Manataka American Indian Council Volume XI1 Issue 1 JANUARY 2008
Manataka - Preserving The Past Today For Tomorrow
PAGE 3
|
Contents: |
||
| Hill & Holler: | Native American Healing & The Horse | |
| Announcement: | Gatherings by invitation only | |
| History: | Exemplar of Liberty Part 1 of a 15 Part Series | |
|
Grandfather Hawk Speaks: Grandfather King Coke: |
||
| Feature Story: | VA Taps Ancient Healing Methods | |
| Elder's Meditations: | Oren R. Lyons, Traditional Circle of Elders | |
| Women's Council: | Circle of Friends | |
| Women's Circle: | Marie Tallchief | |
| Food & Nutrition: |
|
|
| Book Reviews: | 5 Feature Books Reviewed | |
| Poetry Circle: |
|
|
| Inspirational Thought:: |
|
|
| Healing Prayer Basket: | Floyd Westerman Passes | |
| Manataka Business: | Many Needs - Take A Look | |
|
By Susan Bates News and Notes From Indian Country
Native American Healing and the Horse
Traditional Healers from all over the world share some very
basic concepts. First - healing is a matter of balance. If you
are out of balance in any area, then disease can begin. Simply
curing the disease won't necessarily correct the imbalance.
Cures seldom result in a healing, but healing almost always results in a cure. ----Alberto Villoldo
Susan Bates
|
In 2008, Manataka will continue the new policy of requiring an invitation to attend Gatherings. Current members are not required to request an invitation, but former members, guests and visitors must send a written request at least ten days before any event. Manataka will no longer advertise or promote Gatherings, except to members and supporters.
This policy allowed our members and guests in 2007 to enjoy a time of peace, prayer and ceremony without disruptions by tourists and local gawkers. Manataka Gatherings are a time for friends to feast and socialize, but in the past they were mistaken as a form of entertainment.
We hope this policy meets with the acceptance of members and supporters and the understanding of all others.
In this January issue we begin a 15-part series, featuring one segment each month, on the founding of the United States of America and the previously misunderstood and often discounted, yet tremendous contributions of American Indians in the process.
We begin this segment with a forward written by Vine Deloria, Jr., a Yankton Nakota Sioux lawyer, historian, anthropologist, university professor and former Executive Director of the National Congress of American Indians. Deloria published more than twenty books and edited dozens more. Deloria writes, "...This book, Exemplar for Liberty, has set a high standard of scholarship, and offered a model for future historical writing on the role and influence of American Indians in American history..."
Exemplar
of Liberty:
Native America and the Evolution of Democracy
Bruce E. Johansen
Associate Professor of Communication
University of Nebraska at Omaha
Original Artwork by John Kahionhes Fadden
Foreword by Vine Deloria, Jr.
Copyright, 1990, Bruce
E. Johansen & Donald A. Grinde
All rights reserved.
Have It Your Way!
In these modern times when you want something to eat, all you have to do is drive through and place your order (if you can understand those speakers). Fried, broiled, baked or boiled.
Rabbit is a good source of food. Up until a few years ago, rabbits were abundant here in Central Illinois but with all the chemicals used by the farmers and the predators, they have been hard to find.
Early pioneers traveled from the East through this part of the country and for the most part rabbits were the choice for food many times. It is easy to prepare the rabbit, first you have to 'Catch Him! Then skin and gut the rabbit. I was taught to hang the rabbit upside down by the back legs, make a slit just above the foot and pull the skin off the animal just as if you were undressing it. The skin comes off very easy.
After skinning you cut the rabbit starting at the rectum to the end of the chest cavity. The entrails are then removed being careful not to break the bladder. Wash the rabbit in clear water several times and if desired, cut the rabbit in quarters. Soak the rabbit in fresh water over night in salt water to remove some of the wild taste.
Now you are ready to cook! If you want a quick way to cook the rabbit, first place it in a large frying pan and brown on each side then place it in a deep cake pan, add enough water to keep it from burning in the oven. Cover it with onion, add some salt and pepper and bake for two hours at about 300 degrees.
Of course you can just eat it fried or you can cut it into smaller pieces and make a stew. Be sure to use a lot of onion as it is a tenderizer. You can do the same with Skunk, Groundhog or Opossum. Be extra careful when cleaning the Skunk as they have a 'Stink Gland' that you want to avoid cutting! The drippings in the fry pan make a wonderful gravy! Add a little flower and milk and mix well as the gravy cooks.
