Greetings!
 Today, we planted our seeds in the turtle raised garden bed. Lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, morning glories, cucumbers are in the ground, the asemaa will follow soon. The spring and summer are times for pow wows, m'dewiwin and sun dance ceremonies and family gatherings. I wish safe travels to our people as they venture off to attend to these events. We have just initiated our "Keepin it Sacred" campaign to keep our youth off of commercial tobacco products. Lisa will have more information posted on our web site as to the details of this youth campaign.There will be prizes offered as incentives to our youth at the end of this campaign. It reminds me of our Buffalo dances... the youth pledge to keep themselves pure and clean for 4 years. In this way, they honor themselves and they bring the medicine to our people during the Buffalo dance in the M'dewiwin ceremonies. We hope to see you at pow wows this summer. If you need to be tested for HIV, look for our booth. A few of us IPTF er's will be there with the rapid test kits. You can find out in fifteen minutes if your body is reactive to the test. One less thing to worry about, eh?
Here at the Task Force, we have been working on some national Indian policy on HIV, now that our brother Barack Obama Black Eagle, is the president, we are hoping for some change. Some good positive changes for Indian country; adequate funding, some research to help the government acknowledge our "evidence based practices" that are 30,000 years old... wouldn't that be something? In the meantime, think Indigenously. What would my grandmother have done? I think she would have planted seeds, made drums, and resisted all the temptations to just get by and get along. If we do not have culturally based programs, why do we need to exist? It's almost as though we are an endangered species, here in our own homelands. Well, they saved the eagles, and they saved the wolves. Resist! Think Indigenously, Think Indian! Download our Indian HIV policy paper and sign on as resisters.
Migwetch
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