American Indian Advisory Council Minutes from March 15, 2007

Meeting held at South Bay Workforce Investment Board and hosted by Susie Yellowhorse Jensen, WIA Supervisor, Southern California Indian Center.

Welcome and Introductions - Susie Yellowhorse Jensen

Guest Speaker – Marci Gonzalez Patterson, Site Manager of The Native American Family Center with offices in Long Beach, Fullerton, and corporate office in San Bernardino. Services include:  Outpatient therapy – including those on parole and probation - Stipends available to those who complete the program  AA and NA meetings with Indian Spiritual aspect  Parenting instruction  Domestic Violence programs  Career Guidance and education support  Job Readiness and Job Coaching  Housing support and Food services  Talking Circles on Wednesdays and Fridays 11:00 a.m. Open to non-Indians  Health and Wellness workshops  Youth Projects and Child Care  American Indian Traditions - Arts and Crafts, Drum and Song classes The Center works closely with other American Indian community programs e.g. UAII, SCIC, CAIR, and The Village.  Eager to establish relationship with Department of Rehabilitation  Long Beach Career Center to assist in job placement  Disability Resources Center for benefits counseling in Long Beach  Not limited to specific Zip Codes  Will assist Native Americans living out of state For more information call (562) 495-4534

Marcie’s heritage is Cheyenne, Sioux, and Hawaiian. She and her husband are champion dancers, competing at Pow Wows throughout the country, year-round. Marcie spoke on the elements of the Southern Plains Cloth Traditional Women’s Dance:  Southern Dance pace is rhythmic like the beat of the heart  A “heel-toe heel-toe” step  Northern dance. Is faster paced  The regalia are traditionally hand-made of elk, buffalo, or cow and passed down to generations Marcie teaches the art of making the Southern dress at the West Covina Girls Home.

Guest Speaker Aaron Adson, Office Assistant The American Indian Family Center

Aaron is a descendant of Pawnee and Navajo Tribes. He has studied drum and song since the age of 5 taught by his father. He now teaches Drum and Singing classes at the Center. The American Indian has an innate understanding and honor for the Veterans  The way of the warrior, fighting for territorial rights  Songs are used to commemorate battles, acknowledge what we do  Drum Song is way to feel the Spirit  Each Drum size has its own ceremony  Pow Wows are a way to identify yourself as American Indian  Women are joining in to learn the Drum and song ceremonies Aaron honored us by singing a song he wrote, in the Pawnee language, and playing the Drum.  Larger tribes e.g. Navajo have had a written language  Pawnee is a smaller tribe with a written language within the last 5 years Thank you Aaron.

Agency Updates:

Welcome New Members: Aaron Adson, Native American Family Center Sandra Bourassa, Inglewood One Stop. Krystal Burns, Native American student at Loyola Mary Mount University Mike Collins, Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation and State Independent Living Council Rosa Lara, Supervisor and Brenda Brent, District Administrator, Dept. of Rehabilitation. Marcia Patterson, Native American Family Center Tim Ramos, Native American Film and Video, Director and Writer. Founder of: Against the Wind Productions.

Southern California Indian Center’  Intertribal Entertainment sponsoring “An evening of Native Theater” a fundraiser for American Indian Storytellers in the cinematic arts. Saturday, March 24th  Youth Pow Wow -- June 16th – contact SCIC for location  SCIC Gardena office closing March 30th  39th Annual Pow Wow July 27, 28, 29, 2007 at the Autry National Center, Griffith Park. For more information contact SCIC (714) 962-6673

United American Indian Involvement  National Native HIV / AIDS Awareness March 21st  “A Teaching Curriculum Workshop on American Indian Mental Health”, April 5th, sponsored by UAII, UCLA Center for Research, Education, Training, and Strategic Communication on minority health disparities, and UCLA Center for American Indian and Indigenous Research and Education

California State University Fullerton, Inter-Tribal Student Council Pow Wow, April 6th and 7th with host Southern Singer Aaron Adson

California Department of Rehabilitation is recruiting for these positions:  Support Services Assistant – General,  Office Assistant with Promotion to Case Services Assistant, and  Senior Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor –Qualified Rehabilitation Professional. Job Descriptions handed out in print at this meeting. Information available on the AIAC web site http://interwork.sdsu.edu/aiac and www.dor.ca.gov State applications on-line at: http://www.spb.ca.gov/employment/documents/capp.pdf DOR Director, Catherine Campisi, recently retired. The Governor will be appointing a new Director in near future.

We have another website for up-to-date listing of Pow Wows, log onto www.powwows.com This will be added to our AIAC web site.

Diversity Employment Source’s Cinco de Mayo Job Fair will not be held this year. Hope to have it next your.

Native American Resources Summit; update – During this meeting, Marci Patterson told us about the Pow Wow hosted by Native Hope International in November in Santa Fe Springs. After this meeting, Sarah and Grace called Bryan Brightcloud, Pow Wow Coordinator. Bryan was enthusiastic about AIAC participation in the Pow Wow and attended the next meeting of the Summit Workgroup. Details will be e- mailed to members as we progress.

Next Meeting July 11, 2007 Somewhere in Santa Barbara or Ventura County Jo black and Sarah Asbury