The Grandest Festival in Town

Intern Post Two

The vendors stand by as the deluge of locals streams through.  This is the Park Avenue Festival: by far the single most densely populated event that I've attended on behalf of the Friends of Ganondagan.  The sensory cues are just as charmingly pervasive as the people, I learn on my break while I'm walking through. Because the street is closed to traffic for several miles, and our stand is located roughly in the middle, it takes almost half an hour for me to walk to one end and back. Still, I savor every minute of my experience.

As I walk down toward Berkeley Street, I can smell the tantalizing aromas and take in the illustrious sights. All around me are market stands selling everything from delicate pieces of colored glassworks and various articles of clothing, to hallowed sandwiches, ice cream, and (virgin) piña coladas. I settle upon a baggie of cinnamon roasted pecans that I have been pining for from the moment I first laid eyes upon the booth. As I continue walking toward the end of the street, I gleefully dig into my treasure trove, stopping only when my mouth begins to feel dry. Fortunately there’s another booth on my right that’s selling one-dollar water bottles for charity. I gratefully purchase one with my spare change before making my way back to the Iroquois White Corn Project (IWCP) stand, where our immensely popular cookies have already run out for the weekend. 

Despite the shortage, we still get plenty of curious customers coming up to ask about the IWCP, though most of them with little to no knowledge of our mission or products.  I don’t mind; this gives me more opportunities to practice and improve upon the delivery of our marketing pitch while reaching out to more people.  Important as our sales are, the Friends is as an organization that seeks primarily to promote the vibrant living Native American culture that thrives despite the numerous struggles and hardships that its people have sustained throughout history.  Already it has been almost a month since I’ve been working with them, and I’m still learning how to integrate the gentle attitude of the culture into my approach to weeding, sorting, packaging, and selling, among other tasks.  I am happy to report that I’ve made substantial progress in all of these endeavors.

Just please don’t ask me to give away my roasted pecans.  

     

  

Incoming: A Bostonian Intern in Western New York

My name is Leah.  I’m a rising junior at Boston University pursuing a Psychology major and Communication minor.  I am currently interning with Friends of Ganondagan and have already learned a great deal about Native American history and culture.  I first started out two weeks ago with no prior knowledge of or experience with this nonprofit.  I’ve spent most of my time working with the Iroquois White Corn Project (IWCP), a business of the Friends.  Since then, I’ve gotten acquainted with everything from the process of weeding out ugly corn kernels to assisting at the sun-kissed farmers markets where the employees and volunteers sell products from the IWCP, including Hulled White Corn, White Corn Flour, and Roasted White Corn Flour.  

The Friends of Ganondagan’s IWCP has already gained local recognition for its gluten-free, non-GMO corn, the likes of which, in my humble opinion, has greater integrity than any comparable product in the mainstream market.  The average person who comes up to our stand has some awareness of the nutritional deficiencies in the typical varieties of sweet corn, thanks to the recent media spotlight on corporate-owned agriculture.  However, since the power of nostalgia-based food choices cannot be understated, I suggest you read up on the issues surrounding the origins of the food in your grocery bags.  If nothing else, you’ll develop a greater appreciation of the farmers and vendors who drive into the market at five and six in the morning to sell their wares.

Native American Family Day

Sunday, December 2 from noon to 5 pm, all ages are invited to a Native American Family Day at the Memorial Art Gallery. The event, offered in conjunction with the exhibition "Changing Hands: Art Without Reservation 3," features art activities, tours, storytelling, and music and dance performances. Suggested donation is $5.

The program will include:

• Noon-4 pm: hands-on art activities for children in the Gallery¹s Creative Workshop
• 1 pm: "Napi Old Man" and "Prayer of the First Dance" by Daystar Dance Company
• 1, 2 & 3 pm: guided tours of "Changing Hands"
• 1 pm & 3 pm: Italian Baroque organ mini-recitals
• 2 pm: presentation on Native American art by Carlie Fishgold
• 2:30 pm: drum performance by Eastern Travelers
• 3 pm: storytelling presentation by Perry Ground
• 3:45 pm: interactive dance workshop by Ganondagan Young Spirit Dancers

For the complete schedule of events visit the schedule on MAG website and for more on the Memorial Art Gallery including hours and driving instructions, please Memorial Art Gallery website.

