Wambli Ho, Voice of the Eagles: June, 2002: Vol 1, Issue 1

Walking The Talk

An Interview by Paula J. Gruentzel,

Wambli Ho Correspondent,

with Cetan Wi (Pansy Hawk Wing), an Oglala Lakota Spiritual Elder

© May 2002 Denver, Colorado

"I am no one special." Cetan Wi speaks these words each time she stands in front of an audience. These words are spoken from her heart and with sincerity. She is humble, unassuming, and has a wonderful sense of humor. She is real. Unlike those that merely pontificate on the topic of walking in a good way, Pansy Hawk Wing actually walks her talk. During our interview, she shared her views on her work as a Spiritual Advisor and her views on sacred ceremony.

Cetan Wi as a Spiritual Advisor:

"I've worked with many people from all walks of life. When people come to understand their own need to find the Spirit within, that's when I can connect with them. I don't care what trimmings or trappings they have. For me this isn't even an issue. What is relative is whether or not they have Spirit here {places her hand over her heart}. I don't care what kinds of material possessions they have or don't have. There is no way for any of us to say to another person, 'Your life hasn't been hard enough,' or 'Your life is harder than mine.' I think every person has their own Massacre at Wounded Knee. Something happened to them and they realize their connection with Spirit. That is when I can connect with them.

We all have areas where we need to improve and areas where we are very gifted. I used to work with mixed groups a lot. But then I had a vision that I needed to heal the feminine side of me. That is when I started working almost entirely with women. When someone comes to me and says they have had a dream and think they need to pierce, I talk with them about that. I don't listen to their dream and then tell them they need to pierce. You decide those things. You see those things and you know those things yourself. That's how I learned from the first Medicine Man who put me up on Humblecha and that's how I teach people.

I have always seen myself as living between two worldsbetween this world and the spirit worldbetween the Native world and the white world. What I believe is how I walk. Outside the sweat lodge, I'm very analytical. Things have to make sense to me. It has to be here and now. It can't be something that someone was living 300 years ago. It has to make sense to me today. The way that I walk makes sense to me. The people that I follow make sense to me. A walk that is very practical, very down-to-earth, very spirit-based makes sense to me. There are no rules that can tell you how you have to walk your walk. Your walk gives you structure within. Others have rules that are supposed to fit me. But they don't know me. I have rules that fit me and they aren't going to infringe on you or your space. It's a matter of being comfortable in your place. I'm comfortable in either place. There's no facade. There's no put on. I'm just me."

On the topic of Sacred Ceremony:

"Because our language is an oral language, many of our stories are in the music. There are no written words. The music tells the story about how to walk, and the language sets it in. Not knowing how much of our language we can retain and how much of it is being passed on to the next generation is the scary part. So as long as we don't lose our language, we have it. We learn from nature, dreams, the flight of a bird, and the thoughts and feelings connected to those things much more so than reading words that tell you how you're supposed to feel, or repeating words over and over that were written by someone else.

When we step inside our circle, our sacred space, we can go wherever we want to go. The freedom to be who you are; that appeals to me. That's what I like about it. In ceremony, there's a lot of structure, a lot of support, a lot of being present for one another. I had a brother who said to me, 'Everything is done with pomp and circumstance, with brightness, with ceremony, with structure to it.' Out here I'm very analytical. Inside the sweat lodge, I change. I'm tuned in to people's breathing, people's feelings, everything. I step into a different space altogether, so I have a knowing of what's going on with each person. Now unless they ask, I have learned not to say anything. If they come and ask me, I'll tell them. It's different out here than in there. But that's how it is. You see a different vision of people. If you are very left-brained, like I am, then the right brain balances it out. I see the spirits when they come into the lodge. They are there to pray with us. The spirits come according to the need and the songs we sing are sung according to the spirits that come in to pray with us. As the prayers of the people are heard, you (the people) bring in the spirits. I have nothing to do with it. I am simply the interpreter, the mediator.

Women have a natural tendency to want to nurture each other in lodge. So in ceremony, you actually step into that other side. The ceremony can be very powerful and very intense with heat, but at the same time, it's very nurturing and very gentle. I go in to do ceremony and most of my spirits are male, which creates that balance. My masculine side says I need to take risks; I need to try harder; I need to push myself; I need to try to achieve. In a mixed lodge, I often hear the men speaking about caring for each other, being concerned for each other, and helping each other. That's the man's feminine spirit coming out in ceremony.

A contrary ceremony makes your resolve strongera resolution of what you really want and what you are there to do. The wisdom of centuries of doing this ceremony is very much a part of it. That doesn't mean I am heyoka. It is a vision I was given as a way to work with people. I saw that as a way of healing people's pain. When I do a contrary ceremony, I go to each person, look at each of them and say, 'I have no relatives. I am not praying for you. I am not praying for your health. I am only praying for myself'. People come out crying because of how alone that feels. By saying I have no relatives, what feeling goes through you? It feels really cold. But you come out of a lodge like that and realizewow, I do have relatives and how do I treat them? Also, laughter is a very contrary healing. In spite of the fact that many native people live in poverty (third-world-country style living), they can laugh. That laughter is the healing resolution that they have found to cope with the conditions that they are living under.

