Consider what these people are saying.....
My grandparents used to tell us stories like this about others who simply walked away from their White Lives, having spent any time with Native People, trapping, hunting, or exploring with them. Many French people preferred to stay with their Native families than go back to France or places where the French settled in the New Country. Goes without saying, once accustomed to something, its hard to leave it for another.
Hmmmm, maybe that's why so many of our Native people find it hard to make it in the "true Indian world" and no longer want their own culture and language, but prefer to stay in the dominant society and speak English. Then too, there are all the other inducements, shopping centers, autos, cell phones, i.e., the American way of life. I have often wondered why so many no longer even want to learn their own language, but prefer to speak English. Its hard to get people to stay interested in their language....I have taught for some 35 years and believe me, it is a challenge to keep things interesting for the classes I have taught. When I think of what I have to compete with in the American way of life, it kind of gets discouraging sometimes, but I won't quit teaching this language of mine and sharing my cultural ways with neshnabek, so they can learn their own ways and language.
Nin se Neaseno...
Enjoy this article:
In today's encore excerpt - many children such as Jeff Smith were captured by the Native Americans in the mid-1800s, and though heartbroken, most were treated well. Most were returned as adults, where they faced the struggle of adjusting to a way of life they had forgotten, and the second heartbreak of having lost their Native American friends and a way of life they loved:
"Eventually, most of the captured children were sent back to their families, often against their will. Usually, a federal Indian agent, working together with a friendly Indian chief, arranged their release. But the redeemed captives found it much harder to readjust to their own people's ways than it had been to adapt to Indian society. Jeff Smith put it best: 'Everything seemed mighty tame after I got back home.'
"As adults, many of the former child captives lived in limbo between their original and adoptive cultures. A number of common characteristics set them apart. They were often reserved and did not talk much. ... A journalist who interviewed Jeff Smith noted, 'It took a three year acquaintance with him to induce him to say anything.' Adolph Korn's stepsister recalled: 'Always restless, he would sometimes take up his gun, leave home and be gone for days in the woods. When he came back he said little about where he had been.'
"When [Herman] Lehmann's mother made him attend school after he returned home, he threatened to tear down all the lattice in the schoolhouse so he could see out. His teacher wrote, 'As one in prison, he pined for the companionship of his lndian friends, and their manner of life.' Most of the former boy captives eventually became cowboys and worked the great cattle drives of the 1870s and 1880s. 'We couldn't content ourselves to stay indoors, and naturally went to working cattle,' explained Jeff Smith. Like the plains Indians, they could not settle in one place. Bianca Babb's grandson recalled: 'Grandmother had the Indian travel fever in her, because she was always buying a new house and moving. She said a person gets tired of looking at the same old thing all the time.' ...
"The former captives held fast to many of their Indian customs and teachings. One man reminisced that whenever Jeff Smith came to visit, he always slept outside under a big tree: 'Sometimes, if it was raining or real cold, he would come indoors, but even then, he would sleep on the hard floor with only his blanket. He didn't like to sit at the table to eat, choosing instead to sit 'Indian style,' eating in the corner or outdoors.'
"They were tougher than the average person and had no use for luxuries. Lehmann's hands were so hardened that he could grab a coal out of a fire and use it to light a cigarette, When Jeff Smith talked about his trail-driving days, he pointed out: 'As far as I was concerned, the usual occurrences that sometimes upset the other boys in the outfit had no weight with me. I had gone through so many worse things that they were scarcely noticeable.' ...
"A number of former captives could not hold a regular job and were never very successful financially. They resented any type of work that tied them down, such as farming or routine manual labor. The former boy captives thought those sorts of jobs were undignified. Some were too generous for their own good, giving away everything they had to anyone they liked, The Indians had taught them that wealth should be shared and enjoyed in the present, not hoarded or put away for the future."
Author: Scott Zesch
Title: "Strangers in Two Worlds"
Publisher: American History
Date: June 2007
Pages: 63-64
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
A Spring Story....
Ode atsokan etoyak shote ngom ewawidayek i ekendemyek ga she webek ngotek.....
This is a short story we are sharing today so you may know some of our myhtical history.....enjoy.
Nin se Neaseno.
Bnewi pene shna gi bbomget, pene gi ksenyamget, gi gwtektowek bemadsetthek.
A long time ago, it was winter all the time, it was cold all the time and people had a hard time.
Ngodek shna eyawek weshgget kwe gi mkedeke, ije egi ndotthget notth na datthe abwamgek.
One time a young girl fasted, and she asked that the weather would be warmer.
I tthe ni mnedon egi widmagwet da shetthget na notth ewi abwamgek.
So the spirits told her what she could do to make the weather warmer.
Gagish mkedeket egi widmowat ni wgetzimen, “Abdek wetthksenyak nwi shya,” wdenan.
After her fast, she told her parents, “I have to go north,” she told them.
“Wiye shi etthe yet o bemendek ode pene e bbomgek ngigo,” kedo o weshgget kwe.
“That’s where he’s at, the one responsible for it being winter all the time, I was told,” said the young girl.
“Mishgoswen ngi mingo ewi o wabmek. Abdek nwi o mttenwa, gishpen pkenwek wi mnokme mine wi niben.”
“I was given power to go see him. I have to challenge him, if I beat him there will be spring and summer.”
“Nitthe gishpen pkenagwyen?” kedo ni wneneyem. “Jo mine wika ke wabmesim,” wdenan wneneymen.
“What if he beats you?” said her mother. “Then you will never see me again,” she told her mother.
I the egi wshitat, mteno shna washe bmowdek wgi matthidon.
Then she got ready, she took only what she could pack on her back.
Ah itthe ibe wetthksenyak gi gwtekto, o kewesi. Gwa shna shke ewse msen emawdonek.
Meanwhile, up north, the old man was having a hard time. He was barely able to gather firewood.
Pene shna gi mshkewakwten I zibe gabmejwek besotth i edat. Pene gi kche noden shi.
The river that ran by, close to his house was always frozen over. It was always windy there.
O wtthe kewesi gi tthibdebe tthik shkwede shi edat. Gawa gewi psakwnemget i shkwede.
The old man sat in his lodge, next to the fire, which was barely going.
Bama she wiye bey detewegenet shi shkwademek. “Ahow. Bidgek,” kedo o kewesi.
Just then, somebody was knocking on the door. “Ahow. Come in,” said the old man.
Bama she sesksiyen bye bidge’net. Aptthe she goniwe o sesksi mine bigeje.
And a young maiden came in. She was really snowy and cold.
Mine I wdep wabgonen gi wiwkwebso. Mine geshe gi kche mnowabmenagwse.
Around her head, she wore a halo of Trailing Arbutus. And she was also very pretty.
“Bosho ndanes,” kedo. “Gda bye os shote shkwedek.” Pishne atemget gewi I shkwede.
“Hello daughter,” he said. “Come warm up here, by the fire.” The fire itself, was almost going out.
“Ahow nge ske’wa o ndo pwagen, ke wdemamen,” kedo o kewezi.
“Okay, I’ll light up my pipe, we will have a smoke,” said the old man.
Epiche wdemawat, “Ezakttheseyan iw ebinek ode gon,” kedo o kewezi.
While they were smoking, the old man said, “When I go outside, I bring on the snow.”
“Ah i geni ezakttheseyan ebye mokit o gises,” kedo gewi o seski.
“Oh, when I go outside, the sun comes out,” said the maiden.
“Shpemek eshenkenwiyan i notth ektthe ksenyak,” kedo o kewezi.
“When I throw my arms towards the sky, the weather gets colder,” said the old man.
“Nin wi shpemek eshenkenwiyan i abwamget,” kedo o sesksi.
“Me, when I throw my arms up at the sky, the weather gets warmer,” said the maiden.
Bama she peneshiyek kwedbek etnemaswat. Gi nabmegon ni kewesiyen.
All of a sudden, birds were singing on the roof. The old man just glared at her.
“Ekanabdeman I zibe I emshkewakwtek,” kedo o kewezi.
“When I look at the river, it freezes up,” said the old man.
“Nin wi ekanabdeman i zibe i engezet o mkewm,” kedo o sesksi.
“Me, when I look at the river, the ice melts,” said the maiden.
I tthe zagetth egi nabet ekanabdek i zibe.
Then, she looked outside to look at the river.
Epi tangedok notth gewi ne gshedemget i shkwede.
As she spoke, the fire started getting warmer.
Bama she o kewezi enodek emdwetthwek i zibe pi enengezet o mkwem.
Then, the old man heard the sound of the river, as the ice started to melt.
“Ngotthi epamseyan i ektthe bonik,’ kedo o kewezi.
“When I walk somewhere, it really snows,” said the old man.
“Metth she bebashyayan ematthigek ni wabgonen,” kedo o sesksi.
“Whereever I walk, the Trailing Arbutus grows,” said the maiden.
I tthe ekanabmet ni kewesiyen eshkem ne gatthi ye.
As she looked at the old man, he started getting smaller.
Mine zagetth enabet I shna ene skebgamgek ni mishkosen.
And as she looked outside again, the grass was turning green.
I tthe egi kwansego mno gishgek. Nekmek dnemaswek peneshiyek.
And it turned into a beautiful day. You could hear birds singing all over the place.
Gatthe tthibdebet o kewesi shna mteno gasweksek i waboyan.
Where the old man sat, all that was there, spread out, was his blanket.
Edapnek i waboyan o sesksi. I shna mteno mbish shi ga askobisek ga tthe nmedbet o kewezi.
The maiden picked up the blanket, and all there was under it, was a puddle of water, where the old man sat.
“I she shna yedek egi ngezet o kewezi,” shede e o sesksi.
“Oh, the old man must have melted,” thought the young maiden.
I tthe shna nekmek i gi pamadset o sesksi. Metth ttheshe ga bme shyat wiye shi ngom etthe matthigek ni wabgonen.
Then, the young maiden traveled all over. Wherever she went, is where the Trailing Arbutus grows today.
Mine she wiye I mamo netem zakimgek e mnokmek.
And it is the first plant to come up in the spring.
I wtthe ode sesksi egi pkenwat ni mkwemi wnenwen ngom wetthe yemgo ode emnokmek. Iw ektownangek.
Because the young maiden overpowered the iceman, is why we have Spring now. That is the story that is told.
This is a short story we are sharing today so you may know some of our myhtical history.....enjoy.
Nin se Neaseno.
Bnewi pene shna gi bbomget, pene gi ksenyamget, gi gwtektowek bemadsetthek.
A long time ago, it was winter all the time, it was cold all the time and people had a hard time.
Ngodek shna eyawek weshgget kwe gi mkedeke, ije egi ndotthget notth na datthe abwamgek.
One time a young girl fasted, and she asked that the weather would be warmer.
I tthe ni mnedon egi widmagwet da shetthget na notth ewi abwamgek.
So the spirits told her what she could do to make the weather warmer.
Gagish mkedeket egi widmowat ni wgetzimen, “Abdek wetthksenyak nwi shya,” wdenan.
After her fast, she told her parents, “I have to go north,” she told them.
“Wiye shi etthe yet o bemendek ode pene e bbomgek ngigo,” kedo o weshgget kwe.
“That’s where he’s at, the one responsible for it being winter all the time, I was told,” said the young girl.
“Mishgoswen ngi mingo ewi o wabmek. Abdek nwi o mttenwa, gishpen pkenwek wi mnokme mine wi niben.”
“I was given power to go see him. I have to challenge him, if I beat him there will be spring and summer.”
“Nitthe gishpen pkenagwyen?” kedo ni wneneyem. “Jo mine wika ke wabmesim,” wdenan wneneymen.
“What if he beats you?” said her mother. “Then you will never see me again,” she told her mother.
I the egi wshitat, mteno shna washe bmowdek wgi matthidon.
Then she got ready, she took only what she could pack on her back.
Ah itthe ibe wetthksenyak gi gwtekto, o kewesi. Gwa shna shke ewse msen emawdonek.
Meanwhile, up north, the old man was having a hard time. He was barely able to gather firewood.
Pene shna gi mshkewakwten I zibe gabmejwek besotth i edat. Pene gi kche noden shi.
The river that ran by, close to his house was always frozen over. It was always windy there.
O wtthe kewesi gi tthibdebe tthik shkwede shi edat. Gawa gewi psakwnemget i shkwede.
The old man sat in his lodge, next to the fire, which was barely going.
Bama she wiye bey detewegenet shi shkwademek. “Ahow. Bidgek,” kedo o kewesi.
Just then, somebody was knocking on the door. “Ahow. Come in,” said the old man.
Bama she sesksiyen bye bidge’net. Aptthe she goniwe o sesksi mine bigeje.
And a young maiden came in. She was really snowy and cold.
Mine I wdep wabgonen gi wiwkwebso. Mine geshe gi kche mnowabmenagwse.
Around her head, she wore a halo of Trailing Arbutus. And she was also very pretty.
“Bosho ndanes,” kedo. “Gda bye os shote shkwedek.” Pishne atemget gewi I shkwede.
“Hello daughter,” he said. “Come warm up here, by the fire.” The fire itself, was almost going out.
“Ahow nge ske’wa o ndo pwagen, ke wdemamen,” kedo o kewezi.
“Okay, I’ll light up my pipe, we will have a smoke,” said the old man.
Epiche wdemawat, “Ezakttheseyan iw ebinek ode gon,” kedo o kewezi.
While they were smoking, the old man said, “When I go outside, I bring on the snow.”
“Ah i geni ezakttheseyan ebye mokit o gises,” kedo gewi o seski.
“Oh, when I go outside, the sun comes out,” said the maiden.
“Shpemek eshenkenwiyan i notth ektthe ksenyak,” kedo o kewezi.
“When I throw my arms towards the sky, the weather gets colder,” said the old man.
“Nin wi shpemek eshenkenwiyan i abwamget,” kedo o sesksi.
“Me, when I throw my arms up at the sky, the weather gets warmer,” said the maiden.
Bama she peneshiyek kwedbek etnemaswat. Gi nabmegon ni kewesiyen.
All of a sudden, birds were singing on the roof. The old man just glared at her.
“Ekanabdeman I zibe I emshkewakwtek,” kedo o kewezi.
“When I look at the river, it freezes up,” said the old man.
“Nin wi ekanabdeman i zibe i engezet o mkewm,” kedo o sesksi.
“Me, when I look at the river, the ice melts,” said the maiden.
I tthe zagetth egi nabet ekanabdek i zibe.
Then, she looked outside to look at the river.
Epi tangedok notth gewi ne gshedemget i shkwede.
As she spoke, the fire started getting warmer.
Bama she o kewezi enodek emdwetthwek i zibe pi enengezet o mkwem.
Then, the old man heard the sound of the river, as the ice started to melt.
“Ngotthi epamseyan i ektthe bonik,’ kedo o kewezi.
“When I walk somewhere, it really snows,” said the old man.
“Metth she bebashyayan ematthigek ni wabgonen,” kedo o sesksi.
“Whereever I walk, the Trailing Arbutus grows,” said the maiden.
I tthe ekanabmet ni kewesiyen eshkem ne gatthi ye.
As she looked at the old man, he started getting smaller.
Mine zagetth enabet I shna ene skebgamgek ni mishkosen.
And as she looked outside again, the grass was turning green.
I tthe egi kwansego mno gishgek. Nekmek dnemaswek peneshiyek.
And it turned into a beautiful day. You could hear birds singing all over the place.
Gatthe tthibdebet o kewesi shna mteno gasweksek i waboyan.
Where the old man sat, all that was there, spread out, was his blanket.
Edapnek i waboyan o sesksi. I shna mteno mbish shi ga askobisek ga tthe nmedbet o kewezi.
The maiden picked up the blanket, and all there was under it, was a puddle of water, where the old man sat.
“I she shna yedek egi ngezet o kewezi,” shede e o sesksi.
“Oh, the old man must have melted,” thought the young maiden.
I tthe shna nekmek i gi pamadset o sesksi. Metth ttheshe ga bme shyat wiye shi ngom etthe matthigek ni wabgonen.
Then, the young maiden traveled all over. Wherever she went, is where the Trailing Arbutus grows today.
Mine she wiye I mamo netem zakimgek e mnokmek.
And it is the first plant to come up in the spring.
I wtthe ode sesksi egi pkenwat ni mkwemi wnenwen ngom wetthe yemgo ode emnokmek. Iw ektownangek.
Because the young maiden overpowered the iceman, is why we have Spring now. That is the story that is told.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Some suggestions for personal prayer.
Many times I have been asked what folks can do for themselves in the way of personal prayer. Here are some simple suggestions one might try.
try these....nin se Neaseno.
Some simple ceremonies
These several simple ceremonies are suggestions that one can do for themselves and their families when in need. They are not the type of ceremonies that are performed by a medicine man/woman, although they can be done for you in your behalf by a spiritual leader. They are offered to you in lieu of having a spiritual leader do them for you, for those times when you might be alone and cannot reach someone who can pray more effectively for you and your needs.
Please do not underestimate the power of your own heartfelt prayers though, as many folks do not fully comprehend that a loving Spirit appreciates hearing from His/Her Creation once in awhile, just to say thanks sometimes, but also when there are pressing needs in one’s life or the lives of your loved ones.
1. Building a Neshnabe fire.
a. Flint and steel type of fire with shketagen.
b. The offering of sema afterwards.
c. *The occasional offering of food, sema and water.
d. You can also ‘smudge” yourself with cedar/sage.
2. If you have access to a “*personal pipe,
a. Build a Neshnabe type of fire again,
b. Then fill your pipe and pray,
c. You can also make a yellow prayer flag to go with it,
d. Dimensions: a flag, 12 “ x 36 “ with sema in the right corner.
*A personal pipe is not the same as a pipe carried by a medicine man.
*Not to be confused with the Ghost Supper. That is a separate ceremony itself.
Usually hosted by a family elder or a spiritual leader.
If you have a family, husband and wife with children, one of the main things I encourage folks to do is to have a “family altar”, i.e., a designated time for the family to pray together about common needs they all have. A “family altar” is not to be confused with a medicine man’s altar. In this way, the children will learn how to pray and deal with common problems and occurrences within their lives. You, the parents, have the awesome responsibility of role modeling these several ways to the children the Spirit has blessed you with. You will derive a great many blessings from following a carefully scheduled time for family prayer, and the observance of the other simple ceremonies one can do for oneself.
If one practices these types of ceremonies religiously during one’s life, it becomes a way of maintaining one’s spiritual health. One needs to pray about things occasionally on their own. One needs to search their souls and spirits once in awhile and make restitution by asking the Creative Force to forgive for wrongs committed and restoring the harmony and balance we all need in our lives.
One should always keep a supply of good flat cedar and sweet grass around their homes. It wouldn’t hurt to keep some white sage for smudging purposes also. A good tobacco or sema that does not have all those additives should also be kept around as well. All of these articles can be used for smudging and of course, one fills their personal pipe with the sema too when needed. Shketagen, with some good flint and a steel striker are essentials in the Neshnabe home. Keeping a ready supply of dry kindling and grasses one can harvest from nature is something one should think about keeping also. Being prepared to pray is a commitment one has to make and be ready to do at a moments notice within their lives.
The lesson here: Be prepared, pray always……
Iw enajmoyan….
try these....nin se Neaseno.
Some simple ceremonies
These several simple ceremonies are suggestions that one can do for themselves and their families when in need. They are not the type of ceremonies that are performed by a medicine man/woman, although they can be done for you in your behalf by a spiritual leader. They are offered to you in lieu of having a spiritual leader do them for you, for those times when you might be alone and cannot reach someone who can pray more effectively for you and your needs.
