Manataka American Indian Council Volume X Issue 10 OCTOBER 2006
Manataka - Preserving the past today for tomorrow
66 printed pages in this issue
Indians in the Americas: The Untold Story
by William Marder
There
have been many books written over the years promising to tell the true story of
the Native American Indians. Many, however, have been filled with misinformation
or derogatory views.
Finally, here is a book that the Native American can believe in. It is well researched and tells the true story of Native American accomplishments, challenges, and struggles.
HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT BECOMING A MEMBER OF MANATAKA?
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO JOIN!
Our Thanks
We owe the following members and individuals great big THANK YOU for coming out and supporting the clean up effort in preparation of the Fall Gathering set for October 21-23 at Bald Mountain Park and Campgrounds. Many brought their own tools, some brought food -- everyone brought a wonderful heart.
| Aurora Adney |
David Furr |
Maureen Deering | Lee Mitchell | Colleen Parker |
| Dutch Applewhite | Dottie Furr | Jason Deering & Family | Royal Mitchell | Charlotte Parker |
| Jody French-Applewhite | Crystal Harvey | Terry Long | Amanda Moore | Rick Porea |
| Leonard Baker | Pam Kelly | James Mitchell | Becky Moore | Gayle Sexauer |
| Patti Burdette | Maureen Deering | Theresa Mitchell | Lee 'Bear' Moore | Cheryl Wilkinson |
| *Bolded - Elders | Bryan Williams |
Lost BIA money?
Please encourage everyone to look into this site. Apparently, the BIA indicates
that after 2 years, all the money in this web site will be turned over to the
BIA, OST & Tribes.
http://www.doi.gov/ost/Locating IIM/whereabouts.html
Manataka Seeks Grant Writer
MAIC has several worthwhile projects that are severely under-funded. Two of the projects are of unique design and proven effectiveness. For the past 10 years, all programs and services were self-funded by members and supporters and we have not applied for financial assistance. The worthiness of these programs requires more funds than can realistically be provided by individual contributions. Experienced grant writers please contact: manataka@sbcglobal.net
Booklets Available
Manataka now has available several thousand copies of a 16-page booklet titled “Native American Spirituality: An Informational Guide for Health Care Providers, Hospital Staff and Administrators, Chaplains, School Administrators, Funeral Directors and Others Regarding Ceremonies, Rights and Obligations.” Read the booklet here
Single copies are $1.00 to cover the cost of mailing. 10 booklets - $5.00. 25 booklets $10.00 For higher quantities send us an email. See related story below.
Manataka Seeks Advisory Board Members:
Elders approved a motion to establish an Advisory Board who will research and develop recommendations to the Elder Council. MAIC specifically seeks educators, attorneys, accountants, business leaders and other professionals to join the MAIC Advisory Board. Please contact: manataka@sbcglobal.net
During a blizzard the Manitoba Zoo in Winnipeg received a white Buffalo calf (aptly named "Blizzard" ) from the United States. Recognizing the great significance of the Buffalo to Manitobans, especially First Nations and Métis, the Zoo acquired this rare and beautiful animal, which is now on display in the Native Animals section, east of the Tropical House. Blizzard is a rare white bison calf, whose significance to First Nations communities goes back several centuries. Blizzard, a yearling that currently stands less than two meters at the hump, will be on permanent display next to the caribou field in the North American animal area. He has been paired with a two year old female (brown) bison for company.
Manataka Fall Gathering - "Time of Harvest and Renewal"
October 20 - 22, 2006
Bald Eagle Mountain Park and Campgrounds
Hot Springs, AR
Read More.... Events... Map... Protocols...
Bridging the Americas - Reuniting the Eagle and the Condor
Gathering of The Elders at Lake Titicaca, Peru
March 19 – 23, 2007
“When the Eagle once again
flies with the Condor, a lasting peace will reign in the
Americas and will spread throughout the world to unite
humanity.”
Legends state that Aramu Muru assisted many Native American
tribes after they arrived in Peru during the time of the
destructions of Mu and the Old Red Land (Atlantis). He then
united these tribes into a very advanced culture that proceeded
to build many of the towering megalithic temples
that still
adorn the landscape of Peru today. Although most of us have
forgotten our past connections, the spirit of Aramu Muru has
never left us, and he continues to watch over all the Americas
from his Illumination Temple located above Lake Titicaca.