Everything has an order and structure. This is how we create sacred space, a sacred place. I am not so much into those mystical things like seeing sparks and seeing blue lights in lodge. A person sees things, but it's their own. There is a different kind of magic that happens and that magic is within each person. They are realizing their center and their spiritual walk. They are coming in touch with their center. That's the magic I see."

Your Mother, My Mother

An interview by Paula J. Gruentzel,

Wambli Ho Correspondent,

with Marina Estrada Black Crow of Taos, New Mexico and Wanblee, South Dakota

© June, 2002 Denver, Colorado

Only one month ago, many of us celebrated Mother's Day with family and friends. It only seems fitting then, that Marina Estrada Black Crow has a message for all women regarding Our Mother:

"In the daytime, when it's really quiet, sometimes you can hear it. But most often you'll hear it late at night. It might seem like a barely audible electrical hum or a Mack truck coming up your driveway at 50 miles per hour. You're not sure what wakes you up in the middle of the night so you stop and listen. There's very little traffic. We're 7 miles from the nearest paved road and the cabin is electrified with solar energy. You can hear the coyotes in the distanceand then you hear this hum.

Everyone has their own idea of what causes the "Taos Hum". Some think it's electrical. Others think it's our government. Someone recently told me that the hum has something to do with "the reptile people and the silver men (who are actually androids)". They told me this was all part of the building of a large, underground facility in an arrangement with our military. Some people are really bothered by it. It's been there for a long time. I've lived there 12 years and I don't remember when it wasn't there. Someone from the University of New Mexico came out to measure the decibels. It turns out to be a very low frequency that most people can't hear. There are a lot of us who hear it but we aren't bothered by it.

I think the hum could be Our Mother in her birthing pains as the crust and magnetic core is slowly moving. Right now, we're building up towards the cleansing time. Natural disasters are going to be greater and harder on the Earth. More people will suffer. When the time comes and chaos erupts, the earth shifts, the waters cover most of the earth, and the dust in the sky prevents us from growing food outdoors, people will despair and see no hope. But the women, who have made a connection to Mother Earth through our prayers, will see hope and will be like beacons or pillars of hope to those around them. Today, we are caretakers and caregivers. But the time is coming when women are going to be in a position in which people will depend on us for much more.

Over the last 2000 centuries, women have honed their skills of sensitivity. We are sensitive to the needs of others, the tension in the air, the temperature outside. We know what it takes to grow a delicate little plant just like we know what it takes to grow a delicate little child. We know what we must do to make life survive and flourish. We do this with our children, our plants, and our pets. In some way, those of us who have had children have a strong connection to our Mother. Giving birth strengthens the bond we have with all living things. In Spanish, we do not say, 'to give LIFE. We say we 'give LIGHT.' Women can look at a child, a puppy, even a young goldfish, and commiserate with them because we know what they will have to go through to reach adulthood. Many women like to grow things whether it's flowers, vegetables, or herbs. The connection we have to the earth is with life. Rebuilding a car or playing with a basketball, an inanimate object, that's not life. We need to pray and try to connect our children, our mothers and fathers to the Earth. Our prayers will strengthen our connection to the Creator and to Mother.

After the period of cleansing, women will not only be caregivers and caretakers, but also hope-givers and teachers. Our current society tells us to teach our boys to turn off their sensitivities while girls are allowed to hear things, to feel things, to cry. Tears are supposedly the tools of a woman. But actually, more than a tool, tears are a way of communicating. After generations of raising our boys this way, men have been relegated to the position of providing money, credit cards, and food. But when everything goes dark and everything is terrible, it will be the women's spiritual bond that will keep us going and give us the strength to push forward. Women understand that life is a cycle. Life comes forth, it goes through, it passes on, and then it comes forth again. That understanding and belief in life, in Creator, and in Mother Earth as our life-giving force, is what will give us hope. Maybe others will see it in us. Maybe some will think we're crazy. But there will be some that say, "She has hope. And I can have hope too."

What we really miss when we pray is, "Thanks." We have forgotten to thank Mother for the air, the water, the herbs, and the foods that sustain us. Water is the substance that gives us life and we have not been thanking our Mother for it. We have fouled the air. We have fouled the water. We throw it away. The amount of water wasted on lawns is unbelievable. Lawns don't provide nourishment for anything except some worms and gophers. Yet there are many more lawns than gophers. We take a drink of water and throw the remainder down the drain. We let the faucet run while we brush our teeth. We run the shower to get just the right temperature before we step into it. So we have told Mother, by our actions, that we do not value the water or the air. By polluting it and throwing it away, we tell Mother that what she has provided doesn't mean anything to us. We need to give thanks each day and let her know that the air and water is precious to us. These are the most precious things besides our children".

