Acoma dad devotes full time to his kids
Nancy Watson
Staff Writer
GALLUP — Michael Lewis of Acoma Pueblo has been named National
Indian Parent of the Year by the National Indian Education Association.
Lewis was nominated for the award by the Santa Fe Indian School Parent
Advisory Council, one of the many councils he has served. He received
the award for his dedication, commitment and involvement in Indian
education.
The award was presented to Lewis at the NIEA conference in Oklahoma
City.
Lewis, who works 12-hour nights at the Plains Electric Generating
Station in Prewitt, said he sometimes goes without sleep so he can
give time to the schools in his community.
"Good parenting is part of our culture," said Lewis, who
was raised in a close traditional Acoma family. He said he is grateful
to his parents, Edward and Katherine Lewis, for the strong traditional
home they gave him. Their guidance helped him become a good parent,
he said. Lewis has five sisters and two brothers.
Lewis teaches children in area schools about their culture, such as
traditional dancing. He is a tribal interpreter for the Acoma Pueblo
and a kiva leader.
"Indian education is very, very important," he said.
"Our children have to live two lives, the Indian
way and the non-Indian way. They must be able to adapt to both worlds,
so they must be taught both," he said.
Lewis is the father of three children, Mikalynn, 18; Ethan, 8; and
Ian, 7. He said his family supports his efforts and understands his
volunteer work is important.
"I love it and I am very honored to serve," he said.
Lewis has served on the Sky City Community School Board, the Acoma
Head Start Parent Policy Committee and the Acoma Language Retention
Program.
He is a coach for the Sky City Cross Country program, and he volunteers
for activities and participates in a variety of school functions.
His daughter, Mikalynn, attended Santa Fe Indian School,
and it was while she was a student there that he served on the school's
parent advisory council. While he was on the council, the group worked
to improve the school's image and developed a program of academic
achievement recognition.
While attending the conference in Oklahoma City, he put on two workshops,
"How to Run an Effective Parent Advisory Council" and "Parent
Involvement."
He has also been active in the local Head Start program, where his
wife Lynn currently works as the parent involvement coordinator.
The program there was foundering and was nearly lost, but Lewis and
the parents' group he worked with were able to rebuild it.
"There were many citations, and it took a lot of work to get
it into compliance, but we saved Head Start, and it was great,"
he said.
After he received the award in October, the Sky City Casino hosted
a reception in his honor, where they gave him a jacket with the words,
"Indian Parent of the Year," stitched into the fabric.
In the past few months, he has helped Sky City host a New Mexico/USA
track and field championship. He also worked on a bazaar to raise
funds for needy students who attend the Santa Fe Indian School. He
helped raise funds at another bazaar for the Francis Abeyeta Scholarship,
and he helped host a 3-D Bow Shoot that had 160 entries.
During that time, he also coached and taught and parented.
"It's a lot of work, but being involved in your child's education
is the key to their success," he said.
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Begaye: Give a 'Gift of Love'
Staff Report
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — Kelsey Begaye, president of the Navajo Nation,
will host a Christmas fund-raiser at El Rancho Hotel and Banquet Hall
on Dec. 22.
The event, called "A Gift of Love," will raise money for
three needy Navajo families who have been identified by the Navajo
Nation's Division of Social Services. The families will receive Christmas
baskets and other gifts.
"Christmas is a time when so many Navajo families
struggle and don't feel the joy of Christmas," Begaye said. "The
event will not only help the needy, it will spark a hidden fire in
everyone knowing they helped bring joy to these families."
The event will include dinner, dancing and live entertainment for
all ages, according to Cyndi Jarvison, chairwoman of the fund-raiser.
In a memo, Begaye challenged each of the delegates of the Navajo Nation
Council "to identify a truly needy family within your community
and provide a Gift of Love on behalf of your chapter or the council."
"A Gift of Love" is being held in conjunction with the Office
of the President, the Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency
and the Navajo Nation Division of Social Services
The event begins at 6 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults and $8 for children
and can be purchased by contacting Cyndi Jarvison or Jonathan Hale
at (520) 871-7002 or Olin Arviso at (520) 871-6860.
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2 Navajos to win roles in war flick
Jim Maniaci
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — Only two young Navajo men will be
selected from an estimated 1,000 applicants for starring roles in
a feature film to be made about the Navajo Code Talkers of World War
II.
The MGM-Lion Rock Productions movie, called "Windtalkers,"
will focus on two fictitious members of the secret unit of the U.S.
Marine Signal Corps Carl Eaglestaff and Charlie Whitehorse.
The two used a code expressed in the Navajo language that the Japanese
were unable to decipher during World War II. They will be guarded
in the film by the starring actor, who will possibly be Nicholas Cage.
