DESERT WIND
Lipan Apache Newsletter
Volume 2, Issue 1
01-08
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLICATIONS
As we start the new year, I want to let you know that I am still here
to serve you. I am the head of the department of publications. All
this means is that I am in charge of communicating with you what is
happening in our tribe. Nothing I send out goes without the approval
of the Chairman and the advice of the council and tribal administrator.
We are starting a new year and on the way to some good and great things.
Soon we will be celebrating one whole year as a tribe. I ask you to
be patient with us, the council. We are like an infant that is just
starting to crawl and every day we face new challenges. There are
things we do not understand and we are learning to do things one
step at a time. Again, my job is to make sure you are informed with
what is going on. I will do this through our newsletter, "Desert Wind",
or by special announcements that will go out from time to time.
At this time, our only means of communicating is through e-mail.
So please make copies of our newsletters and let those who do
not have internet access know what is happening. If you have
anything you would like to share with the tribe, please pass
it on to me and I will make sure it goes out as soon as possible,
with the approval of the chairman and the tribal administrator.
Thank you so much for your support. I am here to serve you
in any way I can. God bless you.
Robert Soto
Vice Chairman, General Council
Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas
CHAIRMAN'S CORNER
Greetings to all N'de,
It is with great thankfulness in my heart that I am
able to address the people.
The Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas is now five months old.
The Tribe was formed because our people spoke and asked
for a new direction be taken in unifying our people as
a nation. A general council was formed on August 25, 2007
with the intent of restoring integrity and openness to
our traditional ways.
Our Homecoming celebration was the first step in
stitching together a torn blanket that had been
ripped apart and scattered to the winds. I spoke
before of the N'de coming from the Four Directions.
Again, tribal members of the Lipan Apache came from
the Four Directions. I wish to acknowledge
Frank Ramirez from the West; as an Elder he
brought great wisdom and his words were good.
Our people have been truly blessed with men such
as Frank. He, along with Gilbert Tellez of El Paso
who was unable to attend, are men of honor who
through their years of experience and service are
able to teach our people in good ways. Andy Villarreal
from the furthest point north - Alaska, came with his
family. Andy who is from Alice truly has come home.
Joe Castro and his family came from the East, and the Soto family
from the South. There are many AHO's and thanks to Anita Soto,
matriarch of the Soto family, and other "Tradition Keepers",
who by example keep our people on our "path." There was a great
deal of television and newspaper coverage and the people of
South Texas have been very welcoming of us as a new neighbor.
Each nation must look to all available resources
when the goal is to build a better life for its
people. The Lipan Apache Nation is no different
in this respect. It was our honor to receive
Tom Brown and his extended family to our homecoming.
Tom traveled all the way from New Jersey to be with us.
His friendship and desire to share knowledge bequeathed
to him from his "adoptive" Lipan grandfather were
received warmly. The making of relations that were
started when he was young has made a circle and he
too has a Home he can come to. Tom is working closely
with Juan Villarreal. Juan as our tribal liaison has
been sponsored by Tom and his organization,
The Children of the Earth Foundation, in learning
survival skills that he will be able to instruct
our people to keep our traditions alive. As of the
writing of this letter Juan is at a training center
in the woodlands of Florida. Please e-mail
Juan Villarreal for more information. His e-mail
is Jvillarreal@lipanapache.org or look on our website.
There were many who came to dance: Eddie and Tom Twoclouds,
Daniel Red Sky, Daniel Red Hawk, Mike and Betty Russell
and their family, and many other dancers. Many thanks go
to all who came and danced for the people and for our
ancestors. Also, thanks go to Ruben Soto and the
Huisache Creek Singers for providing the drum and singing.
There were many who helped in the kitchen with food preparation,
archery exhibits, fire making, basket making, God's Eye craft,
and much more. We were blessed by people like Mark Suter
who drove on his own with his family to help with the
basket making and fire making. We also thank Julia Nava
for helping the children make God’s Eyes and Tom Castillo
for making the bows and arrows and teaching the children
primitive archery.
During this homecoming I looked around and realized
that here were families who had been separated by
time and circumstances beyond their control. These
families through their familial "Tradition Keepers,"
though separated, had kept their ways alive.
All around me was a Spirit that spoke to me
reaffirming in my heart a great truth. Here are
families who in time have had to leave their
ancestral homeland for reasons beyond their control
who have come back to the maintained communities of
their elders, albeit parents, or grandparents. That
Spirit spoke, saying "The N'de live here in Texas.
