#Native Americans | Navajo Nation | NASA | US

[xtruss]

Plan to Bury Human Remains on Moon Draws Fire From Native Americans

© AFP 2023/Mladen Antonov

Private companies are planning to send human remains to the lunar surface, but a Native American group rejects the idea.

Two private US companies are planning to rocket human remains into space for a burial on the moon, but the leader of the Navajo Nation has denounced the idea.

Monday morning’s launch of the Peregrine lander represents the first effort by private companies to send a lander to the moon. United Launch Alliance and Astrobotic have contracted with various institutions seeking to contribute to the spacecraft’s payload – among them are two companies seeking to bury DNA and human remains on the lunar surface.

But the Navajo Nation, which along with other Native American tribes views the moon as highly sacred, opposes the idea.

“We're not trying to say, 'don't do exploration, don't go to the moon and don't do those types of scenarios,’” said Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren in a call with reporters. “All we're just saying is this is the one part that we feel like there should be some sacredness to it.”

'Deeply Troubling' US Pledges Billions of Dollars for Foreign Nations - Navajo Tribe © Flickr/Urbanmkr

Nygren calls the plan “An Act of Desecration” and has complained to the US Department of Transportation and NASA, whose Commercial Lunar Payload Services program sanctioned the launch.

“We recognize that some non-NASA commercial payloads can be a cause for concern to some communities,” responded Joel Kearns, an administrator at NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. “And those communities may not understand that these missions are commercial and they're not U.S. government missions, like the ones that we're talking about.”

Kearns framed Monday’s launch as an opportunity to explore commercial opportunities created by space launches and insisted the US agency was powerless to intervene against the private companies. However the US government announced the creation of an “interagency group” to study the Navajo Nation's concerns.

The US government has historically ignored Native tribes’ complaints against desecration of symbols they consider sacred, such as when a giant monument was carved from Mount Rushmore, known as Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe or “Six Grandfathers” to the Lakota people. The Sioux Nation has demanded the return of the land the massive sculpture was carved on, which the US Supreme Court found was illegally seized from the tribe.

— January 8, 2024 | Sputnik International

#Native Americans | Navajo Nation | NASA | US #Space Exploration | Moon 🌕 | Moon Landing 🌖 | Moon 🌙 Mission

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Elizabeth Weiss

Published: Jan 20, 2024

Recently, the Navajo Nation has embarked on a mission to stop flights to the moon, especially those intending to deposit human cremated remains (commonly referred to as “cremains”). The Navajo Nation regards the moon as sacred, arguing that depositing cremains—or any objects, for that matter—constitutes an act of desecration. This controversy centers around the Peregrine Mission 1, a NASA-spon.sored expedition to the moon. Two private companies, Celestis and Elysium Space, plan to use this mission to transport the cremains of individuals who opted for a lunar resting place.

Upon receiving a letter from Buu Nygren, the Navajo Nation’s President, the White House convened a meeting to hear their objections to those flight plans. Although the White House correctly concluded that the government did not have the authority to stop the flight or hinder the private companies’ plans, one may wonder why these religious concerns of the Navajo Nation were ever seriously considered in the first place. Typically, the U.S. government refrains from interfering in scenarios where religious beliefs are at stake, as evidenced by the longstanding conflict between fundamentalist Christian creationists and the teaching of evolution in schools.

Yet, the case appears different when it involves Native American traditional religions—a loosely defined amalgamation of beliefs, often intertwined with Christian elements, and lacking formal sacred texts. In these instances, the US government has been bending the First Amendment of the Constitution so greatly that it is bound to snap.

The First Amendment of the US Constitution clearly states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” This means that the federal government should be neutral towards all religions, avoiding favoritism to any denomination. Although the U.S. Government generally avoids supporting or discriminating against specific religions, as demonstrated by the diverse holiday displays ranging from nativity scenes to the Satanic Temple altar in Iowa, traditional Native American religions have been the exception to this strict adherence to the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause.

This exception is evident in NASA’s collaboration with the Navajo. In NASA’s 108-page education guide, “Story of the Stars,” intended for “Classrooms and Community-Based Educational Events,” Navajo religious beliefs are treated as being of equal importance to NASA’s scientific research. On page 3, the guide contains a statement from the Navajo: “We are the Holy People of the Earth. We are created and placed between our Mother Earth and Father Sky.” Further evidence of religious support in this guide is a story stating, “After the creation of the Earth, sky, and the atmosphere, the Holy people realized the whole university was entirely dark.” It is interspersed with tales of sacred directions, seasons, beliefs, and rules of life. Notably, in the acknowledgements, Leland Anthony Jr. is listed as the project’s “spiritual advisor.”

Given this content on NASA’s website, it’s hardly surprising that the White House would hastily convene a meeting with the Navajo Nation to consider the validity of objections to moon flights. However, these considerations favor one religion and teach one religion, thereby violating the US Constitution.

Another example of the Federal government showing a denominational preference appears in the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). Enacted in 1990, NAGPRA aids in the repatriation and reburial of human remains and artifacts deemed “sacred,” or as grave goods, or objects of cultural patrimony. A specific instance of this favoratism within NAGPRA is the requirement that at least 2 of the 7 individuals on the review committees “must be traditional Indian religious leaders.” Additionally, each NAGPRA meeting begins and ends with a “traditional Indian prayer.” For example, Armand Minthorn’s prayer at the January 5, 2023 meeting started with, “Today, as we come together, we thank our Creator for our life, our family, and our friends. And we ask our Creator today to give us strength and courage to go on and go forward.”

Perhaps most troubling is the acceptance of Native American religious creation myths as evidence for present day tribal affiliation to past populations. These tales have been leveraged to empty museums and universities of research collections–collections that might otherwise contribute to advancements in forensic identification techniques, aiding today’s Native American crime victims.

Final examples of the US government supporting Native American religions involve discriminatory practices based on sex. For instance, at the Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center, religious traditions led Inuit elders to forbid female archaeologists from handling certain artifacts. Similarly, when the California Department of Transportation archaeologists collaborated with the Kashaya Pomo tribe, the tribe’s religious protocols dictated that menstruating women be isolated, prohibited from conducting fieldwork, kept away from Native elders, and forbidden from talking about spiritual topics!

