TIME WALKER TRILOGY
By Les Tate

INTRODUCTION

Each of us has deep within us, hidden in the recesses of our minds and our very being, vestigial memories of the Old Ones who walked this land long before us. To visit with them, you need only relax, close your eyes, quieten your soul and allow it to drift. Listen to the gentle sounds around you, for among them you can hear the footsteps and voices of your ancestors. The spirits which surround you may sometimes extend an invitation to come with them, to warm yourself by their fire, talk about the ancient ways, hear the legends and tales of the Original People, and join in their songs and dances of celebration and remembrance. If you are privileged to walk back along the path of time to meet them and to pause there for an instant, hold on to the memories of the journey and value that which you learn, for the trips are repeated only for those who are at peace with themselves and in harmony with the world around them.

First Journey

I hold a shard of pottery and a flint point,
Both made by ancestors of long ago;
People clothed in woven fiber,
Animal skin, and the feathers of an eagle.
The shard is etched and painted,
Perhaps the remnants of a forgotten legend.
The point is thin and finely made, ready for hafting.
Its keen edge is surprising, the balance good.
The color of the stone shows it came from far away.
I close my eyes for a moment, thinking back,
Remembering old ones now gone.
The shard and the stone warm my hand.
I feel the gentle touch of an ancestor’s hand
Guiding my fingers across his/her ancient work.
It is not difficult to make. We will show you.
Grandfather has dark eyes,
Full of experience and wisdom.
Grandmother smiles at me, friendly and warm.
Welcome. Sit by the fire. Share our food.
It is a good life, we have much.
I need to learn much.
Smell the grass and trees,
The water and smoke.
Hear the children, animals, insects, and wind.
Feel with more than touch.
See with more than eyes.
Learn and understand with your mind and heart.
I need to learn more.
We will teach you, but that is enough for now.
It is better to fully understand a few words
Than half understand many words.
May I sit by your fire again?
I will bring a story about tomorrow.
Will you tell me, remind me, of things forgotten?

Second Journey

Tonight we sing the old songs, remembering.
The flute is like the wind,
The drums like distant thunder,
Like buffalo on the prairie.
Voices blend together in song,
A blanket woven from eons of existence.
Smoke rises from the campfire into the sky.
This gathering is good,
Seeing old friends from distant homes,
Dancing to the chant and the drum.
But the ride here was long and I am tired.
I close my eyes and listen to the breeze
Whispering about the Old Ones.
The spring wind blows across the hill
Warming my spirit.
I think back to my childhood
When we made the long trek to this place
Where the grass is green and the water cool.
Father Sun now watches the corn tassel.
An eagle circles overhead.
It is a good sign.
My husband and son will return soon
From their journey to trade for flaking stone,
For shell and an eagle pipe.
I continue working on the leather pouch
My son will wear at the dance.
The white buffalo looks almost real,
Like the one I saw in my youth.
A cloud covers the face of Father Sun,
The shadow passing over me.
As the sky darkens, I close my eyes,
Remembering the gathering last year,
Old friends returning with new stories
To pass on to our children.
The wind as it moves through the trees
Is like the voices of the People singing as one.
The end of the chant sounds.
I open my eyes and rise.
Tomorrow I will dance again
Wearing the white buffalo pouch
Inherited from my great-grandfather,
Made by his great-grandmother.
As I walk toward our tent,
The night owl calls.
Time to dream.

Third Journey

I stand before the mountain
Gazing at images scratched into the stone,
Colored by traces of soot and dyes.
The Old Ones left this record
To be read and remembered
By others who would come after.
I reach out, gently touching the curves and lines,
Feeling with curious fingers,
Wondering who stood here before,
The painter of life, of time.
I slowly pull my hand away,
My fingers are stained
By the colors of fresh paints
Prepared from the plants and the earth.
Beside me stands a man,
Tall, bronze, and bare-chested,
Painting this year’s story upon the mountain.
I gaze at some of the old images,
Remembering the voice of my grandfather
Telling the tales and legends of long ago.
I give the painter another bowl, another color.
Below is our village,
The smoke of the fire and the sounds of life
Rise on the wind to the Great Spirit.
The People prepare for the celebration of harvest,
Thankful for Mother Earth and Father Sun,
For full bellies and children who laugh,
For the gathering, the song, and the dance.
The drawing is finished, another year recorded
We silently gather the brushes and paints,
Then together start down the trail,
We stop and turn to look once again
At the many drawings on this monument,
The history of the People in a sacred place.
The man turns his head and speaks,
His eyes on me as one well trusted,
His voice familiar and reassuring,
Are you ready, my brother?
I nod and we turn again to the trail.
The wind stirs my hair,
The sound of a voice lingering in my mind,
Perhaps it was merely the wind
Playing among the rocks.
I gaze at the stone wall before me
At ancient paintings and petroglyphs.
The watchful spirits of my relatives surround me.
I am honored to be one in a long line
That reaches from ancient past to distant future.
The wind stirs again,
Bringing the smell of wood smoke
And the voices of family and friends.
I remember and I understand;
Tonight I live again.

