Last January I attended a gathering of Elders in Morrison, Colorado. One evening I picked up a video tape that featured three generations of Lakota Medicine Men. The speakers were Wallace Black Elk, David Swallow Jr. and Nathan Chasing Horse. I was already familiar with Wallace Black Elk and David Swallow Jr., therefore I paid particular attention to Nathan Chasing Horse. I found what he had to say was very moving and spoken with deep compassion and conviction. Months later I saw Nathan's name on a brochure for The Twentieth Anishinaabe Way Conference which was held in July (covered in the article below). This made it possible for me to both attend the Conference and interview Nathan and possibly others. Some time later I was lunching with a friend and told him I would be attending the Conference and hopefully interviewing the young man that I was so impressed with on the tape. My friend mentioned that the name, Nathan Chasing Horse, sounded familiar to him. The next day he called to tell me that Nathan Chasing Horse was the young man who played the character, Smiles A Lot, in the movie, "Dances With Wolves". So, I learned I would be interviewing the man who played one of my favorite characters in "Dances With Wolves".
After arriving at the Anishinaabe Way Conference I was welcomed and invited to check things out. About an hour later I was sitting in the west end of a traditional Anishinaabe longhouse introducing myself to Nathan and asking for an interview for Wambli Ho. He was very gracious and friendly. I shared with him how I had come to want to interview him. He remembered doing the video tape I had viewed. I also shared with him the story of how I discovered that he was in "Dances With Wolves" and had played one of my favorite characters.
After introductions I asked him to share any wisdom, messages or words of encouragement he may have for today's youth. What follows is as close a rendition of Nathan's exact words as possible given the large amount of background noise on the cassette tape we made:
There are important groups out there. There are those who don't know anything about the culture to those who do know about the culture. To those who don't know anything about their culture, I would encourage to start by seeking out and talking to the Elders first. Another thing would be to start looking for that Wowakan, to seek out and look for that ceremony.
For those who are in the way of life already and want to dream or sundance, I would tell them to take their time. You wouldn't want to rush into anything you're not strong enough to handle because there is a lot of great power. What I mean by power is having people listen to you. With the people with great power there is great responsibility. If you're going to pursue the medicine way for the rest of your life, it's a great responsibility. You can't drink or alter your mind with drugs and alcohol, you have to be willing to give your life for everybody that needs help. But most of all you have to humble yourself and remember that the ones on the street and are drunk-- that you are no better than them and that they deserve just as much as you do.
Don't close your mind, and don't close your heart...All life is sacred and has meaning.
I would say to those who are living the life now that maybe want to have a dream, a vision, or sundance, or want to become a Medicine Man to slow down and take their time.
For those who are looking I would encourage them to pray, that you can't do it without prayer. You need to pray all the time. If you're going to do something you need to pray and, then, Tunkasila and the Spirits will help you--whatever it is you need at that time--they won't always give you what you want, but they will give you what you need.
And those youth out there that want to learn the culture but drink or do drugs, I would encourage them to remember that Tunkasila, the Creator, already forgave you--that it is you that have to know how to forgive yourself. Just because you do something in your past that you are not proud of does not mean you are not worthy. Everybody is worthy. Don't hold yourself down. Don't say "I can't do that, I'm not worthy," That is not the right kind of thinking. Don't think that way, everybody is worthy no matter what they've done. Your responsibility is to remember what you've learned while you were making your mistakes and what happened to you. No matter what you've done, remember that you are a human being and if you want to change your life do it with an open mind and open heart. Don't close your mind, and don't close your heart.
What I mean by "don't close your mind" is don't think you're better than anyone else, don't think your way of life is better than anyone else's. We are all the same--don't ever say you're better or more powerful. All life is sacred and has meaning.
For those who are still searching, don't be discouraged because you make mistakes in your life. Don't give up because it's going to be our responsibility to hold onto the Wowakan, this way of life that is Wolakota. Wolakota is our way of life. It's our responsibility to learn. It's not just going to happen like magic just because you hear about it. Pray about it and ask the Creator about it but you need to do your half and get out there and search. The Creator will guide you to where you need to go. You've got to have belief.
When I say belief I don't just mean in the Creator and Tunkasila and the spirits, I'm talking about belief in yourself. A lot of humans have belief in the Creator, the almighty above, but when times get hard you want to find an easy way, but there is no easy way. I guarantee all those youth that are learning this and experience a harsh difficult life, that they will never forget the teachings and what they've learned going through those difficult times.
