Walking Spirit in a Native Way

 N'baa kaa win (wisdom).  Use the wisdom for the people. The understanding that is gained through interacting with all things that are of the creation There was a time that I was camped outside of Freeport, Maine. I would camp there once every year to stop at LL Bean Store to refresh my equipment. At the time, LL Bean would stay open twenty-four hours daily. This was great for me. I could go in at midnight and shop when no one else was around. A man and his children were camped nearby and we visited. He was a professor of philosophy at Harvard and was spending the weekend with his children. In the evening, by the fire, we talked about some of the beliefs that I have learned from Ojibwe Elders. The professor told me that wisdom is the gradual acquiring of knowledge, judgement and patience. He then asked me what I thought. I answered that I only knew what my Elder had indicated in the teaching of the Seven Gifts of the Seven Grandfathers pertaining to finding balance in life. Wi...

  It was a dream! by James B Beard aka Noodin, September 2013   The first day the sun came up white. No one noticed all that much. Some greeted it as they do each day. The second day the sun came up yellow. People seemed to go on in their normal way. Many would pick up their weapons of choice. The third day the sun came up red. M ore people seemed intent on hurting one another. The fourth day the sun came up brown.   The people felt bitter and discouraged. The fifth day the sun came up green. The people stopped and wondered. The sixth day the sun came up black.  The clouds were filled with soot from fires, pollution from modern technologies,  ash from volcanoes, smoke clouds from explosions of war. The earth  scorched and bare. Animals were few and birds did not sing. The people were fearful. The seventh day the sun came up blue. The people put down the weapons and gave thanks. ...

When wolf steps in!   Though I have been attending Native American ceremonies for a few years, there were still many native people who would basically be cordial, but distant.  Especially the women of the tribe.  An Anglo stands out in this population and the people have become leery  of visitors to their sacred ceremonies.   This particular ceremony was in the fourth day and it was nearing midnight. The ceremonies were ongoing and started early in the morning for that day. It now was almost midnight. I was standing near the doorway of the teaching lodge listening to the teachings being given in the form of oral stories of the people. An art and a way that is timeless in passing of the knowledge of the people. To my surprise, a young woman in her early twenties walked up to me as I stood near the lodge doorway listening to the teachings being given inside.  “ Excuse me ”, she said, “I want to ask if you could help me.  I need a ride back to m...