Sponsors: 
Made possible by Series Sponsor JPMorgan Chase Foundation, with additional support from the Robert and Madeleine S. Heilbrunn Memorial Fund.

Press Contacts: Meg Colombo, 585-276-8934 and Patti Giordano, 585-276-8932.

Images for Publication (press only): Images from "Changing Hands" are available for download at with the password NEWS

The Iroquois White Corn Project

Iroquois White Corn

by Amy Brandlin and Lou Sinesio

The Iroquois White Corn Project got into full swing this summer. We processed and packaged about 100 pounds of corn flour and whole white corn. The one pound bags were sold at the Ganondagan Dance and Music Festival in July.

What is Iroquois White Corn?

The Iroquois White Corn is a special variety. It is especially significant, because the corn plants are descendents of the corn which was grown by the Haudenosaunee who lived in the town of Ganondagan in the 1600's. The French military torched the stores of grain, but all the corn was not destroyed in the fire. Generations of Seneca men and women have continued to grow this variety, saving the genetics.  This corn is now grown all over the region by Haudenosaunee farmers who meet regularly to exchange seeds and talk about issues related to their crops. We began the project in part to build a sustainable market for them.

Iroquois White Corn

Most people, when they think of corn, picture in their mind "sweet corn." Sweet corn is sold fresh, processed in canneries, and sold as frozen corn. Field corn (not sweet and usually the "Number 2 Dent" variety) is used as feed for chickens, cows and pigs and in the production of corn syrup, and corn meal. If you are driving and looking at the corn fields in the area, it is probably Number 2 Dent corn that you are watching grow. The growing of so much Number 2 Dent has created what is known as a monoculture. Monocultures are not good for any species. Variety is the spice of life, but also it is important for the survival of a species. Genetic diversity within a species creates strength against disease and adaptability to environmental changes. Typical American agricultural practices today have largely created a corn monoculture. The Native American agriculture, however, is very diverse with many types of maize or corn. The focus of the Iroquois White Corn Project is the Iroquois White corn variety. The seeds are shared and exchanged throughout the community, ensuring adequate genetic variability to ensure plant health.

Where Does the Corn Come From?

Native American farmers here in our region grew the white corn for the project. After being harvested by hand in the fall, it must hang to dry. For this, it is braided in the traditional way. After it has dried a few months, the kernels must be removed from the cob. This is done manually by pushing the kernels off the cob with one's thumb. Some people use a tool to remove the kernels.

How Is the Corn Processed?

If the corn is to be made into roasted white corn flour, it is roasted, ground and bagged. The White Corn Project uses a large coffee roaster for the creation of the Roasted Corn Flour product. The nutritional advantage to our white corn products is that the germ is not removed, so the products are whole grain. The flour should be refrigerated, as the oils in the germ need to be kept fresh. The germ contains vitamins and minerals, as well as fiber.

White corn to be used in soup or stew (as hominy) must be treated in a lye bath to remove the outer hull on each kernel. This process is known as nixtamalization. Many people follow the traditional way to create a lye solution with hardwood ashes. That is done by rinsing the corn using a corn basket, which is a traditional tool still made by Native basket makers. These baskets are constructed of ash splints that are sized and spaced specifically for the corn washing. Throughout the region, Haudenosaunee people are still using and teaching this method.

One of many hand-crafted steps in processing the corn

Many people though, find the work involved in preparing the corn in this manner difficult. And with modern hectic and busy lives, many people just do not have the time.  The White Corn Project is using a culinary lime or calcium hydroxide to create that lye solution. The corn is brought to a boil and simmered until the hull becomes loose and is able to be washed off. The treated corn is then rinsed in a wire basket with fresh water. We are also exploring reliable sources for clean hardwood ashes.

After the corn is rinsed free from the outer shell covering and the lye, and drained, it is placed in the dehydrator. The corn takes about 4 hours to dehydrate. These kernels are bagged to be sold as Hulled White Corn. To use in a soup or stew, they must be soaked overnight, drained and then cooked according to the recipe, until soft. After dehydration the corn can also be ground to into White Corn Flour. This flour can also be used as a substitute for corn meal or blended in combination with other types of flour in recipes.

Why Iroquois White Corn?

Besides connecting connecting people with local agriculture, the Iroquois White Corn Project also connects people with history and ancient traditions.

