2017 getting ready for the summer season "Nuga"

 

 

 

I am always looking for new projects for my community and/or for my students here at St Augustine's Indian Mission.  I am excited about this summer, for me it really picks up and I get to meet so many people from so many places, it is a lot of fun.  We work on the Powwow grounds both here in Winnebago and at Macy.  This year I am speaking at the Dhegiha Language Preservation Conference in Quapaw Oklahoma, on teaching the Umoⁿhoⁿ language.  I am not a certified teacher nor am I a college graduate. I was just given the opportunity to teach Omaha to grades K thru 8 and I am blessed to do so.  My first group of kids are in K, 1st and 2nd, they are a blast and are like sponges soaking up the language.  They can count to twenty, know all the primary colors and have a handle on about thirty or so animals and several action verbs. This group here is my second group of Omaha students in grades 3rd, 4th & 5th I try to teach more culture as well as what the first group learned.  Who we are, where we come from our history and core values.  They are a lot of fun as well.  I have been trying to get more creative in my teaching approach I talk about animals like Kukusi zhinge thabthin so they think Pig little  three and who ever guesses firsts gets a small gift or something like goldfish snack to eat. I am working with dice right now trying to get them to know the numbers automatically instead by sequence like wi one, numba two, thabthin three etc.

 

My third group is from the 6th,7th & 8th grades, here are just a couple of them showing off their mushroom gathering skills.  We have an Outdoor Classroom and a small wooded area that we walked though and in twenty minutes they came up with quite a few of them.  I told them first we have to stand in the timber maybe say a prayer acknowledge the earth and all the living things around them.  Then I told them to walk slowly and look for the mushrooms, find one and there could always be another.  I told them the deer like them too so lets not take all of them leave the small ones and let them grow.  I try my best to teach this group the importance of their language that we only have about ten fluent speakers left.  I greet them in Omaha asking them how are they doing and they answer back in Omaha and ask me how am I doing.  They are the hardest to keep engaged I am always looking for new ways to reach out to them. We work on Tipi's and other art projects that are culturally significant.  We grew, harvested and braided Sweetgrass.

 

 

 

 

 

 Mushrooms picked right out back next to our Outdoor Classroom.

 

 

Navajo's come to Winnebago.

We had visitors from Window Rock Arizona.  All high school senior's, most had never been to Nebraska. All in all it was a good time, they seemed to have enjoyed their two day visit to St. Augustine Indian Mission.

2016 a new year, new projects.

Omaha-Ponca. I am a descendant of Umoⁿha Iron Eye-Iⁿshta’Moⁿse,  Poⁿka Whip-We’ga Sapi, Northern Poⁿka Smoke Maker-Shu’degaxe all were Chiefs among their people.

 

 

2016 a new year full of hope and opportunities.  I haven't posted for quite a while, no excuses just keep putting it off.  Well here are some things to think about and look at, if you have the time. 

www.staugustinemission.org look for Youth Center in Walthill, Nebraska in 2017, we are currently raising monies for the building and monies for its daily operation once it is open. the building estimated costs is $2.8 Million, the projected three year operating cost $975,000.00.  We are so excited about this project.  It will be located on the east side of the old Swimming Pool.  That pool is being looked at and if the town remodels it, the Youth Center wants to maintain it as well. We see good things coming for our Omaha youth in the near future.

Walthill, Nebraska, Youth Center

 

 

 

Ok I was truly surprised when Nebraska Life put me in their Jan/Feb 2016 edition under Profiles of Patriotism.  I was able to share our work with the Omaha Tribes Veterans Cemetery.  247 Omaha tribal veterans are buried in the designated area in Macy Nebraska.  Most of them are combat veterans starting from WWI, WWII, Korean War and Vietnam and that doesn't include those buried among their families, I would estimate close to 500 veterans. so many veterans who answered the call to arms, speaks well of the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska. Eventually I would like to see a huge map of the entire cemetery and a listing of all the veterans on the other side showing their locations. This map could be put just as you come into the cemetery were the old sign used to be.  Honoring our Umoⁿhoⁿ Hethuska is a good thing, gone but not forgotten.

 



Omaha Veterans Cemetery, Macy Nebraska.

