SMOKE SIGNAL NEWS
Preserving The Past Today For
Tomorrow
AUGUST 2012
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FEATURE STORY
Mermaid Tales From Native
Tribes Abound
While
the U.S. government and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) denies their existence, Native American tribes have been telling
stories about
mermaids from time immemorial.
From the Halfway People of the Mi’kmaq and the
Lampeqinuwok of the Maliseet, to the story of Ne Hwas told by the the
Passamaquoddy and the story of the first merman told by the Potawatomi,
there is no shortage of tales about the half human creatures.
The Mi’kmaq tell the tale of Lone Bird who
stumbles upon a cove of five beautiful maidens swimming and playing in the
water: “They were lovely, it is true, but they looked nothing like human
maidens, for humans do not have pale skin, spotted with silvery scales. They
do not dress their hair with strands of seaweed. And though maidens adorn
themselves with necklaces of bright shells, humans have legs. Their bodies
do not end in long fish tails,” from the book Spirits, Fairies, and
Merpeople: Native Stories of Other Worlds by C.J. Taylor.
Read More...
FEATURE STORY
What Does A Spiritual Awakening Feel
Like?
By Lee Standing Bear Moore
Take a deep breath. Hold it.... hold it.... hold it...
Now let it go. Let's multiply that feeling of euphoric release
a hundred times -- a thousands times -- a million times over.
Okay now close your eyes and see yourself flying amid magnificent
clouds as you view the vast beauty of the earth below. Allow
yourself to soar around the cosmos of a thousand planets.
Journey to wondrous places of the universe and then awaken in a
wonderful, peaceful garden with multitudes of colorful flowers and pleasant
aromas. The powerful feeling of love is everywhere. You
are safe, there is no pain, no memory of anger or other darkness.
You are in the Place of Peace.
These descriptions are woefully lacking because there
are no words that can adequately describe the tremendous euphoria of
connecting with the Spirit within. Describing
a spiritual Awakening is difficult to convey in writing and it is
difficult to understand the experiences of others because the
experience of spiritual Awakening is different for everyone.
A Spiritual Awakening Can Happen in A MOMENT
In general terms, a spiritual Awakening is an altered state of
perception. It is a knowing beyond knowledge. Reality
has changed for the person who experiences an Awakening. In
short, a spiritual Awakening is allowing yourself to be open and
inviting the living Spirit of God and the love of God to enter your heart.
It is the Moment when God awakens your soul to a new awareness, a
new perception of the world around you. It is the spark that
ignites the long-buried ancient spirit within you. An
Awakening is when the confused and frightened self transcends to a
higher consciousness, a awareness full of love and peace.
Read More...
YOU ARE INVITED!
|
BE IN THE MOMENT... AWAKEN IN THE
MOMENT... |
|
 On
October 20, 2012, 8,844 people will join hands, hearts and minds
around the entire seven mile base of Hot Springs Mountain, a
traditional indigenous sacred site known as Manataka. In
fulfillment of prophesy, people will come from all walks of
life, races and religions to create a circle of love, prayer and
Awakening. The Moment will be sanctified in time with the
creation of a holy vibration that by the grace of God and
through the Holy Spirit, a global emotional and spiritual
awakening will occur that is essential to human connection of
Spirit and Mother Earth. The Moment will create a mass
consciousness and give birth to a "light that will spread to
many lands." |
|
Clay pottery
artifact discovered on the Hot Springs Mountain at Rocky Roost
by Julie Williams, 2012 |
|
YOU ARE
INVITED |
|
 Agnostic,
American Indian, Baha’i, Buddhist, Christian – Protestant and
Catholic, Confucian, Druid, Hindu, Islam, Jainis, Jewish, Mayan,
Sami and other traditions of Shamanism, Shinto, Sikh, Tao, Wicca
and Zoroastrian - all are invited to generate this rainbow
spectrum of Spiritual Light. You carry with you a vibration from
Creator. Please join us.
Local churches,
temples, mosques and synagogues are invited to bring their
choirs and ring church bells during the event. Drums, rattles,
shofars, conch shells, flutes – however you make a joyful noise
-- are welcome.
MOMENT EVENTS ARE
FREE AND OPEN TO ALL. The Moment is sponsored by
spiritual groups and churches of many faiths. |
|
VOLUNTEER FOR THE MOMENT!
Send us an
email! Tell us your talents!
For More Information go to:
The MOMENT - Hot Springs
|
|
COME WITH NO EXPECTATIONS... LEAVE BEING FREE... |
|
May you physically,
emotionally and spiritually move through layers of fear,
distraction, and confusion to clearly touch the soul within -
your true self. May you learn ways to use the phenomenal
opportunity of the MOMENT, this path of spiritual awakening to
know and feel God within you -- the tenderness and awesome
beauty and depths of infinite love.