For some, it is also a personal connection with with their ancestors. As one of The Three Sisters, this corn is sacred to the Haudenosaunee people. We thought of Sister Corn as we finished up our work - her portrait hangs in our workspace and smiles down as if in appreciation.

Summer Solstice Ganonyok @ white pine noon

JUNE 20 th- Summer Solstice Ganonyok

"Crooked Arrows" -- Catch it This Weekend

Be sure to catch special screenings starting May 18th of the movie, Crooked Arrows. The movie centers around a Native American lacrosse team and its new coach helping the team members to find pride in themselves and their heritage. See more about the movie itself at the official website.

Many of the actors and athletes in this movie are from one of the Six Iroquois Nations. See some of the list of Native actors in the film on the Crooked Arrows site or see the full cast and crew list plus reviews, trivia, and more at IMDB Movie Database. For a list of theatres showing this wonderful film, be sure to see the list on the Crooked Arrows theatre page.

After you see the movie, please share your thoughts about it on our Facebook page!

-kim

Crooked Arrows Official Movie Trailer:

Lily of the Mohawks

Kateri Tekakwitha (Source: Wikimedia)

In February of this year, Pope Benedict the XVI announced that Kateri Tekakwitha would be canonized on October 21, 2012. She would be the first Native American to reach sainthood.

Kateri Tekakwitha was born in 1656 to a Mohawk father and Algonquin mother in the Mohawk village of Canaouaga or Ossernenon (modern day Auriesville) in upstate New York. She converted to Christianity at early age and led a devout Christian life.  She died on April 17, 1680.

Immediately upon death, her body was said to have lost all of the disfiguring facial scars of smallpox - the same smallpox which killed the rest of her family when she was four years old - and her corpse become very beautiful. Other miraculous occurrences and indeed, miracles have been attributed to Kateri when people have used relics of hers or prayed to her for intercession on their behalf.

Sainthood is a very long process and her canonization began in 1884. On January 3, 1943 she was declared venerable by Pope Pius XII and was beatified on June 22, 1980 by Pope John Paul II. On December 19, 2011, the Congregation for Causes of Saints certified a second miracle through her intercession. The process will complete with her canonization this October.

I urge you to read more about this interesting woman and her sainthood from the sources listed below.

-kim

Learn more about Kateri Tekakwitha from the following sources:

YouTube:
"Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha"

Websites:
Wikipedia: Kateri Tekakwitha
National Kateri Tekakwitha Shrine
Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs
Blessed Kateri, Model Ecologist

News Articles:
Montreal Gazette (Dec. 20, 2011): Sainthood Nearer for Kateri Tekakwitha
Montreal Gazette (Feb. 20, 2012): Kahnawake's Kateri Tekakwitha to be Canonized Oct. 21
Times Union (Feb. 20, 2012): Kateri to be Canonized in October

Books:
A Lily Among Thorns: The Mohawk Repatriation of Kateri Tekakwitha by Darren Bonaparte

Native History Month

In honor of Native History Month, our public television station WXXI-TV is airing an extraordinary range of programming throughout November, featuring the men and women who shaped the Native American experience. We’d like to share these opportunities with you.  For complete details, please visit: http://interactive.wxxi.org/native-american

If you are not in the Greater Rochester, NY television viewing area, please see the listings of your local PBS station for possible air dates of these programs.

