ASSINIBOINE INDIANS IN CANADA

ASSINIBOINE INDIANS ARE SPEAKERS OF A SIOUAN LANGUAGE OF THE PLAINS. SO DESPITE ITS SIMILARITY TO STONEY LANGUAGE THEY CAN'T UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER. ABOUT 200 PEOPLE IN MONTANA AND SASKATCHEWAN.

THEIR NAME IS RECEIVED FROM AN OJIBWA WORD FOR THEIR PRACTICE OF BOILING FOOD BY DROPPING HEATED ROCKS INTO WATER. PRIOR TO 1640 THEY SPLIT OFF FROM THE SIOUX. FROM A HOMELAND AROUND THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER THEY MOVED NORTH TO THE LAKE OF THE ROADS TO WINNEPEG. AT THE PEAK OF THEIR TERRITORY THEY RANGED AROUND SASKATCHEWAN IN CANADA.

THEY WERE FIRST CONTACTED BY SETTLERS CALLED HENRY KELSEY IN THE 1690'S WHO HUNTED THE BUFFALO. KELSEY MET ASSINIBOINE TRADING PARTIES FROM THE JAMES BAY PAST WEST ALONG THE CANOE ROUTE INTO PRESENT DAY SASKATCHEWAN. THEY INSURED THAT THE FUR PELTS WENT TO THE HUDSON BAY COMPANY IN TRADE FOR METAL UTENSILS, FIRE, ARMS, BEADS, CLOTH, TOBACCO, AND LIQUOR.

IN 1730'S OTHER TRADERS CONFIRMED THE LOCATION OF THE ASSINIBOINE THROUGHOUT THE WESTERN PRAIRIES. THEIR CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE WAS RECORDED BY THESE EARLY TRADERS. THEIR TRAILS BECAME MAJOR TRAIL ROUTES. THE ANGLOS VALUED THEM FURTHER AS THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO TRAP FUR BEARING ANIMALS. THEIR TRADITIONAL CAMPSITES BECAME CENTERS FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF TRADE GOODS AND TRADING POSTS ON THE NETWORK OF RIVERS FROM ROCKY MOUNTAINS TO THE HUDSON BAY.

BY THE LATE 17TH CENTURY THEY WERE NOTED FOR PEMMICAN PRODUCTION. THEY TRADED EUROPEAN GOODS TO DISTANT PLAINS GROUPS. AFTER 1730'S WHEN THEY GOT HORSES THE ASSINIBOINE ALSO HAD ASSESS TO GUNS, METAL TRADE GOODS AND ENHANCED THEIR ROLE IN THE FUR ECONOMY. THEY WERE ALLIED WITH THE CREE IN THE 1800'S.

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MY EXPERIENCE AS A FLORIST

I AM A SELF TAUGHT FLORIST AS I EXPERIMENTED WITH PUTTING WILD DRIED FLOWERS AND PODS TOGETHER IN AN ARRANGEMENT SINCE I WAS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. I LIVED IN OHIO AND COLLECTED VARIOUS MILKWEEDS, THISTLES AND DIFFERENT NATURAL BRANCHES AND MADE FLORAL DISPLAYS FOR MY FAMILY'S HOME. THEN EVEN BEFORE I WAS MARRIED I PLAYED AROUND WITH SILK FLOWER DISPLAYS. I LOVED THE CREATIVITY OF MAKING VARIOUS DISPLAYS. I USED THESE SELF TAUGHT TALENTS TO BE A FLORIST IN SEVERAL SMALL SHOPS AS I WAS A MOM. IT WAS SO CREATIVE AND FUN. I STILL MADE MY ON WEDDING BOUGUET WITH SILK FLOWERS AND MADE THEM INTO A NEAT BASKET DISPLAY. THIS TALENT WAS ALSO USED AS I CREATED ANOTHER BUSINESS WITH MY INDOOR FOUNTAINS. I DESIGNED THESE CONTAINER FOUNTAINS WITH ROCKS AND SMALL WATER PLANTS AND ROCKS ARRANGED SO IT APPEARED TO BE A REAL WATERFALL. I DESIGNED SMALL PUMPKINS WITH DRIED FLOWERS FOR SALE AT A FARMER'S MARKET.