 

 

 

Indian Elders Holiday Food Baskets, this was our third year with this endeavor.  Every year we have been able to provide more baskets to our Indian elders 65 and older on the Omaha and Winnebago Indian reservations.  In 2016 we provided 30 baskets for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. Each basket had a spiral ham and a turkey, estimated value about 4150.00 each. We had plenty of volunteers, our concept is to match volunteers from outside the community with tribal volunteers and both deliver the basket to an elder.  We encouraged them to sit and just visit with the elder if possible, it seemed to work out pretty good.  We will do it again this year as well.

 



Indian Elders Holiday Food Baskets, St. Augustine Indian Mission, Winnebago, Nebraska 2016

 

 



Dwight Howe, Cultural Presenter

Dwight is of Omaha & Ponca Indian ancestry. His Ponca grandmother who raised him helped instill a real sense of who he was and pride in being a Native American. He attended Chilocco Indian School in Oklahoma and Haskell Junior College in Lawrence, Kansas. At the age of seventeen Dwight volunteered and served seven years active duty in the United States Marine Corps. He was Honorably Discharged in 1984 at the rank of Sergeant.

Living in Southern California for many years, Dwight worked with Southern California Indian Center's, Inc. in their Public Relations Department as an Outreach Specialist. Engaged in public speaking, large scale event coordinating and conducting cultural presentations at college & universities in So. California and for many state & civic organizations. Dwight worked with the Orange County Unified School District, giving classes in Cultural Awareness to 5th and 6th graders. He also reviewed the written teachers guide that was developed in conjunction with the programs pilot year, which taught over 2,500 students. While in California he was the founder and co-chairman of the 501c3 non-profit called the United Urban Indian Food Program, which was a food bank for urban Indians living in the greater Los Angeles area.

Dwight coordinated the giving of food baskets to over 100 Indian Elders 65 and older, from four tribes in North Central Oklahoma, website www.freewebs.com/iefp/.,  gives the details. He has also received training on archival research with the Smithsonian Institute American Indian Museum Studies Program and the National Museum of the American Indian and has served as a NAGPRA consultant. Dwight completed a three year project serving as Native American Cultural Advisor for Marland's Grand Home in Ponca City; http://www.marlandgrandhome.com/ working on their Native American Collection of over1,200 artifacts that represented over 40 different tribes.Dwight has served as a cultural advisor for two State Parks in Iowa & in Nebr.. Dwight was actively involved with the Nat’l Park Service, Lewis & Clark Corps II Discovery project as a cultural presenter in their Tent of Many Voices;  www.lewisandclarkgnet.org/index/.


Dwight Howe currently lives in the quite village of Rosalie, Nebraska on the Omaha Indian reservation. He is working for St Augustine Indian Mission in Winnebago, Nebraska as their Cultural Mentor, teaching the Omaha language/culture to grades K through 8th.

Current projects include;

Coaching theWalthill Boxing Club
http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/news/vmix_3b55e03b-edc2-54f7-854e-4ff3d969b427.html Boxing Gym was closed in 2013 because building was sold.  Current plans for 2017, is to build and create a Boys & Girls Club in Walthill, Ne.

Elected Board Member for DHEGIHA LANGUAGE PRESERVATION SOCIETY, a 501(c)3 that promotes the preservation of native languages and culture of the Dhegiha speaking tribes.  In the 1400's there were five tribes that lived together speaking the ancient language of Dhegiha, those tribes were The Osage, Omaha, Quapaw, Kaw and Ponca.

Selected Board Member, Omaha Tribal Senior Citizens, 501c3 Non-Profit Organization located on the Omaha Indian reservation. Last year in 2014 we gave away 25 large grocery baskets during the Thanksgiving Christmas holidays to Winnebago and Omaha elders 65 and older. Each basket had a turkey and a spiral ham it went over very well, the year before we gave away 12 baskets.  Next year we are shooting for 30 baskets.

Facilitating cultural awareness/sensitivity training at Boys & Girls Town of Omaha. We finished working on a sweatlodge on campus for the Indian students at Boys Town.


