Pineal Gland Awakening: Star Nations Teachings

[BROOK]

Day..so good to see your wisdom and light shining

Blessings
Brook

[Oliver]

Day, these paintings by Rudolph Carl Gorman are just great, they are full of some kind of sacred silence. Very clear...
Thank you, i will watch "Wisdomkeepers".

Love & Respect

[day]

Originally Posted by Oliver

Day, these paintings by Rudolph Carl Gorman are just great, they are full of some kind of sacred silence. Very clear...
Thank you, i will watch "Wisdomkeepers".

Love & Respect

wow Oliver...beautiful words and insights...yes the Sacred Silence makes his paintings timeless and inspiring


love and respect to you too unalii

[Lionhawk]

You are so named, Day, to bring forth the light of day, representing all of your tribe that have come and gone and continue to shine forth. It is an honor to have come across your path in the now. My guides also honor you as they spoke for the very first time, since I have known them. You are a holder of your history.

If I may put a log that I have brought with me, to place on your fire. I have a story I would like to share with you. One that is of a great tragedy in your history that many have forgotten. But one that is also of the great love that your people share with each other that has endured a great test of time.

Thirty years ago, I lived in Western North Carolina. I was a young buck at the time. Fishing and hunting ran through my veins. I used to fish the river called Catawba almost everyday. This river was east of Cherokee, N.C. A good hours drive. Little did I know that I was also in a land of the Cherokee.

On this one particular evening, a couple of friends and I were having a conversation about paranormal stuff that was in the county. Things that had happened. One such story was about a black man who was accused of a crime he did not commit and was hung in a tree. So we heard of the location and decided to investigate. I had a Triumph convertible and so we loaded up and took off. We found the location of where this hanging took place. There was a shape of a man hanging from this tree that was shaped by honeysuckle. A vine with small yellow flowers that had a beautiful smell.

Well we decided to take off and on the way back we spotted something that was just out of place. It was a square of railing on the side of the road. Like industrial stair railing. 2" pipe basically. An area had been cordoned off without any markings as to what was inside it. The area was about 12' X 20'.
No larger. As it turned out, it was a burial site. Again no markings to be seen. It was also night but there was enough light to make out that it was a burial site. I was leaning on a rail and just checking it out. There were 6 small flat stones that were possibly head stones. As I was looking at this, I had this urge to enter this site. At first I denied it. I had rationalized that it was basically sacred ground and that out of respect, I would not cross it. As I was processing this, the urge became stronger. I fought against it. It took about 6 times then I realized I was being contacted. Whatever it was trying to contact me was not evil, so I said Ok. So I crossed the barrier and stood up and was going into what I call prayer mode. Mind you I was on the inside edge. Then all of a sudden, my eyes were opened and I saw before me a vision. Also a voice was speaking to me at the same time. In the vision was a horrible sight unfolding as the frames went forward. Before me was a tribe of a few thousand Cherokees dying from a plague. Very well could have been chicken pox brought here by the Whites. The encampments had many running around and treating the ill. They were dropping by the hundreds and it was a mystery to them as to why and what was happening. The voice was the Chief and he was powerless as to what was happening and kept asking me what was happening. I had no answers for him. What hit me was his sadness as to what befell them. I could feel his connection to everyone of them. The suffering. The anguish. It was suffocating. It got to the point where I could not watch any longer. So I snapped out of it. I also got out of there. I have not been the same since. I have also wondered why I was shown that ever since and maybe you will understand this much better. But I did realize a few things. One is that there has always been a great respect for one another and also a great love for one another that, you are all and still very much connected. Even the ones who have passed are still here with you. I still feel this great loss and still shed tears as to this event that took place way back then. In away I am glad I did not have any answers to give to this great Chief who knew every single one of them. A great Chief holds that connection with his people because they are "ONE". I get that. I am, despite my sadness, very much honored to have witnessed this. Hopefully you will be able to see through the eyes of the hawk what I have spoken here tonight and may it reaffirm that the connection is the Key to all of us and Grandfather. Even the 4 legged and the winged ones cried. I fear the whites will never learn what they have done and grow from it, or the young who will not want to remember the ways that were one with our Mother.

I have traveled many of these lands here in the states. I have been blessed by every tribe that I have visited. I am grateful. I apologize for the sharing of such a terrible story but I want you to know that it connected me and for that I am grateful. The Elders that reside beyond our space and time never told me that I would be blessed in such ways. Right now as I write this, one of my guides who is a Shaman, who is always expressionless, is smiling at me.

May Father Sun shine on you!