It is time for the US government to stop its unconstitutional denominational preference of Native American religions. Stopping these preferences would uphold the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause, protect scientific endeavors, and prevent discriminatory practices.

==

You shouldn't be any more comfortable with the Navajo making demands based on their religion than Xianity or Islam. Being loosely defined and vaguely "spiritual" doesn't change any of that.

Imagine an Orthodox Jew dictating "that menstruating women be isolated, prohibited from conducting fieldwork, kept away from Jewish elders, and forbidden from talking about spiritual topics" and being able to get traction and compliance from the government (and government institutions).

Your religion's rules apply to you, not me. If your religion forbids putting cremains on the moon, don't send any cremains to the moon. If your religion demands the moon be honored, go honor the moon. Over there.

#Elizabeth Weiss #Navajo Nation #Native American religions #First Amendment #US Constitution #Establishment Clause #secularism #separation of church and state #freedom of religion #indigenous religions #religion #religion is a mental illness

[post-it-free]

US Presidential Appointments

Obviously a chance to not have a majority of monsters on the Supreme Court is reason enough, but: I encourage people to consider both a) how important it would be to just have a competent, (even if they are moderate) person in some of these positions, and b) how badly it could harm people to have someone actively malicious in these roles. I have tried to arrange these in a way that makes sense to me, but different departments sometimes have weird crossover. If you don't know about some of these, wikipedia can give a decent summation of "what does the Energy Secretary even DO?"

A (non-exhaustive) list of positions that are appointed by the US President. Some also require confirmation by the Senate, but some don't.

Director of Office on Violence Against Women; Director of the Women’s Bureau

All members of the National Council on Disability

All members of National Board for Education Sciences; director of the National Institute of Museum & Library Services, National Science Foundation, and National Institute for Literacy Advisory boards; Librarian of the Library of Congress

Administrator, Inspector General, and CFO of NASA; Chief Scientist of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Secretary of Education; Secretary of Housing & Urban Development; Secretary of State

Administrator of Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Admin; Director of National Institutes of Health, Secretary of Department of Health & Human Services (oversees FDA, CDC, NIH, Indian Health Services, Administration for Children and Families, Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services)

Secretary of Department of Homeland Security, Director of the Census, Director of Social Security Administration

Department of the Interior (incl. Directors of the National Park service, Land Management, Surface Mining Reclamation/Enforcement)

Director of the Environmental Protection Agency, 5 Members of the Chemical Safety & Hazard Investigation Board

Secretary of Transportation (incl. Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Admin, Federal Railroad Admin, FAA), Secretary of Department of Energy, 7 Members of Amtrak reform board

Federal Communications Commission (FCC - remember net neutrality?), 9 Directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Secretary of Labor (5 members + General Counsel of National Labor Relations board), Chair of National Endowment for the Arts, 5 Commissioners + General Counsel of EEOC)

Director of Indian Health Service, Commissioner of the Office of Navajo & Hopi Indian Relocation, Commissioner for Administration for Native Americans, All members of the Board of Trustees of the Institute of American Indian & Alaska Native Culture & Arts Development

Director of Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Commissioners of Consumer Product Safety Commission, Director of Securities and Exchange Commission

#voting #both sides are not the same #both sides are not 'just as bad' #biden #joe biden

[jcmarchi]

Just Because You Can Pay to Have Your Ashes Buried on the Moon Doesn't Mean You Should - Technology Org

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/just-because-you-can-pay-to-have-your-ashes-buried-on-the-moon-doesnt-mean-you-should-technology-org/

Just Because You Can Pay to Have Your Ashes Buried on the Moon Doesn't Mean You Should - Technology Org

Sending human ashes and personal mementoes to the Moon is now possible, but it opens up a maze of legal and ethical conundrums.

When NASA attempted to return to the Moon for the first time in 50 years, more was at risk than just US$108 million worth of development and equipment.

The Moon is smaller than Earth, and this fact is also one of the reasons why its gravity is not sufficient to retain any atmospheric gases near its surface. Image credit: NASA

The agency earned the ire of the Native American Navajo people, who made a bid to stop the launch because of an unusual inclusion in the payload.

The Peregrine lander (which completed its controlled re-entry into the atmosphere late last week) carried human ashes, including those of famed science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke. A commercial partnership also allowed paying customers to send their mementos to the Moon.

As space exploration becomes increasingly privatised and commercial, you can now send your favourite stuff to the Moon. But what does that mean, both ethically and legally?

The Moon open for business

US company Astrobotic owns the Peregrine, which is the size of a small car. It ran into fatal fuel issues shortly after being launched on Vulcan Centaur rocket from Cape Canaveral.

On board are “vanity canisters”. The idea arose in a partnership between the firm and global freight company DHL.

Under the deal, anyone can send two and a half centimetre by five centimetre package to the lunar surface for less than US$500. Apart from size, there were a few other limitations on what each package could contain.

Astrobotic, founded in 2007 and based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is one of several US companies providing commercial lunar payload services to NASA to deliver science and technology to the Moon. Peregrine was also carrying scientific instruments from six countries and many science teams.

Perhaps surprisingly, sending ashes into space is not new aboard suborbital and Earth orbital flights.

Two American companies make a business of the service starting at just a few thousand dollars – Celestis and Elysium Space. The practice is embraced by many, including astronauts who have been in space.

A Moon burial (yes, you can buy one) costs more – around US$13,000.

Commercial payloads launched from US soil require approval, but that approval process only covers safety, national security, and foreign policy.

Peregrine, if it had made it, would have marked the first commercial lunar burial. It’s uncharted territory as other worlds become within reach, although it is not the first time it has come up.

NASA pledged to consult in the future after an outcry from the Navajo when, 20 years ago, it carried some of Eugene Shoemaker’s ashes to the Moon aboard the Lunar Prospector probe. Like many other indigenous cultures, the Navajo Nation considers the Moon sacred and opposes using it as a memorial site.

However, NASA said in a press briefing it had no control over what was on Peregrine, highlighting the gaps between commercial enterprise and international space law.

