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Joseph Standing Bear works for a better future for Native Americans

The Grand Entry of the Native American dancers dressed in full ceremonial regalia is always a high point of the Harvest Pow Wow at Naper Settlement.

For Joseph Standing Bear Schranz, founder and president of Midwest SOARRING Foundation, the organization that puts on the event, the moment isn't just a colorful tribute to a half-forgotten past.

The powwow helps keep alive a culture and values much needed in our present age - values like protecting the environment and respecting all of life, he said.

"I think now, more than ever, we've got to get back to basics," Schranz said. "Key to native spirituality is the concept of believing whatever we do today, we must not harm the next seven generations."

Traditionally, the powwow celebration brought together nomadic tribes to conduct business and socialize. Today, 20 to 30 different tribes are represented at the Naperville event, Schranz said.

"What I like is it gives people a chance to continue these ways," he said.

The Native Americans not only have a chance to meet with one another, but share their culture with visitors in music, dance, food, crafts and storytelling,

"The children often come and ask the dancers questions," Schranz said.

A very high percentage of Native American men and women serve in the armed forces, and the entry ceremony honors all military veterans.

"It gives us a venue to still be a warrior and protect this country," Schranz said.

Now in its 16th year, the Harvest Pow Wow is returning to Naperville for the fifth year in a row. The event will be from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 26, at Naper Settlement, 523 S. Webster St., Naperville.

Donna DeFalco, marketing communications coordinator at Naper Settlement, said the powwow is a popular draw.

"It's an amazing event," she said. "Joseph Standing Bear, Janet Sevilla (of Midwest SOARRING) and their committee do an outstanding job every year of planning the event that draws thousands of people throughout the area."

A not-for-profit organization, Midwest SOARRING uses admission to the Naperville powwow and an annual powwow it holds in Utica to help pay for causes it supports. They include providing propane to the Pine Ridge Orphanage in South Dakota, maintaining a bison herd, reintroducing native plants, supporting other environmental causes and working to establish a headquarters in Westchester.

Bettering livesBorn in the Chicago area to an Ojibwe mother and German father, Schranz decided as a teenager that he wanted to work to better the lives of Native American peoples.American Indians have the highest suicide rate of any ethnic group in the country, he said. Unemployment on some reservations reaches 80 percent. Poverty and addictions are common."I had an interest in trying to make things better," he said.Schranz founded Midwest SOARRING, which stands for Save Our Ancestors Remains Resources Indigenous Network Group, in 1996 to provide education about Native American culture and environmental concerns.Since then, with a membership that has ranged from 150 to 300, the group has worked in 30 states. Its efforts have helped preserve 1,900 acres of open space that have included sacred sites. Remains of Native Americans that had been held in museums and collections have been privately buried with dignity.The group has nurtured a herd of bison in Le Roy that now numbers 29. As the numbers grow, Midwest SOARRING will donate pairs of bison to Native American tribes to start their own herds, Schranz said.Native plants such as sage and sweet grass are grown on property adjacent to the Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester. Midwest SOARRING has leased five acres there from the state and hopes to open its permanent headquarters on that location in October, Schranz said.Once the headquarters is open, the group will be able to provide more cultural and environmental programs and set up tepees to give kids a lifestyle introduction to Native Americans, he said."It's a wonderful venue because it's close to the city and has easy access. I believe it will be a popular place," Schranz said. Midwest SOARRING owns 52 acres in downstate Carlinville, where camp-outs are sometimes held. But Schranz's dream is to re-create a Native American village in north central Illinois that could include a garden, cultural center and some stores. He has his eye set on property in Utica, but said the organization now lacks the funds. Meanwhile, Schranz shares his knowledge of Native American culture where he is invited. Kathy Heskin, a professor in the theology department at Dominican University in River Forest, has invited him to speak to her classes on native studies.He also works with Heskin's students who are doing learning service projects by volunteering at the powwows or working in the native plant program in Westchester."He's a man of vision. He's absolutely dedicated to his people and shared relationships," Heskin said. "He's generous with his time."Meg Bero, executive director of the Schingoethe Center for Native American Cultures at Aurora University, also has had Schranz speak to classes and asked for his input on exhibits."Joseph Standing Bear is a great, great person, very committed to maintaining the traditions of his people ... and, at the same time, being a voice of the present as well," she said.More to be doneSchranz said Native Americans represent 11/2 percent to 2 percent of the population of the United States and number about 80,000 in Illinois. But some Americans don't even know Indians exist, he said. He recalled when Midwest SOARRING took part in a 1992 Chicago parade marking the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' arrival in the Americas."I was very amazed at how many younger people I could hear, talking to their parents, who were surprised Native Americans are still alive," he said. "We're here and we hope to continue to be here."One of the pressing problems facing Native Americans is the wide prevalence of diabetes, said Schranz, who himself suffers from the disease."Health-wise, I believe we need to get a handle on this diabetes problem. It's overwhelming," he said.Because Native Americans appear to have low resistance to diabetes when they eat modern foods high in sugar, they need better education about nutrition, he said. Some tribes have started running programs, Schranz said.Like many Americans today, Native Americans need jobs, he said. Some tribes have benefitted from running casinos, but Schranz said he urges them to diversify their economic interests.A return to spirituality that encourages reliance on a higher power also is key, Schranz said."As native people, we need to stay grounded to the earth," he said. "We need to focus on those things that encourage survival."Schranz, 60, said in recent years Midwest SOARRING has given scholarships to promising young people pursuing higher education and he hopes to mentor younger leaders in the future."It's little changes that make bigger things happen," he said.False15002000Joseph Standing Bear Schranz signs a lease for Midwest SOARRING's new headquarters and cultural center, expected to open in October in Westchester.Courtesy of Midwest SOARRINGFalse