Category Archives: Native American

Pamela and the Patient Cactus

Pamela and the Patient Cactus

By Chuck Curatalo, New York.

“I’d better hurry!” said Pamela, dashing down the stairs. Her loose shoes clunketty-clunked down the wooden steps.

“Slow down,” said Mother. “And tie those shoes like a good first grader.”

“But Mom, I just cannot be late for school today. Miss Jones is teaching science. Science is about animals and other things,” she recited before gulping down her milk and dashing out to the bus stop.

“Today we will begin learning about plants,” said Miss Jones as she began the lesson. “Plants are living things—just like you and me. Let’s make a collection of plants for our Show and Tell. Then we can learn how they live and grow.”

“But Miss Jones, how can a plant be like us? It does not have a mouth and a nose.”

Miss Jones laughed. “Be patient. We will soon find out. But for now, be patient.

“Patient?” What does that mean?” wondered Pamela, dashing for her lunch box.

The next day Mr. Smith, the florist, led Pamela and her mother through a long greenhouse filled with plants of all sizes. Suddenly Pamela noticed a strange, funny-looking one with no leaves at all, just a short, fat, and fuzzy-looking stem. Pamela touched it. “Ouch!” she said. “It pinched me.”

“That’s a cactus plant,” said Mr. Smith. “You felt its needles.”

Pamela looked closer. “Why does it have needles?” she asked.

“Why don’t you take it to school and find out?” Mr. Smith answered. “This cactus is called a saguaro (sah-WAH-row). That’s only one of the many amazing things about it. But you must be very patient”—

Sonoran Desert Landscape with a Saguaro, among other Desert Plants. Photo: Arun Toké.

“Oh, Mommy!” interrupted Pamela. “The kids won’t believe needles grow on plants.”

The next morning Pamela placed her cactus on the window ledge next to the bigger plants. “Can you see the needles?” Pamela asked her friend Bobby, holding a magnifying glass close to the plant.

“Wow!” said Bobby. “They look humongous.”

“You can touch them if you want,” said Pamela. “But be careful.”

“Ouch!” said Bobby. 

“I told you to be careful,” Pamela laughed.

Days went by but Pamela’s cactus did not seem to grow—no matter how much she watered it. “Oh, Mommy I’m afraid the boys and girls will start making fun of my little plant,” cried Pamela.

“The saguaro is growing. It’s just taking its time. It is not always in a big hurry like you,” said Mother. “When it does finally grow—something wonderful happens.”

“What is it, Mommy?” asked Pamela.

“Be patient, and you will, see?” she answered.

“Mommy, what does patient mean?”

“It means you must wait a long time for something to happen and you must not complain. The saguaro is waiting patiently for something amazing to happen!”

“O.K. Mommy,” answered Pamela, wiping her tears away.

Days went by and the cactus still did not seem to grow. But Pamela tried to be patient. “Are you growing?” she asked calmly.

One day Miss Jones showed the class a book about cactus plants. “My tiny cactus isn’t even in here,” said Pamela, as Miss Jones flipped the pages.

Then Miss Jones pointed to a giant cactus with huge, thick arms. “Now here’s a picture of what Pamela’s cactus will someday look like”—

Saguaros in the Saguaro National Park, Arizona. Photo: Arun N. Toké

“It looks like a giant fork!” interrupted Bobby.

Everyone laughed, except Pamela. “But Miss Jones, that can’t be a saguaro. It is so big!”

“Yes, it is very big, Pamela. It is 50 feet tall,” explained Miss Jones. She held up a ruler. “It takes 50 of these to reach its top. And it is a saguaro—just like your plant.”

“But why is that saguaro so big?” Pamela asked. “My saguaro has not grown at all. And it does not even have one teeny-tiny arm!”

Miss Jones smiled. “That’s because this 50-ft. saguaro is over 200 years old”—

“Two hundred years?” said Pamela. “Isn’t that a long, long time?”

“Yes, it is,” answered Miss Jones. “Your saguaro is only about six years old.”

“Six years old?” said Pamela. “I’m also six years old.”

Miss Jones smiled again. “Just think, boys and girls, it will take 25 years before Pamela’s saguaro is as tall as she is. But in 200 years it will be taller than our school. And can you believe this plant started from a seed as tiny as a period in this book?”

“A-maz-ing!” said Pamela. “That is why Mommy said the saguaro was patient. It takes time to grow. But when it grows, it grows!