Lipan Apache live. We are not an extinct people!"
There has been an illness that has gripped
our people recently and the only cure is for
us to come together as one. The federal government
has told us the importance of not being a house
divided. These words are true and it is my pledge
to create a nation where ideas are welcome, where
all are treated as equals, a place where old ways
can be brought to the front; where we can teach
our language to our children. We will walk with
honor and be humble in the service of our Creator.
We will serve our people, and we will be accountable.
It is only through this truth that the Lipan Apache
will be one nation, one people, and be recognized
as the sovereign government that we are.
Progress has been made on the political front
and the Council and I will have a statement
to issue after our February 2nd meeting.
The Tribal phone number has been re-established
and it is a direct line to the Tribal Administrator,
Bill Larew. That number is 361-774-4881. He will
gladly direct your call or e-mail to the
appropriate party and ensure that you
receive a timely response.
Our people are strong and represent our
nation well everywhere we go. Army Specialist
Phillip Cornejo has acquitted himself as a Warrior
in battle (Desert Storm) and as a servant to his
community in peace. Attached is a special
commendation issued by Major General Robert Lee
that recognizes Phillip Cornejo as a leader on
Native American issues. Phillip, I congratulate
you on behalf of the Lipan Apache as representative
of the heart and spirit of our ancient and proud people.
Attachement 1: Major General Robert G.F. Lee Letter for SPC Phillip Cornejo
Attachement 2: Excellence in Diversity Award for SPC Phillip Cornejo
A special thanks goes to Juan Villarreal and
Tom Castillo for their excellent work on the
tribal shield that will serve as our seal.
I was amazed at how many people wanted to
have their picture taken beside the flag
that bears the symbol of our nation. The
full story of the Tribal shield will be
posted to the website by February 15th.
Before we post the story, I would like
to hear from you as to what the tribal
shield means to you. You will find as an attachment
to this newsletter a jpeg file of the tribal shield.
Attachement 3: Tribal Shield
We have hired a genealogist, Kathy Harmon,
to help create the base roll for the tribe.
This is an extremely time consuming process.
Kathy Harmon has extensive experience in this
work and had been a genealogist for another
nation. She is very familiar with all the
protocols associated with crafting a Roll
in accordance with the federal government's
requirements. Kathy was brought on board
to work directly with the tribal Administrator.
Victor Cornejo is the tribe's new Secretary.
Victor has served as the Clerk of the Nation for
the past five months, and has been the liaison
with the Department of Federal Acknowledgement
for the Bureau of Indian affairs. He will serve
as Secretary with the same commitment to the
people as he has served as Clerk of the Nation.
Juan Villarreal has moved to Program Manager for
the tribe working under Rey Salazar, the tribe's
Curator, maintaining tribal traditions and culture.
Juan will be the lead instructor on the survival
camps, and teaching fire making, tanning and other
traditional skills. Due to the time requirements
Juan will have more time to devote to this program
without a conflict of duties with his previous
position as tribal Secretary. Victor will laterally
transfer to the position of Secretary so that the
tribal council will continue to function. These
moves that are necessary for the continued
operation of the tribe has now created a position
on the Council for a new Clerk of the Nation.
Any tribal member interested in this position
please read the by-laws as posted on the website
to familiarize yourself with the duties. We are
especially interested in people who have knowledge
of Lipan genealogy and history and who will be
able to devote a great deal of time to this task.
Please send a letter of intent along with a resume
and brief introduction of yourself to our tribal
Administrator, Bill Larew at: contact@lipanapache.org.
Finally, I wish very much to thank everyone
for the honor of serving you. I am very
excited with the future that we as a people have.
Bernard F. Barcena Jr.
General Council Chairman
Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas
A FEW THOUGHTS FROM THE VICE CHAIRMAN ABOUT OUR HOMECOMING
It is difficult to share the feeling I had in my heart
as I arrived at the County Show Barn on Saturday morning,
January 5. It was a day that had been in the planning
for many months and a day we were all looking forward to.
When I arrived, there were about twenty people already
waiting for someone to come. But before I knew it, more
and more people arrived and at the end there were more
than 150 Lipan Apaches gathered, mostly from Texas.
We were all strangers and many of us did not really
know why we were there except that we are Lipan Apache.
The event was the Lipan Apache Homecoming. This was
the first time in over 120 years that this many
Lipan Apaches had gathered together under one roof.
