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Post by Blu on Aug 17, 2005 18:00:07 GMT -5
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Post by Blu on Aug 18, 2005 20:29:44 GMT -5
I have decided to add all the American Indian Women Warriors I can find to this post. I hope if you know of any you will help me! This article is about a modern woman who serves our country. I am so proud of her!
To read the entire article and view the painting, click on the article's title below! 
Painting Honors Indian Women; 'Warrior' Model Serves in Guard[/u][/url] By Rudi Williams American Forces Press Service The Seneca Indian is Army Maj. Vickie Morgan Jones, the first woman in Oklahoma and first American Indian woman in the nation to become a helicopter pilot. She said she was also the first woman to complete air assault school. Jones, then a captain, agreed to pose for the painting wearing her mother's Seneca dress. She also posed with her flight suit and helmet. Haney's painting depicts her as a Seneca woman righteously defending her camp with a club in hand. In the upper right of the painting is a shadow of Jones in her flight suit as a 20th century Native American protecting her homeland. "Although I posed for this painting, I prefer to be a quiet person about it," Jones. "I'm without a doubt humbled about the experience, and wish not to outshine the purpose of why 'Heritage of Valor' was done. "I'm a proud Native American female who in her life has accomplished some things," continued Jones, 49, an operations and training officer for the Oklahoma Army National Guard Recruiting and Retention Command. "None (of my accomplishments) were done for glorification or bragging rights. There are many other women in military service who have accomplished more, regardless of what race she was." When she was 19, the Army major said, she considered following her father's footsteps into the Air Force, but decided she "wasn't mature enough to make a commitment like that." Then, a few years later during a time of "self- discovery," she joined the Oklahoma Army National Guard's 279th Infantry Regiment on March 24, 1978, and as her self-discovery evolved, she became heavily involved in American Indian religious ceremonies. "I felt that I wanted to protect the land of my people," said Jones. "I was raised on an Air Force base in England and remember the Bay of Pigs (the U.S.- backed invasion of Cuba on April 17, 1961). "I wanted to know what to do in the event we went to war and the missiles started flying, thinking I would have the knowledge given me from military training to help the civilian population," she said. Jones graduated from flight school at Fort Rucker, Ala., in September 1981. "I had no idea I was the first Native American female in the country (to graduate from the school)," she recalled, "but I did know I would be the first female (pilot) in the Oklahoma Army National Guard." Her first job as a pilot was as a medical platoon leader. She flew missions in support of Guard units throughout Oklahoma until joining the active Guard in March 1989. Jones said everyone's service is important, not just that of American Indian women. "Freedom is what we as Americans can give to our generations to come, so the importance of gender isn't an issue," she said. "I respect all races and believe each person serving is important in making their contribution to preserving freedom." American Indian military history is a subject that should be discussed on military installations and ships at sea during American Indian Heritage Month, Jones said. "I did talks last year to schools in my area, educating them about Ira Hayes (a Pima Indian Marine who helped raise the American flag on Iwo Jima during World War II), Navajo code talkers and our Medal of Honor recipients," she noted. "Also, many individuals have never been to a powwow. We have beautiful dances that have meanings." Her father, Carl Glass Sr., was a full-blooded Cherokee. He retired as an Air Force senior master sergeant in 1968. Her mother, Cordellia Bernice Conner, the product of the Seneca-Cayuga and Quapaw tribes, was a licensed practical nurse. "Both of my parents have left this world for one better," Jones said. Her husband, Lt. Col. Paul Jones, 57, also is active duty Guard. A native of Muskogee, Okla., he is director of military support with the responsibility of handling disasters that occur in the state.[/size][/color]
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Post by Blu on Aug 18, 2005 20:57:16 GMT -5
Sadly this is the only statement about this brave woman on this page. But I am going to give her the respect she deserves here. If you would like to read the rest of the story go to the link!
"Colestah, Kamiakin's fifth wife and a warrior woman, rescued her husband before he could be captured."
Kamiakin: Yakama and Palouse Warrior and Statesman
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Post by Blu on Aug 19, 2005 11:30:10 GMT -5
Nancy Ward is a role model for women everywhere. The Cherokee practiced a matrilineal tradition, a custom that we find world wide before the advent of Christianity. I find the Cherokee a beautiful example of the masculine and feminine energy as it should be expressed on earth.