• History Detectives. Friday, November 18 at 6 pm on WXXI World (cable 524/DT21.2) In California, a History Detectives viewer owns an American Indian pipe that family legend suggests was given to her ancestor by the famous warrior Chief Red Cloud.
• We Shall Remain: American Experience: After the Mayflower. Friday, November 18 at 7 pm on WXXI World. This groundbreaking mini-series establishes Native history as an essential part of American history. Four 90-minute documentaries spanning 300 years tell the story of pivotal moments in U.S. history from the Native-American perspective. This first episode explores the polar strategies — peaceful diplomacy and warfare — the Wampanoag people employed in their struggle to maintain their identity.
• We Shall Remain: American Experience: Tucumseh’s Vision. Friday, November 18 at 8:30 pm on WXXI World, part two of four features Shawnee warrior Tecumseh, who rose to become one of the greatest American leaders of all time.
• INDEPENDENT LENS: We Are Still Here – Âs Nutayuneân. Sunday, November 20 at 11 pm on WXXI-TV/HD. This tells the remarkable story of the recent cultural and linguistic revival of the Wampanoag tribe of Southeastern Massachusetts. Their ancestors ensured the survival of the Pilgrims — and lived to regret it. Now they are bringing their language home again.
• Before There Were Parks: Yellowstone & Glacier Through Native Eyes. Sunday, November 20 at 11:30 pm on WXXI World. This film explores modern indigenous perspectives on the great wilderness areas now called Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks that go far beyond their recent status as National Parks.
• Columbus Day Legacy. Sunday night, November 20 at 12:30 am on WXXI-TV. Navajo filmmaker Bennie Klain explores the quintessential American issues of free speech and ethnic pride against the backdrop of the ongoing Columbus Day parade controversy in Denver, Colorado. 
• History Detectives. Tuesday, November 22 at 9:00 pm on WXXI World. A mysterious bible laced with Cherokee writing provides insight to the "Trail of Tears" march.
• We Shall Remain: American Experience: Trail of Tears. Friday, November 25 at 7 pm on WXXI World, part three of four. Despite decades of struggle to keep their land, in 1838 thousands of Cherokee were forced from their homes in the southeastern United States and driven to Oklahoma. More than 4,000 died of disease and starvation along the way.
• We Shall Remain: American Experience: Geronimo. Friday, November 25 at 8:30 p.m. on WXXI World, part four of four. An indomitable Chiricahua Apache warrior and medicine man, Geronimo remains one of the most complex historical figures of the American West.
• Smokin' Fish. Saturday, November 26 at 1 pm on WXXI World. Cory Mann, A young Tlingit man makes a pilgrimage to his ancestral home and is forced to confront the dichotomy between his history and the world he lives in.
• Aleut Story. Saturday, November 26 at 10 pm on WXXI World. The incredible, untold story of Aleut Americans' decades-long struggle for human and civil rights, this story was developed, researched, filmed and edited for national television over five years.
• Unconquered Seminoles. Saturday, November 26 at 11:30 pm on WXXI World. This film traces the history and identity of Florida's resilient Seminole tribe, one deeply rooted in a pattern of obstacle and challenge, survival and success.
• Independent Lens: Reel Injun: On the Trail of the Hollywood Indian. Sunday, November 27 at 11:30 pm on WXXI-TV/HD. Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond takes an entertaining, insightful, and often humorous look at the Hollywood Indian, exploring the portrayal of North American Natives through a century of cinema and examining the ways that the myth of “the Injun” has influenced the world’s understanding—and misunderstanding—of Natives.
• The Long Walk: Tears of the Navajo. Tuesday, November 29 at 7 pm on WXXI World.  In a lost chapter of our nation’s history, 8,000 Navajo men, women and children were marched at gunpoint through the scorched desert of the American Southwest to a barren reservation along the Texas border in a 300-mile forced relocation during which hundreds died.
• Choctaw Code Talkers. Tuesday, November 29 at 8 pm on WXXI World. Called by some the "original Code Talkers," this is the story of the important role Choctaw soldiers played in WWI in using their Native language as a powerful tool against the German Forces.
• Contrary Warrior: The Life and Times of Adam Fortunate Eagle. Wednesday, November 30 at 7 pm on WXXI World. The story of Adam Fortunate Eagle, a contemporary activist, artist, author, ceremonial leader.

Come Join Us in the Gardens!

Invitation from our Gardening Committee chair, Tonia Loran-Galban:

Garden planting date has tentatively been set for Tuesday May 31st at 1:30pm meet at the garden with hoe in hand. Planting should take about 30-45 minutes, roughly. Come on over and introduce yourself. Note - Rain Date is June 1st.

If you cannot make the planting date but are interested in weeding (it is surprisingly low maintenance) please email me gardens@ganondagan.org and I will email you a map of the garden. Or if I'm on site, I will show you where to weed.

~Tonia

Update on May 31:
Dear Garden Friends- With temperatures going up to 90 to day, we thought it would be better to do the planting tomorrow morning at 7:30am.  We know this is a late change, so let us know if you can make it tomorrow! ~Tonia and Ronnie



About Gardening at Ganondagan:
It's a terrific way to get out and enjoy the sunshine, fresh air, and the feel of the rich, dark earth in your fingers. It doesn't matter if you are an experienced gardener or not, everyone is welcome to join in! Come and learn traditional Haudenosaunee ways of gardening - perhaps you will learn something for your own gardens!