We were all strangers but before we knew it we
all talked to each other like we had known each
other forever. I wish words could express the joy
I felt in my heart and that I could truly picture
for you what I saw that day.
I feel the highlight of the event was the unveiling
of our tribal flag. We have included an attachment
of the flag. It was awesome and all through the
gathering Lipan Apache people kept coming and
checking it out and taking pictures with it.
We did not forget the children. The children are
important because if this tribe is to succeed,
it will be through our future leaders. The committee,
which consisted of Robert Soto, Juan Villarreal,
Tom Castillo and Rey Salazar, made sure our children
were taken care of. We had classes in Basket making,
God's Eye making, Primitive Archery and Fire making
with just two sticks. As I walked in and out of the
event I could see anywhere between eight and twelve
children at the event booths participating. At one
point I even saw one little Apache girl teaching her
parents how to make a basket. I could tell
they were excited.
We had a good two hours of Indian dancing with
about thirty dancers. I want to thank Ruben Soto
and the Huisache Creek Singers for drumming and
Betty Russell for helping with the explanation
of the dances. As we did the grand entry, the
rest of the people gathered and cheered with
great excitement. We danced and had a good time.
The food was totally delicious. We fed everyone
until they could not eat any more. For lunch we
had Barbecue Chicken that was graciously provided
by Pino Gonzalez. For supper we had some awesome
deer chili along with my mom's (Anita Soto) awesome
tamales. She cooked fifty dozen tamales. Then we
also had more brisket than we could even eat.
The brisket was graciously provided by the council
as they all volunteered and pitched in enough money
to feed over 200 people. Also many thanks go to
everyone who provided all the side dishes.
I think what made me feel good was the spiritual
atmosphere that our tribe has taken. All the
council has committed to pray for each other.
We started the event with prayer and we ended
the event with prayer and we prayed for the
food and we had people all over the world praying
for the gathering.
I hear rumors that this will be the first of an
annual event. As I took my tipi down and drove
out of the Show Barn for the three hour drive
home, all I could say is, God the Creator
truly blessed our time together.
Robert Soto
Vice Chairman, General Council
Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas
WORDS FROM THE HOMELAND ADMINISTRATOR
Hello Friends and Relatives,
If we have not had the opportunity to meet, I am hoping
that we soon will. I am honored to have been asked
to sit on the General Council for our People. I have
been asked to be the Homeland Administrator. This
position entails the proper handling and accounting
of all Grants, and Fixed Assets of the Tribe. I will be
working with Juan Soliz (our Treasurer) and
Adelfino Palacios C.P.A.(The Tribe’s Public Accountant)
to assure that all accounting for the Tribe’s business
is in proper order and to produce the Financial
Statements and Tax Reports which will be available
to all members of the Tribe. Currently I am in
contact, and working with, the IRS to secure our
501(c)(3) non-profit status. This however, does
take time and the agent who is now reviewing and
doing research on our application has assured me a
ruling will soon be coming. I am pleased to be able
to serve you and hope to work towards building a
great Lipan Nation.
I would like to add one thing about our
Gathering ........................ It was Awesome!!!!!
If you weren't able to make this one, don't miss the next one,
it will be even better.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact me:
Home # (361) 850-9746
Cell # (361) 215-5121
Email: tdgcsc@sbcglobal.net
May the peace of Creator be with you.
Tom Bear Claw Castillo
General Council Member
Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas
SPECIAL EVENT FROM THE CHILDREN OF THE EARTH FOUNDATION
On March 14-16 of this year, Tom Brown Jr.'s Children of
the Earth Foundation will be offering free primitive
survival classes to enrolled Lipan families
(non-enrolled families will be charged a per-person fee).
Looks like the classes will be held at Lake Mathis if possible.
This organization teaches some of our old Native ways of
living and allows families to enjoy and appreciate the
beauty of our Mother Earth. Skills of many kinds are taught,
but the great thing is that both parent and child depart
the three-day session with a better understanding of
themselves and with confidence that carries over into
their daily dealings with modern life. A parent or
significant other will be required to attend and
participate in all activities with their child.
Children between the ages of 6-16 may attend but
the total number of people who can participate will
be limited to about 50. There was a lot of interest
for the crafts and skills being taught at our
Homecoming so it gives those who attended an idea
of what all this is about; just add a few more skills,
some games, a couple of nights outdoors, camping and more
family fun. I will be calling families from around the
area and those already interested. Please feel free to
call and ask questions or to reserve a spot on our sign-up
list. Call me at 361-668-0716 or email to juanjvee@hotmail.com.