A legal minefield

Another question concerns the rules in individual nations on where and how human ashes can be located, handled, and transported and how those could extend to space. For example, in Germany, ashes must be buried in a cemetery.

With space privatisation accelerating, the ethical and legal maze deepens.

The Outer Space Treaty (OST) declares space the “province of all mankind” while banning national appropriation.

It fails, however, to address what private companies and individuals can do.

The recent Artemis Accords, signed by 32 nations, expand protection to lunar sites of historical significance. But these protections only apply to governments, not commercial missions.

And no one owns the Moon to grant burial rights, or any other world or celestial body.

The treaty requires states to authorise and supervise activities in space. It requires “due regard” for the interests of other states.

Many countries have space law that includes grounds for refusing payload items not in their national interest, for example Indonesia and New Zealand.

Nations apparently without such consideration, including Australia and the US, may need to consider expanding this template with the emergence of the commercial world in a traditionally governmental arena.

Where to draw a line?

Earth’s orbit is already clogged with defunct satellites and, further out, items like Elon Musk’s Tesla.

According to space archaeologist Alice Gorman, we have already spread space probes across other worlds, including the Moon, Mars, Titan, and Venus, but much may be treasure rather than junk.

For example, the Apollo astronauts left official mementos, such as a plaque marking the first human footsteps on the lunar surface. Some have left personal ones, too, like Apollo 16’s Charles Duke, who left a framed family photo.

However, sending a clipping of your hair or the ashes of your pet dog to the Moon may not qualify as culturally and historically important.

The problem, therefore, is where we want to place a line in the sand as we step out into the cosmos onto the shorelines of other worlds.

We cannot turn back the clock on private space enterprise, nor should we.

But this failed mission with ashes and vanity payloads exemplifies the unexplored questions in the legal and ethical infrastructure to support commercial activities.

It is worth pausing for thought on future commercialisation such as mining asteroids and the eventual colonisation of space.

Source: UNSW

You can offer your link to a page which is relevant to the topic of this post.

#000 #asteroids #astronauts #Astronomy news #atmosphere #Australia #board #Business #Companies #cosmos #deal #development #dog #earth #earth's moon #Elon Musk #enterprise #equipment #Featured Space news #fuel #Future #Germany #Global #gravity #how #human #Image of the week #inclusion #Infrastructure #issues

[weirdestbooks]

Secret States Chapter 10

Getting No Sleep Isn’t That Bad, Right?

France POV

DC, NASA, Vermont, and American Samoa all exchanged looks after my question.

"I mean...not really. It's just something that we've all accepted as a constant in our lives. Tama would like a regular sleep schedule, it's just...not possible." America Samoa said, biting his lip, shooting DC a glance.

"How is it not possible? NATO mentioned a lot of work, but it can't be that much." Scotland asked.

"Well there is. Dad has a lot to manage. He has the states, the territories, me, and then the reservations, although the states and reservations can manage their own things sometimes." DC explained.

"Reservations?" Wales asked.

"The Native American tribes. Some of them have their own land, and make their own laws there. What did Dad call them again?" NASA explained, before looking to DC as he asked his question.

"They're 'domestically dependent nations.' Their governments work very similarly to the states, just without the strong connection to other state governments, or the federal government." DC said. I was shocked. America had given his native tribes sovereignty over land? And his native tribes were still alive? I thought that they had all died long ago.

"The tribes are alive?" Britain asked. American Samoa nodded.

"Over 500 tribes are recognized as tribes, but the 326 that have reservations are the ones who can govern themselves, at least on an extent." American Samoa explained.

"Not all 326 reservations belong to a single tribe. Some have more that one. Just use the 574 federally recognized tribes as a headcount." Vermont told his siblings.

"Although Navajo Nation, Hopi Nation, Cherokee Nation, Choctaw Nation, and Pine Ridge Indian Reservation are the five who are considered autonomous administrative territories." DC explained. Oh my. I mean, when I learned America was a union, I knew he was going to be divided up into many parts, but I didn't expect it to be this many pieces.

Or for it to be this complicated. America had divided himself into so many different parts, the states, the territories, the reservations. How did he deal with the demands of so many different parts? He was divided into more pieces that UN was, and UN had the majority of the world in his organization.

"That's...a lot." Northern Ireland said. Vermont laughed.

"There are a lot of different native people. They aren't all the same. If you want to know more about their culture, see if Ari, Okie, Xico, Vada, Wash, Ore, Southie, or Cali can help you. There the states with the most reservations, right?" NASA explained, before asking DC his question. I didn't recognize any of those names, aside from Cali, so they wouldn't help me that much.

But I guess that states were so used to calling each other nicknames that they didn't use real names. The states weren't used to have to call each other by their real names to clarify who they were to strangers.

Because America kept them a secret. No matter what we learned about America in the past couple of days, everything really stems from, and comes back to, America keeping the states secret. I know they wanted to be kept secret, and I could understand Louisiana's reasoning. What I did to here was horrible, and I should of been a better sister to her when I had the chance.

I just wish they wanted to meet us. I looked back at DC, NASA, and American Samoa. I wonder if any of them wanted to keep themselves secret from the world?

"I believe so, yes." DC responded.

"Why do you always ask DC questions?" New Zealand asked NASA.

"I'm the space exploration program. I know about things outside of this planet. Not so much about internal politics. Everyone tries to stick to their own thing unless another state does something they don't like. D helps Dad keep track of everything involving the entire Union." NASA explained.

"Yeah. Although if I get statehood, I will not longer be keeping track of things." DC said.

"But you're like the federal government." American Samoa said.

"Dad is the federal government. I am a federal district that is run by the federal government, more specifically the US Congress. Which basically means I'm run by the people the states elected." DC explained.

"Don't you guys have people in Congress?" NASA asked.

"Yeah but they can't do anything. We aren't states, so we can't vote on the laws, just complain to the states and their representatives and senators to do something that will benefit us." American Samoa said.

"Really? What about equal representation?" Britain asked. American Samoa shrugged.