A Lakota prophecy says that, 'After the cleansing, the waters will be spoiled. And there will be found a spring of natural water that is clean and pure. The men will approach it but will be stopped by an invisible force or wall. Men will not be able to go to this water. Only women will be able to come and get this water for The People'.

I don't think that the invisible wall will be a force field. I think it will be something that doesn't allow men to go forth. It may be something emotional or mental that men cannot deal with like women can. Or perhaps, for some reason, men will not be able to see the path that's open. But the women who are connected to Mother Earth and are more sensitive to things will be able to get to this water. We may notice the wall before the men do. We use our minds to solve problems more than brawn. Since we are not in the habit of trying to break the wall down, we may find a way around it. Being connected with Mother will increase our ability to figure out puzzles and to find more peaceful ways to get through things".

As our Mother completes her cycle, we have two choices. We can choose to ignore the instruction that our four-legged and winged relatives still remember, or we can choose to do one or more of the following as Marina suggests:

Pray every day and give our Mother thanks for all that she provides for us. Let her know that we appreciate her gifts.

Do anything possible and appropriate to nourish our Mother in whatever capacity you can.

Write to your Congressman and Senators. Raise your voice against nuclear testing and nuclear proliferation.

Find ways to power your homes with renewable, earth-friendly energy.

Tell your government officials how you feel about the contamination of our water and the lack of funding for environmental purposes.

Defend our Earth Mother in any way, shape, or form.

Our Mother gave us life. What will we do for her, now that Mother's Day has come and gone?

Note: Marina Estrada Black Crow and her husband, Selo Black Crow, aTraditional Lakota Sub-Chief and Spiritual Elder, live part of each year in Wanblee, South Dakota and part of each year in an alternative community 20 miles west of Taos, on the mesa, at about 7500 feet in elevation. The cabin is powered by solar heat. The stove, refrigerator, and heater use propane. They catch water for their animals, their plants, for bathing, and for washing dishes. They haul water for drinking. Marina has done about 1/3 of the construction work herself. The neighboring homes are straw-bale, adobe, wood-frame, and/or mud homes. Eventually, they would like to make their home sustainable with a wood stove and a system for filtering rainwater to make it drinkable for humans. Marina encourages others to start using their ingenuity in discovering or inventing machines or products that do not rely on non-renewable forms of energy.

Interviewer's Note: As I was preparing this article for publication, Marina Estrada Black Crow called me from Indian Springs, Nevada, where she and her husband were attending the Peace Prayer Gathering to join the Western Shoshone people and others in protesting the nuclear testing which is currently taking place on Western Shoshone land. The attendants of this Peace Camp were also protesting the possibility of waste from nuclear reactor cores being placed inside Yucca Mountain which is also on Western Shoshone land.

Did You Know?....

A Brief History of The Texas Cherokee

By T.W.W. Buffalo (Great-Great-Nephew of Chief Duwali, The Bowl),

Wambli Ho Correspondent

© June, 2002 Black Hawk, Colorado

The Texas Cherokee were a people originally from the Cherokee Nation of the East. They were from Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Georgia. The new people from Europe became too overbearing and greedy in the East. Just prior to the removal (The Trail Of Tears) in the early 1800's, a small group of Cherokees, led by Duwali (Chief John Bowles) or The Bowl as they called him, left the original homeland and began the trip West to find peace from the invaders of Europe. For a short time, they stayed in Arkansas before going on to the fertile land in East Texas. They had found land there that was, in many respects, a lot like that in their homeland. Good timber, fertile soil, rivers for fishing, no Europeans, and only other native peoples of this land: Atakapan, the coastal people of East Texas, Caddo, the farmers of that region, Kiowa of North Texas on the plains, and the Mexicans who were native to the area. This was acceptable to Duwali and his followers. They could now go on with their lives in the ways they were used to, farming and living in peace. This, however, was a short-lived dream.

Bowles and his followers, as well as the other tribes who joined with his people, were faced with more war and unrest due to the influx of Europeans moving to Texas for new land. Now they were faced with the Mexicans and the Europeans all trying to get their support in the war for independence of the Republic of Texas. The Raven (Sam Houston), an adopted brother to Bowles, was a major part of this pressure. The wars were waged and Texas became a Republic. The Cherokee and their associate tribes remained a neutral force through it all.

In 1839, the Republic of Texas found a new leader (Lamar) for Texas, a man who did not like the native peoples and promised to remove them from Texas. He replaced Houston as Governor of the new Republic of Texas. Shortly after he was elected, Lamar ordered troops to remove the Texas Cherokee and their associate tribes from their land. It was a hard fight for Duwali and his warriors to keep the people safe during their escape. This fight cost Duwali his life. He was 83 when a soldier's bullet sent him home to all our relations.

Today, many of the descendants of these people are again reuniting and trying to bring back the Texas Cherokee Nation to its rightful place. That effort is in the form of The Sovereign Cherokee Nation Tejas, a nation of Cherokee and the associate tribes who were driven from their land and homes. As the Grandchildren and Great-Grandchildren return home to East Texas, their Nation is being reborn. The Sovereign Cherokee Nation Tejas, a nation rising to return as will the Phoenix and the Thunderbird.

