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Telling of history

Cheyenne – The Death Of Head Chief And Young Mule Note: This Story is a remarkable find, it’s a history that is overlooked and not found in the history books, This should be told to all young people, in that it shows how honor and bravery are innate in Americas Native People. I almost criedContinue reading “Telling of history”

Boss of the woods

“The Lakota, call Bigfoot Chiye-tanka “chiye” means “elder brother” and “tanka” means “great” or “big”. In English, though, the Lakota usually call him “the big man”. “There is your Big man standing there, ever waiting, ever present, like the coming of a new day,” Oglala Lakota Medicine Man Pete Catches “He is both spirit andContinue reading “Boss of the woods”

Iroquois – How Mice Overcame The WarriorsOnce a tribe of the Iroquois became very warlike and cruel. They liked to follow the warpath rather than the hunting trails.These warriors thought only of the war dance. They forgot to give thanks for the sweet waters of the maple, and for the planting season. Neither did they remember to praise the Great Spirit, in song and dance, for the juicy strawberries, and the waving green corn, as once they had done.To fight was the one desire of their lives, the one thought that filled their minds. They boasted that none were so fierce and bloodthirsty as they.”Our arrows fall like leaves of the pine,” they said, “and always are they red with blood. Our war shirts have many scalp locks on them.”One day, a dispute arose with a neighboring tribe of their nation. The Peace Wigwam was not far away, but these warriors would not take their quarrel to it, as was the custom. The fighting Indians would have none of the Peace Wigwam.”Let the women and papooses sit in the sun at the door of the Peace Wigwam,” they said scornfully. “Chiefs are for the warpath.”A fierce cry was raised, and the war dance was begun. The chiefs painted their bodies, donned their war shirts, sharpened their tomahawks, tipped their arrows, and tightened their bowstrings.But by the time they had made ready, the sun had set, and the blanket of darkness had fallen upon them. A council was quickly called. It was decided that they would not start to war until moonrise. So the warriors lay down to sleep.As they slept, another council was called. This was not a council of men, but of mice.From long and short trails they came, hundreds and hundreds of mice, for all had heard the warriors boast of their strength.”Now,” said the mice, “we will show these boasters how weak are men, and how strong are little mice.”When all the mice were gathered about the council tree, the leader spoke thus: “My brothers, listen! The Great Spirit did not give men strength, that they should fight and kill one another. The Great Spirit did not make men powerful, that they should strike down and kill the weaker animals. Let us show these fierce warriors that it is the weak who are strong, and the strong who are weak. Let every mouse destroy at least one weapon before the moon shall rise.”At this, all the mice set to work. Snap, snap, snap, went the bowstrings on all sides. Then the sharp little teeth began on the feathers that winged the poisoned arrows. Soon the feathers lay in bits about the ground.Next, the deerskin cords that bound the sling shots were cut in two, and before the moon had risen, every weapon had been made useless; every Indian had been disarmed,-and the mice had scampered away.The warriors awoke. Again the war cry was raised. They sprang to their feet and seized their weapons, but found them useless. Their bows had no strings; their arrows, no wings; their slings, no cords.The warriors who boasted that they were the strongest and fiercest on the earth, had been made powerless by mice.

Cattails are an important traditional food source. Before colonisation, indigenous people used the starch to make a flour-like staple. This is still an excellent, gluten-free flour substitute. What if, like our ancestors, you had to survive a winter and a promised food delivery did not arrive? Knowing this could keep you from starvation. Cattails areContinue reading

Cultural preservation

“Our Spiritual belief is that we were created as part of the land – so our identity, our names, and our songs are all tied to the land.”–Chief Roderick Robinson, NISGA’A In the traditional way, the names of native people had great meaning. We even had naming ceremonies. The naming of someone was very importantContinue reading “Cultural preservation”

Grandmother SpiderNative American Creation StoryEarth Day brings awareness of the precious connections of all life and to our planet. Native Americans have long known that survival depends on our treating all sentient beings with the deepest respect of kinship. Now, as so much on Earth hangs in the balance, with the crises and disasters brought on by climate change, let us learn from the powerful, age-old myths of Grandmother Spider.Earth GoddessSpider Woman, also known as Grandmother Spider, is a creation goddess in many Native American cultures. Throughout the Americas, she is found among the Maya, Pueblo, Hopi, and Navajo mythology, even among the pre-historic “mound builders” in the Mississippian cultures. There is evidence that the earliest Spider Woman was worshipped by the Maya, where she was named the Earth Mother.And so, traditional stories about Spider Grandmother were passed down by word of mouth through countless generations—in some of these tales she is referred to as Earth Goddess.“The spider woman is the wisdom keeper, the grandmother figure, the female figure.”Hopi artist Michael KabotieThe Hopi believe that she thought the universe into existence; the Navajo taught that she was the savior of human kind. The Cherokee say she brought light to the people. No matter, the elements remain the same: Grandmother Spider is a mother to humankind, protecting and nurturing us, guiding us along our paths.Creative PowersThe Spider Woman appears as a wise, old woman who guides people to wisdom and knowledge, often as a powerful teacher and helper. The Hopis speak of a Spider Grandmother who, weaving her webs, thought the world itself into existence.In these Native American myths, Spider Woman is the Creator of all things, also known as Thought Woman. She is the stillness, the creative energy before it takes shapes or form. She is all-powerful, a power beyond all imagination.She is the sharpest, most focused thought, the clearest vision, the one with power unimaginable.One myth tells of the Web of Creation. It speaks of the strands that are interwoven and connect everything in one matrix. When one part of the web is touched, because everything is linked together so intricately, the touch at one end of the web is felt and affects the web all the way to the other end. Nothing exists by itself, unconnected on its own. Everything is part of Grandmother Spider’s Web of Creation.Four WorldsAnother Hopi myth says that Tawa (sun spirit) created insect-like beings and placed them in the First World. Dissatisfied with these creatures, Tawa sent Spider Woman to lead them, first to the Second World, and then to the Third World, where they turned into people. Spider Woman taught the people how to plant, weave, and make pottery. A hummingbird gave them fire to help them warm themselves and cook their food.However, when sorcerers brought evil to the Third World, Spider Woman told the people to leave for the Fourth World. They planted trees to climb up to the Fourth World, but none grew tall enough. Finally, Spider Woman told them to sing to a one tree so that it would grow very tall. She led the people up the stalk to the Fourth World, the one in which the Hopi currently live.Fifth World? The fast paced, technological age of our global community has immense promise and daunting challenges—the greatest being climate change. Could it be that the World Wide Web is Spider Woman’s latest appearance?Certainly she is becoming more visible in our awareness of the interdependency of all life and all peoples. In Pueblo mythology, Spider Woman is called Tse Che Nako or Thought Woman who creates the world with what she imagines, the stories she tells about the world.We also possess this imaginative power: We are the storytellers.

Elders Meditation

Elder’s Meditation of the Day October 20 “As Elders, it is our place to show respect to our young people in order to gain respect.”–Grace Azak, NISGA’A The attitude of our leaders will be the attitde of the people. The attitude of the parents will be the attitude of the children. If respect is shownContinue reading “Elders Meditation”