Nancy Ward's heroism caught my attention because as a true warrior she sprang into action after her husband fell in battle. He was killed in a raid on the Creeks during the 1755 Battle of Taliwa. . Nancy chewed the lead bullets for his rifle to make them more deadly as she fought by her husband's side. ( What a good idea!) After her husband died in battle, she sprang up from behind a log and rallied the Cherokee warriors to fight harder. Fighting from the depths of courage Nancy took up a rifle, led a charge that unnerved the Creeks and brought victory to the Cherokees.
The clans chose her as Ghighau, "Beloved Woman" of the Cherokees because of her courageous act. Nancy's courage as a warrior did not stop there. In this powerful position, her words carried much weight in the tribal government because the Cherokees believed that the Great Spirit frequently spoke through the Beloved Woman. Nancy went on to fight the good fight for all people, including the whites. Her willingness to follow Great Spirit was perhaps the greatest courage of all.
Please go to the following link and read more about this truly courageous inspirational woman!
Nancy Ward: "Beloved Woman" Of The Cherokee
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Post by Blu on Aug 20, 2005 12:14:51 GMT -5
We offer this prayer:
Heavenly Father/Mother, We thank you for this beautiful soul who was known as Fern L. Holland. We pray for her as she continues her journey with You that she may be blessed and One with You. May we all be blessed with courage to follow our path as she followed hers. May her efforts here on earth be blessed and achieve their purposes giving Glory to Your Name. Be Thou the Guide in our daily lives, that Your will may be done in us and through us. In the Name of the Christ we pray. Amen
Army Civilian Fern L. Holland
33, of Bluejacket, Oklahoma.
Holland died in Al-Hillah, Iraq. She was assigned to the Coalition Provisional Authority, based in Arlington, Virginia. Died on March 9, 2004
Fallen Heroes Memorial: Army Civilian Fern L. Holland Mission Statement
Fern Holland died on March 9 th, 2004 while working for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq. She was killed by forces violently opposed to the ideals of freedom and democracy for the Iraqi people. Fern, an Oklahoma native who grew up believing that one person could make a difference in the world, knew that her work placed her at extreme risk. It was a risk she was willing to assume in order to bring some measure of hope and equality to the people of Iraq.
Determined that her work on behalf of human rights in Iraq and elsewhere will continue, Fern’s family and friends have established the Fern L. Holland Charitable Foundation*. The purpose of the Foundation is to provide economic and other support to those causes for which Fern gave her life. This charter is broad by necessity because Fern believed that everyone, regardless of where they lived, should have equal opportunity. In her belief, she was uncompromising. She was convinced that through simple acts of human kindness and understanding, it is possible to make the world a better place in which to live.
Fern’s work and sacrifice on behalf of others did not begin in Iraq. It began long before in the children’s hospitals of Russia and South Africa where she worked as a volunteer following her graduation from the University of Oklahoma. Upon her return to the United States, she entered law school at the University of Tulsa, graduating with honors in 1996. In 1999, having demonstrated exceptional ability as a lawyer, she left a lucrative position with her law firm to enter the Peace Corps. She chose as her assignment the country of Namibia in her beloved Africa. Here she helped to build schools and bring AIDS education to the most isolated areas of this southwest African nation. In 2002, she traveled to the African nation of Guinea on behalf of the American Refugee Committee. There, she implemented solutions for dealing with widespread human rights abuses then occurring in Guinean refugee camps.
In July, 2003, Fern was hired by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to investigate human rights abuses under the Sadaam Hussein regime. She was part of that agency’s Abuse Prevention Unit whose purpose is to protect victims of abuse occurring during times of war or conflict. At the conclusion of her tour with USAID, she was retained by the Coalition Provisional Authority to help Iraqis establish a democratic form of government. In this capacity, her efforts began to center around the new role of Iraqi women in a culture in which they had historically been denied meaningful participation.
Working tirelessly on behalf of women’s rights, Fern established and implemented the concept of women’s centers to which Iraqi women could come to learn about democracy and the role envisioned for them in a representative form of government. She was instrumental in securing equality and participation for women in the Iraqi interim constitution. And always, she stood as a friend to anyone in need of help. It was because of her work on behalf of the Iraqi people that Fern was targeted for assassination. On March 9 th, 2004, on the road between Karbala and Al Hillah, Fern, her friend and Iraqi counterpart, Salwa Ali Oushami, and CPA press liaison Robert Zangas were murdered by elements of an extremist group whose members view the ideals of democracy and equal opportunity as a threat.
