Catawba Chief Donald Rogers [AP Photo]

Catawba Nation Project

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

More on the Catawba Pottery Tradition

The tradition of Catawba Valley Pottery begins in the original home of the Catawba people in the southeastern part of what is now North Carolina. The tradition of this folk-art form began many hundreds of years ago with earthenware practices that have grown into the stoneware practices of today. Over time this practice became more varied in the types of pottery that were made until those who had made the stoneware for most of their life became Artisans.

The more traditional pots are not glazed and they come out of an open fire rather than in a kiln as in most other types of pottery. This tradition still continues however, around 1830 a man who would become an Artisan named Daniel Segal began to experiment with the clay from the river. He is thought to have been taught the art of Catawba pottery by his father. This is where the stoneware started and because he was a perfectionist he ended up making a glossy, greenish glazed type of pot from native Catawba valley clay and with it formed large blub shaped stoneware that raised the bar in many circles of pottery makers at the time.

Today these pots have as many uses as there are sizes shapes and colors to be found in this traditional art that can be purchased by the masses today. Anything from basic, small coil pots to elaborate and brightly colored vessels of great size are bought and sold even on internet sites like Ebay today. The sale of this functional art is traditional as well, Going back to the European colonial era the pottery of the Catawba people was purchased or traded for many things such as iron cooking counterparts from Europe. Early pieces of the earthenware style as well as the later styles can be seen in museums and cultural heritage sites of the Catawba people.

The art form suffered from a decline in the early 1940’s because of the inexpensive, mass made glassware of the time until it had a renaissance in the 1970’s when a resurgence of the old style was again sought after. It was also at this time that many native cultures were having a revival of traditions nearly forgotten including the pottery of the Catawba Nation. Along with the pottery the Catawba people were reviving their nearly dead language and trying to get recognized still by the federal government for recognition as a sovereign nation and to receive some measure of the federal funding that other recognized Native Nations receive. This struggle for recognition and preservation of Catawba traditions means that some piece of what it means to be Catawba is kept and passed on to future generations ensuring the survival of their culture and history for many years to come.

References

http://www.cvpottery.com/catawba_valley_history.htm

Blumber, Thomas J. Catawba Indian Pottery: The survival of a Folk Tradition. Tuscaloosa: The University of Alabama Press, 2004.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Dave Lyle Parkway Expansion

Catawba Chief Donald Rogers, is a strong advocate for the expansion of the Dave Lyle parkway because of how time consuming the access routes are to the Catawba Indian reservation. The Dave Lyle Boulevard would create prospects for businesses and the creation of jobs in the area. Chief Rogers points out that it not only creates opportunities for people, but the creation of this parkway allows for a new mindset. Historically, reservations were created to exclude Native people from the rest of the world. As of 2008, it would cost 168 million dollars for the expansion of the Dave Lyle parkway. Not only is it expensive for this kind of expansion to take place, but those advocating for the creation of the parkway are butting heads with Conservationists wanting to protect the land.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Catawba Pottery

       The tradition of Catawba Pottery is one that is believed to predate more commonly known pottery traditions among Natives in the South West. This ongoing tradition has kept up for several reasons. Perhaps the most obvious of these reasons is to preserve parts of their culture. Another of the reasons is that has provided a steady source of income throughout the years.        
       The tradition of pottery making among the Catawba Indians is very old and yet still has continued to this day in the same way that it most likely started. The original Catawba potters would dig their clay out of the river bank. The modern members of the Nation still do the same when they are making their pottery. Catawba Indians use a hand building technique to build their pottery rather than using the moder pottery wheel. This provides for one of
a kind pottery each and every time. The Catawba also do not ever paint or glaze their pottery. 
       One of the reasons that Catawba Pottery is so distinctive is the fact that after sun drying the pottery they fire it in an outdoor pit or open fireplace. Depending on where and how the wood is placed around the pottery, each piece will come with a variation of black, tan, orange or brown colors. Often they have a mottled effect with two of those colors. That is just another thing that makes each piece of the Catawba Pottery one of a kind. The Catawba have been selling their pottery for over a hundred years which has provided them with one of the only consistent stable sources of income in the Catawba Nation.

