Saturday, June 11, 2016

"JOLEEN BROWN: FAMILIES FIRST AND HELPING OTHERS IS THE KEY TO NATIVE HOOP MAGAZINE"


By Mike Raccoon Eyes Kinney




When you first talk to Joleen Brown, Vice-President of NATIVE HOOP MAGAZINE, you can sense a real belief and commitment to service and volunteerism to Indian Country. When you see descriptions of this digital Native publication they are so empowering in a good way, such as: 'Native Hoop Magazine continues to promote the many talents of our people in a positive way.' Or others such as: 'Promoting our people in a positive manner. Giving a place for our people to have a voice.'
You just know immediately that you have found a real Native publication that not only empowers you being a Native, but actually gives you as a Native a voice so you may be heard.




Joleen Brown, a Lakota Woman has a passion, I mean a real passion for the advancement of our Native People and more Human and Civil Rights for Indian Country. She will be the first tell you she is a volunteer at Native Hoop Magazine and as well "That is why we provide a free digital download and free pdf email subscription every month when Native Hoop Magazine is published. We know to print the magazine is expensive and not eco-friendly. Magazines are as well expensive and Native people don't always have money to spend on magazines, we offer a free way and have the ability to make sure Indian Country can get their copies."




One of the things that gives Native Hoop that awesome edge it has, is the fact it is Native owned and operated.


Joleen explains: What we offer here is the ability for our People to have a voice! I mean a real voice to share and tell their stories. When I started here 5 years ago as a graphic designer I saw the potential of what I could do to help our People. The possibilities were unlimited of what we could do here. My Grandmother used to tell me: " If you can help the People, then help the People."




She sites many writers, photographers and people whom have appeared in Native Hoop Magazine over the years, have gone to become major success stories. She told of a Native model back in 2013, who at the time had never modeled before and had done her very first shoot in Native Hoop. And since that time has had a very successful career an top-flight model who commands $3,000 dollars a day.





Joleen remembers another Native photographer back in 2013 who did numerous photography projects with Native Hoop and from there many of her photo images went on to appear in such international publications such as VOGUE.




According to Joleen all editions of Native Hoop Magazine are featured in the Heard Museum in Phoenix. The Heard Museum is dedicated to the sensitive and accurate portrayal of Native arts and cultures, the Heard is an institution that successfully combines the stories of American Indian people from a personal perspective with the beauty of art.




As mentioned Native Hoop Magazine gives Indian Country a real voice to share and tell their stories.
Joleen is the first to tell you that: " Native youth is my passion, my heart!" When asked why she explains: "Native Youth need to be heard! Native Hoop Magazine gives our young people the opportunity to be heard and have that voice. Native youth are lost in the mainstream 21st century. They feel they should be able to turn traditional elders to help them reclaim their Native identities and culture. The goal of the traditional elders with regards to Native youth, should be help the our youth to breech that gap between our traditions and cultures as Indigenous people and living in a mainstream 21st century."




"The problem many traditional elders throw in the face of our Youth is because of the fact that many of our Native youth are turned away by the very people that should be helping them, because they lack the procedure and protocol of how to approach our elders in the right way. The elders believe 'the kids can't come to the elders in the proper way until you teach them how.' And I have a real problem with that kind of thinking, that kind of thinking undermines the very outreach our Youth are trying to do with the elders! As more elders decease into the 21st century, more of our traditions, culture and language is gone for good. Outreach from the elders to our youth and young adults is imperative."


"Our goal here at Native Hoop Magazine is to let our People tell their stories from their own personal perspective. And to have a real voice that speaks to ALL of us and for us here Indian Country!" proudly says Joleen!

Saturday, November 21, 2015

MIKE RACCOON EYES KINNEY: NATIVE WRITE-IN CANDIDATE FOR US PRESIDENT 2016




There is NO one for Indian Country to vote for in the US Presidential 2016 bid! I am now starting a National write in campaign as a PROTEST VOTE AGAINST THE DEMOCRATIC & REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES! I have made the decision to be a NATIVE WRITE-IN CANDIDATE FOR THE US PRESIDENT! It may sound crazy to do as such, but these SO-CALLED MAINSTREAM CANDIDATES  DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT US IN INDIAN COUNTRY! My goal is quite simple: MORE HUMAN & CIVIL RIGHTS FOR INDIAN COUNTRY!




" THE NATIVE VOTE EQUATES NATIVE ELECTED OFFICIALS TO GIVE US REPRESENTATION IN A RACIST, COLONIAL MAINSTREAM SOCIETY



Among the most difficult civil rights issues are those facing Indian Country's 10 million Native Americans. Federally recognized tribes are considered domestic dependent nations, with their rights to tribal sovereignty preserved. Tribal sovereignty refers to tribes' right to govern themselves, define their own membership, manage tribal property, and regulate tribal business and domestic relations; it further recognizes the existence of a government-to-government relationship between such tribes and the federal government. The federal government has special trust obligations to protect tribal lands and resources, protect tribal rights to self-government, and provide services necessary for tribal survival and advancement.


The fight to preserve tribal sovereignty and treaty rights has long been at the forefront of the Native American civil rights movement Moreover, Native Americans suffer from many of the same social and economic problems as other victims of long-term bias and discrimination - including, for example, disproportionately high rates of poverty, infant mortality, unemployment, and low high school completion rates. The struggle for equal employment and educational opportunity is key to addressing these problems that historically plague Indian Country.
WE NOW KNOW INDIAN COUNTRY IT IS TIME TO RISE TO POWER! We know as Native People can no longer afford to go along to get along!



