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WHAT NEXT??? The Superintendent of the Public Schools of Robeson County expounded for cloee to 45 minutes about his personal reaction to a November 14th editorial in the Robetomtm. We were amazed at his reaction...or as we saw it, his over reaction.... At the same meeting he was asked by at least two board members what was being done about the drop-out rate in the county...His answers were vague...His decision to use a public meeting of the board of education to express his personal disagreement with a local newspaper left us with many questions....The first is, what is the problem? The editorialist stated that the board of education and the administration appeared unwilling to share public information. There is a feeling in the community that is so. We suggest to Dr. Johnson that he make an effort to dispell that feeling.... We would suggest to begin with that when something as important as the audit report for the school system is presented that the committee charged with finances and budget be very familiar with the audit before it is presented to the full board. We suggest that when it appears that there is pressure on board members to approve an audit report at the same meeting it is presented, it has the appearance of discouraging questions.... This looks suspicious. There are ways to avoid the appearance of "having something to hide." ...We suggest that the various committees of the board of education be allowed to perform their responsibilities.... We personally resented having to sit through 45 minutes of a personal grievance between the superintendent and the editor of the Robesonian. During that 45 minutes the good we saw was that the budgeting process was explained in great detail. This was good and should have been done. But it should have been done prior to ? public meeting. The truth of the matter is that we question why the superintendent chose a public meeting to express personal grievances. Dr. Dal ton Brooks stated the problem very well.... He said that there was a lack of communication between the board, admin is tra ton, and the community. Hiis is true. He offered some suggestions to correct that situation.... We would suggest to our board members who are charged with the responsflblity of the education of our children that they take a serious look at the situation...We would suggest one way to begin positive change would be to restructure the duties of assistant superintendent, J.C. Humphrey...Hie word in the street is that Humphrey is making all the financial decisions for the system. Whether that is true or not, we don't know. We have our opinion and our opinion is that this is true....If it is not true we recommend changing duties in the administrative office dispense with the appearance of "one-man" control of the financial situation in our school system. Unfortuantely, we were not convinced by Dr. Johnson "wrath" and were left feeling that he protested far too much. We call on him to look seriously at the problem, back away from personalities and make decisions and statements that are beneficial to the educational process. We call on him to be more accessible to the people, visit the schools, talk with the principals and the teachers on the various campuses. Spend more time educating and less time protesting... And a simple solution to the problem he has with the editor of the Robesonian should have been held in the editor's office, talking with the general mapager of the newspaper, or in the public forum section of that newspaper. We call on our board members to take a strong stand and hold their employees accountable....We call on them to consider placing J.C. Humphrey in charge of one of the six high schools in this county...K he were charged with the responsibility of one high school, he would not be subject to such strict scrutiny of the finances.... Ultimately the buck stops with the board of education. They make die decisions to hire and to fire...We suggest that they consider being more forceful and demand that the appearance of withholding information, the appearance of covering up information, and the "soap boxing" be less time consuming and deal with real issues of education. The issues are not whether the Robesonian is "picking on" the superintendent The issues are that there are children in our school system who are being rained on because buildings-are inadequate. There are students in our school system who reportedly have no school books, instructional supplies. The issues are real and the list is long. The issues are that our children are dropping out at an alarming rate. Our test scores are too low. And the list continues....Let's identify the problems and let's solve the problems and stop using meetings to discuss everything but education....let's not allow those persons who wish to see merger fail, to win this important battle... let's set some realistic goals for education and begin with adequate facilities and we could continue with suggestion after suggestion....We wait on our board members, whether elected or appointed, to perform their responsibilities.... See to the education erf our children and let the politics and the personal grievances fade off into the background. o&Cion !7tai/| |j3, 2>t. D(mu6, 2^it<toi SP^U ^f+Hw* cA mt\U+m *R ttftiw ???