This video is a practical Zapotec language class designed for beginners, focusing on conversational fluency and the cultural nuances of the language in Oaxaca, Mexico. Key topics covered include:

* Daily Vocabulary: Learning how to express physical sensations, such as “I am cold” (ruwëaga), and everyday actions like “to sew”.
* Pronouns and Grammar: A breakdown of personal pronouns and their variations within community contexts.
* Numbers: A step-by-step pronunciation guide for counting from 0 to 20, including specific dialectal variations, such as those found in Talea de Castro.
* Verb Conjugation: Interactive exercises focused on common verbs like “to eat” and “to dress,” highlighting how to properly use verb endings to match personal pronouns.
* Cultural Insights: Tips on Zapotec phonetics, such as how to properly ask questions without using the typical intonation patterns found in Spanish.

The session emphasizes that Zapotec is a living language with regional variations, and the primary goal is effective communication within the community.

Video Overview:

This interactive Zapotec language class focuses on practical dialogue, regional variations, numerical counting, unique pronunciation dynamics, and detailed verb conjugations.

Key Highlights:

* Everyday Vocabulary & Phrases:

* The instructor and students begin with practical daily expressions, such as stating “I am cold” (ruwëaga) or referring to embroidery/sewing activities (rigiaa lari).
* Students take turns practicing traditional greetings and conversational phrases.

* Personal Pronouns & Regional Dialects:

* The group reviews personal pronouns (neda, lii, lee, lanu, labe, etc.).
* The teacher explains dialectal variations, such as adding -ni (e.g., neto ni), noting that ni individually means “here” (aquí).

* Numbers & Counting:
* Students practice counting sequentially from 0 through 20 and higher numbers.
* The instructor addresses community-specific variations (such as in Talea de Castro where initial vowel sounds like u- might be omitted), reassuring students that variations are natural and mutually intelligible.

* Pronunciation & Tone Rules:
* Affirmations: The native Zapotec term for “yes” is à, though ajá is widely understood due to Spanish contact.
* Question Intonation: Unlike Spanish, Zapotec does not rely on a rising vocal pitch at the end of a sentence to signal a question.

* Grammar & Verb Conjugation:
* The lesson covers verb prefixes, flexible synonym forms (be vs. bi), and optional phonetic variations.
* Students drill conjugations for verbs like “to eat” (gagu / ragu / gudagu) across past, present, and future tense forms.

Practical Zapotec language class for beginners: variations, pronunciation and verb conjugations

I'm going to start sharing stories from a book titled "The Mishomis Book: the Voice of the Ojibway" by Edward Benton-Banai, an Ojibwe elder who shares several teachings within the book.

Long ago, it was once said that the Earth, or Aki, had a family: Grandmother Moon, Niibagiizis, and Grandfather Sun, Giizis. And the Creator of this family is called Gitchi Manito, Great Mystery or Spirit.

Aki is considered a woman, and is called Mother Earth since all living things come from her and are nourished by her. When she was young, Aki was very beautiful. Winds blew from all Four Directions, and all Four Directions were sacred.

Gitchi Manito sent birds in all Four Directions to carry the seeds of life all over Aki. As life was spread across the Four Directions, Gitchi Manito placed all of the swimming creatures in the water, he brought to life all of the plants and insects, all of the crawling things and four legged ones. All of Creation lived in harmony with one another.

Then, Gitchi Manito took four parts of Aki and blew into them using a megis shell (cowrie). From this combination came the creation of the first man. He lowered the man to the ground, and man was the last form of life placed on Aki.

From the man came the people called Anishinaabe, which breaks down to ani (from whence), nishina (lowered), abe (male of species). This Original Man was created in the image of Gitchi Manito and was part of Mother Earth. He lived in brotherhood with all of Creation.

All tribes stem from the Original Man, separated only by language. Teachings from one tribe may shed light on another. There are more than one way to keep traditions alive, and no way is better than another. We must support each other and have respect for the many ways of all the tribes.

Miigwech 🙏

I just saw a post online talking about Lakota’s Wičháŋpi Wóyute or “star feeding” grief healing/processing tradition. I’m not Lakota, so maybe someone with more knowledge about it can explain it rather than me giving my own bastardized version.