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Native American Deities
ANGUTA (Inuit/Eskimo)
Gatherer of the dead. Anguta carries the dead down to the underworld, where they must sleep with him for a year.
ANINGAN (Inuit/Eskimo)
The moon, brother to the sun whom Moon chases across the sky. Aningan has a great igloo in the sky where he rests. Irdlirvirissong, his demon cousin, lives there as well. The moon is a great hunter, and his sledge is always piled high with seal skins and meat.
ASGAYA GIGAGEI (Cherokee)
The Red Man or Woman evoked in spells to cure the ill. Asgaya Gigagei is either male or female, depending on the sex of the patient.
ATIRA (Pawnee)
The Earth, Sacred Mother of every living creature.
AWONAWILONA (Pueblo Indians)
” The One Who Contains Everything.” The Supreme God, the Creator of All. Before the creation there was only Awonawilona; all else was darkness and emptiness. Both male and female, Awonawilona created everything from himself and taking form became the maker of light, the Sun.
BIG HEADS (Iroquois)
Demon gods. Giand heads without bodies which fly about in storms. They find men very tasty.
BREATHMAKER (Seminole)
Breathmaker taught men to fish and dig wells, and made the Milky Way. When the virtuous die, they follow the Milky Way to a glorious city in the western sky.
COYOTE (Southwestern Indians, but known in other areas as well)
A trickster, a clown. The creator and teacher of men. Like Loki, Coyote is always lurking about, causing trouble and playing pranks. To the Zunis, Coyote is a hero who set forth the laws by which men may live in peace. The Pomo Indians maintain that Coyote created the human race and stole the sun to keep them warm. The Montana Sioux say that Coyote created the horse.
DEOHAKO (Iroquois/Seneca)
Spirits of maize, beans and gourds who live together in a single hill. Searching for dew, the maize spirit Onatha was captured by the evil spirit Hahgwehdaetgah who took her off to the underworld. Sun rescued her, and ever since she has remained in the cornfields until the corn is ripe.
ESTANATLEHI (Navajo)
First Woman’s adopted daughter. To punish mankind for pride, First Man and First Woman sent a plague of monsters to kill and devour them. The time came when First Woman repented of the evils she and First Man had visited upon men, and she sought a means for their deliverance. First Woman discovered the infant Estanatlehi lying on the ground near First Woman’s mountain, and took her in. The infant Estanatlehi grew to adulthood in four days. Making love with the Sun, she gave birth to the Twin Brothers who after many adventures slew the monsters.
EVENING STAR (Pawnee)
An evil star who drives the sun down out of the sky and send his daughter to hinder Morning Star from the sun back up again.
FIRST MAN AND FIRST WOMAN (Navajo)
In the beginning, First Man and First Woman ascended from the underworld together with Coyote, leading the people through trials and tribulations into the surface world which became their home. Deciding that the sky was too empty with only Sun and Moon, First Man, First Woman and Coyote gathered up glittering stones and placed them in the sky to serve as stars.
GAHE Also GA’AN (Apache)
Supernatural beings who dwell inside mountains. The can sometimes be heard dancing and beating drums. Because they can heal and drive away disease, they are worshipped. In the ritual dances of the Chiricahua Apache masked dancers painted a different color for each point of the compass represent all the Gahe except the Grey One. The Grey One, though he appears as a clown, is really the mightiest of all the Gahe.
GLUSKAP (Algonquin)
The Creator, or more exactly, the creator force. Generally benevolent, but often whimsical. Gluskap created the plains, the food plants, the animals and the human race from the body of the Mother Earth. His rival was his wolf brother Malsum, who made rocks, thickets and poisonous animals. After a long struggle Gluskap killed Malsum and drove his evil magic under the earth. Gluskap drove away monsters, fought stone giants, taught hunting and farming to men, and gave names to the stars. His work done, Gluskap paddled towards the sunrise in a birch bark canoe. Some day he may return.
HINO (Iroquois)
Thunder god, god of the sky. The Rainbow is his consort. With his fire arrows, Hino destroys evil beings.
IRDLIRVIRISISSONG (Inuit/Eskimo)
The demon cousin of the moon. Sometimes Irdlirvirissong comes out into the sky to dance and clown and make the people laugh. But if anyone is nearby, the people must restrain themselves or the demon clown will dry them up and eat their intestines.
KACHINAS (Hopi)
Nature spirits which inhabit and control everything — animal spirits, spirits of departed ancestors, spirits of natural resources such as wind, rain and thunder. Their exact number is not known, but at least five hundred appear in the mythologies of the different villages.
KANATI (Cherokee)
” The Lucky Hunter.” Sometimes called First Man. He lives with his wife Selu (”Corn”) in the east where the sun rises, and their sons, the Twin Thunder Boys, live in the west.
KITCKI MANITOU (Algonquin)
The Great Spirit, the Supreme Being. The Uncreated, the Father of Life, God of the Winds. The Great Spirit is present in some way in nearly every North American Indian mythology.
MICHABO (Algonquin)
The Great Hare. A trickster. A shape-shifter. Creator of men, the earth, deer, water and fish. Michabo drives away cannibal spirits. In the House of Dawn, Michabo is host to the souls of good men, feeding them succulent fruits and fish.
MORNING STAR (Pawnee)
A protector who leads the sun upward into the sky. A soldier god.
NAGENATZANI (Navajo)
Elder Twin Brother.
NESARU (Arikara)
Sky spirit. In the beginning, Nesaru had charge over all creation. Displeased with a race of giants in the underworld who would not respect his authority, Nesaru sent a new race to the underworld to replace them and sent a flood which destroyed the giants without destroying the new men. When the new men cried out to be released from the underworld, Nesaru sent the Corn Mother for their deliverance.
NOKOMIS (Algonquin)
” Grandmother. ” The Sacred Earth Mother. Nokomis nurtures all living things.
NORTH STAR (Pawnee)
A creator god. Beneficiant and venerated.
OCASTA (Cherokee)
” Stonecoat.” The name comes from his coat which was made of pieces of flint. Equally good and evil, Ocasta was one of the Creator’s helpers. Ocasta created witches and drifted from village to village stirring up turmoil. Some women trapped Ocasta, pinning him to the ground with a stick through his heart. The men cremated the dying Ocasta, who while burning on his funeral pyre taught them songs and dances for hunting, fighting wars and healing. Some of the men were granted great power and became the first medicine men.
OLELBIS (Wintun, Pacific Coast)
The Creator who lived in Olelpanti (Heaven) with two old women. When the first people destroyed the world with fire, Olelbis sent wind and rain to quench the flames, and repaired the earth. Olelbis intended men to live forever. When they grew old, they were to climb to heaven and join Olelbis in paradise. Olelbis set two vultures to the task of building a ladder to Olelpanti for men to ascend, but Coyote persuaded them to stop work.
RABBIT (Southeastern tribes)
Like Coyote and Michabo, a trickster god. Through a sly trick, Rabbit brought fire to man.
RAVEN (Northwestern tribes)
Another trickster god. Very greedy, forever seeking food. Raven stole the moon from a miser and placed it in the sky.
SEDNA (Inuit/Eskimo)
Goddess of the sea and the creatures of the sea. A one-eyed giant. A frightfull old hag, but she was young and beautiful when her father threw her in the sea as a sacrifice. A sorcerer wishing to visit Sedna must pass through the realms of death and then cross an abyss where a wheel of ice spins eternally and a cauldron of seal meat stews endlessly. To return he must cross another abyss on a bridge as narrow as a knife edge.
SELU (Cherokee)
” Corn.” Sometimes known as First Woman. Kanati’s wife. Selu created corn in secret by rubbing her belly or by defecating. Her sons, the Twin Thunder Boys, killed her when they spied upon her and decided she was a witch.
SHAKURA (Pawnee)
Sun god. The Pawnee performed their famous Sun Dance for Shakura’s sake. Young warriors attached themselves to tall poles with strips of hide which were tied to sharp stakes. The stakes were driven through the skin and flesh on the chest. The young brave would then support his entire weight with the hide ropes as he slowly circled the pole following the sun’s movement in the sky. This lasted until the sun went down or the stakes ripped out of the brave’s flesh.
SOUTH STAR (Pawnee)
God of the underworld, the opposite of North Star. Magical and feared.
SUN (Cherokee)
A goddess. When Sun’s daughter was bitten by a snake and taken to the Ghost Country, Sun hid herself in grief. The world was ever dark, and Sun’s tears became a flood. At last the Cherokee sent their young men and women to heal Sun’s grief, which they did with singing and dancing.
SUN (Inuit/Eskimo)
A beautiful young maiden carrying a torch who is chased through the sky by her brother Aningan, the moon. The planet Jupiter is the mother of the sun and very dangerous to magicians. If they are careless, she will devour their livers.
TEKKEITSERKTOCK (Inuit/Eskimo)
The earth god, master of hunting to whom all deer belong.
TIRAWA-ATIUS (Pawnee)
The Power Above, creator of the heavens and the earth.
THOBADESTCHIN (Navajo)
Youngest Twin Brother.
THOUME’ (Chitimacha)
Thoume’ taught the people to make clothing and fire, and how to make love. After making the moon and the sun, Thoume’ sent the trickster god Kutnahin to teach medicine and food preparation to men. Kutnahin traveled through the world disguised as a derelict covered with buzzard dung.
TORNGASAK (Inuit/Eskimo)
The good spirit, representing everything in nature good and helpful to man.
TWIN THUNDER BOYS (Cherokee)
The sons of Kanati and Selu. Kanati and Selu live in the east, the Twin Thunder Boys live in the west. When thunder sounds, the boys are playing ball.
WACHABE (Sioux/Osage)
Black Bear. A guardian. Symbol of long life, strength and courage.
Copyright 1994, DW Owens
This work may be reproduced without permission, in its entirety and without alteration, together with the other parts which make up the entire work, for free distribution. For any other distribution, please contact the author.