Moreover, the great Solar Disc of Mu is also said to still
continue to exist and is currently located on the bottom of the
sacred lake. Since1992, when the Pachacuti or “World
Transformation” anciently prophesied by the Incas first
commenced, Aramu Muru and the Illumination Temple have made
their presence known again and the Solar Disc has begun
emanating powerful streams of spiritual light that will
eventually unite the Americas and uplift the entire world. Soon
the prophecy will be complete; the Eagles (North America) will
reunite with the Condors (South America) and the tribes will
once again become one. Join us on the Spring Equinox of 2007 at
Lake Titicaca as we connect with our ancient past, reunite the
tribes, and help fulfill the sacred destiny of the Americas.
Contact the Institute for Cultural Awareness. 928-646-3000
http://www.ica8.org
info@earthdance8.org
SEE MORE NON-POWWOW EVENTS HERE
It's all spirit and it's all connected." -Grandfather William Commanda, Algonquin
If everything is connected, we cannot not disconnect. To disconnect is not a real choice.
This is why we are always spiritual no matter what we do. Every alcoholic is spiritual. All our brothers and sisters are spiritual. We may not be behaving correctly, but nevertheless, we are spiritual. Our choice is to live out of
harmony with spiritual ways or in harmony with spiritual ways. Everything is spiritual.
Great Spirit,
give me the knowledge
to be in harmony
with the spirit today.
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CAROL ELK LOOKS BACK PETERSEN MEETS
WITH SLOVENIAN PRESIDENT DRNOVSEK
(Pictured
L to R is Slovenia President Drnovsek, Amawta Valentin Mejillones, Carol Elk
Looks Back Petersen.)
The temple of the Sun in Tiwanaku is represented by the stone caving being presented by Don Valentin Mejillones of Bolivia. He is Aymara and the chief coordinator of the Spiritual Ancestors of South America. As you may remember we have been asking for synchronistic sun portal celebrations bringing down the Rainbow Medicine Blanket during the solstice and the equinox.
Carol Elk Looks Back presented to President Drnovsek as a clan Mother of the Sacred Soto Band of the Anishinaabe Nation an eagle feather to President Drnovsek.
Manataka member and tireless ambassador for cross cultural understanding, Petersen travels to visit with heads of state in many foreign countries to open cross cultural understanding. In 2005, Petersen presented Manataka with the Rainbow Flag -- Aymara (pictured below) gifted by Valentin Mejillones, Aymara Spiritual Guide of El Alto, La Paz, Boliva. (pictured above). Petersen currently serves as the Coordinator of the Spiritual Elders of South America and Consejo del Saber Qulla (council of knowledge) in Latin America. Also in 2005, Petersen represented the Manataka American Indian Council during a major gathering of spiritual elders of many countries in Latin America.
Sacred geometry in Slovenia
"We were invited by President Drnovsek to go to many vortexes in his country and to "feel the energy". Everywhere we stopped the towns people came to visit with us and to introduce us to the center of the vortexes at goddess temples. A sacred spring produced a bio field corresponding to all the centers in the human body. Slovenian's are proud of their land and each home has a garden patch and flowers bloom out of every window," said Elk Looks Back.
"Today we continue to prosper with a newly formed foundation. It will continue to foster and enrich our common cultural relationship to the land in a harmonious way."
Manataka is proud of our powerfully dynamic friend and member.
"Greener" Electronics
By Lori Leah Zack
Toxins in Electronics**
Every year, hundreds of thousands of old computers and mobile
phones containing toxic chemicals, such as brominated flame retardants (BFRs)
and the plastic polyvinyl chlorine (PVC), are dumped in landfills or burned
in smelters. Thousands more are exported, often illegally, from the Europe,
US, Japan and other industrialised countries, to Asia. There, workers at
scrap yards, some of whom are children, are exposed to a cocktail of toxic
chemicals and poisons. This is the dark side of a trend for cheaper, more
disposable electronics
A Chinese child sits amongst a pile of wires and e-waste. Children can often
be found dismantling e-waste containing many hazardous chemicals known to be
potentially very damaging to children's health. Photo from Greenpeace
International*
By removing the toxic chemicals, companies make it cleaner and easier to recycle their products. Companies that take responsibility for the whole lifecycle of their products from cradle to grave ensure that their products last longer and cause less pollution. Greenpeace's vision for the industry is one that produces cleaner, longer lasting, more sustainable products that don't contribute to the growing tide of toxic, short lived products currently being dumped in Asia.
