Why support "The Digital Message Stick" ?

Why is the "The Digital Message Stick" important?

When I think about Robert Chavez of H.O.P.E.'s message to 

educate our families and our communities about the reality of LANL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3rHQLigPRQ

and our Traditional and Indigenous Wisdom that teaches us 

All Life is Sacred...

When I think about Thomas Banyacya who spoke out publicly

for decades giving permission for both video and audio recordings...

about the mis-use of uranium and it's effects on Traditional Life Ways

and the devastation that it has and continues to have 

on All Life and the One Humanity...and still so many have not heard his

guidance....

When I think about WHY so many people still know nothing about our history, 

about how precious our water, air, land, Life Ways are, for the health and well-being NOW and for the future generations....

When I think about how decades of censorship of our voices in mainstream media, school textbooks, and intentional lack of funding resources to educate people has hindered our region from being heard....

When I think about the loss of language which is the foundation of every culture

and the need to preserve our Traditional and Indigenous Cultural Life Ways

which embody the teachings to guide the One Humanity at this time....

When I think about these things, I am delighted by

the opportunity that has come from an official invitation from the Rare Earth Foundation and the Yabarrah Elders to begin with this first documentary, plus build a global social network, plus guide our Youth with the wisdom from Traditional and Indigenous Elders to be the future Leaders, for a more harmonious Life Way with Mother Earth, through

a global youth media network with a focus on preservation of language and culture...this is truly a big Vision, that Taos and our region

is invited to participate in...all because they invited two "regular" people 

(Eric and I) who love and care for our community, our Life Ways, and our families, who are all inner-and inter-related and connected.

Please Join us for Music from Ruben and Friends, Refreshments, a presentation about the film and 

connected programs, Skype with Melueka from Rare Earth Foundation and Poet Lyla June Johnston, 

Raffle for Art, Door Prizes, and more!

Saturday October 20th 4-9PM BAREISS GALLERY

If you can't make it please go to our fundraiser site : http://www.wisdomkeeperslive.com/

And Please share with others! We have almost reached our goal!!!!

We are grateful and thank all of you for your support of us and this collective vision.

Much Love and Peace, 

April

Support Elder and Youth Collaborative Initiatives: The Digital Message Stick, the Re-generation Festival and H.O.P.E

This summer my son and I attended  a few regional conferences that included inter-generational dialogues about Elders guiding and supporting
our Youth Leader's who are stepping up in answer to the call for active solutions to the many crises caused by generations of abuse to our People's and Mother Earth.
In these two videos Robert Chavez and Marian Naranjo of H.O.P.E : Honoring our Pueblo Existence, speak about the need for more education regarding the ongoing effects toxic uranium dumping from Los Alamos National Lab has on our communities.
Youth Leader Robert Chavez: http://youtu.be/z3rHQLigPRQ
Elder Marian Naranjo: http://youtu.be/FokNYSAqHdI

At the SEED Institute conference in Albuquerque, both Elders and Youth agreed that now is the time to raise awareness, educate, and fund Youth Leader's initiatives for a more harmonious Life Way, through responsible use of media technology as a "tool". This said, we all know that to raise our voices above the din of well funded corporate media, will mean that we need to support each other.
Lyla June Johnston, a Youth Leader from Taos New Mexico, shared "Hozho", one of her spoken word pieces at the fundraising dinner for youth initiatives. http://youtu.be/4tAo9puhnNs . Lyla is the founder of the Re-generation Festival, and asks for world wide participation as a means to help end suicide, drug addiction overdose, and death by the effects of generational trauma from the the colonized world.   
For more information about the Re-Generation Festival: http://regenerationfestival.us/

Now my son and I have been officially invited to attend the Rare Earth and Yabarrah Elders Gathering in November to kickstart the "Digital Message Stick" documentary. 