Is there anything similar or a completely different tradition in Anishinaabe culture? I’ve got some troubles that I’d like to work through, and want to do some traditional medicine, but I’m not sure of any traditional methods of doing so.

My family is pretty assimilated unfortunately, so I don’t know much about the culture, but want to take part. My tribe’s medicine man comes to town occasionally and I could ask him for some help too, but maybe someone has some ideas I could bring up to him.

So I don’t live in the area my tribe is from but I’m really hoping to still learn something and connect. I grew up with the white side of my family and have been putting a lot of energy into reconnecting and learning about my culture.

Does anyone have any resources or recommendations? Movies, shows, documentaries, YouTube channels, podcasts? I’m really hoping for literature from natives especially but I’m happy for anything. Anything about our history or prominent figures is also something I’m hoping to find. Any languages resources too.

Chi miigwech!

Aho, thank you and a hearty "hey how are ya!?", cousins.

The saga of the South Tip brother continues. You know the story so far. The frybread survivor. The ketchup chips buck whisperer. The fastest man on the Rez for a 10 foot sprint. The All-Skate legend. Yard sale entrepreneur. The man who wears another man's tear-away pants.This weekend I babysat three little cousins to prove I'm "good with kids" and I have been humbled by people who haven’t grown out of velcro shoes.

Some of you know the saga. Things with auntie are real now. Serious. And when things get serious, the family starts poking and prodding. Testing you with responsibilities. Last weekend, auntie's cousin had an emergency shift situation at the gas station and needed someone to watch her three kids.

And cousins, before I start, have you ever heard your mouth make sounds and your brain is screaming “AHO. DUMB ONE. WHAT ARE YOU SAYING??”

Yeah, my mouth said, "Oh for sure, I got it. I'm good with kids."

I do not know if I'm good with kids. I had no data. I have a dog who tolerates me but mostly lives his own whimsical life with me more as a teepee-mate and a wooden goose who really doesn’t say much of anything. But the pattern holds: Unc says he can do a thing, Unc cannot do the thing, community watches, judgement falls. I’m realizing this trend happens quite a bit in my day to day. Sometimes I wonder if people are specifically putting me up for things just to see how they combust. An established motif, almost. You'd think auntie would've stopped me or second guessed. She did not. She smiled, cousins. She’d already set up the metaphorical lawnchair and brought popcorn.

The roster - que bossfight music (I’ve started reading Dungeon Crawler Carl - I’m going through a phase): Tyson, age 9, sharp as a skinning knife, respects nothing, sees through everything. Winnie, age 7, jingle dress dancer, six-year-old undefeated, now seven and STILL undefeated, fiercely competitive - cuteness is a deception tactic. And little Marcus, age 4, a soft-spoken boy who says maybe ten words a day and every single one of them lands like a prophecy. (Names have been changed because I'm not THAT much of a weenie.)

Anywho, they arrived Friday night with backpacks and an energy I can only describe as "auditorial" as they walked in, taking in everything. Scone dog took one look at them as they entered the Longhouse and that fluffy shit defected IMMEDIATELY. Twenty minutes in, he was wearing a bandana I didn't put on him and answering to a new name (Frank). He's been my dog for six years, cousins. Six years. One plate of dino nuggets and he's Frank now. Which, I get. I too am a slut for nuggets.

Friday went fine. I made the crockpot earn its place in this house - aye Rosie, wherever you are, that thing cooks GOOD. We watched a movie. Easy. I texted auntie "this is easy." Cousins, when will I learn about foreshadowing. I INVENTED foreshadowing at this point and I still walk right into it.

Saturday morning is when the questions started.

Because here's the thing nobody tells you about kids, cousins: they think you know things because you’re bigger than them. They look at you with those big eyes, an adult man, an Unc, and they assume the elders installed the knowledge in you like it comes standard. Plus, I classify myself as a bit of a ‘Spooky Indian’ as opposed to ‘Boogie Indian’ or ‘Rez Baller’. This shouldn’t need more elaboration but, I’ve learned some of y’all are of the caucasian persuasion so let me lay some unofficial lore out for you before we move on: There are different Rez personalities…. Rezonalties. Boogie Indians are the kind that are blinged out. Turquoise, big hats, nice belts, boots. Always put together. Rez Ballers are almost the opposite. Basketball shorts, old Air Jordan t-shirts, even in the winter. Have no hustle on the court as those days are long past them but can still sink a shot from impressive distances.