Cook the gravy until it becomes a smooth texture, add a little salt and pepper and you have a great gravy to pour over the mashed potato's. Add a few fresh vegetables such as Green Beans or Corn and you can serve your family a great dinner. Let those others drive through and have it their way while you enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Be safe and be blessed!
Hawk With Seven Eyes
Daniel Hawk With Seven Eyes Hoffman is a founding member of the Taylorville Black Horse Powwow, Inc,' a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable and educational organization. He has given presentations at schools in Central Illinois area on the history, culture and religious beliefs of the Native American people for over 27 years. Hawk and members of his group present dance demonstrations for children who along with their teachers are invited to dance. Hawk believes children are the future.
To make sure we are all on the same page, let me give a little back background. We have two major systems of health care in this country today: conventional western medicine and alternative medicine. Most doctors align themselves directly with the conventional western medicine which depends heavily on the multimillion dollar pharmaceutical industry. An increasing number of them are also adding the holistic medicine as a component in their treatments. The holistic approach treats the body, mind, and spirit as one unit and relies on using natural products. An increasing number of people are using only the holistic approach to staying healthy.
Let’s start with healing the body by having all parts in balance and in harmony. This is the time the immune system is at its peak. To do this, we have to feel good about ourselves and have good relationships.
In my studies, I have found that everyone suffers from some degree of self-hatred and guilt . The bottom line for everyone is, “I’m not good enough.”
We have found that resentment, criticism, and guilt are the most damaging patterns. When we really love ourselves, everything in our lives turns positive. We begin to open our minds to wisdom and knowledge. A rule of life is simply, “What we give forth, we get back.” In other words, what we create in our minds of peace and love is what happens in our lives.
Our subconscious mind accepts whatever we choose to believe. It does not know the difference between right or wrong, nor truth or false information. It does not know when you are kidding, joking, or whatever. It just accepts whatever you say or think. Therefore, what you choose to think about yourself and your life becomes your TRUTH. We have unlimited choices about what we can think. Most of us have foolish ideas about who we are and many rigid rules about how life should be lived.
When we are little, we learn how to feel about ourselves and about life by the actions and reactions of the adults around us.
The Church knew that many of our characteristics are forming by the age of three and that all the basics have been taught and firmly learned by the age of seven. From what we have learned as a child, we go on through life CREATING EXPERIENCES TO MATCH OUR BELIEFS.
We must not blame our parents for a number of false things, as they cannot teach us what they do not know for themselves. This can go back many generations.
To be healthy, all of us must change our attitudes toward the past because it is behind us. It is over and done. You can change your THOUGHTS about the past. Get rid of resentment patterns NOW in the present time. Don’t wait until you are in the surgeon’s office or in an emergency room when you are now in a panic.
To release the past, we must be willing to forgive. It is imperative for our own healing that we release the past and forgive everyone. All disease comes from a state of un-forgiveness, of ourselves and of others.
The four major thoughts of problem-causing reactions are RESENTMENT, CRITICISM, GUILT, and FEAR. When we handle these four properly, our bodies will heal because they have come into balance and harmony.
What we do and think is what we are. By changing our thoughts, we will change. What we have are only thoughts, and thoughts can be changed.
Louise L. Hay, a respected counselor on self-healing, has said, “Releasing resentment will dissolve even cancer.”
We must release the past and forgive everyone, especially ourselves. Self-approval and self-acceptance IN THE NOW are MAJOR KEYS TO POSITIVE CHANGE.
Robert Gray Hawk King Coke, 77,
Cherokee, is the
newest member of the Manataka Elder Council. Coke graduated from the
New Mexico Military Institute in 1952 with a biology degree. He served
in the U.S. Army with a tour in Europe.
After returning home, Robert Coke, entered pre-seminary school Austin College with a major in Philosophy. He continued his education by earning a degree in Bachelor of Science in Engineering and a Bachelor of Business Administration at Southern Methodist University where he later served on the faculty as an instructor. In 1996, Elder Coke was elected Chairman, of the American Indian Heritage Association and served as an ambassador for the American Indian Center of Dallas. Gray Hawk is now a semi-retired consultant.
The
Veterans Administration teams up with American Indian medicine men to use sweat
lodges and talking circles to deal with post-traumatic stress disorder.
