Bo zho ginwa ngom.....

A short greeting to all of you today.....

Nin se Neaseno......

Good morning all of you

There are many people who are currently seeking spirituality, American Indian spirituality, and all the ramifications of what this has to offer, and what it has to mean.

It is my hope that I can make some things clear to folks this afternoon as I share some of my thoughts from the cultural aspects of my upbringing. When I was a small boy learning some of the things that I was told by my elders, I was often told to make sure that I kept these teachings alive. I was also encouraged to maintain myself as a traditional American Indian person. Maintaining myself as such, insured the fact that I would also be keeping the teachings alive, and be in a position to teach when called upon, for any of the deeper meanings of the American Indian beliefs and faith.

I have often thought to myself when spending time alone that it would be nice to be able to share what I know about the Potawatomi spiritual beliefs that I grew up with, with the larger world in general. I was never taught to be selfish, I was taught to share whatever it was that I had, be it food, clothing or shelter, and that would certainly apply to the beliefs of my people as well. Of course I would always prefer to be teaching my own kind, that is, American Indian people like myself. My children, my grandchildren, and many of the other relatives of my own kind would benefit from this greatly. If they only knew how to keep themselves pure and clean, according to our beliefs and faith, there would perhaps be those who would be practicing these ways, which everyone seems to desire now.

You can't begin to imagine the many times, lonely times, that I have spent pondering all of the things that I was told as a child by my elders. The wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and experiences of some of the elders that I knew growing up could fill the pages of many books. When I think of my own grandfather, Frank Young, and others like him, who taught me so many things from the depths of their souls and spirits, regarding the American Indian beliefs that I grew up with, and that they most certainly grew up with as well. There were many of these elders that I learned from, that I sought out and asked questions of regarding the deeper meanings of our beliefs, and the many other wisdoms that they had privy to, and embraced in their daily lives.

This is what I feel the younger generation is missing today. If they had grown up with the elders that I had a chance to know as a young person, and came to know some of the teachings, and the wisdoms, many of them might have avoided some of the sorrows that they experienced in their lives. For there are many younger American Indian youth today that need these teachings and these wisdoms. Street life and all that it represents to the American Indian youth of today, along with the alcohol and drugs that seem to be so available to so many today, might have been avoided in some of these young lives, if they had known some of these teachings. I cannot help but feel a deep sorrow for many of these youth when I think of them in my quiet times today. If only some of these elders were alive yet and could speak to them, perhaps it would help. However, I am here and I have much of this wisdom and understanding within my heart and soul, and I can share what it is that I have come to know of the American Indian people, and their wisdom, and their teachings.


I ye i ga she webek egi penojewiyan.....
Nin se Neaseno.