Gun Lake Language Conference and Gathering of Potawatomi Bands, Hopkins, MI, August 2014

The 2014 annual Bodewadmin Gathering of the Bands and Potawatomi Language Conference
August 1-10 Gun Lake, MI

Bozho Nikan, Hello, My Bone,
Aboard the birch bark voyager canoe at the 2014 Potawatomi Language Conference at Gun Lake, MI and the Annual Gathering of the Bands on the Match-che-be-Nash-she-wish Potawatomi lands at Hopkins, MI as we are prepared to push off onto Gun Lake. This large canoe is made entirely by hand with no metal incorporated. It is made from original designs and materials and is capable of handling the waters of Lake Michigan. This day, 16 persons were on board and paddling.

Potawatomi Elm House

Presented Colors

The Language Conference
The Potawatomi language has been in declining use and through Spiritually dedicated programs is acting to restore the language actively back into the culture at all levels, beginning with the primary immersion levels but classes are designed and available to all age groups... At the current rate the Potawatomi Nation will turn the language issue and resultant usage around in a generation. Good work all! AHO! Language is culture.....

Doors of Maple Sugar House

Copper Maple Syrup Cauldrons

The Gathering
There were many, many workshops offered, among them, the construction of the birch bark canoe. Also offered were extensive talks and hands on demonstrations on maple syrup production and products in the sugar house, wild rice cultivation, harvest and handling, basketry, hoop dancing for the children,earth oven construction, corn, milk thistle and wild rice soup teachings, copper metal construction, a wigwam built of huge sheets of elm bark, an overview of the migration and sacred prophesy, and so much more. It was impossible to take very many for they overlapped, we're through and in some cases extended for the three days of the gathering.

Women's Moon Camp Teaching Lodge - under construction

Inside Potawatomi Elm House

Roof of Fire House

There was a sacred fire which started our fire, carried by coal from the reservation fire. It was tended by the men (nene) 24 hours a day. The men sang fire songs and the women (kwe) offered the water ceremony and a water song. Daily sunrise and tobacco offering ceremonies occurred. We say, 'We just hope that every dawn, somewhere, a Potawatomi stands waiting to greet the Grandfather Sun and put down some tobacco'.

Elm Bark Potawatomi Wigwam

Food is our 'Medicine'
The registrants were provided with food cards for the duration of the gathering which allowed us to 'trade' them for Indian grown, cooked and served foods. There were extensive camp grounds, playgrounds, communal dance grounds, a women's moon lodge and teaching center, elder camp, indoor basketball court, indoor and covered outdoor dining areas, cisterns of spring water conveniently placed and many arts and crafts offered by the vendors.

It took place during one of the finest weather weeks of the summer but still, some mornings the lake was swathed in mists and fogs and occasional brief rain showers passed over.

There were many out of state attendees from out of state, notably members of the Prairie Band of Mayetta, KS and the Citizen Band whose agency of Shawnee, OK.

Wabaksekwe n'deshnekas: Minisa Crumbo Halsey
N'dogzewin Shawnee: my agency is Shawnee

Man with his Dog Birch Bark Canoe

Minisa Crumbo Halsey and Michael Bourbournaise

Conference End Pleasure Face

The Blue Corn Of SPIRIT TALK makes ready....

In this summer season of light I am happy to announce the completion of the SPIRIT TALK manuscript. It is now in the hands of a professional editor who will prepare it for early winter publication. This is an interactive Medicine Wheel writing coupled inextricably with the teachings of the Mother Earth and the Father Sky-Sun in all of its beauty. It will be available in November in order to serve as the December, new year, study guide, work book and SPIRIT TALK support for the coming, and all of OUR future 13 Moon years.
In the Spirit of Love and Light,
DAWN WOMAN

Dawn Woman and Virginia Stroud

SUMMER- the 21 Days before Autumn Begins

THE AUTUMNAL TWILIGHTS BEGIN & THE 13 BLUE CORN MOONS MEASURE TIME

The night after the Capricorn Full Moon is velvety black and silent. The moon casts the weakest of shadows and illuminates nothing beneath the trees and the following morning is still and quiet.
The Summer Sun begins to move us into the edges of all twilight. The Summer Sun leads us forward into the Autumn by softening the fiery mental resolves and physical intentions, by sponsoring the moist marriage hearts urge to seed and all the while, the Sun Spirit slowly continues winding the cyclical fibers of being upon the spool of spiral time, drawing us forward, binding the drying stalks and fruits into sheaves of harvest.

Already seed imprints know themselves. Knowledge of ourselves stumbles and looks about for clue and information. Most seeds remain encased in tender and tough sheaths until the final days of 'making' are complete. The twilight presages the deep rest, sleep and quiet time but for now, calm and caution, softening and waiting are the appropriate stances. These things, all things, ourselves, require this time, time to draw and color what has been 'made'. It is our time to 'make' the imaginary Spirit drawings and color in the first sketches out of the water filled ollas of summer. The winter stories, songs and dances continue to form and flesh out, gaining momentum in contrast to the outward looking stillnesses. It remains too soon to speak of the stories, to sing the song which is still but a hum, and to dance what is still a walk but we are coming to know some-things, and also know there is much more to come.

The late summer rains are fewer. The mulching, irrigation and sprinkling the rows of tasseling corn which is gaining its majority is required, so too are directed water streams flowing down the thirsty rows and gullets of growth. Clouds of pollen drift down upon the fair hairy heads of slim corn bodies. The final 'making' is done in the dry heat.