assembled by emily0690

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DRUMS AND RATTLES
The drum’s rhythmic power is like the heartbeat of the Earth, and is deeply anchored in our shamanic practice. We journey on the drum-beat to the Spirit-world and return with power. The drum and the rattle are, on one hand, the tools of our trade, and on the other hand, our allies with their own power and soul. In shamanic work, traditionally, hand-held tambourine-like drums are used together with a drumstick. But where does one find a drum? Which should one choose? Should it be a factory made drum, or hand made? Do you think about making your own, but don’t have the tools or experience? Should the skin be from an animal, or is it all right with a synthetic drumskin? The most important is that this partner feels good to you, that the sound is pleasing to you, that you can dance with its power, that you can work together.

Rattles are filled with power and at the same time act as power antennae. In many parts of the world they are used together with drums, and in Siberia they are often built into the drum or drumstick. They are easy to carry, and don’t bother your neighbors if you live in a flat. They also tend to be much less expensive than drums, and many shops selling goods from “third world” countries have beautiful, powerful, inexpensive rattles for sale. You can learn more about rattles and how to make your own by reading Jonathan’s article POWER IN YOUR HAND.

Mass Produced Drums are not as expensive as hand-made drums, and generally have a good sound. They are available at music stores, and the ones with synthetic skins can be used outside in the rain or very humid places. The Remo company makes some nice ones, which are easy to personalize. Even a plastic drum has a Spirit. Respect it, and it will help you.

Handmade Drums and Rattles are getting easier to find as there are more and more people making them. Below we have listed some of the drum makers we know and have worked with. Several of them also hold drum and rattle making courses. Here you make your own drum. The drum-making is done in a ritual way with awareness, and in this way you get to acquainted with the Spirit of your instrument as it makes itself known. If you wish to try to make your own drum or rattle from scratch, the best book is still Bernard Masons How to Make Drums, Tom-Toms, and Rattles (Dover) which gives you many types to choose from. Also recommended is Nicholas Wood’s fine book Voices from the Earth.

