"RENEWAL OF THE FLAME" TO BE HELD IN JANUARY

The annual "Renewal of the Flame" celebration will be held Saturday evening, 
January 7, beginning at 6:30 p.m.  The location will be at the Topeka Zoo (located 
in Gage Park) in their new education building.  People will enter the building 
through a door which is south of the main zoo entrance.

This celebration is traditionally held on the first Saturday evening of the new 
year.  It is a time that brings us together to honor the renewing of the earth, the 
renewing of our spirits, and the renewing of our dreams for the year ahead.  It is 
a time when we bring food to share with each other.  It is a time of fellowship and 
conversation with those we have known through the years.  It is a time of drumming 
and singing and dancing.

Our celebration is open to all of those who would like to come and participate.  
You are invited to come and begin this new year with food, fellowship, and 
laughter.  Christian and Christine Kramer, Shawnee County Allied Tribes, and the 
Standing Bear Inter-Tribal Brotherhood are pleased to sponsor this event.  And we 
appreciate Chris Wagner making the arrangements for the use of the zoo.

WE MOURN THE PASSING OF CHUB MASQUAT

We note with sorrow the passing of Chub Masquat on November 15, 2005, at Stormont 
Vail Hospital.  He ws born October 26, 1935, in Horton, the son of Robert Eugene 
and Carrie Puckee Masquat.  He had attended both Haskell Institute and Washburn 
University.  Chub was a United States Marine Corp Gunnery Sergeant from 1955 to 
1975.  He served in the Korean and Vietnam Wars and was a member of the We-Ta-Se 
American Legion, Post 410, in Mayetta.

Chub was well known within the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation and among Indian 
peoples of the area.  He was a recognized drummer and singer at local pow-wows.  In 
the last few years he had provided leadership to a youth drum and had served as a 
mentor to many young persons.  He was respectful of tradition and honored the old 
ways.  He was an inspiration to all those who knew him.  Along with his family, we 
will miss Chub and will remember him with gratitude.

JIM McKINNEY FUND ESTABLISHED

In its November meeting the S.C.A.T. board voted to establish an Education Fund in 
honor of Jim McKinney.  It's purpose will be to collect moneys that can be used to 
provide financial assistance to Native American students who are enrolled in a 
recognized Kansas educational facility.  This is especially fitting because Jim 
spent much of his time involved in various educational programs that benefited 
young people and the Potawatomi Nation.

Persons wanting to make donations toward the Jim McKinney 
Education Fund and those wanting further information should send those to the 
following address:
	Shawnee County Allied Tribes
	Jim McKinney Education Fund
	P.O. Box 75084
	Topeka, Kansas  66675-0284

We appreciate the involvement of the McKinney family in making this fund possible. 
 It is our hope that the fund will make an enduring contribution to Native American 
education in the years ahead.  When sufficient moneys have been collected, 
notification will be made concerning the application process.

S.C.A.T. MEETING LOCATION TO CHANGE IN JANUARY 2006

S.C.A.T. will be changing its regular monthly meeting location beginning in 
January, 2006.  During the coming year, we will be having our meetings at the 
Highland Park United Methodist Church which is located at the corner of 29th & 
Michigan in southeast Topeka.  Parking is available on the southeast side of the 
building where there is an entrance with a ramp for persons with special needs.  If 
you need further information about the location or the lay-out of the building, 
please contact Hildred Vilander, Mike Ballard, or Don Anderson.  We will look 
forward to seeing our members there on January 9, 26.  PLEASE REMIND EACH OTHER OF 
THIS CHANGE.

DUES FOR THE NEW YEAR ARE DUE

By action of our board, the membership year is now the calendar year.  This 
decision was made in order to reduce the confusion as to when the dues were to be 
paid and what time period they covered.  This means that the dues for the year of 
2006 are now due.  The amount for an individual membership is $10 and for a family 
it is $15.  We invite you to pay your dues by mail, or at our regular meeting 
times.  If you have any questions, please direct these to Hildred Vilander, Don 
Anderson, or Mike Ballard.