~Lee Standing Bear
Moore |
AMAZING DISCOVERY:
First Tongue: An Ancient Global Language
By Gary Vey,
http://www.viewzone.com
Introduction
[Above: Colorado wall
originally enhanced with aluminum powder on location but here enhanced with
white in Photoshop to reveal shapes. 37-44'58.91"N 103-28'48.96"W]
In the last part of the 20th
century, a handful of archaeologists discovered a collection of symbols
carved in stone as petroglyphs that appeared to be writing. Initial dating
of these symbols showed that they were made over an extended period time,
beginning around 1700 BC, and located on as many as five continents.
This unique collection of
symbols was first examined in the Negev desert of Israel by Dr. James
Harris, a brilliant archaeologist from Brigham Young University. He
identified the symbols as an alphabet in the proto-Canaanite language which
he successfully translated by using old-Hebrew phonetic sounds.
Read More...
ELDER MEDITATION
"You
want to know who's a real medicine man? He's the one who doesn't
say 'I'm a medicine man.' He doesn't ask you to come to him.
You've got to go and ask him. And you'll find he's always there
among his own people." -- Louis Farmer,
Onondaga
The
Medicine Man is a role model of what it is like to live in
harmony and balance with the Creator. It takes a long time, a
lot of sacrifice and discipline to become a Medicine Man. A
Medicine Man is humble and never crass about anything. He knows
he lives to do the will of the Great Spirit. He knows he is to
help the people. He lives very low key - the more low key he
lives, the more people seek him out - and such is life. The more
one serves the people and is quiet about it, the more he is
sought out. The quieter he is, the more powerful is his
medicine.
Great Spirit, allow me this day
to be humble. Allow me this day not to seek attention,
but to live quietly and keep my
focus and attention on serving You.
FEATURE STORY
Buffalo Skulls Tell of
A Dark Period in History
This
photo from the 1870s shows a man proudly standing in front of a
mountain of tens of thousands of bison skulls - an iconic
American species that was systematically slaughtered by the
millions as European Americans settled the west.
The US Army actively endorsed the wholesale slaughter of these
animals for two main reasons: to
remove competition with cattle, and to starve Native American
tribes who greatly depended on the bison for food. Without the
bison, the resisting tribes of the Great Plains would either be
forced to leave or die of starvation.
More than a century after this dark period in history, the bison
is making a comeback. After living on the brink of extinction,
this American icon is slowly but steadily returning to the Great
Plains - one baby bison at a time. Watch a video of how Native
American communities and conservation groups like
Earthjustice
are fighting to bring back the bison on our website:
http://ejus.tc/Ovv8lV
Submitted by
Sherri Awi
Anida Waya Burnett
RECENT STORIES
Summer Solstice
Sunset Marker
For
over 10 years now I have been finding & recording Anasazi Solstice & Equinox
markers in SW Utah and the Arizona strip. During this period I have recorded
a very large number of markers as well as other beautiful Rock Art. Some of
the Rock Art speaks to me, but when it comes to the Solstice & Equinox
markers I guess you could say that often I wear the sandals of those who
created them. Read
More...
Destroying Indigenous Populations
By
Dahr Jamail, Truthout | Perspective.
Most of the Sioux's land has been taken, and what remains has been
laid waste by radioactive pollution.
The Fort Laramie Treaty once guaranteed the Sioux Nation the right
to a large area of their original land, which spanned several states
and included their sacred Black Hills, where they were to have "the
absolute and undisturbed use and occupation" of the land.
Read More...
The Yamassee Indians
The
Yamassee Indian name is not a name commonly heard by those in today’s modern
Native American Indigenous
forums, but with a little research you will find their story is one that
formed some of the most important parts of U.S. History and newly made
Indian Nations!
Read More...
Return
of the Bird Tribes
by Ken Carey.
Painting by Keith Powell.
The day was over. I entered the twilight interior of the lodge
and sat cross-legged in a circle of half naked people.
Fascinated, I watched as glowing red-hot stones were, one by
one, brought in silence to our circle’s center. Motion slowed.
The last of the stones was set in place; the opening of the
lodge sealed.
Read More...
LIES - Teachers Tell Us About Columbus
Since
the founding of the United States, every school-age child was
taught that Christopher Columbus originally named the
inhabitants of the land he discovered "Indians" because he
mistakenly thought he found a route to the Indies. This article
proves without a doubt that lesson and other so-called
historical facts about Columbus are lies.
Read More...
Sweat Lodge Prayers
Native Christians wrestle with faith and tradition.
By Trevor Persaud. From Christianity Today April 2011 page 13. A largely Christian community of Native North Americans in Quebec has
banned a spiritual practice traditional to their people, the Cree. The
decision has disappointed some ministers in native communities in the
United States and Canada.
Read More...
All My
Relations
The Journey of Life Begins. By Grandmother L.Cota Nupa Maka. When
we take our first breath we are connecting to all of our relations. The
very air we breathe is connected to the trees and all the plant Nation.
The beginning of our life will be spent in the relationship with our
mother, father and connected family. It is in this protective shelter of
love and family that we bond with living. The Clan connection is always
with us and in our lives from beginning to end. Knowing who we are on
this Earth is important to our Stability.
Read More...