The passages upon the 13 Moon Calendar continues in beauty......

Summer Solstice 2014

Today, the Summer Solstice 2014, eight (8) magic mushrooms emerged in the grotto and one emerged outside the grotto totaling nine (9),  the number of completion. They are marking, signifying and connecting the 'good red road, SOUTH: red, love, emotion,with the NORTH: white, purity, and wisdom.

A solstice gift.

The WINTER SEED gifts are made manifest as the SUMMER SUN dreams and makes new SEED, feeding the NORTHERN WINTER DREAM TIME.

THE MARRIAGE IS MADE!
THE NEW YEAR IS ASSURED!

Exploring the Essential Wildness of Life

After all the counting, selecting, planning, making and firing of prayers, waiting, listening, cultivating of the Divine Inner Garden, preparing the physical beds, raking in aged sheep poo, drawing the rows and forming mounds, selecting and soaking seeds, waiting for and watching the Grandmother Moon's progress, last frosts and finally with the putting in of new plants and the dropping in of wordless hopes and silently prayed over seeds, I am brought to release all of the effort and surrender to the essential wildness of life, my life and the whole carefully tended concept of thinking I knew even a little bit of what I was doing and what was happening!

The blast of summer medicine has rocked my world open to the vast and unknown potential that secretly or not so secretly, I hope, dream and pray, will one day be restored, the liberty of the wild creative love and innocence.

So, if the messages of nature are not listened to, what will be listened to? The new will enter with all of the whole correctness set to unfold, unfurl, reveal and return, moment to moment to satisfy the original instructions and any other use of energy will risk becoming a grave distraction and expenditure of energy. Attention and energy, knowing the not known-ness of the evolved original face is the only worthy toil of the farmers' Divine Inner Garden, now finding itself in form.

Grasshoppers, the bane of my farmer's life have not appeared this year. I hesitate even to speak of it but if they are part of the new myth...the stories of plagues, droughts, floods and other unavoidable disappointments must be told. Their absence has opened up and relaxed all kinds of other stories. Riotous stories. Laughter and song live in the rows this year. Life and love have returned to the rows. I know goodness this year.

The Salad Days

....are upon us again. Tender lettuce leaves, asparagus spears and early herbs, thrice washed, are already on the table. The cantaloupe, cucumber, and blue corn seeds are sprouting. The heirloom tomatoes are putting on their first blooms, the bok choy, hot chiles and sweet peppers, squash and spring onions are stabilizing and strengthening. Wild things are happening in the garden...each plant having its own look and way. The returning arugula survivors are bolting early and preparing to phase out..others are poised to take over. And I do mean take over. I am ever and increasingly aware that the natural world is poised to over grow every inch of earth on this old, eroded Cretaceous hill here in the Cross Timbers Country of Oklahoma upon which my husband, two dogs and myself visit and live..as long as we might.

The night. The wind. I'm going to stay strictly centered for the moment and drift with the atmosphere, attentive to the power that is released when I listen and obey.

More later on the ' take over ' initiatives.

Fall Equinox 2013

Greetings,

The Medicine Direction of the West has arrived  bringing the moving inward time. Harvest also comes and with it some of the gifts we will carry inward for the all important 'time of introspection'.

This season of the Medicine Wheel ... Carefully inspect, count and look to recognize and gain as much information, inspiration and energy as you are able from These seeds, which carry much import and Only we can decipher and correctly interpret our personal harvest.

This is the time to gift the seeds, fruits and herbs with gratitude and unconditional love. It begins with mindfulness and from there each of us may design our own personal harvest ceremonies which may also include song, prayers, dance and feasting.

Recall this past spring and tell the story to life ... and the coming winter ... who will accept and carry these seeds in her belly to give birth to next planting season. These seeds will encode your stories within their histories and say how it was/is with us. Part of their healthy lives are contingent upon the quality of our participation as co-creators.

As we face the west let us remember and accept that the east-spring-planting season is at our back. When we are not sure how to proceed or what to say we have but to ask and to be willing for the power of the direction to provide inspiration for fertile and gracious thoughts and words.

Sometimes we wonder about who all of the other 'theys' are. The directions can be asked for information, also, at your daily sunrise ceremony you may ask 'grandfather, what would you have me know this day'? Accept the first thought that comes to you. In this way we take the mindful steps of building spiritual muscle and capital. Reflect on that first thought throughout the day ... test it out ... it's up to us to build these roads and pathways ... asking, is it true or not? What more is there to know or carry forward in my life? Not knowing is an outcome of our perceived separation from the Creator and is so much more painful than knowing, for in knowing things can begin to move Into dynamic change and in not knowing ... too many things are managed where they remain hidden, or aggressively in mind, and difficult to dislodge, evolve or release.

The directions, Sun, Moon, plants, waters, winds, fires, stones ... All knowledge is held in the Natural World. The Free University of Natural Wisdom & Intelligence.

Make application and attend daily. Do your homework. Ask questions, pay the dues and tuitions of awareness and gratitude. Tell everyone who your teachers are and what is your Alma mater. Why love her, him and them less? Why forget and place all others first? 

Go TEAM CREATION!
Dawn Woman

Rainbow Over Ranch Signals End of Summer Heat