(Rock Spring, N.M.) In a dusty lot on the Navajo reservation, a cleansing ceremony is about to take place. Women sit on rickety chairs outside a hogan, (a circular, squat Navajo home with a dirt floor). A line of parked cars sizzle in the Southwestern sun. Suddenly, a pack of horses rush into view. They stop just short of the hogan, their hooves beat up a cloud of dust.
A man appears in the doorway – an unassuming figure, dressed in a work shirt, jeans, and cowboy boots. He is a medicine man who has spent decades learning ancient Navajo healing techniques. He waits for the lead rider – the patient – to dismount and then ushers him inside.
For the next hour, the spiritual leader, Alfred Gibson, conducts an "enemy way" ceremony, a form of Navajo therapy that cleanses physically and mentally ill individuals by forcing them to confront their pain.
The technique is increasingly being used across the American West to help native American soldiers deal with the traumas of war.
While
healers on Indian reservations have always employed such methods, the
government offers most returning native American soldiers standard Western
psychological counseling and medical help. Now, however, native American
leaders and the Department ofVA Taps Ancient Healing
Methods Veterans Affairs are teaming up to use both approaches in hopes
of better serving the needs of Indian soldiers.
Mr. Gibson, for one, works during the week as a counselor at the Na'nizhoozhi Rehabilitation Center, a treatment facility in Gallup, N.M., run by tribal entities and the local county government. To help patients battle addiction and psychological trauma, Na'nizhoozhi often pairs psychotherapy and medication with sweat lodge ceremonies and drumming sessions. But the goal, Gibson says, is always to "do away with the medication – to help patients learn the traditional ways of healing."
Similarly, Veterans Affairs hospitals throughout New Mexico now run special programs for native American vets that include talking circles, sweat lodge ceremonies, and gourd dances. "We have to allow native Americans the opportunity to explore the culture that has been damaged, if not taken away," says Dr. James Gillies, a psychologist in the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) clinic at the VA Medical Center in Albuquerque, N.M. "To be a soul doctor is to embrace the souls of the people you work with."
No offense intended for any individuals or tribes.
How To Know You Are At A American Indian Wedding Reception
Nobody has invitations...only hand-drawn maps
An average of 12 people attend per invitation
No one goes to the wedding, but everyone goes to the reception
The bride's kids are the flower girls and the ring-bearer
The reception is at night and you wonder how white people have weddings during the day
Everyone has their own Pepsi, Dr. Pepper and Coke
All the centerpieces are gone
Everyone's kids are running around crazy and all you want to do is throw a bottle at them
The men dress in zoot suits and the bride is dressed in pink
The food menu has chili stew, fry bread and beans (don't forget the potato salad)
People are taking foil-covered food plates home
People are taking huge pieces of cake home
One relative is drunk and hugging everyone telling them "i love you very much"
The dollar dance lasts over an hour
There are seven bridesmaids
The cake was made by daughter... the cake lady and not the bakery
The aunties and grandmas dance together
You have to clean up the community building before you leave
The wedding reception ends at 6:00 am the next day at the bride's house
A fight breaks out
We as men should not fear our mates; we should listen to their counsel."
-Oren R. Lyons, Spokesman Traditional Circle of Elders
The Elders say the men should look at women in a sacred way. The men should never put women down or shame them in any way. When we have problems, we should seek their counsel. We should share with them openly. A woman has intuitive thought. She has access to another system of knowledge that few men
develop. She can help us understand. We must treat her in a good way.
Great Spirit,
let me look upon
the woman in a
sacred way.
By Don Coyhis
YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO JOIN
THE MANATAKA WOMEN'S COUNCIL
'CIRCLE OF FRIENDS'
Wow! The Women's Council has been busy this past quarter.
A November trip to Tahlequah, OK to attend a convention of flute players treated our members to an exciting event where they learned new techniques, met some beautiful people and just had fun. Some took a side trip to tour the Cherokee Heritage Center and Museum.
Many members
participated with several hundred people attending a Healing Retreat at
Gulpha Gorge Campgrounds. The Women performed beautifully!
Members participated in a Blessing of the Land Ceremony at the Miller's.
The All-female Manataka Drum Circle had several practice sessions and welcomed a few new members.