"It's always been this way. All the states were territories at some point, aside from the Thirteen, Texas and Vermont. They all went through a period of not having a say in Congress." DC explained.

"Oh." Britain said, "I just assumed with the whole Revolution America would give everyone representation."

"It doesn't work that way." NASA said, shrugging.

"The Constitution never really planned for territories outside land that would eventually become a state, so the territories were left with no voting representation. But that's not what we're here to talk about, nor is it the entire reason for any of that." Vermont said. DC nodded, before turning to face Britain and Canada.

"I want to know that you're sorry for burning me." She said, her eyes narrowed in anger and suspicion. The air in the room, well hallway I guess, become awkward. All of the countries here, aside from Australia, New Zealand, and Northern Ireland, had something they had to apologize for to a state.

"I'm sorry about everything that happened during that battle. I...I...I don't think I could ever apologize enough for what happened." Canada apologized, his apology falling out of his mouth quickly, like he had been waiting to say it.

After his breakdown over realizing he burnt his niece, my granddaughter, I expected that. After hearing everything thing that happened during the Burning of Washington it made sense. Canada was incredibly kind hearted and very protective over his family, even after everything that happened between him and America. And finding out that he unknowingly hurt his family and not just his family, but a child, was hard enough without the fact that he tried to kill America at the same time.

"I know you went along because Britain wanted to burn the capital and you wanted revenge. I would forgive you if it was just that. It will take a while to gain trust from me. What about you Britain?" DC told Canada before questioning Britain.

"I apologize as well. I never meant to hurt anyone that wasn't America." Britain told DC, who narrowed her eyes.

"You shouldn't have been trying to hurt us at all and just recognized our independence properly." I heard Vermont mutter under his breath. Ireland looked toward Vermont, who shrugged.

"An apology's nice. But I'm not going to trust you again until you can prove that you're trustworthy." DC said.

"Deja vu." Muttered Scotland. He wasn't wrong about that. DC sounded a lot like America did when the British Isles were trying to earn back his trust. He accepted the apology, but that wasn't all it took to win back his forgiveness.

He gave everyone certain demands or things they had to do. One of the those demands for England was to keep whatever happened in the 1860s a secret. I wish I knew what happened. The states seemed very angry about whatever happened, but kept it a secret because America asked.

England mentioned that it was personal for America, and he seemed very intent on not mentioning what happened. Was that because America asked? Or because he wanted to keep us from finding out he threaten to declare war on America? Maybe it was just because he didn't want to talk about whatever happened?

Whatever happened during that time period wasn't good. I wish I could know what happened. I don't think keeping it a secret will help anyone in the end. Especially not America. But that's not my decision to make. I hope that America will trust me with that secret someday.

And I hoped that someday came soon. Mon fils was clearly struggling with many things, the plethora of children, the lack of a constant sleep schedule, and whatever happened during those years of silence. Whatever happened in the 1860s.

Whatever happened seemed to terrify mon fils beyond anything I had seen before. It was a bit scary to me. Not only because of my worry and concern as his mother, but as a nation. If the sole superpower is scared of something, it's usually a cause for concern.

"I understand. Your father was the same way when we went to fix our relationship. I was patient then, I can be patient now." Britain said. DC nodded.

"Well now that we're done dealing with that...I don't know we didn't really plan discussion topics." American Samoa said.

"I could blab about space." NASA said raising upon his hand.

"If you don't mind, I wanted to catch up with Vermont." Canada said. NASA nodded.

"That's fine." He said before turning to me. "Do you want to hear about the Perseverance mission on Mars?"

"Ou te tauto pe a toe taʻua e ia lena misiona o le a ou leiloa." (I swear if he mentions that mission one more time I’m going to lose it.) American Samoa muttered.

"Not sure what you said but I'm pretty sure it's an insult. So...hey, you don't have to me mean about me being excited about my things." NASA said, causing DC and Vermont to roll their eyes.

"I would be interest in hearing about the Mars space mission." Wales said. NASA nodded and smiled.

"That's great! Normally the only people when get excited about missions are Dad and Flor, because Dad likes space and all the stuff I did for the Apollo mission was mainly in Florida, which got him into space. And I guess Navajo is more into space now since we're using her language to name things." NASA said, his speech getting faster and more excited as his wings flared out and hit American Samoa, with DC barley dodging them.

"Will you stop doing that! I swear to god you have no control over your wings you muli!" American Samoa said.

"Sorry Sam. You know I get excited about my projects and missions." NASA said. American Samoa rolled his eyes.

"Sometimes you get overly excited Nas." Vermont said. NASA nodded.

"I know, but space is just really cool! And its my thing. I'm the space program in case any of you forgot." NASA said.

"Why do you think you have a countryhuman anyway? Nada has a space program, and Mom and Dad are part of Europe's space program, but neither of those programs have countryhumans?" New Zealand asked. I had never though about that. It did seem weird that America was the only country we knew of to have a countryhuman for their space program, when he always far from the only country to have a space program. NASA shrugged.

"No idea." He said.

"The US is a weird place that doesn't like making sense. There. That's your answer." American Samoa said.

"Well you're not wrong about that." Vermont said. That made a lot of sense as an explanation. Even before we found out about the states, many things America did were always considered odd by at least thirty countries.

From his use of the imperial system, his large personal space bubble (a trait the states seemed to share), and many other things that didn't happen anywhere but his country. America was always very different from other countries, not in a bad way, he could just be a bit odd.

Being revealed as a Union, a father, having a horrible sleep schedule, and haunted by something horrible that happened in his past weren't the normal oddities I had always learned to expect from America.

And I'm not sure why this worried me so much. Maybe it was fear that America was hiding more secrets that could be harmful to his mental health. America did have a habit of saying he was fine, even if he was far from it. America could be hurting his mental health and not even realizing it.

So that's most likely the source of my worry, although I had no idea how to get America to open up enough to trust me with personal information about his mental health. While America was close to us as a family, he could be very closed off sometimes, most likely a result from his isolationist days.

"I guess we could give you a quick introduction to all the states, but you can get to know them more personally at separate times. There's way to many of us to do it all at once, even if you exclude my siblings you already know." DC said. Vermont frowned.