AFRICAN DANCING

LAST NIGHT I ATTENDED AN AFRICAN DANCE THAT HAD FOUR DRUMMERS AND ABOUT 20 DANCERS. I WAS NOT THE ONLY NEW ONE THERE. WE DANCED BARE FOOT AN SLID AROUND FOR ABOUT 1 1/2 HOURS STRAIGHT. WE WERE SWEATING. WE WERE SWEATING. WE FOLLOWED THE TEACHER WHO HAD MORE BAREFOOT DANCERS THAN I'VE SEEN BEFORE. WE STOMPED AND DID RYTHMIC DANCING FOR 2 HOURS AND WE SWEATED DOWN. THEY ANNOUNCED THAT THESE DANCES ARE TRADITIONAL. THEY KEPT US GOING STRONG. SOME OF THEIR DANCES HAD US SPINNING IN CIRCLES. WE GOT QUITE A WORKOUT. SOME OF THEIR DANCES WERE TO TRAIN US TO BE WARRIORS AND BE STRONG. OTHERS WERE JUST FOR FUN. WE DANCED LIKE AFRICANS IN A CIRCLE H CELEBRATING THE FULL MOON.

SPAGHETTI FEAST IN SANTA ROSA

LAST WEEKEND I ATTENDED THE ITALIAN FESTIVAL AT THE VETERANS BUILDING. IT WAS THE 21ST FESTA ITALIANA. I DID NOT CARE FOR THE FOOD -AS IT WAS WHITE NOODLES, WHITE BREAD AND THE SALAD WAS SOGGY. HOWEVER THE MUSIC AND DANCING WAS GREAT. THE SAME ITALIAN BAND I HAD HEARD IN RAILROAD SQUARE WAS THERE AND THE LEADER BEGAN TO ASK T5HE AUDIENCE TO DANCE. WE FORMED A CIRCLE AS WE DANCED WITH A COUPLE OF STEPS IN ONE DIRECTION AND SKIPPED A LITTLE AND DANCED AROUND THE CIRCLE. IN ANOTHER ROOM THERE WAS AN ACCORDIAN PLAYER WITH ANOTHER BAND WHERE THEY HAD BEAUTIFULLY DRESSED WOMEN DANCERS FROM SACRAMENTO. AND TOGETHER WITH THIS BAND THEY HAD A GROUP OF ROMAN ARMOR WARRIORS WITH STEEL RIBBED SHIRTS! IT WAS PRETTY STRANGE LOOKING AS THEY HAD MANY SWORDS AND ARMOR FROM THE ROMAN DAYS. FOR THE KIDS THEY MIGHT HAVE A FACE PAINTING WITH CLOWNS.

THEY HAD AN EXHIBIT OF THE ITALIAN STONE MASONS WHO WORKED HARD TO CHISEL THE BASALT FROM ANNADEL STATE PARK INTO BLOCKS FOR PAVING STREETS SUCH AS RAILROAD SQUARE, THE LA ROSE HOTEL, PETALUMA MAIN STREETS, AND SAN FRANCISCO. THEY ALSO HAD SOME OLD CARS AND SOME MADE IN ITALY TO LOOK AT. THESE ACTIVITIES WERE ORGANIZED BY THE NORTH BAY ITALIAN CULTURAL FOUNDATION. THEY DONATE FUNDS TO THE SANTA ROSA JUNIOR COLLEGE.

SOME ITALIANS HAD BOOTHS FOR SELLING JEWELRY, PHOTOGRAGHY, LINENS AND VARIOUS TEE SHIRTS.

TSILKOTIN INDIAN IN CANADA

THE TSILKOTINS ARE THE ATHAPASCAN TRIBES FROM B.C. THEY LIVE IN THE VALLEY OF CHILOCOTIN RIVER. THEIR RELATIVES ARE CARRIERS WHO LIVE ADJACENT TO THE ATHAPASCANS WHO ARE IN CONTACT WITH THEM. THEY TRADED WITH THE BELLACOOLA. THEY ARE COMMUNICATED WITH THE KWAIKIUTLS. THEY DO NOT KNOW THE SHUSWAP MUCH. IN EARLIER TIMES THESE TRIBES WERE AT WAR. THE SHUSWAP COMPETED THE SALISH TO MAKE PEACE AND PERMIT INTERMARRIAGE.

