Part of the Beads & Buckskins presentation
It
was stated by Native American elders at the Resolution Of The 5th Annual
Meeting Of The Traditional Elders Circle in 1980, that "There are many
things to be shared with the Four Colors of humanity in our common destiny
as one with our Mother the Earth." This statement was signed
by such austere men as Chief Frank Fools Crow (Lakota), Austin
Two Moons (Northern Cheyenne), and Frank Cardinal, Sr.. (Chateh,
Alberta, Canada.) these same elders warned the people of other lands to
beware of individuals who prey upon their spiritual needs.
They stated that, "We concern ourselves only with those
people who use spiritual ceremonies with non-Indian people for profit.
The value of these instructions to our non-Indian brothers and sisters
is questionable, maybe meaningless, and hurtful to the individual carrying
false messages. There are questions that should be asked of these individuals:
What Nation do they represent? What Clan or Society do they belong to?
Who instructed them and where did they learn? and What is their home address?"
(See HERE
for the full statement)
Chuck Derby & Gloria Hazell presenting Beads & Buckskins in 1996 in Minnesota
Chuck and Gloria presenting Beads & Buckskins in 2006 in Europe
Beads & Buckskins
THE PRESENTERS
To answer those questions, the presenters of Beads & Buckskins give these answers:
Chuck
Derby (Running Elk) is Santee Dakota (Sioux),
his father was enrolled with the Sisseton tribe in South Dakota, as
he is also. During the 1860's some of his ancestors, who were Dakota
from the Upper Sioux Agency, quarried in Pipestone and were actually
quarrying when the Minnesota Conflict began in 1862. Chuck's Tribe do
not have Clans, but he would belong to the crafts-peoples society because
of his long-standing (40+ years) experiences of quarrying and pipe-making.
He is the founder member of the Catlinite Quarriers Guild that
is only for people who quarry the Catlinite at the Pipestone quarries.
Chuck was taught by various Medicine men or spiritual leaders, including
the late Dakota Medicine man Amos Owens and the Lakota Medicine man
Joe Flying Bye, from the Standing Rock Reservation in South Dakota who
adopted Chuck as his son, which is a great honor, at that time he was
also given a new name. Joe Flying Bye passed on to the Spirit
world in June, 2000, he will be greatly missed at the Center. Among
his friends are spiritual leaders such as Harry Charger (Lakota) and
Chris Leith (Dakota) and author Ed McGaa. Chuck was born in Pipestone,
Minnesota, and has lived there ever since. He has been a pipe maker,
and a quarrier of the Sacred stone for over 30 years. He is also the
elected spokesman for the Original Pipestone Dakota Tiospaye. He has
run the Little Feather Indian Interpretive Center since 1988, full time
since his retirement from the U.S. Park Service (where he worked for
31 years,) in 1994. Just ask for Chuck in Pipestone and you will be
directed to him immediately!
Chuck passed away of Pancreatic cancer in 2010 after a 4 month illness.
These programs are no longer being presented in America. Gloria returned to the UK in 2011 and presents a smaller version there.
and.....
Gloria Hazell started this program in the 1980's in New Jersey where she taught at schools and private presentations the cultural aspects of the Native American tribes. When she moved to Minnesota in the 1990's and met Chuck she invited him to join her in these presentations and changed the name to 'Beads and Buckskins'.
Gloria is not not Native American but has learned from various people on different reservations across America. She has been Chuck Derby's business partner since 1994, and his life-partner since 1998. During her time with Chuck she has met various Medicine men and spiritual elders and is proud to count as her friends many Sundancers and Medicine men such as Chris Leith, Harry Charger and Galen Drapeau Senior. She also counts AIM leaders Clyde Bellacourt and Dennis Banks and the Keeper of the White Buffalo Pipe, Arvol Looking Horse among her long time acquaintences.
Gloria had the advantage of attending the Pipestone Sundance since it's first year, and pledged at that time to assist with their work and to support the dancers for at least 8 years which she did before she returned to England. She says that she learned more at those Sundances than she did in all the years travelling around the country visiting the Reservations. She now attends the Pipestone Sundance whenever she can.
During her years as Chuck's partner she has travelled with him to political meetings in the Minnesota/South Dakota/Nebraska areas, and so knows quite a bit about how the politics in Indian Country sit. She has worked on various Native American committees, the latest being the 'Dakota Commemorative March'. in 2003/4, 2005/06 & 2007/08.
Gloria is the mother of four and the grandmother of twelve, including twins of 2 months old! she follows the pre-Celtic spiritual ways of her homeland England, journeying often to Avebury where her ancestors gave her the name Iron Woman which she says fits her like a T!
Right
now Gloria is setting up a series of museums honouring the women of
the world who have done extraordinary things.
Gloria and Chuck were married legally in May 2010, a few months before Chuck passed over. She now works alone in the UK.
