| Arvol's
address at the Thanksgiving Service, St. John The Devine, NYC
November 2001
Here on Turtle Island we have many Nations. I, in my own spiritual
way as a keeper of a Sacred Bundle have recognized Nations of
the world, many Nations upon Mother Earth. We are at the crossroads.
A prophecy that was handed down through generation, through generation,
it was told among the people that some day we would see and hear,
because the things that hold people together and a way of life
through ceremonies and stories was not handed down properly. 1996
we came out with the statement called, " We are at the crossroads".
Either be faced with global disasters, chaos, sickness, tears
from our relatives eyes or to unite spiritually, as Nations upon
Mother Earth. Because as we come into this new millennium, today
coming here we think about forgiveness, we think about unity,
world peace, global healing, to pray for healing, to pray for
peace. I think about all those people who have gone before us,
great leaders that , some of them are recognized and some of the
great leaders that are not recognized. All in all we believe in
our dreams, we believe in our visions. I would like to share with
you a story of The Creation. It was told among the people that
the first people came from the Sacred Black Hills, the bloodline
that I have come from, the Buffalo People. In the Black Hills,
a place where we have the star knowledge in the sky and the Sacred
Sites in the Black Hills. Around the Sacred Sites was a great
race track where the Animal Nation had a great race. It was told
that the two legged won over the four legged. The very next day
a great council took place among the Animal Nation about how things
would be on Mother Earth. It was then that the Buffalo People
came to the people and said, " I will help you, I will walk
with you, but you must offer me tobacco, prayers, songs"
. So the people said, "So be it". From then on the people
said " We will call ourselves The Buffalo People". The
Eagle came forward to the people and said, " I too will help
you, help you with ceremonies like the Buffalo Nation, but I too
will need prayers, songs, offerings. The day you have stopped
doing this upon Mother Earth, your prayers are short, then you
are going to lower me and lower me, because I have come from the
Eagle Nation and my words that I speak the truth that I would
fly upon Mother Earth, I would fly the highest and bless Mother
Earth. But there will be a day, a time coming when you are going
to lower me and lower me because your prayers are short, your
offerings. Then someday I would go into places where I have never
gone before. During that time I would lose my boundaries and you
shall lose your boundaries too". And today we will witness
that, we have lost our boundaries because we have seen the Eagles
in trash pits and dump sites. Today we see things that we have
never seen before, we hear things that we have never heard before,
the misuse and abuse of our spiritual ways, Mother Earth. The
great council of Animal Nations told us stories how things should
be. The birds would fly their patterns, the fish would swim and
there everything that is, all the Animal Nations sharing their
life upon Mother Earth. So we say, "Mitakuye Oyasin",
that means everything is all related upon Mother Earth. And today
we are at the crossroads because we have witnessed, we have seen,
and from the Sacred Alters the message that people must unite
because when I was very young at the age of 12 when I took on
the Sacred Bundle as a Keeper I was told about a story about White
Buffalo Calf that would someday stand upon Mother Earth, when
these changes would come. Today I have seen this White Buffalo
Calf, the first one was born 1994 with black eyes, black nose,
black hooves, a White Buffalo Calf was born. Since then every
year a White Buffalo Calf has been born and this last August another
White Buffalo Calf has been born. Today the four seasons in the
Black Hills, we do a ceremony to welcome the Thunder People and
the last few years the Thunder People came back year round. We
are seeing Earth changes, climate changes, it's not only through
our sacred ways but by scientific findings. So today as we come
here to pray for peace and harmony, to give thanks to The Creator,
my prayers, I know that each and ever one of you will be traveling
throughout the world and I too will travel and I know that as
we left from back home from our Sacred Ceremonies, we bring a
message here tonight. Today we speak about war, there's so much
tension, we live in fear. As Spiritual Leaders, when I was very
young my Grandmother said to me that " You will walk upon
Mother Earth in this way" she said, " My Grandson, don't
ever use foul language because you'll be going to ceremonies.
Don't ever use or carry a weapon". Up to this day I listen
to my Grandmother. Yet, like the Elders said, every morning we
get up we have negative attitude, people using foul language,
we live in fear, and today as we think about the Creation stories
and the prophecies, visions and dreams of many Nations, we too
want to unite with Nations of the world. In this global community
we can unite spiritually and create an energy shift upon Mother
Earth like we can heal person in our ceremonies. May peace be
with each and every one of you, my name is Horse Man. Aho.
For more information visit :
http://www.worldpeaceday.com/ |