World Peace and Prayer Day

June 21, 2002 Durban, South Africa

Chief Arvol Looking Horse,

19th Generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe

www.worldpeaceday.com

Mitakuye (my relative),

From our Sacred Alters to Global Prophecies, it has been confirmed that we must continue to bring the message of Peace throughout the World. As we open our hands to the Creator, we must bring our hearts together. Purity and compassion must flow together to bring health and happiness to all the Nations of Mother Earth, creating an energy shift toward healing.

From the "Heart of Everything That Is", we have a Prophecy about the "White Buffalo Calf". The Bundle that I care for, called the "White Buffalo Calf Pipe", has an ancient story foretelling the signs we should look for in the future. They speak of a day when a white buffalo calf will stand upon Mother Earth. It will have black hoofs, eyes and nose. Ten have been born since 1994. This would bring us an awareness that we are at the Crossroads. We will be faced with chaos, sickness, continued diseases, and tears from our relatives eyes unless we unite spiritually. Scientific findings have confirmed that the violations against Mother Earth have caused the lack of energy to sustain our planet and our future. We have no choice but to stand together in prayer.

2002, the 7th year of our commitment, brings us to Durban, South Africa for the World Peace and Prayer Day event. In a settlement called Phoenix, founded by the re-known Peace Leader Mahatma Gandhi. A significant place where he lived, taught and worshipped, teaching the importance of respect and honoring one another's diverse beliefs in the Creator. We are happy to announce the assistance of Ela Gandhi in this year's organizing, Mahatma Gandhi's Granddaughter.

We are asking each one of you to pray with us on June 21st. Honoring all Sacred Sites upon Mother Earth. I am praying that one day this important day can be recognized worldwide as "Honoring Sacred Sites Day". A time that we all can have a chance to come together and pray for our future generations!

In the Sacred Hoop of Life, where there is no ending and no beginning!

Mitakuye Oyasin (all my relations),

Chief Arvol Looking Horse,

19th Generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe

See www.worldpeaceday.com for more details on collaborative ceremonies in your area!

A Gathering of Elders

By Cetan Itunkasan, Wambli Ho Correspondent

© May 3, 2002 Denver, Colorado

This past April 26th to 28th I was present at the Living Wisdom Gathering of Elders held in Denver, Colorado. The gathering featured indigenous Elders and was attended by about two hundred people. There were people from many other States and even several from other countries. During those three days it was my privilege and honor to hear, and at least for a brief period speak personally to, some of the Elders present. In what follows I have tried to faithfully and accurately represent some of the highlights from a number of the Elders who spoke at the gathering or presented a thought that they particularly wanted to pass on to the people.

Some of the first people I saw when I arrived for the gathering were Grandfather Selo and his wife Marina. It was very gratifying to me personally to be able to chat with Grandfather Selo and Marina for a short time. They were both very pleasant and gracious. Grandfather is a very wise, yet gentle man, deeply respected by the people. Grandfather Selo Black Crow, Kangi Sapa, is a Lakota Medicine Man and sub-chief on Pine Ridge Reservation. Grandfather Selo pointed out that if the ways of the people are lost, that is, the culture, traditions, language and spirituality, it is not the fault of the government, the schools, or any other institution. He called on parents to accept and live up to their responsibilities as the primary teachers of their children with regard to preserving the language, traditions, stories and spirituality of the people. However, he adds, all is not lost if parents are ignoring their responsibility or if the children are not listening to their parents. Grandfather Selo encourages grandparents to help by teaching their grandchildren because there is a very special relationship between a grandparent and grandchild.

Many times I have had the opportunity to talk with Duane Walking Turtle, an Elder of the Oneida Nation, and find him to be a man deeply committed to preserving and passing on the ways of his people and working for unity and peace among all Nations. During one of the break times I asked Mr. Walking Turtle if there was any thought he would especially like shared with the people. He stated that he would urge all of the Elders and all of us to look for the lost children who have been lost through the generations and bring them back into ourselves. They are in need of our support and healing. Mr. Walking Turtle is currently working on a book that deals with healing, so let's keep that in mind and watch for it.

Part-time Master of Ceremonies and speaker was David Swallow Jr., Wowitan Yuha Mani, a Teton Lakota Medicine Man. Those who know him might describe him as a gentle and compassionate man of truth committed to following the way of the Canunpa, a man who is not afraid to speak out about the injustices and inequities that plague his people as well as our country as a whole. In the view of David Swallow Jr. the "beast" that has always afflicted the People is genocide. Looking at the recent anti-terrorist legislation, the Patriot Act of 2001, the question that emerges is, who is a terrorist? A reading of the legislation would suggest that anyone who questions the government seeks to exercise his/her civil rights, or stands up for liberty is considered a terrorist. The question facing each of us is, do I want to be a slave by giving up my civil rights and bowing to unreasonable government demands, or a spiritual person who stands up for the values of freedom of speech, freedom to live spiritually, and freedom to seek a life of peace, harmony and truth?