“Indeed, it does, Pamela,” replied Miss Jones. “And it has lovely flowers that grow on the ends of its arms”—

“Miss Jones!” interrupted Bobby. “Can I make a hole in the roof so Pamela’s cactus can get really big?” Everyone had a good laugh.

That night Pamela had a wonderful dream…

While sitting on the window ledge, the cactus began to grow and grow. Before Pamela could count to ten, the cactus was as tall as she. Before she could count to 20, it was peeking through the hole Bobby Briggs had made in the roof. And it kept on growing—up past the big oak tree on the busy school playground.

Then the giant sprouted mighty arms that stretched out and out. They started to bend—straight up to the sky! Pretty flowers with white petals and golden centers began blooming on each tip.

By the time Pamela could count to 30, the giant began shedding its petals. They went dancing and swirling in the air like giant snowflakes. The children ran around and around, trying to catch them.

Not long after her dream ended, Pamela heard Mother’s knock. “Time to get up, Sweetheart.”

“Wow! What a dream!” said Pamela, tossing her covers. She knew it would take a long, long time for her cactus to grow big and strong. “I’ll just have to be patient—like my saguaro!” she decided, taking the time to tie her shoelaces before going down the stairs.

Saguaro along a Hiking Trail in the Superstition Mountains area of Arizona. Photo: Nathan Toké.

By Chuck Curatalo, New York. Mr. Curatalo retired after teaching for 33 years. He instilled an appreciation for other cultures of the world in his elementary grade students. He has been also interested in teaching children about the wonders of the Southwest. He is a collector of Hopi Kachina dolls and has toured many historic pueblos. He is a published author.

Smoky Skies

Smoky Skies

By Joyce Lazarus, Ph.D., Massachusetts.

Note: This is a fictional story, based on actual events. The names have been changed to protect the identities of the plaintiffs.

Rachel sits down on a riverbank, shaded by a giant cottonwood. Its silvery leaves turn in the breeze, shielding her from the stifling August sun. She stares at sunburnt grasslands and distant blue hills on her ranch in Montana, where her family has been ranching for generations.

Something catches her eye. She looks toward the west and sees plumes of dark smoke rising, reddening in the afternoon sun. Dark, billowing clouds are filling the sky, blotting out sunlight.

“Dad, do you see the smoke?” Rachel calls to her father.

“No. Where is it?”

Rachel starts running toward the smoke. She spots a wildfire in the distant hills, its orange flames devouring the withered forest. With no rain for the past three weeks and a severe heatwave, there is little they can do to stop wildfires from spreading. She already knows of twenty-five other fires this summer, less than fifty miles from their ranch.

How long before one of these wildfires reaches their ranch? How can they stop fires that spread so quickly, whipped up by winds?

The look on Dad’s face tells Rachel how concerned he is.

“Let’s hose down the house and barn,” he says. “We’ll bring in the cattle and horses.”

Rachel learned about climate change when she was eleven and thought it was something she could do nothing about. Now thirteen, she feels her stomach twisting into knots, panic surging. Her whole ranch could be destroyed! How can she stop something so powerful?

Every year there are more storms, droughts, wildfires, heatwaves―every kind of natural disaster. Rachel understands that burning coal and other fossil fuels are a major cause of climate change, but most people she knows do not want to admit this. They shrug their shoulders, saying, “Let nature run its course. We’ll get through this crisis like we always have.”

Many people do not see things as Rachel does. When she learned in science class that humans have only about seven years to act before irreversible harm is done to the Earth, it hit her very hard. She knows the feeling of smoke caught in her throat, of dense gray smog blocking out sunlight. She is just a teenager, but if teens don’t try to solve this climate crisis, who else will?

Rachel has nightmares about fires sweeping across her ranch. She sees herself racing to save her family, horses, cattle, and little dog, Felix. She wakes up covered in sweat.

 ***

She isn’t the only teen in Montana worried about climate change. Since joining a climate action club, Rachel has gotten to know Nora. Nora tells her that every time she hears about wildfires, it feels like getting punched in the stomach. When Nora watched Greta Thunberg on TV, speaking at the United Nations, asking world leaders, “How dare you?” it took her breath away. This was the first time someone close to her age expressed the anger and determination to do something that Nora felt.

Later that month, Nora brings her exciting news.

“There is a law firm, Rachel, “Our Children’s Trust*,” that can help us sue the State of Montana for not protecting us against climate disasters. I plan to join the lawsuit.”

“Really?”

“The state constitution says that all Montanans are entitled to a clean and healthful environment. When fossil fuel companies drill into the land, polluting the air and water, they disregard what science has been telling us for decades about dangers to the environment.”

