Spirit of the Plaines!   This site is dedicated to all that have walked Mother Earth before us!                                                               Foto above: Great-Grandaughter of Quanah Parker, Smiling Bear,ladyhawk and Gr-Grandson of Quanah Parker. ( Event: Christmas at the Fort)         Fort Parker     Map: Fur Trade                                                    I Mo Hey Heyo  ----Let's all join together!  What is a Powwow?               A powwow or celebrabation used to be held in the spring to celebrate the new bginning of life. It was a time for people to get together, dance, sing and be among family and friends. Now a days they are held thru out the year. Many families pack up and go on the powwow circuit, camping out and enjoying the traditional celebration activities. Competitive singing and dancing for prize money is fairly new event change in traditional powwow. Price money iis awarded to top point-getters at the culmination of the powwow.  The Circle is a very important symbol to Native American people. The dancers are in the center of the circle, the drums and audience form a circle around them. The powwow brings the circle of people closer together. Click to join theeaglecries           The Eagle cries! <<<  more fotos   Hip Hop Artist Yaiva       Visit his sites for lot of free downloads    Yaiva www.4went.com  http://www.snowwowl.com/naartmusic.html                            http://members.aol.com/poison64                        John De Boer NATIVE AMERICAN FLUTE Player http://www.soundclick.com/johndeboer                      Music http://www.sonicgarden.com/artists/john_de_boer     Music and Video http://stores.ebay.com/Skydancer-Designs                  CD's  I am a proud member of INAFA  ( INTERNATIONAL NATIVE AMERICAN FLUTE ASSOCIATION) and if you would like more information on Flute Circles in your area you may click on this link. http://www.worldflutes.org Miami Valley Flute Circle founding Member http://www.angelfire.com/music5/flutecircle/ http://www.worldflutes.org/instructors.html    Flute Instructors  INTERNATIONAL NATIVE AMERICAN FLUTE ASSOCIATION An organization whose goal is to foster the preservation, appreciation, and advancement of the Native American flute http://www.creatorsweb.com/johndeboer.htm  Review http://www.soundclick.com/4peaceband  Associated Band http://www.soundclick.com/thebrosrock  Associated Band Miami Valley Flute Circle founding Member http://www.angelfire.com/music5/flutecircle/                 Thanks to Sonny at his award icon site (poison64)     http://members.aol.com/poison64/            and Sam Silverhawk for letting me work with these great icons.http://www.samsilverhawk.com                    The Indian Buffalo Nickel by James Earle Fraser 1876 - 1953  American sculptor James Earle Fraser began designing the Indian Buffalo nickel in 1911. Fraser said the portrait on the "head's" side was a composite of three American Indians - Iron Tail, Big Tree and Two Moons. James Earle Fraser had the opportunity to study and photograph them when they stopped in New York on their way to Washington to visit President Theodore Roosevelt. By borrowing features from each individual, Fraser was able to sketch the "ideal" portrait for the nickel. The model for the "tail's" side of the coin was a buffalo named Black Diamond, a resident of New York's Bronx Zoo. He was born of stock donated by the Barnum and Bailey circus. In his prime, Black Diamond's coat was unusually dark, and he weighed more than 1500 pounds. James Earle Fraser stood for hours, trying to catch his form and mood in clay. But Black Diamond stubbornly refused to show his side view, and faced the artist most of the time. Only by bribing a zoo attendant to distract the animal was Fraser finally able to capture the likeness he wanted. President William Howard Taft approved the artwork, and the first Buffalo nickels were produced in February of 1913. When the Buffalo nickel finally made its debut, many hailed it as a true work of art. Many critics agreed, and in 1951 the American Academy of Arts and Letters presented Fraser with a gold medal honoring a lifetime of distinguished achievement. (Fraser also crafted the famous End of the Trail sculpture. James Earle Fraser died on October 11, 1953. Two Moons died in 1917, and Iron Tail and Big Tree in the 1920s. In the 1960s, a second Big Tree appeared at coin shows and claimed to be the Native American on the nickel. Although he claimed to have celebrated his 100th birthday in 1962, later records indicated he was actually only 87. A single coining press at the Philadelphia Mint started turning out the nickels at the rate of 120 a minute. Treasury Secretary Frank MacVeagh promised the nickel would be "immensely interesting and beautiful." But after the first examples were placed in circulation, the New York Times condemned them as a "travesty on artistic effect." Other