Watering The Vision Quest Season of Autumn-Dgwaget🍁

Bozho and Greetings, Dreamers and Vision Questers,

In four days one's life can be changed through a personal, dedicated Vision Quest Ceremony.

Water was one of the first elements that the Creator 'breathed life' into what would become the first, most beautiful and enduring of Mother Earth's gifts, followed by light and fire. These gifts became the cultural foundations of many creation stories and the framework of the medicine wheel. Earth, air, fire and water emanating from an enduringly vital center point ... with which we are all invited to discover and perhaps to occupy ... a point which some would view as a 'sacred flowering tree'.

As in so many internal 'creation stories', there may be an unpredictable combination of past, present and future ... gently known as the 'eternal present'. These elements may appear in the personal gardens we then plant, tend, water, weed and harvest as 'farmers of our lives'. A good vision quest can have a long life. Perhaps as long as the four seasons it takes our mother earth to cycle through ... then again as short as 24 hours or ... four days.

We are the 'vision quest farmers' of our lives. We water the inner gardens and fields with our sacred blood, sweat and tears. Ahh.

Harvest is both a new beginning and renewal. This or any season's seed harvest carries both an ancient provenance and an unpredictable performance for which we must be prepared, for the vision quest is a mystery tour with we see or must be prepared to see 'something that is not yet known'. The Seeds of new life for the plant beings also follow their original instructions and move with 'choice as a sacred choice'.

We pray for our walks to be fused with bravery, courage, forgiveness, loyalty, love and endurance ... for these walks and powers to be with us ... on each, every and all of these, our most sacred and precious life journeys ... nourished by these teachings of the Seven Grandfathers which have guided, encouraged and taught us the 'good ways' to live, from a long time back ... now and forever more, all ways, all days ... Creator, Grandmother, Grandfather and all of the others, named and unnamed, known and unknown ... we offer gratitude for all of the gifts. Chi migwech, wewene chi migwech. Thank you.

AHO!
Bama mine,
Dawn Woman
Citizen Potawatomi Nation

Autumn Star Knowledge

 GAA BIBOON KED 

Winter Wisdom Teachings 

Ahau and Bozho nikanek, 
We enter the fourth quarter of the Medicine Wheel on a resonant completion chord of our Nishnabé Creation Story and the seasonal Star Map … it is by these original gifts, teachings and certain things that we do find our WAY. BIBOON This season of Biboon brings the gathering and harvesting season, which invites us to celebrate the harvest and the preceding year’s labors and gifts with remembrance, gratitude and honoring words. This season seats but one of the times within which we may individually or collectively consider setting aside four days of ceremony ... for we would remember that if one can take one’s life into four days of dedicated, personal ceremony, we can change it. How? For moving into a dedicated structure of this kind. These days can and will lead us, through feasting, speaking, dance and song, onto a renewed path connecting us with the mind of Giche Manidoo and the original dream of life that opened a vital chord for us to travel to this Sacred Land.

BIBOON 
This season of Biboon brings the gathering and harvesting season, which invites us to celebrate the harvest and the preceding year’s labors and gifts with remembrance, gratitude and honoring words. This season seats but one of the times within which we may individually or collectively consider setting aside four days of ceremony ... for we would remember that if one can take one’s life into four days of dedicated, personal ceremony, we can change it. How? For moving into a dedicated structure of this kind. These days can and will lead us, through feasting, speaking, dance and song, onto a renewed path connecting us with the mind of Giche Manidoo and the original dream of life that opened a vital chord for us to travel to this Sacred Land.

The Original Thanksgiving
The honoring memories and words are fused with the hearts, minds, bodies and Spirits of Sekmekwe, Gizes and all of the other Powers, Directions, Colors: the elemental helpers of the noden (wind beings), mine (water beings), sen (rock beings), shkodé (fire beings) and the skebyak (green beings). The ones that fly, swim, crawl and walk as well as those sentient and insentient beings of which do not or cannot know or name. These ones that came into original agreement with the sacred emissaries of Jijak (the crane), Maak (the loon), to receive and support those of us making a petition to Giche Manidoo for a place to live.

