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NEWS / MONDAY, APRIL 19, 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
CULTURE
Powwow honors American Indian heritage, customs
BY ROSHNIOOMMFEN
roommen@kansan.com
Their club consists of only five members, but on Saturday night the members of First Nations Student Association hosted more than 300 people at their 22nd annual powwow.
People from all across the U.S. came to participate in the powwow, an event held to celebrate the customs and heritage of American Indians. Even though powwows are not a traditional ritual from American Indian cultures, many participants see it as an important way to express interest in and dedication to their cultural ties. "It's a social event with singing and dancing," said Max Ayalla, a senior from Kansas City, Kan., and member of the group. "But it also reminds participants to call back on their ancestors, or past family members, and be in touch with the spirit of the event."
Ayala said the group spent the year planning the event, which also served as a traditional American Indian dance contest for those who registered and participated. Contestants were judged on form, technique, attire and ability to keep in step with the drum beats.
Patti Wakolee, adviser to the group, said that the event was important to educate the KU community about American Indian culture.
"A lot of non-natives don't participate because they don't think they can, but this event is open to them, too." Wakolee said.
Stephanie Farve, a senior from Lawrence, is president of the FNSA group. She said she joined the group after she became interested in learning more about her Mississippi Choctaw heritage.
"My ties to my heritage have grown quite a bit, especially since I started learning," Farve said. "Being a part of FNSA definitely helped that."
At the powwow, there were four drum circles that took turns providing the music and beats for the dancers, who danced in the middle of the circle. The event lasted for more than four hours. Ayalla said that at bigger events, powwows could last for three or four days.
Even though there are currently 305 students at the University who identify themselves as American Indian, according to information provided by the office of the registrar, there are still only 5 students involved in the FNSA group. However, Farve said that the small group was still able to pull off a big event like the powwow because of the dedication of the group members.
-Edited by Drew Anderson
Spencer Walsh/KANSAN
Steve Byington fixes his son Ethan's headdress at the powwow Saturday. The powwow celebrates American Indian traditions and ancestry
Obama's comments anger Palin
POLITICS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON, Ill. — Sarah Palin criticized President Barack Obama on Saturday for saying America is a military superpower "whether we like it or not," saying she was taken aback by his comment.
"I would hope that our leaders in Washington, D.C., understand we like to be a dominant superpower," the former Alaska governor said. "I don't understand a world view where we have to question whether we like it or not that America is powerful."
Obama said earlier this week that the United States must do its best to resolve conflicts around the world before they grow too serious.
"It is a vital national security interest of the United States to reduce these conflicts because
whether we like it or not, we remain a dominant military superpower, and when conflicts break out, one way or another we get pulled into them," Obama said. "And that ends up costing us significantly
in terms of both blood and treasure."
Palin'sremarks came in a question-and-answer session after a speech at an event in the central Illinois town of Washington to raise money
in the national deficit and for disagreeing with Israeli policies.
Palin said she hoped the November elections will produce winners who believe in limited government and encouraging free
"It is a vital national security interest of the United States to reduce these conflicts..."
BARACK OBAMA President
for scholarships and a community center. She spoke to a crowd of about 1,100.
The Republican criticized Obama throughout her speech — for a healthcare overhaul that she says won't work, for the increase
enterprise.
She also poked fun at the controversy over the requirements listed in a contract for her speech at a California university. Palin thanked
the organizers of Saturday's event for providing a straw for her water bottle — "the bent kind, which I just read in the media that I supposedly insist upon"
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INTERNATIONAL
Thailand's military tries to minimize violent protesters
ASSOCIATED PRESS
BANGKOK - Thailand's military declared Bangkok's main shopping boulevard unsafe Sunday because of large crowds of anti-government protesters and sent soldiers to nearby high-rise buildings to watch for violence.
As Thailand's traditional New Year holiday ended, protest leaders called for another mass rally
Tuesday in their bid to oust Prime Minister A b h i s i t Vejajaiva - raising concerns of more clashes after savage fighting a week ago killed 25 people.
The Warning by army spokesman Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd was another blow for Thailand's vital tourism sector, which accounts for six percent of the economy and has suffered a steep decline since the protests began March 12.
The warning.
Sansern said military checkpoints were being set up at entry points to the capital and within the city to try to prevent more "Red Shirt" protesters from reaching the main rally site, an area of upscale shopping malls and five-star hotels that have been under virtual siege. At least six malls remain closed.
Protesters in Bangkok have held numerous violent rallies, which resulted in the death of 25 people.
The government accuses "terrorists" armed with guns and other weapons of orchestrating the earlier violence and says weapons were stolen from the military that have not been returned.
"The protest area is unsafe. Authorities need to control it by sending security personnel into the surrounding high-rise buildings." Sanssern told a news conference. He said soldiers would help "prevent people with ill intentions from infiltrating the area."
The protesters consist mainly
of poor rural supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and pro-democracy activists who opposed the military coup that ousted him in 2006.
They believe Abhisit heads an illegitimate government because it came to power through a parliamentary vote after disputed court rulings ousted two pro-Thaksin administrations. The conflict has been characterized by some as
class warfare, pitting the country's vast rural poor against an elite that has traditionally held power.
Meanwhile,
the rival
establishment-backed
"Yellow Shirt"
protest movement vowed Sunday to take action unless the government "strictly and efficiently enforces the law" to deal with the crisis.
The yellow-shirted protesters led months of anti-Thaksin rallies that led to the coup and their 2008
demonstrationsshutdown Bangkok's airports for a week to protest a Thaksin-allied government. They retreated after Abhisit's arrival but many fear their return if he is forced out
to march to another location and would not tolerate more violence.
Abbist has come under increasing criticism for failing to clear the protesters, but the government spokesman said Saturday there were no immediate plans for a crackdown because too many people were camped in the area to use force.
"We will not allow people to hurt police officers, soldiers or civilians again — or to seize military vehicles or weapons," he said.
The Red Shirt protesters, formally known as the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship, want Abhisit to dissolve Parliament and call new elections. They were initially camped in a historic district of Bangkok, and a failed attempt by security forces on April 10 to flush protesters from that neighborhood erupted into the worst political violence Thailand has seen in 18 years.
Sansern, however, said the army would not allow protesters
At least 25 people were killed, including several senior military officers. More than 800 people were wounded, including about 300 soldiers.
Since then, the protesters have consolidated in Bangkok's main shopping area, raising the stakes as they scare off tourists and rattle the stock market. Retailers and hotels say they have lost tens of millions of dollars.
"We will not allow people to hurt police officers, soldiers or civilians again..."
Thousands of shirts-retired protesters listened Sunday to fiery
SANSERN KAEWKAMNERD
Army spokesman
speeches by protest leaders who called for reinforcements. Portable toilets and tents have been trucked in, and vendors line the streets selling food, sleeping
mats, clothing and red-colored souvenirs such as T-shirts, head bands and baseball caps.
"The authorities have always tried to block people from joining us. But still we are getting more people," said one protest leader, Jatuporn Prompan.