Please do not underestimate the power of your own heartfelt prayers though, as many folks do not fully comprehend that a loving Spirit appreciates hearing from His/Her Creation once in awhile, just to say thanks sometimes, but also when there are pressing needs in one’s life or the lives of your loved ones.
1. Building a Neshnabe fire.
a. Flint and steel type of fire with shketagen.
b. The offering of sema afterwards.
c. *The occasional offering of food, sema and water.
d. You can also ‘smudge” yourself with cedar/sage.
2. If you have access to a “*personal pipe,
a. Build a Neshnabe type of fire again,
b. Then fill your pipe and pray,
c. You can also make a yellow prayer flag to go with it,
d. Dimensions: a flag, 12 “ x 36 “ with sema in the right corner.
*A personal pipe is not the same as a pipe carried by a medicine man.
*Not to be confused with the Ghost Supper. That is a separate ceremony itself.
Usually hosted by a family elder or a spiritual leader.
If you have a family, husband and wife with children, one of the main things I encourage folks to do is to have a “family altar”, i.e., a designated time for the family to pray together about common needs they all have. A “family altar” is not to be confused with a medicine man’s altar. In this way, the children will learn how to pray and deal with common problems and occurrences within their lives. You, the parents, have the awesome responsibility of role modeling these several ways to the children the Spirit has blessed you with. You will derive a great many blessings from following a carefully scheduled time for family prayer, and the observance of the other simple ceremonies one can do for oneself.
If one practices these types of ceremonies religiously during one’s life, it becomes a way of maintaining one’s spiritual health. One needs to pray about things occasionally on their own. One needs to search their souls and spirits once in awhile and make restitution by asking the Creative Force to forgive for wrongs committed and restoring the harmony and balance we all need in our lives.
One should always keep a supply of good flat cedar and sweet grass around their homes. It wouldn’t hurt to keep some white sage for smudging purposes also. A good tobacco or sema that does not have all those additives should also be kept around as well. All of these articles can be used for smudging and of course, one fills their personal pipe with the sema too when needed. Shketagen, with some good flint and a steel striker are essentials in the Neshnabe home. Keeping a ready supply of dry kindling and grasses one can harvest from nature is something one should think about keeping also. Being prepared to pray is a commitment one has to make and be ready to do at a moments notice within their lives.
The lesson here: Be prepared, pray always……
Iw enajmoyan….
Monday, April 18, 2011
A sad article.....
Folks, this is indeed a sad story....if you note the very last line in this story, you shall see why it is such an incredibly sad story. Widoktadwen "community spirit" certainly does not exist in this community, for that is one thing the Spanish Conquistadors did manage to kill off. The language still survives to this day, but for the lack of community spirit between these two men, it will not survive much longer, it seems.
Nin se Neaseno.
The last two speakers of a dying indigenous language in Mexico -- Ayapaneco -- don't even talk to each other, according to The Telegraph.
Manuel Segovia, 75, and Isidro Velazquez, 69, are the only two people remaining alive who are fluent in the language, which is called "Nuumte Oote" (translation: True Voice) in the native tongue.
The language has survived wars, famines, floods, and revolutions, reports the Sydney Morning Herald -- but it might not survive a standoff between the two men, who live only 500 meters apart in the village of Ayapa in the tropical lowlands of the southern state of Tabasco.
Ayapaneco has survived for a surprisingly long time, considering the fact that Mexican education expressly forbade indigenous children to speak anything but Spanish starting in the mid-20th century.
"It's a sad story," says Daniel Suslak, a linguistic anthropologist from Indiana University, who is involved with a project to produce a dictionary of Ayapaneco. "But you have to be really impressed by how long it has hung around."
Segovia has denied having any active animosity with Velazquez, but Suslak says the two men "don't have a lot in common."
The Herald says there are 68 different indigenous languages in Mexico, which are further subdivided into 364 variations. A handful of other Mexican indigenous languages are also in danger of extinction, but Ayapaneco is the most extreme case.
Suslak says the language is rich in what he calls "sound-symbolic" expressions that often take their inspiration from nature; for example, the word "kolo-golo-nay" is translated as ''to gobble like a turkey''.
The National Indigenous Language Institute is planning one last attempt to hold classes so Segovia and Velazquez can pass on their knowledge to other locals -- before the language completely disappears.
Segovia says he knows it's a race against time. "When I was a boy, everybody spoke it," he said. "It's disappeared little by little, and now I suppose it might die with me."
Nin se Neaseno.
The last two speakers of a dying indigenous language in Mexico -- Ayapaneco -- don't even talk to each other, according to The Telegraph.
Manuel Segovia, 75, and Isidro Velazquez, 69, are the only two people remaining alive who are fluent in the language, which is called "Nuumte Oote" (translation: True Voice) in the native tongue.
The language has survived wars, famines, floods, and revolutions, reports the Sydney Morning Herald -- but it might not survive a standoff between the two men, who live only 500 meters apart in the village of Ayapa in the tropical lowlands of the southern state of Tabasco.
Ayapaneco has survived for a surprisingly long time, considering the fact that Mexican education expressly forbade indigenous children to speak anything but Spanish starting in the mid-20th century.
"It's a sad story," says Daniel Suslak, a linguistic anthropologist from Indiana University, who is involved with a project to produce a dictionary of Ayapaneco. "But you have to be really impressed by how long it has hung around."
Segovia has denied having any active animosity with Velazquez, but Suslak says the two men "don't have a lot in common."
The Herald says there are 68 different indigenous languages in Mexico, which are further subdivided into 364 variations. A handful of other Mexican indigenous languages are also in danger of extinction, but Ayapaneco is the most extreme case.
Suslak says the language is rich in what he calls "sound-symbolic" expressions that often take their inspiration from nature; for example, the word "kolo-golo-nay" is translated as ''to gobble like a turkey''.
The National Indigenous Language Institute is planning one last attempt to hold classes so Segovia and Velazquez can pass on their knowledge to other locals -- before the language completely disappears.
Segovia says he knows it's a race against time. "When I was a boy, everybody spoke it," he said. "It's disappeared little by little, and now I suppose it might die with me."
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Peace and not war......
Good morning folks,
I wonder how many of our politicians and generals heed these famous words of the past president, Dwight D. Eisenhower. Some may but sometimes it seems we are headed toward the agonies of future battlefields as stated by Mr. Eisenhower. I think of all the relatives I have lost on the battlefield, several of whom won this Nation's highest honor, the Congressional Medal of Honor. I've managed to live through several conflicts but don't speak much of them, as the old time warriors told me not to. There was no honor in that kind of fighting is what they told me. There was honor in the touching of an enemy before killing him, and there was greater honor in keeping the peace, than breaking it.
I honor all those who stand ready to fight for us today, because they had nothing to do with that decision, but still stand ready. That takes courage and trust, not in America's current leaders, but in our own Neshnabe values. I would join you that are there at the front, but they say I am too old now, so I'll stand ready to pray for ya all.
Neaseno.....
In today's excerpt - three days before he departed the White House, Dwight Eisenhower gave a brief speech that has become regarded as one of our nation's finest. In it he noted that after each war before World War II, America's military had been significantly downsized if not effectively disbanded. After World War II, this policy changed, and for the first time America had a vast army in place during a time of peace. While reminding citizens that there would always be crises in the world, Eisenhower nonetheless expressed concern that this large military might exercise undue influence on U.S. policy, and further reminded the country that the military should be subject to the guidance of its citizenry. Though he had faced Adolf Hitler, he voiced a profound preference for "the conference table" as opposed to "the certain agony of the battlefield," and for "trust and respect" in preference to "fear and hate." He lived out this preference as President by resisting involvement in wars in Egypt and beyond. He further expressed a concern about deficits, counseling that Americans "must avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering, for our own ease and convenience, the precious resources of tomorrow." Here are brief passages from this speech:
"Crises there will continue to be. In meeting them, whether foreign or domestic, great or small, there is a recurring temptation to feel that some spectacular and costly action could become the miraculous solution to all current difficulties. A huge increase in newer elements of our defense; development of unrealistic programs to cure every ill in agriculture; a dramatic expansion in basic and applied research -- these and many other possibilities, each possibly promising in itself, may be suggested as the only way to the road we wish to travel.
"But each proposal must be weighed in the light of a broader consideration: the need to maintain balance in and among national programs -- balance between the private and the public economy, balance between cost and hoped for advantage -- balance between the clearly necessary and the comfortably desirable; balance between our essential requirements as a nation and the duties imposed by the nation upon the individual; balance between actions of the moment and the national welfare of the future. Good judgment seeks balance and progress; lack of it eventually finds imbalance and frustration.
"The record of many decades stands as proof that our people and their government have, in the main, understood these truths and have responded to them well, in the face of stress and threat. But threats, new in kind or degree, constantly arise. ...
"A vital element in keeping the peace is our military establishment. Our arms must be mighty, ready for instant action, so that no potential aggressor may be tempted to risk his own destruction.
"Our military organization today bears little relation to that known by any of my predecessors in peacetime, or indeed by the fighting men of World War II or Korea.
"Until the latest of our world conflicts, the United States had no armaments industry. American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But now we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense; we have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. Added to this, three and a half million men and women are directly engaged in the defense establishment. We annually spend on military security more than the net income of all United States corporations.
"This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence -- economic, political, even spiritual -- is felt in every city, every State house, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society.
"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.
"We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.. ...
"Another factor in maintaining balance involves the element of time. As we peer into society's future, we -- you and I, and our government -- must avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering, for our own ease and convenience, the precious resources of tomorrow. We cannot mortgage the material assets of our grandchildren without risking the loss also of their political and spiritual heritage. We want democracy to survive for all generations to come, not to become the insolvent phantom of tomorrow.
"Down the long lane of the history yet to be written America knows that this world of ours, ever growing smaller, must avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate, and be instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect.
"Such a confederation must be one of equals. The weakest must come to the conference table with the same confidence as do we, protected as we are by our moral, economic, and military strength. That table, though scarred by many past frustrations, cannot be abandoned for the certain agony of the battlefield."
Author: Dwight David Eisenhower
Title: Farewell Address
Date: January 17, 1961
I wonder how many of our politicians and generals heed these famous words of the past president, Dwight D. Eisenhower. Some may but sometimes it seems we are headed toward the agonies of future battlefields as stated by Mr. Eisenhower. I think of all the relatives I have lost on the battlefield, several of whom won this Nation's highest honor, the Congressional Medal of Honor. I've managed to live through several conflicts but don't speak much of them, as the old time warriors told me not to. There was no honor in that kind of fighting is what they told me. There was honor in the touching of an enemy before killing him, and there was greater honor in keeping the peace, than breaking it.
I honor all those who stand ready to fight for us today, because they had nothing to do with that decision, but still stand ready. That takes courage and trust, not in America's current leaders, but in our own Neshnabe values. I would join you that are there at the front, but they say I am too old now, so I'll stand ready to pray for ya all.
Neaseno.....
In today's excerpt - three days before he departed the White House, Dwight Eisenhower gave a brief speech that has become regarded as one of our nation's finest. In it he noted that after each war before World War II, America's military had been significantly downsized if not effectively disbanded. After World War II, this policy changed, and for the first time America had a vast army in place during a time of peace. While reminding citizens that there would always be crises in the world, Eisenhower nonetheless expressed concern that this large military might exercise undue influence on U.S. policy, and further reminded the country that the military should be subject to the guidance of its citizenry. Though he had faced Adolf Hitler, he voiced a profound preference for "the conference table" as opposed to "the certain agony of the battlefield," and for "trust and respect" in preference to "fear and hate." He lived out this preference as President by resisting involvement in wars in Egypt and beyond. He further expressed a concern about deficits, counseling that Americans "must avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering, for our own ease and convenience, the precious resources of tomorrow." Here are brief passages from this speech:
"Crises there will continue to be. In meeting them, whether foreign or domestic, great or small, there is a recurring temptation to feel that some spectacular and costly action could become the miraculous solution to all current difficulties. A huge increase in newer elements of our defense; development of unrealistic programs to cure every ill in agriculture; a dramatic expansion in basic and applied research -- these and many other possibilities, each possibly promising in itself, may be suggested as the only way to the road we wish to travel.
"But each proposal must be weighed in the light of a broader consideration: the need to maintain balance in and among national programs -- balance between the private and the public economy, balance between cost and hoped for advantage -- balance between the clearly necessary and the comfortably desirable; balance between our essential requirements as a nation and the duties imposed by the nation upon the individual; balance between actions of the moment and the national welfare of the future. Good judgment seeks balance and progress; lack of it eventually finds imbalance and frustration.
"The record of many decades stands as proof that our people and their government have, in the main, understood these truths and have responded to them well, in the face of stress and threat. But threats, new in kind or degree, constantly arise. ...
"A vital element in keeping the peace is our military establishment. Our arms must be mighty, ready for instant action, so that no potential aggressor may be tempted to risk his own destruction.
"Our military organization today bears little relation to that known by any of my predecessors in peacetime, or indeed by the fighting men of World War II or Korea.
"Until the latest of our world conflicts, the United States had no armaments industry. American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But now we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense; we have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. Added to this, three and a half million men and women are directly engaged in the defense establishment. We annually spend on military security more than the net income of all United States corporations.
"This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence -- economic, political, even spiritual -- is felt in every city, every State house, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society.
"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.
"We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.. ...
"Another factor in maintaining balance involves the element of time. As we peer into society's future, we -- you and I, and our government -- must avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering, for our own ease and convenience, the precious resources of tomorrow. We cannot mortgage the material assets of our grandchildren without risking the loss also of their political and spiritual heritage. We want democracy to survive for all generations to come, not to become the insolvent phantom of tomorrow.
"Down the long lane of the history yet to be written America knows that this world of ours, ever growing smaller, must avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate, and be instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect.
"Such a confederation must be one of equals. The weakest must come to the conference table with the same confidence as do we, protected as we are by our moral, economic, and military strength. That table, though scarred by many past frustrations, cannot be abandoned for the certain agony of the battlefield."
Author: Dwight David Eisenhower
Title: Farewell Address
Date: January 17, 1961
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Ahhh History, don't ya just love it!
Also, watch this DVD/VHS tape by Ray Fadden,
"They Lied To You In School"
You won't be disappointed.....
Nin se Neaseno......
In today's excerpt - after the American Revolution, the British maintained their support of the Indians along the western border of the United States, limiting the ability of Americans to expand westward. The American push against this limitation was the cause of the War 1812, though some contemporary textbooks still miss this key point:
"After the American Revolution, although Britain gave up, its Native American allies did not. Our insistence on treating the Indians as if we had defeated them led to the Ohio War of 1790-95 and later to the War of 1812. ...
"Most textbooks do state that conflict over land was the root cause of our Indian wars. [The widely used textbook] Pathways to the Present, for example, begins its discussion of the War of 1812 by telling how Tecumseh met with Gov. William Henry Harrison of Indiana Territory to complain about whites encroaching upon Indian land. Other recent textbooks likewise emphasize conflict with the Indians, who were seen as backed by the British, as the key cause of this dispute. All along the boundary, from Vermont to the Georgia Piedmont, white Americans wanted to push the boundary of white settlement ever farther into Indian country.
"This is a significant change for the better [in the content of these textbooks]; earlier textbooks simply repeated the pretext offered by the Madison administration - Britain's refusal to show proper respect to American ships and seamen - even though it made no sense. After all, Britain's maritime laws caused no war until the frontier states sent Warhawks - senators and representatives who promised military action to expand the boundaries of the United States - to Congress in 1810. Whites along the frontier wanted the war, and along the frontier most of the war was fought, beginning in November 1811 when Harrison replied to Tecumseh's complaint by attacking the Shawnees and allied tribes at the Battle of Tippecanoe. The United States fought five of the seven major land battles of the War of 1812 primarily against Native Americans.
"All but two textbooks miss the key result of the war. Some authors actually
cite the 'Star Spangled Banner' as the main outcome! Others claim that the war left 'a feeling of pride as a nation' or 'helped Americans to win European respect.' The textbook The American Adventure excels, pointing out, 'The American Indians were the only real losers in the war,' Triumph of the American Nation expresses the same sentiments, but euphemistically: 'After 1815 the American people began the exciting task of occupying the western lands.' All the other [widely-used] textbooks miss the key outcome: in return for our leaving Canada alone, Great Britain gave up its alliances with American Indian nations in what would become the United States. Without war materiel and other aid from European allies, future Indian wars were transformed from major international conflicts to domestic mopping-up operations. This result was central to the course of Indian-U.S. relations for the remainder of the century. Thus Indian wars after 1815, while they cost thousands of lives on both sides, would never again amount to a serious threat to the United States. Although Native Americans won many battles in subsequent wars, there was never the slightest doubt over who would win in the end. ...
"[There was not unanimity within the U.S. about expanding west. Some were already concerned that it might increase the influence of slaveholding states]. One reason the War of 1812 was so unpopular in New England was that New Englanders saw it as a naked attempt by slave owners to appropriate Indian land. ...
"Even terminology changed [as a result of the War of 1812]: until 1815 the word Americans had generally been used to refer to Native Americans; after 1815 it meant European Americans."
Author: James W. Loewen
Title: Lies My Teacher Told Me
Publisher: Touchstone
Date: Copyright 1995, 2007 by James W. Loewen
Pages: 121-125
"They Lied To You In School"
You won't be disappointed.....
Nin se Neaseno......
In today's excerpt - after the American Revolution, the British maintained their support of the Indians along the western border of the United States, limiting the ability of Americans to expand westward. The American push against this limitation was the cause of the War 1812, though some contemporary textbooks still miss this key point:
"After the American Revolution, although Britain gave up, its Native American allies did not. Our insistence on treating the Indians as if we had defeated them led to the Ohio War of 1790-95 and later to the War of 1812. ...
"Most textbooks do state that conflict over land was the root cause of our Indian wars. [The widely used textbook] Pathways to the Present, for example, begins its discussion of the War of 1812 by telling how Tecumseh met with Gov. William Henry Harrison of Indiana Territory to complain about whites encroaching upon Indian land. Other recent textbooks likewise emphasize conflict with the Indians, who were seen as backed by the British, as the key cause of this dispute. All along the boundary, from Vermont to the Georgia Piedmont, white Americans wanted to push the boundary of white settlement ever farther into Indian country.
"This is a significant change for the better [in the content of these textbooks]; earlier textbooks simply repeated the pretext offered by the Madison administration - Britain's refusal to show proper respect to American ships and seamen - even though it made no sense. After all, Britain's maritime laws caused no war until the frontier states sent Warhawks - senators and representatives who promised military action to expand the boundaries of the United States - to Congress in 1810. Whites along the frontier wanted the war, and along the frontier most of the war was fought, beginning in November 1811 when Harrison replied to Tecumseh's complaint by attacking the Shawnees and allied tribes at the Battle of Tippecanoe. The United States fought five of the seven major land battles of the War of 1812 primarily against Native Americans.
"All but two textbooks miss the key result of the war. Some authors actually
cite the 'Star Spangled Banner' as the main outcome! Others claim that the war left 'a feeling of pride as a nation' or 'helped Americans to win European respect.' The textbook The American Adventure excels, pointing out, 'The American Indians were the only real losers in the war,' Triumph of the American Nation expresses the same sentiments, but euphemistically: 'After 1815 the American people began the exciting task of occupying the western lands.' All the other [widely-used] textbooks miss the key outcome: in return for our leaving Canada alone, Great Britain gave up its alliances with American Indian nations in what would become the United States. Without war materiel and other aid from European allies, future Indian wars were transformed from major international conflicts to domestic mopping-up operations. This result was central to the course of Indian-U.S. relations for the remainder of the century. Thus Indian wars after 1815, while they cost thousands of lives on both sides, would never again amount to a serious threat to the United States. Although Native Americans won many battles in subsequent wars, there was never the slightest doubt over who would win in the end. ...
