February 27, 2011

Robert Big Elk

It was the summer of 2000 in the sacred Black Hills of South Dakota that I had the pleasure of meeting Robert Big Elk. There was a spiritual gathering happening over a four day period hosted by The Spiritual Unity of Tribes. Hundreds of people from around the world came to listen, laugh, learn, love and share stories, food and beauty from their respective lands. Robert Big Elk of the Omaha Nation was one of the many wisdom keepers who shared under the arbor as well as on camera. Robert who crossed over several years ago was a renown artisan as well as a passionate advocate for Native American equal rights. Below is something Robert gave me, which I’d like to share.

The turtle is an ancient symbol created to honor the Earth. There are many Native American legends that tell of the Earth being created on the back of a turtle. It is said that the reason the turtle walks so slow is because it carries the weight of the world on its back. The turtle is a healer and a teacher that reminds us to slow down and pay more attention to all of creation around us and try to interact with the natural world. (more…)

Filed under: Gathering of Eagles — admin @ 3:04 pm

February 17, 2011

Joanne Shenandoah


Joanne Shenandoah

A GRAMMY Award and 12 Time Native American Music award winning artist; and Wolf Clan member of the Iroquois Confederacy, Joanne Shenandoah has fulfilled the promise of her Native American name, Tekaliwah-kwa, (She Sings).  ” She’s become one of the most acclaimed Native American recording artists of her time.” Associated Press.

Since emerging as an artist in 1990, she has performed at such high-profile gigs at Carnegie Hall, the White House, Kennedy Center, Earth Day on the Mall, Woodstock ’94, and the Parliament of the Worlds Religions in South Africa and the famous Sagrada Familia, in Barcelona Spain, Instanbull, Hwa Eom Temple, S. Korea and thousands of venues in the US.

“She weaves you into a trance with her beautiful Iroquois chants and wraps her voice around you like a warm blanket on a cool winter’s night,” said Robbie Robertson, formerly of the Band, who used her voice on his solo album Contact From the Underworld of Redboy.  Shenandoah has also collaborated and or performed with Bruce Cockburn, Neil Young, Brian Kirkpatrick, Willie Nelson, Rita Coolidge and scores of others.

Over time Shenandoah’s been able to channel her love of pop, folk and classical into her ancestrally inspired music and her music has been used in many soundtracks to include HBO, PBS, Northern Exposure, Bose Systems, The Discovery Channel, and TRANSAMERICA to name a few.

Shenandoah, as an actress plays a major role in The Last Winter, a  thriller film on global warming starring Ron Perlman.

Filed under: Joanne Shenandoah — admin @ 3:21 pm

February 1, 2011

Edna Gordon

“WELCOME TO MY UMBRELLA TREE,” says Hawk Elder Edna Gordon, seating herself opposite me at her well-weathered backyard picnic-table, gesturing with a wide sweep of her hand at the rich tapestry of overhanging branches arching all the way to the ground around us, creating a kind of natural gazebo.

She nods at the tree as at a cherished old friend, and nods at me, her visitor.

“This old tree’s the whole of Creation, you know, if you got eyes to see…,”  she says, and her throaty voice trails away thoughtfully.

I look upward into the drooping canopy of heavily leafed branches all but encasing us.

“Like a house of leaves,” I say.

“More’n that,” she says, “…the whole Creation’s right here in this tree, if you can see it…  You’re sittin’ right inside o’ Creation itself!  Don’t you see it?  Can’t you feel it?”

I put the palm of my hand on the rough bark of the trunk.

“I …I can feel it, I think,” I say.

“Your hand on the tree, that’s Life on Life,” Edna says. “This Umbrella tree here’s at the center of the Universe!  And so are we!” (more…)

Filed under: Seneca Wisdomkeeper Edna Gordon — admin @ 10:39 am