The Manataka Women's Council 'Circle of Friends'; meets the first Saturday of each month at 11:30 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Coffee is provided, food and other soft beverages are brought by individuals to share. Please remember to bring your drums or other musical instruments to meetings.
|
|
|
| January 5 |
|
| February 2 |
|
| March 1 |
|
The Manataka Drum Society is growing with more singers joining. Weekly practice sessions is where new songs, food and laughter are enjoyed by everyone. Contact: Amanda Morningstar:
Donations of nonperishable food items, toiletries, and bio-friendly cleaning suppies will be accepted and are greatly appreciated. Requests for assistance are year-round. Please send or bring.
Please direct any questions our comments to Becky 'Flaming Owl Peacekeeper' Moore at manataka@sbcglobal.net
Join Us!
Profile on Famous American Indian Women:
Marie Tallchief
Born
a mixed-blood named Betty Marie Tall Chief, daughter of an Osage father and
Scotch-Irish mother, Maria Tallchief spent eight years in the Indian lands of
northeastern Oklahoma. She was born in the small town of Fairfax, Oklahoma in
1925.
Like so many Oklahomans, her family moved to Los Angeles in 1933. She enjoyed
music and dancing, and practiced being a star -- a considerably challenging
dream for a Native American child in those days.
Reporting her story would be interesting, regardless of her accomplishments. She
would surely have fascinating experiences as she looked back at her mixed Indian
and European heritage, her eight years in the Osage Hills north of Tulsa, her
journey to California and life among the many people in Los Angeles. After all,
those were the days when people became rich with oil fields and poor with dusty
crops.
Of her childhood she wrote, "I was a good student and fit in at Sacred Heart
(Catholic School). But in many ways, I was a typical Indian girl -- shy, docile,
introverted. I loved being outdoors and spent most of my time wandering around
my big front yard, where there was an old swing and a garden. I'd also ramble
around the grounds of our summer cottage hunting for arrowheads in the grass.
Finding one made me shiver with excitement. Mostly, I longed to be in the
pasture, running around where the horses were..."
But, there's more. She became a "Woman of Two Worlds."
The Osage Nation became rich from the oil found beneath their land. Young Betty
Marie vacationed with her family in Colorado Springs, where she attended a
ballet lesson at the Broadmore Hotel.
READ MORE....
PARENTS AND EDUCATORS: READ THIS IMPORTANT ARTICLE!
Drugs Are Not the Answer for ADHD
Research has shown that treating children who have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) with drugs is not effective in the long-term. After three years of treatment, drugs such as Ritalin and Concerta work no better than therapy.
Long-term use of the drugs can also stunt children's growth, and the benefits of
the drugs have been
exaggerated. An influential 1999 study seemed to find that medication
worked better than behavioral therapy for ADHD after one year of use. This
finding caused a vast increase in
prescriptions.
ADHD drugs are known to carry serious side effects, including:
Permanent brain damage
Changes in personality, depression, and/or hallucinations
Cardio toxicity, and liver damage
Heart attack and stroke
Cancer
Sudden death, and suicide
But now, after longer-term analysis, the report's co-author, Professor William Pelham of the University of Buffalo, has stated, "I think that we exaggerated the beneficial impact of medication in the first study. We had thought that children medicated longer would have better outcomes. That didn't happen to be the case.
There's no indication that medication is better than nothing in the long run."
Pelham said that medication had "no beneficial effects" and that in fact, the
drugs had a negative impact in
terms of growth rate.
BOOK REVIEW
A Book Review by Doug George-Kanentiio
Anyone
familiar with the American Revolution knows that the Iroquois were vital
players in that war. Its fighters were the best trained, most
physically fit of any soldiers in North America. They were highly
trained, disciplined and skilled marksmen capable of amazing feats of physical
endurance. In close quarters they were without equal, capable of
wielding tomahawk, knife and war club with devastating effectiveness.
The Iroquois were expert woodsmen, at ease on the vast forest of the Northeast.
They were trained to ignore hunger and pain. They were masters of
camouflageand ambush.
Although their numbers were but a few thousand they were able to compensate for
this by the judicial use of selective terror. Their war cries caused
great fear in their opponents who were driven into a state of confusion and
apprehension when they realized the Iroquois were preparing to strike.Consisting of over 3,500 troops the expedition was instructed by Washington to
"laywaste all settlements around...so
that country may not only be overrun butdestroyed." Sullivan complied in a campaign similar to the invasions
of Uniongenerals Sherman and Sheridan
against the South 85 years later. Scorched earth, like the US tactics in
Vietnam, was believed to be the only means to defeat a guerilla army.
