Sunday 31 March 2013

Darryl's Coffee Shop & Native Art


Tell a friend spread the news smoke signals if need be ......lol...We sell Bannock MMMMMMM and Tea...Good old indian staple… Latte,Cappaccino or Canadian A. Just like any other Barrista shop but the arts on the walls not in the cup... LOL
All My Relations
D&D

Darryl's Coffee And Native Art Shop
945 Davie Street
604 689 5354 :)
map & details on facebook (source for quote & images)

I've been visiting Darryl on my way to have my teeth revised. He always has encouraging words for me, as well as nourishing soups, bannock, baked goods, teas & lattes-- and some very beautiful art, reasonably priced and attractively presented.

some press:
Davie Street Cigar Store General Custer turns the tables 
by CHARLIE SMITH on JUN 30, 2012 (straight.com)
+
Daily Secret Vancouver #210

Tuesday 26 March 2013

Have you heard the radio call from the Exxon Valdez?




 
"Don't be silent. Vote for an oil-free coast." 



"Don't be silent. Vote for an oil-free coast." 

vid1 

Have you heard the radio call from the Exxon Valdez?

CoastalFirstNations1
CoastalFirstNations1   Published on Mar 24, 2013

24 years later and this still gives us a sinking feeling. This is the actual radio call from the Exxon Valdez to Coast Guard, reporting the oil spill.

Released on the 24th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, this two-minute video reminds us of the dangers and costs that oil tankers and pipelines pose to our coastal waters.

Produced by the Coastal First Nations (http://www.coastalfirstnations.ca), the video opens with Exxon Valdez Captain Joe Hazelwood's radio call to Coast Guard, accompanied by The Sound of Silence, by Simon and Garfunkel. It concludes with a simple message:

"Don't be silent. Vote for an oil-free coast." 

Paul Simon's music label granted the rights to use the song for a small honorarium after the Coastal First Nations wrote to him personally, telling him about the Great Bear Rainforest and the danger that oil tankers pose to the coastal communities that live here.

Please share far and wide!

vid 2

Eyes and Ears on the Land and Sea

Saturday 23 March 2013

Poets & The Social Self (the movie)

                       

   

         



Mike Turner's participant-review of the event, "a happy stanza"
Renee's thecanadaproject
Wayde on Twitter
Am Johal + video source

Big thanks to the videographic and editorial crew, to Am & Renee, to Wayde & Mike too.

Thanks to Jamie Reid, Larissa Lai, and all who asked questions and made crystallizing comments.

After the gathering I went for afters (when else?) with a handful of poets and artists: thanks to all you, too!

Friday 22 March 2013

community march against racism

For details on the Vancouver march + call for renewal,
visit the Anti-Racist Canada blog
2 pm

March 23 is also the date of an evening workshop for writers, scheduled to follow the community march against racism.

For details on the writing workshop, feelings of the heart @ Gallery Gachet in Vancouver,
review my earlier post on the matter
5 pm doors open,
share a meal and begin 5:30 pm


The poster for this year's march features an image by

Favianna Rodriguez, who writes,

"I am an artist, agitator, and techie working for social change. "


Thursday 21 March 2013

quest for unity: journey of Nishiyuu


The Journey of Nishiyuu - TEASER



View The Journey of Nishiyuu in a larger map

vid1

The Journey of Nishiyuu - TEASER

Published on 7 Feb 2013, bmasty
Six young Cree men and a guide started the epic Journey of Nishiyuu on January 16, 2013, to carry a message to embrace and celebrate culture, hope, peace, the protection of Mother Earth, unity and healing of all humanity.

The seven walkers embark on the historic snowshoe journey from their hometown of Whapmagoostui, which is located along the coast of Hudson Bay in Northern Quebec, to Ottawa, Ontario - this is The Journey of Nishiyuu.

This montage features moments from the first 200KM and the eventual arrival in Chisasibi, Quebec. More footage will be added until the feature documentary is released.

map1
The Journey of Nishiyuu

On Jan. 16 – which was a national ‘day of action for INM,’ six Cree young men under the age of 20 (and one experienced guide) left from Whapmagoostui (Great Whale) on Hudson Bay.

