As we Bodéwadmin relatives travel and gather, in Shawnee or by word of our “talking paper” the Hownikan, our personal medicine wheels are broadened and gladdened. Our minds, hearts, bodies and spirits come forward to sit in a circle to learn, have some fun and dance.
We look up into the summer night sky and remember our Anishnabé Creation Story which tells us many stories of our relations, the Star Beings. Our Creation Story tells us of how our ancestors, the first people, were “lowered down” as the star people or hot rocks. That is why some of us learn this story by the ceremony of the sweat lodge. This is also a place where we can go into the lodge, sit with the Creator, pray, be purified and renewed as we sit and remember who we are and from whence we came. AHO!
Beginning with our star travel ... all stories are about travel. The birchbark scrolls tell of our Bodewadmin ancestors taking prophetic direction while living still in the land now called Nova Scotia. This direction was listened to and heeded as sacred. The people began to make the 7 westward movements, walking, paddling, sometimes camping for years before the next spirit directive spoke of when and where to travel next.
Our Nishnabe Creation Story recounts the travels of different beings who set out on a sacred charge to find a place for our ancestors to live. And now, we are them.
We now sit together ... to remember who we are and what we have.
Bozho, ni je na jayek. Hello, my bone. How are you all?
Today, each of us have traveled to be together, to learn of and to remember who we are and what we have ... we, Anishnabe people of the place of the fire. We, People of the three tribes confederacy ... we, Citizen Potawatomi Nation of Oklahoma. We, whose moccasin paths have led us to many far away places. We, who have traveled many trails. And still, we are here.
We are here to celebrate.
Migwech, Mamogosnan, Creator, for all of the gifts. Let us now think on these things. Let our Spirits grow fat and happy as we remember who we are and what we have.
Whether Tribal members attending the Family Reunion Festival want to learn how to research family history, work on creating items for their regalia or even take a tour of the CPN Eagle Aviary, there are plenty of opportunities to explore Potawatomi culture this weekend.
Absorbing Potawatomi culture and history
For those who want to appreciate and learn more about Potawatomi culture, there are several different options.
Tours to the CPN Eagle Aviary are available each day. Tours begin at 7 a.m. Friday and Saturday and at 8 a.m. Sunday and are available each hour, with the last tour beginning at 11 a.m. Those wanting to participate must register at the CHC. A bus will transport those who have signed up from the CHC to the Aviary.
An Aviary Q&A session will also take place from 2 to 4 p.m. Friday and 1 to 2:15 p.m. Saturday in the CHC Long Room.
For those who want to learn more about the Potawatomi language, there will be Potawatomi Language Research presentations from 2:15 to 2:45 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the CHC Library.
Lacrosse/stickball demonstrations will take place from 10 to 11 a.m. and 3 to 4 p.m. Friday, then from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday.
On Saturday, there will also be a presentation about Uniontown from noon to 1 p.m. in the CHC Long Room. Tribal Legislator Jon Boursaw, Tribal member Scott Holzmeister and Dr. Blair Schneider, Ph.D., from the Kansas Geological Survey will discuss findings from the Uniontown Cemetery in Kansas.
The annual Family Reunion Festival of Citizen Potawatomi Nation is a celebration of Native culture for the Potawatomi. Festival is for CPN members and their immediate households (spouses and those dependents living in the home of the Tribal member).
Activities include Grand Entry, cultural classes, a dance contest, and General Council. Tribal elections are decided during the Family Reunion Festival.
Mid-summer is upon is and it is at this time we honor our position on the good red road ... that path of the summer-winter axis of seasons. We are sitting, metaphorically, in the south: the red seat of love and abundance, and within the seed marriages that we so carefully gathered, sorted, chose to come forward with us and prayed over for good life. We sit now, with that abundance not only of spirit but the spirit intentions carried forward from ALL previous years. The Seed and prayer intentions that were held and carried forward not only by each of us, but also by previous generations, and then given gracious home by Sekmekwe, our Mother Earth.
Now is our time of celebration and meditation. Would each of us avail ourselves daily of the powerful blue butterfly mudra that seats our inner and personal path of duality and unity consciousness? When we do so, the demen berry of our hearts can refocus and strengthen, radiating out and saturating our beingness ... providing an ongoing positive reinforcing and restructuring of the cellular and mental elements of our entire mind, heart, body, and spirit construct. Immediately, to some extent, depending upon our personal evolutionary positioning.
Oh, my! What a time we are moving within. Be firm, constant, and of good heart. For we are always becoming ... within ourselves and also within the circle basket of tightly woven community.
Now, as we sit in the south ... let us recall that we are on the good red road facing north, the direction of the white spirit of winter. The summer fires we are integrating at this time will be the ones by which we will be warming ourselves in the coming winter.
By the compass of the blue butterfly, on our right wing is the direction of the east, youth, spring, mental, and yellow gift. On our left wing is the direction of the west, medicine direction, mature life, water, and the color of black or dark blue. So, we sit al-ways within our personal place, al-ways with a place in the vast, beautiful, mercurial circle of life. We learn, grow, observe, and speak from a unique place, with our own wisdom and communications to share. Let us discover, build, enjoy, and be unafraid to show our original faces. And the blue represents the center of the medicine wheel wherein grows the tree of life, us.