Drumming CDs are another option. Many people who don’t have the money for a drum, or the time to go on a course, find that the alternative of using a drumming CD or audio-tape works very well, using either a headset, thereby not disturbing others, or speakers. This option should never be used in moving vehicles of any kind, and should be regarded with the same respect as other allies used for contacting the Spirit world.

SCANDINAVIAN
CENTER FOR
SHAMANIC STUDIES

Jonathan Horwitz & Annette Høst
Artillerivej 63, lejl. 140
2300 København S
Danmark

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A story of the Cheyenne of the Great Plains

There was a time when all the animals lived in peace, when no one ate anyone else. All the animals were the same color, because they had not yet painted their faces. Buffalo was the largest and strongest of the animals, and he was getting hungry, He wanted to be the chief of all the animals. He wanted to draw strength from all the other animals by eating their flesh. Buffalo wanted to become the eater of all the animals. The Human People also said that they should become the chief of all the animals. People wanted to draw strength from all the other animals by eating their flesh. People wanted to become the eaters of all the other animals. Buffalo challenged the Human People to a race, the winner of the race would become the chief of all the animals. The People said that they would accept such a challenge, but since buffaloes have four legs and People have only two, the People claimed the right to have another animal run the race in the People’s place. The buffaloes
consented. The People chose the Bird People to represent them in the race. They chose Hummingbird, Meadowlark, Hawk, and Magpie. All the other animals and birds wanted to join the race, too, each of them thinking that just maybe they too had a chance to become chief of all the animals. All the animals took paint and painted the faces for the race, each according to his or her spiritual vision. Skunk painted a white strip on himself and his symbol for the race. Antelope painted himself the color of the earth for the race. Raccoon painted black circles around his eyes and around his tail. Robin painted herself brown with a red breastplate. The race was to be held at the edge of the Black Hills at the place known as Buffalo Gap. The competitors would race from the starting line sticks to the turn around stick and then back to the starting line. All the animals, painted according to their vision, lined up between the sticks. Among the animals were the Bird People, who would run
the race with their wings for the Human People, and Runs Slender Buffalo, the fastest runner of all the buffaloes. The cry was given to begin and all the animals and birds set out on the race. Hummingbird took the lead, ahead of Runs Slender Buffalo, but his wings were so small that he soon fell behind. As the animals neared the turn around stick, Runs Slender Buffalo took the lead. Then Meadowlark came up beside Runs Slender Buffalo, and the two went along side by side right into the turn. Runs Slender Buffalo wheeled around the stick, her hooves thundering, and she pulled away form Meadowlark, who went wide to make the turn. The animals in the lead passed the late runners who were still headed for the stick. Meadowlark fell behind and cheered on Hawk as he passed her. Hawk gained on Run Slender Buffalo, and it looked like he might pass her. Her heart was pounding and her legs were tiring. But Hawk’s wings were tiring also, and he soon fell behind. Runs Slender Buffalo was
nearing the finish line as the winner. It looked like the Buffalo People would become the eaters of all the animals! Then, behind the buffalo woman, wings beating steadily, came Magpie. She was not a quick starter, but her wingbeats were hard and true. Her heart was strong. Her eyes did not wander form the finish line. She never looked back. Her wings were wide and she drove herself forward with beat after beat after beat. All the other animals had fallen behind. Runs Slender Buffalo looked over at the magpie, but the magpie never looked away from the starting sticks. With each beat of her wings she moved past Runs Slender Buffalo by no more than the length of her bill. At the starting sticks, many animals began to line up to watch the finish. Raccoon, who had fallen out of the race early, had returned to the starting sticks. Now he stood up between the sticks and put out his little hands for the runners to touch as they passed. He would feel the touch of whoever was in the
lead, and turn toward the winner. Closer and closer came Runs Slender Buffalo, and some of the animals feared Raccoon would be trampled. Magpie gradually flew nearer to the ground so she could brush Raccoon’s little hands as she flew past. Raccoon did not move, but stared straight at the onrushing pair. Magpie seemed to be pulling ahead. Runs Slender Buffalo leaned forward as she ran to touch Raccoon’s hand with her great nose. Magpie’s wingtip touched Raccoon’s little hand and he turned toward her and instant before Runs Slender Buffalo thundered past and he was surrounded by a great cloud of dust. All the animals waited breathlessly for the dust to settle. At last, there stood Raccoon with his little hand raised toward the path of Magpie. The Human People had won the race! The Buffalo wandered the great plains and ate grass and the people became the great hunters, the chief of all animals.

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Native American 10 Commandments

1) Remain Close To The Great Spirit
2) Show Respect For Your Fellow Beings
3) Give Assistance And Kindness Wherever Needed
4) Be Truthful And Honest At All Times
5) Do What You Know To Be Right
6) Look After The Well Being Of Mind And Body
7) Treat The Earth And All That Dwell There On With Respect
Take Full Responsibility For Your Actions
9) Dedicate A Share Of Your Efforts To The Greater Good
10) Work Together For The Benefit For All Mankind

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Native Americans Prayers

Prayer Before Eating

We thank Great Spirit for the resources that made this food possible; we thank the Earth Mother for producing it, and we thank all those who labored to bring it to us. May the Wholesomeness of the food before us, bring out the Wholeness of the Spirit within us.

———————————

Table Blessing

Smudging the food and self with sage smoke we say:

We thank Great Spirit for the resources that made this food possible; we thank the Earth Mother for producing it, and we thank all those who labored to bring it to us. May the Wholesomeness of the food before us, bring out the Wholeness of the Spirit within us.