The electronics is a fast moving, innovative
industry that can respond quickly to users wishes and new trends. But this
years hottest gadget shouldn't end up being next years e-waste being taken
apart by a Chinese child. Some companies are making positive moves and a
Greenpeace survey shows that users want a cleaner industry and are willing
to pay extra for it.
Take Action--Suggestions from
Greenpeace and The Green Guide:
1) Avoid buying new computer equipment unnecessarily; whenever possible, upgrade your current machine.
2) If you do need to purchase a
computer, consider buying used.
www.RefurbDepot.com sells refurbished computers and other
electronics for somewhat less than the cost of new systems: Other purveyors
of used computers include PCs Evolve http://www.pcsevolve.com/ and
Computer Renaissance
http://www.computerrenaissance.com/
3) If you must buy new, support companies that make clean
products. Check out how the top companies line up on toxic chemicals and
consider which deserve your money next time your buying electronics:
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/toxics/electronics/how-the-companies-line-up
If you are buying a product check the rankings on:
Computers: http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/Products/Toxics/chemicalhouse.cfm?producttypeid=27
If buying a new monitor, flat-panel screen models are an easy greener choice; they lack the five to eight pounds of lead found in conventional CRT monitors.
Look for Energy Star certified machines; they
consume 70 percent less electricity than computers that lack
power-management systems.
Even after buying a new machine you might want to hang onto the old one
instead of tossing it. Consider networking the two computers, or use the old
computer to play MP3s or serve some other specialized function, such as
acting as a Linux platform.
4) Return your equipment to the manufacturer when you have finished with it. Ask about consumer take-back programs like the Electronics Recycling Shared Responsibility Program, which includes Panasonic, Sharp, and Sony.
Gateway: http://gateway.eztradein.com/gateway
Hewlett-Packard (makers of Compaq): https://warp1.external.hp.com/recycle/
And a great webpage from E-bay:
http://rethink.ebay.com/
5) Re-Cycle old electronic equipment to reputable recyclers.
If you live in California or Massachusetts, you MUST recycle CRT monitors and TVs, or clutter up your garage, as these two states have banned the landfilling of these items due to their lead content.
Check out a list of responsible electronics recyclers compiled by the Basel Action Network: http://www.ban.org/pledge/Locations.html or The National Recycling Coalition's list of electronics-recycling programs by state: http://www.nrc-recycle.org/resources/electronics/policy.htm
In general, be sure to avoid recyclers that use
incineration (sometimes called "thermal recycling") as well as ones that
ship waste overseas for processing.
Resources:
*Photo from: http://www.greenpeace.org/international/photosvideos/slideshows/electronincs-dirty-secret
** excerpt from the article "Dell promises greener computers but users want more"; to read the whole article:
Additional reading: "What's in electronic devices?"
The Green Guide: information for
environmentally conscious consumers
http://www.thegreenguide.com/
By Lori Leah Zack
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Hurricane Bob
Strange as how we need to identify things by naming them. I never could understand the need to name Hurricanes with human names when they are far from human.
Along the coast of Maine we at times got the aftermath or ends of some tropical storms. They would be described as touching down or coming inland. We seldom actually got a full blown hurricane so we did not pay much attention to the weather man. The fishermen on the other hand heeded the warnings for high seas that would be in effect during such storms.
On
this particular morning I woke up and felt the heaviness in the air that
had not been there last night. All morning as I went about getting
morning chores done I felt this sense of expectation. My husband use to
think me quite out of my mind when I would batten down the hatches after
a storm warning; I felt it better to be prepared then not.
We would draw water into big pots for cooking drinking and washing. We usually filled the bathtub with water and made sure we were supplied with plenty of lamps and candles also the cooking stove or wood supplies put inside. We always made sure we had packed a back pack in case of an emergency evacuation. Also food for such a move was loaded into the old truck.
I mostly lived in wilderness places where you never left home without a good warm blanket, extra clothes, food and supplies for break down in your truck. You dressed for the weather and covered all emergency needs. The elements are powerful and most people who live close to the earth respect them.
