Talking Leaves - Valley of the Sun Cherokees

Talking Leaves
Volume 1, Issue 5 : November, 2011
Inside:
Stone Crafts, p. 2
Election Results, p, 3
Kid's Corner, p. 3
Cherokee Thanksgiving
Language, p. 3
Classifieds, p. 4
Notes, p. 5
Finance and Membership
Reports, p. 5
Horizons, p. 5
Cherokee Spirit in the Valley
Osiyo Tsu na li i!
Another month has passed and we were able to have a great Gathering in October! Dr.
Molina's presentation was very informative. We hope to put some information together
so that if you missed the Gathering you will still be able to review the info.
The Election for Principal Chief is finally behind us. We have a new Principal Chief
and our congratulations go out to Principal Chief Bill John Baker. Our thoughts and
prayers are with him as he takes on this new endeavor. We hold much hope that his
leadership will reunite our people.
Our November Gathering will be eventful. This is our COTTA Annual Meeting and
we will have dignitaries attending from Tahlequah. There will be activities for the
young people and a presentation on our journey building Valley of the Sun Cherokees.
Please plan on attending.
Please remember that YOU are the reason that Valley of the Sun Cherokees exists. We
want this organization to reflect your thoughts, needs, and ideas. We appreciate each
and every one of you.
Wado!
Harvey Yocum
Interim Council Member
Valley of the Sun Cherokees
harveyyocum@valleyofthesuncherokees.com
November Meeting Information
At this month's gathering will be hosting delegates from Valley of Sun
Cherokees' parent organization, COTTA, for an annual membership
meeting presentation. Council member Harvey Yocum will also give a
short presentation on the growth and activities.
Date & Time: November 12th, 11:00 am­ 2:00 pm. Location: Scottsdale
Worship Center, 6508 East Cactus Road, Scottsdale, AZ
Contact Information:
Valley of the Sun Cherokees
PO Box 60575, Phoenix, AZ 85082
info@valleyofthesuncherokee.com
VSC Newsletter
Clifton Barnhart ­ Editor
talkingleaves@valleyofthesuncherokees.com
Cherokee Crafts and Weapons
As part of a series on Cherokee hunting and defense weapons we are going to
look at some of the information shared with Valley of the Sun Cherokee
members while on a tour of the Ancient Village at the Cherokee Heritage
Center, just outside Tahlequah, OK.
One of the things that differentiates the Cherokee from other tribes is the use
of pressure flaking (a form of flint knapping) to make arrowheads for use on
blow gun darts, arrows, and spears. Unlike obsidian arrowheads which are
The beginnings of an arrowhead made by striking stones against glass like obsidian, Cherokees usually made
arrowheads out of stone that could be flaked into shards then shaped. First a
flat piece of shale like stone is wrapped in a buckskin then the stone is pressed
on with another stone. The buckskin controls the fracturing of the stone. Once
a few shards with sharp edges are flaked of they are taken out, re­wrapped, and
then trimmed into arrowheads.
Small shards are used to make the fine stone tips that pass through blow guns.
Arrowheads as large as a silver dollars are used for arrows and shards as large
as your hand are fastened atop spears. The arrowheads are affixed using twine
woven from plant fibers or with animal sinews. Depending on whether the
arrowhead is intended to be break off inside the target or be removed with the
arrow shaft, a notch is flaked at the base of the arrowhead causing it to break
off when force is applied.
Pressure flaking was a skill shared by both men and women. Women helped to
make arrowheads but they were also excellent at pressure flaking stone knifes
for harvesting and cooking. The blade of the knifes could be straight, serrated,
or even dull depending on whether the tool is needed for slicing, sawing or
crushing food stuffs and leather works.
Pressure flaking is a unique part of Cherokee culture and a skill that the Nation
is trying to keep alive among its people. If you possess this skill, or are
interested in learning it, talk to a council member about creating a flint
knapping activity for an upcoming gathering.
After a useable piece of stone has been broken off,
craftsmen shape the fine edges of the arrowhead
Election Results
The Cherokee Nation Election Commission certified the results of the special
election for Principal Chief held on September 24th, 2011. The certified count
showed Chadwick “Corntassel” Smith having received 9,128 votes (46.03%),
to Bill John Baker’s 10,703 votes received (53.97%). Of the nearly 12,000
absentee ballots requested, more than 9,000 were returned with 5,082 going for
Smith and 4,480 going for Baker.
Congratulations to Principal Chief Bill John Baker! We wish him success in
his future leadership of the Cherokee Nation.
Kid's Corner
November is the time for thanks and discovery. Bring your kids to the
November Gathering on November 12th at 11:00 and they’ll learn about the
importance of corn and beans to our Cherokee Ancestors. They’ll sample
Bean Bread from an old Cherokee Recipe and see the difference between bean
and corn plants. They’ll take home their own recipe and plants so they can
watch them grow.