———————————

Preparing to Eat

Now that I am about to eat, O Great Spirit, give my thanks to the beasts and birds whom You have provided for my hunger; and pray deliver my sorrow that living things must make a sacrifice for my comfort and well-being.

Let the feather of corn spring up in its time and let it not wither but make full grains for the fires of our cooking pots, now that I am about to eat.

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Chief Tecumseh
Morning Star wake us, filled with joy.
To new days of growing to man from boy
Sun, with yow power, give us light.
That we can tell wrong and do what is right.
South Wind, we ask, in your gentle way.
Blow us the willingness of obey.
North Wind, we ask, live up to thy name.
Send us the strength to always be game.
East Wind, we ask, with your breath so snappy.
Fill us with knowledge of how to be happy.
West Wind, we ask, blow all that is fair.
To us, that we may always be square.
Moon, that fills the night with red light.
Guard us well while we sleep in the night.
Akela, please guide us in every way.
We’ll follow your trail in work or play.

Trouble no more about their religion;
respect others in their view,
and demand that they respect yours.

Chief Tecumseh

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Creation Huron - Huron

In the beginning there was only one water and the water animals that lived
in it.

Then a woman fell from a torn place in the sky. She was a divine woman,
full
of power. Two loons flying over the water saw her falling. They flew under
her, close together, making a pillow for her to sit on.

The loons held her up and cried for help. They could be heard for a long
way
as they called for other animals to come.

The snapping turtle called all the other animals to aid in saving the
divine
woman’s life.

The animals decided the woman needed earth to live on.

Turtle said, “Dive down in the water and bring up some earth.”

So they did that, those animals. A beaver went down. A muskrat went down.
Others stayed down too long, and they died.

Each time, Turtle looked inside their mouths when they came up, but there
was no earth to be found.

Toad went under the water. He stayed too long, and he nearly died. But when
Turtle looked inside Toad’s mouth, he found a little earth. The woman took
it and put it all around on Turtle’s shell. That was the start of the earth.

Dry land grew until it formed a country, then another country, and all the
earth.. To this day, Turtle holds up the earth.

Time passed, and the divine woman had twin boys. They were opposites, her
sons. One was good, and one was bad. One was born as children are usually
born, in a normal way. But the other one broke out of his mother’s side,
and
she died.

When the divine woman was buried, all of the plants needed for life on
earth
sprang from the ground above her. From her head came the pumpkin vine.
Maize
came from her chest. Pole beans grew from her legs.

The divine woman’s sons grew up. The evil one was Tawis-karong. The good
one
was Tijus-kaha. They were to prepare the earth so that humans could live on
it. But they found they could not live together. And so they separated,
with
each one taking his own portion of the earth to prepare.

The bad brother, Tawis-karong, made monstrous animals, fierce and
terrifying. He made wolves and bears, and snakes of giant size. He made
mosquitoes huge, the size of wild turkeys. And he made an enormous toad. It
drank up the fresh water that was on the earth. All of it.

The good brother, Tijus-kaha, made proper animals that were of use to human
beings. He made the dove, and the mockingbird, and the partridge. And one
day, the partridge flew toward the land of Tawis-karong.

“Why do you go there?” Tijus-kaha asked the partridge.

“I go because there is no water. And I hear there is some in your brother’s
land,” said the partridge.

Tijus-kaha didn’t believe the bird. So he followed, and finally he came to
his evil brother’s land. He saw all of the outlandish, giant animals his
brother had made. Tijus-kaha didn’t beat them down.

And then he saw the giant toad. He cut it open. Out came the earth’s fresh
water. Tijus- kaha didn’t kill any [more] of his brother’s creations.
But he
made them smaller, of normal size so that human beings could be leaders
over
them.

His mother’s spirit came to Tijus-kaha in a dream. She warned him about his
evil brother. And sure enough, one day, the two brothers had to come
face to
face. They decided they could not share the earth. They would have a
duel to
see who would be master of the world.

Each had to overcome the other with a single weapon. Tijus-kaha, the good,
could only be killing if beaten to death with a bag full of corn or beans.
The evil brother could be killed only by using the horn of a deer or other
wild animal. then the brothers fixed the fighting ground where the battle
would begin.

The first turn went to the evil brother, Tawis-karong. He pounded his
brother with a bag of beans. He beat him until Tijus-kaha was nearly dead.
But not quite. He got his strength back, and he chased Tawis-karong. Now it
was his turn.

He beat his evil brother with a deer horn. Finally, Tijus-kaha took his
brother’s life away. But still the evil brother wasn’t completely
destroyed.
“I have gone to the far west,” he said. “All the races of men will
follow me
to the west when they die.”

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The Celts and Nature’s Way

—by Ed McGaa, aka Sioux Tribal Leader, Eagle Man

Much has been learned about the Celts from various sources, all of which
confirm that the Celtic tribal society was relatively egalitarian,
democratic and in harmony with nature. Historian Peter Ellis describes
that society:

The Celtic tribal system was a highly
sophisticated one. The food of the community was the basis of the
law…Chieftains were elected as were all officers of the tribe. Women
emerged in Celtic society with equality of rights. They could inherit,
own property and be elected to office, even to the position of leader in
times of war…Tacitus observed, “There is no rule of distinction to
exclude the female line from the throne or the command of armies.”1

Is it not possible that the Celts were either related to or strongly
influenced by the advanced civilization that Eisler speaks of in The
Chalice and the Blade?2 Perhaps that earlier society migrated or shifted
westward when the patriarchal intruders came down from the northeast
with their advanced weaponry. The word ‘Celt’ comes from Greek and Roman
writers who used it rather indiscriminately to refer to the various
tribes that occupied Europe to the north and west of them. Physically,
the Celts were taller and lighter-featured than people in southern
Europe (although there were dark-haired Celts), and they often had blue
eyes.