After we had secured the emergency supplies, we would go out in the yard and see that all lose items were latched down or put away so that they would not fly up and hit a window or cause other damage. My kids helped me with this work and it was no time before we were zipped up and ready.
Bikes went into sheds and lawn mowers put away all flying objects were under wraps so to speak. My husband would only shake his head and go off to work or ignore me and my efforts at storm preparation. This particular storm was called Bob, such an every day name for what turned out to be a terrible storm.
That morning as I said we made preparations for this storm to touch inland. Needless to say my husband did not share my Native ways and thought that they were a bit much. In later years he came to open his eyes to some things, but still held out his own private thoughts.
The air was heavy and still that morning, as I went out and made my tobacco tie offerings to the land and the storm. I offered tobacco to the four directions of my land and tied prayer ties in the old maple trees that lined the property. As I was making the prayers the sky got all yellow and gray. The birds were suddenly silent and nothing moved, not even the leaves on the trees.
Later that day the storm made land fall and the winds swept the coastal area. From my living room window I watched as the trees across the street were bent nearly double and snapped like match sticks. Many things were destroyed that night from the powerful wind and rain that hit our area. The electricity went out and it grew dark, still the wind howled for hours more. I lay down fully clothed on my bed and tried to get some sleep. I must have finally fallen asleep because I did not hear a sound.
I got up at 5am and went out into the yard to see what damage had been done to the land. I saw no trees down on my land but many bent and broken smaller ones across the street. Mostly the pines were uprooted and tipped over leaving their roots pointed to the sky.
When I looked across the street from my front yard was when I saw the clear cut pass to the River Road. It was about 100 feet wide and reached down the hill a quarter of a mile, all the way to the River road the ran from Westbrook to Windham. At first I had to look twice to understand the amount of damage and the distance between me and the clearing.
The storm had crossed the river behind the house and taken out some others trees and damaged property. Then it jumped over my house and land and took cut this pass that was directly opposite my house only 20 yards from my front door. The huge old maple , oak and pines were twisted and splintered, it was as if some huge hand had ripped them up carelessly and tossed them to the side. The power of such a wind must have been at least 100 miles an hour to have caused such damage. I had no knowledge of this as my family slept safely only a few yards from the devastation.
Our land was the only land in the neighbor hood that had no damaged trees or buildings. We were spared this and were certainly grateful for the Creators hand that protected us all.
We made breakfast and prayed for others who were less fortunate then we went door to door and offered to help anyone who needed it. We made pots of food and fed the ones who were not able to cook or did not prepare for such a emergency. We helped cut trees and tarp roofs that were damaged.
We powered up the generator and finally saw on TV what this mildly named storm had done to the East coast line. It was devastating and was considered a disaster area for a while.
As for us we thanked Creator for protecting the land and saving the trees around us. To this day it is a mystery how the storm jumped that area and landed across the road. I question nothing that Creator does in this life only give thanks and offer prayers.
After that some of my family who had thought me a bit daft in my ways found more understanding. Perhaps we want to believe in the power of prayer or ritual but we fear the reprisals from others. Never let judgment from others stops you from believing in the way you pray or offer prayers. Look around you and see that we are so connected to this earth and all that lives or grows here. This knowing or feeling of the land will help you to survive if you only listen. Yes you will be shaken, but you will survive all things if you focus and keep your connection with the Earth.
The ability to see and understand is between you and your Creator, the thread or reed must always be connected to the sacred Tree of Life. We must have an open hollow reed in order to live a good and full life.
Love and blessings. Waynonaha
Waynonaha Two Worlds. Copyright (c) 2006 by Waynonaha Two
Worlds. All publication rights reserved.
From Grandmother Selma
RECLAIMING "SQUAW" IN THE NAME OF THE ANCESTORS
Kwai Kwai. Greetings.
I write to you as an alnobaskwa, an Abenaki woman, questioning the motionto gut our original language in the name of political correctness. Over the past few decades, in my travels as a traditional storyteller and historical consultant, I have met many indigenous speakers and elders who are concerned at the efforts of otherwise well-meaning people to erase all contemporary uses of the word "squaw."
And yet, there are people who refuse to believe that "squaw" could have originated in an Algonkian language, or that it could ever have had any meaning but a pejorative one. Some seem to believe that Europeans invented the word, and placed it on maps all over the country, with the sole intent of insulting Native women. Sadly, the misunderstanding of traditional languages runs so deep that contemporary Americans cannot distinguish between modern insults and traditional words. For many activists, the word "squaw" has come to symbolize the systematic rape and abuse of Indian women by white conquerors.