References:

Hilton Pond Center. "The Catawba Indians: People of the River." Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History. http://www.hiltonpond.org/CatawbaIndiansMain.html
Largo, Jim. "Catawba potter's traditional work in high demand." Indian Country Today, December 10, 2003. http://www.proquest.com/



Thursday, May 20, 2010

Catawba Cultural Preservation



       Like Most Native American tribes, the Catawba Indian Nation is on a mission to restore their culture. These restoration efforts involve pottery, song, dance, language, storytelling, beadwork, weaving, essentially everything that is Catawba. The Catawba Indian Cultural Center is behind most of these efforts and where they are taking place. They are offering classes in all of these different areas. The Cultural Center started offering these classes in the summer of 2005 for the youth and has continued to do so every summer since. The Tribal Elders are the ones who are teaching these classes, yet they are also learning themselves in many cases. 
       As of 1999 John George wass involved in many of these efforts and he has had his own journey to reclaim some of the Catawba Culture. George is the first traditional medicine advisor for the Catawba Indian Nation in 95 years. His journey started in 1995 when his interest in herbs and traditional Catawba medicine began. As of 1999, George was working side by side with the tribal doctors and offering patients the choice of care that they wanted: traditional or modern methods. George also uses talking circles, sweat lodges and the medicine wheel in his care. The Catawba Nation is making great efforts to restore their culture and seem to be succeeding.



References:

Location



Catawba Indian Nation
996 Avenue of the Nations
Rock Hill, South Carolina 29730

Catawba Flag

Catawba Nation Federal Recognition


 The Indians' New World: The Catawba Experience
References:

                Loftis, Lynn. “The Catawbas’ Final Battle: A Bittersweet Victory.” American Indian Law Review 19 (1994): 183-215. JSTOR. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20068763 (accessed April 22, 2010).

                 McCulloch, Anne Merline and David E. Wilkins. “”Constructing” Nations within States: The Quest for Federal Recognition.” American Indian Quarterly 19 (1995): 361-388. JSTOR. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1185596 (accessed April 22, 2010).

The Decline and Revival of Catawba Population


The Indians' New World: The Catawba Experience
References:

                Covington, James W. “Proposed Catawba Indian Removal.” The South Carolina Historical Magazine 55 (1954): 42-47. JSTOR. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27565946 (accessed May 15, 2010).



Census info:

Catawba People: Spiritual Past and Present


The Indians' New World: The Catawba Experience
References:

                Speck, Frank G. “Catawba Religious Beliefs, Mortuary Customs, and Dances.” Primitive Man 12 (1939): 21-57. JSTOR. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3316471 (accessed May 18, 2010).

                ---. “Catawba Herbals and Curative Practices.” The Journal of American Folklore 57 (1944): 37-50. JSTOR. http://www.jstor.org/stable/535753 (accessed May 18, 2010).
               
                Speck, Frank G. and L. G. Carr “Catawba Folk Tales from Chief Sam Blue.” The Journal of American Folklore 60 (1947): 79-84. JSTOR. http://www.jstor.org/stable/536835 (accessed May 18, 2010).



Yap Ye Iswa


       Yap Ye Iswa (Day of the Catawba) is supported by the Catawba Cultural Preservation Project, is celebrated every year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. This celebration allows the Catawba and people from all different backgrounds to be educated about Catawba culture. This cultural preservation effort began in Rock Hill, South Carolina. 
       Displayed at the festival is traditional Catawba art, history, stories, dance, language, music, pottery and food; there are even demonstration of how to prepare the traditional Catawba food. Talks on aspects of Catawba culture like Native American history and archaeology are given as well as lessons on Catawba language. There is storytelling and performances given by traditional drummers and dancers. Potters are able to display and sell their traditional pottery. The Day of the Catawba helps to keep Catawba culture preserved and is a way for non-native people to learn about the culture and heritage of South Carolina’s only federally recognized tribe.

