Denver, CO (PRWEB via SportsFeatures) November 8, 2004 — “Denver’s launch of the ‘Salute to America’s First Caretakers’ at Colorado’s SnowSports Expo just might be another reversal of Manifest Destiny,” beamed Olympic skier Suzy Chaffee at the Convention Center event on November 6. Two years ago, the New York Times wrote that the “Indian-led return of the buffalo to the Great Plains is resurrecting their ghost towns… and reversing Manifest Destiny.”

Sacramento’s Salute to California’s First Caretakers at their Ski and Snowboard Show last weekend, launched the state’s inclusion into the national welcoming of the tribes back to over 1/4 million acres of their beloved ancestral mountains at 100 U.S. ski areas this season.

Over a hundred people: Olympians, tribal people, spectators, and press from around the world, gathered near the steps of the Zappeion, a modern Olympic birth site, on Sunday, to celebrate the Greeks’ hosting of the acclaimed “Best Games Ever.” Greek Minister of Tourism Dimitris Avramopoulos and Christina Chanopoulou, of the European Organization of Strategic Planning, gave the gathering their enthusiastic blessings, and were thrilled with the sentiments “that the Greek Olympics turned out as the visionaries planned!”

We humbly ask you to pass on this prayer to your teammates, friends, colleagues and loved ones, so that we may create a circle of loving energy around Greece and planet Earth throughout the Olympics… to protect, heal, lift humanity, and celebrate Who We Are!

Akima “Rick” Castaneda, a unity leader of the Coastal Band of the Chumash, was honored by Olympic Skier Suzy “Chapstick” Chaffee on April 18, in Santa Barbara for being a founder of Earth Day. Earth lovers and dancers, singers, drummers from other tribes and cultures joined Akima in a spirited opening prayer to the Four Directions at the Sunken Gardens of the court house.

The Ute Indian Tribe, Colorado Olympians and Aspen community will join to celebrate the closing of an abundant snow season this Saturday, April 10th at 3 PM at the Gondola Plaza at the base of Aspen Mountain. The event is co-hosted by Native American Olympic Team Foundation (NVF), co-founded by Olympic skier Suzy Chaffee, and Integrative Sustainable Solutions (ISS), founded by UN Eco Award winner Joanie Klar.

Telluride, Co. – The Ute drum again echoed thru the Telluride Mountains as a blizzard swirled around the splendid Ute Mountain Manning dancers during a press conference and “Gratitude Ceremony” on March 27. “It looks like our golf season has been postponed,” said the ecstatic Pete Woods, Telluride Ski and Golf Company’s marketing director at the gathering on the deck of the Inn at Lost Creek in the Mountain Village.

“It’s wonderful seeing the Native Community opening the Birkebeiner Event,” said Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle, as 30 splendid Lac Courte Oreille youth danced, drummed, chanted and whirled down Hayward’s Main Street on February 19th. They were a highlight of the Opening Ceremonies of the largest cross-country ski race in North America.

The stunning royalty in beaded crowns, representing the Woodland Tribes, then presented the Governor with a birchbark basket filled with Wisconsin’s yummiest tribal-made products – wild rice, wild rice pancake mix, maple syrup and sausages, plus a Boys and Girls Club Tee-shirt, thanks to Becky Taylor.

While celebrating the Greeks for their greatest gift to peace, joy and health, in history – The Olympic Games… and the French for reviving the Olympics in 1896, Olympians from seven countries honored Native Americans at Athens for inventing the roots of 10 Olympics Sports, at the site of the first Modern Games. A group of about 75 Olympians and their families and spectators there also hailed the contributions of other tribal peoples around the world.

Chaffee honoring speedski champ Stew Young, as well as MVP’s of the Salt Lake Native American Olympic Opening Ceremonies, Forest Cuch and Larry Blackhair (N. Utes), and Olympic ice dancing star Naomi Lang (Karuk), at NAOTF’s Olympic press conference and reception that inspired the world story: “Indians End Games End Game on High Note.”

Magnificent ceremony by members of the Ute tribe, Denver Indian Center, and Mile High Pow Wow Association, at the Colorado SnowSports Expo on November 8.

Warlance Foster, Navajo-Lakota basketball star, with Nuggets manager Kiki Vandeweghe (Blackfeet heritage) during his “impressive” NBA tryout at Denver’s Pepsi Center.

A 3-day long event united all of Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley toward a goal of providing a variety of sports activities to improve the health and self-esteem of Indians. From Aspen to Glenwood Springs, members of the Ute Indian Tribe of Fort Duchesne, Utah, skied, swam, skated, danced and shared culture.