Practical Ways to Raise Your Consciousness in 2012 (and beyond)
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger Editor of
NaturalNews.com
I
declared 2012 the "Year of Consciousness" for NaturalNews
and point out that the ultimate solution to ending tyranny, wars, corporate
deception and environmental destruction is to upgrade our consciousness rather
than "killing our enemies."
Read
More...
How an Indigenous Tribe Changed a
Missionaries Views
Source: Indian Country Today. When
twenty-five year old missionary Dan Everett landed among the
Pirahãs Tribe in 1977, with the intention of evangelizing the
lost Amazonian community, he could not possibly envision the
idea that he would, one day, become “one of them.”
Read More...
Controversial Indian
Symbols on U.S. State Flags
Peter ‘FlagDancer’ Orenski,
Olmecs. Mayas. Aztecs. Incas. 500-plus nations of the American
continent. Indigenous Australians. Scandinavia‟s Sami people. The Ainu of
Japan. All swept aside and marginalized. "Almost every community in Canada,
the United States and Mexico was once an Indian community ... part of
hundreds of unique Indian nations that blanketed the entire continent."
Read More...
Dreams
on the Sacred Mountain...
A waking, walking vision was given to Grandfather Lee Standing Bear
Moore beginning on the night of the winter solstice (December 21,
2009 and continued until the solar eclipse and the new moon appeared
on January 15, 2010.
Read More>>>
Reconciliation, Part II
By David Three Dogs Armstrong
There is a River in the forest; it springs up from a
place high in the mountains, so far away and so long ago that no one quite knows
where it came from; indeed, it is apparent it has always been there.
Read
More...
Conscious Being -
Part III
By Lee
Standing Bear Moore and Spirit of
Takatoka
Part
III will lift the veil of understanding
even higher as we explore ways to
prepare ourselves for the future. We
will focus on the magnificent gifts the
Great Mystery has laid before us and
ways to use those special gifts for the
glory of God through the holy spirit
found within all people. It is a natural
evolution of worldwide transformation
that is occurring now with millions of
silent and happy hearts who will gently
love a new mass consciousness into
reality.
Read More.
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.... Read More...
The Holy Mother of Manataka
Several
important stories of Manataka speak of the great feminine
spirit, IxChel, Mother God, Holy Mother of the Mountain, the Rainbow Woman of
Manataka.... Read More...
QUIZ GAME
Measure
your awareness of Native American
influences in U.S. history and culture.
"These days people seek
knowledge, not wisdom. Knowledge is of the past;
wisdom is of the future," say Vernon Cooper,
spiritual elder of the Lumbee or Croatoan tribe of
North Carolina. The following activity is designed
to help you measure your awareness of Native
American influences in U.S. history and culture and,
in so doing, expand your vision of a people whose
wisdom marks generations of Americans from age to
age. Be sure to share this information with others.
|
1. Before the
European Conquest, approximately how many
tribes inhabited what is now the United
States?
a) 50, with a population of about
500,000
b) 500, with a population of about 22
million
c) 70, with a population of about 2
million
d) 225, with a population of about
900,000
2. The present
population of Native Americans in the United
States is:
a) about 6 million
b) about 800,000
c) about 2 million
d) about 300,000
Read More... |
FEATURE STORY
Still Fighting the Toxic Giant
By
Nathan Small, chairman of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes’ tribal council
A
few years ago, USA Today did a two-page article about the problems
faced by the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes in their battle to clean up a Superfund
plant on the Fort Hall Reservation in Idaho (USA Today, “Tribes
fight toxic giant,” June 3, 1998). I am sorry to say the saga continues.
This week the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued proposed
rules that would let the company, FMC Corporation, bury its industrial
poisons on site.
One of the areas at risk from
the poisons is “the bottoms.” It’s low-land creeks and marshes that feed
into Idaho’s Snake River. It’s world-class fishing. It’s also home to
Shoshone and Bannock people. Bands from our tribes have wintered there and
been a part of this landscape for at least the last 10,000 years.
Read More...
COMMENTARY / OPINION
Maintaining Culture Is Not an
Act of Violence
By Duane Champagne, Indian Country
Today Media Network
One of the arguments against
indigenous self-government is that it requires special rights and stokes the
flames of cultural, political and identity difference. Nation states are
built on concepts of individual equality in political and economic life, and
uphold consensual commitments to common political institutions and laws.
For example, the United States
Constitution and party political systems sets the basic laws and political
processes of U.S. society. The indigenous position, however, asserts that
Indigenous Peoples existed culturally and politically for thousands of years
before the formation of contemporary nation states. Indigenous Peoples are
not parties to the formation of nation states, and are not generally
consensual citizens of nation states.
Most indigenous peoples
maintain their own cultures, communities, and political forms, while
outwardly conforming to nation state power. The resistance to full social
and political assimilation looks extremely radical to nation states, who
fear that the absences of strong and primary political loyalties to the
nation state may be a sources of political separation, ethnic violence, and
destabilization. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous
Peoples (UNDRIP)
clearly prohibits Indigenous Peoples to separate from the nation states that
currently surround them and enforce their laws and institutions over them.