References:
University of South Carolina Lancaster, “Yap Ye Iswa: “Day of the Catawba”
Festival,” USC
Lancaster, http://usclancaster.sc.edu/nas/yapyeiswa/index.html
(accessed May 19, 2010).
University of South Carolina Lancaster, "Yap Ye Iswa: "Day of the Catawba" Festi val November 15, 2008", http://usclancaster.sc.edu/NAS/YapYeIswa/2008/YYI_1.htm, (accessed May 19, 2010).
America's Story From America's Library, "Yap Ye Iswa (Day of the Catawba) A Local Legacy", http://www.americaslibrary.gov/es/sc/es_sc_indian_1.html, (accessed May 19, 2010).

Catawba Economy: Success Now and Then


The Indians' New World: The Catawba Experience
References:

                Drye, Willie. “Excavated Village Unlocks Mystery of Tribe’s Economy.” National Geographic News, November 14, 2005. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/11/1114_051114_
catawba.html (accessed May 17,  2010).

                Merrell, James H. “The Indians’ New World: The Catawba Experience.” The William and Mary Quarterly 41 (1984): 538-565. JSTOR. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1919153 (accessed May 05, 2010).

Teach Them Well and Let Them Lead the Way: Catawba Indian Head Start Program




       As the Catawba Indian Nation transitions into an era of self-reliance, operational government and cultural preservation take center stage. Triumphant changes abound. Current leadership cannot govern eternally, but the effort to reestablish strength can be sustained through following generations. This is not lost on Catawba leaders. Therefore Head Start has been a welcome organization in the Catawba Nation since 1998.


       Head Start is a federally funded program designed to educate children through comprehensive curriculums, family participation and support. All Head Start programs focus on physical health, early childhood education, advocacy, and disability detection and support. But it is unique to Indian Nation Head Start programs to focus on language revitalization and American Indian heritage. Through collaboration with the Catawba cultural center, the Catawba Indian Head Start integrates the Catawba language into their curriculum and also provides cultural exploration through craft projects, community visitors, storytelling and organized play. Staff from the cultural center visit the school regularly, teaching language and drumming to the children, ages 3-5 years. Because the center also severs non-tribal children and families, the center cannot teach Catawba dancing. However, the cultural center offers summer camps to tribal children that focus exclusively on Catawba traditional dances, pottery, drumming and language. This summer program in cooperation with the school year Head Start cultural curriculum makes cultural education accessible year round, enveloping Catawba children in their spiritual and artistic heritage.

       The Catawba Head Start program is offered for free to Catawba children, children living in tribal households and non-Indian children living in the local area. As of 2010 this small program, run out of a gymnasium, serves 80 children and their families, 45 of which are tribal members. The center has two family service workers who have a case load of 40 families each. Angie Brown the center’s director recognizes the importance of the task at hand, but she believes in her staff and their capacity to meet the challenge, “We are a small program and so we [staff members] wear many hats, but we are like a family here”. Angie asserts that the center has no turn over, “the staff is very close and no one wants to leave”, they are committed to the process, the children and one another. Six of the twenty people on staff are also tribal members. This fact brings both pride and relief to a nation that embraces the quote, "Whoever controls the education of our children controls our future..." Every day the Catawba Nation refreshes and refines with future generations in mind and hopes that future generations will continue the good work.


By: Domeka Parker


Resources:

Angie Brown, Catawba Indian Nation Head Start Center Director (telephone interview 5/20/10)
sc-headstart.org/Indian_Nation_Head_Start.html
http://www.catawbaindiannation.com/content.php?title=Head%20Start
http://www.nhsa.org/

