My Relatives Say: “You do not know the quiet power you possess.”
I’ve thought about this for many decades. Arrogant, hubris, forceful, blunt, are all words that have been used to describe me. So the words “quiet power” makes me want to stop dead in my tracks. I personally don’t see myself as arrogant, I see myself as confident. I don’t consider myself god-like but rather as having a sense of understanding when it comes to dealing with the human condition as a spiritual being. And it can be so damn hard to rise above the impact of words or labels.
Here’s what I mean. We all have a voice which speaks to us. Sometimes it tells us not to take a certain flight or a particular drive to work. Sometimes it tells us we are falling in love or to avoid dubious people. Sometimes we resist the voice, ignoring what it tells us. Predictably we discover the voice was right all along.
My Relatives Say: “Don’t forget you are a part of everything and everything is a part of you.”
Our bodies, mind, and spirit are moved by Grandmother Moon, she who controls the tides. In the human condition we are made up of approximately 75% water. The rest becomes nothing but dust without water. Both of these elements are vital to the earth and sky as well as to we humans. This holds true to every animal walking the planet. This is true to the very atmosphere we live in.
If we do not listen to our brothers and sisters, be they water, air, fire, or land, we doom ourselves and by extension the next seven generations. We are all connected. We are all related.
My Relatives Say: “It is not good to separate yourself from the land or from Great Mystery.”
We do not have to walk barefoot in the snow to feel connected to our Mother. We do not have to suffocate in order to appreciate Father Sky. Then again, maybe we do. Whatever it takes to make a human feel their part in this world, then so be it. And if for just a moment we take the time to say “I Love You!” to all that is a part of us then it’ll be like a boomerang that comes back to us with “I Love You, too!”
We humans are like broken pieces of mirror. Some might say a broken mirror is bad luck. But My Relatives Say: “It is better to be a part of the mystery than not.” If we put the broken pieces of mirror together we get a clearer reflection of who we are as relatives.
Then and only then, do we come to understand the impact of our quiet power. The power we have to change the way we see each other, the power we have to impact our lives as well as others around us. Good, bad, ugly, beautiful, empathy or indifference, it all comes back us. If we resist we will be met with resistance. If we hold hatred close, disgust and revulsion will pursue us without relent. But if we become conscious to the impact of our quiet power then we soon learn there is little we cannot do. Even the most heinous of experiences cannot bring down the truth my relatives speak. History has shown this for more than 518 years.
Yes, I own the words forceful and blunt because my convictions won’t allow me to do anything else. And it’s not because I am arrogant. It’s because the voice inside me, the voice of all those ancestors, tell me this is honesty in its deepest form. If the impact of these words is considered hubris there is nothing I can do to change it.
Each and every day I will say “I Love You” to all of creation, to all my relatives, and mean it. I don’t have to agree with the hurricane winds or the flooding rains. I don’t have to yield to those who would steal my quiet power. But I can love it all. And I will stand by the impact of my sincerity.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
My Relatives Say
O’Siyo Nigadawu (hello everyone),
I am AmaTsisqua (Waterbird), daughter of the Bird and Wolf clans and born to the Tsalagi (Cherokee). I am also known as Nudagesv Duyudv (Weight Truth or Weighs The Truth). For many decades now I have been listening to the voices of my relatives, learning truth in all its varying shades of gray, and learning the ways of bear, turtle, snake, scorpion, wolf, bird, dog, cat, dolphin, manatee, and fish. Along the way I have tasted of each element of life – water, fire, earth, and air.
Two years ago a drastic change took place in my life and It left me feeling desperately heaving for air. The details don’t really matter. My story is the same as yours except for one thing…I walk with one foot in one reality and one foot in another. As with most humans, I have experienced tragedy, disappointment, frustration, anger, gladness, exhilaration, falling in love, grief, and just plain joy. Each emotion at its greatest pinnacle had to be examined from two very different points of view. One perspective comes from the modern approach of practicality and moving ahead. The other perception comes from very conventional wisdom that is not widely known in current society.