Read More...
EDUCATION
2013
CALENDARS
Since the 1800s, Native American Plains tribes have gathered for powwows to
celebrate their rich heritage. the tradition continues with emphasis on
spiritual and competitive dances. Photographer Chris roberts shares the
tradition through photographs. POWWOW 2013 captures the energy of powwow dancers
who proudly preserve their ancestral traditions. 11 x 28 inches open
Regular Price $14.95 SKU:900871-2 Ships in June.
2013 Ghost Dance
Calendar
2013 Powwow Youth
Calendar
ELDER MEDITATIONS
"We create that bad among ourselves. We
create it; then we try to call it devil, satan, or evil. But man creates it.
There is no devil. Man creates the devil." --Wallace Black
Elk, Lakota
Inside every human being are the laws and codes
by which we should live. These laws and codes are communicated to us through
a little voice. When we are still, this voice guides us. If we choose to
live out of harmony, our lives become filled with anger, hate, selfishness,
dishonesty, etc... When these things appear in our lives, we give up
accountability and blame it on something or someone else. If we want to live
in harmony, we need to pray our way back to living the principles the
Creator gave us.
Grandfather, today let me walk
with the principles.
FEATURE STORY
Grassland Preservation
by Ruth
Hopkins
For
plains Tribes, the preservation of grasslands is crucial to the
survival of our culture. Its unique configuration of
Native plants and grasses provide us with medicine, tools,
shelter, and food.
Grasslands furnished
grazing space for the horses and buffalo herds that our
existence depended upon. Natives who lived there adapted to the
distinct nature of the plains as an environment. As a
result, the grassland biome as an ecosystem, along with every
living organism it supports, plays an important role in our
ceremonies, sacred rites, and clandestine knowledge.
Only five percent of
tall grass prairie still remains; making it the rarest of all
ecosystems on Earth today. Grasslands thrived on the plains of
North America for thousands of years. Before European settlers
came, the whole central interior of the United States was a
fertile plain. Most of our natural grasslands were plowed or
fragmented into nonexistence by farmers tilling land to seed for
crops. The corn belt of the United States would not exist had it
not been for tall prairie grassland. The large underground
biomass of those original native plants is responsible for
creating some of the most productive soil on Earth. Grasslands
are also endangered by urban sprawl, the introduction and spread
of invasive non-native plant species, and the suppression of
natural fires that would have otherwise helped balance the
prairie ecosystem.
Read More...
FEATURE STORY
Black Indians -
The Tour 2
By Dr. Angela
Molette, Tuscaloosa Ohoyo, Black Warrior Woman
Halito and Greetings to All Whom These Blessings May Come!
Dear
Dr.’s Rashidi, Anderson, Squire, Ansari, Leatrice Brown, BIU
President Barbara Finley, Chief Al Running Bear Molette, All
Chiefs, Council Members, Citizens, Ambassador Akil Ali,
Brother Bernard, Jamia Shepard, our Families and Diasporan
Kin-Groups;
What an exciting
year to be who we are!
Boxing with the U.S. Federal Court of Claims and Supreme
Court of late, has been a daunting experience, but not for
any of the reasons you might expect.
Black
Indians have had to fight for our Treaty Rights to be
equally and fully adhered to (as all other multi-party
beneficiaries), because it is clear that sitting Justices
are not at all familiar with our history as descendants of
Aboriginal Natives of the Americas settling this land (in
excess of 11,500 years ago) regardless as to whether or not
our ancient root origin is as Autocthons arising from the
soil or admixture with Australian, Ethiopian, Egyptian,
Mende from Sierra Leone (Mande, Mandinga), Angolan, New
Guinean, or Tasmanians.
Read More....
FUNNY BONES
CP 687-
NATIVE PLANTS NATIVE HEALING: Traditional Muskogee Way By Tis Mal Crow
This book is a must for beginners and serious students of herbs and
of Native American ways.
This set of herbal teachings draws from the Muscogee tradition,
presents an understanding of the healing
nature of plants for the first time in book form and examines common
wild plants in a clear and authoritative style explains how to
identify, honor, select, and prepare them for use. Illustrated and
indexed by plant name and medical topic. New Lower Price!! Was
$16.95 Now Only $ 14.95 + s/h
HERBAL
MEDICINE
Turning
Over a New Leaf
If
you are cutting back on meat in the heat of summer, use this
abundant season to get your fill of glorious greens with all the
healthy vitamins and minerals they contain. Farmer’s markets are a
great source for a variety of local greens, including the iron- and
calcium-rich spinach, chard and collard greens.
My mother
would tell me the most delicious white lies about dark greens. She
said that cooked spinach would make my hair shine, chard would make
my hair grow and kale would help me run like the wind—all believable
fibs to a 6- or 7-year-old. Her tales helped expose me to healthy
food early on and encouraged me to form smart lifelong eating
habits. Read
More...
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR- SOUND
OFF!
