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 Another plug for this great series~ I hope you have been able to watch the first two episodes. If not then there is always online. The site has much to explore,the personal stories keep coming in,and new features keep popping up.

(Monday,PBS 9:00p.m.)~ "The Trail of Tears" promises to be as eye opening as the first two. As we have a sizable population here that identifies with the Cherokee Nation this episode (sneak peak here) should be seen.

The Cherokee would call it Nu-No-Du-Na-Tlo-Hi-Lu, “The Trail Where They Cried.”This film by Chris Eyre (Smoke Signals,A Thief of Time and Skinwalkers) portrays the strength of character of the Cherokee Nation as they fight to retain their lands by all possible means,assimilating,adopting European style government and legal systems,accepting Christianity and taking their case all the way to SCOTUS.They won tribal sovereignty in this landmark case.

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I was watching THE DEVILS BACKBONE  and a character delivered this fragment of a poem~ if anyone knows the author,I would love to know.

As most here know,my eldest died alone(seemingly at least) from a heart attack,crawling in the street looking for help. It was early,before his work day and thankfully someone saw and summoned help though they arrived to late.

When I heard these beautiful words,the spirit so captured what we would have said to each other given the chance, I knew of no better memorial.

Stay by my side as my light grows dim 
as my blood slows down
and my nerves shatter with stabbing pain 
as my heart grows weak
and the wheels of my being turn slowly
Stay by my side as my fragile body is racked by pain which verges on truth
and manic time continues scattering dust
and furious life bursts out in flames.
Stay by my side 
as I fade so you can point to the end of my struggle
and the twilight of eternal days 
at the low dark edge of life.

Chris~ held in our memories,always loved...till soon son. Mom~~April 2009

I intend to take a break from the blogs for a bit~ so no worries any one, but I need to recharge and retro-fit my attitude.

Play as nice ~~sage
 

I came upon a child of god
He was walking along the road
And I asked him, where are you going
And this he told me
I’m going on down to Yasgurs farm
I’m going to join in a rock n roll band
I’m going to camp out on the land
I’m going to try an get my soul free
We are stardust
We are golden
And we’ve got to get ourselves
Back to the garden

Then can I walk beside you
I have come here to lose the smog
And I feel to be a cog in something turning
Well maybe it is just the time of year
Or maybe its the time of man
I don’t know who l am
But you know life is for learning
We are stardust
We are golden
And we’ve got to get ourselves
Back to the garden

By the time we got to woodstock
We were half a million strong
And everywhere there was song and celebration
And I dreamed I saw the bombers
Riding shotgun in the sky
And they were turning into butterflies
Above our nation
We are stardust
Billion year old carbon
We are golden
Caught in the devils bargain
And we’ve got to get ourselves
Back to the garden ~~

Words, music by Joni Mitchell

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A  reminder: We Shall Remain begins Monday night at 9:00 p.m.  most PBS stations. Set those DVR's,gather the family and watch what will prove to be a enjoyable television event.

Five years in the making ,this is a landmark series for all Americans and history aficionados. Each subsequent  Monday another pivotal period will be explored.

"I think in the series what you find is that nothing is simple. And nothing is black or white."
Director Chris Eyre

 After The Mayflower begins in New England in the 1620s, at the time of the so-called “first Thanksgiving.” In March of 1621, Massasoit, chief of the Wampanoag, negotiated a diplomatic alliance with a  band of English settlers for the benefit of his people. It was a gamble that paid off for several decades, as Indians and colonists coexisted in relative peace.
A half-century later, as a brutal war flared between the English colonists and a confederation of New England Indians, the wisdom of Massasoit’s choice seemed less clear.

 From director Chris Eyre (Smoke Signals, Skinwalkers) the film explores the polar strategies—peaceful diplomacy and warfare—the Wampanoag people employed in the struggle to maintain their identity. The same struggle continues today~ different places and with different people, but the question is the same.

Another component of this event accessible through the We Shall Remain  site ,is a short film series called Reel Native which tells contemporary personal stories. The first short is called Hill High Low~ following a homeless artist to art gallery owner. “Fear’s the only thing that stops creation.” Michael David Little


The NPR will be broadcasting a complementary series on the program All Things Considered. The first episode features David White, a member of the Nipmuc tribe in Massachusetts, and one of fewer than ten people who still speak the Nipmuc language.  Hear how White must balance his day job as an electrician with his mission to single-handedly save his people’s language from extinction .The program will  examine the peculiar challenges posed by reviving a moribund language - for instance, having to rely in part on records and dictionaries preserved by white colonists.

If you have native American roots, KCET has an exciting  interactive experience available through We Shall Remain's Online Story Sharingtool. It allows Native people across the country to publish video, audio, or written pieces on the Web sites of PBS stations in their communities. Go to PBS, KCET, find We Shall Remain, click on the tool and share your stories.  There are 560 federally recognized tribes, all the stories would be impossible to tell. Sharing your experiences will help make this a more diversified collection of Native history and contemporary experience.

I'll play this game with you, pretending not to notice

That we have been down this trail before

The cliff edge just there,a rut some yards ahead

I'll play stupid with you

I enjoy a game as much as the next gal

This blind tango of yours is as good as any

Our stab at real only comes if we land on chance

I'll play stupid with you but

You must forgive me if once in a great while

I shout out loud this is so stupid

to no one in particular you understand

I find it greatly increase my capacity to play

This pointed but pointless game

The broken record skips as the blind tango goes on

There is a lesson plan, just where escapes us

These steel toe boots protect my feet from clumsy steps

Your improving I can see, but I am not quite sure

why I am even here

I'll play stupid with you, this dance of the absurd

Game, set, match, Love

It is not like the universe doesn't let us all in on the joke

You know ?

~~~ sage ~~~ 2009

Listen to your better self,listen to your angels......listen to Peace

I know some of you are planning on attending or hosting tea parties. Click the link below and hit the "big time". Huffington Post wants citizen journalists to report on these events~ scroll down and you will see where to sign up.

http://www.huffingtonpost.c...

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Tonight at sunset the telescopes will be brought out,large and small groups will begin to gather as the 100 hour marathon begins. The event,which hope to draw in more than a million people,is aimed at an appreciation of our night skies and the nurturing of future Galileos.

 In more than 130 countries,with more than 1,500 events the mass view in  will have web cams connected to large scopes and ~yes~ will be covered via Twitter.

More here