Regretfully I was not able to spend much personal time with Emery Holmes, Elder of the Hopi Nation, however from listening to him speak I was able to discern that he is a deeply spiritual man whose life is dedicated to helping people. His central message stated that if you seek change in the world and in your life it begins with yourself. Through prayer and openness to the Spirit each person must seek balance and harmony within his or her own life. Begin each day with prayer for that harmony and balance and you will find your way and your mission in bringing peace, harmony and healing to the world.

It was a pleasure to be exposed to the sense of humor and positive energy of Elder Cetan Win. Her genuineness as a person allows her to walk with respect in many worlds. Her life and work direct women through self-empowerment to recognize and live out their sacredness as women in the world today. Pansy Hawk Wing, Cetan Win, a Lakota Elder called on Women to take their places alongside of men. She stated that it's a man's world and will stay that way unless women step up and take their place, not under or behind, but alongside of men. She shared that she stands alongside men today as that was where she was led through following the way of the Canunpa for the past twenty seven years. Women as well as all people who want to know who they are and where they are and be themselves need to, through prayer, seek balance and harmony in their lives.

One of the high points of the gathering was the arrival of Chief Arvol Looking Horse, Sunkawakan Wicasa, the 19th Generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe of the Dakota, Lakota and Nakota Nations. He called upon all of us to voice our feelings about what is happening to Mother Earth. To voice those feelings to our city, county, state and national leaders. "Pray for our leaders. Pray for the healing of Mother Earth. Pray for peace and unity among all peoples of the Earth." He invites us to join him in prayer on World Peace and Prayer Day on June 21. If we are able he requests that we pray at one of the Sacred Sites near where we live. Following his talk all of the people at the gathering stood while an honoring song was sung for Chief Arvol. To find out more about Chief Arvol Looking Horse, his writings, speeches, biography, and a photo gallery visit the archival website entitled "The Work and Words of Chief Arvol Looking Horse" at http://www.homestead.com/arvollookinghorse/index.html. Also visit the website for World Peace and Prayer Day at http://www.worldpeaceday.com and his new Wolaktoa Foundation at http://www.wolakota.org.

The Living Wisdom Gathering of Elders was concluded with an honoring song for all of the Elders during which time all those attending were invited to go up and greet each of the Elders.

During the course of the gathering I had many occasions to talk briefly with Akicita Nuni, the head Tokala of the He Ska Tokala Society of Colorado and head of security for the gathering. I respect him as a deeply spiritual man as well as one I know has made a commitment to be a guardian of the people. I shared with him that I was trying to gather a thought or bit of wisdom from the Elders for this article and asked him if he would think about whether there was anything he would like to share. The next time we met he handed me a short verse. I believe that short verse by Akicita Nuni captures some of the essence of the Elder's message and it is therefore with his verse that I will conclude:

"Peace, we speak of peace;!! But where the hell does peace begin?

We realize there can be no peace, until there is peace first from within."

A Reflection on Balanced Living

By Cetan Itunkasan,

Wambli Ho Correspondent ©April 15, 2002

On my journey through life I have met many people who are very angry and disenchanted about many things. Some of these would include such general things as an oppressive government, corrupt governmental and tribal officials, a system of law that redefines basic liberty and freedom as little more than slavery to the system, and the inability to be just left alone. Many of the same people who see and experience these things are very angry, resentful, jealous, envious, depressed and have come to the belief that the "system" will never change, and that they will not change and have thus taken on an attitude of apathy and futility. Many have experienced that trying to fight that "system" has led to even more losses financially, physically, psychologically and spiritually. Being caught up in a state of futility and hopelessness is not where most of us want to be. Realistically, the system can effect almost every area of our lives. It can take our homes, our cars, our jobs, our finances, and in many ways make our lives pure hell.

It is not, however, the purpose of this short article to promote or encourage negativity. So, viewing things from a more hopeful perspective we know there are certain things that no one can take from us. If one is honest, honorable, has integrity and dignity, and has his/her life centered and in balance and is walking a road of harmony and peace , it is only by that person's choice that these qualities can be changed or altered.

When we experience someone who is angry and full of rage sharing with us how they have been hurt, injured, misjudged or wrongly accused, we may either experience being knocked over by the negative energy or we may dart into the frey adding our own experiences to the mix.

I was visiting a prison and there encountered a man who with much anger, rage and resentment told of how this policeman in his town would go out of his way to arrest him or ticket him for such things as spitting on the street, J-walking, or simply verbally insulting and ridiculing him. He shared in great detail and with an angry glee how he blew up the police car. His eyes glazed over with delight as he described the explosion. The man had already served six months of his sentence and was still getting off on the memory of his revenge. When asked how he felt about the fact that the insurance company most likely replaced the car and that the policeman probably has forgotten about him and the incident, he could only keep recounting his perception concerning the beauty of the car going up in flames. The reason this story is included is to illustrate how easily we can miss living life when we choose to hold onto our anger, resentment, and rage.