Namaste'

[day]

'siyu Lionhawk!

thank you for all your good words and thoughts.
You have what we call a 'big story.'
We dont comment on other people's stories -
- just listen good.

you know what this means in the sharing of it,
keeping your heart and mind in a good place and being thankful ...
I see you found the things you were wondering about --
-now you Know too

Its an honor to hear your story -

its good to meet you Unalii (Friend)

[day]

Kachina Art

Tom ABeyta

















art and pottery - www.firstpeople.us

[day]

The Art of Karen Noles
















art and pottery-www.firstpeople.us

[day]

James Bama : Young Oglala Sioux






James Bama : A Sioux Indian





Jim Abeita : Ha'Tah'Ley





art- www.firstpeople.us

[day]

The Mounds and the Constant Fire: The Old Sacred Things

Cherokee Mounds

Some say that the mounds were built by another people. Others say they were built by the ancestors of the old Ani Kitu’hwagi for townhouse foundations. The townhouse was always built on the level bottom lands by the river in order that the people might have smooth ground for their dances and ballplays and might be able to go down to water during the dance.

When they were ready to build the mound they began by laying a circle of stones on the surface of the ground. Next they made a fire in the center of the circle and put near it the body of some prominent chief or priest who had lately died - some say seven chief men from the different clans - together with an Ulunsu’ti stone, an uktena scale or horn, a feather from the right wing of an eagle or great Tla nu wa which lived in those days, and heads of seven colors, red, white, black, blue, purple, yellow, and gray-blue. The priest then conjured all these with disease, so that, if ever an enemy invaded the country, even though he should burn and destroy the town and the townhouse, he would never live to return home.

Sacred Fire

The mound was then built up with earth, which the women brought in baskets, and as they piled it above the stones, the bodies of their great men, and the sacred things, they left an open place at the fire in the center and let down a hollow cedar trunk, with the bark on, which fitted around the fire and protected it from the earth. This cedar log was cut long enough to reach nearly to the surface inside the townhouse when everything was done. The earth was piled up around it, and the whole mound was finished off smoothly, and then the townhouse was built upon it. One man, called the Firekeeper, stayed always in the townhouse to feed and tend the fire. When there was to be a dance or a council, he pushed long stalks of atsil sun ti (fleabane), "the fire maker" down through the opening in the cedar log to the fire at the bottom. He left the ends of the stalks sticking out and piled lichens and punk around, after which he prayed, and as he prayed, the fire climbed up along the talks until it caught the punk. Then he put on wood, and by the time the dancers were ready there was a large fire blazing in the townhouse. After the dance he covered the hole over again with ashes, but the fire was always smoldering below. Just before the Green corn dance, in the old times, every fire in the settlement was extinguished and all the people came and got new fire from the townhouse. This was called atsi’la galunkw it’yu "the honored or sacred fire." Sometimes when the fire in a house went out, the woman came to the Firekeeper, who made a new fire by rubbing an ihya’ga stalk against the under side of a hard dry fungus that grows along locust trees.

Some sat this everlasting fire was only in the larger mounds at Nikwasi, Kitu’hwa, and a few other towns, and that when the new fire was thus drawn up for the Green Corn dance it was distributed from them to the other settlements. The fire burns yet at the bottom of these great mounds, and when the Cherokee soldiers were camped near Kitu’hwa during the Civil War, they saw smoke still raising from the mound.

Sacred Things

The Cherokee once had a wooden box, nearly square and wrapped up in buckskin, in which they kept the most sacred things of their old religion. Upon every important expedition, two priests carried it in turn and watched over it in camp so that nothing could come near to disturb it. The Delawares captured it more than a hundred years ago, and after that the old religion was neglected and trouble came to the Nation. They had also a great peace pipe, carved from white stone, with seven stem-holes, so that seven men could sit around and smoke from it at once at their peace councils. In the old town of Keowee they had a drum of stone, cut in the shape of a turtle, which was hung up inside the townhouse and used at all the town dances. The other towns of the Lower Cherokee used to borrow it too, for their own dances.
All the old things are gone now and the Indians are different.

(Myths of the Cherokee As Told by Swimmer to James Mooney, 1887-1890.

[Oliver]

This is my horse...from my dreams
Aho!



Source: http://media.photobucket.com/image/n...racle/5a75.jpg

[day]

I went to the link you provided..thanks for that! Beautiful!

[Oliver]

I am posting this just as it found it on this link
http://estheroinprogress.com/?p=259

Some hummingbird stories from ‘little RED elf’…thank you!



(artwork by Arlene Ness)

