It's been a busy month for all The High Chaparral folks, so catch up on what's happening at the ranch in this edition of the newsletter:
- An audio interview with Don Collier.
- Deadline for Reunion Reservations before price increase
- A letter from Rusty
- A note from Rudy Ramos with a correction and memory of Phil Rawlins
- Vintage reprint article, Yaphet Kotto on "Buffalo Soldiers"
- Gallery of Auction items for the Reunion
- Mark Slade Studio updates
- Indian Contributions to Modern Day Culture, by Wendy
- List of Reunion Sponsors
- Upcoming cast appearances
Don Collier Interview
In 2006 Don Collier chatted with Susan McCray's Getting To Know You, and the result is available in this archived interview. They talked about The High Chaparral, how much they enjoy Reunions, Cameron Mitchell, shooting in Tucson, and the friendship and enjoyment the cast had together.
Listen to many more High Chaparral interviews and audio clips on The High Chaparral Newsletter website Audio Archives page.
Thank you to Susan McCray for providing this great interview clip. Listen to Susan every Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Pacific and 9:30 p.m. Eastern on KSAV.org.
Reunion Reservation Deadline July 1
June is the last month you can make your High Chaparral Reunion reservation at the early discounted price of $225 per person, so don't miss out. Get your reservation together right now and join us in Tucson. A variety of payment options - Credit Card, Paypal, or check, are available.
$225 for the 3 day package until June 30th
Increases on July 1 to $300
BOOK YOUR RESERVATION NOW
Register today for The High Chaparral Reunion, October 16-18, Tucson, AZ.
Visit The High Chaparral ranch set at Old Tucson in person - join us in
Tucson at The High Chaparral Reunion, October 16-18.
Questions? Email info@highchaparralnewsletter.com.
Hey HCers!
Hey there HCers,
I've been a bit quiet lately but I just had to remind you all ONE MORE TIME, that now is the time to quit straddling the fence. If you plan to see the best of High Chaparral, see the stars that make us melt, watch the high quality DVD episodes without commercial interruption, and be at the original sites of filming locations of the best TV Western, then now is the time to get your registrations in for the utmost Tucson-live event ever. Time's a-wasting.
Three days..THREE DAYS!!! of terrific fans, fun, food, photos, fantastic landscape, shopping (if you can make the time, that is) and the most memories that you can stuff in a camera!!
I can't emphasize how cool this event is. Okay, so, I'm on the Posse to help organize your transportation on busses to the events, and I'm working hard on your name tags. That's a whole other thing. I could tell you what they look like but why spoil the surprise...
You just have to show up to see them <grin>
So we gave you a glimpse of the auction items, and you can download photos of La Posada and look around Tucson and all that right on your computer. What you are really gonna miss is the pure enchantment of being able to talk with, dine with, pal around with and stand goofy-footed and all smiley at your Western heroes.
I've been on the HCDG (ed. note: High Chaparral Discussion Group) list for 10 years and I even get all blushy and gushy for celebs I haven't met yet. But, hey, we all get that way. That's no excuse to be shy and miss the entertainment and graciousness of all the people who helps bring HC to your TV.
And now is the time to get the lowest price before the costs jump.
Do it now. For those of you who made sponsor donations to the event...Thank you very much! Oh, and congratulations to all the fans who have already registered... there's a lot of good times ahead and overwhelming memories you'll be taking home and reliving in your heart over and over again. Believe me. I know.
Best to You,
Rusty
Correction/Addition
Correction, Phil Rawlins directed Wind and was one of my biggest supporters upon arrival on set along with Cam and Henry.
~Rudy Ramos
SCVTV interview with High Chaparral director Phil Rawlins
Yaphet Kotto as Sgt. Major Creason in
The Buffalo Soldiers
Vintage reprint article, St. Petersburg Independent, 9/5/69
Young Kotto Learned
About 'Buffalo Soldiers'
Vintage Reprint from Sunday, October 8, 1967
Yaphet Kotto has known about the Buffalo Soldiers since he was a youth.
"I saw an open album in my father's bedroom with a clipping, yellow from age, like something out of a Sunday supplement," he said. "It looked like a picture of a black U.S. Cavalry soldier. It struck me as funny. I laughed. I thought, 'What is this?' "
Now he knows. What's more, he portrays the leader of the Negro troopers in "The Buffalo Soldiers" on "The High Chaparral," repeat colorcast on Channel 8 tonight at 7:30.
Recalling the incident, Kotto said, "May father came in. It was one of the first times that my father talked to me about this. He said it wasn't funny. I'll never forget his eyes. They were like wild. I had never seen blacks pictured this way in the history books. I didn't believe him. I created a conflict between us. He kept telling me those soldiers were black. He was trying to educate me. He was quite a reader - he read all the time. He was always turning some profound thing over in his mind."
