Native American Mamas tribe - Page 5

[Little Bear's Mama]

Well,I found out about the charity. It is American Indian Relief Council . They don't do the prenatal care as the person told me,but they do give baskets to all the newborns on the Pine Ridge reservation. You can find the info for what is included in the baskets by looking under the heading "infants and elders" then clicking on "baby baskets". My resource said there is another part of the AIRC,the NWAIRC,that gives breast pumps in their baskets.
I don't know what you're thinking,but I'm thinking this might be a nice place to start *doing* something. How would you guys feel about collaborating on a tri-fold info sheet for these baskets? If it's a go,how would you like to go about doing this? Funding for printing? And,most importantly,what would you like to see go *into* the brochure. I was thinking it would be just a print-off type thing,not a professional looking brochure(yet). So,tell me what you think!

[rrr]

great idea. super d duper. sorry to be so silly. it's late.

i would start by looking at the benefits of breastfeeding tear sheet from LLL. you can by a tablet of those from LLL. i will look and see if you can read it on their website.

do you have an LLL catalogue? it has so many good ideas in it.

after close reading of some LLL material, you could decide if you wanted to do something that was tailored to a native audience, instead, or in addition.

LLL has the best breastfeeding info, they work hard at that.

i'll look for appropriate prilnted material. and tell you what i find.

so yesterday, i made signs and posters for an LLL info table at a fashion show, called the best dressed breast. it was breast cancer awareness and prevention for 300 sorority girls.

we were thrilled that the organizers were rightfully promoting breastfeeding as cancer preventative. but the girl i talked to was more impressed with the idea that breastfeeding would give her a break from pms.

all the world's a stage.

rrr

[Little Bear's Mama]

The person I know has been donating "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding" and LLL pamphlets to the charity. The person she was working with doesn't seem very receptive to the donations. But there is another person she is working with now who is a little more receptive,so I think the book and pamphlets might still make it in there.
I think the tear-off sheets are a GREAT idea. They are really inexpensive and have TONS of info on each one.
I would still like to make a sheet or tri-fold with info that would be by Native women for Native women. I think both the charity that distributes them and the moms would really appreciate them.
Thoughts? Anyone?
And,rrr,that is fantastic! You probably reached many more women than you realize. Keep up the good work!

[rrr]

they were children. they were girls. and yet on the doorstep of womanhood.

we decided after, that we would give out candy next time to draw interest.

actually, if we put little how breastfeeding benefits you quizes in each program, they could do the quiz and turn it in for candy.

it's a whole different audience than the new parent who cares about the baby.

i have this theory about appealing to the needs of the more powerful (the desicion maker), rather than to the needs of the powerless (the baby).

OK. so what do youwant to say in your brochure? you gotta' start somewhere.

maybe think about what i just said about the needs of the mother.

and...what about choosing a native principle and applying it to breastfeeding?

let's brainstorm some native themes.

do you know these women personally?

what organizations are connected? for example, does WIC work with LLL? etc.

oh---can you look up and read some native stories from your area? maybe there is one that you cd. use as an intro.

or--learn the attributes of the animals and find one that relates to mothering. these are fun ideas.

here in the LLL catalogue, it says you can buy a sample packet of one of each of the 19 different tear sheets. this might help you with lots of briefly stated info, as well as help you choose an appropriate tear sheet to accompany your native one.

tear sheets are 5.50 for 50.

rrr

[Jane]

I think I can write something up this weekend. No obligations to anyone, but I'll see it what I'm thinking comes out well on paper. I'll post it if it's good and get some critique.

My idea:
Your new baby. Positive and breezy, light.
Short paragraph about how the baby was designed for breastmilk, including digestion, immune system, mouth.
Longer paragraph about the benefits to the mother-child duo. Sleeping more, no washing, always available, freedom, contentedness, nursing to sleep, soft stools (ie, no constipation issues), always perfect temp and content, etc.
Shorter paragraph about benefits to mom, weight loss, breast cancer, empowerment?

Phone numbers, with actual names of the people, not just the number (I hope), books titles

Things to leave out:
Insinuations about the reader...too poor to afford formula, don't know about babies, anything negative about formula feeding (as much as possible).

[~member~]

Wow! I missed so much! I have just been so busy, two girls and school and all that fun stuff lol!
I have been trying to get a breastfeeding tent/spce for mom's at the pow-wows for a long time. I am thinking that maybe I should just go to Stanley Crooks and demand that there be a tent with water, snacks, and changing table with a place for washing hands at all the pow-wows his tribe sponsors. Or maybe, all the powwows that Mystic Lake Casino provides funding for....hmmm..
I think in your brochure, you should have pictures of present-day mom's breastfeeding. The n8v women with their Baby Phat clothes and Kangol hats, sitting at the pow-wow nursing, or at the local mall. i would even be willing to volunteer. I could have my friends take pictures of me nursing my babe in public and/or at the pow-wow. I can send them over the email or something, for you to use.