i hope you don’t mind a little story telling . . . but hummingbirds are one of my favorites, as are the myths and faerie tales about the hummingbird of which i found a nice handful and all of them Native American . . .
To attract a hummingbird, a flower must be red, bloom in the daytime, be rich in nectar and lack any sort of landing pad thereby eliminating competition from other birds. (like you – and your red hair!) They like red so much in fact that folks in Louisiana hang lots of red Christmas ribbon, red surveyor’s tape, and other red items around their yards to be sure hummingbirds won’t pass them by. Some believe the hummingbirds fly down pathways (like roads) and have trails of red leading from the road into their house which must be an incredible spectacle!
A Mayan legend says the hummingbird is actually the sun in disguise, and he is trying to seduce a beautiful woman, who is the moon.
Another Mayan legend says the first two hummingbirds were created from the small feather scraps left over from the construction of other birds. The god who made them was so pleased he had an elaborate wedding ceremony for them. First butterflies marked out a room, then flower petals fell on the ground to make a carpet; spiders spun webs to make a bridal pathway, then the sun sent down rays which caused the tiny groom to glow with dazzling reds and greens. The wedding guests noticed that whenever he turned away from the sun, he became drab again like the original gray feathers from which he was made.
A third Mayan legend speaks of a hummingbird piercing the tongue of ancient kings. When the blood was poured on sacred scrolls and burned, divine ancestors appeared in the smoke.
There is a legend from the Jatibonicu Taino Tribal Nation of Puerto Rico about a young woman and a young man, who were from rival tribes. Like Romeo and Juliet, they fell in love, precipitating the intense criticism of their family and friends. Nevertheless, the two of them found a way to escape both time and culture. One became a hummingbird and the other a red flower.
To the Chayma people of Trinidad, hummers are dead ancestors, so there is a taboo against harming them. An extinct Caribbean tribe called the Arawacs thought it was Hummingbird who brought tobacco. They called him the Doctor Bird.
Hopi and Zuni legends tell of hummingbirds intervening on behalf of humans, convincing the gods to bring rain. Because of this, people from these tribes often paint hummingbirds on water jars.
There is a legend from Mexico about a Taroscan Indian woman who was taught how to weave beautiful baskets by a grateful hummingbird to whom she had given sugar water during a drought. These baskets are now used in Day of the Dead Festivals.
The Pueblo Indians have hummingbird dances and use hummingbird feathers in rituals to bring rain. Pueblo shamans use hummingbirds as couriers to send gifts to the Great Mother who lives beneath the earth. To many of the Pueblo, the hummingbird is a tobacco bird. In one myth Hummingbird gets smoke from Caterpillar, the guardian of the tobacco plant, which is a nice Alice In Wonderland segue!
Another Pueblo story tells of a demon who is blinded after losing a bet with the sun. In anger he spews out hot lava. The earth catches fire. A hummingbird then saves the beautiful land of people and animals by gathering clouds from the four directions. Hummingbird uses rain from these clouds to put out the flames. This legend says the bright colors on a hummingbird’s throat came after he fled through the rainbow in search of rain clouds.
A Mojave, and my most favorite legend tells of a primordial time when people lived in an underground world of darkness. They send a hummingbird up to look for light. High above them the little bird found a twisted path to the sunlit upper world where people now live.
so you are right . . . keep it happy. keep it simple, live above ground in a world of light.
-little RED elf

[day]

Here's a little bit more about the artist Arlene Ness who is a First Nations Gitxsan Artist...

from her bio
Hi, my name is Arlene Ness, and I am an artist.
I live in Northwestern BC in a little town called Hazelton, on Gitanmaax Reserve.
Aside from being a VERY busy mother of four, I am a first nations (Gitxsan) artist with traditional carving and jewelry, stained glass, and various other mediums. I hope you enjoy my art and come back every now and then to see what I have created.

I will be showcasing my artwork here, I hope you enjoy this website. Be sure to send e-mail to let me know what you think (or to contribute articles or ideas). I'll be updating, so check back!

website: http://www.arlenes-art.com/index.html

Arlene also carves Totem poles ...pls visit her website to see more of her talent and beauty!

[mudra]

If I may day I would be happy to post some native american legends here.
They come from this site:
http://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Le...g-Abenaki.html

The following one is a very beautifull one .

Blessings to You day.

Love Always
mudra

Native American Legends

Creation Story & The Importance Of Dreaming
An Abenaki Legend

The Great Spirit, in a time not known to us looked about and saw nothing. No colors, no beauty. Time was silent in darkness. There was no sound. Nothing could be seen or felt. The Great Spirit decided to fill this space with light and life.

From his great power he commanded the sparks of creation. He ordered Tôlba, the Great Turtle to come from the waters and become the land. The Great Spirit molded the mountains and the valleys on turtle's back. He put white clouds into the blue skies. He was very happy.He said, "Everything is ready now. I will fill this place with the happy movement of life."He thought and thought about what kind of creatures he would make.

Where would they live? What would they do? What would their purpose be? He wanted a perfect plan. He thought so hard that he became very tired and fell asleep.

His sleep was filled with dreams of his creation. He saw strange things in his dream. He saw animals crawling on four legs, some on two. Some creatures flew with wings, some swam with fins. There were plants of all colors, covering the ground everywhere. Insects buzzed around, dogs barked, birds sang, and human beings called to each other. Everything seemed out of place. The Great Spirit thought he was having a bad dream. He thought, nothing could be this imperfect.

When the Great Spirit awakened, he saw a beaver nibbling on a branch. He realized the world of his dream became his creation. Everything he dreamed about came true. When he saw the beaver make his home, and a dam to provide a pond for his family to swim in, he then knew every thing has it's place, and purpose in the time to come.

