About Us, Native American Music and the Black Hills of South Dakota

Oyate Online Newsletter	January, 2007
Dear Friends, 2006 was a wild ride for Oyate Online. We made a major change in the site in September with disastrous results. Now we are back in our little Dreamweaver program and making changes daily. The cool part is that we have discovered Extreme Tracking. We can now "see" when you are visiting from China, France, Switzerland, or next door in Spearfish, SD. We can also see what you are searching for; music, music, music --- and more. We want to give you what you are looking for, and we want to continue to develop Oyate Online in a way that educates the world about Indian people in a friendly, make-peace kind of way. For starters, every one of the Oyate Ta Olowan programs contains music--and stories about where the music came from. Here is our plan. To make more music available to you by adding artists and even individual downloads of songs. To choose a theme for each month and invite you to participate by adding your comments. To include a free download of both music and other content in this newsletter. This month's theme is "What does it mean to be Indian?" What you can do to help. If you are a native musician with music of any form, call us and we'll add your music to the site. Encourage your friends to sign up for this free newsletter and get free downloads of programs and music. Be sure to see the column to the right for free downloads and also visit all of our sites below. www.oyate.com (the home of Oyate Ta Olowan) www.manykites.com (our book publishing site) www.jamieleeonline.com (free stories) www.realrez.com (free films) We hope that you have a wonderful New Year. Keep in touch. Pilamaya Milt and Jamie Lee This Month's Theme:What does it mean to be Indian? Over the years we have had hundreds of email messages from people who are part Indian, have been adopted, or are simply curious about their own deep curiosity about Indian People. What is this fascination we have about Indian and what it means to be Indian? The free program included in this newsletter is the story of Milt Lee's searach for his lost family. Milt's mother was Lakota and his father was Cherokee but he was adopted out when he was an infant. The story leads him home. We have several theories about why people, both in America and internationally are so intrigued with Indians. Below are a few of those theories. Listen to the show, read the theories, and then let us know what you think. Any interesting messages will be posted in next month's newsletter. Theory #1 Humans in general long for a more tribal way of being. We want to get closer but feel alienated both from the earth and from each other. Our attraction to all things Indian is a reflection of this need. Theory #2 Many of us are descended from Indian people but have lost track of our roots and are missing our families. This is a disjointed world we live in and our strength is dependent upon how well we are connected to our origins. America in particular is filled with renegades, runaways--immigrants--who left their homelands to search for a better life. Now, we are lonely for what we lost. (See Family Constellation Work at www.manykites.com for more info on the work of Bert Hellinger.) Theory #3 Systemic Guilt. This theory is more abstract but just as interesting. In general, mainstream America feels a burden of guilt about the holocaust in Indian Country and attempts to attone by "honoring" Indian people. Unfortunately, we often marginalize them further by freezing them in the past or turning them into icons. Indian people are across the continuum in terms of how traditional or modern they are. Again, looking at the work of Bert Hellinger, two things are clear; one, we are not allowed to attone for what our ancestors did, and two, Indian people are not allowed to suffer for their ancestors. Both must move on. Thoery #4 You fill in the blanks.	If you are not on our email list and somebody has forward this to you, sign up here to recieve your own monthly issue filled with free content and provakative questions. sign up here A Question What does it mean to be an Indian? Read more. Free download of our radio program "The Search For Indian." This program is one hour long so you may want to listen online if your computer is cludgy. Click here. Free download of This Month's Featured Songs January Special Buy One CD from Oyate Online and get a second CD for Half Price Looking forward Themes for Future Issues February Is there room for Dreams and Prophecy in the modern world? March Wounded Knee Wounded Soul What is the long term effect of Wounded Knee on both Natives and nonnatives? April The Healing Movement May Does Mother Earth Have AIDS? June In His Name--The Carving of Crazy Horse Mountain July Drums, Drums, Drums Is the Drum The Heartbeat of Mother Earth.

Dear Friends,

2006 was a wild ride for Oyate Online. We made a major change in the site in September with disastrous results. Now we are back in our little Dreamweaver program and making changes daily.

The cool part is that we have discovered Extreme Tracking. We can now "see" when you are visiting from China, France, Switzerland, or next door in Spearfish, SD. We can also see what you are searching for; music, music, music --- and more.

We want to give you what you are looking for, and we want to continue to develop Oyate Online in a way that educates the world about Indian people in a friendly, make-peace kind of way. For starters, every one of the Oyate Ta Olowan programs contains music--and stories about where the music came from.

Here is our plan.

To make more music available to you by adding artists and even individual downloads of songs.
To choose a theme for each month and invite you to participate by adding your comments.
To include a free download of both music and other content in this newsletter. This month's theme is "What does it mean to be Indian?"

What you can do to help.

If you are a native musician with music of any form,
call us and we'll add your music to the site.
Encourage your friends to sign up for this free newsletter and get free downloads of programs and music.

Be sure to see the column to the right for free downloads and also visit all of our sites below.

www.oyate.com (the home of Oyate Ta Olowan)
www.manykites.com (our book publishing site)
www.jamieleeonline.com (free stories)
www.realrez.com (free films)

We hope that you have a wonderful New Year. Keep in touch. Pilamaya

Milt and Jamie Lee

This Month's Theme:What does it mean to be Indian?

Over the years we have had hundreds of email messages from people who are part Indian, have been adopted, or are simply curious about their own deep curiosity about Indian People. What is this fascination we have about Indian and what it means to be Indian?

The free program included in this newsletter is the story of Milt Lee's searach for his lost family. Milt's mother was Lakota and his father was Cherokee but he was adopted out when he was an infant. The story leads him home.

We have several theories about why people, both in America and internationally are so intrigued with Indians. Below are a few of those theories. Listen to the show, read the theories, and then let us know what you think. Any interesting messages will be posted in next month's newsletter.

Theory #1
Humans in general long for a more tribal way of being. We want to get closer but feel alienated both from the earth and from each other. Our attraction to all things Indian is a reflection of this need.

Theory #2
Many of us are descended from Indian people but have lost track of our roots and are missing our families. This is a disjointed world we live in and our strength is dependent upon how well we are connected to our origins. America in particular is filled with renegades, runaways--immigrants--who left their homelands to search for a better life. Now, we are lonely for what we lost. (See Family Constellation Work at www.manykites.com for more info on the work of Bert Hellinger.)

Theory #3
Systemic Guilt. This theory is more abstract but just as interesting. In general, mainstream America feels a burden of guilt about the holocaust in Indian Country and attempts to attone by "honoring" Indian people. Unfortunately, we often marginalize them further by freezing them in the past or turning them into icons. Indian people are across the continuum in terms of how traditional or modern they are. Again, looking at the work of Bert Hellinger, two things are clear; one, we are not allowed to attone for what our ancestors did, and two, Indian people are not allowed to suffer for their ancestors. Both must move on.

Thoery #4
You fill in the blanks.