The Gathering is to ceremonially share in the Yabarrah Elders teachings about the Solar Eclipse and to bring Elders, Youth Leaders and NGO's together to dialogue about the need to bring Indigenous Knowledge and Wisdom to the forefront in guiding humanity toward a more harmonious relationship with our Mother Earth. The film will begin in Australia and gather messages from Indigenous and Tribal Peoples around the world by different producers. The documentary will be shared with the world, to give a unified resounding voice for the solutions we all want - to put the up-side down colonized culture, right side up. Elders, Youth Leaders, Tribal Nations and NGO's may contact us to include their messages. Yet this is only the start. Rare Earth wants to be able to continue this dialogue with additional episodes and a social media platform to strengthen our collective voices and calls to action. 

My son Eric, graduated Taos High, New Mexico, and received a scholarship to attend the Santa Fe University of Art and Design. He graduated in 2011 with a degree in Film Production. His Tsalagi name is Edoda Dideyo husgi, and his media name is Earthouse Productions: "Mother Earth is my Studio".
Elder's have placed in my care, their messages via audio or video, that they would like to be shared with the Yabarrah Elders and the world. My son and I ask for your support in helping create the Digital Message Stick documentary with the Yabarrah Elders and the Rare Earth Foundation. http://www.indiegogo.com/globaleldersgatheringAprilEric

If you are inspired and would like to support any or all of these Youth Leaders, please follow the links provided. Please contact me for more information about any of these initiatives or sponsoring benefits. Email: liveolakhota@gmail.com or call 575-751-1962 , Thank you ~ April Mondragon

Food Not Bombs: NLC supports laws banning the sharing of food in public

From a Bear's perspective, the United Corporations of Amerika continue to create more and more laws and regulations, that serve no purpose but to make more suffering. Please read Keith McHenry, co-founder of Food Not Bombs post below. Philly is not the first city to create criminally insane laws which have resulted in FNB volunteers being  fined and  jailed, or limited to being able to feed people one day a month. Any financially poor person will tell you that any subsidy that they may have received in the past from Social Services for food, for households with dependent children or the disabled,  has been cut to about a dollar a day. Meanwhile the military industrial complex war machine fat cats roll around in pork bellies. 
Please consider calling or writing Mr. Brooks of the NLC to express your outrage. And then make a donation or volunteer at your local Food Not Bombs chapter.  ~ Bear


"…James Brooks, the National League of Cities' program director for community development and infrastructure, says he agrees with Philadelphia's approach to banning public feeding."
Religious Charity On Philadelphia Homeless Feeding Ban: 'We're Going To Break The Law"


Dear Mr Brooks,
We sure hope that the National League of Cities reconsiders it's support for laws banning the sharing of food in public. This policy could not be more misguided at this time when the U.S. Census is reporting that one in two Americans are struggling to survive. I meet people every week that have been unable to get food for their families from food banks or indoor soup kitchens and express huge relief that we are able to help. Food Not Bombs has been sharing food out door for over 30 years and provides meals outside in over 1,000 cities and not one person has reported that they were made ill eating our organic vegetarian food. Many people will not eat at indoor soup kitchens because they do not feel safe. We hear this all the time mostly from mothers with children. Even the experts claim we are heading for a Great Depression and food costs are rising. A war with Iran wont be much of a help either so we need groups like Food Not Bombs to build support for real solutions to poverty.
Our volunteers plan to resist this misguided policy in every city where a ban is proposed or implemented. As you may know efforts to stop our meals have cost cities tens of thousands of dollars which could have been better used to support efforts to end hunger. Nearly bankrupt cities should consider this fact when seeking to drive the poor out of sight. Silencing efforts to solve the economic and political crisis is counter productive. When we are able to spend billions to fight war it is clear we have the ability to make sure no one is forced to eat at a soup kitchen. Please join us in ending poverty and despair in our cities. Thanks for your consideration.

