Lost Nation: The Ioway

Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska Receives Historic Preservation Program Certification

The Leary Site on the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska reservation is a National Historic Landmark.

Slidell, LA--The Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska has achieved certification from the National Park Service for their Tribal historic preservation programs. The Iowa Tribe of Kansa and Nebraska Tribal Historic Preservation Office (THPOs) is certified to assume duties under the National Historic Preservation Act, including the surveying, protection, and preservation of important historic, archeological, and cultural sites; nomination of properties to the National Register of Historic Places; and the review of federal projects. The THPO designation, which also allows tribes to qualify for historic preservation grants, is granted by the National Park Service.

The THPO designation is an important milestone in the preservation of the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska culture. In addition, this designation can seek to assist the other tribes located nearby as the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska has the only THPO designation in the state. Alan Kelley of the Iowa Tribe of Kansa and Nebraska will serve as the interim Tribal Historic Preservation Officer. Mr. Kelley is currently serving as the IT Director of the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska and previously served as Vice-Chairman. During his tenure as Vice-Chairman, Mr. Kelley served on various committees relevant to the cultural and historic preservation of the Iowa Tribe. These committees include, Native American Graves and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), Regional Tribal Operations Committee (RTOC) of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Missouri River Recovery Implementation Committee (MRRIC).

The Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska Executive Committee will serve as the advisory review board for the THPO until a full-time Officer is hired. Once a full-time Tribal Historic Preservation Officer is hired he will, along with the Executive Committee, designate an Advisory Board specifically for the Tribal Historic Preservation Office. The Advisory Board for the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska will include Tribal members that are knowledgeable in tribal traditions and culture.

The Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska requested technical assistance to seek the establishment of a Tribal Historic Preservation Office. Under a memorandum of understanding, the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska contracted with Morning Star Consulting, a Native American owned grant consulting firm, to facilitate the application process.

Contact the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska for more information about the Tribe's historic preservation efforts.

Ioway Tribal Member Featured on Rose Parade Float

Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma member Shayla Miller will be featured on the RFD-TV "One Nation" float in the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California on New Years Day.  More details in the press release below.

Shayla Miller following her appearance at the 2010 Los Angeles screening of Lost Nation: The Ioway.

“One Nation,” a float dedicated to reconciliation honoring Native American culture, will be the RFD-TV entry in the 2011 Tournament of Roses Parade.  The massive float, designed and built by Phoenix Decorating, will pay tribute to the sights and sounds of Native America and will feature Brule’-the award-winning contemporary Native American musical group. RFD-TV and Paul LaRoche, founder of Brule’, hope to create a historic endeavor that will shed a long overdue spotlight on the American Indian culture.  Through this collaboration, both parties hope to connect our global cultures in friendship and in unity, in an effort to support the 2011 Rose Parade® theme of “Building Dreams, Friendships & Memories.”

The float, “One Nation,” marks RFD-TV’s third consecutive year as a Rose Parade float participant. Focused around a 35-foot “fancy dancer,” the float stretches an impressive 75-feet in length.  The fancy dancer is the newest contemporary style of dance within the tribal pow-wow circuit and its characteristic upbeat, flashy and bright features make it a fantastic representation of the natural beauty within the Native American culture.  Brule’ will be playing inspirational live music as they ride down the 5.5 mile parade route along Colorado Blvd. Additionally, fancy and traditional dancers wearing authentic regalia will perform Native American dances.   An invitation has been extended to over 500 tribes across America to send a representative to participate with “One Nation” and decorate the float during the days leading up to the parade.

The History of Brule’ and Paul LaRoche

Paul LaRoche, founder of Brule’, is an enrolled member of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe in South Dakota. Adopted at birth, LaRoche grew up in white, middle-class America and didn’t discover his true heritage until he was 38.  On Thanksgiving Day 1993, LaRoche was reunited with his brother, sister, and extended relatives.  Overwhelmed by the experience, he returned to the Lower Brule Sioux Reservation where Brulé was born, a musical synthesis of the two worlds he has lived.  LaRoche has long since dreamed of bringing a message of hope and healing to worldwide audiences through the stirring music and dance of Brulé that has criss-crossed the country with him for 15 years. For his pioneering efforts bridging the two cultures together, LaRoche epitomizes what the “One Nation” float represents and at the same time, hopes to accomplish.  RFD-TV is proud to name LaRoche as leader of “One Nation” as unique life journey is an inspiration to all.

“It has been a dream and mission of Brule’’ to work on reconciliation of the cultures, unity, hope and world peace” said LaRoche.  “The ‘One Nation’ float represents the historical gathering of representatives from all tribal nations across the country.  This cultural gesture of amity and unity along with the united gathering of tribal nations, presents an image of friendship, community and new beginnings expanding beyond the borders of America and echoing around the globe.”

