Books In Print
We Have the Right To Exist
A Translation of Aboriginal Thought
The first book ever published from an Anishinabeotjibway Perspective
by Wub-e-ke-niew
421 pp., $16.00, paperback
ISBN 0-9628181-4-3
Wub-e-ke-niew was an Anishinabaeotjibway of the Bear Clan. He was born on the Red Lake Reservation in Red Lake, Minnesota, in 1928 and lived there until he died on October 15, 1997. He was raised in traditional Anishinabeotjibway ways by his grandfather, Bah-wah-we-nind. Upon his grandfather’s death he was placed in a Catholic Mission school, where his native language was beaten out of him and taught very little English. At the end of World War II he joined the army and was sent to Germany. He has been a farmer, fire fighter, electrician, truck driver, stevedore, and journalist. He was one of the founders of the American Indian Movement (A.I.M.) and wrote a column for the Ojibwe News/Native American Press.
WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO EXIST has been reprinted and is available on Amazon.
Notes
“All people are inherently responsible for their actions. Everyone is put here for a purpose. When people take the responsibility that is theirs, and eliminate the many facets of violence which are entrenched in their culture, then we can all address the health of human society and Grandmother Earth in an effective holistic way, and restore harmony and balance”
—Wub-e-ke-niew
“This book in its scholarship and its passion is one of the most powerful indictments ever written about the treatment of original indigenous people, both here and abroad. But it is also a call to a new fairness and equity between peoples, one that can restore autonomy to those cultures upon which our continued life on this planet may depend.”
—Jean Houston, from the Foreword
“This study of aboriginal indigenous thought should be read, studied, and pondered by anyone who cares about the civilization and culture of the conquerors, and about the possibilities of human existence, thought,
and creative experience that have been marginalized and suppressed—not to speak of the terrible fate of the victims themselves. It is a remarkable contribution.”
—Noam Chomsky
“Now is the time to set the records straight. The book: We have the Right to Exist, is well written, well researched, a very thorough and sensible approach to the relationship now enjoyed only by the Federal Government with the Indian Tribes. ‘Indian is an exploitation word along with the official designations of the Indian Tribes. To change that, it will take a concerted effort by all the Native Americans. This book is a first step.”
—Maynard Swan, Columnist Ojibwe News/Native American
There Is No Ithaca
by Jonas Mekas
Two classic poem cycles in Lithuanian and English
Translation by Vyt Bakaitis
With a Foreword by Czeslaw Milosz
ISBN 0-9628181-1-9
Idylls and Reminiscences, the two poem cycles contained in There is No Ithaca were written between 1947 and 1951 and published in Lithuanian editions. They have become part of the classic repertory of modern Lithuanian literature. Mekas is considered to be one of the best poets of Lithuania. This is the first English edition.
Notes
“His sensitivity to unrepeatable light, color, scents of his native region, in the north of Lithuania, as shown in Idylls is that of a visionary who lifts the most earthly details of reality to a higher level of intensity…”
—Czeslaw Milosz, from the Foreword
“He writes as a witness to epical happenings–vast changes in ways of living and in entire nations–with a love for what is past that is more powerful than nostalgia, with a passion for living that caresses every present blessing.”
—Ray Olson, Booklist
“…There’s a lot of country in these poems, a prisoner’s nose for fresh air so seldom breathed, an exile’s feel for mud and stubble that his feet understand. These poems are what an honest young man answered when the world was shouting louder than most of us have heard. He knew even then to judge the weight of words, the light and dark of them.”
—Robert Kelly
Vyt Bakaitis is the author of a book of poetry, City Country. He has contributed many poems and translations to literary publications. A selection of his translations (Holderlin, Mickiewicz, and Mekas) will be included in Norton’s forthcoming World Anthology of Poetry.
Songs of Bleeding
by Spider
232 pp. With illustrations by Tenanche Semiata-Akuaba and Spider
$15.00 paperback
ISBN 09628181-3-5
Spider weaves the tales of Women’s Mysteries in remembrance of Moon Lodge celebrations based on Taino teachings. She shares the dreams of the Grandmothers with all people ready to honor the Earth and her cycles.
Notes
“It was a pleasure to read Spider’s book! As sound and Rhythm hold the Uniworld together, so do the Songs of Bleeding hold within them a heritage of Women’s Mysteries. One of the most important contributions that Songs of Bleeding teaches us is the aspect of Honor… Honoring our Grandmother’s wisdom, our Moon Time and our history as Women. Nyah Weh Scanno!”
–Grand Mother Twylah, Wolf Clean Teaching Lodge
“The evidence of the rebirth of Woman’s Medicine is clearly portrayed in Songs of Bleeding. The nurturing role of Woman begins when she learns to nurture herself. Excellent! A must for every woman who seeks the wholeness she carries within.”
–Jamie Sams, Author of The Thirteen Original Clan Mothers
“Ancient Mother I hear you calling, Ancient Mother I hear your Song….” If you have ever heard the songs of the earth, the water, the air-or wished you could-Spider’s magnificent book Songs of Bleeding is for you. With the keen ear of the Wise Woman who hears into the inside of things, our sister Spider has heard and recorded these ancient/modern songs to help us all walk in truth and beauty. This work is a give-away of the most extraordinary sort. I am deeply grateful.”
–Susun S. Weed, Founder, The Wise Woman Center
“Spider’s Songs of Bleeding sing to honor the sacred traditions of all our Grandmothers. As you read these records of the ‘past’ you will know and remember… These songs of memory are a revival of our tradition and tradition is the story of honoring our Earth Mother…ATABEI.”
–Margarita Noguera, Descendant and Carrier of Native Taino Tradition
“This book sings out the rhythm of our lives as women. It helps us to find ourselves fully again, and encourages powerful ritual to harmonize ourselves with the larger cycles and continuing passages of life.”
–Brooke Medicine Eagle, Author of Buffalo Woman Comes Singing
“This is a book to share with other women…”
–Phyllis Rosser, New Directions for Women
Spider is a teacher of the Wolf Clan Teaching Lodge and shares the Medicine Wheel teachings of Grandmother Twylah Nitsch. She follows the Taino tradition of healing ceremonies and is a carrier of Women’s Lodge Wisdom. She lives in Colorado and is available for workshops and individual intensive study.
Bear Boy Sayings
Collected Sayings
Bear Boy, Hank Lee LaRose, was a Northern Ute. Ute was his first language. He didn’t read or write. He was a Sun Dance chief, a ceremony man, a singer, a great orator, a champion of his people and a gifted artist. He died in 2004 at the age of 50 from complications related to diabetes. He once said “When I die I’m going to be a strong spirit helping my people.”
Bear Boy Sayings is a collection of notes taken during conversations with Hollis Melton that he requested her to write down.
Notes
I pray with my eyes, look at things. –Bear Boy
Bear Boy loved us all. As he loved the Naraya, the Sun Dance, and the ways of the Sacred Pipe and all the other traditional things and ways that he loved so dear and held so sacred. He was willing to share so much of these things with us. That is his gift, that is his legacy. If we can hold evn a tiny bit of what he taught us in our hearts… and the way we live our lives day to day, we will be a better people, and the world will be a better place. –Clyde Hall