"Would you mind if I caught up with Bec and introduced him to our siblings at a separate time?" He asked. DC turned towards Canada.

"Well? How do you feel about that?" She asked him. Canada nodded.

"I want to catch up with Mont. It's been a long time." He said. NASA sighed and looked disappointed.

"Guess I can't blab about space now. Oh well I'll do it later." He remarked.

"Well D, have fun giving them a tour. I've got to get something set up with Guam." America Samoa said before running off.

"If you make a mess you're cleaning it up!" Vermont yelled after him. I stifled a giggle at that. All of America's kids so far have had different personalities, but they all seemed to fix together, regardless of how different they seemed.

I mean, if they didn't fit together, America might now be alive right now. I pushed away that depressing though. I already had enough America related worries. I didn't need to give myself anymore.

"Well I guess we can start introducing you to whoever we run into. We can check the house , but since Dad broke up Michi and 'Hio's fight, I'm not sure who's in here." DC said.

"Before we start, or you could start and I'll catch up, but I was wondering if I could talk to America?" I asked DC, who nodded.

"What about?" Britain asked.

"Just his sleep schedule. It's not healthy." I responded. Britain nodded.

"Yes, if you can convince Dad to sleep, that would be great. He needs it, regardless of how much he says he doesn't." NASA said. DC nodded.

"Yeah, please get him to sleep. He's probably trying to do work right now." Vermont said, before turning to Canada, "So, Bec, what do you want to catch up on?"

As Vermont and Canada began talking, and DC took everyone else to meet the other states, I walked into America's room. He was sitting at a desk, leaning over a piece of paper. His head would droop slightly before he raised it up again. America was barley keeping himself awake.

"Ame. You need to sleep." I told him. America looked up at me, his eye bags prominent.

"I'm fine. I just need to finish this, then I'll try." He said before returning back to his work, head continuing to droop every couple of seconds. Why did America have to be so stubborn? Sure, it could be helpful sometimes, but America took it to a ridiculous extreme.

"America you're barley staying awake. Your health is more important than your work." I told him.

"It's not." America said, before looking at me, widening his eyes. Clearly America hasn't meant to say that, and it was concerning. Why does America think work is more important than his health?

"Ame..." I said. America looked down.

"I..." he said, seeming at a lost for words.

"Ame I will not let you hurt yourself this way. You need to set aside your work and go to sleep." I told him. America looked back up at me.

"I...Mom...I just...I...I..." he tried to protest, trailing off as he couldn't come up with an argument.

"Ame." I said. America sighed.

"Fine, but if I don't fall asleep within five minutes, and I'm going back to doing my work." America said. I nodded, and America stood up before walking over to his bed. He laid down on top of the covers.

"I'm telling you, I'm not going to fall asleep." America said.

Two minutes later he had fallen asleep. I smiled. I hope this would help America. I would help him now, but the topic of getting him a healthy sleep schedule was still important. America didn't seem to realize how harmful his sleep schedule was.

He also thought that work was more important than his health. That wasn't something I expected from America, and it worried me. America was going to get himself killed one of these days if he continued with that habit.

"Юг, моля." (South, please.) I heard America mutter, his voice sounding slightly distressed. I didn't understand what he was saying, so I could be sure if he was having a nightmare or not.

"떠날 수 없어!" (You can’t leave.) America said again, sound more panicked. I was worried now. America did would like he was having a nightmare, although, without understanding him, I didn't know what. Could be about the 1860s, that event that England, America, and his children wanted to keep secret? Was it about another traumatic event America faced?

"Confederacy no!" America cried out once more, this time I was able to understand him. Who was Confederacy, and what was America saying no about? Did this have something to do with the 1860s. I heard crying and saw that America had woken up, and was hugging himself, while softly crying.

"Ame?" I asked. America looked up at me, before buying his face in his knees, which he had pulled up to his chest.

"Mon fils..." I said before sitting on the bed next to America, giving him a hug. America turned his face into my shoulder and began crying into it, while hugging me back, seeming desperate for a source of comfort.

This sort of vulnerability was something I had never seen from America. While he was still close with me and the rest of our family, he never showed any extreme sadness or fear. Nothing close to the levels I had seen over the last couple of days. Not showing signs of experiencing negative emotions beyond little incidents was probably a red flag I should of seen sooner.

America had hid his negative emotions from the world, from his family, trying to project an image that he was okay, and fine. As I held my sobbing son, crying over a nightmare from an event I knew nothing about, I saw that the image he projected didn't show what he was really like.

America hid important parts of himself from everyone.

But why did he find that necessary?

Why didn't he think he could trust others with the most vulnerable parts of himself?

I didn't have an idea. America's life since his independence always seemed full of conflicts. Maybe it had something to do with that. Maybe it had something to do with his independence. The only person who knew for sure was America.

And I don't think he was going to be telling anyone his reasons.

#secret states by weird #weird’s wattpad stories #countryhumans #statehumans #writing

[abirdssong]

This is a message to all indigenous peoples in the United States of America. It's time we stood up to the corrupt politicians that own our land and run our reservations. Am I talking about the President and the nationwide government? No! What I'm talking about is our own local corrupt politicians- even our own people- that are paid millions and do nothing- absolutely nothing- to help our communities. 

For over a hundred years, our people have become more depressed and downtrodden, turning to alcohol and other addictions as our only escape. What have our representatives done about this? They've only served to separate us even more from the rest of the country, keeping us in reservations that some even call "concentration camps." They keep us in a state of complete dependence on the reservations and politicians. We've come a long way from the independent and proud tribes we once were. If our representatives actually cared about us, we would've gotten to a point where we could stand on our own two feet by now, but look where we are. We can't just give up and adopt an attitude of learned helplessness. 

