thanksgiving Journey New mexico

I am in Portland now for Xmas .Iam always behind on this blog. IT is so dependent on time and acess to internet and space to reflect. I still have so much I want to write about , expecially about my time in NYC ,about the Native American film festival and also about developments in Mexico in Oaxaca.
There is always more to write than is possible as things are moving very fast for me. I have made great connections with many Indian people and groups here and trust this will develop as we find real ways to work together at a community level. Especially in the area of digital story telling and its use as tool of health intervention , something I am even more convinced is real and is defintely showing promise for use in addressing health disparties. I am excited about the research I am doing and what I am finding and the community of storytellers here working in the same way is inspiring me.

I am happy about working with a wonderful woman( BK ),Brenda Manuelito and hopefully with a group out of UA (University of Arizona ). We are looking at developing this as a research project as well as the forming of a roundtable to meet and talk about "Historical trauma " in our communties and countries.This is about finding solutiuons, not more problems. This gives me hope.

I have people still to meet with in Seattle , "Native voices" a wonderful grassroots film youth organisation who I met in NYC and whose work is very impressive and also the folks from the Bridges site also in Seattle. This is to further the idea of setting up a website for us to launch the digital stories and create avenues of communication directly between Indigenous Australian and Native American " Indian " Youth and communties .I am KEEN to foster discussion , curriculum and cultural exchange. I would love anyone who reads this who thinks they can help or point ME TO FUNDERS and philanthropic types , yes please ! I need this .

I also would like to start hearing in the (posting message section on here),from anyone interested in this topic who wants to start contributing so we can get a discussion happening . Also anyone who wants to be involved and is serious , please do contact me. I will attempt to write more on this all soon.

Right now I am back to writing , I have a short course elective I am offering in SF in March and preparing for this , it is on "Terra Nullius , sovereignty and governance" and I am focusing on the issues around "Mabo" and Native title and the "stolen generation", reports and the outcomes and impacts in relation to the topic of 'Historical trauma and Intergenerational trauma ",policy impacts and so on. So I am absorbed in this right now , reading a zillion articles and books and making notes. I am in Portland as I needed to be somewhere for xmas and somewhere I could work and also its a good excuse to visit my friend Peter ! ( for those who know me and peter Irving , HE SAYS hello ).

These Photos ARE NOT about any of this , sorry of that is confusing , but they are of my thanksgiving trip to NEW Mexcio to the Pecos wilderness and then to TESQUE , outside of Sante Fe .I flew for a quick 5 days over thanksgiving from NYC , to see my old dear friend Dee. So these are pics of Dee and her husband Charlie Miner
( glass works )home and environs in the Pecos wilderness and then some pics of murals and graffiti in Sante Fe. I love New Mexico.

ok , more soon ,

be well enjoy the new year .
samia

More in New york

This is another back track.Here are Some pics of the Brooklyn bridge and my dear friend Anna Cadden (who took the bridge pics). We walked over and the view was amazing. The city is wonderful and I love New York and it has been kind to me and very alive.Before I left for NY people kept saying to me why would I go? " there are no Indians there! ". How untrue and wrong this is and insulting to the people there.

There is a large community of Mohawk who were always there . They are still there and actually also many Indian people from elsewhere were moved there as part of the relocation programs that the govt had here.Many of the Mohawk worked on the high rise in the steel industry and built the buildings in NY and still work there.

My time at NYU was fantastic and I learnt such a lot . I was so cared for and was exposed to many people from all kinds of diverse backgrounds working with Indigenous people here and in Canada and in South America. The Media , History and Culture department in the Anthro dept is one of the best for sure . The focus in Indigenous media and alternative media is deep and rich and I was truly fortunate to spend time there and am very inspired. I made a number of presentations and had many interesting and positive meetings with others working in the area of media, healing and Indigenous issues.

The photos are of myself with Fred Meyers and Faye Ginsburg who head up the department and truly foster a wonderful atmosphere of Collegiality and kindness. I was also fortunate to attend to Film festivals whilst there , the Mead Festival
( mentioned earlier ) and then more recently the "Native American Film festival" This event was the most inspiring and incredible event and the organisers and selctors deserve high praise. I will write more on this soon as there is much to communicate on this and the directions of issues as seen in the films across the America's. If you want to see more though , just google for it and have a look at the program.

On another note , I would like to also let you know that Much of the academic work and the findings of my journey will not necessarily be something I go into big details about here in this blog. It would take too much time and I need to use that time to actually do the writing and research and work needed at this time. I will mention some things , but the rest will be something that will come later. I have been asked to say more about my work and will do this as an update soon , but not in great depth. I will say though , that I am totally inspired and that some wonderful outcomes are emerging for my work. I am also currently involved in setting up a roundtable with other academics to create a international conference on " Historical and Intergenerational Trauma" as well as further joint research. I have met many Indian people and communties and shared a lot and am very touched by the sharings we are having .

Ok , more soon. be well and enjoy this update.

Twin towers 9/11 New York

This is a big back track. Only now am I able to update and a good 4 weeks has passed since I could. These photos are taken from where the world Trade center was. The feeling there is sad and very moving as you can imagine. The photos are from a small church near by .This church became the place that volunteers and workers slept and sought solace as they tried to help. The stories and the feelings were overwhelming and heartbreaking. It was a terrible thing and yet the human resilience and the heart of people coming together in unity to help each other was incredibly inspiring and moving. These things are happening all around our world to many people.To be here though and see and feel this makes it real and I felt nothing but compassion for peoples loss. Ordinary people , just like you and me , who that day were caught in something terrible.