The event, which included an announcement that the Utes will always be able to participate in Aspen’s new recreational facility for free, just as they have at Aspen’s skating rink, all the way down to Glenwood’s Sunlight Ski Area, helped make the valley a model to the President’s Initiative to restore the health of the “undeserved heroic Native Americans.”

Reneissa Ridley, Northern Ute dancer/skier, making first contact with 10 yr old King Oyo of Unganda at NAOTF’s first Olympic Tribal (Ski) Exchange at Keystone, Colorado.

King Oyo of Uganda and his royal entourage, including the queen mother and the kingdom’s prime minister, visited Keystone Resort Saturday and met with Ute Indian representatives from the Uintah and Ouray Reservation in Utah. The Ute contingent included drummers, dancers, a teacher and James Martinez, who carried the Olympic torch through Aspen. Ugandans living in Denver and representatives of the International Olympic Committee, along with donations from Keystone and the Four Points Sheraton in Silverthorne, made the cultural exchange possible.

Princess Caroline has invited Suzy and Stew Young, Tulalip speed ski champion and member of the newly forming Native American Olympic Ski Team (before his World Cup event in Austria) to her Ski and Music Festival in Veysonnaz, Switzerland Feb 11-19, 2005, sponsored by Credit Suisse.

Miss Indian World, Ke Aloha Alo, meeting with Shahbaz Behnam, IOC Eco leader, at Lausanne headquarters following Gstaad.

Starting with Europe and Native America!Suzy meeting with Jonathan Guinness, (Lord Moyne of British House of Lords), in England following the Athens Olympics in 2004.

During “FESTIVAL OF WORLD CULTURES” near Dublin August 26-28 -Lord Moyne (also a brilliant writer) then connected Suzy with his trusted niece Marina Guinness in Dublin (seen here under her 5,000 year old elk horns at her manor.) With the support of their illustrious friends, family and writers, we are hoping to be able to announce at this year’s “Festival of World Cultures,” the planning of this historic healing event -starting with Europe and Native America – to be a priceless jewel in the crown of next year’s event.

This Native coverage can demonstrate to the world how America has transformed since 9/11, which coincidentally is the code for “Help!” Never before have Americans and the world connected hearts in a deeper, more satisfying way – many finding that serving someone in need feels even better than serving ourselves, or being served. In hurting others we are hurting part of us. In healing the hearts of others, we are healing our hearts that were never healed from the atrocities of the Roman Empire and Inquisition, taking 9 million women and some men who had a spiritual connection with nature out of the gene pool. And in healing ourselves we are healing the world.

ARCTIC VILLAGE – On May 31, Arctic Elders invite you, as a member of our Earth Family, to join them in the following Prayer to give love and appreciation to Mother Earth. On that day Indigenous Elders will also lead ceremonies at Mexico’s mystical Mt Kushumaa near San Diego. “Our intent is to further rebalance Mother Earth and Her weather for humanity, including helping Keep the Polar Ice Caps Cool, with the grace of God” said Olympic skier Suzy Chaffee, co-founder of Native American Olympic Team Foundation (NVF), the orchestrator.

“It is awesome how th

1. Out of appreciation, since Native Americans invented the roots of 10 Olympic sports, including team sports as a substitute for war: canoeing, kayaking, ice hockey, field hockey, 3 day marathon, sledding sports, Australian Crawl, baseball, basketball (with S.A.Tribes) and soccer.

Two American Indian superskiers captivated the hearts and minds of the next generation of skiers, as well as ski area leaders, at the “Salute to North America’s First Caretakers” at Seattle’s SnowSports Expo November 12-14. Kids were spellbound by their “weapons of mass instruction” – the magnificent eight foot Raven wings, storytelling, and snowdance of Tlingit x-treme skier Gene Tabagan, and the eight foot skis and shiny red war-painted suit of Tulalip speedski champ Stew Young.

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Thanks to Native Americans being the “No 1 Draw of the Salt Lake Olympics,” and Natives being the “showstoppers” at European and Asian Ski and Tourism Shows, say international marketing leaders, who are invited by world leaders to put on cultural shows… and thanks to award winning Indian films, like “Dances with Wolves,” “Smoke Signals,” “Thunderheart”… Native actors, reenactors, and film makers are bonafide stars, who, like Native Sports Stars and spiritual leaders, are ideal bridge makers between cultures, especially after the 9/11 tragedy.