It has been told among our people from generation to generation. We must not question our dreams. They are our creation.

[day]

Thanks Mudra....it is a beautiful legend...but as we know...these legends are real..

All our legends are real, and we are remembering!

[day]

Originally Posted by Lionhawk

I fear the whites will never learn what they have done and grow from it, or the young who will not want to remember the ways that were one with our Mother.

Thank you Unallii...some may not understand, maybe they never will but we have hope that some day they will.....

you are the second to have told me this...you are special, as was the other gentleman who shared this

denadagohvyu unalii

(until we meet again friend)

[day]

An Apache Legend











In the beginning nothing existed: no Earth, no Sky, no Sun, no Moon. Only darkness was everywhere.

Suddenly from the darkness emerged a thin disc, one side yellow and the other side white, appearing suspended in midair. Within the disc sat a small bearded man, Creator, the One Who Lives Above.

As if waking from a long nap, he rubbed his eyes and face with both hands.

When he looked into the endless darkness, light appeared above. He looked down and it became a sea of light. To the East, he created yellow streaks of dawn. To the West, tints of many colors appeared everywhere. There were also clouds of different colors.

Creator wiped his sweating face and rubbed his hands together, thrusting them downward. Behold! A shining cloud upon which sat a little girl.

"Stand up and tell me where are you going," said Creator. But she did not reply. He rubbed his eyes again and offered his right hand to the Girl-Without- Parents.

"Where did you come from?" she asked, grasping his hand.

"From the East where it is now light," he replied, stepping upon her cloud.

"Where is the Earth?" she asked.

"Where is the sky?" he asked, and sang, "I am thinking, thinking, thinking what I shall create next." He sang four times, which was the magic number.

Creator brushed his face with his hands, rubbed them together, then flung them wide open! Before them stood Sun-God. Again Creator rubbed his sweaty brow and from his hands dropped Small-Boy.

Creator, Sun-God, Girl-Without-Parents, and Small-Boy sat in deep thought upon the small cloud.

"What shall we make next?" asked Creator. "This cloud is much too small for us to live upon."

Then he created Tarantula, Big Dipper, Wind, Lightning-Maker, and some Western clouds in which to house Lightning-Rumbler, which he just finished.

Creator sang, "Let us make Earth. I am thinking of the Earth, Earth, Earth; I am thinking of the Earth," he sang four times.

All four gods shook hands. In doing so, their sweat mixed together and Creator rubbed his palms, from which fell a small round, brown ball, not much larger than a bean.

Creator kicked it, and it expanded. Girl-Without-Parents kicked the ball, and it enlarged more. Sun-God and Small-Boy took turns giving it hard kicks, and each time the ball expanded. Creator told Wind to go inside the ball and to blow it up.

Tarantula spun a black cord and, attaching it to the ball, crawled away fast to the East, pulling on the cord with all his strength. Tarantula repeated with a blue cord to the South, a yellow cord to the West, and a white cord to the North. With mighty pulls in each direction, the brown ball stretched to immeasurable size--it became the Earth! No hills, mountains, or rivers were visible; only smooth, treeless, brown plains appeared.

Creator scratched his chest and rubbed his fingers together and there appeared Hummingbird.

"Fly North, South, East, and West and tell us what you see," said Creator.

"All is well," reported Hummingbird upon his return. "The Earth is most beautiful, with water on the West side."

But the Earth kept rolling and dancing up and down. So Creator made four giant posts--black, blue, yellow, and white to support the Earth. Wind carried the four posts, placing them beneath the four cardinal points of the Earth. The Earth sat still.

Creator sang, "World is now made and now sits still," which he repeated four times.

Then he began a song about the sky. None existed, but he thought there should be one. After singing about it four times, twenty- eight people appeared to help make a sky above the Earth. Creator chanted about making chiefs for the Earth and sky.

He sent Lightning-Maker to encircle the world, and he returned with three uncouth creatures, two girls and a boy found in a turquoise shell. They had no eyes, ears, hair, mouths, noses, or teeth. They had arms and legs, but no fingers or toes.

Sun-God sent for Fly to come and build a sweat house. Girl-Without-Parents covered it with four heavy clouds. In front of the East doorway she placed a soft, red cloud for a foot-blanket to be used after the sweat.

Four stones were heated by the fire inside the sweat house. The three uncouth creatures were placed inside. The others sang songs of healing on the outside, until it was time for the sweat to be finished. Out came the three strangers who stood upon the magic red cloud-blanket. Creator then shook his hands toward them, giving each one fingers, toes, mouths, eyes, ears, noses and hair.

Creator named the boy, Sky-Boy, to be chief of the Sky-People. One girl he named Earth-Daughter, to take charge of the Earth and its crops. The other girl he named Pollen-Girl, and gave her charge of health care for all Earth- People.

Since the Earth was flat and barren, Creator thought it fun to create animals, birds, trees, and a hill. He sent Pigeon to see how the world looked. Four days later, he returned and reported, "All is beautiful around the world. But four days from now, the water on the other side of the Earth will rise and cause a mighty flood."