"[There was not unanimity within the U.S. about expanding west. Some were already concerned that it might increase the influence of slaveholding states]. One reason the War of 1812 was so unpopular in New England was that New Englanders saw it as a naked attempt by slave owners to appropriate Indian land. ...
"Even terminology changed [as a result of the War of 1812]: until 1815 the word Americans had generally been used to refer to Native Americans; after 1815 it meant European Americans."
Author: James W. Loewen
Title: Lies My Teacher Told Me
Publisher: Touchstone
Date: Copyright 1995, 2007 by James W. Loewen
Pages: 121-125
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
A "What If" story.....
This was posted in the "forum" of our Ning Room for all natives to enjoy reading...
When it comes to fiction, besides the many treaties signed by the USA and its' many governmental agents, I like stories like this one....
Enjoy.....Nin se Neaseno....
This story imagines a parallel universe in which Native Americans
have conquered and settled Europe. Part of the point is that Native
Americans would not have done to Europeans what Europeans actually
did to Native Americans. The main point is (as Sherman Alexie says)
to "turn it around," in order to expose cultural double standards.
Versions of this piece were published in 1992 in Akwesasne Notes,
News From Indian Country, Report on the Americas, and other period-
icals."Wanblee Johnson" is a fictitious character thought up by Zol-
tán Grossman.
500 YEARS SINCE THE INVASION OF EUROPE:
A Letter to the Public from European Rights Activist Wanblee Johnson
It was 500 years ago that Callicoatl sailed across the ocean with three Aztec boats, and found a new continent, a new Eastern Hemisphere. The commemoration of this event is being marked with great fanfare and celebration. Every child has been taught the story: how Callicoatl convinced Montezuma II to support his journey, how the Aztec sailors nearly despaired on the journey, and how they "discovered" a strange white-skinned race in the "New World."
But that is only part of the story. It is important that in this, the 500th anniversary of Callicoat's voyage, the record be set straight.
For Callicoatl did not "discover" this continent, he invaded it. It was already inhabited by many nations of people, living our own cultures, and practicing our own religions, on our own land. Over the past five centuries, we, the Native peoples of Europe, have seen our natural resources and our spirituality stolen, and our relatives enslaved. That is hardly a history worth celebrating.
In the Pre-Callicoatlian era, great empires were ruled by the Greeks, the Romans, the Egyptians, the Moors, and many other indigenous peoples of the Eastern Hemisphere. They contributed much to the world, as attested to by the great temples and pyramids they left behind. They had detailed knowledge of astronomy, law, agriculture, and religion. True, there were wars among these peoples, and persecution of those who did not follow the state religion. But they were no more oppressive than the empires of Montezuma II or the Inca Tupac Yupanki in the "Old World" 500 years ago. And, like in the Western Hemisphere, there were many peoples still living in harmony with the land, here in our hemisphere.
There were many other explorers who sailed to these shores, and even some who claimed to have arrived before Callicoatl - the Arawak, the Beothuk, and the Lenni-Lenape. But it was the Aztec flag of Anauak and the Inca flag of Tawantinsuyo that were first firmly planted on our soil. Soon after Callicoatl arrived, this land was named Omequauh after another Aztec-sponsored explorer. The Aztecs and Incas conquered and divided up South and Central Omequauh - the lands we call Africa, Iberia, and the islands of the Mediterranean Sea. Later, the Dakota and Ojibwe fought over and divided North Omequauh, my home continent, which we call "Europe."
Some great "European" leaders pulled together alliances of knights to resist the settlers, but our freedom fighters were never unified enough to prevail. Some of our Native peoples - among them the Irish, Corsicans, and Sardinians - were wiped out, their cultures lost to history.
You may know us as "Native Omequauhns", but we prefer to be called the "Original Europeans," or the "First Nations." We are not one people but many peoples, following different customs. We speak many tongues, which you may call "dialects," but we prefer to equate with your languages. We worship under different religions that were outlawed until recently, and are ridiculed to this day as mere superstition. The religion of my ancestors was known as "Christianity," and there are some of us who even today pray to a single god and his son.
Though we are commonly called "tribes," we have historically existed as nations, with our own borders, provinces, and capitals. The capital of my ancestors, London, was as great in its time as Cuzco or Tenochtitlan, until it was sacked by the invaders. My people, the York band of the English tribe, were once citizens of Yorkshire county (or province) in the English Nation (or "England"). Many of our peoples are not even called by their original names, but by derogatory names that others have given them. The Krauts, for instance, are more properly called the "Germans," or Deutsche in their own language. Similarly, the Frogs should be called the "French," or Français in their own tongue.
These terms are important if we are to reclaim our nationhood. But even more important is reclaiming our ancestral land rights, which have been steadily whittled away over the past 500 years. My English people, for instance, are scattered in over 50 small reservations throughout of island of Newfoundland (which we have always called "Britain"), and on the continental mainland where one-third of us were forcible relocated a century ago. Despite disease, removal, and loss of lands where we hunted and farmed, our traditional forms of local government have been carried on to this day.
Agreements we signed with the settlers guarantee that we still have access to natural resources on lands we used to own. Most of these agreements were broken, and many lands were stolen without any agreements whatsoever. Today, some descendants of the settlers don't understand why we continue to exercise these rights. Some of them even tell us to go back where we came from!
My people were forced into dependency after the warriors (who we called the "Long Arrows") slaughtered our sheep - our main livelihood. The children began to be sent to schools where they were forced to use Dakota names to replace their English names, and were beaten if they spoke English. Through the generations, many of our people became so assimilated that they began to look, dress, walk and talk like the settlers. But they still retained their identity, hidden from view.
It was only about 25 years ago that our peoples started to reclaim their European heritage. On my reservation, that meant young people starting to relearn the English language. We also began to communicate with Native peoples in South and Central Omequauh, some of whom actually form a majority in their countries. Though they speak different colonial languages (Nahuatl and Quechua), our concerns are similar.
Reclaiming our cultures means learning from our elders, and reading the great works of Chaucer and other ancient prophets. It means challenging stereotypes, such as the view that all of our people wear suits of armor, or live in thatched-roof huts. Above all, it means countering the despair on many of our reservations - the poverty, the consumption of beer and chicha, and the low self-esteem among Native youth.
This new pride has led to conflict with the governments occupying our lands. We have had to take on the Bureau of Caucasian Affairs (BCA), which has controlled our economies and prevented any independent Native voices from speaking out. We are attacked for being poor, and then criticized for methods we use to get out of poverty. We have also had to deal with collaborators among our own people, in some of the councils that the BCA established years ago to replace our traditional governments, and to sell off what is left of our land. Some of the Europeans on these councils are so obedient to authority that we call the "conches" - white on the outside, but red on the inside.
The rebirth of our European cultures has also stimulated interest on the part of mainstream non-European society. Nowadays, some children playing "Warriors and Knights" actually want to be the knights. While this trend is welcome, we also find non-Europeans romanticizing our cultures, and trying to usurp them in the same way they usurped our land. We loathe seeing non-Europeans dressing up like our own priests, and conducting the sacred catechism ceremony, for the benefit of their own curiosity. We don't appreciate seeing ethnic Dakota wearing powdered wigs, or putting on ballroom dances. And we roll our eyes whenever one of these 'wannabes' says that their great-grandmother was a Swedish princess.
There was a time when our land would be stolen and our people divided and relocated, with only a passive response. But no more. The European Wars are being rekindled, as more nations are defending the lands our ancestors are buried under. Many remember the armed confrontations at the Long Fjord Norwegian Reservation about two decades ago, or at the Lake Balaton Hungarian Reservation two years ago. If our sovereignty is not recognized, these skirmishes are likely to continue.
It should be clear to you, the non-European public, that despite 500 years of colonization, we still exist as peoples and nations. In the face of overwhelming odds - the near-extinction of our population, and the theft of our religions and lands - we have survived. When you talk about "celebrating" the arrival of Callicoatl, it sends a chill up our spines. Even Callicoatl's name, in the Nahuatl language, means "Serpent from the West." If you do not recognize that our people were here when he arrived in our land, you will never be able to recognize that we are here, in front of you, today.
When it comes to fiction, besides the many treaties signed by the USA and its' many governmental agents, I like stories like this one....
Enjoy.....Nin se Neaseno....
This story imagines a parallel universe in which Native Americans
have conquered and settled Europe. Part of the point is that Native
Americans would not have done to Europeans what Europeans actually
did to Native Americans. The main point is (as Sherman Alexie says)
to "turn it around," in order to expose cultural double standards.
Versions of this piece were published in 1992 in Akwesasne Notes,
News From Indian Country, Report on the Americas, and other period-
icals."Wanblee Johnson" is a fictitious character thought up by Zol-
tán Grossman.
500 YEARS SINCE THE INVASION OF EUROPE:
A Letter to the Public from European Rights Activist Wanblee Johnson
It was 500 years ago that Callicoatl sailed across the ocean with three Aztec boats, and found a new continent, a new Eastern Hemisphere. The commemoration of this event is being marked with great fanfare and celebration. Every child has been taught the story: how Callicoatl convinced Montezuma II to support his journey, how the Aztec sailors nearly despaired on the journey, and how they "discovered" a strange white-skinned race in the "New World."
But that is only part of the story. It is important that in this, the 500th anniversary of Callicoat's voyage, the record be set straight.
For Callicoatl did not "discover" this continent, he invaded it. It was already inhabited by many nations of people, living our own cultures, and practicing our own religions, on our own land. Over the past five centuries, we, the Native peoples of Europe, have seen our natural resources and our spirituality stolen, and our relatives enslaved. That is hardly a history worth celebrating.
In the Pre-Callicoatlian era, great empires were ruled by the Greeks, the Romans, the Egyptians, the Moors, and many other indigenous peoples of the Eastern Hemisphere. They contributed much to the world, as attested to by the great temples and pyramids they left behind. They had detailed knowledge of astronomy, law, agriculture, and religion. True, there were wars among these peoples, and persecution of those who did not follow the state religion. But they were no more oppressive than the empires of Montezuma II or the Inca Tupac Yupanki in the "Old World" 500 years ago. And, like in the Western Hemisphere, there were many peoples still living in harmony with the land, here in our hemisphere.
There were many other explorers who sailed to these shores, and even some who claimed to have arrived before Callicoatl - the Arawak, the Beothuk, and the Lenni-Lenape. But it was the Aztec flag of Anauak and the Inca flag of Tawantinsuyo that were first firmly planted on our soil. Soon after Callicoatl arrived, this land was named Omequauh after another Aztec-sponsored explorer. The Aztecs and Incas conquered and divided up South and Central Omequauh - the lands we call Africa, Iberia, and the islands of the Mediterranean Sea. Later, the Dakota and Ojibwe fought over and divided North Omequauh, my home continent, which we call "Europe."
Some great "European" leaders pulled together alliances of knights to resist the settlers, but our freedom fighters were never unified enough to prevail. Some of our Native peoples - among them the Irish, Corsicans, and Sardinians - were wiped out, their cultures lost to history.
You may know us as "Native Omequauhns", but we prefer to be called the "Original Europeans," or the "First Nations." We are not one people but many peoples, following different customs. We speak many tongues, which you may call "dialects," but we prefer to equate with your languages. We worship under different religions that were outlawed until recently, and are ridiculed to this day as mere superstition. The religion of my ancestors was known as "Christianity," and there are some of us who even today pray to a single god and his son.
Though we are commonly called "tribes," we have historically existed as nations, with our own borders, provinces, and capitals. The capital of my ancestors, London, was as great in its time as Cuzco or Tenochtitlan, until it was sacked by the invaders. My people, the York band of the English tribe, were once citizens of Yorkshire county (or province) in the English Nation (or "England"). Many of our peoples are not even called by their original names, but by derogatory names that others have given them. The Krauts, for instance, are more properly called the "Germans," or Deutsche in their own language. Similarly, the Frogs should be called the "French," or Français in their own tongue.
These terms are important if we are to reclaim our nationhood. But even more important is reclaiming our ancestral land rights, which have been steadily whittled away over the past 500 years. My English people, for instance, are scattered in over 50 small reservations throughout of island of Newfoundland (which we have always called "Britain"), and on the continental mainland where one-third of us were forcible relocated a century ago. Despite disease, removal, and loss of lands where we hunted and farmed, our traditional forms of local government have been carried on to this day.
Agreements we signed with the settlers guarantee that we still have access to natural resources on lands we used to own. Most of these agreements were broken, and many lands were stolen without any agreements whatsoever. Today, some descendants of the settlers don't understand why we continue to exercise these rights. Some of them even tell us to go back where we came from!
My people were forced into dependency after the warriors (who we called the "Long Arrows") slaughtered our sheep - our main livelihood. The children began to be sent to schools where they were forced to use Dakota names to replace their English names, and were beaten if they spoke English. Through the generations, many of our people became so assimilated that they began to look, dress, walk and talk like the settlers. But they still retained their identity, hidden from view.
It was only about 25 years ago that our peoples started to reclaim their European heritage. On my reservation, that meant young people starting to relearn the English language. We also began to communicate with Native peoples in South and Central Omequauh, some of whom actually form a majority in their countries. Though they speak different colonial languages (Nahuatl and Quechua), our concerns are similar.
Reclaiming our cultures means learning from our elders, and reading the great works of Chaucer and other ancient prophets. It means challenging stereotypes, such as the view that all of our people wear suits of armor, or live in thatched-roof huts. Above all, it means countering the despair on many of our reservations - the poverty, the consumption of beer and chicha, and the low self-esteem among Native youth.
This new pride has led to conflict with the governments occupying our lands. We have had to take on the Bureau of Caucasian Affairs (BCA), which has controlled our economies and prevented any independent Native voices from speaking out. We are attacked for being poor, and then criticized for methods we use to get out of poverty. We have also had to deal with collaborators among our own people, in some of the councils that the BCA established years ago to replace our traditional governments, and to sell off what is left of our land. Some of the Europeans on these councils are so obedient to authority that we call the "conches" - white on the outside, but red on the inside.
The rebirth of our European cultures has also stimulated interest on the part of mainstream non-European society. Nowadays, some children playing "Warriors and Knights" actually want to be the knights. While this trend is welcome, we also find non-Europeans romanticizing our cultures, and trying to usurp them in the same way they usurped our land. We loathe seeing non-Europeans dressing up like our own priests, and conducting the sacred catechism ceremony, for the benefit of their own curiosity. We don't appreciate seeing ethnic Dakota wearing powdered wigs, or putting on ballroom dances. And we roll our eyes whenever one of these 'wannabes' says that their great-grandmother was a Swedish princess.
There was a time when our land would be stolen and our people divided and relocated, with only a passive response. But no more. The European Wars are being rekindled, as more nations are defending the lands our ancestors are buried under. Many remember the armed confrontations at the Long Fjord Norwegian Reservation about two decades ago, or at the Lake Balaton Hungarian Reservation two years ago. If our sovereignty is not recognized, these skirmishes are likely to continue.
It should be clear to you, the non-European public, that despite 500 years of colonization, we still exist as peoples and nations. In the face of overwhelming odds - the near-extinction of our population, and the theft of our religions and lands - we have survived. When you talk about "celebrating" the arrival of Callicoatl, it sends a chill up our spines. Even Callicoatl's name, in the Nahuatl language, means "Serpent from the West." If you do not recognize that our people were here when he arrived in our land, you will never be able to recognize that we are here, in front of you, today.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Sauganash......Billy Caldwell.
Do you like the study of history and how it affected our Potawatomi people?
I do and I've always wanted to know the truth about the various personalities among our people. Sometimes history was kind to us and at times we got the rascals of society, and they affected us not so good.....
Here is a piece on Billy Caldwell, if you have ever read on the old Potawatomi of Chicago of the 1830's......quite the guy, and in the end hung out with the Potawatomi who left Chicago....I wonder about that though.....
Another one is Shabni, who was actually Odawa, married into the Potawatomi people.
Nin se Neaseno.
If you've lived on the outer Northwest Side of the city, around Cicero and Peterson, you know the name Billy Caldwell. There's Billy Caldwell Woods, Billy Caldwell's Reserve, Billy Caldwell Golf Course, Billy Caldwell Post of the American Legion. And of course, Caldwell Avenue.
The neighborhood is called Sauganash. That was Billy Caldwell's other name.
Billy Caldwell is a figure of legend, but was a real person. Untangling his story has kept historians busy for nearly two hundred years.
William Caldwell Jr. was born near Fort Niagara, in upper New York, in 1780. He was the natural son of a British army officer and a Mohawk princess. There's some evidence that Billy's first name was actually Thomas.
The boy didn't have much standing in the society of his time--he was both a bastard and a "half breed." Billy was raised by the Mohawks, then spent some time in his father's household. At 17 he moved out on his own.
Caldwell apprenticed himself into the fur trade. By 1803 he was chief clerk in the Forsythe-Kinzie firm's new post at the mouth of the Chicago River. About this time he married into the Potawatomi tribe. His in-laws called him "Sauganash," which translates as "Englishmen."
In 1812 the Potawatomi attacked the American garrison at Fort Dearborn. The story goes that Caldwell arrived on the scene during the battle and saved the lives of the Kinzie family. That was Billy's account of what had happened. Historians have been unable to verify it.
Caldwell fought on the British side in the War of 1812. Afterward he lived in Canada. When several business ventures failed, he moved back to Chicago.
In Chicago Caldwell worked in the Indian trade, as a merchant, and as an appraiser. He made friends among the settlement's leaders. Because of his tribal connections and his fluency in several languages, he smoothed relations between the Americans and the native peoples.
In 1828 the U.S. government recognized Caldwell's work by building for him Chicago's first frame house, near what is now Chicago and State. The next year he was appointed chief of the Potawatomi. And that needs some explaining.
The Potawatomi knew that the Americans were going to force them out of the area. They wanted to get the best deal possible. Even though Caldwell was Mohawk--and only on his mother's side--they thought he could help them in treaty negotiations. So they accepted him as chief.
In 1830 the Potawatomi started signing off their land. Caldwell became a hero among the American settlers. Chicago's first hotel was named The Sauganash in his honor. The U.S. government awarded him a 1600-acre tract of land northwest of the city, Billy Caldwell's Reserve. He lived there with his Potawatomi band for three years.
I do and I've always wanted to know the truth about the various personalities among our people. Sometimes history was kind to us and at times we got the rascals of society, and they affected us not so good.....
Here is a piece on Billy Caldwell, if you have ever read on the old Potawatomi of Chicago of the 1830's......quite the guy, and in the end hung out with the Potawatomi who left Chicago....I wonder about that though.....
Another one is Shabni, who was actually Odawa, married into the Potawatomi people.
Nin se Neaseno.
If you've lived on the outer Northwest Side of the city, around Cicero and Peterson, you know the name Billy Caldwell. There's Billy Caldwell Woods, Billy Caldwell's Reserve, Billy Caldwell Golf Course, Billy Caldwell Post of the American Legion. And of course, Caldwell Avenue.
The neighborhood is called Sauganash. That was Billy Caldwell's other name.
Billy Caldwell is a figure of legend, but was a real person. Untangling his story has kept historians busy for nearly two hundred years.
William Caldwell Jr. was born near Fort Niagara, in upper New York, in 1780. He was the natural son of a British army officer and a Mohawk princess. There's some evidence that Billy's first name was actually Thomas.