Monday, May 17, 2010

Seeing the Future Through the Past: A New Powwow Tradition


Despite the inevitable transformation of the traditional Powwow, the fundamental concept remains unchanged. A powwow is a gathering of Native people, a reunion of spirit, and a celebration of culture. Most powwow’s have similar features and events i.e. dancing, drumming, singing and food. And overwhelmingly a powwow in any state, hosted by any tribe, has the power to bring people together and to cleanse the spirit like a spring rain. Breaking free from a heavy cloud of struggle, members of the Catawba Indian Nation dreamt of such a rain. For ten years they dreamt and planned to host a much needed powwow.
In April 18th of 2010, this dream came true. Organized by the Catawba Cultural Preservation Project, the Catawba powwow joined with the Rock Hill South Carolina Come-See-Me festival. This popular community gathering festival began in 1962 and since, “the festival has been ranked in the South’s Top 20 Spring Festivals numerous times.” The Catawba powwow was featured along with tennis tournaments, races, parades, garden shows and even a Teddy Bear tea party. To some this was a disappointment, but to others it was a power opportunity, a very public display of Catawba cultural heritage, perseverance and pride. This partnership with the Come-See-Me Festival attracted many outside the Catawba community who may not have attended the powwow as a standalone event. It was a carefully thought and diligently produced event.
Although, some found the audacity of a dancer who was apparently text messaging during the performance less than pride inducing. The dancer may not have been a Catawba Indian; there were many guest performers from tribes around the region. Regardless, however minuet the disruption, it caused quite a stir. There are those who ache for the power to freeze time, they imagine that American Indians exist in the past and that any modern display makes them somehow inauthentic. It’s a constant struggle for Native peoples moving forward with the times whilst still holding on to important cultural connections. Technology is a fact of our collective existence, and if anything, the situation simply illuminated something our cultures share, the phenomenon of “texting addiction”. Despite that tiny storm, the Catawba powwow was a success. Chief Donald Rodgers intends to make the powwow and annual event. And like Jered Catny, a Catawba Indian who returned home from college to perform in the event, the powwow brings home a revitalized connection to a windswept culture that survives on the spirit of its members, the beats of its songs, the steps of its dances, the stories of its past and its hopes for the future.

Resources:

http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/living/powwow/46469752.html

http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/living/powwow/46470142.html

http://comeseeme.rockhill.net

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Healing Projects

In the 19th and 20th centuries, Indian children were removed from their homes and communities and taken to boarding schools. Abuse of every kind was widespread at these residential schools and as a result Native people have had to find ways of coping with these physical and emotional abuses that have effected generations. Organizations like the Boarding School Healing Project, are working to heal, educate, and document for those victimized by the boarding school experience, and also to work to hold those accountable for the treatment of Indian children. 
To take action for the Boarding School Healing project, which advocates for American Indian and Alaska Native people , there is a letter they ask supporters to send on their website to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; this letter advocates that “The Forum recommends that the Commission on Human Rights appoint or designate a rapporteur to undertake a study on genocidal practices and ethnocidal practices perpetuated on indigenous peoples, including programmes for the sterilization of indigeous women and girls, the use of indigenous communities as subjects of nuclear testing or for the storage of nuclear waste and as subjects of testing of unapproved drugs on indigenous women, children and peoples.”
Catawba Indian Nation has a program called the Healing Spirits Project, where they work with members of Catawba nation who have been victims of abuse. The Healing Spirits Project is not specifically geared towards those effected by generational trauma due to the boarding school experience, rather it offers many services for those seeking out help, such as counseling and therapy, where the patients’ histories and experiences are carefully recorded to benefit the patient as much as possible. This project is meant to advocate for safety of those seeking out help, and support to make the right changes to start the healing process through treatment planning and therapy.

Bibliography:
Boarding School Healing Project. “Take Action.” Boarding School Healing Project.   http://www.boardingschoolhealingproject.org/takeaction.html (accessed  May  12, 2010).

Davis, Julie. “American Indian Boarding School Experiences: Recent Studies from  Native Perspectives.” OAH Magazine of History 15, winter 2001 (May 12, 2010), http://www.oah.org/pubs/magazine/deseg/davis.html.

Facebook: Catawba Indian Nation Longhouse. “Catawba Indian Nation Longhouse:  Job Vacancy: Councelor.” Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/home.php?# !/pages/Rock-Hill-SC/Catawba-Indian-Nation-Longhouse/87272816029? v=app_2347471856&ref=search (accessed May 12, 2010).