Creator made a very tall pinion tree. Girl-Without-Parents covered the tree framework with pinion gum, creating a large, tight ball.

In four days, the flood occurred. Creator went up on a cloud, taking his twenty-eight helpers with him. Girl-Without-Parents put the others into the large, hollow ball, closing it tight at the top.

In twelve days, the water receded, leaving the float-ball high on a hilltop. The rushing floodwater changed the plains into mountains, hills, valleys, and rivers. Girl-Without-Parents led the gods out from the float-ball onto the new Earth. She took them upon her cloud, drifting upward until they met Creator with his helpers, who had completed their work making the sky during the flood time on Earth.

Together the two clouds descended to a valley below. There, Girl-Without- Parents gathered everyone together to listen to Creator.

"I am planning to leave you," he said. "I wish each of you to do your best toward making a perfect, happy world.

"You, Lightning-Rumbler, shall have charge of clouds and water.

"You, Sky-Boy, look after all Sky-People.

"You, Earth-Daughter, take charge of all crops and Earth-People.

"You, Pollen-Girl, care for their health and guide them.

"You, Girl-Without-Parents, I leave you in charge over all."

Creator then turned toward Girl-Without-Parents and together they rubbed their legs with their hands and quickly cast them forcefully downward. Immediately between them arose a great pile of wood, over which Creator waved a hand, creating fire.

Great billowy clouds of smoke at once drifted skyward. Into this cloud, Creator disappeared. The other gods followed him in other clouds of smoke, leaving the twenty-eight workers to people the Earth.

Sun-God went East to live and travel with the Sun. Girl-Without-Parents departed Westward to live on the far horizon. Small-Boy and Pollen-Girl made cloud homes in the South. Big Dipper can still be seen in the Northern sky at night, a reliable guide to all.





pottery and storytellers - www.firstpeople.us
http://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Le...nd-Apache.html

[day]

"Who are the Elders ?"
by Daniel Crowfeather





It seems that there are many people these days
who are trying to find a spirituality that they can
believe in. For whatever reason, we are beginning
to pay more attention to our spirit and to our
direction in life. Many of us have found ourselves
drawn to the First Nations beliefs, perhaps because
they are seen as clean and pure, and based on the
simpler times that we all seem to miss.



As we make our way along the Red Road, with luck
we are led to a person who has been given the
wisdom and knowledge to be a teacher. We call these
people Elders, and from them we begin to learn the
ways and traditions that form the heart of First Nations
beliefs. While these Elders generally do not think of
themselves as anything special, they are usually highly
regarded and treated with great respect.



For some of us, however, these early times can be
dangerous. Being human, most of us have a desire to be
respected by the people around us. When we see the
respect being given to our Elders, we may begin to hope
that, someday, we may earn that respect for ourselves.
We try to learn as much as we can as quickly as we can,
hoping to impress people with our wisdom. We forget that
knowledge of facts is not the same as wisdom, which only
comes from a lifetime of reflecting on these facts.



The danger is greatest at the time when we realize that
there are people who share our road that know even less
than we do. These people may be easily impressed by the
tiny amount of knowledge that we carry. Such people might
even mistake that knowledge for wisdom, and we may find
ourselves receiving some of that respect that we crave. We
may find that we enjoy the taste of that respect, and our
egos may even lead us to think of ourselves as Elders... and
the trap is sprung!



It is important to understand what an Elder is. Aboriginal
traditions hold the elderly in high regard, because a long
life full of experience leads to wisdom. But an Elder in the
spiritual sense is not just old; today an elderly person
may have no knowledge whatsoever of spirituality. While
such a person may have valuable wisdom in other areas
of life, they obviously cannot be a spiritual Elder. A real
Elder carries facts about their traditions AND the wisdom
that comes from long study and practice of those traditions.
However, when you are just starting out on the path, it can
be hard to tell the difference. Those who are impressionable
can be fooled by an older person with a small amount of
knowledge, claiming to be an Elder.



Another very popular claim is to be a Healer. True Healers
are those who are given the ability to Heal others using only
their own energies and resources. Such people are extremely
rare: perhaps a handful walk the earth today. My wife and I
do not know of any, and probably neither do you. If you know
someone who is claiming that they are a Healer, rest assured
that they are either lying or deluded...true Healers never
advertise, because they know that the people who need them
will be brought to them, quietly and without fuss. They do
not seek recognition, because they are only too aware of the
heavy burden of responsibility they carry, and they do not wish
to add to it.



Finally, there are all the self-proclaimed Visionaries. At best, these
people learn from real Seers, then pass on the visions as their own.
At worst, they will invent any vision that will impress their audience.
Once again, if the person brags of it, then it is not so. True Seers do
not advertise, because they do not need to. Again, those who need
their help will be brought to them, and they know it. They never seek
the spotlight.