Watch On Television

The live broadcast on RFD-TV/RFD HD will begin on New Year’s morning with a one-hour special, “The Making of the ‘One Nation’ Float,” at 10 a.m. (Eastern), 9 a.m. (Central), 8 a.m. (Mountain) and 7 a.m. (Pacific).  This program will give viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the start-to-finish process on designing, building and decorating of the float. RFD-TV will also feature on-location interviews with tribal members involved with “One Nation.”

Immediately following, RFD-TV’s two-hour live coverage of the 122nd Annual Tournament of Roses Parade broadcast will begin at 11 a.m. (Eastern).  All three hours will once again be hosted by the broadcast team of Orion Samuelson and Pam Minick, Pam Minick providing her expert equestrian commentary at ground level along the actual parade route.

As is its tradition, RFD-TV’s Tournament of Roses Parade coverage will be broadcast with limited commercial interruptions and will feature all of the equine groups participating in the parade.

“We expect RFD-TV’s largest Nielsen-rated audience ever for our comprehensive carriage of this upcoming Rose Parade,” stated Patrick Gottsch, founder & president of RFD-TV.  “The extensive coverage of the ‘One Nation’ float, combined with our broadcast team of Orion Samuelson and Pam Minick and limited-commercial interruptions is a package that will have all of rural America watching, as it cannot be duplicated by any other television network.”

RFD-TV will also provide a live streaming feed through its website (www.rfdtv.com) and offer repeats of its Rose Parade broadcasts, in addition to providing updates and details as the “One Nation” float evolves and is decorated leading up to the New Year’s Day broadcast.  A DVD of the entire three-hour telecast will be offered for sale for those wishing to get a souvenir copy.

In addition to RFD-TV’s broadcast, the Tournament of Roses Parade will also be carried live or on tape delay by five additional national or cable television networks in the United States (ABC, NBC, HGTV, Univision, KTLA).  The parade will be distributed into more than 115 countries around the world.

Shayla Miller at the 2010 Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska Powwow in White Cloud, Kansas.

Iowa Governor Culver Proclaims Native Ioway History Week 2010

October 3-9, 2010 “Native Ioway History Week”
 
“Lost Nation: The Ioway” Documentary Set for October 3rd Broadcast Premiere
 
DES MOINES, IA—Iowa Governor Chet Culver has proclaimed October 3-9, 2010 the fourth annual Native Ioway History Week (full text attached below), honoring the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, and the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma. The IPTV-PBS broadcast premiere of Lost Nation: The Ioway, the award-winning documentary by Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films, will launch the historic tribute.
 
“The special week reminds state residents and Iowa educators to remember the American Indian people whose name the state bears,” said “Ioway” producer Kelly Rundle.
 
The film takes viewers on an unforgettable and vivid journey into America's Native past and present.  In 1824, during the twilight of Native American dominion, two conflicted Ioway leaders met with William Clark to sign a momentous treaty.  White Cloud (Mahaska) saw cooperation as survival for his people, while Great Walker (Moanahonga) regretted the loss of their ancestral homeland.  This pivotal moment led both men to different tragic destinies in their battle with epic change.

Ioway Elders join historians and archaeologists to tell the dramatic and true story of the small tribe that once claimed the territory between the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers from Pipestone, Minnesota to St. Louis.  What was a quest for survival in the past, has become a struggle to retain a unique Native American culture and language in the present.
 
The documentary has drawn national attention to the tribes’ little-known history and a sequel project, currently in production, will be released in 2012.  The two additional one-hour films will complete the Ioways’ epic story.
 
In addition to the broadcast premiere on IPTV October 3rd, at 6:00 p.m., Lost Nation: The Ioway will show on IPTV World on October 4th and 26th at 8pm and is slated for broadcasts in Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin in November 2010.
 
Ioway was funded in part by Humanities Iowa, the Kansas Humanities Council, the Nebraska Humanities Council, the Oklahoma Humanities Council, and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and Smokestacks National Heritage Area. 
 
Fourth Wall Films is a film and video production company based in Moline, Illinois. The Rundles, who focus primarily on Midwestern history subjects, previously produced the critically-acclaimed Villisca: Living with a Mystery and will release their documentary Country School: One Room – One Nation in November 2010.  They are currently co-producing the documentary Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg with Emmy-nominated filmmaker Garry McGee.
 
Visit: FourthWallFilms.com or IowayMovie.com for more information.