As the medicine wheel talks this month, I would offer the black ash tree basket video teaching/ meditation. This video contains both the linear and circular teaching elements as the basket always emanates from a central, radial place ... as do we.
This video comes from my northern, 3-Fires Anishnabe-Potawatomi tribal background in Michigan. These teachings are truly simple reflections of the goodness and well-being attained through right connection with nature. That is about us and all living things, animate and inanimate ... now and forever more.
May the balanced light of life be always upon and within us. AHO!
Mid-summer is upon is and it is at this time we honor our position on the good red road ... that path of the summer-winter axis of seasons. We are sitting, metaphorically, in the south: the red seat of love and abundance, and within the seed marriages that we so carefully gathered, sorted, chose to come forward with us and prayed over for good life. We sit now, with that abundance not only of spirit but the spirit intentions carried forward from ALL previous years. The Seed and prayer intentions that were held and carried forward not only by each of us, but also by previous generations, and then given gracious home by Sekmekwe, our Mother Earth.
Now is our time of celebration and meditation. Would each of us avail ourselves daily of the powerful blue butterfly mudra that seats our inner and personal path of duality and unity consciousness? When we do so, the demen berry of our hearts can refocus and strengthen, radiating out and saturating our beingness ... providing an ongoing positive reinforcing and restructuring of the cellular and mental elements of our entire mind, heart, body, and spirit construct. Immediately, to some extent, depending upon our personal evolutionary positioning.
Oh, my! What a time we are moving within. Be firm, constant, and of good heart. For we are always becoming ... within ourselves and also within the circle basket of tightly woven community.
Now, as we sit in the south ... let us recall that we are on the good red road facing north, the direction of the white spirit of winter. The summer fires we are integrating at this time will be the ones by which we will be warming ourselves in the coming winter.
By the compass of the blue butterfly, on our right wing is the direction of the east, youth, spring, mental, and yellow gift. On our left wing is the direction of the west, medicine direction, mature life, water, and the color of black or dark blue. So, we sit al-ways within our personal place, al-ways with a place in the vast, beautiful, mercurial circle of life. We learn, grow, observe, and speak from a unique place, with our own wisdom and communications to share. Let us discover, build, enjoy, and be unafraid to show our original faces. And the blue represents the center of the medicine wheel wherein grows the tree of life, us.
As the medicine wheel talks this month, I would offer the black ash tree basket video teaching/ meditation. This video contains both the linear and circular teaching elements as the basket always emanates from a central, radial place ... as do we.
This video comes from my northern, 3-Fires Anishnabe-Potawatomi tribal background in Michigan. These teachings are truly simple reflections of the goodness and well-being attained through right connection with nature. That is about us and all living things, animate and inanimate ... now and forever more.
May the balanced light of life be always upon and within us. AHO!
The Strawberry Fasters elect to abstain from the heart berry and dedicate the following 13 Moons to a personal women's meditation of balance and harmony. This particular ceremony is witnessed and supported by her Strawberry Fasting Sisters. The ceremony is often initiated in the month of May when the first berries bloom and bear fruit. When the 13 months are completed the women may then feed, honor and nourish this learning sacrifice by merging once more by feasting with the demen-heartberry-strawberry.
A new stage of womanhood will now be complete, be she young, midlife or elder. It is always desirable and honorable to commit or support another upon a renewal ceremony of learning, life force and vision. AHO!
There are many appropriate observations that Sekmekwe, Gizes and our Grandmother Moon guide us to participate in with the strongest of love.
Strawberry Fasters, now is our time of celebration and meditation. Would each of us avail ourselves daily of the powerful blue butterfly mudra that seats our inner and personal path of duality and unity consciousness? When we do so, the demen berry of our hearts can refocus and strengthen, radiating out and saturating our beingness ... providing an ongoing positive reinforcing and restructuring of the cellular and mental elements of our entire mind, heart, body, and spirit construct immediately, to some extent, depending upon our personal evolutionary positioning.
The demen heart berry is the focus that will sustain and build us throughout the coming year until we complete these dedicated and disciplined sacred ceremonies of becoming ... ourselves ... in full and aware connection with the Creator.
Oh, my! What a time we are moving within. Be firm, constant, and of good heart, beautiful kwek (women). For we are always becoming ... not only within ourselves, but also within the circle basket of tightly woven community.
Send an iMessage and say hi! Send a group mailing. Say, I'm Thinking of us and you! Let's keep it together, to remember we are not alone. Take someone out for a coffee. Come see me. Offer a sister a hand with watering or weeding the garden. Would you let me know how things are going, this way? Keep me in the loop. This is a very important time and we are a unique circle.
The strawberry fast initiation knowledge comes from my northern 3-Fires Anishnabe-Potawatomi tribal background in Michigan. These teachings are truly simple reflections of the goodness and well-being attained through right connection with nature. It is about us and all living things, animate and inanimate ... now and forever more ...
Vaya con Dios, sacred strawberry fasters! May the balanced light of life be always upon and within us. AHO!