Keep your eye on this blog for any changes to the planting date due to weather. Nya:weh! And see you in the gardens!

-kim

2011 Three Sisters Garden:

Arvel Bird's Animal Totem & Music Circle Workshops

For those who already are fans of award-winning Native American musician Arvel Bird or if you're curious to learn about Native American animal totems and music circles, check out two opportunities we're offering to participate hands-on with Arvel in a drumming and/or flute circle. You're encouraged to bring a percussion instrument or flute for the themed workshop, and if you don't have an instrument, or don't know how to play, no problem! Wear comfortable clothing, bring a mat or blanket and come anyway.

The first half of each workshop will focus on how indigenous tribes used animal “medicine” or “wisdom,” and how—through Arvel’s guided meditation—individuals can learn to find and connect with their power animal. He promises the music circles to be a "fun and healing time to connect to the Creator with movement and rhythm."

As there's a lot of local interest in Arvel, we're encouraging pre-registration by April 1 for the following Friends of Ganondagan-sponsored events:

• Saturday, April 9 from 1-3 pm, “Animal Totems and Drumming Circle Workshop”
• Thursday, April 14 from 7-9 pm, “Animal Totems and Flute Circle Workshop”
  

Both workshops will take place at the Quaker Meetinghouse (workshops not affiliated with the Quakers), at 84 Scio Street, corner of Scio and Charlotte.

To register, or for more information, visit www.ganondagan.org/programs/ArvelBird.html or call
585-742-1690.

And, as an extra incentive, our Friends of Ganondagan (FoG) members receive a $2 discount off the ticket price for Arvel ’s April 17 violin and flute concert with the Rochester Chamber Orchestra (David Fetler conducting) at 3:00 pm at the Hochstein Performance Hall. To receive this discount, FoG members should call Julie Doescher at the RCO Box Office, 585-442-9778. Arvel will premiere The Path Made of Rainbow, a work he wrote for the RCO and the Bach Children’s Chorus, which describes the Paiute story of how the Grand Canyon came to be.

Friends of Ganondagan is making some of Arvel's recordings available for purchase. Click here.

Hope to see you!

Welcoming the Green into Your Life

As I look out my window, I see the snow softly falling. It has snowed all day and has left our Mother Earth covered in a blanket of pure, unblemished white. Some find this cold season dismal and depressing. I don't. I know the Earth needs this quiet season to rest and I also know that many of our most beloved native plants and wildflowers need the conditions of the season so their seeds will germinate.

Native Corn Variety - Dakota Black Popcorn

But most of all, this time of the year is one in which I dream of warm sunny days and my fingers working the dark, rich earth. Yes, I am a gardener, a lover of green growing things, and a tender of the soil. Winter is a terrific time for planning gardens and starting seeds. I know my own mailbox has blossomed with all manner of seed, plant, and gardening catalogs.

January is often a time of new promises and goals for the year. I encourage everyone to add planting a garden this year to your list of 2011 goals. For those with health goals this year, please know that gardening is a terrific activity for your health - see an article I wrote here on this topic. Gardening also allows you to reconnect to millennia-old traditions of sowing seeds, tending the soil, and partaking of the fruits of your labor - whether you be a gardener of flowers, herbs, or vegetables. To help you in this endeavor, I'll share some of my favorite sources with you. All of these places have online store fronts and many have print catalogs free upon request.

My best wishes for you in 2011. May you find beauty, joy, happiness, and peace in your gardens and may that extend to the rest of your life. Namaste.

-kim


Vegetables/Food Crops

Heirloom Tomatoes from my 2010 garden

Nothing is better than a tomato fresh from the garden, still warm from the sun's kiss that is sprinkled with a little sea salt. And so I encourage everyone to grow their own foods. Many food plants are ornamental in their own right and can easily slip into your flower beds if you do not have dedicated vegetable spaces. I also encourage everyone to seek out heirloom/heritage seeds, some of which are of direct Native origins. These are wonderful and tasty departures from the bland and tasteless vegetables that crowd grocery shelves. They will certainly be at home in your 3-Sister Garden.