The boy didn't have much standing in the society of his time--he was both a bastard and a "half breed." Billy was raised by the Mohawks, then spent some time in his father's household. At 17 he moved out on his own.
Caldwell apprenticed himself into the fur trade. By 1803 he was chief clerk in the Forsythe-Kinzie firm's new post at the mouth of the Chicago River. About this time he married into the Potawatomi tribe. His in-laws called him "Sauganash," which translates as "Englishmen."
In 1812 the Potawatomi attacked the American garrison at Fort Dearborn. The story goes that Caldwell arrived on the scene during the battle and saved the lives of the Kinzie family. That was Billy's account of what had happened. Historians have been unable to verify it.
Caldwell fought on the British side in the War of 1812. Afterward he lived in Canada. When several business ventures failed, he moved back to Chicago.
In Chicago Caldwell worked in the Indian trade, as a merchant, and as an appraiser. He made friends among the settlement's leaders. Because of his tribal connections and his fluency in several languages, he smoothed relations between the Americans and the native peoples.
In 1828 the U.S. government recognized Caldwell's work by building for him Chicago's first frame house, near what is now Chicago and State. The next year he was appointed chief of the Potawatomi. And that needs some explaining.
The Potawatomi knew that the Americans were going to force them out of the area. They wanted to get the best deal possible. Even though Caldwell was Mohawk--and only on his mother's side--they thought he could help them in treaty negotiations. So they accepted him as chief.
In 1830 the Potawatomi started signing off their land. Caldwell became a hero among the American settlers. Chicago's first hotel was named The Sauganash in his honor. The U.S. government awarded him a 1600-acre tract of land northwest of the city, Billy Caldwell's Reserve. He lived there with his Potawatomi band for three years.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Bo zho ginwa....
Nemewgishek yawen ngom nijneshnabek....
Nweshmon bgeji mine mno wendem ode gishek.....
It's Sunday today my fellow natives....
Rest up and enjoy the day....
Bama pi mine wabek nge mbyegeyemen.....
Nin se Neaseno...
Nweshmon bgeji mine mno wendem ode gishek.....
It's Sunday today my fellow natives....
Rest up and enjoy the day....
Bama pi mine wabek nge mbyegeyemen.....
Nin se Neaseno...
Saturday, April 2, 2011
A Teaching from a lady from the North.....
I agree with this lady 100+ per cent.....
Read and enjoy folks.....
Nin se Neaseno.
Sweet Hair Teaching
The Sweetgrass/Hair teaching was meant to be a teaching just about Hair, and how important it is to think in a Sacred Way, as your physical Hair is a manifestation of your thoughts. As I started this writing I realized that it is impossible to separate the teachings of Sweetgrass from the Hair teaching. The reason being, all teachings are One teaching from the Great Spirit. All teachings are smaller circles of the Greater Teaching Circle.
This is a spiritual writing and is meant to be read a minimum of four times. This is only a partial teaching of the wisdom of Sweetgrass and the teachings about Hair. There are many more teachings that would compliment the ones written here.
Our Hair and the Hair of Our Mother, The Earth
Hair is the physical manifestation of our thoughts and an extension of ourselves. So pure and sacred are the thoughts of Our Mother, the Earth, that Her hair grows long and fragrant. The Sweet Grasses found growing around the World represent the hair of Our Mother, the Earth. These special grasses have long been collected by the Native Peoples of Earth to use as incense(to perceive by the senses) for physical and spiritual healing, celebrations, for sacred prayer and purification rites. Loving All Her Children, the Earth allows us to share in Her loving intent and Her perfect and purifying thoughts. On the Medicine Wheel Sweetgrass sits in the North position, the place of Water/Consciousness, the Place of the Minder of the Universe, and the Sol of Man.
As Native People walk the Sacred Path of the Creator God, Our Hair, the physical extension of our thoughts, allows for our direction along the Path of Life. All Peoples of Earth have cultural tales/tails(tails guide beings,example; without tails-Birds could not fly, Fish could not swim and Animals would be without balance) depicting the Power of Hair/Thought, telling of the strengths of Men and Women, using thoughts/hair to defeat evil. Should you maintain pure and perfect thoughts, evil sorcerers and witches cannot use your hair in their evil ceremonies to defeat you, for they need the weaknesses in your thoughts, to cause you harm. Believe in the Power of the Creator, not in the magic of Man.
In many countries around the World, Holy men and Holy women are recognized by the length and glory of their hair. The cutting of hair by oppressors has long represented the submission and defeat of a People, through humiliation. The Language and Sacredness of Hair is taught by All Tribal People of Earth. The way a People comb(the Alignment of thought), braid(the Oneness of thought), tie(the Securing of thought) and color(the Conviction in thought), their Hair is of great significance. Hair styles are important for they portray and announce participation in various events and the feelings expressed by People; the state of merriment or mourning, at a given time, or a stage of life; whether one is coming of age, marriageable or married, one's age and tribal status. Hair can depict the Tribal Spirits one follows given the geographical location of a People and the Spirits flowing through someone depending on their age as a Spirit and the spirits that one is calling on, in a given ceremony. Different styles signify the Tribe one belongs to and are worn to indicate times of peace or war. Hairstyles like seasons change for public, private and ceremonial occasions. Hair represents the pure thoughts and spiritual status of an Individual, showing the bonds and spiritual oneness of a Family and defines the cultural harmony and spiritual alignment of a Nation. Hair represents the Pure and Spiritual thoughts of All Tribal People.
Everyone is given Straight or Curly hair, depending on the Creator's discretion. Straight, flowing hair, teaches of one that can gracefully hold or let go of life. Thoughts can extend in a uniform manner, flowing directly from the source, like the movement of water flowing from the mountain top to the ocean, and then the water can rise up again to fall once more. For those with Curly hair, they will have the potential to understand the Spiral, Curve and Energy of Life. Their thoughts teach about the decrease and enlargement of life's movement. The winding, circular energy of movement and growth on the Earth. All thoughts in life tend to ebb and flow.
Native Children are taught from a young age how to groom and care for themselves, their immediate and extended family. They are taught that grooming one and other, unifies the bond of a family, caring for one and other strengthens the family ties, respecting one and other maintains family harmony and loving one and other defines a family's pride. They are taught to correct one and others appearance and habits, to strengthen one and other continually, causing them to be beautiful, strengthening in them the ideal that they are an extention of the Creator's thoughts of Love. They emanate from the thoughts of Perfection and strive to become(to pass from one state to another and to enhance) Perfection.
As Children are raised up, so too is the spiritual level of teaching raised, to elevate their Spirits. In youth and innocence(in-knowing-sense=freedom from guilt, sin or pain), Mankind is blessed with a bounty of beautiful hair. The more pure and sacred your thoughts, the longer, healthier, and vibrant, your hair. As Humans age and loose their innocence, falling off the Path of Light, harboring dark thoughts, losing the light of pure thought, Humans loose their hair and the shine(aureole) it once had.
Caring for hair is very important, for like the Sweet Grasses of our Mother, the Earth, our hair holds the purity of our intent. For our thought can purify the thoughts of others. Native Children are taught to wash and rinse hair, and are taught the proper use of the gifts of the Plant People; learning which bulbs, roots and herbs, will bring luster and light to ones hair. Maintaining the health of ones hair is important, as is maintaining all physical and spiritual health and wholeness.
They are also taught combing rites. Special combs were and in some places still are used for the Sweetgrass Rites and ornate combs were and still are made for Human hair. Careful consideration is given to the types of woods, bones, metals, jewels, and brush materials, as well as the symbols and (spirit)designs, for the best physical and spiritual purpose, of the task of combing Ones hair. The Porcupine shared itself by giving Native Women a Sacred Comb, which was made from the bone found on the underside of the Porcupine's tail. After taking the skin off, drying it and making a wooden handle, it was ready to use.
Combing is the act of separating and adjusting the hair so that it will lay or move in the best or most beautiful way. Native families, knowing that our hair is the physical manifestation of our thoughts, also understand that our thoughts need to be corrected and adjusted by the Creator, so that we will move gracefully along the Beauty Way, the Sacred Path of Life.
When combing our hair each day, we are re-minded to keep our thoughts pure. The hair that falls out and gathers in our brushes and combs, is gathered up and kept in a special place or pouch, for the 28 days of the Moon/month. This hair is a recollection, a record of our past thoughts and deeds. At the time of the Full Moon, the time of illumination and completeness, the Hearts of the Families, the Women, gather in ceremony and offer the thoughts of their families, their bundled Hair, to the Spirits of Fire, Earth and Air. When our offerings of Hair are placed in fire, our thoughts are uplifted, sent through the smoke, moved by the power of the Moon, and prayerfully given to our Father, the Creator God or if buried, returned to Our Mother, the Earth and She relays our intent to through the Moon, to Our Father. In this way the Creator reads your families thoughts and sends His Spirits/Angels to guide you on the Sacred Path, correcting your Mind, Heart and Soul, strengthening the Body of Oneness, till the next Full Moon. Holding Sacred thoughts, choosing to walk a path of light, One that is pleasing to the Creator God, strengthens the individual Family, and the Greater Family of Universal Oneness, that every One is a part of.
Your hair teaches you that your thoughts are to flow in all directions but are to be uniformaly directed. Yellow, Red, Black and White the four colors of hair symbolizing the major directions of Earth, and the direction of those constant in the flow of thought/Spirit. Also, the four directions in between, Gold, Orange, Brown, Blue/Grey, Hair indicating those continual in thought/Spirit, flowing throughout the Universe. Your hair is just one way of indicating to others another conviction you carry throughout your lifetime. When the color of your hair changes, naturally, that means you have been Elevated, by God. You have more responsibility in and for Life.
You were given a sacred color of hair to wear and you were never to bleach(whiten) or dye your hair. Even the word dye/die when used for coloring states the death or dirivation of a God-given thought and purpose. Dying(destined for death) ones hair places your desires before the thoughts of God. Bleaching ones hair to change spiritual status, does not make one an Elder or Pre-dating Spirit, for you are born who you are, chosen, and elevated by God, not by Mankind. In Native ceremony when ochers and hennas were used on hair it was understood that it was for a Sacred purpose and Spirit(God) inspired, and the natural color would naturally return.
The act of cutting your hair is the cutting off of the flow of thought. You actually sever away past thoughts from future deeds. Cutting your hair usually occurs when one chooses to make a major change in ones life, putting past misdeeds behind them, and beginning a new life. In Native teachings many tribes cut their hair during the mourning process, which symbolizes the deep wound to ones sensibilities caused by the piercing hurt of a loved ones passing.
Other tribes, remembering that they are Spirits that live forever, cut their hair after a year of mourning. Symbolic of the severing of their ties, freeing the spirit of their loved ones, allowing them to enter the morning of the next world. Ready to start a new life, knowing they must respect and honour their loved one, they feast and urge their loved Ones' spirit on. Demonstrating their love for all life, they signal they too are ready to start a new day, a new morning. For in wisdom, they accept the greater cycle of life. They know the Body of their past Love, was given back to the Earth and the Spirit of their Loved One, needs to return to the Sol/Star their Spirits emanate from, to be re-aligned in the Body of Oneness, being reborn as their future and the re/newed Children of Earth.
Even the time of cutting your hair is important, for all things need to be in harmony with the natural rythym and flow of the Universe. Cutting old thoughts, harvesting full grown ideas, cutting all ties, is best on the Full Moon. For fresh starts, like the planting time, for new seeds of thought, or for the trimming, pruning and monthly maintainance, we cut our hair by the light of the New Moon, so it will grow thick and quick.
Young men are often seen with braids of sweetgrass for personal purification rites. In some Tribes, men weave Sweetgrass into their braids to unify their thoughts with their Mother, the Earth, strengthening their thoughts of Oneness. This demonstrates the way in which hair is used to extend and bind your thoughts with others. By attaching a lock of a loved ones hair, in your hair, or by carrying their hair on your person, One is able to carry the thoughts of their loved ones with them on their travels. It is so important to have your families spiritual support and protective thoughts(prayers) in life generally, that the hair of ones family and the hair of their protective spirits, was braided into a warriors battle dress for added strength and stamina. It is generally understood that you do not touch a person's hair without permission.
Sweetgrass headbands(the things that keep your brains in)(joke) are worn for concentration, to purify thought. The aroma of Sweetgrass clears the mind. Sweetgrass necklaces or collars refer to the Spirit that is born head-first, and is used to call-in/coll-ar the Spirit of Wisdom you are descended from. Sweetgrass braids,like the braids on your head symbolize the serpents of wisdom, that keep you on the Sacred Path of Light. It is the double-headed serpent that warns you with a shake of its tail, should you step off the path of light, to get back on the sacred path or suffer the venomous bites of despair, depression or death, depending how far you wander.
Braids symbolize Oneness and Unity. The flowing strands of hair, individually weak but when joined together in Oneness, physically demonstrate the Strength of Oneness; "One Mind, One Heart and One Soul", the Song of the Uni-verse, and the Sacred thoughts you are to hold. There are times to wear the hair braided and times to let it flow free, different times to demonstrate your harmony with the flow of life and to demonstrate your thoughts of Oneness to others.
There are different teachings about the way to braid ones hair, and different teachings about the ways and rites of braiding Sweetgrass. One way is to gather 28 whole strands of Sweetgrass, one strand symbolizing each sacred day in one moon(month). Divide them in three equal piles, 9 strands each, each pile symbolizing the wandering spirits of the 3 tiers of Heaven (upper world, middle world, lower world), and with the one strand that is left, the strand that Symbolizes the Great Spirit, the Creator God(Father Sun), you tie all the loose strands together. Remembering as you braid the Sweetgrass, to keep your thoughts and intent pure and healthy, placing the prayers of love for life into your braid. It is the intent placed in the medicine that makes all healing possible. To end the braid, tie a knot with the grass. A Knot is symbolic of Union and a Bond. The Tie that binds. The knot in the Sweetgrass braid also binds all the "thoughts" of our Mother together, to teach us, once again of the strength of Unity or Oneness.
Know it is only the Creator's power that holds the Universe together and the wandering spirits are His Great Spirits that flow and protect Life all the way to the outer edges of the Universe and the 3 tiers of Heaven are the lower, middle and upper worlds or the Sea, Earth and Sky(Universe) where all the Great Spirits dwell. Keeping thoughts of Love and Respect for All Life in your Mind and Heart, allows one to share the Sacred Sweetgrass with others in a good way.
When working with the Sacred Medicines, our intent should be as pure as the intent of our selfless Mother, the Earth. She wants only the best for Her Children. So hold Sacred thoughts; thoughts of Oneness and Healing thoughts; thoughts of Empowerment and Love, when braiding and using Sweetgrass. Soon All Nations will be strong again.
Written by Owawasmokwe
From the North Country.
Read and enjoy folks.....
Nin se Neaseno.
Sweet Hair Teaching
The Sweetgrass/Hair teaching was meant to be a teaching just about Hair, and how important it is to think in a Sacred Way, as your physical Hair is a manifestation of your thoughts. As I started this writing I realized that it is impossible to separate the teachings of Sweetgrass from the Hair teaching. The reason being, all teachings are One teaching from the Great Spirit. All teachings are smaller circles of the Greater Teaching Circle.
This is a spiritual writing and is meant to be read a minimum of four times. This is only a partial teaching of the wisdom of Sweetgrass and the teachings about Hair. There are many more teachings that would compliment the ones written here.
Our Hair and the Hair of Our Mother, The Earth
Hair is the physical manifestation of our thoughts and an extension of ourselves. So pure and sacred are the thoughts of Our Mother, the Earth, that Her hair grows long and fragrant. The Sweet Grasses found growing around the World represent the hair of Our Mother, the Earth. These special grasses have long been collected by the Native Peoples of Earth to use as incense(to perceive by the senses) for physical and spiritual healing, celebrations, for sacred prayer and purification rites. Loving All Her Children, the Earth allows us to share in Her loving intent and Her perfect and purifying thoughts. On the Medicine Wheel Sweetgrass sits in the North position, the place of Water/Consciousness, the Place of the Minder of the Universe, and the Sol of Man.
As Native People walk the Sacred Path of the Creator God, Our Hair, the physical extension of our thoughts, allows for our direction along the Path of Life. All Peoples of Earth have cultural tales/tails(tails guide beings,example; without tails-Birds could not fly, Fish could not swim and Animals would be without balance) depicting the Power of Hair/Thought, telling of the strengths of Men and Women, using thoughts/hair to defeat evil. Should you maintain pure and perfect thoughts, evil sorcerers and witches cannot use your hair in their evil ceremonies to defeat you, for they need the weaknesses in your thoughts, to cause you harm. Believe in the Power of the Creator, not in the magic of Man.
In many countries around the World, Holy men and Holy women are recognized by the length and glory of their hair. The cutting of hair by oppressors has long represented the submission and defeat of a People, through humiliation. The Language and Sacredness of Hair is taught by All Tribal People of Earth. The way a People comb(the Alignment of thought), braid(the Oneness of thought), tie(the Securing of thought) and color(the Conviction in thought), their Hair is of great significance. Hair styles are important for they portray and announce participation in various events and the feelings expressed by People; the state of merriment or mourning, at a given time, or a stage of life; whether one is coming of age, marriageable or married, one's age and tribal status. Hair can depict the Tribal Spirits one follows given the geographical location of a People and the Spirits flowing through someone depending on their age as a Spirit and the spirits that one is calling on, in a given ceremony. Different styles signify the Tribe one belongs to and are worn to indicate times of peace or war. Hairstyles like seasons change for public, private and ceremonial occasions. Hair represents the pure thoughts and spiritual status of an Individual, showing the bonds and spiritual oneness of a Family and defines the cultural harmony and spiritual alignment of a Nation. Hair represents the Pure and Spiritual thoughts of All Tribal People.
Everyone is given Straight or Curly hair, depending on the Creator's discretion. Straight, flowing hair, teaches of one that can gracefully hold or let go of life. Thoughts can extend in a uniform manner, flowing directly from the source, like the movement of water flowing from the mountain top to the ocean, and then the water can rise up again to fall once more. For those with Curly hair, they will have the potential to understand the Spiral, Curve and Energy of Life. Their thoughts teach about the decrease and enlargement of life's movement. The winding, circular energy of movement and growth on the Earth. All thoughts in life tend to ebb and flow.
Native Children are taught from a young age how to groom and care for themselves, their immediate and extended family. They are taught that grooming one and other, unifies the bond of a family, caring for one and other strengthens the family ties, respecting one and other maintains family harmony and loving one and other defines a family's pride. They are taught to correct one and others appearance and habits, to strengthen one and other continually, causing them to be beautiful, strengthening in them the ideal that they are an extention of the Creator's thoughts of Love. They emanate from the thoughts of Perfection and strive to become(to pass from one state to another and to enhance) Perfection.
As Children are raised up, so too is the spiritual level of teaching raised, to elevate their Spirits. In youth and innocence(in-knowing-sense=freedom from guilt, sin or pain), Mankind is blessed with a bounty of beautiful hair. The more pure and sacred your thoughts, the longer, healthier, and vibrant, your hair. As Humans age and loose their innocence, falling off the Path of Light, harboring dark thoughts, losing the light of pure thought, Humans loose their hair and the shine(aureole) it once had.
Caring for hair is very important, for like the Sweet Grasses of our Mother, the Earth, our hair holds the purity of our intent. For our thought can purify the thoughts of others. Native Children are taught to wash and rinse hair, and are taught the proper use of the gifts of the Plant People; learning which bulbs, roots and herbs, will bring luster and light to ones hair. Maintaining the health of ones hair is important, as is maintaining all physical and spiritual health and wholeness.
