First Female Cherokee Chief

Wilma Mankiller was born in Oklahoma and was the first female Cherokee chief.  She was a strong and articulate civil rights proponent and figure for both Native causes and women’s causes.  I found that her assertions that most “American” women know very little about Native American women, and the little that they do know has been tainted by Hollywood, and is largely negative or not quite accurate.  I find that an interesting statement because, I don’t think that it’s only limited to American women; I feel American men know very little accurate information about actual Native American women. 

I feel that it shows just how civilized the Native tribes were because a number of them have women equal or even higher status than men (referencing at least matriarchal Native tribe of the Eastern Woodlands that I am familiar with).  This like so many other facts completely refute the Europeans views of the Natives as being uncivilized.  The only way for people to gain a more accurate view of who the Natives were/are is going to be through education and strong advocates like Wilma.

As far as female role models go, I could think of few that would be better than Wilma Mankiller. She personifies, in my estimation, a fantastic role model for both Natives and non-Native alike.  It is unfortunate that I had not learned about her prior to this class, as it may have given me a broader perspective of what it’s like to be a Native female in this country before beginning this course.   

Wilma Mankiller - Role Model

Sonoma State University presents Wilma Mankiller

Wilma Mankiller was the first female Principle Chief of the Cherokee nation of Oklahoma. Through the experiences of her childhood living away from the reservation in San Francisco and the awakening of the Indian rights movement of the 60’s and 70’s she became politically involved in the plight of Native Americans. Upon returning to the Cherokee Reservation in Oklahoma and working as a community coordinator for the tribe she was asked by then chief Ross Swimmer to run as deputy chief. She became principle chief when he was nominated to head the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington, DC. She served 3 consecutive 4 year terms as chief and would have run again for the position had not her health been poor. She passed away in 2010 from pancreatic cancer.

Her speech at Sonoma State University (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVLgwpHSYv0) should be required viewing for high school students studying American history as she discusses the sovereignty and structure of tribal governments and the role of women in those governments. She correctly describes how tribes have lost the ability to sustain themselves due to the enormous amount of land that was ceded to the United States through treaties or otherwise taken from them, leaving little or no natural resources to build an economy on.

   

Wilma expounds on the fact that most Americans have no understanding of who modern Native Americans are or what their culture is like. Her story of the non-native visitor to a tribal village asking where all the Indians were and getting the response “Probably at K-Mart” spoke volumes about the mistaken perceptions Native Americans. She is passionate about the need within the tribal structure to preserve the stories that recount tribal history and culture that have been handed down verbally from generation to generation and are being lost when elders pass on.

What stands out is the role model that Wilma Mankiller was and is, not only to Native Americans but to women of all cultural heritages. She was a strong and determined leader who was not afraid to see the positive aspect of any situation or crisis and to look to the past for solutions while showing compassion and concern for maintaining Native American culture and traditional values. Her example is a guidebook for the continued emergence of Native Americans as respected and revered members of American culture.

WIlma Mankiller

Wilma Mankiller was born in Oklahoma, and became the first Cherokee female chief in 1985. She was a major Civil rights activist, but due to illness she did not "seek re-election" in 1995. In her speech, she states that most American woman do not know much about Native woman, other than Sacagawea. This actually seems like a very spot on statement, maybe throw in Pocahontas and there ends the knowledge of native woman. She claims that there are many negative stereotypes towards native woman due to TV, media, and film, which is very much true.

I did find that while what Wilma had to say was extremely interesting, it was hard to listen to her speak and it almost felt like she was just droning on and on with not much tone in her voice. I had to actually google her, to get a better aspect of what she said to be able to actually comprehend it. From what I did gather, she seemed like an extremely passionate woman, who had nothing but the best interest for her people and led her people through very difficult times for 2 decades, standing up for women rights in everything she did.

I find it extremely honorable that American Indians have had woman rights, and women were considered "equal" to men long before  the American people began to accept equal rights. It also stood out to me a something that I realized a few weeks ago. Wilma points out that it amazes her, that so many white Americans, know nothing about the people who have inhabited this land long before Europeans ever set foot on it. Yet, The American Indians were forced to learn about the American people and were not given a choice about being integrated into society. Learning English, reading literature, going to church, dressing like white folk as well as the day to day life of the American culture.

