[env-trinity] BEE- California tribes join in opening of national museum

[Tom Stokely]

Indians celebrate cultural milestone 
California tribes join in opening of national museum 

By David Whitney -- Bee Washington Bureau 

WASHINGTON - Walking behind a banner proclaiming "Save the Klamath Salmon," about 20 
Yurok from Northern California stood as a stark reminder that on a day of national Indian 
celebration Tuesday, problems back home should not be forgotten. 
Two years ago, the Yurok Tribe watched helplessly as more than 30,000 salmon washed up dead on 
the banks of the Klamath River that runs through their fractured reservation. 

 Tuesday's procession to the ceremony opening the National Museum of the American Indian was 
seized as an opportunity to protest federal water policy that they blame for the fish kill. 

"We have water problems, and fish is one of our staples," said Lawrence Orcutt, who at 76 was the 
elder in the Yurok group attending the ceremony. 

Thousands of American Indians flowed in a river of celebration, feathers and smiles through 
Washington on Tuesday, heading for Indian country. 

Their destination was the new National Museum of the American Indian, a towering, honey-colored 
mesa of limestone and glass that faces east toward the rising sun in a desert setting of tall grass and 
boulder-bordered pools of water. 

Their purpose was to mark the nation's belated recognition of who they are and who they were. 

Drums thudded, chants rose, feet stamped, and faces were framed in elaborate headdresses of 
turkey and eagle feathers as the tribes rolled along the National Mall. 

Yet beyond the ceremony lay memories. 

A member of a Wisconsin tribe explained that his streaks of white face paint spelled out his name: 
"Rain clouds filled with thunder." 

"This is all great," he said with a wry grin. "But I want my land back." 

How much land? 

"About 16 million acres," he shot back. 

Coming from coast to coast, the tribes were dressed in clothes ranging from the ubiquitous blue 
jeans to regalia preserved by lost generations, proudly identifying themselves to a world that knew 
them as stereotypes. Their banners ranged from the Cherokees of Alabama to the Chippewas of 
Wisconsin, the Paiutes of Arizona, the Navajos of New Mexico and the Aleuts of Alaska. 

The mood of the marchers was relaxed and amiable. They talked of the museum as a place where 
their culture at last was identified and defined for what it was. 

"We are proud of who and what we are. But this gives us a sense of belonging," said a woman of the 
Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina as she marched with her people. 

>From the Pauma tribe of California, Sue Castillo said, "This is a coming together. This gives us a 
sense of self. We always had our own identity as tribes and communities, but we always lived in our 
own world. This tells who we are." 

Ned Barton of Fayetteville, N.C., a member of the Haliwa Saponi tribe, was one of those who spoke 
of the lesson to be learned from the new museum. 

"This gives us a sense of belonging," he said. 

Women of the Tohomo O'odham Nation of Arizona wielded crooked wooden sticks as they played a 
traditional game called toka, while others moved to a rain dance, and there rose a haunting chant to 
the sun. 

As they moved toward the museum, a $219 million structure that took 15 years to build, there 
awaited them a place of prisms and light, of ancient pottery and a wall of golden ornaments, but also 
a reminder of the history of Indian country. There are totem poles and ivory sculpture. There is a 
star room with a black ceiling pinpointed by lights. 

One gallery is devoted to modern Indian artwork, and other exhibits focus on the history and 
culture of the first Americans. 

"Visitors will leave here knowing Indians are not part of history," said W. Richard West Jr., a 
member of the Southern Cheyennes who is founding director of the museum. "We are still here and 
making contributions." 

Bill Pearson, another Yurok elder, said he journeyed to Washington not just to support his tribe, but 
also in the hope that "we get our salmon thing worked out." 

With American Indians filling the National Mall, Orcutt, Pearson, 73, and the others were inspired, 
even hopeful. 

"When we get together, we should be a powerful voice," Orcutt said. "I am proud to be an Indian." 

The political message the Yuroks carried, rare as it was on this day of festive traditional dress and 
dancing, did not overshadow the moment. 

Delores Sitts is a Yurok who now lives in Selma, N.C. But she was not about to miss the day of 
celebration with the people from her homeland. She wore a traditional necklace made with long 
dentalium shells and ruby-red money beads. Clam and abalone shells were sewn into her dress, and 
her hat was made from maidenhair fern and dried porcupine quills - all symbols of the tribe's 
connection to the rugged northwestern California coast. 

"To me, this makes me feel proud," she said. "You feel it in your heart. It's like one big family." 

Former tribal chairwoman Sue Masten, a past president of the National Congress of American 
Indians, said the museum gives American Indians a place on the National Mall. 

"For us, it is important that the United States formally recognize native culture, tradition and 
history, with all the other museums on the Mall," she said. "It focuses the attention on Native 
Americans, that our culture, our traditions and our religions are still thriving despite all the assaults. 
We are still alive." 

The Yurok delegation was a mix of political and cultural leaders. 

Orcutt, for example, is the tribe's keeper of regalia - the traditional clothing, headwear and 
ceremonial items that often hold spiritual significance. 

"This is the first time something like this has ever happened," said Orcutt, casting his gaze out over 
the endless gathering of colorfully dressed Indians. "I am a private person, but this is really 
something." 

Yurok Tribal Council member Lyle McKinnon said he toured the museum on Monday and was awed 
by the experience. His only disappointment, he said, is that so far no Yurok artifacts are on display. 

But with artifacts in regular rotation out of the museum's stunning and reverential Cultural 
Resource Center in suburban Maryland, McKinnon said, "Maybe we can get Yurok items in there 
next." 

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