Email address: dhowe1@live.com

Presentation at Ponca Nebraska State Park

This was a lot of fun, they had some good questions and seemed to be really interested.  I hope that it leads to further dialog with the small town called Ponca Nebraska.  The reporter cracks me up by saying I have a hypnotic voice.  I wished that more of the students would have shown up.  They wrote such a good book about Standing Bear and his court case.  They are now in the 8th grade, they wrote it as a 2nd grade project. I really wanted to create an atmosphere of understanding mainly because their chosen mascot is the Indians.  If you are going to call yourself the Ponca Indians you should know about the people you are referring too. That is just my opinion.

Spring of 2012 is almost here the Indian New Year, wow time has flown by.  I see the signs of the changing of the season, box elder bugs, children riding their bikes, the robin is back, so are the eagles, although they have been here for over a month now.  March is the month of the little green tree frog and the thunder beings are making their way back to the plains.  I have so many things to be grateful for and so many things to remember.  My friends and relatives who have gone on their journey home and then there is little ones who have just arrived. I get mail from AARP now pretty regularly so I too am getting old.  Wakonda has been good to me and for that I am forever grateful and humbled by his grace and patience with me.  I have been living among my Omaha people on the reservation now for almost three years and I get to see my mother every now and then.  I asked her one day, Mom how are you doing? She said "oh life is just draining out of me son, but I'm OK."  She broke her left hip twice and her right hip as well all in a three year time frame.  I don't think she will ever fully recover from those injuries. She lives at Carl T Curtis Nursing Home in Macy Ne. She sundanced her last four years with me, that was nine years ago, I will always remember that as a very special memory. I am so grateful to still be able to say mother. My time here on the rez so far has been good and productive, I dont think I'm done yet either.  If you read on further down you will see some of what we have done for our people just these past few years.

Originally I wrote this blog for my two daughters, both are enrolled Ponca Indians, one is Northern Ponca the other from Oklahoma, my oldest is an urban Indian in So Cal.,with so many questions. She has blessed this world with two boys and a little girl.  My three beautiful grandchildren are enrolled in the Northern Ponca tribe as well. The other a teenager full of drama and life she has been raised among her Southern Ponca and already has so many memories of her Indian ways. I love all of them so much and I am so proud of each of them.  I have told both my daughters that being Indian is a way of life, not a degree of blood or a color of skin.  I told them; be good to people, be respectful to the elders, be helpful when you can, always be prayerful and acknowledge Father God in all that you do. I encouraged them to talk to God every day as if he were sitting right in front of them. I want them to pass those things on to their children. I don't know what is in store for me tomorrow, I just want to keep God in my life everyday that I am walking on this earth. I have tried my best to show them a good path to follow.  I only want good things for them, they are in my prayers every day and as I said I love them dearly.

St Augustine Indian Mission, teaching Omaha language, a new journey for me.

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I spent my first two months doing curriculum development, researching, gathering materials and resources. I  spent time monitoring classes at the Omaha nation language program in Macy, which was very helpful.   This is my first semester teaching the Omaha language to grades K through 8th.  This is the small classroom in the library for students in  the lower grades.  I move to a larger classroom for students 5th through 8th grade.  I focus on colors, numbers, days and months, animals and common greetings, history and culture. This is the first time that the Omaha language has been offered at St Augustine Indian Mission and my first time teaching it as well.  Although I have been an educator for many years now, this is quite different. I am so proud to be able to be a part of this very special project. I really enjoy working with my young Omaha relatives and it is a real challenge connecting with the older students, trying to peek their interest. I will be forever grateful to Father Dave of St Augustine's for his vision and offering me this unique, unprecedented opportunity.

This has to be one of the best jobs I have ever had.  These kids are so bright and have such good hearts, I feel blessed everyday just being around them.  They pick up on things fast and they see things in a special way.  You can just see their minds working things out and read the questions in their eyes. I like to tease and joke with them, t

The Creator has been in my life for many years now and has brought to many special places and seen me through some very tough times as well.  He has blessed me time and time again, I see this job here as one of those many blessing he has put upon me. I wake up every day and give thanks toWakonda some days I'm short and simply say "Thank you God for this day," other times it is a thought out prayer. Today is Saturday the robins chirping woke me up and it was still dark, I was so grateful to have a moment with my God all to myself.

Some of my Omaha relatives learning the Omaha language & culture.