To read entire article: Autumn Star Knowledge (starts on pg. 12)

Autumn Star Knowledge

GAA BIBOON KED 
Winter Wisdom Teachings 

Ahau and Bozho nikanek, 
We enter the fourth quarter of the Medicine Wheel on a resonant completion chord of our Nishnabé Creation Story and the seasonal Star Map … it is by these original gifts, teachings and certain things that we do find our WAY. BIBOON This season of Biboon brings the gathering and harvesting season, which invites us to celebrate the harvest and the preceding year’s labors and gifts with remembrance, gratitude and honoring words. This season seats but one of the times within which we may individually or collectively consider setting aside four days of ceremony ... for we would remember that if one can take one’s life into four days of dedicated, personal ceremony, we can change it. How? For moving into a dedicated structure of this kind. These days can and will lead us, through feasting, speaking, dance and song, onto a renewed path connecting us with the mind of Giche Manidoo and the original dream of life that opened a vital chord for us to travel to this Sacred Land.

BIBOON 
This season of Biboon brings the gathering and harvesting season, which invites us to celebrate the harvest and the preceding year’s labors and gifts with remembrance, gratitude and honoring words. This season seats but one of the times within which we may individually or collectively consider setting aside four days of ceremony ... for we would remember that if one can take one’s life into four days of dedicated, personal ceremony, we can change it. How? For moving into a dedicated structure of this kind. These days can and will lead us, through feasting, speaking, dance and song, onto a renewed path connecting us with the mind of Giche Manidoo and the original dream of life that opened a vital chord for us to travel to this Sacred Land.

The Original Thanksgiving
The honoring memories and words are fused with the hearts, minds, bodies and Spirits of Sekmekwe, Gizes and all of the other Powers, Directions, Colors: the elemental helpers of the noden (wind beings), mine (water beings), sen (rock beings), shkodé (fire beings) and the skebyak (green beings). The ones that fly, swim, crawl and walk as well as those sentient and insentient beings of which do not or cannot know or name. These ones that came into original agreement with the sacred emissaries of Jijak (the crane), Maak (the loon), to receive and support those of us making a petition to Giche Manidoo for a place to live.

To read entire article: Autumn Star Knowledge (starts on pg. 12)

Autumn Star Knowledge

GAA BIBOON KED 
Winter Wisdom Teachings 

Ahau and Bozho nikanek, 
We enter the fourth quarter of the Medicine Wheel on a resonant completion chord of our Nishnabé Creation Story and the seasonal Star Map … it is by these original gifts, teachings and certain things that we do find our WAY. BIBOON This season of Biboon brings the gathering and harvesting season, which invites us to celebrate the harvest and the preceding year’s labors and gifts with remembrance, gratitude and honoring words. This season seats but one of the times within which we may individually or collectively consider setting aside four days of ceremony ... for we would remember that if one can take one’s life into four days of dedicated, personal ceremony, we can change it. How? For moving into a dedicated structure of this kind. These days can and will lead us, through feasting, speaking, dance and song, onto a renewed path connecting us with the mind of Giche Manidoo and the original dream of life that opened a vital chord for us to travel to this Sacred Land.

BIBOON 
This season of Biboon brings the gathering and harvesting season, which invites us to celebrate the harvest and the preceding year’s labors and gifts with remembrance, gratitude and honoring words. This season seats but one of the times within which we may individually or collectively consider setting aside four days of ceremony ... for we would remember that if one can take one’s life into four days of dedicated, personal ceremony, we can change it. How? For moving into a dedicated structure of this kind. These days can and will lead us, through feasting, speaking, dance and song, onto a renewed path connecting us with the mind of Giche Manidoo and the original dream of life that opened a vital chord for us to travel to this Sacred Land.