This walking in two worlds can become confusing, not to mention down-right annoying, especially when life presents some of its greatest challenges. We ½ breeds, ¼ breeds, 1/16th breeds, 1/32nd breeds, and wannabes all amount to about the same. We’re searching to whom and where we belong.
Through this blog it is my intention and hope that while I ponder the deeper questions of life I will also share the voices of my relatives and what they have taught me when I’ve been willing to learn. Believe me when I say there is no one who challenges me better than myself. Yet I encourage you to question what I will tell you over the coming months. And while we’re at it, we’ll invite our ancestors into the discussion so we may learn from each other. It is the only way to go. You’ll see this to be true.
My next entry will be regarding impact. “Impact” will be at least a two-part series – possibly more. We’ll see as time goes on. The path always takes a winding course but it always comes back around to particularly important issues. I promise not to preach or belittle, look down or deny, live without empathy or with sympathy. Maybe through this journey we will learn how not to be divided. Maybe through this journey we will learn how to be spiritual beings having a human experience. Maybe we will learn the IMPACT we have on all our relations. Maybe we’ll see how very close we really are!
Let’s walk with both feet and see where it takes us.
I am AmaTsisqua (Waterbird), daughter of the Bird and Wolf clans and born to the Tsalagi (Cherokee). I am also known as Nudagesv Duyudv (Weight Truth or Weighs The Truth). For many decades now I have been listening to the voices of my relatives, learning truth in all its varying shades of gray, and learning the ways of bear, turtle, snake, scorpion, wolf, bird, dog, cat, dolphin, manatee, and fish. Along the way I have tasted of each element of life – water, fire, earth, and air.
Two years ago a drastic change took place in my life and It left me feeling desperately heaving for air. The details don’t really matter. My story is the same as yours except for one thing…I walk with one foot in one reality and one foot in another. As with most humans, I have experienced tragedy, disappointment, frustration, anger, gladness, exhilaration, falling in love, grief, and just plain joy. Each emotion at its greatest pinnacle had to be examined from two very different points of view. One perspective comes from the modern approach of practicality and moving ahead. The other perception comes from very conventional wisdom that is not widely known in current society.
This walking in two worlds can become confusing, not to mention down-right annoying, especially when life presents some of its greatest challenges. We ½ breeds, ¼ breeds, 1/16th breeds, 1/32nd breeds, and wannabes all amount to about the same. We’re searching to whom and where we belong.
Through this blog it is my intention and hope that while I ponder the deeper questions of life I will also share the voices of my relatives and what they have taught me when I’ve been willing to learn. Believe me when I say there is no one who challenges me better than myself. Yet I encourage you to question what I will tell you over the coming months. And while we’re at it, we’ll invite our ancestors into the discussion so we may learn from each other. It is the only way to go. You’ll see this to be true.
My next entry will be regarding impact. “Impact” will be at least a two-part series – possibly more. We’ll see as time goes on. The path always takes a winding course but it always comes back around to particularly important issues. I promise not to preach or belittle, look down or deny, live without empathy or with sympathy. Maybe through this journey we will learn how not to be divided. Maybe through this journey we will learn how to be spiritual beings having a human experience. Maybe we will learn the IMPACT we have on all our relations. Maybe we’ll see how very close we really are!
Let’s walk with both feet and see where it takes us.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Sacred mound returned to Choctaw tribe
By: Carver Rayburn
More than 1,000 people attended a ceremony on Friday officially marking the transfer of Nanih Waiya Mound and Cave back to the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians in what was billed as a celebration of the return of "Our Mother Mound."
The ceremony featured traditional food, dancing, remarks by officials, storytelling of the Choctaw's rich culture and history and a proclamation by Miko Beasley Denson, chief of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.
Denson declared the second Friday in August "Nanih Waiya Day," a holiday celebrating the occasion when the Tribe's "Mother Mound" was restored to its people.
"Nanih Waiya is the cultural and religious center of the tribe and is the birth place of the Choctaw people," Denson said. "Our mother mound was taken from the Choctaw people long ago, but it has now been restored to her children."
Denson talked about the importance of the ceremony bringing all the communities within the Choctaw tribe together as one people. He also stressed the importance of preservation of the mound and asked anyone who witnessed destruction or defamation to report it to Choctaw authorities.