When asked by tourists visiting Cherokee land, "where are all the Indians" Wilma responded often with "truthfully, they're probably at Kmart". This got a laugh from her audience as well as from me. Subconsciously we all think that natives still live in their sheepskin/buckskin, feathered hats and teepees; even on reservations. Reality check for most Americans, natives live in homes, just like us, shop at stores and markets, just like us, and drive cars, just like us. I feel like Natives need a section in US Weekly similar to celebrities titled "Native Americans, they're just like us!" But then, that would be considered a derogatory title, even though, many people need to see it.

I found Wilma's speech to be very inspirational which is tying in nicely to the end of semester wrap up and its a shame that she has passed because while her speech was tough to listen to, I'm sure in person she would have been a fabulous story teller as well as some one with endless amounts of knowledge.

Wilma Mankiller

                The video link provided is an excellent resource, giving us a look into who Wilma Mankiller was. Wilma Mankiller was the first female chief of the Cherokee nation. She devoted her life to tribal culture, values, politics, language and history.

                Something that stood out to me in this video was the way she spoke about tribal culture. Although Wilma answers many questions, I found a common factor throughout the video that I’d like to focus on; the loss and rebuilding of tribal culture.  Wilma shares, that with the loss of tribal elders; many stories and information is also lost. That’s why it is so important to preserve the knowledge and traditional values. In tribal culture, most information and knowledge is passed down through stories. With the loss of tribal language, traditions, and the elders than maintained those aspects, the knowledge can easily become forgotten.

                Wilma speaks about reciprocal relationships, in which the tribal community maintains responsibility for one another, through interdependency. This community responsibility promotes oneness, unity, harmony and balance. As the sense of community returns, tribal people begin to trust their own thinking again. Many projects are now in place to support the tribal communities’ interdependency. Many tribal communities are directing their own services now, for health needs, education needs, and community needs. As this interdependency is maintained, people being to filter information through their tribal values.

                The interesting thing is, these actions being taking to preserve the culture are happening at the same time as the loss of culture. As the elders are passing, tribal communities are strengthening to ensure that their culture isn’t lost. Through a sense of community, they are rebuilding and maintaining the responsibility to each other. This is interesting to me because community is something that I have already identified as a major difference between modern American culture and Native American culture. As I have written before, the sense of community that Native Americans share among each other is a sign of being able to see beyond oneself. Something that sadly, doesn’t seem all too common in modern American culture.

                Wilma Mankiller’s work and influence has helped to support the strengthening of not just the Cherokee nation, but all tribal communities. Her work continues to inspire natives and non natives to see the value of tradition and the importance of interdependency.

Turtle Talk: Possibly the Headline News for all things Native?!?

In looking through the online resources, the site that I found drawn to was Turtle Talk (http://turtletalk.wordpress.com).   I saw the headline that a Canadian Official actually "dared" to use the word "genocide" while talking about what happened Native Americans. To be more accurate, he apparently only "dared" to use the word while referring to an attempted genocide, but still it's nice to see that Canada at least has some people willing to call something what it was. Which is more than one can say for other nations, such as Turkey and what they did to the Armenians.  They still argue over using the word "genocide".  People need to realize that words do have power. I think that is something that recent generations largely fail to recognize.  It's sometimes important to listen to what someone is saying, in general, however I've found that listening to the actual words they are using while conveying their message gives you much more insight to where their thoughts are (or are not).

A Little Good Knowledge Is Better Than A Lot of Hooey

One online source that caught my attention is the US General Services Administration (GSA) Tribal Consultation site. It presents federal policies implemented through executive orders by Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush concerning tribal sovereignty and sacred sites, and federal historic preservation laws specific to Native Americans (Tribal Consultation). This government site paints a positive picture of federal interactions with Native American tribes trying to reclaim their heritage, govern themselves and practice their beliefs. There is no mention of the current or past issues that represent the government in a negative manner. 

I believe the resources selected for this course present a broad overview of the type and variety of information that is readily available to the general public. In general, each site’s visual presentation matches the content being represented; the material is accurate, up to date and easily understood. Other sites may have similar but outdated content that is less-easily digested and thus are not suitable for an academic setting. The GSA site provides an easily read and understood synopsis of the executive orders and laws, such as the 1990 Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) (Tribal Consultation), and provides links to the referenced policies to allow greater knowledge to be obtained. It is mostly facts with little fluff, just what you want in a research setting.

