Joshua Dunbar

Memorial Day Trivia: Joshua Dunbar, Paul Laurence Dunbar's father, served two terms in the
Civil War and is buried at the Veteran's Cemetery off Gettysburg in Dayton.  He was an escaped slave.  The roadside marker tells an incredible story...this was quite a man!  It is said that his war stories influenced his son to write about the war and the "colored" soldier.
If you want to visit this war veteran's place of rest, go to the veteran's cemetery, look for the Civil War monument, and follow it around until you spot the roadside marker. It was an honor to stand before his grave there. Take care!!

Native American Legend Becomes Popular!

Does anyone but me remember the legend from the Momaday story about the bear and the 7 sisters? The bear was a brother and he was playing with the 7 sisters...he turned into a bear and shot toward the sky and became a star...the seven sisters followed and formed the Big Dipper.  Apparently, news of this celestial event spread across the continent,  because look at the state flag of Alaska (Note: it does not have the name "Alaska" on it...everyone just KNOWS):

How to keep a culture alive

This pertains to the Native American culture represented in Momaday (Lit 213) as well as the essay from 297 about Inuits...
Native kids from here are losing their language...not by intention, just because they are becoming more "Americanized." In Newtok, they are taught in Yupik until 3rd grade, then it is 100% English til they graduate from high school.  Since there are very few native teachers (because they occasionally do go off to college but they don't graduate) the English-speaking teachers are left to try and help them retain their native language at times.  But it is an upward climb. There are few native language storybooks and no textbooks. The school and the teachers encourage the children to read Yupik by pasting Yupik words next to the English spelling words. They do try!!!
The children do present wonderful music and dancing shows...they all know how to sing and dance in the Yupik culture.  But as this current generation of young children ages, I wonder how many of them will keep their Yupik culture close? It must be difficult when all around you is English! And the way people think is based in large part upon language (which is why we all need to know more than one language!).
I wonder if this same phenomena would have occurred if the "lower 48" natives were left to thrive alongside the American children? I woncder if their culture would have simply been "absorbed." Just a thought!

Inside Joke...Lit 213. As seen in Anchorage, Alaska 5/21/11

Permafrost layer erosion, Newtok, Alaska

This is not a coastline.. It is the banks of the Ninglich River.

The darkest layer of this erosion cutaway is the permafrost layer. It is melting and the land is sinking.

Photos from Newtok, Alaska

Hi!  If you want to see amazing pictures of Newtok, AK, check out my daughter's FB page and look at all the shots of the outdoors. I am not cool enough to choose and post them here for you...when I get to Anchorage maybe she will help me learn how to do this. there are some recent photos ("kayaking" and kite-flying...have you ever seen kids fly kites in the snow? Guess who sent the kites??? their favorite Room-Grandmother, ME!!
In many of the pictures you can see the tundra and the boardwalks built by the Army so that the people have above-water places to walk. You can also see the primitive huts and prefab units they live in. Not for everyone...my daughter lives in a 12 X 24 modular. With holes in the walls.  She has a toilet ("incinolet")which literally burns wastes when you push a button.  She has water only at the school. The teachers shower at the school and do their laundry by appt. You will note, however, that the classrooms look 100% like the ones here.  The kids primarily play at the school gym, and it is the town hall. This is their last week of school...there is still snow on the ground but it is melting.  It is light til about 11 at night.
So here is the FB page: Betsy Duhl  I think you will enjoy the photos!  Julie

African American Quilts

http://www.wcqn.org/exhibit.html   You REALLY need to check this out!  the originator of the network is Carolyn Mazloomi, PhD, and she started the network when she realized that there were several black women creating beautiful art quilts with no unified venue to show them.  Carolyn herself has quilt(s) at the Smithsonian in shows...I think she has permanent ones (or at least one) in the Smithsonian Gallery of Af. Am. Art.  They are BEAUTIFUL!!! Check out the gallery shows and if you ever get the chance, go see the show! For now, at least look at the pictures.  I have met this lovely woman...she is very unpretentious, a very lovely person...she has written several books on this subject.  when she can't find fabric she likes she dyes her own...she has deep visions of what she wants. the quilts are full of history and emotion. enjoy!  Julie

Sand County Almanac

I want to suggest that you actually read the whole book.  It is pretty dry reading for the most part, but this guy really is very passionate about his cause,and he walked the walk, he didn't just write about it. If you want to see some of the stuff he describes, there are "replicas" here in the MetroParks...at Possum Creek, there are several well-marked hiking trails of various lengths on which you could see some of what Leopold describes.  If you go, hike the trail called "Argonne Forest." It used to be part of an amusement park circa 1920 or so.  Besides massive beech trees, there are remnants of the amusement park swimming pool and streetcar skeletons (they were used as snack bars, camp sites, etc.). This particular trail is suitable for anyone...even me. Takes about 30-45 inutes to walk it. Take your dog (on a leash). Take some kids!!!

We should all use the MetroParks...they are paid for with property taxes. They are for all of us to use.