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Volume XVIII Issue 01
SMOKE SIGNAL NEWS
Preserving The Past Today For Tomorrow
January/February 2012
We are grateful to be back in the saddle of Manataka's Smoke Signal News after a two month hiatus. Beautiful and extraordinary events have been occurring at the Place of Peace -- all preparing for that glorious Moment in when prophesy will be fulfilled and the sacredness of this magnificent Valley of the Vapors will emerge to bring about peace and love among humans worldwide.
We have made some changes in the Smoke Signal News. Gone are the excessively long newsletters to be replaced with more succinct and timely articles pertaining specifically to Manataka's history, present and future. We hope you enjoy the new Smoke Signals. ~editor
Manataka Sacred Grounds Being Developed
As we hike the trails of Manataka Mountain today, we find no monuments to the gentle people who were once the keepers of Manataka (Place of Peace). Only the Grandfathers now tell the story of the Rainbow Woman who blessed and guarded the Valley and the healing waters of Nówâ-sa-lon, the hot springs.
But this is about to change. On the southeast slope of Manataka (Hot Springs) Mountain, cross the street from Hot Springs National Park, there was a small house built in 1920 that was demolished in 2010. This little house sat on a half-acre, three city lots, of sacred ground; a little piece of the sacred mountain.
Recently Linda Bear Woman Speaks VanBibber of Independence, Missouri donated the land to the Manataka American Indian Council. MAIC will receive a clear-title deed to this private property to be held in perpetuity for ceremonies and other functions. Linda is a retired marketing executive and a member of Manataka since 2001. Read More...
Several
important stories of Manataka speak of the great feminine
spirit, IxChel, Mother God, Holy Mother of the Mountain,
the Rainbow Woman of
Manataka.
It is said in prophesy that she sleeps deep in the mountain awaiting the day when the people of the four races of mankind come in peace and gather in a circle to pray and give thanks to the Creator of All Things.
In the old days, the Rainbow Woman stood high on the hot springs mountain holding an eagle feather in each hand. If any person grievously violated the peace of the Valley, Rainbow Woman dropped a single feather at the violator’s feet. In the case of an Elder, the feather was laid on his/her shoulder. That was the first warning – it would be wiser to fly away like a bird than challenge the peace of the valley. If the violator persisted then the second feather was dropped and the violator was removed along Dead Chief's trail to permanent exile -- in some cases exile from Manataka also included the violator's own tribe. Some were taken to the Place with No Name and left for dead.
This spiritual belief and other important stories about Rainbow Woman form the basis of a truth and law of Manataka that cannot be broken without consequences. The laws given at Manataka precede and supersede civil laws that govern peace at Hot Springs today. Read More...
"If the Great Spirit wanted men to stay in one place He would make the world stand still; but He made it to always change..." --Chief Flying Hawk, Oglala Sioux
The Elders tell us change occurs in two directions. They say, "That which is built is constantly being destroyed; that which is loose is being used to build the new." In other words, change is constantly going on. Many times we hear people say, "I hate change." Does it make sense that the Great Spirit would design people to hate it? The Great Spirit designed people with change abilities such as visioning, imagery and imagination. Maybe we need to learn to use these tools and then we'll look forward to change.
Great Spirit, today, let me see the harmony of Yours, truly changing world.
"Speak it with your lips and it will become reality. Give form to your faith by dreaming it. Give life to your dreams by speaking it." Lee Standing Bear Moore, Manataka
The Elders tell us that there is no division between reality and our dreams. Faith is built by imagining or actualizing ones dreams, ideas, thoughts and opinions to create one life-giving stone of faith after the other. Faith is a knowing that is far beyond simple belief. By telling ourselves and others about our dreams, they become part of the new reality that is being created. A circle of people envisioning the same dream develop a mass consciousness that will become the reality they all seek.
Oh Great Spirit, give us faith to see the world as we dream it.
If all 50 state flowers were made into a bouquet... State Flowers
2012 Calendar Collector Series
2012
Powwow Wall Calendar
Photographer Chris Roberts shares the
tradition of powwow through his remarkable photographs of dancers
who proudly preserve their ancestral traditions. SKU: 90742-5
Regular Price: $24.95
Discount Code 1210
Price: $21.86
Ghost Dance 2012 Wall Calendar
Regular Price $24.95
Discount Code 1210
21.86
Who Helped
Save Our Environment
Les
Lobaugh is, according to Mary Louise
Uhlig of the Environmental
Protection Agency, the most
"influential, important and
anonymous Native lawyer in America".
National
Park Service Gone Rogue: A Whistleblower Speaks
by Melvin Jordan
At six a.m. on June 9, 2004, the
celebrated Indian trader Billy Malone awoke to a raid on his
house by National Park Service (NPS) agents. With no
explanation, the agents turned Malone’s place upside down, and
his world crumbled around him. His personal and working
collection of Navajo rugs and jewelry was confiscated. He lost
his job, was kicked out of his home and faced federal charges.