I will be sending out more information within the next two weeks.
Thanks, and let’s all take advantage of this offer!
Juan Villarreal
General Council member
Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas
TREASURER'S REPORT
My name is J.Z. Soliz. I'm the treasurer of the Lipan Apache
Tribe of Texas. I am responsible for handling all of
the money that is received and disbursed by the tribe.
I opened the tribal account on June 25, 2007 with $150.00
and as of January 2008, we now have $1,530.35 in our treasury.
I'm pleased that we had tremendous support from our tribal members.
Our Homecoming event that was held on January 5, 2008 in
Robstown, Texas was a great success. Thanks to all of
the speakers that came by, and to Mr. Tom Brown Jr.
from New Jersey, who came and spoke to us. Thank you
for coming to our first event of 2008, and giving gifts
of your book "The Grandfather" to all the council members.
Since this was the first event of the new year, and such a
successful one, I'm sure the attendance will double or
triple next year. By having events like this one, it brings
our people together to share in what we have done, and see
what we're going to do in the coming months for our tribe.
Thanks to all who attended the event, and those people who
worked so hard to make it a success.
J.Z. Soliz
Treasurer, General Council
Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas
MOVING FORWARD
t is said in a prophecy that when the Lipan get
back on the horse, the people will begin to move
forward in a good way. The people will recover
much of their spirit and culture. They will
reclaim the old ways and the children will be
proud to be Lipan. Many good things will come
to those who carry those ways for the next seven generations.
With this in our minds and our hearts, we must
band together as a community and move forward
to acquire the land necessary for this work to
be done. Our goals include a community development
center, ceremonial grounds, a learning center,
a survival camp, and especially a rancheria that
will be home to the buffalo, deer, and all
native species that we depended on in the past.
Our prayer is that all this becomes a reality
and that our people assert their own self-determination.
There is much work to be done – let’s do it.
Rey Salazar
Curator/Tribal Horticulturist
Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas
NEWS FROM THE PEOPLE
TRIBAL COUNCIL MEETING
There will be a General Council workshop and meeting on
February 2, 2008, at 12:00 PM. The meeting will be held
at Texas A 1 Steak Restaurant, 14241 NW Blvd. in Corpus Christi.
We’re looking forward to sitting down with you and
setting the course for our tribe.
NDE DAA POW WOW
The South Texas Indian Dancers Association
will be holding their 13th Annual Nde Daa
Exhibition Pow Wow on March 8, 2008. Fourteen
years ago we decided to have this pow wow on
the second weekend of March because it brought
back memories of our ancestors in times past that
used to come together each spring to celebrate
the coming of a new year by coming together as a
family or band. The men would harvest the cactus
and cook the meat and the women would clean the
cactus and prepare it to be canned or boiled to
be preserved for future use. The meaning of the
pow wow is Nde, which means the people and Daa
which means spring. So it is the people's spring pow wow.
The pow wow will be held at the Lark Community Center
and Library at 2601 Lark Ave. in McAllen, Texas.
Our head staff will be:
| Head Man Dancer | Randall Soto - Lipan Apache |
| Head Lady Dancer | Ally Wendling - Lipan Apache |
| Head singer | Carlos Gonzalez - Ponca |
| Host Drum | South Wind |
| Head Gourd Dancer | Michael Cortez - Lipan Apache |
| Master of Ceremonies
| Mike Gonzalez - Comanche |
| Arena Director | Daniel Villarreal - Apache |
Official Sponsors:
South Texas Indian Dancers Association
McAllen Grace Brethren Church
McAllen Arts Council
Source Publications
Schedule:
Doors Open 10:00 AM
Gourd Dancing 10:30 AM and 4:00 PM
Grand Entry 1:00 PM and 7:00 PM
Feed for all pow wow participants 5:00 PM
Vendors set up at 7:30 AM
For more information, please call Robert Soto
at 956-686-6696 or Betty Russell at 956-205-2344
"PROUD TO BE LIPAN APACHE" T-SHIRT SALE
We have decided to reorder our "PROUD TO BE LIPAN APCHE"
t-shirts since we have had a lot of requests for the
t-shirt. We need to have at least 25 t-shirts ordered
before we can have them produced. The order will be
submitted on June 1 unless we do not have enough ordered.