The Celts shared with the Old Europeans a belief in the immanence of the
spirit world and the immortality of the soul. Classical writers, who
often denigrated Celtic spirituality as superstition , frequently
commented on the Celts’ intense obsession with spiritual matters. Celtic
scholar Anne Ross notes that “the Celts were so completely engrossed
with, and preoccupied by, their religion and it expression that it was
constantly and positively to the forefront of their lives.”3

Celts in Early America?

Just as the Celts may have grown out of, or been influenced by, the Old
Europeans, might not the early Celts have influenced the spiritual
insights of the Native Americans? Or how about vice versa? There are
certainly striking similarities between the two worldviews, as shamanic
practitioner Tom Cowan notes:

Like the American Indians, the Celts lived in diverse, scattered tribal
units, sometimes banding together for specific trade or military
purposes. As peoples who practiced an indigenous, earth-centered
spirituality, the Celts and Native Americans share many animistic
beliefs and practices, along with a common attitude and respect for the
land and the spirits of the land…Like Native Americans, the Celts
suffered from the advance of other settlers… Eventually, the majority
of the Celts were defeated, absorbed or pushed westward by an advancing,
militaristic Roman civilisation.4

The idea that Native America might have been influence by the Celts is
supported by a December 2000 article in National Geographic, which
indicated that the magazine has finally shed its Bering-Strait-only
theory and now suggests that some migration from the east also brought
early settlers across the Atlantic.5

Who were the first Europeans in the New World? Was it Leif Eriksson and
his Vikings, or was it the legendary Irishman St. Brendan of the Misty
Isles? Actually, it was probably neither. Recent archeology find in New
England indicate a European settlement as far back as 800 B.C.E.! The
evidence is threefold: first, in an ancient complex of stone buildings;
second, in scores of tablets inscribed with a writing matching that used
in western Europe around 800 B.C.E.; and third, in American Indian words
that parallel those used in western Europe at that time. Researchers
studying this data have concluded that the adventurers who crossed the
Atlantic over 2,800 years ago were Celts.

The Celtic identity of structures has been established through science
of epigraphy — that is, the study of ancient inscription on stone.
Barry Fell (now deceased), a former Harvard professor and past president
of the Epigraphic Society, identified the inscriptions as Ogham, a
system of cypher used by Celtic people over 2,500 years ago, and was
able to translate them. Dr. Fell’s research is conclusive in dating the
Celtic presence in North America.

Some of the inscriptions found and translated identify graves; others
taken from the oracle chamber are religious writings; and still others
specify land boundaries. Some 200 stone chambers have been found in New
England, many of which are constructed in the form of Druidic astronomic
calendar observatories. Together they suggest a Celtic settlement in the
New World at the same time Ogham was in use in Europe — that is, about
800 B.C.E. Further, a study of local Indian words and place names has
revealed Celtic roots. Other methods, such as the identification and
dating of pottery, tools and implements found at the site, have also
revealed the settlement to be Celtic, matching items produced in the
Celtic Regions of Europe during the Bronze Age.6

Maybe influence flowed both directions — from the Celts to the Native
Americans and back again — over as much as several millennia, with
traffic going both west and east across the Atlantic. If the Celts were
in North America as early as Dr. Fell’s research suggests, it is highly
probable that early traders returned to pre-Christian Europe with many
of the values of the New Continent (later to be called North America).
The exchange would explain why certain North American tribes have traces
of physical resemblance to the Celtic/Nordic features. Walk through
Rapid City, South Dakota, airport and discover the remarkable
photographs that hang on the walls. As you look at the pronounced
features of full-blooded, Sioux veterans who defeated Custer at the
Battle of Little Big Horn, you might think you were looking at a
slightly darker than usual group of war-bonneted Celts or Vikings!

Some northeastern tribes have features very unlike those of western
tribes and even more unlike those of northwestern coastal Indians.
Traces of Celtic and Viking influence may explain why northern tribes
look different than southwestern tribes, such as, the Navajo and Pueblo.
One has no difficulty in discerning a Sioux from a Navajo or a Tlingit.
Maybe in addition to an inspiration tradeoff of values and spirituality
between the Celts and The Sioux/Iroquois — a sharing of the best of
what these Nature-respecting peoples had to offer — there was also a
sharing of genes. The appearance of the Sioux and Iroquois people —
lighter-skinned, taller and heavier-boned than their southern
counterparts — suggests some intertwining of blood.

I believe that this possible sharing of bloodlines and almost certain
sharing of cultures shows that the paths of Native Americans and
European Americans came from the same place: a place of equality for
both men and women.

Notes:

1Ellis, P. The Celtic Empire. Constable: London, 1990, p 6.

2Eisler, R. The Chalice and the Blade. HarperCollins: San Francisco,
1987, p. 258, fig. 5.

3Ross, A. The pagans-are-nature-oriented/">Pagan Celts. Barnes and Noble Books: Totowa, NJ, 1986, pp
103-104.

4Cowan, T. Fire in the Head. HarperCollins: San Francisco, 1992, p. 6.

5Parfit, M. “Hunt for the First Americans,” National Geographic, Dec
2000, p. 46.

6Fell, B. America B.C. Pocket Books: New York, 1976, p. 218.

Source:
Excerpted from: McGaa E. aka Eagle Man. Nature’s Way: Native Wisdom for
Living in Balance with the Earth, HarperCollins: San Francisco, 2004, pp
60-63

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Apache Creation Story

In the beginning nothing existed: no earth, no sky, no sun, no moon. Only
darkness was everywhere.

