Elagaia program (drama and music), The artemision, June 23-24, 2008,

A Walking Song:
From the Journey of Mothers:

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In 1838, the Cherokee people were removed from their ancestral home to journey some 1500 miles to Indian territory in the West. Between 4,000 – 4,500 unmarked Cherokee graves mark the route of “The Trail of Tears,” or the trail where they cried. One of these unmarked graves belongs to a woman named Quatie, the wife of the Cherokee chief. According to an eyewitness account of a private soldier, this woman gave away her only blanket to a sick child during a blizzard on November 17, 1838, and died from exposure before dawn. Lieutenant John G. Burnett calls on the Anglo-Saxon race to build “a towering monument” to honor of her act of compassion.

In the absence of a “towering monument,” an act of remembrance is due. “A Walking Song” was inspired by a dream and by the discovery of the unmarked gravesite of my Cherokee great-grandmother, Margret. Influences include the Holy Ghost Dance of the Native American people. In the mid to late 1800s, the Holy Ghost Dance Religion swept across the United States and Native peoples from many tribes became adherents to this pacifist religion that promised the hope of resurrection from the dead and a return to the ways of the Indians before the Europeans came. In what was a period of great mourning for a way life that was disappearing, the Indians danced to effect a spiritual transformation. They danced rather than fight. They danced even as they starved. They danced in the snow.

“A Walking Song” has evolved as a response to the current tribal conflicts in many parts of world. Although the “Trail of Tears” was that journey taken by Cherokees among others who were driven from their homes and relocated, the trail of tears continues for others. With this performance, we remember what has been forgotten and honor the sacrifices of those whose journey to a place of dignity continues. “A Walking Song” is a lament for our millennium as well as a praise song for peace.

“A Walking Song” is dedicated to my Cherokee great-grandmother, Margret. I also dedicate our first performance here tonight to the memory of Dimitri Tzotzos, brother of Thanos, because it was his his admiration for Native American culture that has indirectly led to our being here in the Artemision Mountains of Greece. In turn, we bring a lifelong respect for Greek culture to this house we call ElaGaia. “Ela” is the Cherokee word for Earth whereas “Gaia or Ge” is Greek for Mother Earth. May this house honor Dimitri’s memory by becoming a place where different cultures meet and a song is sung.

ELAGAIA
JUNE 23, 2008
8PM


Welcome
Steven de Laet


Victory Song of Hypsipyle by Dianne

Marie
“The Blind Arab:”
From Music of the Silk Road by Yoyo Ma

Choentso’s Song for Tibet

Marie
“Dance for Tibet”


INTERMISSION


Yuriko with Dianne
Kyogen Dance: “Dance of the Quail”

Marie
“Kemal”


Dianne with Yuriko
A Walking Song


The Mission
The Ark: A Praise Song for the Earth by D. de Laet
(Dedicated to my friends and teachers, Marie and Nanos Valaoritis)

The Arete Fund

Recognizing excellence of effort through educational scholarships
And extending global good will through artistic and humanitarian programs

It is the mission of The Arete Fund to encourage greater cultural understanding through education, and by means of artistic and humanitarian projects that foster mutual respect between peoples. Arete makes annual contributions to colleges or trade schools on behalf of needy and deserving individuals who exemplify arete – an ancient Greek word for excellence and virtue; and in turn, seeks to promote Arete and rekindle its ancient meaning for the modern day as a means of promoting peace and communicating good will, hope, and fellowship.

SCHOLARSHIPS AND TUITION ASSISTANCE:
M-A Arete Award: Since 1997, The Arete Fund has made annual contributions on behalf of graduating seniors at M-A High School in Menlo Park, California.
Hopi Arete Award: For the past six years, Arete has made similar contributions at Hopi High School on the Hopi reservation in Polacca, Arizona.
The Ayla Award: Other awards have included tuition assistance for a young Muslim girl seeking a higher education in Selcuk, Turkey. Arete currently provides financial assistance for 14 needy students at The School for the Deaf in Quetzaltenango, Guatamala.