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Gambling for the Future: A Catawba Gaming History


       In 1988 the United States federal government passed a law that established the jurisdiction over Indian gaming in the states, called the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act The purpose of the act was to provide legislative means for Indian gaming as a source of income and economic development amongst tribes.
       In search of self-government and sovereignty the Catawba tribe sought negotiation for federal recognition and settling land disputes, and in 1993 President Clinton signed a settlement that awarded over $50 million. In return, the Catawba tribe was to relinquish any land claims that had been established by earlier precedent. The settlement allowed limited gaming on the Catawba reservation, and the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act would not apply on Catawba land. The tribe would be allowed to operate bingo and video machines which would be subject to state law, though additional exceptions were made in terms of the games that were allowed.
       On the outcome of the settlement, Catawba Chief Gilbert Blue said, “I feel like we’re on the edge of a new day for the Catawba people. Nothing will replace the loss of our lands but this settlement is a tool that will allow us to create a better life for our children.” The settlement also has its opposition that argues the Catawba people have given up their sovereignty for short term money. The settlement caused the Catawba tribe gain fewer rights than many other Indian tribes. The Catawba as a result have limited jurisdiction over criminal disputes on lands under the settlement, must pay state and federal taxes, hunting, fishing and water rights fall under state jurisdiction, in addition to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act not applying to the Catawba reservation. Catawbas did however gain federal recognition, which before the agreement, they had lacked.
       In 1996, the Catawba tribe opened and ran the successful Catawba Bingo Parlor in Rock Mill, South Carolina. After several years the parlor was shut down due to the loss of interest after the establishment of the South Carolina Education Lottery, which severely impacted the participation in Bingo on the Catawba reservation.
       In 2006 the Catawba tribe filed a suit against the state of South Carolina for the right to operate video poker machines on Catawba reservations. Due to the settlement of 1993, the Catawbas were only granted the right to run gaming and gambling halls under state jurisdiction. They won the suit in the lower court, overturning that part of the agreement, though the state appealed to the State Supreme Court and was overturned. In 2007, the Catawba appeal to the Federal Supreme Court was denied.

       According to the April 2010 newsletter of Catawba Indian Nation, the committee is attempting to negotiate the terms of outstanding taxes from previous Bingo halls in order to reinstate the tribe's Bingo license. The newsletter claims that once the license is obtained, it plans to open a new Bingo hall as soon as possible in a suitable location.
       Proponents of Indian gaming claim there is an undeniable economic benefit and a requirement for tribal sovereignty. It supposedly improves the lives and health of the members through employment opportunities on the reservation. Casinos and gambling halls, including bingo, hire a significant number of resident and non-resident Indians for both skilled and unskilled jobs. However while there seems to be short term benefits to the economy through gambling and gaming, long term benefits are arguable

References:
Loftis, Lynn. “The Catawbas’ Final Battle: A Bittersweet Victory.” American Indian Law Review 19 (1994): 183-215. JSTOR. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20068763 (accessed April 22, 2010).
McCulloch, Anne Merline. “The Politics of Indian Gaming: Tribe/State Relations and American Federalism.” Publius 24 (1994): 99-112. JSTOR. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3330741 (accessed April 22, 2010).

Friday, April 30, 2010

Going Back To Their Roots: Catawba Health Efforts

       Recently the Catawba Indian Nation has begun efforts to resolve health issues that are plaguing their community. Some of these issues are easily fixable, such as access to doctors, but others are not so easily taken care of. These health issues have been brought to light in many ways. One such way was a 1998 survey which was conducted among members of various South Carolina counties which included members of the Catawba Indian Nation, African-Americans and Caucasians. It was found that members of the Catawba Nation had a high prevalence of diabetes, poor health, smoking, poor diet, hypertension, overweight and physical inactivity. Diabetes is the most alarming of those issues and is the one with the most action being taken to combat it. It is thought that this health disparity is partly due to unpreventable measures such as lower education and remote rural locations.
       The rate of diabetes has increased from just over 13% in 1998 to 20% in 2005, obviously an extremely steep increase in such a short amount of time. The increasing rate is not all that is worrisome. Increasingly younger members of the Catawba Nation are developing the illness. Preventative measures are being taken, such as teaching the youth of the Catawba Nation to farm and to gather wild, natural foods such as those their ancestors had gathered. As well as teaching about gathering and farming the traditional foods, the youth are also being taught about cooking the dishes that their ancestors used to eat. The Nation is also implementing a new curriculum in the K-12 schools that teaches diabetes awareness. The schools are also promoting high levels of physical activity. The hope is that the children will influence their parents to live a healthier life.
       Another way the Catawba are improving their health is the addition of a new clinic in 2005. Prior to 2005, the Catawba Health Clinic was located in the Longhouse where they had very little room to operate. The Catawba Health Clinic now has their own building in which to run their operation. This has allowed them to provide new services, such as child immunizations. In 2008 the Catawba Health Clinic opened an addition to their new facility to provide dental services. Previously, tribe members had to drive three hours for federal dental services. Due to all of these additions and preventative measure the health of the Catawba Nation is bound to improve, and time will surely tell the tale.