I have been made aware of the connections that Native Americans and tribal units have formed to one another. I previously saw each tribe or reservation as its own entity separate and apart from others like it. The United South & Eastern Tribes site (United) showcases 27 tribes working together to protect and advance tribal sovereignty and provide assistance to member tribes in those efforts. They do not stand alone.

References:

Tribal Consultation with the Federal Government: http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/105007. Retrieved May 21, 2015.

United South & Eastern Tribes: http://www.usetinc.org/about-uset/member-tribes/. Retrieved May 21, 2015.

Indian Culture Vacation Destinations

As I have done research online for the assignments of this course I have been impressed by the amount of information available online that has been placed there by the tribes themselves. The websites are vibrant, showing the pride the different tribes have in their culture and giving all of us the opportunity to learn more about it. The voice for my reflexive scholarly project, Waioskasit, is from the Menominee tribe of Wisconsin. The tribe’s website provides a considerable amount of information, especially given the small size of the tribe.

The web resources for module 2 further reinforced the fact that the culture of Native Americans is gaining in importance and there is desire among non-native people to learn more about the people who occupied this land before they did. Two resources stand out to me but for different reasons, the Seneca Art and Culture Center and The American Indian Cultural Center and Museum.

Both of these facilities are under construction and have been financed by contributions from the general public. As a resident of Central New York for over 30 years I had no idea that the Seneca Art and Cultural Center even existed and is just an hour away. It opens this summer and will tell the story of the Seneca and Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) contributions to art, culture and society for more than 2,000 years to the present day.

The American Indian Cultural Center and Museum in Oklahoma City, OK will create an awareness and understanding for all people of the Oklahoma American Indian cultures and heritage. This is a large facility that is scheduled to open in 2017 where visitors can experience one-of-a-kind exhibits, participate in hands-on educational programs and hear first-hand accounts of tribal culture and history. This facility is designed to be a major tourist attraction for Oklahoma and is fully supported by state and local governments.

These centers are but two of many that are bringing Native American culture and history into the mainstream of American tourism and offer a great opportunity to immerse non-natives to it. By making the experience fun and exciting these and other facilities in the United States and Canada will become vacation destinations for many people and will help to spread awareness and understanding of native culture and history. I look forward to visiting these sites with my family as part of our vacation travels and hope others will too.

The Land Was Their Dictionary

                                The Land was Their Dictionary

 

The source I chose to review was the radio piece entitled “In one Life journey, The Modern History of the Cree”. This is a spoken account by Tom Jolly.

Tom was raised in the Bush, where he and his parents brought only some essentials (flour, sugar, tea, etc), and everything else they needed was provided by the land. This way of life was his foundation, as he states “The land was their dictionary”. As Tom got older, he attended residential schools where he was the victim of multiple types of abuse.  Tom saw a different way of life in the suburbs, and the cities. Growing up, he had first hand comparisons of the different lifestyles that were possible.  Tom went from a very traditional Cree lifestyle to experiencing modern culture. The abuse and experiences along the way brought him back to his traditional Cree upbringing.

His strong words “The land was their dictionary”, suggest that, although having fewer connections, they were the most valuable ones.  The connections of the land and few necessities made for deeper and meaningful relations among people and nature. Once Tom started to integrate into the more modern lifestyle, he was exposed to negative experiences, abuse, and ultimately poor connections to others, and possible losing such a strong connection with nature. 

I found this source to be personally meaningful. It reminded me of how I often feel when I am too integrated into society. When we spend too much energy on meaningless connections, and less energy on the most valuable ones; we are not fully developing ourselves. Then we go back out into society with our underdeveloped selves and share only a part of what we could be offering to the world.

Tom came full circle, from living in the Bush, suburbs and cities, and back to his Cree community.

 

 

Source Reviewed: 

http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/archive.php?id=10278

Tribal Consultation

For some reason, unbeknown to me, I am loving everything I am reading this semester. I find it so interesting to learn all these "things" that were hushed up by our government and history teachers over the years. One thing however, that has not been hushed up, just not specifically shouted, is the political relationship that the natives have with the US government. Reading Tribal Consultation was a real eye opener. 