Soul
Wound the Legacy of Native American Schools
www.manataka.org/page2290.html
Dear Manataka and Shannon Thunderbird,
As I read the article "Soul Wound the
Legacy of Native American Schools" by Andrea Smith I couldn't help
but feel the tears and the sadness in my heart that my great
grandfather must have also felt as he was sent to the Hampton
"Normal" and Agricultural Institute in Hampton Virginia from
September 1880-June 1883. Thanks for writing about this this awful
American experiment. It should never happen again here or anywhere
else! ~Darrell Burnett
20 More Letters to the
Editor
VIDEO CLIPS
Manataka Elder Council Biographies
http://www.manataka.org/page2282.html
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 received
a clear-title deed to this private property for use in perpetuity for
ceremonies and other functions. Linda is a retired marketing executive
and a member of Manataka since 2001.
Read More...
BOOK REVIEW
Click on the graphic above to read more...
Listen
To The Wind by Tom Haley
A magnificent collection of American
Indian poems, prayers and wisdom by a new member of Manataka,
Reverend Tom Haley, pastor of the Rock Creek Christian Church in Hot
Springs National Park, Arkansas. Rev. Haley is a graduate of
Hendrix College and Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist
University. He has written a number of books including
God and Son, Inc
(2012),
The Laughing Jesus: and His Other
Faces
(2012);
Along the Path: Meditations and
Reflections on Life
(2012);
Haley's Comments
(1991);
Prayers with Wings
(1985); and
Anchors in the Storm
(1983). He and his wife,
Amanda, have three adult children and three grandchildren.
His newest book shares the beautiful depth and breadth of American
Indian wisdom.
Listen To The Wind is only
$10.00 and proceeds from this book go to the Manataka American
Indian Council.
Buy Now!
ELDERS SPEAK
By
Manataka Elder,
The Rev. Dr. Fred D. Wilcoxson
PhD
The Two Great Forces Against Us
“I will not mince words when I name two of the great forces against
which we must contend, greed and fear.
They have stalked the dark forests of our souls for longer than we
have memory. They are primal, persistent, powerful, ever seeking to
subvert the will of God. They exist in every human culture and from
them none of us is immune. But if we name them, if we turn the clear
light of truth on them, they shrink in size and wither before the
justice of heaven. We need to turn that light on now. We need to be
light-keepers through the storm to come.”
~Steven Charleston
Read More...
ELDERS SPEAK
I
Carry Your Heart
By Grandmother L.Cota Nupa Maka
I was watching a movie called In Her
Shoes last night and at the end during the wedding ceremony this
totally dysfunctional illiterate sister reads this poem. It hit my
heart and stuck with me through out the night. My mind went reeling
down so many dusty and neglected roads. I finally understood
completely that all those who we have contact with in this life are
in our hearts. We can never forget them or shut their memory out but
must carry them forever in our hearts. It finally made perfect sense
that we carry those who we place in our memory good or bad in our
hearts for the duration of this life and possible more.
This possibility makes it easier to
understand the pain of love, hate, anger, loss and all the range of
emotions we suffer from or feel in this life time. We cannot
separate them or control them they are just there, a collection of
emotions and feelings that come from life’s memories.
Read More..
Read More..
PRAYER
BASKET
ILLNESS and ACCIDENTS
We are asking everyone to say a prayer for "Darkhorse" 3rd Battalion
5th Marines and their families. They are fighting it out in
Afghanistan & they have lost 9 marines in 4 days. IT WOULD BE NICE TO
SEE the message spread if more could pass it on. Nothing in the media
about these guys because no one seems to care: Justin Allen, 23;
Brett Linley, 29; Matthew Weikert, 29; Justus Bartett, 27; Dave Santos,
21; Chase Stanley, 21; Jesse Reed, 26; Matthew Johnson, 21; Zachary
Fisher, 24; Brandon King, 23; Christopher Goeke, 23; Sheldon Tate, 27.
All are Marines who gave their lives for YOU this week. Please Honor
THEM by forwarding this. Semper Fi ("Always faithful.") I just
did. ~Helen Vinson 07-26-12
My oldest sister Anna
Beasley, 85-years old had to be put in for emergency surgery this
morning due to “several” blockages in her arteries. She is in University
Hospital in Augusta, GA. Nat her husband, Sandy and Gary, daughter and
Son in law are there with her. Please pray that all will go well...
either way. I know she would rather just go on to Heaven than go into an
operating room. Red Wing 05-31-12
Elder Rose Marie Pleasants
Barron. Hospitalized in Hot Springs. Rosetta Pleasants'
Aunt, friend of the Batts family and hundreds of other friends and
family. I ask that you pray for her. ~Cheryl L. Batts,
B.A.
Manataka Elder, 75-year old
Grandfather Daniel Seven Hawk Eyes Hoffman, was recently diagnosed
with Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) Notwithstanding his severe illness,
he is a strong man in many respects and maintains a beautiful
disposition and attitude. We ask for prayers for our dear
respected elder and friend.