The lure of prestige and notoriety can be hard to resist. I am saddened
that there are people within our own circle of friends who have started
to call themselves Elders, and pretend to carry far more knowledge than
they actually have. There is one who has appointed himself a spiritual
leader, and has created a following of people who have virtually no
knowledge of tradition. He tells them that they are Elders as well. There
is another who claims to be a Healer, and performs smudging and
purification ceremonies for others. Because she has not learned the
proper use and purposes of sacred medicines, she has no understanding
of the danger this poses for both herself and for the people she tries to
help. There are still others who ask questions of Elders, then pass on the
answers to other people claiming to have received them direct from the
spirits. We call this 'riding someone else's tobacco,' and it is a simple
attempt to gain notoriety at the expense of others. In each case, these
people have brought a great deal of trouble into their own lives by doing
these things. However, despite these warnings, their egos lead them to
continue to misguide others, and they cause much suffering as a result.



Each of us has a best possible path to walk, and each of us is here for
some specific purpose. For most of us, our walk is all about learning.
While we may not see this as significant, the Creator does not make
mistakes: each life interacts with many others, so each one is as
important as any other. Ignoring our path and trying to do something
more spectacular simply wastes a lifetime, and possibly endangers
ourselves and others. While a person's life is their own, to waste if they
so choose, causing someone else to waste or misuse their life is perhaps
the vilest and most disgusting thing that one human can do to another.



It is time for all the pedestals to be torn down, and for each of us to
walk the paths we were intended to walk. We must push aside our egos,
and listen to the spirits and to the quiet voice of our own hearts. To do
any less is to break faith with ourselves, and with the spirits who agreed
to help and guide us. Let the true Elders to do the teaching. Let the
Healers do the Healing. Let the Seers do the Seeing. Be content that
your life, lived as it supposed to be lived, is as important and necessary
as that of any other person. Learn, love, and be humble.



If you would like to learn more about the Mi'kmaw culture,
please visit Mi'kmaq Spirit
http://www.muiniskw.org/

Copyright 2005 Daniel Crowfeather

http://www.firstpeople.us/articles/M...he-Elders.html

[Lionhawk]

Thank-you Day for your gift. We, my guides and I, have already put it up in our sanctuary to honor you and your people. You are more than welcomed to join with us, any time. Gaia sometimes drops in too.

When I first came here and visited your thread, I said to myself that I could spend a full day here. I felt very much at peace. Little did I know there were many more pages to it. hahaha But I will spend more time here as I have found a thread that makes you feel welcomed and very much at home. Where love is radiated and never spoken.

Delphi, (Dell-Fee) the hawk has requested of me to give you a feather. A feather from her right wing. And Pinnacus, the cougar is swatting his tail and is over joyed by the gift you gave us that is on our wall. He thinks it is himself in the painting. This is a good thing. You gave them some happiness and I thank-you for that. They have worked tirelessly in my life time to help me get to these promised days. They are my eyes, my courage, and so much more. They never complain even when I have stumbled. When we go with Mother to the next journey, you will get the chance to meet them.

So I leave you for now, knowing I will come back here, put another log on the fire, and visit you in spirit. Sweet dreams.

[day]

Originally Posted by Lionhawk

Thank-you Day for your gift. We, my guides and I, have already put it up in our sanctuary to honor you and your people. You are more than welcomed to join with us, any time. Gaia sometimes drops in too.

When I first came here and visited your thread, I said to myself that I could spend a full day here. I felt very much at peace. Little did I know there were many more pages to it. hahaha But I will spend more time here as I have found a thread that makes you feel welcomed and very much at home. Where love is radiated and never spoken.

Delphi, (Dell-Fee) the hawk has requested of me to give you a feather. A feather from her right wing. And Pinnacus, the cougar is swatting his tail and is over joyed by the gift you gave us that is on our wall. He thinks it is himself in the painting. This is a good thing. You gave them some happiness and I thank-you for that. They have worked tirelessly in my life time to help me get to these promised days. They are my eyes, my courage, and so much more. They never complain even when I have stumbled. When we go with Mother to the next journey, you will get the chance to meet them.

So I leave you for now, knowing I will come back here, put another log on the fire, and visit you in spirit. Sweet dreams.

Sgi Unalii LionHawk --- The name of the painting is 'Guardian'...

Aho!

[day]

Where Knowledge Comes From





Often times I am asked, "Where did the ancestors get their knowledge?" Well, this knowledge came in various ways. For example, our ancestors took the time to observe their surroundings. They observed for days, months, years, and generations - however long it took, they were patient. Unfortunately, that is not our strongest virtue today: everything is rush, rush, rush. The other thing the ancestors had going for them was their sense of total connection. They knew that they were part of a larger entity... and through this connection they had the ability to connect with 'spirit', whether it was through a fast, the sweatlodge, or other ceremonies. Through these portals, information flowed freely to the ancestors. With this, they did not doubt or question the spirits... and with trust came protection, and our ancestors were given the means of survival since the dawn of our nation.



