July 28, 2013

Robert Mirabal at Sep 2013 Pow Wow

Bring your family, friends, and neighbors to the 19^th Annual Midwest SOARRING Foundation Pow Wow! Our special guest is the world renowned Pueblo musician, Robert Mirabal who will perform on Saturday, September 21, 2013 at 5pm in the arena, located on the grounds of the Naper Settlement.

Everyone also has the opportunity to purchase tickets for a VIP session with Robert Mirabal at 2:30pm on Saturday. Seats are limited and can only be purchased online.

Special Guest Robert Mirabal

Robert Mirabal is a Pueblo musician and Native American Flute Player and Maker from Taos Pueblo, NM. His flutes are prized for their excellent artistic quality and have been displayed at the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum of the American Indian. An award-winning musician, he performs worldwide, sharing flute songs, tribal rock, dance and storytelling.

Mirabal was twice named the Native American Music Awards Artist of the Year and received the Songwriter of the Year award three times He has also published a book of storytelling poetry and prose. Mirabal is a father and a farmer, living in Taos Pueblo and participates in the traditional way and rituals of his people. Learn more about Robert Mirabal. Mirabal’s VIP session and performance is sponsored by Closet Works.

Sunday Performance by Aztec Dance Group Ocelotl-Cihauacoatl

Performing in the pow wow arena on Sunday at 11:30am is the Aztec dance group, Ocelotl-Cihauacoatl. Aztec dance involves a positive attitude toward every aspect of life, including the worship of nature as it is a gift provided by the Creator.

This indigenous dance style worships the sun so that it will appear every day to help the crops produce and provide light for the harvest.

Aztec Dance Group Oceloti-Chihuacoatl

The specific dance movements are a prayer for cosmic harmony. Each dancer performs a series of movements such as serpent like actions to represent fertility, squatting on the floor to convey the earth and crops, twirling in the air as a reference to the soul, alternating backward and forward steps symbolic of fire, and zigzag steps illustrating the movement of water. Individual focus on being attentive so they can become one entity. Read more about Danza Azteca.

Read more about the 19th Annual Harvest Pow Wow highlights, and purchase advance discounted tickets online. Download a pow wow flyer.

Midwest SOARRING Foundation looks forward to seeing everyone at the 19th Annual Harvest Pow Wow. We also invite you to become a member of our organization. and join our mailing list.

July 12, 2013

First SOARRING Indian Arts & Craft Market

Midwest SOARRING Foundation sponsored its first Indian Arts and Craft Market on the third weekend in June, on their Native American Cultural Center grounds.

Midwest SOARRING Foundation Indian Arts & Crafts vendor tents

The public had an opportunity to visit with a variety of vendors and purchase beautiful and handmade Indian and natural arts and craft items they sold.

These included Ruthann’s Southwest Treasures (Ruthann & Darrel Motley) selling hand signed silver and turquoise jewelry from Native artists in the Southwest; Sweetgrass (Fred and Annie Harris) selling beadwork, ledger art, birch bark baskets; Spiritsong (Fran Brousil) who sells hand beaded regalia, shawls, sweetgrass and sage among other various items; Lorraine Aebi who sells soy candles and walking sticks, and Chiro One that keeps your spine in tune.

Also participating was Butter Duck Farms (Kim Biske) located in Bolingbrook, IL who formulates handmade natural and organic skin care products. Their “from scratch” product line includes soap, body butters, salves, lotions, bug spray, baby products, and lice treatment –good for people and good for the earth. And, returning was Otomi Moon (Lolly Aguilar) who displayed captivating necklaces and earrings made from colorful hand grown Indian corn. Her hand beaded bracelets were a favorite of many shoppers.

Art Shegonee, well known Native American dancer and MC at Indian Summer and other events, provided the exhibition dancing throughout both days of the fair.

If you missed this first fair Midwest SOARRING Foundation will sponsor it’s next Indian Arts and Craft Market the first weekend in October at Lords Park in Elgin, IL in conjunction with the Annual Bison Blessing with the Elgin Museum.

July 5, 2013

FRACKING IN ILLINOIS

Midwest SOARRING Foundation co-sponsored a presentation June 8, 2013 with the Sierra Club Illinois Chapter on Fracking in Illinois. The lecture helped raise awareness among a diverse group of Illinois residents about the environmental costs of fracking.

Sandstone cliff walls of Starved Rock State Park, Utica, IL

Many were unaware that there are two types of mining processes that can occur with fracking. One process extracts sand from the earth which is then sent to fracking sites throughout the world. This process is occurring in Illinois just outside of Starved Rock State Park near Ottawa, Illinois. The actual frack mining involves mixing sand, water, and chemicals at high pressure into a wellbore to create fractures. Drilling a well a mile deep with numerous veins is common to extract gas and petroleum.

The audience was astonished to learn that two to 7 million gallons of fresh water per vein are required, and one frac well alone can have seven or eight veins. It was easy to understand that a tremendous amount of precious, fresh water is wasted in the process, not to mention the toxic slurry of chemicals that is left above ground, and earthquakes that can result from the destabilization of the ground due to the deep drilling.

Joseph Standing Bear Schranz believes it is all of our duty to safeguard the environment for the next seven generations. He states, “We are all accountable to the future.”

June 2013 Bison Photo Shoot & Flea Market

The first Saturday in June afforded many Illinois residents fresh country air at the Bison Photo Shoot and Flea Market in LeRoy, Illinois.

Historic tractors on display

The relaxing event was held on the grounds of the Grand Village of the Kickapoo. Co-sponsored by the Grand Village of the Kickapoo Park and Midwest SOARRING Foundation, the event sought to raise funds to bring back the Kickapoo Pow Wow in 2014. Visitors had the opportunity to view an exhibit of over thirty vintage tractors on display, and browse a wide array of craft and flea market vendors.

Food was also available as many visitors choose to picnic and enjoy the peaceful scenery. The event was successful, raising about half of the funds needed to make the Pow Wow a go!

Illinois Unique Bison Photo Op

The highlight of the day was a hay rack wagon ride into the hilly bison pasture. Many with cameras in hand, expectantly watched for any signs of the bison as the tractor pulled wagon crossed a small ravine, and entered a wooded field with tall grass.

Lounging in the distance was the herd of fifteen bison, which included two calves and a new born calf, just borne the day before.

Hayrack wagon ride for bison photo shoot

On some of the rides the curious bison came close to the hay wagon, other times they grazed and rested at a distance of 100 to 150 feet. Riders snapped photos excitedly at the herd of bison who watched the visitors, and herded their young thru the brush.

Everyone was in awe at the magnificent animals, and hoped their photos would capture the strength and wild nature of America’s great four legged, so vital to Native people for thousands of years. Joseph Standing Bear Schranz, Founder/President of Midwest SOARRING Foundation said he was given a vision to create a herd of bison as a spirit herd, as a way of honoring all that the bison had done for native people. Tours of the bison pasture continued for the rest of the day and the sponsors were pleased with the turn out for the event.