Manataka Elder, 76-year old
Grandfather Jimmie A. Looking For Wind Keefauver, recently underwent
hospitalization for a serious blood disease and infections and is
recovering at home. Jimmie appears to be doing much better now.
We are offering up prayers for our revered friend and honored elder.
7-year old Ian Ryan Hit By
USPS Truck
"I got a call at 3:45 a.m. our time today that our grandson who lives in
Georgia was struck by a mail carrier vehicle and dragged 150 feet. He
was flown to Egleston Children's Emergency Hospital in Atlanta. He is in
surgery now. My wife Jo is on her way driving up there at this time.
Please keep our grandson Ian Ryan (7) in your prayers as well as
Jo's safe trip up there. Ian was hit as he played in a sandbox in his
yard. The last update was 05-01-12 when it was reported that Ian is home
and very sore. According to his grandfather, "Prayer works!" ~Rev. Fred
Wilcoxson, Manataka Elder
CROSSED OVER
Me Yoti
Ndongu,
Elder, Great Medicine Woman Dearest Dabadi Thaayrohyadi`s Family.
Dear Relatives from the Otomi Toltec
Indian Nation, Indigenous Peoples and Human Family. Sisters and
Brothers from the Four Directions.
Greetings from the Otomi Indian
Nation. The Otomi Elders and Wisdom Keepers from the Olmec Toltec
Teotihuacan Lineage share this message from our hearts. Our People
and Communities express our consternation and deepest sorrow for the
death of Me Yoti Ndongu,
Elder, Great Medicine Woman, impeccable and beloved Granma, guide
and wisdom keeper.
She was Mother of Our Dabadi
Thaayrohyadi, beloved Toltec Master, Spiritual Leader and Medicine
Man who was doing a Long Pilgrimage to the Native Nations and
Spiritual Communities in the Eagle and Condor Lands in order to
share our message and invitation to everybody for coming and
attending the 8,000 Sacred Drums Ceremony & the Great Gathering for
the Healing of the Earth, Peace and Happiness that will take place
next september 2012, in Temoaya, Mexico. And he must to come back to
our Sacred Lands for attending the funeral of her Mother. We express
him our sincere condolences and to his extended family and
relatives. Last Friday afternoon August 3, 2012 Me Yoti Ndongu
stopped beating the drum of her heart. She was a mother of eight,
she left an example of unconditional love, service and compassion,
so we joined our prayers for the release of his spirit eagle, in
harmony and peace with the Universe and the Great Mystery. We also
continue sending healing energy to the relatives and closer friends
who feel sadness in their hearts. This Sunday August 4th,
Thaayrohyadi`s Mother, Me Yoti Ndongu was guarded and surrounded
with prayers in a overnight ceremony in the family`s house. And
today, August 5th, after a community procession with flowers, ritual
and music in the way of our ancestors, her body will be offered to
the womb of Mother Earth, near the Sacred Mountains. We will
continue praying for the next days to our Otomi Toltec Family
sending them light, love and peace. We thank everyone for your
meditations and prayers, for your compassion, for you moral and
spiritual support to our Otomi Toltec Indian Nation.
We welcome your expressions of
condolences and support to Dabadi Thaayrohyadi`s Family, to the
Community and to the Otomi Toltec Elders and Wisdom Keepers:
toltec.elders@gmail.com
Dawn Michelle
Day, 28, of the Wind River Indian Reservation, died Saturday, July
21, 2012. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday, July 25,
at the family residence, No. 643 Ethete Road, with Harrison Shoyo Jr.
and Donnie Chavez officiating. An evening service and wake will be at 7
p.m. Tuesday, July 24, at the family home. Interment will be in the
Yellowcalf Cemetery at Ethete. Dawn Day was born Aug. 13, 1983, in
Lander, the daughter of Gregory Day and Vertina LaBatte. She was a
lifelong resident of the Wind River Indian Reservation and attended
schools at Fort Washakie, Wyoming Indian, St. Stephens, Chimewa and
Central Wyoming College. She was employed at the Wind River Casino as a
black jack dealer and also worked at Shoshone Rose Casino. Her
family said she like to laugh and joke around with her friends and
family and spend time with her three boys. She is survived by her sons,
Tyler Bell, Mariano Garcia and Rylan Day; father Gregory Day; brother
Jeffrey Quiver Day; sisters Arika Revere, Gracie Ann Hooper, Tammi Lynn
WallowingBull and Kailyn Washakie; adopted mother Zelma Weed; godparents
Velma Rhodes, Joe Chavez and Dawn Spoonhunter; grandparents David and
Mary Day, Isaac Chavez, George Knightin, Juanita and Mervin Stamp, Joe
and Lily Chavez and families, Starr Weed Sr. and family, Eunice Coronado
and family; aunts Colleen, Priscilla, Kristy and Joanne Bell, Madelyn
Day and Angie Bates and family; uncles Dennis, William, Wilmer and David
Day Jr.; other family members John and Phillip Spoonhunter, Nikki Ferris
and family, Tiffany Day and family, Megan Kougher, Leslie Shakespear and
daughters, Abigail and Angelique, Lynette Bates and family, Jamie Bates
and family, Purity Mecichen and family and Ambrosia Antelope and family.