“What do we need to do?”

“We should sign up as plaintiffs, to explain in court how climate change has harmed us, then talk about our fears for the future. We’ll tell our lawyer, Janet Olsen, what disasters might occur if we don’t act soon.”

“You’ve convinced me, Nora. I’ll join!”

“Your story is much more persuasive than mine, Rachel. Your ranch has come close to being destroyed by wildfires! Why don’t you represent our group and I’ll give interviews to the press? We’ll work together to win this case!”

Rachel, Nora, and fourteen other teens join the lawsuit against the State of Montana.

***

While Janet Olsen prepares arguments for the trial, Nora gives interviews to the press. Articles soon appear in newspapers all over the country. TV news anchors speak of “the kids who are leading the way to save the US from climate catastrophe.”

Rachel Heller gives her name to the lawsuit, “Heller v. Montana,” since her story makes the strongest case for acting quickly.

After three long years, their lawsuit makes it to court―the first time in US history that a kids-led climate lawsuit goes to trial.

***

One hot June day in Helena, Montana, the trial begins.

Teens stand up in court one after another to tell the judge how climate change is harming them.

Sara, sixteen, says that her life as a member of the Diné Tribe is completely tied to nature.

“We tell many stories to our people,” Sara says. “We can only tell a Coyote story if there is snow on the ground. But the time left to share these stories is getting shorter, with so little snow in winter. What will happen to our stories when there is no more snow?”

Lilian, from the Crow Tribe, speaks about a summer tradition, Crow Fair, with its rodeo, traditional dances, and parades. Because of intense heat, the fair was cancelled this year.

“If you miss Crow Fair, you’ve missed something that’s part of your identity,” Lilian says. “We’re taught that we have three mothers: your natural mother, your home, and Mother Earth. Taking care of all three is our responsibility.”

Rachel, Nora and others stand up and talk about the harm caused by climate change.

The judge thanks everyone for their testimony.

***

One day in July, the judge announces that she has reached a verdict. All sixteen plaintiffs file into the court and nervously sit down.

The judge reads: “We find the plaintiffs’ arguments for protecting Montana from the harmful effects of climate change to be convincing. We rule in favor of the sixteen plaintiffs.”

Loud cheers and applause greet the children as they leave the courthouse. Nora and Rachel lift their fists, crying, “We are heard! We are heard!”

Rachel later says to Nora, “We can’t save the planet by ourselves, but we took a first step. Others will follow.”                             

—Joyce Lazarus, Ph.D., Massachusetts. is a retired French professor and an author of a number of books.  A grandmother to three children, Joyce has also published several children’s stories. She adds: “I feel inspired by my three grandchildren, and am concerned about the growing climate crisis that their generation will face.  My hope is that young people, like the characters in this story, will find ways to mitigate the threat of climate change, to protect and preserve our precious Earth… My aim in writing this story is to show young people that they can help make a difference by recognizing that they are stewards of the environment.”

* Our Children’s Trust is a national nonprofit based in Eugene, Oregon. Their mission statement reads: “Our Children’s Trust is a non-profit public interest law firm that provides strategic, campaign-based legal services to youth from diverse backgrounds to secure their legal rights to a safe climate. We work to protect the Earth’s climate system for present and future generations by representing young people in global legal efforts to secure their binding and enforceable legal rights to a healthy atmosphere and stable climate, based on the best available science.
“We support our youth clients and amplify their voices before the third branch of government in a highly strategic legal campaign that includes targeted media, education, and public engagement work to support the youths’ legal actions. Our legal work—guided by constitutional, public trust, human rights laws and the laws of nature—aims to ensure systemic and science-based climate recovery planning and remedies at federal, state, and global levels.”
To learn more about them, please visit: https://www.ourchildrenstrust.org

 

 

The Navajo Code Talkers

THE NAVAJO CODE TALKERS

On July 26, 2001, President George W. Bush awarded the Congressional Gold Medal—the highest civilian medal Congress bestows—to the original 29 Navajo code talkers. Four of the five living code talkers and family members of the deceased code talkers attended the ceremony. These Native Americans had been successful in relaying secret military messages using Navajo words from nature during World War II that the Japanese were never able to decode. (1)

Sixty-five years earlier, the Navajos’ language ability was brought to the attention of the Marines by Philip Johnston. Johnston was aware the Japanese were easily breaking the American military codes. He was a missionary’s son who had grown up on a Navajo reservation. He knew that the Choctaw language had been successfully used to encode messages in WWI, which the Germans were unable to decipher. He realized that he Navajos’ unwritten language could also become an undecipherable code against the Japanese. (2)

Twenty-nine young Navajos were sworn into military duty. They trained at Camp Pendleton and then were tasked with developing an unbreakable code using their native language.  They developed an unwritten Navajo dictionary of military terms which were committed to memory.