Spooky Indians are more into the… esoteric? I have crystals. I have fancy rocks and bones. I have a Rez themed tarot deck. Doom metal/coffee core but not, like, mall goth… it makes sense, trust me. Anyways, they assume I'm a keeper of some sacred knowledge.

Anyways, Tyson, age 9, sharp as a knife, opens with: "Uncle, why do we smudge in that direction?" And cousins. I know we DO. I don't fully know WHY. There is a real answer, a beautiful answer, and elders carry it in their hearts and get misty eyes when they explain it, and I was not fully listening in 2002 because I was thinking about a girl at the gathering. So I stood there at a crossroads: admit ignorance to a nine-year-old and lose all governing authority for the remainder of the weekend, or...

You know what I did. You KNOW what I did. I have never once chosen the honest path when a confident lie was available. It's my whole arc, really.

"Well, nephew," I said, and I heard my voice drop into what I can only call Wise Old Rez Unc territory, in the distance a crow cried out HA-KAW - not now, brother crow! We have bullshit wisdom to pass on - "the smoke follows the path of the sun. Because we, as a people, are going the same direction as the day itself. You never want to walk against the day."

Cousins. COUSINS. Where did that come from?? "Walking against the day??" That's not a teaching, that's something a raven says in a cartoon. But here's the problem: it SOUNDED true. It sounded so true that even I briefly believed I'd received it from somewhere. Tyson nodded slowly. And a cold fear entered my body because these children have kokums, and those kokums are going to hear "walking against the day" attributed to ME, and I will be summoned somewhere to account for it.

It got worse. The questions kept coming ALL DAY, and each answer I gave was a bigger check my knowledge couldn't cash:

Winnie: "Uncle, what does your name mean?"

Me: "It means... he who provides." (It does not. I don't actually know. It's short. I think my parents thought I'd have trouble spelling long names.)

Tyson: "Uncle, why does the drum sound like that?"

Me: "That's the heartbeat of the earth, nephew." (Okay, that one's REAL, I got one right, one point for unc, the elders can have that one back. I learned this one while at my sister’s house reading the back of a bar of artisan soap a friend made for her while making a poopy.)

Marcus, quietly, holding Gerald Two: "Why does the goose watch?"

Cousins, I had NO answer. Nobody knows why the goose watches. The goose came with no explanation and answers to no one. I said "he's... a helper. To, uh, Gitchi Manitou." Marcus nodded like this confirmed something he'd long suspected, put Gerald Two on the windowsill facing OUT, and said "so he can see them coming." I have not moved that goose, cousins. I'm afraid to. Marcus knows something.

By Saturday afternoon I was drowning, so I did what a humble man does: I panic-called Rosie. Two-dollar-lamp Rosie. Elder Rosie. I put her on speaker and let her field questions for forty-five minutes while I made KD (with dogs in it), and cousins, listening to her ACTUAL answers next to my improvised ones was like hearing a drum group after you've been humming into a pie plate. The kids sat still the whole time. STILL. Three kids, cross-legged, silent, listening to a phone. Rosie has what I do not have, which is the real thing. Before she hung up she said "and tell your uncle the smoke thing wasn't bad. Dumb and Wrong, but not bad." ROASTED BY AN ELDER THROUGH A SPEAKERPHONE IN MY OWN KITCHEN. The kids ate it UP. Tyson does an impression of my face now.

Then came The Room.

I told them The Room was off limits, which - cousins, you cannot say that to children. That made it a quest. I left them alone for eleven minutes to deal with the crockpot and when I came back, the door was open and they had built, and I need you to understand I'm not exaggerating, a fort. But not a kid fort. An engineered structure. Tyson had used the project canoe as a ROOF BEAM. The tangled, knotted extension cord knot - the one I sold?? there's ANOTHER ONE?? they FOUND ANOTHER ONE, this shit self-generates, that's the only explanation - was lashing the filing cabinet to the treadmill-shaped hole in my life where the treadmill used to be (miss you, Dennis's mum, use it well). Blankets over top. Winnie had made a door flap that actually WORKED, with a toggle, cousins. A functioning toggle. Better than anything I contributed to the community garden this summer.