By way of explanation to readers on this issue, I have never supported continued use of the word as an insult directed at Native women, and I am not opposed to the concept of changing place names with the word "squaw" in them. But I do wish to provide some background documentation on the actual linguistic origins of the word in Algonkian languages, and the relatively modern historical and social processes by which it morphed into an insult. I ask that people try to understand, and respect, the difference between pejorative uses and indigenous contexts, between different Native languages, and between historical uses of Native words, past and present. I also ask that people not promote fictional word origins, or use traditional words in ways that are insulting to our ancestors and our elders....
Submitted by Selma Palmer
Pointing With Our Lips
Corina Roberts, Founder of Redbird
At a Cultural Sensitivity seminar in Los Angeles for counselors working in minority communities, the teacher offered the following joke.
Three good friends were out hunting with their favorite dogs, boasting about their hunting ability. “Watch this” said the English man. “Rover, go seek!” Immediately his dog took off at a full run, darting all through the brush, until he came to a bevy of quail. The dog froze, pointing with his front leg and standing like a statue, marking the spot where the quail stood.
“That’s very impressive” said his French hunting partner, “but watch this.” With a series of shrill whistles he directed his dog to search. The French man’s dog sped off and soon found the location of an animal, hidden in the brush. The dog barked furiously and spun in circles, marking the location of the hiding animal.
Both the English and the French man then turned to their Native American hunting partner. “What can your dog do?” they asked. The native man motioned to his dog with his chin, sweeping the surroundings with a motion of his head. The native dog looked around, sat down, and pointed toward another patch of brush with his lips.
Predictably, the native people in the audience laughed out loud.
Most of us, regardless of our heritage, have been taught that it is rude to point at a person, but few people will go to such great effort to avoid pointing as indigenous people of the western hemisphere. For native people, it isn’t just people that you shouldn’t point at, but also trees and animals, homes, graves, regalia and medicine items. Why?
Read Related Story: Indian Sign Language September 2006 Issue
Today Is a Good Day to Die - Part II
By Takatoka
Today, R. Lee Standing Bear Moore is a peaceful warrior -- a rainbow warrior. He rises up on two legs with arms stretched wide only when his family, friends or sacred mountain are threatened. Most days he spends quietly talking with members and visitors, performing ceremony, counseling those in need, or walking peacefully on the Manataka Mountain.
But, there was a time when peace and quiet were not a part of his vocabulary. Bear was a real warrior who risked his life in combat for the sake of his brothers. After leaving the military nearly forty-years ago, Standing Bear was a successful concert and event promoter who brought entertainment and laughter to crowds across the country. But, battles with performers, agents, record companies, venues, stage workers and vendors consumed over twenty-years of his life. Then he founded a drug and alcohol abuse awareness organization that spread across seven states and helped thousands of families recover from the ravages chemical abuse. But, battles with drug abusers, enabling families, treatment institutions, law enforcement, politicians and others were constant.
If this were not enough, Standing Bear fought more insidious battles against personal fears and anger for many years. He
finally won -- to a large degree. Nowadays, it is difficult to ruffle the fur on the back of his neck. The journey from angry warrior to a man of peace is a fascinating story...
"...I cannot remember when it was the first time I heard the Indian phrase, “Today is a good day to die.” The phrase was used in the context of a warrior’s desire to die an honorable and brave death. For many decades I accepted this idea...but it changed drastically..."
Today We Proclaim a New Day!
By Takatoka
Today we proclaim a new day in heaven and on earth for all beings and all things who shall live in equal respect and dignity for each other.
Today we live joyously for the future as we respect the past.
A world filled with fear, anger and hate must find peace within itself.
As history teaches us, this cannot be done using conventional government, religion and commerce based initiatives for achieving peace. Governments begin wars for imperialistic, religious and commercial reasons.
Today we live in a world in transition where the dynamics of the connection and interaction in human relations are at its highest vibration in history. Billions of people are talking to each other across imaginary political boundaries as never before. This is good.