Suddenly from the darkness emerged a thin disc, one side yellow and the
other side white, appearing suspended in midair. Within the disc sat a
small
bearded man, Creator, the One Who Lives Above.

As if waking from a long nap, he rubbed his eyes and face with both hands.

When he looked into the endless darkness, light appeared above. He looked
down and it became a sea of light. To the east, he created yellow
streaks of
dawn.

To the west, tints of many colors appeared everywhere. There were also
clouds of different colors.

Creator wiped his sweating face and rubbed his hands together, thrusting
them downward. Behold! A shining cloud upon which sat a little girl.

“Stand up and tell me where are you going,” said Creator. But she did not
reply. He rubbed his eyes again and offered his right hand to the
Girl-Without-Parents.

“Where did you come from?” she asked, grasping his hand.

“From the east where it is now light,” he replied, stepping upon her cloud.

“Where is the earth?” she asked.

“Where is the sky?” he asked, and sang, “I am thinking, thinking, thinking
what I shall create next.” He sang four times, which was the magic number.

Creator brushed his face with his hands, rubbed them together, then flung
them wide open! Before them stood Sun-God. Again Creator rubbed his sweaty
brow and from his hands dropped Small- Boy.

Creator, Sun-God, Girl-Without-Parents, and Small-Boy sat in deep thought
upon the small cloud.

“What shall we make next?” asked Creator. “This cloud is much too small for
us to live upon.”

Then he created Tarantula, Big Dipper, Wind, Lightning-Maker, and some
western clouds in which to house Lightning-Rumbler, which he just finished.

Creator sang, “Let us make earth. I am thinking of the earth, earth, earth;
I am thinking of the earth,” he sang four times.

All four gods shook hands. In doing so, their sweat mixed together and
Creator rubbed his palms, from which fell a small round, brown ball, not
much larger than a bean.

Creator kicked it, and it expanded. Girl-Without-Parents kicked the ball,
and it enlarged more. Sun-God and Small-Boy took turns giving it hard
kicks,
and each time the ball expanded. Creator told Wind to go inside the ball
and
to blow it up.

Tarantula spun a black cord and, attaching it to the ball, crawled away
fast
to the east, pulling on the cord with all his strength. Tarantula repeated
with a blue cord to the south, a yellow cord to the west, and a white cord
to the north. With mighty pulls in each direction, the brown ball stretched
to immeasurable size–it became the earth! No hills, mountains, or rivers
were visible; only smooth, treeless, brown plains appeared.

Creator scratched his chest and rubbed his fingers together and there
appeared Hummingbird. “Fly north, south, east, and west and tell us what
you
see,” said Creator.

“All is well,” reported Hummingbird upon his return. “The earth is most
beautiful, with water on the west side.”

But the earth kept rolling and dancing up and down. So Creator made four
giant posts–black, blue, yellow, and white to support the earth. Wind
carried the four posts, placing them beneath the four cardinal points of
the
earth. The earth sat still.

Creator sang, “World is now made and now sits still,” which he repeated
four
times.

Then he began a song about the sky. None existed, but he thought there
should be one. After singing about it four times, twenty- eight people
appeared to help make a sky above the earth. Creator chanted about making
chiefs for the earth and sky.

He sent Lightning-Maker to encircle the world, and he returned with three
uncouth creatures, two girls and a boy found in a turquoise shell. They had
no eyes, ears, hair, mouths, noses, or teeth. They had arms and legs,
but no
fingers or toes.

Sun-God sent for Fly to come and build a sweathouse. Girl- Without- Parents
covered it with four heavy clouds. In front of the east doorway she
placed a
soft, red cloud for a foot-blanket to be used after the sweat.

Four stones were heated by the fire inside the sweathouse. The three
uncouth
creatures were placed inside. The others sang songs of healing on the
outside, until it was time for the sweat to be finished. Out came the three
strangers who stood upon the magic red cloud-blanket. Creator then shook
his
hands toward them, giving each one fingers, toes, mouths, eyes, ears, noses
and hair.

Creator named the boy, Sky-Boy, to be chief of the Sky-People. One girl he
named Earth-Daughter, to take charge of the earth and its crops. The other
girl he named Pollen-Girl, and gave her charge of health care for all
Earth-People.

Since the earth was flat and barren, Creator thought it fun to create
animals, birds, trees, and a hill. He sent Pigeon to see how the world
looked. Four days later, he returned and reported, “All is beautiful around
the world. But four days from now, the water on the other side of the earth
will rise and cause a mighty flood.”

Creator made a very tall pinion tree. Girl-Without-Parents covered the tree
framework with pinion gum, creating a large, tight ball.

In four days, the flood occurred. Creator went up on a cloud, taking his
twenty-eight helpers with him. Girl-Without-Parents put the others into the
large, hollow ball, closing it tight at the top.

In twelve days, the water receded, leaving the float-ball high on a
hilltop.
The rushing floodwater changed the plains into mountains, hills, valleys,
and rivers. Girl-Without-Parents led the gods out from the float-ball onto
the new earth. She took them upon her cloud, drifting upward until they met
Creator with his helpers, who had completed their work making the sky
during
the flood time on earth.

Together the two clouds descended to a valley below. There, Girl-
Without-Parents gathered everyone together to listen to Creator.

“I am planning to leave you,” he said. “I wish each of you to do your best
toward making a perfect, happy world.

“You, Lightning-Rumbler, shall have charge of clouds and water. “You,
Sky-Boy, look after all Sky-People.

“You, Earth-Daughter, take charge of all crops and Earth-People.

“You, Pollen-Girl, care for their health and guide them.

“You, Girl-Without-Parents, I leave you in charge over all.”

