Medicine Wheel

The Medicine Wheel is representative of American Indian Spirituality. The Medicine Wheel symbolizes the individual journey we each must take to find our own path. Within the Medicine Wheel are The Four Cardinal Directions and the Four Sacred Colors. The Circle represents the Circle of Life and the Center of the Circle, the Eternal Fire. The Eagle, flying toward the East, is a symbol of strength, endurance and vision. East signifies the renewal of life and the rebirth of Cherokee unity.

East = Red = success; triumphNorth = Blue = defeat; troubleWest = Black = deathSouth = White = peace; happiness

There are three additional sacred directions:Up Above = YellowDown Below = BrownHere in the Center = Green

Winter=go-laThe color for North is Blue which represents sadness, defeat.It is a season of survival and waiting.The Cherokee word for North means "cold" u-yv-tlv.

Spring=gi-la-go-geThe color for East is Red which represents victory, power.Spring is the re-awakening after a long sleep,victory over winter; the power of new life.The Cherokee word for East is ka-lv-gv

Summer=go-gaThe color for South is White for peace, happiness & serenity.Summer is a time of plenty.The Cherokee word for South means "warm" u-ga-no-wa.

Autumn=u-la-go-hv-s-diThe color for West is Black which represents death.Autumn is the final harvest; the end of Life's Cycle.The Cherokee word for West is wu-de-li-gv.

RED was symbolic of success. It was the color of the war club used to strike an enemy in battle as well as the other club used by the warrior to shield himself. Red beads were used to conjure the red spirit to insure long life, recovery from sickness, success in love and ball play or any other undertaking where the benefit of the magic spell was wrought.

BLACK was always typical of death. The soul of the enemy was continually beaten about by black war clubs and enveloped in a black fog. In conjuring to destroy an enemy, the priest used black beads and invoked the black spirits-which always lived in the West,-bidding them to tear out the man's soul and carry it to the West, and put it into the black coffin deep in the black mud, with a black serpent coiled above it.

BLUE symbolized failure, disappointment, or unsatisfied desire. To say "they shall never become blue" expressed the belief that they would never fail in anything they undertook. In love charms, the lover figuratively covered himself with red and prayed that his rival would become entirely blue and walk in a blue path. "He is entirely blue, " approximates meaning of the common English phrase, "He feels blue. "The blue spirits lived in the North.

WHITE denoted peace and happiness. In ceremonial addresses, as the Green Corn Dance and ball play, the people symbolically partook of white food and, after the dance or game, returned along the white trail to their white houses. In love charms, the man, to induce the woman to cast her lost with his, boasted, "I am a white man," implying that all was happiness where he was. White beads had the same meaning in bead conjuring, and white was the color of the stone pipe anciently used in ratifying peace treaties. The White spirits lived in the South.

Two numbers are sacred to the Cherokee. Four is one number, it represented the four primary directions. At the center of their paths lays the sacred fire. Seven is the other and most sacred number. Seven is represented in the seven directions: north, south, east, west, above, bellow, and "here in the center" the place of the sacred fire. Seven also represented the seven ancient ceremonies that formed the yearly Cherokee religious cycle.

Cherokees of California, Inc.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING (world-wide)

Today , here in the USA, its a holiday---

"Thanksgiving"

Being that I am part native indian (cherokee),.....I cannot say,
with fact---that history states the truth..
.
But, aside from the injustice inflicted upon the native indians,
all thur history...(even yet today)...

"Thanksgiving".....needs to be a great world-wide holiday,
of "all" people comming together, in peace...

For oneday, to set aside, all differents..and "sit" in Thanksgiving of life
and friendship..

But than,"I am a dreamer"...

"HAPPY THANKSGIVING"




**THIS IS WHAT "HISTORY" SAYS THAT HAPPEN...but is history correct..

My Grandfather Is The Fire

My grandfather is the fire
My grandmother is the wind.
The Earth is my mother
The Great Spirit is my father
The World stopped at my birth
and laid itself at my feet
And I shall swallow the Earth whole when I die
and the Earth and I will be one
Hail The Great Spirit, my father
without him no one could exist
because there would be no will to live
Hail The Earth, my mother
without which no food could be grown
and so cause the will to live to starve
Hail the wind, my grandmother
for she brings loving, life-giving rain
nourishing us as she nourishes our crops
Hail the fire, my grandfather
for the light, the warmth, the comfort he brings
without which we be animals, not men
Hail my parent and grandparents
without which
not I
nor you
nor anyone else
could have existed
Life gives life
which gives unto itself
a promise of new life
Hail the Great Spirit, The Earth, the wind, the fire
praise my parents loudly
for they are your parents, too
Oh, Great Spirit, giver of my life
please accept this humble offering of prayer
this offering of praise
this honest reverence of my love for you.