*??? Last week we saw that, amoag the many opportunities for interaction between Native Americans and outsiders before the "Lost Colony," were the travels ofthe Spaniard Cabeza de Vaca and the African Estevanico. When we left Estevanico, he was leading the 1539 expedition of Coronado into what is now western New Mexico, search ing for the richesof the "Seven Cities ofCibota." But what do we know about this former slave, Estevanico? Actu ally very little. According to Debo's A History of the Indians of the United States, Estevanico was a proud man. When he and Cabeza de Vaca left East Texas, after living with the Indians there for six years, they visited with another group of Indians they had met on trading trips. Among these Native Americans there was one who was quite ill, and the sametimes-shamen Cabeza de Vaca and Estevanico were called upon to administer to him. After the patient was healed, the travellers stayed in this village for almost another year, and were apparently treated like visiting royalty. When they moved westward, their reknowa as sharnen went ahead of them, so that they were given welcoming receptionseverywhere along their way. While Cabeza de Vaca reported that he gave all praise to the Creator, Estevanico apparently handled success some what differently. ' A L .v.". In his actions, we are no doubt seeing the demeanor of the West African warrior which Estevanico had been before being enslaved by die Spanish. Debo says (prob ably relying upon Cabezade Vaca's own description) that he: "swaggered. ..shaking agourd rattle and accepting the acclaim of the Indians." It is perhaps true that Estevanico, being a product of a traditional tribal culture like that of the Native Americans they were among, knew better how to act appropriately in this context than did the "civilized" European Cabezade Vaca. In any case, after Cabeza de Vkca returned to Spain, Estevanico found himself leading a group of Mexican Native Americans as the advance guard of Coronado's expedition. Here we see farther evidence emerging of Estevanico's traditional West African up-bringing as a proud leader. He still had his gourd rattle (by the way, gourd rattles had been used by West African shameo for a long time, as well as by shamen of the Americas), but by now he had attached feathers and small Spanish bells to it. And, he had some of his troupe of Mexican Indians carrying it for him, walking ahead to prepare the way (in perfectly good traditional fashion). Finally they reached Hawikuh, a pueblo of the Zuni Nation, in what is still Zuni territory. This was one of their smaller pueblos, a six-story building made of stone and adobe. At Hawikuh, we see cultures in open conlict. Estevanico sent messengers to the pueblo to announce the coming of the expedition, which seems a logical thing to have done. But with his messengers he sent the gourd rattle with its feathers and Spanish bells. This apparently wasagreatoffensetoths Zuni governor, perhaps because die bells were associated in his mind with die Spanish slave traders; or perhaps because the Zuni themselves used gourd rattles in their ceremonies, and were dis pleased by seeing one adorned and/or used inappropri ately. For whatever reason, the Zuni governor buried the rattle down, and sent the messengers away. Perhaps Estevanico misunderstood the signal, because he promptly went in person to Hawikuh, where he was killed by die Zuni. Debo tells us that the Zuni "still have a legend about the death of the Blade Mexican." Eventually, Corooado's main force would reach the land of the Pueblo people, but he would never find the overwhelming gold treasures which had brought him, and Estevanico, there. For more information, visit die Native American Resource Center in Old Main Building, on the campus of Pembroke State University. 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Write: AARP Fulfillment, i| IEE0148,601E St N.W, Washington, D.C 20069 to ?your FREE publication. Be sure to include the stock ?number with your request j Your good health is our #1 concern! ? mmfmm) OBBISoU \ ^ IrnTifCTM^ Blili. Co.n?i.! L*mr- . H. Mitchell Baker, III; P.A. ATTORNEY AT LAW Fighting for victims' rights is what we do .. .and it's all we do. ? Wrongful Death ? Serious Auto Accidents Na ClMrf* Par Kavlawlnf Yawr Caaa i-?oo 542-2664 919-739-75181 m* nn?min m. . iMiium, x.c. I THANKSGIVING DEADLINE Due to the upcoming Thanksgiving Holidays, The Carolina Indian Voice will be closed Thursday & Friday, November ?8 & 29. , The deadline for the Thursday, November 28, 1991 issue will be 12 Noon on Monday, November 25. Any news or advertising copy received alter this time will be published in the December 5 issue. Thank you for your cooperation in adhering to this deadline. Ol^ppiiOhofUtsglvlngfropi? l > "7 ThlCafoUim ^Upicc! SOUTHEASTERN GENERAL HOSPITAL State-of-the-Art Technology With A HometownTouch , , Keeping in step with today s fast moving technology , ., is essential to providing complete healthcare. But total ? quality healthcare goes much further than just having the latest in medical equipment and technology At Southeastern General Hospital, we think the way our healthcaif professionals implement their skills and weld their medal tools ate just as important Wr com bine state-of-theart medical technology with a home- r tt/wn toucn you oon t nave to travel as or as uurnam or Chapd Hill. VWr can provide a complete range of 1 health services right here in your ndpiborhood, dose K> friends and family Plus, at Southeastern mm General, we offer something the other places J can'ki.genuine neighborly care and concern. 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The Carolina Indian Voice (Pembroke, N.C.)
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Nov. 21, 1991, edition 1
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