Creator then turned toward Girl-Without-Parents and together they rubbed
their legs with their hands and quickly cast them forcefully downward.
Immediately between them arose a great pile of wood, over which Creator
waved a hand, creating fire.

Great billowy clouds of smoke at once drifted skyward. Into this cloud,
Creator disappeared. The other gods followed him in other clouds of smoke,
leaving the twenty-eight workers to people the earth.

Sun-God went east to live and travel with the Sun. Girl-Without- Parents
departed westward to live on the far horizon. Small-Boy and Pollen-Girl
made
cloud homes in the south. Big Dipper can still be seen in the northern sky
at night, a reliable guide to all.

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Wojape, Berry Pudding

Wojape (Wo-zha-pee) Traditionally served with Fry Bread, good
stuff! Wojape is traditonal to the Sioux and other Northern
Plains Nations, and it is a very old recipe. It was usually made
with fresh wild berries collected while in season and we also used
dried berries, preserved for use through the winter. The berries
were mixed with sugar when it became available, and also flour, or
arrow root, or some type of thickener.

In modern times, Wojape, like many other things, has been adapted to
the availability of ingredients. It is usually eaten as a  dessert with
Fry Bread or as as a main course maybe with a hot cup
of coffee. Good stuff!

WOJAPE (Wo zha pee)

5 lb. bag of frozen berrys (blueberry, raspberry, cherry or a bag of
mixed berries)
8 cups of water
2 cups of sugar
cornstarch or arrow root

To a 5 quart pot  add all the berries and smash them with a potato masher.
If you are fortunate enough to  have a food processor this would work fine also.
However, stop just short of puree, you want don’t want it to turn in to soup, you want
small pieces for texture.)

To the berry mash add the water and sugar. Lightly boil for about 15
to 20 minutes or until everything is cooked. Add cornstarch that has
been dissolved in cold water to thicken to the desired consistency.
Serve warm and eat with Fry Bread. Simply dip the bread into the
Wojape and enjoy!

You can cut this down to suit the amount of wojape that you need.

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Lakota Fry Bread

1 Cup Lukewarm water
1 pkg. Yeast
2 tblsp softened butter or shorteneing
1 tblsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
4 cups flour

Add yeast to warm water, allow to sit for 5 min. Add all the other
ingredients execpt the flour.

Mix well, then only add 2 1/2 cups flour.
Mix well again, then add the rest of the flour and knead until the
dough is just frim enough to handle.

Knead on a lightly floured surface and set in oiled bowl.
Allow the dough to rise one hour.

When the dough has risen, then tear off smallish pieces, and roll
out in to roughly round shapes on lightly floured surface.
Be sure to cut a small slit in the center of the dough to allow even
cooking.

Cook in hot lard or oil until golden brown. Then, and cook other
side.

Remove from grease and drain.

They are also exelent as Indian Tacos and with powdered sugar. They
may also be served warm with Wojape.

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There are several different versions of Chief Seattle’s speech of 1854.  It is said that Ted Perry wrote this version and he wrote the speech in the late 70’s for a movie called “Home” which the Southern Baptist Convention produced in the US. He had no idea that anyone would consider his work anything other than fiction, and he has spent quite a bit of time in the past few years trying to set the record straight.

Their is text which was produced by  “Dr.” Smith, an early settler in Seattle, who took notes as Seattle spoke it at the  TREATY ORATION of 1854.  This text is much different than the text that follows.  “Dr.” Smiths Text was added to in the last 100 years so an authentic version is impossible.

It is not important when this text was written.  What is important is the power of he words.  The words speak to me and put words to my beliefs.  I understand the web of life for I have lived and experienced the web.  I understand the old Lakota saying “We are all related.”  I feel connected to the Rivers, The Mountains, and the Oceans.  I feel the intertwined lives we have with the four legged, the winged ones, the finned ones and the creepy crawlies.  I understand that the first medicine is the air we breath and the water we drink.

For me it does matter who spokw these words and when they were spoken.  For me they are powerful words and a prayer that I stand by and live each day as I walk down my path.

Read Chief Seattle’s words and tell me what you think.

Loki

Chief Seattle’s Prayer

“…Every part of this earth is sacred to my people. Every shining pine needle,
every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every meadow, every humming
insect. All are holy in the memory and experience of my people. We know the sap
which courses through our veins. We are part of the earth and its part of us.
The perfumed flowers are our sisters. The bear, the deer, the great eagle,
these are our brothers. The rocky crests, the juices in the meadow, the body
heat of the pony, and man, all belong to the same family. The shining water
that moves in the streams and rivers is not just water, but the blood of our
ancestors. Each ghostly reflection in the clear water of the lakes tells of
events and memories in the life of my people. The water’s murmur is the voice
of my father’s father. The rivers are our brothers. They quench our thirst.
They carry our canoes and feed our children. So you must give to the rivers the
kindness you would give any children. So you must give to the rivers the
kindness you would give any brother . Remember that the air is precious to us,
that the air shares its spirit with all the life it supports. The wind that
gave our grandfather his first breath also receives his last sigh. The wind
also gives our children the spirit of life . Will you teach your children what
we have taught our children? That the earth is our mother? What befalls the
earth, befalls all the sons of the earth. This we know: the earth does not
belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the
blood which unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a
strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.”

Chief Seattle, 1854

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Native American
Beliefs

The earth is our Mother, Care for her

Honor all your relations

Open you heart and soul to the Great Spirit

All life is sacred; treat all beings with respect

Take from the earth what is needed, and nothing more

Do what needs to be done for the good of all

Give constant thanks to the Great Spirit for each new day

Speak the truth, but only of the good of others

Follow the rhythms of nature; rise and retire with the sun

Enjoy life’s journey, but leave no tracks

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