The Navajos did not have words for military terms. Instead, these Native Americans used words of nature with which they were very familiar. The types of airplanes became names of birds. Think of a chicken hawk (GINI) diving for its prey. Does this bird make you think of a dive bomber? Have you ever watched an eagle

(ATSAH) pluck its food and then soar through the air with it? It acts much like a transport plane. Think of how a hummingbird (DA-HE-TIH-HI) flits in and out of the flowers. This action is similar to that of a fighter plane. (3)

The code talkers were able to transmit and decode the messages with incredible speed and accuracy. Some 400 code talkers eventually were deployed with the six Marine divisions. Thirteen of these Native Americans were killed in action.

When a code talker sent a message in his native language, the recipient would translate the message into English words. The first letter of each word then formed the message. When the Marines on Iwo Jima raised the flag on Mount Suribachi, the code talkers relayed the message in the Navajo code. Translated into English it read: “sheep-uncle-ram-ice-bear-ant-cat-horse-itch.” (SURIBACHI) (4)

The code talkers sent their messages over portable radios they carried in the field. Some of these messages identified planes. Other dispatches told pilots where to drop bombs. Many gave lists of needed supplies. The Navajos always found a way to make their language work for whatever code was needed for these messages.  Their language skills made a significant difference in the battles of Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal, Tarawa, and Peleilu. (5)

The code talkers’ efforts were so successful the unbreakable code was kept classified until 1968. A movie, Windtalkersreleased in 2002, chronicled the challenges and successes of these heroes. Ironically, the use of their language had previously been banned by the U.S. Government in an attempt to assimilate the Native Americans into the general population.                   `

Why was their language so successful as a code? Navajo was a little-known and little-used language. It was difficult for anyone to know the language other than a person brought up in the oral tradition of a Navajo.  They were very familiar with words from nature and readily changed military terms to well-known words.

The code talkers, with their remarkable Navajo language ability, were heroes in the South Pacific Islands, although it took over 60 years for this acknowledgement to be made public. Their heroic actions and patriotic sacrifices were finally recognized by a grateful nation.

By Annie Laura Smith, writer, Alabama. This article was first published by Ms. Smith in Kidz Chat.

November is the annual Native American Heritage Month, and it calls our attention to the culture, traditions, and achievements of the original inhabitants and of their descendants in the Americas. The official designation of November as National Native American Heritage Month in the U.S. was signed into law in 1990.

SIDEBARS

NAVAJO CODE TALKERS AIRPLANE TYPES* (6)

AIRPLANES

BIRDS

NAVAJO LANGUAGE

Bomber plane

Buzzard

JAY-SHO

Dive bomber

Chicken Hawk

GINI

Fighter plane

Hummingbird

DA-HE-THI-HI

Observation plane

Owl

NE-AS-JAH

Patrol plane

Crow

GA-GHI

Torpedo plane

Swallow

TAS-CHIZZIE

Transport plane`

Eagle

ATSAH

 

NAVAJO CODE TALKERS SHIP TYPES* (6)

SHIPS

ANIMALS/FISH/INSECTS

NAVAJO LANGUAGE
Battleship

Whale

LO-TSO                     
Cruiser

Small whale

LO-TSO-YAZZIE              
Destroyer

Shark

CA-LO                       
Mine sweeper

Beaver

CHA 
Mosquito boat

Mosquito 

TSE-E                       
Submarine Iron fish

BESH-LO

REFERENCES

1. Vogel, Steve, “For Navajos, an Award of Gratitude, Washington Post, July 27, 2001, p. B03.

2. “Navajo Code Talkers: World War II Fact Sheet” 

3. Rosenberg, Jennifer, “Navajo Code Talkers (Part 2)  

4. Lockard, Vicki8, “Code Talkers”   http://www.turtletrack.org/Issues00/Co06032000/CO_06000000_Codetalk.htm

5. Navajo code talkers of WWII.”  http://ks.essortment.com/navajocodetalk_rjxq.htm      

(6)  Navajo Code Talkers’ Dictionary,  http://groups.msn.com/WWIIHobiests/codetalkersguide.msnw

Multicultural Museums: Helping Make Sense of Our National Identity

By Skipping Stones Staff

Museums can provide an essential, interactive, and engaging way to learn about cultural history—both for our own culture, and the culture of other people. Without knowing our history or roots, we may not fully feel like we belong—especially if we have differences from other people in a society (ethnicity, heritage, etc.). Many museums in the United States help teach about the multicultural history of the country. Some of these museums are located in the nation’s capital—Washington, D.C. They include the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Museum of the American Indian, and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, among others. If you get the opportunity, take time to explore them!