Services are under the direction of the Wind Dancer Funeral Home.
I am Woableza and have just received news that my dear niece Dawn
Michelle Day age 28. Was beaten and found dead on the Wind River Indian
Reservation in Wyoming Saturday morning. She was a very petite and
beautiful Shoshone/Lakota woman. Mother of three boys, 3 years, 7
years, and 9 years old. Her mother and I, my sister, Bertina LaBatte
need to travel from Rochester, MN to Riverton, WY. For funeral
arrangements: Two elders and four children. Please give what you can in
these these times of horrific tragedies. Pilamaya Grandfather. Woableza.
(She's the niece who saved my life in 2003) 507) 271-0881.
Kitty
Wells, the "Queen of Country Music" who opened the door for a host
of other country female artists, died July 16 at her home in Nashville
of complications from a stroke. She was 92. Wells, born as Ellen
Muriel Deason, actually began performing on local radio in Nashville,
but her ascent to stage stardom began in 1937 with husband Johnnie
Wright, half of the duo Johnnie & Jack. He died in 2011. Both
Kitty Wells (Cherokee) and her husband Johnnie Wright attended the Fifth
Annual Native American Music Awards in 2005, where Kitty was inducted
into the N.A.M.A. Hall of Fame. The show was hosted by Crystal Gayle
(Cherokee). Kitty Wells was the first female singer to reach the top of
the country charts with her 1952 song "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk
Angels," an answer to Hank Thompson's "The Wild Side of Life".
Wells was born in Nashville to a musical family. While she performed
with her husband as a girl singer in the 1940s, he began calling her
"Kitty Wells," a name taken from a 19th century folk song. In
addition to her hit song, "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels,"
which sold 800,000 copies in its initial release in the summer of 1952,
Wells sang "Release Me," "Making Believe," "I Can't Stop Loving You"
among other classic songs. She garnered 35 Billboard Top Ten records and
81 charted singles. Wells was inducted into the Country Music Hall
of Fame in 1976. Among her many honors, she was given the Grammy
Lifetime Achievement Award in 1991, the same year as Bob Dylan and John
Lennon were honored. She was just the third country singer to be get
that most prestigious award, after Hank Williams and Roy Acuff. Several
years after her appearance at the Fifth Annual Native American Music
Awards, Kitty finally gave up touring in 2007 and continued to live a
quiet life.
Among those mourning her passing was Loretta Lynn. "Kitty Wells will
always be the greatest female country singer of all times," said Lynn.
"She truly is the Queen of Country Music." Funeral services were
held on Friday, July 20, 2012 at the Hendersonville Church of Christ,
107 Rockland Road Hendersonville, TN 37075 For more information
visit,
www.KittyWells.com
Honorary
Chief Ronnie Branham on Monacan Nation crossed over 07-14-12 in
West Virginia. Chief Branham had been ill for sometime. "Our
Nation needs prayers as does his family which goes with out saying,"
said Helen RedWing Vinson. "This is a picture of me and The Chief
about 18 years ago at second Monacan Powwow."
Guy McMinds, of the Quinault Indian Nation,
was laid to rest July 13 at Quinault Indian Nation Tribal Cemetery
after a funeral ceremony that drew hundreds of family and friends
from near and far. Many expressed admiration for McMinds and said
his influence reached tribes across the country. Ray Fryberg,
director of fish and wildlife for the Tulalip Tribes, recounted a
story from the early ‘80s when state officials tried making tribal
officials sit in the back of the room during a meeting on natural
resources management. Fryberg remembered that it was McMinds who
grabbed steel chairs and slammed them down at the head table for
tribal leaders, saying that was where they belonged. McMinds
was an active leader fighting for Indian fishing rights—a fight he
helped win when the Boldt Decision was made in 1974, which gave
tribes in Washington state the right to half the annual fishing
catch. He was instrumental in enacting the 1980 Salmon and
Steelhead Conservation and Enhancement Act, which recognized tribal
co-management of resources in the Pacific Northwest. In the
‘60s, McMinds obtained funding to organize the Quinalt Department of
Natural Resources allowing the tribe to implement innovative
technology in salmon hatcheries, aquaculture and stream
rehabilitation. “I can hear his fist banging down on the table even
now, and when he did that people knew he meant business,” said
Billy Frank Jr., chair of the Northwest Indian Fisheries
Commission, in a release. “When the actions he took lead to the
closure of Quinault’s 23 miles of beach, people knew Guy meant
business. Now you find razor clams on that 23 miles; you sure don’t
find them on the beaches managed by the state. But our journey isn’t
over. It’s our job to keep working, as Guy would want us to, and
bring the salmon back, get the poisons out of the water and work
together in the process. That is the legacy that this great friend
has left us.” McMinds graduated from
Moclips High School in Moclips, Washington in 1955 and served two
years in the U.S. Army. In 1966, he received a fisheries science
degree from the
University of Washington before returning to work for the
Quinalt Indian Nation. He served for many years as the nation’s
fisheries manager and natural resources director. In 2010, he
retired as advisor to the president of the Quinalt Indian Nation.