The Native vote equates Native elected officials rebuild Native community by community and person by person, and Indian Country as a whole. I can't tell you how many everyday people that I've talked with who've visited Indian Country, and they've looked around and they saw all the social indicators of decline: high infant mortality, high unemployment, many other very serious problems among our People, and they always ask, " What happened to these people? Why do Native People have all these problems?"



To be blunt, many Native Peoples view the current United States government as a racist, colonial, illegal foreign government that is occupying our many Native Nations and could a dam less about us!
Five hundred years of conquest, death, cultural deprivation, and mistreatment have left North American Native populations with unresolved grief about our history. The racist, colonial policies of the United States government views as a so-called 'conquered people', oppression and repression of our God given Human and Civil Rights as First Nation Peoples and mass extermination, ethnic cleansing and racial genocide.



Native people know that with the emergence of many Native elected officials in 2016 that is the beginning of the prophecies of when Indigenous Native People are in CONTROL of the three America again within the next 25 years or less!



As I state on mainstream media and town hall meetings through out Indian Country, I make the following statement:



" CREATOR'S WORLD RENEWAL CYCLE SHALL START SOON! THE NATIVE MAN SHALL RISE TO POWER SOON! WE AS NATIVE PEOPLE SHALL BE IN CONTROL OF THE AMERICAS AGAIN! BE READY! LEARN YOUR PRAYERS! LEARN YOUR SONGS! LEARN YOUR DANCES! BE READY! THE NATIVE MAN SHALL RISE TO POWER AND BE IN CONTROL OF THE AMERICAS!"



Mike Raccoon Eyes Kinney is of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee, out of Southeast Kentucky. He has been a Native Advocate for more Human and Civil Rights for Indian Country for the past 25 years. He is the San Francisco Bay Area delegate for the Inter-Tribal Council of California. He is a writer and author on traditional and contemporary issues of Indian Country, as well gives inspirational motivational talks about the spiritual empowerment of Native Peoples. He currently resides in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Monday, November 2, 2015

ANNE HILLERMAN: THE NEXT GENERATION By Mike Raccoon Eyes Kinney

ANNE HILLERMAN: THE NEXT GENERATION


By Mike Raccoon Eyes Kinney




ANNE HILLERMAN: THE NEXT GENERATION
By Mike Raccoon Eyes Kinney
I had my coffee and notes ready for my interview with Anne Hillerman (daughter of Tony Hillerman) international mystery writer and with two New York Times best sellers she has authored- SPIPER WOMAN'S DAUGHTER and ROCK WITH WINGS.


The phone rings exactly at 3pm sharp. I take a quick final sip of coffee and I hear the charming and delightful voice of Anne calling me from her home in Santa Fe. I was really so excited to finally hear the voice of Ann, she is a master story teller who really understands the art of being interviewed and talking with her was like talking to my best friend or close family member. She is a very warm, friendly and well-spoken person about her art and craft of being both a writer and author.


" I can remember my Dad talking so much about his main character Joe Leaphorn I almost viewed him as an uncle. It was from this point, I realized how lucky I was to write fiction in a fictional world that I had inherited from my Dad.This was how rich that experience was. It was from there I sensed the real love of my Dad's telling those stories.It really hit home with me in the early 70's, when Dad sold his book the BLESSING WAY. It was then finally Joe Leaphorn had a real place in fiction to exist and be."


She has carefully researched and studied her Dad's internationally acclaimed Leaphorn-Chee mysteries to carry it and have it evolve to the whole next level. When I asked her about her two New York Times best-sellers SPIDER WOMAN'S DAUGHTER and ROCK WITH WINGS she explained to me how she had sought to take her Dad's character, Navajo Tribal cop, Bernadette Manuelito to have a real life of her own in the Leaphorn-Chee-Manueltio series she was writing.


" Bernie is the wife of Sheriff Jim Chee, as my readers know. But she needed to have a place where she was viewed as crime-solver, a real law-enforcement officer. I was able to bring a new twist and my voice into her character. Dad created Bernie as a character but her life didn't have a back story, so I intended to fill that void."


" She as well has a Mother and her Sister, Darlene whom play important parts in my novels. As example, Bernie's Mother is important in her life because she is very stabilizing in Bernie's life, her Sister Darlene can be troubling at times. The younger sibling at time needs a good kick in the pants in their fictional world. Their Mother does not tolerate or put up with foolish coming from here daughters, but by the same token the Mother's health problems make her dependent on the two of them. It is just a complicated relationship at times."


" I have lived in Santa Fe since the early 70s so it was something I was familiar with and could write about. So I thought it would be great to bring Leaphorn, Chee and Bernie to Santa Fe. And to see what Bernie thought about being there for the first time."


She and her photographer Husband, Don Strel teamed up to together to write TONY HILLERMAN'S LANDSCAPE. With Don's amazing photographs and her writings, the book became a huge success. " The book was intended to be coffee table book. My editor shared that the book would be published in the United States and publishing here would be more expensive. We had down size the photo images from 225 to 100 photo images. So we had to restructure the whole book. The editor suggested that I should write about the experience of my Dad's passing in the first chapter, which I did. In doing as such, I was able to celebrate my Dad's life and as well it helped with my grieving and healing."


" What I enjoyed about writing SPIDER WOMAN'S DAUGHTER and ROCK WITH WINGS that these two mysteries were now connected to each other. After ROCK WITH WINGS was finished, I still did not have a title for it. At that time my Mother was in the hospital and she knew something was bothering me. So I shared with her about not having a title. She eventually thought of the idea for the title based on the Navajo translation of Shiprock, which would be in English- Rock with Wings. So we have two locations going on, one in Shiprock and the other in Monument Valley. The Monument Valley landscape is ancient and mysterious. My Dad had never done story based out of there. So I just knew it was the right place to have a part of the story take place at."