Communication between individuals across the globe has brought about renewed respect and tolerance of all. Tolerance has brought about higher understanding and compassion for our brothers and sisters. It has increased the love between us. Communication has also increased hate between us. Increased communication between government, church and commercial leaders have increased wars and the possibility of wars.
Can we increase the vibration of love between us so that the relevance of government, religion and commercial interests in the peace making process is negligent? You know this is the only way it will ever happen -- by the grace of the Creator of All Things.
Today we live in a world with humans who have eyes in the backs of their heads.
We know and understand history as never before. Everyday there are dozens of new discoveries that increase our insight into the past. Subjects such as anthropology and archeology were not even part of academic study until the late 19th century. We can see behind us very well -- as never before in human history.
At the same time, we have eyes all around our heads. The internet, television and cell phones allow us to see and speak to every part of the globe simultaneously. Some humans have eyes with 360° vision.
Humans also have the ability to peak around the corner of time -- eyes in the middle of their forehead.
By assembling all the prophesies of all the religions and ancient knowledge across the earth and distilling them down to chronological patterns, themes and impact, we discover they are very agreeable with each other in many respects. The multitude of ideologies appeared to be far apart in the past by reason of language barriers, geography and political/ religious jealousies. Today, hundreds of prophesies in many languages point to the same future. An eye into tomorrow courtesy of all the races, religions, and spiritual knowledge of humans -- dove-tailing into a single moving picture!
To know the future, we can also read the newspaper, watch television, read magazines, internet information to see the political, religious and economic upheaval worldwide. The rate of global ecological degradation promises to bring about extinction. When will this giant rubberband break?
Is there a reason why humans have so many eyes? Is there a reason why our global collective consciousness has been sat down in the front row seat of time, full of eyes and ears, for major event the human experience?
As humans sit in the front row awaiting the Big Spectacle, we are filled with great sadness at all our mistakes, pain and fears. At the same time, we are joyous at the prospects for a new day!
~Takatoka
RED HAWK IS
FLYING!
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First Woman
A Catawba Story
But the Catawba have a different tale of those days. When this world was
still new, they say, all of it was sharp rocks and steep hills, high cliffs
and jagged peaks-except for one small valley hidden deep in the mountains.
There, it was always summer. A clear stream ran through its green meadows.
The deer and the wolf drank from it side by side. Beavers built a dam to
make a pond, and fishes swam in it. Flowers bloomed on the banks and did not
die. Trees flowered and bore fruit, and then flowered again. Bluebirds and
buntings sang in the branches. Bees hummed. Blackberries, raspberries, and
gooseberries, huckleberries, serviceberries, and mulberries ripened all the
year round. The little valley was the best of all places.
Once the Great Spirit had made the valley, he shaped a new creature to live
in it. He made this new being to stand on two legs, much like himself. He
gave it dark hair and eyes and a dress made of large round leaves of galax,
and set her down in the grassy meadow. "You are First Woman," said the Great
Spirit, "and this is your home to live in and to rule." Then, when he had
said it, he went away and left her.
First Woman was happy at first. She found a cave to shelter her from the
always-summer rains, and made it her home. She ate berries with honey, and
pawpaws and persimmons and fish. She swam with the beavers and ran with the
deer, and neither she nor her valley grew old. Every day was the same as
every other day, until she began to wish that it was not.
One day, as First Woman sat at the opening of her cave, she saw a bright red
butterfly flutter by. She had never seen such a thing before, and so she
rose and followed it. Down across the valley it flew, and up into a narrow
ravine. First Woman climbed after it a long, winding way until it led her to
the foot of a waterfall. But then it vanished. First Woman turned back, but
took the wrong path, and wandered farther and farther out of her way At
nightfall, cold and weary and frightened, she curled up on the ground to
sleep. A little before dawn she awoke to find a dark shape bending over
her-not a wolf or panther, but a shape much like her own. Yet she was the
only human being in this world.
"What are you?" she asked in fear. It was larger than she, its face fiercer.
Its shirt and leggings were made of cloud, as if it had just stepped down
from the sky.
The Sky Man reached down to help First Woman to her feet. "I was on my way
from the evening star to the morning star," he said. "When I looked down, I
saw first that you are very beautiful, and then that you were lost. I wish
to help you find your way, and so I have come down to your world, even
though the Great Spirit will be angered." "Will He be?" First Woman asked
fearfully.