Well, thanxgivin's on its way. My dd is in First Grade! Guess who always gets to be the indian in the plays about the pilgrims landing on plymouth rock?!? Yeah, the only indian in the school...my dd.
She is excited, though. She gets all the attention, but....I just don't know....the lies they are teaching her and the lies she is believing.....arghhhh. The teachers are idiots, as you have heard in previous posts. Their response, "Well, could you come in and teach them?" NO! Idiots. I am NOT responsible for your ignorance, nor am I responsible for teaching you!
I am so sick of it all. i am even considering moving to Ste St. Marie so she can go to the indian school there and i can attend college.
Well, I don't have the money or resources to do that, so any suggestions, ideas on how to keep my sanity?

[CeraMae]

Hello Native American mommies. I promise I'm not trying to hijak your thread. I just thought more than anyone you may have faced this issue and may be able to help me.

So sorry that I haven't had the time to read thru the pages of your thread to see if this has already been covered. My brother (half brother but we don't use those labels) is 1/2 Passamoquady (I think that is how you spell it), a costal tribe in Maine. He has a 2.5 yo boy and and I want to get him something for the holidays that will reflect/celebrate his heritage. My bro is just starting to get back to his roots of his spirituality so I'm getting him some great books I found, but as for the boy I'm at a loss. We don't have much $ but what I'm thinking of is a sort of generic Native American doll. I just don't know where to find one. I have a few Waldorf-type toy catalogues and the only ones they have are for older children, or doll-making kits. Can you suggest something? I'll even go FisherPrice if I have to...I'm thinking something more fabric/simple and less plastic/complex. If that makes sense.

Thank you so much in advance, and if you don't want to alter discussion to reply to me feel free to PM.
Warmly,
Sarah

[rrr]

look on line at the magic cabin dolls. there are lots of choices there. or try the saturday market if you have one.

can you sew? patterns abound.

ty makes beanie buddies in a variety.

you can buy a long dark haired soft girl doll and make boy clothes for it.

good luck

rrr

[Little Bear's Mama]

Hey MamaInTheBoonies! LTNS!
Sorry to hear you are dealing w/the same stuff at your dd school. My suggestion? Continue to teach your daughter what you feel she needs to know,and give her to tools to deal with all the inconsistancies and prejudice. With the tools you give her,and alot of support,she'll be fine. In the meanwhile,if you wanted to speak to her class about Thanksgiving,or even tell a little about *your* people,I think it would be a very good thing. In fact,my dh and father are going to speak to a school next week. It seems one of my dh's customers noticed he was NA and asked him to do a program since the children are celebrating Native American History month. We're hoping something good will come out of it! About the nursing tents,I hope you get them going. What a wonderful thing! Let us know what happens. Oh,and how is school going?

About the pamphlet,no word yet on whether or not this group will allow them to be put into their baby baskets. I will keep you updated.

CeraMae,
As rrr suggested,you could use any doll pattern and add NA features to it. I would also suggest a lovely book. Maybe a book of NA legends?

Hope everyone is doing well. Please check in every now and again and let us know what's up! If you have any ideas for projects,speak up!
Hugs!

[rrr]

gerald mcdermott writes such books, but there is another one i like better. i'll find it and tell you tomorrow.

rrr

[~member~]

Arghhh! School is not going well. I am being suspended. LAck of resources for single mom's, lack of daycare, etc. Things were going really well, and then bam! We got sick, one right after the other. So, three weeks out, I fell too far behind. Then there was the week I had no money and no food and was begging the neighbors to feed my girls.
I love this small town and how safe I feel here with my girls, but if I want to finish college and go onto med school, I need to transfer out of here. I am just so scared, kwim? I also have no funds for moving right now, so I would have to spend next semester and the summer working.
I would have to find another college, find schooling for my 7 yr old, and daycare for the baby, and a home for us to live in. Then there's the whole medical insurance and money issue.
Right now, I am just so overwhelmed and exhausted.
I miss my family, but I know that I would never make it back to college if I move home, kwim?
Well, my baby is tearing up my apartment and needs a bath. thanks for letting me vent a little

[plum]

mama in the boonies- i'm sorry things are so hard. i'm not sure where you go to school now, but there is a program in grand forks, nd called inmed (indians into medicine). it's at the university of north dakota and i think it's supposed to be a pretty good program. it's aimed at getting indian students into the medical field, like doctors, pharmacists, that sort of thing. maybe that would be worth checking out? i think they'd offer a lot of support.