THE CIRCLE OF CHILDREN: In an effort to address the educational needs, (and if necessary, the more basic needs), of children orphaned or otherwise affected by war or terrorism, Arete created “The Circle of Children,” in 2004. (Initially, several mothers donated $100 apiece.)

• A contribution of books and soccer balls was made to the children in Darfur, Sudan.
• Heat sheets were provided to earthquake victims in Pakistan,
• For pregnant mothers suffering from severe malnutrition, support for an educational program at THE HOLY FAMILY HOSPITAL in Bethlehem.

In 2007, schoolbooks for 250 orphans in Morocco through The Rita Zneiber Foundation.
2008: The Tibetan Water Project: This project will provide running water to 82 households in Gongmoro Village in Amdo, Tibet. Currently, villagers have to complete a 20-30 minute round trip to local springs in order to gain access to clean drinking water. This project will not only bring running water to each household, but it will also provide much needed employment opportunities for the local Tibetan population.

• Peninsula Poet & Author Series: Arete hosts a reading every second month at Gallery 2611 in Redwood City, California, in addition to a monthly storytelling for children called “The Hero Hour.”
• Project Al Rahma: On behalf of children orphaned by Iraq’s sectarian violence, it is our goal to make a substantial contribution to the Al Rahma homeless shelter in Baghdad, Iraq. To this end, Arete will host its first benefit concert in the Artemesion Mountains of Greece on June 23-24.

• ElaGaia 2008: In 2004, Arete’s founder performed “A Praise Song for Peace” in the ancient stadium of Nemea in Nemea, Greece. In 2008, performers will gather for a presentation of music, poetry, and drama that directly benefits “The Circle of Children,” and our stated goal of providing some assistance to Iraqi children made homeless, or otherwise caught in the throes of the current conflict in Iraq. The ancient Nemean and Olympic Games once included contests in music and poetry. With this presentation, it is our intention to give emphasis to the cultural aspects of what was once an ancient peace festival. We deeply appreciate these artists for donating their time and talents to help recreate the spirit of Arete in the aftermath of the 4th Nemead, held this June 21-22 in Nemea, Greece.

The Arete Fund was initiated in 1996 with the proceeds from Dianne Tittle de Laet’s memoir, Giants & Heroes: A Daughter’s Memories of Y.A. Tittle. We are extremely grateful to have received unsolicited donations from Dr. Bernard Lown, a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, the NFL Alumni Association, the San Francisco 49ers, Enchantment Resort, Gerry and Kirsten McCauley, Mr. William Clark, Amistad Foundation, the Parsons Family Foundation in New York, as well as numerous contributions from members of our immediate community. We are grateful for the opportunities to help build community and ever thankful for the support we receive.

ELAGAIA
June 24


On June 24, we join in a music circle.

Please come for an evening of music that features “The Sirens of San Franciso” with Stevie Coyle, Marian Hubler, and Bruce Victor of the Acoustic Vortex Collective from Larkspur, California, pianist Yannis Iordanoglou, and other friends.

We meet on the “aloni” or old threshing floor
to rekindle the art of praise song.

8PM



To The Iordanoglou Family
Thanos Tzotzos
Petros, Sophia and family
Effie and Stephen Miller
Georgia and our new neighbors in the Artemesion
Yannis and Arion - the masterful stonemasons!
Marie Soderland
Yuriko Doi and the Theatre of Yugen of San Francisco, California
Marian Hubler, Bruce Victor, and Stevie Coyle

With respect and thanks

Our presentation is dedicated to the families who have lost children to war and the religious intolerance of our own time.

In memory of Muhammed Al Durrah, a Palestinian boy who died on October 2, in 2000, at the beginning of the current intifada. In remembrance of Sara, Mahmoud and Yehiva…..

With respect to Naama Didovsky, a six-year-old Jewish girl whose mother was killed in a drive by shooting the following year, and to Kevin Villa, the American boy whose mother died in the collapse of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

To Saama, who lives in a homeless shelter in Baghdad, and to Esther….

May these few names stand for thousands more whose names we do not know, but whose lives were, and are proof that “we are one family.”

EIRENE

PEACE

SHAALOM

ABSAALAM