S.C.A.T. NOW HAS A WEB SITE

S.C.A.T. has established a web site as a tool for communication and the exchange of 
information.  The address of our new site is shawneecountyalliedtribes.org    It 
has been put in place through the effort and experience of Connie Ballard who has 
volunteer to help us keep it running.

This web site will allow us to do a more effective job of communicating with our 
membership and to keep folks up-to-date on what is currently happening and what 
will be happening in the future.  The kinds of information that will be posted on 
the web site include the following:

We will be listing and describing the kinds of activities that S.C.A.T. is involved  in.
We will be providing a calendar of event that will be updated monthly.
We will be providing information concerning board and general meetings.
We will be providing information concerning local pow-wows.
We will be posting the S.C.A.T. newsletter on our site.  (Persons without computer
     access will continue to get their newsletter through the mail.)
We will be providing up-dated information concerning the annual S.C.A.T. Pow-Wow. 
     Pow-Wow vendors cam access the site for information.
We will be able to provide photographs and stories about various persons and 
     activities.
We will have an e-mail address for the web site (scat2525@yahoo.com) which will 
     enable persons to relay information back and forth.
There will be links to related organizations and activities that are of interest 
     to our members.

As you can see, this is going to be a versatile and creative new way for us to 
communicate with each other and to keep current with what is happening.  We hope 
that many of us will use it to our own benefit and to the benefit of S.C.A.T.  
Hopefully it will also help us to reach out to those persons in the Topeka area who 
might be interested in being supportive or involved with what we are doing.  We owe 
a big debt of gratitude to Connie for her willingness to help us set up this 
project.  Thank her the next time you see her.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Jan. 7 - Renewal of the Flame celebration will be at th4e zoo at 6:30 p.m.
Jan. 9 - S.C.A.T. will meet at the Highland Park United Methodist Church at 6:30 p.m.
Jan. 14 & 15 - The Royal Valley Pow-Wow will be held in the hi8gh school at Hoyt.
Feb. 12 - Awi-Akta Chapter of the Northern Cherokee will meet at the Crestview 
United Methodist Church in Topeka at 1:00 p.m.
Feb. 13 - S.C.A.T. will meet at the Highland Park United Methodist Church at 6:30 p.m.

ANCIENT HEALING ARTS HELP VETERANS

When Albert Laughter unpacks his medical supplies, preparing to treat the military 
veterans who are his patients, he finds no stethoscope or thermometer.  His 
examination room doesn't have walls to speak of.  It is made of canvas and wooden 
poles, a teepee with a small fire inside.  His supplies - pheasant and eagle 
feathers, cornmeal, sage and other herbs - come wrapped in small leather pouches.

Laughter, a Navajo medicine man, cares for warriors as five generations of his 
forebears have: with traditional herbs, songs and ceremonies.  But unlike his 
ancestors, he does it as a healer under contract with the federal government.  
Laughter's services are part of a small assortment of programs run by the 
Department of Veterans Affairs to treat American Indian veterans for post-traumatic 
stress disorder and other maladies.

"Our culture, even though we live in the 21st century, we come back to the 
ceremonies, we come back to where the fire is, come back to where the herbs is, 
come back to where the songs is", said Laughter.  He does his work in Navajo and in 
English at the VA medical center in Prescott and on northern Arizona reservations. 
 Laughter and other Indian practitioners provide a variety of veteran services, 
ranging from blessings to talking circles to elaborate ceremonies designed to bring 
a warrior back into the community.

(Reprinted from Native American Times, December 2, 2005)


SHAWNEE COUNTY ALLIED TRIBES
P.O. Box 75028
Topeka, Kansas  66675-0284

President: Hildred Vilander
Secretary: Don Anderson
Treasurer: Mike Ballard

Editors: Hildred Vilander
         Don Anderson