Fern is mourned by all those whose lives she touched. In towns and villages thousands of miles from her home, she will be remembered as one who brought light where there had been only darkness, and hope to people who had known only despair. The need and suffering which drew her to those far away places still exists. It is the purpose of the Fern L. Holland Charitable Foundation to continue to fund the work which she so selflessly undertook and for which she gave her life. Your help will insure that neither Fern, nor those she sought to help will ever be forgotten. The Fern L. Holland Charitable Trust Feminist Daily News Wire
March 12, 2004
Feminists Pay Tribute to Women's Rights Activist Fern Holland Killed in Iraq
Women's Rights Activist Fern L. Holland was killed in Iraq on Tuesday night. Holland, who worked tirelessly in Iraq to help Iraqi women achieve their rights, became one of the first American civilian employees of the Coalition Provisional Authority to be killed in Iraq. According to KOTV, Holland's family believes she was targeted because of her work on the Iraqi Constitution to ensure an equal role for women in the country's new system of governance. In fact, Holland wrote an email to an old coworker stating "if I die...know that I'm doing precisely what I want to be doing," reports the Washington Post.
Leading feminists have paid tribute to the work of Fern Holland to advance women's rights in Iraq. Eleanor Smeal, the President of the Feminist Majority Foundation, stated "Fern Holland made the supreme sacrifice for women's rights. It is because of her work and the work of the Iraqi women that women in Iraq do have equal rights in the interim law. I am humbled by this tragic loss and feel the deepest gratitude for her tireless work, passion and dedication to women's rights."
The Chair of the National Council of Women's Organization, Martha Burk, asserted that "Fern Holland was a tireless advocate for women and as far as we know the only strong advocate in the Coalition Provisional Authority. We hope that the Administration will not use her death as an excuse to drop women's rights as a priority."
Last fall, Aquila Hashima, one of only three women on Iraq's Governing Council, was killed after her car was ambushed. At that time, members of the Governing Council in Iraq were pleading with US authorities to provide them with more security and bodyguards. Hashimi had been relying on family members to provide her with bodyguards.Feminist Majority Foundation: "Feminists Pay Tribute to Women's Rights Activist Fern Holland Killed in Iraq" Council of the Cherokee Nation
A Resolution Honoring Fern L. Holland, Courageous Cherokee Citizen
WHEREAS, the Cherokee Nation since time immemorial has exercised the sovereign rights of self-government in behalf of the Cherokee people;
WHEREAS, the Cherokee Nation is a federally recognized Indian Nation with a historic and continual government to government relationship with the United States of America;
WHEREAS, from time immemorial Cherokee women have held high positions of power and honor within the Nation, and at times gone to battle to fight for their beliefs ;
WHEREAS, the culture of the Cherokee Nation as a matrilineal society recognizes the value and role of women as integral leaders and advocates of fundamental rights;
WHEREAS, Cherokee citizen Fern L. Holland, was born August 5, 1970, and grew up in the Miami and Bluejacket areas of Oklahoma, and graduated from college from the University of Oklahoma with honors in 1992, and from the University of Tulsa School of Law with honors in 1996, and,
WHEREAS , Fern L. Holland worked at the law firm of Connor & Winters in Tulsa, but left the firm to commit her life to public service, first within the Peace Corps, and later working for USAID in Iraq, and
WHEREAS, Fern L. Holland devoted her life to human rights, including providing HIV education and training in Namibia, organizing legal education targeting women's and children's rights, teaching English and computer skills, soliciting computers for West African school children, and organizing legal aid clinics for women and children refugees in West Africa, and
WHEREAS, in May, 2003, Fern L. Holland went to Iraq to document human rights violations and preserve evidence for potential war crimes tribunals, and continued her work there as a strong advocate for Iraqi women, and
WHEREAS , Fern L. Holland drafted language in the new Iraqi constitution for the coalition government that protected women's rights and guaranteed women a position within that government, and that because of her work, Fern L. Holland became a target for extremist groups who opposed such roles for women, and
WHEREAS, Fern L. Holland understood that she was at great risk because of her work, but expressed to her family that she loved the work she was doing and that many Iraqi women were depending upon her, and
WHEREAS, Fern L. Holland was assassinated in Iraq on March 9, 2004 , because of her work, and that she died as a warrior, fighting for her beliefs, and seeking to improve the lives of others;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CHEROKEE NATION, that Fern L. Holland is hereby honored and recognized for her courageous commitment to human rights, and for having sacrificed her life in the service of others.