Catawba Language Revitalization Efforts

       Indian nations in the United States, from forced and pressure to assimilate and through institutions like the Indian boarding schools have caused an extremely low numbers of native speakers of Native languages. One approach by U.S. government’s to destroy Native culture was through their languages; they were forbidden to speak their languages and speak English instead. In recent years, language revitalization has played a key role in Native cultural revitalization. The Catawba Indian Nation of South Carolina’s last fluent speaker, Sallie Brown, passed away in 1952.
        In 2003, Catawba Indian Nation lost their funding for their cultural preservation, which supported languages classes and things of that nature. Currently, they do hold languages classes at the Catawba Cultural Center. According to their newsletter, one language class started in January of this year, where they meet every Monday at the Catawba Cultural Center. The classes start out by teaching the basics, like animals and numbers, and eventually those taking the class will take part in a namegiving ceremony. In the Catawba Indian Nation Newsletter, Ronnie Beck, who focuses writes the “Cultural Corner” of the newsletter, expresses how important it is that members of Catawba nation learn about their heritage to keep their culture and traditions alive because there are at risk of dying out. The Catawba Cultural Center is recently working on a website and though the section on language has not yet been completed it appears that they are going to offer a Catawba language book online to further educate the Catawba people in their language.

References:
Catawba Indian Nation. “Catawba Cultural Preservation: Language,” http://sites.google.com/site/catawbaculturalpreservation/language (accessed April 27, 2010).
Catawba Indian Nation. “Catawba Indian Nation Newsletter: 1st Quarter January-March 2010,” Catawba Indian Nation. http://www.catawbaindiannation.com/CIN-1stQuarter-Newsletter.pdf (accessed April 28, 2010).
Neumark, Jared. “Language In Crisis: Process of Recovery is Complex,” Creative Loafing: News and Politics.
http://charlotte.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/a_language_in_crisis/Content?oid=82507 (accessed April 28, 2010).
White, Frederick. “Rethinking Native American Language Revitalization” American Indian Quarterly 30 (2006): 91-109.

With hope and Direction: Catawba Tribal Administration


       In July of 2007, the Catawba Nation welcomed their newly appointed administrators to office. The Nation had not held such an election for over thirty years. The new leaders, Chief: Donald Rodgers, Assistant Chief: Gene Blue, and Secretary-treasurer: Jason M. Harris had their work cut out for them. “Our people are just like the river that has been stagnated. We just have not progressed. We’ve got to move that dam out of the way and start flowing again, so we can get our waters running and purified”, asserted Chief Rodgers, recognizing that he had not inherited an easy task.                                            
       In the years before the election of the current counsel the tribe teetered precariously with divided membership, questionable bookkeeping, and loss of federal financial support. It seems however that under the new administration, the bends in the river have softened and the dams slowly but surely wash away.
In the nation’s most recent quarterly newsletter Chief Rodgers writes:
                                                              
       Well into its third year, the administration flourishes, operating much like any other small government, with much support and praise from the Catawba people whom it governs. 
By: Domeka Parker

References:
Indian Country Today. Onieda,N.Y.:Aug 15, 2007. Vol 27, Iss. 10: pg. B2, 1 pgs http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1343417281&sid=3&Fmt=3&clientld=11319&RQT=309&VName=PQD