That's why we have to go through these ceremonies and learn to spill our blood in honorable ways, not spilling our blood in the streets and fighting each other. We need to do it so our family, our people, our way of life will live. It's hard but don't give up. Don't give up, even if you're praying and it doesn't work out. It may mean its not meant to be at that time, but don't give up. Things will happen in the Creator's time because he sees and knows. Your responsibility is to get yourselves ready.
So, I would say to the youth who are still drinking and getting high, "I don't look down on you, you are my brothers and sisters," but I would encourage you to be strong and walk with Tunkasila. When you learn to walk with Tunkasila you will feel a lot better about yourself and he will help you get where you want to go. If you don't put aside the drinking and getting high you will always feel down about yourself--have low self-esteem. You will put yourself in that frame of mind that you are not worthy and that you can't do it because of what you've done. I would encourage them to put that away now and start learning and try your best to learn, even if you're learning from books in the beginning. It's OK to learn what other Medicine Men wrote, but there are some things you've got to learn on your own. You can't really believe everything you read. You really have to be careful about what you read, but as long as you pray about it and you have that belief and faith, you will have nothing to worry about.
It's hard, it's a difficult way of life. For me it's hard but it's the most beautiful way of life that the Creator has given to me because of the things I've seen, the places I've been to, the people I've met, and the people that I talk to. There is no better gift than that. And, I always make sure I keep my mom and my dad in my mind and my heart because if I choose to misuse or step off the road I'm not going to be the one to pay for that, it will be my mom and my dad and my little brother and little sisters. So, I'm always careful in what I do and I always think if I do this how it is going to affect my family. That's how I think. When I help someone I put everything into it and I don't lie to people. I am open and straight up. A lot of people play with people's minds. You're not supposed to do that. You are supposed to be honest and truthful. If you can't do something you should tell them that it is not for you at the time.
The hardest thing is being patient. Waiting, that's the hardest. The time is getting short now because of the things that are happening now. So, everybody shape up and learn to get along and live with each other rather than putting down each other and trying to out-do each other. That's not the way. That's government, that's the western way, trying to out-do each other and be better than one another. That's not Wolakota, that's not the way of our native ancestors, that's not the way it was a long time ago.
It's beacause of the Pipe that we still have life on this earth--that's what the spirits say.
To survive you've got to depend on each other, that's the way. If we didn't get along a long time ago, and if the people didn't agree and come together and help one another, we wouldn't have survived the hardships. So, we have to learn to bring that back. We have to learn how to put our differences aside rather than getting into "this person has more money" or "that person has more money", or, "this person has more knowledge" or "that person has more knowledge". We have to learn to get along. We don't have time to be arguing and putting each other down, there's no time for that anymore.
The time is coming now. I just hope and pray that the youth will one day realize that our way of life that was given to us is the most important and we have to hold onto it. It's because of the Pipe, that's why this world is still living and that's the honest to God truth.
It's because of the Pipe that we still have life on this earth--that's what the spirits say.
There are a lot of things I would like to say to the youth. Sometimes some are ready to listen and some of them aren't ready to listen. I just pray that one day Tunkasila will open up their minds and their hearts so they can let go of that jealousy and those things and learn how to get along.
We are living in a time when we all need to come together and help one another. The spirits say we need to learn to get along.
Tell each other you're going to survive, tell each other you're going to live, that there will always be life. I just pray that the youth will one day come to their senses. Right now the government--I have nothing against the government--all I have is terrible memories of what they have done to our people, but that doesn't make me hate them for what they did to our ancestors. But, it is still happening and they've got our people where they want us with alcoholism, and drug abuse, domestic abuse, and in jail. They've got our people where they want them and we have allowed that to happen because of the youth wanting to party, wanting to get high, wanting to have money to do all these things, and we allowed that to happen.
If our youth were strong and believed in our way of life we wouldn't be in this situation. So, we have allowed that to happen. The people that are drinking and abusing drugs are allowing this to happen. They complain about cops and the government, but they're right there falling into their trap. The best way is to quit and strengthen their mind and their hearts.