Sullivan succeeded in defeating the Iroquois at theBattle of Newtown, the only
pitched fight of his invasion. He torched over40 Iroquois communities and destroyed
thousands of acres of crops. Hiscasualties were minimal but he
failed
to launch an attack at Ft. Niagara, a majorcenter of operation for both Iroquois and British forces in the
Northeast. Thewinter of
1779-80 was among the most severe in memory during that time. Deprived of food
and shelter hundreds of Iroquois died of starvation and exposure.
But their determination to carry the fight to the Americans was not lessened.
The next year the Iroquois attacked the frontier with passion and without mercy.
But in the end, the British will to continue the war was broken. After their
defeat at Yorktown the British gradually diminished their support for military
operations including reduced aide to the Iroquois.The 1783 Treaty of Paris between the US and Britain brought hostilities
to aclose but neglected to offer any
protection to the Iroquois. Veterans of the Sullivan's army were eager to snatch
up vast tracts of Iroquois territory, a hunger which the Confederacy could not
stop. Within the generation of "The Year of the Hangman" the Iroquois were
confined to small reservations, beset by alcohol and fragmented beyond repair.
Williams' book fills many gaps in our understanding of this vital element of
American history. He writes with precision as he explains in remarkable detail
about the events which led to the Sullivan Expedition as well as the tactics
and strategy used by the Iroquois throughout the war.
He has a keen appreciation for the fighting abilities of the Iroquois and their
skills as politicians. Williams understands the extremely difficult position the
Iroquois were in at the outbreak of the Revolution and how the immense pressures
brought to bear upon the Confederacy as both American and British agents sought
to enlist the Iroquois in their respective military ventures.
Williams writes with skill and sensitivity. He has produced a book
which is a perfect compliment to Barbara Graymont's "The Iroquois in the
American Revolution". "Year of the Hangman" is detailed,
comprehensive and well written.
It is an exceptional book. As an Akwesasne Mohawk whose ancestors were heavily
involved in the War I applaud Glenn Williams for this welcome contribution to
our history.
Doug George-Kanentiio, Akwesasne Mohawk, is aco-founder of the Native American Journalists Association, a former member ofthe Board of Trustees for the National Museum of the American Indian and theeditor of the news journal Akwesasne Notes. He is a columnist for News From Indian Country. Kanentiio@aol.com.
|
THE SAGA OF NOAH
COLLINS by Jeremy Morningstar
This delightful story follows a twelve-year-old boy, Noah, in his struggles with the state foster care program. Noah, a non-Indian who is homeless, roams the mountains and forests of west central Wyoming. Noah is caught in a blizzard and takes shelter in a cave where is is found by a Native American man, Dave Morningstar, and taken to his home.
The Morningstar's have two children, Ricki and Carri, who teach Noah how to dance. He is placed with the Morningstar's in a foster program. He is enrolled and attends school on the Wind River River Reservation where he is the only non-Indian. He is urged to participate in the annual spring powwow with some opposition from a local bully. Noah thinks he has finally connected with a foster family.
Noah also thinks he will be moved soon because of the interest of a family services case worker. Follow Noah through his struggles with the state foster care program and his interest in Indian dancing. Selected as a prize in the National Indian Youth Talent Contest.
Sale Price: $9.00 + s.h
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
Charles Mann
Knopf Publishing Group
Hardcover, 480pp $26.95 + s/h
"In the last 20 years, archaeologists and anthropologists equipped with new scientific techniques have made far-reaching discoveries about the Americas. For example, Indians did not cross the Bering Strait 12,000 years ago, as most of us learned in school. They were already here. Their numbers were vast, not few. And instead of living lightly on the land, they managed it beautifully and left behind an enormous ecological legacy. In this riveting, accessible work of science, Charles Mann takes us on an journey of scientific exploration. We learn that the Indian development of modern corn was one of the most complex feats of genetic engineering ever performed. That the Great Plains are a third smaller today than they were in 1700 because the Indians who maintained them by burning died. And that the Amazon rain forest may be largely a human artifact. Compelling and eye-opening, this work will vastly alter our understanding of our history and lands." By Peter Johnson.