When asked what she liked about being a writer and author, Anne stated: " If people read my books, I am very happy! "

Saturday, February 28, 2015

FACEBOOK RACIALLY PROFILES NATIVE AMERICAN TRADITIONAL LAST NAMES



FACEBOOK RACIALLY PROFILES NATIVE AMERICAN TRADITIONAL LAST NAMES
by Mike Raccoon Eyes Kinney




Native Advocate Mike Raccoon Eyes Kinney discusses the racial profiling by Facebook against Native Americans, who use their traditional Native last names on Facebook and then deactivate their accounts claiming that are NOT Natives and are using phony, bogus last names.




My name is Mike Raccoon Eyes Kinney. My traditional Native is Raccoon Eyes, my missionary is Kinney.I just got racially profiled by Facebook on Feb.25, 2015. My account was deactivated. I am a delegate for the Inter-Tribal Council of California. Just google: 'Native American last names, Facebook' and you will discover thousands of Native People that have been illegally racial profiled for using their traditional Native last names and their accounts deactivated.


Facebook states that their reasons for deactivating Native's accounts be they are assumed, made up or phony pseudo Native names that are not real names. This racist, colonial social net cancelled my account because they thought my Native name was made up or bogus!


They have just declared war on Indian Country! I made several attempts today to call down to Menlo Park, CA. Where the Facebook Inc. headquarters is based to lodge both protests & complaints about their policies of RACIAL PROFILING OF NATIVE PEOPLES LAST NAMES! However, their corporate office does NOT allow or except phone calls to talk to Facebook staff. I have informed the Inter-Tribal Council of California as their San Francisco Bay Area Delegate of these racist, colonial policies that Facebook has towards Native People by racial profiling them for using their traditional Native last names.


As Native Advocate, Mary Snowfawn stated recently about Facebook racial profiling of Native People: "What right does anyone, no matter who have the right to tell another what name they may use or what business is it of theirs!? I mean really isn't there enough prejudice going on in this world. AND NOW FACEBOOK IS TARGETING US......NATIVE AMERICAN PEOPLE!"


Snowfawn further states: "Who appointed them as our 'Creator'? They need to get real and need to be taught a real and true lesson, once and for all. They should not, they cannot control us anymore. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH WITH THESE COLONIAL PIGS! They need to get over themselves! They may own Facebook, but they don't own us. My traditional last name is Snowfawn and they cannot take that away from me!"


What Facebook needs to learn from we Native People in Indian Country, is they shall be punished in courts of law and their bank accounts for the illegal racial profiling of Native People who to chose and rightfully so their traditional Native last names.


AFTER 550 YEARS OF WHOLESALE SLAUGHTER AND MASS EXTERMINATION, FOR SOME OF US, OCCUPATION AND RESISTANCE HAS NEVER STOPPED!

Friday, September 5, 2014

AN EXAMINATION OF 'SKINWALKERS MOON'

AN EXAMINATION OF 'SKINWALKERS MOON' by RanDee Redwillow

By Mike Raccoon Eyes Kinney

This review of 'SKINWALKERS MOON' is the second book of Ute author Randee Redwillow's Moonfire series about
...
Skinwalkers on the Ute Reservation in the 21st Century. I have as well reviewed Ms. Redwillow's first book: 'HIGH UINTAS MOON'. I have selected some excerpts from my first review of 'HIGH UINTAS MOON' to give a definitionof a skinwalker is and the role of what modern Indian Country law enforcement jurisdictions play in investigating and containing skinwalkers.

The simplest definition that I might give as having investigated skinwalkers for years is as follows: the ability to wear animal skins of North American wildlife such as Bear, Wolf, Coyote or Cougar as example, while still retaining the power of human mind and physical transform from a physical human being into the actually physical animal of whose skins they wear or the ability to create a three dimensional hologram of the physical animal.

Skinwalkers themselves are very much real human beings, who in many cases are negative Native doctors who have incredible paranormal,spiritual gifts and powers that are used to create chaos, mayhem, killing and murder. These individuals in some cases are actually are paid and retained for these deadly, evil skills and abilities to inflict on Native individuals, families or some cases entire Native communities.

Skinwalkers have always been among us here in Indian Country since the dawn of time. On the Colorado Plateau in the states of Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico there are over 100,000 known Meso-American sites of the pre-historic Publeo peoples with their awesome cities found in locations like Canyon de Chelly, Chaco, and Mesa Verde and through out the valleys and Mountains of the Southwest can be found numerous petroglyphs and pictograms in these ancient cities of skinwalker activities then and in some cases ceremonies that had been done in these cities of the Ancient Ones to contain and control skinwalker activities.

Through out Indian Country there are hundreds of killings, murders and homicides of Native people go unexplained and are not solved each year. However many Indian Country law-enforcement jurisdictions now believe that many of these crime scenes are due to skinwalker activities. As an example, the elite Navajo Nation Rangers have been trained professionally for some years now in both paranormal and spiritual investigations not only involving skinwalkers but Howlers, Bigfoot, the Dogman and other entities that may in effect be responsible for killings, murder and homicides that occur there on the Navajo Big Rez.

So with that backdrop, we come to RanDee RedWillow's novel: 'SKINWALKERS MOON', about skinwalkers on the Ute reservation& other locations in the Southwest in the 21st century. In her bone-chilling series of novels such a law-enforcement jurisdiction exists in the 21st century on the Ute reservation at Uinta and Ouray. The lead character is a young 19 year old Ute woman named Kai Moon, a gifted and talented student who graduated from high school at the age of 16 and completed her university and police academy in both criminology and law enforcement, as well had focused on Native America cultures and beliefs. Upon returning home to Fort Duchesene, Kai has been accepted and appointed as both a state and federal law enforcement agent and tribal cop on the Ute reservation.