We try very hard to place only accurate information on this site, as I am personally so tired of information that is so beyond what is true. Unfortunately, being around traditions and spirituality for many, many years, I have seen and heard a lot of things, to the point where I feel ashamed to think that people are being so misled merely to feed the ego of another. I honour and respect our culture so much that it really hurts knowing that there are people out there, including some of our own people, who are using the culture for their own personal gain - to be on a pedestal, as they say.



In my teachings I often tell that we need to totally give ourselves with humbleness to the spirits, to the Ancestors, and above all to our nation and future generations. Once this commitment is made, then and only then will the spirits pass on that knowledge. As Mi'kmaw people, and particularly as Mi'kmaw women, those who truly wish to follow in the ancestors' footsteps need to take a stand and reclaim our roles in our nation. That role is based on the foundation of a matriarchal society, within which our ancestors survived for millennia. I also truly believe that only once we individually reclaim our roles and responsibilities, then and only then will the spirits of our ancestors give the knowledge we require, and bring back the teachings that have been lost.

All my relations...

Muin'iskw



Talking Stick
http://www.muiniskw.org/pgIssues5_Knowledge.htm

[day]

Artists




Craig Tennant





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[day]

Native American Legends
Big Turtle
A Wyandot (Huron) Legend




Many years ago the world had two parts. Animals lived in
the lower part, which was completely covered in water and
had no land or soil. Above was the Sky World, where the sky
people lived. The Sky World had lots of soil, with beautiful
mountains and valleys. One day a girl from the Sky World
went for a long walk and became very tired.



"I'm so tired, I need to rest," she said. She sat down under
the spreading branches of an apple tree and quickly fell
asleep. Suddenly, there was a rumbling sound like thunder
and the ground began to crack. A big hole opened up next
to the apple tree.



"What's happening?" screamed the frightened girl. She tried
to move but it was too late. She and the tree slid through
the hole and tumbled over and over towards the watery
world below.







"Help me! Help me!" screamed the girl. Luckily two swans
were swimming below and saw the girl tumbling down from
the sky. "Come on!" yelled one swan. "Let's catch her before
she hits the water." "Okay!" yelled the other. The swans
spread their wings together and caught the girl on their soft
feather backs. "Whew! That was lucky," said the girl. "But
what do I do now? I can't get back up to the Sky World and
I can't stay on your backs forever."



"We'll take you to Big Turtle," said the swans. "He knows
everything." After hearing what happened, the Big Turtle
called all the animals in the water world to a meeting. He
told them an old story about soil being found deep under
the water. "If we can get some of that soil, we can build
an island on my back for you to live on," said the Big Turtle.

"Sounds good to me," said the young girl.



The Otter, Beaver and Muskrat started arguing over whom
would dive for the soil. "I'll go," said the sleek Otter, brushing
his glossy fur. "No! I'll go," said Beaver, slapping the water
with his big flat tail. "I'm the best swimmer," said Muskrat "I'll go."

"Aaaachooo!" sneezed the young girl." Guys, guys, would just
one of you go. These swan feathers are getting up my nose
and making me sneeze."

"Sorry" said the swans.

"That's alright," said the young Sky girl.



Then Toskwaye the little Toad popped up out of the water.
"I'll go. I can dive very deep," she said. The other animals
started laughing and pointing at Toskwaye. "You! You're
too small and ugly to help." Cried the others, laughing.

"Be quiet!" said Big Turtle in a loud, stern voice. "Everyone is
equal and everyone will have a chance to try". The sleek Otter
smoothed his glossy fur, took a deep breath and slid into the
water. He was gone for a long time before he came up gasping
for air. "It was too deep," he said. "I couldn't dive that far."



"Now it's my turn," said Beaver. He slapped the water with his
tail as he disappeared. After a long time he came to the surface
again. "It's too far" he gasped. "No one can dive that deep.
" Muskrat tried next and failed.

"Aaaachoo!" sneezed the young girl. "This is not looking good."



"Now it's my turn," said little Toskwaye the Toad. She took a
deep breath and jumped into the water. She was gone a very
long time and everyone thought they wouldn't see her again.

Suddenly Otter pointed at the water, shouting, and "Look,
look bubbles!" Toskwaye's small, ugly face appeared through
the water. She spat a few grains of soil onto the Big Turtle's
back, then fell back into the water - dead.



The Turtle ordered the others to rub the soil grains and spread
them around on his shell. The grains grew and grew, until a
large island was formed - big enough for the girl to live on. It
grew into our world, as we know it today. And the descendants
of the Sky girl became the Earth's people.



Today, some people say the whole world still rests on Big Turtles
back. When he gets tired and changes his position,
we have earthquakes.

Toad has not been forgotten either.
American native Indians call her "Mashutaha",
which means 'Our Grandmother'.



No one is allowed to harm her.