1. National Museum of African American History and Culture

One of the newest additions to the Smithsonian family of museums is the National Museum of African American History and Culture. It shows the history of African Americans, from the first slaves brought over to the U.S., to the reconstruction era after the Civil War, and the civil rights movement of the 20th century. The museum helps visitors understand the impact of these experiences through stories, interactive exhibits, and the overall atmosphere. Many visitors say the experience is very powerful. and that it helped them better understand the history of the United States, because the history of the country has been significantly impacted by the history of African Americans.

The museum also contains exhibits and cultural items showcasing the lives of famous African Americans, from basketball player Kobe Bryant to singer Chuck Berry. It shows how these cultural icons have contributed to American culture and inspired countless people of all races, and it teaches about the racial barriers they faced in climbing to their success.

The museum also shows how African American culture is not just a unified block. There are different African American subcultures in various regions of the country. We see how geography affects the traditions, identity, and community of a group of people. Thus, African American culture in Chicago will be very different than in Birmingham, Alabama, for example.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture not only helps African Americans better understand their own history, but it also helps people of all races understand the contributions of African Americans in shaping the country’s culture and history.

Museum Website: https://nmaahc.si.edu/

Digital Resources from the Museum: https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/nmaahc-digital-resource-guide

2. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum 

Another museum that tells the powerful story of a people is the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. It offers visitors a glimpse into an event that killed six million Jews—approximately two-thirds of Jewish people in Europe, during the 1930s and ‘40s. The museum depicts some of the events leading up the Holocaust, the horrors of the genocide that occurred, and how the events of that time shaped global history and culture. The exhibits help us understand how and why the Holocaust occurred and how to ensure something like that does not happen again. To that end, there are also other exhibits that detail types of genocide occurring in the present day, in places in the world.

One floor of the museum is dedicated to understanding how the Nazi Party gained power in the 1930s. This is particularly poignant because it shows how blind hatred for a group of people can lead society to allow extremist governments into power. Obviously, it is possible for this to happen again, unless people avoid getting complacent when they see hatred swelling in a society.

Another floor is dedicated to showing the Nazi’s policies towards Jewish people, including their ostracization, relocation to concentration camps, and mass murders. The final floor covers the liberation of Jewish people from concentration camps and the events after the Holocaust. The museum depicts these eventsthrough photos, Holocaust artifacts, historical footage and commentary.

The museum also hosts conversations with Holocaust survivors to provide first-hand takes on the experience, and has special exhibits dedicated to other genocides around the world, including those occurring in Burma, Sudan, and other places. Furthermore, it has online exhibits that generate further discussion about events and people related to the Holocaust, including Anne Frank, the 1936 Olympics held in Nazi Germany, and global responses to the event.

Visitors to this museum come away with a much better appreciation for the specific details of what occurred during the Holocaust and why it is so important to be aware of what is going on in the world today, so we can avoid another atrocity like this from happening again.

General Museum Website: https://www.ushmm.org/

The online exhibits can be viewed at: https://www.ushmm.org/information/exhibitions/online-exhibitions

3. National Museum of the American Indian at the Smithsonian

Located in Washington, D.C. with a branch in New York City, the National Museum of the American Indian is also a part of the Smithsonian Institute. This museum presents a lot of information that is left out of school textbooks about the history of Native Americans, Native American treaties, how Native Americans viewed the relationship between people and nature, and more. It’s the first national museum dedicated to Native Americans and has a series of rotating exhibits that ensure during each trip you take there, you learn something new. 

As the first national museum in the country dedicated to Native Americans, it not only contains objects, photos, media, and videos about Native Americans who lived on the land that is now the United States, but it also offers exhibits about Native people from what is now northern Canada all the way to the southern tip of South America. The exhibits don’t just show people the ways of Native American life, but they also give a taste of the Native American spirit. People who have Native American heritage can learn about their ancestors and get in touch with that aspect of their culture; People who don’t have that heritage can learn about the unique traditions, perspectives, and ways of life of people who lived in this part of the world long before European settlers arrived.