Every time we choose to react to a perceived insult, hurt, wrongful accusation or offense we choose to be controlled. Someone else's problem with us has just become our problem and we have chosen to become negatively bonded to that someone. Jealously, envy, and hatred work the same way. When persons with angry voices and rage filled hearts are pleading their cases about the injustices, evils or insults committed against them they are becoming like ten year old children talking to daddy and mommy about how "it just isn't fair." Now don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting that life is fair, government and courts are just or that the tribal council is god, only that when we encounter life we need to know who we are, where we are, and where our power is truly located. If we really want to change the world we can't do it by shaming and blaming others for what's wrong, not because there is no one to blame, but because that method is just not too effective.

When it comes down to the bottom line, the only person each of us has any power to change is ourselves. Imagine yourself before the judge in a County Court having to explain your situation after having been beaten up by the police and accused of crimes you didn't commit. Would it be more effective to rant and rave about the injustices of the system or to, with quiet and peaceful dignity, explain as one adult to another adult your version of what happened? Sure, you might still be judged guilty, but you have given no one power over who you are, your honesty and integrity, or your dignity as a person who before the Creator is no more or less great than the one sitting on the judges bench.

If there is going to be healing of the Sacred Hoop and if we want our Mother Earth to be healed, that healing needs to begin with each and every one of us. We need to find good and positive energy within ourselves and begin to cultivate it and help it grow. Sometimes we may think or feel that all we have is our anger, resentment, hatred, envy and willingness to shame and blame others for our life. Until we are willing to give those negative things up we will never find peace, love, compassion, gentleness, and just plain being right with who we are and what we are in this life. Every person we come in contact with is effected by who we are as a person. When I was growing up my mother always told me the old saying, "smile and the world smiles with you.." If you choose to be negative and display negative energy the world will dive for cover and you'll stand alone.

If we are going to become the persons we want to be, having the qualities of honestly, compassion, love, and balance, we need to learn how to hear, listen, see, notice and respond , to ourselves, the Creator, and others. Knowing when to listen and what to listen for can be confusing in an age that is characterized by noise. With the many things we see happening and going on around us its difficult to choose what to notice and how to respond. I want to share with you some verses that contain great wisdom about we humans and our abilities to hear, listen , see, notice and respond. It is entitled "God Speaking" and it's author is unknown.

God Speaking

(author unknown)

The man whispered, "God, speak to me." And a meadowlark sang.

But the man did not hear.

So the man yelled "God speak to me." And the thunder and lightning rolled across the sky.

But the man did not listen.

The man looked around and said, "God, let me see you." And a star shined brightly.

But the man did not see.

And, the man shouted, "God show me a miracle!" And a life was born.

But the man did not notice.

So, the man cried out in despair, "Touch me, God, and let me know you are here." Whereupon, God reached down and touched the man.

But the man brushed the butterfly away and walked on.

A man wise and holy, a wicasa wakan, a man who was soft spoken and walked with a quiet dignity, a man before whose questions an American President stood mute, a man of love and compassion once took my hand in his and told me, "My son, when you pray say Mitakuye Oyasin (all my relatives) and all the spirits in the Universe will stand still and listen to you for them there is no time."

Leonard Peltier Defense Committee

PO Box 583 Lawrence, KS 66044 P. (785) 842-5774 F. (785) 842-5796

www.freepeltier.org

THE NEW CAMPAIGN FOR TRUTH AND JUSTICE

SPRING 2002 UPDATE

UNTIL FREEDOM IS WON!

NEW LEGAL STRATEGIES PROMISING

There is a lot happening on the legal front in the Peltier case this year. Attorneys Michael Kuzma and Bernard Kleinman have recently joined Peltier's legal defense team and each is pursuing important cases. The habeas corpus case, which seeks parole, continues to await ruling.

Attorney Michael Kuzma, a long time Peltier supporter based in Buffalo, New York is working to obtain the more than 11,000 full and partial documents withheld by the FBI. Kuzma has filed numerous Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests with the FBI and other agencies, who have released close to nothing thus far. An Executive Order implemented by former President Clinton requires that the documents be released after the passing of 25 years. A lawsuit seeking disclosure of the documents will be filed early this spring. In 1980 12,000 documents were released through FOIA, among them a ballistic test reflecting Leonard's innocence and prompting the government to admit that they do not know who shot the agents. We are convinced that even more critical evidence exists in the remaining documents. Just one piece of new evidence could lead to Leonard's acquittal.

Attorney Bernard Kleinman, meanwhile, has filed a civil rights suit. The suit was filed against the FBI and other officials who made false and misleading statements about the Peltier case to the public, the Parole Commission, the Justice Department and the President, thus denying Leonard Peltier his right to fair and unbiased clemency and parole reviews. This case is important for many reasons. First, if won, it will bar the FBI and prosecutors from continuing their campaigns of disinformation, thus removing the greatest barrier from our path to justice. In addition, it could expose new, exculpatory evidence during the discovery phase. Furthermore, it will publicly and legitimately challenge the FBI's claims and the propriety of Leonard Peltier's conviction, thus reversing damage done by the FBI's PR campaigns while increasing support and visibility for Leonard Peltier on a broad level.