According to national studies, Northern Native Americans have a lower IQ than other races within the United States. This is plain wrong! We share the same blood and DNA as the Europeans and Asians in the countries that our ancestors came from. We have just as much potential as them, but are told that we simply don't have the intellect to be academically equal to others. My tribes, the Apache/ Navajo, came from Japan. I have Japanese blood in my veins. How is it possible that my DNA allegedly puts me at a disadvantage when Asians tend to rank the highest in IQ tests? That's because so many of my people have given up on academics, accepting the belief that we truly are inferior. Meanwhile, there are natives like me who end up winning math and science competitions run by NASA of all people because we refuse to believe this. The truth is, the fault is with our schools and our own tribal councils. Native children need more learning opportunities in our public schools and colleges. Even after seeing no positive results from our representatives, we continue to vote for the same people. We just vote for name recognition. We need representatives who will get this done, not just make promises they can't keep. 

#Rant #Native American #indigenous #Tribes #Tribal #Government #Education #Navajo #Apache #Cherokee #Blackfoot #Powhatan #Hopi #Etc...

[nicksayers]

On the evening/midday of 23 December, I drew Robert in the Arizona desert, USA, for my #NickDrawsNationals pandemic portraits project. I’d already drawn a sitter in California, but I couldn’t resist the opportunity to draw sun-baked desert scrub while it was midwinter and raining in England (I was inspired by his Facebook photo of a cactus he’d put geometric Christmas baubles on!). I’ve also decided to add portraits for the US’s main time zones – it’s a big country with a lot of English speakers, after all! I know Robert from Bridges math-art conference. He has attended almost every one since it started in 1998, and now coordinates the art exhibition there. He trained as an electrical engineer, worked for a while at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and later launched his own business, Tessellations, selling maths-related dice, puzzles and games. I remembered using multi-sided dice (D20, D12 etc) as a kid, playing Dungeons & Dragons, and he says this is still one of his key consumer groups. He has also collaborated with mathematicians to make ’fair’ 60- and 120-sided dice. Although he didn’t go to art school, he’s learned printmaking independently and has recently been making ceramic sculptures of hyperbolic forms. During lockdown the local potteries closed, so he bought his own kiln to fire his work. Other than that, the pandemic hasn’t affected his work too much, except for lower sales. The local Republican governor has been slow to mandate the wearing of face masks or temporary business closures. We talked about Arizona’s Native American community (Navajo Nation and others); local wildlife (behind Robert were some prickly pear and staghorn cholla cactuses); coyotes, rattlesnakes and scorpions he’s seen; and hiking through the nearby hills. Despite the sun, it wasn’t as warm as it looked (about 16��C), so he was wearing thick gloves with his short-sleeved shirt. #nickdrawsneighbours #drawing #portrait #portraitdrawing #portraiture #birodrawing #ballpointpen #ballpointpenart #ballpoint #neighbours #sketching #artinlockdown #artinisolation #isolationart #NickDrawsNationals (at Portslade, West Sussex, United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/CJVcAkCnDLt/?igshid=yy0f7w9h9div

#nickdrawsnationals #nickdrawsneighbours #drawing #portrait #portraitdrawing #portraiture #birodrawing #ballpointpen #ballpointpenart #ballpoint #neighbours #sketching #artinlockdown #artinisolation #isolationart

[eng355islit-blog]

T4- Native American Literature: Spirituality, Nature and Cycles of Repetition

Introduction

This week we navigated to the west and read three distinct pieces of literature that highlight different aspects of Native American heritage. There is a deep connection between this heritage and the natural world-- a spirituality that is communicated through spoken word, ritual, storytelling and music. We familiarize ourselves with the following three pieces: Silko’s “The Yellow Woman,” Navajo “The Night Chant” and “the Conquest of Mexico” from Book 12 of the Florentine Codex.  Themes of spirituality and the natural world are emphasized through the use of a literary device: repetition. We see this most prominently in “The Night Chant” and “THe Conquest of Mexico.” In “The Yellow Woman” the significance of a connection with the natural world through which the narrator can express herself and relate to, is seen throughout the short story. 

The Yellow Woman by Leslie Marmon Silko

Silko’s short story follows the narrator, an unnamed woman, as she is kidnapped by an ancestral spirit who introduces himself to her as Silva.  The fact that she is unnamed and goes on to identify with being the yellow Woman at the end of the tale goes to show that she, like the Yellow Woman, is symbolic of an Everywoman.

“I looked at him beside me, rolled in the red blanket on the white river sand”

These two quotes are examples of the distinct way Silko uses natural imagery. The red blanket is the earth that Silva and the Yellow Woman sleep on and moonflowers in the following are an extension of the Yellow Woman.

“Moonflowers blossom in the sand hills before dawn, just as I followed him” 

The Night Chant from Navajo Ceremony

The Night Chant is a healing ritual of the Navajo that focuses on a single person (Navajo Ceremony, 2014). This specific chant focuses on healing disorders of the brain and strokes. It takes place over nine days and only during the fall or winter seasons. The section of the night chant we looked at in our text is what happens on the ninth and final day of the ritual.

In Tségihi,

In the house made of the dawn.

In the house made of the evening twilight.

In the house made of the dark cloud.

In the house made of the he-rain.

In the house made of the dark mist.

In the house made of the she-rain.

In the house made of pollen.

In the house made of grasshoppers.

As we see in the quoted text, a literary device that is prevalent in this piece of Native American Literature is the use of repetition. In the above quote, “in the house made of” is repeated to signify the importance of what is found in the home of these powerful gods. Rain, thunder, twilight, and even insects are vital to the Navajo as they as the thunder god to come down from Tsegihi to heal the subject of the ritual.

Did You Know?: The Night Chant was included on the Voyager 1 record. Voyager 1 was launched in 1977 with the Golden Record on board. This record is “intended to communicate a story of our world to extraterrestrials,” according to NASA’s website. This goes to show how important Native American heritage is, not only to America but to the world and its history.  

In Class: Play "The Night Chant" at the start of class and have students free write what the music makes them feel as a class opener.

The Conquest of Mexico from Book 12, Florentine Codex

As our text states, “The Conquest of Mexico” is a record of Aztec culture, collected over three decades. It reads differently than the previous two texts but retains many literary devices and poetic devices within. Repetition and rephrasing are used often. The way the Spaniards are described in the beginning is of note- they are remarkable for their strength. In the following quote, iron, is mentioned many times as their armor and weapons were made of it. What a sight it must have been for the Aztecs to see silver men!