Apparently, "The United States has a unique legal and political relationship with Indian tribes and a special relationship with Alaska Native entities as provided in the Constitution of the United States, treaties, and federal statutes.  These relationships extend to the federal government’s historic preservation activities, mandating that federal consultation with Native American tribes be meaningful, in good faith, and entered into on a government-to-government basis. (http://www.gsa.gov)."

While we all know that there are laws about American Government and Indian reservations, and Indians having the rights to govern and rule Indian land, apparently there is more! Firstly, I did not know that peace was originally sought in 1906. "Preservation and protection of Native American historic resources, at least archeological resources, dates back to at least the Antiquities Act of 1906, usually seen as the first federal historic preservation law in the United States (http://www.gsa.gov)." Super cool, that while so much pressure to assimilate was occurring, the US was trying to at least on a grander scheme of things, try and make somewhat peace. 

I find it interesting and cruel as well that the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990, basically stated that the US government,  museums and anything that had Native American artifacts, lands, bodies etc, had to return everything to Native American property. We never really think that things like this were happening 25 years ago, but really they were. As I mentioned in my discussion, cruelty really is still happening between whites and Native Americans, even if it may be subconsciously. Just the fact that there needs to be an Act to return artifacts to the proper owners proves  it. 


Sources:

Tribal Consultation- http://www.gsa.gov

National Museum of the American Indian

While scrolling through our online sources, the one that stood out to me was The National Museum of the American Indian. I immediately clicked to visit the site and watched the short one minute video describing the museum and how it is geared towards children as well as teachers.  I noticed immediately that there is a NY location, and before even clicking on the link, I thought " I must visit this place". I don't know what it is about museums any museums really, but I love them! It's always so interesting to discover and learn new things. 

In regard to the museum in general, there are 2 location, one as mentioned in NY and the other in Washington DC. The museum has one of the most extensive collections of Native American arts and artifacts in the world—approximately 266,000 catalog records (825,000 items) representing over 12,000 years of history and more than 1,200 indigenous cultures throughout the Americas. The museums have tons of pictures, ranging from the 1860's until present day. "There is a  Media Archive (approximately 12,000 items) including film and audiovisual collections such as wax cylinders, phonograph discs, 16mm and 35mm motion picture film, magnetic media of many varieties, and optical and digital media recorded from the late 1800s through the present; and the Paper Archive (approximately 1500 linear feet) comprised of records dating from the 1860s to the present that preserve the documentary history of the NMAI, its predecessor, the Museum of the American Indian (MAI), Heye Foundation, and their collections, as well as other documentary and archival materials" (http://nmai.si.edu/explore/collections/).

Just scrolling through the online collection was amazing, I can't even fathom the experience in person!The pieces ranged from a Ute shoulder bag from the 1860/1870's to a women's dress from the Sioux tribe dating back to 1865, even a duck bill from the year 100AD! These pieces I chose to look at were from the Great Basin area which is what chose to write about in Module 2, as I did not have a specific person, rather a very large topic; alcohol. I really am excited about this museum as I find all this stuff incredible and I cannot wait to go visit, take it all in and implement it into what I have learned so far, and what I will learn.

Sources:
http://nmai.si.edu/explore/collections/

Jake Thomas Learning Center/ Honor

 

 

  I chose to review the online cultural based resource of the Jake Thomas Learning Center.  The center is located in Wilsonville, Ontario; Canada.  This center is an important tool aiding in the preservation and promotion of traditional Haudenosaunee ways.

             The center was founded by Jacob Thomas, Hadajigre:ta’ (Descending Cloud), a Cayuga Chief.  Jacob Thomas’ list of accomplishments is incredible. He was an interpreter and advocate of Iroquoian culture and language, longhouse speaker authority on the Great Law of Peace, and Assistant Professor with the Department of Native Studies at Trent University. This long list of notable achievements led to Jacob Thomas’ recognition as a well respected leader.

            Jacob Thomas dedicated his entire life to public awareness of Native contributions to society. One most notable contribution that he developed awareness of is the message of environmental consciousness through Ganohonyonk.  His dedication and advocacy led the Learning Center to acquire a collection of over 90,000 hand written documents in the languages of Onondaga, Cayuga and Mohawk.  Among these documents are great law recitals, condolence ceremonies, and the Thanksgiving Address.