McMinds walked on July 9 and is survived by his wife of 45 years,
Ruth, four siblings, eight adopted children, and 13 grandchildren.
Kevin Sheahan, known to many of us as "Snowberry",
began his journey to the Spirit world 05-30-12. Kevin was a
Veteran and he battled health issues for many years. He hoped to live
long enough to receive a lung transplant. His friend Seraphine will be
making the arrangements for Kevin. Seraphine has handled his affairs and
assisted him with his living needs for a number of years. Kevin
was a gourd dancer and the ceremony was one he held near and dear to his
heart. He danced with great respect, always asking permission. His long,
beautiful silver-white hair would shine in the sunlight. His quirky
sense of humor and generous nature will be missed. Seraphine is
looking for someone who has taken the role of head gourd dancer before,
and preferably who knew Kevin personally, to help her with some of his
final affairs. Her contact information follows. If anyone has a
photograph of Kevin they can share with me, I would like to include it
in future updates. So many times we know the face better than the name.
I will re-post whatever information Seraphine provides and hopefully we
can assist her in giving this brother a fitting memorial.
seraphine@dslextreme.com
818-601-2354 Seraphine
John
"Red Blanket" Gartland crossed over May 19, 2012. Visitation will be
from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, May 25, 2012, at Knapp-Johnson Funeral Home and
Cremation Center in Morton. Further visitation will be from 10 to 10:45
a.m. Saturday prior to services at 11 a.m. at the Native American
Fellowship-Dayspring United Methodist Church in East Peoria, with Pastor
Carol Lakota Eastin and Pastor Dan Lybarger officiating. Burial will be
in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. The details will be in
the obituary in the Peoria Journal Star on Thursday. A copy of the
obituary is attached to this email and here is the
online link. It would be appreciated if you could send or
bring food for a potluck following the 11am service. If anyone would be
willing to be at the church to help receive people or food and be sure
tables are ready, please contact Sally at 309-698-9688. Kevin
Cashmer will be providing the Spirit Fire at Dayspring. Pastor Carol
will be conducting the service with Pastor Dan will be playing flute.
Randy Eggers will be playing a hand drum and Kim Davis will be doing the
Pipe Ceremony. On behalf of Pastor Dan and the entire NAF Family,
we offer our prayers and deepest sympathies to Jo-Ann and their family.
To our brother, Red Blanket, we will miss you but we know that you are
now with our Creator. Please continue to watch over us and guide us in
our daily lives.
Gladys Conley, nee Davis, 90, crossed over Saturday, May 19,
2012 at Belleville Memorial Hospital. Visitation at Kassly's in Fairview
Heights, IL She will be interned near Dongola, Illinois. Cora
Gladys Elizabeth (Davis) Conley - just celebrated her 90th birthday by
passing the driving test to renew her driver's license in Illinois on
May 12. She was so proud of that accomplishment. She became very ill on
Thurs, May 17, and passed into the next life on Sat, May 19. Gladys is
the beloved and respected mother of Linda
Two Hawk Feathers James, an
Elder of Manataka American Indian Council. Please offer up prayers
for Gladys and Linda's family. Born May 12, 1922 in Mill Creek, IL
died on Saturday, May 19, 2012 at Memorial Hospital, Belleville, IL.
Gladys was a homemaker, loving mother, grandmother and great
grandmother. She was preceded in death by her husband, Eugene W. “Doc”
Conley; a son and daughter who died in infancy, Donald Eugene Conley and
Judy Kay Conley; her parents, Harrison and Cora,
nee Knupp Davis;
three sisters, Clara Heinlein, Ruby Dillow and Ina Stone; three
brothers, Daniel Davis, Matthew Davis and Elijah Davis.
She is survived by her daughter, Linda James of St. Louis, MO;
her three grandchildren, Michael (Lora) Peters of Palmdale, CA,
Laura (Erik) Ingram of Edwardsville, IL and Nathan (Meagan
Colbeck) Peters of St. Louis, MO; two great grandchildren,
Daniel Peters and Rachel Ingram; also survived by many loving
nieces, nephews and cousins. Memorials may be made to
American Cancer Society, American Heart Association or March of
Dimes Visitation: Friends may call from 5:30 P.M. to 9:00 P.M.
on Friday, May 25, 2012 at Kassly Mortuary, Fairview Heights,
IL. Visitation: Friends may call from 10:00 A.M. to 11:00
A.M. on Saturday, May 26, 2012 at Mill Creek Baptist Church,
Mill Creek, IL. Funeral: Funeral services will be held at 11:00
A.M. on Saturday, May 26, 2012 at Mill Creek Baptist Church in
Mill Creek, IL. Interment will be in St. John Cemetery, Anna, IL
http://www.doverplacecc.org/
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