In 'SKINWALKERS MOON', Kai Moon & Takoda Old Horse leave Utah to attend Federal Law School in New Mexico, they quickly find out that, they are not alone, Kasa and his pack of Skin Walkers are roaming, killing and taking hostages, which leads Kai & Takoda to Mesa Verde, Colorado. and back to Utah.

Kai and her elite team of Ute Moon Warriors must capture the skinwalkers who have been terrorizing the Ute Uinta-Ouray reservation & parts of the greater Southwest. When Kai Moon & Takoda Old Horse leave Utah to attend Federal Law School in New Mexico, they quickly find out that, they are not alone, Kasa and his pack of Skin Walkers are roaming, killing and taking hostages, which leads Kai & Takoda to Mesa Verde, Colorado. and back to Utah, before any more children are stolen or murdered.

The paranormal war against the Skinwalkers is waged across the entire Uinta-Ouray reservation, New Mexico and Mesa Verde, Colorado. Each skinwalker rampage is bloody, nothing less than a wholesale slaughter of killings and murders of victims more grim and violent than the one before those. Kai Moon and her husband to be Takoda Old Horse, the Moon Warriors and the Silent Ones wage a paranormal counter-offensive against the pack of Skinwalkers. The showdown at the Anasazi ruins of the Long House in Mesa Verde, Colorado is simply mind-blowing!

As mentioned in my first review of 'HIGH UINTAS MOON':" Ms. RedWillow in her novel is very highly detailed about traditional Ute ceremonies, prayer and other aspects of elder Holy Medicine men. Her narratives of these spiritual descriptions are inspiring, powerful and moving. She brings the very best of Indian Country to the reader. But as well her narratives and descriptions of the acts of violence, mutilation and vile acts against the victims is not pleasant to read but are vital and necessary to this masterfully crafted and spelling binding work she has created. "

And again the same maybe said for 'SKINWALKERS MOON' this volume is breath-taking, and at the same time will leave you breathless as you read this piece of literature! Ms. RedWillow has out done herself again in this exciting, action packed paranormal work. Ms. RedWillow's outstanding work in 'SKINWALKERS MOON' proves her to be one of Indian Country's most convincing & authentic writers. I truly believe anything she writes is worth reading and 'SKINWALKERS MOON' is no exception. She has proved a very strong & compelling case of the existence of skinwalkers in the 21st century in Indian Country.
See More

Thursday, August 21, 2014

A Closer Examination of Skinwalkers in Indian Country and 'HIGH UINTA MOON' by Randee Redwillow

Review of' HIGH UINTA MOON' by Randee Redwillow and A Closer Examination of Skinwakers in Indian Country.
By Mike Raccoon Eyes Kinney

I know many of you here in Indian Country have been waiting for my review of Ute author RanDee RedWillow'...s novel: 'HIGH UINTA MOON' about Skinwalkers on the Ute reservation in the 21st Century. 'HIGH UINTA MOON is the first novel in Ms. RedWillow's series of the Moon Fire Sagas. Words to describe this novel are spelling-binding, powerful, stunning ,savage and masterfully crafted to say the least. This powerful novel is highly accurate in the traditional cultural and spiritual aspects of the belief and value system of how in Indian Country views the Skinwalker phenomena.

The simplest definition that I might give as having investigated skinwalkers for years is as follows: the ability to wear animal skins of North American wildlife such as Bear, Wolf, Coyote or Cougar as example, while still retaining the power of human mind and physical transform from a physical human being into the actually physical animal of whose skins they wear or the ability to create a three dimensional hologram of the physical animal.

Skinwalkers themselves are very much real human beings, who in many cases are negative Native doctors who have incredible paranormal,spiritual gifts and powers that are used to create chaos, mayhem, killing and murder. These individuals in some cases are actually are paid and retained for these deadly, evil skills and abilities to inflict on Native individuals, families or some cases entire Native communities.

Skinwalkers have always been among us here in Indian Country since the dawn of time. On the Colorado Plateau in the states of Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico there are over 100,000 known Meso-American sites of the pre-historic Publeo peoples with their awesome cities found in locations like Canyon de Chelly, Chaco, and Mesa Verde and through out the valleys and Mountains of the Southwest can be found numerous petroglyphs and pictograms in these ancient cities of skinwalker activities then and in some cases ceremonies that had been done in these cities of the Ancient Ones to contain and control skinwalker activities.

As an example, I can remember a few years back I had been invited by a Navajo family in Chile, Arizona high in the Chuska Mountains next to Canyon de Chelly to help aid them in paranormal wars against the Skinwalker doctors there. Upon my arrival there that night, I pitched a small dome shaped tent on my friends land. I knew I could probably expect skin walker activity and I was prepared with my medicines to prevent any attacks against myself. During the course of the night, I heard definite growling sounds and some type of a four legged 'animal' circling my tent, noises that sounded like pots and pans dropping from the night sky , unseen forces at work trying to drive me away from my friends home in fear. The next morning after about 2 hours sleep, I got up and inspected outside of my tent, there were nothing but coyote tracks! I followed the tracks for about 1,000 feet in the sandy driveway only to discover the coyote footprints had turned into HUMAN FOOTPRINTS! The human tracks stopped at the main road by their home.I advised my friends quickly as to what happened, we jumped in their truck in pursuit of the skinwalker.

We had driven about a tenth of mile only to discover the skinwalkers had killed and murdered over 20 head of sheep, 3 horses and 9 goats, all laying on their sides dead! A combination of coyote and human foot prints were found at the killing field and many of the coyote tracks revealed that the 'coyotes' had stood right side up on there hind legs during the attack. A series of vets and animal doctors came to the site and their conclusions were all of the livestock had been traumatized and had died of massive strokes!