They’re walking 1,300 km along traditional Cree/Algonquin/Mohawk trading routes to Ottawa.
People in every community as they pass through have joined the walk and now, they number about 200.

Monday 18 March 2013

canadian winter in black & white

Columpa Bobb, Ice

Michelle Sylliboy,
Idle No More (Peace Arch)
Columpa Bobb's photograph of ice under the bridge was taken in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where she lives. This photo was taken by special request: we had some powerful stories involving the river, and invited Columpa to provide a visual anchor.  

The photo by Michelle Sylliboy was taken at the Idle No More gathering at the Peace Arch border crossing (Canada-USA), a west coast gathering organized by the Indigenous Action Movement in January 2013.

Two images of Canadian winter in b&w.

These photos were originally published in Rice Paper Magazine 17.3/17.4 - Special Double Issue: Aboriginal & Asian Canadian Writers-- "our first ever special double issue"!

Copyright of the images remains with the artists; my thanks for permission to share them here.

Tuesday 12 March 2013

Goddess in the New World ~ current practice


Ma Tsu (Ma Zu) worshipped in LA

 Madonna del Tindari worshipped in NJ



TONANTZIN (to-Nant-zin)
 "Our Venerable Mother"

Our Lady of Guadalupe



Virgin of Guadalupe, Spain

Ma Zu ~ Goddess of the Sea, Taiwan

Meenkashi, Tamil Goddess
Kateri Tekawitha worshipped in Canada + US

Kateri Mata -
 She works hand in hand with Ganga Mata
to dispel sickness from her devotees.
Kateri Mata goes into the darkest of places to heal the sick.



Lady migrates from Italy
Lady migrates from Taiwan


Our Venerable Mother
+ Sacred Lady, Mexico

Kateri Tekawitha
Kateri Amma



The Long Reach of Spain's Virgin of Guadalupe (Suite 101)

Sathia compares Ma Tsu with Meenkashi (akandabaratam)


More about Maritime Taiwan


Syncreticism & Synthesis:
Frida Kahlo 
The Love Embrace of the Universe the Earth
Mexico Myself Deigo and Senor Xolotl 1949 


Kali & Guadalupe Take Tea
under the watchful eye of the Dark Madonna
(anon)




Sunday 10 March 2013

Hey! Ho! ~ Ho! Hey!


Vancouver toasted Pauline Johnson last night, at the first of two EPJ events this weekend, curated by Janet Marie Rogers and hosted by Herstory Cafe. The evening began with a Thanksgiving address, beautifully spoken.

Emily Pauline Johnson
BornMarch 10, 1861, Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation
DiedMarch 7, 1913, Vancouver


On the centenary of her death, the question arose-- what was her father's name? Was he full-blood or mixed blood? While this was researched via ipod, Janet continued with her powerpoint and poetry presentations, culminating in the Toast.

The second set featured a fine performance of Garry Gottfriedson's Dangerous Words: The Trio, Archibald (Grey Owl) performed by Michelle Sylliboy, Pauline by Janet Rogers, and DC Scott by Garry Gottfriedson.

Today's event features a gathering and performance at the Pauline Johnson Memorial, Stanley Park. Happy birthday, EPauline!
~

EPJ lyrics ~ A Toast to Vancouver 

~
"As a Chief in the Confederacy Council, George's role as an intermediary between the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal cultures was greatly valued.  
George worked  first as an interpreter for the Anglican mission at the Six Nations and later as the government interpreter in the Six Nations Confederacy Council.  
For most of his life, he straddled both worlds and worked to create understanding between them.


"It was while working as an interpreter for the Tuscarora Parsonage that he met, and fell in love with Emily. 
They became engaged, but kept it a secret for five years before announcing their intent to marry.

The news came as a shock to their families and communities, as society was not yet accustomed to the idea of interracial marriages.

They wed in a private ceremony on August 27, 1853, and continued to live at the Tuscarora Parsonage while their new home was being constructed.

George and Emily moved into Chiefswood National Historic with their two children, Henry Beverly Johnson and Helen Charlotte Eliza Johnson, in  December of 1856. ... 

"The Johnson family would grow to include two more children, Allen Wawanosh Johnson, and famed poetess E. Pauline Johnson also known as Tekahionwake.  
They would stay at Chiefswood until George H.M. Johnson's passing in 1884.  
After Johnson was buried at Mohawk Chapel, the family moved to nearby Brantford, Ontario into smaller quarters."