They are also taught combing rites. Special combs were and in some places still are used for the Sweetgrass Rites and ornate combs were and still are made for Human hair. Careful consideration is given to the types of woods, bones, metals, jewels, and brush materials, as well as the symbols and (spirit)designs, for the best physical and spiritual purpose, of the task of combing Ones hair. The Porcupine shared itself by giving Native Women a Sacred Comb, which was made from the bone found on the underside of the Porcupine's tail. After taking the skin off, drying it and making a wooden handle, it was ready to use.
Combing is the act of separating and adjusting the hair so that it will lay or move in the best or most beautiful way. Native families, knowing that our hair is the physical manifestation of our thoughts, also understand that our thoughts need to be corrected and adjusted by the Creator, so that we will move gracefully along the Beauty Way, the Sacred Path of Life.
When combing our hair each day, we are re-minded to keep our thoughts pure. The hair that falls out and gathers in our brushes and combs, is gathered up and kept in a special place or pouch, for the 28 days of the Moon/month. This hair is a recollection, a record of our past thoughts and deeds. At the time of the Full Moon, the time of illumination and completeness, the Hearts of the Families, the Women, gather in ceremony and offer the thoughts of their families, their bundled Hair, to the Spirits of Fire, Earth and Air. When our offerings of Hair are placed in fire, our thoughts are uplifted, sent through the smoke, moved by the power of the Moon, and prayerfully given to our Father, the Creator God or if buried, returned to Our Mother, the Earth and She relays our intent to through the Moon, to Our Father. In this way the Creator reads your families thoughts and sends His Spirits/Angels to guide you on the Sacred Path, correcting your Mind, Heart and Soul, strengthening the Body of Oneness, till the next Full Moon. Holding Sacred thoughts, choosing to walk a path of light, One that is pleasing to the Creator God, strengthens the individual Family, and the Greater Family of Universal Oneness, that every One is a part of.
Your hair teaches you that your thoughts are to flow in all directions but are to be uniformaly directed. Yellow, Red, Black and White the four colors of hair symbolizing the major directions of Earth, and the direction of those constant in the flow of thought/Spirit. Also, the four directions in between, Gold, Orange, Brown, Blue/Grey, Hair indicating those continual in thought/Spirit, flowing throughout the Universe. Your hair is just one way of indicating to others another conviction you carry throughout your lifetime. When the color of your hair changes, naturally, that means you have been Elevated, by God. You have more responsibility in and for Life.
You were given a sacred color of hair to wear and you were never to bleach(whiten) or dye your hair. Even the word dye/die when used for coloring states the death or dirivation of a God-given thought and purpose. Dying(destined for death) ones hair places your desires before the thoughts of God. Bleaching ones hair to change spiritual status, does not make one an Elder or Pre-dating Spirit, for you are born who you are, chosen, and elevated by God, not by Mankind. In Native ceremony when ochers and hennas were used on hair it was understood that it was for a Sacred purpose and Spirit(God) inspired, and the natural color would naturally return.
The act of cutting your hair is the cutting off of the flow of thought. You actually sever away past thoughts from future deeds. Cutting your hair usually occurs when one chooses to make a major change in ones life, putting past misdeeds behind them, and beginning a new life. In Native teachings many tribes cut their hair during the mourning process, which symbolizes the deep wound to ones sensibilities caused by the piercing hurt of a loved ones passing.
Other tribes, remembering that they are Spirits that live forever, cut their hair after a year of mourning. Symbolic of the severing of their ties, freeing the spirit of their loved ones, allowing them to enter the morning of the next world. Ready to start a new life, knowing they must respect and honour their loved one, they feast and urge their loved Ones' spirit on. Demonstrating their love for all life, they signal they too are ready to start a new day, a new morning. For in wisdom, they accept the greater cycle of life. They know the Body of their past Love, was given back to the Earth and the Spirit of their Loved One, needs to return to the Sol/Star their Spirits emanate from, to be re-aligned in the Body of Oneness, being reborn as their future and the re/newed Children of Earth.
Even the time of cutting your hair is important, for all things need to be in harmony with the natural rythym and flow of the Universe. Cutting old thoughts, harvesting full grown ideas, cutting all ties, is best on the Full Moon. For fresh starts, like the planting time, for new seeds of thought, or for the trimming, pruning and monthly maintainance, we cut our hair by the light of the New Moon, so it will grow thick and quick.
Young men are often seen with braids of sweetgrass for personal purification rites. In some Tribes, men weave Sweetgrass into their braids to unify their thoughts with their Mother, the Earth, strengthening their thoughts of Oneness. This demonstrates the way in which hair is used to extend and bind your thoughts with others. By attaching a lock of a loved ones hair, in your hair, or by carrying their hair on your person, One is able to carry the thoughts of their loved ones with them on their travels. It is so important to have your families spiritual support and protective thoughts(prayers) in life generally, that the hair of ones family and the hair of their protective spirits, was braided into a warriors battle dress for added strength and stamina. It is generally understood that you do not touch a person's hair without permission.
Sweetgrass headbands(the things that keep your brains in)(joke) are worn for concentration, to purify thought. The aroma of Sweetgrass clears the mind. Sweetgrass necklaces or collars refer to the Spirit that is born head-first, and is used to call-in/coll-ar the Spirit of Wisdom you are descended from. Sweetgrass braids,like the braids on your head symbolize the serpents of wisdom, that keep you on the Sacred Path of Light. It is the double-headed serpent that warns you with a shake of its tail, should you step off the path of light, to get back on the sacred path or suffer the venomous bites of despair, depression or death, depending how far you wander.
Braids symbolize Oneness and Unity. The flowing strands of hair, individually weak but when joined together in Oneness, physically demonstrate the Strength of Oneness; "One Mind, One Heart and One Soul", the Song of the Uni-verse, and the Sacred thoughts you are to hold. There are times to wear the hair braided and times to let it flow free, different times to demonstrate your harmony with the flow of life and to demonstrate your thoughts of Oneness to others.
There are different teachings about the way to braid ones hair, and different teachings about the ways and rites of braiding Sweetgrass. One way is to gather 28 whole strands of Sweetgrass, one strand symbolizing each sacred day in one moon(month). Divide them in three equal piles, 9 strands each, each pile symbolizing the wandering spirits of the 3 tiers of Heaven (upper world, middle world, lower world), and with the one strand that is left, the strand that Symbolizes the Great Spirit, the Creator God(Father Sun), you tie all the loose strands together. Remembering as you braid the Sweetgrass, to keep your thoughts and intent pure and healthy, placing the prayers of love for life into your braid. It is the intent placed in the medicine that makes all healing possible. To end the braid, tie a knot with the grass. A Knot is symbolic of Union and a Bond. The Tie that binds. The knot in the Sweetgrass braid also binds all the "thoughts" of our Mother together, to teach us, once again of the strength of Unity or Oneness.
Know it is only the Creator's power that holds the Universe together and the wandering spirits are His Great Spirits that flow and protect Life all the way to the outer edges of the Universe and the 3 tiers of Heaven are the lower, middle and upper worlds or the Sea, Earth and Sky(Universe) where all the Great Spirits dwell. Keeping thoughts of Love and Respect for All Life in your Mind and Heart, allows one to share the Sacred Sweetgrass with others in a good way.
When working with the Sacred Medicines, our intent should be as pure as the intent of our selfless Mother, the Earth. She wants only the best for Her Children. So hold Sacred thoughts; thoughts of Oneness and Healing thoughts; thoughts of Empowerment and Love, when braiding and using Sweetgrass. Soon All Nations will be strong again.
Written by Owawasmokwe
From the North Country.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Re: The U.S. Constitution.....
Some factoids about the US Constitution, ya know that piece of paper that is supposed to have certain guarantees for all of us, or is that just some of us?
I often wonder about it all and when I see stuff like this, it begins to reinforce my thoughts about justice in this country for all.....
For example, is it justice or Just Us?
Who wrote the Constitution?
Who was it written for?
Did they write it with the elite of their day in mind or all people?
Some of the more recent judgments/rulings handed down by State and US Supreme Court Justices are somewhat questionable, in my opinion, and often do not serve the people well at all.
Pay special attention to, We The People!
Who are We The People?
Again, who wrote it and who were they writing for....I know what history tells us, but I question if it was truly meant for all of us?
Anyway, give this a read and be informed....you can research this more if you wish.
If more of us questioned our legislators, instead of blindly following them, perhaps we wouldn't be in the international trouble we are always in.....
I served honorably twice and chose to get out, because I saw for myself what some of the policies did/were and how they were carried out.....I served in the Middle East a lot......no wonder they hate us!
Nin se Neaseno.
In today's excerpt - from the very first days of its publication, the United States Constitution has been criticized by many as difficult to understand and interpret. And the physical document itself suffered decades of neglect before it was finally enshrined:
"Three delegates refused to sign [the constitution upon its approval by the Constitutional Convention], but at the bottom of the fourth page appear the
signatures of the rest. What was written on parchment was then made public,
printed in newspapers and broadsheets, often with 'We the People' set off in extra-large type. Meanwhile, the secretary of the convention carried the original [from Philadelphia] to New York to present it to [the Continental] Congress, which met, at the time, at City Hall. Without either endorsing or opposing it, Congress agreed to forward the Constitution to the states for ratification. The original Constitution was simply filed away and, later, shuffled
from one place to another. When City Hall underwent renovations, the Constitution was transferred to the Department of State. The following year, it moved with Congress to Philadelphia and, in 1800, to Washington, where it was stored at the Treasury Department until it was shifted to the War Office. In 1814, three clerks stuffed it into a linen sack and carried it to a gristmill in Virginia, which was fortunate, because the British burned Washington down. In the eighteen-twenties, when someone asked James Madison where it was, he had no idea.
"In 1875, the Constitution found a home in a tin box in the bottom of a closet
in a new building that housed the Departments of State, War, and in 1894,
it was sealed between glass plates and locked in a safe in the basement. In 1921,
Herbert Putnam, a librarian, drove it across town in his Model T. In 1924, it
was put on display in the Library of Congress, for the first time ever. Before then, no one had thought of that. It spent the Second World War at Fort Knox. In 1952, it was driven in an armored tank under military guard to the National Archives, where it remains, in a shrine in the rotunda, alongside the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. ...
"If you haven't read the Constitution lately, do. Chances are you'll find that
it doesn't exactly explain itself. Consider Article III, Section 3: 'The Congress
shall have Power to declare the Punishment of Treason, but no Attainder of
Treason shall work Corruption of Blood, or Forfeiture except during the Life of
the Person attainted.' This is simply put - hats off to the committee of style -
but what does it mean? A legal education helps. Lawyers won't stumble over 'attainder,' even if the rest of us will. Part of the problem might appear to be the
distance between our locution and theirs. 'Corruption of Blood'? The document's learnedness and the changing meaning of words isn't the whole problem, though, because the charge that the Constitution is too difficult for ordinary people to understand - not because of its vocabulary but because of the complexity of its ideas - was brought nearly the minute it was made public.
"Anti-Federalists charged that the Constitution was so difficult to read that it amounted to a conspiracy against the understanding of a plain man, that it was willfully incomprehensible. 'The constitution of a wise and free people, ought to be as evident to simple reason, as the letters of our alphabet,' an Anti-Federalist wrote. 'A constiution ought to be, like a beacon, held up to the public eye, so as to be understood by every man,' Patrick Henry argued. He believed that what was drafted in Philadelphia was 'of such an intricate
and complicated nature, that no man on this earth can know its real operation.'
Anti-Federalists had more complaints, too, which is why ratification - a process
wonderfully recounted by Pauline Maier in 'Ratification: The People Debate the
Constitution, 1787-1788' - was touch and go. Rhode Island, the only state to
hold a popular referendum on the Constitution, rejected it. Elsewhere, in state
ratifying conventions, the Constitution passed by the narrowest of margins:
eighty-nine to seventy-nine in Virginia, thirty to twenty-seven in New York, a
hundred and eighty-seven to a hundred and sixty-eight in Massachusetts."...
"[The Constitution has] forty-four hundred words and 'God' is not one of
them, as Benjamin Rush complained to John Adams, hoping for an emendation: 'Perhaps an acknowledgement might be made of his goodness or of his providence in the proposed amendments.' It was not."
Author: Jill LePore
Title: "The Commandments"
Publisher: The New Yorker
Date: January 17, 2011
Pages: 70-73
I often wonder about it all and when I see stuff like this, it begins to reinforce my thoughts about justice in this country for all.....
For example, is it justice or Just Us?
Who wrote the Constitution?
Who was it written for?
Did they write it with the elite of their day in mind or all people?
Some of the more recent judgments/rulings handed down by State and US Supreme Court Justices are somewhat questionable, in my opinion, and often do not serve the people well at all.
Pay special attention to, We The People!
Who are We The People?
Again, who wrote it and who were they writing for....I know what history tells us, but I question if it was truly meant for all of us?
Anyway, give this a read and be informed....you can research this more if you wish.
If more of us questioned our legislators, instead of blindly following them, perhaps we wouldn't be in the international trouble we are always in.....
I served honorably twice and chose to get out, because I saw for myself what some of the policies did/were and how they were carried out.....I served in the Middle East a lot......no wonder they hate us!
Nin se Neaseno.
In today's excerpt - from the very first days of its publication, the United States Constitution has been criticized by many as difficult to understand and interpret. And the physical document itself suffered decades of neglect before it was finally enshrined:
"Three delegates refused to sign [the constitution upon its approval by the Constitutional Convention], but at the bottom of the fourth page appear the
signatures of the rest. What was written on parchment was then made public,
printed in newspapers and broadsheets, often with 'We the People' set off in extra-large type. Meanwhile, the secretary of the convention carried the original [from Philadelphia] to New York to present it to [the Continental] Congress, which met, at the time, at City Hall. Without either endorsing or opposing it, Congress agreed to forward the Constitution to the states for ratification. The original Constitution was simply filed away and, later, shuffled
from one place to another. When City Hall underwent renovations, the Constitution was transferred to the Department of State. The following year, it moved with Congress to Philadelphia and, in 1800, to Washington, where it was stored at the Treasury Department until it was shifted to the War Office. In 1814, three clerks stuffed it into a linen sack and carried it to a gristmill in Virginia, which was fortunate, because the British burned Washington down. In the eighteen-twenties, when someone asked James Madison where it was, he had no idea.
"In 1875, the Constitution found a home in a tin box in the bottom of a closet
in a new building that housed the Departments of State, War, and in 1894,
it was sealed between glass plates and locked in a safe in the basement. In 1921,
Herbert Putnam, a librarian, drove it across town in his Model T. In 1924, it
was put on display in the Library of Congress, for the first time ever. Before then, no one had thought of that. It spent the Second World War at Fort Knox. In 1952, it was driven in an armored tank under military guard to the National Archives, where it remains, in a shrine in the rotunda, alongside the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. ...
"If you haven't read the Constitution lately, do. Chances are you'll find that
it doesn't exactly explain itself. Consider Article III, Section 3: 'The Congress
shall have Power to declare the Punishment of Treason, but no Attainder of
Treason shall work Corruption of Blood, or Forfeiture except during the Life of
the Person attainted.' This is simply put - hats off to the committee of style -
but what does it mean? A legal education helps. Lawyers won't stumble over 'attainder,' even if the rest of us will. Part of the problem might appear to be the
distance between our locution and theirs. 'Corruption of Blood'? The document's learnedness and the changing meaning of words isn't the whole problem, though, because the charge that the Constitution is too difficult for ordinary people to understand - not because of its vocabulary but because of the complexity of its ideas - was brought nearly the minute it was made public.
"Anti-Federalists charged that the Constitution was so difficult to read that it amounted to a conspiracy against the understanding of a plain man, that it was willfully incomprehensible. 'The constitution of a wise and free people, ought to be as evident to simple reason, as the letters of our alphabet,' an Anti-Federalist wrote. 'A constiution ought to be, like a beacon, held up to the public eye, so as to be understood by every man,' Patrick Henry argued. He believed that what was drafted in Philadelphia was 'of such an intricate
and complicated nature, that no man on this earth can know its real operation.'
Anti-Federalists had more complaints, too, which is why ratification - a process
wonderfully recounted by Pauline Maier in 'Ratification: The People Debate the
Constitution, 1787-1788' - was touch and go. Rhode Island, the only state to
hold a popular referendum on the Constitution, rejected it. Elsewhere, in state
ratifying conventions, the Constitution passed by the narrowest of margins:
eighty-nine to seventy-nine in Virginia, thirty to twenty-seven in New York, a
hundred and eighty-seven to a hundred and sixty-eight in Massachusetts."...
"[The Constitution has] forty-four hundred words and 'God' is not one of
them, as Benjamin Rush complained to John Adams, hoping for an emendation: 'Perhaps an acknowledgement might be made of his goodness or of his providence in the proposed amendments.' It was not."
Author: Jill LePore
Title: "The Commandments"
Publisher: The New Yorker
Date: January 17, 2011
Pages: 70-73
Thursday, March 31, 2011
An Amzing Fact......
This is really quite amazing for me to read this article.....
Here's why....
My folks used to tell me to always speak to my children while still in the womb of their mother....my mother is 92, going on 93, May 29, and she still believes unborn babies can tell what their language is and they can also identify their parents, just by the sound of their voices.
I find this article amazing because these old people and their parents understood these concepts about the unborn and advised them to speak to them, and they passed it down to us.....our elders were amazing people, because they already knew something these modern day scientists are just now discovering....
My little girl of seven years now, started speaking this Potawatomi language at a young age because I followed what I was told to do by my parents; I spoke to her while she was in her mom's womb, a lot.
I believe that is why she learned what she knows today....I am speaking
of why she knows how to pronounce even the difficult words, and has our accent and rhythm of our language down so pat....
Amazing, is all I can say.....that these people have stumbled upon yet another fact our elders already knew....
Enjoy this article folks.....and the fact your forefathers were some pretty incredible people.....
THE ARTCLE........
While still in the womb, babies already start to learn language by hearing the rhythm of the language, says Bardutz.
Photograph by: Thinkstock, canada.com
Children start to learn language even before they’re born, neurolinguist Holly Bardutz is teaching students in her language acquisition class at the University of Regina.
While still in the womb, babies already start to learn language by hearing the rhythm of the language, says Bardutz.
To recreate what it’s like in the womb, and what a baby might hear, Bardutz asked her students to spend class time in the university’s pool, with their ears under water, listening to people above ground speaking in various languages, including Urdu (which is spoken in India), Spanish, Chinese, Dutch, English, French and Korean.
“What we’re looking for is the rhythm of the language,” Bardutz explained.
Not only does the rhythm vary depending on the language, but also depending on whether the language is being spoken, sung or read.
“And reading from a textbook is different than reading a Dr. Seuss (book), which has more rhythm,” she pointed out.
An unborn child’s hearing is fully developed by 36 weeks, Bardutz said. A full-term baby is born at 40 weeks.
“So usually the last three or four weeks while they’re in the uterus, they have fully developed hearing,” she said.
“And the uterus is a watery substance, so that’s why we’re coming to the pool,” Bardutz explained.
“When babies are born — even at four hours old — right at birth, they can already identify their own language,” she said. “They can tell if what they’re hearing is English or Chinese. They don’t know the language, but they can recognize their own language.”
The only languages in which newborn babies can’t hear a difference in rhythms are Dutch and English, Bardutz pointed out. “Because it’s exactly the same rhythm.”
At least, that’s what the class textbook says, she said. Much to Bardutz’s delight, her third-year linguistics class willingly participated in testing that theory.
Seven of the 18 students in the class hooked their legs onto the side of the pool and put their ears under water so they could listen to people above the surface speak in different languages.