The foregoing resolution was adopted by the Council of the Cherokee Nation at a duly called meeting on the _____ day of ____________, 2004 having ____ members present, constituting a quorum, by the vote of _______ yea; ________ nay; ________ abstaining.
___________________________________
Joe Grayson, Jr., President
Council of the Cherokee Nation
ATTEST:
________________________________
Bill John Baker, Secretary
Cherokee Nation Tribal Council
Approved and signed by the Principal Chief this ______ day of ______________, 2004.
___________________________________
Chadwick Smith, Principal Chief
Cherokee Nation
ATTEST:
___________________________________
Callie Catcher, Secretary/Treasurer
Cherokee Nation
Council Of The Cherokee Nation: A Resolution Honoring Fern L. Holland, Courageous Cherokee Citizen
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Post by Blu on Aug 20, 2005 13:05:41 GMT -5
COMANCHE WOMEN: POWER AND INFLUENCE
By Linda Pelon and Tabbe Pete
This Comanche woman warrior/leader was documented by a least two historians. Thomas Kavanagh provided the following information in his dissertation:
Sometime in 1849 or 1850, Mexican officials in Chihuahua and other northern states, encountered another group of Comanches. The head of the group was said to be a woman called "Tabbe Pete". She was the "generaless and prophetess" of the Comanche. Together with her two grandsons "Tabetoi" and "Mague", and other relatives they began a series of varied relationships with the states of Northern Mexico.
It was also reported that the "old woman", Tabbe Pete, was 112 years old in 1851. (Even if this age was exaggerated it certainly makes the point that she was very old.) Kavanagh concluded by reporting that Tabbe Pete and over one hundred Comanches were killed by Mexican forces in a battle at the spring of Espiritu Santu in southern Chihuahua on February 13, 1854.
Tabbe Pete was also documented by Raht in a history he compiled of the Davis Mountains and the Big Bend country. He reported Tabbe Pete was the mother of Tave Tuk, also called Bajo el sol, a Comanche war chief distinguished mostly for indomitable courage. Raht reported:
His mother, old Tave Pete, was a kind of female shaman in her tribe. She was old--so old, the time-honored Mexicans said, that when she rode on the forays, she tied up her lower jaw by a thong passing up over her head, in order to prevent it dropping down against her throat and breast, as it otherwise would have done; yet she had great influence with her people. An old Mexican, who formerly told the story of the prowess of Bajo el Sol, said that he listened to Tave Pete once deliver her orders to her people from the belfry in the church at the old presidio of San Carlos; and that immediately after her harangue, the Indians hastily packed, mounted their horses and took their way to the hills.
Kavanagh, Thomas, Political Power and Political Organization Comanche Politics, 1786-1875. University of New Mexico. 1986.
Raht, Carlysle. Romance of the Davis Mountains. The Rahtbooks Company, El Paso. 1991
Santa Ana Historical Development Organization: Comanche Women: Power And Influence
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Post by Blu on Aug 20, 2005 13:23:43 GMT -5
EXTRAORDINARY TEXANS: WARRIOR WOMEN
COMANCHE WOMEN OF POWER AND INFLUENCE
Kewiddawippa (Tall Women) ??
Treaties signed by The People [ We call them Comanche. They call themselves Numunu, "The People"] with the Republic of Texas and United States contain signatures with the word "women" included in the translation. A very interesting example is the signature of Kewiddawippa on the Butler Lewis Treaty. I suspect this signature belongs to a wife of the War Chief Santa Anna. There are two good reasons for this suspicion. First, one wife accompanied Santa Anna to Washington to meet "the Great White Father", President Polk, after the Butler-Lewis Treaty was signed. She was the only woman from the delegation of Texas Indians noted in Polk’s journal. In an entry in July 1846 Polk noted, "Among the Comanche and other wild Indians of the praries were several women or squaws, and among others the wife of Santa Anna, the Comanche Chief, was present." The second possible clue is contained in the following quote from William Parker’s Notes Taken During the Expedition Through Unexplored Texas in the Summer and Fall of 1854 contains an interesting observation. Parker reported:
A very interesting woman accompanied this party. She was the widow of Santa Anna, a celebrated chief who died about three years since, and still mourned her loss, going out every evening in the neighborhood of camp to howl and cry and cut herself with knives, according to the custom among them of persons in affliction. She had separated herself from the tribe, and formed a band of women, seven in number, like herself widows. She owed a large herd of mules and horses, and was a most successful hunter, having alone shot with her rifle fifteen deer in a mornings hunt. She was a fine looking woman, an Amazon in size and haughty bearing, rode astride, and dressed in deep black.
