A pipe carrier who walks with the spirit staff of the Lakota Nation. Wanble Ska, aka Bill O’Brian shares stories of Stone Boy and Wind Cave, the white buffalo nation, the thunder beings, the oyate, and his journey of the good red road. His sincere and heart felt words touch deeply as he offers insights of peace and unity, sharing as ONE with all nations as well as humbly honoring our Mother Earth.

Four kolas (Lakota -meaning, friends) gather in the Black Hills of South Dakota, representing the four directions. Speaking about the present and future generations, earth changes, prophecies and other important issues. Their collective message is directed at the elders and wisdom keepers of the world and is also vital to us all.

Angel was gracious enough to share her thoughts and feelings on several topics. Documented in 2002 at The Gathering of Eagles, Canyon Calm in South Dakota.

Dave Swallow, Jr. was born and raised near Wounded Knee, SD on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and is a member of the Teton Lakota Nation, the band of Crazy Horse. He was taught the ancient Lakota ways by his Grandparents and is recognized by his own people, both on and off the reservation, as a Spiritual Leader and Sundance intercessor. He travels to teach about the sacredness of Mother Earth and to bring about awareness of the situation of his people back on the reservation. (more…)

June Iron-Hawk Lew speaks about a message she received from Grandmother Moon.
June’s parents were Lakota and Siberian and she was brought up on Spirit Lake Reservation.
She shares a rattle song passed down from her elders, honoring Grandmother Moon and Grandfather sun.
June was a beautiful woman inside and out. She passed into the spirit world several years ago.

Chester Kahn was born in 1936 in Pine Springs, Arizona on the Navajo reservation into a long line of silversmiths and rug weavers. His upbringing was based upon the traditional Navajo lifestyle that included livestock and farming. It was during his early years that he drew on canyon walls and cardboard as while he herded sheep. Eventually he went to the BIA day school in Pine Springs, then to Shiprock Indian School, and graduated from Stewart Indian School in Nevada.

While at Stewart, Chester developed as a painter and exhibited at the Nevada State Library in Carson City, Washoe County Library, and Tower Theater in Reno; and won an award at the Nevada Artists Association Exhibit in Reno.

After school Chester returned to the Navajo reservation he became a professional sign painter, painting many billboards including the first large roadside billboard for Navajo Shopping Center in Gamerco, NM. He continued to develop as a silversmith and painter winning many awards, including the: Gallup Inter-tribal Indian Ceremonial, Arizona State Fair, Navajo Tribal Fair, and Philbrook Art Center in Tulsa. In the early 1960’s, Chester painted a large mural inside Gallup Indian Community Center which, regrettably, has since been demolished. (more…)

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…)

When somebody is sick, when somebody needs help, there are different ceremonies for different purposes for different     illnesses, and the medicine men are trained in these very ceremonies to conduct these ceremonies to keep people healthy and strong and happy. It brings the families and the communities together for 1 day, 2 days, 5 days. The longest ceremonies we have is, two of them left today, they’re 9 day ceremonies. And in these times there’s a lot of interaction, a lot of social activities, dancing and then of course the counseling to try to help the younger generation. The Elders counsel the youth and everybody, how to live and how to act and how to behave on the individual basis as well as collectively. So all these things are brought together, different portions, different aspects of life so that one lives and the family lives, the community lives in harmony and in balance and in peace. This is what I was born into at that time. (more…)