Ishrat Naqvi, a retired physics professor, spoke in Urdu, which he described as the official language of Pakistan. Urdu was the first language Naqvi learned.
Iris Mi and Callie Li, both business administration students at the U of R, conversed in Chinese for the linguistics students.
Keith Murch, who finished a linguistics degree last year and is currently studying education, participated both in and out of the pool.
“First of all, you have to be comfortable with being back in the womb,” he said.
Once he got comfortable in the pool, tuned out any distracting mechanical noises and concentrated on the rhythm of the voices, “it was a very interesting experience,” Murch said. “That was fascinating stuff!”
Sonja Van Eijk volunteered to shift back and forth between speaking Dutch and English.
“It’s really quite amazing,” she said, referring to the two languages having the same rhythm.
Intrigued by what the students were hearing underwater, Van Eijk said: “I would really like to experience that myself. I think this evening I’m going to go take a dip in my bathtub.
“My husband is a linguist, so he speaks many languages. And we’re going to do the tests ourselves. I’m curious now. I really want to know if that’s true that you can’t hear the difference (between Dutch and English),” she added.
Many of the students in her class are working toward degrees in linguistics or psychology.
“A lot of them want to be speech pathologists,” Bardutz said. “They’re very interested in how kids learn language.”
People trying to revitalize their native languages shouldn’t wait to start until kids are in kindergarten, Bardutz emphasized.
“They’ve missed the critical time. The kids need to hear the language starting at before birth,” she said. “The earlier the better.”
NIn se Neaseno.
Here's why....
My folks used to tell me to always speak to my children while still in the womb of their mother....my mother is 92, going on 93, May 29, and she still believes unborn babies can tell what their language is and they can also identify their parents, just by the sound of their voices.
I find this article amazing because these old people and their parents understood these concepts about the unborn and advised them to speak to them, and they passed it down to us.....our elders were amazing people, because they already knew something these modern day scientists are just now discovering....
My little girl of seven years now, started speaking this Potawatomi language at a young age because I followed what I was told to do by my parents; I spoke to her while she was in her mom's womb, a lot.
I believe that is why she learned what she knows today....I am speaking
of why she knows how to pronounce even the difficult words, and has our accent and rhythm of our language down so pat....
Amazing, is all I can say.....that these people have stumbled upon yet another fact our elders already knew....
Enjoy this article folks.....and the fact your forefathers were some pretty incredible people.....
THE ARTCLE........
While still in the womb, babies already start to learn language by hearing the rhythm of the language, says Bardutz.
Photograph by: Thinkstock, canada.com
Children start to learn language even before they’re born, neurolinguist Holly Bardutz is teaching students in her language acquisition class at the University of Regina.
While still in the womb, babies already start to learn language by hearing the rhythm of the language, says Bardutz.
To recreate what it’s like in the womb, and what a baby might hear, Bardutz asked her students to spend class time in the university’s pool, with their ears under water, listening to people above ground speaking in various languages, including Urdu (which is spoken in India), Spanish, Chinese, Dutch, English, French and Korean.
“What we’re looking for is the rhythm of the language,” Bardutz explained.
Not only does the rhythm vary depending on the language, but also depending on whether the language is being spoken, sung or read.
“And reading from a textbook is different than reading a Dr. Seuss (book), which has more rhythm,” she pointed out.
An unborn child’s hearing is fully developed by 36 weeks, Bardutz said. A full-term baby is born at 40 weeks.
“So usually the last three or four weeks while they’re in the uterus, they have fully developed hearing,” she said.
“And the uterus is a watery substance, so that’s why we’re coming to the pool,” Bardutz explained.
“When babies are born — even at four hours old — right at birth, they can already identify their own language,” she said. “They can tell if what they’re hearing is English or Chinese. They don’t know the language, but they can recognize their own language.”
The only languages in which newborn babies can’t hear a difference in rhythms are Dutch and English, Bardutz pointed out. “Because it’s exactly the same rhythm.”
At least, that’s what the class textbook says, she said. Much to Bardutz’s delight, her third-year linguistics class willingly participated in testing that theory.
Seven of the 18 students in the class hooked their legs onto the side of the pool and put their ears under water so they could listen to people above the surface speak in different languages.
Ishrat Naqvi, a retired physics professor, spoke in Urdu, which he described as the official language of Pakistan. Urdu was the first language Naqvi learned.
Iris Mi and Callie Li, both business administration students at the U of R, conversed in Chinese for the linguistics students.
Keith Murch, who finished a linguistics degree last year and is currently studying education, participated both in and out of the pool.
“First of all, you have to be comfortable with being back in the womb,” he said.
Once he got comfortable in the pool, tuned out any distracting mechanical noises and concentrated on the rhythm of the voices, “it was a very interesting experience,” Murch said. “That was fascinating stuff!”
Sonja Van Eijk volunteered to shift back and forth between speaking Dutch and English.
“It’s really quite amazing,” she said, referring to the two languages having the same rhythm.
Intrigued by what the students were hearing underwater, Van Eijk said: “I would really like to experience that myself. I think this evening I’m going to go take a dip in my bathtub.
“My husband is a linguist, so he speaks many languages. And we’re going to do the tests ourselves. I’m curious now. I really want to know if that’s true that you can’t hear the difference (between Dutch and English),” she added.
Many of the students in her class are working toward degrees in linguistics or psychology.
“A lot of them want to be speech pathologists,” Bardutz said. “They’re very interested in how kids learn language.”
People trying to revitalize their native languages shouldn’t wait to start until kids are in kindergarten, Bardutz emphasized.
“They’ve missed the critical time. The kids need to hear the language starting at before birth,” she said. “The earlier the better.”
NIn se Neaseno.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
A Creation Story......
Here is one of several creation stories existing among our people. There were many I heard growing up and the old people used to say, "The truth is hidden within our stories and it is up to the individual to find the truth".
The same seems to be true with some of our European brothers who were told stories of their origins also. The point being, that often great truth was shrouded in mystery and was passed down to future generations, by story tellers, to the children of men at one time.....now it appears we've gotten too modern and civilized to understand the mysteries contained in our own stories.
Ahau, enjoy and share.....
Nin se Neaseno.
A Potawatomi Creation Story….
Im se ngotdek gi yajmowat gi kekyajek egi zhechket o menedo ga zhe tot
ode bmadzewen mine gode bemadzejek egi bgednot ode bemadzet shote
nokmeskignan wa je dneswat.
Once, long ago, during the early times of creation it is said the Spirit of all
Life, the First Worker, came to make life as it now exists upon this Earth.
There was no daylight or light, nor life as we know it today, only darkness
and water everywhere. It was said among the old ones, Nakendemwajek,
(those who knew or wise ones) that there were three other ages before the
one in which we now find ourselves living in. The other ages or
dispensations of time were found to be lacking in love, respect for all life,
and other forms of humility, honor and the like. That is why the Originator
of all Life came to allow them to pass from this life or experience. Water
was allowed to rise up out of the deep wells of the Earth and swallow up
the disobedient children of men that once existed. From these stories we
know that we garner much truth, knowledge, and understanding about the
ages past from these spirits of men who once lived on this Earth. The
Seers/Holy People who have developed relationships with these beings can
access this knowledge as we need it and as we gain insight into this
unknown/untapped source.
The Nakendemwajek (old ones) said this creative source took some of the
celestial dust, the terrestrial dust, and from His own Shkemot (bag) he took
some of his own dust, fused all into the shape of a man with both sexes
within, then blew life into it with his Holy breath of action. It became the
species man and he was lowered to this Earth where he took over the duties
as Caretaker of all living things then existing.
He was called upon to name all living things as the natural things were new
then, without name and purpose. Mamogosnan gave the original
instructions to each living thing including man and woman and their
purpose on this Earth. Gye (Mother Earth) was considered to be the first
woman and the Wgema Negos (Chief Star Nation) was said to be the first
Father. Nibagizes (night sun or Grandmother Moon) and Nigangizes
(Grandfather Sun) were the first elders, thus the first part of creation for
this last dispensation.
The Seven Star Nation Sisters and the Seven Brothers met and conceived
a great nation which came to be known as the Seven Stone Fireplace of the
Neshnabek. Original Man was the Father of all living things as he gave
purpose and names to the rest of creation according to the instructions given
him by the Creative Force (Mamogosnan). Note: Name means; essence of
character, purpose designation. Original Man was the father of Life by
inspiration, not by act. He was to personify the Creative Force as the
original people had no knowledge of that personage or entity then. The
Teachings of wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and prudence were all
to come through Original Man/Woman.
Today, we still can see that Original Spark of Spiritual Energy as we gaze
toward the heavens early in the morning and witness the Morning Star as he
heralds Grandfather rising to greet the Earth and all of Life on this great
altar. The Old People have told us the Morning Star is the plume feather
adorning Grandfather Sun’s head as he rises with each new day to comfort
and warm the Earth with his creative/pro-creative energy. This is why one
can still witness some of the Neshnabek greeting the Sun with their prayer
ties and flags along with their food offerings and requests for a good life.
Some of them still remember this old story of creation and all that it entails.
Some of them still remember who they are, what they are, where they came
from, and where they are going again.
Ahau, Iw enajmoyan.
I ye i enajmoyan odo pi egi kendemwat gi Neshanabek mno wi pi.
Iw shna ekendemyek ode yatsokan wa je widmoyek gi penojek nangodgen.
Neaseno desh ne kas.
The same seems to be true with some of our European brothers who were told stories of their origins also. The point being, that often great truth was shrouded in mystery and was passed down to future generations, by story tellers, to the children of men at one time.....now it appears we've gotten too modern and civilized to understand the mysteries contained in our own stories.
Ahau, enjoy and share.....
Nin se Neaseno.
A Potawatomi Creation Story….
Im se ngotdek gi yajmowat gi kekyajek egi zhechket o menedo ga zhe tot
ode bmadzewen mine gode bemadzejek egi bgednot ode bemadzet shote
nokmeskignan wa je dneswat.
Once, long ago, during the early times of creation it is said the Spirit of all
Life, the First Worker, came to make life as it now exists upon this Earth.
There was no daylight or light, nor life as we know it today, only darkness
and water everywhere. It was said among the old ones, Nakendemwajek,
(those who knew or wise ones) that there were three other ages before the
one in which we now find ourselves living in. The other ages or
dispensations of time were found to be lacking in love, respect for all life,
and other forms of humility, honor and the like. That is why the Originator
of all Life came to allow them to pass from this life or experience. Water
was allowed to rise up out of the deep wells of the Earth and swallow up
the disobedient children of men that once existed. From these stories we
know that we garner much truth, knowledge, and understanding about the
ages past from these spirits of men who once lived on this Earth. The
Seers/Holy People who have developed relationships with these beings can
access this knowledge as we need it and as we gain insight into this
unknown/untapped source.
The Nakendemwajek (old ones) said this creative source took some of the
celestial dust, the terrestrial dust, and from His own Shkemot (bag) he took
some of his own dust, fused all into the shape of a man with both sexes
within, then blew life into it with his Holy breath of action. It became the
species man and he was lowered to this Earth where he took over the duties
as Caretaker of all living things then existing.
He was called upon to name all living things as the natural things were new
then, without name and purpose. Mamogosnan gave the original
instructions to each living thing including man and woman and their
purpose on this Earth. Gye (Mother Earth) was considered to be the first
woman and the Wgema Negos (Chief Star Nation) was said to be the first
Father. Nibagizes (night sun or Grandmother Moon) and Nigangizes
(Grandfather Sun) were the first elders, thus the first part of creation for
this last dispensation.
The Seven Star Nation Sisters and the Seven Brothers met and conceived
a great nation which came to be known as the Seven Stone Fireplace of the
Neshnabek. Original Man was the Father of all living things as he gave
purpose and names to the rest of creation according to the instructions given
him by the Creative Force (Mamogosnan). Note: Name means; essence of
character, purpose designation. Original Man was the father of Life by
inspiration, not by act. He was to personify the Creative Force as the
original people had no knowledge of that personage or entity then. The
Teachings of wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and prudence were all
to come through Original Man/Woman.
Today, we still can see that Original Spark of Spiritual Energy as we gaze
toward the heavens early in the morning and witness the Morning Star as he
heralds Grandfather rising to greet the Earth and all of Life on this great
altar. The Old People have told us the Morning Star is the plume feather
adorning Grandfather Sun’s head as he rises with each new day to comfort
and warm the Earth with his creative/pro-creative energy. This is why one
can still witness some of the Neshnabek greeting the Sun with their prayer
ties and flags along with their food offerings and requests for a good life.
Some of them still remember this old story of creation and all that it entails.
Some of them still remember who they are, what they are, where they came
from, and where they are going again.
Ahau, Iw enajmoyan.
I ye i enajmoyan odo pi egi kendemwat gi Neshanabek mno wi pi.
Iw shna ekendemyek ode yatsokan wa je widmoyek gi penojek nangodgen.
Neaseno desh ne kas.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Just an old Folk Song......
Folks, here is an old folk song that many singers have sung over the years....
An American folk song often categorized as children's music. It is a derivation of a Negro spiritual known as "When the Chariot Comes".
See if you can guess what the modern day title of this song is.....
It is all in Potawatomi.....
Have fun with this song....
Nin se Neaseno.
Wi-byé-wagi i azhbek’ek wa-je-byat
Wi-byé-wagi i azhbek’ek wa-je-byat,
Wi-byé-wagi i azhbek’ek wa-je-byat,
Wi-byé-wagi i azhbek’ek,
Wi-byé-wagi i azhbek’ek,
Wi-byé-wagi i azhbek’ek wa-je-byat.
Wi-zgabyénan négdoshayen wa-je-byat,
Wi-zgabyénan négdoshayen wa-je-byat,
Wi-zgabyénan négdoshayen,
Wi-zgabyénan négdoshayen,
Wi-zgabyénan négdoshayen wa-je-byat.
Jayék gwi-o-nkwéshkwamen wa-je-byat,
Jayék gwi-o-nkwéshkwamen wa-je-byat,
Jayék gwi-o-nkwéshkwamen,
Jayék gwi-o-nkwéshkwamen,
Jayék gwi-o-nkwéshkwamen wa-je-byat.
Gwi-nsamen o mskwe-nabésé wa-je-byat,
Gwi-nsamen o mskwe-nabésé wa-je-byat,
Gwi-nsamen o mskwe-nabésé,
Gwi-nsamen o mskwe-nabésé,
Gwi-nsamen o mskwe-nabésé wa-je-byat.
Jayék gwi-yemen wézhashkemdék wa-je-byat,
Jayék gwi-yemen wézhashkemdék wa-je-byat,
Jayék gwi-yemen wézhashkemdék,
Jayék gwi-yemen wézhashkemdék,
Jayék gwi-yemen wézhashkemdék wa-je-byat.
An American folk song often categorized as children's music. It is a derivation of a Negro spiritual known as "When the Chariot Comes".
See if you can guess what the modern day title of this song is.....
It is all in Potawatomi.....
Have fun with this song....
Nin se Neaseno.
Wi-byé-wagi i azhbek’ek wa-je-byat
Wi-byé-wagi i azhbek’ek wa-je-byat,
Wi-byé-wagi i azhbek’ek wa-je-byat,
Wi-byé-wagi i azhbek’ek,
Wi-byé-wagi i azhbek’ek,
Wi-byé-wagi i azhbek’ek wa-je-byat.
Wi-zgabyénan négdoshayen wa-je-byat,
Wi-zgabyénan négdoshayen wa-je-byat,
Wi-zgabyénan négdoshayen,
Wi-zgabyénan négdoshayen,
Wi-zgabyénan négdoshayen wa-je-byat.
Jayék gwi-o-nkwéshkwamen wa-je-byat,
Jayék gwi-o-nkwéshkwamen wa-je-byat,
Jayék gwi-o-nkwéshkwamen,
Jayék gwi-o-nkwéshkwamen,
Jayék gwi-o-nkwéshkwamen wa-je-byat.
Gwi-nsamen o mskwe-nabésé wa-je-byat,
Gwi-nsamen o mskwe-nabésé wa-je-byat,
Gwi-nsamen o mskwe-nabésé,
Gwi-nsamen o mskwe-nabésé,
Gwi-nsamen o mskwe-nabésé wa-je-byat.
Jayék gwi-yemen wézhashkemdék wa-je-byat,
Jayék gwi-yemen wézhashkemdék wa-je-byat,
Jayék gwi-yemen wézhashkemdék,
Jayék gwi-yemen wézhashkemdék,
Jayék gwi-yemen wézhashkemdék wa-je-byat.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
On Respect........
Good day folks....
Some information on an old familiar word among our people.....
The gift of respect and its responsibilities among our people, the Neshnabeg.
It wasn't something we merely spoke of, it was a lifestyle and something we put on, like an article of clothing......
Nin se Neaseno.
Respect
respect [rɪˈspɛkt]
n
1. an attitude of deference, admiration, or esteem; regard
2. the state of being honoured or esteemed
3. a detail, point, or characteristic; particular he differs in some respects from his son
4. reference or relation (esp in the phrases in respect of, with respect to)
5. polite or kind regard; consideration respect for people's feelings
6. (often plural) an expression of esteem or regard (esp in the phrase pay one's respects)
vb (tr)
1. to have an attitude of esteem towards; show or have respect for, to respect one's elders
2. to pay proper attention to; not violate, to respect Swiss neutrality
3. to show consideration for; treat courteously or kindly
4. Archaic to concern or refer to
[from Latin rēspicere to look back, pay attention to, from RE- + specere to look]
Mnadenmowen respect
Mnadendek to respect s.o.
Mdodadenwa speak with respect
Nchiwenmowen I hold in high regard
Nchiwendan hold in high regard (inan.)
Nchiwenma hold in high regard (anim.)
Wdetanmowen to have respect
Mnadendemwenen to have respect for s.o. or s.t.
Kejitwawenindowen to have great respect for s.o. or s.t.
Some questions to be considered.
Will a student of the Neshnabek persuasion ever surpass his/her teacher?
Should they ever cease respecting their teachers?
When will they stop following their teachers?
Will they know or will they be told?
Who will tell them?
Mnadendowen to have mutual respect for each other
The order of roles and their various duties.
Oshkabéwés
Little servitor….
Like a little janitor….
Spitoons, emptying of….
Cleaning of arbor area….
Oshkabéwes
Servitor
Fire assistant
Ceremonialist
Drummer/Singer
Altar assistant
Translator/Interpreter
*Physical
**Spiritual
*In this role, one was expected to serve the people by helping the elders and the spiritual leaders among them. In this way, the songs and the ceremonies were learned and often, a young person could become the apprentice of a recognized spiritual leader.
**In this role, one became a translator/interpreter of all the spiritual stuff he/she saw and was taught. Only your Teacher could advise you when you were ready for this responsibility though. Once you gained the trust of your Teachers, they commissioned you to go out and seek fresh vision for oneself. This is what draws the spiritual person close to the ways of the people, and causes him/her to serve so closely and faithfully.
Some information on an old familiar word among our people.....
The gift of respect and its responsibilities among our people, the Neshnabeg.
It wasn't something we merely spoke of, it was a lifestyle and something we put on, like an article of clothing......
Nin se Neaseno.
Respect
respect [rɪˈspɛkt]
n
1. an attitude of deference, admiration, or esteem; regard
2. the state of being honoured or esteemed
3. a detail, point, or characteristic; particular he differs in some respects from his son
4. reference or relation (esp in the phrases in respect of, with respect to)
5. polite or kind regard; consideration respect for people's feelings
6. (often plural) an expression of esteem or regard (esp in the phrase pay one's respects)
vb (tr)
1. to have an attitude of esteem towards; show or have respect for, to respect one's elders
2. to pay proper attention to; not violate, to respect Swiss neutrality
3. to show consideration for; treat courteously or kindly
4. Archaic to concern or refer to
[from Latin rēspicere to look back, pay attention to, from RE- + specere to look]
Mnadenmowen respect
Mnadendek to respect s.o.