Lastly, we await a decision on the habeas corpus pending in federal District Court. This case presents a challenge to the wrongful denial of parole to Leonard Peltier. Mr. Carl Nadler of Jenner and Block, Washington D.C. is handling the case together with the offices of Ramsey Clark, former U.S. Attorney General. Should the challenge be successful it could open the door to Leonard's release on parole.

PLAN OF ACTION

YOUR HELP NEEDED!

Write Representative Dan Burton

Coordinate local events and activities on

June 26 - date of shoot out on Jumping Bull property

Sponsor an LPDC speaker

Participate in LPDC Fund Drive

CONGRESS:

The House Committee on Government Reform is holding hearings on FBI misconduct relating to wrongful convictions. The hearings were prompted by the release of two Boston men who were framed by the FBI and held wrongfully in prison for more than 32 years. Their two co-defendants, also innocent, died in prison. Congressman Burton, who chairs the committee, said on 60 Minutes on January 27th, 2002 that he will be looking into other cases. Let's let him know about Leonard Peltier! Write, and ask your friends, family, and neighbors to write letters now. A sample letter is attached. Please CC your letter to your Representative and Senators.

Please follow up with a call to your Representative, asking that s/he contact Rep. Burton in support of inclusion of the Peltier case in any investigations of the FBI.

JUNE 26:

Commemorate June 26th by enlisting your friends, family, and communities for "Until Freedom Is Won, the Campaign for Truth and Justice!" Hold events or facilitate activities that will spread awareness about the new strategies, while galvanizing active support. Here are some ideas which have worked well in the past:

Potluck/Meeting

Invite friends, family, local organizations, fellow supporters, and potential supporters to a potluck and planning meeting. Discuss the case and the new strategies and plan outreach, fundraising and mobilization efforts for the months to come. If a hearing is granted for the Motion to Reduce Sentence, it could be scheduled as early as this spring or summer. If granted, it will be held in Fargo North Dakota. Hearings in both the Civil Rights case and the FOIA case could be scheduled as early as Fall of 2002. Those hearings will occur in Washington, DC. Preparing on a local level to support these cases might include:

Planning fundraisers

Planning to send delegates from your group to hearings

Planning outreach efforts, such as regular leafleting in a public place, video showings, or talks.

Visiting local churches, labor unions, civil and human rights organizations to ask for endorsements, participation and support.

Vigil

Hold a vigil on or around June 26th. Invite local organizations, church members, tribal members, and general public to attend. Alert the media and announce the new strategies at the vigil. Inform attendees of ways to get involved on a local level.

Fundraiser

Hold a benefit concert with local bands, a poetry reading, or Indian taco or bake sales to raise funds for the LPDC. Use the fundraiser to distribute information and announce the new strategies.

Leafleting

If you are not in a position to coordinate an event on June 26th, consider leafleting in a busy area to generate more awareness. Hand out the informational brochure available on our web site or in our info packet, and ask those who show interest to subscribe to our e-mail list serve or newspaper. Also consider attending either the Boston, San Francisco, or Oglala event. (Contact us for details).

Please notify us if you will be sponsoring an event or activity on June 26th so that we can help you publicize it. Your ideas may also inspire others to take action. Thank you for your dedication and support.

SPEAKERS BUREAU

Help educate your community about the case of Leonard Peltier by sponsoring an LPDC speaker. Each of our speakers is well versed in the case and most have a close connection to its history. Our speakers bureau consists of survivors and witnesses of the Pine Ridge "Reign of Terror," as well as professors, lawyers, and Indigenous Rights activists. Many knew Leonard Peltier as a free man. Each of our speakers has special knowledge and experiences to share with their audiences and can give a unique talk on the case. All speakers belong to the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee and are familiar with efforts underway to gain Leonard Peltier's release. Contact us to find out what is involved in sponsoring a speaker. You can also visit the speakers bureau section of our web site for more information.

PARTICIPATE IN LPDC FUND DRIVE

Make a donation, collect donations, and/or coordinate fundraisers to support the campaign to free Leonard Peltier. To enable the legal team to put their full efforts into their cases, we need to have resources available for filing fees, FOIA copying fees (which are exorbitant), travel, and in cases where extensive hours are required, funds to pay minimal fees for their time. Additionally, funds are desperately needed for the support effort which will include, mobilization to court hearings, an extensive awareness drive, and special events. (For more details please see the LPDC Fund Drive brochure or visit the web site, www.freepeltier.org ).

Protocol for Visiting the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe

David Swallow, Jr., Wowitan Yuha Mani,

Teton Lakota Spiritual Advisor

June, 2002 Porcupine, South Dakota

This is what I know from my Grandfather, this is my Grandpa's teaching, this is what he told to me:

Nobody goes to see the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe out of curiosity, nobody even thinks about it out of curiosity. The only time you thinks about it is when you need help, the only time you mention it is when you need help, the only time you go over there is when you need help.

