Elders Teachings Each Day

For those of you that are into learning from Native American Elders there is a great daily meditation put out each day by an organization called http://whitebison.org. You can get the daily meditations in your email by subscribing here http://www.whitebison.org/meditation/index.php

It is a great service and I enjoy reading them each day. Makes me stop and think sometimes which is good. Take a minute and read about what whitebison does. I believe in what they are doing and support them.

Here is the meditation for today April 18, 2009


Elder's Meditation of the Day - April 18
"Our people don't come in parts. Either you are Indian, or you are not."
--Nippawanock, ARAPAHOE

We really need to take a look at how Indian People are talking about Indian People. We say there are Rez Indians, Traditional Indians, Urban Indians and Breeds. This type of thinking will keep us separated. An Indian is an Indian, a brother is a brother, a sister is a sister. We are all related. Today, let us respect ourselves and our people. Today, let me realize Indians are Indians.

Great Spirit, let me see the Unity of the People. Indians are Indians.

An Old Trick

Recently a routine Yakama, Washington police patrol car parked outside Pete's tavern. Late in the evening the officer noticed a young tribal man leaving the bar so intoxicated that he could barely walk. The man stumbled around the parking lot for a few minutes, with the officer quietly observing.

After what seemed an eternity and trying his keys on five vehicles, the man managed to find his car, which he fell into. He was there for a few minutes as a number of other patrons left the bar and drove off. Finally he started the car, switched the wipers on and off (it was a fine dry night) flicked the blinkers on, then off, honked the horn and then switched on the lights. He moved the vehicle forward a few inches, reversed a little and then remained still for a few more minutes as some more vehicles left. At last he pulled out of the parking lot and started to drive slowly down the road.

The police officer, having patiently waited all this time, now started up the patrol car, put on the flashing lights, promptly pulled the man over and carried out a breathalyzer test. To his amazement the breathalyzer indicated no evidence of the man having consumed alcohol at all! Dumbfounded, the officer said "I'll have to ask you to accompany me to the Police station this breathalyzer equipment must be broken."

"I doubt it," said the man, "Tonight I'm the designated decoy." Aye!!!! Old tribal trick!!?

He Quit Talking To You

This was written by David Macrae in 1870. (It Says 1870 not 1970)

What he talks about still holds true about us today. Some people have a hard time understanding why we do what we do. In this case we can say we learned it from our Great Grandfathers and Mothers. Because of what Mr. Macrae talks about we get labeled standoffish, uncaring, hard to deal with and other labels.

I posted this in response to a question that I received from someone about a Choctaw relative of mine who quit talking to them.


Americans at Home
By David Macrae
1870

pp 185, 186

... if you helped an Indian in distress he would generally do as much or more for you in like circumstances.

The engineer of one of the lake steamers in Western Canada gave me the following pleasing fact from his own experience :

— " One day I met a wild Indian in the woods very downcast. The nipple of his fowling-piece had broken. He was far from his people, and, without his gun, he had no means of providing for himself. I screwed the nipple out of mine, found that it fitted exactly; and, as I had others aboard the steamer, I let him have it. He thanked me and went off into the woods. Next morning, before the steamer started, he came on board with some very fine game for me ; and he has never let a season pass since without paddling down in his canoe, sometime during our running season, with some little present of game or fish to show that he has not forgotten what I did for him."

Indians are said to remember injuries much longer than kindness, and have probably got more of them to remember. They are proud also and very easily offended. I remember, while lounging with a friend at the door of a hotel, an Indian woman made her appearance with a basket of native bead-work for sale. The gentleman beside me, without waiting to see what she had, waved her off. The woman stopped, and with a look of magnificent scorn turned away. I was sorry that she had been hurt, and called on her to come back and show us what she had, but she deigned no response.

An Indian cannot be bargained with like another man. If you want him to carry you across a river, he will shove off in his canoe till an arrangement is made that pleases him ; and if, in trying to make an arrangement, you offend him, he will paddle stoically away, and no entreaties or promises even of whiskey and tobacco (the two things that tempt an Indian most) will bring him back, or so much as make him seem to be any longer conscious of your presence. You can very rarely engage Indians for money to be guides or servants. They will go with you as companions, and will not refuse the money given them ; but if you do or say anything to offend their pride, and make them think they are regarded as menials, they will leave without a word, and without the slightest regard to the difficulties of your position. If you ask them to clean your boots, they will decline without any indication of being offended, but in the morning you find them gone.

Remember this was written in 1870 and uses the language from that time. Mr. Macrea also reflects the attitude toward our people in the 1870s. So no nasty emails. I didn't write it. I only say that our attitude has not changed. Offend us, look down on us and we are out of here.

The Fire

Here is a poem that I wrote a few years back that I thought I would post here for you to read.

The Fire

By Bo Tipton

Come my brothers and sisters,
come everyone of Mother Earth.
Come and sit by the fire
with the night surrounding us.

Watch the flames push the smoke
upward toward the Creator.
Our hope is deep
as we send these prayers
to ride the smoke.

Sit quietly, listen to the sound of the wind,
hear the crackling of the fire,
the sound of family and friends,
share their happiness.

The warmth we feel comes
from this sharing of love,
not just from the fire.

Look closely into each others eyes.
What do we see?
What we see in their eyes
is that which has made us who we are.

Close your eyes my brothers and sisters,
and listen to the wind,
see the flames lift higher.
Listen to the songs of our ancestors.

The songs offer so much when
we open our hearts to their words.
Only if we listen and
learn from their wisdom,
can we grow as a people.

Inhale the aromas around you,
smell the wood burning,
the rain in the air
and the smell of Mother Earth.

The drum begans to reach deep into our spirits
and as our hearts join the drum
the drums beat shakes Mother Earth
like when the buffalo and deer ran.
Reminding Mother Earth that
we remember and still care.

Taste what has come to our lips.
Taste the tears of joy that come from our eyes.
They are the tears of the past, present and the future.

Then we realize, that like the drum
that beat so strong,
the beat of our own hearts
are uniting as one people
in Peace, Love and Harmony…

Grandfather Eagle has a gift.
It is a glimpse of the future,
because we remember and learn
it is good.