Mdodadenwa speak with respect
Nchiwenmowen I hold in high regard
Nchiwendan hold in high regard (inan.)
Nchiwenma hold in high regard (anim.)
Wdetanmowen to have respect
Mnadendemwenen to have respect for s.o. or s.t.
Kejitwawenindowen to have great respect for s.o. or s.t.
Some questions to be considered.
Will a student of the Neshnabek persuasion ever surpass his/her teacher?
Should they ever cease respecting their teachers?
When will they stop following their teachers?
Will they know or will they be told?
Who will tell them?
Mnadendowen to have mutual respect for each other
The order of roles and their various duties.
Oshkabéwés
Little servitor….
Like a little janitor….
Spitoons, emptying of….
Cleaning of arbor area….
Oshkabéwes
Servitor
Fire assistant
Ceremonialist
Drummer/Singer
Altar assistant
Translator/Interpreter
*Physical
**Spiritual
*In this role, one was expected to serve the people by helping the elders and the spiritual leaders among them. In this way, the songs and the ceremonies were learned and often, a young person could become the apprentice of a recognized spiritual leader.
**In this role, one became a translator/interpreter of all the spiritual stuff he/she saw and was taught. Only your Teacher could advise you when you were ready for this responsibility though. Once you gained the trust of your Teachers, they commissioned you to go out and seek fresh vision for oneself. This is what draws the spiritual person close to the ways of the people, and causes him/her to serve so closely and faithfully.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
An old Prayer......
Thought you might enjoy reading a prayer stated by one of our old Potawatomi gentlemen, recorded by Ruth Landes, and early anthropologist who visited our people in Kansas in the 1930's. Tom Topash was from Michigan originally but made his home with the Prairie Potawatomi of Kansas then. He still has relatives living in the Southwestern Michigan area.
Read and enjoy then....
Nin se Neaseno.
TOPASH PRAYER.
THUNDER:
O Jigwé Nagan’ien (énaganiyen)
Oh Thunder Leader
Mamwé mishkwezyen shote
Supreme Power here
Égi bgednegoyen éwi je
You were placed and to
Kewabmiyak I je mine
Protect us (also) and
Éwi nizhokmodwan gij
To help your other
Mishkwezimak éwi
Lesser plants under you and good
Mnogmoak éwi nizhokmodwan *(always praise the
Rains and help (bless us with) rains)
Éwi mno bmadziyak jak gégo
Good lives (that we may live good lives)
Mine éwi gsiabaudi’ek (gsiabadwiyek)
All crops, growths and every variety
Nebeshknegen jayék
All rotten things (and washes clean atop the ME
All rotten things)
Anaké tatbégwen mine mishkoyen
Along with leaves and weeds
Nebeshknegen éwi binabaud’iek (binabadwiyek)
Rotten and made clean by the rain
Édnesyak iw je pi
Where we live and when
Zhawno’enmek émnoskyag inoden
The South Winds with their nice damp air and the Great
Good Wind
Égche mnobmadji shka gwi yak
Enable us to live and able
Ije gedzhi’esk miyak jak
To continue all
Mno mikjéwiwen éwi
Variety of good work and
Jak gishkwiyak we’an meze
Variety of completed work pursuing
Mno mikjéwiyak éwi zhigojkemegon
Good work and to avoid
Mine jak nenyézanyek
Any and all danger.
NORTH SPIRIT:
Ahau Pondesé wéwéne
Greeting Coldness (One) earnestly
Genadotmonenan éwi
We ask you and
Kewabmiyak wéwénije
Protect us earnestly we ask
Genadotmonenan éwi
You to protect us and
Kewabmiyak éwi bwa zigdezhiyak
Watch over us and not to freeze us
Bénagdze éwi zak senyak
Be very mild then Cold Ones
Ije gche gdotmonenan
And we request
Débtso éwi bgeshagon
A sufficiency then of falling snow
Éwi ngwagneg se kig
So as to blanket the Earth
Éwi déb mno Otakiwak
And so sufficient a nice dampening of the Earth
Gé she je kejkadoiyag éwi
In order to help us then
Gizhgatoyag wabgonen
Raise pumpkins
Ndamneg mine penik
Corn and potatoes
Mine kojések mine
And beans and
Jak ézgak washkgbek
All variety of growing things
Mine jak ézgak bébiz wayak
And also small fruits.
THE EAST:
Kegnaswé ékche yéwak
Coming Daylight Greatest
Gebébamzawen gin
Power you
Éwedzema dzegék jak gégo
Start varieties of everything
Bamgak mshkekegé jak
Growing medicine all
Éshkek wa nadwashkag wiyak
Kinds that grow for doctoring ourselves
Ébgosén demak wéwéne éwi
We wish sincerely then
Gizgak iw je wéwéne gé je
They grow then nicely so we can
Skeksedoiyak éwi
Gather them and
Nado’owé wiyak iw pi éyaknogéyak
Cure ourselves when we fall ill
Iw je wéwéne géndotmon nag tche
And respectfully I ask you an early
Ewi Mnokmek iw je wéwéne
Spring and respectfully
Endotmonag jak ézgak
We ask you for it all kinds of growing
Washkgbeg gé je skeknemag
Fruit that we may gather
Iw pi Ponok éwi mijyak
When Winter comes and we eat
Mine éwizgek nekmek jak
And gather all kinds
Ezgek mashgeké
Of growing things.
THE SOUTH :
Zhawdesi ik she éndotmonag
Hotness now we pray
Ewi mizhyak jak gégo kazegek
Then give us varities of all that
Géte ga nak gin jayék épamzen
Grows in the fields you do have all kinds of control
Ékwabdoyen éwi mno zak ki’eg
You have charge of them and good growths
MOTHER EARTH:
Mesekmekwé ngyénan ik she
Top soil our Mother now we
Wéwéne éndotmonag gé pe
Respectfully ask you to fulfill your
Bamziwen gé gin ga wje
Responsibility that is your duty
Bgetnegoyen éwi je nizhokmowiyak
You were placed to do and help us execute
Shewénmatenejnag éwi mno
Graciously and good
Zak k’yég mine wéwéne éwi
To sprout and properly to
Gizhgag jak gégo waje’ gé’ak
Mature all everything they/we plant
Éwi mémek mikwékek
And make them grow abundantly.
THE GOOD SPIRIT:
She wén ge’en mnomneto wéwéne
Merciful Good Spirit respectfully
Gnedotmomen éwi kewabmiyak
We say to protect then (us) from
Jak gégo éje nizan wiyag
All of the dangers
Gche tche igwan n’mo jenak
Avert cyclone or
Gche wawiyasto jayék gégo
Great Whirlwind and all sorts of
Ze’angek égche mkomi
Dangers with great hail or falling storm
Biésag gé’aba éwi bwa
Also avoid excessive
Ozam wizganmek
Winds
Iw je gé she ndotmomen
Also again we pray you
Gche tche igwan jayék
Ward off all kinds
Éwi nénmoyak jak zengak
Then ward them off all danger
Éwi bwa pe gém jeka gwi yak
Then so it will not touch
Gche tche igwan nénmo jenak
Us ward off great dangers
I gé zenan dek noden
Including Hot Wind.
Read and enjoy then....
Nin se Neaseno.
TOPASH PRAYER.
THUNDER:
O Jigwé Nagan’ien (énaganiyen)
Oh Thunder Leader
Mamwé mishkwezyen shote
Supreme Power here
Égi bgednegoyen éwi je
You were placed and to
Kewabmiyak I je mine
Protect us (also) and
Éwi nizhokmodwan gij
To help your other
Mishkwezimak éwi
Lesser plants under you and good
Mnogmoak éwi nizhokmodwan *(always praise the
Rains and help (bless us with) rains)
Éwi mno bmadziyak jak gégo
Good lives (that we may live good lives)
Mine éwi gsiabaudi’ek (gsiabadwiyek)
All crops, growths and every variety
Nebeshknegen jayék
All rotten things (and washes clean atop the ME
All rotten things)
Anaké tatbégwen mine mishkoyen
Along with leaves and weeds
Nebeshknegen éwi binabaud’iek (binabadwiyek)
Rotten and made clean by the rain
Édnesyak iw je pi
Where we live and when
Zhawno’enmek émnoskyag inoden
The South Winds with their nice damp air and the Great
Good Wind
Égche mnobmadji shka gwi yak
Enable us to live and able
Ije gedzhi’esk miyak jak
To continue all
Mno mikjéwiwen éwi
Variety of good work and
Jak gishkwiyak we’an meze
Variety of completed work pursuing
Mno mikjéwiyak éwi zhigojkemegon
Good work and to avoid
Mine jak nenyézanyek
Any and all danger.
NORTH SPIRIT:
Ahau Pondesé wéwéne
Greeting Coldness (One) earnestly
Genadotmonenan éwi
We ask you and
Kewabmiyak wéwénije
Protect us earnestly we ask
Genadotmonenan éwi
You to protect us and
Kewabmiyak éwi bwa zigdezhiyak
Watch over us and not to freeze us
Bénagdze éwi zak senyak
Be very mild then Cold Ones
Ije gche gdotmonenan
And we request
Débtso éwi bgeshagon
A sufficiency then of falling snow
Éwi ngwagneg se kig
So as to blanket the Earth
Éwi déb mno Otakiwak
And so sufficient a nice dampening of the Earth
Gé she je kejkadoiyag éwi
In order to help us then
Gizhgatoyag wabgonen
Raise pumpkins
Ndamneg mine penik
Corn and potatoes
Mine kojések mine
And beans and
Jak ézgak washkgbek
All variety of growing things
Mine jak ézgak bébiz wayak
And also small fruits.
THE EAST:
Kegnaswé ékche yéwak
Coming Daylight Greatest
Gebébamzawen gin
Power you
Éwedzema dzegék jak gégo
Start varieties of everything
Bamgak mshkekegé jak
Growing medicine all
Éshkek wa nadwashkag wiyak
Kinds that grow for doctoring ourselves
Ébgosén demak wéwéne éwi
We wish sincerely then
Gizgak iw je wéwéne gé je
They grow then nicely so we can
Skeksedoiyak éwi
Gather them and
Nado’owé wiyak iw pi éyaknogéyak
Cure ourselves when we fall ill
Iw je wéwéne géndotmon nag tche
And respectfully I ask you an early
Ewi Mnokmek iw je wéwéne
Spring and respectfully
Endotmonag jak ézgak
We ask you for it all kinds of growing
Washkgbeg gé je skeknemag
Fruit that we may gather
Iw pi Ponok éwi mijyak
When Winter comes and we eat
Mine éwizgek nekmek jak
And gather all kinds
Ezgek mashgeké
Of growing things.
THE SOUTH :
Zhawdesi ik she éndotmonag
Hotness now we pray
Ewi mizhyak jak gégo kazegek
Then give us varities of all that
Géte ga nak gin jayék épamzen
Grows in the fields you do have all kinds of control
Ékwabdoyen éwi mno zak ki’eg
You have charge of them and good growths
MOTHER EARTH:
Mesekmekwé ngyénan ik she
Top soil our Mother now we
Wéwéne éndotmonag gé pe
Respectfully ask you to fulfill your
Bamziwen gé gin ga wje
Responsibility that is your duty
Bgetnegoyen éwi je nizhokmowiyak
You were placed to do and help us execute
Shewénmatenejnag éwi mno
Graciously and good
Zak k’yég mine wéwéne éwi
To sprout and properly to
Gizhgag jak gégo waje’ gé’ak
Mature all everything they/we plant
Éwi mémek mikwékek
And make them grow abundantly.
THE GOOD SPIRIT:
She wén ge’en mnomneto wéwéne
Merciful Good Spirit respectfully
Gnedotmomen éwi kewabmiyak
We say to protect then (us) from
Jak gégo éje nizan wiyag
All of the dangers
Gche tche igwan n’mo jenak
Avert cyclone or
Gche wawiyasto jayék gégo
Great Whirlwind and all sorts of
Ze’angek égche mkomi
Dangers with great hail or falling storm
Biésag gé’aba éwi bwa
Also avoid excessive
Ozam wizganmek
Winds
Iw je gé she ndotmomen
Also again we pray you
Gche tche igwan jayék
Ward off all kinds
Éwi nénmoyak jak zengak
Then ward them off all danger
Éwi bwa pe gém jeka gwi yak
Then so it will not touch
Gche tche igwan nénmo jenak
Us ward off great dangers
I gé zenan dek noden
Including Hot Wind.
Friday, March 25, 2011
A poem for you today folks.....
I wrote this some time back.....
It still tells a powerful story though.....
We must not lose our language and cultural ways.....
We cannot lose them, for they are intertwined.....ya can't have one without the other.....
Read and enjoy.....and think deeply on the message therein....
Nin se Neaseno.
Look at my Horse!
By: Donald Perrot
I was standing somewhere
Looking at the sights of this world
And they told me I was too old to stand there,
So I told someone,
Hey mister, look at my horse.
She sure is fast,
She can sure run like the wind.
Look at her mane and tail, mister,
Did you ever see anything so beautiful?
Oh, they wouldn’t even look at my horse,
So I told them I knew of many horses,
And many riders who still trusted in horses.
I told them I could still ride like the old ones,
And keep up with the people who move as ghosts
In the wind at night and in the moonlight.
I told them we were a part of the horses
Because the horses were us,
And we were the horses.
Our Ways of Life are the horses
We ride throughout eternity
And beyond when you shall see us no more,
But wonder just where we all went,
On some moonlit night when shadows grow long,
And stories grow old with not even one
Storyteller around to finish the tale.
Hey mister, look for the wheel
Which shall come around again,
Looking for the paths to finish what
We have only begun to speak and do.
No, they didn’t want to listen to my drum,
Nor my songs, nor my stories, or even brush
My horse’s back or clean her fetlocks,
Or caress her hooves from the long trails
She had traveled for me and them.
Now they cry in the moonlight,
For some of the beauty I tried to tell them of
And whimpers can be heard midst the voices of little ones,
Who ache to hear the old stories once again.
Days when I told them of my old horse
And the winningness of her gallop,
And the sureness of her hoofbeats,
Beating a staccatto on well worn buffalo paths
They didn’t even know about.
I still love my old horse,
And still ride her in the moonlight,
When no one is about.
It matters not that no one sees her
To admire the beauty of her ways.
All that matters is that I still love and trust
Her and still want to ride her,
On moonlit nights when all is calm
And full of sweetgrass memories.
I shall yet love her and go on with her
Marveling at her sureness, and steady gait,
And strength that brought me through then.
From one who knows love then!
Nin se Neaseno...
Copyright 2004
It still tells a powerful story though.....
We must not lose our language and cultural ways.....
We cannot lose them, for they are intertwined.....ya can't have one without the other.....
Read and enjoy.....and think deeply on the message therein....
Nin se Neaseno.
Look at my Horse!
By: Donald Perrot
I was standing somewhere
Looking at the sights of this world
And they told me I was too old to stand there,
So I told someone,
Hey mister, look at my horse.
She sure is fast,
She can sure run like the wind.
Look at her mane and tail, mister,
Did you ever see anything so beautiful?
Oh, they wouldn’t even look at my horse,
So I told them I knew of many horses,
And many riders who still trusted in horses.
I told them I could still ride like the old ones,
And keep up with the people who move as ghosts
In the wind at night and in the moonlight.
I told them we were a part of the horses
Because the horses were us,
And we were the horses.
Our Ways of Life are the horses
We ride throughout eternity
And beyond when you shall see us no more,
But wonder just where we all went,
On some moonlit night when shadows grow long,
And stories grow old with not even one
Storyteller around to finish the tale.
Hey mister, look for the wheel
Which shall come around again,
Looking for the paths to finish what
We have only begun to speak and do.
No, they didn’t want to listen to my drum,
Nor my songs, nor my stories, or even brush
My horse’s back or clean her fetlocks,
Or caress her hooves from the long trails
She had traveled for me and them.
Now they cry in the moonlight,
For some of the beauty I tried to tell them of
And whimpers can be heard midst the voices of little ones,
Who ache to hear the old stories once again.
Days when I told them of my old horse
And the winningness of her gallop,
And the sureness of her hoofbeats,
Beating a staccatto on well worn buffalo paths
They didn’t even know about.
I still love my old horse,
And still ride her in the moonlight,
When no one is about.
It matters not that no one sees her
To admire the beauty of her ways.
All that matters is that I still love and trust
Her and still want to ride her,
On moonlit nights when all is calm
And full of sweetgrass memories.
I shall yet love her and go on with her
Marveling at her sureness, and steady gait,
And strength that brought me through then.
From one who knows love then!
Nin se Neaseno...
Copyright 2004
Thursday, March 24, 2011
In Memory of Edwegizhgokwe.....
In memoriam of Edwegizhgokwe.....
Who was with us in this language and yearned to be able to speak hers, the language she was born with and heard as a child.....now she roams those hills of home speaking to her heart's content and visiting often, the Ones she dreamed of....
and the One who gave her the life she lived so freely and fully, and then called her home to be with those who've earned a rest, as she did.
This song/poem was written by a friend of mine.....
Nin se Neaseno.
Teachers
Last night, I dreamed of floating on deep waters,
drifting toward destinations unknown
on a raft just barely large enough
to hold me.
Yesterday I watched her sleeping
for a long, long time,
breathed her living presence
as she visited those distant lands
of buoyant transformation.
I mused about the coming time
when her sleep will be the fathomless kind,
her living presence known to other realms --
no longer here,
no longer mine.
But now, she dreams as I do,
in domains we know but do not understand,
where conversations freely flow
between the souls of man.
These enigmatic dreams of hers and mine
instruct us with the same refrain:
Let your hearts be open!
open!
open!
no matter the fear or pain.
Copyright © 7-27-08
Juli Maltagliati
Who was with us in this language and yearned to be able to speak hers, the language she was born with and heard as a child.....now she roams those hills of home speaking to her heart's content and visiting often, the Ones she dreamed of....
and the One who gave her the life she lived so freely and fully, and then called her home to be with those who've earned a rest, as she did.
This song/poem was written by a friend of mine.....
Nin se Neaseno.
Teachers
Last night, I dreamed of floating on deep waters,
drifting toward destinations unknown
on a raft just barely large enough
to hold me.
Yesterday I watched her sleeping
for a long, long time,
breathed her living presence
as she visited those distant lands
of buoyant transformation.
I mused about the coming time
when her sleep will be the fathomless kind,
her living presence known to other realms --
no longer here,
no longer mine.
But now, she dreams as I do,
in domains we know but do not understand,
where conversations freely flow
between the souls of man.
These enigmatic dreams of hers and mine
instruct us with the same refrain:
Let your hearts be open!
open!
open!
no matter the fear or pain.
Copyright © 7-27-08
Juli Maltagliati
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Why it is Spring....
Another old story as to why it is Spring....
The old people were amazing and more interesting to listen to than watching the modern day television of today. The way they could embellish a story was truly amazing. There are several versions of this story.....
Nin se Neaseno......enjoy.
Bnewi pene shna gi bbomget, pene gi ksenyamget, gi gwtektowek bemadsetthek.
A long time ago, it was winter all the time, it was cold all the time and people had a hard time.
Ngodek shna eyawek weshgget kwe gi mkedeke, ije egi ndotthget notth na datthe abwamgek.
One time a young girl fasted, and she asked that the weather would be warmer.
