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Hello fellow women. If no one will mind, I have a story to share... When I was about four years old, I was at a Native American cultural event in Pennsylvania with my mother and grandmother. I am caucasian, which is not significant other than how it may relate to this story. There were hundreds of people there. The leader, the Female Chief who had been directing the event paused after a great speech. She put her microphone down and walked off the stage towards me and my family who were seated on the grass amongst the crowd. She kneeled before me, and stared deeply into my eyes. I will never forget it. She took my hand, and gave me the name Mystic Eyes, which was also [i]her [/i] name, and she passed it to me. She then asked my mother if she could take me with her and introduce me to the people. She took me to the stage with her, and in the microphone introduced me as the new Mystic Eyes. She gave me a deerskin vest and pinned to it a piece of wampum from her dress. She taught me a native dance, and we together danced before the crowd. After that day, she called my mother often to see how I was, and would speak to me as well. I was too young to remember those conversations. One day tragedy struck our family and we were forced to move away. My mother and I lost nearly all of our possessions, including Mystic Eye's number. I lost her. I never even knew which tribe she was from or how to find her again. I'm not even sure if she is still on this earth. But my heart aches for her desperately...my spiritual mother. In those days I was too young to remember how significant a gift she had given me. She gave me a part of myself that had not yet been revealed to me. I am nearly twenty years old now, which I am aware is still quite young, but I have something in me that needs to seek, needs to learn, and needs to contribute to this world. I could go on, but I won't right now. If anyone has anything to offer in response to this post, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you Mystic Eyes Soaring Hawk

Hello MysticEyes, and welcome to our forum. You will find what your are seeking and it will come to you when the time is right. Do you remember what town you were in when Mystic Eyes found you? This will help greatly in your search.

Pennsylvania tribes include:

Delaware
Erie
Honniasont
Iroquois
Saluda
Saponi
Shawnee
Susquehanna

Tuscarora, Tutelo, and Wenrohronon were also in Pennsylvania from time to time.

I am curious what you mean by "She gave me a deerskin vest and pinned to it a piece of wampum from her dress." I ask this because Wampum are traditional, sacred shell beads of Eastern Woodlands tribes. "a piece of wampum from her dress " implies fabric. Can you clarify this for me?

If you still have that vest and whatever it was that she pinned to it, that may help you to identify a tribe. Were there any other decorations or designs, like beading, on the vest? Colors and designs help to pinpoint specific tribes.

Are your mother and grandmother still alive? If so, do they remember any info that may help you find Mystic eyes? Attending a Native American event such as you describe, and the incident of the woman singaling you out of the crowd, would be an easy thing to remember for an adult. Did your mother take any pictures? Were there any other people (friends or family members) with you at the time who may remember more?

Nahimana is a Sioux name which means "mystic". Does the name Nahimana ring a bell with you?

You can also search Native American events of the 1990's to see if you come up with anything in Pennsylvania around 1994.

I hope any of my questions trigger a memory to help you in your search.

Being that it is from PA may have Delaware/Lenape injections. The Lenape word for 'Eye' is 'Wuschgink'.
Translation of 'Mystic' is not a direct corelation but requires knowing if it were used as a noun or an adjective.

I referenced an English to Lenape Dictionary & used the following website: www.gilwell.com/lenape

Thank you all for your responses. Phyillis: Nahimana [i]is [/i]a word that rings a bell. I don't know if she used it, but after some research I have learned that it means 'mystic'. I am pleased you would mention it though. There are pictures from that day, and to clarify the wampum I mentioned...Looking at a photograph of her, she had many pins on her dress that look like they are metal circles with stars in the center. This symbol was also the center of some necklaces she was wearing, as well as embroidered into her moccasins. The metal pins, however, had wampum attached to them. I know that certain colors have different meanings, and the one she gave me had the colors red, black, yellow, white, and pale blue, forming a diamond in the center. In the picture of us dancing, she is wearing much decorative wampum, all in the same color scheme. She was wearing a a red deerskin top, white wampum belt, and brown deerskin skirt and moccasins. On her chest is a red star encompassed in a white circle with a black dot in the center of the star. On her moccasins, the same star was embroidered in green and blue. Hopefully that will lead me to something. Unfortunately, I no longer have the vest, my grandmother has passed, and my mother remembers the event and the details of my encounter with Mystic Eyes, but does not remember anything about what tribe she was from. I have wondered if she could have been Iroquois, because I know that some Iroquois sects follow a matriarchal system of lineage, but it is just a theory. The town was Chadds Ford I believe, right over the Delaware border into Pennsylvania. Mystic Eyes, as my mother remembers, had a local Delaware phone number, and actually lived in the town that we did, and did not live on reservation. Thank you for welcoming me to the forum, and I am sure that I will find what I seek when it is ready to be found. Thank you for your help and I will keep you posted! Mystic Eyes Soaring Hawk

Lenape is a thought, I will look further into it, thank you Beetlemess.

Flower70: I am endeavoring to learn as much as I can about Native Culture, and I have faith that what wants to be found will make itself known! Thank you, I won't give up!

Red, Yellow, Black & White - very dominate colors for they define the 4 major races on Earth. (If you can recall or are familiar with the children Sunday School song.) They also represent the winds, directions, natural elements (earth-wind-fire-water), seasons, circle of life cycle, etc., etc.

Blue & Green are added to denote Sky & Ground entities = The Great Spirit & Mother Earth.

Orientation of the colors in a clockwise or CCW direction can assist in nation, tribe or clan identification, but can be overlaps due to integration.

You've come to the right place to get some guidance & direction.

In the Circle, I am known as: Nuwingi Achowalogen Weuchsowagan; Lenape for �Willing Worker who has Knowledge�

Bettlemess is right. This is a good place for guidance and direction. Beetlemess and other members who come here occasionally often help others with their knowledge and caring.

Thank you to both of you. I will continue this search and keep you posted if you wish.