Museum Website: https://americanindian.si.edu/

Online Resources: https://americanindian.si.edu/online-resources/exhibition-websites

4. Latino Museums

Additionally, a new Smithsonian museum, the National Museum of the American Latino, will be constructed in Washington, D.C. Although an opening date is not yet available, the museum will be dedicated to showcasing Latino history, art, culture, and scientific achievement. It aims to show how these contributions have influenced American culture overall.

While it won’t be ready for a while, there are many other museums around the country that you can visit and learn about Latino heritage. One of these is the Mexic-Arte Museum in Austin, Texas. This museum strives to preserve Latino and Mexican art and cultural artifacts, and it also aims to engage with the community in discussions about Latino heritage. In addition to showing the art of various Mexican and Latino artists, it conducts outreach events, cultural programs, and hosts speakers. Some of the rotating exhibits contain work by up-and-coming artists and teenagers. Others focus on showing the variety of traditions and lifestyles within the Latino community. Visitors get a much richer appreciation of the diversity of Latino culture.

Museum Website: https://mexic-artemuseum.org/

Mexic-Arte Online Exhibitions: https://mexic-artemuseum.org/online-exhibitions/

National Museum of the American Latino Museum: https://latino.si.edu/about/national-museum-american-latino


Museums can be powerful learning experiences. We often may walk out of the doors feeling solemn, as though we have learned something important, because we see in vivid images and stories how various ethnic groups have been treated or persecuted. Many ethnic groups have faced violence simply because of who they are. Visiting museums is an enriching experience, providing a detailed knowledge about the history of different cultures in a way we do not get at school.

Six Rivers, Many Peoples, One Tree

Michael Mavris, grade 5, Reading his Poem at the 2021 Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony.
Photo credit: James Edward Mills.

This year Michael Mavris, a fifth grader from Del Norte, California who won a poetry contest about the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree, got the honors of flipping the switch that officially illuminated the tree. For over 50 years the USDA Forest Service’s Christmas gift to the nation, the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree, has inspired the imagination of millions. Standing elegantly at the base of Capitol Hill on the West Lawn the massive tree fondly referred to as the People’s Tree is harvested from a different forest every year. This year the Six Rivers National Forest in California had the honors of delivering the 84-foot tall fir tree they named “Sugar Bear.”

The evening ceremony also included comments from the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, and other members of the California delegation in Congress along with the new Chief of the Forest Service, Randy Moore.

We are proud to share Michael’s poem below.

Six Rivers, Many Peoples, One Tree

By Michael Mavris, grade 5, California.

What does the theme “Six Rivers, Many Peoples, One Tree” mean to me?

As I ponder the question presented here, I consider where I am living-literally in the heart of the Six Rivers National Forest.

Here, tucked deep within the Northwestern corner of California is a remote land, whose majesty comes not from achievements of humankind, but rather nature itself.

Six mighty rivers criss-cross this rugged land. From the Smith and Klamath rivers in the north, stretching over to the Eel and the Mad, meeting the Van Duzen and the Trinity in the South, all of our rivers, amongst the cleanest in the world, represent life itself.

Like the First Peoples who have lived here since time immemorial, these rivers overcome every obstacle to ultimately reach their goal of becoming one with the Pacific Ocean.

Is this done by an exhibition of power or a show of strength?

No.

It is accomplished by sheer persistence. The indominable spirit of never giving up which is representative of this land and the Peoples that live here.

From the great tribes: the Yurok, Tolowa, Karuk, Wiyot, Chimariko, Nongatl, Hupa, and Wailaki, we are taught to commune and truly be one with nature. This ethos teaches us to view rugged lands, secluded forests, and fierce weather patterns, as something genuinely beautiful.

Such is the story of the White Fir, also known as Abies Concalor, whose beginnings trace back to a single seed. From this humble seed,dropped onto Mother Earth in a remote region the process begins.Nurtured by the fertile soil, which the Six Rivers saturates throughout the year and, against all apparent odds, not only confronts the weather but embraces it. The young tree emerges proudly upward towards the shining sun.

From this great forest, we bring you the majestic White Fir, to be the Capitol Christmas tree. As the lights are strung and the ornaments placed, we, the People who live in the tree’s symbolic shadow, hope that its beauty and grandeur provide a beacon to America and a reminder on this Christmas, that all things are possible.

Michael Mavris, 5th grade student, Del Norte County Unified School District, California.