WINS-Day 61

Today was a very sad emotional day as we said goodbye to each other. I already miss DC and I'm not even one day back in Tulsa.

WINS-Day 60

Started my day at the Senate Indian Prayer Breakfast. It was kinda sad this being my last one. Then I went to NMAI to get some gifts for people at work. Today, the supervisors took the four IHS interns to lunch at Bennigan's. It was great as we spent out last hours with people we have grown to know and love. The food was great too. Tonight was the WINS banquet. We had a buffet dinner and guest speaker. Each WINS student was given a certificate. Then they gave awards. I was an Intern of the Summer semi-finalist. It was a very emotional time and we took lots of pictures.

WINS-Day 59

Today was really kind of frantic at work as I rushed around to get things done before leaving. Then, in my last class of the summer I had to take a final exam. After the final, I listened to the DC United vs. Chelsea soccer game. Chelsea won 2-1. The game was pretty incredible and tickets were selling for $100.

WINS-Day 58

Today the office threw a little celebration and gave me a certificate of appreciation for all my work here at the Division of Behavioral Health of the Indian Health Service this summer. I was really surprised and will miss working with them once I am back in Oklahoma.

WINS-Day 57

Today, IHS had a celebration down at the National Museum of the American Indian. This month, July 2005, marks the 50th anniversary of the Transfer Act, P.L. 83-568, which officially transferred the Indian health programs from the Bureau of Indian Affairs to the U.S. Public Health Service, effectively establishing the Indian Health Service (IHS). The Transfer Act provided that “all functions, responsibilities, authorities, and duties . . . relating to the maintenance and operations of hospital and health facilities for Indians, and the conservation of Indian health . . . shall be administered by the Surgeon General of the United States Public Health Service.” After the events at the NMAI I went and explored the National Building Museum. "Created by an act of Congress in 1980, the National Building Museum is America’s premier cultural institution dedicated to exploring and celebrating architecture, design, engineering, construction, and urban planning." Tonight in class we discussed Indigenous populations in Canada, New Zealand, and Australia and reviewed for the final exam.

WINS-Day 56

Tonight I went to an even hosted by The Partnership for Public Service. 2000 summer interns attended to hear about the advantages and opportunities available in the federal government. We had the opportunity to hear from keynote speaker Andrew Card, White House Chief of Staff. Then, I went to a WINS reception hosted by Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP.

WINS-Day 55

Went canoeing down the Shenandoah River.

WINS-Day 54

Went camping in Shenandoah (Virginia).

WINS-Day 53

Started the day with the Indian Prayer Breakfast at the Senate and then went to a Federal Career Fair hosted by the USDA. Tonight we watched Constatine with Keanu Reeves.

WINS-Day 52

Tonight in class we discussed the Rehnquist court and how it favors state's rights over Indian rights. You have a better chance of the Rehnquist court ruling in your favor if you are a criminal than if your an Indian or tribe.

WINS-Day 51

Tonight in class, we talked about the 21st Century Workforce and the skills necessary to make it.

WINS-Day 50

Tonight in class our speaker, Heather Thompson spoke on Election Protection - Native Vote and the tactics that some states and polling places are using to keep Native Americans from voting and about the organization that sends out lawyers to make sure that Natives get to vote.

WINS-Day 49

Will be spending the next two weeks finalizing projects at work. Will spend tonight resting up from the NY City trip.

WINS-Day 48

Today, I visited Central Park, SOHO, NOHO (South of Houston and North of Houston) and Chinatown. Central Park is really amazing. Probably the best part of DC in my opinion. Rode a bus back to DC.

WINS-Day 47

Our charter bus left DC at 7am. We arrivered at Battery Park in Bowling Green about 11:30am. Went to the National Museum of the American Indian branch in NYC. From there went to check into my hotel room. My friend Jason and I walked through the theatre district and times square and then took the subway to the Statan Island Ferry. It's a thirty minute ride and you get a pretty good view of the Statue of Liberty. Returned back to Manhattan, walked to the financial district and down Wall Street and saw the New York Stock Exchange. Visited Ground Zero and it was very moving....you can still see the effects of Sept 11 in the other buildings around the area. Saw the NY studios for ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX along with where they film David Letterman and saw the Hello Deli. Also saw the area where they put the tree up each year. Also, saw St. Patricks Cathedral.

WINS Day 46

I missed the Indian Prayer breakfast this morning because I had stuff at work I had to get done (deadlines). Took a short break to have an Indian Taco. After work, packed for New York City trip tomorrow. Watched the Leonard Peltier story.

WINS-Day 45

Tonight in class we talked about political activism such the American Indian Movement.

WINS-Day 44

Tonight in class, we took the Myers/ Briggs test. I came out as an INFJ.

WINS-Day 43

Tonight in class we looked at judicial activism and the Oliphant, Montana, and Wheeler US Supreme Court cases.

WINS-Day 42

Today was my first general staff meeting to attend at work. Tonight I went to Union Station to buy some new shoes because the ones I am wearing to work are starting to fall apart. I also went to the Chinatown bus stop here in DC to buy my ticket to return from New York City to DC on Sunday. Chinatown buses run both ways from NY to DC and from Philadelphia to DC.

WINS-Day 41

Today, I went to the National Cathedral and down to Geogetown/GWU/Foggy Bottom. Along Wisconsin are a lot of cool shops like Adidas, Diesel, Izod, etc. I had a bison burger (aka buffalo) for lunch today. Sure wish we had these available back home.