Proclamation text:

STATE OF IOWA
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT
In the Name and By the Authority of the State of Iowa
 
PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS members of the Ioway Tribe and their ancestors were the stewards of more than 60,000 square miles, including all of what is now known as the State of Iowa, for nearly 1,000 years; and

WHEREAS the Ioway Tribe has made significant cultural and historical contributions to Iowa and the United States of America; and

WHEREAS the Ioway and all other Native American tribes were removed from the territory before Iowa became a State; and

WHEREAS the State of Iowa is named for the Ioway Tribe; and

WHEREAS Iowans are generally unaware of the historical and present-day contributions of the Ioway; and

WHEREAS there is no formal instruction in Iowa public schools regarding the role of the Ioway people in American history; and

WHEREAS The Ioway people presented gifts to the people of the State of Iowa on October 12, 2007 at the State Capitol; and

WHEREAS the broadcast premiere of "Lost Nation: The Ioway" will be October 3, 2010 at 6:00 p.m. on Iowa Public Television with November broadcasts to follow on IPTV and stations throughout the Midwest; and

WHEREAS Fourth Wall Films has begun production on two one-hour sequel documentary films that will complete the story of the Ioway nations; and

AND WHEREAS October 7, 2010 is the 173rd anniversary of the No Heart Map, a hand drawn map presented to officials in Washington, D.C. by the Ioway to support land claims showing Ioway migration from the Great Lakes area to their ancestral home in the State of Iowa;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Chester J. Culver, Governor of the state of Iowa, do hereby proclaim October 3-9, 2010, as Native Ioway History Week.

Archaeologists Receive Grant to do First Survey of Iowaville Ioway Village Site

A group gathers at the Iowaville village site in connection with the premiere of "Lost Nation: The Ioway" in October 2007.  The field trip was planned for visiting Iowa tribal members and others who attended the premiere and related events.

From the Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist in Iowa City:

Dear all,

I am very pleased to announce that the Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist (OSA) has been awarded a grant to work on archaeological site 13VB124, better known as the 1765-1820 Ioway Village or Iowaville, near Selma, Iowa.  The goal of the project is to understand the size and depth of the site deposits, to assess how well the village deposits are preserved after 150+ years of cultivation, and to create a site management and preservation plan. With any good fortune, this project will serve as a step toward the eventual protection of the site.

Most Iowans are, sadly, ignorant of the Iowa Tribe and the tribe’s key role in the state’s heritage. The upcoming work at Iowaville will help raise the profile of the tribe: tribal participation in the project can show that the Ioway people are not just historical figures but are part of the modern world, too. In addition, this project may give Ioway people a chance to help rediscover and preserve their own history.

This very important site was first identified by archaeologists in 1971. No professional excavations have been conducted at the site. The site is very well known among a few artifact collectors, who have demonstrated that considerable artifacts remain at the village, which is now a cultivated farm field. The landowner normally does not allow folks on his land, so it is considered a rare opportunity that we will be allowed on his property for this investigation. I would consider this perhaps the one and only chance to conduct archaeological work on the property in the foreseeable future.

This work will be partly funded through Iowa lottery proceeds (specifically, the REAP/HRDP program of the State Historical Society of Iowa), and partly through volunteer effort. The OSA invites your involvement in all aspects of the project, including but not limited to providing comments, feedback, and advice; participating in field and laboratory work; and working toward the creation of the final site preservation plan document. As per the landowner’s wishes, all our field work must be conducted in 2010, after the crops have been harvested, and within a four-week window. This means the work will take place sometime between October 15 and December 30, 2010. We plan to work one week, doing ground penetrating radar in an effort to identify features without digging, have a week-long break to process that information, then work three consecutive weeks, including two or three weekends during this period. In the three week period, we will be mapping, interviewing collectors, doing controlled surface collection, 8-inch diameter auger testing, and excavating a very limited number (perhaps, three to seven) of test units, roughly 3 x 3 ft in size. We know there is interest in volunteering among the professional archaeological community. Bill Green, now of Beloit College and formerly the Iowa State Archaeologist, will be working with the OSA on this project.

I would be happy to provide a copy of the successful grant application to those that request it, but the document is 3.3 MB and I didn’t want to fill up mailboxes! I will be providing more details about the fieldwork as the date becomes more secure; I will  probably know more in late September or early October. In the meantime, please feel free to contact me regarding any comments or suggestions you may have. Ideally, I would love to have responses about who might like to volunteer, what type of volunteering they would be interested in, and how long they might be available. I would not consider this an obligation or commitment, only your best estimate. These responses would help me greatly in planning the project. Also, if you are aware of others who may be interested in volunteering or providing comments, please forward this email as you see fit. 

Best wishes,

Cindy Peterson

Project Archaeologist

Office of the State Archaeologist
700 CLSB
The University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA 52242

(319)384-0726

(319)384-0768 (fax) http://www.uiowa.edu/~osa/

Ioway Artist Will Use Tepee for Western Journey

Sydney Pursel (left) and Justin Rodier - Columbia Missourian Photo by Paul Mossine

COLUMBIA — The Fourth of July prompts many people to think about American identity, but for some, that identity has roots reaching back further than 1776.

