Native American Day: Some Ideas to Celebrate

by Jamie Rhein on

The 4th Friday of September is Native American Day. This year September 28 is a day to honor the first Americans of the United States. Here are some suggestions for how to commemorate the occassion. Stay tuned for more. I keep getting ideas, but this will get you started.

Read Catherine’s post “Native Alaskan Languages Not Endangered” for an interesting read about how languages are being preserved where she lives. There is a similar traditions of preserve languages by Native Americans in the Southwest. Here is a Web site dedicated to preserving Native American languages and culture.

Attend the San Geronimo Day at Taos Pueblo in Taos, New Mexico. It’s on September 30, just a couple days after the official Native American Day, but Taos Pueblo is worth a visit anytime. There are festivals throughout the year at one of New Mexico’s 18 pueblos. Visitors are often welcome.

Visit the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona. There are three locations. The Heard Downtown has an on-going exhibit about Native Americans in the Southwest. The Heard North has an exhibit on textiles and Heard West has an exhibit on Native American art and culture in Arizona. October 12-14, there is a film festival with films about and by Native Americans. By the way, for two wonderful films in this genre, check out Pow Wow Highway and Smoke Signals. For Native American Day, you could watch those.

For an alternative outing, plan to visit a Pow Wow where Native Americans from across the U.S. gather for dancing, celebration and competitions. The link has an map with the various locations. The photo by rromin1 on stock.xchange is from a Choctaw Pow Wow.

Taj Mahal Did Reopen, but Watch Yourself in Agra

by Jamie Rhein on

A little less than a month ago, Justin blogged about that the Taj Mahal closing due to the threat of religious riots in Agra. At the time, it was unclear about how long the Taj Mahal would close. It opened a few days later, although it seems that Agra remains a city where you should watch your back. Not in a totally paranoid kind of way, but like you would in any large city where the tourist dollar is highly regarded and the general population is relies heavily on that money.

When I was looking for info to see if the Taj Mahal had indeed reopened like I heard it had from a tech guy in India who was helping me get my computer in shape, I found this article that was posted just today. Wow, timely. According to the news, two Japanese female tourists were drugged and raped last week in Agra, something, of course, folks in India are appalled by. The men have been arrested.

Like Justin, the only time I ever felt a bit on edge when traveling in India was when we went to the Taj Mahal. The slew of people trying to sell you stuff between the taxi park and the Taj Mahal entrance is a bit overwhelming. We just kept plowing on through them though. I didn’t feel like anyone was going to hurt me, but simple nos and moving on wasn’t as effective as I would have liked.

Once inside the Taj Mahal, the experience turned into pure delight. Its status as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World is totally deserving. If you go, hire a guide because you’ll find out things about the architecture and history you might miss otherwise. Also, spring for the photographer. We didn’t and I regret it. First of all, getting a photographer to snap photos of you isn’t expensive, but once I found out how cheap it was, we didn’t have time to get the pictures taken and developed by the time we left. One favorite shot is standing in just the right spot so it looks like you are touching the top of the Taj Mahal with your finger. This photo by premasagar on Flickr is another optical illusion option.

Journey to Alaska for the Mystery Writers Conference

by Neil Woodburn on

The cold, snowy lands of Alaska are the perfect place for a crime.

Perhaps that’s why Bouchercon, the annual mystery writers conference, is being held in Anchorage this year.

The event, which kicks off September 27, brings together more than 225 mystery writers as well as actual professionals routinely spotlighted in their work–such as Dr. Abby Chidambaram who will be lecturing on the use of DNA technology in crime solving. There will be symposiums, signings, work shops, children’s events, and even a local version of CSI Alaska.

I’m no big fan of the mystery genre, but what other arm of literature so actively encourages its writers and readers to interact in such a cool way? Agatha Christie would be so proud!

Native Alaskan Languages Not Endangered — Yet

by Catherine Bodry on

Last week Martha reported on the shocking number of dying languages around the world, with Australia topping the chart. What surprised me was how many were in the U.S. or near its borders — the Pacific Northwest, including British Columbia, has 54 on the endangered-languages list. I grew up in Seattle and Portland and never even knew any native languages were still spoken in the area. Oklahoma, Texas, and Mexico have got a total of 40 dying languages.

I’m happy to report that Alaska is not listed — near the top of the list, anyway. The majority of the students I teach here are Alaska Natives who are bilingual — some are even ESL, which is an anomaly among U.S.-born citizens — and it’s not uncommon to hear Yupik or Inupiaq spoken around campus. The relative isolation of villages has, thankfully, somewhat preserved what can arguably be called their main cultural identity. That doesn’t mean that their native tongues aren’t in any danger; both Yupik and Inupiaq are considered endangered by some, but with over thousands of speakers of both, the threat of extinction isn’t as immediate as many other languages.

Check out the very cool article from the Associated Press for a more detailed look at some of the most endangered languages. And thanks to Images of Life for the photo of Yupik Alaskans in the village of Chevak.

Okra Man, Okryland, Okra by the Bushel and The Okra Strut

by Jamie Rhein on

I love okra. Okra fried, okra in gumbo, and the way it was served when I was in The Gambia, cooked in a tomato-based sauce with fish or chicken, seasoned with cayenne pepper and ladled over rice. In Irmo, South Carolina, folks are so in love with okra they have a festival that pays it tribute. At The Okra Strut the huge inflatable Okra Man is a mascot of sorts. This is the festival where people of all ages see how much okra they can chow down in an okra eating contest in between carnival rides at the Okryland section. The Okra Strut Parade is the state’s largest festival parade.

This is no small carnival either. 50,000 people are expected to show up at this two -day event, September 28-29. Perhaps they are hoping to take a prize home from the Great Okra Giveaway, although the days are also filled with performing groups and appearances by beauty queens.

South Carolina is also the state with the World Grits Festival. There seems to be a fondness for food that either you love or you hate. If you are an okra lover, here are some recipes in case you want to branch out from the usual breaded in cornmeal and fried.