NPS investigator Paul Berkowitz took
over the case a year and a half later. Dispatched to end the
money-draining investigation of the Hubbell Trading Post,
Berkowitz found exactly the opposite of what his superiors were
asserting.
Now, in
The Case of the Indian Trader: Billy Malone and the National
Park Service Investigation at Hubbell Trading Post
(University of New Mexico Press, 2011), Berkowitz
details the unorthodox world of Indian traders and how it
collided with the NPS’s twisted politics. He dissects both the
government’s refusal to accept Indian culture and the resulting
intrusions into centuries–old business practices that value
people over the almighty dollar.
Read More... A
Discussion with Nine Traditional Indian Healing Medicine Men
http://www.indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com
Chief Leonard Crow Dog,
Sicangu Lakota medicine man, spoke about the
spiritual dimension of healing. (By Mary Annette
Pember In her
blog
Daily Yonder, Mary Annette Pember, Ojibwe, describes the
conversations between nine revered medicine men and the
“embodiment of Western medicine,” Dr. Donald Lindberg, director
of the National Institutes of Health’s National Library of
Medicine, located in Bethesda, Maryland. Her post “Two
Healing Traditions Meet on the Plains” captures the American
Indian vision concerning traditional healing and magnifies the
tension between the Western and Native worldviews of medicine. Pember writes,
“Lindberg’s questions revealed the conviction and implied
superiority of Western medicine. He asked how the men treated
specific diseases and wondered if they went into trances when
they conducted healings. The healers demurred at this direct
line of questioning and instead spoke of the central role of
prayer and humility in their work. They alluded to a power
beyond words, the spiritual connection between humans and the
earth. ‘We first ask permission from the Creator to heal
people,’ said Albert Red Bear.” The videotaped
conversations between Lindberg and Red Bear, as well as eight
other Indian medicine men, are part of the Library’s
presentation of traditional Indian healing practices in a
first-of-its-kind exhibition called “Native
Voices: Native Peoples’ Concepts of Health and Illness.” The
exhibit premiered with a blessing ceremony on October 5,
2011. Read More...
Listen Up and Laugh—Health Benefits
are Waiting
By
Mark Underwood, Quincy Bioscience Here’s another reason to laugh. It’s
contagious. Have you ever wondered why some people tend to attract
others? Look more closely. It may be that they laugh easily and
frequently even when they are surmounting numerous challenges connected
with their health and aging. Read More...
Letters to the Editor- Sound off!
Dear Editor, We
would like to take this opportunity to express our utmost gratitude to Ward
Stone for all that he has done to help the Mohawk people. He has been a
strong advocate for the health of Mohawks, especially at Akwesasne. In the
1980’s, a midwife from Akwesasne, a Mohawk reservation located not far from
Massena NY, named Katsi Cook got in touch with Ward Stone and expressed
concern about the effects of industrial pollution on the health of the
people who reside there. Stone found extremely high levels of PCBs,
insecticides and other toxins in area fish and wildlife. His work led to
irrefutable proof that the dumping of contaminants by nearby factories was
responsible for the high level of PCBs found in mother’s milk at Akwesasne.
As a result, the people at Akwesasne are benefiting from the awareness of
what needs to be done to maintain a healthy environment for the generations
to come. Ward Stone has worked tirelessly not only as a strong and dedicated
spokesperson for the animals, insects, fish, birds, water, air and Mother
Earth, but he has also spoken up for the health and welfare of the people of
the Northeast. Niawenko:wa (thank you), Ward Stone. Sincerely, Tom
Sakokwenionkwas Porter, Bear Clan Mohawk Kay Ionataiewas Olan, Wolf Clan
Mohawk Read 12 More Letters
Book Review
Relieving the
Burden of Self
As we
venture into the mysterious year, 2012, it can be helpful to
have a bus strap to hang onto. We’d like something from “above”
that anchors us on a potentially jerky trail.
Relieving the Burden of Self
has been designed for this purpose. It can be your “Daily Guide”
to help you negotiate this adventure.
Edgar Cayce urges us to “set
our ideal” for all major activities.
Relieving the Burden
of
Self helps set a
spiritual foundation for 2012. Our aim is to keep our
consciousness above fear and worry and to be actively involved
in the co- creation of our new and improved world.
By
Manataka Elder,
The Rev. Dr. Fred D. Wilcoxson
PhD
Siddhartha sat beneath his tree, waiting for an answer. He saw a path,
four simple stones, across the stream of sorrow. Rising to bend low, he
called the Earth to silence, casting compassion all around him, like
cherry blossoms caught on the morning breeze. Should I stand aside or
look away from this kind and good man because his words are not in my
book? There are many rooms in my Grandmother's house, with many places
to ponder, a mystery greater than I can contain by building a booth on
God's holy mountain. Deep faith is not a box, but a willingness to
wander, knowing that there is a shepherd, who will always guide me home.