Through out Indian Country there are hundreds of killings, murders and homicides of Native people go unexplained and are not solved each year. However many Indian Country law-enforcement jurisdictions now believe that many of these crime scenes are due to skinwalker activities. As an example, the elite Navajo Nation Rangers have been trained professionally for some years now in both paranormal and spiritual investigations not only involving skinwalkers but Howlers, Bigfoot, the Dogman and other entities that may in effect be responsible for killings, murder and homicides that occur there on the Navajo Big Rez.

So with that backdrop, we come to RanDee RedWillow's novel: 'HIGH UINTA MOON', about skinwalkers on the Ute reservation in the 21st century. In her bone-chilling novel such a law-enforcement jurisdiction exists in the 21st century on the Ute reservation at Uinta and Ouray. The lead character is a young 19 year old Ute woman named Kai Moon, a gifted and talented student who graduated from high school at the age of 16 and completed her university and police academy in both criminology and law enforcement, as well had focused on Native America cultures and beliefs. Upon returning home to Fort Duchesene, Kai has been accepted and appointed as both a state and federal law enforcement agent and tribal cop on the Ute reservation. She starts investigations of the many defiled Ute archaeological sites where human remains were to be found,and other stranger disturbances at these Ute sacred sites .

Soon the trail leads Kai to skinwalkers who have killed and murdered two local high school basketball players .Now everyone is counting on Kai to hunt down the skinwalkers. Kai and her elite team of Ute warriors must capture the skinwalkers who have been terrorizing the Ute people before any more children are stolen or murdered. The paranormal war against the Skinwalker is waged across the entire Uinta-Ouray reservation, each killing and murder of victims more grim and violent than the one before those. Kai Moon and her husband to be Takoda Old Horse wage a paranormal counter-offensive against the pack of Skinwalkers.

Ms. RedWillow in her novel is very highly detailed about traditional Ute ceremonies, prayer and other aspects of elder Holy Medicine men. Her narratives of these spiritual descriptions are inspiring, powerful and moving. She brings the very best of Indian Country to the reader. But as well her narratives and descriptions of the acts of violence, mutilation and vile acts against the victims is not pleasant to read but are vital and necessary to this masterfully crafted and spelling binding work she has created.

One part that intrigued me was the use of 'medicine bullets' to be fired from Kai Moon's striker force's hand pistols and long guns at the wolf Skinwalker pack. In some parts of Navajo country, medicine bullets are dipped in white ash, which will cause a skinwalker to revert back to it's human form.

The spiritual and cultural aspects of this book are both traditional and authentic. 'HIGH UINTA MOON' is spellbinding, it was masterfully created, it was a joy to read and kept me up until the wee hours of the early morning simply because I did not want to stop reading it! RanDee RedWillow most be considered to be one of the best authors to come out of Indian Country in the past 50 years. She is a powerful writer, who writes a powerhouse novel for sure.

Sunday, December 15, 2013

ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF PREHISTORIC OHLONE VILLAGE SITE (CA-CCO-356) IN PINOLE, CA.-By Mike (Ali) Raccoon Eyes Kinney

ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF PREHISTORIC OHLONE VILLAGE SITE IN PINOLE,CA.-by Mike (Ali) Raccoon Eyes Kinney

 
    In late July, 2013 I was contacted by the Pinole Preservation Society with their concerns regarding an 80 ft. tall Verizon cell phone tower as well as a skateboard park of which both to be located in Pinole Valley Park in the San Francisco Bay Area, City of Pinole, Ca.  The city of Pinole at the time of this writing is planning the development of both the Verizon cell phone tower and the bike park in one of California’s oldest Native Archaeological recorded sites within the parks boundaries.

    I started my field investigations in July through December, 2013 of the prehistoric site of the Huchiun band of the Ohlones.  They are a State of California recorded Archaeological sites, CA-CCO-355 and 356.  (CA-California, CCO-County of Contra Costa, prehistoric sites – 355 and 356)  In January, 1977 the City of Pinole brought on board two well- known Archaeologists, Mr. Peter M. Banks and David A. Fredrickson to conduct an Archaeological Investigation of the 231 acres of land in Pinole Valley for the development as the Pinole Valley Park Project.

    The purposes of the Archaeological Investigation were to determine whether any Archaeological Resources were situated with the subject property, to evaluate the significance of any such resources, to estimate the effect that park development and construction might have upon such resources and to recommend procedures to mitigate any adverse effect that development and construction might have upon such resources.

    In that year as well the Pinole Valley Park Project was having an Archaeological Investigation of a major historical site, the Ignacio Martinez Adobe site dating from 1842.  While that investigation was being conducted there were two large, relatively undisturbed Prehistoric Habitation sites found within the said project area.  It was most unusual and very fortunate to find any prehistoric sited, especially large ones, in a relatively undisturbed state in a county where residential and commercial development has been intense.

    AS mentioned, CCO-356, had been recorded by Banks and Fredrickson (1977),  then 1995 the Anthropological Studies Center at Sonoma State University contracted with the City of Pinole to determine the boundaries of CCO-356 and assess  potential park construction impacts.
This investigation concluded that CCO-356 was at 30% larger than originally estimated.

    In Pinole Valley area, there is evidence of a prehistoric archaeological nature could include attributes such as implements, flakes or chips of chert, basalt, obsidian, grinding tools of stone, including mortar bowls or bedrock mortars, petroglyphs, carvings in rocks, marine shell fragments, especially bay species, burned and heat fractured rock, burned and broken animal and bird bones, fragments of human bones, remnants of human graves and locally darkened soil; referred to as midden a by- product of human habitation.