December Gathering will give the kids an opportunity to show their love and
appreciation for those that care for them by making a Christmas Gift. Be sure
to mark your calendar on December 10th from 11:00 to 2:00.
There will be a “White Elephant Gift Exchange” for all who would like to
participate. Gift maximum cost of $10.
Cherokee Language at Thanksgiving
When the Cherokee sat down to Thanksgiving Dinner, they were most likely to see
much or all of the following on the table:
Venison: ­ Awi hawiya
Winter Green Onions: ­ Gola ehi svgi
Leeks: ­ Svgi
Crawdads: ­ Tsisdvna
Sauteed Wisi (a type of mushroom): ­ Goi gvtsatlanv
Boiled Crawdads: ­ Dilitlianv tsisdvna
Cornmeal and Crawdad Mush: ­ anisda
Baked Rabbit: ­ Disvnatanv tsisdu
Squirrel Gravy: ­ Saloli ugami gotlvtanv assusti
Biscuits and Whole Wheat Bread: ­ Gadu disvnatanvi ale owodige gadu
Green Bean Casserole: ­ Tuya anitse dilisyidi
Mushroom Soup and Fried Onions: ­ Dawoli ugami ale gvtsatlanv svgi
Variety of Rices: ­ Dilikwa ilusgi iyudalegi
Raw Vegetable Dish: ­ Iyudalegi itse tlogesi udenv
Pear Halves, Pumpkin and Pecan Canoe: ­ Digadvdi iya sohi aninvhida
Information provided by the Cherokee Nation Cultural Resource Center
cultural@cherokee.org
Classifieds
Your
Name
Here!
To promote support of
Native enterprises and
business people the
VSC Newsletter is
publishing business
cards of members and
affiliates in both the
print and electronic
versions. Placement of
business card ads is $5
per issue. If you would
like to have your card
published please contact
the editor
talkingleaves@valleyoft
hesuncherokees.com
VSC is currently raising funds for the organization
through the sale of branded T­shirts. The shirt front
design is titled "One Family" by Marie Buchfink.
The VSC logo is on the back. The T­shirts may be
purchased for $25. They are made of 100%
preshrunk heavyweight cotton and come in sizes
M, L, XL, and 2XL.
Financial Report as of
October 4th, 2011
Balance in bank:
$1,004.26
Membership Report as
of October 4th, 2011
Number of Members:
99
Turning the Page
You may have noticed that this newsletter’s masthead has changed recently.
The new name, Talking Leaves, is a tribute to the father of the Cherokee
language syllabary, Sequoia. Stories of how Sequoia came into contact with
written language vary. Some say that it was the result of missionaries bringing
the Bible and other books into Cherokee country. Other sources claim he found
pages with “bird tracks” on them after a battle with white soldiers. However it
happened, paper with printed was a light in Sequoya’s imagination that spurred
his creativity. The metaphor he used to explain this new technology to himself
and his people was that of leaves which can talk.
After years of effort and failure Sequoia presented a system of writing
Cherokee language that was formally adopted by the tribal government. More
importantly, the syllabary gave the Cherokee an easy to learn, easy to use, way
of, “carrying messages to his brother far away, (so) his brother knows what’s in
his heart.” Immortalized in a beautiful ballad by Johnny Cash titled Talking
Leaves, Sequoia’s gifted his people with the ability to pass on information and
history amongst themselves. In the words of Johnny Cash, “they see these
marks and they understand, the truth in the heart of the far off man.”
It is in the spirit of Sequoia’s talking leaves the Valley of the Sun Cherokee
publishes and distributes this newsletter. Talking Leaves seeks to share and
preserve knowledge unique to our heritage and inform members of events and
activities that keep our community alive, growing and connected. Made up of
contributions from volunteer members of the VSC, the newsletter is a work in
progress published on free software using equipment provided at no cost to the
organization by members. If you would like to contribute an original article that
fits with the Nation’s themes of Community, Jobs, Language, or, have event
information that you would like published, please send your item to
talkingleaves@valleyofthesuncherokees.com
Wado!
Clifton Barnhart
Editor
Talking Leaves
Horizons
VSC Monthly Gatherings: Save the Date:
Saturday, Nov 12th
Saturday, Dec 10th
Time:
11:00­2:00
11:00­2:00
Location:
Scottsdale Worship Center, 6508 E. Cactus Rd.
TBD
At the November gathering Valley of the Sun Cherokees will be hosting a delegation from the Cherokee Nation's
Communitty Organization Training and Technical Assictance (COTTA) office. As an annual membership meeting the
delegates and members will talk about how the Nation can assist and keep in contact with "at­large citizens" and how we
can help support the Cherokee still living in tribal counties. We will also have raffles and a potluck!
At December's Gathering Barbara Sutteer will be sharing her knowledge and experience gained through her work with
Native veterans.