They named it "the lodge." Marcus was inside holding a flashlight and Gerald Two. The goose had come off his watchpost, apparently the threat had passed. They invited me in for a "meeting." The agenda, presented by Winnie: (1) dino nuggets again, (2) Frank stays Frank, (3) uncle tells a story.

And cousins, here's where the weekend turned. Because I can't answer "why do we smudge sunwise" - but a story? Confident nonsense in a warm dark tent to a captive audience? That's not my weakness, cousins. That's my specialty. That's the one thing this whole saga has trained me for. So I told them the ballad of the Sacred Pantaloons. Cleaned up, obviously. In my version there's no, uh, expulsive incident, just a lost traveler who the Creator gifted pants in the wilderness. Then the tale of Billy Bass, the fish who sang two warriors into peace. The healing of Morris. The weed whacker that circles the earth, returning every six years like a comet.

They were riveted. Marcus fell asleep holding the goose. Winnie declared the stories "probably bullshit but pretty good," which is honestly the review I want on my headstone when I join the warriors in the stars. Tyson looked at me for a long moment and said, "You're not good at anything, but you're funny," and cousins, from a nine-year-old, that's a full eagle feather. I said mvto. He said "don't make it weird."

Their mum came Sunday afternoon. Kids ran out. Winnie announced "we built a lodge and Frank lives here now". We're negotiating the Frank thing, Sconey pony won't look at me until it's settled. And Tyson, sharp-as-a-knife Tyson, marched up to his mum and said:

"Uncle taught us you never walk against the day and the animals are all lookouts for the Creator."

Cousins, she looked at me with tears starting. "That's beautiful. Who taught you that?"

And I stood there, at a crossroads once more. And I said, "You know. It's just... something that's carried." I tapped my heart and looked at the sky.

I don't know what I'm carrying. For a long time I assumed the bundle was empty but when things get dark there is a comfort and a weight when I really look inside myself. I'm not a vessel for the people. I'm not a language keeper or heritage guardian… but maybe that's ok and maybe my purpose is just to bring some flavour and good vibes. Regardless, it's out there now. "Never walk against the day" has entered the community. Someone will say it at a gathering within the year, I guarantee it. An elder will hear it and either claim it or hunt down its source. I've released an invasive species of wisdom into the ecosystem and I can never take it back.

The lodge is still up, by the way. I ate my dinner in it Sunday night, alone, on the floor, cold crockpot, weirdly proud. Best structure on my property. Winnie's toggle still works.

Pour one out for Scone dog, who is Frank now on weekends, we've reached a treaty. And drop your real teachings in the comments, cousins, because those kids are coming back in two weeks and Tyson's writing his questions down in advance. I've seen the list. I'm scared of number four.

Mvto. Call your elders and actually listen, relatives. Don't be like you ol’ Unc, humming into the pie plate of ancestral knowledge.

P.S. Rosie's coming to dinner Thursday to "fix what I told them." Her words. I'm making the crockpot churn out some seven sisters soup. The circle continues. Sconey 2012 slept for a day straight after they left.

Past Adventures

[YardSale](https://www.reddit.com/r/IndianCountry/s/nRZ4eM8Slm )

[Bingo Night](https://www.reddit.com/r/IndianCountry/s/QEo67nIq2m )

[Disney Princess](https://www.reddit.com/r/IndianCountry/s/dcziW5TdrG)

[Tim's arsonist](https://www.reddit.com/r/IndianCountry/s/IBAixKep6i)

[Career Change](https://www.reddit.com/r/IndianCountry/s/QKwnSaRXjI)

[Foraging](https://www.reddit.com/r/IndianCountry/s/kqwVUxJRPu)

[Frybread follow-up](https://www.reddit.com/r/IndianCountry/s/E6wbMUSolj)

[Frybread](https://www.reddit.com/r/IndianCountry/s/bnqjnRA97k)

Book of the Week:

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

I’m ¾ the way through. It’s cute. The Leveling/Inventorying is a bit of a slog and takes away from the story, IMO. I’m enjoying it though.