There are a lot of young leaders, young men out there, who are using leadership in the wrong way. If they use that leadership for spirituality and ceremony we would be strong people, but no one guided them. So, I pray for those and encourage them to think about it, and think about where they are at.
That's all I have to say now.
This interview with Nathan Chasing Horse was for me, personally, a very moving experience. I found Nathan to be a very genuinely caring, loving, compassionate person with deep conviction. The positive qualities that I first viewed on video tape were even more evident and striking in person. He moved with ease and grace among people of all ages and treated everyone with dignity. I found him to be a man who, in his mind and heart, knows he is related to all the spirits in the universe. - Cetan Itunkasan
Wambli Ho,
Voice of the Eagles
A Colorado Non-Profit Organization
Newsletter: Volume 1, Issue 2 December 2002 / Page 2
GATHERING OF FIRST AMERICAN NATIONS
The March on Washington, DC is planned for June 27, 2003.
National Holiday Bill Calling For Native American Day
The National Holiday Bill for Native Americans was presented [to the U.S. House of Representatives] on October 16, 2002. Congressman Joe Baca (D-CA), Brad Carson (D-OK) and Dale E. Kildee (D-MI) who is Co-Chairman of the Congressional Indian Caucus Washington, DC. (with over one hundred members) are co-sponsors of the
The National Holiday Bill is now before the Subcommittee on National Economic Growth, Natural Resources and Regulatory Committee. This committee will review the holiday bill. When they approve it, it will then go before the full Committee on Government Reform. It is hoped that the Holiday Bill will move through all Congressional committees this year so the bill can go before the full Congress for a vote. To support this issue, please visit the following petition sites:
Holiday Bill. Baca's staff member, Oscar Ramirez, stated they will seek more sponsors for the bill when Congress is back in session after the Congressional elections before presenting it to the full Congress.
Scroll down to Number 2 of Section 1, "Bill Number"
and type in HR5652, then click on "Search"
This Federal Bill was prepared and presented to Congress through the efforts, since 1988, of Mike L. Graham, Founder of United Native America: www.unitednativeamerica.com/main.html
The Twentieth Annual Anishinaabe Way Conference was held on Lac Courte Oreilles Reservation near Hayward, Wisconsin June 17 22, 2002. The conference focused on cultural approaches to counseling with emphasis on traditional cultural values and spirituality. The program was designed to allow for creative interaction between families, individuals, and professionals in a peaceful setting.
The schedule featured presentations on such subjects as Native American Values, Teachings and Ritual, Living Amidst Tradition, Promises of Living a Good Way of Life, Aspects of Counseling the Traditional Native American, Using Traditional Native American Stories, Ritual, Song, and Medicine in the Counseling Room, Talking Circles, and much more. Presentations for the youth consisted of topics on Parental Responsibility, Making Tobacco, Putting Life Into Music, and Building Self-Esteem. Some of the craft projects included making a pouch and drum making.
I regret that I was only able to be present at the conference for parts of two days. When I arrived I was welcomed and invited to talk with any of the professionals or participants. I was immediately struck by the beauty and peacefulness of the surroundings. There were a number of Traditional Anishinaabe structures: a sweat lodge, sacred fire, and longhouse situated beneath the pine trees.
Upon entering the longhouse I found people of all ages engaged in making drums, medicine bags, and pouches. I spoke first to a woman named Sandy who briefed me on the ceremonies that were planned for June 21st, World Peace and Prayer Day. As I worked my way to the west end of the longhouse I encountered Frank Dickenson, a medicine man from Red Lake Reservation in Minnesota, and Nathan Chasing Horse who were acting as consultants for those making drums. When they had a free moment I asked them each for an interview and they both graciously accepted. After interviewing Nathan there was general chatting and visiting and Nathan sang a couple of spiritual songs. (The interview with Frank Dickenson will be featured in the next issue of Wambli Ho News and the interview with Nathan Chasing Horse can be found above this article.)
From discussions with some of the participants of the Conference I learned that Nathan Chasing Horse had spoken earlier. He shared how he was raised by a traditional Lakota family, close to ceremony, and how he got the part he played in Dances With Wolves. Nathan, a man who has never touched alcohol or drugs, called on parents to give good example to their children and to demonstrate their love for their children often. He also encouraged everyone to build their self-esteem through following a spiritual path by learning from elders and through ceremony. Those who heard his talk obviously had listened closely. I observed and interviewed Nathan and experienced him as a person exuding positive energy and compassion who relates comfortably with people of all ages.