The film's director, John Woo, and its producer, Terence Chang, are
looking for two good men who are strong and athletic, yet independent
minded "Somebody who can hold their own on the screen" and
be historically correct "for the story we are telling,"
explained Mindy Marin, the film's casting director.
Marin said Thursday she was excited about the "really healthy
turnouts" so far for the two Navajo roles in the film. An estimated
75 potential movie stars auditioned for the film during a five-hour
period Thursday afternoon at the Navajo Nation Inn. By Thursday evening,
400 men had auditioned in Albuquerque, Durango, Farmington and Window
Rock. Native Americans were also scheduled to try out Friday morning
in Window Rock.
Marin suggested the total could reach 1,000 if turnouts in Flagstaff
and Phoenix this weekend follow the current pattern.
Since casting calls occur rarely in Navajoland, Marin said Bluewater
Ranch Entertainment, for which she works, will scout the reservation
for men too shy to travel to an audition site. She said some men drove
up to 10 hours to audition for the film.
"Some of the people were a little nervous," she said, "so
we talked them through it, and they had fun."
The film is looking for "people with the strength the parts require,"
Marin said. "And we have found some very interesting people."
These special people have what she called "a powerful
presence, the ability to be very real with the material, people who
address what the script deals with."
"This is a really exciting opportunity to discover
someone new for the acting arena. We don't always get the chance to
do that with two starring roles in a major motion picture," Marin
said.
And the applicants aren't the only ones learning and discovering.
"We've learned so much in one week about Navajo culture,"
Marin said. "It offers up an interesting perspective on life.
We've
shared in the lives of so many people who bring us their hearts and
souls."
Marin, who has been in the casting business for more than two decades,
has learned about several cultures around the world through her work.
"It is exciting to be able to participate in presenting important
subject matter like the Code Talkers involvement in World War II,"
she said. "I'm glad to be able to contribute in my way with what
I do toward honoring them. It's long overdue."
"Everyone has been incredibly warm and patient," she concluded.
"Windtalkers" is one of two major motion pictures being
produced about the 420 Navajo men who served in the Pacific Theater
of the war. Most have died, but some of the survivors belong to the
Navajo Code Talkers Association, which has worked with both producers
to ensure cultural, linguistic and historical accuracy, at least as
much as Hollywood will accept.
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Chamber elects, seats new board members
Staff Report
GALLUP — The Gallup-McKinley County Chamber of Commerce election
results are in.
The three new board members, who ran unopposed, are: Mary Ann Armijo,
general manager of KGLX, KXTC and KFMQ; Douglas Evilsizor, director
of development, Rehoboth Christian School; and Jerry E. Ross, president
of Wells Fargo Bank.
The new directors will be inducted into Chamber of Commerce service
on Jan. 27 at the chamber's annual meeting. The new and old directors
will also attend a retreat Jan. 21 to set goals and chamber direction
for the coming year...
Madrid says: Ignore that sweeps mail
Bill Donovan
Staff Writer
GALLUP — Patricia Madrid knows what people should do if they
get one of those letters from the Publisher's Clearinghouse telling
them they may have won $10 million.
"Just throw it in the trash," she said Thursday
at a noon meeting of the Kiwanis Club in Gallup.
New Mexico's attorney general said she and her counterparts in eight
other states throughout the country have taken Publisher's Clearinghouse
to court for misrepresenting the chances a person has of winning the
money.
"When you get the envelope, it looks like it's
between you and a few other people," she said. "Actually,
your chances of winning are about 150 million to one. In other words,
you don't have a chance..."
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Vietnam vet helps heal scars of war
Bill Donovan
Diné Bureau
GALLUP — Chester Clah is still fighting the war in Vietnam.
But the battlefield is not the jungles and rice paddies
of South Vietnam, but the flea markets and the chapter houses in and
around the Four Corners area where he goes in search of Navajo veterans
who approximately 30 years later still can't cope with life because
of their wartime experience.
"I look for Navajo veterans who are still suffering because of
the war, and I talk to them," he said.
For those who show signs that the anger caused by the war is still
a major part of their life, he sits down with them sometimes for hours
and talks to them about his problems and what he did to bring peace
to his life...
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City to seek grant for water tank
Tom Purdom
Staff Writer
GRANTS — The city council here fought a war of words Thursday
over several issues, including a new water tower.
Inbetween all the talking, however, the council voted 2-1 to approve
a resolution applying for a grant up to $400,000 from the New Mexico
Finance Authority to build a water tank.
Mayor Bill Snodgrass set the tone when he asked for a motion to end
the meeting before the council reached the comment section on the
agenda a move Councilor Shirley Taylor said was aimed directly at
censuring her.
At least two times during the meeting, Snodgrass cut off Taylor's
questions and comments. At one point, Councilor Ruben Aranda and Snodgrass
left the council table as Taylor talked...
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