Soap Box #2

Benjamin Banneker Memorial Park was in disrepair. Trash everywhere, weeds growing, the fountain had no water, looked rusted and unkept. I think it's pretty sad the National Park Service isn't taking better care of this park. It's a circular park with a nice view overlooking the skyline of Washington, DC. Lots of benches and it's part of the city's historical walking tour. I just don't understand why they won't provide for the park's up keep.

WINS-Day 40

Forty days in DC. Seems like only yesterday I arrived here. Today, I went to the Arlington National Cemetary. I got to see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and I got to see JFK's grave site. From there I walked an hour to the Jefferson Memorial then down by the Washington Marina and over to Benjamin Banneker Memorial Park. Benjamin was a self taught astronomer, surveyor, and mathmetician. He was a free black man from Baltimore, Maryland and assisted in the surveying of the 10 sq miles that would become Washington, DC. Tonight's pizza and movie night movies were "The Hostage" starring Bruce Willis and "Hide and Seek"

WINS-Day 39

Today began with the Indian Prayer Breakfast at the Senate. At lunch, we had Indian tacos again. Yum!! Tonight we had another movie night and pizza. We watched "Pacifier" with Vin Diesel and "Cursed" about werewolves in LA.

WINS-Day 38

Tonight our class discussion was on self-determination and the tribal courts.

WINS-Day 37

Tonight in class, we talked about the BIA, its history, sturcture, organization, and the issues of today.

WINS-Day 36

At work, we are still working on Congressional Justification for our budget. In class, we are studying the organization of tribal governments.

Soap Box

It was suggested by a reader of my blog that I remove the soap box from my original post altogether because there are more important issues in life to worry about. Well, I didn't want to remove it completely so I made a separate posting just for the soap box. Dale steps up on his soap box. One of the causes for separation listed in the Declaration of Independance was "He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions." The interesting thing to note here is that the "mericiless" Indian Savages have been elevated to the "noble" Indian Savages. That is why Americans love to use savages and redskins as their mascots because they believe that now Indians are "noble" savages. The dictionary defines redskins as "n. Offensive Slang. Used as a disparaging term for a Native American". It's on the same level of using the "n" word, but somehow Americans find it a term of endearment to be used as athletic mascots. Look up the word savage in the dictionary and see for yourself if it really honors Indians when used as a mascot. And would you really want the students at your school defined as savages? And the United States still finds itself having to deal with the "Indian Problem". Never mind that 500 years before Columbus the Vikings made it all the way to the Great Lakes and that Amerigo Vespuci sailed all the way around the South American tip (and for whom the the continents are named after). Columbus was a slave trader and when he found land in the Carribean, he was actually lost. That's why he mistakingly called the inhabitants of Hispaniola Indians because he thought he was in the West Indies. Even though he was lost and had he spent one more day at sea his crew would have mutinied, Americans just adore him. No holiday for Amerigo Vespuci, Columbus the slave trader gets one instead. Dale steps down off his soap box.

WINS-Day 35

Today started out by listening to a dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independance at the National Archives. The readers were two Operation Iraqi Freedom soldiers who read the beginning and end. Reading the causes for separation were actors dressed as Jefferson, Adams, and Franklin. Reading the names of the signers was an actor dressed as a colonial soldier. Then, along Constitution Avenue was the National Independance Day Parade. After lunch. The Navy Band perfomed at 15th and Constitution (SW corner of the Washington Monument) and then later the Air Force Band and the Singing Sergeants perfomed at the Air and Space Museum. Fireworks went off over the Washington Monument with the staging area the WWII Memorial. I was all the way over on the Capitol end of the National Mall and I could still see a brillant fireworks display plus listen to the National Philharmonic perfoming over by the Capitol Reflecting Pool (one of two, the other is the Reflecting Pool between the Washington Monument and the Lincol Memorial that most people think of when they think of reflecting pools). They performed 1812 Overture complete with cannon salutes and other patriotic songs.

WINS-Day 34

I went to the National Geographic Museum. They had three exhibits: one on King Tut, one called Traits of Life" and one that displayed a photographers pictures taken in civil war torn Darfur. There were also poster contest entries for World Refugee Day and the UNHCUR. Then I went to the Folk Life Festival. My favourite two exhibits were the Forest Service exhibit and the Food Culture exhibit. At the food culture exhibit they had the makings of coffee, tea, and chocolate. It was very cool to see and touch cocoa beans and see how they are harvested and brought to production. Another movie night: "Are We There Yet" and "Hitch".

WINS-Day 33

Today was mostly a day of R & R. From 2-5, one of the mentors cooked an appreciation dinner for all the powwow volunteers. Indian tacos....yummy!! Movie night and we watched "Black Cloud" and "Coach Carter". There's a very cool line at the end of the movie that I want to quote here:

Coach Ken Carter: "What is your deepest fear?"
Timo Cruz: "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

WINS-Day 32

Again this Friday, my day started out by attending the Capitol Indian Prayer Breakfast at the U.S. Senate. Today at lunch, the Indian taco vendor came back and and again today he had to make a second trip. For those of you not familiar with Indian tacos, they start with fry bread and add beans, lettuce, tomato, cheese, salsa and depending on who makes them you may also get the ground beef and sour cream like a regular taco. At 7, we took off for Alexandria, VA to go to an AMC theatre there to watch "War of the Worlds". We took the yellow line train which rides over the Potomac River into Virgina. At Eisehnhower Ave, we made our exit and went to the theater to find the show was sold out until 9:45 so we went and ate at Ted's Montana Grill. It's famous for their steaks and their buffalo logo. I had a Philly Bison Burger on oatie wheat bread which comes topped with grilled bell pepper, onions, and mushrooms. After dinner we went to the movie. It was a pretty good movie in my opinion. I won't give any details for those of you who haven't seen it.