Ownership of the Nanih Waiya Mound, which rests in the corners of Winston, Kemper and Neshoba counties, was given back to the Tribe by the state of Mississippi when Gov. Haley R. Barbour signed the deed in August of this year.
Nanih Waiya, which means "leaning hill" or "place of creation" in Choctaw, is the cultural and religious center of the Tribe and is thought to be the birth place of the Choctaw people. It was built over one thousand years ago and its construction is thought to have taken two or three generations to complete.
There's more here: http://www.neshobademocrat.com/print.asp?ArticleID=17790
More than 1,000 people attended a ceremony on Friday officially marking the transfer of Nanih Waiya Mound and Cave back to the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians in what was billed as a celebration of the return of "Our Mother Mound."
The ceremony featured traditional food, dancing, remarks by officials, storytelling of the Choctaw's rich culture and history and a proclamation by Miko Beasley Denson, chief of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.
Denson declared the second Friday in August "Nanih Waiya Day," a holiday celebrating the occasion when the Tribe's "Mother Mound" was restored to its people.
"Nanih Waiya is the cultural and religious center of the tribe and is the birth place of the Choctaw people," Denson said. "Our mother mound was taken from the Choctaw people long ago, but it has now been restored to her children."
Denson talked about the importance of the ceremony bringing all the communities within the Choctaw tribe together as one people. He also stressed the importance of preservation of the mound and asked anyone who witnessed destruction or defamation to report it to Choctaw authorities.
Ownership of the Nanih Waiya Mound, which rests in the corners of Winston, Kemper and Neshoba counties, was given back to the Tribe by the state of Mississippi when Gov. Haley R. Barbour signed the deed in August of this year.
Nanih Waiya, which means "leaning hill" or "place of creation" in Choctaw, is the cultural and religious center of the Tribe and is thought to be the birth place of the Choctaw people. It was built over one thousand years ago and its construction is thought to have taken two or three generations to complete.
There's more here: http://www.neshobademocrat.com/print.asp?ArticleID=17790
Monday, November 24, 2008
Obama appoints Native officials to transition team
By JODI RAVE of the Missoulian
As President-elect Barack Obama appoints a new team of cabinet members and fills other key federal work posts, he's named six Native people to his transition team - half of them assigned to assist in Interior Department policy, budget and personnel changes.
“We're lucky to have such stellar representatives with people with whom Indian Country has really good relationships,” said Jacqueline Johnson-Pata, executive director of the National Congress of American Indians, a nonprofit organization that represents more than 250 tribes.
So far, Mary Smith, Mary McNeil and Yvette Robideaux have been assigned to work on justice, agriculture and health issues, while three current and former attorneys with the Native American Rights Fund - John Echohawk, Keith Harper and Robert Anderson - will advise Obama on changes proposed within the Interior Department.
As advisers to the Interior transition team, the Indian law experts could inspire a significant transformation within the department's Indian trust fund system, an organizational debacle that has been subject to 12 years of litigation during the Cobell vs. Kempthorne suit.
“This is our last big chance to get a lot of things done,” said Elouise Cobell, the lead plaintiff from Montana's Blackfeet Nation in the class action lawsuit. “It's like a broken record every time we have a hearing. Nothing really happens. Maybe if we get the right people in these positions, we can all work together: the tribes, Congress and the administration.”
Get the whole story here: http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/11/20/jodirave/rave07.txt
As President-elect Barack Obama appoints a new team of cabinet members and fills other key federal work posts, he's named six Native people to his transition team - half of them assigned to assist in Interior Department policy, budget and personnel changes.
“We're lucky to have such stellar representatives with people with whom Indian Country has really good relationships,” said Jacqueline Johnson-Pata, executive director of the National Congress of American Indians, a nonprofit organization that represents more than 250 tribes.
So far, Mary Smith, Mary McNeil and Yvette Robideaux have been assigned to work on justice, agriculture and health issues, while three current and former attorneys with the Native American Rights Fund - John Echohawk, Keith Harper and Robert Anderson - will advise Obama on changes proposed within the Interior Department.