A groundbreaking study
that radically alters our understanding of the Americas before the
arrival of the Europeans in 1492.
Traditionally, Americans learned in school that the ancestors of the
people who inhabited the Western Hemisphere at the time of Columbus's
landing had crossed the Bering Strait twelve thousand years ago; existed
mainly in small, nomadic bands; and lived so lightly on the land that
the Americas was, for all practical purposes, still a vast wilderness.
But as Charles C. Mann now makes clear, archaeologists and
anthropologists have spent the last thirty years proving these and many
other long-held assumptions wrong.
In a book that startles and persuades, Mann reveals how a new generation
of researchers equipped with novel scientific techniques came to
previously unheard-of conclusions. Among them:
• In 1491 there were probably more people living in the Americas than in
Europe.
• Certain cities- such as Tenochtitlán, the Aztec capital- were far
greater in population than any contemporary European city. Furthermore,
Tenochtitlán, unlike any capital in Europe at that time, had running
water, beautiful botanical gardens, and immaculately clean streets.
• The earliest cities in the Western Hemisphere were thriving before the
Egyptians built the great pyramids.
• Pre-Columbian Indians in Mexico developed corn by a breeding process
so sophisticated that the journal Science recently described it
as "man's first, and perhaps the greatest, feat of genetic engineering."
• Amazonian Indians learned how to farm the rain forest without
destroying it- a process scientists are studying today in the hope of
regaining this lost knowledge.
• Native Americans transformed their land so completely that Europeans
arrived in a hemisphere already massively "landscaped" by human beings.
Mann sheds clarifying light on the methods used to arrive at
these new visions of the pre-Columbian Americas and how they have
affected our understanding of our history and our thinking about the
environment. His book is an exciting and learned account of scientific
inquiry and revelation.
Sale Price: $25.95
CP560
-
Huge Resource. This monumental volume explores, explains,
and honors the healing practices of Native Americans throughout North America,
from the southwestern U.S. to the Arctic. Designed for ease of use with maps, a
detailed subject index, extensive bibliography, and cross references, this book
is sure to fascinate anyone interested in Native American culture and heritage.
Illustrations, maps. Paperback: 373 pages; 88" x 10.26" x 7.28"
ON SALE! Was $33.95 Now only $23.95 + s/h
This monumental volume explores, explains, and
honors the shamanic healing practices of Native Americans throughout North
America. From the Southwestern United States to the Arctic Circle.
Healing traditions in Native American cultures offer a glimpse into a rich and
varied world of belief systems and spiritual practices. Covering over 350 years
of history. More than 1200 entries in this book introduce readers to renowned
Native American healers and to the societies and divisions into which healers
were categorized. It describes sacred objects used in healing rituals and how
such objects were used, as well as plants used to increase healing powers. Types
of healing ceremonies are vividly pictured, and the symbolic motifs used in
healing rituals are explained along with the major concepts that formed the many
diverse Native American healing traditions. Major scholars of native American
healing are introduced, complete with firsthand accounts of their experiences.
Entries include:
Helika, the form of supernatural power used by Kwakiutl Shamans for curing.
Naitulgai, the Wailaki dream doctors who cured by singing healing songs shown to
them in dreams. Aenichit, a powerful Clayoquot Shaman who healed the sick and
was known to lift liquid water out of a bucket as though it were frozen.
Designed as an easy to use, comprehensive synthesis of centuries of study, with
maps, a detailed subject index, an extensive bibliography, and cross-references,
this book will fascinate anyone interested in Native American culture and
heritage.
William S. Lyon is a professor of anthropology at the Center for Religious
Studies at the University of Missouri, Kansas City, and the author of Black Elk:
The Sacred Ways of a Lakota.
BUY NOW!
$33.95
Voice of the Hawk Elder
by Edna Gordon, edited by Harvey Arden
"This book is dedicated to my People, the Seneca Nation, to our kindred Peoples of the Haudenoshaunee, or Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy, to all the Indian Nations of Great Turtle Island, and to all other Indigenous Peoples around this Mother Earth. I send it out like an arrow of love from my heart to YOUR hearts!
If other folks want to read it too, why, that’s fine by me. Might be you even learn something! This book is FULL of secrets for those who understand'm! But always remember, the BIGGEST secret is Creation itself!