Tall Woman… an Amazon in size…. The choices of conclusions, until additional documentation is discovered, are: (1) Santa Anna’s " Amazon" wife signed the treaty and accompanied him to Washington and her name was Kewiddawippa (2) some other "tall woman" signed the treaty (3) A man called "Tall Woman" signed the treaty (4) none of the above. Unfortunately, no reference has been found naming Santa Anna’s wives. They seem always identified in relation to a male. Another example was provided by RIP Ford. He was impressed by "the mother of Carne Muerto" [Carne Muerto was Santa Anna’s son]. He noted:
While encamped at Los Ojuelos, Ford’s company on September 24, 1850, was sworn in for another six months enlistment. Shortly after this, we were quite surprised to be honored by a visit from two ladies. One was the mother of Carne Muerto, the Comanche prisoner, and the other, the mother of the young brave whom we had been forced to kill at Benavides’ ranch. They had come to learn of the fate of their children. How they managed to make the trip, to pass between the different military stations of regulars and rangers, no one could guess. But here they were, speaking for their children and for themselves.
They found an able interpreter in Roque and also in Warren Lyons, who had recently joined the company. Everything was explained to them and they started, accompanied by Roque, to find Taiaistes Chemohecut—Bad Finger. They met Captain Ford at the gate leading out from Fort McIntosh. Carne Muerto’s mother took his hand and gazed into his face imploringly; the tears coursed down her cheeks. There was an earnest sadness in her mute appeal possessing a force, an eloquence, which went to the heart of everyone present. This scene lasted three of four minutes. The captain instructed Roque to say that her son was safe and would be taken care of as long as he remained in the hands of the Americans. Roque was also to suggest that she report to her people the good treatment Carne Muerto had received at the hands of the white men, to say to them they owed us the life of one warrior, at least, and in the event any of our people fell into the hands of the Comanche, to beg them to treat the unfortunates as we had her son. He expressed regret that the wounds of Carne Muerto’s cousin were so serious, so certainly fatal, that his life could not have been saved by a human agency. He pointed out that the whites had killed the Indian out of mercy.
These women remained at Laredo for some time. They received many presents from all classes, and finally departed. Rip had lost a finger in an earlier fight.
All that can be concluded at this point is that Santa Anna had one or more wife/wives who certainly did not fit well into the "powerless chattel" role. The story of remarkable women associated with Santa Anna does not end here. Information about his mother was collected from Horseback and some of the other last surviving chiefs of the horse culture by Emmor Harston, an adopted member of the tribe whose Comanche name was " Nod-e-mah Ta-o-yo" or "Little Trader Boy." Harston reported Santa Anna’s mother, Wap-so-ni, was the "female governor of Conas [the warrior training camp at what is now called Santa Anna Peak]". An additional source, a recently published Comanche Dictionary and Grammar, included the following entry, " Santanta (name) Comanche chief; mother was Wapusoni; sent to Washington D.C.; in 1847 signed German peace treaty." This recent dictionary and grammar was compiled with the assistance of Comanche elders and leaders who remember both their language and history. The fact that Wapsoni/Wapusoni was included in a reference to The People.
The people (Numunu or Comanche) will return to Santa Anna Peaks in Coleman County to participate in " Funtier Days", an annual event sponsored by the town of Santa Anna, the weekend of May 7-8. This is an opportunity for them to remember some of their most glorious years as "Lords of the South Plains" and to strengthen a growing friendship with the citizens of Santa Anna and the people of Texas. I hope you will join the town of Santa Anna, Texanna, and other groups of Texans in welcoming The People as they again return home. Bill Neeley, the Comanche Tribal Historian recently wrote, "Texas is a Religion. Our land is sacred to all races who live and have lived upon it. As we once fought for its possession, let us now pray together for our integration with it and our harmonious unity as we reflect upon a stormy past.
Santa Ana Historical Development Organization: Extraordinary Texans: Warrior Women: Comanche Women Of Power And Influence
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