and that some of those things are within my control and some are not.  But the reward - those farm fresh eggs - when everything works is worth the time, effort and wait.

Excerpt #7: Those on the “other side” respond the same way. They feel we have taken too long on issues (such as recognition) that have not allowed the proper attention to the needs of the Native Americans residing in Tennessee.

We need to get past this manifestation of “sides.” We are not sides. We are simply parts of a whole that have difficulty understanding how we can come together to make the whole.

Let’s sit down together and see if we can figure it out.

Excerpt #8: If the Commission is concerned about all Indians, then they should reach out to all Indians. The new Confederation should be the first group the individual Commissioners should reach out to. I wonder if they will?

This is your hope and expectation based on your fire.  We are a people of many fires and there is beauty in that. We are a people of many fires and the commission must hear the voices of all the fires at all times. The commission should reach out to all people from all groups equally and simultaneously, never one any more than any other, never one before, in lieu of or exclusive of any other.

If you hope and expect the commission to tend only to your fire at the expense of all other fires, then you will crush yourself once again. Don’t do that because the commission cannot do that.

Let’s sit down together, hear one another and work this out.

Excerpt #9: Everywhere I turn I find anger and down right hatred in our community. I certainly don’t believe I can have any effect on how folks feel or believe.

Of course you can and do have an effect. We all do. We can choose to be destroyers or we can choose to be builders. What we each individually choose to be will be demonstrated by our subsequent actions. You will make a choice as you read this - a choice to ignore what this says and continue on your own or a choice to do something else …

 … sit down together, hear one another and work this out.

Excerpt #10: But I’m going to bed tonight praying (as a devote Christian) for Peace on Earth, Goodwill towards All Men. I know it may not come - I’m too old to believe we can all sit around the campfire and sing Kumbaya. But at least tonight I can have the hope that the reason for this season we celebrate might one day bring us all together.

I don’t think any of us can ever be too old to not hope, pray for, believe that we can one day sit down together. I believe - know - we can and we can do it soon. Let me show you.

Let’s sit down together and talk … January 5, 2007 beginning at 1:00 p.m. Mountain View UMC Family Life Center at 3200 Maryville Pike, Knoxville TN 37920. I’ll be there.

Taking Stock

We need to be preparing ourselves for the future regardless of the outcome of the upcoming public hearing and joint committee decisions. We know we face at least some opposition in bringing enhancement programs to Tennessee (Sen. Bunch’s erroneous comment at the July 31 meeting that “enhancement programs would probably be unconstitutional”).

We know the lack of support for our side of arguments was due largely to lack of understanding and education about Indians on the part of the majority of those who voted against us. (They don’t really oppose us, they just lack enough knowledge about us to make a decision in our favor.) We’re going to have learn to take care of ourselves and educate outsiders.

We’ve already begun the process of determining where we stand on key indicators (TN American Indian Research Initiative’s quantitative study and its planned qualitative study). Those studies will show us where our community is hurting the most and the least.

We need to go beyond what we lack, though.  I have argued more than once that we need to become self-reliant, i.e., not wait for the things that recognition brings but learn to stand on our own feet as an empowered community regardless of government labels. In order to do that, we need to find out what assets we have in our own larger community. The majority of those assets are human resources.

I’ve created two surveys that will help us begin to count our stock of human assets.  The surveys measure community development resources and cultural resources respectively, and offer an opportunity to volunteer time to others. The community development survey also offers an opportunity to show areas where people would like to improve certain skills.

Where are the surveys?

The surveys are available in two forms: online or pdf formatted files that can be printed out and completed offline. 

Online forms are available at tnaim.org under “Hosted Surveys.” You do not need to be a registered site member to access active surveys.

Printable versions are available here on my blog: 

• community-development-volunteer-form.pdf
• cultural-resource-form.pdf

Who should use them and how?

• Individuals who care about the community, what happens within it, and how it’s represented to the mainstream society (use online or download-able forms; download-able forms must be mailed in)
• Leaders and members of Tennessee-based American Indian-related organizations (use download-able forms, print out and distribute at your meetings, collect, and mail in together or distribute and ask your members to complete and mail in individually)
• Event planners/organizers (use download-able forms, print out and make available at your event along with a container where people can deposit their completed forms, mail in together)