~Bishop Steven
Charleston (Episcopal), Choctaw
One night a man came to our house and told me, “There is a family with
eight children. They have not eaten for days,” I took some food and I
went. When I finally came to the family, I saw the faces of those little
children disfigured by hunger. There was no sorrow or sadness in their
faces, just the deep pain of hunger. I gave the rice to the mother. She
divided it in two, and went out, carrying half the rice with her. When
she came back, I asked her, “Where did you go?” She gave me this simple
answer, “To my neighbors – they are hungry also.”
I was not surprised
that she gave – because poor people are generous. But I was surprised
that she knew they were hungry. As a rule, when we are suffering, we are
so focused on ourselves we have no time for others.
– Mother
Teresa
Read More... 
The beautiful artwork of J.D. Challenger captures the
bonds of strength and dignity linking Native Americans to their
history.
SKU: 90738-8
Les
Lobaugh: The Navajo Lawyer
©by Doug George-Kanentiio
At the event to mark National
American Indian Heritage Month at
the EPA held in Washington, DC in
November, 2011. Lobaugh was the
featured speaker. His presentation
followed a performance by Joanne
Shenandoah whose music celebrated
the the great influence Native
people have had on environmental
issues. Read
More....
Did you know a good dose of laughter can actually help your immune
system and decrease stress? Have you ever wished you could let go and
laugh more often at the silliness of life? It sounds easy but it’s not
always possible, particularly if you’re facing ups and downs of life’s
challenges. But if you can lighten up and be more playful, you’ll give
yourself the freedom to have more fun. The good news is laughing has
built-in health benefits to boot.
By Linda
Schiller-Hanna
Linda
Schiller-Hanna, clairvoyant, and Chris Kwarciany, visionary
artist, have joined forces to create a unique tool for
navigating this important year.
Relieving the Burden of Self
is a combination of stories, anecdotes, pictures, labyrinths,
and more. It encourages action, journaling and introspection.
Using this guide asks just a few minutes daily, but if you
desire, you can ramp up your efforts to elicit profound
spiritual unfolding. Read More...
DID YOU KNOW?
Kasike
(chief) Anakaona, whose name translates to "Golden Flower", was a
well-respected leader on the island of Kiskeia (Haiti/Dominican
Republic). She was considered "Queen" of the Haragua (Jaragua) territory
by the Spaniards. Anakaona was the wife of Kaonabo, one of the five
regional leaders in Kiskeia encountered in 1492 by Christopher Columbus.
She was renowned throughout the island by the local people as a composer
of ballads, dances, and narrative poems, called areito. In an example of
Spanish treachery against the Taino people, Governor Nicolas de Ovando
requested that Anakaona invite the regional chiefs to a feast he would
give in her honor. Once the chief's entered the ceremonial hall the
Spaniards blocked the doors and set fire to the building burning most
all of them alive. Anakaona who survived the blaze was captured and then
hung by Ovando. - UCTP Taino News © 2011
Most folks in Arkansas cherish our animals, whether it be for food, income, or best of all, as companions. Manataka believes that we have a right to know what will affect our health as well as what will affect the health of our pets and our livelihoods. In March of 2011, the governor of Arkansas signed a bill into law that requires all districts providing water for over 5000 people to add hydrofluosilicic acid to their water supply. The water fluoridation mandate bill was rushed through the House and Senate in less than 7 working days - hardly enough time to hear from all the citizens in Arkansas that actually voted against adding a known toxic substance to our water. Read More...
Two Monacan Tribe members from same Family Share Funeral the same day
Pansy
Louise Belvin Gibson,
83, ran joyfully into the arms of Jesus on January 18th, 2012.
She was preceded in death by a daughter, by her parents and by
six siblings. She is survived by six siblings, two daughters,
five grand-children, five great-grandchildren and one great-
great-grandson, along with a multitude of friends and family,
all of whom will miss her immensely. Pansy was a cook at Davis
Creek Elementary for 35 years, touching many lives. Visitation
will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday at Reger Funeral Home,
with services following at 1 p.m. by Rev. Joe Stowers. Interment
will be at Dock's Creek Cemetery, Kenova, W.Va. In lieu of
flowers, Pansy wishes that you donate to St. Jude Children's
Hospital.
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http://www4.law.cornell.edu
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©2012 ManatakaTM American Indian Council. The word "Manataka" is a registered trademark exclusively owned by the Manataka American Indian Council. Use of this trademark without the expressed written permission of MAIC is prohibited and violators will be prosecuted. 15 U.S.C. Section 1051(a), (b). The Smoke Signal News is copyrighted in its entirety and no reproduction, republishing, copying, or distribution is permitted without the expressed written permission of MAIC is strictly prohibited and violations will be prosecuted.