Sydney Pursel, an art student at MU and member of the Ioway tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, is one of those people. Pursel said she spent a big part of Independence Day sewing together a cover for a tepee that she put up in her yard with fellow MU artist Justin Rodier.

Justin Rodier and Sydney Pursel set up a tepee in their yard on Monday. The couple, both art majors at MU, will be using the tepee as a portable art gallery during their month-long road trip across the western United States starting Tuesday.

The tepee will serve as a movable art gallery during the couple’s month-long voyage across the American West, designed to promote their art.

Read the rest of the article HERE: http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2010/07/06/mu-artists-build-tipi-voyage-out-west/

Sequels to "Lost Nation: The Ioway" in Progress

Kelly & Tammy Rundle at the Beloit International Film Festival.

We are pleased to announce that we are in production on sequels to our award-winning Native American historical documentary Lost Nation: The Ioway.

The first film covered 1700-1837.  Two new one-hour films will explore 1837-1878 and 1879-1970s.  As with the first film, these films will combine present day footage with historical material.  The two new films will be released on a single DVD in 2011 or 2012.

We will be filming at the upcoming Ioway powwow in Perkins, Oklahoma and at the Fall Encampment in White Cloud, Kansas.  In both cases we will have the ability to scan photographs, slides, or negative onsite.  We are also eager to hear family stories from Ioway tribal members.

If you can't make it to either powwow, you can still share photographs and stories via email.  Contact us at: IowayFilm@aol.com

We want to thank everyone in advance for helping us bring these important additional chapters of the Ioway people's story to the big and small screens.

www.IowayMovie.com

"Ioway" Double-Bowl Catlinite Pipe Sells for $11,750

Cowan's image.

A double-bowl catlinite pipe inlayed with lead, identified by the Cowan's American Indian & Western Auction in Cincinnati, Ohio as possibly Ioway in origin, has sold at auction for $11,750.  The estimated selling price was $2,000-3,000.

Here is the detailed description posted by Cowan's:

http://tinyurl.com/25clzqg

http://tinyurl.com/2ezncr4

Experts we talked with doubted the claim that the pipe is Ioway in orgin, but did not rule it out.  Cowan's indicated the pipe was originally purchased at a flea market on the east coast.  There is no evidence that suggests that the pipe was a Native American burial object.

Cowan's image. 

As you might imagine, the Ioway and other tribes take a dim view of the buying and selling of sacred and ceremonial items, and laws protect certain types of American Indian objects.

More info here:

http://tinyurl.com/27gduxw

AARP Recognizes Ioway Tribal Member Mae Sine and Other American Indian Elders

 
Mae Sine (left). Photo courtesy AARP.

Honorees from 35 of 38 Oklahoma Tribes Recognized

Ioway tribal member Mae Sine was among 50 Native American Elders recognized in a ceremony by AARP on November 17, 2009 in Oklahoma City.

The honorees were tribal leaders, authors, poets, and educators who have contributed to efforts to preserve their culture.

A press release from AARP included this listing for Elder Sine:

Mae Sine, Iowa – The Ioway traditional, spiritual and cultural values instilled in her early life have provided points of reference, balance and harmony in the Iowa way of life. She has served five terms on the Iowa Tribe Business Committee and was an active participant in strategic planning that led to development of educational, health, cultural and tribal assistance programs. In 1977, she assisted her father in preparing his Ioway language classes and booklet titled, Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma Language.

Mae Sine also appeared on-camera in the historical documentary film Lost Nation: The Ioway.

Read the entire press release here: http://www.aarp.org/states/ok/news/articles/aarp_oklahoma_recognizes.html

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays from the Rundles!

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

Thank you for following the Ioway Movie Blog!

Kelly & Tammy Rundle, Fourth Wall Films

IowayMovie.com
 

Ioway Artist Lance Foster Profiled in Montana Newspaper

Photo by Clare Becker, Helena Independent Record.

Ioway Artist Lance Foster Featured in Helena Newspaper

(excerpt from article by Eve Byron)

Foster is as complex as his paintings, with both obvious and subtle traits that have brought him to the historical society’s space on the downtown Walking Mall. He’s a large man with a soft voice who grew up in Helena, the eldest son of Gary and Rita Foster. As a boy, he spent hours at Eddie Barbeau’s house, with its colorful teepees and painted garage, where traditional American Indian ceremonies were commonplace.

“That was a big influence on me,” said Foster, noting that his American Indian heritage includes Ioway, Yankton and Santee. “You know when you’re in school, and every class has the weird kid who’s the artist? That was me. I was always drawing pictures instead of doing school work.”

Read the full article here:

http://www.helenair.com/articles/2009/07/24/local/top/49lo_090724_pwk.txt