            The center also offers an extensive library collection of native resources and workshops on beading and corn husk moccasins. In order to teach and preserve the Iroquoian language, Thomas also developed a Language Development Program.           After searching around the Jake Thomas Learning Center online resource website, it was apparent that his work to preserve the culture is continuing even after his death in 1998.

 I was left reminded of another online source that I was introduced to during this module. From the page entitled “Reflections” from the online source “In the Light of Reverence” the words of Waubishmaa’ingan (white wolf) have left a deep impact on me.  He wrote “To honor is to voice what is in one's body and heart and mind to gift to another or others—it is to express simply and clearly and directly what is most beautiful and meaningful in our living, it is to make the soul manifest in the world, through the performance of meaning and beauty, through truly naming in language and song our passage ….”

These words of Waubishmaa’ingan’s hold true and I believe apply to Jacob Thomas. His work, dedication, and advocacy for history have not only honored the past, but the future generations as well.

 

http://www.pbs.org/pov/inthelightofreverence/inspiredby.php

http://jakethomaslearningcentre.ca/contact.html

Education as a Method of Forced Assimilation

For this blog entry, I choose to write about 19th Century Indian Relations with the United States. In a nutshell, this site sums up some of the major the policies and laws enacted by the US government for the sole purpose of systematically destroying the Native American culture and stealing their land.

There are several interesting points throughout the page explain some of the major laws and policies enacted by the government in order to contain the Native American population and to take their land.  Of particular interest to me was the process of assimilation by the forced enrollment of native children in boarding schools.  After removing many tribes from their native lands and forcing them into reservations, it was decided that Native Americans would never fully assimilate and become Americanized as long as they had a place to practice their traditional beliefs.  In an attempt to eliminate the culture, Native American children were removed from their homes and sent to “Indian boarding schools” specifically designed to strip them of their heritage. 

In 1879, the Carlise Indian Industrial School was formed.  At institutions like this, Native American children were stripped of their identity upon arrival; their clothes, hairstyles, and names were changed and replaced with contemporary American ones.  Speaking their native language or engaging in traditional practices was strictly prohibited and punishable by means of harsh physical discipline.  Children were taught academics for half the day and a skill or trade during the latter half; sewing, cooking and cleaning for girls, cobbling, carpentry and agriculture for boys.  Heralded as a success, the non-natives saw these schools as the standard for reform for the Native Americans.The actual result of the forced enrollment in these schools was great losses for the Native Americans. This deliberate and cruel this act of separating the children from their families lead to the severance important cultural and family ties.

Photo of Native American boy before and after 

enrollment in Indian boarding school

As I read the relevant paragraphs I was appalled by the idea of the government using children so blatantly to achieve their self-serving goals.  They best way that I could sum up my thoughts on the subject were that it was a mental and cultural sterilization and was probably the precursor to the nonconsensual medical sterilizations performed on Native American women in the 20^th century.

Greetings everyone, this is SugaPlum.

Sugaplum is my grandchild. She was born about 10 days ago. When I look at her I think of my Grandmothers and all the things they taught me. Their wisdom has carried me through some challenging times. Learning about Native American/ First Peoples is a very important event in my life. Passing on knowledge, wisdom and a love for each other and the environment is one of the main things that unifies mankind. I watched the YouTube video of Faith Keeper Oren R Lyons speaking. He stated: " The seventh generation reminds you that you have responsibility to the generations that are coming and that indeed you are in charge of life as it is at the moment" (O.R.Lyons)

When I look at Sugaplum and my other grandchildren I think about what their generation will inherit and how they will deal with some of destructive things organizations and corporations have done. Mr. Lyons spoke about leadership, responsibility and using our common sense . After watching the video I feel the urgent desire to reinforce the idea in the minds of my grown children to raise their children as responsible leaders, and common sense thinkers. To understand that man does not own the earth but is the caretaker seems to be the underpinning or common understanding for most or all of First People's culture and lives.