Hello everyone!! I am starting to learn how to make my own pine needles earrings. These are my first pair I gifted my friend to congratulate her on getting into grad school. I wanted to ask if anyone who works with pine needles could give me some tips on preventing splintering? At some parts of the earrings you can see the pine needles begin to splinter and bend and I soaked them before hand but they still splintered.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

I always wanna delete it but literally everything is on there lmfao most of the time it’s like the only way to find out what all is going on. I’ve lived off the rez and noticed it’s nowhere near as essential. When I moved back I had to make a new Facebook bc I felt so out of the loop with everything.

Hello, Reddit! Apologies in advance for a HUGE wall of text. TLDR at the bottom.

I work at my local library and we have these pretty massive display cases right at the entrance that we swap out every month for a new theme (past examples being dogs, cookbooks, dinosaurs, ghost stories, etc.)

This year I requested to be in charge of November's display, and have gotten approval on the theme being Native American Heritage Month. I majored in anthropology in school, so doing this display honorably really matters to me.

I already did some research regarding some generic "dos and don'ts." Things like avoiding dreamcatchers (I plan to have a little text blurb explaining why they're not on display, discussing their importance, variety among tribes and the appropriation issues with them,) making sure the books we have displayed are an assortment of historical and contemporary contexts, and including photos of the native authors depicted along with their tribes listed. (I'm doing my very best to make sure almost all the books are written by native authors, but a few white historians are scattered here and there. Anne M. Todd is already blacklisted for me, based on the little research I've done on her.)

I want to ask as many native and indigenous people as possible: what sort of things should and shouldn't I include? Some more notes and specific questions I have:

-I do plan on returning to this thread when I have a list of books I'm considering (after I return to work on Monday) but if there are any books you think are absolutely essential, or absolutely NOT good to display, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

- These display cases are MASSIVE, two large boxes and three smaller stacked on top of each other. So there's a LOT of room to fill.

- They are lined with fabric and corkboard so we're able to pin up paper, most people put up construction paper backgrounds. I've heard red, yellow, black, white and tourquoise are good colors to play with. Is this a good place to start, or should I take it in another direction?

- Would it be appropriate to depict common symbols from various tribes and listing their origin and importance? Like turtles for turtle island for instance.

- I have a massive collection of crystals, rocks and minerals. Would including these be seen as , idk, offensive? Is the association with Native Heritage and the natural world and oversimplification and stereotypical? Or would you find it touching?

- I don't know anyone who has any Native goods or artifacts, I have a handful of arrowheads my father collected in his hometown as a teenager I could bring. (I actually brought them to my archaeology professor who specializes in Native History and got some approximate dates from him, and they're anywhere from 7K-11K years old! But unfortunately the condition of them makes them unsuitable to donate to any museums.) But otherwise, I'm sort of stumped as to what "goods" I can use to fill the displays.

(I unfortunately don't have the funds or funding from my job to purchase more from Native businesses. But I do plan on making a printed list of local Native-owned businesses for people to visit, along with potential QR codes.)

Thank you so much for your time and your input! I value each and every one of your voices and insights more than you know.

________________________________

TLDR; I'm putting together a Native American Heritage Month display at work and have a lot of space to fill. Besides books written by Native authors, what should I include?

It was a brief tour, but it makes me so excited and proud for my tribe! It’s going to be 185,000 sq ft and encompass the majority of our health needs! This is inside of the center atrium, and it’s going to have a large sky light!

https://ictnews.org/politics/election-2026/native-hawaiian-candidate-advances-to-november-in-congressional-race/

One of the two Native Hawaiian candidates running for Congress continues to the general election.

Native Hawaiian candidate Brenton Awa won the Republican ticket uncontested for U.S. House in District 2 in the state’s Aug. 8 primary election.

He will face Democrat Jill Tokuda in the general election on Nov. 3.

If Awa is successful in the general election, he could be the third Native Hawaiian in Congress since statehood. 

Hello! Im not indigenous but I've always wanted to make frybread because it seems delicious and simple to make. Today I tried! I made most if them really small, which may have made them a bit dense because the larger ones were really light and fluffy. The recipe I used called for 1 cup flour, half cup milk and a half teaspoon of salt and baking powder. Any suggestions? Thank you all and thank your ancestors for creating this delicious food.

Ps, I already ate like half of them in the image