    Evidence of an early historical nature would include attributes such as a concentration of early historic artifacts such as china or ironstone pottery fragments, glass fragments; especially of hand blown glass bottles, metal fragments and sawn wood fragments.  Foundations of structures marked by either a line of large rocks or of wooden beams, also either a very dark, loose, friable soil; referred to as midden or soil derived from adobe bricks which are marked by a soft texture, a tendency to cleavage along rectangular lines and a soft profusion of dried plant remains.

    The archaeological investigation of the Pinole Valley Park revealed to areas of high archaeological sensitivity.  Each one of these areas contained significant archaeological resources  which could yield much new information on the prehistory and early history of Pinole Valley.

    Area A - The first area was situated on the flat terrace on the North side of Pinole Creek.  It was bordered to the North and East by Pinole Valley Road, and to south by the steep bank of
Pinole Creek, then to the west by a tributary that crossed Pinole Valley Road approximately 150 meters East of Simas.   Area A, measured 350 meters East – West by 120 meters, North – South.

    The major archaeological feature in Area A was a well – preserved prehistoric habitation site that was found during this investigation and assigned site number CCO-356.  The site was located on a very low mound on a flat open terrace of Pinole Creek.  The area of the site was approximately 120 meters East-West by 40 – 60 meters North – South.   CCO-356 was characterized by loose, friable, very dark grey-brown to black gravelly silt with many small, water worn pebbles.  There were numerous angular rocks, some of which showed signs of having been burned or fire cracked.  The soil was additionally full of marine shell bits and fragments and contained a few scattered fragments of animal bones.  Very few artifacts were observed, but many had probably been collected by residents and visitors through the years. 
 CCO-356 is an important prehistoric site not only because of its large size and high archaeological potential, but also because it has been subject to surprisingly little disturbance in an area where, as mentioned earlier, all other known prehistoric sites have been destroyed or badly disturbed.

Approximately 100 meters West of CCO-356 and located in the general areas of four old fruit trees, was a reported location of a “Historic Site of an Indian Burial Mound”.  This information was derived from a map made in 1962 by Ribera and Sue which was based on reports of local informants.  Because of other information on the same map is fairly accurate and the reported location was close to a known habitation site, it is possible human bones were found in the area of the reported location.  Therefore, the reported location of an “Indian Burial Mound” is included in the area of high archaeological sensitivity.

    Area B – The second area of high archaeological sensitivity was found on the flat, brushed-covered terrace on the Southside of Pinole Creek.  This area was bordered to the North by the steep cut bank of Pinole Creek, to the west by the property line of the residence at 1261 Old Adobe Road, to the North steepening slope of hills on the south side of Pinole Valley and to the east by an intermittent drainage that flowed 50 meters east of the Ignacio Martinez Adobe site.  Area B measured 350 meters East and West by 100 – 150 meters North and South.

    Within Area B and obscured by early historic structures on it, is a second prehistoric habitation site found during the course of this investigation and assigned site number CCO-355.  This site was located below and approximately 25 meters North and West of Ignacio Martinez Adobe site on the slope of the main terrace and on the top of a narrow sub-terrace that was 1.5 – 2 meters below the main terrace.  The original route of the Old Adobe Road was located on this sub-terrace and therefore passed over CCO-355.  This site was a fairly large one and extended 90 meters East–West by as much as 40 meters, North and South.  In an exposure in the cut bank the midden was 60 – 80 cm. thick and covered with about 15 cm. of old road fill.  The midden was a moderately loose, friable, dark grey-brown to black loamy gravelly slit with small bits of marine shell fragments scattered throughout.  CC)-355 has been disturbed somewhat by historic structures and roads as well as by dumping of early and recent historic litter.  It was also subject to severe erosion.
 CCO-355 was evidently occupied before, and not contemporaneous with the period when the Martinez family lived here.  The sites significance lies in the fact that it has been subject to slight disturbance and was generally intact.   CCO-355 also may be an older site than CCO-356 because more finely crushed shell and more compact soil is generally found in the lower and older levels of a site.

    The environmental characteristics surrounding CCO-356 would have combined to make the site location economically and ecologically viable for long term habitation, offering varied resources and close proximity to San Francisco Bay.  The combined grassland, riparian and oak woodland vegetation communities would have provided materials for living structures and basketry items and diverse food resources, including acorns, grass seeds, berries, bulbs, a variety of fish, birds and terrestrial mammals.  Furthermore, site location offered shelter from prevailing winds and provided eastern exposure for morning sun.  