   To read full article Johnson Family (excerpt) + for more,
Chiefswood National Historic Site, Where Cultures Meet


E. Pauline Johnson Research at the NMAI, by Janet Rogers (2012)

~

It was a busy day, yesterday, beginning at 6 am to journey north, to meet up with Wil George and Michelle and zoom along eastward on a fine spring morning, up the valley to Mission, and the 6th Mission Readers & Writers Festival. En route we spoke about Chief Dan George and Rita Joe, and later, in my somewhat bumbling keynote, I introduced the Chief then began to present a poem by Rita, thus merging the two elder poets of the west and the east, for one surprising moment.

The festival unfolded with a good mix of performance and workshops, and the sense of unity built through the day. As a cross-fertilizing and cross-mentoring gathering, as an alliance-building event between readers and writers, and between indigenous and non-indigenous literati, it was a success.

My thanks again, to the whole of the gathering. I enjoyed hosting the Ancestors workshop, and in Wil's Metaphors, Symbols, Archetypes workshop, I discovered that home is a berry bramble for me-- though not for everyone-- and that my dreams are important to me, deeply rooted.
In our collective project of developing our ancestral senses of self, and becoming truly at ease with one another, finding our realms of common interest and celebration, healing rifts and developing trust, it was a beautiful day.
 
~
In an unusual cast-your-fate-to-the-wind moment, i decided to carry along with the energized Michelle and Janet, on to the revolving nightclub with views of Stanley Park, the harbour, the territories of the Tsleil Watuth, Musqueam and Squamish peoples, Pauline's final stomping and paddling grounds, all lit up by the urban architextures of today, where the ocean and the forests are recognized by the swathes of natural darkness. I had the pleasure of sitting quietly beside Janet's mum, my space was one of restful contentment, no syllables left. We listened to the keys and the words and the voice of multi-award winning bluesman Murray Porter, late into the night.


myspace

cbc
~

Something we listened to in the car:

The Lumineers, uploaded 11 March 2012


Friday 8 March 2013

IWD 2013: Tribute + 12 days for peace in Colombia


Angye Gaona poem + performance


Sublimación
 (Floridablanca, Colombia, septiembre de 2011)


Sublimar:
hacer saltar pequeñas partículas de encierro
con ayuda del fuego:
amor 
humor
Raspar la costumbre
"Vecino, acérquese, ¿me reconoce usted?
Soy suya, recuérdeme."


Homenaje a las chicas de todas las edades, en cualquier tipo de prisión

~
 (Floridablanca, Colombia, September 2011)


Sublime:
blowing up small particles of confinement
at the fire:
love 
humor
Scrape the custom
"Neighbor, come, do you recognize yourself?
I am yours, remember me. "


Tribute to the girls of all ages, in any type of prison


~


Forces of World Poetry for Peace in Colombia
Colombia is experiencing one of the greatest humanitarian tragedies of the Earth. The world is just detecting this catastrophe. The Colombian people are victims of a war that has gone on for over half a century, making it one of the longest wars in human history, and the oldest war being waged in the XXI century, affecting political stability in South America.
This conflict has claimed more than one million lives, and it has left behind an even higher amount of population wounded, maimed, disappeared, imprisoned and exiled. More than four million Colombians have been displaced from their land, (about fourth million hectares), now in the hands of warlords. Colombia, which has two oceans and has access to the Amazon rainforest, is a huge pot of gold, silver, diamonds, gemstones, iron, coal, uranium and coltan. It also has enormous oil wealth. But 60% of its population is poor, while 11% is destitute.
Currently the Colombian government and the FARC are advancing dialogue processes in the pursuit of peace in Havana (Cuba).
The peace of Colombia, a country that deeply loves poetry, will bring greater stability to the democratic processes in Latin America and therefore the world.

The world poetry forces speak out for the strengthening of these peace talks for an immediate ceasefire and for the materialization of agreements leading to a state of social justice, peace, dignity and reconciliation among Colombians.

Full information on the 12 days for strengthening peace:

poets, artists and intellectuals from 138 countries for peace in Colombia


Update:
12 days for peace in Colombia links