Kotto found out, in time, that his father was right. The 10th Cavalry, an all-Negro unit, was first organized in July 1866. It patrolled the borders, participated in Indian campaigns, and helped tame and maintain the West. The term, "Buffalo Soldier," was a nickname bestowed by the Apaches. One hundred years later, in 1966, an equestrian organization was formed, consisting of 35 members, modeled after the original outfit. They portray the historic unit in tonight's "High Chaparral" episode.
"I was pleased about this role," says Kotto, "Because I've never played a leader before. Also, this gave me an opportunity to play a historical character, a hero that was real."
Of the kids today, Kotto said, "They're in a different position than I was. They're willing to accept any handle on history that they claim. They want to know who they are."
He had dramatic evidence of this from the kids in Watts that he works with: "When they heard I was doing 'The Buffalo Soldiers,' I received about 50 phone calls from them. When I started rehearsing with the equestrian unit, 700 kids came across town to watch."
Auction Gallery
Events at The High Chaparral Reunion include a fun auction of memorabilia, HC items, souvenirs, Western books, and more.
Take a look at some of the Auction goodies we've collected on the Auction Gallery and start shopping. Remember you can get your winning item autographed by The High Chaparral stars at the Reunion, too.
See you in Tucson on The High Chaparral!
Mark Slade Studio
Update
June was a busy month at Mark Slade Studios.
A new work of art, "Doors", and two
new cartoons were added in June to
the RedactedRedux section of the
Mark Slade Studio website.
Additional artwork by Mark Slade can be
seen at Saatchi Online.
Indian Contributions to
Modern Day Culture
by W. St. Germain
Indian Contributions to Modern Day Culture
You can’t watch a western like The High Chaparral without encountering an Indian sooner or later. This proud and free people had their lifestyles changed dramatically with the settlement of the West. Having said that it wouldn't’t have been easy for the white settlers either, they certainly paved a path to the present. However this article will focus on the Indians and their contribution to modern society. While I agree that their lives changed, often for the worse, and their culture was affected all was not lost. Hardly a day passes that we don’t say at least one word that originated from an Indian language. We’d certainly have different diets without them.
John Cannon learns to speak Apache in this scene from Last 100 Miles
Okay, so what are some examples? Well, the word okay for a start! It is a casual term of approval or agreement. We often spell it as OK or O. K. but the proper spelling is Okay which, when you think about it, does have an Indian look to it. I was surprised to learn that over half of the states in America, 27 to be precise, have names directly associated with Indian tribes. There are numerous Indian groups and all have fascinating stories. The next passage briefly describes and names four Indian tribes which have American states named after them. After reading it, see if you can guess which states are named after which group.
There are several subdivisions of Sioux Indians; the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota though all consider themselves of the same culture. The different first letters are only a pronunciation modification. Sioux is the name they use when talking to non-Indian people. What we call Illini are in fact called the Illiniwek Indians of the American Midwest. One of five South-Western Siouan tribes, the Kaw Indians are another group whose name has been altered to Kansa for English speaking people.
Which state do you think is named after the Dakota tribe? What about the Illini, Kansa and Massachuset Indians?
Some states are not named after Indian tribes but after the ways in which Indians described the landscape. Can you match the names below with the descriptions given?
Indiana Alaska Mississippi Wyoming
- The Great Land
- Father of Water
- Land of the Indian
- The Great Plain
John Cannon speaks with Cochise in Apache in The Last 100 Miles
But what about other words? Not all English speaking people live in the US and yet they use Indian terms too. Numerous food and animal names are of Indian origin, far too many to cite here but I’d like to share a few. For example, I recently helped my son research cashews for a school assignment. We learned all kinds of interesting facts about this delicious nut. We discovered that in 2007 Vietnam was the world’s largest cashew exporter. In 2009 The Ivory Coast (Africa) was the world’s second largest but guess who the world’s FIRST cashew producers were? You’ve got it, the Indians (who also named them for us). One wonders what Vietnam and The Ivory Coast would have as their major exports were it not for the Indians.
Other yummies like strawberries, blueberries and of course maple syrup are often associated with North America so it might be less of a surprise to learn that we have the Indians to thank for cultivating those too. However, fruits like the persimmon, guava and pawpaw are often considered exotic imports – because these days, they are usually imported. But guess who we have to thank for naming and cultivating those items? Yes, you’re seeing a pattern here aren’t you? Persimmon was a particular surprise. For some reason, I always associated them with Jerusalem in Israel, largely because every time I watch a movie about Jesus he, or people around him, seem to be eating them. Funny how we make up our minds about things isn’t it?