 Before the coming of the Spanish, the Central coast of California had the densest population of Native Americans anywhere north of Mexico. More than 50,000 people lived in the coastal regions from the Carmel River to the San Francisco Bay Area. There were some sixty bands of people in San Francisco, Alameda and Contra Costa counties alone. Members of these sixty bands spoke ten to fifteen dialects of the Pentiuan family language group. A majority of the languages were closely related, but in some cases were so very different that these small bands could live several miles apart from one another and yet could not understand each other. The average size of a band could number up to 250 persons. These sixty bands of the Pentiuan-speaking Native Americans lived in six of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties -- San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Monterey, Alameda, Solano and Contra Costa.
They were called the Ohlone, a Bay Miwok word meaning the 'people of the West'. We need to think of the Ohlone not as a 'tribe', but as related groups of people with a similar Pentiuan-based language. Before European contact, these Pentiuan-speaking people never thought of themselves as a 'tribal' unit. However, the invasion and interaction with whites gradually caused most of those who remained of the original bands to think of themselves as Ohlone in later years.   
The Huchiun band of the Ohlone (the word Huchiun simply means 'people') homeland was high in the western hills of West Contra Costa County. It was a great stretch of high, rolling grassy hills clothed in a sweep of prairie-type grasses and endless fields of wildflowers. For the Huchiun, the important features were in the forests following the creeks and rivers down from the canyons in the high hill country and across the grassland savannahs to the San Pablo Bay. Here the coast redwood, buckeye, coast and live oak, big leaf maple, madrone and manzanita trees formed thousands of acres of untouched primeval forest that shadowed the Bay shoreline of West Contra Costa.   
The first Spanish expedition there was chronicled by Captain Pedro Fages and Father Juan Crespi, who came north to explore the western parts of Contra Costa County in 1769 while looking for Drake's Bay. At the Richmond Wildcat Creek village, Crespi made contact with the first Huchiun. He stated they had found "a good village of heathen, very fair and bearded." Along San Pablo Bay close to the area where Garrity Creek flows into the Bay nearby Point Pinole, he reported "five large villages of very mild heathens with pleasant faces…(that were) bearded."  The prehistoric Huchiun site map of archaeological excavations shows that Point Pinole features very prominently in archaeological digs.  Recent archaeological digs completed in the mid-1990s showed that Point Pinole was an Ohlone spiritual center. Holy men and shamans from as far south as Monterey were brought to that village for burial. Upon reviewing the entire Ohlone landmarks map we can see how prominent the Huchiun were in the greater Ohlone world.

Estimates around the time of the Fages and Crespi expeditions there were some 10,000 Huchiun in the East Bay. These indigenous people lived hunting and gathering lifestyles in tribelets of 250 or less. They lived in seasonal villages, migrating from the shores of San Pablo Bay to the inland canyons along Pinole, Garrity, Rheem, San Pablo and Wildcat Canyon Creeks on an annual cycle for thousands upon thousands of years.  


 I came to Pinole Valley Park in late July 2013 to conduct an Archaeological and Historical Investigation for a proposed 80ft. tall Verizon Wireless Cell Phone Tower to be built in Pinole Valley Park.  Having walked from Pinole Valley Road to the fire trail that connects with the Adobe Road trail where both prehistoric sites, CCO-355 and CCO-356 are adjacent to one another’s boundaries.  I walked along the Old Adobe Road trail to the immediate site of where the proposed Verizon Cell Phone Tower would be.  With the old Ignacio Martinez Adobe site to my back, which is a part of CCO-355 as well as the prehistoric site, I looked down the steep south slope of where CCO-355 runs to the Pinole Valley Creek and then borders with site CCO-356 on the North-Slope.
 I made my decision to survey and start my investigation down a very steep deer trail going down the steep South-Slope of site 355 until I could reach the Pinole Valley Creek bed.  Having descended about 200 ft down the trail, within minutes, I discovered a fully intact Ohlone pestle that I thought to be about 1700 years of age.  This validated to me as in the archaeological investigation of Banks and Fredrickson (1977) that this was indeed a highly sensitive prehistoric archaeological site.  I felt the possibility of more exposed prehistoric artifacts along steep South-Slope of CCO-355 below the Old Adobe Trail would provide me with more evidence in my investigation.

    On my second site visit, I walked along the Old Adobe Road Trail in early August 2013 to where Banks and Fredrickson had  surveyed two Eucalyptus trees which were dated from before 1890.  I then realized this was one of both prehistoric and early dump sites they had found in CCO-355.  Close to one of the recorded Eucalyptus trees I discovered about 2 inches below the surface dirt a medium sized, portable river-rock prehistoric knife sharpener that was slightly exposed in the earth.  I placed the prehistoric knife sharpener at about 2000 years of age.
 I then proceeded down the very dangerous steep South-Slope below the two Eucalyptus trees to make the 400-500 foot descent to the Pinole Valley Creek bed.  As I carefully made the descent down the South-Slope of 355, I found many Mexican Colonial-era exposed artifacts.  There were high concentrations of early historical artifacts, as china and pottery fragments and shards, numerous glass fragments and a few hand-blown glass bottle necks.  I quickly determined that this was one of the early historical and colonial dump sites that Banks and Fredrickson had recorded in their investigation.  Having reached the bottom of the creek bed, I found a fully intact clam shell on the creek bed.
Upon further investigation of the creek bed I discovered assorted and different size prehistoric pestles, hammer stones, scrapers and assorted stone debitage within a 50 foot length of the creek. The North side of the slope of CCO-356 was filled with coffee-black midden and small fire cracked boulder formations along a lower terraced where CCO-356 begins at the creek bed.   I took numerous photographs, measurements and drew sketches of the various exposed artifacts that I had discovered within the creek bed.  Upon seeing these numerous and assorted tools and implements, it clearly validated again Bank’s and Fredrickson’s statement that CCO-355 was clearly a highly sensitive prehistoric archaeological site.  I felt that the assorted prehistoric tools could be placed at about 1,700-2,000 years of age.
 Due to the new prehistoric tools and implements found by this writer, it must be viewed as new prehistoric evidence that validates CA-CCO-355 as a highly active and sensitive Prehistoric Archaeology site.  It is utter foolish to consider building an 80ft cell tower in CA-CCO-355; as it would destroy and desecrate portions of the remaining prehistoric cultural resources that are in this highly sensitive archaeological site.  This gives new prehistoric evidence of pre-historic human habitation of CCO-355.

In October, 2013 I started an Archaeological Investigation of CA-CCO-356 on the Northside of the Pinole Creek.  My main focus of this portion of my investigation was to make a site visit to the reported location of the Indian Burial Mound and the surrounding area in close proximity to Pinole Creek and the No Name Creek.
 The City of Pinole plans to develop a portion of this area to build a proposed Skateboard Park next to the Soccer Field that already exists in that area now.  In the ' Preliminary Results of Archaeological site Indexing at Pinole Valley Park  ( CA-CCO-356), Pinole, California,'  (Holman, 2001 )  The proposed soccer-field was to be built on a three-acre parcel in the North-Northwestern portion of CCO-356 back in the mid or late 1990’s.