"Yes," said the Sky Man, "for He has commanded that the People Above do not
come down to this world unless He sends them. His anger is terrible, and I
fear it." But he smiled at her. "Indeed, I would rather stay here with you
than return to the World Above and His anger." First Woman's heart filled
with happiness, for she had been lonely and not known it. "Come," she said,
and she took his hand and went with him down to her beautiful valley.
There they lived together as wife and husband, and in time First Woman bore
a child. Only then did they begin to think of the times to come. First Woman
knew that from their children and their children's children would come a
people who would overflow the valley and fill the world. How would they
live? The world outside was harsh and bare. Sky Man feared that their
children would suffer even more because he had disobeyed the Great Spirit's
command, and he was unhappy. Together, they prayed to the Great Spirit for
his forgiveness. In the World Above, the Great Spirit heard, and knew that
their hearts were good. He lifted his hand, and a great wind rose. He moved
his hand, and the great wind pushed mountains closer together and made space
for other valleys, and for prairies. And all this world was made beautiful.
When the work was done, the Great Spirit leaned down from the World Above
and told First Woman and Sky Man that all this world was theirs. But he told
them, too, that because Sky Man had disobeyed him, from that day they must
work for their food. He told them that life would no longer be all summer.
Now there would be winter, and with it bitter cold. He told them that there
would come a time when they would see in the water of the beavers' lake that
their hair had grown white. He told them that in time they must grow old,
and die. And First Woman and Sky Man looked at the beautiful world, and at
their child, and still were glad.
Taken from the book The Wonderful Sky Boat and Other Native American Tales
of the Southeast retold by Jane Louise Curry
From Blue Panther Keeper of Stories
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I am saddened to see that Bear Butte is being destroyed by so many people whose only vision is that of the almighty American dollar.
I have loved the sacredness of the Butte ever since I was a child. I can remember climbing near the top and feeling such a rush of exhilaration and the presence of the Spirit. What can be done? In some ways, I feel that I must have been a Native American in a past life. I’ve always wanted to be named as such, but since I don’t have enough Native American blood in me, I’m thinking that it is probably out of the question in this lifetime.
Please, oh please, we must stand strong to save the Butte. While I have an aunt that lives in view of Bear Butte, that ranch has been there for as long as I can remember and there was and has been respect for the land. Evil people have crossed that land many times and when my Uncle was alive, it was not uncommon to feel a bullet come whizzing by one’s ear. I am here in California, but my heart still remains there on the Butte. I pray that we can stop the craziness and keep the land sacred for now and for future generations.
Respectfully, Judith Alvi
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Hi every one. This [message] is very significant. It affects everyone on the planet. Please support local sustainable agriculture. Here in Rapid City there is Breadroot co-op. The single most important thing any of us can do to make a difference in our world is to support local sustainable agriculture. This includes buying fair trade organic items whenever you can. Also try having a home cooked meal with your family. Turn off the TV. Try it. You might like it. Your body and your planet thank you. Douglas Uptain,
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Hi, I am sending messages that will be part of a booklet I and a Pomo activist friend (Robinson Rancheria) are putting together on the subject of 19th century massacres in Northern California, specifically in Lake County (Bloody Island).
You could use it as an article or as a letter to the editor. The story involves approximately 150 men, women, children, toddlers and elders were butchered (the young children "brained" against tree trunks, a common practice in those days) without cause but to have access to their land, with the blessing of California politicians and officials.
The history of Native people in Northern California is not well known, (not like Wounded Knee or Sand Creek), because the dominant society here still calls it a "can of worms" that should not be disturbed!
It would be great if I could send the booklet to you for review when it is completed and published, perhaps you could sell it on your site...Let me know to whose attention I should send it. The story will be very straightforward and entirely facts-based, with plenty of explicit illustrations, to tell it like it is.
Raphael Montoliu |
'The Indians are coming! The Indians are coming!' Are the
Indian Wars Not Over?
By Mike Graham
It's a flash back to Paul Revere's famous ride all over again, only this time
the cry is about American Indians. Politicians across the country (mostly
Republicans) are rallying the troops against Indians. They are telling anyone
that will listen that the Indians are back and they mean business! "Indians are
going to take over." they cry.
Well, the meaning business part is right. Indian nations are moving ahead in
many business areas like mom and pop neighborhood stores to forming Internet
companies. A