THE CENTER OF THE TSILKOTN TERRITORY WAS IN ANAHEM LAKE. THEY RANGED AS FAR SOUTH AS CHILCO LAKE WHERE THEY FISHED FOR SALMON. THEY MOVED IN LARGE GROUPS TO CHILCO LAKE WHERE THEY FISHED FOR SALMON. THEY MOVED IN LARGE GROUPS TO CHILCOTIN RIVER. AS SOON AS SOON AS THE SEASON WAS PAST THEY RETURNED TO THEIR HOMES.

MY ARCHAEOLOGICAL STUDIES AT ANDERSON MARSH STATE PARK

WHILE I WORKED FOR THE STATE PARKS IN THE EARLY 80'S I SUPERVISED THE EXCAVATION OF A TEST OF SEVERAL CUBIC YARDS AT A PREHISTORIC SITE DATING TO THE PLEISTOCENE. WE HAD A VOLUNTEER CREW OF ABOUT 20 FOLKS WHO SWEATED DURING THE COURSE OF A WEEKEND.

THE ARTIFACTS TOOK MONTHS TO CATALOGUE AND ANALYZE. I BROUGHT THEM INTO OUR LAB WHILE SOME OF THE STAFF TOOK OVER COUNTING VARIOUS FLAKES. I WENT TO SSU TO LEARN HOW TO IDENTIFY AND DIFFERENTIATE THE TYPES OF OBSIDIANS WE HAD UNEARTHED. WE BROUGHT SOME SAMPLES OF OBSIDIAN TO SSU FOR OBSIDIAN HYDRATION IN ORDER TO DETERMINE THE AGE OF VARIOUS DEPOSITS.

MY REPORT TOOK OVER A MONTH TO ORGANIZE AND COMPLETE. I PRESENTED A PAPER ON THIS EXCAVATION TO OUR CALIFORNIA ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY AND DETERMINED THAT IT WAS A SITE USED FOR OVER 10,000 YEARS BY THE SOUTHEASTERN POMO PEOPLE. WE COLLECTED MANY FISH BONES, A WIDE VARIETY OF DEBITAGE, ONLY A FEW PROJECTILE POINTS, SEVERAL MANOS AND OTHER UNIDENTIFIABLE BASALT ROCKS. THE PARK WAS PLACING A VIEWING PLATFORM HERE FOR THE MARSH. THIS SITE HAD BEEN EXCAVATED MORE THOROUGHLY IN THE EARLY 70'S, SO I HAD A LOT OF COMPARATIVE DATA TO USE. THE SOUTHEASTERN POMO STILL USED THIS PARK FOR DANCING AND FOR EXHIBITS FOR THE PUBLIC. THE SITE IS LOCATED BY ONE OF THE LARGEST NATURAL LAKES IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.

SCHANTOGA INDIANS IN CANADA

THESE NATIVES ARE CALLED 'PEOPLE OF THE WOODS'. THEY ARE A DIVISION OF TEH ASINIBOIN WHICH DOBBS PLACED NORTHWEST OF LAKE WINNEPEG, CANADA. IN 1850'S THEY HAD ABOUT 58 LODGES IN SEVERAL BANDS. THEY TRAVELED OVER THE MOUNTAINS TO SASKATCHEWAN. IN 1741 THEY WERE PLACED NORTH WEST OF LAKE WINNEPEG. THEIR USUAL HABITAT WAS NOT FAR FROM SASKATCHEWAN RIVER. THEIR NEIGHBORS WERE THE ASSINIBOINE. THEY TRADED AT HUDSON BAY COMPANY POST ON THE ASSINIBOINE RIVER. IN 1862 THEY HAD A POPULATION OF 200 FOLKS. THEY BUILT 100 LODGES WITH 200 WARRIORS. THEIR TOTAL POPULATION WAS 880!. THEY NOW LIVE ON A RESERVE OF 70,000 ACRES. THEY ARE A VERY ENERGETIC TRIBE. THEY RAISED STOCK, SOLD TIMBER, FURS, AND BEADWORK WORKED AS RANCHMEN. IN 1873 A MISSION WAS BUILT THERE.

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