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[day]

An Abenaki Legend



Note: The character Kloskurbeh is identified with Glooscap of the
Algonquin myths. The Abenaki, or Wabanaki, are an Algonquin people
of Maine and New Brunswick.



First Manitou, the Great Spirit, made Kloskurbeh, the great teacher.
One day when the sun was directly overhead, a young boy appeared
to Kloskurbeh. He explained that he had been born when the sea
had churned up a great foam, which was then heated by the sun,
congealed, and came alive as a human boy.



The next day, again at noon, the teacher and the boy greeted a girl.
She explained that she had come from the earth, which had produced
a green plant which bore her as fruit. And so Kloskurbeh, the wise
teacher, knew that human beings came forth from the union of sea
and land. The teacher gave thanks to Manitou and instructed the boy
and girl in everything they needed to know. Then Kloskurbeh went north
into the forest to meditate.



The man and the woman had many, many children. Unfortunately,
they had so many children that they were unable to feed them all by
hunting and picking wild foods. The mother was filled with grief to see
her children hungry, and the father despaired. One day the mother
went down to a stream, entering it sadly. As she reached the middle
of the stream, her mood changed completely and she was filled with
joy. A long green shoot had come out of her body, between her legs.
As the mother left the stream, she once again looked unhappy.



Later, the father asked her what had happened during the day while
he was out trying to gather food. The mother told the whole story.
She then instructed the father to kill her and plant her bones in two
piles. The father, understandably, was upset by this command and
he questioned the mother many times about it. Naturally, it was
shocking and disturbing to think that he had to kill his wife in order
to save his children: But she was insistent. The father immediately
went to Kloskurbeh for advice. Kloskurbeh thought the story very
strange, but then he prayed to Manitou for guidance. Kloskurbeh
then told the father that the mother was right; this was the will
of Manitou. So, the father killed his wife and buried her bones in
two piles as he was commanded to do.



For seven moons, the father stood over the piles of bones and
wept. Then one morning, he noticed that from one pile had sprouted
tobacco and, from the other, maize. Kloskurbeh explained to the
man that his wife had really never died, but that she would live
forever in these two crops.



To this day, a mother would rather die than see her children starve,
and all children are still fed today by that original mother. Men like
to plant in the cornfields extra fish they catch as a gift of thanks
to the first mother and a remembrance that we are all children of
the union of sea and land.







The Great Spirit is in all things, he is in the air we breathe.
The Great Spirit is our Father, but the Earth is our Mother.
She nourishes us, that which we put into the ground
she returns to us....

Big Thunder (Bedagi) - Wabanaki Alonquin


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[day]

A Mayan Legend



Tzunuum, the hummingbird, was created by the Great Spirit as a tiny,
delicate bird with extraordinary flying ability. She was the only bird in
the kingdom who could fly backwards and who could hover in one spot
for several seconds. The hummingbird was very plain. Her feathers had
no bright colors, yet she didn't mind. Tzunuum took pride in her flying skill
and was happy with her life despite her looks.



When it came time to be married, Tzunuum found that she had neither
a wedding gown nor a necklace. She was so disappointed and sad that
some of her best friends decided to create a wedding dress and jewelry
as a surprise.



Ya, the vermilion-crowned flycatcher wore a gay crimson ring of feathers
around his throat in those days. He decided to use it as his gift. So he
tucked a few red plumes in his crown and gave the rest to the hummingbird
for her necklace. Uchilchil, the bluebird, generously donated several blue
feathers for her gown. The vain motmot, not to be outdone, offered more
turquoise blue and emerald green. The cardinal, likewise, gave some
red ones.



Then, Yuyum, the oriole, who was an excellent tailor as well as an
engineer, sewed up all the plumage into an exquisite wedding gown for
the little hummingbird. Ah-leum, the spider, crept up with a fragile web
woven of shiny gossamer threads for her veil. She helped Mrs. Yuyum
weave intricate designs into the dress. Canac, the honeybee, heard
about the wedding and told all his friends who knew and liked the
hummingbird. They brought much honey and nectar for the reception
and hundreds of blossoms that were Tzunuum's favorites.



Then the Azar tree dropped a carpet of petals over the ground where
the ceremony would take place. She offered to let Tzunuum and her
groom spend their honeymoon in her branches. Pakal, the orange tree,
put out sweet-smelling blossoms, as did Nicte, the plumeria vine. Haaz
(the banana bush), Op the custard apple tree) and Pichi and Put (the
guava and papaya bushes) made certain that their fruits were ripe so
the wedding guests would find delicious refreshments. And, finally, a large
band of butterflies in all colors arrived to dance and flutter gaily around
the hummingbird's wedding site.



When the wedding day arrived, Tzunuum was so surprised, happy and
grateful that she could barely twitter her vows. The Great Spirit so admired
her humble, honest soul that he sent word down with his messenger,
Cozumel, the swallow, that the hummingbird could wear her wedding gown
for the rest of her life. And, to this day, she has. How did the humility of
one long-ago hummingbird cause its descendants to sport brilliant colors?

















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