The t-shirt is on an ash background with a medicine wheel
with yellow, red, blue and white, with three feathers and
the words "Proud to Be Lipan Apache." If you would like
to order one, the cost will be as follows: $12.00 for
children sizes through adult sizes up to XL with a $2.00
shipping charge, and for XXL and above it is $14.00 with
a $2.00 shipping charge. Make your check out to Robert
Soto and mail it to:
Robert Soto
1913 Camellia
McAllen, TX 78501
Again, we will take orders until June 1st.
A FINANCIAL NOTE ON BEHALF OF THE TRIBE
As you might know, at this present time the council is
financing any of the expenses that might occur for the
tribe. The tribal council is always eager to pitch in
and donate monies needed for whatever the situation.
One thing I have seen of this council is that when the
need is presented, they are always eager to give, not
just of their money, but of their time as well. All
the funds needed to put on our recent gathering came
from the council members.
If you would like to help support the needs of the tribe financially,
we would truly appreciate your help. Your contribution of any
size will be gratefully accepted. All checks should be made out
to The Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas and sent to:
Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas
P.O. Box 26111
Corpus Christi, TX 78426
Thank you for your consideration.
General Council,
Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas
DRUM CONTEST
First of all, I would like to thank all of you who have voted
for and supported the Huisache Creek Singers these last few
months in the Pow Wow Idol contest at powwows.com. Well,
we have made it to the ninth round and now there are three
drums remaining. We came in second place for the eighth
round, only eight votes from first place. Round nine starts
again on Monday, January 28th and will end on February 8.
We could really use your vote. This is the first time a
Lipan Apache drum group has entered a contest and gotten this far.
If you have any problem registering and voting, you can write
Linda Walking Woman and she can help you through the process.
God bless and again, thank you for your vote.
Robert Soto
HONORING OUR WARRIORS
Our people have always been a proud people.
One way that pride has been exemplified has been
with our volunteer service to protect our land.
We would like to put a section in our website in
honor of all our warriors. We would like to make
two sections on this page. First is a section
honoring those who are serving today and on the
second section honoring those who have served in
times past. We would like to have pictures of all
the men and women who are serving, or have served,
in the military or in any homeland security position
(police, fire, border patrol, state trooper, etc.).
You can e-mail your, or your family member’s picture,
in uniform if available, with a short bio about his
or her service to our country. Send them to our
webmaster, Linda Walking Woman who will be putting it together.
POW WOW SCHEDULE
Feb 16 - Gulf Coast Tia Piah Gourd Dance and Pow Wow, Pasadena TX 281-448-8435
Feb 16-17 - 11th Annual United San Antonio Pow Wow, San Antonio TX 210-736-3702
Feb 23 - Karankawa Lodge Annual Pow Wow and Indian Lore Weekend, Mathis TX 361-643-8937
March 8 - 13th Annual Nde Daa Exhibition Pow Wow, McAllen TX 956-686-6686
March 15 - Gulf Coast Tia Piah Gourd Dance and Pow Wow, Pasadena TX 281-448-8435
March 15 - Honoring the Animals Pow Wow, San Antonio TX 210-531-0940
March 29 - Red River Intertribal Club Pow Wow, Wichita Falls TX 940-691-4926
March 29 - TIHA Spring Pow Wow, Burnet TX
April 5-6 - Big Spring Pow Wow, Big Spring TX 432-263-3255
April 12 - Southwestern University Spring Pow Wow, Georgetown TX 512-639-4931
April 18-19 - Annual Gulf Coast Tia Piah Gourd Dance and Pow Wow, New Caney TX 281-448-8435
April 19 - San Antonio Fiesta Pow Wow, San Antonio TX 210 736-3702
May 9-11 - Fredericksburg Intertribal Pow Wow, Fredericksburg TX 830-997-8925
May 23-24 - 15th Annual Memorial Day Pow Wow, Laredo TX 210-655-8698
June 12-14 - TIHA Summer Pow Wow, Burnet TX
Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas
General Council
Bernard F. Barcena Jr. - Chairman
Robert Soto - Vice Chairman/ Department of Publications
Victor Cornejo - Secretary
Juan Soliz - Treasurer
Rey Salazar - Curator/Tribal Horticulturist
Juan Villarreal – Member
Joanna Soliz – Member
Tom Bear Claw Castillo - Member
Bill Larew - Tribal Administrator
Bobby Gonzalez - Tribal Counselor
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