In using the “Maps of Native American Tribes in the United States” (http://www.native-languages.org/states.htm). I’m not entirely for sure who created the site, but I think it was created to foster an interest in learning about the Native tribes in one’s area, and possibly even sparking an interest for someone to research their own potential Native ancestry. I focused on the tribes of New York State and actually discovered quite a bit that I never previously realized.  I never realized that I grew up right in the heart of Mohican territory. I remember my high school history teacher specifically saying that the region we lived in really had no permanent Indian occupants, because the area was a disputed area and two larger tribes would fight over the area for control. Those larger tribes he spoke of were the Algonquin and Iroquois.  Close to where I grew up was a place called Cooper’s Cave and it was supposedly the inspiration for the cave in the book by James Fenimore Cooper, “The Last of the Mohicans”, so it really underscores just how many “realities” were interwoven into his novel.  I also never realized just how much territory the Mohawks controlled.  Looking at the New York tribal map really emphasized helped me envision a lot of the information I had picked up as a French and Indian War re-enactor.  It made me think of the Massacre at Fort William Henry, Fort Edward, Fort Ticonderoga (Carillion), and Fort St. Frederick (Crownpoint) and all of the interactions with the local natives that must have ensued in and around those places. Honestly, it kind of also started to rekindle the urge to re-enact again!

As I watched the videos in Module 1, quite a few stood out to me. Some I wrote about in other assignments, but here I chose to focus on "500 years in 2 minutes" by Wab Kinew. This video, as one may guess from the title, goes through the entire Native American history in 500 years, beginning at the very beginning of the white mans entrance into the country, The Video ends with Wab, walking into resembling the office of a psychologists and says, "Step into my office, grab a seat on the big couch, and lets talk". As the video ended, the first thing that came to mind was the fact that this video in 2 minutes summed up more than one learns in their average history course about the "Indians". 

Wab starts off saying "What went wrong? It wasn't always like this when we started down the path... When the settlers first arrived the natives welcomed them." Welcome them they did; with open arms. The Natives continued to welcome the whites over and over again. They welcomed their ideas and ways,  their metals and guns, they accepted their diseased that spread like wild fire through tribes killing many people. When they were told to go to boarding school and act like white people, they did that. Throughout the years the indians were persecuted, tested, and forced to give up their traditions and what not, so that they could be accepted into a country that ultimately boils down to the fact that it really was theirs first! 

One question that I have had for years, is why. Why is it that the white men came, felt the entitlement that it was ok to slowly take over a country that did not belong to them, and reduce the people who had lived in this country for centuries before, to dust. While today it has gotten better, I doubt that the Native Americans still don't have any negative feelings towards the US government.

Recently I heard a story about an argument that had broken out in the US between an immigrant and a white guy. The white guy was yelling at the immigrant saying,  "you people come into our country and take everything; work off the books, pay no taxes, etc..” There happened to be a Native American man standing near by who overheard the argument. He walked over to the 2 men who were arguing, looks the white man in the eyes and says “dude, YOU are the immigrant to OUR country. You people came in, polluted our land, spread disease and persecuted our people. This guy has not done anything different that you and your people”. The Native American turned on his heels and walked away leaving both men open mouthed. 

Every proud american tends to forget that while we may call this our country, there are only a few that can really call it their country. It is those that have been residing here for centuries. The Native Americans.

A couple of great websites!
When I first clicked on the First Nations of Canada link I was taken to a totally different but related site, http://www.johnco.com/firstnat/ instead of http://www.aboriginalcanada.com/firstnation/ . I didn’t realize at first that it was the wrong site so as I was checking it out I was asking why this site was included as it appeared to be just a list of all the different Native American tribes in Canada. Although not very informative, I did enjoy it because I like maps and geography which this site had for each province of Canada. The location of each tribe was indicated and a list of contact information including address and phone # was given. I find this to be very valuable if you need to do research on individual tribes.

The actual site also has a wealth of information including the First Nations of each region in Canada and the 3 main native cultures. The best feature is an extensive list of festivals, sites and events that showcase the culture of the First Nations of Canada. There is something to do for every age group almost year-round. If you are looking for a great vacation you could travel across 1 or more Canadian Provinces, have fun and learn more about Native culture.

This site belongs on the list as it provides opportunities for non-natives to learn more about Native culture in a non-threatening way. What better way to learn than to have fun and excitement while doing so. Actually being involved with these events and sites is better than dry book learning any day, especially when it doesn’t seem like anything more than a great vacation. I may just take my family to Canada to visit a few events!