The Original Thanksgiving
The honoring memories and words are fused with the hearts, minds, bodies and Spirits of Sekmekwe, Gizes and all of the other Powers, Directions, Colors: the elemental helpers of the noden (wind beings), mine (water beings), sen (rock beings), shkodé (fire beings) and the skebyak (green beings). The ones that fly, swim, crawl and walk as well as those sentient and insentient beings of which do not or cannot know or name. These ones that came into original agreement with the sacred emissaries of Jijak (the crane), Maak (the loon), to receive and support those of us making a petition to Giche Manidoo for a place to live.

To read entire article: Autumn Star Knowledge (starts on pg. 12)

Potawatomi Autumn Vocabulary

Potawatomi Autumn Vocabulary:

Autumn = dgwaget

Basket = gokbenagen

Black = mkede

Blessing = bgosendagwzewen

Corn = ndamen (mdom-in)

Feast = wewesnakewin

Gourd = shishigwIn

Many = dso

Moon = tpukises

Pumpkin = wapkon

Squash = kwesmen (kwes-men)

Water = mbish

West = we’jbkeshmok (where the sun goes down)

Potawatomi Sacred Plants Vocabulary:

Cedar = kishki

Sage = wabshkebyek

Sweetgrass = wishkpemishkos

Tobacco = se’ma

KS Schools/Native Americans/New Deal Symposium (MKBMA)

KS Schools/Native Americans/New Deal Symposium Pt. 1 (MKBMA)

KS Schools/Native Americans/New Deal Symposium Pt. 2 (MKBMA)

Ongoing and interesting news from the Native American art world, and beyond, of 

Woody Crumbo, Citizen Potawatomi, Shawnee, OK

Eagle Dance, ca. 1948

Screenprint

10 1/8 x 7 1/2 in.

Private collection, promised gift to USD 259 Wichita Public Schools

Woodrow “Woody” Crumbo

Bodéwadmik (Citizen Potawatomi)

Born 1912, Lexington, Oklahoma

Died 1989, Cimarron, New Mexico

New Deal in KS: Rich Relics of Indian Life (MKBMA)

Watering The Vision Quest Season of Autumn-Dgwaget🍁

Bozho and Greetings, Dreamers and Vision Questers,

In four days one's life can be changed through a personal, dedicated Vision Quest Ceremony.

Water was one of the first elements that the Creator 'breathed life' into what would become the first, most beautiful and enduring of Mother Earth's gifts, followed by light and fire. These gifts became the cultural foundations of many creation stories and the framework of the medicine wheel. Earth, air, fire and water emanating from an enduringly vital center point ... with which we are all invited to discover and perhaps to occupy ... a point which some would view as a 'sacred flowering tree'.

As in so many internal 'creation stories', there may be an unpredictable combination of past, present and future ... gently known as the 'eternal present'. These elements may appear in the personal gardens we then plant, tend, water, weed and harvest as 'farmers of our lives'. A good vision quest can have a long life. Perhaps as long as the four seasons it takes our mother earth to cycle through ... then again as short as 24 hours or ... four days.

We are the 'vision quest farmers' of our lives. We water the inner gardens and fields with our sacred blood, sweat and tears. Ahh.

Harvest is both a new beginning and renewal. This or any season's seed harvest carries both an ancient provenance and an unpredictable performance for which we must be prepared, for the vision quest is a mystery tour with we see or must be prepared to see 'something that is not yet known'. The Seeds of new life for the plant beings also follow their original instructions and move with 'choice as a sacred choice'.

We pray for our walks to be fused with bravery, courage, forgiveness, loyalty, love and endurance ... for these walks and powers to be with us ... on each, every and all of these, our most sacred and precious life journeys ... nourished by these teachings of the Seven Grandfathers which have guided, encouraged and taught us the 'good ways' to live, from a long time back ... now and forever more, all ways, all days ... Creator, Grandmother, Grandfather and all of the others, named and unnamed, known and unknown ... we offer gratitude for all of the gifts. Chi migwech, wewene chi migwech. Thank you.

AHO!
Bama mine,
Dawn Woman
Citizen Potawatomi Nation