Keith McHenry
co-founder of the Food Not Bombs movement
www.foodnotbombs.net

Religious Charity On Philadelphia Homeless Feeding Ban: 'We're Going To Break The Law'
Huffington Post By Jessica Prois 07/17/2012
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/17/philadelphia-homeless-feeding-ban_n_1677689.html

...James Brooks, the National League of Cities' program director for community development and infrastructure, says he agrees with Philadelphia's approach to banning public feeding.


Corn May Rally to Record $8.50 as Drought Deepens, Newedge Says
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-07-17/corn-may-rally-to-record-8-dot-50-as-drought-deepens-newedge-says
National League of Cities
http://www.nlc.org/about-nlc

Water is Life: A Hopi Message ~ Together We Can Protect the Waters of the World

Water is Life.

The Hopi, and all First Nations of Turtle Island, are our Elders. The Hopi, rarely have come out publicly since Chief Dan Evehema brought the world the Hopi Prophecies. 

When I was young, my Hopi relatives, shared with me that if the Hopi Way of Life were to become threatened, if it were to end; all Life on Mother Earth would be threatened and come to an end. 

Now is the time to listen, and respond to our Elders request. We are to care and preserve our waters locally, regionally and globally. We are to come together as One Humanity in collective resistance to the desecration of the Holy Waters of Life. 

Please stand in unity and solidarity with the Hopi, sign the petition to defeat SB2109, and share this with all of your contacts. 

Waste, Asquali, Thank you

Stop SB 2109

http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Protect_Hopi_Water_Hopi_and_the_World_Stop_Senate_Bill_2019/

Other Links:

The Traditional Hopi

http://traditionalhopi.org/

Hopi Prophecy

http://www.tribalmessenger.org/prophecies/hopi-hopi.htm

ACTION ALERT: 10K Metric Tons of Nuclear Toxic Waste

Our Mother Earth, her Peoples, and All Life, everywhere is being assaulted and violated by the corporate-military-political industrial complex. Locally and regionally we are being targeted by the Fracking Oil boys, the XL Pipeline, the attempt through SB 2109 to steal treaty water rights from the Hopi and Navajo Nations, and now we are facing 10 metric tons of nuclear and chemical waste being dumped here. Time to wake up, get up and stand up, we are in a fight for our lives. Please sign this petition, keep sharing it, and show up where ever and whenever you can to stop the devastation to our beloved Mother Earth.
Thank you, 
http://www.nukewatch.org/watchblog/?p=1207

Hopi and Navajo Petitions to Stop SB 2109

The Hopi and Navajo Nations are asking for our support in defeating SB2109
SB 2109 would take away their Water Rites to the Little Colorado River.
Water is Life.
Please sign these petitions and share, share, share, facebook, Twitter, email.
Thank you for your support and solidarity.

Navajo

http://www.change.org/petitions/u-s-senate-remove-s-2109-from-consideration

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/649/816/551/senate-bill-seeks-to-extinguish-navajo-and-hopi-water-rights/

http://signon.org/sign/tell-arizona-senators.fb9?source=s.fb&r_by=4272644

Hopi
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/Protect_Hopi_Water_Hopi_and_the_World_Stop_Senate_Bill_2019/?alMoPab

Ancestral Archives

Out here on the Mestizo Reservation

sandwiched between the Original Village

Blue lake waters

nourishing aquifer 

Thunder Being Dances, 

and the ultimate 

corporate death dust mind bombs

of what money can buy

Both accessible to money, and the big 

boy toys...

Out here on the Mestizo Reservation

You might never hear a sound

or ever be found

Voices of our Ancestors, made

of water, fire, and stone

life's fabric laid over bone

whispering songs of time space 

known 

only to those who 

know the path to travel home

Out here on the Mestizo Reservation

there is a womb, an umbilical tunnel

guardians are her lips 

between north and south

of the Eagle Condor - 

half sides married, 

above and below

the sand worlds painted

for any who choose to know

from whence we came and where we go

Home

~ BearSense 2012