There are some preparations to be followed, too. If you are a Lakota or a Spiritual person, and if your ancestors told you (your grandfathers, grandmas, uncles), then you should know. But if they don't tell you, then here's how it is.

We have to go prepared for four days ahead of time. This is what my Grandpa said. You have to go four days ahead of time. People went in caravans, in wagons and such, in those days. They take their own wood and they take gifts to whoever is watching the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Cannunpa [the Keeper and their family]. They take food, wood, and sweat covers. They sweat for four days before they go in there (into the Cannunpa's lodge-house). That is what was told to me.

And when they get done sweating for four days, then they make the offerings: tobacco ties and whatever they offer. Then they go close to it: from so far, they kneel and crawl close to it, he said. He said they pray, they talk to the Bundle, they talk to the Cannunpa there, and they put the offering there.

Then they come back down and have a sweat again to wipe themselves [so to prepare themselves] to come back into society. And sometimes, on that night, they have a Yuwipi ceremony too. And that is what my Grandpa told me. It is very sacred, this Cannunpa.

It is very sacred. If you're not a Lakota person then I guess you don't know. Because all Lakota, we know this: [that] in all the worlds, this is highly sacred. So therefore, when they ask, nobody just go out of curiosity to check this Cannunpa out or even go near it.

I've seen it [the Bundle]. I know the Powers. I know what it could do. You know, Spiritual people and Lakota people, they know. They don't even think about it. They know. But today's generation, a lot of the relatives grew up in an undisciplined way. We call it the education. They forgot about the Tradition, the Old Ways. They forgot about it. So, when they go to school, colleges, university they read books about Einstein and whoever and then they come back with a Wasichu mind. And then, curiosity is in there. See?

So if you are Lakota or a Spiritual person, good. But if you're not, learn to use the ears. Learn. Come talk to the real person, not the politicians, not the college centers. You cannot institutionalize this Old Way. There is no way, you cannot institutionalize because, as we know in the Old Way, Wakan Tanka gave this to us, the Lakota Way of Life. I live that way of life every day. I use my Lakota mind. I only went to school through the fourth grade. After that, I was raised in the Lakota way, the language and everything. When I was small, they said I don't have the right education so I'm going to amount to nothing. But it's not the "right" education that's going to make you something; it is going to contaminate you. But it is the Lakota mind and the language that will make you something which the Creator will recognize.

So before we could think about the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Cannunpa, or go near it, we have to, we have to become one within ourselves and know how to approach it. Ask somebody, ask the old people, one of the old people. We have two kinds of old people: one just grows old without the wisdom and the other one is with wisdom. So we have to be careful, now, in this Seventh Generation.

Personally I have never seen the actual Sacred White Buffalo Calf Cannunpa myself. But I have seen the Bundle, I have gone inside, but I have never seen the Cannunpa. But I know the Power of what it is. So if somebody out there has a curiosity mind, then he or she or they shouldn't even go near the Cannunpa like that. HO. This is all I'm going to say.

Washtelo. Aho. Wopilalo. Mitakuye Oyasin.

David Swallow, Jr. June, 2002

The Tipi Project

Sponsored by

David Swallow, Jr.

And

Wambli Ho, Voice of the Eagles

A Colorado Non-Profit Organization (501c3 Status Pending)

A long time ago we lived in tipis. A tipi is a very spiritual place for us. That's where our family grows. The family knows and understands the sacred circle and all it means. Tipi. "Tiyikceyah," we call it. And we are trying to bring this back to teach the women and children how to build this. But today, everything is run with money and that's one thing we don't have.

The Tipi Project is going to be held in the Pine Ridge Lakota Reservation and it will be conducted by David Swallow, Jr. and other Medicine People there. It is part of their efforts to bring back the Traditional way of life. That Traditional way of life starts at home, and the home is the Tipi, the "tiyikceyah". The children, the grandmas, the mothers, everyone is there in a tipi. The Spirit is alive inside a Tipi.

When you sleep in a Tipi, you look at the poles and they are all connected. And yet, it is a circle, without a beginning and without an end, it is continuous. It is the cotton tree leaf that shows us how to build a tipi. So if you fold a cotton tree leaf and then make it into a circle, hold it in your hand, you have the pattern for a tipi right there. The tipi is a spiritual home of the ikce wicasa ( common man) Lakota and ikce wicasa throughout this Turtle Island. Today, the ways things are going with the young ones. The gangs, the teenage pregnancies, all this. is because we forget where we live. We forget the tipi, the "tiyikceyah"

We are asking people to help bring back at least part of the Traditional Way of Life by sending a love offering to help purchase tipis for the Lakota people of Pine Ridge Reservation. Donations may be sent to:

Wambli Ho, Voice of the Eagles

663 Box Elder Creek Drive

Brighton, CO 80601

Wastelo. Aho. Wopilalo. Mitakuye Oaysin.

David Swallow, Jr.

June, 2002