As advisers to the Interior transition team, the Indian law experts could inspire a significant transformation within the department's Indian trust fund system, an organizational debacle that has been subject to 12 years of litigation during the Cobell vs. Kempthorne suit.
“This is our last big chance to get a lot of things done,” said Elouise Cobell, the lead plaintiff from Montana's Blackfeet Nation in the class action lawsuit. “It's like a broken record every time we have a hearing. Nothing really happens. Maybe if we get the right people in these positions, we can all work together: the tribes, Congress and the administration.”
Get the whole story here: http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/11/20/jodirave/rave07.txt
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act
Eighteen years ago today, November 16, 1990, The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act was enacted. What other culture in the world requires such a law? Yet, here we are, still having to take steps to prevent bombastic acts against our ancestry and culture. If you took a shovel to your local cemetary and began digging up the remains under the guise of excavation for historical study, you would be promptly arrested and charged with several crimes. I, for one, am happy the government saw fit to pass this federal law but there remains many thousands of unearthed human bodies housed within museums and archaeologists artifacts. And to think we're the ones called savages.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
National American Indian Heritage
Editorial by: Pamela Waterbird Davison
The month of November is National American Indian Heritage Month. Though most everyone knows February is Black History Month and October is Hispanic Heritage Month, very few know that in 1990, President George Bush signed a declaration designating November as the time for recognizing and honoring the contribution and impact of Indian Culture on this land now known as the United States of America.
November is also the month in which many historical dates surround the Tribal Units of this country. From Custer's attack on the Cheyenne camp on Washita River in 1868 to the installment of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 to the tall tale of the first Thanksgiving, this month is viewed as both sorrowful and triumphant by the majority of Indian communities.
While this blog is continuously honoring the First People of Turtle Island (North America) and examining the issues found within the Indian community, the focus this month will be on these historical dates from the single perspective of myself. To my ancestors, my brothers and sisters of today, and to the next seven generations, you should know you have not been forgotten.
The month of November is National American Indian Heritage Month. Though most everyone knows February is Black History Month and October is Hispanic Heritage Month, very few know that in 1990, President George Bush signed a declaration designating November as the time for recognizing and honoring the contribution and impact of Indian Culture on this land now known as the United States of America.
November is also the month in which many historical dates surround the Tribal Units of this country. From Custer's attack on the Cheyenne camp on Washita River in 1868 to the installment of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 to the tall tale of the first Thanksgiving, this month is viewed as both sorrowful and triumphant by the majority of Indian communities.
While this blog is continuously honoring the First People of Turtle Island (North America) and examining the issues found within the Indian community, the focus this month will be on these historical dates from the single perspective of myself. To my ancestors, my brothers and sisters of today, and to the next seven generations, you should know you have not been forgotten.
Important Dates in November
November 2, 1972: Approximately 500 Native Americans occupy the Bureau of Indian Affairs offices in Washington, DC.
November 14, 1944: The National Congress of American Indians is founded.
November 16, 1990: The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act is enacted.
November 17, 2000: U.S. gold coin is minted commemorating Sacajawea.
November 20, 1969: Native American occupy Alcatraz Island claiming right of possession under previous treaties.
November 27, 1868: Custer attacks Cheyenne camp on Washita River killing Black Kettle.
November 28, 1989: National Museum of the American Indian Act is signed.
November 29, 1864: Sand Creek Massacre, troops commanded by Colonel John Chivington attack Chief Black Kettle’s Cheyenne killing mostly women and children.
November 14, 1944: The National Congress of American Indians is founded.
November 16, 1990: The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act is enacted.
November 17, 2000: U.S. gold coin is minted commemorating Sacajawea.
November 20, 1969: Native American occupy Alcatraz Island claiming right of possession under previous treaties.
November 27, 1868: Custer attacks Cheyenne camp on Washita River killing Black Kettle.
November 28, 1989: National Museum of the American Indian Act is signed.
November 29, 1864: Sand Creek Massacre, troops commanded by Colonel John Chivington attack Chief Black Kettle’s Cheyenne killing mostly women and children.
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