    In accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act and the California Register of Historical Resources, archaeological investigations were undertaken at Pinole Valley Park to satisfy the City of Pinole permit conditions for the placement of fill on top of CCO-356 prior to construction of a soccer- field.  Archaeological site indexing was completed to mitigate burial of CCO-356 deposits and help to formulate appropriate methods to cap the sites investigations showing the site to be larger than previously mapped  and to contain intact, scientifically significant prehistoric data that can be used to address important research questions.
CCO-356 after being mapped at the time was 30% larger than originally thought to be. After Holman had completed the archaeological site indexing of this section of CCO-356, the most plentiful prehistoric artifact recovered at CCO-356 was flaked stone debitage. Unit 1 produced 28 pieces of chert debitage, and 2 pieces of obsidian debitage. Unit 2 yielded 74 pieces of chert debitage and 4 pieces of obsidian debitage, and Unit 3a total of 11 chert debitage and 1 obsidian projectile point fragment. Other prehistoric materials recovered included relatively abundant charcoal and fire affected rock. Several projectiles point fragments were also recovered.This may be viewed as massive prehistoric manufacturing and suggests possible trading patterns.

Next to the soccer field at the time of this writing, is a proposed skateboard park that the City of Pinole wants to develop and build, scheduled for some time in 2014.  Having walked the proposed skateboard park numerous times in my investigation from July to November 2013; there has been light grading done by earth moving machinery.  This should be of a major concern with the high sensitivity of the prehistoric cultural resources and artifacts of this section of CCO-356.  The current pre-grading for the proposed Skateboard Park appears to be about one-quarter of an acre.
Moving beyond the proposed Skateboard Park site we are now in the proximity area of the reported location of the Indian Burial Mound going in a Northwest direction about 500 feet approaching the Northwest area of where the Pinole and No Name Creeks merge.  While walking deer trails through tall dry grass, coyote brush and sparse scrub oaks, the entire area now becomes a pristine, untouched prehistoric Ohlone Village site.  This prehistoric village site is about two acres with large deposits of coffee-black midden on the surface of the earth, about one-half of this site is covered in the coffee- black midden is vast and runs throughout the site.  It is rather obvious that there has been the use of large open pit fires over the centuries and is the source of the coffee-black midden.

    Walking north one can see the Pinole Creek and a series of two low terraces.  Upon going down the deer trail from the upper level of the village site and crossing past the two low terraces, you can see overwhelming evidence of prehistoric human habitation.  The coffee-black midden is plentiful on both lower terraces when you come to the Pinole Creek bed.  It has high concentrations of stone and bone Artifacts that I discovered there.  Upon investigating a 50 foot section of creek bed, there was more prehistoric artifacts and implements, evidence, real hard core evidence of prehistoric human habitation.  There were numerous hammer stones, pestles that were totally intact along with deer awls used in the production of making baskets and textiles, a probable bi-facially pitted Anvil Stone and a possible grooved maul.  However, there were as well, broken Hammer Stones and assorted pestles amidst the totally intact artifact tools, this might possibly allude to a suggestion that cremation may have taken place there as well, on a limited basis.

    For a long time after the funeral, especially relatives, acted with great care; the body had been disposed of, but not the ghost, and the Ohlones, like other California Indians, had the greatest fear of ghosts.  Their particular terror was that the soul of the deceased, instead of going to the land of the dead, would hover around and cause serious damage.  They especially feared that the ghost in its loneliness would be drawn to its old family, friends, dwelling or implements; and it was for reason as well as out of grief, that a person’s dwelling burned and possessions destroyed. This might possibly account for the smashed or destroyed artifacts in the creek bed.  The Ohlones had a great fear of ghost sickness and contamination.

    When exiting the creek bed and coming up to the top terrace, I discovered prehistoric animal remains, a vertebrae spinal cord and pelvis and next to the prehistoric animal remains was a huge manzanita charcoal.  What is so exciting about this prehistoric recorded archaeological site is the discovery of new artifact evidence that gives proof to prehistoric human habitation between 2000 – 2500 years ago.

                                        SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS

     With the finding of new prehistoric cultural resources and artifacts in CCO-355 and CCO-356, we must view this as actual new evidence of prehistoric human habitation.  As Banks stated: “Area A; CCO-356, this prehistoric habitation site is one of the largest and best preserved prehistoric sites the Author (Banks) has seen in Contra Costa County.  It is remarkable to find a site so little disturbed in an essentially suburban area.  This site is significant because it may be the only large undisturbed prehistoric site remaining in the County to which careful excavation and modern archaeological techniques could be applied.   As mentioned earlier, all of the other recorded prehistoric sites had either been excavated in the early days of archaeology or, more commonly, have been partially or wholly destroyed.  Much new information about the prehistory of this region could result from future excavation of CCO-356.

    Banks further states, “In order to preserve CCO-356 and the reported Indian Burial Mound, 100 meters west of it, is recommended that NO park development activities take place in Area A that would disturb the soil”.

    Because of the reported Indian Burial Mound site and a possible new Prehistoric Village site in close proximity in the North-Northwest of where Pinole Creek and the No Name Creek merge, it would be advised by this writer (Kinney) NO Skateboard Park should be developed and built.  Human burials and cremations will probably be found if large scale earth moving is undertaken in the undisturbed areas.  Isolated human bones will probably be found during earth moving activities in the disturbed areas.