The Origin of Medicine

Cherokee Native American LoreAt one time, animals and people lived together peaceably and talked with each other. But when mankind began to multiply rapidly, the animals were crowded into forests and deserts. Man began to destroy animals wholesale for their skins and furs, not just for needed food.

Animals became angry at such treatment by their former friends, resolving they must punish mankind. The bear tribe met in council, presided over by Old White Bear, their Chief. After several bears had spoken against mankind for their bloodthirsty ways, war was unanimously agreed upon. But what kinds of weapons should the bears use?

Chief Old White Bear suggested that man's weapon, the bow and arrow, should be turned against him. All of the council agreed. While the bears worked and made bows and arrows, they wondered what to do about bowstrings. One of the bears sacrificed himself to provide the strings, while the others searched for good arrow- wood. When the first bow was completed and tried, the bear's claws could not release the strings to shoot the arrow. One bear offered to cut his claws, but Chief Old White Bear would not allow him to do that, because without claws he could not climb trees for food and safety. He might starve.

The deer tribe called together its council led by Chief Little Deer. They decided that any Indian hunters, who killed deer without asking pardon in a suitable manner, should be afflicted with painful rheumatism in their joints. After this decision, Chief Little Deer sent a messenger to their nearest neighbors, the Cherokee Indians. "From now on, your hunters must first offer a prayer to the deer before killing him," said the messenger. "You must ask his pardon, stating you are forced only by the hunger needs of your tribe to kill the deer.

Otherwise, a terrible disease will come to the hunter." When a deer is slain by an Indian hunter, Chief Little Deer will run to the spot and ask the slain deer's spirit, "Did you hear the hunter's prayer for pardon?" If the reply is yes, then all is well and Chief Little Deer returns to his cave. But if the answer is no, then the Chief tracks the hunter to his lodge and strikes him with the terrible disease of rheumatism, making him a helpless cripple unable to hunt again.

All the fishes and reptiles then held a council and decided they would haunt those Cherokee Indians, who tormented them, by telling them hideous dreams of serpents twining around them and eating them alive. These snake and fish dreams occurred often among the Cherokees. To get relief, the Cherokees pleaded with their Shaman to banish their frightening dreams if they no longer tormented the snakes and fish.

Now when the friendly plants heard what the animals had decided against mankind, they planned a countermove of their own. Each tree, shrub, herb, grass, and moss agreed to furnish a cure for one of the diseases named by the animals and insects.

Thereafter, when the Cherokee Indians visited their Shaman about their ailments and if the medicine man was in doubt, he communed with the spirits of the plants. They always suggested a proper remedy for mankind's diseases. This was the beginning of plant medicine from nature among the Cherokee Indian nation a long, long time ago.

http://southerncherokees.com/Clans.htm

The Teachings of Mother Earth

Mother Earth teaches us to be human. She brings love to life and shares her gifts with us. In return for the gifts of our Mother, it is our responsibility as humans to care for all living beings living upon her.

The rock carries the wisdom of the ages and is known as the oldest teacher and is called, "Grandfather". From the rock we learn inner strength and faith. The rock is slow to move yet when the rock moves, the whole world pays attention.

The tree teaches us about honesty for the tree is able to move the nutrients from the roots to its uppermost branches. The sap moves through the tree just as we must learn to allow truth to move through us. For each human there is a tree that is just like you. If you are acting as though you carry the whole world upon your shoulders, you will see a tree that is bowed down. Some trees appear to be tall, straight and beautiful, yet that same tree may be rotten on the inside. Some people are like that. Crooked people will see crooked trees, just like them. We must strive to be tall, straight and honest and grounded with a good root system and to know that just as each tree is an individual and a member of a family, so are we.

Although it gets walked on, grass, keeps coming back. As humans we do that to one another, yet even when we get "walked upon" we must show kindness to ourselves and others and keep coming back. We also nurture, fertilize and care for the grass just as we must care for one another. A blade of grass has two sides to it just as we, as humans have a smooth side and a rough side. We must recognize this and be kind to ourselves in order to smooth out the rough edges.

