Two Articles in This Week's Navajo Times

[Riverkilt]

The Navajo Times is the official newspaper of the Navajo Nation. This week's issue has a full page article on a Navajo-Irish family celebrating St. Patrick's Day, sewing kilts, competing in highland games, and visiting Ireland. Its at www.navajotimes.com click on education.

Then, on the next page there's a wedding announcement with a photo and the groom is wearing a kilt. No mention of the kilt in the wedding article, just standing there kilted. He, a Bilagaana (Anglo) Army major back from Iraq. She a Dine' (Navajo) probation officer.

Who'd of thunk it??? Two articles about/with kilts in one issue of the Navajo Times. Kilts are everywhere now.

Ron

[Southern Breeze]

Thats great,maybe they saw or heard that you wear the kilt and were influenced by it. Whatever the reason it's still good to hear.

[Riverkilt]

Head swelling....thanks, but don't think so. The Navajo Times is published in Window Rock, AZ which is a five hour drive from Page. The Navajo Rez is about the size of West Virginia in area, slops into three states.

Guessing the wedding info and pic was sent in by the parents of the bride since the ceremonies were in Washington State.

No clue what prompted the Navajo-Irish blended family article since they live down in Tempe, AZ, another five hours from here and farther from Window Rock. There is a large Navajo community in the Phoenix area which includes Tempe.

Ron

[Moosehead]

Ron,

excellent article. Nothing of the sort would ever happen here in Mi'kmaq country. The article, I mean. If you don't act and talk "Indian", then you ain't. Everyone always forgets that there is not a single Mi'kmaq without Euro lines in their DNA.

[Riverkilt]

Aye, in my work trying to get alcoholic Navajos to consider sobriety I often show videos made by Native peoples that encourage sobriety. Often the Native peoples of the eastern nations appear Anglo to them...I gotta explain.

When I spent a summer with the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets at Comox on Vancouver Island in about 1960 my platoon was called Micmac (the spelling back then).

It always seemed funny to this Yankee boy visitor (we were part of the then new U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps, a Navy League effort) to hear the Haida platoon called to attention in the Canadian way, "Haida, Haida, Ho!"

I'd hear "Heidi Heidi Ho." Thanks for tripping a fun memory.

Ron

[Jerry]

That is interesting, Ron. I also noticed in one pic showingnative American drummers that the drums they were holding looked like Bodhrans. Are they played in the same manner, with the double ended stick (tipper)?

[Moosehead]

I've yet to see a native-style drum with a 2-ended beater. Most hand drums are smaller in diameter than an adults bohdran, but normally somewhat deeper.

[Riverkilt]

Good eye Jerry,

Navajos, and I suppose many Nations, play a single sided drum like that, but never seen it played like a Celtic drum, though most of the beaters are two sided, they are much longer.

My guess is that the beaters are made to pad the hand on one end and beat the drumskin on the other. Never seen a Native drumming with a short beater. Will keep an eye out though...

Ron

[Moosehead]

Ron, you are correct. One end is simply wrapped (sometimes with a little padding) for a handle. The other end usually has more padding, and is rounder, and is the beating end.