Buck and Mano go to the Apache camp to speak with Cochise in the scene from Hanging Offense
We often associate the humble potato with the Irish but... you’ve got it! The many varieties, which could make up an article in themselves, are all with us thanks to the Indians. I have a great weakness for pecan pie and owe them a huge thank you for bringing the pecan to our attention – and into my life. Avocado, tapioca and even tomatoes - you wouldn’t think it would you? I bet every reader has more than one of the very few foodstuffs I’ve mentioned here, in your homes as you read. Everything I have described has an Indian name for which there is no English translation.
Kayaks, hammocks, toboggans and – a great love of both Americans and Aussies – the barbecue are all Indian creations, again with names for which there is no English translation. What about animals? One would expect a people so closely connected to the land would have names for the animals they’ve encountered. I was aware that some animals had Indian names. When I questioned people if they knew of any, the names moose, caribou and squirrel seemed well known but did you know that the mighty jaguar and cougar were also Indian names? So are coyote and skunk.
Naturally, I wanted to know which fashions could also be credited to this wonderful people (I was positive there would be something!) The first one isn’t exactly fashion but imitations are now for sale everywhere in the western world. I’m talking about the Indian Dream Catcher. I see them in windows of houses and dangling from rear view mirrors of vehicles. The original models are traced back to the Ojibway (Chippewa) Indian.
Traditionally, Dream Catchers were small round, or tear shaped, rings of willow with a loose webbing of sinew or later, wools. They were decorated with feathers, beads or other small objects of importance. These dream ‘filters’ were hung over a sleeping child’s bed with the belief that only good dreams could pass through and into the child’s mind. Nightmares were trapped like a fly in a spider web. What a beautiful idea.
Obviously, if they’re hanging in vehicles dream catchers are looked upon by many as merely decorative since one would hope the driver didn’t intend to sleep behind the wheel. Nightmares would certainly be the last thing they’d have to worry about. New Age stores are a popular place to buy them and I’ve seen some huge and elaborate ones. I often wonder what the Indians must think of those.
Manolito and Cochise converse in Apache in this scene from Hanging Offense
Indian tribes were usually recognized by the ornamentation they wore. This includes the fringed leatherwear. Moccasins, mukluks and parkas are also of Indian design.
Beading techniques, ribbon work and Seminole patchwork are admired and copied by fashion designers worldwide. The Seminole patchwork bears a striking resemblance to much of the distinctive Mexican clothing we are familiar with. This isn’t surprising since Indians were found along the borders of Mexico’s Northern state of Coahuila.
Clearly, while we changed their world permanently, they too, changed ours. Imagine a world without the things I have described. When I think that this is only a drop in the bucket... Well, there’s no question we have much to thank them for. Okay (couldn’t resist using it) I’ll close and wish you good health and fine weather. If you get any blizzards or hurricanes, thank the Indians for giving the names of those events to the weather forecaster. I’m going now, to make a salad for my lunch. It’s a variation on the potato salad where I add cherry tomatoes and chunks of avocado. For dessert I will have a fruit salad; strawberries, blueberries, apple, and persimmon. Being a pecan lover, I might even sprinkle a few of those over it. Pity there’s no time to bake a pecan pie.
I really must thank the Indians for my lunch. Without them, I’d be looking at a bowl of lettuce.
Reunion Sponsors - THANK YOU
Thank you to the generous folks who are helping sponsor the reunion and bring the HC family home to Tucson! Without each of you there wouldn't be a reunion, you are all very special and a part of The High Chaparral family.
Listen to this special Thank You from Susan McCray:
Click to listen to a special message from Susan McCray
- Kent McCray
- Susan McCray
- Kola's Screen Graphics LLC
- KSAV.org
- Share-A-Vision Productions
- Luisa Victoriano
- Patryka Duran y Chaves
- Heleen Helsdingen
- Patricia Schantz
- Artist Walter Fornero (click here to see this magazine interview on the artist)
- Sandra Smythers
- Paula Evans
- Brenda Greenwood
- Helen Campbell
- Ginger Kullman
- Jackie Hoell
- Peggy Oakland
- Plinio Rodolfo Orellana Romero
- Jan Pippins
- Mike Pippins
Getting To Know You with Susan McCray
Arbuckle Coffee is a proud sponsor of The High Chaparral Reunion. Don Collier is their spokesman and the official Arbuckle Cowboy. Try a good cup of Arbuckles, the Coffee That Won the West.
Copper Kettle Popcorn & Confections
Do you have a favorite piece of memorabilia, or an article you'd like to share with other fans? Send it to info@highchaparralnewsletter.com, and we'll do our best to add it to a future newsletter.