The animals give us the greatest gift of all and that is the lesson of sharing. They give up their lives so that we can live. In the old days, our ancestors would offer a prayer to the Creator and ask for an animal to feed the people. When a hunter connected with an animal, that was an indication the animal was ready to die. After the hunter killed the animal, its heart was divided among the hunters and a piece of the heart was offered back to Mother Earth with a prayer of thanks.

As humans we need to learn to share with one another and give thanks for the gifts of life shared with us.

The four teachings of faith, honesty, caring and sharing which come with the rock, the tree, the grasses and the animals keep us connected with our Mother Earth.

http://www.highonlife1.com/motherearth.htm

Messages of the Wind

A Message from the Hopi Elders

You have been telling the people that this is the eleventh hour....
Now you must go back and tell the people that this is the hour....
and there are things to be considered :Where are you living? .....
What are you doing?
What are your relationships ?
Are you in the right relationship?
Where is your water?
Know your garden.
It is time to speak your truth.Create your community....
Be good to each other.
And do not look outside yourself for the leader.

There is a river flowing now very fast.
It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid.
They will try to hold on to the shore.
They will feel they are being torn apart , and they will suffer
greatly.

Know the river has its destination.
The Elders say we must let go of the shore....
Push off into the river,Keep our eyes open, and our head above the water.
See who is there with you and celebrate.

At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally....
Least of all ourselves .
For the moment that we do, our Spiritual growth and journey comes to ahalt.
The time of the lone wolf is over.

Gather yourselves !
Banish the word struggle from your attitude and your vocabulary .
All that we do know must be done in a Sacred manner and in celebration.
We are the ones we've been waiting for !

The Elders, Oraibi, Arizona , Hopi Nation.The Hopi People
trace their history in Arizona to more than 2,000 years,
But their history as a people goes back many more thousands of years.

The tribe's teachings relate stories of a great flood and other events dating to ancient times, marking the Hopi as one of the oldest living cultures in documented history.
A deeply religious people ,
they live by the ethic if peace and goodwill .

The Hopi Reservation ,
in northeastern Arizona , encompasses approximately 1.5 million acres .
Having inhabited this high and dry area since the 12th century ,
the Hopi have developed a unique agriculture practice " dry farming ".

Instead of plowing their fields ,
Hopi traditional farmers place " wind breakers " in the fields
at selected intervals to retain soil , snow and moisture.
They also have perfected special techniques to plant seeds in arid fields.
As a result ,
they succeed in raising corn , beans , squash , melons and
other crops in a landscape that appears inhospitable to farming .

http://www.spiritofthebeartrust.com/index1.html

Death to the Native American is a sacred passage and linked to Mother Earth.

Up to 1924 it was legal to turn in an Indian scalp and get a reward. One could kill an Indian and no harm would come to you if you were White. History, written by the White man is full of lies and the real true history can be told by only those who lived through the times. Fortunately, we have some Native Americans in their 80's and 90's who lived through this history.
Prior to that they could vouch for what was told them by their elders and teachers. I have gone out of my way to meet these elders and listen to them for hours. They speak the truth and it is just a matter of time before truth prevails!

We also have some Whites who now feel like telling the truth since they cannot run away from deception for ever. In no other country in the world, has no much injustice been done to the Native people, as have we in the United States. Imagine, thousands of Native Americans in just California robbed of their land, their homes, and treated as second class citizens. Even today many of them are home less and have been robbed of their self worth.

The Native American has ties to the land of his or her birth, tradition, Mother Earth, spirituality, rituals, the Spirits, so many important elements that Whites cannot fathom, because most Whites are spiritually dead! These may sound like harsh words but I myself have seen it with my eyes. Most Whites center their lives around greed and money! While money buys you some needs it cannot make you happy - spiritually! We have so many Living Dead.

Unlike the Christian concept, tradition passed from generation to generation plays an important role when any Native American passes away. Death is just a transition and one's sojourn on this earth requires that the spirits be respected. Native American human remains are sacred a concept that Whites find real difficult to comprehend!

Rich Native American languages are no more, traditions developed over thousands of years totally destroyed, people forced to inter marry to survive, many forced to commit suicide rather than suffer at the hands of the Whites. So many atrocities committed that it makes one's stomach churn and that too by the authorities who thought they were right!

The Catholic Church has been too slow to admit that much wrong was done to the Native Americans by the early missionaries. The missionaries destroyed many a noble Native American tradition in the name of King and Church!

The United States government has in its very short history been very unfair to the Native Americans. The U.S. government has lied and even today the Department of Interior (DOI) has blood on its hands. Millions of dollars of Indian Trust money was misused by the DOI. A Federal judge had to reprimand the agency and the agency apologized for its misdeeds, just a few months ago.