“All iron was their war array. In iron they clothed themselves. With iron they covered their heads. Iron were their swords. Iron were their crossbows. Iron were their shields. Iron were their lances.”

Then, there is a great example of a simile in the following quote, when Moctezuma sent emissaries to meet Cores with gifts of gold. The Spaniards are likened to pigs for their greed and lust for gold. This ultimately leads to the demise of the Aztec civilization.

“For in truth they thirsted mightily for gold; they stuffed themselves with it; they starved for it; they lusted for it like pigs.”

In Class: Have students view the following video: Cortes' Conquest of the Aztecs

 In the Classroom

Activity 1 - Pop Culture. American Indians in Media

As we get closer and closer to Halloween, we should take into consideration the topic of cultural appropriation. Reel Injun is a documentary that “looks at the history of Hollywood’s portrayal of Native Americans—from the exoticization to the downright violent and ridiculous; from the glory days of silent movies to the less-than-savory John Wayne Westerns—all the way to recent exciting developments in Indian American film culture” (Han, 2016).

Discuss the significance of traditional native american regalia and open up a discussion for the class about whether non-Native Americans wearing this regalia outside of rituals is appropriation or appreciation.

Ask students to relate this to their own cultures and if they can think of similarities of culturally significant traditions or rituals.

Activity 2- Sharing Articles

Share this article with the class. Provide a summary for it to discuss the appropriation of Native American heritage.

Have students log into Newsela.com and read from the articles on Native American Heritage. They can complete a short quiz at the end of each article.

Activity 3 - Fieldwork!

Trip to the National Museum of the American Indian

Peruse the National American Heritage Month website here: and offer extra credit points for students to attend events and turn in a written report tying in what they saw to Native American Spirituality and the significance of the Natural World.

Plan a field trip to a PowWow during National American Indian Heritage Month in November! This Video is a good representation of what to expect at a PowWow. Here students can experience American Indian heritage first hand.

References

Andrews, T. M. (2017, November 27). NASA launched this record into space in 1977. Now, you can own your own copy. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/11/27/nasa-launched-this-record-into-space-in-1977-now-you-can-own-your-own-copy/.

Florentine Codex. “The Conquest of Mexico.” Norton Anthology of World Literature Volume 1, edited by Puchner, Martin, 2014, pp 1937-1942.  

Han, A.-R. (2016, May 6). 6 Movies About Native Americans You Should Watch Instead of Ridiculous 6. Retrieved from https://groundswell.org/good-netflix-native-american-movies/.

Navajo Ceremony. “The Night Chant (Orature Section)” Norton Anthology of World Literature Volume 2, edited by Puchner, Martin, 2014, pp 998-1001.  

Silko, Leslie Marmon. “Yellow Woman.” Norton Anthology of World Literature Volume 2, edited by Puchner, Martin, 2014, pp 1684-1690.

#eng355 #eng-355 #eng 355

[earth-as-art]

Lake Powell and Grand Staircase-Escalante

This panorama, photographed by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station, shows nearly the full length of Lake Powell, the reservoir on the Colorado River in southern Utah and northern Arizona. Note that the ISS was north of the lake at the time, so in this view south is at the top left of the image.

At full capacity, the reservoir impounds 24,322,000 acre-feet of water, a vast amount that is used to generate and supply water to several western United States, while also aiding in flood control for the region. It is the second largest reservoir by maximum water capacity in the United States (behind Lake Mead).

Landscape elevation changes are hard to see from space, but astronauts learn to interpret high and low places by their color. Green forests indicate two high places in the image that are cooler and receive more rain than the dry, low country surrounding the lake. The isolated Navajo Mountain is a sacred mountain of the Native American Navajo tribe and rises to 3,154 meters (10,348 feet). The long, narrow Kaiparowits Plateau rises nearly 1200 meters (4,000 feet) from Lake Powell to an elevation of more than 2300 meters (7,550 feet). More than 80 kilometers (50 miles) long, the plateau gives a sense of horizontal scale.

The region draws nearly 2 million people every year, even though it is remote and has few roads. Most of the area in view is protected as part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument—the largest amount of protected land in a U.S. national monument.

Astronaut photograph ISS048-E-73279 was acquired on September 6, 2016, with a Nikon D4 digital camera using an 800 millimeter lens, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations Facility and the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Johnson Space Center. The image was taken by a member of the Expedition 48 crew. The image has been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast, and lens artifacts have been removed. The International Space Station Program supports the laboratory as part of the ISS National Lab to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. Caption by M. Justin Wilkinson, Texas State University, and Andi Hollier, Hx5, Jacobs Contract at NASA-JSC.

Instrument(s): ISS - Digital Camera

[wigmund]

From NASA Earth Observatory Image of the Day; January 23, 2017:

Lake Powell and Grand Staircase-Escalante

This panorama, photographed by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station, shows nearly the full length of Lake Powell, the reservoir on the Colorado River in southern Utah and northern Arizona. At full capacity, the reservoir impounds 24,322,000 acre-feet of water, a vast amount that is used to generate and supply water to several western United States, while also aiding in flood control for the region. It is the second largest reservoir by maximum water capacity in the United States (behind Lake Mead).

Landscape elevation changes are hard to see from space, but astronauts learn to interpret high and low places by their color. Green forests indicate two high places in the image that are cooler and receive more rain than the dry, low country surrounding the lake. The isolated Navajo Mountain is a sacred mountain of the Native American Navajo tribe and rises to 3,154 meters (10,348 feet). The long, narrow Kaiparowits Plateau rises nearly 1200 meters (4,000 feet) from Lake Powell to an elevation of more than 2300 meters (7,550 feet). More than 80 kilometers (50 miles) long, the plateau gives a sense of horizontal scale.

The region draws nearly 2 million people every year, even though it is remote and has few roads. Most of the area in view is protected as part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument—the largest amount of protected land in a U.S. national monument.