The evening events included a pow-wow and give-away. My observation was that everyone who attended had a great time. Two local drum groups provided the music. The mosquitoes and flies inspired us all to dance more, thus at least forcing the mosquitoes and flies to chase us down.
The ceremonies for World Peace and Prayer Day were dedicated to the memory of Walt Bresette, a Red Cliff Chippewa, whose life was dedicated to clean air and water and respect for our Mother Earth. Walter had envisioned a new amendment to the Constitution of the United States. That Amendment would be titled "An Amendment For the Seventh Generation" and would read as follows: "The right of citizens of the United States to use and enjoy air, water, wildlife and other renewable resources determined by the Congress to be common property shall not be impaired, nor shall such use impair their availability for the use of future generations".
The impact that this man had upon a multitude of people can not be expressed in the few words above. Those words give but a glimpse of what he stood for and cared deeply about, and to which he dedicated his life.
The schedule for World Peace and Prayer Day was to include a Pipe Ceremony at the Pipe Stone Quarry, an 18 mile Feather Staff relay run, and a prayer walk for water and Mother Earth.
When everyone gathered on Friday morning, the Wakinyan (Thunder Beings) were blessing the Earth Mother and all of us with a gentle rain. The morning began with a Pipe Ceremony in the longhouse. Frank Dickenson led us all in prayer for World Peace, the Water (Earth's first medicine), the healing of our Earth Mother, and brotherhood among all people. Frank impressed on all of us the importance of respecting the elements. He shared a story about he and his grandmother being caught on a very large Minnesota lake during a storm. He was a very young lad at the time and just when the storm seemed to be getting the best of them his grandmother told him to turn the boat around and row into the wind. She offered tobacco and they were given safe passage, on calm water, through an otherwise stormy lake with huge white caps. When they arrived at shore the people were there, all thankful for their safe return. Frank shared that he was taught by the Elders that only in extreme circumstances do we ask for weather changes, not just for our convenience.
The young people were encouraged to seek out their Elders and continue to learn and practice the Anishinaabe Way. The Annishinaabe Way is a way of love, balance, and harmony. They were urged to respect themselves and others as well as all of our relatives that live upon the Earth. Frank called on all of us to speak out and intervene if we are able when we see prejudice, injustice, and bigotry.
Wanda Baxter, who was assisting Frank, addressed the young people, encouraging young women to avoid being in a hurry to get married and have babies. She challenged them to respect themselves and not fall prey to the "quick fix generation." She highlighted the importance of getting an education, finding a job and establishing their independence before marriage. When the decision is made to marry and have a family, plan it carefully. Young men were told of their responsibility to respect women as they are the givers of life.
When Frank and Wanda finished, everyone who wanted to do so was invited to share any thoughts or feelings. A number of adults spoke about how the Conference had affected their lives and their families. Most impressive were the comments from the young people who shared how important this experience was for them. It was apparent that they had been deeply impacted.
After everyone who wanted to speak had finished, a long cedar pole was brought into the longhouse by some of the men. All of us placed our prayers for peace, healing of Mother Earth, our relatives, and our thanksgiving into prayer robes that we each tied to the pole. We then moved outside with the pole and prayed as the pole was planted in the Earth.
The evening meal was a feast to honor the memory of Walt Bresette. During this time we watched a tape of interviews with Walt concerning issues important to the people and global healing. Walt had obviously done a lot of research into these issues. I found myself saddened that the people of the nation are misinformed and plain lied-to about the important issues that impact our future.
Following the feast I spent some one-on-one time with Frank Dickenson. The highpoints of that conversation will be reported in another article. When we finished our talk I had to leave for home and Frank began the Healing Ceremony that was to conclude the day's events.
Abiinooji Aki Center is located on Lac Courte Oreilles Reservation in Wisconsin. It sponsors many events besides the Anishinaabe Way Conference. I spoke with Karen DeMain, the daughter of Mary Ellen Baker who is the founder/director of Abiinooji Aki Center, and she told me of a variety of different events and conferences.
For more information I would encourage you to write Abiinooji Aki, Inc. at P.O. Box 444, Hayward, WI 54843, call them at 715-634-5806, or e-mail them for more information at. mebaker@jrec.net
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