[Little Bear's Mama]

Vent away,MamaInTheBoonies! Best not to keep these things bottled up inside.
Plum had a good idea,have you looked into the INMED programs? I'm pretty sure they are nation wide. Also,there are IHS grants that pay for your college,your books,and give you a monthy stippend. They aren't easy to get,but filling out the paperwork would be worth every minute of the time spent on it if you did get it! There are several options out there for you. I hope you can find something that will be helpful.
About medical insurance,have you looked into medicaid or low income health insurance for your children? There is a program that is supposed to be in every state that qualifies all children w/out insurance for some kind of low cost health insurance. You could call your county health department and ask for an application. MANY families have taken advantage of this insurance. It truly can be a life saver when a little one is sick.
I'm so sorry that you ran out of money and was unable to get food. I cannot imagine how scared you must have been. I pray that this won't happen again.
Hang in there. You'll be in my thoughts!

[~member~]

Thanksgiving pow-wow coming up at the Indian Center in Mpls. Anyone going? Or are there others you will be attending?

[JessicaS]

CeraMae, I think a drum would be nice. If you can find someone that makes NA type drums..you might be able to contact the NA students associations at a college (if you have one by you) and see if they know someone that makes them. DD has a rattle that looks like a little drum on a stick with beads or something in it that I got from a lady at my church..it is neat.

Music and chant is a huge part of the Passamaquoddy religion and culture and I think that a drum would be the ideal gift. (IMO of course) You might be able to find an inexpensive one if you ask about one for a child. Or you can try contacting the Passamaquoddy and see if they know of someone who makes drums or what would make a nice gift.

About the doll making...you can find directions for making corn husk dolls. Some of them can be very elaborate and interesting. Course it is just a thought but it would be made of materials that were used for doll making in NA culture. (corn husk dolls were made by the Passamaquoddy, my tribe is in the same language family so there are some similarities)

huge site with Passamaquoddy info

http://www.native-languages.org/passamaquoddy.htm

Looking into the Tribe more I see they practice the Medicine wheel. There are books availible on the subject, I have one but I am not at home to get the title...

MamaintheBoonies, Also look into Haskell which is a NA college in Lawrence Kansas. I think it just has associates programs (not certain though)but it is a NA college and has aid programs for NA students.

[Little Bear's Mama]

Hi everyone!
Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving,and I hope all is well with each and every one of you.

I would like you all to know about THIS THREAD. If you can help,or if you need help,please contact Trabot. I would love for everyone to have a great Holiday,and this is one way that we can help or get the help we need.

Take care! And I hope you all will check in soon.

[plum]

thanksgiving was fun. my mom came and brought a bunch of kids with her. they left yesterday and my house is still a mess.

littlebear'smama- i signed up for that thread. it looks fun.

[Little Bear's Mama]

:LOL That sounds about right,Plum!:LOL I shouldn't laugh. It'll be my turn in a week or two!
I'm glad your Thanksgiving was good. And I'm glad to hear you signed on to help out! I know it will make a difference.
I wanted to tell you that I clicked the link in your siggy and Scout is gorgeous!

[plum]

hey how is everyone? did anyone see that movie on tv the last two nights, 'dreamkeepers'? i liked it; i'm all for seeing indians on tv.

you might find this interesting. the bottom three are my ancestors; james is my great grandpa. http://mceweb.cec.umt.edu/tribes/Kni...bjectid506.htm

where could i get a simple pattern for a little dress? i want to start on a dress for scout to dance in, and i figure this winter is a good time to start. either one piece or a simple top and bottom.

thank you, littlebear's mama, i think scout is cute too!

[Little Bear's Mama]

I saw the movie,and I *loved* it. I can't believe they actually told REAL legends. I about fell out of my chair when grandfather rock rolled over coyote! I think they did a good job. Most the time when you see NA movies on t.v.,it is from the perspective of another culture. This movie really seemed to be from the perspective of the NA.
Neat pictures,Plum! What a wonderful thing to share w/your dd.
About the dress...what kind are you looking for and about what size? Are you looking for a traditional t-dress...something simple? For that,you might not even need a pattern. Just measure off how big you think she'll be,cut and sew. You can add ribbon,a belt,and maybe some leggings and she'll be good to go. A simple elastic waisted skirt prolly wouldn't require a pattern,either. If you want a little shawl for her,LMK. I have some extra fringe.
I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday. We did,although we did get the flu to go along with it.
We'll be going to a New Year's benefit dance on the 4th. My dh drum is host. It will be nice to get together with family and friends again.