I tthe ni mnedon egi widmagwet da shetthget na notth ewi abwamgek.
So the spirits told her what she could do to make the weather warmer.
Gagish mkedeket egi widmowat ni wgetzimen, “Abdek wetthksenyak nwi shya,” wdenan.
After her fast, she told her parents, “I have to go north,” she told them.
“Wiye shi etthe yet o bemendek ode pene e bbomgek ngigo,” kedo o weshgget kwe.
“That’s where he’s at, the one responsible for it being winter all the time, I was told,” said the young girl.
“Mishgoswen ngi mingo ewi o wabmek. Abdek nwi o mttenwa, gishpen pkenwek wi mnokme mine wi niben.”
“I was given power to go see him. I have to challenge him, if I beat him there will be spring and summer.”
“Nitthe gishpen pkenagwyen?” kedo ni wneneyem. “Jo mine wika ke wabmesim,” wdenan wneneymen.
“What if he beats you?” said her mother. “Then you will never see me again,” she told her mother.
I the egi wshitat, mteno shna washe bmowdek wgi matthidon.
Then she got ready, she took only what she could pack on her back.
Ah itthe ibe wetthksenyak gi gwtekto, o kewesi. Gwa shna shke ewse msen emawdonek.
Meanwhile, up north, the old man was having a hard time. He was barely able to gather firewood.
Pene shna gi mshkewakwten I zibe gabmejwek besotth i edat. Pene gi kche noden shi.
The river that ran by, close to his house was always frozen over. It was always windy there.
O wtthe kewesi gi tthibdebe tthik shkwede shi edat. Gawa gewi psakwnemget i shkwede.
The old man sat in his lodge, next to the fire, which was barely going.
Bama she wiye bey detewegenet shi shkwademek. “Ahow. Bidgek,” kedo o kewesi.
Just then, somebody was knocking on the door. “Ahow. Come in,” said the old man.
Bama she sesksiyen bye bidge’net. Aptthe she goniwe o sesksi mine bigeje.
And a young maiden came in. She was really snowy and cold.
Mine I wdep wabgonen gi wiwkwebso. Mine geshe gi kche mnowabmenagwse.
Around her head, she wore a halo of Trailing Arbutus. And she was also very pretty.
“Bosho ndanes,” kedo. “Gda bye os shote shkwedek.” Pishne atemget gewi I shkwede.
“Hello daughter,” he said. “Come warm up here, by the fire.” The fire itself, was almost going out.
“Ahow nge ske’wa o ndo pwagen, ke wdemamen,” kedo o kewezi.
“Okay, I’ll light up my pipe, we will have a smoke,” said the old man.
Epiche wdemawat, “Ezakttheseyan iw ebinek ode gon,” kedo o kewezi.
While they were smoking, the old man said, “When I go outside, I bring on the snow.”
“Ah i geni ezakttheseyan ebye mokit o gises,” kedo gewi o seski.
“Oh, when I go outside, the sun comes out,” said the maiden.
“Shpemek eshenkenwiyan i notth ektthe ksenyak,” kedo o kewezi.
“When I throw my arms towards the sky, the weather gets colder,” said the old man.
“Nin wi shpemek eshenkenwiyan i abwamget,” kedo o sesksi.
“Me, when I throw my arms up at the sky, the weather gets warmer,” said the maiden.
Bama she peneshiyek kwedbek etnemaswat. Gi nabmegon ni kewesiyen.
All of a sudden, birds were singing on the roof. The old man just glared at her.
“Ekanabdeman I zibe I emshkewakwtek,” kedo o kewezi.
“When I look at the river, it freezes up,” said the old man.
“Nin wi ekanabdeman i zibe i engezet o mkewm,” kedo o sesksi.
“Me, when I look at the river, the ice melts,” said the maiden.
I tthe zagetth egi nabet ekanabdek i zibe.
Then, she looked outside to look at the river.
Epi tangedok notth gewi ne gshedemget i shkwede.
As she spoke, the fire started getting warmer.
Bama she o kewezi enodek emdwetthwek i zibe pi enengezet o mkwem.
Then, the old man heard the sound of the river, as the ice started to melt.
“Ngotthi epamseyan i ektthe bonik,’ kedo o kewezi.
“When I walk somewhere, it really snows,” said the old man.
“Metth she bebashyayan ematthigek ni wabgonen,” kedo o sesksi.
“Whereever I walk, the Trailing Arbutus grows,” said the maiden.
I tthe ekanabmet ni kewesiyen eshkem ne gatthi ye.
As she looked at the old man, he started getting smaller.
Mine zagetth enabet I shna ene skebgamgek ni mishkosen.
And as she looked outside again, the grass was turning green.
I tthe egi kwansego mno gishgek. Nekmek dnemaswek peneshiyek.
And it turned into a beautiful day. You could hear birds singing all over the place.
Gatthe tthibdebet o kewesi shna mteno gasweksek i waboyan.
Where the old man sat, all that was there, spread out, was his blanket.
Edapnek i waboyan o sesksi. I shna mteno mbish shi ga askobisek ga tthe nmedbet o kewezi.
The maiden picked up the blanket, and all there was under it, was a puddle of water, where the old man sat.
“I she shna yedek egi ngezet o kewezi,” shede e o sesksi.
“Oh, the old man must have melted,” thought the young maiden.
I tthe shna nekmek i gi pamadset o sesksi. Metth ttheshe ga bme shyat wiye shi ngom etthe matthigek ni wabgonen.
Then, the young maiden traveled all over. Wherever she went, is where the Trailing Arbutus grows today.
Mine she wiye I mamo netem zakimgek e mnokmek.
And it is the first plant to come up in the spring.
I wtthe ode sesksi egi pkenwat ni mkwemi wnenwen ngom wetthe yemgo ode emnokmek. Iw ektownangek.
Because the young maiden overpowered the iceman, is why we have Spring now. That is the story that is told.
The old people were amazing and more interesting to listen to than watching the modern day television of today. The way they could embellish a story was truly amazing. There are several versions of this story.....
Nin se Neaseno......enjoy.
Bnewi pene shna gi bbomget, pene gi ksenyamget, gi gwtektowek bemadsetthek.
A long time ago, it was winter all the time, it was cold all the time and people had a hard time.
Ngodek shna eyawek weshgget kwe gi mkedeke, ije egi ndotthget notth na datthe abwamgek.
One time a young girl fasted, and she asked that the weather would be warmer.
I tthe ni mnedon egi widmagwet da shetthget na notth ewi abwamgek.
So the spirits told her what she could do to make the weather warmer.
Gagish mkedeket egi widmowat ni wgetzimen, “Abdek wetthksenyak nwi shya,” wdenan.
After her fast, she told her parents, “I have to go north,” she told them.
“Wiye shi etthe yet o bemendek ode pene e bbomgek ngigo,” kedo o weshgget kwe.
“That’s where he’s at, the one responsible for it being winter all the time, I was told,” said the young girl.
“Mishgoswen ngi mingo ewi o wabmek. Abdek nwi o mttenwa, gishpen pkenwek wi mnokme mine wi niben.”
“I was given power to go see him. I have to challenge him, if I beat him there will be spring and summer.”
“Nitthe gishpen pkenagwyen?” kedo ni wneneyem. “Jo mine wika ke wabmesim,” wdenan wneneymen.
“What if he beats you?” said her mother. “Then you will never see me again,” she told her mother.
I the egi wshitat, mteno shna washe bmowdek wgi matthidon.
Then she got ready, she took only what she could pack on her back.
Ah itthe ibe wetthksenyak gi gwtekto, o kewesi. Gwa shna shke ewse msen emawdonek.
Meanwhile, up north, the old man was having a hard time. He was barely able to gather firewood.
Pene shna gi mshkewakwten I zibe gabmejwek besotth i edat. Pene gi kche noden shi.
The river that ran by, close to his house was always frozen over. It was always windy there.
O wtthe kewesi gi tthibdebe tthik shkwede shi edat. Gawa gewi psakwnemget i shkwede.
The old man sat in his lodge, next to the fire, which was barely going.
Bama she wiye bey detewegenet shi shkwademek. “Ahow. Bidgek,” kedo o kewesi.
Just then, somebody was knocking on the door. “Ahow. Come in,” said the old man.
Bama she sesksiyen bye bidge’net. Aptthe she goniwe o sesksi mine bigeje.
And a young maiden came in. She was really snowy and cold.
Mine I wdep wabgonen gi wiwkwebso. Mine geshe gi kche mnowabmenagwse.
Around her head, she wore a halo of Trailing Arbutus. And she was also very pretty.
“Bosho ndanes,” kedo. “Gda bye os shote shkwedek.” Pishne atemget gewi I shkwede.
“Hello daughter,” he said. “Come warm up here, by the fire.” The fire itself, was almost going out.
“Ahow nge ske’wa o ndo pwagen, ke wdemamen,” kedo o kewezi.
“Okay, I’ll light up my pipe, we will have a smoke,” said the old man.
Epiche wdemawat, “Ezakttheseyan iw ebinek ode gon,” kedo o kewezi.
While they were smoking, the old man said, “When I go outside, I bring on the snow.”
“Ah i geni ezakttheseyan ebye mokit o gises,” kedo gewi o seski.
“Oh, when I go outside, the sun comes out,” said the maiden.
“Shpemek eshenkenwiyan i notth ektthe ksenyak,” kedo o kewezi.
“When I throw my arms towards the sky, the weather gets colder,” said the old man.
“Nin wi shpemek eshenkenwiyan i abwamget,” kedo o sesksi.
“Me, when I throw my arms up at the sky, the weather gets warmer,” said the maiden.
Bama she peneshiyek kwedbek etnemaswat. Gi nabmegon ni kewesiyen.
All of a sudden, birds were singing on the roof. The old man just glared at her.
“Ekanabdeman I zibe I emshkewakwtek,” kedo o kewezi.
“When I look at the river, it freezes up,” said the old man.
“Nin wi ekanabdeman i zibe i engezet o mkewm,” kedo o sesksi.
“Me, when I look at the river, the ice melts,” said the maiden.
I tthe zagetth egi nabet ekanabdek i zibe.
Then, she looked outside to look at the river.
Epi tangedok notth gewi ne gshedemget i shkwede.
As she spoke, the fire started getting warmer.
Bama she o kewezi enodek emdwetthwek i zibe pi enengezet o mkwem.
Then, the old man heard the sound of the river, as the ice started to melt.
“Ngotthi epamseyan i ektthe bonik,’ kedo o kewezi.
“When I walk somewhere, it really snows,” said the old man.
“Metth she bebashyayan ematthigek ni wabgonen,” kedo o sesksi.
“Whereever I walk, the Trailing Arbutus grows,” said the maiden.
I tthe ekanabmet ni kewesiyen eshkem ne gatthi ye.
As she looked at the old man, he started getting smaller.
Mine zagetth enabet I shna ene skebgamgek ni mishkosen.
And as she looked outside again, the grass was turning green.
I tthe egi kwansego mno gishgek. Nekmek dnemaswek peneshiyek.
And it turned into a beautiful day. You could hear birds singing all over the place.
Gatthe tthibdebet o kewesi shna mteno gasweksek i waboyan.
Where the old man sat, all that was there, spread out, was his blanket.
Edapnek i waboyan o sesksi. I shna mteno mbish shi ga askobisek ga tthe nmedbet o kewezi.
The maiden picked up the blanket, and all there was under it, was a puddle of water, where the old man sat.
“I she shna yedek egi ngezet o kewezi,” shede e o sesksi.
“Oh, the old man must have melted,” thought the young maiden.
I tthe shna nekmek i gi pamadset o sesksi. Metth ttheshe ga bme shyat wiye shi ngom etthe matthigek ni wabgonen.
Then, the young maiden traveled all over. Wherever she went, is where the Trailing Arbutus grows today.
Mine she wiye I mamo netem zakimgek e mnokmek.
And it is the first plant to come up in the spring.
I wtthe ode sesksi egi pkenwat ni mkwemi wnenwen ngom wetthe yemgo ode emnokmek. Iw ektownangek.
Because the young maiden overpowered the iceman, is why we have Spring now. That is the story that is told.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Another old story.......
This old story which involves my family is a true story which never gets old. Stories like this get better with each telling, for the story teller can embellish an old one like this however they may choose. Stories were told when we were kids instead of watching the television and all the modern conveniences we have today. These are the days and the stories, told in the Bodewadmi language that we lack in our lives today.
Old time stories told by a gifted story teller was a rare treat....
Nin se Neaseno.
Ode se atsokan...
A long time ago it was told by some of the elders that a certain
young woman took a white man for her husband and this man was very devoted to her and the people she grew up with. It was said that he took her ways unto himself, learning the language and he even attended the ceremonies of her people until the day she died and left him alone among her people.
After her death, some of the people wondered what he would do; would he go back to his own people, or would he stay among the people of his deceased wife?
He answered the queries of the people by continuing to show up at the ceremonies of the Neshnabek and praying with them. He also stayed on at the dwelling place they had made together during the time of her sojourn with her people and took loving care of their garden and other things they had shared as husband and wife, including a little dog she had loved.
Now this little dog was a little rascal of a fellow and he followed the man everywhere, as he missed 'the woman who was his mistress very much. One day a Neshnabe stopped by and gave the man some tobacco/sema to come to a song service that evening. He was told to make sure this dog did not follow him as the spirits didn't take kindly to animals around a ceremony. They
might think you want to sacrifice this little dog to them if you allow him to follow you, the Neshnabe told him, with a twinkle in his eye. He assured his guest the little dog would be locked up for the night inside his house where he would not be able to follow anyone.
When it was time to leave, the man locked the little dog inside the house, but he had forgotten to close the window in his bedroom, so the little pet sneaked out and followed his master to the drum doings. The song service lasted until about 10 PM and the people gathered in the kitchen of the home they had met in for some refreshments before returning to their homes. The Shkabewes of the drum also gave the men sema for the next doings and debated with one of the others as to whether or not to give the white man some. They assured him the man was all right and he gave him plenty of sema with the admonition not to give it all away to the night spirits, should they decide to follow him.
Some of the other men joked with the man and told him about one of the spirits of the forest who liked to follow folks at night just so he could get tobacco/sema from them. They cautioned him
to give any spirit an offering of tobacco whenever he heard any distinct sounds in the woods. With a final friendly warning not to give all his tobacco away to the spirits, they all departed in various directions. The man visited with his hosts for a little while before departing for his home again, not knowing his little dog was waiting in the woods for him, so he could secretly follow him again.
Upon exiting the home of his hosts, he followed his favorite trail toward his home. Presently he heard some sounds behind him which he took to be that spirit they had told him about, and he quickly squatted down and gave a small offering of sema to the forest spirit. He began to walk with a faster gait toward his home thinking of his little dog he had left there.
After walking for a few more minutes, he heard a louder noise behind him. Thinking it was the spirit of the forest the men had warned him about, he quickly squatted and put down a bigger offering of tobacco this time. He was to walk only a few more minutes and he again heard the same sound behind him. I must have done something to displease this spirit he thought, and he quickly placed a larger offering of tobacco beside the trail, this time praying even; "Oh Spirit of the Woods," he prayed, "Don't hurt me, I mean you no harm and I've given you a large offering of tobacco, as you can see." "I'll give you even a larger offering if you would like, even the whole bag of tobacco, should you insist," he further stated.
After getting back on his feet and moving as swiftly as he could, he again heard a rather loud sound coming from the woods. He quickly dumped out the remaining tobacco he had in his bag and then took off running toward his home. As he ran toward his house, the little dog sped past him in an attempt to reach the house before him. Realizing his "spirit of the woods" was none other than his own dog, he quickly stopped, puffing hard, but laughing at himself for being so foolish and becoming frightened as he had. This will make a good story to tell the others when we meet again he thought to himself as he scolded the little dog for following him yet again.
There are many stories like this among the Neshnabek which we shall be sharing with you from time to time. The period of time when they first met the white people was an especially good time with many humorous happenings among them, learning the English language.
Ahau, iw enajmoyan,
Old time stories told by a gifted story teller was a rare treat....
Nin se Neaseno.
Ode se atsokan...
A long time ago it was told by some of the elders that a certain
young woman took a white man for her husband and this man was very devoted to her and the people she grew up with. It was said that he took her ways unto himself, learning the language and he even attended the ceremonies of her people until the day she died and left him alone among her people.
After her death, some of the people wondered what he would do; would he go back to his own people, or would he stay among the people of his deceased wife?
He answered the queries of the people by continuing to show up at the ceremonies of the Neshnabek and praying with them. He also stayed on at the dwelling place they had made together during the time of her sojourn with her people and took loving care of their garden and other things they had shared as husband and wife, including a little dog she had loved.
Now this little dog was a little rascal of a fellow and he followed the man everywhere, as he missed 'the woman who was his mistress very much. One day a Neshnabe stopped by and gave the man some tobacco/sema to come to a song service that evening. He was told to make sure this dog did not follow him as the spirits didn't take kindly to animals around a ceremony. They
might think you want to sacrifice this little dog to them if you allow him to follow you, the Neshnabe told him, with a twinkle in his eye. He assured his guest the little dog would be locked up for the night inside his house where he would not be able to follow anyone.
When it was time to leave, the man locked the little dog inside the house, but he had forgotten to close the window in his bedroom, so the little pet sneaked out and followed his master to the drum doings. The song service lasted until about 10 PM and the people gathered in the kitchen of the home they had met in for some refreshments before returning to their homes. The Shkabewes of the drum also gave the men sema for the next doings and debated with one of the others as to whether or not to give the white man some. They assured him the man was all right and he gave him plenty of sema with the admonition not to give it all away to the night spirits, should they decide to follow him.
Some of the other men joked with the man and told him about one of the spirits of the forest who liked to follow folks at night just so he could get tobacco/sema from them. They cautioned him
to give any spirit an offering of tobacco whenever he heard any distinct sounds in the woods. With a final friendly warning not to give all his tobacco away to the spirits, they all departed in various directions. The man visited with his hosts for a little while before departing for his home again, not knowing his little dog was waiting in the woods for him, so he could secretly follow him again.
Upon exiting the home of his hosts, he followed his favorite trail toward his home. Presently he heard some sounds behind him which he took to be that spirit they had told him about, and he quickly squatted down and gave a small offering of sema to the forest spirit. He began to walk with a faster gait toward his home thinking of his little dog he had left there.
After walking for a few more minutes, he heard a louder noise behind him. Thinking it was the spirit of the forest the men had warned him about, he quickly squatted and put down a bigger offering of tobacco this time. He was to walk only a few more minutes and he again heard the same sound behind him. I must have done something to displease this spirit he thought, and he quickly placed a larger offering of tobacco beside the trail, this time praying even; "Oh Spirit of the Woods," he prayed, "Don't hurt me, I mean you no harm and I've given you a large offering of tobacco, as you can see." "I'll give you even a larger offering if you would like, even the whole bag of tobacco, should you insist," he further stated.
After getting back on his feet and moving as swiftly as he could, he again heard a rather loud sound coming from the woods. He quickly dumped out the remaining tobacco he had in his bag and then took off running toward his home. As he ran toward his house, the little dog sped past him in an attempt to reach the house before him. Realizing his "spirit of the woods" was none other than his own dog, he quickly stopped, puffing hard, but laughing at himself for being so foolish and becoming frightened as he had. This will make a good story to tell the others when we meet again he thought to himself as he scolded the little dog for following him yet again.
There are many stories like this among the Neshnabek which we shall be sharing with you from time to time. The period of time when they first met the white people was an especially good time with many humorous happenings among them, learning the English language.
Ahau, iw enajmoyan,
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