Abundant Life Seeds - Organic and biodynamic vegetable seeds
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds - One of my favorite heirloom seed sources. Some Native varieties. The owners of Baker Creek recently bought the historic Comstock Seeds company.
Comstock Seeds - A 200 year old tradition of selling seeds being relaunched by new owners (website coming soon)
Johnny's Selected Seeds - A wide range of vegetable and herb seed. No genetically modified seed.
Miller Nurseries - A local company that specializes in fruit tree, shrubs, and plants. Get a variety of plants and varieties including strawberries and blueberries here.
Pinetree Garden Seeds - A favorite place to get not only a wide range of vegetable varieties but a place to get small amounts of seed for a small price which is a wonderful way to test out a variety
Raintree Nursery - All manner of fruit-bearing plants and trees are available here including juneberries, strawberries, and blueberries
Seed Savers - Heirloom vegetable seeds incl. some Native varieties
Seeds of Change - Organic vegetable, flower, and herb seed. Some Native varieties like the Dakota Black Popcorn I grew last year.
Territorial Seed Company - A wide range of heirloom, open pollinated, and hybrid vegetable varieties. No genetically modified or treated seed.
Totally Tomato - Can't find a particular tomato or pepper variety elsewhere? Find it here.
Terroir Seeds - Heirloom and open-pollinated seeds including the Cherokee "White Eagle" corn I grew in 2009. This special seed made the trip over the Trail of Tears.

Herbs/Medicinal Plants

White Baneberry - Poisonous & medicinal

Whether the herbs you grow are to season your food in the kitchen or are to keep you healthy, these are powerful members of the plant kingdom. Last week I had the pleasure to catch the podcast "Bringing Seeds to the People" by Richo Cech Herbalist and owner of Horizon Herbs. That combined along the current book I'm reading, Sacred Plant Medicine: The Wisdom in Native American Herbalism by Stephen Buhner has re-energized my desire to plant medicinal plants this season.

Horizon Herbs - Medicinal plants and seeds of many herbal traditions
Nichols Garden Nusery - A nice selection of culinary herb and vegetable seed
Richters - A wonderful source for medicinal plants of all sorts from nearby Toronto

Flower Gardening

I don't do much ornamental gardening these days but I do always slip some flowers into the vegetable beds to attract pollinators.

Select Seeds - Get antique flower seeds from this company including some of my favorite poppy varieties

Native Plants

Joe Pye Weed - A native beauty

I can't stress enough how important it is to welcome these plants into your life and gardens. Many have become rare in their native ranges. These plants are ideally suited to our growing conditions and they offer beauty, balanced habitats, medicines, and more. See plantnative.org for more details about growing native plants.

Forest Farm - While shipping from the westcoast is costly, this is a wonderful place to find many hard to find plants, trees, and shrubs.
Musser Forests - A nice place to get many native trees and shrubs in small amounts or quantity in nearby Pennsylvania
Prairie Moon Nursery - One of the best native plant and seed sources around.

Return of the Sun

Winter Sun at Fort Hill (Ganondagan)

It seems as though it was only yesterday that I was writing about the great wheel of the year turning and I was looking forward to the summer solstice. Now the winter solstice is nearly upon us and it is clear, the wheel certainly doesn't stop nor slow for anyone.

The winter solstice is the longest night of the year and it is also the day that marks the return of the sun - a time when our daylight hours will again begin to grow. At first the lengthening of our daylight is imperceptible. But with time it grows and in only 3 short months it is the spring equinox and the earth has begun to warm enough that the first signs of the approaching spring may be seen.

And so I suppose it is only right that this very special time of the year has traditionally been filled with sacred observances and as well as festivals of light in many cultures across the globe and throughout the centuries. I've included a few links to various observances, solstice information, and stories of the sun coming to the world below.

In looking for information to share, I came across a quote from Dante's Paradiso, "la luce divina e penetrante per l’universo secondo ch’e degno.” Translated it means, “the divine light penetrates the universe according to its dignity.” Divine light penetrating the universe - I can think of no better way to describe the return of the sun.

-kim

For more please see,

• Native Story (Haida) - How Raven Brought Light to the World
• Native Story (Zuni) - Coyote Steals the Sun and Moon
• Native Story (Cherokee) - Stealing the Sun
• 5000 year celestial calendar marks the winter solstice Newgrange, Ireland
• Sun Lore of the Ages - Solar Festivals
• Hawaiian Story - How Maui Snared the Sun
• Winter Holidays Celebrating the Solstice
• Information about the solstice as well as a couple dozen worldwide solstice celebrations