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D'anzho' Greetings to all. I hope that all is well with you. The N'de, The Lipan Apache tribe of Texas, is a Nation of people, and the events and deeds that surround each member’s life are a legacy for the tribe. It has been many years since the celebrations and stories and collective memories of the past have extended past a family group. But that changed last month. On March 18th, many of us gathered to attend the reading of Resolutions of Acknowledgement in both the Texas House and Senate. This changed nothing that we already know in our hearts about who we are as a people, but official state recognition is a turning point in bringing our families together as a Nation. I and the Council give many thanks to the Lipan Apaches and our friends who traveled hundreds of miles on such short notice to attend the Resolutions of State Acknowledgement. Let me share with you the N'de some of the activities that we, your Tribal Council, have been engaged in. In January, The House of Culture in Musquiz, Coahuila, Mexico, invited us for a cultural exchange and presentation. While there, we answered questions and attended a brief performance by Robert Soto of his internationally known "Hoop Dance." I say “internationally known” because this dance has been performed in Europe, South America, and all over the United States and Canada, and now in Mexico. Robert also did his Eagle Dance, his Fancy Feather Dance a nd played the flute. This presentation led to introductions to the Ministers of Education on both the federal and state levels. We are now working out the logistics for a return to Coahuila and a national Pow Wow to be held in the state capital of Saltillo. There has never been a national Pow Wow in Mexico, even though many tribes live there. These tribes will come together for the first time to share their dance with other peoples. Next, I would like to congratulate the Honorable Frank Ramirez. Frank is one of our Tribal Elders from California whose famil is from the Montalvo War Scouts. Very active in veterans' affairs. Frank is an active member in the American Indian Advisory Council to the California Secretary of Veterans Affairs. In this capacity he assisted the State of California in the establishment of an Assistant Deputy Secretary position for American Indian Veterans Affairs and Outreach. This position was approved by the Governor of California, the Honorable Arnold Schwarzenegger, and a selection of this Governor's Appointee is eminent. The establishment of this postion is the first of it kind at a State Level and hopefully will influence other States to establish similar positions. Frank has been asked by the California Secretary of Veterans (a member of the Governor's Cabinet) to assist in establishing an American Indian Veterans Foundation and to serve as its Founding Incorporator. This Foundation will be housed in Frank's Sacramento Office and will assist American Indian Veterans in receiving their earned benefits and be of support to the newly appointed Assistant Deputy Secretary. We as a Tribe are very proud of Frank. What does this mean to our People? What this means is that we have a resource with the national Native American Indian Veterans Association. He will be their to help our veterans become educated in the benefits to them and their families and other social services. Never should we as a People forget the sacrifice given by our Warriors. We now also are setting up relations with The Department of Health and Human Services to deal with diabetes among our people and also working with them on a language grant. Currently, Tom Castillo, along with the Language Preservation Committee, has been spearheading this effort. If you know of anyone who speaks the Lipan dialect of the Southern Athabascan language please contact Tom Castillo. We are happy to announce that Robert Soto has opened a second Cultural Center in McAllen, Texas. I believe Robert is the first indian to have cloned himself; it seems he is everywhere. This is a great testament to the tireless effort that Robert puts forth for the Tribe. I give special thanks to Adriel Arocha. During the recognition ceremony in Austin, Adriel, a five-year-old member of our Tribe, sat at the Drum in the state capitol building under the rotunda. Adriel and his parents have fought for Adriel’s rights as an Apache youth. Adriel is a student in Needville, Texas, where school district policy prohibits long hair on male students. Adriel stated that he would not cut his hair because he was an Apache and his father and grandfather told him not cut his hair. His father Kenny, who was forced at a young age to cut his hair, knew what it felt like; so he let his son decide whether he wanted his hair cut. Adriel made his own decision, and his parents supported him. A court decided that Adriel must be allowed to keep his hair long as a cultural and religious choice. I give a special wish for success to Darcie Ryan, a member of our Tribe. I hope that she wins the scholarships for Native American science students she has applied for. The scholarships will support her during her senior year as a geoscience major at Princeton University in New Jersey. Darcie is one of only a few Native students at Princeton, and the only Apache. WOW! The Ivy League meets Apacheria. I know I speak for all our people in wishing her great success. Finally, I would like to thank three men who made our road to state acknowledgement a success: Representative Todd Hunter and his staff spent many hours over the last year encouraging us and helping to work through the details of this issue. Thanks to Senator Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, who led efforts in the Senate and helped craft the language of the resolutions. And a Special thanks to Judge Bobby Gonzalez who has been with us since the very beginning. These men will be remembered as our friends who have asked for nothing but the opportunity to do the right thing in showing that the N'de are still in Texas. We are a Nation of People and it is YOU, the tribal membership, whom we, your General Council, serve. Let us celebrate this time of gathering with the promise that we will always find a way to keep our Nation whole. Bernard F. Barcena Jr. General Council Chairman | |||
