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Life Onboard |
LAST UPDATE
July 19, 2006
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| June 7, 2006 |
Dennis and Tashina Banks |
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| Dennis Banks sings his native Anishnabe tribal song |
With the rhythmic thumping of the drum and a soulful resounding voice, Dennis Banks introduced Peace Boat participants to Native American culture by singing several tribal songs. Hailing from the Leech Lake Indian Reservation in Minesota, Nowa Cumic (Dennis' Native name which means “in the center”) comes from the Anishinabe tribe. Along with him, his daughter Tashina Wanbli Win Banks (Eagle Shall Woman) came onboard to teach Peace Boat participants traditional Native American song and dance. |
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| Dennis and his daughter Tashina talk on the importance of natural remedies |
When he was just five years old, Dennis was taken from his family and sent to a military boarding school 300 miles away. For the next eleven years, he didn't see a single member of his family. “The purpose of the separation was to destroy the language within me—the song. It was to destroy all that made me chippawa,” he said. At school, he was not allowed to speak his native language or sings his tribal songs. Instead of learning from chiefs and medicine men, customary in his tradition, he was taught by Catholic priests and nuns. When he tried to escape, he was caught and severely punished. His story however is not unique among Native Americans, 700,000 others have faced a similar fate. Though he remembers his childhood as a cruel period in his life, Dennis believe that it laid the ground work for his adult life.
Later in life, when he became outraged at the growing unemployment rate, the inadequate housing, and increasing police brutality towards Native Americans, Dennis took action. He co-founded the American Indian Movement(AIM) in1968. Fighting for better conditions for Native Americans, AIM revitalized Native culture and traditions and created greater awareness of Native American plight. They closed down the Catholic military schools, threw out books that lied about Native culture and hired lawyers to change laws. They participated in the occupation of Alcatraz Island to demand that all federal surplus be returned to the Native Americans. “At times it took speaking out against the US government to make changes over the next twenty years,” admitted Dennis. |
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| Tashina and the Rice Girls dancing at the Full Moon Party |
One of the first teachings of Native American tradition is the importance of protecting and honoring Mother Earth. “We believe we are related to all species of life. We believe we are a part of this great earth.” He asked participants to include environmental peace as part of their work for peace onboard. In 1978, Dennis organized a walk for peace and the environment from Davis, California to Los Angeles. The Sacred Run, as the walk is called, has become an annual event that raises awareness and gains support for Native American issues. The walk is now held around the world and invites people of all cultures to come together and carry the message of the importance of honoring the sacred connection between man and earth. |
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| Honoring the full moon. |
Tashina who just graduated from university with a degree in business is helping to run Dennis' Natural Food product line. By harvesting wild rice and maple syrup in native tradition, the mission of the small food company is to bring back native culture and to live in harmony with the earth. While she was growing up, she was encouraged by her father to embrace her native culture and participate in sweat lodges and sundances. Though over the years, young people in the native community have been swayed by mainstream culture and are losing touch with their native roots, however a recent small resurgence of interest has Tashina hopeful. On the evening before their departure, Dennis and Tashina and the Rice Girls dance group, made up of participants, gave a performance under the moonlight. |
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Resources:
Dennis Banks Natural Food Company – www.dennisbanks.com
Sacred Run – www.sacredrun.org |
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