critics said that the coin's "rough" surfaces would encourage counterfeiters (imagine someone wanting to counterfeit a nickel these days!) But the most serious complaint about the nickel had to do with its inability to withstand heavy use. One coin collectors' magazine predicted that the slightest wear would obliterate the date and the inscription Five Cents "beyond understanding." Soon after production of Buffalo nickels began, the design was modified. The early coins showed the bison standing on a grassy mound. For the new version, engraver Charles Barber cut away the base of the mound to make a straight line. He also lowered the words Five Cents so the rim would protect them from wear. Collectors noticed right away that the inscription was clearer. But the changes did not help the date on the other side of the coin. Erosion of the numerals continued to plague Buffalo nickels. Government officials scrapped the design altogether in 1938, after it reached the minimum statutory life of 25 years. Millions of these nickels once thrived across the country, but in 1938 the Buffalo nickel became an endangered species. From the beginning, there had been complaints about using a Native American and a bison on the coin. One collectors' magazine questioned whether either was a good symbol of liberty, considering that many Indians had been forced onto reservations, and the American bison had been slaughtered to the brink of extinction. In 1938, the Treasury Department staged a competition for a new nickel picturing Thomas Jefferson. According to a news item of the day, the Bureau of Indian Affairs didn't receive a single complaint from Native Americans about the design change. Collectors didn't seem to mind either. But production of Buffalo nickels continued until the first Jefferson nickels were struck in September. By then the Denver Mint had turned out more than 7 million buffalo nickels that were dated 1938. They were the last of the breed. Information courtesy of American Numismatic Association.          There were 3 primery groups of Indians who loved in the Central Texas Area. These included thr Lipan-Apache, the Comanche and the Tonkawa The Tonkawa lived across the Central Texas region. They hunted buffalo,deer and game and were known for their excellent hunting skills. Because the Tonkowas followed the game that  they hunted they carried and lived in teepees The Tonkowas wanted a peaceful relationship with the settlers. Memberof the tribe became scout for the army. Tonkowa fought with the Army and the Texa Rangers against other warring Indian tribes, such as the Apache and Comanche. In  1824 the Tonkowas entered into a treaty with Stephen F.Autin and helped his men (the forrunner of the Texas Rangers) defend the Texas Frontier against the hostile Comanches. After the Rangers were formally established in Nov.1835, a Tonkowa Chief, Chief Placido (eor Ha-shu-ka-na ("Can't Kill Him"), enlisted as a scout and served with. In  1824 the Tonkowas entered into a treatywith Stephen F.Autin and helped his men (the forrunner of the Texas Rangers) defend the Texas Frontier against the hostile Comanches. After the Rangers were formally established in Nov.1835, a Tonkowa Chief, Chief Placido enlisted as a scout and served with them during the Texas Revolution ( 1835- 36) and the Republic of Texas ( 1836 -1845)                  Chief Placido   The Lipan, or Lipan- Apache, were a branch of the Apache tribe. They had yhe most early contact with the early Texas selttelments and while some of them were unfriendly, most of them were allies with the settlers.They traded them and even helped them to fight other Indians. Cuelga de Castro of the Lipan Apache Band of Texas signed a treaty with The Republic od Texas on Jan.8,1838. On Feb.15,1839, Cuelga led a large group of Lipan Apache warriors and a battalion of Texas soldiers and attacked the Comanche Indian Village at Spring Creek in theSan Saba Valley of Texas. The word Lipan means, " Warriors of the Mountains". However, the Lipan-Apache Band of Texa called themselves the " Tindi " wich means warrior.Read more! The Comanche tribes were not friendly to setlers. They wee known for their fierce warriors and many of the settler feared tem. They were excellent fighters and horseman. They were one of the reasons forts that were build along the Texa frontier. While treaties were igned with the Comanche, they often failed and each side, the settlers and he Indians felt the other was at fault. The Comanche name origin is uncerain. It i believed that it is a Spanish version of their Ute name, Kohmahts (those who are against us. In their ownlanguage. Comanches referred to themselves a theNemene " our people". One of the most famous was Quanah Parker, he never lost a fight againt a white man! 1854 - 1911 .                                N.A.Fotos

Foto Galery Chrismas Parade: Gatesville, Tx.                        N.A.Fotos