BellaOnline Forums Travel and Culture Native American The Campfire Circle

Kimikaya,
I read Neither Wolf Nor Dog a good while ago. It is wonderful and I recommend it to all. You're right....EVERYONE need to read it. Maybe some understanding would start to take place.... maybe. I work at a place where people can be pretty hurtful if you're not just like them....but on the same token I work with some pretty wonderful people, too. I reckon it all balancees out like its supposed to, huh?

O'siyo to all!

Connie was the one who mentioned the book. I have not read it, and need to look for it

Today I come bringing a prayer, just because I feel like it is needed at this time.

Laws of The Great Spirit

Treat the Earth and all that dwell thereon with respect.
Remain close to the Great Spirit.
Show great respect for your fellow beings.
Work together for the benefit of all Mankind.
Give assistance and kindness wherever needed.

Do what you know to be right.
Look after the well being of mind and body.
Dedicate a share of your efforts to the greater good.
Be truthful and honest at all times.
Take full responsibility for your actions.

Great Spirit,
give us hearts to understand;
never to take from creation's beauty more than we give;
never to destroy wantonly for the furtherance of greed;
never to deny to give our hands for the building of earth's beauty;
never to take from her what we cannot use.

Give us hearts to understand
that to destroy earth's music is to create confusion;
that to wreck her appearance is to blind us to beauty;
that to callously pollute her fragrance is to make a house of stench;
that as we care for her she will care for us.

We have forgotten who we are.
We have sought only our own security.
We have exploited simply for our own ends.
We have distorted our knowledge.
We have abused our power.

Great Spirit, whose dry lands thirst,
help us to find the way to refresh your lands.

Great Spirit, whose waters are choked with debris and pollution,
help us to find the way to cleanse your waters.

Great Spirit, whose beautiful earth grows ugly with misuse,
help us to find the way to restore beauty to your handiwork.

Great Spirit, whose creatures are being destroyed,
help us to find a way to replenish them.

Great Spirit, whose gifts to us are being lost in selfishness and
corruption, help us to find the way to restore our humanity.

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Heya all..
Life brought me some challenging adventures which kept me off the computer. I think I can again devote some time to visiting here and sharing. Hope all are well and life is unfolding in interesting ways.
Are you still around Jase?
As an aside, I would recommend God Is Red by Vine Deloria Jr. Should be mandatory reading in school, in my opinion
Rueben

Conni, then it is you I must thank for the recommdation of that Awesome book. Please accept my deepest thanks.

A beautiful and very meaningful prayer, DawnEagle. One I shall save. Thank you.

To lighten things up a bit, I would like to offer a sweet little poem.

The Legend of Pussy Willows

An Indian legend tells the tale
Of tiny kittens, oh, so frail.

Along the river's edge they chased,
With butterflies, they played and raced.

They came too close to the river's side
And, thus, fell in. Their mother cried.

What could she do but weep and moan?
Her babies' fate were yet unknown.

The willows, by the river, knew
Just what it was that they must do.

They swept their graceful branches down
Into the waters, all around.

To reach the kittens was their goal;
A rescue mission, heart and soul.

The kittens grasped the branches tight,
The willows saved them from their plight.

Each Springtime since, the story goes,
Willow branches now wear clothes.

Tiny fur like buds are sprung
Where little kittens once had clung.

And that's the legend, so they claim,
How Pussy Willows got their name!
-author unknown

I so love the gathering of dear friends here at the campfire. May we all keep it burning with our "sticks" of stories, prayers and such.

Walk in Peace and Love,
kimikaya

That is an interesting story! Sometimes we are imparted with the gift of knowledge, and sometimes a more direct and tangible gift is bestowed on us.
I have to admit that dreamcatchers used in any form other than their true purpose, and in any form other than made correctly, kind of make me a tad uncomfortable. I am from a very very very very traditional tribal upbringing.
Dreamcatchers hanging on rearview mirrors in particular bug me. Some other ndn friends and I were conspiring to leave notes on these car windshields saying " Ndn's don't let friends drive asleep."
I know it is a readily identifiable ndn object, but it has a place and a power, and I am not sure I have ever been comfortable seeing it miniaturized and used decoratively.
I still think your gift is cool and the connection between what happened and the finding of it could certainly have a meaning that should be cherished.

I feel the same way about crosses as you do about dream catchers. The cross has a very deep meaning to me and I don't like seeing it used carelessly or for decorations as well.

I have seen them in homes as decorations and they have more than one because "they look cool."

Some have them as "good luck charms" and if these people are Christians then they should know that aa good luck charm is superstitious and superstition is from the rooted spirit of fear.

To me the cross represents our salvation through Christ and should not be used as decorations or as charms.

