Blue Star - The Origin Story

Blue Star is one of today's most popular Native AMrican northern traditional drums, but their roots go much deeper into the culture of the Lakota people than mere popularity. Mike Watts, lead singer and the current members of the drum will share their touching and unusual story at noon at Redbird's annual blanket, toy and school supplies drive.

Redbird’s 2010
Blanket, Toy and School Supplies Drive

When:
Saturday, December 4, 2010
10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Rain or Shine

Where:
Simi Valley Library Community Room,
2969 Tapo Canyon Road, Simi Valley, CA 93062

What:
Everyone Welcome – this is a family oriented social gathering for a worthy cause
Potluck Style Feed
Native American Music with host northern traditional drum Blue Star
Impromptu dance exhibitions – dancers with or without regalia welcome
Cultural demonstrators (including Gary Pickett, flintknapper and Tim King, Chumash cultural exhibit)
Photography exhibition by Pete Padilla (a.k.a. Powwow Pete)
Flute Players Welcome
Special Presentations:
12 p.m. Blue Star – The Origin Story
Learn how this popular northern traditional drum became who they are and hear the songs they sing straight from the heart of the Lakota Nation
2 p.m. The Forest Recovery Project
Witness the recovery of the Angeles National Forest from the Station Fire and understand the birth/death/rebirth cycle of nature

Why:
We are gathering new blankets, toys and school supplies for Native American (and non native when supplies permit) families locally and on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota, which are distributed as follows:
Blankets, Soft (stuffed) Toys: Porcupine District, Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota. These are shipped via US Mail so blankets need to be warm but also lightweight and relatively small (as in not bulky), new, non electric, and hand or machine washable. All of your super-stores and most pharmacies carry these kinds of blankets, usually from $3.00 to $7.00 each.
Hard, Fragile and Boxed Toys/School Supplies: These are donated to Walking Shield to be distributed at their discretion among their network of families and reservations. We have worked with Walking Shield for many years; they have a large distribution network and are able to distribute heavy items such as school supplies which Redbird, which has a smaller budget, simply cannot afford to.

How:
We rely entirely on the generosity of friends and supporters from the native and non-native communities for item donations and money for mailing. Shipping the blankets and soft toys costs upwards of $300.00. Redbird volunteers provide the main course for the potluck feed and all of the labor that goes into putting the toy drive together and cleaning up when it’s over.

Please help us spread the word even if you are unable to attend. We have pdf and word fliers for the toy drive in general, and specifically for the presentation by Blue Star. Please send us an email if you would like a pdf or word flier emailed to you, or check our website to see if they have been posted as a download (our website managers are volunteers – they do the best they can to keep up).

Redbird is a 501(c)(3) non profit association promoting the awareness and celebration of indigenous cultures and people and creating a sustainable future. All donations are tax deductible; we accept donations via Paypal, we are a member of eBay’s Giving Works, and a member of the eScrip Program and Good Search. For more information please visit us on the web at http://www.RedbirdsVision.org

Redbird
P.O. Box 702
Simi Valley, CA 93062
(805) 217-0364
Email: redbirds_vision [at] hotmail.com