The Digital age could easily come to haunt today's civilization. While most think that the digital age can bring a lot of change and bring a lot of progress. Quiet the opposite is possible.

Some leading philosophers, physicists, computer scientists, and learned persons seriously believe that the quantum leap made by computers could destroy our civilization. Again and again we have had renegades use the Internet to destroy and down load programs and viruses that have played havoc. It is just a matter of time before whole cities will be brought to a halt.

Digital science gives anyone who is clever enough to manipulate programs and viruses that can cause tremendous damage, destroy progress, and bring nations to a halt. This is done by corrupting operational systems that are linked to computers. These computers have software that are fully prone to computer viruses without warning. In seconds what is fully operational can come to a grinding halt. Huge power systems, systems that control communications, hospitals, you name it.

Digital science is still probing ways to control certain progress by developing checks and balances. The problem is no one entity can be at the helm of affairs. Some one from a third world country can totally destroy thousands of man hours of work and bring computers and any industry to a halt on any given day at any given time. Some one can do it right here in the United States!

No one has fully addressed the elements that will arise from toxicity. Computer generated operations and toxicity go hand in hand.No one has fully addressed the transportation system. As it stands today Public Transportation at the Presidio of San Francisco - sucks. If every one will commute by car, imagine the traffic congestion, the pollution, the parking problems and so on.

The Presidio of San Francisco once inhabited by the Native Americans, stolen and exploited by the past and present authorities, will never be the same. How ever we can prevent it from going down the drain. Today, no one really fully cares about the future. What most in authority really care is greed and money!

"Whites in California hunted Indians 'as though they were wild beasts' and shot them 'with as much nonchalance as though they were squirrels."
quote from a Forty-Niner

http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t88256-200.html

The Meditation of the Native Americans.

Every tribe has its own unique spiritual history, but certain parallels can be drawn that connect all these people to the earth and each other.

The origins of Native American spirituality can be traced back a very long time, possibly as far as 60,000 years. There are many tribes, all with a rich store of myths, though many early bloodlines have now died out. Popular versions of Native American spirituality are often inaccurate as they homogenize the beliefs of these cultures within the Native American peoples. Each tribe has it's own creation myth and collection of legends that connect humans with the animal kingdom.

One With Animals.

The basis of all Native American spirituality is the connection with the natural world. The landscape is accorded great respect, and sacred presences are felt within natural objects. Animals play a large role in the Native American tradition as teachers and guides. Ceremony and ritual is vital as this creates and sustains a feeling of connection with all living things.

A Natural Philosophy

The Native American peoples believe that the earth is their mother and that she must be revered and respected. The tribes have always hunters and gatherers rather than cultivators and farmers. The relationship between the land and the people is mystical and totally inter-dependant.

Deep Appreciation

The creation myths often describe how the earth and its creatures came into being through an altruistic creator, and there is a deep belief that everything has a place in the scheme of things. Everything is considered to be infused with spirit and there is a deep respect for all creatures and for natural forces such as the rain, wind and lightening.

Shamans

The spiritual welfare and physical health of the tribe is the responsibility of the tribal shaman, who is either chosen by the current shaman as his successor, or is singled out through a defining experience that proves his worthiness. The shaman holds extensive knowledge of plants and their abilities to heal or to bring altered states of awareness. He presides over the ceremonies and rituals designed to increase the strength of the tribe, to heal the sick, to banish malicious entities or to call the spirits of the animals before a hunt. Paramount to the shaman is his sacred drum which, among its many uses, can bring about a trance state.

Purification.

Before performing a ceremony or ritual, the Native Americans ensure that the body and mind are cleansed and purified. The leaves of the sage plant are bound together and lit until they smoulder in order to "smudge" and cleanse the space. Sweetgrass is also braided and lit for the same purpose. Sweat lodges are used, where members of the tribe gather in an enclosed space, usually a teepee, to sit around stones that are placed in a central fire until very hot, then are doused in water to bring forth hot steam. This promotes sweating and releases bodily impurities.


Meditation

There are so many Native American tribes in North America, that often the cultures and traditions become mixed in interpretation as is the case in the exercise below You can use this meditation before a ceremony, or to attune to the natural world.

Create an altar with natural objects. Light a smudge stick of sage or sweetgrass and fan the smoke over yourself. Walk around and allow the sage smoke to purify the energy of your space. Then place the sage in a bowl and stand in the centre of the room.