However, that is only my opinion and I apologize for being off topic as well.

It is the same for the star of david. However, I also look at the symbology of it. True, it is a representation of a faith. True, it is also a symbol used in religious rituals. However, we must remember that it is only a symbol. We mustn't hold too much onto a symbol and forget that it has a meaning and a power. This meaning and power could be to teach someone else... to affect them and have an effect on them. So when I see soemone with a religious symbol, I sometimes will ask them what it means to them. We have to remember, that a symbol may mean one thing to one person, but completely something else to someone else. And by exploring that persons relationship with that symbol we can learn a lot and also teach a lot.

Just my 2 cents ;0)

Oh, and Hey Ru! Yep, I am still here. As long as the circle is open, here I shall remain.

And a good mornin' to all my campfire friends!

I agree....none of us appreciate objects that represent our spiritual beliefs to be exploited, disrespected.....maybe the wrong words, but you all know what I mean, I'm sure. I think that many people are guilty ignorance rather than malice. I prefer to believe that, anyway. Folks who are not familiar with other peoples cultures and traditions don't realize the sacredness of some of the things they casually display as "good luck charms", etc. Best thing to do in my opinion? With respect and in a gentle way educate people....I don't mean lecture.....but educate. Education lends to understanding and understanding lends to acceptance and acceptance lends to respect. Respecting one anothers ways lends to peace. And maybe one day we will all.....ALL of us love one another. I know to some it sounds contrite and corny, but that is my belief.

Kimikaya....it is my pleasure that you've enjoyed the book so much. You've inspired me to read it again.

As for finding the dreamcatcher.....good or bad? I think that is for the individual to decide. I don't think there are coincidences....all things happen when they are supposed to and for a reason. It may be years before we know the answers....maybe never will. Obsidiana, you did a good thing by helping your teacher....but the most important thing (in my opinion) is your reaction to the broken plant. You offered apologies and respect to the plant people by offering prayer and tobacco. The plant reacted to that respect and caring.

I spent the weekend in Bellfontaine, Ohio at the Shawnee Powwow. Pretty incredible weekend. I'll share that story later. I have a jeep to unpack and a faithful friend to pick up from the kennel (the bed and biscuit). It's going to be mid 90's here today so I need to get started early before it becomes too unbearable to move. No AC here.

With all that said......I'll pass the talking stick to the next and wish you all a beautiful, blessing filled day.
Conni

I'm so glad to see people here joining in conversation, spreading the warmth of the campfire! Thanks for the energy!

I'm posting one last book review as my article for this week, it's called "Avenging Victorio", and you can catch it on the Native American home page here in just a few minutes. A couple of days ago I posted a review of "Saints of the Pueblos", an excellent book. Check it out on the home page also.

I'm getting ready to go to the Navajo Intertribal Ceremonial this weekend, and next week I'll be talking about that in my weekly article. I'm really looking forward to this one, it's my favorite! Then I'll ride on up to CrownPoint and get me some fresh mutton before coming back to Albuquerque. Yum!

The following weekend will be Indian Market in Santa Fe, where all the guest authors I've been doing review on will be doing book signings. I'm really looking forward to meeting them, and seeing the wonderful artwork at Indian Market. Can't wait!

That just about catches us up on my news for the week. What's going on in your world?

Tried to get over here yesterday and post the following Declaration, but was unable to get into the forum all day. Here it is now, enjoy!

DECLARATION OF THE FOUR SACRED THINGS

"The Earth is a living, conscious being. In company with cultures of many different times and places, we name these things as sacred:
Air, Fire, Water, and Earth.
Whether we see them as the breath, energy, blood, and body of the Mother, or as the blessed gifts of a Creator, or as symbols of the interconnected systems that sustain life, we know that nothing can live without them.
To call these things sacred is to say that they have a value
beyond their usefulness for human ends, that they themselves become the standards by which our acts, our economics, our laws, and our purposes must be judged. No one has the right to appropriate them or profit from them at the expense of others. Any government that fails to protect them forfeits its legitimacy.
All people, all living things, are part of the earth life, and so
are sacred. No one of us stands higher or lower than any other. Only justice can assure balance: only ecological balance can sustain freedom. Only in freedom can that fifth sacred thing we call spirit flourish in its full diversity.
To honor the sacred is to create conditions in which nourishment,
sustenance, habitat, knowledge, freedom, and beauty can thrive. To honor the sacred is to make love possible.
To this we dedicate our curiosity, our will, our courage, our
silences, and our voices. To this we dedicate our lives.

StarHawk
"The Fifth Sacred Thing"
copyright 1993, Bantam Books, NY

And in case I don't make it back before the weekend, I want to wish everyone a great weekend, full of sunshine and laughter!
Walk in Beauty,