Astronaut photograph ISS048-E-73279 was acquired on September 6, 2016, with a Nikon D4 digital camera using an 800 millimeter lens, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations Facility and the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Johnson Space Center. The image was taken by a member of the Expedition 48 crew. The image has been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast, and lens artifacts have been removed. The International Space Station Program supports the laboratory as part of the ISS National Lab to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. Caption by M. Justin Wilkinson, Texas State University, and Andi Hollier, Hx5, Jacobs Contract at NASA-JSC. Instrument(s): ISS - Digital Camera

#earth observatory #long post #international space station #reservoir #canyon #river #Glen Canyon #Glen Canyon National Recreation Area #Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument #Lake Powell #Colorado River #Arizona #Utah

[hduarte1]

       Lake Powell and Grand Staircase-Escalante                                

This panorama, photographed by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station, shows nearly the full length of Lake Powell, the reservoir on the Colorado River in southern Utah and northern Arizona. Note that the ISS was north of the lake at the time, so in this view south is at the top left of the image.

At full capacity, the reservoir impounds 24,322,000 acre-feet of water, a vast amount that is used to generate and supply water to several western United States, while also aiding in flood control for the region. It is the second largest reservoir by maximum water capacity in the United States (behind Lake Mead).

Landscape elevation changes are hard to see from space, but astronauts learn to interpret high and low places by their color. Green forests indicate two high places in the image that are cooler and receive more rain than the dry, low country surrounding the lake. The isolated Navajo Mountain is a sacred mountain of the Native American Navajo tribe and rises to 3,154 meters (10,348 feet). The long, narrow Kaiparowits Plateau rises nearly 1200 meters (4,000 feet) from Lake Powell to an elevation of more than 2300 meters (7,550 feet). More than 80 kilometers (50 miles) long, the plateau gives a sense of horizontal scale.

The region draws nearly 2 million people every year, even though it is remote and has few roads. Most of the area in view is protected as part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument—the largest amount of protected land in a U.S. national monument.

Astronaut photograph ISS048-E-73279 was acquired on September 6, 2016, with a Nikon D4 digital camera using an 800 millimeter lens, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations Facility and the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Johnson Space Center. The image was taken by a member of the Expedition 48 crew. The image has been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast, and lens artifacts have been removed.

Annotated image: NASA's Earth Observatory

Image Credit: NASA Caption: M. Justin Wilkinson, Texas State University, and Andi Hollier, Hx5, Jacobs Contract at NASA-JSC

[rjbailey]

Lake Powell and Grand Staircase-Escalante by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center Via Flickr: This panorama, photographed by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station, shows nearly the full length of Lake Powell, the reservoir on the Colorado River in southern Utah and northern Arizona. Note that the ISS was north of the lake at the time, so in this view south is at the top left of the image. At full capacity, the reservoir impounds 24,322,000 acre-feet of water, a vast amount that is used to generate and supply water to several western United States, while also aiding in flood control for the region. It is the second largest reservoir by maximum water capacity in the United States (behind Lake Mead). Landscape elevation changes are hard to see from space, but astronauts learn to interpret high and low places by their color. Green forests indicate two high places in the image that are cooler and receive more rain than the dry, low country surrounding the lake. The isolated Navajo Mountain is a sacred mountain of the Native American Navajo tribe and rises to 3,154 meters (10,348 feet). The long, narrow Kaiparowits Plateau rises nearly 1200 meters (4,000 feet) from Lake Powell to an elevation of more than 2300 meters (7,550 feet). More than 80 kilometers (50 miles) long, the plateau gives a sense of horizontal scale. The region draws nearly 2 million people every year, even though it is remote and has few roads. Most of the area in view is protected as part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument—the largest amount of protected land in a U.S. national monument. Astronaut photograph ISS048-E-73279 was acquired on September 6, 2016, with a Nikon D4 digital camera using an 800 millimeter lens, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations Facility and the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Johnson Space Center. The image was taken by a member of the Expedition 48 crew. The image has been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast, and lens artifacts have been removed. Image Credit: NASA Caption: M. Justin Wilkinson, Texas State University, and Andi Hollier, Hx5, Jacobs Contract at NASA-JSC NASA Media Usage Guidelines

#NASA #NASA's #Marshall #Space #Flight #Center #International #Station #ISS #Now Playing #3rd #February #2017 #February 3rd 2017

[wigmund]

From NASA Image of the Day; February 1, 2017:

Lake Powell and Grand Staircase-Escalante

This panorama, photographed by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station, shows nearly the full length of Lake Powell, the reservoir on the Colorado River in southern Utah and northern Arizona. Note that the ISS was north of the lake at the time, so in this view south is at the top left of the image.

At full capacity, the reservoir impounds 24,322,000 acre-feet of water, a vast amount that is used to generate and supply water to several western United States, while also aiding in flood control for the region. It is the second largest reservoir by maximum water capacity in the United States (behind Lake Mead).

Landscape elevation changes are hard to see from space, but astronauts learn to interpret high and low places by their color. Green forests indicate two high places in the image that are cooler and receive more rain than the dry, low country surrounding the lake. The isolated Navajo Mountain is a sacred mountain of the Native American Navajo tribe and rises to 3,154 meters (10,348 feet). The long, narrow Kaiparowits Plateau rises nearly 1200 meters (4,000 feet) from Lake Powell to an elevation of more than 2300 meters (7,550 feet). More than 80 kilometers (50 miles) long, the plateau gives a sense of horizontal scale.

The region draws nearly 2 million people every year, even though it is remote and has few roads. Most of the area in view is protected as part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument—the largest amount of protected land in a U.S. national monument.

Astronaut photograph ISS048-E-73279 was acquired on September 6, 2016, with a Nikon D4 digital camera using an 800 millimeter lens, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations Facility and the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Johnson Space Center. The image was taken by a member of the Expedition 48 crew. The image has been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast, and lens artifacts have been removed.

Annotated image: NASA's Earth Observatory Image Credit: NASA; Caption: M. Justin Wilkinson, Texas State University, and Andi Hollier, Hx5, Jacobs Contract at NASA-JSC

#nasa image of the day #international space station #long post #reservoir #canyon #river #Glen Canyon #Glen Canyon National Recreation Area #Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument #Lake Powell #Colorado River #Arizona #Utah