YES, THIS IS MY VOICE. These are my words. My good friend Harvey [Arden] has helped me sort and arrange them, like he’s done for lots of good people over the years, even back when he worked at National Geographic. He fixes my spelling and spruces up my grammar here and there, though I tell him, not too much, Harvey! I want folks to know who I am and how I really talk and what I’m really like. Don’t make me some saintly old lady come down from Heaven on a moonbeam spoutin’ high-flown words.
Me, I’m just me, Grandma Edna Gordon, Hawk Clan Elder of the Seneca Nation, Six Nations Iroquois. I just turned 85, and am tryin’ my darndest to be a good person. Sometimes I succeed, but don’t stay around me when I get mad! I’m a raging hawk.
People’mselves aren’t holy. But what they do can be holy. Living a holy life, that’s what life’s for. Helping others, fighting injustice, standing up for the People—those are holy things to do. But always be sure to remember, it ain’t you yourself who’s holy. People are just people. If God’d wanted’m to be holy, he’d have given’m wings and set’m up on a cloud somewhere playin’ a big gold harp.
BUY NOW!
|
Tears That Fall From Father Sky
Sky blacker than black—flashing light, Illuminates the night, Electric fingers spreading, stretching across vastness, Endlessness, Torrential rain, Floods the plain, Bodies discovered, Death revealed and uncovered, Under the enormity of Spiritual light, In the deadest of night, The master’s tears come down upon bodies still, Eyes of stillness reflecting the night’s performance, Bodies washed, Bodies purified, A puff of wind lifts up soles and spirals them into affinity, Indentation, Desperation, Covered and washed away, The grass grows greener there, The wind whispers across the plain, They will be back, for this is hallowed ground, His tears soaked this ground and keep it forever moist, Foot prints left in softened earth, Shows the way to the ancestors dement ion, The cougar and the mountain sheep, Lay together in harmonious sleep.
My Vision My Dream Osceola Birdman Waters. Copyrighted.
|
If you want to live the life you have always
dreamed of ask yourself if you:
Give Others Your Honesty
Give Others Your Respect
Give Others Your Vulnerability
Give Others Your Care
Give Others Your Passion
Give Others Your Experience
Give Others Your Help
This is the true path to greatness and
success, not only in business but in life!
~Submitted by Romaine Garcia
Prayer and ceremony work. Creator heals and brings peace.
Crossing Over...
Floyd Red Crow Westerman passes away
.jpg)
Floyd
Red Crow Westerman (1936 - 2007)
Major Fred
Blue Eagle Wilson, (Canadian Mohawk)
Passed away on Oct. 1, 2007. He was one of
the Tuskegee Airmen from World War II.
Blue Eagle was a true hero.
fowilson@legacy.com Steve
Roragen, Commando, Roanoke, VA
11-01-07
Rev. David Salmon (Fairbanks,
AK)
-- The first traditional chief for the
Athabascan people of
Vernon Bellecourt (WaBun-Inini)
Anishinabe/Ojibwe Nation
(Minnesota) Hailed as one of Indian's
greatest champions, Bellecourt, 75, passed today.
Throughout his life he fought to preserve the
integrity of indigenous people. Vernon was
principal spokesman for the American Indian
Movement and a leader in actions ranging from
the 1972 occupation of the Bureau of Indian
Affairs in Washington to the 1992 Redskin
Superbowl demonstrations. He was Co-founder and
first Executive Director of the Denver AIM
Chapter. His involvement at Wounded Knee in 1973
led to a Federal indictment. He was a special
representative of the International Indian
Treaty Council and helped organize the first
Treaty Conference in 1974. He was jailed for
throwing his blood on the Guatemalan Embassy to
protest the killing of 100,000 Indians. He was
elected to a 4-year term in his White Earth
tribal government and developed a model program
for the spiritual education of Indian prisoners.
Vernon was President of the National Coalition
on Racism in Sports & Media and recipient of the
City of Phoenix, Martin Luther King Human Rights
Award 1993.
He is
called one of the finest orators of his time.
Chief Xielolixii 10-13-07
Prayer Needed - Sickness, Injury,
Troubles...
Tanner, age 3 (Memphis, TN) Tanner
successfully underwent double eye surgery at
Children's Hospital for a serious condition know
as amblyopia. He is now home a recovering
nicely. Please give your thanks to God for
healing Tanner.
the Interior died Thursday at his home in
Chalkyitsik. Salmon was 95. 10-16-07
Self-
Healing