Face east, where the sun rises. This is the place of new beginnings. Give thanks to the spirits of the east, and ask them to guide you. Turn to face the south, the place where the sun is at its highest, representing the power of life. Give thanks to the spirits of the south, and ask tem to guide you. Turn to the west, the place of sunset, of dreams and introspection. Give thanks to the spirits of the west, and ask them to guide you.

Turn to the north, the place of wisdom and reflection. Give thanks to the spirits of the north, and ask them to guide you.

Now you are ready to sit in meditation.
http://susansblog.yuku.com/topic/397/t/Meditation-Of-The-Native-Americans.html

Native American Indian Traditional Code of Ethics

Each morning upon rising, and each evening before sleeping, give thanks for the life within you and for all life, for the good things the Creator has given you and for the opportunity to grow a little more each day. Consider your thoughts and actions of the past day and seek for the courage and strengthto be a better person. Seek for the things that will benefit others (everyone).
Respect.

Respect means "To feel or show honor or esteem for someone or something; to consider the well being of, or to treat someone or somethin with deference or courtesy". Showing respect is a basic law of life.

a. Treat every person from the tiniest child to the oldest elder with respect at all times.

b. Special respect should be given to Elders, Parents, Teachers, and Community Leaders.

c. No person should be made to feel "put down" by you; avoid hurting other hearts as you would avoid a deadly poison.

d. Touch nothing that belongs to someone else (especially Sacred Objects) without permission, or an understanding between you.

e. Respect the privacy of every person, never intrude on a person's quiet moment or personal space.

f. Never walk between people that are conversing.

g. Never interrupt people who are conversing.

h. Speak in a soft voice, especially when you are in the presence of Elders, strangers or others to whom special respect is due.

i. Do not speak unless invited to do so at gatherings where Elders are present (except to ask what is expected of you, should you be in doubt).

j. Never speak about others in a negative way, whether they are present or not.

k. Treat the earth and all of her aspects as your mother. Show deep respect for the mineral world, the plant world, and the animal world. Do nothing to pollute our Mother, rise up with wisdom to defend her.

l. Show deep respect for the beliefs and religion of others.

m. Listen with courtesy to what others say, even if you feel that what they are saying is worthless. Listen with your heart.

n. Respect the wisdom of the people in council. Once you give an idea to a council meeting it no longer belongs to you. It belongs to the people. Respect demands that you listen intently to the ideas of others in council and that you do not insist that your idea prevail. Indeed you should freely support the ideas of others if they are true and good, even if those ideas ideas are quite different from the ones you have contributed. The clash of ideas brings forth the Spark of Truth.
Once a council has decided something in unity, respect demands that no one speak secretly against what has been decided. If the council has made an error, that error will become apparent to everyone in its own time.

Be truthful at all times, and under all conditions.

Always treat your guests with honor and consideration. Give of your best food, your best blankets, the best part of your house, and your best service to your guests.

The hurt of one is the hurt of all, the honor of one is the honor of all.

Receive strangers and outsiders with a loving heart and as members of the human family.
All the races and tribes in the world are like the different colored flowers of one meadow. All are beautiful. As children of the Creator they must all be respected.

To serve others, to be of some use to family, community, nation, and the world is one of the main purposes for which human beings have been created. Do not fill yourself with your own affairs and forget your most important talks. True happiness comes only to those who dedicate their lives to the service of others.

Observe moderation and balance in all things.

Know those things that lead to your well-being, and those things that lead to your destruction.
Listen to and follow the guidance given to your heart.

Expect guidance to come in many forms; in prayer, in dreams, in times of quiet solitude, and in the words and deeds of wise Elders and friends.
http://www.sapphyr.net/natam/nacodeethics.htm

Prayer & Walking the Red Road

Spirit of Earth will you hear me,And witness the fall of my fear?Blessed are the gifts that you cede me;Grant it that they become clear.
Wings to fight for my freedom,Horses to drum with my deathMountains to centre my silence;Serpents to circle my breath.
A heart to sing for the Sun in,Joy in the rhythm of pain;A sharp edge to cut to the truth with,A seed to herald the change.
A circle of stones to surround me,Blood from the heart of the earth;Trees of all nations to ground me,Winds to carry my mirth.
Fires to roar for my freedom,Waters to call for my birth;The moon and a feather to guide me,And a song to sing for the Earth.

(Wado to our sister Annamiranda in Australia, for sharing this beautiful prayer song with us which the Great Mystery gave to her)
http://www.orgsites.com/fl/drumming/_pgg5.php3